Remember the seven deadly sins?

Lust. Gluttony. Greed. Sloth. Wrath. Envy. Pride.

It seems the Vatican has came up with seven new mortal sins that will get the Catholics to hell demand confessions and absolutions:

1. Environmental pollution
2. Genetic manipulation
3. Accumulating excessive wealth
4. Inflicting poverty
5. Drug trafficking and consumption
6. “Morally debatable” experiments
7. Violation of fundamental rights of human nature

The way I see it, you can attribute all the new mortal sins to just one of the original deadly sins:

Greed.

Add a dash of Pride into it, and voila…The New Seven Mortal Sins!

Back home in Malaysia, the Sunday front pages are dominated by headlines like “Political Tsunami”, “BN Rocked” and “3 Negeri Dirampas” (3 States Stolen).

Not a surprise, really.

But when SBS World News Australia featured the 2008 Malaysian Election as the breaking news, I was compelled to listen intently. It’s not every day that Malaysian news preceeds hot topics in Australia, which include the dying support for Brendan Nelson, the resignation of the Serbian PM, the discovery of Ned Kelly’s bones and the US Election race.

SBS even invited John Walker, a political analyst in UNSW to give his two cents on the matter. His opinion covered up pretty much the crux of the matter—Barisan Nasional (BN) has failed to cling to Kelantan, and even more damaging was the loss of another 4 states, which would grant the opposition access to various resources.

When asked whether the election result is a response of public’s disapproval against the government, or that the public has found a better representation in the opposition, he was quick to point out that it was an effect of both.

He commentated that the opposition’s surging reputation was gained much through what he called the “Anwar Ibrahim factor”, being the charismatic leader with a dramatic past who appealed to the different races. He also commented on the “Mahathir factor”—which differs from the “Faktor Mahathir” brought up by the Vice President of PAS—where the current government is less authoritarian than Mahathir’s, thus inevitably garnering less support from public.

On the other presses though, the news of Malaysian election is just another world story. Most newspapers’ websites share the same news by Reuters and AFP, which mainly focused on the uncertainty of Abdullah’s post as the Prime Minister and leader of the BN. The other popular topics seems to be the victory speech given by the poster boy of reformation, Anwar Ibrahim and his daughter Nurul Izzah’s win over BN’s Shahrizat in Lembah Pantai constituency.

Talking about news, it’s pretty much a frustration to get in-depth news about critical issues in Malaysia. The only thing I can rely on is the newspapers’ websites, but the mainstream papers are inundated with pro-government views.

A lot of people urged me to read the opposition’s newspaper, Harakah. Is it any better? I can safely and soberly say no.

The news in Harakah are emotionally-charged, at times farcical, and most of the times read like a tabloid. It is as biased, and content-wise, even worse than the mainstream papers.

A problem with press in Malaysia is not the blatant backing of government, it’s the unavailability of unbiased, reputable, easily available, and even free reporting.

The blogs are just, well, blog. It’s written , most of the time, from the point of view of one individual. There are just times when you don’t really want to take a pinch of salt with everything you’re reading.

Malaysiakini is not free, although it was for the last week before election, a move which I totally commend. To add insult to the injury, it was offline for a whole day, today, when the people really needs the refreshing news the most.

You really can’t blame us who are overseas for not trying to find out what’s happening back home. It is THAT hard.

Let me make this a blunt post. Very very blunt.

It is of my opinion that PETA’s naked protest are not only misguided, but just purely plainly idiotic. “I’d Rather Go Naked than Wear Fur”, indeed.

What exactly is stopping you then? Go ahead then, go naked! In fact, every single hot models/celebrities/publicity-hunter should go naked for PETA (operative word being “hot”).

The fact that the protests are futile is reinforced by today’s protest against bullfighting in—surprise, surprise—Circular Quay, Sydney, Australia.

Yes, apparently people have weekly bullfights in AUSTRALIA. Why not protest the Spanish tradition in freaking Spain when you can do it in, oh say, Australia?!

On this entire sham of getting naked, let me put this in elementary logic:

I wear fur/support bullfighting/eat meat = hot girls naked.
Hot girls naked = good.
Hence, I wear fur/support bullfighting/eat meat = good.

Fat lot of good it’s doing eh?

Do us a favour please. Just get naked. Spare us the marketing bullshit.

Soundwave Festival was a blast.

We arrived at 11.30 am, but only managed to get in at around 2.30 pm. Entrance line was stupidly long. We missed My American Heart, Boys Like Girls and All Time Low.

Alexisonfire was unbelievable on stage. They just oozed raw energy, and Chris Steele was scary.
Incubus was really good, and they know it. The whole show was half-an-hour of psychedelic trip.
Killswitch Engage was just unapologetic and brutal. Adam D and Howard Jones were larger than life.

I’m recuperating from sore neck and sunburns.

If you’ve never heard of The Pogues before, do sample this song: “Rainy Night in Soho” off Rum, Sodomy & the Lash:

I’ve been loving you a long time
Down all the years, down all the days
And I’ve cried for all your troubles
Smiled at your funny little ways
We watched our friends grow up together
And we saw them as they fell
Some of them fell into Heaven
Some of them fell into Hell

I took shelter from a shower
And I stepped into your arms
On a rainy night in Soho
The wind was whistling all its charms
I sang you all my sorrows
You told me all your joys
Whatever happened to that old song
To all those little girls and boys

Now the song is nearly over
We may never find out what it means
But there’s a light I hold before me
And you’re the measure of my dreams
The measure of my dreams

Sometimes I wake up in the morning
The gingerlady by my bed
Covered in a cloak of silence
I hear you in my head
I’m not singing for the future
I’m not dreaming of the past
I’m not talking of the first time
I never think about the last

Now the song is nearly over
We may never find out what it means
Still there’s a light I hold before me
You’re the measure of my dreams
The measure of my dreams

Thanks Garth Ennis!

On 17 February 2008, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia, joining a growing list of fractured nations from the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia which now includes Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Macedonia and Slovenia. The secession split the world in two, with (as of today) countries like USA, France, United Kingdom and Australia formally recognising the new country while countries like Russia, Spain and Serbia itself refusing. Many countries are still in the process of recognising or taking the middle stance.

If observed, this is an ongoing trend, with the latest independence (excluding Serbia and Montenegro) being Timor-Leste in 2002. Numerous countries which started as empires have dwindled down to smaller countries, with the most notable example being Soviet Union (now a collection of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan).

Indeed, a quick look at Wikipedia reveals a list of hundreds of active autonomist and secessionist movements around the world at the moment.

There are still a number of countries still not recognised by one or more countries, including Israel, Palestine and Taiwan. Perhaps not a surprise, North and South Korea refused to recognise each other.

It does beg the question, where do you draw the line? Is identity more important than unity? Is pride more important than stability?

Is independence more important than peace?

If you could understand the colossal moral dilemma, you would understand the miracle that is Malaysia.

Since her independence from British colonial rule in 31st August 1957, Malaysia is still going strong despite having 4 major ethnics, 4 major religions and numerous languages/dialects. Despite Sabah and Sarawak separated from the capital by the South China Sea. If history was played right, Singapura and Brunei might have been part of Malaysia too.

Hundreds of years ago, the world was split into a few empires spanning several territories. Now it’s a collection of sovereign nation, united mostly by ethnicity. Perhaps in the future, it will be a loose collection of autonomous states where nationality is no more important.

Perhaps, the whole earth will be under a single government, just another planet in the D.O.O.P.—the Democratic Order of Planets.

In the light of the Malaysian 2008 General Election, this piece of article from the New Straits Times illustrates exactly the public’s doubt on politicians. Among others, it says:

…many are willing to be candidates but who can best represent and serve the people and take the country forward in an increasingly competitive and globalised world and who will merely be seat warmers or warlords who have more destructive than constructive value?…

…Not many are willing to accept that their time is up or that they are not good enough to be candidates. And that’s when they use all the pressure they can muster and all the threats they can convey to force the leadership to choose them as candidates…

..They seek the favours of so-called power-brokers, they try their luck with the press, calling for press conferences to explain why their constituents still need them. The old ones say they can still walk 10km a day and so are fit to stand for office.

The young ones say they have the energy to run around. The rich ones say they have money and so will not be corrupt.

With all their reasons and excuses, one can write 10 books on Politics for Dummies.

Well you know what they say—those who desire to be in office should immediately be banned from it.

After weeks of hype, Malaysian underground kings Butterfingers has released the video of their first single from the upcoming album Kembali. It is called “1000 Tahun”:

My first thought was: “Is this a joke?”

The lyrics were at best prosaic, and at worst, juvenile. Lousy rhyming, lousy choice of words…they painfully reminded me of a Malay who spent all his years abroad and had forgotten how to speak his native language, not unlike frontman Emmett a long time ago.

I am staunchly unapologetic, because this is NOT their first Malay album. What’s worse is the fact that lyrics from Selamat Tinggal Dunia are way more articulate than this. With the barrage of young and upcoming local bands choosing to sing in Malay—with better-sounding albeit questionable lyrics—where would this legendary band fit in?

As for the music video itself….I’m sure they’re pulling my leg. I’m sure somewhere in their studio they’re laughing their ass off seeing the shock on their fans’ faces. This CAN NOT be the video. The video is so terrible, it can only be a behind-the-scene take, right? It’s out-of-sync with the music, just a lot of overlayed “artistic” shots. The Butters themselves, especially Loque the guitarist, had this wtf-am-I-doin’-here look . The cameramen where visible for God’s sake!!

Compare this to the video for “Kabus Ribut” off Selamat Tinggal Dunia (2005):

Heck, even the video for “Chrome” off 1.2 Milligrams (1996) was, ironically, years ahead:

The only redeeming factor is the music itself, unmistakenly Butterfingers. Catchy tune, excellent guitar work, solid beats. Emmett has settled down into his new style, forged since Malayneum, and no more channelling Kurt Cobain. Loque’s riffs are more indie-sounding rather than hard rock, essentially driving the song throughout. Bassist Kadak and drummer Loko are currently among the best in the business, and I couldn’t ask for more from such luminaries.

I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt, and can not wait for the launch of Kembali at 06.07.08.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Slightly off-topic, hey, it’s Valentine’s Day!

To those with their loved ones, take it easy. To those still single, maybe you can check The Single (Girls) Guide to Valentine’s Day.

I’m off for a movie date my princess tonight, we’re watching In the Mood for Love.

So You Think You Can Dance Australia final 20 dancers have been announced! Most are not a surprise really.

My favourites:

• Demi - A versatile b-girl from an awesome breaking family. It’s a pity her brother didn’t get through.
• JD - Suave hip hop dancer, with great chorey; even Matt wants to learn them.
• Rhiannon - Hot! hot! SMOKIN’ HOT!!! Did I say hot??!!
• Rhys - Quirky, weird and um, sexy (and I assume gay) Jazz/commercial dancer.
• Sermsah - A passionate aboriginal dancer, bringing a refreshing vibe to the competition. Muslim? Maybe.
• Vanessa - chirpy Asian ballerina. Typical cute petite Asian girl. Sunny would’ve loved her.

To those still back in Malaysia, you can still watch the clips at SYTYCD’s website.

My great mate Sunny dropped by had a detour through Kluang, Johor to visit and met up with our mutual friend Fiza (I’ve known Fiza since primary school). It seems that Fiza gave him a grand tour of the quaint district, starting with my old house in Kampung Melayu!

This was the house where my family stayed in circa 1990 until we moved away to Leicester, England in 1997. It was quite big, although it was only single-storey. You might not see it, but the front lawn was gorgeous. The back plot contains a few rambutan trees, and mom planted all sort of plants around the house.

There are a few quirkiness about the house too. The front door opens outward, and the window grilles are inside, rendering them quite useless (broken windows abound). An interesting note is the house compound is connected to the next-door house, which was occupied by the previous landlord.

Up until now, every time I dream of “home”, I dream of this one even though now we reside in Putrajaya.

It seems since then the house has been given a new paint of coat, and the grassy lawn seems no more.

Next, Sunny went to my old primary school! Sekolah Kebangsaan Kampong Melayu (notice the different spelling of Kampung, don’t know what’s the deal with it):

It looks so different! The 3-storey building you see in the picture was only single before this, and the block was beside a haunted toilet block where I once got sort of mildly cursed/haunted/whatever you want to call it—Malays would know what I mean.

What great memories I had here! I miss all my friends from back then, and the only recent ones I got to meet were Fiza who went to Macquarie University, and Fadhil who went to Perth.

Thanks Sunny and Fiza for sharing these photos and bringing me along a nostalgic trip down the memory lane! Haha, what cliched choice of words.

bonus photo, the brothers in Leicester, thanks to my brother Akram for scanning and uploading this: