Our Cause of the White Man's Burden.

Currently playing in the background: Shin Seung Hoon – Nae Saramin Geot Gataseo

Current thought to blurt: I love the rain... it creates a nostalgic mood, and best of all it also rinses off the car…

I’m back here typing again, with K-pop plugged firmly into my ears and torrential rain pouring outside. I really should be planted here with a good, trusty mug of coffee, but anymore caffeine today would have me leaping in all directions… and all you’d be reading here would be a tangle of gibberish spouting from a caffeine-soaked brain gone wild. Now I’m mildly sedated by the sounds of Shin Seung Hoon’s “Nae Saramin Geot Gataseo”. The king of K-pop ballads can never go wrong. I know folks out there who don’t subscribe to Korean music would probably be going: “What the…?” Worry not; I shall share my views on this in coming posts. For now, we shall address another rant- worthy issue.

If verbal abuse were to come in the form of ammunition, the federal government would be riddled with more holes than a sponge now- more than ever in the past few months. Why? Someone woke up with the feeling Great Britain imperialists were at their front door again. Worried that the young would start eating waffles instead of nasi lemak, the unthinkably ridiculous happened. I regret to inform you that Malaysian leaders are still so very confused as to what it means to lead and to be led. At the moment, they are being led by blind ambition and misguided nation-building concepts, and even greed. They have skewed and twisted Malaysia’s path of human capital development into this blurred, half- hearted doodle. To lead is to know what’s best for the country and rise above petty, superficial objections with careful forethought. To lead is to exercise authority with reason and logic. To lead is to be an example of what the citizen is to be. When the citizen has to yell at you for making decisions like an ass, what sort of leader do you think you are? But all of the above will obviously be overlooked… because Malaysia (apa pun) Boleh.

However, it should be noted that the Great Education Rollback covers more than the mere issue of the mode of instruction for Science and Mathematics in schools nationwide. The nagging problem about the whole thing is that it tugs at the very roots of the entire education system. We’re talking about every darn limb of it: the teachers, the students, the schools, the facilities, the policies, literally everything needs to be thrown out. Can we say: Pandora’s Box of the Education system?

A few years back I marvelled that the government has gotten something right after all. Rejoice was abounding as Malaysian youth would learn Science and Math in English, all that terminology (which naturally would only sound right in the English language). Despite envying the little fishes in school for their newfound privilege, it got us all thinking: How much can the teachers deliver, and how ready are the students at the receiving end? Let’s be realistic and honest with ourselves here… like that Malay idiom “Tepuk dada, tanya selera”. Did the white man’s language work wonders for the system? Those who have been schooled pre-1980 would comprehend and connect with the workings of this mode of instruction. Unfortunately this would constitute only those who have actually attended institutions practising this, and mind you, the numbers are appallingly small. This number would exclude those who did not attend school, those who attended other forms of institutions or centres of education, and those who drop out of school… and maybe even some who had the opportunity to be taught in English but simply did not see it as of any significance. This monstrous section of the Malaysian population has obviously been the catalyst of today’s rollback, as they fail to grasp why their children should struggle to master the white man’s language in not only one subject, but three or more. Ladies and gentlemen, if you think these people are already a problem, it may be helpful to know that Malaysians in their 20’s, 30’s and early 40’s have nearly all been educated in a system where the English language exists in the curriculum as merely a language subject, and the mode of instruction for every other darn thing is in the national language. I’m talking about those specimens you see spewing nonsense about safeguarding the national language and parading around in the sweltering heat demanding their grandfather’s land/ language/ money/ to be returned and their other whatnots upheld. And with the rollback underway, more ignorance for generations to come. Talk about fighting the incoming tide.

I don’t blame an Englishwoman who throws me out of her house for waltzing in with a few durians… only because she has never consumed any part of a durian ever in her life and thus can never understand the wonders durians can do for a Malaysian. But I am amused that the very products of a decent English language- based education will stoop to disowning their educational background in order to claim themselves ‘wira bangsa’, otherwise known to us disgusted onlookers as insufferable scumbags who are selfish enough to throw away the future as well as the past for self gain. This was mentioned earlier as an abysmal lack of foresight... or was it just a lack of consideration for the future of the nation due to an obsession with self interest? I’d be the first to exorcise that demon MP from Kulim- Bandar Baharu as well as that Rembau-an Ape. Both received education from foreign universities, and both returned preaching treason to the Queen of England. God knows how many others have similarly sold their souls.

The game in politics is a no- holds- barred one, hence politicians are at liberty to latch on to anything and blow it out of proportion with preposterous flair. At the moment, this is all I could say, because it is apparent that current leaders do not have the people’s interests at heart, and such an obvious expression of lack of concern will only have them shooting themselves in the foot this time around.

I am happy for those who may afford a good education, one that would throttle them into a promising future; but I am still appalled that our leaders chuck the futures of other Malaysian youth away just because their children have the luxury of attending international or private institutions.

*rolls eyes and says no more*

Ni yang malas nak layan ni…

Writers Anonymous- A Crisis of Laziness: Will This Become A Habit?

Currently playing in the background: Girls’ Generation – Tell Me Your Wish

Current thought to blurt: I’m done with “Cinderella Man”. Yep, all 16 episodes… and I think the Yoona- Kwon Sang Woo thing is downright illegitimate.

I’m starting to wonder if I’m losing my touch, because really, updating a blog post has never felt like a real bother to a complain-a-holic like me. Perhaps I haven’t set my ‘blog- time’ straight like I had always had in previous sessions (that was months ago, before the Great Depression that was to be known as Finals Part 1). Now that I have all the time 24 hours could offer I’m puzzled as to why this is still an issue. Let’s see now….

While I leave the thinking for a bedtime- fix, I think it’s only appropriate I unload my thoughts of the day(s) onto this poor, poor unsuspecting page. It’s only been what, 2 weeks? And I hear the Education Ministry doing a major rollback on its policies, PAS quietly retaining their seat at Manek Urai, and some poor chap falling off a window to his death while under the investigation of the MACC. The Kampung Buah Pala drama is still dragging on more tiresomely than suspected that even the media has packed and left Penang to go poking into the mysterious free-fall of Teoh Beng Hock. There’s always something fresh from death, especially if it involved bigger fry somewhere in the story. And what could be better than having both a governmental body and the opposition pitted against each other in the same plot? Ah, even yours truly would be diabolically curious about the coincidence of such an incident because we all know this rarely occurs in such circumstances… it even gets me wondering: how could the MACC afford such negligence? Tsk tsk tsk… you know it always smells when larger fish are within err… nose-shot?

The papers are also quite a task to read with all that damage control spread all over like they owned the news (oh I forgot that they do, my bad)… You can’t see much of what the Opposition has to say, which is funny because the late Mr Teoh was the political secretary to Seri Kembangan assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah, both of whom are from the DAP. It’s also a bore to read all that finger- pointing, and at this point I really have to admit, no matter how I disapprove of how the BN handles certain things, that both are just as bad as the other. I understand that all that demanding of a transparent and accountable investigation by the Opposition is a clear warning that the government is being watched, and they can’t afford to be sloppy about it. But it can be expected that the Opposition will not be off the government’s backs even if the autopsy report rules out foul play, and it has been proven that the deceased fell off by accident or in a suicide attempt. Politicians will still be politicians; and when an opportunity to be out for blood comes like this, it’s hard not to imagine them exploiting it to their advantage, whether it be the Fed Gov or the PR. No amount of candlelight vigils and black shirts can cure the fact that the BN are in control, and that the PR will always find something to pick with the big bully in the political playground (there are more opportunities to look pitiful while being the underdog and win more support although you might be the lesser monster). Hence the PR’s job here is to rouse suspicion amongst the people, whilst the Fed Gov just needs to block out the noise and finish the job.

Yin and Yang indeed.

It is apparent that I tend to stray into general discussions… but yes, it is always because I don’t know enough to provide sound comments. Just a normal, human rant will do. It isn’t very wise to be in over my head in these things, no? For more reliable information you should consider consulting a source called the Malaysian media, in whichever language they come printed in (believe it or not, they all don’t sing to the same tune- it’s alright I don’t know who to believe in either).

Oh I nearly left out the bit about Manchester United visiting!

Whatever.

Now that I’ve wrapped up “Cinderella Man”, I think a few words on it would be fair. It’s been years since I last watched a Korean soap, and the trends may have changed. This one is somewhat different in its approach to how the plot connects the characters. Very well written story, I must say. The supporting characters are still those specimens in every series who are insistent on creating eye- rolling love- triangles… but the manner in which they ended the story looks more humane and logical than most of the others I’ve seen. Kwon Sang Woo carries his part well like the pro he is… yep, yep! His co-star Yoona, (who is really nearly half his age) does acceptably well for one whose main profession isn’t acting. And I like how each episode is at least an hour and five minutes long. Quite a large serving squeezed into 16 episodes. A great watch, and definitely worth all that waiting for the past week.

Oh wait, I think I just answered my own bedtime question! Now I can hit the sack in peace. Goodnight!

The Great Procrastination Parts Its Walls

Currently playing in the background: K-Will - Dropping Tears
Current thought to blurt: I need to get a hold of my sleeping shadow, and beat the hell out of it.

After months and months of abandoning a lifelong passion and a nagging need of personal expression in print, I've finally gotten down to the keyboard again. It must be due to my immature pent up of unneeded frustration, or of a sheer indifference towards my past attitude towards writing. I must admit that an injustice which i thought i suffered was actually an injustice i brought onto myself for months now. Now let's toss that issue behind us, shall we?

Now that I have begun I am at a loss for topics. Truthfully, this brief session here on my much neglected blog is to await the loading of tonight's serving of "Cinderella Man". In case you were wondering, it's nothing more than one of those generic Korean soaps they keep churning out to feed the insatiable appetite of millions of housewives worldwide. I'm just watching it because it's relatively new (released in May this year), and for Kwon Sang Woo. It's been eons since I last sat down to actually watch anything, hence the decision to cuci mata (directly translated to mean 'wash eyes', i.e. looking at something you really want to look at)... The series so far has yet to become painfully complicated although my annoyance with the female cast has begun to set in (similar sentiments for most other series).

Another event I recall having to wait around to watch all night was that strange ceremony called 'Michael Jackson's Memorial Service'. Remember that? Or was I the only idiot who stayed up for a 3-hour sing-a-long speech-giving ceremony which was fairly solemn until the point where Brooke Shields took to the podium. Is it alright for one to feel compelled to lob rotten tomatoes at a person wasting our time at a memorial service? It would have been a wise opportunity for a toilet break, but somehow I ended up doing that during Stevie Wonder’s performance. After all the praises have been sung and the canons fired, I still couldn’t grasp the greatness of it all. Sure he was the greatest entertainer of all time but something was absent during the King of Pop’s last moment with the world. Heck, how are we even sure he’s in that gold casket in the first place? One thing’s for sure: the man’s death is still consumed in scandal and until the world is done scrutinizing his remains you know he can’t rest his moon-walking bones.

The fiasco ended with footage of a ludicrously pricey casket being carted off to (supposedly a cemetery, which we all naturally would expect a dead person would go after his memorial service but hell no)... the LAPD morgue. Samples would be taken from all parts of his reportedly 'needle-hole riddled' body... so you could expect the poor man to still royally grace the morgue until they manage to gather sufficient evidence to suggest that the King of Pop did not just overload his own veins with poison, but rather a trained and experienced professional *coughdermatologistcough* medical practitioner was the hand behind the sudden royal departure. I do not know enough to offer my one- cent’s worth because like every good citizen who knows any better, I am convinced that every man is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law... and to speculate will only contribute to another trial by the media. That’s only a portion of the Jackson mess. In the coming days we can all expect to be fed with all-Jackson material: the custody battle, the debts, the tributes (statues, monuments, more flowers to be hosed off the streets), and possibly another sensational Jackson-related courtroom drama (all great fodder for a movie underway). Did I miss anything?

However, I shall not speak ill of this man’s demise for his many (earlier) years of amazing entertainment have indefinitely overshadowed a few dozen pages in the dailies on his queerness and eccentricities. I am one of the millions who have heard and seen the magic of the Michael Jackson phenomenon. My family brought us up with a healthy dose of MJ hits, and as a child I was convinced the ‘moon-walk’ was done with special shoes or something someone as insanely gifted as Michael can come up with. But watching those same moves today I still can’t justify my premise. So it could only mean that he was a sheer genius… an irreplaceable icon of what made pop music what it is today.

MJ, I can’t say ‘RIP’ just yet with all that probing and poking… but I’ll just hope for your sake that it’ll be over as soon as possible.

Now how did this become a Michael Jackson memorial commentary? Darn all that waiting for “Cinderella Man”.