squeak. speak. roar!

Scene: At Anwar Ibrahim’s PC. Met a journalist I haven’t seen for a while and caught up.

Me: So how’s life these days, man?
Him: Okaylah, now it’s more fun since I discovered Facebook. So many things to do there.
Me: Eh, I’m getting my ass whooped in Scrabulous!
Him: You’re a journalist! We’re wordsmiths! How can you be having trouble in that?
Me: I’m getting my ass whooped by a lawyer.
Him: Oh. Then ya lah.

lol. I will not concede that lawyers are better wordsmiths than journalists!!!

And another one.

Scene: Having breakfast with a friend.

Me: I love Mexican food.
Her: You mean that Las Carestastasmastas?
Me: lol. Las Carretas lah.
Her: What makes it so good anyway?
Me: I like the fajitas and the chilli. And it’s got quite a nice vegetarian spread.
Her: You mean with the moley moley thingy?
Me: You mean guacamole?
Her: lol. Yeah that.
Me: Hahahaha.

Or something like that. Must have been the way she said “moley moley”. That just cracked me up.

Swamped with work like madness. If it goes quiet, that’s most probably the reason :)

How’s everybody these days? :)

Solitude, meeting friends in Parliament and a phone call from Iraq - just enough to sustain my sanity as this week’s crazy events draw to a temporary reprieve.

Phew *wipes brow*

Briefly now. I confess I did not expect Anwar’s arrest to happen so soon and in the way that it did. I did not expect RPK to be charged so soon either. I did not expect DNA to be such a major issue because I too thought DNA lasts for a super long time - more than 10 years. I’m sure Anwar left some hair in his cell during his one night remand, I bet they are already doing things to it now. Even if Anwar give his sample (hair, saliva will suffice btw), it will be sent to the Jabatan Kimia that falls under the purview of the Ministry of Science, Technology & Innovation. A campaign for an independent lab to handle this would be most pertinent in such circumstances but PKR is waaay ahead of me :)

Expect media frenzy in full force in August 15 as RPK reveals what makes the criminal defamation charges defective and mala fide. I wish for concrete evidence, no more statutory declarations and hearsay please!

It looks like the government and the police (and dare I add the hospital authorities) will have to relook their methods and the bad PR they’ve been projecting. Not only is the rakyat watching - international audiences, investors, stakeholders and everybody else are watching how this will all unravel. If rumours resonate louder than truth, expect more turmoil and drama.

Damn, those are two things I can’t deal with anymore these day. One thing is for sure though, it can’t get more exciting than this (well, unless Anwar really decides to run in Kulim!)

For once, I would like to see them reveal how much all this is going to cost all of us taxpayers!! DNA testing and a full blown criminal trial is not cheap, alright?

I’m feeling snippety and random today. Just some quick thoughts.

#1 The Protes protest at Kelana Jaya stadium, to me, was a failure. I wasn’t there but from what I read, the concert, lion dances, poetry reading etc did not help project the anger felt by some members of the public against the fuel price hike. Sure there were the usual display of displeasure via ceramahs, t-shirts, banners and posters but the so-called carnival atmosphere completely undermined that. The point is that people can be fucking angry and should be given the right to parade all over town peacefully without the police using force against them. Somehow gathering a stadium and containing it there just doesn’t do it for me. Lawan tetap lawan, I thought?

#2 I got my grey media tag! Aku media, dong. Watch me write my scoop in my notepad, yo. lol. Okaylah, I’m excited. It’s a plastic card with my face on it done by the Information Ministry for goodness sake. I’m easily pleased, alright? :)

#3 I want to live in a kampung one day. From my brief trip to Tioman, I really really do. Life is simple and minimalistic. With little to no stupid complications that this blasted city life has. Maybe I just need a much longer holiday.

#4 The skin on my face is peeling like crazy. Damn sunburns.

#5 Oh the blogger strike! If you wanna strike, then do it. If you don’t, then don’t. It’s not about cowardice, it’s about respecting people’s decision. Grow up and get laid lah.

#6 I did say snippets right? There you go. Busy busy busy!!!

Oh the thrills of being a journalist - getting caught in the thick of things and all. Reminds me why I love this job so much :)

It has been a tiring few days. More so in light of the salvo between Anwar and Najib. Just look at how much these two fellas have in common! :

Both are accusing each other for making malicious statement to divert the public’s attention on 1) Anwar’s alleged sodomy on Saiful and 2) oil hike, electricity hike, by election, crossovers, economic mismanagement, turmoil in Umno.

Both are allegedly sodomites 1) Anwar with Saiful; 2) Najib with Altantuya

Both say they have nothing to fear, they have the truth.

Both are accusing each other for being desperate to spreading such allegations

Both deny sexual relations with the alleged liwat-ee 1) Saiful and 2) Altantuya

Both are still smiling with their wives by their side.

Both are going ALL OUT to kill each other off be it with evidence or with intimidation.

Both have their entire political futures hanging on the string because of this very scandal.

If they weren’t enemies, they’d be best mates, yo :)

…

As for me. I have been talking to too many people and I know too much. So much so, I am worried for my safety. Hence I’m going to be away this weekend for a much needed rest and relax and recharge trip to Tioman Island :) (I am kidding about knowing too much btw). But personally, I’ve been overwhelmed by all this politicking! And it is most annoying that the media becomes this tool for them to play around with. I sure feel journalists have been buttfucked left, right and centre! It is Tahun Meliwat Malaysia, seriously.

For those attending the protest this Sunday, please note it has been changed to Kelana Jaya stadium!! Keep safe everybody. I have been informed that the police has done their survey and are most likely closing off entry points from both ends of the LDP. LRT services are expected to shut down too.

Anyway, I will be back soon, I promise. I don’t blog about the juicy stuff I know anyway. That, I will do over tea :) Anybody?

:)

Hi guys!

I had a fairly eventful weekend. It began with diarrhea on Saturday morning together with a very sore throat and a full blown cold. Not a good start at all. I still had to drag my ass to KL for a seminar for some 50 government public relations officers. I say ‘drag’ purely because I had to, literally. I was physically unfit to go anywhere. I was feeling so crap but I’ve already promised to speak and I really wanted to address government PROs about alternative media and blogs. I wanted to practice what I preached to them - to be open to dialogue and seek ways to understand each other better.

So just quickly on my session that was moderated by Leslie Lau. Heh. I presented on what makes alternative media, alternative and spoke extensively about the company that I’m attached to. After that I presented on blogs and what they are were all about. During question time, interesting issues were raised. Amongst them about how extreme bloggers can get, how Malaysians are traditional minded and we are not used to liberalised free speech. Examples of this from how we can never accept nude beaches to naked chicks on page 3 of newspapers came up as well, much to my amusement. lol. I was also asked whether I thought Najib should’ve sued Tian Chua over the doctored ‘table for three’ photo.

I think whoever feels they have been wronged, should sue. But at what cost? At stifling free speech or at least, building the foundation and educating the public on responsible free speech? How much does a public figures reputation cost? RM10 million as per MGG PIllai vs Vincent Tan’s case that was allegedly written by a lawyer? Can we trust that any of our cases now or laws executed by our so-called independent judiciary and Attorney-General’s Chambers are truly done in the name of rule of law? Does the public have confidence in any institutions anymore? When will Malaysians reach a stage where we can stop sweating over the small stuff and focus on resolving real issues?

I found that the views of some PROs were mildly myopic to say the least, placing a lot of their displeasure and unhappiness over irresponsible bloggers on bloggers themselves. I tend to see things in a bigger picture. The question to me is not about punishing these individuals but understand what drives people to write such things. People are always angry, cynical and upset for a reason. Even when we do things out of sheer spite, there must be a reason, circumstance and history behind it. These are the same reasons why I couldn’t blame the PROs for seeing things this way. They too have their own reasons, circumstances and history for their respective epistemological stance.

:) I may have disagreed with them on several points but I believe the dialogue was wonderfully refreshing. I enjoyed every minute of it. I’d like to think that I gave them food for thought as well and served as an example that as a alternative media representative and a blogger - I am willing listen as much as I am willing to debate :)

Interesting point to note was how Leslie pointed out that in his 15 year career as a journalist, he said he has always reported on the facts and it wasn’t his job to determine whether it was the truth or not. It was all about fair reporting. Um, that’s pretty scary to know there are journalists out there who are not concerned with the truth in the sea of lies that we swim in. Even more so in our political climate where rumours and conspiracies run rife in every Malaysia-Today blog post that you read.

TRUTH is ALL the matters. Reporters don’t report LIES. Facts are not “facts” if their are not true. lol. They become mere assertions subject to factual confirmation aka, TRUTH!!! Okaylah, I got a bit bengang when I head him say it but I felt it was more important to answer questions from PROs more then the moderator. Tee hee. So where else better to put this than in my blog? :)

Anyway, after the seminar, lunch was swift. I was also feeling like crap by them. Tummy was still upset and my sore throat got worst. I had to call in sick for work and ended up resting. Of course the best thing to happen all day on Saturday was Nat’s return to the country! :) He came for the seminar about 3 hours after touchdown, just for me! :) So I slept for the rest of the day. Didn’t feel any better and had an early night soon after. I missed out on Toni’s memorial but I heard it was lovely. I’m glad.

Sunday was alright. I think all the drugs I took the night before helped in reducing my sore throat. The full blown cold was unstoppable and I was leaking like a mucus dispenser. Not pretty. After lunch and chores and nap, I took my family for a Father’s Day dinner. Pictures later since I’m blogging from Nat’s laptop currently instead of my own. Heh. Stayed over at Nat’s after dinner and you won’t believe what happened.

I did not sleep until 7am (or 8am, I’m not sure). Must have been all the Chinese herbal tea and Coke Light I had yesterday. It was crazy. I ended up reading Cheryl’s ‘Devil Wears Prada’. It was a bad book. Writing-wise, brilliant. Storyline-wise, a bit lame and unbelievable. lol. Whoops. It was quite funny that at around 6.30am, everybody in the house was up for one reason of another. So I slept and woke up proper around 11am. I really really hope I can sleep tonight.

Anyway, I’ve got to run! It’s spend time with Nat, err, time :) Joy! :)

I’m finally sick. After relatively good health throughout elections, I’m not surprised! All the fuel hike, Nat being away, disruptive sleeping patterns, nightmares and what not has taken a toll on my well-being. And yet, I have a super packed day tomorrow.

11am - Giving a talk to government PROs in KL.
1pm - Back to office. I work every Saturday you see.
4pm - Some random Anwar function in Segambut.
7pm - Toni’s memorial in the Annexe, Central Market.

I

am

going

to

crash!!!

:(

I hope everybody’s doing better! :) Good weekend y’all!

I’m actually a turkey when it comes to editing or altering photos. So resident graphics guy Azlan gave me and Rahmah the 101 on Adobe Photoshop so we can resize our pictures for work whenever necessary :)

Behold the fruits of my labour! For my PAS friends, this is not insulting Hadi Awang in anyway. Quite the contrary actually, I chose him because I thought the picture was perfect for learning how to crop and lasso and adjust. It’s an artistic expression and it does not alter my respect for the man to any lesser degree.

Lassoed, cropped, adjusted, contrasted, resized.

Mugshot

Good weekend everybody :)

Happy second anniversary, Natatooee! :) <3

This is how sweet Nat can be (or did he do something naughty in US to necessitate such a romantic gesture? eeeps!). Anyway, Nat got roses sent to my office!

lol.

Surprise!!! How to work like this?

Mmmmm close up! Pink, champagne, yellow and red roses! *swoons* I suspect Nat played safe cos he did not know what my fave flowers are. lol.

And the sweetest message ever imagined!

Sorry Nat, was the message for public consumption? lol.

Anyway, I love Nat and I miss him so much! I can’t wait for him to hurry back home :)

<3 <3 <3

Thanks for the flowers sweetie, I love it! :) More gooey stuff in your email! :) <3

Wah big news about major defects from PKR to Umno!!!

It’s just another sandiwara as far as I see it. Why do I say so? It’s because it’s OLD NEWS. Anuar Shaari had already joined Umno waaaay back on March 7, a day before we hit the polls.

What a happy, joyful, bouncy lot! Its all so exciting with these new members!

Abdullah Wants Permatang Pauh To Return To BN

BUKIT MERTAJAM, March 7 (Bernama) — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi wants the Permatang Pauh parliamentary constituency to return to the Barisan Nasional (BN) in the general election on March 8.

He promised that the government would bring all the development programmes drawn up for Permatang Pauh if the constituency returned to the BN.

“Previously, Permatang Pauh had been an Umno stronghold but because of an incident, the people here were disappointed. I know, that’s why I did not want to disturb, but not as long as 10 years.

“Now, the time has come for us to be together with the BN to bring progress and development here. We will not be disappointed if we choose the BN,” he said in his speech at a meeting with the local community in Kampung Guar Perahu, here Thursday night.

At the function, Abdullah witnessed two Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) senior members, namely Permatang Pauh division head Anuar Shaari and Penang Youth head Affendi Yusof, rejoining Umno.

Also present at the function were the Prime Minister’s wife, Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah and the BN candidate for the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat, Datuk Pirdaus Ismail.

The Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat is being held by PKR president Datin Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail since the 1999 general election.

So what’s the beef about this ‘oh saja-saja coincidentally joining Umno around the same time as Ezam bullshit’? He’s ALREADY a member lah. What did he meet Najib for when he has already met Pak Lah? What really got me worried was that he wants to go back to defending HIS race and HIS religion. Not OUR religions, not OUR MALAYSIAN race. Uggh, you all do know how much I hate Umno’s arrogance right? lol.

I’ve kept quiet about what I think about cross overs for awhile now and I think it’s apt to make my stand today. From a political perspective, I always believe it is better to see a person’s true colours than to be deceived by them for too long. I support pro-Malaysia Malaysians in whichever party they go to but if it means they will lose their spine (and become racist etc) in the process, then I will withdraw my rally for them. This is why I HATE party politics and chances are I will never join a political party.

I support PAS for it’s philosophy that are at times, very forward-looking and inclusive, which I admire greatly. I also admire DAP for taking issues and making a conscious effort to do something (be it for political mileage or whatever, as long as they HELP and RAISE the issue when other parties fail to do anything). I also believe in PKR’s multi-racial politics however flawed, we all needed to start somewhere, didn’t we?

That’s the political stand that I take. I support issues and causes and never the person or party. That explains my love-hate relationship with many people and many things. People call it fickleness but I think things that divide us (like race, the clothes we wear, even the food we eat!) are given far too much focus. This has been the basis why borders are draws between countries and fences between houses. lol. My idealism astounds even myself sometimes but I guess it has never done me any harm to be worldly and wistful :)

Credit where credit is due, BN tried to be multiracial. However, I think their divide and rule (by Umno proxy) has seen the end of its shelf life because the rakyat has woken up from its slumber to notice that whatever problems or issues faced by another Malaysian, regardless of any human-concocted differences, affects all of us too. More so, many of the problems plaguing us now - cost of living, corruption, petrol prices, rising crime - goes beyond race and creed. I think that itself is a uniting force. I hate to say it, it’s a blessing in disguise and it’s in fact a positive step in nation-building.

Of course there are those who are ‘extreme’ or what not. lol. I believe in the maturing of the human intellect. We will all reach a stage where we will find balance and peace within ourselves. Those in denial will take a while but if we hold on strong to rationale and common sense, we will never be so easily swayed or be offended by labels. Remember, those are just words and who give words its meaning? Us, of course!

So where am I going with this?

Crossovers will help us decide who has a spine and who doesn’t. It will allow us to see what their interests really are and how will affect us. From a political standpoint it’s about numbers and positions. But I see it as part of natural selection, everyone does what they need to do to survive. If joining Umno was Ezam and Anuar’s decision then good for them. It is when nasty things happen, the rakyat needs to look beyond the politics and stand united to fight.

So party-hopping legislation? Rubbish. That goes beyond freedom of association. In a truly liberal country, Ezam and Anuar’s actions will not even make the news. lol. We have so much to learn and grow into. But what to do, Malaysians love a conspiracy to distract them from the harsher boring realities of life :)

But Umno sandiwara really bugs me! As much as I have been annoyed with Nallakaruppan’s inane political (and irritating) opportunism, the inability to read into Anwar Ibrahim’s motives and how ridiculous the Parliament is run. But hey, time to snap out of it and focus on the issues eh?

Just some shots from my good ol’ Canon Powershot A700 :)

Dinner on Tuesday after Parliament was extended to 9.30pm. D’lish’s grilled vegetables in pesto sauce with a roasted tomato. It was good. I wished for more zucchini though.

I had an egg for lunch yesterday (thank you one month old MPs!) followed by this snack around 8pm. Parliament is bad for my digestive system. This is for you, Nat! :)

Yeay, pictures from camera shall grace this blog again!!