From that cloud, number 9

The Story of the Hair & the Vitamin

2011-12-09T21:30:00.001-08:00

There was once a Hair Vitamin that someone recommended and of course, for lack of a better term, a messy crown of Hair. The Hair was erratic, wavy, frizzy and dry. It's beauty enveloped in messy trails of charred life.
"Yes," it said, " A Vitamin made for me that would actually replenish me and is not a lie like all the others!.Something that had always been there but which I overlooked. Yet whose value I see now shining triumphant in front of my once blind eyes."
Eyes watered and a single tear rolled down the dry canvass of the Skin. " At last I'd found it! Something made solely for me." And the Hair was happy and so was the Vitamin because it had been lonely all those years on the shelves and finally it could replenish something that really needed it.
They were both happy in each other for some time.

Yet LITTLE
by LITTLE
The Glory Days faded....
The effects were wearing off.
As a result of using too many capsules of Vitamin at a time in happiness, the Hair the Vitamin had once replenished turned greasy, dull and heavy. It lost its former shine that had always been there despite the frizz.
The Vitamin also grew weary having to replenish the Hair all the time and it got frustrated at not being able to completely rid the Hair of its frizz that always returned after a while.
The Hair said to herself sadly," The Vitamin was just like the rest".
The Vitamin said to himself sadly," I thought I could replenish her but her needs are too much."

And quietly the Hair and Vitamin parted ways.

They did still love each other but they had accepted that they were two such entities that had been destined to cross paths.

The Hair later learned to replenish itself and stopped expecting the Vitamin to do it all the time and beamed in pride at having learned how to do this and she was thankful to the Vitamin for being brave and honest enough to teach her this lesson.

The Vitamin also learned to be patient and not expect the effects to be immediate, that trust and patience would wean any Hair back to its former glory, that he did not have to replenish the Hair all the time. That all that the Hair needed was for the Vitamin to be there.

The Hair and Vitamin both smiled to themselves, drowning in lovely memories wrapped in a single four leaved clover.

One day I will have a cupboard full of magical shoes :)

2011-08-08T11:08:00.001-07:00

OUR NEW BAKING BUSINESS!

2011-07-22T01:09:00.000-07:00

Hello folks! My crazy sister and I have started our very own online cakes and treats business!
Do check out the birth of our baby:Stardust Factory! We're so proud and please do support our humble but extremely promising little gem ;)

www.buyordiecakes.blogspot.com/

Real Jews of the Torah are against Zionism!

2011-07-18T23:33:00.000-07:00

Jews Against Zionism
By Anonymous - Posted on 07 December 2009

Jews Against Zionism
By Stephen Lendman

They're numerous, outspoken, and range from secular to orthodox to one group calling itself "True Torah Jews Against Zionism."

They believe that "traditional" Jews don't support Zionism, an ideology they call "contrary to Jewish law and beliefs and the teachings of the Holy Torah." They say Zionism:

advocates "a political and military end to the Jewish exile;"
fosters "pseudo-Judaism" based on secular nationalism;
coercively seeks "armed materialism" in place of "a Divine and Torah centered understanding;"
endangers all Jews worldwide;
wants to disassociate Jews and traditional Judaism from ideological Zionism; and
calls Israel a "Zionist State," not a Jewish one.
They:

cite their concern for "peace and safety of all people throughout the world including those living in the Zionist state" and in Occupied Palestine;
say from ancient times until 100 years ago, Jews and Arabs lived in peace and friendship until Zionism changed the relationship;
believe Zionists abandoned the Torah and traditional Judaism, demanded political sovereignty over the Holy Land, and aroused anger in the Arab world; and
Torah Jewry doesn't recognize or support a Zionist state; nor do they represent world Jews; even the name "Israel" is a "forgery," they believe, because the Torah forbids violence in the words of the prophet Isaiah who said:
"And they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. No nation will lift its sword against any other, nor will they learn warfare anymore."

Toray Jewry says that believing Zionism protects Jews is "probably the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the Jewish People" and accuses Zionists of fostering global anti-Semitism. "Indeed, hatred of Jews and Jewish suffering is the oxygen of the Zionist movement, and from the very beginning has been (used) to deliberately incite hatred to justify the existence of the Zionist state - this is, of course, Machiavellianism raised to the highest order."

Zionist founder Theodor Herzl (1860 - 1904) said:

"It is essential that the suffering of Jews....becomes worse....this will assist in (the) realization of our plans....I have an excellent idea....I shall induce anti-semites to liquidate Jewish wealth....The anti-semites will assist us thereby in that they will strengthen the persecution and oppression of Jews. The anti-semites shall be our best friends."

In 1920, other Zionists voiced similar ideas, including Nahum Goldmann, later president of the World Zionist Organization and World Jewish Congress head. Israel's first president, Chaim Weizman, said Germany had too many Jews. In 1921, Jacob Klatzkin called for German Jews to undermine Jewish communities as a way to acquire a future state.

In 1963, Moshe Sharett (Israel's second prime minister from 1953 - 1955) told the 38th Scandinavian Youth Federation Annual Congress that Jewish freedom imperiled Zionism. Delegates at the 26th World Zionist Congress were told that easing US anti-Semitism and freedom endangered Jews.

Torah Jewry disagrees in affirming its desire to live in peace with their Arab and Palestinian neighbors and abide by sacred commandments "with a perfect heart and to delight in the radiance of the sanctity of the Land."

They believe: "Zionists have no right of any sovereignty over even one inch of the Holy Land. They do not represent the Jewish people in any way whatsoever. They have no right to speak in the name of the Jewish people." Their ideology is "antithetical to Jewish law," and because they don't behave like Jews, "they desecrate the sanctity of the land." They feel that when Israel is recognized as a Zionist, not a Jewish, state, "Jews worldwide will be able to live in peace" and do it alongside Arabs in the Middle East.

"The Hidden History of Zionism"

In his 1988 book, Ralph Schoenman explained four Zionist myths:

the notion of "A land without people for a people without a land" to promote the fiction that an empty Palestine was there for the taking by its rightful original inhabitants;
Israeli democracy, the only "real" one in the Middle East; in fact, Israel is democratic like South Africa was apartheid and much worse; "Civil liberty, due process and the most basic human rights" apply only for Jews;
"security (is) the motor force of Israeli foreign policy" because it's surrounded by hostile Arab states; and
"Zionism (is) the moral legatee of the victims of the Holocaust....the most pervasive and insidious of the" Zionist myths; in fact, Zionists, like future prime minister Yitzhak Shamir, openly colluded with the Nazis for their own purposes - to use persecution as justification for a future Zionist state and more.
It wasn't just to colonize Palestine. It was also to exploit indigenous people as cheap labor, dispossess and disperse them, replace them with arriving Jews, legitimize ethnic cleansing, and remove Palestinians from their land and history. Historical records were falsified. "Palestinians were re-invented as a semi-savage, nomadic remnant." Mass elimination methods were justified for a "people too many."

In 1923, hard line revisionist leader Ze'ev Jabotinsky argued that Arab nationalists opposed a Jewish state and wouldn't accept one. Thus peaceful coexistence was unattainable, and Jews had to build "an iron wall of (superior) Jewish military force." The idea was to discourage Arab hopes of destroying Israel followed by a negotiated settlement giving Israel the upper hand to dictate terms.

Terror was to be used the way Joseph Weitz, head of the Jewish Agency's Colonization Department, wrote in 1940:

"Between ourselves, it must be clear that there is no room for both peoples together in this country. We shall not achieve our goal if the Arabs are in this small country. There is no other way than to (get rid of) all of them. Not one village, not one tribe should be left."

The secret Koenig Report, later published in 1976, said:

"We must use terror, assassination, intimidation, land confiscation and the cutting of all social services to rid the Galilee of its Arab population."

Chairman Heilbrun of the Committee for the Re-Election of Tel Aviv mayor Shlomo Lahat (1974 - 1993) stated:

"We have to kill all the Palestinians unless they are resigned to live here as slaves."

Former IDF Chief of Staff Raphael Eitan (1978 - 1983) said:

"We declare openly that the Arabs have no right to settle on even one centimeter of Eretz Israel....Force is all they do or ever will understand. We shall use the ultimate force until the Palestinians come crawling to us on all fours."

Other Israeli leaders voiced similar extremism, including David Ben Gurion, Israel's first prime minister, saying in 1937 that "We must expel the Arabs and take their place and if we have to use force, to guarantee our own right to settle in those places - then we have force at our disposal."

At inception, Zionists like Herzl were pragmatic, yet devious, in believing imperial power backing was needed to establish a Jewish state. It could have been anywhere, but Palestine was chosen for its symbolic significance as the ancient Jewish homeland. Colonization began after the first Zionist Congress in Basle, Switzerland in 1897. Herzl later wrote:

"At Basle, I founded the Jewish state....If not in five years, then certainly in fifty everyone will realize it." It took 51 by dispossessing indigenous Palestinians and replacing them with Jews. Ever since, Zionism's most effective legitimacy claim is the notion of preventing another "Holocaust." It's justified the most outrageous crimes, characterized as "self-defense" by a tiny Jewish minority surrounded by hordes of hostile Arabs. It seized Palestinian land, Judaized it, created a new nation for Jews alone - undemocratic, imperial, militant, violent, exploitive, oppressive, racist, and hostile to core Judaic dogma.

It's why growing thousands of Jews globally oppose an ideology based on power, conquest, dispossession, and violation of the most fundamental Jewish ethical and moral teachings, ones Zionists disdain.

Not In My Name

It calls itself a "predominantly Jewish organization deeply committed to a peaceful and just resolution of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, a resolution that will provide safety, security and freedom for Jews, Palestinians, and all others living in this region." It opposes:

the illegal West Bank and Gaza occupations;
the West Bank and East Jerusalem settlements;
Israel's Separation Wall;
the collective punishment of millions of Occupied Palestinians and Israeli Arabs; and
Israeli human rights abuses, home demolitions, land seizures, arbitrary arrests, torture, travel and movement restrictions, and closure and encirclements of villages and communities.
It champions Palestinian self-determination, the right of return, and "full equality, civil rights and economic justice for all." It's for a shared Jerusalem and nuclear-free Middle East. It wants an end to violence and injustice and the equitable sharing of vital resources, including water, oil, gas, electric power, and all other essentials to life and well-being. It wants all US aid stopped until Israel ends its occupation and acts like a civilized state.

It deplores Zionism and what it represents. It's activists have chapters around the world. They organize protests and demonstrations, hold vigils and religious ceremonies, communicate with the media, foster dialogue between Jews and Palestinians, sponsor teach-ins, educational forums and study groups.

They believe that moral human beings are obligated "to speak out and take action." They refuse to remain silent or accept Israeli crimes passively. They're one among other like-minded organizations that say "Not In My Name." Not now or ever.

Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP)

JVP is "a diverse and democratic community of activists inspired by Jewish tradition to work together for peace, social justice, and human rights." They support the aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians for security and self-determination. Their agenda mirrors Not In My Name and states that "We are among the many American Jews who say to the US and Israeli governments: "Not in our names!"

They call on America and the international community to end wars and violence and support Palestinian self-determination free from occupation and oppression. They headline: "Israelis and Palestinians. Two Peoples, One Future," free from Zionist oppression.

Brit Tzedek V'Shalom

It's a Jewish Alliance for Justice & Peace calling itself "America's largest grassroots Jewish organization dedicated to promoting a negotiated two-state resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict." With around 50,000 supporters, including over 1,000 rabbis, they educate and organize the US Jewish community for a US foreign policy supportive of Israelis and Palestinians alike. It conducts campaigns, holds conferences, sponsors tours, and engages in various other activist efforts.

Its founding principles include:

evacuating Israeli settlements;
non-violent solutions in place of state terrorism and "state-initiated violence;"
"a complete end to the Israeli military occupation," including over East Jerusalem;
a viable Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders;
Jerusalem as the capital of both states, free and open to all Muslims, Jews, Christians and others;
"a just resolution of the Palestinian refugee problem;" and
"the recognition that (US) Jews....have a special responsibility to urge (their) government to pursue policies consistent with the requirements of a just peace for Israel and the Palestinian people."
Tikkun

It publishes articles on social theory, religion and spirituality, social change, contemporary American and global politics and economics, Israel/Palestine, and other topics. It features issues that "both advance the pursuit of tikkun olam - social justice and the repair of the world - and break down issues of contemporary concern in completely new and thoughtful ways." It supports progressive spirituality and challenges established orthodoxies in all spheres of thought and politics. It's "dedicated to healing and transforming (a troubled) world."

Its editor is Rabbi Michael Lerner, author of "The Left Hand of God: Taking Our Country Back from the Religious Right," and "Jewish Renewal: A Path to Healing and Transformation." On May 8, 2008 on the HuffingtonPost.com, writing "On Zionism, Healing, and Israel's 60th Anniversary," he noted how Palestinians were dispossessed of their homes and villages by Jews "determined to be as ruthless towards others as others had been towards" them. "Yet, there are alternatives" not taken so conflict ever since has persisted.

As for Zionism, he described what emerged as "fundamentally incompatible with the highest values of the Jewish tradition, and must be rejected even as we develop a compassionate attitude toward the Jewish people of Israel." To preserve Judaism, Lerner quotes the following Torah injunction:

"When you come into your land, do not oppress the stranger: remember that you were strangers in the land of Egypt. A Jewish state that has been unwilling or unable to live by that command has no religious foundation and can generate no lasting support from those committed to God and Torah."

Doing it right requires abandoning "a naive utopian fantasy" and building a society based on "open-heartedness, compassion and caring for others...." Abandoning Zionist extremism for traditional Jewish moral values is essential.

Satmar

They're "Jews Not Zionists" and quote Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum in 1958 speaking out against Zionist heresy:

"....if we place all the immodesty and promiscuity of the generation and the many sins of the world on one side of the scale, and the Zionist state on the other side of the scale by itself, it would outweigh them all. Zionism is the greatest form of spiritual impurity in the entire world. (It's) polluting the entire world. (It's) polluted the Jewish people with (its) heresy....Everything our blessed rabbis cried out about earlier in the century about the dangers of Zionism (have) been forgotten....It is impossible to describe to what extent the world has become sunken in such a falsehood which is destroying the entire Torah."

Jews Not Zionists believe that Zionism is heresy, and "the existence of the so-called 'State of Israel' is illegitimate." Zionism violated Torah doctrine, the very essence of Judaism. It believes that human life is sacred and human rights aren't to be denied by those who would sacrifice them for national security or any other reason.

"Judaism and Zionism are by no means the same. Indeed they are incompatible and irreconcilable." Good Jews can't be Zionists, and Zionists can't be good Jews. According to Jewish tradition, seven universal Noacide morality laws apply to everyone. Also the Ten Commandments for all monotheistic religions, and another 613 obligatory laws for traditional Jews.

They eschew violence, military power, and brute force. They're about morality and spiritual purity. Zionists made belief in the Torah and fulfillment of religious obligations a private matter, not a common obligation for all Jews. They made Judaic dogma subject to party or parliamentary votes and set their own ethical and moral standards, suiting them alone.

Many times in Jewish history, an extremist minority misled the majority. Worshiping the golden calf happened earlier. Today it's political Zionism. Before its emergence, piety, decency, learning, and belief in justice and mercy characterized most Jewish leaders. Now they're the minority. It's why they believe a good Jew can't be a Zionist, and a Zionist can't be a good Jew and aren't the legitimate spokespersons for anyone but themselves. From a religious point of view, they're heretics.

Jews Against Racist Zionism

They include distinguished figures who speak out for "anti-racist Jews and indeed all anti-racist humanitarians." They decry "anti-Arab anti-Semitic racist Zionists running Apartheid Israel and their Western backers." They're appalled by the continuing Palestinian, Iraqi, and Afghan genocides that have killed and dispossessed millions. They see Zionism as a threat to all Jews and humanity unless something is done to stop it.

Neturei Karta International (NKI)

NKI is an Aramaic term for "Guardians of the City," given to a group of Orthodox Jews in Jerusalem who "opposed the establishment of and retain all opposition to the existence of the so-called 'State of Israel!' " They demonstrate publicly and state their belief in the Torah and "authentic unadulterated Judaism.''

In 1938, NKI was founded in Jerusalem to struggle against Zionism. Most of its members now live outside Israel, many in New York where they're prominent, vocal, and ignored by the dominant media.

For refusing to accept Zionism, they were harassed, incarcerated, and physically tortured by "Zionist police and agents." As a result, they scattered internationally and established synagogues, educational institutions, publishing houses and organizations espousing their beliefs.

They're orthodox, but not ultra-orthodox or extremist. They've "added nothing to nor have taken anything away from the written and oral law of the Torah as it is expressed in the Halacha (traditional Jewish law) and the Shulchan Aruch (codification of Jewish law)."

They're allied with many thousands of other Jews sharing similar anti-Zionist views. They oppose the "State of Israel (because) the entire concept of a sovereign Jewish state is contrary to Jewish law." It conflicts with traditional Judaism.

They quote Talmudic doctrine teaching that Jews are prohibited from using force to establish a Jewish state or to rebel against other nations. "Jews are not allowed to dominate, kill, harm or demean another people and are not allowed to have anything to do with the Zionist enterprise, their political meddling and their wars."

"The true Jews remain faithful to Jewish belief and are not contaminated with Zionism. The true Jews are against dispossessing the Arabs of their land and homes. According to the Torah, the land should be returned to them....The world must know that the Zionists have illegitimately seized the name Israel and have no right to speak in the name of the Jewish people!"

NKI seeks peace and reconciliation with people of all faiths and nations. Of greatest concern is reconciling with the Muslim world after decades of Zionist abuses. They support peace, justice, and the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland.

They decry Zionist propaganda, bullying tactics, censorship and lies. Its weapon is state terror. Its dogma is a profound disregard for human life and moral values. Its false idol is a "lack of truth on its side."

NKI notes how greater numbers of people now question Zionism, its version of history, and values. They blame it for massive bloodshed and suffering and believe they'll be no Middle East peace until there's no more State of Israel, at least under Zionism. They think that a coalition of anti-Zionist Jews and Palestinians can unite as a moral force for peace and good in the world. They welcome the abolition of Zionism "in a peaceful manner."

"We're not celebrating Israel's anniversary"

In a public April 30, 2008 petition, Harold Pinter was among 105 prominent Jews who said "we....will not be celebrating" Israel's May 2008 60th anniversary. They noted the 1948 slaughter and dispossession of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, the destruction of their villages, their erasure from history, the 1967 occupation, the continued persecution for decades, the defiling of international law, and utter contempt for human rights and peaceful coexistence. They stated:

"We cannot celebrate the birthday of a state founded on terrorism, massacres and the dispossession of another people from their land. We cannot celebrate the birthday of a state that even now engages in ethnic cleansing, that violates international law, that is inflicting a monstrous collective punishment on the civilian population of Gaza and that continues to deny to Palestinians their human rights and national aspirations."

"We will celebrate when Arab and Jew live as equals in a peaceful Middle East," - something impossible under Zionism.

A Final Comment

At its core, Zionism is fundamentally racist, extremist, undemocratic, and militant:

in espousing Jewish supremacy, exceptionalism, and uniqueness as God's "chosen people;"
in relying on occupation, oppression, violence and dispossession;
in justifying a Jewish ethnocracy based on structural inequalities;
in ruling by force, not coexistence;
in choosing confrontation over diplomacy and the rule of law; and
by denying Arabs and all others the same rights as Jews.
No ideology that destructive can endure. No regional peace and reconciliation is possible until it's repudiated.

###

Stephen Lendman is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization. He lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to The Lendman News Hour on RepublicBroadcasting.org Monday - Friday at 10AM US Central time for cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on world and national issues. All programs are archived for easy listening.

Analysis on Bersih 2.0

2011-07-18T22:12:00.000-07:00

I'm just incensed at how people, yes, albeit people with brains cannot read through the slyly concealed and veiled layers of the Bersih rally. Yes i agree, it is a fundamental right of every human being to have free and fair elections but what we are not being told is that:

Firstly

: the situation in malaysia is in no way comparable to egypt...our fundamental rights are not being challenged. No one is dying of hunger, no one is facing difficulty invoking the most basic of rights such as the right to work, own a home and get married.

Secondly

: yes its true, the Malaysian ballot system is in want of a fairer system but I hardly think the situation is dire enough to warrant a drastic call for a rally disrupting trade and day to day activities in the capital city of the country.

Thirdly

: if the ballot system were indeed as unfair as they claim it to be, then how could the opposition have won seats in several states? Like Kedah? And fyi there is no government in the world that is free from corruption and granted yes, the current government is corrupt, but at least opposition parties are allowed to win seats. That shows that the situation is not as dire as they make it out to be.

Fourthly

: the Election Commissioner had already panicked and responded to Bersih's demands for a free election with the introduction of indelible ink...the leaders of Bersih, if that was solely their intent, untainted by ulterior political motives, could have avoided the unnecessary chaos and disruption of everyday life and tourism by setting up a meeting with the Election Commissioner and drawing up a petition.

Fifthly

: why did they shout " reformasi" instead of " bersih" if the intent of the rally was to call for the purification of elections. It is so glaringly obvious that the people in the rally- though the majority of them are sincere and they do want a fairer election system which is their right-failed to see the political backing and ulterior motives behind it....There is evidence to show that Azmin Ali contacted Murdoch and Murdoch referred him to George Soros to receive funding for the Bersih rally. And what is a Burmese national Maureen Aung-Thwin from George Soros funded Open Society Foundations doing in the middle of a Malaysian rally? If she were to be involved in a Burmese cause it is rightly so, but in a country that is nowhere near as bad as Burma( absolute dictatorial tyranny) it seems very fishy. True we may have a not so reputable Prime Minister but if u were to ask me, I would choose the lesser of the two evils in the face of a greater evil and an ominous foreshadowing of disunity and anarchy in a relatively harmonious country: George Soro's Open Foundations Agenda( to unsettle countries with a Muslim majority)...
Why would Anwar be interested in an election rally when he is still embroiled in the sex tape scandal? Can you truly say he is without his own agenda? It seems more like a diversion to get public pity and help him gain power through arousing the masses to rally when it could be solved by more amiable means...

Islamic barbarism, a myth or a creation of an ignorant media?

2011-07-15T08:46:00.000-07:00

Crazy in love with Marchesa!

2011-07-14T08:56:00.001-07:00

I was looking through the Marchesa collection and I was blown away by the flowy fluidity of the style and its feminity which was just right, not over done. I felt like Marchesa was made for me, if i were a designer I would design along the same lines. Its beautiful, contemporary, classic and lovely to behold, a goddess' plumage...what more could a girl ask for? Im bagging myself a Marchesa as soon as I can afford it ;)

If idiocy could be apocalyptic...

2011-07-14T08:45:00.000-07:00

With the advent of the haze and the ominous rallies, I had to clear my mind and what better way to do that then to go artblog hunting to collect rarified gems of pure visual indulgence?

My baby cousins!

2011-05-26T22:16:00.000-07:00

A picture collection of my baby cousins...brings delight and joy to my heart everytime I see their softness, cuteness, beauty and innocent joy( courtesy of the highly talented Rabiyah Kassim http://www.facebook.com/rabiyaaa93)

If by Edward Estlin Cummings

2011-05-26T21:39:00.000-07:00

This little poem from e.e. cummings got me all warm,fuzzy, reflective and bubbly all the way from my finger tips down to my curling toes. Sweet, witty, playful and a tad spicily forlorn; at the soul very human :)

If freckles were lovely, and day was night,
And measles were nice and a lie warn't a lie,
Life would be delight,--
But things couldn't go right
For in such a sad plight
I wouldn't be I.

If earth was heaven and now was hence,
And past was present, and false was true,
There might be some sense
But I'd be in suspense
For on such a pretense
You wouldn't be you.

If fear was plucky, and globes were square,
And dirt was cleanly and tears were glee
Things would seem fair,--
Yet they'd all despair,
For if here was there
We wouldn't be we.

Street Art

2011-05-25T07:21:00.001-07:00

To my blog viewers...please take time to check this awesome site out, a very talented graffiti artist called Banksy at http://www.banksy.co.uk/indoors/mondays.html

Fantasy crouched and ready to spring into reality

2011-05-25T03:20:00.001-07:00

This is the sort of architecture I would love to be surrounded by and hopefully live in, one day :)

Our education system needs a burst of creative juices!

2011-05-05T23:04:00.000-07:00

Pas A Pas from Ishac Bertran on Vimeo.

Osama dead? Haha.

2011-05-05T21:41:00.000-07:00

So yeah the whole world is saying " Bin Laden is dead, Rejoice!". If the US thinks its going to fool the better educated public that Bin Laden even existed to begin with, then it should think again because their half baked attempts to seal off the Bin Laden Lie, was lame and theatrical. That he was shot at in his hideout in Pakistan, is something I scoff at.
Americans have this strange habit of trying to unify varying public opinion about the crises back home, into that of solidarity with nation and state by affixing a common enemy in the public mind. You can see it, if you were shrewd enough, that mentality that has carried them far in terms of world politics, in movies like Bat Man and shows like Heroes.

First of all, Bin Laden never existed and even if he did he was a scapegoat avatar to further US's plans to target a common enemy to reignite their dying and sputtering war economy. I, as a Muslim, never espoused nor supported his so called "Global Jihad". No Muslim in his right mind would. True, Obama in his charismatic as ever speech did flourishingly and quite nobly told the public not to associate the tyranny of Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden with the religion of Islam and its followers. But that's just very well like telling your kid who sees you smoking everyday that smoking is bad, that only you can smoke but the kid can't smoke. As the moral of the story translates, it invariably means, only the US can get away with killing off so called terrorists, no one else should do it because no one else is qualified to play God and decide who is or is not the terrorist. Yay for the world!

Second, everyone( except the americans themselves) knows that 9/11 was orchestrated by the Zionists. So in the end everything comes down to theology and tussles for power based on ideology. Before, they could target -isms like Communism, but now that Communism has been flogged and shown the door with its tail between its legs, there aren't any other -isms of the same threatening degree left. So what's left for the power hungry Zionists to do but play their cards well, and my they've been doing that for centuries its like second nature to them. What have they been doing again? Yes fooling the world. Don't get me wrong Im not against the Jews as a race, Im against their zionist views which are very much against universal laws in that they espouse themselves as the superior race that HAS to save the rest of the human race. Islam is the world's 2nd largest religion. China housing the world's largest population is now a global power to be reckoned with. At least there is no risk of converting people to become Chinese but where a faith is concerned, it involves conversion if it were to expand; therefore this entails a huge threat to them. If such conversion were to take place, a transfusion of values would take place vis a vis first world values that have deep judo-christian roots. I have nothing against the original Jewish and Christian scriptures on their own( in fact Islam accepts these two religions as authentic) but the atheistic and secular world view garnered by the small ruling party of the world, and indoctrinated through global domination as the one and only valid view of the world, stands to be corrected or changed if Muslims were to become the dominant population...Therefore, what do they do but create an avatar to channel the world's hatred towards a religion which till the last century had no problem co-existing with its neighbours.

It is very sad that the vast majority of the people nowadays are ignorant and they take at face value whatever the Zionist owned media feeds them,saturated, diluted and improvised versions of the truth, bottled and sold with a twinkle. I'm not saying the Muslims are perfect, true we have our faults just like every other human being has, but what I'm saying is how lowly and despicable it is to interpret a peaceful and loving religion with its own set of ethics and values, as a barbaric and diseased indoctrination just to selfishly guard one race's status of superiority above others. We were all created equal and everywhere we go we see hypocritical slogans about equality and human rights...what equality? How can we pay respect to Equality as a distinguishing ideal in its own right when it is being written by the pen of the winner, a winner with his own perceived view of what equality should be,who judges everything by the shadow of his own being.

Hana Tajima

2011-04-11T11:01:00.000-07:00

Its too sad that nowadays, the trend is that people are afraid to talk about religion or freely admit that they do want to follow religion properly. It is seen as something that one celebrates in a cultural and commercial sense( i.e christmas) but nothing more. Too often we see, rampant in the pop culture phenomenon today, eschewing of anything related to religion. The media does an excellent job of connoting anything connected to religion as indoctrination, rigidity, backwardness and narrowmindedness. So it is rather to refreshing to see a drop dead gorgeous beauty like Hana Tajima, a revert to Islam, put us muslims to shame by showing everyone you can be muslim and not affix yourself into the neat grave of stagnation and stereotype the media and the suspicious world has prepared for us. Truly an inspiration, she makes me think that I can be a good muslim AND be fashionable if I am strong and true like her.

Some randoms from We Heart It.com that got me grinning

2011-04-02T21:06:00.000-07:00

A cuppa perkmeup ;)

2011-04-02T09:32:00.000-07:00

Lovely little video Jeffrey Thompson

2011-04-02T09:22:00.000-07:00

"Fixed" 2010 from Jeffrey Thompson on Vimeo.

Caitlin Crosby! Quirky Vid! Tres Loves it!!

2011-03-05T23:17:00.000-08:00

Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder

2011-01-14T07:18:00.000-08:00

"I believe there is something of the divine mystery in everything that exists. We can see it sparkle in a sunflower or a poppy. We sense more of the unfathomable mystery in a butterfly that flutters from a twig--or in a goldfish swimming in a bowl. But we are closest to God in our own soul. Only there can we become one with the greatest mystery of life. In truth, at very rare moments we can experience that we ourselves are that divine mystery."
— Jostein Gaarder (Sophie's World)

Processing Sophie's World in my mind is equivalent to a snack junkie suddenly being packed with healthy leafy, high protein meals and whole grain wheat throughout the day. It feels like an entire shift in my mental diet. Granted thats a bit of an exaggeration because I believe my mind does "eat" relatively "healthy" materials when it comes to reading...But this book by Jostein Gaarder is certainly not one that can be read only once and digested. And trust me it will take you through a journey which'll force you to reevaluate your way of thinking, of perceiving the world and such and most importantly it makes you think. It transforms your brain into a churning thought factory suddenly processing large amounts of raw material.

I like how Gaarder true to his pedagogical stance, maintained a very unbiased view of every philosopher's viewpoint. He gave both the advantages and flaws in each respective philosopher's contribution while at the same time pin pointing the reason why each had carved out a name in philosophical history.

I also like how he managed to weave fundamentals of philosophical concepts into an interesting and laudable parallel fiction in the form of the two lead characters: Sophie and Alberto.

Definitely worth a read, educational, insightful and thought provoking.

Zooey inspired

2010-12-25T07:53:00.000-08:00

Of piranhas and pirouttes

2010-12-05T07:38:00.000-08:00

So here i sit, staring blankly at the screen...

What have I been up to after the whirl of crazy law exams? Well for starters, Ive been teaching little kids English at a tuition centre and I rate it as the best job ive had so far, in terms of job satisfaction. Sure I had to chafe and grate and squeeze my vocal chords to make my intentions heard amongst a classful of little piranhas with cute faces all clamouring for attention around the live bait that was me, but I guess Im just a huge mushbucket waiting to be let out of the closet when it comes to kids and their wide eyed gullibility.

Amidst being set up as the designated station for glitter application central for their parent appreciation cards( Mommy Daddy I love you for all you've done for me)and simultaneously having to deal with glitter stuck on my ass and kids trying to eat them, I reached a few epiphanic milestones:

1) I will set up a shrine for my former school teachers in devout reverence of the

shit they had to put up with while trying to shove knowledge down our screaming

throats.

2) I will always gape in admiration at a family of more than 3 kids, all well

behaved. Either the parents use non conventional methods of disciplining the youth

or they really are super star parents who've mastered the art of child management

(who can say they've really learnt) through experience.

3) I am definitely not ready to have kids for the next 10 years or until Ive

outgrown my own 6 year old kid in me( though i suspect he's a non ager). But then

again this 6 year old alter ego is what helps me connect with my students.

Speaking of paradoxes...

4) Its more challenging to teach kids but that I prefer teaching a class full of

rowdy kids to a one on one session with some awkward young adult who's a year or

two my junior. That very same awkward young adult would also be even more awkward because he won't know whether addressing me as Miss would be too formal for someone who's just a year his senior and also if addressing me on a first name basis might be a bit rude. So the result is that the AYA( awkward young adult) ends up "aheming" to get my attention whenever he needs to say anything or when he needs me to check his work.

5) That it takes real mad skills to manage a class full of rowdy, robust, hyperactive

12 year old kids and so far ive met only one person whom i admire for being able

to do that without raising her voice and that is Miss Nanee, the tuition centre's

owner and principal. Where I had to yell to bring what im saying to their

attention, Miss Nanee with 10 years experience under her belt manages to stride

in, get their attention through her cheerful but firm demeanour and gasp(!)

actually get them excited about learning!

6) That it's a fresh experience and would add that to the list of experiences that

make me feel law school is bad but not THAT bad.

In the mood for some soul food

2010-11-27T22:21:00.000-08:00

“Those who intend on becoming great should love neither themselves nor their own
things, but only what is just, whether it happens to be done by themselves or
others.”
Plato

“Knowledge becomes evil if the aim be not virtuous.”
Plato quote

“Apply yourself both now and in the next life. Without effort, you cannot be
prosperous. Though the land be good, You cannot have an abundant crop without
cultivation.”
Plato quote

“Astronomy compels the soul to look upwards and leads us from this world to another”
Plato quote

“For a man to conquer himself is the first and noblest of all victories.”
Plato quote

“When the mind is thinking it is talking to itself.”
Plato quote

“Courage is a kind of salvation.”
Plato quote

“In politics we presume that everyone who knows how to get votes knows how to
administer a city or a state. When we are ill... we do not ask for the handsomest
physician, or the most eloquent one.”
Plato quote

“The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future in life”
Plato quote

“Human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge”
Plato quote

“Courage is knowing what not to fear.”
Plato quote

“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is
when men are afraid of the light.”
Plato quote

“One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up
being governed by your inferiors.”
Plato quote

“Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to it by what
amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the
peculiar bent of the genius of each.”
Plato quote

“If particulars are to have meaning, there must be universals”
Plato quote

“The measure of a man is what he does with power.”
Plato quote

“How can you prove whether at this moment we are sleeping, and all our thoughts are a
dream; or whether we are awake, and talking to one another in the waking state?”
Plato quote

“Nothing in the affairs of men is worthy of great anxiety.”
Plato quote

“Man - a being in search of meaning.”
Plato quote

“I have hardly ever known a mathematician who was capable of reasoning”
Plato quote

“Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say
something.”
Plato quote

“Love is a serious mental disease.”
Plato quote

“He who commits injustice is ever made more wretched than he who suffers it”
Plato quote

“People are like dirt. They can either nourish you and help you grow as a person or
they can stunt your growth and make you wilt and die.”
Plato quote

“It is only the dead who have seen the end of war”
Plato quote

“No one ever teaches well who wants to teach, or governs well who wants to govern.”
Plato quote

“Every heart sings a song, incomplete, until another heart whispers back. Those who
wish to sing always find a song. At the touch of a lover, everyone becomes a poet.”
Plato quote

“There are two things a person should never be angry at, what they can help, and what
they cannot.”
Plato quote

“He whom love touches not walks in darkness”
Plato quote

“Good actions give strength to ourselves and inspire good actions in others.”
Plato quote

Can't get enough of Marina and The Diamonds!

2010-11-15T08:13:00.000-08:00

The Prophet's Last Sermon

2010-10-20T08:15:00.000-07:00

This is the Prophet's last sermon...and for all those who accuse the Prophet of being a paedophile and an opportunist and tyrant, I ask one thing and one thing only, judge a person by the whole of his conduct and his words and these are his last words. It does not include any self interest nor hate nor bigotry. Ask yourself what a reasonable man would construe of a stranger's character by the most important words he would say when one is at the mercy of death. So for all those people that think blindly Islam is a religion of honour killings, discrimination against women and violence, just read the following excerpt and ask yourselves, are you making these deductions out of baseless ignorance which you justify as the rightful just because popular culture and the media is portraying Islam that way or are your deductions based on solid proof and authority?:

This sermon was delivered on the ninth day of Dhul Hijah, 10 A.H. (632 A.D.) in the valley of Mount Arafat. The contents of the message were collected from different narrations, and there are other parts to it that are not mentioned here. This sermon still needs the authenticity of all of its parts to be checked.

"O People, lend me an attentive ear, for I know not whether, after this year, I shall ever be amongst you again. Therefore, listen to what I am saying to you very carefully and take these words to those who could not be present today.
O People, just as you regard this month, this day, this city as sacred, so regard the life and property of every Muslim as a sacred trust. Return the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners. Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you. Remember that you will indeed meet your Lord, and that He will indeed reckon your deeds. Allah has forbidden you to take interest, therefore, all interest obligations shall henceforth be waived. Your capital, however, is yours to keep. You will neither inflict nor suffer inequity. Allah has judged that there shall be no interest and that all interest due to Abbas bin Abdul-Muttalib (the prophet's uncle) shall henceforth be waived.
Every right arising out of homicide in pre-Islamic days is henceforth waived and the first such right I waive is that arising from the murder of Rabiyah bin Al-Harith (relative of the prophet). O Men, the unbelievers indulge in tampering with the calendar in order to make permissible that which Allah forbade, and to forbid that which Allah had made permissible. With Allah the months are twelve; four of them are holy; three of these are successive and one occurs singly between the months of Jumadah and Shaaban.
Beware of Satan
, for the safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he will ever be able to lead you astray in big things, so beware of following him in small things.
O People, it is true that you have certain right with regard to your women, but they also have rights over you. If they abide by your right then to them belongs the right to be fed and clothed in kindness. Do treat your women well and be kind to them for they are your partners and committed helpers. And it is your right that they do not make friends with any one of whom you do not approve, as well as never commit adultery.
O People, listen to me in earnest, worship Allah, say your five daily prayers, fast during the month of Ramadhan, and give your wealth in zakat. Perform Hajj if you can afford to. All mankind is from Adam and Eve,
an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab, nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over a black, nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good action.
Learn that every Muslim is the brother of another Muslim, and that Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly. Do not, therefore, do injustice to your selves.
Remember, one day you will appear before Allah and answer for your deeds. So beware, do not stray from the path of righteousness after I am gone.
O People, no prophet or apostle will come after me and no new faith will be born. Reason well, therefore, O People, and understand my words which I convey to you. I leave behind me two things, the Quran and my example, the Sunnah, and if you follow these you will never go astray.
All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others, and those to others again; and
may the last ones understand my words better that those who listen to me directly.
Be my witness O Allah, that I have conveyed Your message to Your people."

Things that piss me off

2010-10-19T05:27:00.001-07:00

1) Ineffective government bureaucracies that levy exorbitant taxes on citizens towards whom they have failed in their governmental duties. Exhibit 1-Burmese Embassy. I mean not only do we have the crappiest government in the history of the world, but they also manage to extend their slimy fingers of evil tyranny and oppression all the way to a foreign country. Isn't it enough to torture people in their homeland? And when we appeal

"Sorry Maám the State won't allow that."

My ass they wont allow that.

2)Annoying drivers

on the road who should be scrapped of their license forever. There're those idiots who drive like on the fast lane at 20 km/h with the rightful aura of someone whose mother paved that road. Then there are those idiots who swerve into lanes just when they see an oncoming car w.o signalling. Then there are bigger idiots who slow down suddenly and you have to step on ur brakes like there's no tmro.

3)Lecturers that

waste

your time with their knowledgeless yakking. Actually lecturers without substance or quality and the fact that this university would allow such sub grade lecturers to teach and no one says anything about it. I hate that I have no interest or confidence in their teaching and that i only go most days for the attendance's sake. There are a few rare gems but those are hard to come by and when i do, i feel like i just found utopia and cannot believe my luck.

4)Shallow judgmental people who
JUDGE
you based on what they think you are, without getting to know you first.

5)The two faced, double standard wise western media that portray the Jews/Americans as faultless and God Almighty and everyone else as their subordinates prone to faults.

6)The hypocritical assholes who call themselves the Muslim Ulama and the Taliban who are actually acting for their own interest in their BIGOTRY infused systems, under the guise of religion.

7) Horny bastards that
wolf whistle

whenever they see a girl walking past. Come on...Aren't we in the 21st century? What happened to chivalry and civility and manners? It doesnt help that im already a feminist. It makes me see guys as being prone to acting by orders of their other "head" i.e- who have no self control over their primal side. Who throw away their intellectual capacity as a higher being with mental prowess by that discriminatory act towards women. Sure a sluttily dressed woman might warrant such wolf whistles. But when a girl is dressed simply in jeans and a long sleeved tee, what is there to wolf whistle at?

This song is on loop in my head

2010-10-09T08:27:00.001-07:00

Cats are evil, dogs are cool.

2010-10-07T09:22:00.000-07:00

Haven't made a picture post in quite a while so here goes:

BB Brunes I Love You!

2010-10-06T05:30:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of the coolest chick I know: Natasya K, introducing the best French Band ever...

Malaysia in the Era of Globalization

2010-09-27T09:57:00.000-07:00

In Malaysia, religious teachers and ulama are treated with undue reverence. Critical thinking is not encouraged or allowed when they deliver their fatwas, khutbas, or lectures. Question or query them at your peril. Theirs is the ultimate truth.

By M. Bakri Musa

Chapter 4: Modern Model States

The Relevant Lessons For Malaysia

At first glance, Malaysians cannot readily identify with any of these three countries. Although they differ in a number of significant ways, nonetheless each has important lessons to offer Malaysia.

The most obvious difference is that none of three countries have multiracial societies and the accompanying interracial problems. South Korea is ethnically and culturally homogeneous. There may be some tension between the Buddhist majority and the Christian minority, but that does not lead to serious social or religious conflict. Polarizations and schisms in Korean society are more along regional and class lines.

Argentina is also deeply divided along class lines; between landowners and workers, and urban and rural dwellers. Ethnic differences are not significant as they are all essentially Europeans. Granted there are significant differences between the Germans and the Italians Argentineans (language, culture, religion), but those are of not of the same scale as the differences between Malays and Chinese.

Ireland may be closer to Malaysia in its communal dynamics, what with the profound differences between Protestant and Catholic residents. Even then it would be hard to tell just by looking a Protestant Irish from a Catholic one (of course the crucifix hanging around the neck would be a definite giveaway!). In Malaysia, by and large you could readily tell a Chinese from a Malay, and a Malay from an Indian, those mamaks notwithstanding.

Since the Irish independence however, the Protestants had been effectively pushed out to emigrate. Today they are an insignificant minority. To the north however, the Catholic and Orangemen are very much still at each other’s throat. Although many of the leading Irish institutions (Trinity College for one) and venerable industries (Guinness, Irish Times) were of Protestant origin, they are now fully Irish (that is, Catholic) in ambience and character. A couple of generations ago the Irish had a comparable “Malaysian” problem, with the Protestant minority controlling the economy while the Catholic majority was marginalized.

Ireland in particular offers three major lessons for Malaysia: one, reducing the influence of institutionalized religion; two, population control; and three, the issue of education and language.

The Catholic Church had more influence in Ireland than in any other country, including Italy where the Vatican is. The Irish Church controlled the social services, education system, and everything else, including perhaps the thought processes of its followers. In the past, the clergy was to the Irish what the Ayatollah is to Iranians today. Educational institutions in Ireland were for a long time not so much learning as indoctrination centers. Irish social services were meant less to alleviate the social pain and sufferings, more to entrap the faithful to the church.

Substitute Catholicism for Islam and Irish for Malays, and we have the situation in Malaysia today. Just as the Irish were gripped and strangled by the Church, so too are today’s Malays by governmental Islam. This brand of Islam has intruded into every facet of Malay life; from our schools and into our minds. Malaysian Muslims risk being branded “deviationist” and suffer the worldly consequences should they by chance stray from the official line or dare express independent thought. Many Muslim scholars have been jailed without due process for braving to give new meaning to our faith. If some Muslims leaders in Malaysia have their way, apostasy would be a capital offence.

There is a proliferation of Islamic institutions in Malaysia. Even universities supposedly designed for science and technology have large Islamic Studies departments. Yet despite the quantity, alas their scholarly works remain unimpressive. No new thinking or fresh insight emanates from these hallowed halls. These Islamic establishments are less scholarly and religious bodies but more government propaganda machinery. They serve to stamp an Islamic cachet to every official pronouncement and policy. No less significant, they are also massive public works programs for the glut of otherwise unemployable Islamic Studies graduates.

Islamic leaders give endless fatwas (edicts), often on topics for which they are completely clueless. Their training is narrow and rigid. Granted no one can be knowledgeable on every topic and issue, but these Islamic officials are not shy of making pronouncements outside their scope of competence. They seem to have all the answers; they do not feel compelled to seek advice from worldly experts. When you presume to have a direct line to the Almighty Allah, you certainly do not need the advice and counsel from mere mortals. Their intellectual certitude is exceeded only by their moral arrogance.

In Malaysia, religious teachers and ulama are treated with undue reverence. Critical thinking is not encouraged or allowed when they deliver their fatwas, khutbas, or lectures. Question or query them at your peril. Theirs is the ultimate truth. To these modern Islamic ‘scholars’ and ulamas, everything is deemed settled; all the students have to do is absorb whatever is spouted from their teachers’ mouth, and retain it long enough to be regurgitated at examination time. No wonder when these students grow up and face the problems of the world, they are befuddled.

As in Ireland of yore, the system of education in Malaysia today is heavily influenced by religion, in this case Islam. This is a recent development. Before that religion had minimal or no role in the Malaysian educational system; it was essentially secular. However, with the greater emphasis on Islam, partly as a planned strategy by the UMNO-led government to steal the Islamic thunder from the opposition Islamic party, the government has been emphasizing religion in schools and other establishments.

It is not religion – specifically Islam – that is so destructive in the education of young Malays, rather the manner in which the subject is being taught. Religious teachers treat their students as subjects to be indoctrinated. Students are viewed as empty bins to be filled in with dogmas. They are taught to treat their teachers like the Pope – infallible – never to question what is being uttered no matter how ridiculous. Religion is reduced to a series of do’s and don’ts. Rote learning rather than critical thinking is valued.

The sad and destructive part is that this teaching philosophy gets transferred to other subjects. Before long we will get a generation of Malays who are nothing but robots controlled by the state.

Next: The Relevant Lessons for Malaysia (Cont’d)

My Favourite Game

2010-09-19T09:29:00.000-07:00

Best Rock Band in the World

2010-09-19T07:38:00.001-07:00

Japanese people are geniuses!

2010-09-13T09:44:00.001-07:00

Apparently my skinny ass could save some weasels from starvation

2010-09-13T08:52:00.001-07:00

Created by Oatmeal

All i want is you-Juno

2010-08-31T06:43:00.000-07:00

Big Bang Big Boom: Awesome animation art

2010-08-06T08:45:00.000-07:00

BIG BANG BIG BOOM - the new wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

Hello world!

2010-07-29T10:47:00.000-07:00

Ok so I havent posted anything in quite a LONG while. For starters, here are the newbie realizzies(realizations) as I call them:

1) I thought 4th year law school would be well a little different but cynicism has put me back in place. Law school: no life, the thing should have been life revolves around coffee, library,coffee, lecturers that look like hindi movie police inspectors, fines, fines and more fines, books that cost a bomb, still no cute guys( you'd think slodging through for 4 years, they'd have some sort of consideration waiting for you at the end).

2) Futsal is fun but if the sun is your enemy, and i dont mean in the vampire sense, then you also tan like a roti boy bun on overbake.

3) I love my friends. They are so retarded that they are the new COOL. They are what makes my life in law school bearable.

4) I saw the light at the end of the tunnel in the form of life after uni. But today it was spoiled when I saw the people showcasing the popular law firms look the same as the people here. The only difference is you see more panda garb( ie black n white).

5) If the distance I walk to and from library to class and back to the parking were to be converted into energy, it would be enough to power my law faculty for all the 4 years of my cul de sac life here.

6) I have a bald dean who turns purple giving passionate lectures about Evidence Law and whose veins pop out like a drug addict in serious need of rogaine. I like that he bursts out in random trains of thoughts...in tamil. It just sounds so funny.

7) I hate AIKOL cafe because the stench of all the fried, oily stuff there sticks to your clothes like tar. Nevermind that you can't go in w.o soiling your favourite baju kurung for eternity and beyond, olfactory wise. But then I shoved my own stand down an imaginary mafia midget with a toothbrush when I fell for the lovely cucur udang with chilli sauce...Thinking about those cucur udangs make me so hungry.

8) I swear AIKOL cats are laughing at you all the time. They have an underground, very hush hush campaign to slowly drive students to madness with their constant furry presence and hijacking of bag space. They are evil.

9) I have come to the conclusion that my skin complexion is akin to a burned, toasted tofu. Sigh.

10) I want macaroons. I don't care how. I want them now.

Tsunami Rider

2010-07-04T02:53:00.001-07:00

This has got to be the craziest, bravest surfer ever! Respect~!

World Cup Fever is insatiable!

2010-06-13T06:22:00.000-07:00

Fact File 1#

2010-06-04T08:22:00.000-07:00

1# Totally helplessly in love with the new Moschino Light Clouds edition despite the funny kiwi shaped bottle head...It really does make me think of light fluffy clouds on a cool, worry free day, a day perfect for kite flying and ice cream that melts on your fingertips.

2#That my boss is also human, ie he too checks out entertainment pieces while working-in his case while overseeing a case.

3# Finally believes in the existence of Bambi Prunes( translation: a recently discovered species of ancient, adorable, white tufted, balding, pocket sized indian men of prune like texture and appearance along with big dewy bambi eyes behind ancient half moon spectacles-eyes prone to staring into space for hours at a time after which subject would suddenly snooze off like a dead log).

4# Saw the massivest book ever- 8 inches thick. If that book were dropped from the 7th floor of a building onto the head of some poor unfortunate soul, not only will the head be smashed to pulpy powder but he will also be driven like a nail, a few inches into the pavement.

5# Malaysian drivers use the fast lane to talk on their mobiles, apply makeup or perform daily hygiene runs( read: pick nose, cut nails) while on the run. Side effects include accidents that cause long ass jams that are completely unnecessary.

6# I'm turning 22 in 15 minutes time. Wish God would give me a break and freeze me at age 21 or at least take away my age tracking ability so that in my head ill forever be 21. I think shops like Forever 21 exist to reinforce this wanton reluctance to grow up.

Spiffifying Quotes!

2010-05-30T21:52:00.000-07:00

Another IJR epiphany

2010-05-22T01:05:00.000-07:00

Ive just realized that a lot of my posts start with I've just realized. Therefore from now onwards ill abbreviate and it shall be "IJR''. IJR that i have an intense thing for mythologies especially Greek and Egyptian. One of the things i like about media concerning Greek and Eyptian mythologies is how everything is narrated to sound magnanimous and otherworldy. For example "Therefore Kratos embarked on a journey that Zeus had feared he would" in that mysterious, aged, feminine voice. I feel like ive been transported to that world, that giant titans with temples on their backs and vengeful sadistic gods made the world their playground. It's exhilarating and exciting, a good escape if mortal earthly life gets too boring which isn't hard to come to fruition for the likes of someone like me-i get bored SO easily!

I was thinking how fun I'd be if I could have my own personalized booming female voice to announce the daily ups and downs of my life. " Su thus woke up to a treacherous morning and faced the moat of metal mobiles that crunked her groove and made her late for work''. ''Thereafter he was called the Ladoo for his intrinsically shaped cylindrical form and a ruddy leer accompanied by a sneering, silky voice that felt like verbal rape to the person he was speaking to''. '' She felt like her soul was on fire but she tried to put on a metal mask to block out the burning furnace from prying eyes.'' ór '' She was overjoyed at the prospect of that which made her irrevocably happy, without the need for dishing out her moolah''. It'd at least make me feel like SOMEONE if i had a booming personalized mythologized voice dictating important events in my life. Imagine how much more funnier it'd be if it were narrating something retarded in that voice. '' The mini in front of Su's sleek little box car bucked like a horse on heat and capsized upon collision with the hillock that called itself a tollbooth, lying on its side, wheels a turning' to the chagrin of Su who hates obstacles on the road''.

Hahaha im high.

Btw anyone who hasn't played God of War, regardless of gender or race is a loser and has not lived life to the fullest.

E.E. Cummings: making poetry popular culture

2010-05-19T18:03:00.000-07:00

a clown's smirk in the skull of a baboon

a clown's smirk in the skull of a baboon
(where once good lips stalked or eyes firmly stirred)
my mirror gives me,on this afternoon;
i am a shape that can but eat and turd
ere with the dirt death shall him vastly gird,
a coward waiting clumsily to cease
whom every perfect thing meanwhile doth miss;
a hand's impression in an empty glove,
a soon forgotten tune,a house for lease.
I have never loved you dear as now i love

behold this fool who,in the month of June,
having certain stars and planets heard,
rose very slowly in a tight balloon
until the smallening world became absurd;
him did an archer spy(whose aim had erred
never)and by that little trick or this
he shot the aeronaut down,into the abyss
-and wonderfully i fell through the green groove
of twilight,striking into many a piece.
I have never loved you dear as now i love

god's terrible face,brighter than a spoon,
collects the image of one fatal word;
so that my life(which liked the sun and the moon)
resembles something that has not occurred:
i am a birdcage without any bird,
a collar looking for a dog,a kiss
without lips;a prayer lacking any knees
but something beats within my shirt to prove
he is undead who,living,noone is.
I have never loved you dear as now i love.

Hell(by most humble me which shall increase)
open thy fire!for i have had some bliss
of one small lady upon earth above;
to whom i cry,remembering her face,
i have never loved you dear as now i love

There and back again

2010-05-19T09:17:00.000-07:00

It's been ages since Ive updated my blog. And for good reason too, what with work and being taken on a non stop emotional bungee. These pictures perked me up and made me smile; the reason why I have a blog at all :)

Tipsy over Tiffany's!

2010-04-20T01:45:00.000-07:00

I'm going crazy over Tiffany's...I'm going to own the classic set of pearl's from Tiffany's before my time is done here. That i promise.

Head over heels in love with this song!

2010-03-30T08:52:00.000-07:00

Vespa for my birthday?

2010-03-22T05:42:00.000-07:00

This is so cute and kitschy!

Digging her understated makeup and natural curls

I'd like the idea of having dinner at setting like this. Warm and stylish...

I love her strut that shows confidence and her style

Says to pessimistic self: take heed!( yeah she wishes)

Love this pic coz her bag looks kind of like the one i have,which i love to bits by the way.

I've just realized that when( if actually haha) i get married I want to ride away on a Vespa- a shocking red, spanking new shiny Vespa. Yum now that's hot ;)

Ok Go!

2010-03-20T10:17:00.000-07:00

I realize that i have to stop posting Ok Go's videos at some point but i can't help it. Their creativity is addictive and the cool music is a bonus...

The ideal

2010-03-11T09:52:00.000-08:00

I was just thinking of the qualities I'd want in an ideal guy. Here they are...this is what happens when I run out of things to amuse myself:

1) Wit
2) Smarts/intelligence
3) Ambition
4) Taller than me, good physique
5) Respects my family and way of life
6) Same religion
7) Respects me
8) Respects my independence
9) Does not take advantage of my niceness
10) Takes me as i am, even at my worst
11) Someone I wont get bored of
12) Completely faithful to me & loyal
13) Honest
14) Kind
15) Understanding
16) Has self respect, dignity
17) Mature
18) Funny
19) Flexible
20) Firm
21) Courteous, well mannered, polite
22) Self aware
23) Confident

Re: My disgruntled sister is still in denial

2010-03-05T06:54:00.000-08:00

Re: My family is not from Mars, it's from another galaxy

I wasn't really happy with Suk Yaw's (also spelled as Su Kyaw) blog post on her blog, From That Cloud Number 9. First of all, I don't think I look Chindian. Yes, I'm a mix of Burmese, Thai, Chinese, Indian and something unknown from my dad's side but I don't think I look Chindian. I agree with her about my mom but not my dad. PUHLEEZE, dad doesn't look Philipino or Chinese at all! I guess my brother doeslook Eurasian but he's starting to look like Jack Black because he's gaining weight.
I never said my sister looked like a cross between Pocahontas and a Navi. I said she used to look like Pocahontas but she's a Navi now. Please don't twist my precious words. I agree with the rest. That is all.

Ju

My family is not from Mars, it's from another galaxy

2010-03-04T10:53:00.001-08:00

My family is such a hodge podge of races. It's like a whole little global village happening there.

Let's start with my immediate family...

There's my mom who looks chinese thai even though she's not completely and my dad who could pass for chinese/a fair malay/philipino( the whole conundrum of races from the south east asian plate). Then there's my sister who looks chinese or chindian but is actually Indian inside. That's because she can amazingly pronounce words in a perfect, unperturbed Indian accent. Then there's my brother who looks( used to) Eurasian because of his dark brown hair and fair skin and sharp features. Finally there's me who feels all over the world( sometimes I can identify with the black psyche; we're all Adam's offspring...)- apparently according to my sister I am a cross between Pocahontas and a Navi( wth??)*rolls eyes* because I look like( as if it's a concession) a fair red indian native- Yay i get to talk to birds and animals and jump from random waterfalls and put freaking colours in the wind and make out with paraplegics in wheelchair while I'm blue and freakishly tall.

The race quota brims over in my youngest aunt's family. All her kids are adorable, fair, cheeky and under the age of 8( alarm bells should be ringing-there should be security council for these kids). The eldest looks Kazakhstan with a hint of chinese, the second one looks algerian, the third looks south east asian but with sharper features and the youngest looks like a puddle of white tofu; i.e eurasian/algerian. But they all have perfect Burmese diction and like Burmese food and curse in Burmese.

Then there's my grandma who's half thai-half chinese. But to me all i see is GRANDMA. She's like the template of what grandmas should look like. Round, old, quaint, very wise, much more observant than she lets on, cooks delicious food and a true patriot and very religious.

My late maternal grandpa looked like a classic Indian actor with sharp features and an aquiline nose and snow white hair and he spoke like a well bred Englishman until he bursts out in annoyance in a hail of Urdu (usually at me because no one can quite annoy and endear to him at the same time like me).

I have cousins who look Malay and can speak Malay but obviously aren't Malay. I have a purely Malay cousin brother in law who can kind of speak Burmese and has a little "Ballay" on the way.

I have a cousin who's dating a Persian girl and he could pass for middle eastern himself because he is tall( not to mention huge), fair and has those dark eyes and if he wore a turban he'd look like a perfect jihadist( sans the mane/hair/fuzz etc).

Cousins and aunts and uncles and goodness knows how we're related relatives all converge at one point, the mecca of potluck Burmese i.e; my Gran's house. Now you know why my sanity does not always toe the line. Who can when you have such strong, conflicting racial traits and genetic markers popping up everywhere around you and manifesting themselves in the form of your relatives? And i mean it not in a bad way ;)

Jason Shwartzman is the bomb

2010-03-04T05:02:00.000-08:00

Should it be Burma or Myanmar? Definitely Burma!

2010-03-03T08:30:00.000-08:00

'Burma' to the pro-democracy camp

Protest marches in Burma have entered a ninth day. But why is the country not known in the UK by its official name, Myanmar?

The eyes of the world's media are focused on Rangoon, where tensions are rising in the streets, yet news organisations and nations differ in what they call the country.

The ruling military junta changed its name from Burma to Myanmar in 1989, a year after thousands were killed in the suppression of a popular uprising. Rangoon also became Yangon.

THE ANSWER

It's known as Myanmar in many countries and at the UN

But the UK doesn't recognise the legitimacy of the regime that changed the name

The Adaptation of Expression Law also introduced English language names for other towns, some of which were not ethnically Burmese.

The change was recognised by the United Nations, and by countries such as France and Japan, but not by the United States and the UK.

A statement by the Foreign Office says: "Burma's democracy movement prefers the form 'Burma' because they do not accept the legitimacy of the unelected military regime to change the official name of the country. Internationally, both names are recognised."

It's general practice at the BBC to refer to the country as Burma, and the BBC News website says this is because most of its audience is familiar with that name rather than Myanmar. The same goes for Rangoon, people in general are more familiar with this name than Yangon.

But look in a Lonely Planet guidebook to Asia and the country can be found listed after Mongolia, not Brunei. The Rough Guide does not cover Burma at all, because the pro-democracy movement has called for a tourism boycott.

HOW IS MYANMAR PRONOUNCED?

There are various ways

'My' may be 'mee' as in 'street' or 'my' as in 'cry'

And stress can be on the first, second or third syllable

How to say 'Myanmar'

So does the choice of Burma or Myanmar indicate a particular political position?

Mark Farmener, of Burma Campaign UK, says: "Often you can tell where someone's sympathies lie if they use Burma or Myanmar. Myanmar is a kind of indicator of countries that are soft on the regime.

"But really it's not important. Who cares what people call the country? It's the human rights abuses that matter.

"There's not a really strong call from the democracy movement saying you should not call it Myanmar, they just challenge the legitimacy of the regime. It's probable it will carry on being called Myanmar after the regime is gone."

Colloquial name

The two words mean the same thing and one is derived from the other. Burmah, as it was spelt in the 19th Century, is a local corruption of the word Myanmar.

They have both been used within Burma for a long time, says anthropologist Gustaaf Houtman, who has written extensively about Burmese politics.

WHO, WHAT, WHY?

A regular part of the BBC News Magazine, Who, What, Why? aims to answer some of the questions behind the headlines

"There's a formal term which is Myanmar and the informal, everyday term which is Burma. Myanmar is the literary form, which is ceremonial and official and reeks of government. [The name change] is a form of censorship."

If Burmese people are writing for publication, they use 'Myanmar', but speaking they use 'Burma', he says.

This reflects the regime's attempt to impose the notion that literary language is master, Mr Houtman says, but there is definitely a political background to it.

Richard Coates, a linguist at the University of Western England, says adopting the traditional, formal name is an attempt by the junta to break from the colonial past.

The UN uses Myanmar, presumably deferring to the idea that its members can call themselves what they wish

Richard Coates, Linguist

"Local opposition groups do not accept that, and presumably prefer to use the 'old' colloquial name, at least until they have a government with popular legitimacy. Governments that agree with this stance still call the country Burma.

"The UN uses Myanmar, presumably deferring to the idea that its members can call themselves what they wish, provided the decision is recorded in UN proceedings. There are hosts of papers detailing such changes. I think the EU uses Burma/Myanmar."

Other countries to rename themselves like this include Iran (formerly Persia), Burkina Faso (Upper Volta) and Cambodia (Kampuchea).

"They've substituted a local name for an internationally acknowledged one for essentially nationalistic and historical reasons."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7013943.stm

This has got to be the most sadistic joke ever. I like it XD

2010-02-27T10:55:00.000-08:00

A man is at work when he receives a call from the hospital informing him that his wife's been in an accident. He rushes to the emergency room where he's met by the doctor. They sit down in the waiting room and the doctor, with a very solemn look on his face, says:

"Sir, I have very bad news. We did all we could. Right now she's in a vegatative state, which is likely where she'll remain for the rest of her life. She can stay here overnight, but after that, you'll have to take her home because your insurance doesn't cover this type of thing."

The guy slumps, just crushed.

The doctor continues: "With the right care, which will include you feeding her five times a day, changing her soiled diapers, and tending to her needs constantly, she'll likely live for at least another 30 years."

The guy sinks even lower, just crushed, and starts to cry.

Doctor: "As I said, your insurance doesn't cover this kind of care, so you'll have to make some sort of arrangements to purchase the equipment you'll need for your wife. I would suggest you put your house on the market today and sell it as quickly as possible and buy a mobile home. You're gonna need the excess cash. It should be enough to buy the equipment your wife needs and for you to live on for the next couple of months. By then, you should be able to qualify for welfare and other forms of state and federal aid."

By this point, the guy is sobbing uncontrollably.At that point, the doctor puts his hand on the man's shoulder, and says, "Naaaah - I'm just fucking with you, she's dead."

World's funniest joke? You decide!

2010-02-27T10:49:00.001-08:00

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson go on a camping trip, and after finishing their dinner they retire for the night, and go to sleep. Some hours later, Holmes wakes up and nudges his faithful friend.

"Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see." "I see millions and millions of stars, Holmes" exclaims Watson. "And what do you deduce from that?" Watson ponders for a minute. "Well, astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo. Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three. Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. Theologically, I can see that God is all powerful, and that we are a small and insignificant part of the universe. What does it tell you, Holmes?" "Watson, you idiot!" He exclaims, "Somebody's stolen our tent!"

The Art of Spillage

2010-02-26T21:04:00.001-08:00

Underfull - the tablecloth that turns spilling into poetry from Kristine Bjaadal on Vimeo.

Saying I'm head over heels in love with this vid is an understatement

2010-02-24T05:37:00.000-08:00

Photo Menagerie

2010-02-23T00:15:00.000-08:00

LUCIA.

2010-02-20T19:55:00.000-08:00

Creepy but cool.

LUCIA from diluvio on Vimeo.

When 2 grown men fight over T-Shirts!

2010-02-20T19:38:00.001-08:00

This is a very creative and funny piece I found on http://noquedanblogs.com/page/2/.

A must watch. Left me grinning from ear to ear. If only interactive shirts like these existed...hmmm the things I would do. Start with sula-ing for one ;)

The Pipettes- Judy

2010-02-19T23:29:00.001-08:00

60's vibish music always makes me feel all fuzzy inside

Of serious thoughts: religion & life

2010-02-12T05:37:00.000-08:00

As always im still stumped about my religion. I believe in it. I know He is always there, an Omniscient presence watching over my family and I. Yet I feel like He is something beautiful I see in the corner of my eye and once I turn to look at it, it disappears immediately. I wish I could find a way to make that reality stay. Im really confused. Morality and religion. What makes one a good Muslim? What is even the definition of a muslim? How do you determine whether God thinks you are a Muslim or not? I believe in Islam and I think it is the religion for mankind but some things still stump me and I feel like I’m running around in circles chasing my own tail. Inside an endless mazelike labyrinth of possibilities and hopes. I am lost.

I still think Islam in today’s context has been misinterpreted. I think the jurists nowadays suck big time and the sly demons; misguided Orientalists of the West have reduced Islam to an arcane, mythical religion founded on the roots of barbarism. I think Islam nowadays, the Islam that MOST Muslims see and practice has fragments of the original religion mixed with the tainted aspects of the West’s meddling in it. Who knows maybe the stuff we take to heart have been misinterpreted and manipulated by those cunning enemies of real Islam.

Sometimes I think of the Planet of the Apes. How all the apes tried so hard to suppress the human beings because they knew that humans were the real masters of the world and they feared them. Because they knew the truth, that they were inferior once and humans ruled- the truth is hard to accept. Maybe Islam is like that too. Wait correction, I KNOW ISLAM is like that. It isn’t about old men in beards and moustaches reciting verses from the Quran they barely even understand. It is not about those who follow the ritualistic aspects of Islam being superior to the ones who actually might have the brains to begin to grasp what real Islam might be about. True rituals are important but I think the whole concept has been turned upside down and instead of focusing on the essence of Aqidah, they are focusing on the physical, ritualistic aspect which is important too but rather ineffective without belief. And humans are not robots. They are creatures of reason and emotion and I think the truth is that Muslims nowadays do not know how to appeal to those fundamental aspects of the human soul anymore. It has become rank and stale like a beautiful room gone to waste; that has not been aired or maintained properly. If Islam were a house, the Prophet would weep to see the state Islam is in today. I don’t think there exists any scholar today who can properly portray what Islam is all about…To revolutionize the entire way of Islamic thinking. It reminds me of Atlantis the animated movie where Atlantis was once a great advanced nation with impressive technology but its later generations no longer knew how to make use of the massive amount of resources left to them.

I hate it when I’m forced to believe things as they are just because they’ve always been that way. I need proof to support my belief. I don’t just believe in a religion just because I was born into it. I know I haven’t done enough research to even begin to understand the wealth of my religion. But I know for a fact, with the faculties of thinking vested in me, that Islam is undoubtedly the way of life our Creator has intended for us. Because it is in line with our very intrinsic nature. It is not harmful to life and us. In fact it is pervasive, like a deep, deep underground river, always present but out of sight and flowing powerfully. It doesn’t go against the rocks, it shapes them and forms the awe inspiring landscapes we see around us. Nothing happens without reason or purpose.

For example, the many aspects of Islam that are so beautiful and perfectly moulded for humanity and the sanctity of the thing we call our soul, are often sidetracked and swept under the rug in favour of annoying debates over topics that should not even be an issue in the first place-whether a girl who doesn’t wear a headscarf would go to hell or not. Whether all non Muslims would end up in hell because they do not profess and verbally express the Shahadah. In the first place who are the Muslims nowadays to determine whether the so called non Muslims would go to hell? What makes YOU think you are in a perfect state of Muslim-hood to judge other people who might not have been fortunate enough to be born into truth. If that is the case, if non Muslims were all to end up in hell regardless of their deeds, just because they did not verbally express the Shahadah and live a strictly “Muslim” lifestyle, then why should us so called Muslims not be equally responsible for propagating the truth to the these people? If we fail in our duty to represent the truth in a good image, as what it is, how then can we blame the non-believers from believing? So my reasoning is this, if we ourselves cannot portray the image of Islam properly- as what it is, as a mercy to mankind- how can we call ourselves “Muslims”? So you see in my opinion, the definition of who is or is not a Muslim should be left entirely to God. In the meantime, you try to abide by the rules and apply it to your life as best as you can and hope that God is actually more merciful than those white beards make Him out to be. That’s all I can say for now.

There are countless “non-Muslims” who have contributed way more to humanity than a ragged mat rempit “Muslim” wastrel ever is capable of doing. All those scientists dedicated to finding cures for incurable diseases and the Christian doctors risking their lives in war torn Palestine to save the victims of Israel’s cruel massacre-what of them? The very fact that they are able to compete on a fair ground with “Muslims”…does it not show that God is just and fair? That He has a masterplan for every individual. And it is up to us to use our brains to see the Truth that’s been lying smack between our eyes all along.

All hail the Queen!

2010-02-06T05:51:00.000-08:00

This song cracks me up big time.

Courtesy of the one and only Natasya

Khairunnisa ;)

"In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different"-Coco Chanel

2010-01-28T22:10:00.001-08:00

Dance Figure by Ezra Pound

2010-01-25T21:45:00.000-08:00

Dark-eyed,
O woman of my dreams,
Ivory sandalled,
There is none like thee among the dancers,
None with swift feet.
I have not found thee in the tents,
In the broken darkness.
I have not found thee at the well-head
Among the women with pitchers.
Thine arms are as a young sapling under the bark;
Thy face as a river with lights.

White as an almond are thy shoulders;
As new almonds stripped from the husk.
They guard thee not with eunuchs;
Not with bars of copper.

Gilt turquoise and silver are in the place of thy rest.
A brown robe, with threads of gold woven in
patterns, hast thou gathered about thee,
O Nathat-Ikanaie, 'Tree-at-the-river'.

As a rillet among the sedge are thy hands upon me;
Thy fingers a frosted stream.

Thy maidens are white like pebbles;
Their music about thee!

There is none like thee among the dancers;
None with swift feet.

I love Ezra Pound's modernist approach to poetry because it's refreshing and thought provoking. And the imagery is mind blowingly beautiful . I LOVE IT!

Perfection in anomalies

2010-01-22T21:12:00.001-08:00

I was going through Popular( a local bookstore) the other day and to my surprise I found an interior design magazine( forgot the name) that contained some of the images I found on noquedan...I was like whoa....This kind of stuff actually interests people HERE? Had a good but pleasantly surprised "epiphany" there. Haha. I haven't been able to update my blog for some time so here goes, a fresh batch of random snapshots that caught my eye from my favourite

sites:

Talk about edgy cupcakes! Wondermilk (http://cuppacakes.blogspot.com/) take note!

This really made me laugh out loud.

That is why elephants rock and my room rocks.

Would it be too vain to include self destruction? ;P

This is just so adorable! Nifty!

Apparently there is sushi etiquette. Now there's etiquette for eating raw meat. Wow the human race is progressing.

This is quite sad and sad things are funny to me.

Wouldn't it be funny if demolition crews started using GIANT delete buttons to destroy houses?

The tagline for this has got to be: You can wear your cake AND eat it too!

Van Gogh's Ear Mug. Haha this is an inside joke. You'll have to know about Van Gogh's ear: http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=7506786&page=1

This is a specially designed 45 degrees slanted exercise book. Saves all the hassle of angling your book to write. Why can't we have such books in school?

An Alfa Romeo advert describing how easy it is to buy one! XD

From:

http://noquedanblogs.com/

http://www.swiss-miss.com/

http://ffffound.com/

http://theyedropper.wordpress.com/

Banana Pancakes: best song ever by JJohnson!

2010-01-17T09:25:00.001-08:00

Il y a six ans

2010-01-17T00:01:00.000-08:00

6 years ago....

1) I was a social misfit. I rarely let my hair down( like literally coz it was always in a permanent granite ponytail). I was panicky and socially anxious; I abhorred crowds and stuck with the same group of frenemies. Before this starts sounding like Gossip Girl I better get to the next paragraph.

2) I was just beginning to learn that I couldn't live without music...I was even a little into the goth rock and emo; the likes of Evanescence and completely sappy ones like Delta Goodrem and Mandy Moore.

3) I had no style, no distinct personality and I definitely did not know anything about makeup. Heck I didn't even have ear holes!

4) I used to ride on a van everyday for 2 hours to and back from school and brought a pillow( yes im a sleep addict and im not ashamed to admit it) to sleep out the bumpy ride. The van and the driver looked like they were part of each other and the van toasted like a burnt metal scrap piece in the sun. Thank God for the windows. Fun times though wouldn't change it for anything.

5) Six years ago I could tolerate my siblings, now the limit has exceeded. It's true what they say, children should only be seen, not heard. Period. Whoever came up with that is either a tortured genius or just was plain tortured.

6) I was so much more naive and clueless about the world and idealistic. Now I'm still idealistic but I've hardened up because the world isn't your oyster and the bed bugs are not going to leave you alone if you just shut up and keep quiet.

Now...

1) I don't think I've changed. It's more like I've found myself. Sometimes it can take years just to find yourself and I'm glad I found myself before they put me away six feet under.

2) I'm not popular but I have a true circle of close friends that I treasure and spurting drinks up your nose because of too much laughter and silly antics, is becoming a daily staple of my life.

3)And I'm happy. I've learned that you don't have to force yourself to be different just so that other people will accept you, not in the movie sense but the real life sense. Movies aren't all full of commercial generic bullshit all the time. Sometimes they do have hidden gems of wisdom. SOMETIMES.

4) I'm going to be a law school graduate in a year's time. How fast time flies. Back in the days all I wanted was to dabble in social politics and wonder about the meaning of the world like the nerd I am( which I still am) or write books whether they get published or not. Now I'm doing something I never really imagined myself doing but now that I'm in it, it seems perfectly right.

5) Hopefully I'll find my special someone and if I already have, I hope it's real this time.

"Art makes more sense than life" -Me

2010-01-08T20:16:00.000-08:00

A day in the life of a LLS( Lost Law Student)

2010-01-07T08:08:00.000-08:00

Considering the place that I call uni is so orthodox, Im surprised I still manage to have fun there.

This is what a day in my life at "uni" is like:

1) Before going to bed at night I'd set the alarm to 7 am every morning coz my classes have the audacity to start at 9 am. But then I end up waking up at 8. 30 and then rushing through everything. Coffee, a bite of toast, throw on a jubah and drive my furry little atos like blue madness on wheels.

2) Once I've parked my car, I plug my earphones in under my tudung,blocking out some of the reality-that I'm hopelessly late for class and I hate classes in the morning.

3) Once I'm in class, I put on what I call the mask of "nodding and agreeing" with everything the lecturer says so that to the stranger observing, I'd look like a dexterous student taking in every morsel of wisdom. When inside really I'm listening to "Don't touch me now" by Busta Rhymes or some upbeat music to keep me from falling asleep.

4) Or when I'm with my fellow sunlight hating friend in class, we'd sit the farthest away from the monstrous reaches of the imposing UV fingers and a) nod off or b)( more common) exchange a flurry of notes describing in intense detail the distracting baldness of our hairless lecturer and burst out in random fits of suppressed laughter.

5) During lunch time just before tutorials start, if my fellow evil comrade in arms are busy with their classes, I'd sneak in food(usually a big cup of coffee and a sandwich) from Nescafe( there's a stall) into the library and wolf the so called food down in the most unladylike fashion. It's either eat fast or die being found out. Trust me uni life is not that much different from a battlefield if you know how to draw the comparisons.

6) Sometimes if I'm really tired, I'd nod off in the library till i get a beeping sms from my FCIA asking me why the hell I'm not in tutorial; at which point I'll do what I do best, sprint, files askew to class.

7) And in tutorial, my tactic is usually "Attack to defend". In other words, it works like this: I ask the lecturer questions before he could ask US questions and give out head spinning cases to discuss. It's a 50/50 strategy. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But it involves stealth and cannot be used too many times on the same lecturer. They actually notice. Wow.

8) Then at around 5 pm, I'll drive my furry blue box home and crash onto bed like a dead log.

See what a wonderfully productive law student I am? Grandma would be proud :)

Can confusion be delightful?

2010-01-05T06:20:00.000-08:00

No que dan

2010-01-03T08:12:00.000-08:00

From http://noquedanblogs.com/, http://www.indie-guest.it/ & http://www.designcrushblog.com/

When boredom strikes, hunting ahoy, here I come!

Maybe-Ingrid Michaelson

2010-01-02T04:14:00.001-08:00

I LOVE THIS VID! The illustrations are so cute. It's like a modern day Mary Poppins!

My Sister's Keeper: A Disappointing ending

2010-01-01T08:10:00.000-08:00

I found My Sister's Keeper quite a disappointment. But then again in my opinion most movie versions of great novels are disappointments, with the exception of the Lord of the Rings( and that by a slight pass).

I really hated the fact that they changed the ending. It changed the whole dynamic of the story and therefore the anti-climax was practically distilled tap water in a cup. I mean( spoiler alert for those of you who haven't watched it) Anna was SUPPOSED to die at the end to tie off the story with a satisfactory twist. The bittersweetness was lacking it's full force.

And it kind of seemed like the director made Kate sleep with Taylor in keeping with the changed ending. " If the poor girl's gonna die, might as well let her live life to the fullest and that means sleeping with a cancerous guy". In the book Kate just shared a kiss with Taylor, she didn't go the whole way.

Alec Baldwin as the lawyer totally ruined my idea of Campbell Alexander. He's supposed to be this long suffering character who makes allowance for his weakness by being better than everyone else at what he does. Instead I cannot get the image of him as the fat, gold digging toad from Cat in the Hat out of my mind. In other words, he didn't fit the role of CA.

Abigail Breslin was the only one whose performance I praised. She totally fit the role of Anna. Innocent and lost yet strong and intelligent and fired up with a fierce love for her sister.

Sofia Vassilieva played Kate pretty well too. Her face just milks pity from the audience without any effort. And I think Joan Cusack would have been better suited to play Sara Fitzgerald than Cameron Di because she has this soft motherly aura with the right mix of the protective lioness about her- which I think Cameron lacked and made her look at best like a frustrated close friend.

Good bye 2009

2009-12-31T07:34:00.000-08:00

How fast time flies...Here in Malaysia, in half an hour's time, it's gonna be a whole new day of a new year. For those sadists out there, it's still 2 years short of the Mayan calendar's fateful prediction. Usually I'd be cringing at the self inflicted throes of embarrassment and what not but this year I must say, I've been a very very lucky girl :)

I've found new friendships, patched old but dear ones, become closer to existing ones and weeded out the toxic ones and found out that it's not so bad to be on your own; on the contrary it's rather empowering to know you can stand on your own two feet and only hang out with people because you WANT to.

And I shall not forget the Lady who keeps the candle of hope burning for an entire nation. Your strength will prevail and they will be dust very soon.