Sabah Adventure 2008 : Day 3, 4, 5, 6

That was 17th, 18th and 19th of June...
Basically, the last three days was filled with lessons to get my PADI OWD license...

OMG diving is awesome...love it...the thing with people is that, when they go for a world scout Jamboree, they vow that they'll DEFINITELY go back, or they go for OBS and VOW to definitely become a C.A. or blablablabla...

Just hope that my loving diving now wont be a blablabla thing....that I'll really go around the world clocking in 'bottom-time' hahahaha...

Good thing is at least a few friends are divers, so It'll be easier and less boring...
Btw, the first day of OW lessons was a theory/video thing, which is OMG so so boring..
But then again, I was so so sleepy from the night before that I'm sure I slept through quite a substantial amount of it... Luckily even in a haste, doing the paper, passed! On the dot....

Boring Video

Getting on at Sutera Harbour Jetty

Before we put on the wet suits

I am so round!!

First dive was crap, Sapi Island...not that Sapi sucks, I suck.
I have a problem sinking, when we had to take out our equipment underwater, I kept floating all over the place!

Second Dive was also Sapi Island, much better dive actually but still sucks for me.

Third Dive was also Sapi, this was when I started to really dive properly...It was the last of the 3 days of the PADI OWD course....8 Koreans came onboard to just leisure dive...apparently they are like damn pro, got dive-master amongst them... Did talk to them a lil, but it was so so hard....language problem...

Fourth Dive (last) was the best, got a hang of how to sink and float without moving any limbs...and since I'm a 'floater' I keep trying to sink, cos with a small kick anywhere, I'll flat up...btw it was at Hanging Gardens, Pulau Gaya... The reefs were like a small bukit that slopes upward underwater...will have pics later...one of our friends had a underwater camera...we're supposed to be capped at 18m, but I swear it was somewhere around 25-30m cos I'm one of those idiotic 'kiasu' divers who keep checking my gauge all the time...

But nevertheless, not for that depth, we'll see nothing la.
Saw like colourless lighting up squid, lots of live corals...fishes...the nemo kind...and I dun even know what are they so I cant say....previously at SAPI everything was like dead...cos we were muck-diving near the shore, lots of sandy storms due to inexperienced flippers blasting sand all over the place...

View from Wisma Sabah (Dive Training Centre)

First night after the theory part, Fiona and I ate at a street market...it was drizzling, so dinner was this nasi campur ala kampung style...nice to eat actually...We were in search of the 'famous' philipino market actually, but ended up at this random market...it was drizzling...eat lo...

Nasi Campur Melayu

The following night we finally got to the Philipino market with another backpacker we met, Nazrin from SMK Sultan Abdul Samad. Currently we just moved from Borneo Global Backpackers to Tropicana Lodge...I like BGB, but its just too far...So we're currently sharing a six bed dorm room with him...

Filipino Market

Our Squid(RM7) and Tenggiri Bakar(RM7)

Our Ketam (RM5) and Sotong Kecil(RM5) Bakar

Sting-Ray(RM6) Bakar

The last night after we got certified, one of our fellow diving batch mates, Toby who's native Sabahan from Lahad Datu took us for Chinese Seafood..yay yay yay!!! I was good...really good...and cheap too... I dunno what it is but for some reason all Sabahan guys have this thing that they MUST pay for girls...puzzled...We ate like a kilo of large prawns(RM52) and 1/2kilo soft shell crab cos Nazrin cant take hard shelled (RM25+) and a steamed fresh 'sepan yu'-800gms (RM50) and a Sabah Local Vege...

The freakin big plate of prawns...

View from Tropicana Lodge's Jungle RoomZZZZZ

Random pic...omg they have AMOS too?

Sabah Adventure Day : 2 (16th June 2008)

Didn't manage to blog yesterday cos we were out late...or more like early...

Yesterday was an eventful day, very very eventful in-fact.

We realised our accom. Borneo Global Backpackers is a good value for money place...everything is perfect about this place, cleanliness, staff, facilities, practicality...only 1 major setback and a minor one..

1) major : it is not in KK town...if you walk its 15minutes away...kinda inconvenient for girls you see...this is Malaysia! and its hot. There are buses from here to town for 50cents tho...but they stop at 8pm....BGB provides free shuttle to Centrepoint mall at 7pm and back from there at 10pm..

But I'll give this place a 90% anyways...

2) minor : the rooms are quite stuffy, it gets better once u turn on the fans high speed and open the door for a while...

Anyways, yesterday we did not start on our OWD PADI course...instead tropicana lodge's owner Vincent called us up in the morning to offer to bring us around.. Yea if you're wondering, he's kinda the hippie kind, so yea, if u have good 'aura' he'll be very very nice to you. So I guess we're one of those with good 'aura'. And maybe cos we walked far and wide searching for his lodge in search of our friend the day before...haha

He came and picked us up... and then went to his lodge to meet his 'friend', a professor from University of Montreal, Canada : Stephane Bernard... that guy is a kind sweet Dr.....but you'll think he'll be PHD (permanent head damage) like Dr Goh Seng (maths wiz) but nope, this guy is a whacko, at least whilst on vacation I guess... He and Vincent were drinking toger beer like Sabag ran out of water. In the car, In the hostel, In restaurants, at the waterfall... Oh btw, we went out of town to the countryside (courtesy of Vincent) to the KionSom Waterfalls, no tourist there...only locals.

Vince said its a local secret, he don't just bring anyone here...haha...lucky us...but it was beautiful!
The water was cold...and the current were strong but yet it doesn't push you far enough to fall to the next pond....and deep enough for diving...but scardy cats like me, can't do that.

Locals taking a dip

Fiona by the main water-source (no swimming here)

Vincent and 'Dr' Stephane Lunch, Prawn Tomyam Noodle..so darn fresh!

Tamu
Ikan Todak
Sashimi-able fresh Tuna... Vincent bought one for RM27 only!
Sea Grapes RM1 per basket
Somekind of sea fungus/algae/seaweed

We went to Vincent's house to put up a small Barbe for the Tuna...The girls did the salad with the sea grapes, some mango, chillies, lime and simple syrup and cooked 'Nasi Bukit' found in Vince's Cupboards...red in colour....really really good rice.

View on the way back from the waterfall
Vincent's Lodge
The salt baked Tuna
Tuna flesh...some parts semi cooked...yummm!
Sea-grapes salad 'ala' kerabu

Ok, thats all for yesterday, Vince is coming to pick us up for our OWD PADI in like 15mins...i better get off....

Sabah Adventure 2008 : Day 1

Getting on the plane today was pretty emotional, unexpectedly so...
I didn't think planes were like special or something if you're thinking that's what I'm coming to.
Today (yesterday) was Father's Day, and I didn't even know it was Father's day we are flying out on until Fiona realised and told me so...ooopppsss Sorry Uncle Yew....

But anyways, being on the plane, and it being MAS brought back some memories that I thought I already forgot... I looked at the stewardess and thought back to my flight to LA back when I was 5... I thought back to the time when I woke up in the middle of the night asking for a blankie cos it was cold. Then a stewardess Jie Jie handed me one.

Then I thought back to my plane rides as a kid where I remembered I always demanded for fresh milk on board all the time regardless of breakfast, lunch or dinner. When they were serving only juice, dad would requests for fresh milk for me... I guess those stewardess obliged since I was such a cute lil kid.

Basically, just random flashbacks occurred 20,000 feet in the air, nostalgic memories...
Then I realised I miss you dad...Happy Father's Day...cheers XD

Fiona and I on board (she's chatting with some ang mor dude next to me now)

Colourful MAS cabin

My tea foodpack....which was ermmm okok

We were looking to meet up with a 'friend' who doesn't own a handphone, we knew where he was staying but didn't possess a map. A few lessons learnt today if you're attempting backpacking anytime soon :
1) always get a map (free) from the airport
2) never book accom. in advance for 5 days via credit card because, it takes two working days to clear the transaction and u end up paying cash first to obtain a refund later!
3) do not walk at night in malaysia in shorts!
4) do not even walk in malaysia if you're a girl...rempits are rampant!!

Our Bak Kut Teh dinner after a 2 hour hike around KK (still failing to locate the 'friend')

Fiona is happy to be fed though...

Our dining hall upstairs (Borneo Global Backpackers)

Lounge upstairs(BGB)

Btw, alas we found our 'friend' at Tropicana Lodge, Australian Place....His place was way funner, but our place was more spacious and practical...But anyways starting OWD PADI tomorrow... Nice guy Vincent, owner of Tropicana Lodge...gave us a lift back to Borneo Global Backpackers...
Going for diving with him tomorrow....although tomorrow is classroom only...

haha...am just happy i'm done with this post...cheers!

Sabah Adventure 2008 : Day 0

Its 3.30am and I've officially 'just' finished packing for my KK-Labuan adventure.
Just to note things down. I'm flying by MAS because its a sub-zero fare, either way I'm still quite glad that it's MAS, not that I have anything against AirAsia, but isn't it like comparing a good pair of Pallas Jazz and a Converse?

Got my flight tics for RM240. I've booked accom for 5 nights at Borneo Backpackers for RM12 per night. Dirt cheap, apparently they won some award so they are offering this promotion to celebrate. I found out tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival. If I Knew earlier, I would have booked an earlier flight.

I have yet to register for a scuba course and I'm due to start Monday...shites....
Wisma Sabah is where I'm rushing to the moment I land. Sabah Divers most probably...
I hope we make it though....We land 5pm, they close 5.30pm.
I hope my luggage gets out fast enough!

Here's my check-in bag (a fake 70l NorthFace my sis bought in Langkawi 6 years ago) and my brand new deuter act trail 24 'hand-carry' in red.


Labuan would be 20th June and Mount Kinabalu would be 25th June...Wish us luck...Oh btw I'm scuba-ing, travelling and climbing with Fiona...and travelling & climbing with Chong Jyn...and Climbing with Yih Wen...yea i knoe...weird arrangements yea? dates and all...

Exams are over....

I've never understood this phrase "exam stress" till now, thanks to I not only understand it, I embraced it....wallowed and drowned (almost) in it....


The days between exams were filled with feelings of tightness in my chest, blood pumped through my arteries so quickly, I can literally feel my blood pressure rise. My days were spent so pathetically, I feel sorry for myself thinking about it. Library in the day, I look forward to dinner time at 6.30pm. My favourite part of the day, 7pm, because some lousy Singaporean Drama series will be on but heck, its the best thing to chill with at 7pm. I'm back in my room 8ish...trying to get something in my head till 10pm...I'll give up, run downstairs to grab a drink...by 11pm, all my books will be moved down to the dining hall.

The most productive part of the last minute preparations, 11pm-3am...my mind is a sponge...a whole years' worth of everything is sucked in, hopefully retained for at least the next 10 hours, in time to be spat out for the morning paper. By now I've downed 2 bottles of Brand's Essence of Chicken, I'm wide awake, but my head is throbbing....like hell....

I tell myself I need to sleep, so I 'sleep' and 'rise' at 6am. Last hour to take in all the loose bits and pieces, by 7am, I zoom out of the house.

Hillsongs would be blaring in the background, I'll soothe myself in it as I blaze tru the roads..I chant to the chorus "Jesus you are my Bestfriend!" and feel my muscles relax....Feeling chilly, the aircon is switched off.

Armed with a small old exercise notebook containing summaries of everything I can summarize, I glue my eyes to the scramble of words (ie, MRTS, MRT, MPL etc etc), hoping they would safely adhere to my brain, afraid they would fall off as the train rocked and swayed where I stood. By now, I'm wide awake courtesy of my 3rd bottle of Essence of Chicken....my heart pumps extremely hard and my blood unusually hot...heats up my entire body as it flows all around.

Time ticks by slowly, very slowly as I approach the somewhat dilapidated sign of UUM KL. I enter and wait for the last final 15minutes to pass before I log myself pass the double doors of the examination hall only to find my body instantaneously freeze to the core. What the heck, I could survive 3 hours in this freezer, can I? .....

I'll repeat this torturous ordeal 4 times in 2 weeks, I'm sure the only happy person is the chinese medicine shop who sold the essence of chicken to my mum.

I'm so so so glad its all over!!!!!....I can finally heave a sigh of relieve......yay yay yay....
Low's Peak, Here I Come.....

Shame on Chinese.....

Malaysians.

Thats the title of today's post. Why? ain't I (chinese) Malaysian too? Am I trying to emulate Bad-awi for making 'racially-diplomatic' statements like...."I have many chinese friends too?"

Today Yesterday,the Bandar Utama (a rather chinesy area) Residents' Association-BURA organised a Crime Prevention Talk : 'Walk the Talk' at the BU3 Community Center at 4pm.

Our ADUN-YB Elizabeth Wong and Subang MP-YB Sivarasa were present. Also present were reps from the Damansara Police Station including the Chief Inspector himself, En.Sarif. Its a big deal cos I lived in DU for 16 years before shifting to BU, and till today I have never once met this dude, not even when we went to visit the police station back in secondary school as scouts!

It was a regular uncomfortably humid Saturday afternoon when mum said she's going for the Crime Prevention Talk. I said I'll tag along.

Our Reps, Policemen, St John volunteers and members of the public were gathered at the entrance of the BU3 CC in what seemed like a 'horse-shoe' shape. I'm always rather excited about things like this, being the big kid I am, I squeezed through the crowd to the front.

YB Sivarasa - Subang MP

Although caught up in my own forray of excitement, I realised that my mother wasn't next to me. While YB Sivarasa was stating that it was 'not right' for residents of non-gated communities to resort to 'gating' their communities at their own costs, just because of the emancipated state of our country's police-civilian ratio (which btw was somewhere around 1:1800), I noticed my mum and her gang of 'aunty' friends convening at the back of the crowd.

After the speeches were over, we were instructed my our BURA reps to get ready for the walk... Honestly, I didn't know there was a 'literal' walk in this whole exercise. However, in lieu of being a responsible member of society, why not? I went looking for mummy to ask her to join me for the 'walk'. To my utter horror shame (cos she's my mother) mum said "Girl, you go lar, you represent me lar, I cannot la, I'm not wearing the right shoes" Mum and I regularly walk around the padangs in the evenings, and she has been 'not wearing the right shoes' many many times before. Maybe its unfair to be so harsh on my poor mother, she grew up in a country where if a crowd was going to the streets with banners, it's an illegal demonstration which might result in someone being locked-up. I have yet to solve this riddle...

Mum's auntie gang was staying back at the CC cos its "too hot la". Its blardy 5pm! I have another theory as to why everyone should be a scout/guide once in their life (more on that later)

As I was walking the 'walk', I was thinking about the possible outcomes of this 'walk'. These are a few conclusions I came up with :

1) If the 'walk' looked big enough a crowd on mass media, ppl will be talking about it, and somehow would seem like a credible enough 'threat' to the prospective robbers to deter them from robbing BU again. (Game-Theory proposition)

2) If enough publisity is gained from this 'walk' then maybe it would be 'big' enough of an issue (police-civilian ratio) that when raised in Parliament by our MPs, it would be addressed with more severity.

3) During the short 'walk', neighbours get a brief moment of actual contact with each other and some might even spark a friendship from there. (If you're thinking that this hypothesis is ridiculous considering its only a short walk, u could be most certainly wrong because, BU residents, no Ppl (chinese especially) residing in Damansara are like what THE STAR said of the Singaporeans yesterday, individualistic uncaring society....mb this could be a stepping stone?)

We wouldn't know for sure, until tomorrow comes.....Another thing I reminded myself to do when I get home, is to explain to my mother what the talk is all about because I know she for certain thought it was a waste of her 'precious' time...

I brought the afternoon up after dinner, I asked my mum "Mum, what did you learn at the talk? You know why its important for us to just walk even though it hurts your pride just like how you think taking the 'public' transport is a very 'pitiable' thing?"

Oh shit, here comes the defensive statements....

"What I was with Aunty Kelly they all, they were telling me about the robberies, actually ar, these ppl are so careless, they left their gate open, unlocked, so the robbers came in and rob la"

Point to Ponder : Strange how they think this is 'actually' such a 'simple' issue that anyone can solve which had no need for a publicity infused 'walk the talk'.

"Eh I know what, the policeman so 'sporting' give us his HP number....Aunty Kelly said to him, but of cos he can't hear la, eh Mr.Policeman, can you tell us if we call ar, how fast you can respond to us ar?"

"You know ar girl, aunty tell me last time she noticed at 3pm in the afternoon a strange old junk Proton Wira was parked outside her house ar, 2 man smoking inside...she so scared you know, she quickly go call our security guard, they take 30 mins to come!"

I tell you i "buey tahan anymore man"...

Eh mum, did you know while you and your 'si-lai' aunties were busy gossiping about the robbery dramas that 'happened' in the past 2 weeks, our MP and ADUN was enlightening us that it is 'not right' for residents of non-gated communities like you and me to pay RM30 a month for security guards when we're supposed to be safe-guarded by our police-force? And our ADUN gave us factual figures on how many ppl in Damansara were served by one police personnel? Its freaking 1 policeman to 5000 ppl ok? Do you know that the DU police station opposite our old house is serving from there to all the way to Damansara Perdana area? And that they have only 84 ppl? for 500 000 of us? And all you can do is complain that about the speed at which our chief inspector can respond to your phone call? And what has the speed of our security guards got to do with the police?

Mum, you think this ppl that organised this 'walk' nothing better to do ar? They spend their time and etc. to ensure the safety of our area...Mum interrupts again....

"They also another one, why organise things must ask ppl stand outside the hall, just for one hour clear the badminton hall also cannot meh? So hot you know ppl standing?"

Omg, the nerve to bring up the 'poor' organisation.

"Mum, they do not 'own' the community centre you know! they are just BU residents like you...MBPJ owns the place, and it costs thousands to rent that hall, and you have to go all the way to PJ state to do that...no you have to go all the way there even if you wanna rent a court to play badminton!"

"Btw, our ADUN, yes the not so 'ni chiang ren' lady you mentioned is Elizabeth Wong and she met up with our mayor whose on a 1 month 'leave' so that our BU-m gates and BU guardhouses that we've set up won't be torn down forcefully my MBPJ....You think these ppl come and waste their time to give those kind of primary school generic speech? MBPJ sent out a warning letter to tell BURA that its illegal to 'gate' 'non-gated' areas."

"And the 'ma-chan' policeman...you think he come and talk cock also right? But he was just trying to explain for the incompetencies of his team because tell he has 84 men for 500 000 ppl when u were supposed to be listening! He was also commenting on our poor 'rukun tetangga'-ship where he encountered cases of interviewing neighbours who mistook their being robbed neighbours as 'pindah rumah'....how absurd, that it can be only so if you don't recognize your neighbours!"

"And the 'ke-ling yan'....You know he is actually a masters grad from oxford and your ADUN is a well-educated intellectual in society?"

I said no more after that....
I reflected back on my statements, I knew they were true of what my mum really thinks... but she's not a bad person at all you see, how can she be? She was the one who volunteered to collect money to build the BU-m gate and even enlist a contractor to build it for our 20-house row. She even went out to make each one of the 20 households individual keys and bought cute plastic keychains and wrote neatly what the key is for on the labels.... so basically she's a sweet, responsible member of society.

So where does the problem lie? I think some of you have had read a funny circulating email about the Malaysian Chinese Society? Its main point was to wake the 20% of the so called 'elitist' chinese in Malaysia on the fact that 80% of us are in fact, ah bengs and ah lians (in western terms, the average Jane and Joe).

I was being judgemental and I'll cluster myself under the 20% elitist group - defined as chinese who sometimes think they aren't chinese, like to watch american sitcoms, sometimes make controversial statements like I wish I was in UK/Australia, like to call their counterparts 'cina'.

Instead of ridiculing, we have to find the area to empathize and then to target...In mum's case, to be direct, the MP or ADUN speaking has to be one who appeals to the majority of this kinda audience....and in BU, most of the uncles and aunties are really the chinese businessman type of persona....

Its not about whether this MP or that ADUN is better or etc... Its like a matter of strategizing, whom to place to what kinda crowd or the style of deliverance to match the crowd. Sometimes, nonsensical unimportant information could be something of importance for others. For example, when my mandarin speaking only grandma read about Perak's MB knowing how to speak hokkien and mandarin, she was taken in!! and immediately didn't think a PAS MB was a big deal.

During the elections season, when I watched clips of Fong Po Kuan speaking @SS2 with Tony Pua....I totally couldn't relate to her pro-cina statements or chantings (should see the clip on youtube) but she really appeals to another crowd, alot of appeal actually. If only we could work together use each others' influence to become a more 'MALAYSIAN' society (I'm meaning the chinese in Malaysia)

The big problem with chinese in malaysia is that unlike Thai chinese or Indon chinese who's almost totally assimilated into their Nationality (i.e they speak Thai and Indon as their 1st language and have Thai and Indon names), we can't even accept BM as our national language. We are not only not proud of the language, in fact we are trying to oust it. I was chatting with Pegs about the recent argument on BM in our education system, instead of writing it down again :

Pegs: i think we should be proud of BM it's so embarassing!!! to not have BM like my english colleagues ask me 'why do you speak english in malaysia?' i was SO EMBARASSED
Me: hhahahahaha lols
Pegs: cos they germans speak german the french speak french even i met a japanese girl she said i find it very very weird that you speak english at home we speak japanese OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG so malu i want to dig a hole and die
Me: its a NATION thing we should sometimes look to thailand and indon as our model
Pegs: I KNOWWWW
Me: in terms of NATIONALITY the chinese here are complaining that the malays wanna 'ketuanan' us and disown us back to china sure la...cos we still speak mandarin and cantonese 80% of chinese speak that as a 1st laanguage in malaysia so ure technically not malaysian at heart (note: I speak mandarin too, and I think its good to know, but aren't we too 'protective' of it?) We dun even wanna use the language. english is fine in the economic sense but it shouldn't be our 1st language
Pegs: i know!!! that's damn crap they need to wake up and realise THEY ARE NOT CHINESE omg i talked to my colleagues from CHINA they are damn different from us ok i mean what the hell i got nothing in common with them and these people still dying to fight for CHINESE SCHOOL damn stupid i say STOP HAVING CHINESE TAMIL CRAP SCHOOLS we need to have MALAYSIAN SCHOOL

We don't wanna emulate Singapore's societal framework, cos its too chinesy there cos they really are just another taiwan model. What we can learn from them is their efficiency and competitiveness. But in terms of identity.....and societal character? Na-ah...

In a way the above MALAYSIAN SCHOOL model is tested and I think its a success. My sis and I are fine examples it, aren't we? Ok, so fine our chinese is not all that great, but that can be fixed, its not that there isn't a POL (people's own language) model, just not a very well implemented POL model in NATIONAL SCHOOLS (Sekolah Kebangsaan). And also, the way english is taught, and who teaches the language, thats a big problem too. We really need to pay our educators better for better quality...

One synchronized school model, with options in between (ie POL classes)
It's undeniable the racial gap will never be resolved if not for this.....

Unrelatedly, I've just came across a ridiculous random comment on the Crime Prevention talk :

1. LeisureMan // May 16, 2008 at 3:44 pm

   Some time organized activities like these helped to cover a hidden agenda - make use of the VIPs and politicians then introduce lucrative “Security Fees” - charged to the residents of course ! Before you know it your non-gated home get converted into “gated-community” - illegally !

My reply :

1. pennyloo // May 18, 2008 at 1:02 am

   In response to LEISUREMAN…I dunno where you got the ‘idea’ that the security fee we’re paying is lucrative? because the only way I can conclude it to be more expensive that it ought to cost in the 1st place is because of FREE RIDERS like you.

   There are 400 houses in my area, and only 1/2 of them pay….which is quite a nominal fee of RM30 a month = RM6 000 @ 50% subscription. Start doing your math brother. I am not part of the committee, so I dont really know how much it costs, but I’m sure those BU-m gates aren’t cheap, and the guards’ salaries too…And those stickers, flyers, banners, plastic cards on ur gate, organising meetings to get ignorant ppl to get ‘involved’…..all these is money spent not on the security itself, but ‘developing’ the security cooperation of the area too…..

   Our BURA rep told us that by just increasing payability to 80% we can even have an electronic key cards system too…(that is another debate all by itself)….but seriously, the extra cash wont be lucrative in any sense to a committee of like at least 10 reps managing the funds?? Their house installments prolly cost way more…
   

2. i dun think u will want to live in a ‘non-gated community’ if your local police station is only 84men strong for 500 000 ppl?

   I’m not to trying to erupt an argument….just think that its injustice done to the BU rep ‘uncles’ in our area who work so hard to keep us safe

Today is one of those days....

where you get a surprise email from your sister, en-masse. Why didn't I see it coming. But really, thanks Pegs for sending that email....reminded me again that last 8th of March was not just an 'event' for ppl to blog about, mamak-talk about, or use as office ice-breakers. Its more than that.....

You know how things can be fun and drama where you get all worked out and emotional for a brief period of time? but yet it doesn't really affect you personally so it kinda dies off after a while? Yeaps, that was the March 8th elections to me (besides being my 21st Bday). Its shallow to say this, but it really is the truth. But, this email (below) from Pegs got me to realise (post hysteria, euphoria and all) about the implications and significance of this very day. Btw, she emailed her entire contacts.

Hi guys,

I have been mulling the entire day if I should do this. But i doubt i can go to bed without. This is abit like social / image suicide, but oh well, here it goes...

Today, a very depressing event has taken place for Malaysia and democracy. Our government has arrested Raja Petra Kamarudin and he is in Sungai Buloh jail tonight, as I write.

Now, I hope many of you are aware that this has happened, and that you are aware of the fight and cause of Raja Petra. I know as well, from some of the Malaysians I've spoken to, that there are amongst us, who up till today, do not know who Raja Petra is, and the nonsense that has been happening right at our doorstep.

Look, I am not judging or accusing anyone here of ignorance, I was exactly the same before the March 8 elections. I truly don't really care, and I think the reason why I couldn't care much about who governs our country or how they did it was because I was stuck in some kind of selfish comfort zone and change didn't really matter to me because I never felt really deprived. I think this was some kind of selfish disease that most upper-middle to upper class young Malaysians are infected with. No worries about that scholarship missed because mummy and daddy can afford that education or rather Singapore will be happy to hand you one, no worries about corruption because hey normal-lah to bribe Mr policeman RM600 for lesen and RM50 for a saman. If you pull that cute lost little girl doll face you can even get away with RM30 to none! Because Abang Polis the corrupt & hamsap will also makan manja if not duit!

It was comical to me that our government and police are corrupt, a way of life which I accepted because hey money buys you everything in Malaysia right? But you know what guys? It is great table gossip that Anwar, Tian Chua, Kit Siang, Guan Eng and the others got jailed for justice, but hey! it doesn't really bother us as long as we have our TGV, GSC, endless shopping sprees, Yum Cha, fab clubbing nites, our thriving careers, glorious & posh food hunts and all the very fun stuff about being young and having it all.

It is not funny at all. Really really not. Did you know our government authorised a commission of RM500m to their cronies for purchase of submarines? Did you know Pak Lah and Najib spent RM700k on their Jets in 13 days during elections? Did you know it costs us RM39m to send the angkasawan konon to space to make teh tarik? Did you know that the BN Selangor government spent the entire RM27m of their allowance for a whole year in 2 months? Did you know our BN MP called old man Kit Siang 'Bodoh!! Bodoh!!!' in parlimen? Did you know a Mongolian girl was murdered and blown into pieces by C4 in our backyard, C4 being an explosive only accessible to the highest ranks in our military?

It's really a list shameful did you knows, and many many more, which i really didn't know or vaguely knew before May 8th

Now they have taken Raja Petra to jail. Raja Petra is the editor of Malaysia-Today. He is related to the Selangor Royal Family & has been fighting for justice and equality for our country for ages. He recently wrote an article entitled 'Let's send the Altantuya murderers to hell' (http://www.malaysia-today.net/2008/content/view/6604/84/) because he was moved by her father's plight to obtain justice for his dear daughter. And for this is he is now charged in court for sedition and put in jail.

Kit Siang hits the nail bingo when he said in parliament today that if any case should be brought up against Raja Petra, it is a private lawsuit between him and Najib for defamation. To mobilise the government's muscles and arrest him under the Sedition Act is ABUSE OF POWER and I wholly agree! Even the bar council of Malaysia has joined in to cry foul over his arrest! http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=22062

I risk many reactions for pushing this. I know Raja Petra has not been the most neutral figure in Malaysian politics. Sometimes, he even seems to blog tall tales. But the point is he deserves his freedom of expression, and we, as the brilliant future of our country cannot afford to remain nonchalant any longer.

I am not saying that we need a revolution, i'm not suggesting we join the opposition and march at Dataran Merdeka (although that would actually be quite fun), but I am just appealing for all of us, to wake up, and care, and hey you know, rise up as a generation who are politically aware, who will stand for justice, and who loves freedom.

Spread the word, take an interest and pray for Raja Petra and all the other brave men & women who are fighting for the future of 27million Malaysians,

I will leave you with Raja Petra's final entry yesterday... just so you have a glimpse of his courage...!

Love, Peggy

ps: i don't mean to offend anyone k? i am quite sure that many of you are far more well in the know and concerned than me. My intention is just to spread the word, just in case some are still not aware!

pps: and i know some of you i haven't spoken to in years and ages. Just so happen you're in my address book.

Yeah i know, what a freak hello after ages. haha. sorry!

http://www.malaysia-today.net/2008/content/view/7068/84/

Here's the 1st reply to that email from one of her ex-colleagues at PwC whose one of those fortunate high-flying young urban professionals (as per-described above) :

...headache....speechless....

reply to your ps : No offence felt, but you already made your point from your call in the wee hrs of the ytd morning. Forcing intellectual discussion out of my stubborn brain at 7.30am ....speechless

go have some sleep, take a deep breath.....go think wat to buy for your "son".......

XXX XXX XXX
CORPORATE FINANCE
AmInvestment Bank Berhad
Tel: 0x-xxxx xxxx
Fax: 0x-xxxx xxxx
Email: xxx-xxx-xxx@ambg.com.my

***Point to note : I'm not ridiculing anyone here by being self-righteous or anything close to that, but it's true isn't it? This is the kind of general respond you'll get right? I might just have been that person replying to my sister, the exact same way. But I know Pegs, at least understand her thoughts from her writings, the message is simple and clear.

This is NOT some sort of INTELLECTUAL discussion or an attempt to make it look like I'm/you're/we're in that sort of 'high' calibre, This is REAL SHIT, OUR SHIT, Malaysia's SHIT and WE, yes, ALL of us, WE MUST PUT A STOP TO ALL THIS SHIT!!!

Everyone of us.....every single one of us.....who breathes this air, has his/her feet planted on this land, ARE RESPONSIBLE for all this SHIT!

Yes, my fellow comrades, we're at war here....
Being a politician political is not being intellectual, trust me on this.....