Chronicles of Me...

Of Holey Cheese and WW III

2010-11-01T09:37:00.002Z

Nothing feels better than starting WW III over a weekend. XD. I spent the whole weekend in Oxford playing the role of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1980. Lol. It was a really really fun debate thanks to our awesome chairs who kept well giving secret news feeds. Diplomacy failed in the end after well the West refused to make concessions and we received information that they planned to launch an invasion from the South. XD

The USSR then declared a pre-emptive war and invaded West Germany, UK and the US... Lol.

UN summit sparks WWIII”- HGA Sunday (PM) | OxIMUN/Live

“The Soviet Union on a platter”- HGA Sunday (AM)

Yangon

2010-09-23T16:20:00.005+01:00

Finally, I have managed to strike out one country on my list of places I really want to go. Haha. Next on the list? Hopefully, North Korea! Haha.

I went to Yangon with my friend from University and it was a really fun trip. Going to Yangon is like stepping into a time portal. Everything is from the 80s era and the buildings are from the colonial era. It is a very nice city if a bit shabby and there being no hordes of tourists is really the icing on the cake.

We stayed in Kandawgyi Palace Hotel- a nice 4 star hotel. I do not know how they turn a profit as it was palatial yet empty... I think there were only about 30-40 guests on our first day and probably 80-100 on our second night...

We went to the usual tourist attractions- Schwedagon and Sule Pagodas and took a walk around the city. One thing that we noticed- the locals stay well clear of the police station even though there is a big 'May I help you sign'... The areas around the police stations are usually dead zones with loads of barricades and barbed wire...

Schwedagon Pagoda

A mosque in Yangon

Sule Pagoda

Schwedagon Pagoda's Entrance

Our USD 37,000 ride... xD

Tea at a local teashop courtesy of our guide. He brought us to places we won't go

by ourselves and he even brought us for lunch at a temple (meal was sponsored by the monastery). The people were so friendly (and not used to foreigners). They insisted on

fanning us as we ate at the VIP tables... LOL

Schwedagon at night

Pouring water at a shrine for Saturday- the day we were born. xD

Coincidence huh? My friend was born on the same day as me. xD

Schwedagon at Twilight

Guess how much does it costs to register a phone? USD 2,000 for a mobile and USD 800 for a landline... So freaking expensive!

The news is just full of what the generals did. Lol. And well they have half a page warning about the lies spread by the BBC and VOA. And their news channel spent 20 minutes (the news was 1 hour long) talking about a new train line opened by the Generals...

A good bottle of hand sanitiser is a mus after handling money. Lol The kyat notes are all so old and dirty. I think they probably decided that regardless of the demand, printing low value notes are a waste of money... Lol. Hence, torn, dirty and almost illegible notes are legal tender... However, they only accepted crisp new USD notes.

Should drugs be legalised?

2010-08-24T15:59:00.002+01:00

What do you think? Should drugs like marijuana, opium and cocaine be legalised?

My opinion is shown below:

I would say we should move towards decriminalising drugs possession and sale with a view towards legalising them. Special state owned shops would be set up to sell drugs to drug addicts or whoever who wants to buy them at a reasonable price.

By doing so, we can bring the drug trade under state control and tax them instead of wasting resources cracking down on it as the demand will always be there. We are fighting a losing war against drugs.

We can also save more money as there would be less crime as drug addicts need not steal to buy overpriced drugs from illegal dealers. They would also be getting a purer product from the state shops as well and they should be healthier overall. By selling it in state shops, we can also ensure that they do not share syringes and spread diseases like HIV and Hepatitis...

Hmm... Won't this make more people addicted? I say not necessarily so as we remove the coolness factor by legalising drugs and some teens take drugs because it is cool. We can minimise sharing by requiring the drugs bought at state shops be consumed on the spot and while selling them drugs, we can educate them on why they should stop selling drugs....

Henley Visa Restrictions Index

2010-08-24T15:51:00.003+01:00

We are number 11 in terms of the Henley Visa Restrictions Index - which is the highest amongst all the developing countries. Lol. Perhaps this explains why hardly any nationals need a visa to enter Malaysia... Lol.

Make up your mind...

2010-08-02T16:28:00.005+01:00

Karpal Singh calls for the introduction of the death penalty for the rape of a child but yet he calls himself an abolitionist. This is clearly not the abolitionist stance and in my opinion he is just saying bullcrap just so he can appear to do something… He should just make up his bloody mind and well stick to his stance once he has decided. You cannot be an abolitionist yet call for more crimes to be a capital crime…

In my opinion, although the rape of a child is a heinous crime, it is not a crime fitting for the death penalty. No crime should be a capital crime as the death penalty is a sick and disgusting form of punishment. It is something that should be consigned to the annals of history. I believe that everyone should be given a chance to reform. Even murderers can turn over a new leaf. So fuck the death penalty.

Plus... The death penalty is not a very effective deterrent. We have draconian drug laws and yet people still smuggle drugs... Even our PM has said it the death penalty has failed as a deterrent... So why are we still keeping this shit? ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY NOW!

Work work...

2010-07-31T03:26:00.002+01:00

Its been 2 weeks and 1 day into my internship at CPAM. It has been mostly writing reports and making analyses so far but its still good. So far, I have done one report and well prepared stuff for 3 more reports and made a call to Eire. Haha.

I also managed to sneak to the 61st floor of the Petronas Twin Towers. I took a helicopter and climbed in through the windows to attend the Bloomberg training. Spot the big fat lie... I took the company car there. Anyway the view from the Bloomberg office was fucking awesome. ^^ They have a super well stocked pantry with loadsa soft drinks, snacks, and a cappuccino machine. All of it is at your service for a low low fee of RM0.

And oh... I also booked a flight to Yangon. =P Now I must find a convenient time to take half day off to apply for my visa.

Anti ISA UK

2010-06-27T13:11:00.002+01:00

I can finally cross one thing of my to do list. Lol. Only 99999999 things left to do before I die. Haha. I attended an Anti ISA picket line in front of Malaysia House in Trafalgar Square yesterday. It was actually quite fun. We held posters in front of the building and well displayed posters for the incoming traffic to see as well. Some of the picketers wore make up to simulate the police beating in detention and it we shouted anti ISA slogans and well played songs... =)

Some of the ang mohs were quite interested and well they signed the petition to our High Commissioner to London. =) Hopefully it is a step in the long road to human rights in Malaysia. I can't believe we are on the Human Rights Council when we do not respect the human rights of our own citizens, refugees and migrants...

SAS

2010-06-19T21:23:00.003+01:00

SAS.... Nope its not the Special Air Services but rather the Student Associate Scheme which opened opened my eyes to the wonders of teaching. Before attending the SAS, I used to tell myself hey, I'll never become a teacher because well I don't like it plus I don't have the patience for it. After 2 weeks in the scheme, I realised that teaching is something I might consider though obviously not in Malaysia. Haha,

Why?

1) The look of the kids when they learned or accomplished something. I guided a special needs child through an experiment after noticing he was struggling in the previous experiment. I basically gave him hints and coaxed him into not giving up into doing the magnet experiment. He managed to finish the experiment and the look on his face? Priceless...

2) The funny answers some of the kids gave. Haha.

Q: What are the things we need to survive X?

A: I dunno why do you keep picking on me?!

Q: How about air X? Do we need it to survive?

A: I dunno why do you keep picking on me?!

Q: Because you were talking X, now do we need water to survive?

A: I dunno. How should I know all these things?!

Q: How about food X?

A: I dunno why do you keep picking on me?! Who needs food? I can survive for 40 days without food!

3) It makes you feel young again. Remember when your parents used to tell you you will miss school in the future and want to go back? I used to think it was a load of bull crap, until the SAS. As much as I head to admit it... Mum you were right. I want to be a kid and go back to school again (but with the knowledge I have now. Haha)

4) Cheap food! Fish and chips; Jerk chicken with vege and wedges; you name it. All cost only £1.85 which is incredibly cheap for London. So much so, cooking and packing lunch can cost more. Haha.

So what did I do during the SAS?

Well I basically played the role of a Teaching Assistant. I walked about the class and guided the students when they needed help and telling them to stop talking and do their work. Haha. I confiscated quite a few Rubik's Cube and a compass. Lol. I returned it to them at the end of the lesson though.

For my Form class, I basically walked about and talked to the kids who were doing quizzes on the countries of the World Cup. Lol. They are quite nice. And well, you get to see how you were last time. =P

Oh yeah, I thought a Biology class as well! I thought a lesson on drugs and the affects of drugs on the nervous system. Haha. The kids were so attentive. Maybe its because we are like a novelty item to them. Lol. And I am teaching a lab class on Monday... Whee...

Salzburg, Innsbruck, Bratislava

2010-06-07T22:58:00.004+01:00

Haha. I just got back from my trip to Austria and Slovakia. =) Of all the cities Innsbruck was my favourite. Beautiful scenery, beautiful people, sunny and clean! What more can you ask for? Haha. I regretted spending only a day in Innsbruck before catching a night train to Bratislava. Word of advice, travelling in the day trains are way more comfy than the night ones, less dodgy as well.

Just exited from the salt mine... Have to wear that protective gear...

We later hitch hiked down the mountain as we don't wanna waste

an hour waiting for the bus. Lol

Austrian Village house...

A village near the mine... Forgotten the name dy. Lol

Salzburg was nice though I never knew it could rain for one whole day without respite until I got there. Lol. We decided to visit a salt mine since it was raining outside. Haha. I actually visited Germany but did not see daylight there as the mine crossed into German territory...

Innsbruck!

Mountains near Innsbruck! I climbed up! Nah I cheated using cable car...

Bratislava was BORING!!! I was actually shocked when I reached the main train station. I kept asking everyone who got off is is this the hauptbahnhof and they said yes. Lol. It did not deserve a picture and is just about the standard of Puduraya... Bratislava didn't dazzle either. It was like Prague's sad and dilapidated cousin...

Slovak Presidential Palace

Did I mention I am in a school getting some teaching exposure atm? Lol

Cool Pic

2010-05-12T14:58:00.006+01:00

Here's a cool pic I found on the net when I was supposed to be studying. Lol

Back to studying... Haiz

2010-05-07T18:43:00.005+01:00

We've made history on 6th May 2010 by hanging Parliament for the first time since 1974(and Parliament deserved it).

2010 UK Parliamentary Election Results:

Conservatives -306

Labour -258

Liberal Democrats - 57

Others - 28

Undeclared - 1

What now?

Apparently Cameron is in talks with Clegg over the possibility of a coalition. I just hope that Clegg do not accept his offer. I prefer a Lib-Lab Government over a Lib-Con Government. I have enough of the political right.

Constitution of Malaysia...

2010-05-04T09:32:00.002+01:00

Here is an excerpt from Article 10 of the Federal Constitution of Malaysia:

The right to freedom of speech, assembly and association is guaranteed.

Here's reality check:
1) You need a police permit for public assemblies of more and 5 (Strike 1)
2) You cannot discuss anything about Islam, the special rights of the Bumiputras and the position of the King. (strike 2)
3) Opposition newspapers find it hard to operate (Strike 3)

And you're out!

Kinda makes you wonder what is the use of the Malaysian Constitution isn't it?

UK Election Posters

2010-04-15T09:07:00.004+01:00

LET'S PUNISH PARLIAMENT! HANG PARLIAMENT! VOTE LIBERAL DEMOCRATS!

Ok enough about that... Since when we have nice and interesting election advertisements in Malaysia? Maybe we should learn from our British friends. Lol

CONSERVATIVE POSTERS

LABOUR POSTERS

LOL

2010-04-13T22:27:00.003+01:00

Lol. This was on the front page of the Economist.

What did April Bring...

2010-04-12T11:20:00.004+01:00

A new month and a new beginning. Haha. For one the holidays have begun and it is a perfect opportunity to prepare for the upcoming exams. =) Parliament has been dissolved and I get to vote in my second election. Lol. Go Lib Dems!

No Tories, No Labour... Go Lib Dems! =)
It's a three horse race not a two horse one.

Anyway before going on nerd mode, I decided to go to Jersey, the Channel Islands for a one week break.

The Channel Islands. Now you can't say you dunno
where the Channel Islands are. Lol.

I stayed over at my friend's to save money. =P And it was a fun experience. =) I had my first Easter meal. Complete with the grandparents and the Easter egg. Haha. I got my first Easter egg. =)

Bonne Nuit
My favourite part of the Island? The sea! Haha. It was too cold
to go pier jumping though. Maybe in the summer. =)

On the way to Ouennais(I think)
We decided to go for an afternoon walk. =P

WW2 German Bunker... The CI were the only part of
Britain to be occupied by the Third Reich

WW2 German Tower... Apparently it was so strong that they could not
blow it up using explosives... So they let it remain.

The Pathway (it only appears during low tide) from Elizabeth
Castle to St Helier...

Anyway I better get back to studying...

It's All Over... For Now

2010-03-27T11:29:00.001Z

Boy... It sure feels good seeing my 111 page long report slide down the coursework box and the thump it made as it hit the bottom of the box.... ORGASMIC! Finally I have my life back after slaving away for over 1 month on that project. =)

To celebrate, we went out for dinner and we somehow managed to spend 3 hours in a pub just talking. Lol. And the best part was that even with my incredibly low alcohol tolerance... I remained sober. =)

From the BBC

2010-02-22T18:10:00.000Z

Malaysia struggles for harmony as tensions bubble

Malaysia is proud of its diverse population, more than half of which is Muslim. It is also home to large Chinese and Indian communities, who are mainly Christian, Buddhist and Hindu. But, as Jennifer Pak discovers, recent violence surrounding the use of the word Allah by non-Muslims, has brought into question just how unified Malaysia is.

Malaysian analysts warn that a multicultural appearance is superficial

A Chinese man once offered to be my pimp. Or at least that is what I deduced from the candid way he talked to me about how many girls from China come here to work as prostitutes.

I was eating at a street stall in a shady district of Kuala Lumpur.

The owner, Mr Ng, rents apartments to these women, and told me he has recommended their services to his friends.

"I know a lot about these girls," he said in Chinese, handing me his mobile number on a crumpled business card.

"Give me a shout if you ever need an apartment… or anything."

I'm Chinese-Canadian. But I learned Mandarin in Beijing. Mr Ng must have picked up on my accent and thought I was from China - a forgivable mistake.

I remembered reading about how Chinese prostitutes were in high demand in Malaysia because of their "fair skin" and "statuesque figure".

I found it odd - considering the Chinese are the second largest ethnic group in the country. So why would there be such a big demand from China?

"None of the local Chinese are willing to go into the industry," said Mr Ng, leaning back in his chair. "They're more educated here."

But not all Malaysians see that distinction.

Divisive sentiments

Nasir Safar, an adviser to the prime minister, recently resigned after he reportedly said Chinese women mainly came to the country to dabble in the flesh trade.

Government officials deny that racism is part of the curriculum. Malaysia, they say, is still a moderate Muslim nation that embraces diversity

He called the Chinese and Indians, who make up a third of the country's population, "immigrants". He threatened to take citizenship away from Indians if they continued to make extreme demands on the government.

Ironically, these comments were made at a conference aimed at promoting national unity.

Mr Nasir's comments were widely condemned, but sadly these divisive sentiments are not uncommon in the country.

Some blame it on the education system.

Take, for example, the national civics course, which is mandatory for civil servants and students on government scholarships. It is designed to instil patriotism.

Critics of the course have likened it to a brainwashing exercise to promote Malay supremacy.

At a public forum, a Chinese man described his experience at national civics courses as "demotivating".

His speech was delivered in a fluent mix of English and Malay.

Christians have been targeted over the use of the world Allah

"When we are left alone by these officials, we are like family," he said.

"But when we attend these official events, they divide us according to Chinese, Malay and Indian.

"Leave us alone, and we are very patriotic. We are all Malaysians."

The crowd broke into applause and laughter.

Government officials deny that racism is part of the curriculum.

Malaysia, they say, is still a moderate Muslim nation that embraces diversity.

That is true if you come to Kuala Lumpur. You can always hear a mix of Malay, Chinese, Tamil and English spoken on the streets.

No mixing

On a recent visit, an old high school friend from Canada marvelled at how multicultural the country is.

But many Malaysian analysts, mainly Chinese, have warned me that this is superficial.

History professor Khoo Kay Kim at the University of Malaya told me to keep my eyes open when I walked through the campus.

"See whether there are students of various ethnic groups mingling," he said, sounding resigned. "Never."

"There will always be a group of Chinese, a group of Indians and a group of Malays. There is no mixing between the races."

Professor Khoo said ethnic separation was not nearly as pronounced back in the 1950s. So where was the turning point?

Special privileges

Professor Khoo traces it back to the late 1960s, when ethnic tensions erupted into riots.

The Malays made up the majority, but they were consistently among the poorest group in the country.

To rebalance this, the government gave special privileges to Malays in all aspects of life; in education, housing, jobs in the public sector - a kind-of positive discrimination policy.

This is a constant source of resentment among the country's Chinese and Indian minority.

Ethnic separation has been so entrenched in Malaysia

Professor Khoo Kay Kim, University of Malaya

Prime Minister Najib Razak has tried to chip away at this policy, and is now in overdrive to rebuild national unity with his One Malaysia campaign that preaches religious, cultural and ethnic tolerance.

Professor Khoo said the concept was good, but wondered if the prime minister could move it beyond rhetoric.

"So how big is the task of national unity?" I asked.

He sighed, and said: "Ethnic separation has been so entrenched in Malaysia."

I got a sense of this myself the first time I met a senior government official in Malaysia.

The only question he asked me was where I was from.

"Canada," I replied.

The look of relief on his face was unmistakable.

He stood up to shake my hand. "Welcome to Malaysia," he said smiling.

I guess he felt reassured - at least my reports would not be racially biased.

I need a new house.

2010-02-22T00:18:00.001Z

Like the title said I need a new house. Lol. I am sick of my place. It is a nice place but the management has exploited the building to0 much and it sucks for the lack of maintenance. My kitchen sink and washing machine is unusable at the moment due to some piping problem. =( It flooded my kitchen thrice in one day and did I mention that I have a mouse infestation problem? We caught 2 in one day!!! My friend released it though so it wasn't harmed. I was for throwing it away though...

Juniors don't move to you know where next year. Lol

Happy New Year

2010-02-15T18:11:00.002Z

Hey guys, Happy New Year! Haha. The Ox got eaten by the Tiger so bye bye Year of the Ox and hello Year of the Tiger!

As usual, we threw a party to welcome the New Year. The difference was that I had a few of my ang moh friends over. They enjoyed the food... Who wouldn't and we made them lou sang and yum seng. Haha. To quote one of them after the yee sang and yum seng: 'That was the craziest thing I've done but it was fun!'

Oh yeah... The best part was I managed to remain sober. Partial redemption after my epic failure a few weeks back. Lol. I got drunk on a pint then. =(

Healthy Eating...

2010-01-20T12:26:00.003Z

I found this comic while reading the newspaper yesterday...

LOL!

And so Frosty and Snowy was born

2010-01-13T23:33:00.003Z

We had about 5cm of snow today and I just could not resist going Hyde Park to go make a snowman even though I have a progress test tmr. Lol

Rolling Frosty...

Meet Frosty(right) and Snowy(left)
They come complete with a carrot nose. Lol

Frosty!!!

Playing with Snowy...

Meet the parents... Lol.

This is Round Pond. Lol.. Poor swans and ducks all crowded onto a tiny patch of water...
The rest is ice... Lol

2010-01-07T22:52:00.002Z

Looks a bit like a scene from Day After Tomorrow doesn't it?

Lol. This is UK on the 7th of January taken from NASA satellites.

Last year was the coldest winter in 18 years. Lol. This year is the coldest in 30 years!
No snow in London =(, though tonight will be a chilly -5C! It was warm though compared to
-11C in Manchester. Haha.

The Road Less Travelled (in Dover)

2010-01-03T23:31:00.004Z

Two trails forked in the cliffs of Dover
And sorry we could not travel both
After haggling and much indecision
We decided on which route to take

We took the other just for the sights
Alas, it was mucky and icy
Slipped and slogged in the muck we did
Alas, we had enough

The trails converged and re-diverged
Abandoned the path less travelled we did
And continued on on the road more travelled
Onward to the cliffs of Dover...

White New Year,,,

2010-01-01T18:11:00.004Z

We got no white Christmas but we got a white New Year. =) As usual, I decided to waste the last 3 hours of the old year freezing my arse of with my friends at Westminster (it was a relatively mild 3C though the forecast was for -5C). =) This time we were prepared and well brought loads of crisps and dips and a picnic mat to pass time. Haha.

After 3 hours in the cold, Big Ben rang in the New Year and we welcomed it with a spectacular fireworks display...
'
And we got an extra surprise, it snowed right after the fireworks display. =) We may have missed out on a white Christmas but we got a white New Year!

And of course we have the obligatory group picture. Those three random ang moh decided to join our group. =)

Happy New Year everyone. =) What are your New Year resolutions? Mine is never to make another new year resolution after this. =P

Out of London

2009-12-19T23:40:00.002Z

First day of holidays and I went out of London to Bicester Village for a shop. =) I did not buy much things though just a £25 sweater and a travel adaptor. But I saw frost for the first time. =)

Frost on the plants. Beautiful isn't it?

Some random plant...

Did I mention I got drunk yesterday? Lol. I am so not gonna repeat that experience EVER!

A Autumn of Contrasts

2009-12-18T13:35:00.002Z

After a warm spell in November, we finally got a taste of winter is December. Temperatures are just above freezing at the moment and we got the first snowfall of the season. =)

First snowfall of the season
(That blue building is Imperial College's Faculty Building)

But oddly the tress are still clothed. Last year they were naked by November...

The maple tree outside my window...
It's still green!

Battersea Park...

And the best news of all?
Term just ended!

Anyway

Have a Merry Christmas
and a
Happy New Year!

This is so unnatural!

2009-12-01T22:50:00.001Z

It's winter already and guess what? The trees are still green! This so so odd. Global warming I guess. We had our first proper cold snap at last! =) Hopefully December will be cold and snowy. Yes Sue Wen, I also want a White Christmas!

Met O'nion the Rector

2009-11-20T21:23:00.001Z

Meet our new acting rector- O'Nion

Lol. Our soon to be ex rector Sir Roy resigned and now we have Onion to replace him. Lol

5th of November Remembered

2009-11-07T23:49:00.004Z

Remember, remember the Fifth of November,

The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,

I know of no reason

Why the Gunpowder Treason

Should ever be forgot.

Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, t'was his intent

To blow up the King and Parli'ment.

Three-score barrels of powder below

To prove old England's overthrow;

By God's providence he was catch'd

With a dark lantern and burning match.

Holloa boys, holloa boys, let the bells ring

Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King!

And what should we do with him? Burn him!

Isn't it nice to have your deed or rather misdeed celebrated by generations to come? Guy Fawkes had that honour and like last year I went to Battersea Park to celebrate Guy Fawkes Day... It started with a traditional bonfire....

Now photosynthesis can happen at night!
Haha....

After the bonfire came the main event.... The fireworks display!

Now that was worth my £6. The theme for the fireworks display? Love. That is indeed in short supply around the world at this moment...

And let's remember remember the fifth of November... Of how one guy tried and failed to blow up Parliament. Hang drawn and quartered he was but at least he gave us something to celebrate....

A sad day for the UK

2009-11-04T17:30:00.002Z

Yesterday marks the suppression of the will of the British electorate- the Lisbon Treaty becomes law. =( Now more power will be transferred from the UK and into the hands of the Eurocrats in Brussels who well make stupid laws like how straight must your banana be.... Soon UK will be a colony of the EU, ironic isn't it? The child end up dominating the parent...

Freaking Hot October

2009-10-27T13:49:00.002Z

October is supposed to be cold and well colourful. But this October is HOT and the trees are still green! The mercury is hitting 18C outside and it was already sleeting this time around last year. It is feels just like summer. I want my cold autumn. Lol. Back to doing work! Year two is tough!

Finally

2009-10-19T15:40:00.004+01:00

Finally after 2 weeks my house has internet. Lol. Living outside of halls is so different compared to living in halls. I have to settle everything by myself with a lot of help with from my good friends. =) My room is still in a state of organised mess though. I am just so lazy to organise everything properly... This is my room.

See all the stuff on the floor... I have rearranged it but it is still messy.

Class is OK but it id definitely tougher than last year. I have to make a pump in a group of 6. And one of them is my housemate, tutorial group mate and lab partner...

Najib's Malaysia

2009-09-04T14:24:00.002+01:00

Najib's Malaysia...

Race First,

National Front the Priority

The people? Screw them!

They dunno how to vote.

I'll rule over every state by hook or by crook...

And your ballots? Arrr they are just a minor inconvenience.

Democracy is a nice charade. Let's play!

Which path are we heading to?

2009-08-26T13:10:00.002+01:00

The recent case of Kartika Shukarno highlights Malaysia's slow but steady drift towards more conservative Islam. Around the country issues like the sale of beer or pork which were never issues have become a very big issue. Politicians from certain quarters have tried to introduce conservative interpretation of Islam to appeal to the rural heartland.

We like to highlight the fact that we are a moderate Muslim nation. I beg to differ. If we are truly moderate, I believe that Shariah law should have no place in the country. Why waste money, time and energy on offences like not fasting during Ramadan, drinking alcohol and close proximity that harm no one? The time, money and energy wasted on this can be put to better use like catching thieves and tackling corruption.Sure it may be wrong under Islam to commit the mentioned 'crimes' but it is between that individual and their God not the Government.

Alas it is not too late. We the people can demand that conservative Islam not be imposed on us. We are a secular nation not a theocratic nation. But right now were are at the fork in the road. Which path do you want us to go?

2009-08-15T02:41:00.002+01:00

After long last the new 50 dollar note is out. The old one looks nicer if you ask me. What do you think?

Malacca and Protest,

2009-08-03T13:01:00.004+01:00

Just came ack yesterday from an eating extravaganza in Malacca. =) Total damage caused to the pocket-89 dollars excluding the 20 dollars I spent at Tan Kim Hock. The shopkeeper there was surprised when I refused the plastic bag. Somehow, shopkeepers here tend to act surprised when you do not want a bag.

Scandalous!

Anyway... It was a great trip and we spent most of the night catching up and playing Mafia and as usual... I was the irritating guy there who kept laughing non stop through out the game. Poor me... Whenever I keep quiet, people think I am the mafia, whenever I make noise people think I am the mafia. =( We finally KOed around 3 but not the Brandon, Catherine and Min Hao who went on mamak. From their stories... I can gather that they had an interesting journey with Min driving the wrong way round in the round about. Lol.

And just in case you are wondering about the protest in the title,.. There was a protest on Saturday. Stupid Police. We are a fucking so called democracy for crying out loud. People should be allowed to protest if they want. The god damned police should just shut the fuck up and just make sure it stays peaceful instead of trying resorting to violence to break up the peaceful protest. God damned police and Government!

1 Malaysia

2009-07-25T02:41:00.002+01:00

1 Malaysia?

Is its fantasy?

An illusion?

An impossible dream?

I certainly think so!

We are not 1 Malaysia, we are 3+ Malaysias!

1 country, 3 major races, each living their own separate lives!

Penpals...

2009-07-25T02:05:00.002+01:00

Penpals?! In this modern age and time? No email ar? Lol. That is the most common reaction i get when I tell people I have penpals. Haha. The internet is great for communicating but nothing beats the feeling being able to open your letter box and then finding a nice letter from some farway place waiting for you in there. =)

And you get cool stuff too! So far I got tonnes of nice stamps, coins from Portugal, bank notes from India, pictures from Brazil, and the promise of more coins and bank notes from Egypt and the Dominican Republic. =) This is so fun. Haha. Cheaper and easier way to expand my money collection. =P

The only snag... I have to send my letter real early as Malaysia Post is slower than the post is practically all the countries I send my letter to... 11 working days for a letter to get to Thailand. Lol! Ar well, posting letters is fun anyway. Now off I go to post three post cards to Germany and Portugal...

Israel

2009-07-19T13:29:00.002+01:00

Dear investor,

Thanks for showing interest in investing in Israel. You asked in your letter what is our main business in Israel. Well we are one of the leading exporters of Death, Misery and Destruction in the whole world. Our national sport is destroying our neighbour's life by sending our army to bulldoze their house, shoot their children and did I mention steal their water and land? Don't let that dishearten you from investing your money here. We guarantee you that we will use your money to sow more destruction and you will enjoy massive returns on it-desperation and suicide bombings. You also asked why do people hate us so much, well I just don't know. Maybe they are just anti-Semitic.

I hope you will consider investing in Israel. We will be most obliged if you can build us a death camp. No we are not like the Nazis, we just aim to make our business model more efficient. Those Nazis are just good at it.

Yours sincerely,
ISRAEL

These are my views and my views alone. Any insult to anyone is unintentional.

6 more till completion.

2009-07-19T07:52:00.002+01:00

I only need 6 more former Euro zone bank notes before I finally complete that section of my collection. Woot. And the best thing is that they are all within sight. Just 6 more and then it's complete! Whee... Whoever has the following notes please tell me ar:

a) Portuguese escudo
b) Maltese Lire
c) Cyprus Pound
d) Eire Pound
e) Finnish Maarka
f) Luxembourg Franc

Results

2009-07-16T14:06:00.000+01:00

My results are out! Lol. Damn unexpected. =) or =( you decide. =P

Malaysia's Great Leap Backwards

2009-07-10T16:39:00.002+01:00

Just when every country is moving forward with their policies, Malaysia is taking a giant leap backwards by deciding to teach Maths and Science in Malay again! I digress that a national language is important but not to the point where national pride clouds all sense of practicality and judgement. The main language in Science and Maths is English, international trade is in English and English is one of the more widely understood languages.

Yet our dear leaders with their mindset stuck in the feudal era, decided to handicap their future generations by teaching those vital subjects in Malay. Although they will learn the same thing, their English will not improve I think. Having said that we must give credit to them for increasing the time allocated to learning English. But the students will not have more practical exposure to the language by scrapping the policy. Increasing the time devoted to English will not mean improvement. The level of English taught in Government schools is atrocious. SPM English is not up to mark and it is so easy that people are not bothered and fail the language.

One reasons cited for the reversal was that rural kids cannot catch up. Fine. How sure are you that they cannot keep up? Just because they cannot keep up now does not mean they will be perpetually handicapped. Have extra English classes for them by all means after all that is why we are paying taxes not for you Najib and your corrupt buddies to go buy new cars, build big houses and oh yeah blow up somebody. And if they refuse to learn, it's their problem. You cannot hold up an entire nation just because of a few thousand lazy people.

Talking to my friend, he posed this rather interesting rebuttal of me. The teachers are not ready.
Their English standards are not up to mark because.... You know why la. Well I say, force them to teach in English. That way they have to learn English. You can force them but you have provide them support as well. Extra classes and better textbooks. They can learn together with the students to master a new language. Don't just think, well you know what I dunno lets go back to what I know. If they won't want to get out of their comfort zone now... Chances are that they will never get out of it.

Najib be a man, do the right thing, reverse the reversal. Teach Maths and Science in English! I know your grass roots are against it because of national pride. Is national pride so important that you rather put Malaysia at a disadvantage? Or maybe national pride in your opinion, is having future citizens who speak english like a retard in a nation sinking because of comptetion. Is that your vision of a proud nation? Wow. Why be proud of a sinking ship?

Random picture

2009-07-10T04:45:00.000+01:00

Poor orange....

Cinderella

2009-07-08T16:38:00.000+01:00

This a a new Cinderella story...

WARNING
May not be suitable for young children because it will spoil their dreams of finding a prince and getting married by him,

Once upon a time there was this girl called Ella. She was a hardworking girl who loves to sweep chimneys. One day she was sweeping a chimney at her stepmothers house. The stepmother lighted a fire. And she got burnt. And hence she was known as Cinderella.

THE END

Clap Hands... Lol

Bali and Lombok

2009-07-07T02:55:00.003+01:00

Well in case any of you didn't know I have only just retuned from the Island of the Gods-Bali, Indonesia and Lombok her undiscovered sister. Both have their own charms. Own is touristy and the other calm and quiet.

I tried surfing in Bali. Woot! It was more like trying to stand on the board and ot drink sea water and well as recalling what I learned 1 over year ago in Bali. Haha. It was fun though I probably had more salt that day than what is good for me. And after surfing, we went for massage! You can never go bali without one. In fact I went for one every other day in the trip. 3 massages over 7 days. Not bad.

I thought the whole triop will be all sun and sea. You know, relaxing by the sea. Drinking Coke, and building sand cities with mtybrother and watching the sea demolish them. (I just love destruction... Muahahaha) Then my mum told us that we are going to climb Mt Rinjani and camp there overnight. I was like what the f***. But the climb was worth it as I saw real lava!!!

Should I or should i not...

2009-07-06T06:30:00.002+01:00

It should all just be easy.

Turn the computer on, go online, check my Imperial email and hope that no new mail arrives, and off comp.

But... Yet, it is just so hard to do just that. Somehow I prefer to just let the matter be one big ?. But I must open it sometime. Haihz.

Should I do it now? Or do it later?

Maybe later. =P. Argrrrgh!

This is worst than waiting for A levels or SPM results...

Back in Malaysia

2009-06-28T02:20:00.002+01:00

Finally after a marathon 18 hours journey I am back in Malaysia. My first thoughts were shoot it is so bloody hot and it still is. Somehow 29 degrees in London and 29 degrees in Malaysia feels so different. It somehow feels more stuffy here. I miss my friends in London also and the city itself. Used to stay so near to everyone and can visit them at a moments notice. Now we are all over the place...... Must get used to it though. Oh London, how I miss you. I miss your streets your tube and your buildings well not all some.

And my first thing I did after stepping out of KLIA which is incidentally so much better than Heathrow was to eat burger from the roadside stall. =P. GBK you cannot compete! I must visit my Malaysian friends soon. Well after I get back from Bali. Self quarantine? What's that? Lol.

Belgium and the Netherlands...

2009-06-23T00:04:00.006+01:00

After 5 days of marathon travelling through 4 cities I am finally glad to be back in my hall. Finally I can have a long days rest. First stop was Brussels, woot! The Eurostar was extremely fast and using it was wayyy wayyy wayyy better than using a plane. No stupid liquid rule and I can bring as much stuff as I want. =P

Brussel was a nice place and well my biggest regret was buying the group day pass as you can use the public transport even without buying it. Makes you feel like you are wasting your money only to buy it. We went to the Atomium and then we went on a treasure hunt to find a very very elusive cat after a few tempers we finally foun the cat. Lolz. And on a random note... Cherries in Brussels is cheaper than in London. So I bought a lot of cherries.

Some random palace in Brussels. Lol.

The Atomium... Brusel/Bruxelles/ Brussels.
One city... So many names.

After Brussels we headed to Amsterdam-the red light district of Europe. =P. There were so many prostitutes there especially at De Waalen. They were just sitting in front of glass windows and showing off their shall we say... Assets. An there were so many sex shops and some odd soft toys there as well. Amsterdam is not all about sex and marijuana though and we rented a bike an cycled all around the city and visited a few windmills and the market. We also headed to Zchansee Schaans where we saw even more windmills. Haha.

Ready get set... Go!

One of the canals of Amsterdam

Nana... The most vibrating shop in town
Who wants to guess what they sell there?

From Amsterdam we went to Rotteram and it is the nicest city in the trip. The buildings were so neat and modern and nice. Well after spending 40 plus years destroying the old buildings, the city must be brand new right? We went to the Euromast and saw the sunset over Rotterdam at a height of about 100 metres. Woot. And the sunset was at 10.05pm... We wanted to well take the tram without the ticket back to our hostel which was a nice boat! But in the end the tram was so slow we decide to walk back.

Rotterdam from the middle of Euromast.

Rotterdam again! This time from Wilhelminaplein.

The last city of call in Der Nederland was Den Haag which is a boring city. There are basically three attractions and thats just about it. The Vredeispaleis (ICJ) and the Parliament of Netherlands and the beach at Scheveningen... And now on a totally totally unrelated note. Ice cream at McD in the Netherlands is more than double the price in Belgium... I tried some utch food Nieuwe Haring which is basically raw herring. It was like Fear Factor. Boy I am glad to have managed to swallow the fish...

Random thoughts...

2009-06-11T18:21:00.003+01:00

Ever wondered why we glorify people like Datuk Maharajalela and countless of other so called national 'heroes'? In my opinion, they are nothing but traitors. While fighting for their own selfish desires, they went against the Government of their time. They were rightfully convicted of treason and executed*. Yet we glorify these traitors in our history textbooks not for the selfish bastards they really are. My friend, history is indeed the privellege of the victors.

*This does not mean that I am for the death penalty. I am 100% opposed to the death penalty and corporal punishment and I am ashamed to the fact that it is carried out under the law in the name of Malaysians.

Taste of Summer...

2009-06-07T10:07:00.004+01:00

Summer is nearly upon us now. The days are long and warm and that means summer fruits are dirt cheap. Whee! Everywhere there are promotions for fruits like cherries, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and not to mention blackberries.

Fresh British Strawberries... Sweeter and juicier than the
ones in Cameron Highlands!
And its only £1.50 for 500g!

Cherries from Spain...
Only £3.30 a kilo. And greedy me bought a kilo
They were just too cheap to pass.
Are you really jealous now, Rachel? Lol!

Fruit stall in Camden...

At the end of a one day fruit shopping orgy, I think I bought too much fruits. Oh well, they can be my breakfast and lunch, followed up by a proper dinner. Now no one can say I am not getting my 5 a day....

Don't Tell My Mum I was in Ireland

2009-06-04T11:52:00.004+01:00

I finally set foot on the Emerald Isle. And her beauty is not exaggerated... They say the Irish are lucky and I know why, I think. They have lost almost every war they have fought against the British and yet the managed to dump the Queen and form their own Republic. Lol. Baile Átha Cliath or Dublin is a very nice and quaint city. Not much to do when compared to London but still worth a visit! The outskirts of Baile Átha Cliath were super nice! I love the cliffs and the sea... Must return to Eire next year and visit other cities...

Dublin Harbour...

Howth
Cliffs at Howth

You can't say you have been in Eire until you
enjoyed the grass... Lol.

Howth...

The beach at Howth. Had to climb down about 70 m to
get there. And there was this nice dog there...

Trinity College, Dublin

Dublin City Hall... There was this controvesial statue of Justice.
She faced Dublin Castle (centre of British Colonial rule)
with her back turned towards the Irish people.
And when it rains her scales tipped towards one side. Lol.
Plus she wasn't blindfolded and hence not impartial...

Star Trek...

2009-05-31T16:56:00.002+01:00

I always thought Star Trek was boring and not worth watching maybe because it reminds me of Star Wars which apart from the cool explosion and fighting scenes does not really strike my fancy. So when my friends decided to watch Star Trek (too late to watch Angels and Demons) I reluctantly agreed but it turned out to be quite cool a show after all. It was really worth my 7 pounds and thirty pee.

I love the black hole part. Lol. And some of the characters are quite good, I like Spock and Kirk's cockiness especially to his senior in the academy.

Hampstead Heath

2009-05-29T23:56:00.001+01:00

After a deprived day indoors I decided it is time to return to mother nature. Lol. So out I went to Ethos for a swim and then off again to Hampstead Heath- a nice wood in the middle of London It was such a pleasant contrast from the city. There were old trees and fields there and a lot of ponds. A lot of people were sun bathing as it was such a hot day(22C). There were warning about the heat in the London Underground which has no air conditioning btw.

Entrance to Hampstead Heath Park
Hard to believe this is in London huh?

Look so Ireland like. The tall grass swaying in the
breeze. Lolz

These ducks are cam-whores!

One of the nicer tube stations if you ask me...
Ladies and gentlemen, Earls Court tube station

1 month...

2009-05-29T10:10:00.002+01:00

One more month till I get to go home... After 9 months here, if you ask me if I miss my country? The honest answer have to be no. The truth is I like life in the UK much more than life in Malaysia. For starters the weather is better and there is a lot more freedom here (People can actually strike or protest without being charged with Sedition! And yes, the Government is less racist!). Sure, I miss my family, friends and the food and my dog and my JB house. But its them that I miss not the country.

Sure, Malaysia is a nice place to life but the Government is stifling the place and killing it. TV is full of National Front shit, radios are slightly better though still bad. We have a Government who is oblivious to the fact the economy is shrinking by 6%(which is about double the UK) and interested only in remaining in power. But isn't it the same everywhere... Well at least the police and the Judiciary is more independent here and you feel more protected by the law.

Call me ungrateful to me country or what but that is the truth. Our country seems to be on the road to nowhere. Shackled to the past by leaders who are unwilling to treat the Chinese and Indians as equals, and yet denying that they are second class citizens. Najib, we feel that way! We are SECOND CLASS CITIZENS in our own country!

Enough about the negative side, Malaysia has provided well for my family. I thanks thee for that. Maybe it's just the grass is always greener on the other side... I just feel that opportunities are more plenty in other places. Lol.

But still, I am born a Malaysian and I will want to remain one.(The passport is handy, lol just kidding!)

I voted...

2009-05-27T21:39:00.008+01:00

Like the title said, I finally voted for the first time in my life! The European Union elections. The postal ballot came in yesterday. And I took it from the hall office. There are so many parties running in the London Electoral Region. I think there were 19 parties on the ballot paper .

My postal ballot envelope...

Oh? I didn't know National Front had a
UK representative. Lol

Conclusion... Voting is just like normal only but hey vote when you can after all its your right!

Exams over...

2009-05-26T12:03:00.002+01:00

Finally after 2 weeks the exams are over. Conclusion? DISASTER!!!

The Mechatronics paper was really really really really crazy! We all thought last years paper was the worst it could get. But apparently, it could get worst! I felt like I got hit by a bloody train in the freaking exam hall. Everyone even the Singaporeans found it BAD. Our only hope of passing? Really really really drastic moderation.

Who does Leevers think we are? ROBOTS?!!! Arrrghhh...... Hopefully I don't have to come back in September for SQT.

For now... I just want to forget about the exams...

It's getting warmer...

2009-05-25T18:48:00.002+01:00

It is getting warmer an warmer already. Haiz. Soon it'll be back to the sultry heat in Malaysia. It actually hit 24C today and it was a cloudy day! No wondre there were predictions of a heat wave in summer.

Tomorrow will be my last paper!!!! Woohoo! Then its freedom for at least 1 month. Lol. Dunno what internships or stuff my parents planned for me during the summer...

I can vote...

2009-05-21T19:22:00.005+01:00

I can vote in a foreign country even before I can vote in my own country cool huh? Come June 4th I will be voting in the European Union Parliamentary Elections... The ang mohs were really shocked when they found out Malaysians can vote in UK. We get to have a say in how they are run and they don't have a say in how we are run. Lol.

My poll card.
Won't be using it though as I applied for postal vote.
Thought the polling centre will be far but as it turns out
it is only 5 minutes away from my place...

Yes I have already made up my mind who to vote for but that is for me to know and you never to find out. Lol. Back to studying!

Time to buck up Mech Eng!!!

2009-05-17T18:53:00.005+01:00

The results to the National Student Survey 2008 funded by the UK Government is out and the Mechanical Engineering Department at Imperial College (MED) finished an unglamorous number 1970 out of the 2178 courses surveyed nationwide a.k.a. in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.... MED has the least student satisfaction amongst all the departments in Imperial College also. Sobs... Time to buck up, MED. One suggestion? Scrap Mechatronics!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am sure a lot of Mech Engers hate it just ask around. Lol.

Anyways... Back to studying. Thermo exam tomorrow!

Exams...

2009-05-14T23:03:00.004+01:00

8 Months of Hard Work....

Thousands of Pounds Spent

It all boils down to

the next week and a half...

In case you didn't know

It is the....

EXAMS!!!

No contrary to popular believe...

I am still sane. Lol.

Rest in Peace, Democracy!

2009-05-09T10:03:00.003+01:00

[Ipoh, 09 May] Last Thursday the terminally ill democracy took her last breath when the State Assembly in Perak was finally usurped by the goons of the National Front Party. The Deputy Speaker Hee Yit Fong stole the powers of the Speaker in order to further the goals of her master- Prime Minister Najib whose slogan of 1 Malaysia is nothing but a propaganda slogan with no substance behind it. The defining image of the day is of that gracious Ms Hee pointing pepper spray to her colleague in the State Assembly.

The separation of powers have also finally came to an end in Malaysia. It suffered a serious blow when the Judiciary violated the Constitution and ruled on a decision made by the Speaker, invalidating his decision to suspend several MPs or disrespecting the House. The final blow came on Thursday when the police barged into the State Assembly and arrested several if not hundreds of people, sometimes at random and ejected the rightful Speaker from the Assmbly building. This is clearly in breach of the convention where by the police cannot enter the State Assembly without the invitation of the Speaker.

This mess was started by the Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah who tore up his own State Constitution , bowed to pressure heaped on him by the National Front by refusing to listen to the advice of his own Chief Minister which was to dissolve the State Assembly after a few defections. Perak is now a political quagmire thanks to his infamous decision.

The release of a few political prisoners today is nothing but a ploy to distract the people's focus on the events in Perak. It is a mere throw of the dice in the National Front's desperate struggle to remain in power.

We can only hope that the people will dig democracy up from her grave and revive her so she can be a beacon for to unite all Malaysians one day. Till then rest in peace democracy and may you be reborn someday...

Exams...

2009-05-06T23:26:00.002+01:00

Just over a week to exams.... And I have tonnes of pass years to complete... Lol. YOu just keep digging up more past years from different sources...

Summer Days are coming!

2009-04-24T10:16:00.002+01:00

Like the title says summer days are coming! My tendency to whack flying mosquitoes has reappeared and other flying insects have returned .The sun is setting later and later and later and rising earlier an earlier and earlier. The sky starts to get bright at around 5 and gets dark around 9. Lol. And in June it starts brightening at 4 and darkens at 10. Haha. My internal clock is soooo screwed up. I can spend ages talking over dinner only to realised I spent 2 hours talking because it looks like 7 outside when it's 8.30. I sleep at 1 cos it still seems early. Ah well, it sure beats he gloomy winter days where I go to college in the dark and return home in the dark. Any one wants to enjoy the long summer days with me? Lolz. Bring along an air conditioner when you come. It is gonna be a hot hot summer judging from the temperature now.

Bus Drivers...

2009-04-19T20:30:00.003+01:00

Ever thought that bus drivers a a bunch of low paid automatons who are perpetually in a bad mood and out to make your life hell? Well I thought so to until today. I must stop stereotyping people!

Well I wanted to go play basketball today for the 2nd time in my life. Yes you read right I wanted to play basketball thanks to a friend who convinced me to. So we took a bus to Edgware Road. After getting out of the bus, I realised my wallet was missing. And I tried running after the bus all the way to Maida Hill which is about 3 kilometres away(I didn't know I could run that far, Lol). I didn't managed to find the bus I took just now. (I think I just missed it). Dang!!!!

There was this bus inspector there who let me search all the buses that were at the depot to see if my wallet could be there. Alas it was futile... The guy then helped me make an announcement to all the bus drivers of the bus I took to look out for my wallet. While waiting I chatted with him and a few other bus drivers. They are actually quite nice people and really friendly too. I chatted with him about HINDRAF, Malaysian and Sri Lankan politics(he's Sri Lankan you see) for 1 hour plus until the time where the bus I took should have reached the depot but no wallet. Haiz. So the inspector told another bus driver to give me a free journey home and protect me from the law enforcement guys should they come and check tickets(He says they can be real pricks).

In the end I got back safely albeit missing my wallet which had a sentimental value to me... It is more valuable than the rest of the things there I think. Hopefully someone found it or the person who stole it decide to return it to me. Should you happen to be the person who took/found it and reading this now, please return it to Imperial College London k? And note London is so full of CCTV's you may be caught taking it ar.

I hope I'll be reunited with you soon wallet... Till then I must go to the Malaysian High Commission tomorrow which is in itself an adventure as I have never been to a Malaysian High Commission alone before...

屋子.。。。

2009-04-19T01:25:00.002+01:00

I finally got a house for next year. Yay!!! It's in Cromwell Road and I got a single room. First time in a long long time if ever I got a single room. The place is quite nice for the price and relatively near college. We thought we were competing with the Singaporeans for the only available flat there but luckily there was 3 and now there's one and I think there are a group of about 10 Malaysians and goodness knows how many more Singaporeans fighting for the remaining 5 room flat. Good luck to them... Haha. And may the best Malaysian group win!

P.S. That place we are staying is like a mini Malaysia/Singapore. Almost if not everyone there is a Malaysian or a Singaporean...

...

2009-04-15T18:37:00.002+01:00

What is the diff between A levels and uni?

Well in A Levels I know what I need to know.

In uni, I think I know what I need to know. Haiz.

Exams are still about 1 month away and I am feeling the stress. I wonder how the ang mohs can still go out party drink and do anything but study. I quote one of my ang moh friend whose exams are a week away... Too long term for met to bother. Yet they don't do too badly...

Me? Wake up, online, study, lunch, study, online/read paper/ or as I am doing now blog, dinner, study, online, sleep!!!!! Gosh, I am so gonna get a life after exams...

Now let's watch a horror movie...

Or a fairly tale if you must,

Back to my books!

2009-04-12T10:31:00.002+01:00

Happy Easter... Now we need to find a day to call Wester. Lol. And I finally uploaded the pictures from Praha(Prague) up onto Picasa. And on a totally unrelated note, the UK is gonna allow prisoners to vote. How wrong is that?

Prague, Praha, Prag

2009-04-09T11:01:00.006+01:00

It is refreshing to bask in the cool London air after the hot warm air in Prague. I am seriously starting to doubt how am I gonna survive in Kuala Lumpur in June when I find the 21 Celsius in the shade (feels like 30 plus once you are under the sun) in Prague a little too hot. Oh well, there is always air conditioning and the summer hear in London to condition me. Haha.

Prague is a very very nice city and a welcome change to the hectic life in London. Though it is hard to understand things since almost everything is in Czech. The food was good and quite cheap since we ate at a place less known to tourists. We asked our guide in the Free Walking tour where to eat and she recommended U Medvidku and yeah now I am recommending it to those who are going there(it's opposite the Tesco near Narodni Trida).

Prague Castle at night

We went to Prague castle and posed with the Presidential Guards, took photos of the Summer Garden which were out of bounds at the moment due to the visit of that Obama guy. We went in the church and saw a tomb made out of silver. Cool huh? The stained glass was also damn beautiful. Somehow all the churches in Prague are always a lot colder than the outside of Prague....

Wonder what the guard was thinking...

Easter is around the corner and there were so many Easter Eggs for sale in Prague. You know those painted chicken eggs... I spent almost 1 hour plus trying to decide which egg to buy cos they looked all so nice and I'd have bought all if not for the price. Lolz. There is also this tradition in the Czech Republic where the guys will go and whack the girls with sticks which are decorated during Easter. It's supposed to be a fertility ritual. The guide said there was this old lady who asked a lot of people to whack her. She was like whack me whack me!

The fertility ritual performed by chicks!

Easter eggs...

Did I mention that we got chased by a policemen too? Lolz.

Back from the North

2009-04-04T14:14:00.012+01:00

Finally after a 9 hour bus journey I am back on the English capital after a few days in the Scottish capital Dùn Èideann/Embra or Edinburgh is known plain old English. The Scots are a rather nice people, I like them better than some of the Londoners. Scots are more laid back and friendly though they seem to have a grudge against the English. They seem blame them for a lot of things. Lolz. Who can blame them? After all the English invaded them so many times and finally annexed them when the signed the Treaty of Union.

The symbol of Scottish statehood
Pàrlamaid na h-Alba (the Scottish Parliament)

Edinburgh is a freakingly nice city an we climbed Arthur Seat which is the tallest point in the city I think and enjoyed views of the city. It was a rather windy day though and it is scary especially if the wind pushes you towards the cliff but as Cat said if a 7 year old kid could climb Arthur Seat so can we!

Edinburgh Castle which lords over the city was also on our list of must go places. Cat wasn't there though. She went to volunteer for some experiment I think as well as to look for a house next year. We explored the castle and saw the Scottish Crown Jewels which were hidden for about a century following the Act of Union.

Cat cooked chicken rice for lunch. It was good and it was hard to believe that it is her first time doing chicken rice. Thanks Cat! When we went chopping for ingredients we came across this vegetable which looks ugly...

Celeriac... Kinda like rotten cabbage don't you think?

We went to the Scottish Highlands also and paid a visit to Loch Ness. Nessie wasn't in a good mood though and she's probably sleeping at the bottom of Loch Ness. We waded in the cold waters of the loch(4 C at its warmest in July/August). And we also went to Urquhart castle which was destroye by the Government during the Jacobite uprisings. Speaking of which, never ever betray a Higlander. The hold grudges. Even till this day, the McDonald Clan still haven't forgave the Campbell clan for the massacre of Glencoe. There is a bar in the area with the sign

No Dogs.
No Campbells.

Yes, the won't serve you if you are a Campbell. All this in retribution to a certain Captain Robert Campbell who carried out the orders of King William and Queen Mary and murdered the Glencoe villagers who offered them hospitality.

Loch Ness...

We went to Rosalyn Chapel and the Royal Botanical Gardens on the last day in Edinburgh. I shall not bore you with pictures of the flowers I saw there but they are here. We also tried Scottish food like haggis which was surprisingly good and fried Mars bar (good but damn expensive!). And I experienced thick mist for the first time since I came here...

Blurry outline of the Burns Memorial through
the thick mist

And now off I go to enjoy my shortbread and to keep the Scottish Pound notes I amassed!

Love Just Landed

2009-03-29T20:10:00.003+01:00

It's spring. It's the season for regeneration and growth. And these birds were living the spirit of spring! See he is even waiting patiently in line.
Well amongst all the flowers, I am sure they must be really happy!

Moving down St Jame's Park we passed by the Mall, a ceremonial walkway leading to Buckingham Palace with the Mexican and British flags gracing it's entire stretch. The President of Mexico is visiting the Elizabeth II or so I heard.
Kinds cool huh how they arranged the flags like that. Oddly though, the British flags seemed more tired than the Mexican flags, I suppose they are used more often compared to the Mexican flag.

Sorry we can't help but cam-whore a little. Lolz. More pictures here.

Spring will gracefully usher in summer in a few more months and if this may be a glimpse of what may be a summer of discontent. A protest in London yesterday and a mad man railing about how Elizabeth II will burn in hell for what she is doing and asking us to help send her on her way. The man was kinda creepy though and we walked as fast as possible away from him. On the whole, it was a wonderful outing and I got to say hi to Jey and Timothy...

BST

2009-03-29T02:01:00.003+01:00

BST begins! I don't agree changing the clocks twice a year but since I can't change it, I must look at the bright side of it. The sun sets later! And I was less sunshine sleeping. Lolz

Chair Design Project

2009-03-24T22:14:00.003Z

Last day of Design class! Woohoo! And to end it we had to design a chair based on ergonomic (human) factors like height, weight and whatnot.

The design team...

Our completed product after 2 hours work.

Testing the chair. It is quite comfortable I must say.

Testing... Ours failed. The backrest gave way. Dang!
If we won it'd be a perfect streak.Oh well 2 out of 3 ain't bad.

Other designs

Who is SC? And is this even a chair? Lol

Epic Day....

2009-03-22T13:47:00.005Z

Yesterday was an epic day. For the first time we the Malaysians in Imperial College actually went out and have a picnic in the spring sunshine! Usually we run away from the sun but since it is also Lion Dance Soc AGM, we decided to have a picnic an AGM. It was also epic cos we elected a certain Mr Chin, and Mr Johari to the the Lion Kings of Lion Dance Soc, an a Wheezing to be our webmaster. (Yes, and we showed BN that race is no barrier to anything. A Malay can be the first non Chinese head of our society. Take that BN) We want more Krispy Kremes at the meetings, Lion Kings. And lastly it was epic because, spring began yesterday. Finally we have reached the equinox and now the days are longer than nights!

Food...!

A sign of spring... The flowers are blooming at long last

A Harrods Krispy Kreme...

Queen's Tower in all her Majesty
Thanks to Wheezing for blocking out the sun!

The Lions and the Lion Lover

Group picture! Nothing is complete without one

Don't ask me what this is supposed to be. Lol.
Poor stone lion...

Yes it was a fun day eating Krispy Kremes(a special thanks to Chia Wei for buying them) ,playing frisbee and ball games in the sun. And the ICMUN committee also planned out most of our activities for the year after a 6 hour long unscheduled meeting which ended with dinner at Strada!

Science Gone Mad?!

2009-03-20T18:41:00.003Z

Wtf. Protesters may descend in front of my department again to protest against CORE. What is CORE? Well it is part of a global initiative to combat global warming by manipulating the Earth's rotational period relative to other bodies in space aka changing the Earth's orbit. They are testing the key part of it with a cool name-the Anti-Spinatron! I am not against science but I think that solving global warming this way is foolish. Who knows what will happen...

...

2009-03-16T22:39:00.002Z

Imagine a hot day in early spring. There is the rare sunshine, the cool breeze is blowing. People are all out reading books, and eating lunch in the Queen's Lawn. Nothing odd there until you look at the crowd properly... Where are the Asians especially the Malaysians? Well we were all hiding from the sun in the Junior Common Room. After all why fight with the ang mohs for the sun when we have more thane enough sun back home right?

Vote for RON

2009-03-15T13:04:00.002Z

Hmm... I noticed that no one seems to be campaigning for poor RON in the Malaysian Society Elections. SO I'll help RON get his message out to the world.

Hi I am RON. As you all know I am a perpetual face in the Malaysian Society Elections. This is precisely why you should vote for me. I am one of the older members of the ICUMS and therefore I have a lot of experience. I am sure no other candidates can match my experience and knowledge of the Imperial College Union system. I promise to make the club way better than what it is now.

I see we have a whole bunch of eager young lads and lasses trying to run for posts. They are all so eager but do they know what they are doing? How are they going to squeeze in the heavy duties that is expected of a committee member and study at the same time. Obviously they are going to focus on their studies. Not me for I am willing to take a gap year for the club. So vote RON for all President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Communications Secretary, Sports Secretary and Committee Member! I won't disappoint.

So, now that you have heard RON's manifesto. Remember

Vote for RON!

MNight Dinner

2009-03-14T16:00:00.005Z

The cast of Imperial College Malaysia Night 2009... Picture courtesy of Mr. Chin. That was the picture we presented at the dinner to the beloved seniors who spent 9 months of their lifes preparing for the Malaysia Night 2009. We had Indian food in Bayswater and surprise surprise we had curry that was actually spicy! After the dinner I went for a drink and we tried pear cider. Sweet, crisp and nice. Lol. And we went shopping for food afterwards. Malaysians ove our food afterall. I came across this...

A can of Klim! I sure brings back memories. I still remember that they were a common sight when I was young. Somehow they dissappeared off the shelves of the supermarkets in Malaysia. I guess they couldn't compete with other brands in Malaysia. We also saw some Milo which were sold for a grand price of 8 pounds... Iced Milo anyone?

Of increasing daylengths and elections...

2009-03-10T23:08:00.001Z

Isn't it odd how elections can change people? Even weeks before the elections people are polishing the shoes of the higher ups to put it in a nice way and well being overly nice to others and maybe a tad bossy(aka positioning themselves) They may not have noticed it but other people will notice. Lol. To put it mildly I don't think I'll vote for people who do this. I am not voting for their true self but their fake self...

And on a totally unrelated note, I heard thunder for the first time since September last year on Sunday! I was eating lunch and there was a storm outside(winter storms here seem to have more wind than rain) and then the unfamiliar sound of thunder. I never thought I'd miss the sound of thunder and me and my Malaysian cooking buddies were clapping our hands at even grumbling of thunder... This is a sure sign of the changing of the seasons. The days are getting longer too and I can finally walk home while there is still daylight. I never thought I'd say this but I actually missed the sun in winter...

Spring

2009-03-07T18:25:00.002Z

The warm winds of spring is blowing at long last and the Earth is awakening from her deep slumber. Here are some of the pictures of the Earth's awakening I saw while walking to Piccadilly Circus...
Daffodils?

Cherry Blossoms!

Unknown plant species...

Crisis Committee...

2009-03-06T17:45:00.002Z

In the wee hours of the morning, a large explosion was heard in the town of Bushehr. The heavily guarded Bushehr nuclear power plant lay in ruins. Preliminary reports suggests that 600 civilians may have been killed in the explosion including 24 Russian civilians. Prevailing winds are blowing the huge cloud of radioactive smoke Eastwards towards China. Hours later, an American cargo ship was sunk by the Iranian navy for allegedly straying into Iranian territorial waters. And a US Stealth plane crash landed over Damacus. With the situation rapidly heating up and the Iranian President threatening war against Israel the crisis committee was convened.

And no second guessing who I chose to represent-the Islamic Republic of Iran. Lol. It was one of the last MUN meetings for the academic term which is now rapidly winding down. I actualy believed that the simulation was real at the start. Lol. And smsed my friend to help me check. Haha. But it was seriously fun.

After that we went to the Buddhist Soc AGM for elections... There were not many people there unfortunately. Haiz. Do come for the postponed AGM if you are a member! We need to elect people to a few positions.

Post MNight...

2009-03-01T18:34:00.004Z

Your passing has left a huge void in my life... MNight. Before, I hated you then I enjoyed you and now I miss you. The seniors were right when they said that we will miss MNight after the event no matter how much we disliked it prior to it, in my case at least.

It was a good 2 days of performance full of UCL, KCL, LSE, Cambridge and Singapore jokes. I am sure we put UCL back to their place. Here are some scenes in the cast area during the show...

Last minute dikir practise....

Lending a helping hand to the foolish prisoner who electrocuted himself...

Dikir cast.

Men in Black...

Our staple! Krispy Kremes...

Pictures of the full performance will be posted as soon as I get them... Till then, I shall wait till MNight 2010. My main regret or MNight 2009 is that I didn't join many performances. Haiz...

An p.s. The after party was really really fun though some people were wasted on alcohol. Lol.

IC MNight-Diamonds

2009-02-27T19:24:00.002Z

At last... It's Imperial College Malaysia Night 2009- Diamonds! Lol. We are gonna do our best to make UCL pay for their special mention of Imperial College in their Malaysia Night. To all the UCL people come to Imperial and watch how things are done!!! So much sweat and effort has been poured into this by the seniors an of course the cast and crew of the Malaysia Night. And yeah, note to mention the hundred or so Krispy Kremes downed by us during the production... I am so gonna be FAT!!! Oh well...

Fire...

2009-02-22T09:02:00.001Z

Te... ni... Te... ni... 'Dang must be a false fire alarm again!', T thought to myself. My hall after all is relatively famous for its countless false fire alarm. So what the heck?! I took my own sweet time to get out. I went to the kitchen to look at my dinner before chatting and going out. But... this time it was a real fire. Lol. Someone on the second floor left cooking unattened on the stove and it caught fire We could actually see the smoke billowing out of the window. The wardens managed to put the fire out though some people could not acess their rooms due to smoke.

LIMUN

2009-02-15T18:24:00.005Z

3 days, 35 delegates, 5 working papers, 4 draft resolutions and 2 resolutions with that the Human Rights Council of the London International Model United Nations(LIMUN) concludes its session for the 2009 sessions. It was hard work and great fun and extra thanks to our wonderful chair whose names I did not managed to learn.

The topics were
1) Sexual Orientation and Human Rights
After almost 8 hours of debate as well as protests regarding the interpretation of religion, we managed what seemed an impossible task with so many conservative nations present in the HRC which is passing a relatively liberal resolution with 18 in favour, 11 against and 6 absentations. We passed a resolution affirming the responsibility if all states to uphold human right regardless on their religious stand on sexual orientation as well as strongly urging nations for the process of decriminalising of non heterosexual acts between consenting individuals to name as one of the few operative clauses in the resolution. I as Mexico voted in favour which is easy for me to do as that happened to be my stance as well as the stance of the Government of the United Mexican States.

2) Human Rights Violations Emanating from Israeli Military Attacks and Incursions in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
This was very political and we had a lot of strong views from nations like USA and Israel who weren't able to vote. We debated this topic is a really really speedy time and managed to pass a resolution by overwhelming majority with only 3 objections and 1 absentation. Lol! It is I say quite good because it is not biased and well conceived in just 4 hour! The resolution will appear here as soon as they chair sends it to me.

And yeah here are the members of the London International Model United Nations Human Rights Council... (Will appear as soon as the chair sends it to us)

And now time to catch up on my work as well as dikir barat practises which I skipped for LIMUN... Sorry Zafie!

Tag...

2009-02-09T23:03:00.003Z

My first tagged post. Courtesy of Tin Yee the tagger Lolz.
Once you've been tagged, you have to write a note with 20 random things, shortcomings, facts, habits or goals about you. At the end choose 20 people to be tagged, listing their names and why you choose them.

1. Hmm... I like snow but London don't like to snow. Sobs

2) I wanna survive university... with good results

3) I like travelling!

4) I am half Hock Chiew and half Hakka.

5) I don't know any Mandarin dialects

6) I like lamb!

7) I have a very short fuse must lengthen it.

8) I treat my friends well and my enemies better(in the worng way) lol.

9) I need money!

10) I like politics and finance.

11) I hate injections and visiting dentists...

12) I like visiting the supermarket to buy food!

13) I like the Soviet Union...

14) I am in dikir for Imperial College MNight-Diamonds

15) I miss performing Lion Dance.

16) I miss nasi lemak and bak gua!

17) Planes are my favourite way to travel(not the Tube)

18) I like to keep my room warm in the UK unlike Malaysia where the colder my room the better.

19) I miss my Leon, Royal and Bingo...

20) I just realised I left my strudel in the oven for too long!

The 20 people I tag are...

1) Ian E

2) Ivan E

3) Augustine O

4) Yijet T

5) Wei Sheng C

6) Jason L

7) Timothy Q

8) Darry D

9) Daniel C

10) Gabriel T

11) Numbers 12-20!

Let's Play A Game of God

2009-02-06T17:22:00.004Z

Act 1:
Atheists sick of Christian averts place atheist adverts on the buses of London

Act 2:
Christian groups file complaint against the atheist advertisements saying it is spreading false information. Advertisement watchdog refuse to act saying that it is clearly stating an opinion and people should know that it is just an opinion.

Act 3:
Desperate Christian groups fight back with copy cat advertisements... Desperate attempt to get people to believe in God? Who knows... But at least be creative when you do it!

This is London Snowing!

2009-02-02T16:11:00.006Z

It's snowing heavily in London. First time in 18 years it snowed that heavily. I had over 20cm of snow to play with and we made the most out of it. Made 2 snowmen Sno and Anonymous. Both of which became raw material for our snowball fight! Man, this is the whitest New Year ever. Classes were cancelled due to the snow for 2 days due to transport problems (buses were entirely suspended for the first time in living memory) and we went Hyde Park to play more snow!

Start of snow right after Lion Dance...

Second round of snow... At Chinatown

Chinatown...

Sno the snowman

3 snowangels!

This plant is wearing a new cap!

Sheltering a snow-woman!

Royal Albert Memorial and Royal Albert Hall
from Hyde Park!

It's a white white white day! Still snowing in fact. And I am kinda lazy to move out of my warm hall. So for now I'll just stay inside and edit my photos. They are here. The forecast for the rest of the week? Snow, snow and more snow...

God

2009-02-01T00:02:00.003Z

Saw a lot of people preaching at Leicester Square again. Which got me wondering, why do they need to spend so much effort to sell God? If God is truly merciful and good and blah blah blah won't people automatically believe in God? On the other hand, if he is not what religion says he is, then he needs salesagents.

Recently, there 's news that one bus driver refused to drive a bus with an atheist statement as he is Christian and he says he cannot promote Godlessness. He got the day off and will not have to drive that bus again. If I were the management, I'll sack him or put him on disciplinary action. I am paying you to drive the bloody bus. So drive! If you can't drive because of the sign resign! Same goes to cashiers who refuse to sell alcohol due to religion. You are getting paid to sell, so SELL!

Here's a few things that bugs me about this God:
1) God created angels. One of which turned evil. So did he create evil indirectly?

2) Why is he so narcissistic? Of all the beings in the world I only know one who forces people on the pain of eternal punishment to worship him - God.

3) If God is merciful, why did he have Hell?

4) God order the deaths of people, turn people into pillars of salt for minor transgressions like looking back at Sodom, and kick people out of Heaven for eating a fruit yet he is kind and merciful. What shit is this?

5) If God created the World, who created God?

6) God knows everything and can change everything, But, if he knows everything he should know what his future self will do. Yet he cannot change what his future self does. If he can change what his future self does, he must be ignorant of what his future self will do.

7) They say he is our father. But what sort of demented father will watch around as his children kill each other or die of diseases without helping them?

8) God who says everyone is equal is a masochist. who seems to be on a mission against women. Here's some quotes from a certain religious text:

"I will greatly multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children, yet your desire will be for your husband."

"When men fight with one another, and the wife of one draws near to rescue her husband from the hand of him who is beating him, and puts out her hand and seizes him by the private parts, then you shall cut off her hand; your eye shall have no pity."

9) This kind father we have seems to be addicted to inflicting pain on his sons and daughters.
"And I will fill your mountains with the slain; on your hills and in your valleys and in all your ravines those slain with the sword shall fall...Then you shall know that I am the Lord."

And science contradicts God and certain unnamed religions seem to fear science. For me I choose to believe in science not God. Science is based on proof, God is based on fantasy. Have you ever thought of this. If one of the 'Prophets' were to come here and start talking now, he would most likely be sent to a mental hospital?

CNY Day!

2009-01-26T17:49:00.003Z

It CNY at last. And in the spirit of CNY we went to a nice little primary school in Bygrove to perform lion dance! I think it is the best performance so far. Those kis loved us though some were move to tears by our performance. And it was funny to see the ang moh trying to do the lion dance. Haha

Yesterdays dinner went off without a glitch and the yee sang tasted like the usual one. Lol. Plus there were so many types of foo. I think we had enough food to completelt fill 2 1.5 metre long tables and more. We played cards and eat (most important thing) and low sang.

Yee Sang!

Desert sections... Note the half eaten plate of brownies.

Dress code: Red...

Nothing is complete without a group pic

One of the crazier stuff we did. Wishing everybody Happy New Year
in the middle of the road.

CNY!

2009-01-25T17:30:00.005Z

The Rat is about to relinquish his reign and soon it'll be the Ox's turn to reign! Carrying with him is the hope of a new beginning and growth, prosperity and abundance, and of course the promise of good results in whatever we are pursuing.

So cheers and

GONG XI FA CAI!!! 恭喜发财!!!

Signing off now to prepare our 'reunion' dinner. And btw, the video of the lion dance performance is out.

Lion Dance!

2009-01-24T21:47:00.005Z

Had my first Lion dance performance today!!! Lol. We had it at UCL and it was tiring but FUN.The best thing was the cabbage scene. The organisers told us at the last minute that they wanted to have a cabbage taking scene-something we did not train for. But we made our mistakes look like part of the show a.k.a. the two lions are fighting to see who can get the cabbage. In the end I got the cabbage but didn't know it so the other lion ate it. Sobs! Overall, I think we could do better but the seniors said it was OK as it was our first performance. We will get better! In the meantime I must recuperate for Monday's performance!

An I saw this on the way to UCL

The atheist advertisements on the buses are finally here! It's high time.
Oddly, someone SMSed me about God in the evening... Swt!
Won't these people ever give up?

Went Chinatown after lion dance (no point going for MNight since the e.t.a. was way, way way after my dikir) to get yee sang but they didn't sell. Heck! they don't even know what yee sang is. So I just bought plum sauce and got my friends to buy carrots, radish, capsicums and ginger. We'll make our own from scratch!

Since New Year is just around the corner...

GONG XI FA CAI 恭喜发财

The God of Prosperity has arrived!

2009-01-21T09:24:00.002Z

The God of Prosperity has arrived early in the UK... Well for Malaysians and some foreigners anyway. The pound has finally crashed through the RM5 barrier! Lol. As of now it is at RM 4.97(spot rate). Hooray! Cheaper stuff for me! Lol. And btw as a consolation to the Brits, the Bank of England plans to start printing more money soon. Whee!

Who wants to be a trillionaire?

2009-01-16T22:33:00.003Z

A New Year and nothing has changed in Zimbabwe. Now we have a magnificent new note for 100000000000000 Zimbabwe Dollars. Cool huh? In a land of trillionaires most people struggle to buy basic foodstuff. It is kinda ironic. I pity the people there. And in case you are wondering that 100 trillion dollars note WAS able to buy 20 loaves of bread. With inflation estimated to be galloping at 100000000000000000%(prices double at least once a day) it would soon buy a few crumbs of bread. Kinda sad to see a once rich nation destroy itself...

And I end this post with this picture,

Lion Die....

2009-01-14T21:36:00.002Z

I thought it was a joke... But no it's not a joke. Two of the three lions in MSoc Lion Dance is gonna perform next Saturday for Singaporeans. Haiz. And we don't know the whole routine yet not to mention the drummers an the lions are not coordinated. Die! Cannot pian ang moh too. One more practise for us to get it perfect or we ___________(fill in the blanks). Hopefully we will have extra practise. I don't mind extra practise for Lion Dance(I like it) but not for that MNight whose practises never seem to start on time.

Those were the days...

2009-01-11T15:56:00.003Z

The corridors in my hall is once again bustling with activity and the kitchen is messy again. This can only mean one thing, the new (and much busier) term is starting soon. No more lazy late nights for me, no more lazy mornings on the computer, brunch at 2pm, and and cooking time consuming foods for now it's time for work! I am gonna miss those lazy days. Oh well, only 11 more weeks till Easter! And then I can snap back to partially lazy mode again.

Malaysia - racial supremacy no more?

2009-01-09T11:55:00.003Z

Here's a nice interesting article from the BBC.

From weary red-eyed Indian labourers on plantations to urban middle-class Malay Muslim women, a new generation of Malaysians is pushing to end a system of racial inequality. But can their different visions for the future be brought together?

Many Malaysians are opposed to their country's system of racial preferences

Malaysia is gearing up for political shifts in 2009. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has announced he will step down and a successor is being found from within the ruling Malay party.

It comes after protests by ethnic minority groups precipitated an electoral drama in 2008. The opposition won votes by promising racial equality.

What will the future Malaysia look like?

I've been on a journey to meet young Malaysians from across the racial spectrum: Indians and Chinese from the ethnic minorities and the majority Malay Muslims who have special rights because of their "son-of-the-soil" legal status.

"THE POLICIES FAVOUR ONE RACE"

Watch the interview

Tall, intense 20-year old Vasantarao Apalasamy was part of an explosion of anger from Malaysia's smallest racial group, the Indians, which first shook the country in 2007.

He showed me around palm oil plantations in his home state, Perak, where Indian workers hack at prickly palm oil fruits with machetes.

Fewer than one in 10 Malaysians are ethnic Indians, mostly Hindus. They came to work on plantations during British colonial times and Vasantarao is furious that many Indians have failed to climb the social ladder and still work in the same kinds of job as their ancestors.

He blames the fact that despite being in Malaysia for generations, Indians don't qualify as "sons of the soil", or bhumiputras, and therefore do not have special access to benefits like government jobs and discounts on housing, as the Malays do.

We are not against the Muslims, we want to tell them that we are Malaysian too

So he marched with the Hindu Rights Action Force, Hindraf, an angry but peaceful protest movement against the demolition of Hindu temples.

Why temples?

"Malaysian Indians are not very educated, they are illiterate," says Vasantarao. He argues that temples were simply used to fire up sentiment for a wider Indian rights struggle

They've been called religious extremists but Vasantarao points out that temples are just one of several demands.

Hindraf's former leaders are now jailed or exiled to the UK. Even young Vasantarao served a short stint behind bars when he was arrested after a protest.

"We are not against the Muslims," he says of the Malays. "We want to tell them that we are Malaysian too."

He admires US President-elect Barack Obama. "The world is changing," he says. "So why not Malaysia?"

"A DISASTER IS HAPPENING IN THIS COUNTRY"

Watch the interview

I met 22-year-old undergraduate Luqman Ul-Hakim Bin Muhhammad Idris under a metal Arabic letter M, known as "meem", which keeps watch on the extensive campus of the Universiti Teknologi Mara.

Meem stands for Malays - because while other parts of the education system have ethnic quotas, only bhumiputras are allowed to study here.

Luqman is the elected head of the student body. Last year he led a street protest after a state official remarked that perhaps one in 10 university places should be opened to minorities.

Education is a live issue, not only for Indians but also for the entrepreneurial Chinese. They make up a quarter of the population and hold much of the nation's wealth, which allows many to study privately.

This is our land basically. We have already given one special privilege to the non-Malays, that is citizenship

But in Malaysia's growing blogosphere, there's an increasingly vocal sense of exclusion, mixed with frustration at severe security laws that allow detention without trial.

Luqman, a proud Malay, has no sympathy for this new activism. He points out that even after decades of affirmative action policies the ethnic Malays remain relatively impoverished.

But it isn't just about wealth. "This is our land basically. And we have already given one special privilege to the non-Malays, that is citizenship," he says.

Regarding the blogosphere he has a question for Malaysia's new prime minister: "When you're talking about opening the freedom of speech, how far do you want to go?"

"ISLAM MAKES NO DISTINCTION"

Watch the interview

Sue Nasar, aged 26, is also Malay but has a very different view on racial equality.

We watch as a cow that her family donated is slaughtered and bled in the traditional Halal way by villagers on the misty, green hillsides of Jandabaik near Kuala Lumpur. They are celebrating the Muslim festival of Eid Ul-Adha.

Sue lives with her husband in nearby Kuala Lumpur but her family own a weekend retreat in this Malay-reserved village. It is a place where the rural Malay heartland comes together with the new ideas of the big-city set.

Religion is important to her. "In the Koran if I'm not mistaken, the only difference from one man to another is his virtue," she says. "You can't actually judge people based on their race."

"I don't think Islam makes that distinction."

Sue is motivated by a longstanding Islamic religious revival among Malay Muslims. The Islamic Party, PAS, won votes for the opposition by mixing the call for Islamic government with the idea that racial discrimination is incompatible with religious faith.

If all of the Muslims would actually practice Islam like the Prophet did, then I don't think the Chinese and Indians would have a problem with the Islamic system

This shift in religious values represents a seismic change. After all, the Malay heartland would have to be persuaded before any shift on racial policies.

But "Islamisation" is already a worry for the mostly non-Muslim ethnic minorities. I ask Sue if there's a danger that Islam, rather than race, could become the new divider in her vision of a future Malaysia?

"I can see that happening," she admits. But "if all of the Muslims would actually practice Islam like the Prophet did, then I don't think the Chinese and Indians would have a problem with the Islamic system."

"MY PROMISE IS TO ALL MALAYSIANS"

Watch the interview

Anwar Ibrahim has nominated himself for the tricky mission of delivering racial equality without alienating the Muslim Malay community.

The 61-year-old has had several political lives already: Muslim student leader, then number two in the pro-Malay government, then jailed on a sodomy charge which he insists was fabricated.

That charge still dogs his new career as leader of the political opposition.

My promise is to all Malaysians: to dismantle discriminatory practices

While the ruling party has now opened up some Malay-only quotas, Anwar has pledged to go much further.

"My promise is to all Malaysians," he says. "To dismantle discriminatory practices, including obsolete economic policies."

Instead, he says, "affirmative action based on need" would mostly end up benefiting Malays anyway.

But Anwar is a former Islamic youth activist and told me religious conservatives should be given space, as long as they don't violate the constitution.

He denies he has one face for the West, and another for the Malay heartland. Instead he is taking on the task of somehow combining liberal equality with Islamic revival.

"You talk to a liberal, Western-educated crowd, you can cite Eliot or Shakespeare, or whatever. But if you go to a remote village who have not heard of Shakespeare, why can't you recite the Koran? The essential element, the message about justice remains the same."

Listen to this edition of Crossing Continentson BBC Radio 4on Thursday, 8 Janurary, 2008 at 1102 GMT. It will be repeated on Monday, 12 January, 2009 at 2030 GMT.

Quit your job!

2009-01-09T09:27:00.002Z

Who wants to follow Mahathir's call for people to resign from their jobs in US companies to protest against Israel's genocide against the Palestinians.. I wonder what is going on his mind right now. The economy is grinding to a halt and most sane people would want to have the pleasure of knowing that they will have a nice pay cheque no matter how small at the end of the month. Mass quitting of jobs will cause our economy to crash and those companies can always hire our illegals. We seem to have an endless supply of those.

What he should do is encourage nations to embargo Zionist Israel until they stop killing innocent people(something which they love to do) and give Palestine viable independence. Not some second rate independence where they are second to Israel. Alternatively, we can sit and wait. Arabs will control Israel from within eventually anyway(they have high population growth rate). Lol.

Anyway, the UN just passed a watered down useless resolution on Israel which I am sure they will ignore or wait until they have murdered more people before they abide Hey when you have a big and powerful bully supporting you, you are almost invincible!

Trafalgar Freezes...

2009-01-07T21:40:00.004Z

Ok. I felt mean for dragging Jed all over London just to see the fountains in Trafalgar Square. But hey, it's a very rare sight. Now all I need is for the Thames to freeze to complete the winter experience...

Greenwich!

2009-01-06T20:45:00.002Z

Where else can you be in the East and West at the same time? Well, Greenwich of course. Went there on yet another freezing day with Jed and my kitchen mates(a cat ffked...) and got some pictures of the cold snap. Lol. The fountains at Trafalgar Square actually froze though I didn't get to see it.

Canary Wharf
I am in the East and in the West!( The line underneath me is the Prime Meridian)
Cold snap pic! This pond in Greenwich Park is frozen!

The white stuff on the ground is ice or unmelted snow! And it's 3 in the afternoon!

Colourful plants in winter!

Aren't squirrels supposed to hibernate for winter?

Set setting over London...

The sun is retiring to bed...

Night skyline of Canary Whaft, the green line in the top right
is a laser from the Observatory which points due North

Other pictures are here

Snow...

2009-01-05T10:40:00.003Z

I finally saw real snow today! Not those sissy sleet type but real snow without rain! Purposely set my alarm to ring at 8 cos the forecast said it'll snow around then. Call me crazy but it was worth it. But it was not heavy enough to play with though. Anyway it is scheduled to snow tonight again according to the forecast... Keeping my fingers crossed as well as hoping there will be cheap tickets for Mamma Mia the musical. Gonna watch with Jed, Cat, Augustine and Junyi if they have them...

Signing off now and leaving you with warm fuzzy facts about this years wonderful winter!
1) First snowfall in October in 70 years
2) Longest cold snap in 10 years
3) Coldest start to winter in 30 years
4) Probably the coldest winter since 1962(if it gets colder than that winter it will be the coldest in nearly 270years!)

Right now there is a severe weather warning here... Tsk tsk tsk