UMBAI-ism

The Girl Next Door Is a Celebrity Now

2008-05-25T01:47:00.004+01:00

My neighbour Daphne appeared in Singapore's Sunday Times today. Whole article on her! Steadylah Daphne! I can now claim that I've an association with a minor celebrity.

sunday people

Off to paddle before day's work as PR officer
Training five days a week leaves Ms Pang with little free time, but she has a lot of fun with her teammates. -- ST

PHOTO: ASHLEIGH SIM

Life's no easy cruising for Ms Daphne Pang, at least for now.
Every Tuesday and Thursday morning, she is up by 5.30am so that she can dash off to Tanjong Beach at Sentosa for about an hour of training with 15 other Singapore Paddle Club (SPC) teammates.
They will represent Singapore in the upcoming Hamilton Island Cup Outrigger Canoe contest in June in Australia.
After training, she's off to her office in Toa Payoh where she works as a senior public relations officer. At 6pm, she hurries back to Sentosa for another hour of training.
In outrigger canoeing, which Ms Pang picked up four years ago, the most challenging part is changing crew without losing speed or time. Two members from a support team's boat will jump onto the six-man outrigger canoe as two on board jump out.
Teamwork is very important in this four-hour, six-paddler competition and Ms Pang is not taking it lightly, since it is her first.
She trains five days a week and most of the weekends.
While her parents are very supportive, her social life is inevitably affected and she mostly mixes with members of the club.
But Ms Pang, who is in her early 30s, does not see this as a problem as the SPC is a 'fun club' which believes in the motto 'paddle hard, party harder'.
She often goes out for dinners, parties and bonding sessions with her teammates.
The team will face Australian and Hawaiian competitors who are much bigger in size. But she is undeterred as the team is training very hard and 'it's not about the size, but what you do with it'.
She gets her motivation from her teammates and does not regret having to give up her free time to go through the intense training.
She said: 'It's a lot of fun. We have the sun, sand and sea, so what else can you ask for?'

Becky Lo

Champions League

2008-05-22T11:25:00.003+01:00

I hate it when penalty kicks decide.

My family and I have been long term Man U supporters since, for myself at least, the days of Gary Bailey, Norman Whiteside and Bryan Robson.

Last night however, I was strangely rooting for Chelsea to win. I don't know why. I have not been a fan of Chelsea during Mr Mourinho's days but Mr Grant seemed to possess a bit more magic with his players. Except for the choice of Anelka as a substitute. That guy has expired his better days since, er, a long time ago.

Maybe there is this sympathy for the underdog factor that existed in me. I mean, Chelsea has been trying all-so-hard to have a title to its name and last night they played very very well and deserved to win. And that's why when the penalty kicks came my mind said that Man U would clinch it instead. How bloody boring.

John Terry the good captain would not be able to sleep for at least three weeks. And that is an underestimation. Meanwhile, my good friend Bob in Singapore and my brothers in Thailand and Singapore are currently dancing with joy.

I am Hellenized!

2008-05-21T12:44:00.003+01:00

KaleeMEEra!

That's Greek for good morning.

After two intense days of Cyprus and its divided society, I feel that I'm completely Hellenized now, what with the Greek air completely permeating the conference venue. I met and was introduced to leading scholars on Greek and Cyprus study during the conference and felt that I was intruding a huge hellenic party. Very nice these people. Some are a bit too loud for my liking though.

Anyway, the discussions were very lively and the academic orientation was tampered with doses of Greek humour and warmth. Mostly, it can be deduced that these scholars are all for some kind of reconciliation between the Turkish Cypriot in the north and their Greek brethrens down south. With apologies to Jude, the few US-based academics were a bit too yaya-papaya in their presentations and discussions, making exclamations out of their so-called IDEAS. Big frigging deal!

The European academics were more restrained (myself included hehe!) and definitely more classy in their presentations. The joy of mixing with those of the continent! Very atas. I feel one up already.

By the way, not that it is related, above is a picture during a recent excursion up north.

Cheers!

One Thing off My Mind!

2008-05-16T07:14:00.004+01:00

Phew!

I've just finished a two-week long odyssey steeped in academic books and writings, in preparation for my upcoming differentiation. It's funny how yesterday night I was craving for anything trashy to read and relax my mind with, and yet unable to find one. Not usually the case.

So many things to include from my academic readings and yet so little space to write. Just kidding! Read quite a bit but finding it hard to distil what I've read in written form. Well, practice makes perfect and I hope it'll get better over time.

In spite of my preparation, I've managed to squeeze weekend jaunts to the nicer parts of Ireland (Silent Valley & Glenveagh National Park), courtesy of Saiful and An who have now become my unofficial Belfast hosts/tour guides/lepak kakis. Thanks guys. Managed to read Mark Haddon's 'A Spot of Bother' too. Subtly funny, this one.

Another good news is that my paper on Racial Harmony Day has been accepted for publication as part of the Paris PICOES conference proceedings. Good reason to pop the ....Sparkling water?

Till then.

Carry on, Regardless

2008-05-09T10:09:00.005+01:00

Don't know what I'm doing here
I'll carry on regardless
Got enough money for one more beer
I'll carry on regardless

Good as Gold, The Beautiful South

One of my favourite songs from the band, one of the most under-rated bands in history. Paul Heaton is a genius.

Anyone who can write songs with titles such as 36D and Bell-Bottomed Tear is a genius.

This is another Heaton's classic. Prophetic, this song.
Describes well Senator Hillary Clinton's predicament.

And maybe mine too. Except that beer is not my thing.

Three cups of good lattes perhaps.

1st of May Blues

2008-05-01T15:51:00.002+01:00

It is already the first of May, yet it snowed and the snowfall quickly turned to wet slush.

It's cold, it's wet, Belfast sucks and I wanna go home.

Period.

M Nasir Live In Dublin

2008-03-31T01:00:00.003+01:00

It's funny that I have to be in a foreign land to appreciate the best of Malay music.

I attended M Nasir's concert in Ambassador Theatre in Dublin two Fridays ago and what a hoot it was. I was with Naj and Saiful, who did the driving. An, who was locum-ming at Wexford down south, met us in Dublin.

We arrived at 12 noon and headed straight for lunch at a Japanese restaurant off Grafton Street. We planned to go for Friday prayers at the Royal College of Surgeons but it was unfortunately closed because of Good Friday. Saiful booked a function room for about fifteen minutes for us to pray instead.

Anyway, the concert started with warm-up act Rendra Zawawi, a Malay chap from Nottingham U accompanied by a lovely violinist sidekick. Folk-popster, best decribed. Next stop, Art Fazil. Ah, familiar face, this one. Fellow Singaporean. This London based artiste sang his familiar solo hits (Nur) as well as those with Rausyanfikir (Fikir2). Good gig this one as Art seemed to have charmingly pulled the sparse Malaysian audience to his side. I am still humming his gorgeous new song, something to do with a Malay chap in an English city missing his petai and sambal tumis. Nice.

The main man came at about 4pm with Apokalips. Not my favourite this one. He has too many hits sung for me to list down but the main ones like Bonda and Semerah Padi were there. As usual, I hummed to those I know. Something struck me though. The audience seemed to know and hummed to his later hits and quitened a bit to the earlier ones. Only later I realised that his earlier ones are during his Singapore phase before his migration to Malaysia, hence the unfamiliarity amongst his Malaysian-majority audience.

Or maybe I am just a dinosaur, lapping up 80s trivia to the max. Meanwhile, I had a field day harping to Naj,Saiful and An that these two guys, M Nasir and Art Fazil are from Singapore and that yes, we're very creative. I'm sure they're irritated to no end.

Good concert, overall, although I was amazed that there was no encore and I seemed to be the only one shouting for one.

Celebrity Trivia

2008-03-17T09:21:00.006Z

Today, the owner of this blog is celebrating his 35th birthday.

He, after a quick curious scan of imdb.com, would like share his joy with a few celebrity- celebrants sharing the same date and year as his:

1. Caroline Corr of the Corrs.
He was told that her parents' place is not far from where he is so he might just go over to see if there' s any birthday celebration and would attempt to gatecrash it. He will beg them to let him share the joy with Ms Corr as he is all alone in Belfast and too poor to have a proper celebration of his own. That will be his first brush with celebrity, in spite of the fact that The Corrs has been off radar for eons. Another trivia is that his son is born less than two weeks apart from Ms Corr's own son, so that could be a sympathy factor on Ms Corr's part to let him in.

2. Maud Kennedy
He doesn't know who this celebrity is but she is listed as an actress in movies with titles such as Simple Pleasures, Intimate Connection and Strange Exhibition. As far as he can remember, he has not watched any of these. Honestly. He wonders though if there is a Maud Does Dallas.

There are a few others not worth mentioning.

In addition, he would also like to share his joy with his buddies back in Singapore, Rizal and Khairul. Happy Birthday, guys, he wishes.

Finally, he would like to sing the birthday song in Norwegian to all these people, ala Kings Of Convenience. And a one and a two and a.........

May the full force of greying crown begin.

My Music

2008-03-13T15:02:00.004Z

Another post to balance the rather pensive nature of my previous post. Here's something from the early 80s. I remember having it in cassette form back in the early 80s, the 2 dollars pirated kind under the 'The Best of the Top of the Pop' compilation.

It's The Passions with 'I'm in Love with a German Film Star'. As usual, enjoy Syed.

Alone vs Lonely

2008-03-13T14:01:00.004Z

Is being alone the same as being lonely?

The answer is naturally no, as many of us would have shared.

Alone is a physical state of being, of an individual relative to others surrounding him. It could be due to the fact that one is holed up in a room, away travelling in a foreign land by himself or simply engaging in an activity which requires only one person and no one else. Even when there are people around, you can still be alone.

Good example, yours truly. Holed up in my cubicle and spending time perusing academic literature and escapist fictions OR in front of the computer, surfing the net and writing inane stuff. Once in a while I would chat with my housemates and have meals with some of them, go out for coffees or the movies. The last two are definitely extravangances I can hardly afford on a regular basis. Hence, I'm pretty much on my own.

Being alone is not that unbearable really because there's an escape clause to it. If I'm really bored, I could just go to the common room and have a chat with my housemates when they are around. Otherwise, I would be Skyping with my family whenever we are both on the net.

Being lonely is the harder one. If you've watched Lars and the Real Girl, you would know what extreme loneliness is all about. Lars (magnificently played by Ryan Gosling) grew up unable to connect with people around him, even with his own brother and evertrying sister-in-law. His colleague's flirtatious advances fall flat because he is not mentally capable to respond to another human being.

Lars' escape from loneliness comes in the form of a sex doll he ordered from the internet. Her name is Bianca and she is half-Brazilian. Weird so far? Because Lars is a chaste Christian, he puts Bianca up at his brother's and treats her as if she is a normal person. His family was aghast but decided, upon the doctor's advice, to play along. Likewise the townfolks, accommodating his delusions because he is such a nice guy. And these happen all the way until Lars delusion tells him that Bianca has died. She is given a proper funeral.

Of course I am illustrating an extreme here but you get the point that being lonely is whole lot more painful than being alone. I know because my friend Sam is experiencing it now despite the presence of friends and family around him. It must be extremely painful for him and I wish I can do more than just commiserating over the phone.

Having said that, without being disrespectful to Sam, I hope I won't be in his unenviable position. Ever.

Time to get back to WORK

2008-03-07T20:19:00.003Z

Ughh!

The thought of jumping back head-on to the rigours of academia is the least exciting one of all. I'm in the midst of reading a series of theory books related to my thesis and I suddenly have the urge to just throw in the towel and go back for good. Too lazy lah! Have the feeling that I'm not cut out for it.

Anyway, went to London for a short overnight stay a few days ago to bring my kitchen maestro Naj for jalan-jalan around. It was his first trip ever so I served as his personal tour guide. Basically cramped a three days tour to one and a half.

Places we managed to go: Covent Garden, Hyde Park plus Hard Rock, Westminster and Big Ben, Bayswater for Malaysian Hall, Piccadilly Circus, Knightsbridge and Harrods, Victoria, Oxford and Regent Street, Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery, St Paul and the surrounding area plus a night out at Mamma Mia the musical. I made sure that we cover as much as we could.

Phew! I'm amazed we managed to cover that much. The walk that we had to do. I'm still nursing the fatigue, cramps and soreness on my legs. It was a good workout though, which I'm sure my wife will be proud of.

And now for the work that's waiting for me......

Ughh! Help!!!!

My Maiden Quote

2008-02-27T00:05:00.003Z

-'So much of the work is in the process of aimless rumination in which things may or may not take seed'-

Daniel Day Lewis,

The Guardian

13thJanuary 2008

I find it completely tacky to paste quotes in my blog yet find it hard to resist Day Lewis's excellent summation of the Malay Mat psyche. This guy is a bloody genius.

This is for us, y'all!

My Read

2008-02-20T17:37:00.006Z

Been reading quite a bit of fiction lately, mainly as a means to escape the heavy-going nature of academic readings. I have just finished reading the above book and what a gorgeous little gem this is. It is a166-pages novella so you could do it in a go.

McEwan's prose are precise, no doubt an easy read, yet laden with such linguistic nuances it captivates in its simplicity.It starts on the wedding night of a young innocent couple, set in a fictitious hotel by Chesil Beach. It follows the travails of the apprehensive, yet-to-consummate couple and their post-Victorian repressed desires.

We are informed through a series of flashbacks the minutiae of their lives up to the wedding day. And the baggage that they have to burden themselves with. The denouement is wonderfully unexpected but that I won't give away.

Another tour de force really. This is my third McEwan after Amsterdam and The Daydreamer. I think I'm going to follow him a bit more after this.

My Mateen

2008-02-18T19:05:00.006Z

Usually, I make it a point not to discuss about my son Mateen because I think it's terribly uncool for any dad to go gaga about their children. Hence, I would usually cringe when friends went on about their children and their achievement in every single developmental aspect. I would cringe even more when they talked about their children out of the ordinary abilities. Can spell this. Can read that. Can do this and say that oh-so-adult word. Like they are totally peerless in their abilities.

So, as much as possible I avoid discussing about Mateen unless pride overcame me, and that's rare. However. now that I am away in Belfast, I can't help but wanting to have a sense of connection with him beyond Skype. I created this video for him.

By the way, Mateen is now five and a student at Al-Iman Kindergarten. He's in K1. He is studying Malay, English, Maths and Arabic plus a host of other extra-curricular subjects. Right now, no enrichment classes but his parents think swimming is necessary so that'll be prioritised. He is as ordinary as the next five year-old.

Mateen's favourite actor is Will Smith and hip hop is his music. He's currently obsessed by Soulja Boy's Crank Them. Basically, he's a black soul in an Asian body. Like most boys his age, Mateen is also absorbed by the superheroes and all sorts of transformable robots in cartoon television. He makes it a point to stay up late on Mondays to catch Hiro Nakamura, Masi Oka's character in Heroes. He detests vegetable so his mummy has to devise recipes which she could surreptitiously blend vegetables in. (No worries, he can't read all these)

Sorry, I went on a bit. Mush got the better of me so cut me some slack, okay. Enjoy the video.

My Fabulous Food Weekend

2008-02-17T19:29:00.009Z

I think I've gained at least two kgs from my weekend of gastronomic delights.

Had a miserable week before, as I was cooped up in the room reading and generally absorbed by the banality of my research work. Strangely enough, my friend Sam's predicament (understated word, this one) last week came as bit of a downer for me and later I became quite worried for him, knowing how much he was affected by it. Completely hermited erstwhile, the weekend came and what a relief it was as I embarked on a series of culinary adventures.

First stop, Zul and Izad's place, Friday evening. Bit of a fusion. Naj, my housemate and the undeniable food maestro, prepared delicious curry laksa with Korean udon and grilled herbs and coriander chicken, the coriander liberally sprinkled by Zul, the saboteur. Turned out very well, nevertheless. The evening ended with Izad's fabulous custarded fruit-cereal-biscuits dessert. I was completely stuffed that night and decided to sleep over at Izad's.

Next, Petronas-scholar Faizal invited us for lunch on Saturday. He prepared Nasi Tomato with curry beef and spiced-up fried chicken and nicely decorated egg salad, all of which I consumed voraciously. Very nice. To think that he had to refer to the recipe every five seconds during the course of his cooking. Must be naturally talented. Naj, not wanting to be left out, prepared fruit cocktail ladened with vanilla and whipped cream and garnished with blueberry sauce and crushed cashew nuts. Genius, this guy , for what fabulous dessert that was.

At three post-lunch and still at Faizal's place, I received an invite for dinner by Dr Saiful and Dr An. It's as if they knew that we're all on a food marathon and they are there to cheer us on, or rather, feed us on. Naturally we accepted and off we went to M&S at the city centre to get a box of biscuits for them. (Hope they like it)

Saiful picked us up at 7pm and we reached his gorgeous abode at the tail end of the Man U vs Arsenal game. 4-0, Arsenal completely humiliated. Dinner was Chinese, wonderfully prepared by An. Sweet sour salmon, lemon chicken, beef in soy sauce and ginger, chop chye and white rice. I think I was the only one with second helping of the rice and multiple helpings of the rest. Very nice, the dishes. And the company was fantastic too, with UK-bred Zainul joining the dinner table. Lovely conversations we had.

An let us settle down at the living room before unleashing the piece de resistance, her heavenly rasberry cheesecake. It has very smooth yet firm texture, not too sweet and the rasberry set in very nicely. Without doubt, I had a second slice, sheepishly accepting it from An. Meanwhile, we enjoyed the music which I brought, played through Saiful's impressive (and expensive) audio system. Definitely his guilty pleasure. I should really think about junking that Phillips mini-compo I have back in Singapore, for Martha Wainwright just doesn't sound the same in that relic I have. And because Saiful, Zainul and I are around the same age, we can really connect to each other to make the evening as wonderful as it can be.

Sunday lunch was again cooked by Naj, this time at our hall's kitchen. Fish fillets wrapped in omelette topped with sweet sour sauce, vegetable soup and curry chicken. Simple but nice. As a testament to how stuffed we were, we decided to skip dinner.

What a fabulous weekend it has been. I'm ending the post with a video montage of some of the things I've eaten over the week, mostly courtesy of Naj, whose penchant for cooking is so intense even simple dishes were painstakingly decorated. You'll get an impression after you've seen my maiden attempt at video-publishing. Pardon the VGA quality.

Such good life I've had this weekend. La Dolce Vita. Enjoy!

Singapore's News in Belfast!!!

2008-02-14T10:32:00.003Z

Wow,

I'm proud to say that even kampung Belfast has gotten a whiff about what's going on in far eastern Singapore. Who dare say now that this kampung is insular, only interested in Ulsterian politics? Perhaps because of the Catholic/Christain slant of the article which naturally interests them a lot. Whatever it is, we know now that there's a hint of cosmopolitanism in them after all. Steadylah Belfast.

Here's the article from Belfast Telegraph:

'Jesus' cosmetics range withdrawn in Singapore after Catholic outrage
Thursday, February 14, 2008

A retailer in Singapore has withdrawn a cosmetics range with a religious theme after people complained that the products were "disrespectful" to Jesus.
The tongue-in-cheek range, named Lookin' Good for Jesus, upset Catholics, who said the line trivialised Christianity. The cosmetics, made by a US company, include hand cream and bubble bath.
The company also sold a "virtuous vanilla" lip balm, under the slogan "Look your Sunday best! Guaranteed to help you be worthy and get noticed by the King of Kings". Other slogans dreamt up by the company, Blue Q, to sell their gels and lotions included "Get tight with Christ", "Get His Attention" and "Redeem Your Reputation and More".
While the line of products may have intended to amuse, apparently not everyone saw the joke. Singapore's Christian population is about 14 per cent of the 4.4 million total, while more than 50 per cent is Buddhist. One resident, Nick Chui, said he saw the items in a Topshop outlet, operated by the retailer Wing Tai Holdings, and wrote a letter of complaint.
He said the products trivialised both Jesus Christ and Christianity. "There are also sexual innuendoes in the messages and the way Jesus is portrayed in these products," Mr Chui, 27, told The Straits Times newspaper.
Grace Ong, an accountant, was also upset by the products. She said: "Why would anyone use religious figures to promote vanity products? It's very disrespectful and distasteful."
Apparently concerned about the response from such customers and fearful of further backlash, Wing Tai Holdings announced it would not longer stock the products, which it sells in the three Topshop stores it operates. "We don't want to offend our customers," said a company spokesman.
No one from Blue Q was available for comment last night. In addition to the cosmetics, the Lookin' Good For Jesus line of products also includes a mirrored Jesus statuette, featuring a drawing of Jesus flanked by two adoring women.
One intriguing item is a "Believe in God Breath Spray"; another a Jesus shopping bag.
But a browse of the company's website suggests their products are designed to raise a smile rather than court trouble. The company also sells cosmetics under the brand names Cat Butt, Dirty Girl and Wash Away Your Sins.
Whether the company also appreciates the free advertising the controversy has created is another matter. Blue Q has been making such products and receiving the good and bad press for more than two decades, after being set up by two brothers from Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Products they have sold in the past have included a breath spray which claimed to "instantly" provide a user with an Irish accent.

Condolences!

2008-02-07T13:37:00.000Z

Another quick note to offer my condolences to my good friend, Sam.

Hey Sam,

Please be strong, okay. Take the passing as part of one's life journey. I wish you all the strength and courage you need at this trying time. It's not going to be easy but I'm sure you'd overcome it, Insya-Allah.

Commiserating,
Kamal

Xin Nian Guai Le!

2008-02-07T13:24:00.000Z

Okay, just a quick one.

Happy Lunar New Year to all who're celebrating, my wife especially and the families on her side.
Should I wish Mateen too? Okay Mateen, Happy New Year to you too! Whatever! Half entitlement notwithstanding.

To Jude in Michigan, howzit going' bro? Weather sapping the celebration?

To Becky, don't play too much mahjong and it's time to stop receiving angpow.

To Porky in HK, Kong Hei Fatt Choy!!

To my students in Singapore, study hard okay! (Sorry, boring wishes!)

To all the rest in Singapore, have a prosperous and healthy year of the rat ahead. Just don't be too sucked up by the rat race. It's hardly worth it.

Two oranges for each one of you, ala Facebook.

Back to old blighty!

2008-02-05T08:49:00.001Z

I'm mourning my return to Belfast.

Had a quick two nights stopover at Dubai to meet Ismail and Yaty and had a wonderful time with them. The place itself reeks of crass commercialism not unlike Singapore, which makes me wonder why anyone even bothers to do more than a three days tour, because it is an endless oasis of shopping centres and not much else.

And it's bloody expensive too, what with the average 40 dollars per pax for simple meals in restaurant. I should recommend that unless you've friends to visit, skip this place at all cost.

Back to the original intent, I'm now back in grey, grainy and rainy Belfast. As usual, cold and wet. How exciting! And the onslaught of work that has to be done.

The trip back to Singapore has been fruitful, with much research done. Nonetheless, it could have been more productive as not much writing took place. In any case, the time spent with my family is simply precious and priceless, capped by Mateen's fifth birthday celebrations. Enjoyed every single minute of it.

And now, on my second day here in Belfast, I'm already afflicted by the dreaded missing-the-family-titis. Ughh!! I wanna go home.

Still thinking about that wonderful beef ribs I had in expensive Dubai!

A Response to You!!!

2008-01-21T08:09:00.000Z

This is a response to a certain someone in a certain field I am certainly attached to.
Please tell me, dear readers, if this offends you, because I might just want to offend you again later.

You oh you, you poor little guy
Why did you do it, why, why, why?
You know it’s dangerous, no monkey would do
And yet you persist, on it you pursue

You have the chance to commiserate
You shoved it aside and choose to aggravate
And now we poor sods are getting angry
Because you oh you doubt our ability

And thus we are left with no mercy
Cause you have stupidly unleashed our fury

Please let it be known
We’re not taking it lightly, the response you’ve shown

Draw your sword now, hark!!

Alas, in case you need a little luck
Just remember this, your backside give dog....
(self-censored, in deference to OB markers)

Gurmit Singh is everywhere!

2008-01-16T07:48:00.000Z

Have been busy lately.

Not too busy to notice that Mr Gurmit Singh is everywhere on television.

I woke up one morning and there you have it, a television trailer featuring him and Michelle Chong plugging The Noose, a supposedly satirical programme. (Satire in Singapore? Far-fetched lah, Gurmit)

Later that morning, in the bus on the way to the library, I watched Gurmit Singh cozying up Cheryl Miles in the action drama ( I think) Lifeline. Mr Gurmit is Daniel here, officer in a firefighting division.

At home in the evening, drum roll please, presenting Mr Gurmit Singh and the delectable Michelle Chia in the food show, Lost and Found. Basically, they went around to look for food paradises lost. Michelle Chia is the saving grace here, otherwise I would be afflicted by channel5-phobia. (Not sure why I'm fascinated with her but there must be a reason somewhere)

If my visual senses had not already been assaulted, there to cap a Gurmit-filled day at 830pm, was, who else but Mr Singh again in a sitcom, 80s Rewind.

Singaporeans can't get enough of him lah, my only conclusion.

My question therefore is, is Singapore really lacking in good, English-speaking actors? Why must I be subjected to Gurmit morning, afternoon and night?

Only the good people at channel 5 know, it seems.

Anyway, just want to share with you readers a song Andrew Crothers (of Don and Drew) created in honour of Gurmit Singh quite a while ago. I think it goes like this...

(to the tune of London bridge is Falling Down)

Gurmit Singh is everywhere, everywhere, everywhere.
Gurmit Singh is everywhere, My Fair Lady

No offence okay, Gurmit!

Something to Ponder Part 1

2008-01-09T00:44:00.000Z

Think about it, ladies and gentlemen,

You spent a good part of your childhood fulfilling your dreams to be whatever you want to be.

You excelled in your studies and upon adulthood, got a good job.

You got married and have a few kids.

You worked very hard and worrying for the future, toiled like crazy.

You saved while forgetting to enjoy and amassed a sizeable fortune.

Meanwhile, your kids sponged the juices of your labour.

You retired and decided that you would enjoy the rest of your life.

Alas, like everyone else, you need to die.

You could not, too bad, bring along your three semi-dees and that two-and-a-half million in FD.

Upon your death, your children grieved for a short while and proceeded to battle for your money.

And filed lawsuits against each other.

And not talk to each other for the rest of their lives.

And you, God bless you, in the solitude of your 6 by 2 by 2, would not be able to do anything.

You are, therefore, left to wonder,

Is it worth it after all?

Ashes of Time

2008-01-05T00:31:00.000Z

Happy New Year all!

My first posting for the new year is tinted with sadness, with my knowing that a good friend's wife passed on recently.

The news that came to me via email was shocking. Rizal apologised for not informing any earlier about Mala's passing, as if he has any need to in the first place. Kak Noriah, Mala's sister and a dear ex-colleague of mine, obviously has no chance to inform her wider circle of friends. Perfectly understandable.

Both Rizal and Mala were in Australia (Rizal was doing his Master's) around the same time as my wife and I. They were at Newcastle but they made frequent trips down to Sydney and we hanged out quite a bit. Likewise, my wife and I together with our friend Becky drove once to Newcastle and bunked at their apartment.

The most indelible memory I have is of us doing a coastal walk from Bondi beach to Coogee. Wonderful walk that was, lightened up by Mala's cheerfulness and omnipresent smile.

The two couples had such good times they came back to Singapore with a baby in the wives' tummies, born less than two months apart.

Nasyitah and I will remember those times.

Our condolences, Rizal and Kak Nor. May Allah place Mala in the most exalted place hereafter.

New Year's Wishes

2007-12-31T15:11:00.000Z

On the final day of twenty-oh-seven, my wishes are:

1) for none of those invasive photos in local newspapers featuring our foreign workers resting/sleeping at the void decks, with readers' exclamations that they are potential perverts ever-ready to mutate into rapists and under-skirts voyeurs.

Unless, of course, they are endowed with special powers to ogle while sleeping. Then, it warrants a HUGE cause for concern.

2) that parents stop shouting about the wonders of a GEP education, what marvels it has done to their children, who have managed to lead a balanced life; with two kids, two master's degrees, perfect marriage, excellent job, optimistic outlook and oh-so-very creative personality.

And make us non-GEPers as, well; no-hopers with less than balanced life with no postgraduate potential, offpsrings of dysfunctional families, doomed to hell pessimists and clearly, clones with not a single atom of creativity.

And that we should be systematically dismembered for being less than perfect.

3) that You, yes you, will stop thinking the world ends because you have a problem

Really, the world should continue because you need that extra time and space to find SOLUTIONS to the problem

So STOP whining about your colleagues, your heads, your bosses, your governments , your world. Just pack up and go and leave your Sealy Posturepedics behind.

And the best time is now!

Back Where I Belong!

2007-12-26T09:10:00.000Z

Ahh! The joy of being home.

After the rigours of academia, it's nice to celebrate Eid-Adha in sunny Singapore. With the family. Belfast weather has been yikes when I left. Barcelona's was a hoot though. The trip...fantastic... it warrants another post altogether but till then...

A not-so-nice thing about being back is that I've a massive jetlag problem now. I'm a zombie watching Mr Holland's Opus at three in the morning. Getting two hours sleep at night and spending mornings to catch up with the sleep are horrible. My son wondered why I was waking up very very late. He thought I'm sick or something. Got myself melatonin capsules just now and I really hope it works.

Since I arrived, not much catching up has been done except with the boys over coffee. Still too groggy to do much. In any case, I have to start working on the research work real soon.

Got to go! Ughh!!!!!!

What's the deal, Mr K?

2007-12-10T19:49:00.000Z

Mr K received a phone call from a dear friend in Paris and he suddenly became reflective.

Her excitement tazered through the line and into his ears. That's how happy she was. Why? Because she got two designer accessories for less than what she would have paid in Singapore. Thousand-five only! she exclaimed. And she asked if Mr K wants to get one for his wife.

In her eagerness, she could have forgotten that Mr K is but a humble student counting his pennies instead of pounds. She could have forgotten that the word luxury is something beyond Mr K's current comprehension and definitely not in his vocabulary. And for that, she is entirely faultless.

She must have been thinking of thosseee days (again, Khalid Kudabar's inflection), when five dollars coffee are twice weekly affairs. Neither of them bat an eyelid to such extravagances. Thirty dollars Hi-Tea? That's cheap. Five hundred dollars bag for wife? Hold on a sec, hey, but that's still affordable.

Alas, at present, Mr K's weekly grocery bill is slightly more than five pounds.

Mr K was also reminded of another friend. This lady, whom Mr K regularly went for Sunday lunches with, went and is going to four different countries for vacation over the December holiday. Japan, Thailand, UK & Spain. She was barely in Singapore. Mind-boggling because Mr K was not talking about KL, Bangkok, Penang and Jakarta here. Those lands are seriously far away.

In Belfast, Mr K must tighten his belt to the last hole to afford his Spanish holiday. Thank God for that twenty quid budget flight tix. Pray hard before you board, Mr K!

And that set Mr K thinking. About the opportunity cost he has to sacrifice when he decided to scoot off for his studies. Those designer perishables (they are, really), those holidays, those lifestyles. The savings that he has to expire for his studies. The sacrifice that the poor wife has to make. Of the son missing his father.

Mr K suspects that his friend Jude in Michigan must have felt the same way too when he carried his lovely bride Serene from the altar straight to the US of A.

All for a piece of paper.

It better be worth it for Mr K, man!

He's going to make sure that one. Aren't you, Mr K?

Finally!

2007-12-09T17:38:00.000Z

Can't wait.

I've completed the last of my assignments and I'm completely overjoyed. The whole process, as I've mentioned in an earlier post, is not easy as first, I've been out of academia for a bit too long and second, I'm not as good a writer as I would like to myself to be. Hence the pain I have to go through. Practice writings in the form of media contributions have been helpful but still.

Not sure what I'll get for my assignments but let me enjoy the temporary respite.

So, it's down to two things now. Enjoying myself in Barcelona and going back to the loved ones back in dearest Singapore. Not to forget, I'll devour good fresh fish cooked the way I like since fish here is beyond my pockets' reach. Moreover, cash crunch negates good fish. Which made me recall my Aussie days, when my wife and I could only eat what her boss dismissed as bait fish. Sad, aren't we.

Just as well, because the fish n chips they sell at the chippies here suck anyway.

Okay, the real deal of academic rigour will start when I'm in Singapore. That's when all the research have to be done and the chapter assigned by my supervisor completed. I hope.

But to be fair, let me focus on the holidays first. WOohoo!

My music

2007-12-04T10:31:00.000Z

My taste in music has always been eclectic.

In school, the songs that I listened to were very much influenced by what my friends were listening to. That means the 80’s pop, including Michael Jackson, Prince, Culture Club, Wham (men in shorts, eewww!) and of course Madonna. In addition, my friends and I would also listen to the songs of the 70s and 80s hard rock in order to improve our street cred. We listened to Nazareth (Love Hurts), Deep Purple (Highway Star), Led Zeppelin (Stairway to Heaven) and Scorpions. Till now, I can still remember the lyrics to Lady Starlight. Their classics notwithstanding, many of these acts are unfortunately weather-beaten now.

Later, the kind of music I listened too veered to the more alternative sounds and U2 rocked the world then. The pop scene was still strong but really, in order to appear cool, you must listen to the rest. Not in radio means good music. The more obscure, the better they must be. In my late teens, The LAs, Hoodoo Gurus, Joy Division and Singapore’s very own Stomping Ground (where the hell are they now?) were some of my favourites. I was also listening to jazz to by then, by the likes of Chick Corea, Karimata, Thelonius Monk and Casiopea.

In the Malay music scene, M Nasir was quite big in the 80s with his band Kembara. But seriously, the 80’s was dominated by two rock groups tutored by M Nasir, Search and Wings. They were really, really massive and produced ‘rock-obit’ hits which those of my age today would sheepishly hum to. But it’s really cool in thoossseee days (Khalid Kudabar’s inflection). The early 90’s was all about trashy love songs sung by both pop and rock artistes. I yearned for these kind of sound. In fact, when my cousins, wife and I were in Paris in the late 90s, I remember we felt nostalgic and hummed to Rusty Blade and Helter Skelter’s songs along the river Seine. That’s what we call tres chic.

Naturally, as you grow, your interests widen and the music genres multiply. Now, I listen to everything, from pop to rock, jazz to trip-hop, experimental to mainstream, old classics to new ones in the making. It ranges from Ismail Haron to Anuar Zain, Simon & Garfunkel to White Stripe, Bright Eyes to Nina Simone. Put it this way. I listened to the four different bears starting with The Bears (not much of this though because it’s pop trash). Now, I’m listening to three different bear bands, Polar Bear (jazz, and probably the most obscure), Panda Bear (experimental psychedelia and probably the most drug-addled) and Brooklyn based noir-sounding Grizzly Bear (most probably frat boys music).

I'm signing off with a youtube of, unfortunately, an early favourite. This is for Salihin.

The Joy of Reading

2007-12-02T11:40:00.000Z

Haven't posted for a while for sheer lack of time and energy, which has been productively channelled to the completion of a number of assignments. Each assignment has about 3000+ words. If that sounds like a cinch, it's definitely not to me. Having taken a grand five year break from school, it's not easy to press for ideas, what more writing it in words.

I've also read this wonderful book by a Cypriot academic, Yiannis Papadakis. It's called 'Echoes From the Dead Zone' and is based on his PhD research on the Turkish North and Greek South Cyprus divide. Its academic genesis notwithstanding, it is far from boring.

The author dwells on the construction of history from the two sides and how alarmingly different their perspectives when they recounted a bloody and cataclysmic event which happened in 1974.

A Greek Cypriot and discernibly a pacifist, he took the ethnographic route by learning Turkish and immersing himself in the socio-political culture of the Turkish north, living amongst them for a month. The end result is a book which combines both wit and the whimsical, anger and joy as well as a tinge of naivety on his part which add up to a remarkably engaging read. Thanks, Iosif for lending me the book.

I ended last week with a potluck farewell dinner at a friend's place and had a neck-crunching sleepover. 34 and still doing sleepovers. Embarassing. It's fun though, talking till the wee hours of the morning.

So, there, work done for the past week or so. One more to go before I can reward myself with a Spanish holiday.

Hola Barcelona!

Missing the Family (Part 2)

2007-11-22T21:53:00.000Z

In the faraway land called home, this being has entertained friends and neighbours, relatives and relations, babies and toddlers, domestic helpers and domestic goddesses. The house has witnessed sorrows and joys, bitchfests and counselling sessions, dramas of semi-epic proportions but not, as yet, crimes and other misdemeanours.

Alas, the once social animal has been completely emasculated and reduced to an almost hermit-like existence. This is partly due to his indolence, leaving the space only for banalities such as cooking, groceries shopping, seminars and courses as well as the occasional cultural pleasures. Mostly, it can be explained by simple economics.

In the solitude of his three-by-four, he has managed to:

1) read frighteningly boring academic books and journals
2) write to the media, both print and online
3) set up a blog and update as he desires
4) attempt to complete assignments
5) improve his Malay writing skills
6) leaf through different dictionaries
7) file journals
8) watch an unhealthy amount of youtube
9) at many moments, do none of the above

But, don't be fooled, this being is like a beast on the prowl, ready to tease your senses. Yet, there is an invisible leash restraining him, letting you savour the suspense a little longer.

That faraway land will only be but a full-moon away.

En garde.

An enchanted evening with the Whirling Dervishes

2007-11-19T12:17:00.000Z

I spent a cold and wet evening with the whirling dervishes.

The rain was at best, unforgiving. I braved myself through it after an afternoon at Dr Yusuf’s farewell party. By the time I reached the concert hall, my bottom half was completely drenched. My upper half was insulated by my late dad’s hooded windbreaker. Thank God for that.

The proceedings later that evening well compensated my misery.

For those who don’t know what the whirling dervishes are all about, allow me to do a brief introduction. In essence, it’s a ritual called sema, performed by a group of Turkish ascetics (the Mehlavis) to be in touch with their spirituality and signifies their oneness to their Creator. As for the exact details of the sema, I’ll spare you that information. Just google the internet for that.

For those movie buffs who have watched James Bond’s The World is Not Enough, you would remember Pierce Brosnan at the hall where men in white skirts whirled continuously. That’s the dervishes performing.

The evening started with a recitation of a poem written by Jalaluddin Rumi, the founder of the Mehlevi sect as well as one of the father figures of Sufism. This was later followed by prayers and incantations (zikr) performed by a group of musicians. I was amazed at the quiet attention given by the mainly local audience, in deference to the spiritual nature of that evening.

The second part of that evening started with a poem written by Rumi in praise of the Prophet Muhammad. I did not understand any bit but I can tell you that the recitation alone is worth the twelve pounds entry ticket. Later on, the whirling dervishes started the pre-sema ritual and began with the whirling. The whole ritual ended with a recitation of a verse from the Quran and closed with the Fatehah.

C’est magnifique. I was completely absorbed by the experience.

My good friend, Syed Mawla, would have loved to be in my position. Syed, this post is dedicated to you.

Steady dah, Melayu!

2007-11-15T19:20:00.000Z

Anechoic Chamber

I’m writing to express my sentiment about a fellow Malay who has just gotten his PhD in Electrical engineering. Even though he is not a Singaporean, I could not help but feel proud for his achievement and I’m sure that he would contribute significantly to his community (Batu Pahat, Haha! my mum’s kampung) and the Malay diaspora at large.

The feeling is even more palpable by my knowing that he has developed a space application using liquid crystal technology.

Don’t ask me to elaborate because whatever explanation he has given last Saturday didn’t seem to crystallise in my brain. At that point, I was too busy wondering if there will ever be a Singaporean Malay becoming a space engineer. We’ll see that one day, hopefully.

He didn’t tell us earlier what he did for his PhD. In any case, I didn’t think much of it because it’s electrical engineering, and the last time I remember, EE is nothing fancy; just wires and machines. Tsk, tsk, how wrong!

He brought a few friends for a tour around his hi-tech lab and demonstrated a couple of experiments and machines, which to my technologically-challenged self look highly impressive. He showed us his PhD machine too. Yes, it does look that it doesn’t belong anywhere except the space.

And he brought us to this place, called anechoic chamber, in which radiation tests are conducted (see above). We, the suakus, kept shouting inside and were amazed that the sound remained there and did not reach our friends outside even though the door is opened.

He’s going back to Malaysia in December, to start his career as an academic in one of the universities there. I just want to wish him the best of luck. Here’s a toast to you, Dr Yusuf. Cafe latte notwithstanding.

Cheers!

How to steal a car!

2007-11-11T15:00:00.000Z

Warning: Try it at your own risk!

My housemate Lucas (that’s LOO-KAH because he’s French) found his old Opel Corsa broken into just a while ago. Some local hooligans must have done it knowing well that it’s a French-registered car and decided to have a go at it. Let’s just say the relationship between UK residents and their continental neighbour down south leaves much to be desired...

Anyway, back to the story, the Opel was in quite a bad shape. The steering wheel malfunctioned and cables were exposed everywhere. Lucas was at a loss as to how to get the engine started so he decided to do what all IT-savvy kids do; go to the Internet. He googled ‘how to steal a car’, found it and basically hijacked his own. Genius.

I know Singaporeans, heaven forbids, will never attempt this. But for those who are interested or have thoughts about it, let me do the honour of presenting some techniques. Of course, being responsible, I included tips on how to prevent carjacking. In any case, good luck! But please don't say that you've learned it from me.

1. Bump against the car to check for a car alarm. Since it seems like everything from a loud Harley to a rumbling garbage truck can set off a car alarm, people have been conditioned to tune them out. Instead of a motion-sensitive car alarm, use one that has a pager that will notify you as soon as your alarm is activated.

2. Break the window or jimmy the lock to gain entry into a locked car. Don't tempt car thieves. Keep valuables out of plain sight. Take them with you or store them in the trunk. Also, if you have a stereo with a removable face plate, take it with you instead of tucking it away in the glovebox.

3. Cut the steering wheel itself if there's a steering wheel lock. Instead of locking just your steering wheel, "lock" your car's ability to go by using a starter disable switch and putting it in a place where only you can get to it.

4. Look for exposed wiring that can be cut or for the central unit of the car alarm to deactivate it. Instead of going to a big retail chain store, have your car alarm installed by a professional car alarm installer, preferably a reasonably shady one. Unlike retail chain employees, these experts know what it takes to make your car elusive to crooks.

5. Look for car alarm decals to figure out which method to use to eliminate the alarm. Never display stickers that advertise what sort of car alarm you have, or audio system for that matter. Consider using a hood lock cable so the thief can't get to your battery or car alarm mechanism.

A Response to Tenas Effendy

2007-11-08T14:41:00.000Z

Apa tanda Melayu jati baru?

Malu untuk maju
Malu timba ilmu

Malu untuk tahu
Malu baca buku
Malu rasa mahu

Malu tapi mahu
Malu membantu
Malu memburu

Malu beradu
Malu bersatu

Malu ke hulu

Malu lalu lesu

Hilang rasa malu
Memalukan Melayu

The paradox of an open society

2007-11-07T07:58:00.000Z

One of the key paradoxes of a society trying to open up is the insistence on clinging to archaic practices. The public service, it seems, still thrives on this.

We were told by then-PM Goh Chok Tong back in 1988 that we will be a more open society. I don't know exactly what an open society means but I assume to a certain extent it opens up channels of communication. Fast forward 19 years on.

Things have not changed much. The PLMGS's Click Five incident ends with the Principal 'regretting' the students' airing of grievances to other channels instead of the 'proper line of communication' ( a much-abused term, this one. I wonder what will happen to the students).

Someone dear wrote a well-meaning email to one of the heads in her school bcc-ed to her big boss, and not much later, she was kindly advised by her supervisor to, if possible... hmm...in the future...hmm, follow 'the proper line of communication'.

Hell, even our PM's son Li Hongyi was not spared for disregarding the 'proper line of communication'. But this is another thing altogether, because it's pregnant with other grander issues a mere blog could not possibly analyse.

In our desire to maintain this 'proper line', we might have forgotten the reality that communication has advanced by leaps and bounds. Gone were the days where you have to stick by the axiom 'The Boss is always right' and suffer in silence. If one is not happy, there's a place to drown your sorrow. No need to adhere to mere policies. The media, especially the Internet, make sure this does not happen.

The recent whistle-blowing phenomenon is a testament to the power of the new media and new channels of communication. And this is good because it acts as a check-and-balance tool which safeguards against potential abuse of power. In addition, in a public service scenario, this is important because it prevents any form of stagnation at every level of the hierarchy. It gets people to be en garde and make themselves more productive. No more iron rice bowl passivism.

Alas, some groups of people choose to ignore this and insist on using archaic measures. Instead of critically analysing the problems surfaced, they simply put up defence mechanisms to mute voices. And pervert the course of an open society.

No wonder our undergraduates found it difficult to ask MM Lee questions. They are, after all, by-product of a system that has gagged them from young.

The magic of serendipity

2007-11-03T20:25:00.000Z

I vaguely remember Straits Times writing about him a few months back but let me just indulge myself, jump on the bandwagon (belatedly!) and put this guy back into our consciousness. He’s the one and only Meiyang Chang, the exited Indian idol.

I was feeling a bit nostalgic and decided to youtube Kishore Kumar. I don’t know why but every time I had these feelings, Kishore Kumar worked wonders for me. His voice, phew, very the magical. So there I was watching Shashi Kapoor miming to Tera Mujhse and on the side bar, this guy Chang was pictured as the singer of Dil Kya Kare, another Kumar’s hit. Out of curiosity, I watched the video.

My oh my, was I blown away. Almost lost for words. His voice is good. But that’s not the clincher. This guy is a Chinese dude singing in Hindi. I didn’t understand anything but he sounded so perfect and so Indian, it’s completely surreal. (Pardon my ignorance if this is not uncommon at all) Salvador Dali would have salivated over the sight of this and would have produced a few more masterpieces.

In the video, you can also see his family dancing to the Hindi tunes. Imagine your average market Ah Soh, uncle and aunties dancing to something like ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’. Cannot imagine right? You have to watch the video.

I googled him and found out that he’s a third generation Chinese in India (Surprise!!!) A dentist and an amateur cartoonist, he has now bagged for himself a legion of adoring fans in India and has his own blogs which you must check out (buddhasoliloques.blogspot.com) Whimsical, his writing. In any case, I’m in awe because I cannot foresee this happening in Singapore. It’s assimilative multiculturalism at its best. Meiyang Chang, you're my idol!

What if we were not separated?

2007-11-02T19:49:00.000Z

I have to say that I’ve made more Malaysian friends now than throughout my thirty-four years of existence. They are mainly in the medical or engineering faculties, with a handful of them in different disciplines. More often than not, they are more than ten years younger than me. Shucks, generation gap. I used to tease my friends Jennie and Rachel for this. Now, I am a victim of one. So the best thing is to pretend and act their age. Here come trainers and Levi’s, cool T-shirts and jumpers. Stuffy teacher shirts are definitely out.

Boy, aren’t they a varied lot, these Malaysian friends? You have that goody-two-shoe from Penang, the holy one from Kelantan, the here-to-enjoy-as-much-as-I-can Selangoreans (is there such a term?) and closer home, the fun-loving academic from Johore. Every state in represented. Some choose the comforts of cliquing amongst themselves and some do venture out and, well, be more international in outlook. It’s fine to me, either way.

There is a stark difference though. I’m not interested in racial polemics but I noticed that the Chinese Malaysians pay their way here. The Malays, mostly, are here on scholarship. Which make me think about how lucky they are, having someone to pay half-a-million ringgit (for the medicos) for their education? I’ve no such luck. At that point, I became jealous. I wish I was a Malaysian. Why must Singapore and Malaysia separate? I could have saved quite a bit of moolah if Singapore is still part of Malaysia right? I would be a member of the majority and so the chances of me getting a scholarship are higher.

The fact is we got separated and I am now a Singaporean Malay. A different entity. Also, a poor thing. Must pay to study. Should have studied hard earlier. Tsk, tsk.

To be continued.

Encounters with Racism Part 1

2007-10-29T08:26:00.000Z

I had an encounter with a very sublime form of racism last Saturday. That is, racism in its most insidious form.

I was at Carrick-A-Rede, a popular tourist spot in Northern Ireland that has a suspension bridge, all of twenty meters, as its main attraction. It takes about twenty minutes to reach the bridge from the car park and another twenty back. Needless to say, it was very tiring.

On the way back, I stopped halfway at a resting area and shared a bench with an American woman. We exchanged pleasantries and I learnt that she is originally from San Francisco but now domiciled in Dublin. It’s nice and all until she dropped the first bombshell, surprisingly, while complimenting my spoken English.

She: You speak very good English! (subtext: You! Dark-skinned fella from a country I don’t know anything about due to my own hopelessness at Geography, my dogmatic acceptance of America as the centre of the world and my reverence of white people as the bearers of good English, I’m surprised you speak comprehensible English.

Me: Thank you very much. I’m from Singapore. English is our first language. Singapore is a former British colony. (subtext: Piss off, white trash!)

We continued our conversation and I was telling her about my trip to Dublin and how at every corner, I heard French, German or Spanish spoken, alluding to Dublin cosmopolitanism, when she dropped the second bombshell, this time with a faint grimace.

She: Oh! And the Polish! They are really everywhere now! (subtext: They are Polish! They don’t speak good English and they are just economic migrants trying to milk the wealth of Ireland dry, so beware!)

Me: Is that right? (subtext: You! From the greatest melting pot in the world, how is it possible you’ve learnt not to share?)

She: The Nigerians too! They took advantage of the migration policy, and Ireland is very relaxed about it. What is the word...? (subtext: This dark-skinned people, they are opportunists. They are here to destroy the holy whiteness of this adopted country of mine. I’m a migrant too but it is fine for me because I’m white. And my English is not that good.)

Me: Asylum? (subtext: Haha! I speak better English than you do. You’re pathetic and thank you for reminding me about my own country’s shabby treatment of Bangladeshi and Indonesian workers)

She: Yes, that’s it. I know there’s a word for it. (subtext; Yes, I am pathetic.)

If you have read the subtexts, wouldn’t you agree that the subtlest form is also the most dangerous form of racism? Hopefully, we will never turn into this ugly monster.

Final Verdict; 1-1

2007-10-25T09:43:00.000+01:00

I am against homosexuality. I make no apologies at that. Having said that, I am against any legal code by a civic institution that criminalises my bedroom business and its callisthenics permutations. Likewise, those of my gay friends. The reason is plain to see. Sexuality and sexual orientations belong to the private sphere. And in Singapore, exclusively so. You don’t get sexual evangelists, hetero or homo, going around town, parade their sexual antics and asking people to convert to their cause. The line between public and private sphere is clearly marked and by no means should there be a territorial encroachment from either one.

Alas, the regrettable decision to keep Section 377A was made two days ago, one that is apparently influenced by a clearly-misinformed majority opinion. The moral crusaders and the religious rights (and I don’t mean this pejoratively) have won the day.
It’s not the end for the repeal377A camp. If there is one significant positive outcome out of this debate, debacle rather, it’s the arrival of gay advocacy in Singapore. Hitherto, it’s been pretty much an underground cause, at times gasping for air and wanting to be seen but because it’s barely tolerated, choose to remain half submerged, away from the public consciousness. Bu t like what Stuart Koe says, there is no looking back now. Gay advocacy has no choice but to be out of the closet and take on the world, face the forces of morality and address this undue parochialism.

I would like to sign off with this song by the semi-fictional Spinal Tap. I dedicate this to all my gay friends and the Repeal377A advocates. Check out the lyrics and link to the video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqfP2iW65hI.

Listen to what the flower people sayAahhh-

Listen, it's getting louder every day

Listen, it's like a bolt out of the blueAahhh-

Listen, it could be calling now for you

Chorus:

Flower people walk on by

Flower people don't you cry, it's not too late

It's not too late

Listen, it's like a Mozart symphony

Listen, it's something just for you and me

Listen, to what the flower people sayAahhh-

listenIt's getting truer every dayAahhh.

A River Runs Through It

2007-10-22T20:22:00.000+01:00

After spending a day in Dublin, I'm suddenly fascinated by rivers.

I'm suddenly reminded that in many great cities of the world, the river serve not only as a geographical feature but demarcates the cities culturally, socially and even politically. It's almost impossible for me to list down the significance of Thames, Seine and Nile to London, Paris and Cairo respectively. These rivers are heavily impregnated with History, one that has to be spelt with a big capital H.

In Dublin, the river Liffey has been used for many centuries for trade, from the Viking beginnings of the city up to recent times. It also serves to divide the society into two strata. Writer Irvine Welsh, who's been living in Dublin for the past five years, explained as such; "There is a north-south divide in the city - the south is more middle class and affluent. The north has its own bars and shopping districts - Talbot Street, Henry Street and O'Connell Street. There are a lot of people who never cross the river". He didn't explain why but I presume it's because they just don't fit on the other side of the river.

Like all great rivers of the world, Liffey has been immortalised and folklorised in both songs and literature. Dublin's famous son, James Joyce referenced it in both Ulysses and Finnegan's Wake. Even English's Radiohead mentioned Liffey, in their song 'How to Disappear Completely' (from the album Kid A).

No one though, I think, has memorialised a river the way Orhan Pamuk does. He took it much further and revolved, or rather romanticised, his entire memoir around the river Bosphorus in Istanbul: Memories and the City. When I read it last year, I swear I could feel the huzun, the air of melancholy Pamuk describes in his book, permeating my senses. That really tells you how much the river means to him.

The Singapore River too has been immortalised in national songs, music videos and also the award-winning From the Belly of the Carp by Roger Jenkins. Correct me if I'm wrong but there's a discernible difference here. I suspect that the importance of our river has not really entered our consciousness the way the Seine does to the average Parisian. Maybe because of its shorter history. Or rather its way-too-important attachment to our economic history, and not much else. In short, its pragmatic contributions. Or maybe our grandparents and parents didn't really take strolls along the river like how they strolled along the Esplanade of the past. Therefore, the river was not internalised in their memory bank. As a consequent, its relative insignificance.

I hope the children of the future will be more mesmerised, more attached to the Singapore river than I do now. I hope I don't have to pleasure my grandchildren with stories like, "Once upon a time, there was a string of failed restaurants and short-lived nightclubs along this hmm... great river...

Missing the family!

2007-10-21T21:46:00.000+01:00

It's really unpleasant to be away from the family for a long time. And aggravated by the coming of the Hari Raya season.

When I was in Sydney doing my MA, my wife was with me doing hers. We just got married and we were all too eager to leave our parents behind to take a break from teaching and enjoy our married life. In any case, so many people came to visit us in Sydney. My parents, my father-in-law, my siblings, my in-laws, my friend Shaiful and his then-girlfriend-now-wife Julia, friend Chitra, cousins Yati and hubby Ahmad plus baby Nadir were there. Of course Salihin with then-girlfriend-now-wife Chiaki were bonafide Sydneysiders by then (at least according to them). We had a party alright! Boy, we had such good time we came back with a baby in my wife's tummy.

The baby is now, alas no more a baby. More of an almost five old soul. And he misses his daddy. The wife, for sure, misses her hubby too. Thank God for Skype. As for my parents, it's one half now since my dad passed away last month. I'm all alone (alone,not lonely) cooped up in my room. And no one from Singapore has visited me. Yet! Can't wait to meet Jennie and Amily in London this December.

Thank God for my Malaysian friends, who have been more than accommodating in spite of the fact that I'm at least ten years older than most of them. My housemate Naj from Penang cooked fabulously and I don't have to worry so much about missing local food. I sign off with a picture of me and Adam, the son of Ustaz Nabir, who's wife is working here after completing her PhD at Queen's.

Belfast as I saw it

2007-10-21T19:43:00.000+01:00

Belfast.

Huh! Just a month plus here notwithstanding and I've already begun to have a love-hate affair with this city.

It's a nice enough place, almost like any other secondary English cities. Your standard red-bricks buildings and the occasional Georgian, Victorian or Edwardian types, more often than not churches, ex-churches or government offices. Suffice to say that architecturally, it has a weird mix of buildings common in places which still could not reconcile with the architectural history of their pasts (Anyone thinking of Singapore, by chance?). And also, at least for now, it plays second fiddle to Dublin, Ireland's more 'happening' city down south. I'll talk about Dublin later.

The place seems to move at a pace which I am slowly getting used too. SLOWLY. The people are friendly and the university I'm in has a cosmopolitan feel to it. But the bureucracy, or rather the layers of it, is mind-boggling. I took almost a month to open up a bank account, get the card, get the pin number and get the bank draft cleared. And this is just the bank stuff. These guys here must pick up a tip or two from my dearest homeland about efficiency. (steadylah, Singapore!)

Having said that, I completely love its history. Gritty and edgy. The relics of its violent history (murals, walled cities, fences) which I''ve visited completely floored me. How could people ever live in such conditions? I'm also fascinated by the fact that the people here have to juggle with hyphenated identities; Irish, British, Ulsterian.

The local people I met and the media are still grappling with the trauma of their troubled past. But I detected a strong optimism in them. Their desire to put the past behind is already palpable, at least in the section of the city which I'm at.

I wish my adopted city all the best for the future.

WELL, HERE I AM!

2007-10-21T19:09:00.000+01:00

Well, here I am.

I've been thinking about setting up a blog for myself for the LONGEST time. Been too lazy and also with the demands required of a teacher, having a blog seems so decadent. My nieces, Atiqah and Lilah have been incessantly mocking my outdated-ness where technology is concerned. My wife, Nasyitah keeps a blog for herself too (though I suspect she doesn't update it very often).

I am more of an email and Youtube kind of person. Downloading movies and songs are tedium exemplified. Facebook bores me crazy and I apologise to all my friends, especially Syed and Heriaty, for the non-existent response to whack me, pet me, wank me, hotlist me, bite me.....

But now that I am a student back again (half-a-yippee-hooray!), I really have no more excuse NOT to have a blog. I will have more free time, I suppose. And I think having it is kind of a good motivator for me to start writing at length (practices necessary before you have to write long academic essays).

Here goes. Enjoy!!