Emergency Festival

While Suzan was in neighbouring Singapore birthday-feasting, Malaysia was having an Emergency Festival (By the way, I know I already wished you via sms BUT happy birthday Suzan! Happy things must be celebrated!).

Emergency Festival? Yes, Emergency Festival.

No, not the emergency with doctors, paramedics, nurses, really cool ugly wounds and bandages, ambulances, fire fighters, drippers, morphines...

Emergency as in Darurat. Where there is curfew, food and water ration, Britishs, communists/revolutionists, I shoot you you shoot me, I kill you you kill me... you get the picture. Apparently this year marks the 60th anniversary of the Emergency Period. Seriously if it wasn't for this exhibition, I wouldn't have remembered.


Activities during this Festival include exhibition and walkthrough of events, dramas, documentaries and even an aftershow dance floor called Disco Darurat. The sound of it is odd right? Oh, but they play really cool songs from that era remixed. Man if they play this kind of music in clubs here in KL, I think I'll be there every night.

And I'll be very broke.

And my parents wouldn't be too happy. Haha. I guess they pray really hard. And God is a prayer-answering God.


The festival was held at the building next to Central Market (Or was it Central Market itself?). The bunch of us didn't know such place existed until then. So much for being KL-bred.

The exhibition exposed us to the lifestyle of the people in Malaya back then. Which, of course, you don't learn about in high school Sejarah and it's only small pieces of a bigger picture. You know, I wished that teachers would really make the effort to have these kind of interactive learning instead of spoonfeeding and lecturing us. I can guarantee that I learnt more about Malaysian History in that one night alone than the five years in high school combined together.


These papers lying scattered all over the floor of the exhibition hall were actually examples of flyers the Brits distributed (by flying all over the place and throwing papers off the plane literally) during the period to brainwash the Malayan people, portraying Parti Komunis Malaya as blood-thirsty criminals.

Look at how much paper was used by the Brits back then! Global warming culprits.

OK. Here's the deal. In school, History textbooks taught us that: (1) PKM members were bad people with bad intentions and personal greed; (2) they have no god; and (3) mereka merupakan golongan yang terjerumus ke dalam ajaran sesat.

Now, here's a fresh perspective. A different one. We actually get to listen to the stories from the other side. Yes the very people who were accused of treason to the country - the members of Parti Komunis Malaya. While the Brits and textbooks call them Communists, they call themselves Revolutionists.


Here's a picture of the director of the Revolusi '48 documentary (long hair guy) interviewing a former PKM revolutionist (old man) who selflessly shared his side of the story. The one story which had been hidden from us.

Back then, Malaya was rich with rubber and tin resources. The British brought in plenty of manpower from other places, e.g. India. With greed, comes abuse of power. With abuse of power, comes abuse of rights. With abuse of rights, comes the establishment of PKM by the labourers as a movement against the British colonists and as an association which fights and defends for the rights of the labourers in Malaya.

Unlike popular belief (or rather the belief a particular group of people wants us to believe), PKM was not a Chinese party. Neither was PKM a racial party. They were revolutionists who were fighting for freedom and independence from the Brits.

Oh, and one of the rules of PKM is to respect and not degrade women. Anyone who is found guilty of raping a woman will be shot to death on the spot. Fuiyoh! Good right? Haha.

Anyway, the documentary we watched was just a first draft. Can't wait to see the final version!


The hanging boards are actually pictures of life during the Emergency Period. There was also a picture of the very first Identity Card (modern day MyKad). Do you know that as Malaysians, the only proof of our Malaysian citizenship all around the world is our MyKad? If we lose our MyKad, then that's it lah. Aliens we become.

Oh, and Identity Card was introduced by the Brits during the Emergency Period to identify PKM members from the neutral (or seemed neutral). I think this was taught in high school, but I never got around liking Sejarah. Let alone remember facts. I remember Year 1511 as the year Malacca got colonized by the Portugese because 1511 was the Jaring internet dial-up number back then. Hehehe.

Now I know why I always get headache and fever whenever I had to study Sejarah back in high school. I'm allergic to bullshit. So, food for thought... the Sejarah we learn in school - is it Sejarah or Sastera?

All Things New

New Study Table

After I've graduated -_-;

Nevermind. At least now I can mark reports in my room while blasting music on my pc. Actually, this picture was taken few months back (I bought this with Suzan. Yes, while she was still here. Yes, I know it took me a few million donkey years to post this up. Yes, I am getting old. Yes, I am getting slow. Yes yes, whatever...)

Never got around posting it up. It was saved as drafts though. This picture is rather old now. Most of the stuff has changed. Although the positions remain the same. And it's messier. But of course, for picture's sake I'm gonna clean it up a little because I paiseh wanna show you the messy true me.

My room looks very different from the one I've been living in during the years I was roomies with my sis. Well, now she's married with her own house, I am the only mistress of the room and I get to do what I want with it. Muahahaa. Space. I love it. Even my mom was saying that it's easier for her to sweep the floor now.

Oh, by the way. Three computers kaput-ed in my room. It's one problem after another. My old pc hard disc konked. So all my data (including my convocation pictures) are gone. Shit man. Should have burned them into the CD after I got them. Not wait until I finished my honours. Haiyah. So yeah, Suzan, I might need to take the pictures from you again the next time I see you. Haiyah haiyah haiyah.

Then, took my brother's old pc (after he got a new one). Something also went wrong with it. Forgotten what though. I think it was RAM or motherboard problem. Celaka betul. That pc only lasted a month or two.

Then, took the study room's pc. My mom seldom uses it anyway. And if she needed to use any pc, she can just pop into either my bro's room or mine. Still same house, same floor wat... Where got far?? ANYWAY. That one was working fine. In fact, my dad's friend helped us fixed that pc and assembled new hardware. And he has been fixing our pc ever since I could remember. Then came virus attack that ate some of the files required for Windows to run. Yes, as you've guessed it, the computer cannot start up and CRASHED!!

THREE IN A ROW YOU KNOW!! THREE IN A ROW!!!!!

You tell me, my luck with computers very the jia lat or not???

My bro and I were discussing on what's the problem, as my dad just bluntly put it, "Forget it lah... the computers are old and probably condemned."

Now my study table is a house to 4 pcs (as you can see).


Three old and condemned pcs sitting beneath my study table. My room's a computer morgue! At least they come in useful as leg rest and pinter paper storage. Haha.

And the fourth one is a New Computer!!! Huehuehue. I got a new toy from Lowyat.


I think everything is different. Except the printer. And the mouse. I curi-ed the monitor from the study. No logic to me to let this bigger Samsung flat screen monitor to lie there and collect dust, while I have to squint my already-small eyes to see stuff on my old smaller LG monitor hor? :P

Even the speaker's changed. Seems to me that everything changed from white to black. I think I am getting into the dark emo phase.

New Handphone
Now this is really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really old news. I had changed my handphone in uummmm... June? Or July. See, it was so long ago, I don't even remember!

I had been using the same white Nokia 3100. The one who had been with me so faithfully for as long as 4 years. It's worth so much that when I traded in the handphone, it was valued at only RM 40. Hahaha. Yes, that old. Anyway, I traded the old Nokia 3100 for Samsung Slider E950!


I liked the phone because of the design and its features initially. It had 3.2 Megapixel camera... I think it must be the old habitual thing because I don't even remember that I have a camera in my handphone until months later. Seriously. Usually when people have a new toy, they tend to happily explore everything. I, on the other hand... I think I am strange.

I liked it also because it slides. I wanted either a slide phone or a flip phone. But none of the flip phone looked ideal. I don't know why flip phones in Malaysia look so odd. Why can't they be nice and flat and not boring?

It can also play mp3 songs as ringtone while my previous phone can only take polyphonic ringtones. My first ringtone? Super Junior's "Don't Don". Heheheh. My ringtone now is an irony - "Wrong Number" by Dong Bang Shin Ki. When people call me, I hear Changmin singing something in Korean, then DBSK telling me "You got the wrong number, you got the wrong number, you got the wrong number, so don't call me no more". Would be awesome as a caller ringtone right? Hehe.

What I didn't know was the square thing right in the middle of the phone under the Samsung logo was a touch screen that rotates function with different application. Sometimes it'll be arrows up and down, left and right. When I'm using the mp3 player function, they'll be stop play pause, etc. I also stunned. Haha. It is true that I am a pure bred city gal. But technology is moving way faster than my brain can take. But it's cool man. So cool.

P.S. Now I'm thinking of a 4GB mp3/mp4 player.

Jokers

Just when I thought I've seen everything, and that my job was starting to be a little mundane, I see these random things written by some students in the works they submitted. Really. I am not making these up.

They just make me laugh out loud and be happy in the midst of the brain-stress while marking.

Words of wisdom #1

The aim of the experiment was to determine the concentration of ascorbic acid in vitamin C.

O.o A perfect example of blindly doing their reports. The last time I checked, vitamin C and ascorbic acid are the same thing. Sigh.

Words of wisdom #2

Paprika is made from bell pepper.

HAHAHAHAA. That is equivalent to you telling me that strawberries are made from blueberries.

Words of wisdom #3

(First lines in introduction) Why are most plants green? Why do the leaves of some trees turn from green to orange or yellow in autumn? This experiment will help shed some light on this subject.

Speechless. Beyond. Words. Plus, the experiment was focused on chromatography rather than colours of the plants and different types of pigments. Sigh.

And this one has to be the best.

Words of wisdom #4

The chromatography plate developed into a watchglass.

Omo omo! Magic show!!!

My Big Scandal

So yesterday I was just updating my information in my facebook. Thought of removing my status (just like I did in Friendster) because I personally don't like to disclose personal matters online. If the account was purely family and close friends, I wouldn't have minded. But it's not the case now.

I removed my "Single" status. So it is a blank status. And see what happens... I suffered my biggest heart attack when I logged on this morning and found this!!


Helloooooo!! "Daesi is no longer listed as single" does not mean "Daesi is married!" or "Daesi is in a relationship!". Facebook's biggest loophole. Mana tahu that "no longer listed as single" has a heart shape next to it. What lah.. WHAT LAH..

Good thing my parents no facebook, man.

Honestly, I am only 23 and I have no longing for a relationship. Still too much yet to see, too much yet to know. You see, I'm really not the type who would simply go into any relationship if I knew it would get me nowhere or simply because out of peer pressure. If it was really future-less, then I wouldn't wanna waste anyone's time or play with anyone's feelings.

And c'mon lah, if I had a boyfriend, the last thing I would do is immediately announce to the entire world of facebook. My sister and close friends would know first. Not the entire world. The rest of the world can wait.

Shit man, now people is gonna be asking me about this when they see me face to face. Damn damn damn.

Random Ramblings

My computer crashed. For good. Virus attacked, and now hardware problem. Told my dad, he said don't bother fixing it because the computer is condemned already. Yalah, the thing is almost ten years old for goodness sake!

So now, I'm sharing computer with my brother. And obviously the brother wants the computer all the time. To do "work" lah. Somehow, whenever I go into his room, his homework somewhat requires a lot of clicking and computer graphics animation with weapons and people fighting... somewhat reminds me of Civilation 4. Oh well, maybe technology has advanced so much that homework now resembles pc games. To make the students do their homework?? I wonder.

Don't be expecting me to blog often now though since I have no private computer of my own. Blogging ain't fun with people sitting behind you and watching you. Blogging ain't fun when you keep hearing voices asking you "When are you going to be done?" every freaking minute. Blogging ain't fun when there's a risk of people barging into the room uninvited. Blogging ain't fun when a restless being keeps walking in and out of the room. In other words, blogging ain't fun when there's no privacy.

At least now I get to use the sole surviving computer in peace because the restless being is at college. Muahahahaaa...

Guess what???

Ministry of Sound at Monash!! On the 6th floor of Building 3.


But when I went that direction, the corridor was still rows of science laboratories. Some smart, very free and hardworking students actually took time and effort to do this. They have too much time lar, too much time. Maybe should stop cutting down their homework?

And I got eaten by fishes!! Those cannibalistic fishes!!

A few Saturdays ago (Aug 30th), a group of friends from church and I went to Morino Kaze at Bukit Bintang (near Pavillion) to have our legs bitten by fishes. It was the first time for all of us, if I'm not mistaken.


These fishes are not fed breakfast, lunch and dinner. Which is basically why they all swimming furiously towards your legs and nibble nonstop once you put your feet into the pool. The best part is they eat off the dead skin cells on your feet and occasionally legs. Mind you, feet is the part of your body which has the most dead skin cells.

So, you need to get rid of dead skin cells to get smooth and glowing feet. We pay about 30 bucks to dump our feet in the pool for half-an-hour. And these hungry fishes have no food to eat. Not bad for symbiosis?

Yes, it is ticklish when you first put it in. But after a while, when you have a swarm of fishes at it at your feet, it becomes a numbing sensation. Bringing a friend is highly recommended. Good to talk and get your mind off the tickling.

And no, the fishes are not piranhas!


The environment there isn't bad either. You should go try it out sometime.

Heard there is a full body fish therapy. I so want to go try it out. Sometime later. When I am free. Anybody know where in Malaysia or Singapore do they offer full body fish therapy?

Check out this new MV!!


Nobody by Wonder Girls
I never really have a liking towards any of the Korean girl groups. And a strong dislike towards one 9-member girl group. Mainly because most of them sing really bubblegum pop songs with high pitch squeaky voice that might just make my ears go deaf before I turn 40. And some really can't sing. Or dance. Or at least have the personality to compensate for the lack of the other two talents. However, I think I might just make Wonder Girls an exception.

Wish the girl groups would sing more songs with attitude to it like this one. I like the concept of this MV. Very dreamgirl-esque. The song is catchy, not overly sugary-sweet, diabetes-inducing nauseating lyrics. And JYP is hilarious in here. Check it out.

The Smartest Move

How does someone who started all the racial sentiments by saying that the Chinese were merely squatting in Malaysia and thus does not have the right to equity (Isu pendatang yang hangatlah tu) which was followed up by the disrespectful treatment of Koh Hsu Koon (*cough* tearing picture *cough*) in public gets off with a 3-year suspension...

But the reporter who reported all his wonderful theatrical lines in the paper gets detained by ISA?

For those of you who don't know, ISA stands for Internal Security Act, which is under the Home Affairs Ministry, which is akin to Homeland Security and CIA in the United States.

I can't believe my eyes, my ears and the logic. Or lack of it.

The one who said it didn't get arrested for starting all these soap opera in the first place, but the reporter who reported his statements in the newspaper get arrested by ISA instead? And SHE and the newspapers which published the reports are branded a threat to national unity and peace?? WTH???

What? Telling us to swallow whatever insults hurled at us is it? Isn't it enough that we get sidelined in a lot of things?

Why don't us pendatangs go back to where we came from? In spite of my love for Malaysia, I'll be so thrilled. Even if it means that I have to learn Fuzhou from scratch at this age.

May the drama continue. With more smart ideas and plots.

Update: Apparently the ISA arrested the reporter because there were threats on her life. That's what they said. I personally don't buy it. But it's up to you to think whatever you want. I mean, c'mon lah, the very obviously government-controlled newspaper would have reported that she has been "taken into protective custody" instead of "arrested" or "detained" for obvious reasons. And using ISA? Goodness gracious.

Now, give me back our MP!

08.08.08 Olympics Opening Ceremony

I think this is my first time ever to watch an Olympics opening ceremony from start to finish. Not that I forced myself to finish it. The performances just had me in awe and mesmerized. So beautifully choreographed. So intelligently birthed. So intriguingly exciting that it kept me glued to my sofa. Don't even dare move to go to the loo.

The performances highlighted the history of China and its great inventions. Paper. Paint. Cop mohor (what's that in English? Haha. Tak tau...). Peking Opera. Silk Road. Taichi. For every moment I was watching the event live on TV, I remember thinking and feeling proud to be a Chinese and proud that my forefathers were from China.

My Best Moments

The percussion drum performance. This was a brilliant idea. And I mean brilliant. Period. Whoever came up with this idea deserve the award for originality. I mean, how on earth do you use 2008 drummers to do a countdown that looks like digitally programmed and animated??? It's just way, wayyyy, wayyyyyyyyy too cool.

The Chinese singing their national anthem. You could actually feel the pride and patriotism of the people towards their country in spite of any misunderstanding and differences. No vibrations. No falsettos. No R&B turns in the song like what you always see the American singers do. Just the simple melody of the anthem. Each word sung passionately.

When the people underneath the boxes with Chinese characters (resembling a signature chop they use back in those days) opened the cover and waved crazily at the crowd. It is so hard to believe that these boxes were maneuvered by humans by hard practice, because it looked so mechanically programmed. Haha. Now I know that anything is definitely possible when you have the Chinese kiasu-ism.

The lighting of the Olympic torch. We've seen its lighting with lighted-arrow in 1992 Barcelona. But whoa, who had expected suspension high up on the roof top with the Chinese great gymnast running the last lap in the stadium's roof??? So cool. I have never seen so bleak originality and individuality in a single event in my life.

Those were the best moments for me. Another thing I found intriguing was the marching in of the delegates from 200 over countries. This is the most boring segment. But I think this time, people were kept curious and more interested (not that it was sooooo interesting either) because for the first time in the history of Olympics they are marching in order of the Chinese alphabet. God knows how it works. I think it probably go by the number of strokes in the first word. Don't know if the letter of its pinyin actually plays a part.