Lagenda Budak Setan

A star is born amongst our family circle! At least that is how we perceive it. After waiting for many months with bated breath, thanks to our friendly DVD peddlers at Econsave, we finally laid hands on the latest local flick that hit the cinemas -Lagenda Budak Setan.
My brother in law landed a small albeit an important role in the movie at the tail end of the show. He played the role of a doctor who was the bearer of bad news. He acted well in his role - a role that he performed well in his daily life- a doctor! Personally, I thought he did his part convincingly well, it was not half as bad! He delivered his lines (but with voice overs) pretty well - not the standard standing still and rattling off the lines with no emotions as we are quite often used to in most local movies. You can a glimpse of his performance in the following snippet @ 6:45 mark. The lip sychronising seem to have been done pretty well.

@ 6:45 mark! (Dr Lal)
In addition to his debut performance, his home was also a star of sorts as it was used as a shooting location as one of the actresses' home in the movie. See below at around #8:00 mark!

@ 8:00 mark (Home)
Overall, the movie was an above average melodramatic fare. Anyway it grossed more than 50 times in budget! One plus point was its cinematography - we could not believe that such picturesque sceneries could be captured here in Malaysia! The director of the movie was one Sharad Sharan (a buddy of my brother-in-law) and the post production work (editing, mixing, etcetera) was done in Bollywood.
That is it. Another masala to spice up our lives - another happening, another milestone, another event and another day to add sparkle to our illustrious journey of life!

Your next stop...TWILIGHT ZONE!

Children of the 70s must have been exposed to various interesting TV shows. Undoubtedly, 'Twilight Zone' (TZ) must have captured  the imaginations of many young minds of that era with their bizarre twisted story lines. I remember staring at the 16-inch black and white TV in the dark nights of RRF 

with the volume way down low as Appa would have slept by then.

There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call The Twilight Zone. —Rod Serling
[Opening credit for the First Season]:(FYI the credits varied from Seasons 1 to 4)]

Rod Serling

I doubt if anyone would ever despise this show. A couple of years ago, I decided to have a little self indulgence and decided to purchase a collection of many episodes from all 5 seasons. It has been a real mesmerizing experience re-living the yesteryears. Rod Serling who would introduce the show with a smoking cigarette between his fingers, expectedly had heart problems at the age of 50 but sadly succumbed to complications of open heart surgery!  

Even before re-watching this black and white series this time around, I vividly remember watching an episode of TZ in the comfort of RRF titled 'The eye of the beholder'. The story and the scenes imprinted vividly on my mind because the camera only revealed the faces of the actors almost at the very end of the show. 

It starts with a whining lady whose face is heavily bandaged (pic). She is complaining to a nurse (whose only her back is shown to us) about her predicament of having undergone 10 previous unsuccessful surgeries to make her face not so scary. Her face had been so unsightly that it frightened children in public and she had become a social recluse. She yearns for the success of her last Government sanctioned operation so that she can be accepted into society. If that corrective surgery were to fail, she would be quarantined in a village at the edge of the country where she will be placed amongst people with her type of deformity.

Eye of the beholder

An interesting feature that you regularly see in these shows of the 60s is how nurses and doctors of that bygone era smoke at the nurses' counter and sometimes offer a stick to a patient. Smoking was a sign of affluence and was politically correct then to do so. The day finally arrived for the bandage to be removed. Alas, a pretty captivating blonde lady's face is revealed under the covers. The doctor sighs, "Oh, we failed again!"

Only then are we shown the faces of all the actors - the faces are all deformed, canine-baboon like and plain ugly! Our heroine sees her face in the mirror, shrieks in horror and runs from her room in 'disappointment'. Along the corridor we see images of their leader on TV who appears unsightly and horribly frightening by earthlings' standards, like the rest. She is pacified by a hunky 'normal looking' orderly who persuades her to follow him to the sanctioned village for the handicapped where he stays. He tells her about an old saying which says 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder'! And the closing credits....

As in all TZ stories, there is always a take home message. It is interesting to note how we are constantly bombarded with images of aesthetically pleasing models that the world defines as beautiful. A beautiful girl has to be thin, tall, fair skinned (not the typical ebony hued oily haired) with Caucasianoid features. This, to most people is accepted as norm and would go at great length, risking their lives, pain, money to this end. They dye their mane or crowning glory, bleach their skins, undergo painstaking limb lengthening and plastic surgeries to attain their definition of a perfection which coincidentally varies from time to time!
Another episode that I had to luxury of watching recently is what I thought is a very thought provoking episode. The title of the episode just escapes my memory bank. Anyway, the story goes something like this....

The story starts on a quiet summer afternoon in a suburban housing area. Everybody is happy - waving at each other, washing their cars, children playing, people cycling, some walking delightfully - all hallmark of a peaceful neighbourhood. This serenity is somewhat disturbed when one by one the utilities gets cut, the water, the electricity then followed by the telephone line. Everyone in the neighbourhood is hit, except for one particular house whose occupant likes to keep to himself. Many speculations are hurled. Some suggesting that the occupants may be Communists' spies and basically up to no good. One thing lead to another and the town is totally convinced of their ill-intent. The town then decides to march to this house to clarify matters. Just then,  something else happens and the suspicion turns on to others in the neighbourhood and before long the whole peacefully tranquil suburbia turn into a disaster zone with looting and in-fighting.

At this scene, the camera rolls back.... And what do we (the audience) see? We see one Martian explaining to his superior how easy it was to defeat the Earthlings, by just planting a seed of doubt and suspicion and the whole civilization will crumble and fall!
How come they do not have shows like that anymore?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzlG28B-R8Y

Memories of RRF: The farmer and the donkey!

This one goes out to CC and all those who are undecided about certain things in life and decide to ass around with other peoples' probably less than 2-sens' senseless worth of bray (advice)! Also to those who are upset with certain comments of other individuals. My words of wisdom - whenever you feel down, think of this cute donkey and smile!


Growing up in a lower middle class family in the pre-Merdeka era must have been a good time for children to be exposed to story telling from their elders. Entertainment as we can imagine must have been scarce. When putting rice on the dinner is a daily struggle, everything else is secondary. Television was not existent - TV Malaysia came into existence in 1963. You have to be born with a silver spoon to have unlimited access to story books.
My sisters and I, born in early Generation-X (1961-1981, by definition), did enjoy a little bit of comfort by our parents' standards in the form of easier access to story books, newspapers and TV . The Penang State library was a favourite haunt for me, besides the class and school library. I use to read Enid Blyton books, mainly. The State library used to be situated in the Supreme Court building but was later relocated to Dewan Sri Pinang. Besides story books, I used to get my cravings for the imaginary world via TV and story telling. Some prominent storytellers were Periya Atteh (with her crocodile who wanted to eat a monkey's liver story), Susila (Amma's adopted sister) and Rajes-Parames and gang with their pati-pati and the children who ate durian and were later assigned to take care of her food and money stories!
Of all the stories we were exposed to, many of Aesop's fables stuck on to the mind like glue. And amongst all his fables, the one that stands out like a sore thumb is the story of the farmer and his donkey. It goes something like this....
Long long ago, the was a time when a land was hit by bad times. Famine and misery was the order of the day. The yield of the land that year was dismal and farmers had it real bad. So, this old farmer decided to sell his last worldly possession, a donkey, at the market place to feed his family.
The next day, he and his young son set foot to the market place. The farmer led the donkey by a leash and the son was following behind. Before long came a stranger who commented, "Are you stupid or what? You have a donkey and you don't ride on it!" The farmer asked the son to ride the donkey and they continued the journey.
Then came another stranger who chided, "What a stupid boy you are, your old father is all drained out and you are riding the ass gallantly!" So, the farmer obliged and both he and his son mounted the donkey!
Then came another wise guy who was an old acquaintance. After finding the reason for the trip, the Einstein proposed that (in order not make the animal appear weary and drained out when it reaches tits destination to be sold) they tie their priced possession by its feet and carry it on a pole to the market! And they did just that with much difficulty of a struggling donkey. 
Just before reaching the market place they had to maneuver through a narrow bridge. Of course the struggling animal fell into the river and died. The  farmer and his son went home wet, hungry, penniless and melancholic!
The lesson is self explanatory - use your brains, do not follow blindly and above all common sense should prevail! Sometimes what you are doing could be just the right thing to do.

Eid mubarak ho!

Since some Muslims I know celebrate Aidilfitri for a month since they fasted for a month, I think it is not too late to write on this celebration. As most Malaysians, I also celebrated Aidilfitri with two of my Muslim friends.
The first was a colleague of my mine whom I have known since 1989. He was a Malayalee Hindu guy who embraced Islam when he married his Malay varsity sweetheart in early 90s. They are happily married with 3 boys. I finally visited them this year in their spanking new RM 4million villa in PJ. The guests of various ethnic groups were happily digging into the rich spread of food - freshly fried koay teow, satay, curry mee, rojak, cakes etc. As you can see, the spread was multi-ethnic in nature, not Malay!

Laila Johari

At night, it was dinner at Mohamad Manmohan Abdullah's home. We (the family) particularly enjoy celebrating Raya at Manmohan and Laila's mansion in Damansara. We feel so much love and warmth in their abode. As usual we were the last to leave (around midnight) as the relatives who hardly knew us (they only meet us once a year) went on joking and laughing with us as if they had known us all their lives! Manmohan's siblings (10 in all) and friends without fail, will all have a good time and spread the joy to everyone around annually during Raya.
Manmohan Singh and Lalila Johari grew up together in Rawang. After a short stint on TV, the couple is now successful in insurance business.

Nice to hear but... in reality?

Black-on-white or white-on-black stripes?

Here we are talking about equality and that we are 1-Malaysia. It is nice to talk when your next meal is non-brainer and your children and family are in the pink of health and the price increase of sugar by 20 sen means nothing to you. But, to a manual worker or a security guard who earns RM 2 per hour toiling day and night, everyday is survival!
Take a look at the example of one of the security guards working in Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah, Klang who was gunned down by a not so friendly fire by his working colleague recently. Instead of upholding serenity in the hospital, there themselves appear to need hospitalization. The deceased 22 year old guard and his 37 year old mother were employed by the same company as colleagues. This 22 year old man actually supports his mother and his siblings as well as being married to a bank teller with a 14 year old daughter. In the newspaper interview, the mother of the victim described the debilitated state of her financial status - the family was depending on the son's security guard pay to service the house loan monthly. Even with his paycheck, their utility bills have been outstanding for many months.
This event also reminded me a scenario which I witnessed many years ago in the same hospital. It involved two hospital attendants - an Indian and a Malay. The Indian lady was waiting impatiently for her bus which was late as usual. Along came her colleague, a Malay attendant, in her spanking new Kancil to offer her a ride. I am sure the first attendant will be wondering, "How come both of us are of the same strata at work, she can afford a car while I can't?" Of course there may be many reasons for this. Her husband could earning well, well planned family finances, perpetually living on credit, keeping up with the Joneses or just plain show off! It is very easy to complain along the line of race and how the Government is forever helping 'them' from cradle to grave. But then, you must ask why the  Bangladeshis who come here menial work are doing so well with their finances.
It is easy to whine and complain along racial lines. We should never forget that the Nazis' hatred of the Jews stemmed from the fact that their frugal calculative way of living managed to weather even the worse of the depressive times. It is much like the Chinese in Malaysia (and in part of world), in spite of the various restrictions in doing business, they get around the system to excel through sheer hard work. The Education Ministry raised the standard of the Malay Language in public examinations so to aid the Bumiputra students. The plan simply backfired the Chinese students improved exponentially as well.  When Malaysian Chinese students started thronging the halls of Manipal for medical education, the pioneer batch of students had a hard time acclimatizing to the spicy Indian cooking. What did they do? They hired personal cooks and trained them in basic Chinese cooking. Now, the whole Manipal is beaming with dishes cooked in the Oriental style of cooking - a haven indeed for the new students. It makes them feel like they never left home!
Anywhere in this world, we have marginalized groups of citizens who are forever in the bottom rung of the society. It is up to them to give a kick to themselves to jump start themselves into a new future.
Anyway, Selamat Hari Malaysia! We are one if we chose to be, for better for worse. Simone Groove*

*Simone Groove - Zulu. African National Congress' (ANC) call to all South Africans to unite when apartheid ended in 1994.  Of course, it was a political slogan, much like 1Malaysia, meaning we are all one. In 1997, when my sister in law got married in Durban, South Africa, I delivered a speech on behalf of the Malaysian entourage. This term was included in the closing remarks of my speech much to the delight of the audience who were mainly ANC supporters!

Hartal: Untold Merdeka Story (dinesweri.blogspot.com)

Hartal: Untold Merdeka Story by Dinesweri Puspanadan This nation and its people stand out proudly on the Independence platform for almost 53 years. Every citizen of current generation is fed through the education system and reminded constantly on our leaders' struggle in the past to fight for 'Merdeka'. In fact, many tend to brag that Malaya(that time) achieved its Independence from British in a peaceful manner without dropping a single blood. Every ordinary and educated(even not educated) people of this land is aware of this cliche or 'fact'. However, the concern is how much truth is lingering in this structured piece of Malaysian History? Many, in the name of trust,accept  the presented history blatantly without posting any doubts or question its validity. Today, at this date, every single element of past history is re casting which paves way to dig out the buried history of the real Independence struggle which many 'heroes' would avoid to talk about it and what more to reveal about it. The writer who is inspired by Fahmi Reza's documentary; '10 tahun Sebelum Merdeka' presenting to you Hartal:Untold Merdeka Story. What is hidden beneath the Pro British History? Time to unlock the hidden history of this land. As many believe(or told to believe that), UMNO(United Malaya Nation Organization) started the ball rolling on initiating the thought of Merdeka. However, as stated by certain sources, the Alliance PUTERA-AMCJA was the first to initiate the thought of Merdeka. When British wanted to implement Malayan Union, many raised to project their rejection. Undeniably, UMNO was one of many in the agenda. After demonstrations and pressure from all corner, British then decided to form a team to sketch structure for Federation. One event that should be highlighted here is before British agreed to terminate their thought to go ahead with Malayan Union and form the team to discuss about Federation, Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya(PKMM) which was formed on 17 October 1945 which joined UMNO earlier pulled out on 29 June 1946 and refused to cooperate with British to be part of the team to plan the Federation. PKMM came out with a plan to form an alliance with parties of other races. AT this point, Malaysian Indian Congress(MIC) formed with 600 members in August 1946 under the leadership of the first President, John A. Thivy. On 14 December 1946, Council of Joint Action (CJA); a joint effort from PKMM,Malayan Democratic Union(MDU), Singapore Federation of Trade Unions (SFTU), MIC, Clerical Union, Straits Chinese British Association (SBCA), Indian Chamber of Commerce dan Ceylon Tamil Association which worked one collaborative effort to draft out a new constitution for Malaya. Below is the summarized chronology of events which illustrates the formation of PUTERA-AMCJA * On 22 December 1946, this council expanded with new members; PMFTU, dan Malayan Peoples Anti-Japanese Ex-Service Comrades Association and renamed as Pan-Malayan Council of Joint Action (PMCJA) where Tan Cheng Lock was appointed as the first President. *  On 22 February 1947, Pusat Tenaga Ra’ayat (PUTERA) formed at  Kuala Lumpur with 29 Malay associations including PKMM, API, Angkatan Wanita Sedar (AWAS), Barisan Tani Se-Malaya (BATAS), Gerakan Angkatan Muda (GERAM) and other associations. * In March 1947, PMCJA dan PUTERA formed  PUTERA-PMCJA which later known as PUTERA- AMCJA which focused on 10 people's principles PUTERA-AMCJA was the first multiracial Alliance which included three main races, Malay, Chinese, and Indians and also was the first to spread the thought of Merdeka among people. In this context, UMNO was silent about Merdeka for almost 10 years. While UMNO was busy sketching draft of the Federation, PUTERA-AMCJA collected all the voices to fight for Independence and structured a new constitution after some brainstorming sessions with all the main races and this constitution was known as People's Constitution. While that, this alliance protested and expressed their rejection to the Federation as they felt the Federation was again paved way for British's full power on Malaya which would make the process towards Independence difficult. UMNO's willingness to cooperate with British angered PUTERA-AMCJA as they believed UMNO was a traitor for jeopardizing people's welfare by nodding their head to British's demands. Below is an article from; The Malaya Tribune dated 15 February 1947 on PKMM admonishing Dato Onn Jaafar The Malaya Tribune dated 15 February 1947 on PKMM admonishing Dato Onn Jaafar On 10 August, PUTERA-AMCJA officially approved the People's Constitution. Below is an article from; The Malaya Tribune(11 September 1947) The Malaya Tribune(11 September 1947) One question that should strike right now is 'what are the differences between People's Constitution and Federation?'. There are certain sections from both; People's Constitution and Federation should be highlighted. (Please take note that the information actually contrast with information in History Text Books which are used at Malaysian schools. You can do your own verification and validation by accessing to both People's Constitution and Federation through the links below.) Links: A simple multimedia show on points mentioned below:http://10tahun.blogspot.com/2008/02/deleted-scene-2.html Full Document of People's Constituiton by PUTERA-AMCJA:http://www.divshare.com/download/3412520-914 Full Document of Federation by BRITISH, UMNO, KINGS:http://www.divshare.com/download/3413387-1fe PUTERA-AMCJA started to reach the people and spread the idea of Merdeka and establishing own government;people's government while that UMNO with British, despite all the protest by PUTERA-AMCJA, they worked on Federation and refused to give ear to PUTERA-AMCJA. Below are some newspaper articles on Hartal The Straits Echo on 6 October 1947 The Straits Echo on 6 October 1947 Utusan Melayu Newspaper 6 October 2010 -- Announcement on Hartal During that time, with newspaper as the mainstream media, UMNO also did not fail to spread its message about Federation to gain people's support. One of PUTERA-AMCJA's strengths was the unity. As mentioned earlier, the collaboration stood proudly with cooperation from 3 main ethnics; Malay, Indian, and Chinese. If UMNO could break this unity, the task to defeat PUTERA-AMCJA should appear easy. One of the ways (surprisingly used until today) was media; newspaper. Majlis known as UMNO's mainstream media while  Utusan Melayu was PUTERA-AMCJA's loyal mainstream media. One of the political cartoons created and used inMajlis to break the unity among the people and spread racial slurs was Ah Chong-Ramasamycartoon. One of the cartoons could be found in Majlis newspaper dated 6 September 1947. The title wasMalaya Hak Melayu (Malaya is Malay's rights). Below is the political cartoon; Majlis newspaper dated 6 September 1947 The character wearing tie was Edward Gent, Gabenor of Malayan Union who was telling that; Malaya hak Melayu! Melayu tak ada negeri lain. Negeri China hak Cina. Negeri India hak Indian. Kamu orang dagang bila² suka ada negeri tempat kamu pindah. Translated: Malaya is Malay's rights. Malays do not have other countries. China belongs to Chinese. India belongs to Indians. You are traders. When ever you like, you can go back since you have your own countries. Three cartoon characters near the bridge were Chinese at the front, Indian, and the one labeled as DR was Dr. Burhanuddin Al-Helmy. The Chinese cartoon character was saying; Gua tak suka Fedelesyen. Fedelesyen atak, tentu Melayu sinang. Translated:I do not like Federation. Federation will definitely benefit Malays At the right a Malay farmer character was holding UMNO's flag with a smile on his face. This political cartoon was enclosed with 2 stanzas of 'Pantun' which read; Apabila Federation hampir terserlah, Melayu nampaknya mendapat faedah, Pekemam Putera mengapa gelisah? Dengkikan Melayu mendapat tuah! Negeri Melayu hak Melayu, Ikan senohong bukannya yu, Ah Chong tak boleh bertukar bulu, Ramasamy tetap bercorak Hindu. Translated:First stanza:With Federation, Malays are gaining benefits, PUTERA seems to get worried as it is jealous when Malays are gaining more benefits Second Stanza:Malaya belongs to Malay. No matter what, Ah Ching(Chinese) and Ramasamy(Indian) could not be Malays Without giving up, after the approval of People's Constitution, PUTERA-AMCJA announcedHartal. Hartal,  which was held on 20 October, 1947, carved in Malaya's history where it portrayed the greatest political demonstration which never been seen  in  Malaya. This political protest was against Federation which was worked on by UMNO and British together with Kings. PUTERA-AMCJA united with all the different races and moved forward to spread the word about Hartal.They preached people about the People's Constitution and explained how Federation actually would continue to push them into slavery under British. They used media like Utusan Melayu, went from one village to another and plowed into people's mind the urge to be freed from British and establish their own government. People from different background, especially different ethnics and races began to move to one common thought. With that, Hartalemerged as a gigantic wave which shook British and its crony, UMNO. On 20 October 1947, the Protest Day, where British would debate on the constitutional issue in Malaya,  those who regard Malaya as their real home and who supported the People’s Constitutional Proposals issued by PUTERA and the All-Malaya Council of Joint Action, were asked not to carry out their usual occupations, but to remain indoors throughout the day and night. Sending a strong message, every Malayan(Malay, Chinese, and Indian) stood together without any fear by protesting towards British's undemocratic and unconstitutional ruling.Hartal turned out as a big success as the main cities were deserted and only few people could be seen on the street. This was something very unnatural for British and UMNO who thought Malayans (Malay, Chinese, and Indians) were weak and would bow to their orders. Hartal received wide coverage not only form local mainstream but also International media. It was estimated that around 140,000 participated in Hartal (A big quantum if we consider the population at that time with some limitations to spread the news). Below are news excerpts on Hartal; Sunday Tribune(26 October 1947) which estimated the number of workers took part in this political demonstration Sunday Tribune(26 October 1947) which estimated the number of workers took part in this political demonstration; Majalah Kenchana, Bilangan 12, 1 November 1947 on Hartal Majalah Kenchana, Bilangan 12, 1 November 1947 on Hartal Hartal resulted in many outcomes. Associated Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Malaya sent a proposal to British on 25 October 1947 to revise the Federation as the people were against it and supported Hartal. Below is the official letter; An excerpt from the letter; Indicative of the widespread dissatisfaction, there was an almost complete cessation of work and business throughout the length and breadth of Malaya from dawn to midnight on that day. Malays, Chinese, Indians and others participated in the move, showing that the opposition to the present Proposals is neither sectional nor communal, nor the result of simply party demands but of the upward surge of a widespread desire for a new ideal of Malayan unity in which all can work together without any communal emphasis. However, British still proceeded with Federation as UMNO was channeling its full support to the implementation of Federation and officially Federation was officially formed on 1 February 1948. Even though PUTERA-AMCJA failed in its Peace Demonstration to stop British and UMNO from implementing Federation, they proved to both British and UMNO that people at Malaya at that time despite the different ethnics able to unite and fight for freedom. It actually created a very strong impact where people started to realize about the importance to fight for 'Merdeka'. Hartal is the basic foundation for a continuous and tragic struggle to free Malaya from colonization. The fact that Malaya gained its Independence without dropping a single blood is a blatant lie! UMNO was not involved in the war and struggle to free the nation but behind the Independence enjoyed by every Malaysian today for almost 53 years(Looking at current situation, it is not fair to call it as a 'freedom'), there are untold sacrifices, unappreciated warriors who swept out all the differences and united to free Malaya. Some questions for us to reflect on; 1. If our grandparents could be united those time to fight for Independence, why today are we tarnishing the unity in the name of championing our race and religion?2. Who is/are the culprit(s) spreading racial slurs from the day one to divide us ?3. Are we too dumb or naive to still believe the facts that our Independence is genuine?4. Why is this piece of history is not emphasized (Perhaps mentioned but not emphasized)?5. This part of history is only until 1947. What happened from 1948 to 1957? Writer's note: History repeats itself if we fail to learn from it. Our generation failed to learn. Thus, every single event in the past is repeating now. Look around you. Read the news! Can you identify the newspaper which spreads racial slurs like Majlis (Political cartoon-Ah Chong Ramasamy). Can you see freedom is restricted? If today we do not learn, our future generation will suffer. Failed struggle and bastardized Independence in the past are the reasons for today's conditions. Our grandparents did their best yet they did not manage to continue the struggle. We are still colonized by  restricted freedom, corrupted judiciary, racist leaders, ..you name it.... Transformatin is needed. If you still believe we are fine, then the choice is yours. I am awake for the betterment of my future generation! I am speaking up against inequality subjected to Malaysians!! Kick out the racists leaders, Use your Vote, let us move towards a clean government. Let us unite and WE ARE NOT DIFFERENT. Let us continue the struggle of our grandparents until we see the desired changes!!!PS: Sorry I do not believe in rethoric of 1Malaysia because it sounds as though we are so different. Emphasizing again, we are NO DIFFERENT. We are MALAYSIANS!! For better and clearer images, you can visit my blog: www.dinesweri.blogspot.com

"Mr. Watson, come here! I need you!"*

*The famous first words spoken by Dr Alexander Graham Bell to his assistant, Mr. Thomas Watson on the first phone.


A mobile phone rings when a lady is undergoing a gynaecological and a Pap smear examination in a gynae clinic. What would a normal warm blooded vertebrate educated of a Malaysian lady worth of her salt do in a delicate and personal situation as this? Well, pick up the phone and start yakking while the good doctor finishes his work, what else (duh!).
In another instance, after waiting for 40 minutes to see a doctor for a 2-minute consultation, the phone rings. Again the good Malaysian says, "Sorry ah!" and goes into a frenzy answering his call walking aimlessly around the consultation room talking on top of his voice oblivious to happenings of the surroundings. I am just waiting for a day for someone to walk out his house or clinic naked as most people go into a trance once their cell phone rings. In fact at one juncture,the Mayor of new York was contemplating banning the usage of cell phones in its streets due to abnormally high incidences of road vehicle accidents involving pedestrians-on-phones who tend to forget the cardinal rule of crossing the road - look before you leap!
In the cozy ambiance of a cineplex in Kuala Lumpur, a cell phone rings at the height of the climax before the intermission of a Hindi movie. A Bangladeshi answers his call on top of his voice telling directions to his caller trying to outdo the decibels emitted by the crying heroine in the movie. How do I know he is giving directions? It cannot be anything else when he says right, left, Puduraya and Leboh Ampang in the same breath.
Recently it was heard on RTM Minnal news that the Malaysian Hindu Sangam had advised all temple committees all over the country to ban the use of mobile phones in temples. Its president reiterated that some ringtones are obviously too sultry to be heard in public, what more in the divine house of God. In my humble opinion, it is aimed at the humble servants of God who decided to give up everything in life for service of God. The priests, being human as they are, are sometimes tempted to answer his ringing phone while performing his religious obligations at the altar as curiosity takes the better of them! Somehow the idiot phone can be a nuisance as it always seem to ring at the most inconvenient time.
Taking about ringing at an embarrassing moment, I once received a phone call while answering nature's call on the other end (pun not intended). In midst of the conversation, I used the flush. The caller on the other side of the line was curious on the sound to which I replied, "You do not want to know!"

A bare necessity after food and clothings

These days everyone is clinging on to a cell phone from a vagabond and a pauper to a CEO. To them, every call is a billion dollar deal struck and they have to answer it against all all odds. The sales assistants at the departmental stores and the security guards seem more interested in mobile friend than giving undivided attention to their jobs - i.e. answering to customers' demands or manning their sentry posts respectively. 

Bell's first phone (1875)

I am sure Dr Alexander Graham Bell, his assistant Mr. Thomas Watson and Elisha Gray (who invented the telephone about the same time, but lost in the patent ownership after a long legal battle) did not envisaged these problems when they embarked on their discovery. 
That just reminds us of the Digi newspaper Chinese New Year advertisement where all the family members at the dinner table are busy tied to their phones on their ears giving two hoots to the true spirit of the reunion.

Martin Cooper with his invention,
mobile phone (Apr 3, 1973)

Every technology will eventually find its true place in society. Whatever happened to the ever popular spiraling toy of the 70s, Yoyo? It used to be every child's dream birthday or Christmas presents just to be lost in the annals of time. This time around the new found toy seem to excite not only the young but the grown-ups alike, with internet facilities tied to it. It looks set to revolutionize the way we live in (for good or worse) and helps to satisfy our ever increasing appetite for instant gratifications!  One guy in New York actually delivered his child  in the traffic jam stranded cab with things he picked up on 'You Tube'.
Maybe the way we, Asians, are acting with the phone issue is because we are the nouveau rich and are becoming self centered. With time and education, phone etiquette may eventually be second nature.