Your New Source of Independent News

Are you looking for a neutral kind of arguments for the hotly-debated issues in the motherland, and found that those given by mainstream media are either limited or one-sided? Keen to listen to public reviews and open debates on those issues or any other daily occurrence in Malaysia? Or simply looking for a fresh reading material? Then MalaysiaToday is definitely your answer.

Some of you might already be familiar with this site, but for me it is kind of new. I found this site by accident while browsing through the net in search of some additional information on some public-eyed issue in the home country recently when I stumbled upon this blog, and have put it on my list of daily readings ever since. Dubbed as ‘your source of independent news’, at first I found it rather interesting that this site is single-handedly managed by a chap by the name of Raja Petra Kamaruddin. Much later I found out that he has some assistants helping him out. Other details of Raja Petra are still somewhat vague for me, but I learnt that he was once detained under ISA, while some of his previous works are quite prominent albeit a little confusing. Also, the fact that caught me by surprise is that Raja Petra is an old boy of my alma mater, MCKK though he went to Victoria Institution later in his secondary academic stage.

MalaysiaToday is not all about him though; in fact one part of the site deals with the collection of materials from around the blogosphere, where anyone’s article can be there. Now, this is why I told you this is an excellent, if not perfect place to seek for unbiased disputes on national issues. From Raja Petra’s writing, I can also tell that he is not a one-sided observer; most of the time he makes his stand on a certain point clear and the rest, it is up to the readers to judge. The appealing part is always at the end of each article, where the public is given a chance to throw in their opinions, which most of time concludes with raging, albeit controlled disagreements between the commenter. Apart from that, this site also consists of public columns by four independent writers, whose names are anonymous to many but in fact are big names in writing fields, including Raja Petra himself. Two out of four columns are written in Malay language for the record. On a more personal note, I found Hishamuddin Rais’ column on this site as a pleasant replacement to the one he also has in the Off the Edge magazine, which was made as my monthly reading back then in Malaysia. The only difference is that, he writes in English in that magazine.

So brush off the thought of sticking merely to the mainstream media, and instead get yourself updated with current news from the motherland from MalaysiaToday as well from now on. Just click on the image above, and immediately you will be brought to the new realm of independent news.

I Am A Free Man

Finally the torture of exam is over. I tell you, my exam this time is much worse than the SPM. OK, I am exaggerating. But it really is tough. No, I am not talking about the questions. It is the two weeks span that was given to prepare for my two papers. Now, for those of you who start to think I am talking bullshit, think again. How many days do you usually take to complete the revision stuff? Some might take long, but I am pretty sure none commit themselves for up to more than a week. Of course some might argue that we can always sneak in some other stuff, do some other things in the wee hours in between the revision period, but then again the sense of guilt is always there to push us back to the study desk. That, for me, is the tough part.

Overall both my Mathematics and Physics papers were OK, at least I hope so. I was so excited to get rid of tension caused by this exam that I did not really think of the questions in the middle Physics exam but instead focusing on finishing it quickly so I could pass it up before time. Of course by saying finishing it quickly, I mean filling in empty spaces of questions that I found rather hard with some bullshitting so it makes a bit of sense, if not much.

Now come the next part, post-exam. Well, since my trip to Melbourne will only take place the day after tomorrow, I found it rather wasteful to stay in the vicinity of home for the mean time, not when you have grabbed the freedom to go away sans apprehension over impending exam. So I went to Aijud’s house, and after Asar we boarded bus no. 396 which dropped us just in front of David Jones of Elizabeth Street- Sydney’s shopping heaven on our sight! Ok, of course shopping does not suit us well, at least not until next month when our sponsor hands us in the next allowance, but hey, we still managed to spend the whole evening there. There was this panicky situation to find a suitable place to pray when Maghrib came though, but still it was worth an experience. In the end, amidst those high-rise shopping malls, mid-year sales, branded stuffs and designer’s boutiques etc., we settled purchasing merely a bundle of super cheap Kinder Bueno and Toblerone at Woolworths which in total cost us less than five dollar. Blame the sponsor for our stinginess.

There are still tomorrow and the day after that to kill, and plenty of things to look for before I am off to Melbourne. Atok is in town anyway while Peja is coming tomorrow from Brisbane, so apparently there will be plenty of stuffs to do. But I guess in the mean time let me take some comfort and breathe in this new-found air of freedom.

Identity Search

I guess most of you guys are aware that this blog rather new and the thing that is missing in a new-born product apart from publicity is identity. In fact identity is the first thing came in mind when I was considering of starting this blog.

I have long realized that I am nowhere close to sports pundits or film or book critics, giving opinionated predictions and comments here and there on the upcoming football fixtures or new-released work by Spielberg or Tolkien. Neither am I as good as any of the country’s prominent political observers or religion experts or whatnots. But at the same time I am rather ambivalent at the thought of posting something that has got to do with my daily life, which in a way puts this blog in line with a life journal. Of course if something good or unusual happen, I would love to share the stories with the entire world. What I mean is that I do not see any reasons why people will give a damn at every single thing that I do in my days, so rather than getting loathed for wasting their time I guess it is better to remain secretive.

I am also thinking of this blog as something formal; if you guys just care to realize I try to avoid abbreviation in my writing (which is not really a big deal, but I am more comfortable in that way I reckon), no harsh words, and every single posting is well-justified. I also typed down every posting in Words before removing it to Blogger as to make sure there will be no spelling mistakes or missing upper-case letters. Is all that what you call formal anyway? Nah never mind. I think the point here is I do not like mess and inappropriate use of language.

The blog template is not that stylish I have to admit, forgive me that I just could not reach beyond that. But I will try. Anyway the blog header, ‘The Sea Inside’ is originated from an award-winning Spanish movie of the same title that I watched, and yeah, basically it is the other’s copyright. I just hope and remain optimistic that they would not find it. The quotation just at the bottom of the header, meanwhile is not my work as well; I got it from some other source which I now already forget. Now not even one of you notices that before reading this does you? I am doing a pretty excellent job then I assume.

Jumping back to the contents, I guess for the time being I am comfortable with the ground I am venturing into. I will try my hand on some serious issues, albeit not much deep into while at the same time I will continue posting something lightweight and casual, most of which deal with cool stuffs I encounter or perhaps personal experiences that I reckon are worth sharing. And yeah, I should also consider the limited number of readers I am currently having, so expect nothing controversial or debatable here, at least in the mean time. One more thing, I am not really pleased with the way my postings are sorted i.e. the name of categories that I currently put, so expect it to undergo major overhaul soon.

Anyway thank you to all of you readers for the support you have given, you guys make up a huge reason for me to continue writing.

Sporting Seasons Swansong

June is not a good month for a sports fan. Real Madrid’s come-from-behind win which sealed the Spanish La Liga title yesterday earmarked the wrap-ups of most of major European football leagues, or at least by now the respective regional league conquerors has already been decided. Season swansong means no more checking up Soccernet or LiverpoolFCtv twice or thrice per day. Oh, I see dull days ahead.

Meanwhile across the Atlantic, the NBA has just been recently concluded. San Antonio Spurs swept pass Cleveland Cavaliers in a Finals series expected by many, but in the end captured low worldwide ratings. It is always great to watch sporting triumphs especially ones that entail enormous perseverance, human spirit and painful sacrifice before the end line is reached. Of course, far beyond the joy of observing from distance is being part of the triumph itself, an indescribable feeling perhaps best encompassed by Tim Duncan and Robert Horry of the Spurs, both with 4 and 7 championship rings respectively under their belt:

‘It never gets old, winning never gets old..’

Despite the sweep, the losing Cavaliers are not a bad team though, not when you start to think about Lebron James as the team’s engine. Also, they have a bright future in rookie Daniel Gibson whose name was hardly known during the regular season but turned out to be an instrumental player in the Finals. With the win, the Spurs have made it four championships in eight years, putting the franchise on par with the likes of Celtics, Lakers and Bulls with most rings. Speaking of rings, do you guys have any idea that they are indeed given a ring each? Not the usual winner’s trophy or plaque or anything else, but a ring. How cool is that? It is also a double delight for the team’s point guard Tony Parker; besides securing a third a championship ring as well as the Finals MVP title, this Frenchman is also getting married to the ever so lovely Eva Longoria. An NBA Championship and a wedding ring in the same year, how great is that great people? Now, this year is the first time that I followed the playoffs closely- thanks to NBA Broadband and of course, excellent internet connection- so you can pretty much expect me to delve into every single bit of playoff game’s details day in, day out. Besides, where else do you think I got all these information from? Again, no matter how great the season wind-up seems to be, in the end I still need to try coming to the term of not being able to get routine updates from NBA.com as always.

The good news is there are always the transfer rumors, penning down of new deals among players to look for within this period. Boy, I am always excited about millions of cash spent and human trade, how about you? I am seriously hoping that Liverpool will get two or three more good players to prepare for the grueling Premiership next season, though I remain optimistic that the current squad is good enough; the only thing lacking is consistency. As for the other ball game, Kobe Bryant is asking for a trade away from the Los Angeles Lakers. Now, this is something huge for me for the reason that the idea of me supporting the Lakers all these years is because he is there.

Of course when the curtain of those sporting actions in the Northern Hemisphere regions fall, the ones in the southern part are only about to commence. Alas the games highlighted in the sporting calendar here Down Under do not really manage to catch my attention the same way as the ones in the other end of the globe do. Nonetheless I am going to the stadium this weekend for live footie.

Can’t wait until August when all those stadiums open their gates again for the new season. In the meantime I guess I the only thing I will do is to remain seated and listen to transfer news, besides [occasionally] flipping through physics book for I still have physics examination to go through the next Monday. Oh, boy.

Ramblings Of An Exam-Depressed Man

I am supposed to do some algebra at the moment, but never mind. I am just too drowsy to stand the painful torture of studying.

It is exam period here in UNSW. I have two papers to kill, and a span of a week each to get my brain all stuffed up with all those complex numbers, Gauss’s Law of Magnetism stuffs etc. They call it revision week anyway, or study vacation as Aijud sweetly puts it. Heck I hate revision week. It restricts your whole week to sitting in front of the study desk and nothing else, and your whole world is perched in the realm of books, exercises, etc. But then again, it is the only means for a student like me who takes early preparation for granted to get back on track of attaining good grades. Well, they say life is not all about studying. There are still plenty of other things to look for in life beyond the academic orbit. But I say life is about studying when you already flunked in your back-to-back algebra class tests, getting merely half of the possible full marks and your only savior from getting kicked out of university is the final examination. Revision week is good then, pretty much offering me a stick while I am drowned. So I guess this makes me love revision week. Oh God, I am confusing myself here.

On another note, I failed terribly in my quest to get up early in the morning of late. Thrice I tried not to get persuaded by the sweet call of Mr. Mattress and Miss Pillow after the Subuh prayer, and thrice I was not successful. Worse still, the next time I open my eyes it was already one hour or two to noon. Well, it might seem to be a tiny matter to some, but for a person of my sort who spends more than an hour for newspaper and breakfast every single morning, getting up early is simply necessary.Well, since I could not wake up at the sight of the morning sky, I decided to reschedule my daily routine so that I would have a long afternoon span to do some revision. But wait, I am not the type of person who revises during these hours. I remember the only thing I did to fill up my afternoon prep back then in MCKK was sleeping. Even when I did not, my mind was simply too preoccupied with the prospect of basketball training later in the evening. So there you go; the other reason for me to get up early is so that I can get those pages of thick algebra or physics books sifted since afternoon is not a productive span for me.

Speaking of exam, last night I received an email from Izwan, the president of Petronas Club here consisting of some hilarious pictures which he said, ‘to ease your stresses'. Here are three of them:

Funny aren't they? Zahira laughed to tears when I showed them to her.

Moving on, it is not a good time to be in Sydney at this moment; the weather is bizarrely unpredictable. It was storming heavily the past few days where the wind was simply too ferocious that the only you can do is shut yourself up at home. Still, when the sky makes way for the sun to spread its rays, the laziness in me to get out of home pulak takes over.

It is time like this that makes me realize how terribly I miss Malaysia. Oh, this morning I dreamt of being back at home. I attended a relative’s open house and there were these heaps of scrumptious, cholesterol-abundant food, and I was about to ask for this piece of murtabak from my sister when suddenly the alarm clock came into play. Damn. Now, can anyone get me a murtabak here?

Forgive me readers for being so annoying this time, blame not me but the boredom of revision week. The good news is, come this day two weeks from now, I will be on my way to Mebourne as a free man.

For You, Sir

Berita Harian today portrays Mr. Liew Yong Choon as the man behind the success of the CAGERS for decades.

A coach, a teacher, and more than anything else, a father to the CAGERS family, he is apparently the crux behind success stories of the CAGERS who has been dominant in the past three decades.

Please forgive me for being too busy to jot down a little bit more. I found this picture rather excellent in explaining what I felt anyhow.

That is him, wrapping the bandage around my right ankle which got injured on the last day of training. Damn. This is just before the semifinal game in 2005 if I am not mistaken. Now who can tell me, if there is any other coach he/she knows that is willing to get hold of the foot of his own player? The fact that I find rather amusing in this man is that he imperturbably breaks the racial barrier with anyone he meets, and in doing so he displays the true gist of humanity, setting up a perfect example for all of us the CAGERS particularly. Personally, I learnt a lot from him.

Indeed, it is great to hear that a man of his pedigree is finally given this due recognition.

On Pak Lah's Marriage

This is interesting.

Fresh from being scolded to ‘stop blaming others, just do it,’ by the boss in the shape of Pak Lah, Samy Vellu, in the wake of public announcement of the boss getting married again, decided to write down a poem in tribute of him.

Merely a proof of loyalty, or another conspiracy theory?

Anyway, my genuine wish for a marriage made in heaven goes to the Mr. Prime Minister. In the words of Am, he is indeed ‘a man who needs someone to look after him’, so let us hope that his new partner will in a way help to lessen the burden in the size of a nation on his shoulder, and that the marriage will act as perfect thrust for him in running the country and bringing it to greater heights.

Berbicara Tentang Bahasa

Saya terpanggil untuk menulis dalam Bahasa Malaysia, bukanlah sangat kerana mahu berlari sejajar dengan panggilan kerajaan yang kembali memilih untuk menggunakan frasa ini menggantikan Bahasa Melayu yang tiada salahnya dan saya kira lebih kepada suatu bentuk sindiran buat Anwar Ibrahim, tetapi lebih sebagai suatu bentuk kepuasan buat diri sendiri serta bukti jelas saya masih boleh menulis dalam bahasa ibunda dengan baik.

Acap kali kita dengar suku-sakat penulis dan blogger Malaysia yang memilih Bahasa Inggeris sebagai medium bicara dikecam hebat kerana gagal memberikan contoh tauladan terbaik memelihara bahasa ibunda yang kian dipinggirkan. Kata mereka, golongan ini ghairah mengagungkan Bahasa Inggeris sedangkan Bahasa Malaysia mereka sendiri lintang-pukang. Saya bukanlah mahu sepenuhnya bertindak melawan arus, membangkang usul ini, ternyata ada juga benarnya. Tetapi saya kira tidak adil bagi mana-mana pihak melabel dan menyalahkan pihak lain secara total tanpa ada usul periksa. Tidak wajar menujukan tuduhan ini kepada keseluruhan penulis bilamana fakta mengatakan cuma beberapa kerat yang berada dalam situasi seperti digambarkan. Samalah, tidak wajar melabel golongan lelaki sebagai gatal dan sewenang-wenangnya melupakan bekas isteri apabila Pak Lah membuat keputusan berkahwin lagi. Jelas logiknya di situ.

Menyentuh tentang blog saya sendiri, saya ingat saya ada berjanji dengan seorang rakan baik, Chicha untuk cuba menulis dalam Bahasa Malaysia walaupun saya kira janji tersebut bukanlah apa sangat pentingnya. Alhamdulillah, dengan post ini maka telah tertunai janji saya. Secara peribadi saya lebih gemar mengiyakan pandangan seorang lagi rakan, Hadi yang merasakan blog patut lebih bersifat global dan dalam konteks ini, Bahasa Inggeris menjadi keutamaan. Bukanlah mahu memperkecilkan Bahasa Malaysia sendiri, tapi kita akui yang mana satu menjadi pilihan, menonjol di mata dunia di zaman ini. Andai tiba-tiba esok segalanya bertukar dan komuniti global mahukan Bahasa Malaysia di hadapan, tentunya akan wujud arus baru dalam kalangan penulis dan blogger ini dan Hadi sendiri akan menukar pendapatnya memilih Bahasa Malaysia pula. Apabila Hadi menyifatkan blog sebagai global, saya kira ia tidak lain menggambarkan aspirasinya untuk sentiasa maju ke hadapan. Samalah halnya dengan warga penulis, blogger lain yang mahu sentiasa melihat kemajuan. Kita akui kita perlu ambil kira pandangan masyarakat dari benua lain, wilayah lain bila kita mengutarakan sesuatu pandangan, dan dalam proses ini satu-satunya tindakan berkesan ialah menggunakan Bahasa Inggeris. Mampukah agaknya kita menjemput rakyat Britain atau Sri Lanka untuk duduk semeja berbincang tentang dunia, jika terlebih dahulu kita mengharapkan mereka belajar bahasa kita?

Benar, seperti yang saya katakan sebelum ini, ada juga golongan yang terus bertindak mengabaikan bahasa ibunda. Ini yang tidak tidak sepatutnya terjadi. Tetapi dalam masa sama, jangan kita asyik mahu bersengketa dan melupakan golongan yang masih utuh mendukung aspirasi menggunakan Bahasa Malaysia, di samping fasih berbahasa asing. Saya sendiri ada kenalan yang memilih untuk menulis blog dalam Bahasa Malaysia, dan tidak kurang juga ada yang lebih gemar mencampurkan lain-lain bahasa dalam bentuk entri berlainan. Yang memilih untuk menggunakan Bahasa Malaysia, bukan sahaja bahasa mereka terpelihara malah terlalu bagus jika kita amati. Contohnya kenalan baru saya Syuk, ataupun rakan di MCKK seperti Ainan, Syafiq Marzuki ataupun Zaim, yang akhir itu kehebatan Bahasa Malaysianya membawanya hingga menjuarai pidato di peringkat kebangsaan. Pada pandangan saya, golongan inilah yang patut kita angkat. Selama ini kita asyik mahu mencari, menyelar yang silap padahal yang kesilapan itu langsung tidak jelas.

Ternyata, soal bahasa dilihat sebagai agak sensitif, tidak ramai yang mahu membincangkannya secara serius. Saya cuma membawa perkara ini ke ruang yang lebih terbuka dengan hasrat untuk menegakkan kebenaran yang asyik disalahkan.

Tell Only The Truth, Can You?

I was watching a rugby game live on TV the other day with a couple of friends when they started a conversation, so I decided to eavesdrop.

Apparently the first friend had a point to say:

‘Ragbi Malaysia tak kuat plak, tak penah dengar pun’

The second friend, for some reasons that are still vague to me responded:

‘Ala hockey team Aussie pun, tak penah dengar'

Australian men’s hockey team has a superior international record, having won the gold medal in the last Olympic Games in Athens. They have been consistently ranked in the top four nations in the world for more than 30 years. Just recently they whipped the Malaysian team to seal the coveted Sultan Azlan Shah Cup for the fifth time in the tournament’s history. Tak penah dengar?

Dear Mr. Physicists

How I wish you guys- Mr. Gauss, Mr. Faraday, Mr. Lenz, Mr. Ampere, other physicists alike- are still alive, so I can do just this to all of you:

For making my life terribly difficult with the mind-boggling physics laws you guys created!