Archive for September, 2007

Laziness is relative

Relativity is not to be discussed. Thank you.

I have successfully de-evolved my self into a state of laziness. That’s an achievement of its own. Whoever says it is easy to achieve this state of laziness must have never done it before. Some people ah just like to say they like this and like that but have never experienced doing what they are saying. They just like to romanticize the idea of being like this and like that. So, when they say laziness is an easy feat, they actually mean that they would like to be lazy but can’t really do it. And when they attempt to be lazy, they do it half-heartedly. This is a state of bullshitness, if you ask me.

There is work to be done at the office. I don’t even bother doing any of them. In fact, I’ve been doing something that has nothing to do with my work at the office. Writing an article for a so-called ‘book’ is one of them, and it is remotely related to my monthly-waged work. As of last week, I’ve spent more time doing research for this article rather than bothering to lift a pen or stress my fingers over the keyboard to write something that I’m actually paid to do. I am liking it very much.

In the past week, I also heard a guy who gave me a lecture on the “evolution of consciousness”. He freely criticized idealists like Castro, Guevara, Gramsci, environmentalists and all sorts of change-the-world individuals, and argued that the only way the world can become a better place is when each individual have experienced the evolution of consciousness. I just stared at this guy declaring his stupidity into the air. While saying all these, he was standing on his million-dollar yacht.

Of course, in this sense, this has nothing to do with my laziness. But there are many other incidences last week — at work, in the bar, on the streets — that has inspired my laziness. I’m just too lazy to elaborate on this for now.

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27

09 2007

Just a slob like one of us

Only in a great country like the United States of America, where freedom of speech flows like a raging Class VI rapid and thus, flooding their mind’s lucidity, can this happen: to sue God. A couple of days ago I read here that a Nebraska legislator, State Senator Ernie Chambers, decided to file a lawsuit against God for causing “widespread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth’s inhabitants”. And God is still threatening to continue His destructive work (including unleashing the terrifying tornadoes once a while)! So, what got into the mind of Mr. Ernie Chambers? Why the sudden outburst and, may I say, frivolousness foolishness?

In a separate sexual assault trial, the accuser Tory Bowen, sued another judge for barring the words “rape” and “victims” during the trial in court. This infuriated Bowen and she decided to sue the judge for violating her freedom of speech. In response to this, Sen. Chambers, who probably had nothing to do with this sexual assault trial in the first place, decided to file a lawsuit God. So, let me see…hhm…if judges can be sued, then God can be sued? Is that what’s Sen. Chambers implying? Apparently so.

The part that doesn’t make sense is that Sen. Chambers is a self-proclaimed agnostic i.e. those who adopt the philosophy that no one can be certain on the existence or non-existence of God. So, if Mr. Chambers is an agnostic, then how could he be absolutely sure that God does (or does not) exist? Doesn’t his own principle contradict his lawsuit against God? And when we sprinkle logic into his claim of being an agnostic, and tacitly liken a judge to God, then does it mean that he can’t also be absolutely certain that the judge does (or does not) exist?

God did reply and His response was read by a representative known simply as “Friend”.

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21

09 2007

Ohio

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=bv6kwG4BhC8]

Neil Young performing ’live’ at Massey Hall in 1971 

Ohio” is one of those classic protest songs originally performed by CSNY (Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young) but written by the 62-year old man, Neil Young. Any Neil Young fan would say “Ohio” is a Neil Young song. I had the privilege of seeing him performing  ‘live’ six years ago at the Roskilde Festival but didn’t play the song.

I first heard this song in the mid-1980s as a teen who knew nothing about the world. All I knew was fishing, main guli and shooting birds (and other moving creatures) with my lastic. One of my uncles had a walkman and on one particular day, I took it with me to go fishing in a swamp behind our house. I pressed the ‘play’ button and the song “Ohio” was on. Of course, at the time, I didn’t know what was it all about since, like I said, I knew nothing about the world outside my own and my English vocabulary was scanty at best. The only words that caught my attention were “tin soldiers”, “Nixon”, “Ohio” and of course, “4 dead”. What are “tin soldiers”, man? I liked the music and kept on rewinding the same song until the walkman’s batteries went dead. Mind you, computer and the internet were not the ‘in thing’ those days, and even if you had one, you’d belong to the Nerd Fraternity in the nearby neighborhood. Not so fun. So, there was no way to Google or Wiki the song then. I had to transcribe the lyrics myself and my uncle was not that pleased with the idea of replacing the walkman’s batteries.

The song tells a story of the infamous Kent State massacre in May 1970 where four university students were shot and killed by the President Nixon’s National Guards during a protest against the Vietnam war. Upon reading the news of the massacre, Young gathered his CSN budies, David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash to perform the song a year later. As it challenged President Nixon’s administration, the song was subsequently banned from radio airplays.

I also got another clip of the ‘older’ Young from YouTube where he performed ‘live’ in 1989. I don’t know where he performed in this clip but he dedicated the song to the protesting students who were killed in the Tiananmen Square massacre.

Enjoy!

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=jHYh6kkxwKE]

Tin soldiers and Nixon coming,
We’re finally on our own.
This summer I hear the drumming,
Four dead in Ohio.
Gotta get down to it
Soldiers are cutting us down
Should have been done long ago.
What if you knew her
And found her dead on the ground
How can you run when you know?

Gotta get down to it
Soldiers are cutting us down
Should have been done long ago.
What if you knew her
And found her dead on the ground
How can you run when you know?

Tin soldiers and Nixon coming,
We’re finally on our own.
This summer I hear the drumming,
Four dead in Ohio.

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18

09 2007

A forgotten day?

Last year, I gave my 20-cents’ thought on the significance of 16 September. At the end of last August, I also wrote another piece of my mind on this matter. So, I don’t have to rave too much about it today lest ye be bored to death. Yes, I am talking about Malaysia Day, which marks the birth of this country 44 years ago. Malaysia’s National Day (Hari Kebangsaan) can be on 31 August for all I care (as long as no one confuses it as Malaysia’s “Independence Day” or “Hari Kemerdekaan”). But for Sarawakians and Sabahans, today is Hari Malaysia. This applies to Malayans too.

I looked at today’s date in Sarawak Government Almanac 2007 and it’s there: “Hari Malaysia”.

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Sarawak Government Almanac 2007

I also copied an article from The Sarawak Gazette dated 30 September 1963, which published the “Proclamation of Malaysia”. And because I did not have a scanner, I had to take photos of the article. It’s not that clear but you get what I mean.

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You can get a copy of it at the Sarawak Museum archive, filed under the Sarawak Gazette. Then again, it may not be there anymore due to some unforeseen Bolehland-like “incidents”.

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Here, I will just zoom on some of the interesting paragraphs in the proclamation that beget this nation’s history. As the second paragraph of this proclamation stated, on July 9th 1963, it was agreed by all the states that the new Federation will be called “Malaysia”.

para2zoom.jpg

The sixth paragraph states as from September 16th, 1963, Malaysia shall “forever be an independent and sovereign Democratic state…”

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So, what’s with the 50th year “independence day” celebration that was so hyped up last month?

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16

09 2007

Red Sun In The Eastern Horizon

A direct translation of the song title, “Mentari Merah Di Ufuk Timur”. This has got to be one of my all-time favorite songs by Malaysia’s legendary rock band, Search. I was around 13-14 years old when I first heard this song and I sang it wholeheartedly to the point of attempting to mimic the vocalist’s, Amy, high-pitched screams! And every time I did that, my parents would run to me and asked in shock “Are you in pain? Are you alright? Why are you screaming?” *sigh* Some people just do not comprehend this art of singing.

Oh, although I was fluent with the song lyrics and all, I did not know what the song meant. er…I still have a vague idea of its meaning today but what the heck lah

So, here it is people, “Mentari Merah Di Ufuk Timur” (can’t even get the original video clip on YouTube so I had to be content with the karaoke look-alike visuals)

Ada yang tertinggal
Setelah terbenam Mentari
Ada yang tertinggal
Setelah kering air di kali

Alam telah menyakinkan
Kau mesti pergi
Kau mesti
Alam telah menyakinkan
Kau mesti kembali
Bagai yang telah dijanjikan Illahi
Ada yang tertinggal
Setelah musnah semua mimpi

Kekal selamanya
Cintaku dengan cahaya mu
Kekal selamanya
Tetap dalam ingatanku

Lemas dalam rindu
Tenggelam dalam tangisan
Engkau telah pergi
Tapi masih ada…
Yang kau tinggalkan dalam kalbuku
Yang tinggal…

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14

09 2007