Halo Amedika !

http://honestlydead.wordpress.com/2007/09/19/hacked-email/

I know I should be doing my Physics for Poets Homework 1 right now but this is just too disgustingly cute to not share…

Get a signed autograph at achewood !

Once in a while, it’s good to catch up with home.

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The Sun (From Malaysia Today)

12th Sept, 2007: Expel those who burn flag

In the Dewan Rakyat today, B.Suresh Ram reported that the torching of the Jalur Gemilang ignited the MPs’ passion on the need to respect the national flag and punish those who insult and desecrate it.

Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs were particularly worked up over the incident and asked that the stiffest possible punishment be meted to the perpetrators.

Datuk Md. Alwi Che Ahmad (BN-Ketereh), interjecting in the debate on Budget 2008 by Datuk Raja Ahmad Zainuddin Raja Omar (BN-Larut), asked whether the burning of the flag amounted to a rebellion (derhaka).

“The flag amounts to our nation. Burning the flag amounts to a rebellion,” he said.

Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan) said that in the past, he had talked about Wee Meng Chee over his action on the national anthem.

“Today, there is another Wee Meng Chee. We should expel (halau) such people from the country. Use any law available to expel them,” he said.

Mohd Said Yusof (BN-Jasin) said the act showed such people did not care about the dignity of the country when they committed such acts.

Raja Ahmad Zainuddin said such people, regardless of their political affiliation, had committed an act of rebellion by torching the national flag.

“The authorities should investigate … they should find the mastermind behind the incident … irrespective of the political affiliation or the community they come from,” he said.

Datuk Mohamad Aziz said: “Warriors would hold up the flag at whatever cost. If the right hand is incapacitated (putus), they hold it up with the left hand. But today the people have resorted to burning the flag,” he said, adding that people who committed such acts should be detained under the Internal security Act or other laws.

Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timur) interjected and sought to defend Wee Meng Chee.

“Wee Meng Chee did not burn the Jalur Gemilang. Instead he took along the flag when he went to study overseas. He also took along the flag when he won a competition,” he said.

Mohamad retorted: “This is not about whether he is a Chinese or a Malay. He was abusive of the country.”

“But that is not fair. That is not right. He did not burn the flag,” Lim said, amid an exchange of shouting from MPs.

Deputy Speaker Datuk Dr Yusof Yaacob, after several minutes, managed to bring the house under control after Datuk Ismail Abd Muttalib (BN-Maran) said: “The pensioners in the villages had never rebelled (derhaka). It was the youths in the town who burned the flags. They should get out of Malaysia.”

Raja Ahmad Zainuddin, however, appealed to his peers not to jump the gun and let the authorities conduct their investigations. “Lets wait for the investigations. We want to know who is the mastermind (dalang).”

Salahuddin said: “Do not doubt our loyalty to the country. During our AGM, we raised the Malaysian flag too. BN MPs should listen to Raja Ahmad

Zainuddin and allow investigations to be concluded.”

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Is it just me or did the government just became more retarded by the moment?

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Comments
plc wrote:
2 clowns are talking c**k again!
12/09 10:53:34

Sudahlah tu wrote:
Sampai juga agenda ini …
Balik balik pakai modal ini dalam parlimen …
Wang gaji yang diterima dibayar balik dengan perbahasan tidak ada penghujungnya …
Inilah mental MP Malaysia yang bersidang untuk menghabiskan masa mereka sebab telah dipertanggungjawabkan dan diamanahkan.
Di luar Parlimen nanti , tutup satu mata …
Kalau U tak suka , U boleh keluar ..
12/09 11:51:38

abdullah wrote:
We have some of the most uneducated and worst-mannered MPs in our parliament. Bodowi, that really makes you stupid… Kesian.
12/09 12:08:46

rafidadah wrote:
kenapa ni?! semua mp free sangat ker?!
kenapa tak bincangkan binatang liar yg lepaskan tembakan ke arah orang ramai?!
adakah ni satu lagi diversity mata orang ramai supaya “terlupa” siapalah mangsa?! siapa yg berlaku kesalahan?! siapalah telah melanggar undang2?!
12/09 13:00:54

lunas oh lunaih wrote:
betul ke polis yang menembak tu tak pakai uniform? kenapa tak pakai ?
apa agenda tak pakai uniform.

MAYBE the one who burnt the flags is SB.or one of the mat rempit paid by who knows???

MAYBE HE BURNT the AMERICAN FLAG…haha
12/09 13:40:05

TianCi wrote:
Cannot burn flag but can squander the National Treasury!!! That is TREASON!!! Hang the people in KBS who are involved in the issues!!!
12/09 13:40:20

anakwatanKL wrote:
“In the Dewan Rakyat today, B.Suresh Ram reported that the torching of the Jalur Gemilang ignited the MPs’ passion on the need to respect the national flag and punish those who insult and desecrate it………
Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan) said that in the past, he had talked about Wee Meng Chee over his action on the national anthem.”

Excuse me, before you guys go on your shouting or ‘lynching’ spree, exercise thought on the actions of your fellow members in the dewan. One waved his keris which is a symbolic and respectable object earlier in the attempt to assert authority which only came out just as foolish, arrogant and unethical.

About Wee Meng Chee, he’s just a Malaysian student abroad who’s homesick, as per previous article, and does need to be guided or educated instead of being threatened or ridiculed.
12/09 14:59:53

rogue wrote:
Hello Bung & Az,

The Indons just burnt many of your Jalur Gemilang, where’s your warriors?
12/09 15:51:47

joeawk wrote:
Malaysians should respect the Malaysian flag and should not burn it. It is very disrespwectful. They should have burnt the BN or UMNO flag or perhaps thay have come to see UMNO as the govt and to get their fruatration out, they resorted to burning the Malaysian flag. Besides, it was just after merdeka and the flag is readily availanle.

BUT, that is that, not the most important.What about the crooks and assholes MPs and cabinet members, not excluding those in senior govt positions,especially those many crooks among the KSUs, who make pledges to carry out their roles and responsibilities honourable but which turn out otherwise? What do we make of them. UMNO and the govt is full of such asshole crooks.
12/09 16:11:51

mountain man wrote:
Punish those who burn flags, WHAT ABOUT those who squandered away millions like Dato Zakaria?
12/09 16:35:23

IbnAbdHalim wrote:
Malaysian parliament resembles the planet of the apes. Could digest what come out of it. Incompetent MPs talking about patriotism, and yet how patriotic are they?
Who torched the national flag? There’s a big question mark there. Could it be the SB? It’s always their tactics to paint a bad picture on the opposition.
12/09 18:22:53

IbnAbdHalim wrote:
typo: couln’t
12/09 18:23:39

temanmu wrote:
The Police is the govt lackey. They are in cahoots with the nation’s plunderers.

Just talk only…. investigate lah… “no further action” … kes tutup!
13/09 02:10:08

smalluncle wrote:
Burning of National Flag CERTAINLY is DERHAKA. Malaysia is a country, it cannot do wrong. If at all things are not right, its because people managing the country. So Please spare the flag.

Now, if buring of flag, composing Negarakuku must BUANG NEGARA, compare like to like, these people also need to be BUANG NEGARA, for they strip the country of its wealth, a consequence that can make the country BANKRUPT, or bring shame to Malaysia in the eye of the world. These peoples are:
* those guilty of all the mismanagement of peoples’ money as highlihted in the DG report
* Those responsible for “IMPROVE” our standing in the corruption index.
* those who are committed of crime trading pirate CDs and illegal trding of logs.
* those who disrespect the existnce of other races in a multi racial country “Malaysia” and want them Keluar
* those who do not behave like Good Malaysian be it in rally or in parlimen.
* those , those, those, aiyah, tired of typing lah, just read the articles in MT including the achieved articles lah.
NOW, that is bigger DERHAKA.

Ah,so, if we also BUANG these people, MALAYSIA will be the Shangrila of ASIA, if not the world.
13/09 23:09:46

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MALAYSIA BOLEH!

Now, I’m more convinced than ever that Malaysia is not bodoh, it’s BN that is bodoh. Hence, it’s no longer “bodoland” for me, but “BNland“.

Same concept as “Bushland” for USA.

Seriously, Malaysia needs a vendetta to heal.

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Random footnote: MY is the acronym for Malaysia.

Up till today:

1. Happy people are lazy to write.

2. The only edible things in the campus food courts are shrimps, Tacos, sandwiches, and salad.

It is still a mystery as to why Chinese food is still served.

3. Went to the very first American football game two weekends ago. Decided that if it wasn’t for the body slams, it would have been a pretty nancy game with lots of breaks and Kevlar shields. It was Indiana University Bloomington (Hoosier team) vs. Indiana State University (Sycamore team). For pictorial evidence, kindly stalk my Facebook.

Boyfriend’s drunken floor mate #1: Who are we fighting against?
Boyfriend’s drunken floor mate #2: The Sycamores, man.
Boyfriend’s drunken floor mate #1: Wait, isn’t sycamore a tree?
Boyfriend’s drunken floor mate #2: What? Their mascot’s a tree? Hahahaha.
Boyfriend’s drunken floor mate #1: (down towards the stadium + everyone else) Hey, their mascot’s a fucking tree!
Boyfriend’s drunken floor mate #2: Fuck trees! Your mascot’s a fucking tree!
Boyfriend’s drunken floor mate #1: Yeah, fuck trees!
Boyfriend’s drunken floor mate #2: Fucking tree huggers!
Boyfriend’s drunken floor mate #1: Fucking hippies!
Boyfriend’s drunken floor mate #2: Fuck trees, man, fuck trees!

Needless to say, the rest of us who heard the drunken jolly cries were busy rofl-ing and joining in.

And Hoosier pwn3d by 50 something to 7 (the tree’s lonely goal).

4. Smirnoff is very nice.

If you say it’s a girlie drink, you’re just too pussy to admit that you have 10 bottles of it in your fridge.

5. You cannot trust a Singaporean party to be that stereotypical bak kut teh dinner and orange juice with 20 business students anymore.

You may never know if a friendly lost soul would wander in to ask to join, and 1 minute after the invitation, a bus load of 20-30 gatecrashers would just saunter in from the neighboring bushes, and then your 3 hosts reveal that they’ve got a few crates of beer and a water cooler worth of Electric Lemonade, all waiting to arouse your senses.

Not to mention a DJ of the night too, who also happens to be a friend who is DJ-ing for the party for free tips and experience.

6. The weather in Indiana can’t make up its mind. For a few days, I wore a hoodie, took it off 3 hours later, and put it back on 6 hours after that.

26th of August, 2007; an American Sunday

$15.00

Starring Twizzlers Cherry, Hershey’s Kissables, Jolly Rancher Cherry, Hershey’s Milk Chocolate, Whoppers Malted Milk, Twizzlers Strawberry, Reese’s Peanut Butter, and Hershey’s Milk Duds !

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Somebody on campus is very lucky.

25th of August, an American Saturday

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Welcome indeed !

Textbooks !

Unicycle !

Single puff !

The meaning of a Malaysian gathering !

On the verge of having an unhealthy fascination for trees and clouds !

Wide-eyed wonder

ManyA piece, thank you

And look at what I found after the BBQ lunch, on my way back to my dorm…

But wait, they’re not going to fight !

Off they went to the party next residence hall to recruit more fans/participants !

It’s a cookout !

Never underestimate the power of foooooooooooood.

And our missionaries are back….

…quite dead !

New challengers !

ROAR, he went !

I guess the helmet hair wig helmet hair was useless !

Game over !

For those who think there are no hot chicks around !

Blondie !

Ass grabbing and lone singer !

A new round !

Ding ding ding ! Mexico vs. Africa ! (I think !)

You can imagine what happened in the end !

And the Asian attacks…

…in the wrong way !

Sunbathing !

IUB Smackdown !

Showdown with Singapore-Alaska ! Mexico seemed to be die hard !

Pwn3d !

I really ought to start cam-recording soon. Too many events to share and too few shots to tell all. Anyway, after all that violence, comes a new form of violence, mainly…

…1/2 Singaporean, 1/2 Alaskan, 1/8 Swedish, 1/2…

…Hong Kong, Korea, China, Khazakstan, Borat…(I forgot. And please don’t mind the lousy shutter)

A WiiD moment !

WiiN !

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Basically we were all in this pretty hot Singaporean’s house having fantastic local dishes for dinner, and she is stuck with her mom for an infinite amount of time due to the non-existence of a plane ticket.

No real complaints there because the latter cooks wicked laksa (which the Singaporeans found to be spicy yet I do not, which is weird, if you know me) and has played Wii so much that she found it boring because she kept winning all the time.

How nice if all moms were like that.

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The mum in green. Hanging out. Photo courtesy of the Wiiner Scott Burden

23rd of August, an American Thursday

What’s going on?

 Where is the bus?

(Note: The above were taken in the morning and the below were taken in the afternoon)

 Cultural Fest 2007 ! (Read: Fooooooooooooooooood.)

The reason(s) why I didn’t take better +/more photos of the festival: Was dragged to TGI Friday’s (Where the meat was just fucking A ^^. I swear, it was the best American meal I had up to date!)

(Author’s note: I know I’ve been MIA for a tad too long. I’m not done being MIA yet but since this is a Merdeka post, hence being in conjunction with Malaysia’s birthday is pretty urgent, methinks.

Originally meant for an international student newsletter. I’ll check whether this is of ISA’s interest or not, soon.

Meh.)

~

Birthday Wish

I can be prosecuted if this is published in my country.

Then again, it depends.

It depends on who is in control.

For nearly 50 years, that didn’t matter.

Some things are just……unlikely to change.

For now.

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Many a time have I written on the sickening politics of this misguided land of Malaysia. From the constricting societal norms of the local Chinese culture to the pompous Islamic moral guardians.

Nobody is spared from judgment. Dogma is adapted for the power hungry and the insecure and it prevails above the law.

In Malaysia, the constitution contradicts, ambiguously so.

In Malaysia, rights have lost their meaning, for both humans and animals.

In Malaysia, most of her education doesn’t prepare you for the world outside its borders. At this rate, it will never.

The politicians wanted it that way.

I hate it.

~

Imagine waking up at birth to a place you’re taught to call home. For years, you thought it was home. Your parents worked there. Your siblings schooled there. Your friends found you there.

Everything was there. Your sense of belonging; your home.

At least, it was.

Until you grew into the age of reason. Slowly, through experience, the blissful veil of ignorance dropped with pity past your rose tinted shades and you see that fairy tales you were told don’t often have happy endings after all.

Especially when you’re not born a Malay; a Malaysian Muslim.

Whose special rights protect the majority of the country, not the minority.

~

To better illustrate my affection for the education of real life culture, nothing beats first hand observation. Coming from a city of world-renowned friendliness called Kuala Lumpur, I have been accustomed to sour-faced servers and stoic cashiers. People didn’t say hi unless they were your friends. You’d be suspected of snatch theft if you so much as smiled at them. You keep your thoughts to yourself unless you want to be seen as an arrogant prick.

Malaysia truly Asia, the tourism department promotes.

And ever since I’ve reached the American soil, I’ve discovered many smart and outspoken people. People who care more about honesty than saving face. Though some may be opinionated, they nonetheless enjoy discussions.

The creative arts is so rich here that it enriches the sciences here.

It shames me to know what my homeland has been robbed of. By her governors.

Courtesy has a great meaning here. Cars don’t race to ram you down. “Thank you”s and “welcome”s are rampant. So much so that “Hi, may I help you?” surprises me sometimes.

~

I was forewarned that Westerners place little value on sincerity. They say “Thank you” and “Welcome” for the sake of it. Hypocrisy, the warning seemed to imply.

Initially, upon my first few weeks here, I felt the same.

I met this local girl at a poster sale and she was talking about Fight Club the movie and she enthusiastically expressed how we should watch that movie together. Like totally.

Another local guy expressed how nice it was to meet me and that we should hang out sometimes and gave me his number.

Eventually, we parted like strangers once more. I have yet to hear from them.

For some time, I felt as if they lied.

Gradually, I learned that it’s not so much about hypocrisy but more about common decency. It’s like how people should be nice to one another in public. Keep your bad moods to yourself. Nobody deserves to be inflicted with your mood swings.

After all, people do talk about things for the fun of it. Nothing serious unless stated. When it comes to the issue of small talks, I think what these Westerners are actually doing is throwing ideas around. Like “Oh my god, we should totally get together sometime and try that Pop Tart!”…

…is just an idea.

And people, who aren’t accustomed to such open friendliness, might take offense from being too serious about relationships in general.

~

I remember the last time I felt that Americans in general were insincere. Now, after making new friends, I realize that it was mainly because I felt lonely myself. In this newfound land.

Any sort of great friendliness which felt intimate made me take more interest in that person, more than I would regard the usual stranger.

So, I think, it’s more about the issue of one’s self-esteem, more than the shallowness of anybody else.

~

Humans have always valued a sense of belonging. A sense of security, harmony, and peace.

Even the biggest misanthropist would admit that, deep down.

It’s only a matter of who, what, or where you want to belong to.

~

I think this stereotype of “Westerners being friendly but shallow/meaningless” is flawed. It’s more popular to regard the Westerners as such because they have healthier self-esteems than most Asians, in general, as the former has been cultivated to be more outspoken since young, whereas its Asian counterparts have always been cultivated to be more passive at its own expense.

~

Today marks the 50th year of Malaysia.

I don’t see how age represents maturity.

~

Happy Independence Day.

Just before the city tour, courtesy of Bloomington International Student Ministries and Sherwood Oaks Christian Church

China enters the van as her friends cheered.
China: Hai~~~~~~ What’s your name?
Bombay: Hi, (something something) ni hao*.
Everyone Else: (silence)
China: Wow, you speak Mandarin!
Bombay: No, that’s my name. Neha.

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*ni hao [Mandarin]:

1. (literally) You good.
2. (greeting) Good day/How are you/How do you do

The rapping on the door grew more urgent by the moment as my desk chair rocked forward.

I paused and frowned, puzzled. I haven’t told anyone of my room number. Yet.

I couldn’t see anyone though the door hole. The knob clicked silently.

And then the ambush came.

“Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

It was as if a bear hugged me. A squealing one.

“I’m Lauren, your roommate!”

“Yeah, I figured,” I muttered in a daze.

“Oh my God, this is so cool, I’ve finally met you!”

I couldn’t help but laugh. Lauren’s enthusiasm was contagious. And she didn’t look fat. I must have stalked the wrong Facebook profile after all.

Then one by one, her family sauntered in with introduction of almost equal zeal. They were all talking at about the same time.

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On the top of my desk

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“I love your poster.”

It was one of the first things my roommate’s mother said to me.

“Haha, yeah, that’s funny,” Lauren, The Roommate, added.

“Thank goodness you’re not a Texan,” I remarked with relief.

“Don’t worry, we all hate Bush,” Her mother reassured.

I couldn’t help but smile as I watched the Schwartzes gush in awe of the room their daughter will be living in with me for the next 12 months. They took note of everything from the large size of the room and the wasp nest right outside on top of the wall-sized window.

“You better tell the Resident Assistant about this,” Mr. Schwartz cautioned.

“You speak very smart,” Mrs. Schwartz continued. “Are you sure this is your first time coming to the US?”

“Yeah, seriously, your English is, like, so good. I really thought you’ve studied here for at least a year.”

I had to laugh and tell them that if they were to base the English standards of most Malaysians on mine, they would be severely disappointed.

“Wow, really?”

A bittersweet chuckle. I felt little pride in being an exception.

~

I left for lunch with Fiona, a Singaporean sophomore, while the Schwartzes helped Lauren arrange belongings twice the amount of my own. Over Jimmy John’s sandwiches, we discussed parental expectations and childhood angsts, much which seemed reasonable now, more than ever.

Fiona was one of the many who were surprised that I didn’t miss home. Per se.

I suppose it’s because I’ve been a loner long enough.

~

When I got back to the dorm, I came to a pleasant surprise in the form of a mini refrigerator, courtesy of Mr. Schwartz. Mrs. Schwartz seem to support the democratic ideology very much. Lauren told me that I could borrow anything I want without asking. They all told me that I could eat anything they bought.

I don’t remember the last time I clicked with a whole family this well.

And right after the door closed behind Mr. and Mrs. Schwartz, I was invited to a frat party. House owner is a friend of their daughter. Good folks with good supply of pot. Prior to this, the daughter advised me that the only drug I should bother trying is only weed. Life and education aren’t worth the bigger risks. Mainly because she has been there done that.

I couldn’t ask for a better roommate.

Of a burning throat, strobe lights, a green table lamp, and sedated minds, I slouched on a bean bag in lazy stupor with a cold relieving Gatorade on my arm, and suddenly, I completely empathized with Eric Foreman and his basement gang.

I felt Zen.

“The coldest part of my body……is somewhere on my hand……”

And more blonde than ever.

~

I don’t think I can show this blog to my parents now.

~

Amedika !