A reason to forget

Okay I know this is late but I’m going to blog about it anyway.

Already 10 days have passed since the celebration of Valentines Day and during this occasion; several people took the initiative to write something about it. Many of whom either described the occasion with that much romance or just created a mockery out of it.

Hence how can I be left out? Let us now begin with my side of the story.

Last week the local paper wrote, “Valentine’s Day is an endorsement for a man in love – already an irrational and reckless creature at most other times – to elevate absurdity to new levels. Women, often the more sensible of the species, appear to be content to sit back and observed in amusement, as men turn into ingratiating and embarrassingly inept romantics on this day.”

For many of us Valentines Day only pretends to celebrate what we like about love while actually undermining it. Over time, as it ripens over devotion, love is simply a favor rendered, a sudden kiss, a private joke, and flowers for no reason. For those who feel well loved, everyday, of course, is Valentines Day. For the rest, no card can console.

Guess that’s why Valentines Day is often so nicely ridiculed and has inspired its own insurgency, “Singes Awareness Day,” in which the unattached celebrate their solitude. Despite this, looking for a Valentines Day gift is probably the most difficult shopping experience because unlike Christmas, or birthday presents, these gifts reflect not only taste and affection but the degree of commitment as well.

During this day, experts argue, is giving lingerie a turn on or just tacky? Restaurants sweeten the menu and hike the prices; Christian websites offer Valentine messages from God. You can buy a heart shaped potato on Ebay. It comes in a red box.

This got me wondering, how can a mere object, be the measure of love? Are these mortals merely in love with the idea of being in love?

Yet, there’s nothing wrong, of course, with delighting in love and honoring friendship and stopping in the middle of something to tickle the people we love. But it’s also a good sign of psychosocial health if the day just saunters by and winks and you feel no need to pay any sort of attention to it whatsoever.

And I have a legitimate reason for this because, the minute celebrating love feels like a duty, it has already lost its purpose.

So now after 10 days, may I ask how your Valentines Day was?

Penipuan Raya Malaysia

Today marks the 15th day of the Lunar New Year. That means I am already 15 days older than I was since the year of pig. Definitely there will be loads of roasted pigs (kinda’ resembles the end of the year of pig) and even more fireworks being played tonight. Although so the atmosphere at home is different, not because of the New Year, but more because of the New Elections coming.

Campaigns after campaigns are held at different places with desiccated rat-faces giving insubstantial screeches. And if you observe closely you would realize that while you are taking things easy with life, there are many who are battling it out for many reasons, good or bad.

The way I see the world today, standing as an adult 15 days older, the government is going downhill if they do not change their agenda to give back more to the public. Pak Lah is the only man who is saying the economy is going good judging by the GDP but investors are convinced otherwise, what not with the much publicized US recession and Malaysia’s high dependence on export industry.

Let’s just see how far he goes to cover up his lies because in the end of day, when the dust settles down, no one can hide from the truth.

As an ending note, to all of you who are thinking of being a politician in the future, forget it if you are here for the fame and fortune. On the other hand, you should really think about being a humanitarian, it’s really an easier way to serve the public than to first waste public taxes campaigning and then telling them you are here to serve them.

So, have you made up your mind who to vote for? It’s okay if you haven’t because no decision is always also a decision.

P/S: Happy Chap Goh Meh. May you be ‘ratified’ this year! Enjoy the song I've put up. It is suppose to be on the billboard but it's not. C'mon sing with me. Cheers!

CNY breaking news

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Chinese New Year holidays are now over, and the year of rat will certainly be an interesting year that will bring about important events not only in my life but also the world. I described the events to be interesting mainly because they will ensue with eventual outcomes which are still uncertain.

The year of rat marks the beginning of another lunar roller coaster round. In my opinion, the year of rat means a year that will go by sniffing around in drain holes and sewage pipes. This will of course, indirectly influence especially the environment, causing water pollution and nose congestions to the cow, the tiger, the rabbit, the horse, the goat, the monkey and the pig. Yes, nose congestion is the new term for flu.

Facing such inevitable consequences, the rat will have to tell a lie of a mission to remain its pristine condition. Because the dragons will barbeque them for a white lie, the rats will have to tell a lie of a mission instead. And because I am the tiger, I will not speak on behalf of all animals in the population, both urban and jungle however this is a public announcement, that I, the tiger, will be prepared to provide financial incentives for the rats to kindly vanish themselves from potentially affected areas. Yes, financial incentive is the new term for bribery.

Generally, the battle is now on and war has officially begun for the rats to fight for their rights. The snakes have been hissing for too long now and since the rats are ready; they are not going back without victory. It may be human weakness to succumb to temptations but it is snake weakness to wallop every irresistible rat regardless of size. It is definitely a weakness the rats cannot combat with a gun. Hence there will be a major congregation to assist settlements in a very civilized manner. Voting will be held on 8^th of March for them to choose the right snake in the name of rat dignity and democracy. Yes, rat democracy is the new term for snake politics.

On the economic front, the mothers of all roosters have terrorized Bangladesh, Indonesia and Pakistan. H5N1 compatriots have attacked and what’s most obvious is the rats will eventually decide to remain self sufficient and become domesticated vegetarians. They will mingle only among themselves and federal statistics have shown great percentage of favorable outcome to this because it is easy to choose among them (they all have the same face).

This is much unlike the human population, where people often wear a mask and suffer from delusions of adequacy. While human beings are aware of their increasing fatality rate, they still don’t always choose the right people to mingle with. Research has shown that this may be due to the fact that the right people to mingle with prefer to be self sufficient. Yes, self sufficient is the new term for anti social.

Nevertheless the year of rat will usher in with a new president for the USA. Personally the election campaigns both locally and globally have proven that the people worldwide, regardless of the color white, black, yellow, green or purple, have somehow evolved to a higher level of understanding; that there is no such thing as making a difference alone.

Yet there was this confused soul who thinks he can take over the world and had to kill so many people around him to convince himself otherwise. Indeed, George W. Bush, who has obviously made such a mess of his term, that in relation to the rest of the world, whoever replaces him, Obama or Clinton, would certainly be able to make a difference.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

And that is the hope, however naïve it may be, that many of the people in the world hold on to.

I, on the other hand, being the vertically challenged self as I have always been, can only patiently wait for the answers the year of rat will bring to me and the world. Undoubtedly there will certainly be changes ahead; but the real question is – how much?

(Silent and stare at audience with pretentious concern)

Until we meet again the same time, same place, thank you for tuning in to this channel courtesy of CNY news special. Have a nice day and bah-bye!

新年快乐

Seriously, you know the year has flown by when you receive the annual Chinese New Year missive from a far away friend and realise the last time you heard from her was the Chinese New Year before. All of a sudden your knowledge of her life fast forwards to include a death in the family, a new date and a sojourn to Mount Kinabalu and some new strokes for a badminton stunt.

It makes you think, these en masse letters or e-mails that try to sum up one's life of the past twelve months into one or two sheets of paper. It makes you see with alarming clarity that life after all, is quite brief when it comes down to it.

I sat down to think if I should do the same, at least for my friends who are in distant lands and whom I probably will not see until the end of the decade or so. And I thought of what I would say to them. Suddenly, the daily dramas of mom and dad, bro and me at home seemed all too trivial while some other dramas much too intimate to be dropped on to a page so nonchalantly without raising concerns. No point talking about those things. Storms that have passed are bygones. Mentioning them now will only raise belated worrying that is more bothersome than welcome.

Suffice to say, I will most likely forego the idea for myself. Not that there is nothing worth mentioning in my life. But the upshot of it all is that I guess I am happy where I am now today. I still dream of having a size 25. I still wonder what it would have been like if I had not quit pursuing my music degree. I still remember what it is like arguing with nonsensical people and I sometimes realize that loved ones look older when you glance at them unexpectedly.

However the final conclusion I always come to is that there are still many things that is capable of making me laugh. And everyone I love most is still alive and healthy. Which is a miracle in itself these days if you think about it.

I don't have any new clothes this year but I have received quite a few invitations for reunions. In the end I will only probably manage two or three and enjoy them tremendously. If you see me at one, please say hello.

Until then, have a safe holiday season and be with your loved ones. It really is the only way to celebrate.