Ban Agression-Based Entertainment ?

A few years ago while I was conducting a small personal campaign to inform the general public to monitor and to limit access to violence and addictive on-line and video games by teenagers. I was verbally insulted via phone by a man claiming to represent Consumers Association of Penang (CAP). It is indeed a surprise to read the following statement by the President of CAP which appear in The Star today. To summarize it, he has called for the banned of violent video games and entertainment.

I have nothing against on-line and video games. In fact, a few of my best friends operates on-line games companies. The difference is, they operate it in a responsible manner to provide real home entertainment. Some on-line and video games are just simply not suitable for teenagers. Based on my personal observations, some of these on-line games are simply too violence, anti-social, anti-religion, and worst still, they are addictive. I still maintain the belief that all on-line and video games must be classified and regulated to enable the general public to be aware of the dangers of excessive exposure.

I still firmly believed, the manifestation of increasing violences and criminal acts are partly contributed by excessive exposure to addictive and violent on-line games.

Let's hope that the various regulatory and enforcement agencies of the government can start taking the initiatives to act against irresponsible on-line and video games providers.

The following statement appears on Jan 24th 2006 in The Star :

Ban aggression-based entertainment
A RECENT study by the University of Missouri-Columbia in the United States has shown that there is a link between violent video games and aggression.
The researchers from the university found that people who played violent video games had a diminished brain response when shown images of real-life violence.
A form of brain activity named the P300 response, which reflects the emotional impact of an image on a viewer, was measured in 39 experienced video game players.
Video games have previously been used to prepare soldiers for scenes of combat. When game players were given the chance to punish a pretend opponent in separate games, those with the most reduction in P300 brain reactions gave out the most severe punishments.
Public attention has already been drawn to the fact that there is an alarming rise of violence in our society. We have too much violent “over-reaction” to even the most minor incidents. Take, for instance, the cases of road rage.
Even teenagers and those in their early 20s are being detained for violent crimes such as assaults, murder and rape.
Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad once gave his opinion that there were too many foreign films associated with sex and violence. Nowadays, even many cartoons contain incidences of violence and revenge-seeking.
Research has shown that exposure to media violence causes children to behave more aggressively, both immediately and when they are older.
We call on the authorities to ban violent entertainment. We have no need for violent video games or aggression-based films and cartoons.
It is entirely possible for society, especially children, to be entertained minus the violence.
Films that encourage good values should be promoted. There is nothing to lose and everything to gain.

S.M. MOHAMED IDRIS,
President,
Consumers Association of Penang.

What I want in Life ?

What I want in Life ?
In our younger days,
so much I have told you,
of my fears and ambitions.
Now,
fears has partly become certainty,
ambitions has been partly fulfilled.

With pride, we have indeed work very hard,
to have a comfortable home, and a good life.
Time does flies!
We have been through,
the best of times,
and the worst of times.

Looking forward again,
you asked me,
what I want in life ?
For breakfast, I just want a toasted breads with hot black coffee.
For Lunch, I just want a bowl of porridge with fried kampong fish
For dinner, anything you prepared is good for me.
For supper, I doubt I can take it anymore....

I just want to have a simple desk,
to read the books,
to write my thoughts,
and to document my experiences.

I just want to have enough for today,
so that I can forward to tomorrow..........

I just want to hold my children's kids on my knee.............

Black Metal Banned in Malaysia !!!

It was reported today that the Malaysia's Fatwa council has decreed that Black Metal is against the Islamic principles and those practicing this form of ritualistic music and related activities shall be penalized under the Malaysian Syariah law. I am not a Muslim, but I respect the Islamic authorities for taking this appropriate step to ban Black Metal activities in Malaysia. I strongly urged other religious authorities to seriously look into Black Metal's music and activities and put up appropriate advisories to its followers.

Black Metal may just be a genre of music, but its insinuation of satanic and occult worships is simply not appropriate for our times. While it may be an acceptable form of music for American and European markets, but in Malaysia, we are just politically and mentally not matured to accept it. While I respect freedom of speech, but freedom to spread occults and satanic subcultures should not encouraged.

It is also my sincere hope that the Malaysia's Fatwa council take the lead to also look into other form of black metal's spinoff entertainments such as video games that glorified satanisms and issue appropriate advisories. As a developing country, Malaysia simply can not afford to allow its youth and culture to be sidetracked into activities that go against basic morality and religious beliefs.

Perverts and peeping toms, I welcome thee

The federal territories religious department insists their moral obligations to form a “snoop squad” to petrol morality and indecency. The “snoop squad” consists of volunteers who will conduct patrol to spy on couples who committed “khalwat” ( male and female caught in close proximity), holding hands in public, etc. The group also claims that many volunteer has signed up to participate in this snoop squad.

To a simple mind like me, this whole fiasco sound like a group of sexual perverts and peeping toms trying to gang up and legitimize their perverted fantasy. I hope these volunteers are “moral” enough to volunteers their personal information such as academic records, work records, police records, tax records, marital records, etc. for public scrutiny.

What morality are we trying to preach ? Different cultures has different yardstick of expectations. It becomes a shock to me to learn that holding hands and discrete showing of affections is considered immoral by some idiots. My learned religious friend once told me that all human beings are sinners. So, it doesn't really made sense to me that, how one sinner is of higher morality than another sinner. My personal opinion is this, no matter how knowledgeable you are in morality or religion, you should learn to respect privacy. Religion should be preached at home and places of worships. Do not degrade religion with your own interpretation of morality in public places. Attempt to unreasonably imposing misguided own's interpretations on others others is an act of fanaticism.

In the past, human beings tends to legitimize their actions with ulterior motives in the name of religion. Many animalistic and barbaric killings has been carried out worldwide in the name of religion. For their hiddened criminal, perverted, and sexually deprived fantasy, there are always moral minority groups shouting their righteousness trying to fulfill their perverted fantasies.

To those frustrated sexual perverts, intrusion of privacy is a serious matter. A better way of releasing your perverted sexual frustration is to go to the Pasar Malam, buy a copy of X-rated movie and release yourself in the privacy of your own home. Hiding behind bushes and peeping on couple in love is not going to help but merely making you sexually even more frustrated.

My God, I felt like a global Malaysian with perverted mentality. No wonder, my coffee taste very funny to day. Is it a sin to consume coffee also ?

Let those who commit no sins throw the first stone..............

God, please forgive me for I have sinned...

On Saturday 15th Jan 2006, a young woman, Chee Gaik Yap, while jogging in the housing estate, was kidnapped, gang raped and brutally murdered. Chee, aged 25, was a top graduate in Business Administration from University Utara Malaysia. Subsequently, the local police detained six suspects ( believed to be Malaysian Indian ) for investigation. A talented young Malaysian's life was violently terminated by a group of sickening bastards.

Perhaps, the religious leaders in Malaysia must now have the political courages and wills to relook into our judgemental values system. Criminals needs to be punished severely as deterrents and lessons to potential criminals from committing crimes. We are living in a very sick society. The religious authorities must come out strongly to denounce these criminals and kick them out from their places of worships. In the past, we always hear of criminals, after committing sins or criminal acts, will go to places of worships to confess their sins or criminal acts and seek forgiveness. After the confessions, these criminals will have the good feelings of being given the “second chance” and be “sinless” again. Afterall, have GOD ever speak out against any criminal's request for forgiveness ? And the vicious cycles of criminal activities repeats itself. Are we being too righteous by giving criminals the comforting notion of entitlement of “second chance” in life in the name of religion ? Is religion being unwitting being used indirectly to create a fertile ground for breeding potential criminals ?

If caught and produced in Court, I would not be surprised to see these criminals wearing "holy attires" and amulets to argue their defense in confident. What else can go wrong if you are under the protection of God. Even if they lost their case, there will always be another religion to be converted into for asylums and mental comforts.

I am very sad to read about Chee's unexpected violent death. Perhaps, I am talking nonsense. But my coffee do taste very bitter today.

Does it have to be ended this way ?

The following was reported in a local newspaper today. What is the roles of the wildlife department ? Shooting wildlife or protecting wildlife ?

Monkey’s reign of terror ended
By RASLAN BAHAROM
TAIPING: The waist-high male monkey that has been terrorising Taman Lake View residents has been gunned down. The pig-tailed macaque, also known as berok, was on the Wildlife Department’s wanted list after it attacked and injured businessman Yim Ah Chai, 47, at his house compound more than a month ago. “We are greatly relieved and can now go out of our homes without fear,” said Yim, who had several stitches as a result of the injuries caused when fending off the monkey.

Yim thanked the rangers from the Wildlife Department for their good work.
“Without their vigilance, the monkey would have continued to terrorise us,” Yim said, adding that the rangers always responded when he or his neighbours alerted the department after spotting the monkey in the vicinity.

He said that after the monkey managed to give the rangers the slip previously, one of the rangers whom Yim identified as Mazli decided to go “undercover.”

“Mazli decided to use his Proton car. Usually, he and his colleagues would come in the Wildlife Department official vehicles and the monkey would run away.

“The switch seemed to have worked because the monkey did not flee the scene and one of the two rangers killed it with a single shot to the head,” said Yim, who estimated the dead monkey's weight at about 30kg.

Residents in the area said the monkey had also attacked and injured a group of boys and a watchman manning the Perak Water Board district office nearby before its encounter with Yim.

Humanity with misguided infinity ?

To all defenders of their faiths and freedom fighters of the world. Humanity are being slowly dedignitized by your narrow mindedness and misguided understanding of your faiths and the so called freedom and democracy you are fighting for. Violences, military actions, and barbaric bombings are acts of cowardice. There is no heroisms in suicide bombings and killing of innocence, it merely reflect and bring to attention of the world that you represent a barbaric cultures. Military actions with arsenal of destructive gadgets on weaker nations merely reflect a nation that is low in self esteem and not at peace with herself. Racialized political and economic suppressions of minorities does not leverage supremacy of a particular race or religion, but it merely reflect the upbringing of an uncivilized and sickening society that is rotten the core with no fundamental values.

Look around you ! Are you really biologically different from others ? Is your religion and political beliefs far more superior than others ? Who are you fighting for ? Do you valued life ? Are you the children of God or Satan ?

My misguided friends, have mercy for humanity ! Be at peace with yourself, rid the demon within you. Lay down your arms, and put away your jealousy, hatreds, and barbaric thoughts. May I suggest, for a start, listen to Bob Dylan's Blowin' in the Winds and feel the desperations of humanity and feel the pains you have already inflicted upon the future generations......

Lyric of Blowin' In The Winds ( Bob Dylan, 1963 )
How many roads must a man walk down

Before you call him a man?

Yes, 'n' how many seas must a white dove sail

Before she sleeps in the sand?

Yes, 'n' how many times must the cannon balls fly

Before they're forever banned?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,

The answer is blowin' in the wind.

How many times must a man look up

Before he can see the sky?

Yes, 'n' how many ears must one man have

Before he can hear people cry?

Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows

That too many people have died?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,

The answer is blowin' in the wind.

How many years can a mountain exist

Before it's washed to the sea?

Yes, 'n' how many years can some people exist

Before they're allowed to be free?

Yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head,

Pretending he just doesn't see?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,

The answer is blowin' in the wind.

An appeal to a drunkard......

When the streets are quiet,
and all has been asleep.
I am at my best,
at the pub.

The alcohols and the beers,
they are my true life companions.
I have no achievements in life,
with nonsense talks cheering me on,
I can out drank all those unhappy souls in the pub.
For a moment, my world is spinning non stop.
But, I really enjoy being “man” of the pub.
At least, in this crowded smoky arena of euphoric visions,
I have a sense of accomplishment !

In my life, I am always blessed.
There are always someone to care for my loved ones.
There are always excuses I can made.
There are always blames I can passed on.
The world is always at fault !
I am not responsible for what other felt about me.

Oh drunkard,
with hidden tears,
with choked throat, and with depleted emotions,
I beg you to sober up, look around you, and
look at the trails of emotional destructions you have caused.
Stop wasting your life, no body owes you a living,
be a real man, be responsible, and have the courage to face the real world.
Be fair to your loved ones !

Old Friends.....

The following text is dedicated to Larry Pomerantz, Teik Boo, and Beh Ah Chee......

****

We used to be young,
the age of never ending possibilities,
the age of non conformities,
the age of idealisms,
the age of confidence.

We parted our way,
in search of our dreams,
to begin the journey of charting our own destinies,
at young tender age.

Twenty years or so has past,
our hairs are silvered,
our faces show signs of wrinkles,
we have all mellowed.

Along the way,
we lived our lives with our own priorities,
many things has changed.
But my friends,
our memories may be fading,
our friendship has stood the test of times.

Seeing you again,
after more than 20 years,
is an odd feeling,
but a happy expectations.

I am happy our paths have crossed again.
There are triumphs in our old weary eyes,
we have all been successful in our own rights.
The lost years had made us
more appreciative of the lost friendships,
we shall continued from where we left off,
we shall renewed our friendships.

*****

Taiping Oh Taiping.... ( Part 2 )

This historic town,
such serenity,
such tranquility.
A place we proudly announced as remembrance of ever lasting peace.

As I aged,
the memories of life experiences fades...
The memories has let go of many things,
yet this old town makes me recall its many splendor things...

of clear blue skies rising above the Sebatang's shores,
of the rising sun from the majestic Maxwell hills,
of the calmness of morning dews and its sweet fresh air,
of the sereneness of the beautiful lake garden,
of the majestic pride of historical structures,
of thunderstorm and fresh rainy airs,
of rainbows on the eastern skies.....

Perhaps I am a sentimental fool,
but, Taiping has always been a place of majestic eternity,
a fountain of memories, and a paradise in my weary heart.

(picture of Taiping Lake Garden from http://lyehock.blogspot.cm )
..... to continue ......

Bigfoot Sightings in Johor Malaysia

A 3 metres tall Bigfoot was reportedly sighted by Orang Asli in the virgin jungle of Kota Tinggi in Johor, Malaysia. The Johor national Parks Corporation has received many enquiries from journalists to track down the Bigfoot. The Tourist Associations in Johor is waiting excitedly in anticipations for the influx of tourists into this southern state of Malaysia.

Konichiwa... welcome to Malaysia !

From Malacca to Kuching - Foods & more foods

During the Christmas weekend, I drove down to Malacca with my family and rented a 2 bedroom apartment at Century Makhota. The objective is not so much of a sight seeing trip, but to pack in as much Malacca favorite foods into my stomach - as much as possible. Worth mentioning is the Ikan Bakar at Umbai, a small restaurant at the riverside, there are lots of varsities of fresh seafood at the counter, prawn, stingray, squibs, fished, lala, etc. You tell the the waiter how you want it to be prepared, they grilled and served it to you they way you like it together with small packet of Nasi lemak wrapped in banana leaf. The price was extremely reasonable – 2 reasonable size stingray, half kg of squibs, a medium size fish, 1 Kg of Lala, many packets of nasi lemak, and 5 fresh coconuts only cost RM 48.00!!! Other local dishes worth mentioning is the Hainanese Chicken served with rice balls and the Cendul at Jonker streets. It was a really enjoyable weekend trip to Malacca.... Thank you very much to my good friend, Eng Pow, for acting as my official tourist guide during my habitual annual Christmas foods pilgrimage to Malacca.

After a few days rest in Subang Jaya, I took a flight to Sarawak for the New Year's Eve weekend. This was my second trip to Kuching, the previous trip was probably 12 years ago. Kuching probably has more varieties of local dishes than Malacca. Some of the local dishes I like best are Kolo Mee, Sarawak Laksa, Rojak, kueh chap, etc. Wanted to try the foochow meesua and the taiwanese beef noodle, but never really have the opportunity. Stomach was really packed and pampered with too much local delights. Probably I will try it during my next trip!!

While in Kuching, I tried three different varieties of Kolo mee. They are all very good ! You really have to taste the kolo mee in Kuching to appreciate the authentic taste. Hmmm... yummy yummy. The Sarawak Laksa was also very good, it taste like the famous Ipoh curry mee except that in Kuching, the laksa is served with meehoon and less spicy. The Kueh Chap has its unique taste with Kueh Teow in black colour soup serve with spare parts ( stewed intestine, liver, stomach, etc. ). I am not particularly fancy the spare parts but I do like the unique taste of the soup.

Thank you very much to YB Datu Vasco and his 2 lovely daughters for taking us around Kuching town and helping us to discover the wonderful local delights of Sarawak.

Moorthy Maniam - Malaysia's Fallen Hero

Moorthy A/L Maniam, a national hero, died at a young age of 36 on December 20th 2005. He was a member of the Malaysian team that successfully reach the summit of Mount Everest on May 23 1997. The Malaysian flag was planted at 2.15PM on the 8,848M peak. With this symbolic act, Malaysia became the first South East Asian country to reach the peak of Mount Everest.

The late Moorthy Maniam married Kaliammal on November 25, 1995. They have a child, age 9.

In life, Moorthy brought Glories to Malaysia. In death, they brought agonies to his loved ones. It this how we honoured our fallen heroes ? As far as I know, the late Moorthy was a Hindu. He sought blessings of the Hindu Gods and protected by the faith of his religion to conduct a successful expedition to Mount Everest.
The Islamic authorities in Malaysia has muscled its way by invoking the the Syariah's law to claim his body and buried him as a Muslim despite the protests of his widow and family member. Would the same Islamic Authorities now care to annouce their verdicts on whether Kaliammal and her child are also Muslim ?

Was Moorthy a converted Muslim ? Only Moorthy knows ! But again, how can you expect a dead man to speak ? Was there any documentary proof that he did converted to Islam ? Why all the secrecy ? If Moorthy did infact converted to Muslim, was he in sane mind ? Why was the sensitivity and emotional needs of this Hindu family being disregarded. Was the rights of the Moorthy's family protected. Is this what we call justice ?

A dangerous trend of dictatorial insensitivities has been initiated in this incident. I, as a non Muslim now lives in insecurity and fear of what will happen if, in my death, the same Islamic authorities come knocking at my door using the power of the Syariah court to declare me as Muslim, buried me as Muslim, and denied my loved ones of my assets because they are not Muslims. Would my loved ones has any legal recourse to challenge the unilateral verdicts of the Syariah court ? Taking Moorthy's case as a reference, NO ! I was made to understand that Malaysia's constitution does not allowed non muslims to challenge the Syariah court's verdict. Is this Islam Hadhari ?

To this fallen national hero, Moorthy A/L Maniam, majority of the people in Malaysia remembered your contributions and sacrifices to the country as a Hindu. We believed your wife that you are a Hindu. We acknowledged you as a Hindu. In all fairness, maybe the Islamic authorities should inscribed the followings words in Moorthy's tombstone “His widow said he is a Hindu, but, we buried him a a Muslim”

May you rest in PEACE !!!