Tuesday, February 06, 2007

'tis the season to be jolly...

...NOT! (kinda reminds me of Borat trying to learn the "NOT" jokes...lol!)

omg... the CNY will be here in 2 weeks time. This is the most dreaded part of the entire 365 days for me...

I love festivities but not this one...

1st, I usually get a migraine during this time... the constant clingings and clangings and the music that they play all day all night is simply annoying. 30 minutes, fine! 1 hour, fine! But it just goes on and on and on... like for eternity... I'd rather be in Tanjung Rambutan... at least it is much more serene over there!

2nd, I'm sure we all have our nosy relatives... Trust me the number of relatives I have is simply humongous... and boy can u imagine the amount of questions and queries that get shot out of those gaps; sometimes I wish they would just drop it!... Then, everyone trying to look superior than everyone else... geez, it is the same thing year after year... dun anybody else get tired of it?

3rd... long drive home, alone! I get sleepy and cranky! And most of the time I'm not on the lookout for the car ahead or the car behind or the car beside me... I'm trying to avoid those nasty pigs in black & white... or at least appear not to be in the "Tokyo Express".

4th... do I really need to go on further?

So... cutting the crap... I still love the festivities where they go 'fa la la la la, la la la la...'




The title 'tis the season to be jolly is taken from the lyrics of the secular Christmas carol "Deck The Hall". This song has been reworked by many artistes and is usually included in a Christmas release; the most recent and moderately successful was the 1999 version entitled "Deck The Halls" by the American country music trio SHeDAISY. That song peaked at no. 61 on the Billboard Hot 100 and no. 37 on the Country Charts and is featured in the trio's 2000 album "Brand New Year".

Monday, February 05, 2007

It's Not Over...

... of my life for the past few weeks

Well I'd like to say that everything was smooth sailing. Unfortunately, sometimes we come across rough seas... get battered by the waves. But what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. Minor setbacks in life should always be expected. Little high, little low; little hey, little ho...

Fortunately, I do not believe in regrets. Some of the things I did in the past may not be all that correct but I have no regrets whatsoever. Whatever it is, I have always moved on. What use is there regretting when u have so much ahead and time is ticking... I am constantly reminded that our days on this puny little planet is numbered. Imperfect as it may be, we still have to make the best of whatever little we have.

... every reason to smile

I was watching the new news channel "Al Jazeera English". For me it was one of the best news channel I have come across. I do not like watching the BBC or CNN anymore as the news and views from the other 2 giants are corrupted and only serve to disseminate misinformation. There was this particular episode of "Witness" where they just filmed and focus the of everyday life of Palestinians and Israelis living along the site of the Israeli West Bank Barrier, before and after the ridiculous 60m wide 8m high walls were put in place cutting thru towns and major streets along the way.

There were so many things about that half hour show that can be observed... and for the most port there wasn't any narration. In fact, no narration was necessary as the whole half hour explained itself. The Israeli incursion into the Palestinian territories and the treatment of the Palestinians now are no different from the genocide of the Jews during the Holocaust in Hitler's era. Funny thing is that some Israelis that live alongside the Palestinians felt that the Israeli government was being ridiculous about the whole barrier thing. It left me to believe that this is not about the war between civilizations or even religion. It is the catastrophe that is a result of people in power trying to strengthen their grips. They are the ones who have nice suits to wear, good food to eat and places to retreat to... they claim to be doing everything for their people and yet it is normal everyday people that suffer, Israelis and Palestinians alike.

At one point, a Palestinian was asked... "why is he smiling when they lead miserable lives and have a bleak future?". The Palestinian answered... "we cannot do anything about our miserable lives. But we have to smile, otherwise we would go crazy!"

... of the country that I love

I love Malaysia and its diversity. I have Chinese friends, Malay friends and Indian friends. I appreciate each and every one of my frens regardless of what they believe in. However, this part isn't about my frens. I want to take a swipe at our "useless" PM.

In my opinion, Abdullah Badawi has not proven his mettle since his ascension to his current position. He does not have guts or balls like our former PM Tun Dr Mahathir does. Many would say that it is unfair to make comparisons between the two. Yet, Mahathir is able to show concrete development while Abdullah Badawi just "talks the walk".

So if our present government is useless, why not elect the Opposition, some may quip... Unfortunately, we do not have a credible, no-nonsense Opposition. Every Opposition Party there is has their own agenda and sometimes their reported antics make me question their mentality. If only there was One... just One credible Opposition that will stand by the people and fertilize this nation; they would have won my vote. So, unfortunately again... it all boils down to which is the lesser evil... the choice to go would still have to be the BN. If the Opposition ever wants to have the chance of governing this country, they would have to buck up, clean their acts and start proving their substance instead of hurling baseless and ugly remarks of their rivals.

Before anyone starts calling me unpatriotic, think again! I love my country and pledge my loyalty to my country only... not the one who leads becoz after all, he is just another politician. May I also add that some of these chosen reps are corrupt. So it makes no sense to be loyal to any one leader; but that does not make me unpatriotic. This ain't no sedition as well. It's just something for everyone to ponder and reflect upon; including our leaders and those who aspire to be our leaders.

... of The Amazing Race Asia

It has concluded! By now we all know that our fellow Malaysians Tee Joe Jer & Zabrina Fernandez have won the race. The have actually re-written Amazing Race history as the 1st ever all-female team to win the race. After 10 seasons in the US, such a feat proved to be very evasive. I have nothing to say about Andrew & Syeon except that they disappointed themselves.

In many aspects Zab & JJ deserved this win. They were not my favourites at the start but they soon won my attention as this was the only team that glowed with compassion amidst all the adrenaline rush and competitive rivalry. They have never won 1st place at any leg prior to the finale and almost got eliminated in Bangkok. However, when they did win 1st place, they won the race as well. Their patience and persistence paid off!

Once again, to Zab & JJ... Congratulations & Syabas! Every Malaysian should be proud of what the both of you have achieved not only as Malaysians... but as strong-willed Malaysian Women!

...It's Not Over

Despite my absence and silence over the past few weeks... it's not over! I still have so much more in me. Just u wait and see...







"It's Not Over" makes reference to the rock band Daughtry's debut single from their 2006 self-titled album. As everyone would have known by now, this band is fronted by former American Idol finalist Chris Daughtry. The album contains 12 superb rock tracks (14, if purchased from Wal-Mart and 13 if downloaded from i-Tunes) and comes highly recommended by me.