10 years before Independence - Hartal 20.10.1947

Yet another interesting twist of events in annals of Malayan history. I do not remember learning my history this way. Hartal 20.10.1947, the day the solidarity of the Malayans were showcased to the world for the first time. Thank the internet for that. Some how, I have the inclination that the present day politicians are feeling the same frustrations that their counterparts felt some 60 over years ago. To understand history is to understand the future.

Yahya Nassim

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6210778727127163801&hl=en#

  Hashim Said

Lim Kean Chye

Caught in a time warp

On a quiet Friday afternoon, I dropped in my relative's office as I was passing by that area. Something like how a mafia henchman drops in at the boss' place to show respect! Anyway, just to say 'hi' and 'bye'. The Man was not in so I ended up with a tete-a-tete with his high society daughter. After the usual pleasantries, the conversation swayed on to her two children's education in an international school. The high heeled Madame managed to enlighten the poor relative (yours truly) on the latest happenings in an international school these days. It was indeed an eye opener!

Leave us kids alone!*

The catch phrase these days in the educators' circle seem to be to protect the psyche of the students and to refrain from creating an aversion to school. In other words, bend over backwards to keep the children happy and to put up with all their tantrums. It is a cardinal sin to ever upset their feelings and learning should be a pleasurable experience for them with no dent in their individual self esteems (ego). Students cannot be reprimanded for making mistakes in class and in their worksheet. They are not required to do corrections for errors in their school work. They do not have to sit for dictation. Red ink cannot be used to mark books as again it will upset them and maybe they would not like to come to school. At the end of the term test, they would not be given placing in class as again it may crush their little egos and may retard their self development. It appears to me that we are dealing with whiny spoilt bred babies and the educators are retarding their growth to adulthood with the ability to endure the trials, tribulations, competitions, failures and what not which is seen in the real dog eat dog world!
The good thing offered by the school is the exposure that the students get in the fields of games, drama and music. Being dissatisfied with the pace and depth of studies, the family members and private tutors were roped in to provide patch up work to fill up the deficiencies in the private school system so as to prepare a well rounded education for her kids to face the real world. And mind you, both kids have not reached double digits in their ages yet!
Hey! Looks like things have not changed much from RRF days. You still depended on tuition teachers and tuition classes even if you are in international schools. And guess what; even tertiary students in college and universities in the Klang Valley employ tuition teachers to teach them. These tuition teacher dependent varsity students are going to lead some multinational companies and perhaps rule the country one day. Scary!!!
*Pink Floyd, 1979: Another brick in the wall
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4SKL7f9n58

My way or no way!

Beatles sang in their song 'We can work it out'... 
...Try to see it my way, Only time will tell if I am right or I am wrong
While you see it your way, There's a chance that we may fall apart before too long
We can work it out...

Fish head curry @ Muthu's

I remember a few years ago, I made a weekend trip to the land of Merlion to watch a musical show (We'll rock you) at the Esplanade with my better half, brother-in-law and his wife. The highlight of the trip (beside the play, of course) was the fish head curry that we had Muthu's Curry House and breakfast at Komala Vilas. Talking about fish head curry, this is a point of contention between Singapore and Malaysia on bragging rights on the origin of this local favourite delicacy. This debate is like the squabble for satay between Malaysia and Indonesia. Actually, one version says that this style of cooking was brought in by the Malayalees Muslim traders (much like Mahathir's ancestors) started selling this dish in stalls in Singapore and Penang in the1900s before the rest of the nation took fancy. Now the Peranakans are also putting their stake on this dish! 

My point I like to highlight is how both the restaurants are run almost 100% by  Indian nationals but they managed the premises and its surroundings in the true Singapore standards - spick and span, even the washroom was smelling of roses (scent, that is). The Singaporeans (government/enforcement) managed to dictate to the foreign workers - that is how we want things around here, shape up or ship out!

Auschwitz

Now, what do we have around here in Bolehland? We have Indian banana leaf rice restaurants in towns run according to Chennai or Chittagong standards. Service in much wanted - as if the customers are receiving handouts or they are doing charity work. And do not even bother to take a sneak peek at the kitchen to see how your mouth watering food is prepared - using recycled oil which looks blacker than the pots and pans, stirring their gravies with plastic ladles (you seriously do not expect them to know the detrimental effects of consumption of plastic and the effect of high temperatures on hydrocarbon and plastics and its carcinogenic effects!). And personal hygiene - don't even go there - body odour which emits the same mustard gas that Hitler used to gas Jews in Auschwitz concentration camps!

Talking about foreign nationals, have you seen the foreigners (students, yeah right!) moving around freely with our young college girls and promoting their style of lifestyles with detrimental consequences.

Points to ponder...indeed...

And justice for all?

Two somewhat similar incidents happened recently. Similar but somewhat stark differences in the way they are being handled.
On one end, we have a frustrated headmistress Hj Siti Inshah Mansor who is fed up with the disciplinary problems in her school blurted out remarks which were racist in nature. She told the students concerned to just change school to a private school nearby or just go back to China! And she compared the Indian students wearing certain religious strings on their wrists to dogs on leash! This obviously upset the population at large. To quote, :“Pelajar-pelajar Cina tidak diperlukan dan boleh balik ke China ataupun Sekolah Foon Yew. Bagi pelajar India, tali sembahyang yang diikat di pergelangan tangan dan leher pelajar nampak seakan anjing dan hanya anjing akan mengikat seperti itu.”
On the other end, upset with turn of events,a fellow Johorean, Namewee who niched a name his youtube his 'Negarakuku' and 'TNB rap' decided to voice his discontentment in his rap song 'Nah! Stop Racism in school'. This song turned out not very palatable to the UMNO politicians in particular due to its foul language and finger pointing (of the middle finger type). (Snippet has been removed, I managed to catch a glimpse!)
Now comes the interesting part - how the authorities are going to handle these two issues. In the first case, the authorities decided to let the educated scholarly officers from Education ministry to conduct an internal inquiry. In the meantime, the principal has apologized. On the second scenario, the Home Minister decided to rope in the bumbling Jacques Clouseau in the making in the form of the Royal Malaysian Police to make a few courtesy calls at Namewee's house.
Hopefully the ending of this drama is as dramatic as the court drama scene in Al Pacino's movie 'And justice for all'! Enjoy!
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sOeY6ZVG2U 

Still on nostalgic merdeka mood!

British Malaya (Singapore and Malaysia): 1939 Trip around the World (Part 5).
Part 5 features city scenes of Singapore, including the Old Supreme Court building. In Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur city scenes and the Penang Hill tram and Kek Lok Si Buddhist temple in Penang.

View all 10 parts: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list...

How was your day, mate?

Happy Merdeka (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YCl_WcDarA&feature=related)


At stroke of midnight, as the country ushered in the 53rd birthday of the nation, I was browsing through a cynical  and some times offensive web site (http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Malaysia) on Malaysia. Check it out.
The morning started with a little bit of exercise, followed by a dash to the hospital to attend to a mother in labour. Due to complications, she needed a Caesarean section. A Merdeka baby you would say, but the mother is Thai and she is a second wife to a Malaysian man whose first wife probably does not know! How ironic. Whilst on the way there heard an interview with Amir Muhamad, the new wave writer and film maker on his book '120 Malay films'. Pretty nostalgic interesting stuff.
Later that afternoon, whilst the family was at temple attending a prayer, the climax of the Merdeka 'celebration' was screening of 'Malayan Emergency' on History Channel. View sample below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plFwjY_kCzk

General Templer

It was a 2 hour long heart warming rendition of how a nation made up of many cultures join hands together to face a common enemy : the communist terrorists. It was indeed an eye opener to many on things that they never you in history lessons in our schools. Gerald Templer and the Malayan Special Branch were the two main heroes (among many others) in the combat against the red star army .
Evening was a quiet dinner with some old family friends reminiscing the good old days in a traditional Penang Chinese restaurant.
I would like to dedicate this presentation to all the heroes (sung and unsung) of yesteryears who sacrificed so much to a young nation called Malaya so that we can enjoy what we have today. Cherish it. It is easy to step and crush a sand castle but it takes many painstaking hours and labour to build one. Happy Merdeka.

P/S: The Malayan Emergency is Malaysia's war of independence. 11,000 Malaysian born men and women died between 1948 and 1960 during this era.

Old Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (1961)

This is Kuala Lumpur looked in 1961. A few familiar landmarks are easily identifiable. The landscape have totally changed. We have come a long way, haven't we?