Without knowledge of war, there is no perception of peace.
Without fear, there is no need for courage.
Without knowing loss, you won't be able to appreciate what you haven't.
Without pain, you wouldn't know what hurts you.
Without loneliness, you'll never find comfort in company.
Without doubt, it is impossible to keep faith.
Without weakness, you might never find out your strengths.
Without friendship and family, you'll never find a reason to share.
Without you, whoever you are out there, there wouldn't be me.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
If You're Not Ready
Don't start one, enough said.
Edit: Okay, maybe some context is needed here. I don't understand how some people get themselves into relationships when they're not ready for it, and get themselves deep into the phases without realizing so themselves. If you want to slut around, stay a slut. More than enough said.
Edit: Okay, maybe some context is needed here. I don't understand how some people get themselves into relationships when they're not ready for it, and get themselves deep into the phases without realizing so themselves. If you want to slut around, stay a slut. More than enough said.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Civil Wars Are Not Wars
Civil wars are not wars, they are the creative expression of the population trying to speak out in a stifled illusory democracy.
I was challenged to write an article about the situation our country is in at this moment of time, more specifically, with the upcoming Bersih 2.0 and everything else that led to or has some form of relation to it. For a moment, I was lost, and it wasn't an issue of not being politically and socially aware of issues that are brought up in our country. In fact, the more you read about everything from everyone's perspective, you will tend to become more lost. I used to think I was the only one, but there are many who share the same confusion, while others resort to settling blindly to a certain paradigm or go to the extremes and fight for an unclear cause.
So, where do I begin? I figured I'd start with the group which garnered a crazy amount of attention, the fabled Bersih movement. To be honest, I didn't keep myself updated with the news during the previous Bersih rally in November 2007. From news readings, I'll try to summarize history as best as I can write.
Bersih is a movement headed by several opposition members and non-governmental agencies (NGOs) with the goal of pushing for a more transparent democracy. Despite being headed by opposition leaders, they claim to be non-partisan, and strives for a purer, more Utopian democracy while examining every perspective that exists. Their main objectives are to push for a revamp of the electoral system, eradicate corruption, and stop gutter politics as well as focus on a meritocratic society regardless of political states.
From the surface, it sounds pretty good, really. So what's so confusing about the entire situation? The government has had plenty of strange projects lined up since the previous election (and probably still running despite heavy protests) such as the 100-storey tower, the 1Malaysia e-mail, the Cuti-Cuti Malaysia debacle and many more issues of which raised concerns have never been sufficiently dealt with. When the Bersih 2.0 rally was announced, I was disappointed by how both sides decided to play it out.
The Bersih team, despite having technical constitutional freedom to spread information, should not have done so in such a direct manner. The PERKASA leadership then retorted by 'threatening' all Chinese to stay in during the Bersih rally, with the total implication that either the Chinese are the ones responsible for everything that is happening or that the Bersih movement is only Malay incited, which it is not. In fact, the Bersih rally has nothing to do with race, but somehow race and religion becomes a instigated topic when it isn't, typical of Malaysian politics. Lastly, our head of governance did two things: alikened our democracy to a zero-sum game (which is a terrible insult to a country striving to exemplify democratic growth) and challenged the Bersih team to stop the rally and fight in the elections (which is totally redundant). No talks, no negotiations, no compromises.
Who should you support, and most importantly, where should the SOGI-aware community stand with this?
Bersih, in its purest form, is what it says it is: a movement pushing for a transparent democracy. I will not be able to prove whether there are any hidden agendas by all the leaders and/or supporters, and that is not even my intention for this article. Many NGOs have already pledges endorsement for this movement, some of interest including Amnesty International (Malaysia), Sisters in Islam (SIS), Educational, Welfare and Research Foundation Malaysia, Persatuan Hak Asasi Malaysia (HAKAM), Women's Aid Organization, and many more. Even in the first rally in 2007, many of the people at the rally were ordinary citizens who believe in the cause; they are practicing their rights by peacefully showing everyone that they care much about their beloved country. That is democracy in its purest form, a democracy where even the minorities can speak out and be listened to.
After writing all these, I have changed my stance about the whole ordeal, but not necessarily my entire perspective. I firmly believe that the SOGI-aware community should stand out as its own, not in any way to push for the things we normally fight for, but to show that our country is full of different types of people who have been stifled for long, to show that we as Malaysian care about our country regardless of who we are or what we choose to be.
In December 1955, a woman did not give up her bus seat. In today's terms it was like a gay couple kissing in daylight in the bustling city of KL. Change doesn't happen just because you want it to. Change needs a Rosa Parks, a Martin Luther King. There are already people being arrested with a subjective claim of sedition. There are already people putting words into the mouths of everyone in the country. All citizens have an equal say in the decisions of a democratic country. A democracy is not just about having elections and choosing representatives, it is about speaking out, acting out and making sure that we are heard and considered. A democracy is not about the majority or the minority, it is about everybody. Stop letting others speak for you, speak for yourself.
I was challenged to write an article about the situation our country is in at this moment of time, more specifically, with the upcoming Bersih 2.0 and everything else that led to or has some form of relation to it. For a moment, I was lost, and it wasn't an issue of not being politically and socially aware of issues that are brought up in our country. In fact, the more you read about everything from everyone's perspective, you will tend to become more lost. I used to think I was the only one, but there are many who share the same confusion, while others resort to settling blindly to a certain paradigm or go to the extremes and fight for an unclear cause.
So, where do I begin? I figured I'd start with the group which garnered a crazy amount of attention, the fabled Bersih movement. To be honest, I didn't keep myself updated with the news during the previous Bersih rally in November 2007. From news readings, I'll try to summarize history as best as I can write.
Bersih is a movement headed by several opposition members and non-governmental agencies (NGOs) with the goal of pushing for a more transparent democracy. Despite being headed by opposition leaders, they claim to be non-partisan, and strives for a purer, more Utopian democracy while examining every perspective that exists. Their main objectives are to push for a revamp of the electoral system, eradicate corruption, and stop gutter politics as well as focus on a meritocratic society regardless of political states.
From the surface, it sounds pretty good, really. So what's so confusing about the entire situation? The government has had plenty of strange projects lined up since the previous election (and probably still running despite heavy protests) such as the 100-storey tower, the 1Malaysia e-mail, the Cuti-Cuti Malaysia debacle and many more issues of which raised concerns have never been sufficiently dealt with. When the Bersih 2.0 rally was announced, I was disappointed by how both sides decided to play it out.
The Bersih team, despite having technical constitutional freedom to spread information, should not have done so in such a direct manner. The PERKASA leadership then retorted by 'threatening' all Chinese to stay in during the Bersih rally, with the total implication that either the Chinese are the ones responsible for everything that is happening or that the Bersih movement is only Malay incited, which it is not. In fact, the Bersih rally has nothing to do with race, but somehow race and religion becomes a instigated topic when it isn't, typical of Malaysian politics. Lastly, our head of governance did two things: alikened our democracy to a zero-sum game (which is a terrible insult to a country striving to exemplify democratic growth) and challenged the Bersih team to stop the rally and fight in the elections (which is totally redundant). No talks, no negotiations, no compromises.
Who should you support, and most importantly, where should the SOGI-aware community stand with this?
Bersih, in its purest form, is what it says it is: a movement pushing for a transparent democracy. I will not be able to prove whether there are any hidden agendas by all the leaders and/or supporters, and that is not even my intention for this article. Many NGOs have already pledges endorsement for this movement, some of interest including Amnesty International (Malaysia), Sisters in Islam (SIS), Educational, Welfare and Research Foundation Malaysia, Persatuan Hak Asasi Malaysia (HAKAM), Women's Aid Organization, and many more. Even in the first rally in 2007, many of the people at the rally were ordinary citizens who believe in the cause; they are practicing their rights by peacefully showing everyone that they care much about their beloved country. That is democracy in its purest form, a democracy where even the minorities can speak out and be listened to.
After writing all these, I have changed my stance about the whole ordeal, but not necessarily my entire perspective. I firmly believe that the SOGI-aware community should stand out as its own, not in any way to push for the things we normally fight for, but to show that our country is full of different types of people who have been stifled for long, to show that we as Malaysian care about our country regardless of who we are or what we choose to be.
In December 1955, a woman did not give up her bus seat. In today's terms it was like a gay couple kissing in daylight in the bustling city of KL. Change doesn't happen just because you want it to. Change needs a Rosa Parks, a Martin Luther King. There are already people being arrested with a subjective claim of sedition. There are already people putting words into the mouths of everyone in the country. All citizens have an equal say in the decisions of a democratic country. A democracy is not just about having elections and choosing representatives, it is about speaking out, acting out and making sure that we are heard and considered. A democracy is not about the majority or the minority, it is about everybody. Stop letting others speak for you, speak for yourself.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Of National Dramas, Audiophiles and Tying Up Some Loose Ends
A long post full of reading material for all the horrid posts I had the past few days. Let's go!
Why do we read the newspaper these days? It's full of stupid political soap dramas of which both sides are intertwined into a big mess of which will roll over civilians regardless of innocence or actual attitude. Our PM has the decency to tell people about the illusion of a democracy, that it is a zero sum game, when a real democracy is not all about the winners, but the processes of change and communication between both sides. Despite my slightly favouring Bersih, they are also idiots by spreading information is such an unnecessary way. Why is Karl Max banned in this country? We might have the freedom to express, but even within such context there is much room of which we must practice considerable caution.
A civil war is needed. Civil wars are not wars, they are the creative expression of the people trying to speak out in a false democracy. There is such thing as a peaceful rally, the only reason to be scared of one is if you are guilty. Sedition is not as easy as it looks for the normal citizen (extremists put aside), so please give us more credit for our political and social awareness. Sigh.
On a separate note. Finally got my itchyhands ears relieved by getting relatively mid-range earphones (there goes my hearing). Suddenly, even YouTube videos sound so much more emotive. Visual stimulation might be a mistakenly labeled top tiered preference by gay men, but I think audio orgasmic delights take the prize hands down. For a more testable hypothesis: try watching porn with no sound vs. listen to porn with no video (but close your eyes).
We are talking again, I'm glad much. Very much.
For a longer version of yesterday's impromptu clubbing session, nothing big happened. Made some nice friends, that's all. Putting all that aside, how many people actually meet their long term partners from clubs?
Probably getting a smartphone soon. My personal goal is to see how long I'll last before installing apps like Grindr and Scruff. Not that I'm shooting those apps down, nor am I saying that people using them are sluts, but yeah...
Time for the weekend to end. Tomorrow is Blue Shirt Day to commemorate Monday morning blues, a fun project suggested by a group of us at the office. A little whimsy goes a long way.
Love you guys so much, whoever you all are.
Why do we read the newspaper these days? It's full of stupid political soap dramas of which both sides are intertwined into a big mess of which will roll over civilians regardless of innocence or actual attitude. Our PM has the decency to tell people about the illusion of a democracy, that it is a zero sum game, when a real democracy is not all about the winners, but the processes of change and communication between both sides. Despite my slightly favouring Bersih, they are also idiots by spreading information is such an unnecessary way. Why is Karl Max banned in this country? We might have the freedom to express, but even within such context there is much room of which we must practice considerable caution.
A civil war is needed. Civil wars are not wars, they are the creative expression of the people trying to speak out in a false democracy. There is such thing as a peaceful rally, the only reason to be scared of one is if you are guilty. Sedition is not as easy as it looks for the normal citizen (extremists put aside), so please give us more credit for our political and social awareness. Sigh.
On a separate note. Finally got my itchy
 |
| Klipsch s3. |
We are talking again, I'm glad much. Very much.
For a longer version of yesterday's impromptu clubbing session, nothing big happened. Made some nice friends, that's all. Putting all that aside, how many people actually meet their long term partners from clubs?
Probably getting a smartphone soon. My personal goal is to see how long I'll last before installing apps like Grindr and Scruff. Not that I'm shooting those apps down, nor am I saying that people using them are sluts, but yeah...
Time for the weekend to end. Tomorrow is Blue Shirt Day to commemorate Monday morning blues, a fun project suggested by a group of us at the office. A little whimsy goes a long way.
Love you guys so much, whoever you all are.
This is For Yesterday VII - ...
Dead tired. Do the math. Met new people but otherwise [insert blog tile].
Meh.
Meh.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
This is For Yesterday VI - PITCHY
Late by a lot. Meh.
Left work at 12.20am with the art director and intern still slaving out. I could have gone back earlier but tried to be helpful and entertaining, but still feel a little guilty for leaving them behind. I hope I don't have to go in to work tomorrow.
The colleague is 100% gay. Haha.
How's my weekend gonna be? Hmmm.
Left work at 12.20am with the art director and intern still slaving out. I could have gone back earlier but tried to be helpful and entertaining, but still feel a little guilty for leaving them behind. I hope I don't have to go in to work tomorrow.
The colleague is 100% gay. Haha.
How's my weekend gonna be? Hmmm.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Do You Have A Protractor?
When you know that you're going in the right direction, the world suddenly seems to be a better place. My radio copy seems to be heading towards the right path, and so is the print. The designers, as usual, are killing themselves now when I am coming home slightly earlier compared to the last two nights (in fact, I could've went home earlier if I wanted to, but staying back gives the team some morale boost). I'll think of someway to keep their spirits up tomorrow.
Muscles getting better, but not fully recovered. The ones that are still aching are probably my weak ones. I finally understand what's wrong with my body though. My upper body doesn't match my lower body. Will have to work on that somehow. Haven't gained weight yet, so that's a good sign.
Don't know if the possibly-gay-colleague's gaydar is picking me up too. Again, it's not like I'm hiding, they're just not asking.
What should I do for the weekend? Anyone wanna meet up and jalan-jalan?
Muscles getting better, but not fully recovered. The ones that are still aching are probably my weak ones. I finally understand what's wrong with my body though. My upper body doesn't match my lower body. Will have to work on that somehow. Haven't gained weight yet, so that's a good sign.
Don't know if the possibly-gay-colleague's gaydar is picking me up too. Again, it's not like I'm hiding, they're just not asking.
What should I do for the weekend? Anyone wanna meet up and jalan-jalan?
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