THAKSIN STEP DOWN...

Apart from the funny-heart warming story of The Pope with his nano Ipod, Thaksin `s decision to step down as Thai `s Premiere worth more spotlights. His resignation eases a lot of the tension that was hanging in Bangkok for weeks now. Thaksin ` exit also saw Deputy PM Chidchai Vanasatidya, holding the post temporarily until “something” popped up. My latter words are due to the fact that Thaksin `s exit, though viewed as many as a proof of how people power rules the day, Thaksin needs to do more than merely stepping down. Worse still, Thaksin `s popularity increase since his step down. According to ABAC Poll, 87% of the poll done in the capital wants the demos to stop and Thaksin `s popularity jumped from 12% to 64% after his decision to resign. Looks like Thaksin emerge as a hero to his supporters overnight. A clean withdrawal from politics or a strategy to win sympathy? Go figure.

What happens now in Thailand is that Thaksin left many unanswered questions and puts the whole Thailand in confusion. Since TRT won the snap election, the Thai Parliament would almost make exclusively of TRT MPs as Opposition whom boycotted the election stands by their decision to “remain outside the parliamentary system to achieve reform”. It’s kinda interesting to see how a parliament will work in the absence of Opposition. But to some extent, my two cent worth to the whole affair is that it will be interesting to see how democracy is redefined in Thailand. Boycott is actually a very powerful subtle tool of protest. But boycott is only powerful in the hands of many as its effect depends on quantity. After the huge demos staged by the people, it is interesting to see how the people will handle a one man show parliament. I am also curious as to whether Thaksin `s step down also lead to the surrender of the economic exploits and contracts granted to his cronies during his reign? An ordinary Thai citizen, when asked on why the living cost in Bangkok is high when in fact majority of Thais are not well off, simply answered ‘Everything went into Thaksin `s pocket”. Coming from the grassroots, this is indeed a powerful testament of how corrupt he is. Anyhow, he asks the Thai people to “let bygones be bygones”. To me, that is damn simplistic. Thai people need more than just being an apologetic lot, they are asking for reform not an apology.

American Gods: Some Reflections

I finished “American Gods” today. I have to say, it was an enriching read from to A-Z. Neil Gaiman hits the bull-eye again. I was introduced to Neil Gaiman (the guy with untidy hair who is trapped in a guy with an untidier hair `s body) just recently. Although I do read few of the Sandman series back in mid-90s, AND I read somewhere about his close association with Tori Amos (they are buddies, apparently) but I never came across Gaiman `s novels at all. WEIRD. Until Borders had this sales months back and I bought two of his novels simultaneously. I fell in love with his stories instantly. It was far better than love at first sight, actually. After I read and finished Neverwhere, Stardust and Anansi Boys, (which is more recent than American Gods), I commit myself to his critically acclaimed novel- American Gods. All I can say, it was a pleasant three days affair.

American Gods is written in the classic tradition of Stephen King `s “The Stand” and to some extent, a contemporary legend which equals to Lord of The Rings in its intensity and colorful narration. But of course, if only Jack Keruoac had written it, as Orlando Sentinel asserted in their review. I on the other hand would call it a contemporary-pop-mythological-road trip.What`s the novel about? As what the title claims, American Gods chronicles how the surviving mythological deities in America (now, a lot more human, aging and depressed) are preparing for a war with the “new gods”, the media, technology internet and modernity. In the middle of this conflict, there is an ex-convict by the name of Shadow, hired by Wednesday, supposedly the old god from Norse mythology- Odin, God of Gallows as his body guard and errand boy. Shadow `s journey with Wednesday across America were both intriguing and surreal. From an ex-convict with very simple mind, Shadow became the right man of a very powerful but aging god who was able to communicate with numbers of gods- Horus, Ganesha, Ibis, Loki, Easter and of course the “winning team” in the battle, Technical Boy, Media, The Agency and The Intangibles. As our protagonist was transported from one place to another and learn about what matter most to him, he finally understand how the battle was a ploy by Odin and Loki to garner more power and to survive in the new world. He was able to stop the battle from getting any worse, but coming out of this experience, a different being. A god, maybe. I read in one of the reviews that Shadow himself is apparently a God by the name of Balder. According to the myth, Loki, (Shadow `s ex cellmate) bore a grudge against Balder and tried to kill Balder using a mistletoe sharpen into a spear, similarly like what Mr. World/Loki suggested in the novel to Laura, Shadow `s dead wife.

Interesting twists, powerful theme plus dreamy multi-faceted fables on the gods, American Gods are far from being some “trashy pointless story”. (Someone said this, so I reproduced her opinion just in case she is reading this). American Gods, surprisingly is a story about the birth of American `s heterogeneous society. Everyone that arrived in America, it seemed, brought along with them their beliefs or faiths. But as the American `s society grew into a more complex society due to progress and modernization, this so-called system of beliefs collapsed, hence, the Gods were left in the cold, with no significance to the people. I guess that’s what American Gods are all about. What actually happens to cultural identity and ancestral roots in a materialistic modern society? Will in the end, beliefs that are suppressed and pushed aside, demands chaos and deaths to ensue in order to return its relevance and significance? Or are chaos and death necessary sacrifices to project power and influence?

However, Gaiman`s description and narration of Shadow`s journey can be a bit tiring and repetitive but that`s like sooo minor compared to the whole story that he offered to us.

A total depart from understanding America through non-fictions, American Gods makes you sympathize with America (if not, at least the Gods) as internally, she is after all very fragile and vulnerable. The more I think that the war on terrorism or propaganda against Islamic world is America `s attempt at misdirection the rest of the world on how "fuck-off" their country is. In the novel, the irony of freedom in America (according to my own interpretation) was well crafted through the incident when Shadow was tortured by Mr. Town and his accomplice (claiming to be the State), whilst his hand palming the One USD coin a.k.a liberty coin. Interestingly, in the absence of any mention on the Greek deities and Jesus, Mr. Ibis remarked in one part of the story, “Jesus are doing well down here”. Surprise! Surprise! In the light of the rise of religious conservatives in America, that sounds like a major understatement.

Far from trying to preach pro-dogma ideals, the novel also projects that God can also be a forgotten ritual of wrath; they can be cruel and bear hatred worse than ordinary beings. Just as much as we claim the new world introduce new illness far severe to human kind – violence, war and poverty….can’t it also be just as possible that the old system of faiths or beliefs solve the human kind `s problem though violence, deceit and misdirection? Hinzelmann (the kobold) is one such example in the book. So are Odin and Loki.

As I finished reading the book, suddenly my mind played a song popular in the mid-90s that goes …”what if God is really one of us”. Blasphemous to some, but perhaps a very important question to most of us that loses faith for a better world.

SUHAKAM

The government finally admits it. Loud and clear. “SUHAKAM was not meant to have teeth”. Nazri rebut Theresa Kok, Pasir Putih MP during Parliament session. Read the news at www.malaysiakini.com for further details. Sad but true. Nazri `s words added more salt to the already severe wound that SUHAKAM had suffered throughout its 7 years of “labor of love” for human rights. The wound that I am talking about here is although the institution was a cause for celebration on 9.9.99, its lack of enforcement capacity leaves the institution with a lot of potential in the dark as to how its proposals on how to improve the human rights situation in the country can be materialized. It’s a sad case actually. How would a fellow friend felt when his advice to his good friend was totally rejected on the grounds “It’s up to me whether I want to accept your opinion or not,” Especially if that fellow friend meant well and wanted the best for his good friend. A case in point when SUHAKAM `s ISA review was simply pushed aside with no acknowledgement or consideration whatsoever.

A day after the demonstration in KLCC on the oil price hike, SUHAKAM again faced humiliation when police had barricaded its entrance and prohibit activists and politicians from entering and submitting a memorandum to the commission. Dato. Siva Subramaniam gave his first ever firm and powerful statement to date since his appointment, “This will be the first and the last time police stops people from coming to SUHAKAM”. The people hope so, too.

We wait with bated breath as SUHAKAM marches through 2006 powerless and marginalized…just like the people.

SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC (20 Aug.1941-11 Mar.2006)

Slobodan Milosevic, former Yugoslav President met his fate in his cell, believed to be suffering from high blood pressure and heart problems. According to BBC.com,he died just months before the scheduled end of his trial for war crimes in the Balkans in the 1990s. His death, as I suspected received diversified responses. Some accepted his death as a way of punishment by God for what he had done but there is also the fear that dying in such way, way before he is proven guilty for what he was charged- Genocide and Crime Against Humanity, makes him an iconic legend in the Serb history. His name will forever be remembered for what he has done and what he believed in but not as a reminder of how justice prevails over one mad man `s ambition.

Cartoonbox.slate came up with this strip.

OIL CRISIS

LOCALLY...

OPEC , IOB, peak oil..these terms are no longer bombastic words that you hear from an economic professor. Since oil price hike hit us common people hard, and since oil stimulates resource wars ( or rather, U.S ) in Middle East, oil becomes the central point to every discussion in town. Locally, two previous demos protesting the oil price hike signifies the hardship this crisis is bestowing on us. We are talking about the rise of fuel price for transportation, cooking oil and food products, plastics...you name it. It is a major blow to us as we try to adjust our already low-income difficult life to the oil price hike. Understandably, all of us greeted our govt. `s advices to save and avoid extravagant spending ( very) unfavorably because we`ve been there, done that. What about them? Would the govt. kindly checked their previous policies and strategy of governance and see whether there is any way of saving the tax payers money for time like this rather then overspending it on artificial monuments for patriotic sake or megaprojects ( read: F1 Formula, Putrajaya, Twin Towers). Maybe inculcating transparency and social justice a bit in ways of how the powers that be do their job would be helpful during these trying times. Sure, lifting subsidy to deter over dependency on government sounds "right" but may the rakyat ask " at whose expense?", "for whose benefit?".

INTERNATIONALLY...

As U.S, #1 in the list of states in high demand for oil, gears up for an attack on Iran, we see the global crude oil supply threatened by "peak oil". This is the fundamental problem that leads to the scarcity of oil in the world today. We have limited resources for energy, all the easy wells has been tapped and whatever left on the planet is the "object of desire" in resouce wars notoriously spearheaded by U.S. The more reason for U.S to attack Iran. Apart from Iran`s decision to set up IOB in their region plus fixing the oil price in Euro, U.S is desperate because all along they realized how Iran can save their ass. According to Michael T.Klare in his essay "Oil, Geopolitics and the Coming of War with Iran", Iran houses the second largest pool of untapped petrol in the world, an estimated 125.8 billion barrels. Although Saudi Arabia possesses larger reserves, it is now producing oil at close to its maximum sustainable rate.

" ...It will probaly unable to raise its output significantly over the next 20 years while global demand, pushed significantly higher consumption in the Unites States, China and India, is expected to rise by 50%. Iran, on the other hand. has considerable growth potential:it is now producing about 4 million barrels per day but is though to be capable of boosting its output by another 3 millions barrels or so....Iran `s importance as a producer, already sinificant, is bound to grow in the years ahead."

Not only oil, Iran also owns a large reserve of natural gas. Estimated at 940 trillion cubic feet of gas or 16% of total world reserve, Iran is only beaten by Russia in the list. Geopolitically, Iran also sits athwart the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which 40% of the world `s oil exports pass. A strategic location plus a potential future energy equation, Iran resembles a beautiful virgin that U.S wish to deflower AND THEN marry. Unfortunately, U.S can't ask for the bride `s hand of marriage due to the Executive Order 12959 signed by Clinton and renewed by Bush in 2004. The Order prohibits U.S from working with Iran in developing their oil and gas supplies. As U.S loses in the competition to get the woman he wants, other suitors such as Sinopec (China), GAIL (India) plus Pakistan are already "engaged" to Iran. I personally think it is not surprising that now, U.S wants to "help" India to build their nuclear power. Perhaps the plan of constructing a natural gas pipeline from Iran to India via Pakistan which the 2 adversaries at last have something to agree on just irked U.S to the core. As much as U.S tries to justify their action of toppling another one of the"Axis of Evil" as preventing the construction of WMD/Nuclear in Iran, the whole world sees OIL painted on Bush `s forehead.

To read Micheal `s T Klare`s article, check http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0411-21.htm.

Baling Membaling

I`m not an avid theather goer, nor do I plan to be one. I went to a show because I want to support my friend`s work or just out of curiosity. Oh, and it has nothing to do with creating possibilities of bumping into Harith Iskandar or Jit Murad. Just in case THAT reason pop-up in your mind. So, the decision to watch Baling Membaling was also made on a simple basis. The theater is going to be about the historic Baling negotiation and and my friend, Mark Teh is directing it where as It is going to be an experimental play where 3 non-actors Imri Nasution, Fahmi Reza and Yong Chia is going to be the central characters. God willing, I might get a different idea about the historical event which otherwise was a very blurry part of my history lesson that did not deserve a second reading.

Frankly, I didn't left the Futsal Court (where the act was performed) a reformed person. But what really made me appreciate the play is how the play allows me to explore the extent of intensity and power struggle that would have been experienced by the actual characters during the real negotiation. The energy manifested by the actors are crystallized by their fast-paced movements and strong dialogues. Fahmi, Yong Chia and Imri `s passing of a very "symbolic" chair at the start of the play marked the beginning of the power struggle between the CPM, Tunku and British. My favorite scene would be the part where Yong Chia dragged himself across the stage by moving the stool slowly and rambling to himself in chinese. Was it a representation of Chin Peng, drowning in the conflict and slowly losing ground in the struggle. And of course the combined forces of Tunku and the British created an evil twin who at last overpowered and toppled the tired looking Chin Peng and stood high on the stool, gloating victoriously. Visually powerful and surprisingly makes me sympathize with the tired defeated soul called Chin Peng.

A Communist sympathizers attempt at garnering support for CPM? No, I would say. To me, it is an honest attempt at retelling the history from the ordinary people `s angle. Our historical books are smoothly written by the victors in our history, we are learning their propaganda, their angles by heart. Do we know the other side of the story? That is our problem. Our judgement is very much clouded by our lack of truth. So, I guess our young generation and I must say really talented group of young people wants to break this vicious cycle of ignorance sponsored by the powers that be. And judging from the play, I can say we have great hopes for them and also for the nation. It takes more young people to take the road mostly not taken and retell the stories of the people as honest as they can. I know Mark has been doing that all this while and god bless him for that.

For a much more incisive quality review of the play published in the glossy expensive Off The Edge magazine ( with less emotional interferences in between the lines, of course ), do visit my friend `s blog - smallacts. blogspot.

BANGKOK ROCK 100..Rocks!

18-19 Feb.2006, Brits finest (and not so fine but I won't give names ) bands played their inaugural gig in South East Asia `s virgin attempt at having Asia `s "Glastonsbury" - BKK ROCK100. Bands like Placebo, Oasis, Snow Patrol, Franz Ferdinand ( Yeay!), Ian Brown ( solo), Maximo Park and The Futureheads rock the Muang Thongthani ground from 6pm up to midnight during the weekends. Me and hubby were actually BROKE from a family trip that we have to "succumbed" to ( out of respect, they are my in-laws) but we also know we can't miss this. We chose the cheaper route to Bangkok- 24 hours train ride plus cheap accommodation at a guesthouse (that surprisingly have nice rooms fir for people with extra cash). We made it to the concert, clean and fresh and I guess that mattered the most because we were damn ready to rock!

All I can say, it was a good concert despite the difficulties we faced in getting there. Eventhough we master the subway and skytrain system in 2 hours upon our arrival, the closest stop to Muang Thongthani still required another 30-40 mins journey with cab. The sound system was good though I don't know why I felt a bit frustrated with Franz Ferdinand`s performance. Maybe they were a bit tired from their previous gig in Singapore but still, I think they were damn energetic. Paul ( my favorite ff, showed off his skills at the drum and outdid Mr Kopranos too). I thought Oasis was great though I am not their biggest fan. My eyes rolled whenever Liam stood motionless and pretend to be bored by the cheering of his fans ( his signature on stage style)...Oh, the ego! Snow Patrol and Placebo also played well and most of us were singing along with Gary Lightbrody, minus the lighters (which was an essential euqipment for moments like THAT) except for one Thai lady that brought with her a fluorescent stick and waved it, all alone from our seating area...Hurrah for her!

My regret was only the fact that I did'nt get to catch The Futureheads.They didn't get enough limelight as Maximo Park despite the fact that I think their neat-sharp-punk-new wave sound would be much more interesting "LIVE". And of course, don't forget Ian Brown, Stoneroses `s former lead, he was surely unforgetable in his shiny fuhscia tracksuits and almost-aerobic movements. He sang two Bob Marley `s songs- one is "Redemption Song", another one I forget the title, to the amused crowd who gotten over their curiosity over Ian `s choice of song and sang together with him.

I definitely, definitely want the festival to be held again next year, in Bangkok or not. And oh, I have my dream list too. If you check out the Bkk Rock100 Community Board, you will see lots of fans listing their fave bands for next year `s line up. here `s mine:-

Otai Bands
1. Muse
2. Weezer
3. The Cranberries
4. Belle & Sebastian (not that "otai" actually, but I just love them)


"Would-be Otai" Bands
1. Bloc Party
2. Keane
3. Arctic Monkeys


Non-Brits Special Appearances
1. Arcade Fire
2. Wolf Parade ( ignore the coincidence that both 1 & 2 are from Canada and shared drummers)
3. Any of the Elelphant 6 Collective surviving bands- Neutral Milk Hotel (?), Apples In The Stereo, Oliver Tremor Control etc
4. Oh..ok, The Strokes, if they must.

Looking forward to Bkk Rock festival 2007!!!

Cartoon Outrage

The Danish Cartoon Controversy seems to get bigger and larger each day. As Muslims around the world display their anger (mostly reactionary and spontaneous) through riots, protests and even lethal threats, the European looked on, justifying the drawings as innocent depiction of their freedom of speech. One comment I read in Blogcritics.org said that the cartoons are satirical and satires are the essence of free speech. Freedom of Speech is the epitome of democracy, another commented. Is it reasonable for the muslims to create such a bloody (literally) furore or outrage over the incident? Must Europe compromise this? How long can we tolerate Islam extremists who would jump on any artists, writers or persons who are expressing their opinion? So on and so forth...the list of comments made me dizzy a bit as I have to digest hatred, dissatisfaction, frustration and lots of assumptions at one go. That is no easy feat considering that I am also a Muslim who are just as sensitive over this issue as any other Muslims in the world. Just imagine, how a cartoon stir such reaction. Not to mention, economic boycotts and political implications- Turkey for instance, is now questioned over its stand which calls for the removal of the cartoons which to some (or many) is inconsistent with the underlying principles and beliefs of EU countries. In another words- one more complain about the cartoons, Turkey, don't even think of joining us in the EU. If EU is putting such pressure on Turkey, then I must asked, " Err...what about Turkey `s freedom of opinion?"

As a full fledged supporter of democracy and human rights, my understanding and exercise of my rights and worldview on this matter would of course very much be influenced by my faith and identity as a Muslim. Are my faith and love for my religion are complicating my democratic beliefs, sometimes I pondered. The answer is NO;but the complexities of society, values and ideologies are. Because as we interact with each other, our biasness, preferences and worldview escape and reshape the outcome of our communications, ideas and opinions. So, am I saying there is no common value that could ensure we all are not going to rip off each other `s throats in the event we disagree with each other? Of course we have. Respect. and Hypocrisy, too (re: how superpowers interact, i mean)

So back to the issue. I seriously don't understand the reason why the cartoons must be drawn in the first place. That` s why I am using the word "innocent depiction". If looking from a satirical point of view, I would have intepreted the cartoon where Muhammad is wearing the turban shaped like a bomb as meaning Muslims including me, who follow the teachings of Muhammad are potential bombers i.e terrorists. Different intepretation would ensue if the figure is replaced with Osama Laden, Yusuf Islam etc (no offends-just examples). My point is what is the point of attacking the ideals of extremism which unfortunately is accepted as "Islamic" globally by potraying Muhammad - known for his gentle and compassionate ways? And the fact that he is a Prophet, doubled the protest.

Thus, rather than those cartoons could potentially open doors for great discourse on Islam in the Europe, it offends first and that kinda destroy the essence of reason for freedom of speech-acknowledging differences. And you know what, rather than looking at this incident as a human rights/moral/freedom of journalism, one must view this incident from the political perspectives too. Would the Muslims `s unprecedent (or precedented) blast of anger merely be angry over 12 pictures ( I heard there is another 3 which is damn more offensive) of Muhammad or could the Muslim `s global response be a reflection of their years of frustration/anger over supression, domination and invasion by superpowers and developed countries? Would they be THAT angry if Jylland-Posten writes about the death toil of civilians in Iraq where thousands of Denmark soldiers are also stationed? Or maybe a critique on how Israel protest the tag "a Palestinian Movie" be used on "Paradise Now", a strong contender for Oscar in Best Foreign Film? I read the idea for these cartoons come up because there `s A writer that is seeking for some illustrations for his latest book and put up a public challenge for anyone who could come up with such drawings. What about that? Why must there be such challenge in the first place?

Perhaps the cartoonists/Jylland-Posten have some brilliant message that they want to share with the society, but that never comes across at all. The only thing that Muslims around the world can think of right now are "You are offending our religion". And I guess its just as fair for Muslims to feel bad or even a bit "disturbed" when other religion is being bad-mouthed or openly shamed. I guess respect applies to all in our plural society. and oh, we have to earn it too.

You must say then, that I agree with all the lethal threats, bloodbath or riots? Well, not exactly. I mean I respect certain sectors of the society that went straight to the newspapers and demand for the removal of the cartoon. but why must we counter these "fishy" provocations and sensationalizations with emotional outrage? I emphatize with the anger, upsetness or frustration at being offended in such way, but I guess such reactions are not going to help us in the long run. It would perhaps reaffirm public `s perception that Muslims are a bunch of extremists. Is it worth it? Or would it be the newest entry point for Muslims to be further misunderstood.

It is not as simple as what I wrote here. If it is as simple, the issue will not prolong and cause political and economic effects. What we need to do now is to direct our capacity and intellect (which I believe most of Muslims are) towards addressing these "innocent depictions" straight on rationally. Some Muslim scholars called for "intellectual distancing" in times like these. Rally if you must, but not with violence and lethal threats. Because demos are also a form of free speech. And the Europeans should know better. Tariq Ramadan, in his article (www.tariqramadan.com) stated that " yes, freedom of speech exist but what about civic responsibilities?", That is a question that THEY should answer.

For further details on Jyllands-Posten, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jyllands-Posten or www.jp.dk. Maybe some background info on J-P would help us to understand the issue better.

Janji Joni & Other Cinematic Ramblings....

"Janji Joni" directed by Joko Anwar - an urban adventure indeed. Lack of creativity leads me into borrowing JJ`s tagline but true to these words, JJ IS a pop cinematic potrayal of urban Indonesian. And what an adventure it is! Who would have thought that working as a film delivery man could be as interesting and as cool as Joni`s own daily experience? Semi-road movie with enough dose of villains and romance. Another gem from Joko Anwar, I believe!

Joko Anwar is part of Indonesia `s young generation of directors. He wrote "Arisan" which I get to watch in Bandung, a hillarious movie about the monthly gathering organized by a group of social ellite that ends up with lots of comical incidents and turbulences as well. That is what special about Joko Anwar, he picks up the stories of ordinary people (especialy those living in urban Indonesia) it could be a one day affair like "JJ", but present the stark reality of ordinary people `s life in the richness of cinematic glory, plus his popular cultural approach makes his film warmly received by the Indonesian young generation. So, that is the reason, I guess that Joni ( besides the Nicholas Saputra factor) being an ordinary character (similarly like our pirated cd vendor hero in "Sepet") is such an endearing depiction of a struggling young man in the middle of the city who discovered throughout his film delivery journey that honesty is not necessarily the best policy. A bit anti-heroic but nonetheless, realistically potrayed. I read somewhere, he also either write or direct a movie in 2003 called "Joni Be Brave" - also a one day affair story of a fresh uni grad`s experiences on his way to his job interview. I am trying to get hold of that movie so, anyone `s reading this and know where I can get a copy of the movie, give me a shout OK?

So, I say, go and watch the film. It is better than "Salon" and "Gol and Gincu" (personal view, jgn. marah). To me, this sort of films require a lot of in-depth understanding of what is actually the local culture of the mass, be it urban or not. Pop culture movies, despite the pop, arty, modern or hip impression it gaves are to me, the most fun and subtle cinematic introduction to one`s culture and lifestyle. Despite the branding, I always wish some of our local production will not take pop culture movies as simply box-office smasher but also as movies that tell OUR stories to the others and remind US of who we are and what we are capable of doing. I like Yasmin Ahmad`s popular tagline " I make stories for my parents to watch" because with such personal hope, she makes movies that everyone, not just her parents want to watch and appreciate.

I would like to end this cinematic rambling with just a point for us to ponder: When will our society start to appreciate small movies with a big heart as opposed to big budget movies that lack passion? Peter Jackson `s works as far as LOTR 1-3 and King Kong are concern, would negate my latter opinion but I guess other film makers who could not get the luxury of budget that Jackson gets should not whine for bigger budget if they could not get the "heart" of the their movie in the right place.

Like Yasmin Ahmad `s another meaningful quote: " We don't need bigger budgets, just bigger ideas".

KING KONG ...roar!!!

I watched “King Kong” before Christmas but it never occurred to me that the movie could be a great topic for discussion, I mean beyond the ape and man relationship. After talking about the movie with several friends and hubby, I realized that the movie projects various dimensions of social, political and historical output. With the Great Depression as its background and the plight of black people in America during that era, King Kong “carries” the weight of social context and political critique on its metaphoric back, fashioned to be an action packed movie full of jungle adventure and romance. Another interesting aspect of the film is also observing not how “beauty killed the beast” but also how “machoism wins the beauty”. Jake Driscoll, the socially progressive playwright has not chance against the physically strong and “macho” King Kong in winning Darren `s heart. Driscoll is merely a replacement; a person that Darren holds on in the last scene AFTER King Kong fell and died. This is in fact a study on the art of human behavior and the attraction between Kong and Darren is not literally an interspecies relationship (as I read in some of the reviews on line) So, I did some research and discover a few interesting stuffs for us to get to know Mr. Kong better:

http://www.ejumpcut.org/archive/onlinessays/JC06folder/KingKong.html
http://www.ejumpcut.org/archive/onlinessays/JC04folder
/KingKongHistory.html
http://www.kongisking.net/history
http://www.unmuseum.mus.pa.us/kingkong

Don’t forget, that Malaysiakini.com reported previously that our local folks sighted ape-like life form in the interiors of Johor. The Jakun indigenous people have some “haisy” encounters with the giant ape and the existence of these ‘Big foot” was confirmed by our Malaysian Nature Society. Hmmm...

Corporates that violates human rights...

A friend forward me a report by Global Exchange on "Most Wanted" Corporate on planet earth for being perpetrators of human rights abuses. As much as these corporates that you find on the list, reshape local cultures and create lifestyle icons, they are also the think tank, wizard, mastermind behind a lot of world `s issues such as enviornmental destruction, abuse of public fund, forced dissapearances, child labor, workers` s rights repression and widespread health problems too.

Its always great for us, consumers (with/without conscience) to know what do these MNCs offer apart from well known brands and of course, style... Below, are a brief outlook on some of these wanted corps.:

CATERPILLAR. For years, the Caterpillar Company has provided Israel with the bulldozers used to destroy Palestinian homes. Despite worldwide condemnation, Caterpillar has refused to end their corporate participation in house demolition by cutting off sales of specially modified D9 and D10 bulldozers to the Israeli military. Peace activist Rachel Corrie was killed by a Caterpillar, D-9, military bulldozer in 2003. Since Rachel's death at least three more Palestinians have been killed in their homes by Israeli bulldozer demolitions.

CHEVRON. From 1964 to 1992, a toxic "Rainforest Chernobyl" was unleashed in Ecuador when Texaco (now owned by Chevron) left more than 600 unlined oil pits in pristine northern Amazon rainforest and dumped 18 billion gallons of toxic production water into rivers used for bathing water. The toxic crude oil and formation water seeped into the subsoil, contaminating surrounding freshwater and farmland. As a result, local communities have suffered severe health effects, including cancer, skin lesions, birth defects, and spontaneous abortions

COCA COLA. Between 1989 and 2002, eight union leaders from Coca-Cola bottling plants in Colombia were killed after protesting the company's labor practices. Hundreds of other Coca-Cola workers have been kidnapped, tortured, and detained by paramilitaries who intimidate workers to prevent them from unionizing. In India, Coca-Cola extracted 1.5 million liters of deep well water, which they bottled and sold under the names Dasani and BonAqua. The groundwater was severely depleted, affecting thousands of communities with water shortages and destroying agricultural activity. The remaining water became contaminated with high chloride and bacteria levels, leading to scabs, eye problems, and stomach aches in the local population.

DOW CHEMICAL Dow Chemical has been destroying lives and poisoning the planet for decades. The company is best known for the ravages and health disaster for millions of Vietnamese and U.S. veterans caused by its lethal Vietnam War defoliant, Agent Orange. In 2001, Dow inherited the toxic legacy of the worst peacetime chemical disaster in history when it acquired Union Carbide Corporation and its outstanding liabilities in Bhopal, India. Dow refuses to address its liabilities in Bhopal or even admit their existence.

DYNCORP/CSC. Private security contractors have become the fastest-growing sector of the global economy during the last decade¡ªa $100-billion-a-year, nearly unregulated industry. DynCorp, one of the providers of these mercenary services, demonstrates the industry's power and potential to abuse human rights. While guarding Afghani statesmen and African oil fields, training Iraqi police forces, eradicating Colombian coca plants, and protecting business interests in hurricane-devastated New Orleans, these hired guns have bolstered the security of governments and organizations at the expense of many people's human rights.

FORD MOTOR COMPANY. The US addiction to oil is linked with a host of human rights and environmental problems, including human rights abuses in countries such as Nigeria, Ecuador, Sudan, South Africa and Indonesia. It has prompted the US government to cozy up to human rights violating governments such as that of Saudi Arabia; pushed indigenous people off their land; destroyed hundreds of thousands of acres of rainforests; fueled wars for oil, such as the war in Iraq; and polluted cities, endangering the health of millions of people. Automobiles are the single largest consumer of oil in the US, and among US automakers, Ford is the worst. Ford has the worst overall fuel economy and highest greenhouse gas emissions.


KBR (KELLOGG, BROWN AND ROOT): KBR provides logistical support for war, occupation and unlawful detention. The company provides key support services that enable the US troops to continue their occupation of Iraq. Many third-country national (TCN) laborers have been hired by KBR to work in Iraq These TCNs, once in Iraq, are often forced to put in 10 hours or more a day of hard labor, seven days a week, They sleep in crowded trailers, lack adequate medical care, and wait outside in scorching heat to eat "slop." KBR also constructed the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, where hundreds of detainees have languished for more than three years, many of whom have suffered abuse and torture.


LOCKHEED MARTIN. Lockheed Martin is the world's largest military contractor. In 2003, the year of the Iraq invasion, the company held $21.9 billion in Pentagon contracts. Providing satellites, planes, missiles, and other lethal high tech items to the Pentagon keeps the profits rolling in. Lockheed is a classic war profiteer. The company advocates war and then profits from it. Lockheed Vice President Bruce Jackson was a key player at the Project for a New American Century, the intellectual incubator of the Iraq war. Since 2000, the year Bush was elected, Lockheed's stock value has tripled.


MONSANTO. Monsanto promotes mono-culture¡ªthe practice of covering large swaths of land with a single crop. This practice pushes out subsistence farms and destroys arable land by drastically decreasing soil and water quality for years, draining soil of key nutrients. Monsanto is the world's leading producer of the herbicide glyphosate, marketed as "Roundup." Roundup is sold to small farmers as a pesticide, yet harms crops in the long run as the toxins accumulate in the soil. Plants eventually become infertile, forcing farmers to purchase genetically modified Roundup Ready Seed, a seed that resists the herbicide. Exposure to Roundup Ultra is documented to cause cancers, skin disorders, spontaneous abortions, premature births, and damage to the gastrointestinal and nervous systems.

NESTLE. Nestle buys cocoa beans for its chocolate from farms that use illegal and forced child labor. The company is the third largest buyer of cocoa from the Ivory Coast, has processing, storage and export facilities there, and is well aware that even the US State Department estimates that some 109,000 children are working on cocoa farms in the Ivory Coast under the worst and most hazardous form of child labor. This summer, the International Labor Rights Fund and a Birmingham law firm filed a class-action lawsuit against Nestl¨¦ and several of its suppliers on behalf of former child slaves.

PHILIP MORRIS (a.k.a. THE ALTRIA GROUP INC.). Nearly five million lives per year are claimed by the tobacco industry, whose product results in premature death for half the people who use them. Among tobacco companies, Philip Morris is notorious. It is the world's largest and most profitable cigarette corporation and is also a leader in pushing smoking with young people around the world. Although the company says it doesn't want kids to smoke, it spends millions of dollars every day marketing and promoting cigarettes to youth. Overseas, it has even hired underage Marlboro girls to distribute free cigarettes to other children and sponsored concerts where cigarettes were handed out to minors.


PFIZER. Pfizer is the largest pharmaceutical company in the world, and is also one of the worst abusers of the human right to universal access to HIV/AIDS medicine. Pfizer produces the anti-retroviral drug fluconazole under the name Diflucan, and sells it at prices that poor people with AIDS cannot afford. The company refuses to grant generic licenses of fluconazole to governments in countries like Brazil, South Africa, or Dominican Republic, where patients are forced to pay $20 per weekly pill, though the average national wage is only $120 per month. ?

SUEZ-LYONNAISE DES EAUX. Suez has made billions of dollars in profits turning the human right to water into an unaffordable luxury. Suez has raised water rates, cut off the water of people unable to pay, refused to extend services to poverty-stricken neighborhoods, and then threatened legal action when contracts are terminated. For example, in Manila, Philippines, after seven years of water privatization under a Suez company, studies showed that water rates increased in some neighborhoods by 400 to 700 percent, and the negligence of the company resulted in cholera and gastroenteritis outbreaks that killed six people and severely sickened hundreds more.

WAL-MART. Wal-Mart maintains its low price level by allowing substandard labor conditions at the overseas factories producing most of its goods. The company continually demands lower prices from its suppliers, who, in turn, make more outrageous and abusive demands on their workers. In September 2005, the International Labor Rights Fund filed a lawsuit on behalf of Wal-Mart supplier sweatshop workers in China, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Nicaragua and Swaziland. The workers were denied minimum wages, forced to work overtime without compensation, and were denied legally mandated health care. Other worker rights violations that have been found in foreign factories that produce goods for Wal-Mart include locked bathrooms, starvation wages, pregnancy tests, and workers being fired and blacklisted if they try to defend their rights.

Check out the website:
http://www.globalexchange.org/getInvolved/corporateHRviolators.html

From Montreal To Hyderabad

It has been EONS and EONS ago since I last spill my guts, worries and silly reflections in this blog a lot of things that took place in my life since end of August deserves some write-up but I was too busy being busy that everything just slipped out of my control. Hardly.

2005 finally comes to its end. Bush opted not to repent over his war against terror magna-disasters, 14 WTO protestors got arrested in HK and manhandled brutally by the police, Sufjan Steven hailed 2005 `s list of best albums with "Illinois" ( I don't really like the album), Sagong Tasi case overturned archaic precedent on Orang Asli`s right to land, we have a local musical production of "Cinderella" and the list of happenings go on.

Come what may, level of Orang Asli `s poverty is still troubling, squatter `s areas are still a major attraction to "guided" arsonists, CSI: Miami is still better than CSI: New York, (on that matter: Jonathan Togo still is better looking than that Szmanda-guy), Haruki Murakami is still too metaphisically challenging for me, King Kong 2005 awed me more than King Kong 1933 ( Well, Jackson awed me more than any of the "King Kongs" cause he lost weight alot) and Coldplay`s X & Y is still a sad case of an overhyped and overly anticipated album of the year.

What happened to me last month? I went to Hyderabad for a wonderful workshop on justpeace education, met a lot of great people who humbled me to the core. Compared to my stay in Mumbai, I survived Hyderabad a lot more better what with beriyani, kulfi, prata and the works. I brought back some extra pounds as a remembrance of how good food kill your motivation to diet. The historical splendour of the place touched me in so many ways - the old forts, vibrance of culture, community struggle for justice. The city is ROMANTIC. Henry Martyn Institute, the place that I stayed was so calm and serene that "Built To Spill" or "The Futureheads" sounded a bit out of place. So, I did a lot of singing on my own, slow sentimental lullabies which I guess are worthy of review by NME or Pitchfork anytime..hehehe.

What did I learn from the trip. Infinity. Everything sort of spelled "NEW LESSON" or "OH, WOW! DISCOVERY!". And the trip to Hussain`s small bookstore in Hyderabad `s new city was awesome. the limited space of the store was power-packed with eccletic choice of genres and authors. I went out of the store Rs.3000 less but with a broad satisfying smile. From Hyderabad, I sort of travelled to Montreal when I listened to Montreal `s latest indie rock edition- Wolf Parade. I still could not get hold of the Cd. Andrew, the guy with "SUB-POP connection" are still waiting for the cd to be shipped to our shore. But, thanks to radio.blog, I can still stream some of their songs into my online jukebox. There `s a lot of comparison being made to the group with "Modest Mouse" and "Arcade Fire". But don't you think it is inevitable since Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse is the album's producer and Arlene Thomson ( WP `s drumer) used to drum for AF (not Akademia Fantasia, OK!). But these comparisons do not in any way jeopardize WP` s sounds and credibility, in fact, they come up with a strong debut that tops the list of this year `s debuts. How to describe their sound?- rich, haunting and the music has the tendency of sticking to your head for a long time. Some claim they lack creativity andis repeating Af and MM `s formula to success. Sure. reviewers will be reviewers. its the common people like us that matters. so I say there are two types of bands in the world. First-those who tried to blend sounds in the name of creativity and make it damn difficult for people on the streets to swallow and tried so hard to prove how 'revolutionary" their sounds are and second-those who are good at doing what the former bands had done. Those who get it right despite the fact that hundreds of bands "think" they `ve done it right. Those who polish the sound and take it a level up without being unoriginal or messy. WP falls in the second category.

So, from Hyderabad to Montreal, I experienced the old and new, the culture and the music, the history and attitude.. I absorb all these excitedly as I await what 2006 brings to me.

That means Franz Ferdinand in Bangkok!!!!!!

Goodbye Lenin!

Last night, I watched Germany `s highest grosser in its history of film industry, "Goodbye Lenin!". A film by Wolfgang Becker,the film boasts a great cast with Daniel Bruhl in the lead and other unknown names (to me) but perhaps very popular in Germany. The story is about Christiane Kerne ( a commited Socialist) , an East Berlin citizen, who fell into coma after she saw his son was involved in a street demonstration against the government on the eve of regime change in DDR. She woke up 8 months later, missing the changes that took place in her country after the reunification of Germany and collapse of Berlin Wall-the arrival of foreign products, in East Berlin `s market like those pickled jars from Holland, Coca-Cola and of course, the "burger we all love": Burger King. Both of Christiane`s children, Alex and Ariane were advised by their mother `s physician not to put their mother in any state of shock as that would be fatal to her and of course, the demise of DDR would be a hell of a shocker to her. Alex, with the help of his sister, newly found girlfriend, Lara, Ariane`s zombie-like love interest, their neighbours and of course his pal at the satellite company did everything within their power to re-create the Lenin era within their apartment. This include producing fake DDR News broadcasts that worked out so convincingly that his mother was reassured from her bed, that East German is still safe under the ruling of the Socialist government.

The movie was hillarious but had, between the funny scenes and lines, hints at re-painting the reunification of Germany from an ordinary citizen point of view, "ossis" as the former East German `s citizens are termed, had known the life they led behind the wall for a long time. How would they deal with the reunification? How would they swallow the rapid changes that are attacking their old social construction? No doubt that most of them are unhappy of the Socialist which explains their escape to the West, but once, the other half of them could still claim "this is my country". I remember the old man who kept murmuring as he walked, "After 40 years, and this is what we get?". It`s an expression of frustration and longing for things to be back to normal. But no one pays attention to him. Just like what the superpowers and the powers that be in the country did to the people. The divide and reunification of Germany is the result of political play and power struggle of the authorities. It abandoned the feelings and opinion of the people. So, the elaborate outlook on how ordinary people in East Berlin, young or old, dealt with the historic event is a refresher.

A friend that watched the movie perceives it as a critique to the DDR government, speicifically referring to Sosialist government as backward and unable to accept modernisation, progess and the important drive of free market. This was represented by Christiane `s character itself. She died believing that Lenin won after all. She believed the lies. Her loyalty to the party extended to a hillarious level that she believed West Germans would flee to East Germany to escape the seduction of capitalism? Its a question of loyalty vs fact. It is also an attack right to the jugular for Socialism. Is Chrisitiane character an allegory to Socialism?

The Westernization of culture was presented in colorful and incisive scenes; discos, Coca-cola, joints, satellite tvs,nudity etc and some of Bach pieces were played at the background here and there, reflecting East German `s sense of pride with Bach Sebastian, the great musician from East German. The scene involving Christiane asking how come a huge Coca-Cola banner escaped the wall was funny. Alex `s concocted explanation went down well with his mom including the part where he claimed cola was founded in East German. Well, speaking of symbolism, the part where the helicopter carried part of Lenin statue away as Christiane looked on to me, represents the departure of Socialism from DDR.

What can I say about the movie? go and see it. Some of the jokes work if you are aware of Germany `s stuffs but throughout the movie, you won `t miss out the gist of the movie despite of your ignorance of Germany `s culture and social construct. In my opinion, it is a movie that motivates you to learn more about what actually happens to the people in East German during that era 1989-1990. At least, that` s what the movie did to me.

Note: Wolfgeng Becker was born and lived in West Germany his whole life.Hmm....

Are you hoping for miracle? Bloc Party `s here!

I was away for quite some time. let `s just say last week, I was constantly on the run with limited number of clean cloths and various places to go. So, it is understandable, I guess for me to overlook a one and half month-year-old email from one of my music informer, Fahmi. He sent me a new single from a new post-punk group from U.K called Bloc Party. The name of the group could be misleading ( re; suggesting techno-dance-party tune)but that is the only thing that we should ever regret. Far from being a duplicate of any other bands around, Bloc Party carries its tune with confidence, great skills and enough intellectual creativity that put average rock bands to shame. After a repeated listening to "Banquet", off I went to Music Zone, Pertama Complex to grab a copy of their debut album.

With a minimalist touch to the lyrics and a fresh combination of post-punk and disco in the music arrangement department, no wonder they are hailed as the Sound of 2005.In BBC `s poll for the Sound of 2005, this gang of four fall just behind The Bravery in the final poll. Apart from having 2 singles that landed on U.K Top Chart, Bloc Party is well received by lots of music critics as the next big thing, compared to "Franz Ferdinand" constantly plus going for tours in Japan and U.S recently. Their debut album- 'Silent Alarm' is what I called an album that is produced with utmost care, affection and seriousness that lots of new rock bands seem to neglect. NME hailed them as the vital rock band since The Clash whereas Pitchfork review gave them a 8.9 for their perfect effort on their debut.

But what `s interesting about the band is not only about their multi-interpretative lyrics (which can be both personal account or political to some extent) but also their persona and wit that shone during their interviews with the media.Far from being a "fuck off-i don't care about the others but only my band" type of rock band, their concern about reaching out to grassroots from all levels and not only stylish hipsters are painfully sweet.

Just read Matt Tong `s words during the interview with BBC UK,"We've never really believed in lionising cultural icons to the extent that their emulation makes inroads into individual expression.." plus "If we had to stand against anything, we'd probably want to stand united against complacency".

With Kelle, the lead singer who is black and Matt Tong who `s Asian, their motto of ensuring that their music is inclusive in approach and not enjoyed only by elitist hipsters resonates hopes for a fresh rock band image that is not only tied to drugs and groupies. I quote again from the interview that Bloc Party is not your average brainless rock band. But the best part is that they project their creativity and intellect honestly without being big headed about it. Hopefully, they would stay that way at least until the end of this year.

My personal favorite tracks: Helicopter, Banquet, Positive Tone and Like Eating Glass.

Let`s enjoy what Bloc Party `s offering us now and start worrying about the future later. I guess they are taking the same approach too:

Asked what the band stand for, Tong says: "If we had to stand against anything, we'd probably want to stand united against complacency.

"Then again, it's all good me saying that, bright eyed and bushy-tailed at the start of our little journey.

"Try asking us again in 10 years time when we all look like Keith Richards and have fathered numerous illegitimate children across the globe."

THE RUSSIAN CONNECTION

Back at work after a job trip to Sabah. Spent the night at a hotel which uncannily reminds me of the Bates Motel in "Psycho". The tivi only offered two channels - RTM2 and a "monitored" ASTRO channel. What I meant by "monitored" is that while I`m watching the ESPN Channel, suddenly, the menu appeared on the screen and some invisible force, without my consent, switch the channel to something else. Thank god, the CNN channel was on for a long time, so I get to catch up with some interesting news- A380 maiden flight, more than 80 passengers died in a train crash, some unidentified Hong Kong-China legal crisis etc....as I was on my 150th kuaci, then, I saw Putin emerged (not from the bathroom) but in the tivi, all smiley, waving the diplomatic wave with Sharon beside him. Putin is visiting Israel apparently or unless CNN thought it `s a great joke to superimpose both state leaders in one news feature photo. So, Putin has lots of agenda in hand.

Surprisingly, I am not surprise. Putin was in Israel in 1997 and 1998, but that was before he is President. The visit was hailed as "historic" as the politically observant lot out there realized how was (or maybe is) the Russian-Israeli relation. Despite Moscow `s gesture of solidarity during the 1948 Israel-Arab War ( Russia helped Jews get arms from Czech ), Russian switched support and backed the Arabs from 1955 to mid-70s. During the 1956 Sinai Campaign, Russia threatened to attack Israel. Oh, don't forget that the Israelies will still remember how the Russian pilots attacked their Skyhawk before they ambushed the Russian pilots- Israel-5, Russian-1. What a prolific record of feud!

Now, Putin wants to be nice and start a whole new chapter with the Israelis. What`s in it for Putin? For a man who is a President that can launched thousands of missiles, what`s in all this for him? C'mon, there must be prawn under the mee! Lets hear from Sharon himself:-

Reporter: Mr. PM, what do you think of Vladimir Putin `s visit to your country?
Ariel Sharon: what do I think? Is he here to claim for the fighter jet we ambushed in the 70s?
Reporter: No, Mr.PM, I think he `s here to start a new harmonious relation with Israel, care to make any comments?
Ariel Sharon: Oh, OK...I feel the Russians are eager to become an empire once again.

The phrase in bold is in fact his true statement. However, the news reported that spokesman for the Russian Embassy in Tel Aviv, Alexei Drobinin has maintained that the visit is designed to promote relations between the two countries, discuss the whole range of issues relating to the bilateral cooperation and the Middle East process. In short, it is a nice visit, no "gaduh-gaduh"!

I don't know. as a blur layman who has no political science degree, I`m betting on the I-want-to-build-an-empire reasoning. Sounds a lot more dramatic and cool. Sounds a lot more like Putin, exactly. Russia is one of the Quartet that drafted "the road map" (read: plastic attempt that calls for reciprocal Israeli and Palestine confidence building measure) I am calling it a plastic attempt because United States ( the State that sells arms to Israel ) is part of this. After playing the low-profiled peace broker behind the road map, it seems Putin wants to make Russia `s presence noticed. he`s planning to have a Peace Conference on Middle East in Russia!
Would Israel and US enjoy the idea of having a third party intervene in their concocted plan? Haaretz press noted that "the Prime Minister never had an intention to let anyone, except Amricans, have a foothold in the political process".. I would have added " especially a State that `s selling SA-18 anti-craft missiles to Syria and supported Iranian nuclear program. The Russian connection is reviving in the Arab world. Another aspect that I guess does not rest well with Israel is that the Russian connection is also growing in their own backyard. Historically, Russian Jews that could not agree with the rise of Russian nationalism came to Palestine and were among the Israel `s founding fathers. Sharon `s parents were also "refugees" that fled Soviet rebels and came to Palestine. 1 million people emigrated from the former Russia to Israel in the last 15 years. This surely affects to a certain extent, the cultural and social aspect of the Jewish community in Israel. Oh, Sharon himself speaks Russian by the way.

With this mumbo-jumbo facts and profiles of Russian-Israel love-hate relationship, what have I formulated? Number 1- Russia wants to make a strong come back and put the State in an influential position in the global politics. Taking a frontline peace broker position in the Palestine-Israel peace talk uplifts the State `s profile ( if not credentials) some notches up, almost like attempting to level themselves with US as world super power. Number 2- the Russian connection in Arabs to me is primarily the "money-connection". Russian `s building up on their arms business in the conflicting Middle East pretty well. Number 3- I am sceptical about Putin wanting to use this platform to tighten Russia `s ties with the Israel`s citizens who are Russians. Putin even wants to extradite three of the "oligarchs" - the Jewish tycoons that won their riches during the Soviet Union break up and resided in Israel. Why the extradition? To give them a banquet dinner once they are back in Moscow? I doubt it.

State leaders who are peace-broker "wannabes" so far had very poor record in performing their task. If there is no gain in the engagement - profit and power, would these countries be willing to throw in time and money in the prolonging peace process. All that is obviously a long-term investment for their own interest!

ISA7 is FREE at last!!!

I would like to write on Karam Singh Walia `s award as this year `s Tokoh Maulidur Rasul or the suggestion to quaratine people living with HIV/AIDS today...but all those news just have to wait! After four years of waiting in the dark, the seven students charged under Police Act 1967 for participating in an illegal assembly on June 8 2001 [ dubbed as ISA7 ]are finally acquitted and release from all charges for good!
Being an "ardent fan" of this 7 spunky young men plus romantically invoved with one of them makes me a close observer of this case all this while.With the positive decision, these students are now, able to continue with their studies in their respective universities and complete their degrees. Hats off or "tabik spring" to the Magistrate Mohd Khairie Haron for coming to a fair and enlightened decision that even the so-called intelligent university top-levels cannot even think of.
What then this decision means to the student movement out there? Are their resistance finally prove its point? Or is this the end to their call for reform in universities and "bye-bye" to the sacred student activist favourite mantra "Mansuhkan AUKU"? The answer is a determine NO.

The acquittal of ISA7 proved beyond doubt that these students are not guilty and was never guilty. I did'nt say this- the Court decided. Therefore, the four wasted years of being suspended by Universities and also some of the cruel remarks and conditions made by the Uni authorities throughout the ordeal is downright baseless, undemocratic and draconian. ISA7 was punished before they are proven guilty of the charges by the Unis. The punishment is a lot more unreasonable and utter nonsense when at the end of the day, they are after all not guilty. We have AUKU 1974 to thank to.

SO, my personal belief is that this is just the beginning to a more meaningful struggle for the student movement. A clear cut case of violation of human rights legitimize by the law.

To ISA7- Congratulations!

THE VEIL

The Veil
Originally uploaded by Gee Silver Kitty.

My Personal Choice of Comic. Why don't you guys give this comic a try too?

NEW POPE IN THE BLOCK

Cardinal Ratzinger
Originally uploaded by Gee Silver Kitty.

With the death of John Paul II, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, 78, now takes the late John Paul II `s place as the Pope; the strongest position in the Catholic Church.He was the favourite candidate for that position and was known to be closed to the deceased. Frankly, I never give this matter an inkling of thought. Maybe because a). I am not a Christian, b). During my 26 years of lives, all the Popes looked and sounded the same to me ( I could never tell which one `s Pope Paul VI or John Paul II..) and maybe c). the whole affair concerning the Vatican Church and Cardinals sounds like a dry subject and to a certain extent, there `s this sub-conscious form of restraint which automatically stops me from making any comments about other religion `s leaders/prophets. And then....enter "Angels & Demons" by Dan Brown. Suddenly, the quasi-fictious plot of that novel prompts me into taking just extra concern over what happens behind the walls of the Vatican Church.Although, I admit the melodramatic blurring plot-line between the real truth and fiction of the novel plus a minor romance thrown in piqued my curiosity a lot too. So, when I watched the LIVE telecast of the burial ceremony of Pope John Paul II in ASTRO, a notion struck me - "He `s gone, but who is taking over?" Regardless of how conservative people think these religious symbols are, religious symbols such as Imans, Popes, Dalais are living representations of the religion in question. Religion is actually a useless dogma without a certain framework and system which upholds it. The framework and system in question is very much fed by the teachings and intepretations of men ( it can also mean MEN ). So, what the religious leaders say or do in the name of his or her religion greatly reflects the religion itself. A noble quest, I am sure but a heavy burden, too. So, it is also pertinent, I guess for me to do a little bit of researching and get to know this new Pope. My findings are pretty disturbing, to say the least but I let you guys decide.So, without further preach, may I introduce you to the new Pope himself- Pope Benedict XVI.

Name:Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger
Age: 78 years old
Origin: Bavaria, Germany ( That makes him the Cardinal of Munich in 1977 )

Background Check:
- At the age of 14, a member of the Youth Hitler.
-Held prisoner of war in 1945 by the Allies
-Head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
-Can speaks 10 languages

Ideas/Principles:
-Against Liberation Theology - a means of involving Church in human rights and social issues.
-To him, "Religion was being subordinated to a political ideology that he considered "tyrannical, brutal and cruel".
-Viewed homosexuality as tendency towards intrinsic moral evil.
-Turkey should not be admitted into EU

These are bits and pieces of him that I gathered from various sources. It will be interesting to see what Pope Benedict will do while he is in office. It is a common fact that religion plays a role if not as the cause, the driver to many regional and global conflicts. We `ve heard of the involvement of Islamic sects or Christian Churches in some of these conflicts, on or off the record. So, I am overloaded with all sort of questions as to how the new shift in the Papacy will somehow re-shape the world politics or stagnantize ( I don't know if this word exist ) the current situation. We are yet to see anything...

MODEST REVIEW : Modest Mouse

Modest-Mouse-Press-Photo
Originally uploaded by Gee Silver Kitty.

There are so many new bands nowadays. I am definitely spoilt for choice when I paid a visit to Midvalley & KLCC Tower Records plus of course the small but popular cd/cassette outlet at CM First Level- Andrew`s. Some have been around for some time but are paving road in our local scene just recently. A friend suddenly got excited with "The Clash" ( NOTE: This is 2005, The Clash is a classic but it is sooo...yesterday). But of course apart from that isolated case, the new old skool-pop-indie rock generation in Malaysia gets to taste some of the best (or worse) sounds in the music industry with the "dumping" of more music that falls under any of this genre in our country under the banner of "globalization". I am not sounding sarcastic here, right? Of course, with the music "in", you get to see more young people with sexy curly hair ( a tribute to Strokes lead singer- Julian, I guess ), tight checked shirts, shrunk Levi`s and leather Converse sneakers dirtied on purpose. COOL. Pop culture observation in your own backyard.

A friend of mine plus my fiancee, occasionally will visit this music club called Loft every Friday nite. The club will play these kinda music on that nite which in return updates me of the new bands in town- Longview, Bravery, Killers etc. So, with the support of my music lover buddies, I strived pretty well in the music world which nowadays are very much dominated by Usher & The Gang. So, without rambling much further, allow me to introduce you to my long-time favorite wacky weirdos from Issaquah, WA - Modest Mouse.

MODEST MOUSE: Good News For People Who Love Bad News
I get to learn of this band from an oversea correspondent plus www.epitonic.com. I am happy that these guys `s new album reached our shore. They are DIFFERENT to say the least. After their debut major label with Epic Record, Moon & Antartica - their fans waited with bated breath of their next craft. "Moon & Antartica" was damn superb ( to a MM fan lah ) that I never heard of people complaining about it. Below, is MM `s standing in various "best-lists of 2004".

1. Number 9 in Village Voice 2004 Pazz & Jop Poll ( 793 critics)
2. Number 5 in Drawer B
3. Number 8 in Filter
4. Number 2 in Magnet
5. Number 3 in The Onion ( Josh Modell )
6. Number 10 in Pop Matters
7. Number 4 in Spin

( Source: Metacritic Compilation of 2004 Lis )

Though MM did not make it to Pitchfork Review `s List, Pitchfork gave them a 7.9 for the album. Not bad.

What do I think of the new album? Lets not give a shit to what the critics think.I love the album but it required me to take a second listen before I did. Not that I am trying hard to make myself felt better with the RM39 that I spent on the album, it is just similarly to my experience with Coldplay and Radiohead, I do not stop even midway through the album like I did with Razorlight `s "Up All Night" ( that band sucks, to me). The second listening attempt was effortless but the temptation to re-listen after that was really overpowering. Not one to comfortably sit back and enjoy the "Post-Pixie Significant" label, they crafted a new gem but of course with the keyboard, trumpet and banjo thrown in. Though they lost the rough edgy raw sounds of their earlier tracks like Building Nothing out of Something, they still maintained the disco flavor to their sound but with sharper and mellowed music arrangement.My fave is not "Float On" the track considered by some critics as the best track MM ever come out with. I prefer "The View", "Satin In A Coffin" and " Blame It On The Tetons". The album, to a certain extent does make MM more accessible if not radio-friendly, but that does not mean that they lost the unique style which has put them in a totally different category apart from the other bands. I mean we can get like almost four bands that sound or desperately trying to sound like The Strokes but I guess not many band wants to follow the road that is less travelled:to be delightfully adored or harshly kick-off like the Modest Mouse.

A friend of mine commented on this review: Boring betul la review engkau. Dah lah tu, music reviewer wannabe!...maybe she `s rightlah!

SEPET

'SEPET' refresh my trails of my failed romance ( or could-have happened romance) with Chinese guys. First, was my short-lived infatuation with a Chinese boy in my class when I was 13, the other was a recent crush which I think should remain a secret...hehehehe. A lot of friends who went to see the movie, came out falling in love with 'Jason". Well, the same happened to me too. Not only did I fall in love with his streetwise romantic side, I also find myself being able to connect and relate to his story.

I read an interview with yasmin in Kakiseni.com on the movie. It is very interesting to note that the main plot of the movie is LOVE. But, perhaps, the fact that the lovers are Malay and Chinese, people could not help diverting their focus to the RACE issue. Yeah, take for example, "Penarik Beca";it is about the love of a penarik beca and a lady from a rich family, but the issue of "class" is such a glaring theme that you cannot help replaying it in your mind throughout the movie. But still, in my opinion 'SEPET" delivers as a movie. Eventhough at first, I am damn ambivalent about watching the movie, halfway through, I felt relieved that I did not give in to my sceptism and preemptive assumptions. I guess I was tramautized with the decision I made to watch "Spining Gasing". Fortunately, the movie, in my opinion, turned out to be much better than 'Spining Gasing". Not once, did I felt that the main characters are trying too hard to fall in love with each other, nor did I felt cheated with the so called "Malaysian movie" gimmick. It happens just as Orked reiterated in the first half of the movie,..."because it happens. You love someone because you love someone". With sweet simplicity and touching honesty, the movie unravels the love story of Jason, a streetwise pirated CD vendor with Orked, a cute no-nonsense "baju kurung" advocate. In the old fashion "cinta pandang pertama" style, they fell in love within 2 seconds and set their eyes only on one another from that day onwards. Although there is no typical plot like opposition from family or "antara dua darjat" syndrome, the complicatedness of the relationship is contributed by the fact of who they are before they meet and what comes along with that. Race, becomes the inevitable noticeable issue but throughout the movie, there is a sense of motivation or reaffirmation that love is possible regardless of your racial background. From Orked `s explanation of Frantz Fannon writing and marital background, the fact that Jason` s family is conveniently consist of his mom, a baba, Jason and Keong `s censored conversation regarding the origin of Baba Nyonya, these short scenes are mocking back at me with a one-liner : "hey, love is possible!" What with the scene where Jason performed his version of Malay dance to the "Dia Datang" tune, subtly hinting the possibility of someone enjoying and intepreting the culture of the others to his own beat and style, what `s more growing to love a person who is totally different from him. Hence, despite the melancholic taste to the storyline with the tragic but questionable ending of Jason' fatal accident, every inch of Yasmin `s work potrays her optimism and hopes that it is possible to erase prejudice and the threat of communalism with this tool called "love". A very idealist outlook, but not an impossible one.

I walked out of the cinema with a big heart. Despite the 8 censored scenes and dialogues, the movie still sailed smoothly to its ending, but of course me and my friends cannot helped feeling angry with FINAS `s foolishness. We play a lot of guessing games during the movie, trying to predict what could have been so "ganas", subversive, "lucah" or unsuitable for public to view? Among the hillarious comment I read from FINAS is that the movie would most probaly be a lot more accessible and become a "hit" with the public if Jason converted in the end. Accessible or social conditioning? Will inter racial relationship be as easy as that?

I will never know Yasmin `s intention of making the ending as it is, but I took some creative liberties and try to interprete the ending myself. I guess there is no other "safe" ending and I guess Yasmin does not want to succumb to the typical ending which most directors in the country finds a lot more accessible. I mean, what if Yasmin decides to end the movie with Jason and Orked decides to stay who they are and commit themselves to a serious livelong relationship without apa-apa ikatan? or Jason does not convert, Orked did. These endings do happen in our society, but like a shameful ugly piece of house decor, we hide it in the closet so that no visitors to our house could see it and start making some rude remarks. With the lack of (or absence of ) progressive minds behind the censorship operation in our country, one could only hope that the creative minds in the film industry will join hands and advocate for their rights to express themselves. The society deserves better choices of entertainment and I believe they are ready for that considering what the existing entertainment has done to their minds and lifestyle. We need more of "SEPET" or other film which sincerely potrays the Malaysian issues plus the realities. Its interesting to think that while Yasmin stressed that her attempt at directing is derived from her intention of telling her stories, she is in fact telling our stories too.

So, Yasmin, I guess you should keep on telling "our" stories so that I will watch more Malay movies!

Music & Me

I love music. Rock, pop or jazz..soothing or loud, systemically harmony or complicated-garage noise, my taste in music is pretty eccletic. I wake up to "The Cure", doing my job in office to the sounds of "I am Kloot" and retire to my "tilam bujang" to the sounds of Norah Jones or Franz Ferdinand ( more often than not). A friend of mine, Fahmi Reza introduced me to the edgier sounds of punk , my fiancee recommends U.S based rock bands like LIVE and also indie rock sounds like Sonic Youth etc. Another friend, Din just further reaffirms my choice of music since my school days. We found solidarity in the music of The Verve, Jamiraquoi, Stone Roses, The Smiths and new "brit-pop" bands like Starsailor. Whereas, me on my own, found bands like "Shanon Knife" and "The Monkees" amusing and fun!

Local music rarely interest me. Although I admit that we do own some hidden gems. I am still into Zainal Abidin `s songs. I was his fan since his Headwind years. With or without the presence of Annuar Zain, I will always hailed him as one of Malaysia `s best male vocalist. Then, you have our local sifoo (which is actually imported from Singapore) ; M.Nasir. I actually prefer his songs with "Kembara" but his solo act is also highly-acclaimed, of with in my case, my fave choice will still and always be Canggung Mendonan.

The emergence of local hip hop, ska and alternative scene is to me a refresher. But when we are talking about the "existence" of these music waves, it actually goes back years ago in the form of "underground act". If i am not mistaken, because my knowledge in this area is very limited, some if not most of the groups that carry the mentioned genres are from the "underground scene". I could still remember during my years in SEMSTI (that is 1995) , one of my juniors passed me Butterfinger 's earliest cassette. With photocopied self-designed covers, Butterfingers find their niche in the Underground scene plus quite a number of following. I wasn't at that point of time find this inspiring or remarkable. I got Metallica, Soundgarden and The Police to hold on. You can say I am pro-major label. But as a word of justification, I wasn't that socially or politically conscious too, at that time. Should Britney Spears start up an all women (or girl) band during that era, I might "fall in the trap of commercialism" too. Hehehehehe * laughing sheepishly*

Anyway, 7 years later, I was reformed. It was the eventful year of REFORMASI and romance. I met my fiancee in that year and we got steady within a year. His tactic of expressing his feelings to me is by recording some songs from certain bands that are unknown to me and asked me to listen to it. I recalled our "theme song"; Bidadari by Indonesian band "Padi". Then, come Iwan Fals with his "Matamu Seperti Bola Pingpong" ( I interrogated him on this and the answer is negative). Then, on days where I`m down or having a sour mood, he will drive us around KL with the radio blasting with 'Have You Ever Seen The Rain"by The Ramones or any of The Cranberries `s hits. We ended singing our hearts out and all form of mood swings just dissapeared. You can say music unite our feelings too.

A year later, my music horizone is further stretched to encompass garage and indie rock music. I make some new friends during my trainings overseas and also in chatting rooms. They sent me song clips of U.S based bands I have never heard of. That was how I came to know of groups like Ted Leo & The Pharmacists (who remains my fave group), Pavement, Death Cab for the Cutie, Beulah etc. Some of these quickly became my favourites whereas some just further exposed me to new genre of music. Jazz came a bit later. liking "Jamiroquai" means I am also into acid jazz. But I never explore the mysterious realm of jazz yet until I went to Montreal `s International Jazz Festival. After 8 hours of jazz experience, I became a confirmed believer. If not the conventional sounds of Al Jareau or Harry Cornick Jr. still, the streetwise blend of jazz and folk music amazes me. of course, when you heard the Cuban Jazz or other South American fusion, you just feel like you have to be on your feet and start moving. My expression, exactly.

And this year, I am again fated to know more local talents or as the media dubbed them "fringe artists". In the days of glam-rock or urban hip hop, it is truly inspiring to get hold of some local bands that play power pop music. "Couple", one of these bands proved to be a band with huge potential. With catchy music that resonates the sounds of Beatles, they are not just your average band. And I heard there `s more out there that deserve mentioning but sorry, I am also trying my best to get to know these bands more.

Looks like my "syok sendiri" account of my experience with music ends here. I might have forget some influential musicians here but that `s okay. As I face my dry dull world of paperworks and meetings, I guess a song or two will work just fine. Or maybe three four songs?

Ibn Amir : Pen Mightier Than Sword

Ibnu Amir Al-Pendangi...a young writer with great talent in writing. We are not talking about writing a great novel or saga, but still he is among the very few university students who dare to take the risk to write what he thinks and spread the message to public. Now, when you are a university student, it is not easy to write what you think. Take doing an assignment for instance, are you graded excellently or penalized dearly if you write something that goes beyond the syllabus? I think this is not a good example. I give another example. let say you have some burning questions and also points to share with others in campus or the public at large over ISA, OSA, NEP, UMNO, PAS , etc, you cant simply put your thoughts to writing and send it off to the media. Worst case scenario: you could be expelled from the university for "disreputing" the uni by writing that. you could think, definitely. and that is even because the Uni doesnt invent a "mind-reader' machine yet. Apart from that, your silence and obedient self is much appreciated. Thank you.

So, this Ibnu Amir has this cool idea of writing down what he thinks. He thinks the Unis are undemocratic. he wrote that down. He feels partisan politics in Unis are killing student `s struggle for progressive intellectualism. He poured his ideas onto the paper. He got even better. He organize a writer `s alliance, he put up a website so public could access his articles. Ibnu Amir is on his way to be a self-learned socially conscious great writer. The next MGG Pillai. Move over, Hishamuddin Rais. Here comes the "big thing". ( sorry Amir, for the exaggeration! )

Except for: his Uni doesnt think so. Ibnu Amir is like a tiny sharp thorn that `s stuck in the Uni `s flesh. His writings could be dangerous. No, that `s not the big deal here. The big deal is he does not write all this with any legitimate permission from the Uni. He even collected tokens for his writing. That is also illegal.

But, this person who knows Ibnu Amir thinks that `s not the case. I have come across writings by students in UMNO websites, mainstream medias etc. They did not get into trouble like Ibnu Amir. Not at all. Ibu Amir was rendered guilty because he decided to put his thoughts into writing and also decided that his thoughts should be independent, critical and fair. He must, in his writing call a spade a spade. This is where his writing contrasted with other young undrgraduate writers who escaped the wrath of their Unis.

I am not saying that I agree with all of Ibnu Amir `s writing. I got some problems with some of his articles too. But that `s just the normal clash of ideas you face in your life. Our minds work differently. But still, he has the right to write his ideas. Or else "Freedom of Expression" would not be part of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Being a university student or the so-called intellectual with vast knowledge on various fields of academic, freedom of expression is even crucial. University students are equipped with skills and theories not just to excel in their pursuit for carreer and wealth. It is meant to be their tool in becoming one of the society `s strongest momentum in maintaining good and justice or preventing injustice. The ultra-right spectrum of the human rights discourse will always draw our attention towards the importance of being responsible in exercising our rights. True, very true. I mean we don't want our neighbours to publish our bad habits in the media just because they have the "knowledge". But what happens when you denies one `s repsonsibility to exercise his right? I believe it is two different things, totally.

Ibnu Amir is not violating his responsibilty to write ethically. He is not discrediting someone or anything with the intention to humiliate. He is exercising his right in order to ensure that Unis respect democracy. His critiques are his efforts to improve the present situation in our local campus. The perpetrator of human rights violation here is the University, not Ibnu Amir.

It is not shocking for me to hear quite frequently how people associate freedom of expression with western value. The association, by a lot of people are mostly not due to government or radical religious group`s propaganda. Our customs is also at fault. "Budi bahasa" and "sopan-santun" have evolved into restraining our self from saying what we should say. A direct import of culture from the sultanate era in a modern form would be dissent amounts to ingratitude. I will not even go into the darker realm of modern-day feudalism that exist in our society. Call me a "Melayu mudah Lupa". These examples are some of the striking points that I will always remember about our culture.

And as I write this and as other people read this ( or not,please refer to my comment section, nil responses), Ibnu Amir is still under the constant pressure and control of his Unis for merely speaking out or rather writing down his pieces of minds. But I guess being an educated person, Ibnu Amir will find this pretty normal in the daily lives of independent writers. History has shown us how great writers were shown the exit ( read: death penalty ) because of their writings. But like we all are aware off, it is mostly because of what these writers believed.

Series of Unfortunate Event ( read:JAWI )

JAWI strikes again.

A bunch of horny uneducated self-confessed guardian of morality! That `s what I call them. How then could I explain or even justify their action towards the poor unfortunate souls i.e the young Muslims who were arrested in the night club? A Muslim myself, I could not fathom the need to humiliate other Muslim brothers and sisters just because we feel or we think or we judge their actions breached Islamic Code of Conduct. Should I say:

1). Oh, the Officers asked the sexy women to "twirl" and parade like a model in front of them because "sexy", "modesty" or "nude" are alien words to them. They need to see the "word" in action. Being people who uphold Islam, its fine if they have to "ogle". "Ogling" is totally fine when intended to determine the modesty of the others. Which of course explains the existence" of mat skodeng groups - the Guardian of Dark Parks in Malacca.

2). And it is also okay to talk dirty in the line of duty. As the Officer of Truth, it is important to comment outloud what you think of someone `s nipple and even better, to add some sarcasm to it. That way, you will get your message across : LOUD and CLEAR ( for others to hear, of course, its tradition to instil fear through humiliation)

3). Now, religious officers have our own way of handling arrested people. Letting the Muslim woman go and answer their nature call is unnecessary. Let them release themselves there and then. What do you mean human rights? What do you mean rights of the arrested? Religion is a serious matter, when we are in a middle of a battle, we don't simple let our enemies go so they can pee! We detain them and restrict their movement. But of course,when they actually do release themselve, ermmm...maybe we could make a minor adjustment and let the rest go before our lock-up smell of urine.

I am trying to give a shot at creative liberties here. I might have offended people who read this piece of writing. I might sound so emotional macamlah kena batang hidung sendiri. Me and those who had to go through that horrible ordeal might walk different paths, might make different choices. They choose to enjoy themselves at the nightclub that night. Perhaps, to them what is the big fuss of restricting them from going? Clubs are legal in Malaysia, authorities issue the license and Malaysia is not an Islamic State, so what? I choose to sit at home rereading my comics, rearranging my kitchen and watched re-runs on tivi. We definitely make different choices but as far as I am concern, we are brothers and sisters because we are Muslims. Choices that some of us make are accommodated by external factors. So is our interpretation of our choices in life. Problem with religous enforcement officers is they tend to overlooked other people `s side of the story, other people `s interpretation of life and choices they make. As far as they are concern, the power they obtain to monitor the conduct of other Muslims in this country gives them the choice to impose their understanding of Islam on the others: and that, surely leave all of us with no choice but to succumb to a system that denies diversity.

Yes, we definitely has a duty towards our brothers and sisters. But where is the limit? Does being responsible towards our Muslims brothers and sisters include dehumanizing or humiliating them? Where is our compassion? Where is our values? Can you ever look straight in the eyes of your brother or sister and say "I care about you" when at the same time you treat them like animals?

It is really tough to be a Muslim in this Country.