coffee conversations

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:

Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd has revealed the full apology that he will read tomorrow to say sorry to the Australian Indigenous peoples. The highlight of the apology was an honest admission with the use of the words “sorry” and “Stolen Generation“.

A few choice words:

“…Today we honour the Indigenous peoples of this land, the oldest continuing cultures in human history…”

“…We reflect in particular on the mistreatment of those who were Stolen Generations - this blemished chapter in our nation’s history…”

“…We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country.

For the pain, suffering and hurt of these Stolen Generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry.

To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and the sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry…”

This followed a historic 90-minute opening of the Australian parliament earlier, with the first ever indigenous welcome to the parliament.

Rudd’s initiative of healing the rift that was everpresent between the indigenous people of Australia and the British settlers had been applauded by many, signaling a change from the Howard government who refused to admit the problem. As many people also criticised the exercise as being simply political and the new parliament should be concentrating on other pressing issues. The leader of the opposition party, Dr Brendan Nelson, opposed to the plan, saying that it would induce a “guilt culture” among Australian.

It does make you wonder, why shouldn’t they be guilty?

In any case, it is set to be a landmark in Australian history. You can find out more about the event tomorrow at reconcile.org.au.

Edit: If you’re attending UNSW, a live broadcast will be available at the Clancy Auditorium at 9 am.

Update (13/02/2008): The 960-seating Clancy Auditorium was loaded with hopeful Australians eager to witness a historic event, an apology more than a decade in waiting. The live feed from the Parliament House was preceeded by a presentation by the Nura Gili Indigenous Programs of UNSW.

The packed hall went into a contemplative silence as Prime Minister Rudd delivered his motion. After the 30-minutes delivery, the hall broke into a long applause, echoing the thousands who waited outside the House in Canberra.

However, the same can’t be said for Dr Nelson’s upsetting reply. I could almost feel the chill in the hall.

If you missed the live broadcast, you can watch the video:

Perhaps, rather unsurprisingly, Back to Black and Amy Winehouse scooped a whopping amount of 5 awards between them at the recently-held 50th Grammy Awards: Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Best New Artist. This makes Winehouse among the few female artists who managed that record number: Lauryn Hill, Norah Jones, Alicia Keys and Beyonce.

If you are among the many who have listened to the wonderful album, you would agree that it’s more than a little gem despite Winehouse being a constant tabloid fodder. Back to Black was a favourite among many critics, and made it into more than a handful year-end list of best albums of 2006. The album channeled a good music era, with vibes of soul, jazz and Motown R&B thrown in masterfully.

If you are among the many who have not yet listened to it, grab it now!

Foo Fighters time and time again managed to secure 4 nominations with their latest offering Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace—resulting in winning Best Rock Album and Best Hard Rock Performance. Being a massive fan, I can’t say that ESP&G was a breakthrough album compared with 2005’s In Your Honour which was, in comparison, the only Foo album that didn’t win any Grammy award.

The win might be the result of a lacklustre nominations for this year’s Best Rock Album category, which besides the increasingly complacent FF comprises of 2 veterans (The Boss and John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival), an Idol alumnus (Daughtry) and folk/country darling Wilco. It is sad to admit that this is a trend that have been creeping up this past few years, and looks set to continue as the Grammys go by.

But hey, why worry! To quote Freddy the cheeky drummer from School of Rock, “Rock isn’t about getting an A. The Sex Pistols never won anything!”