Livin Da Life - Past Tense

From now on Malay women with sagging faces won't be able to seek the common cure - Botox. The National Fatwa Council (I didn't know we had one!) The council decided that there are certain substances in Botox -which are derived from pigs- and promptly made it haram (illegal) for Malays - more specifically Muslims (does it really matter?) - to use it.

Which is a very strange fact, considering botox (botulinum toxin A) has absolutely nothing to do with pigs, or any member of the Suidae sus family. Thats latin for pig (pig latin?).

Wikipedia cites that the active  botulinum toxin orginates from the Clostrodium botulinum bacteria, which can be found almost anywhere on earth. The bacterium is  so toxic that theoretically  a few hundred grams could kill every person on earth!! -   In comparison the most toxic rat poison takes 400 TONS to kill that much! Perhaps one of the reasons the NFC blacklisted cosmetics latest boon is due to the fact that clostrodium bacterium thrives in badly cooked or unprepared meat. So with a wonderfully critical analysis worthy of any devout Muslim, Shukor Husin, head of NFC deduced that Botox is haram. Apparently he likens bad meat to ham, and "unprepared meat" to bacon

=_=" Swt.

Oh of course Husin mentions that the decision was made after months of research and consultation, with Muslim doctors, no less. Oh, and did i mention he consulted fatwas (agama teachers) as well? Now what would a fatwa know about a bacterium that was once used as a chemical weapon, I wonder? jihad? lol.

 

...Which is a very strange fact, considering botox (botulinum toxin A) has absolutely nothing to do with pigs...

And get this; Another reason for the banning of Botox is that "there [are] many fake products in the market and that is another reason why it is 'haram.". wow I guess that means illegal dvd's are haram. And those t-shirts. Oh, and that (fake) Adidas football i use. Its going to be pretty hard for Malays to get by without buying haram stuff, considering nearly 50% of stuff Malaysians buy on average are pirated. Guess the NFC were too busy checking the "haramability" of the medically useful Botox. Go figure.

"The whole fiasco.....has a typical ending"

 

In a surprising twist this time common sense ruled for once. For awhile anyway. Botox is "religiously allowed" for medical purposes. The Council allowed Botox to be used to treat cerebral palsy, muscle spasms, and migraines provided there are no other alternative medical treatments for these conditions (newspapers didn't report this! I had to do some online research!). However Husin urges those providing Botox treatments should also stop offering such services. Soon the country would run its stock of Botox and be free from its cursed substance.  Anyone see the dilemma here? How on earth can clinically needed Botox be administered if its not available?

 

 What the Council (and newspaper) fails to report (as usual) is that the Council’s decision is not legally binding.

 

Whats the catch? “Some 60 percent of Malaysia’s 26 million population are Muslims but doctors quoted by the newspaper said only between 10 percent and a third of their customers are Muslim. Each Botox treatment in Malaysia costs up to 700 ringgit,” according to the Guardian Unlimited. Speculations range from the normal - the NFC is trying to generate more income to support their fellow Muslims by depriving private doctors from one income source - to the extreme - the NFC is secretly stockpiling Botox shipments into the country in an attempt to gain a chemical weapon foothold.

And thats not counting the other slice of Botox treatments used for therapeautic and cosmetic purposes.

What the Council (and newspaper) fails to report (as usual) is that the Council’s decision is not legally binding. However Muslims who don’t follow the ruling are said to be committing a sin. Ahh.. using the ol' religion threat here again, i see. Let me guess, one Botox injection equals one less wife in paradise? Of course smart doctors (or non-Muslim ones?) should not take the decision to heart and continue as usual. The ban on Botox should make it more valuable than it already is and in the future only the very rich will be able to afford it. Observers said that won’t stop wealthy Muslims from seeking Botox treatments abroad. Guess that means a pretty face on earth is worth more than a an extra wife in heaven =)

This whole fiasco - which i'm sure will be forgotten after the NFC determines that Mat Rempit are actually "religiously allowed" - has a typical ending. "Do not go against religion for the sake of vanity. There are other ways and products that can make us look beautiful and we need not go against the fatwa,” Husin says. Guess wrinkly Malay girls will have to contend with that as they sit in their (currently) non-haram, illegal Curio sofas, watching illegal dvd's - non haram! - and wearing the latest non-haram Gucci watch from the pasar malam.

Yikes just only realised I forgot to blog about my trip to JB and INTI!!! soooo sorry those who were waiting for my blogs on it!! And now feel even worse cos i don't have any photos about the two events! Lol maybe subconsciously i didn't want to do any blog without photos .

Ok lets start with the JB one.

Umm lets see i took a bus down which was as usual, late. late going there, late arriving, even stopped at a bus graveyard to switch buses!! siao. remind me never again to take Trans. Cepat Express better. i think. So i reached around noon, where i went for some lunch! of course i won't settle for anything less than the famous paper wrapped chicken. Unfortunately Tamy was on a chicken diet so i got forced to finish most of it.

One of the places i visited was the zoo. zoo. Yes, zoo. and the only reason i went was because there was absolutely nothing to do, plus i haven't been to a zoo in years. My mistake. I haven't been to a MALAYSIAN zoo in years.

This is one of the nicer pics of the zoo. Lions! Always reminds me of Lion King.

The stupid ki siao zoo ah... so lousy!! example = the deer there looked like leprous deer, while there were actually repainting the animal cages WITH THE ANIMALS STILL INSIDE!!!!. Cages? yalo.. the stupid kuno zoo still uses cages. what a waste of RM 2.00.

I also tried some chicken chop which was said to be the best in JB. Its at Roos (I think only the JBians will know this place) where i also sesat to go there. I also had a walk down Jalan Wong Ah Fok (is that how you spell it?) where about 1 out of 50 ppl get mugged. sommore that day only 30 ppl on the jalan! siao. I tell you, the whole time i was sweating bullets lol.

Of course i also had the famous JB kuey teow kia. Basically its kuey teow stewed with pig's innards, served with pig's innards. But as the JBians say, the auntie of the stall very clean one! she cleans out the shit of the intestines! Seriously.

Hmm.. i had a very interesting experience meeting other ppl too. I met with Tamy's cousins (Sean, Nick and Chloe). Don't ask me why they're named in this order cos Nick is the oldest one lol. But they're such a nice bunch, always laughing alot. No wonder Tam'y like it back home. Hmm.. if i went to my cousins place in 2 minutes we would be having an all-out PS2 war!! haha..

Oh yes, i also went to the Istana park. I think thats what its called. It the old palace grounds that used to belong to (who else?) dead Sultans of Johor.

This is a run down building. Basically all i could see were ruins and parks. i give it 20/100 for places to visit and 65/100 to visit with a girl

I have many memorable moments in JB. like seeing Tamy again, or meeting new people, or seeing Moonshine (no not whiskey, its a dog!), or watching I Am Legend lol.

But on thing that will always stick in my mind is-

MY STUPID COLD! the WHOLE time i was there i was either suffering from some degree of flu or other such stupid nose disease!! kanasai!!! so sad.. i must be allergic to JB air haha.

in the end (due to the cold?) i accidentally left my towel there, forgot to thank the hosts, and came back - with a cold.

But had a great time =)

P.S. i read this book - - and was wondering if anyone could help me find a copy?

Mandate. man·date noun. an authorization to act given to a representative. Mirriam-Webster Dictionary.

For most Malaysians election time is the best time. Things improve, government services suddenly get better overnight (depending whos your government), road portholes get repaired, and the city gets new traffic lights. Its also the best time to ask for government loans, housing development grants and bank credit.

And it only happens during election time.

Its like one certain dacing party is trying to bribe the people to vote for them. When oh when will they learn that its not the material things that matter, or that building new highways is the most important thing? Not that i'm dissing new schools and hospitals (which are great), but then the rest of the year the hospital is understaffed, forgotten, with only a handful of doctors....until the next election comes around. How do i know this? Just 2 weeks ago dacing tried to win Kelantan's votes by telling them how their state government didn't build a single mosque the whole time they were in power, focusing the bullet of their campaign in Kelantan based on that fact alone.

....we are the SAME and we want peace
and harmony just as much as Abu,
Ah Kow and Aru does....

Again our dear leader is calling for a mandate from the people. Someone PLEASE get him some better scriptwriters. Every time its the same thing over and over. Why do we even bother voting? its always going to be the same result. As I say "HAAAH?? *censored* sure get vote again la! sure abdullah become pm again.." Aiyo... calling the PM "our dear leader" is a somewhat throwback to the communist regime of "their dear leader" Chairman Mao.

Psychologists (and i am one!) say that asking for a mandate while at the same time being guaranteed the country's leadership position is a pure fracas. An act to get the people to think they have power in their hands to decide the countries fate. And in a way we do. but only up to a certain point. after all, isn't that whats democracy all about? Last years political science course taught me that our system is flawed. Its set-up to ensure the ruling power stays in power. Take out tv stations for example. You'll never see the PAS or rocket on government channels (even though they constitute our government!) but you'll always see the dacing.

And already a lot of people are saying that the Hindraff had the right idea, just the wrong execution. How long before some other group comes up with the right idea and the right methodology?

....calling the PM "our dear leader" is a somwhat throwback to the communist regime of "their dear leader" Chairman Mao....

For the sake of racial harmony, please bring back debates about racial segregation, bumi rights and other stuff. No, we are not the barbaric type that will resort to violence and another May 13. Malaysia thrives on tolerance and harmony, and the people know it. We wouldn't risk a civil war because we are the top businessmen and economy wheel-turners and we need the stability to profit. We are the common penduduk who knows that our income and education stems from harmony. And we are the parents and children that need the peace for a crime free environment. Please la... we are the SAME and we want peace and harmony just as much as the Abu, Ah Kow and Aru does.

Having been in Australia i can see the results of having two major parties in opposition. Sure, it might not be perfect, but its a whole lot better than what we have accomplished. And thats one of the reasons why Malaysians are flying away. The government counters by complaining of brain drain. How can it be brain drain if our tertiary education is done overseas and not even from the country? Most of the lucky ones manage to go overseas for further studies.

Hah. The current government says that we do have a choice. Some choice. We get to choose between an Islamic extremist party and one absolute power party. Both stiffen our rights. Both encourage segregation, only difference is one more so than the other. And even DAP is not fully capable to run a country. No choice lo.. have to stick with BN.

"there should be only one race.
Malaysians."

They've gotten sloppy. In the next few weeks leading up to the election expect the news to include different crimes and how our wonderful police force handled it, more and more crimes and how our government is trying they're best to control it. Because yes, the newspapers are also partly controlled too.

Give me a government that encourages civilised debates, real freedom of speech, and an impartial media. Already the US might see a female president in Hillary. We probably will never have one (Or when our wonderfully integrated football team wins the world cup). Give me a leader that knows that to progress we must not give unearned benefits (30% of EVERY business in Malaysia is given to Malays!), and that building a strong country takes hard work, not free handouts. We need integration, not a segregation of races. There should be only one race. Malaysians.

And then i'll definitely vote for him or her.

I recently read one article that said scientists have succeeded in creating life. Or, to be more accurate, they artificially built the RNA strand that was the basis for the bacterium, and let it cultivate into full grown bacteria! Wowee.. legends have a basis in history, just as fiction has a basis in science.

We won't have to wait another century before we perfect the first DNA strand rat created by man, the first sheep, etc.etc...all the way to the first person. And by then our theorists on human rights and evolutionists and creationists would be in a new paradigm to accommodate the change in technology. Then people could actually specifically engineer offspring to suit themselves! I can just imagine somebody like me in 100 years saying "I want my child to be tall, have brown eyes, and brown hair with highlights!". And then children would come with label warnings : Product non-refundable if damaged. Sure, it might seem too far-fetched now, but then again , so was the cloning of a sheep which was deemed "ludicrous" by scientists in 1979 Makes you wonder.. can they replicate the human soul? Whats the coding for it? or is it just another by-product of all those molecular and neurology processes in the brain. That's what science has labeled homo sapiens in a nutshell; well, a shell for the biological marvels devoid of any real spirit and the stuff of religion. Emotions are just an evolutionary step to survival.

On a lighter side, I'm dreading the flight back to australia. don't get me wrong, I'm already missing that place. All the hype about Malaysia and old friends and food has already worn off around the 2nd week of January. Oh why o why did i take Jetstar? now i'll have to contend with 8 hours of NO FOOD and NO TV. I'll probably take some books to read.

This is a picture of my new babies.

Its a desktop speaker set that cost me about RM150. Its gorgeous!! Its like my mini altar where everyday i bow down to it. lol. Just kidding. currently York is occupying his place of honor atop one of the speakers.

Just yesterday Joanne told me that she was planning to go to Aussie. I mean like, permanently migrate there. Walao! it seems like they're so many malaysians that are migrating there recently. Of course i have my own theories on that, but i'll save that for the next blog. Lunch comes first =)

What is it with the utterly dismal post of a 50th blog. I had a very different structure and post and content in mind.
Instead all i get is "I'm sorry i'm too busy to post?". Wow. My blog is 50 posts old! Now i know some of you may scoff at the thought. "50 is nothing! I could get there in 100 days (or 3 months!)" yes, point taken. but from my point of view the last 50 posts have recorded all the memorable activities, stuff, thoughts, junk and memories (duh) that i've been through the last year or so. Its ironic that people tend to focus more on what is reported by blogs, rather than what really happened, or how i really felt. Already i've forgotten the things unblogged, unposted, and unwritten. yes, there are some noticeable incidents will forever be a dent in my mind, kept alive only me and the pictures i took (thank God for my camera!). And the feelings untapped by my blog will always be there. Always and forever.

I used to say that alot. And I still say it. But i do know that some things change, not often for the best. And some things get better. One of the pillars of this blog was that i would remain true to myself, not be swayed by political rights or wrongs. and i have tried to maintain that, to an extent. but where is the line between me and others? My previous blog language says that "Anything also can one!!! how come like that??", which is correct. Thats how i express myself. But is that how i feel? Where is the border between easy-to-read blog entries, and what i really feel? sooner or later i fall victim to the bloggers trap; the need for people to READ the blog. I often forget that i'm blogging for one person, and one person only.

Watching other friends blogs, well, is also akin to watching their profiles. People blog/advertise themselves in ways that are acceptable to society, often blogging about the "good side of life", never showing bad emotions, like lust, anger, hate. I've never seen any entries that starts with "Omigosh today Linda dressed soooo hot! damn i wish i could..." because the person blogging knows Linda reads the blog. And the list goes on.

What happened to raw, unadulterated, uninfluenced thoughts? Memories recorded in blogs take on the characteristic of the blog, not of the actual memory. Believe me, i've experienced it. I have a 10-year-old diary that is full of emotional bullshit. I stopped using it because it makes me feel emotional, even if i can look back and say that "oh, i can rationalise the situaiton now". Thats why i didn't post much about the incident where my dad got slashed. Because i don't want to pollute the event.

In the next 50 posts, i'll try to go back to that unfiltered train of thought. Of course it wont be easy. Being a social person i have to have filters to make sure people don't get hurt, to make sure I dont get hurt. And then there will be events where i can only report on the pitures posted, and not on the actual feeling of the moment.

But I'll try.

Oh and i better post a picture. This is York. I think i've introduced him a few posts back. But he looks so very cute! His full name is Duke of York (British heritage), but my sister calls him Mr. York. And yes, he belongs to me. He works as a mascot and sales rep for my sister's cheesecake business. but i rather like him because of his silly grin.
Well, its a start.

blogging on temporary hold.
don't worry, its only for awhile.
duh.

Today has been, well, emotionally challenging to say the least.

but in brief ; my dad got attacked by two indians wielding parangs and rods and ended up in the hospital. I'm so thankful to God that all he got was just some stitches and abrasions. It could have been alot worse.

The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold - Psalm 18:2

 

                                 

Nope, unlike the title, the crabs aren't portugese, but were cooked in delicious ways by decendents of portugese settlers in Melaka, hence the name.

around New Years, my and my sister decided to treat our family to a wonderful meal (yes, my family sees the value of good food). so we drove down to the melaka portugese settlement for a good dinner of crabs

i'll let the pics tell the story.

needless to say, we didn't just stop at crabs, we also ordered prawns, scallops, and other stuff.

i wanna go again!!!

Over the years i've come to notice that when people go on vacations or journeys, they put it into 2 classes;

one is with friends

"hey are you free next week?"

"I'm going to Pangkor next week la!"

in this case they don't tell you they're going with friends, its known automatically.... and the other is with families

"hey are you free next week?"

"cannot la, family want to go to Pangkor"

see the diff? when they go with family friends have to SAY it.

anyway my family just had one of its own trips, and this time we were travelling down to Ipoh on Christmas day..with a few stops along the way. All the thanks must go to dad who so generously drove all those tiring kilometres and spent all that money on us.

Ok sothe first stop was A Famosa. not the historical relic, the resort (which is really bad). But due to a quirk of nature our family has about 500 dollars in meal vouchers so we went there for a christmas lunch....which was not good.

the food, i mean. it was ok only.. but for the price it wasn't worth it.  we ate with the Richards family who so nicely gave us our very own bottle of African cream liqour as a present. thanks!

 

 

 

 

 

Then we were on our was to Ipoh! at ipoh we had dinner at a thai restaurant, which started my love affair with thai food...

 

 

 

 

 

The next day we had breakfast at one famous place known for its dim sum.

...on the right is a dish of small fried whole crabs.

later on we visited my uncle's florist and deco shop

and then we were off to Taiping! I reckon this would prob be one of the very few times that i ever visit taiping, but i think everyone should at least once in their lives cos taiping is such a beautiful place. the greenery is amazing as well as the lovely historical buildings. speaking of history my mom comes from there.

thats my moms first house. can you see it? its that tiny one with only one door and one room. i think taipingans should be able to recognise the place.

 

 

 

we also went to the Lake Gardens and went on the usual tourist ride :

at taiping also we tried some special teow chew cha noodles which were supposed to be the best in malaysia

 

 

 

heres a scene from the makan area, which goes to show that malaysians eat no all round the clock (this pic was taken around 3.30 pm)

later we went back to ipoh for dinner , and i bought a new friend! He'll be sitting on my table from now on.

this is Duke of York. or York, for short.  

the next day we travelled down to Bandar Utama to stay with my uncle and cousins. that night we had a special roti tisu... its soo bloody long!

but long or not sure we sapu the meal habis...

oh, and i forgot to mention but Aunt Audrey cooks a really good dinner

and lastly, on the way back, we stopped at one really good chinese restaurant for dinner. And that concludes or family trip

domo. (japanese)