The Malaysiana Digests

Friday Blues

On Monday, I couldn't wait for Friday to come. On Tuesday, I forgot about Monday and went about my business. On Wednesday, I got my pay. It was the happiest day of the month. I also realised that I was officially fat. On Thursday, realised had bills to pay. Gave myself a break for going to the gym on Wednesday. On Friday, today, I wish it was Monday, because I have to work this Sunday. Damn.

Coconut Content in France Cakes

This was how someone got to my site. I spent a total of 15 whole minutes thinking about how this translated to my site. Finally figured out it must have been due to the many references to Jerome's heavenly cakes. Laying off the cakes for a while. I have declared myself officially fat, although I have been
told that I have been a successful non-fat poser so far. Thank God for striped pants and nicely-cut kebayas.

I had the most wonderful tofu steak at Nippon Tei for dinner tonight. Cruel how I can stuff myself silly at a time like this...

Digging

Everyday, some of us find ourselves facing difficult situations. Do we do something that's easy, or something that's been done before and is considered 'legal' or what's right? As you can see, I'm obsessed with this.

Sometimes, one is asked to do something that leads to a can of worms. At this point, one can continue digging (hence the term, can of worms), or stop and find the path of least resistance (or effort). Or, one can find a point to start, where one is capable of fixing things i.e. setting things right from this point onwards. Or, one can go deeper and try from there, with a high chance of failing.

All these things carry its own risks to the person, his/her reputation, and sense of integrity. Even the seemingly miniscule thing can have these questions attached to it. Some would argue that something is too little to worry about. But when does it stop being too little to question? Bleh.

Salam Is Back!

Salam is back, with more news of what is actually happening in Baghdad. He thanked the goodwill of Blogger, Google,www.industrialdeathrock.com etc for keeping his site online in some form or other. If only countries can cooperate in the same way...

I don't want to become a warblogger, but really, what else can I write about? I've stopped keeping track of which side lost what/who (friendly fire or otherwise), but if only
someone did a scoreboard - not to turn this into anything less than it is (a global human catastophe), but to show to those who are too preoccupied with the mechanics of the war that both sides are losing. No one wins. Cut your losses short - go home. I've read so many statements from internationals and Malaysians alike who either condemn or support the war, with Saddam Hussein as either the martyr or the demon. But really, are the powers-that-be so helpless that they cannot solve things through other means than might?

Let's try to think for a moment that Einstein's theory for a supra-government can be achieved (leave cynism at the door please...). If we look at nations as families, look at our own lives. In Malaysia, we don't have
arms to protect ourselves from our neighbours. We don't buy guns, because we don't want just anyone to have guns. The loony neighbour down the street could be Pervez Musharraf. Would you want him to have a gun? We trust our police and government to keep the peace. We participate in political activities that ensure that the police and government keeps the peace. Imagine that kind of commitment to the United Nations.

In an ideal world, no nation would spend so much defence, just like we don't buy guns to protect ourselves in our homes. We have the police number handy, or we use a security system. I know it's a bit simplistic, but the world has gone too complicated - even for leaders to look over the trees and see the forest.

There's a lot to be said for Internet culture. It's more accepting, everyone can have their say, once in a while, someone gets irritated. But no one really polices it, and any relevant policies work towards a collaborative culture. I say that every leader in the world should seriously spend some time online. They should watch more Star Trek and Sesame Street.

Yes, I have gone mad (and I know someone will tell me to wake up from La La Land). But all we have now is optimism and hope. The world cannot possibly get more depressed. Note: Just heard Tony Blair mention something about keeping an eye on 'the bigger picture'. For Iraqi's like Salam, this is the picture he sees: "The images we saw on TV last night (not Iraqi,
jazeera-BBC-Arabiya) were terrible. The whole city looked as if it were
on fire. The only thing I could think of was why does this have to
happen to Baghdad? As one of the buildings I really love went up in a
huge explosion I was close to tears."

Where is Salam?

Salam has found Raed, but I'm sure that the world, like me, is looking for Salam. He hasn't updated his site since Friday. Aid organisations reported yesterday that basic infrastructure like water and electricity has been
cut off in Baghdad. Media coverage of the war is becoming nauseating. Especially if the English-speakings ones all sound the same, with the exception of increasing confusion due to contradictory reports
(were the crewman missing or not?). Al-Jazeera is too difficult to listen to, because the transation ala staccato makes us lose the point too fast. If only I could speak Arabic...

Notes:
1. How the World found Salam
2. Will Bloggers Liberate the Middle East?
3. Finding Different Points of View
4. Contribute to the World

Letters

To the United Nations, dated 1948 "As I see it, this is the way for the nations of the world to break the vicious circle which threatens the continued existence of mankind, as no other situation in human history has ever done ..." MORE from Einstein ...

- - -

To the United States "Now that the war in Iraq is finally underway, let’s pause to consider what America has to say. This is a just war, according to Washington, because it seeks to remove an unelected dictator who possesses weapons of mass destruction, ..." MORE ...

Take Five

I thought I'd ask myself some questions and see what I answer, but that would be too premeditated. So I found some random questions someone else asked
(courtesy of The Friday Five). Here we go:

1. If you had the chance to meet someone you've never met, from the past or present, who would it be?

Hmm... can't think of one single person. I'd probably come up with a list of 50 people!

2. If you had to live in a different century, past or future, which would it be?

The 30th century, if we get that far. I'm not too fond of the past or present, and the future can only get better, right?

3. If you had to move anywhere else on Earth, where would it be?

Thanks to 'Sex and the City' - New York, pre 9-11.

4. If you had to be a fictional character, who would it be?

Captain Janeway of Federation Starship Voyager.

5. If you had to live with having someone else's face as your own for the rest of your life, whose would it be?

Zhang Ziyi - don't ask!

Freedom of Speech in Malaysia: A Subjectively Objective Matter

Going through Salam's latest posts on his blog, I followed a link to another blog of a virtual friend of his in the States.

She talked about her friendship with Salam, about how journalists from all over the world has been emailing her to find out if Salam is real, perhaps about who Salam actually is? Being at the right place at the wrong time won Salam overnight infamy. He says things, which in comparison with some of the things we Malaysians so 'bravely' talk about online, seem quite non-controversial, but yet there is a sense of fear that his identity will be discovered. His archives used to have personal pictures, which are all now gone and replaced with 'x's. His online friends have staunchly protected his family name. Again, another thing that brings everything that has happened in Malaysia for the past 4 years into perspective.

I can type these things in the relative comfort of my home, and walk out and not be afraid. Others who even paste their faces in their blogs of controversial opinions move in and out of Malaysian social circles with relative ease. Looking at what Salam must be going through, we have it really easy. So to the rest of you Malaysians who are still complaining - STOP!

Surrealism in the Real World

I attended a seminar today, focusing on reducing the complexity of IT systems for businesses. As I sat in listening to how companies can use web services to make the 'easy' transition from legacy systems to web, I received SMSes from friends back in the 'real' world on how America has launched its war against Iraq. The bombs have descended upon Baghdad.

Today is indeed a sad day. The last couple of days have been emotional, for me personally. Thousands of miles away, yet more innocent civilians have become victims of global power struggles. America and Britain has launched a new form of global colonisation. We don't recognise it, because it doesn't look like anything else in history. But delve deeper and you'll start seeing the startling similarities.

Today, we can't obviously take over another country and declare it our own. But the powers-that-be found another way, by exploiting the language that strikes deep into our hearts. Terrorism, human rights infringement, genocide. Words are very powerful, and they have to money to employ those who know how to play with them, and at the same time, tugging at the most painful places in our hearts.

Iraq is not perfect. Neither is Afghanistan. Lawlessness, cruel regimes, we have all had them as part of a nation's growth. But the most cruel regimes, or in the old days, monarchies, have been overthrown. The most lasting democracies were formed on the blood and suffering of those brave citizens who decided
to take arms and fight for their rights. After all, only the citizens of a country would know what's best for themselves. No superpower, least of all America and Britain, has the right to circumvent a country's sovereignity. They have no right to declare their own international rules as they see fit. Those who went through the WWs learned painful lessons, and the United Nations were formed to ensure that it doesn't happen again.

I shudder to think about what would happen if America had a bone to pick with Malaysia - What would I do if they pointed their guns here and demanded that our Prime Minister leave the country. As I sit in the cooling comfort of the hotel and this seminar, I realised the significance of March 20th, 2003. Today, those
lessons were forgotten. America, Britain and the 'coalition of the willing' took things into their own hands, despite widespread objections from their own citizens.

The world is no longer safe, not because of the ruthless dictators, but because we now have proof that democracy is just a facade, and that money in the New Order, is King.

Related Links:
CNN - War Tracker
BBCi - War In Iraq: In Depth
MUST READ: Iraqi Blogger in Baghdad

Permutating Perceptions: Anti-Masculinists

As expected, there were a lot of not-so-favourable responses from men who were told of Sharizal's mini-involvement with the MP campaign. Most felt that he 'betrayed' man-kind by supporting an 'anti-polygamy' campaign. To set the matter straight, it was not an 'anti-polygamy' campaign, it was pro-monogamy. There is a very distinct difference.

Psychologically, if a person goes into a marital arrangement with the intention of pursuing other relationships, how committed can he be in the first one? The examples we got from that day illustrated that things are not that ideal in a polygamous marriage, and that for once, we should all listen to all sides of the story, from the men, the wives and children of such an arrangement. I opened a Pandora's box by mentioning about the campaign, let alone my husband's presence, to certain people over lunch yesterday. It was assumed that I talked him into it. There were chide remarks about how I shouldn't count my eggs efore they hatch, followed by other hurtful comments about how this as the right of the man, implying that I had somehow trampled upon scred men's business.

What makes 'normal' male friends become so bitter when it comes to this topic? Not everyone resorted to gender bullying that day. The lone ranger in all this, a married man with 4 children, kept quiet. Upon analysing the personal lives of my friends and acquaintances, it was painfully obvious that the men who were most passionate about polygamy, also had the most unhappy relationships. Is that all this was about? A means of escape for men who can't handle one woman, one family, one relationship?

I know that this isn't the case for some polygamists, but why is it that the loudest voices come from monogamists? One polygamist I personally know admits to the arrangement being very hard. It is hard to be fair. This is true even in his situation, where he only has children from one wife. What more when there are children on both sides? Instead of focusing on the 'heroic' deeds of Shahidan Kassim, these unhappy monogamists should be honest with themselves. Are their opinions formed from the bitterness of their personal lives?

If one is to follow Sunnah Nabi (the typical arguments for pro-polygamists), one has to remember that he was monogamous for many years, until the death of his first wife, after which he married women, among others, Saidatina Aisyah, who was his favourite. See, even the Prophet himself, had a favourite. While he was fair to all his wives, and fairness here is subjective to the needs of the variety of women he weded, from the orphaned to the widowed, he was after all a Prophet.

If I were the men at lunch that day, I would ask myself, would I marry the many female senior citizens living alone in the villages? Would I marry them to care for their welfare, and protect them from harm? Would I marry the many single mothers who have been left to fend for themselves when their men move on to greener pastures? For most of us, when we were young and in love, the thought of sharing our lives with more than one partner was unbearable. Why is it different now for these men? Is love all that they are looking for?

Life and Faith

(You can expect this post to be about something awful.)

Most people go through most of their lives surfing on the edge of faith. Somehow, somewhere, we were all taught to see life as a series of random events, and those who believe in fate/faith/God/any higher power are declared saps. There is also the argument that religion serves as an emotional crutch. What's wrong with that? What's wrong with needing an emotional crutch?

As humans, I believe that we have to recognise the extent of our capabilities and its limits. Yes, we are all brainwashed to believe the sky is the limit - mostly by those American movies where dogs and cats can also achieve the American dream. While this is true, in matters of destiny and realising the meaning of life, there are things that we just have to set to autopilot, because really, it is on autopilot. When life seems to spin out of control - for good and for bad, we end up with a feeling of helplessness. We deal with these emotions, when we should actually be getting to the root of the problem, that we see life as a series of random events, and that things just happen to spin out of control.

Paradigm Shift

But do things just spin in and out of control? Faith, whether in God, in the belief that there is a larger scheme of things, or even in the belief of the smallness of humanity (I am of the opinion that we take ourselves too seriously as humans and hence, a lot of the world's problems stems from the fact that we think we rule the planet), should ground us and prevent the emotions surface during periods of randomness.

My rationale to the fact that my life has spun somewhat out of control would be that there is a larger scheme of things that I am a part of. In my case, this larger scheme is coordinated by a higher Being, and faith is intrinsically tied with religion. Perhaps some quiet time away from life, but with my partner in crime, can make this large scheme comprehensible to me, a mere mortal.

Me and Breakfast

Breakfast, if done ceremoniously, can be a very significant meal of the day. I won't bore with the details of cancer rates and health points. Breakfast, when taken late enough in the morning but early enough away from the lunch crowd, can be wonderful.

The best breakfast menu I have met so far has to be from Chinoz KLCC. After sampling a few dishes, I have to say, I am in love. Try their banana or wild berry pancake stack (3), nicely sprinkled with powdered sugar, served with cut starfruit, strawberries and orange on the side. For the more adventurous, try the Mexican breakfast set - sunny-side up eggs with refried bean burrito. All this for anything between RM6 to RM12. Breakfast @ Chinoz is from 9am to 11.30am. I'm going again this Saturday for a long brunch with some friends.

Citibank Ate My Cash

I'm in the middle of a little fiasco with Citibank. Two Saturdays ago, I went to the branch in KL to pay my credit card bills. I was unfortunate to have the ATM die on me during a transaction. The response from the staff on duty was helpful. The guard immediately closed off the machine and led me to the phone and advised me to make a report. He called an officer to check the machine. I was told that since I swiped my card first, the money would be recorded into my account. I went off with a secure feeling that my money will be retrieved. It is after all, Citibank.

So I waited until Tuesday to check my balance, seeing that the deposits made on Saturday can only be confirmed by Tuesday morning. The money did not appear. I called again and was advised to make a report, which I did again, citing the machine number that ate 20 of my RM50 notes. I hung up again feeling secure that my money will reappear. It is Citibank, of course. Friday
and no news. I called in the evening, only to be told that no investigation was initiated by the last person I talked to.

I know a thing or two about how a call centre runs, having been involved in setting up systems for 2 call centres in my line of work. And I know that Citibank should be a well-oiled machine, having an active recruitment program for call centre agents and some of the fanciest and best set-up systems around. So I lost my cool as the agent I spoke to offered no apologies for what happened. And I was told that he will request an investigation, and that I should call again on Wednesday. Not wanting to be taken for a ride again, I called today to check. The nice lady told me that the last guy did his job and submitted the request.

And how long would I have to wait? 3 days. Standard procedure. No exceptions for the bank's mistake to not investigate the last time I asked it to.

I asked around - friends in Citibank, friends of Citibank, friends who left Citibank. All have had good stories to tell about the company. Most told me to go in person to make my complaint. One friend told me to write to them and cc to Bank Negara. All this is hard work. In the meanwhile, I checked my account activities in the last couple of days over the company's online banking site. I was charged a late fee...

Will I get my money back? Will I get a refund on the late fee? Will I get a free holiday out of this? Stay tuned for more...

Najah's Note: The ironic thing was during an IM session with a friend explaining this, I got a call. From American Express. Telling me that as a member of the Oil and Gas community, I am eligible for a card, free of charge for a year. And they're throwing in some luggage too.

Related Links:
Don't Like AMEX? You'd be pleased to know that there's an anti-AMEX movement!
The Citigroup Watch
How Safe is Your Maybank2U Password?

Green

Funny that of all the things that I write that can really get up someone's nose, the thing that got up most people's noses today was my blog's new look! Yes, I have gone green. My offline critics have gone into great detail to explain the impact of my newfound green-ness:

Here's one:
najah: is my green too green?
Mohamad: it is ok lah ...
Mohamad: most important you like it
najah: better or worse than the orange
Mohamad: I just made a comment ... that is all ...
najah: i have another critic that's not so merciful..
Mohamad: well ... I worry if it is a reflection of how you feel though
Mohamad: so I'm blacklisted coz I am a critic?
najah: no you're not..
najah: so it tells u that i feel sick?
Mohamad: :)
Mohamad: hmmm ... somehow ... green does not have a comforting feeling generally. Religiously and socially is different ...
Mohamad: even though you made teh effort to have it Pastel green
najah: how different
Mohamad: hard to explain actually ...
Mohamad: we see green as comforting and fresh
Mohamad: as asians mainly
Mohamad: interestingly enough ...
Mohamad: it is mentioned in some of teh design guides ...
Mohamad: that Green has different "implications" especially in advertising use.
najah: ah.. like?
Mohamad: it was said that it grabs attention ... but does not have a simillar calming effect as some of teh pastels
Mohamad: or even earth tones
najah: correct. my other critic says it looks like what ppl see what they're high
Mohamad: yet interestingly enough some people say green is teh color of harmony and balance
najah: can I publish excepts of our conversation on my site?
Mohamad: can ... I can get you a reference if you like
Mohamad: (Link: http://www.solarraven.com/GREEN.html)http://www.solarraven.com/GREEN.html
Mohamad: just see how some see it ... some text are interesting
Mohamad: but yet possibly mis-aligned

Here's another:

zoodin88: green!!!!!
njhnssr: what's wrong with green?
njhnssr: what's with you people!
njhnssr: hmmph!
zoodin88: no lah... i didn't say that there was anything wrong
zoodin88: just surprised at the.... brightness :)
njhnssr: it's not that bright lah..
njhnssr: is it?
njhnssr: i thot it'd be less intrusive than the orange
zoodin88: orange was nicer...
zoodin88: fluorescent green...
zoodin88: reminds me of.... the old mymesra! :))
njhnssr: it is not flurescent green!
njhnssr: it's fresh cut grass..
zoodin88: no grass on earth looks like that! :D
njhnssr: i call it the issey miyake of websites..
njhnssr: so when u look at it and smell the perfume, it goes togehter
zoodin88: maybe your monitor needs reconfig...
njhnssr: i did it on rizal's monitor. and on mine it looks ok
zoodin88: because i see fluorescent green
zoodin88: hahahahah...
njhnssr: hang on, i'm getting a second opinion
zoodin88: hehheeh....don't worry about it.... what's important is that you're happy with it
njhnssr: my other critic sez that it looks like i'm sick.
zoodin88: sick? nahhh
zoodin88: fluorescent green = neon city wannabe
njhnssr: ok. so it's urbane. that's good right?
zoodin88: hhehehe.... yes, that's good
njhnssr: i've got a comment here that green doesn't convey good feelings..
zoodin88: depends on the type ofr green i suppose
njhnssr: so this one?
zoodin88: if it looks like puke green
njhnssr: puke doesn't look green!
zoodin88: this one is fluorescent green'
zoodin88: hippy feeling
zoodin88: like the stuff you see when you're high...
njhnssr: hahaha!!!
njhnssr: ok. good.
zoodin88: 70's Show, anyone?
njhnssr: i like ppl to think that i'm high... NOT!

The peak of laziness - I cut and pasted the conversation. Something for you guys to think about and deliberate. I'll take some time to think about it too. Till then, whip out your shades!

Babysitting

Sharizal and I baby sat two Saturdays ago. With some help from Zeehan.
Najwa and Azrol wanted to go watch a movie, something that's virtually
impossible for couples with new borns to do. Lucky for us we bought a
book before the babysitting job.

It was the Princeton's Guide on Infant Care for 0 - 12 months, and it described many common ailments and symptoms that appear in infants at various stages
in their growth. Good to know that it wasn't the bad adult air at the house that was making Aeisyah cry. The book's recommendation on colic was effective in helping make the night more fun than stressful.

We discovered that Aeisyah likes football much more than a gory movie.
She prefers repetitive tunes from the mobile phone compared to lengthy
songs. She enjoys some tunes so much that she starts to sing along, off
key of course. Most of the time, she just wants attention, which she
gets a lot of in this house.