Butet's Wedding

Last weekend was a blast! It was great really to see the familiar faces of my batch mates yet again, sweeter when you think that this time we gathered for once-our-custodian’s wedding. It is really amazing to watch how time flies; it was more than seven years ago when we were all swarming in the Prep School’s Common Room in fright and sweats when Butet came in and gave us hard lectures for the first time. And seven years on, now there he was, on his wedding day and about to embark on a new path of life.

Hadi has a deeper account and more photos on this, so do go check his blog. I would like to take this chance to convey my congratulatory words to Butet and his chosen partner, let us pray that they are up for a marriage made in heaven notwithstanding the distance that is going to separate them, as both are still students. As for my batchmates, I really had a good time with all of you, and there certainly is not any regret for missing out on the Petronas 3 on 3 held on the same day at KLCC.

Like A Shooting Star

I received a text message from Rough early tonight that reads like this:

Allahyarham Adlan Benan Omar sedang dibawa ke Seremban (Golf Heights, Ampangan) dan akan dikebumikan di Seremban selepas Jumaat Insya Allah

The dreadful moment, one that we really did not want to hear but we know sooner or later it would eventually happen. And so it happens, today.

How ironic is that, when we are just starting to get to know a person Allah comes and decides to take him with Him. We are then left dumbfounded, not knowing where to go, shuddering to find the panic button.

I knew Allahyarham, albeit not personally, for years but only the last three or five days that I decided to find out more on this brilliant guy, and that led me to a number of writings on blogs and websites by him, and by people known to him in tribute of Allahyarham. In fact I was going through another round of reading a brilliant piece of writing by a friend fondly describing him when I received that message informing about his demise. How ironic is that.

One particular piece relates on how he always wanted to die young, that he wished to be just like a shooting star; live only for a short moment, but leave an everlasting impact to people around him. Indeed he has.

Al-Fatihah to Allahyarham, may he be placed amongst the pious in the afterlife.

Cloverfield!

Well, after much hype being given leading to the screening of this movie especially by a good friend Hadi, I decided to go give it a try on its first day of screening which was last Thursday to be exact. I must admit though that my knowledge on the movie before stepping into the screening theatre did not go beyond the fact that it is another flick on a monster attacking New York.

So I sank myself into the seat, not knowing exactly what to expect. The first couple of minutes were a little confusing, as I kept asking myself if this movie was going to use the first person video camera point of view for the whole run. I never watched any movie of this kind before, so I found the concept as a little weird but anyway, creative. One thing, because it is a monster movie, with loud banging and yelling and all, this technique of filming in my opinion allows the audience to experience the impact and scary moments at their maximum. Also, by having it this way, I believe it somehow gives permission to the director not to hire top actors or actresses to act in his movie, which in turn allows for a smaller budget. Alright, enough of my two cent on this matter, now let’s move on.

The story started when a group of friends were having a surprise farewell party for one of them who was leaving for Japan to work. Now, this part was broadly elaborated, and although it kept me guessing when on earth the monster was going to surface, much later I learnt that the initial scene was highly fundamental in the build-up to the following dramas for that was when the director took the full opportunity to tell the inside story of each of his main characters. Anyway while this group of friends was having fun, the earth suddenly quaked; a sign that the monster was on his way. Now the scene is my favourite part, you guys better watch it closely; not long after those guys came out of the building, the gigantic head of the Statue of Liberty flew past them, slamming into the street of New York with incredible force followed by the screaming of New Yorkers who could still not believe what was just happening. Now I tell you, the monster was real mad. Later in the movie the audience was brought along on a journey by a smaller group of the previous friends- this time four of them- in search of another friend whom the guy going to Japan was in love with. Imagine while the rest of New Yorkers rushed to flee the city, these four were running in the opposite direction into the heart of the city, where the monster was roaring. I shall leave the rest of the way for you to find out on your own.

Another point worth noting is the ending, which while not a top-class, is still good in my opinion for a movie of this kind. I was hoping mid-way through the show for the movie not to end in another War of the Worlds’ style. You just cannot make a monster that powerful that has so easily tore down the skyscrapers of New York and caused havoc to the whole country to be easily demolished in a one-and-a-half hour movie, and under that line of thinking I guess everyone can live with Cloverfield’s ending.

Overall I must say that this is one of the best monster/horror movies I have ever seen, certainly worth my RM10. You were kept trembling throughout the entire show, but at the end of it, you just want to ask for more. At least I did.

On Alam Shah Schoolboy's Video

A chap claiming himself as an Alam Shah schoolboy had made a video featuring himself and his alleged girlfriend and posted it on YouTube.

Now, if any of you have not heard about or watched this video, open up a new tab now and navigate yourself to YouTube. Type in Sekolah Alam Shah in the search field, and the first search result on the list should be the one I am talking about. No, I am not in any way promoting his video. You really need to get to know what it is all about before you should proceed to the next paragraph.

Surely this is not the worst video we have ever heard about, or for some, seen. But you also cannot negate those that clearly belong to the pool of bad ones as bad, even when you have seen a host of others being even worse.

The main point here is not that this boy is bringing stains to the good name of his school. Of course when you claim yourself coming from a school of that quality, people expect something from you. But let’s put that aside, because what is more important is that this boy is shearing the dignity of both his race and religion apart.

You do not do such act and be proud of yourself for having done so. Simple. You should actually not be doing such act in the first place. Even when you have done so, you do not make it public. OK, so you have made it public, I do not see the need for you to associate your name with that of your school. The boy is holding a grudge, perhaps? I am tempted to say that he is merely looking for cheap publicity though. Friends who had seen him doing this, why did not you stop him? Where are friends when you are needed most?

Being a product from a rival school of SAS, I can clearly easily let this case slide past my shoulder, pretending not to be aware of it. Or if I want to go a further distance, another option will be to bring it up in casual conversation and in doing so, causing embarrassment to fellow SAS allies. But no, I am not going to do that. Like I stressed earlier, this is a matter of race and religion, and thus the responsibility automatically falls to every single one of us, the Malays and Muslims. Well, of course by saying this, I am assuming that the boy is still a Muslim. Also, it is a matter of dignity. You do not lose your dignity until you take it out of yourself, just like what this boy is doing.

I have seen the comments on YouTube and this chap’s Friendster profile, whereby a number of them appeared as something like this;

Dah la awek tak lawa..
Kalau awek lawa takpe gak, buat malu je..

So here comes another problem; we all agree that what he did was not appropriate, nonetheless by saying these, it seems that a number of us actually have quite a diverse idea. I mean, are we trying to tell the rest of the world that the mistake lays only on the fact that awek dia tak lawa, and if next time he can find a charming girl to do the stunt, he will absolutely be forgiven?

Another portion of the comments sounded a little like this;

Kalau nak buat maksiat pun tak payah la bagi satu dunia tau..

I laud the effort made by these individuals in speaking their mind out. Many of us clearly are not pleased with this kind of video. But in this matter, I urge all of us to go one step further. Let us all put the case straight; maksiat, whether it is done in a poorly-lit, hidden room, or on an open field, is never allowed in the context of our religion. So stop being harsh only because he wasted our time with his low quality video, but let us channel our anger and disagreement towards curbing an issue of more significant importance once and for all, that is maksiat all over. Of course it is easier said than done, but between a person who takes a small step forward and the other who stays still, there is a huge difference.

To this Alam Shah schoolboy, we may not know each other but I wish to make it loud and clear to you that your act had been based on sheer stupidity of your own, and can never in any way be accepted.

Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Words

Scene I

My Sony Ericsson K710i rang noisily, and I hurriedly pick it up. There was not any familiar name displayed on the screen. Must be a friend with a new number, I made a wild guess.

At the other end of the line, a Chinese man was too eager to start a conversation that he forgot to even say hello, and only stopped talking 10 seconds or so after the phone was picked up. The worst part was he was speaking in Cantonese. Or perhaps Mandarin, or Hokkien, I just could not tell between the three.

“Err, wrong number la,” I interrupted.
“Oh..”

As quickly as he first uttered his words to me, the man put off the line.

Scene II

It was five minutes past midnight, barely a week later. Same thing happened, a call from an anonymous, this time a Malay lady.

“Boleh cakap dengan ***”
“Eh, salah nombor ni..”

She immediately hung up.

For heaven’s sake, one went on to speak in a totally unfathomable language straight off, lama pulak tu, before realizing actually he talked to a wrong person, while the other called a wrong number in the middle of the night. But neither said sorry. How pathetic.

Happy Birthday

Happy 7th Birthday to the Class of 2005.

I love you more than words can say.

'Kantoi', Apology and Serving the People

I have been following the scandal involving former Health Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek with much interests for the past several days, and I feel called to jot down some piece of my opinion on that matter here.

Like many others, I wholeheartedly agree with the decision made by Dr. Chua to quit all government and party posts for the simple reason that that is the only way to go for him. On one hand, one might look at him as a culprit, betraying the trust of so many Malaysians by acting stupid. But let’s face it; he is just one unlucky chap who has done a wrong thing at a wrong place and at a wrong time. In everyday’s language, he is said to be kantoi. Dr. Chua is not even a Muslim, so the question of committing the crime of adultery apparently does not fall on him. That left us with only the question of trust; to his wife, his family, party members, and eventually as a prominent leader, to all Malaysians. The bad thing is the rule of human nature states that humans do not fare well at the breach of trust, thus the fate thrown at Dr. Chua. You see, the difference that determines whether someone is kantoi or its opposite is tiny, but the impact made spans a huge gap between the two. One might do a bad deed, but as long as he or she does not kantoi then he or she can easily escape from punishments and sour public perception. On the other hand those who unluckily kantoi are to face severe penalties notwithstanding whether it is their first offence or the hundredth- the first 99 of which had formerly gone down the road safely- or if it is a minor crime when those committing major ones manage to escape with ease. This is what I exactly mean when I say that Dr. Chua is just one unlucky fellow. Many others on the same ranks as him might be doing the same thing or another form of offences and treachery but escape, whether we the citizens of Malaysia realize it or not.

To come out with the declaration of wrongdoing followed by a sincere apology are noble things to do after such tragedy, and I really cannot think of any better way other than these two sincerely made by this former Health Minister. But what many of us do not seem to quite realize is that the best part to this agonizing story actually came next; 24 hours after declaring that he did not have any intention to quit his posts, Dr. Chua took a complete U-turn and quitted. The reason? More than 90 percent of Malaysians did not seem to be pleased by his decision to stay on, and true to his duty as a representative of the people who listens to public voices and not the other way round like so many times happening in the country, Dr. Chua quickly resolved to step down. I must laud this step made by him, no doubt. Admitting his own mistake, Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek responded by rightly serving the rakyat even if that eventually translates into throwing his own life into further jeopardy.