After almost
three and a half years and 343 posts, I have decided to call it quits. I have
no reason to do so but I feel it is time to move on.
I don’t think I
have many regular readers; my guess is two maybe three loyal readers, so this
is not a loss that will shake the world of blogging.
Seeing that this
is my final posting, I might as well write a very long post. That is if I can
find anything to write about.
On Movies and
Songs
I enjoy watching
movies but I hardly go to the cinema. I prefer to lie in bed and watch pirated
DVDs. I’m not supporting the pirated DVD industry but they do serve a purpose
and at a lower cost. The taxman may differ but I think economically, the
industry does have its benefits. Another reason for choosing DVDs over cinema
is the censorship; we sometimes are overzealous in cutting up dialogues and
scenes. Most moviegoers are matured adults, let’s treat them as such.
Another reason
why I don’t quite like going to the movies is because it takes a lot of effort
and I am the lazy type. At home I can watch movies lying down topless in my
boxers. I can pause if I need to take a pee. I can adjust the temperature. I
don’t have to spend hours looking for parking and queuing for tickets and
popcorn. At home I can doze off immediately after the movie ends.
I love gangster
movies. The Godfather trilogy is at the top of my list followed by Pulp Fiction
and Goodfellas. I’m also into comedy, especially spoofs like Naked Gun. Johnny English
is my favourite partly because of Rowan Atkinson and Austin Powers is, well
simply powerfully funny. Hot Fuzz and Paul are two Simon Pegg/Nick Frost movies
I love; you have to understand British humour to enjoy his movies though.
I don’t really
have a favourite actress although I like Anne Hathaway because she is hot. My
favourite actors are in no particular order; Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Ray
Liotta, Andy Garcia (only in Godfather 3), Jason Statham, Samuel L Jackson and Simon
Pegg. Notice most of them are specialised gangster actors.
I’m a self
proclaimed mat rock. I grew up listening to Iron Maiden, Twisted Sisters,
Search, Lefthanded, Wings, Metallica, Guns N Roses, Van Halen and the like. My
favourite songs are by the rock bands form the 70s and early 80s; Africa and
Rosanna by Toto, Open Arms by Journey, I Want To Know What Love Is and Waiting
for A girl Like You by Foreigner and Big Love by Fleetwood Mac. My all time
favourite song is Rock Me Amadeus by Falco. Falco who? Google him up, he is
probably the most popular German musician in America since Bach.
I stopped
following Malay music since Search and Lefthanded retired. I do enjoy some
Indonesian songs but have never actually bought any. Nowadays I listen to
almost everything played on the radio.
On Love
Love is a
beautiful thing. Everyone wants to love and be loved but some are confused
between loving and being in love. I believe they are two different things. One can
love many people but will usually be in love with only one person.
Marriage is a
beautiful thing. Love for another person, of the opposite sex will naturally lead
to marriage. But do we know why we are getting married? Is it because of love
or because we are getting older?
Is it because of
love or because the other party proposed and we don not know how to say no or
not yet?
Is it because of
love or because our younger siblings and cousins are all married with children?
Is it because of
love or because our parents wants us to?
Is it because of
love or because we pity the other party and his/her family?
These are all
very damaging questions so I shall stop asking.
Weddings are a
beautiful occasion. Everyone wants the perfect wedding. People will go on a
strict diet so they won’t look fat in their wedding photos. People spend truckloads of money on fresh flowers for the pelamin, designer wedding gowns,
made in Indonesia wedding cards, table gifts and not to mention trays upon trays
of hantaran. Why? Because they want their wedding to be the most beautiful
ever. Some people however forget; a beautiful wedding is not an indication of a
beautiful marriage. Ask Yusry and Erra. I want a beautiful marriage more than a
beautiful wedding. I don’t care if my wedding photos suck as long as I can have
beautiful family photos for the rest of my life. A beautiful marriage doesn’t
mean there are no hiccups; there will be fights and disagreements but they can
be sorted out and laid to rest.
I’m the type who
falls in love with the brains before I fall in love with the looks. I’m not
saying looks don’t matter but it is after all in the eye of the beholder. Or
the beer-holder, depending on the situation. I believe we all have differing
taste; a hot mama in my eyes would probably be a plain Jane in some other guys’
eyes. What attracts me to a girl is how she can engage in a conversation with
me, how she can make me say “wow, I didn’t know that”! I want someone who is
aware of what is going on in the world and not just in the mall or movie
theatres or gossip pages. I want someone who can teach me stuff. I want someone
like that because if I decide to bring her home, I want her to impress my
parents. The last thing I want is for my parents to look down or have a low
opinion of my chosen partner. I want my parents to be proud of her as much as I
am. And also, my grandmother must like her.
That is a lot of boxes to tick.
On Politics
I am into
politics, I like to talk about politics and have radical views on Malaysian
politics and I somehow think I have the stomach for active, fulltime life as a
politician. However, skeletons in my closet may prevent me from entering the
public domain so I’ll just remain as I am now, an armchair critic. Maybe a more
appropriate term would be a “keyboard critic”.
It is obvious
from my writings that I am aligned to the other side. Yes, I am a PR supporter,
more specifically a PAS supporter. PAS is no longer the party for ustazs, no
longer seen as backward and overly focussed on the afterlife. PAS is now filled
with professionals, even Dr Mahathir acknowledged that many medical doctors opt
to join or support PAS.
The thing I do
not like about Malaysian politics is its obsession with sexual scandals. This
is a legacy of our fourth PM Mahathir. Sexual politics is also a strategy
employed by UMNO when they find themselves in trouble.
I’m tired of
Malaysian politics because of people like the racist Ibrahim Ali, Hassan Ali
who talks about the religion but does nothing, and the sex crazed Ummi Halfida.
I’m tired of Malaysian politics because UMNO thinks they own everything from
the media to the EPF to the police and the judiciary.
On Cars
Like most men, I
love cars. I cannot afford most of them but I love them nonetheless. One of the
things that make me angry with the government is the tax policy on cars. I hate
the fact that we are still protecting Proton and Perodua after all these years.
I hate the fact that I had to buy a Proton not because I wanted to but because that
is all I could afford. I couldn’t afford other makes not because of my
financial limitations but because the taxes imposed on the other cars makes it impossible
for me (then) to afford anything other than a Proton. I’m sure all the other car
lovers share the exact same sentiment.
BMWs are my
favourite. The first BMW I fell in love with was the 2002, I still love it but now
the 02 has to share my love with the E60 5 series, the E24 6 series, E9 coupes
and the E21 3 series. I have been driving the E90 for the past four years or so
but I would trade it for any of the above BMs. When I was younger, I used to
like the boxy Volvos, my parents used to have the P1800 and even now, I’d pick
that car over the E-Type. Their S60 was sexy back in 2001 but the second
generation S60 is even sexier.
No one can say
they don’t like a Ferrari. I can’t and I won’t because I really really like
them. When I was studying in the UK, we used to go to the local Ferrari
dealership and ogle at the cars. The mat salleh salesmen were even nice enough
to let us sit in some of the cars, albeit only the cars in the used car section
but hey, a Ferrari is a Ferrari.
I wish the taxes
on cars will be lowered in my lifetime. I’m tired of being envious of the
people in Europe who can afford to change cars of their choice as often as they
choose, even if they are not earning obscene salaries. Maybe a change in
government could lead to a positive change in the policy.
On Racism
I don’t know if I’m a racist but as I stand,
I’m a Muslim first, a Malaysian second and a Malay third. If Ibrahim Ali hears this, he will call for my
citizenship to be revoked.
To be a Malay in Malaysia is very easy,
Article 160 of the Federal Constitution says;
“Malay" means a person who professes
the religion of Islam, habitually speaks the Malay language, conforms to Malay
custom and -
(a) was before Merdeka Day born in the
Federation or in Singapore or born of parents one of whom was born in the
Federation or in Singapore, or was on that day domiciled in the Federation or
in Singapore; or
(b) is the issue of such a person;
Because of
Article 160, the Syeds whose roots are in Arabian peninsular are considered
Malays. The Mamaks who speak Tamil at home and came by boat from India are also
Malays. Another new addition to the Malay fraternity is the Muslim converts;
notice how Malay Ridhuan Tee is? I don’t mean to sound racist but aren’t those
facts?
Let’s face it;
most of us have Jawa, Bugis, Minang, Chinese, Indian, Siamese or Patani roots.
Mixed marriages are very common nowadays, it is about time we cut down on the
racial championing and start recognising each other as Malaysians.
On Sports
Despite being
able to play many sports, I’m not good in any of them. The only person I can
beat at table tennis is Lyn. My average bowling score is 238, on the Galaxy
Tab. Heck; Lyn once even beat me at bowling! I’m terrible at sports but that
doesn’t stop me from being a sports fan.
For someone
growing up in the 1980s, Liverpool FC is the club we all want to be associated
with. I’m still a fan although it hurts to be one for the past 20 years. I have
been to Anfield and would love to go again. My three boys are also ardent
supporters to which my dad (an MU fan) accuses me of forcing it on them.
I have a slipped
disc between C5 and C6 and as a result my golf suffered. Not that I was any
good at it before but after changing to left handed clubs, a drive of 200 yards
is a norm. I used to play a lot of snooker, I wasn’t a hustler but most people
would have to get to the brown ball to defeat me. I still until recently played some football
with the old boys. We had a couple of friendly matches last year, beating
Cochrane 5-2 and losing 2-7 to a very young La Salle PJ team. I have however until
now refused invitations to join my neighbours in their Friday nite futsal
sessions.
Wish List
If wishes were
horses, beggars would ride. Maybe I should change the subtitle to ‘to do list’.
I am the king of procrastination so my ‘to do’ list doesn’t really mean
anything. On the top of my list would be to stop smoking. I tried a few times, on
one occasion it lasted for almost a year. I also want to start getting my self
active in sports; an advancing age requires exercise to keep it in one piece.
And yes, I want
to take Sharlyza to the Klang wet market in Jalan Meru. That would be something
to blog about!
The End
So this is the
end of my blogging journey. I hope I have not offended anyone with my postings.
If I did, please accept my utmost sincere apologies. I also hope some of my
posting gave a positive impact. Whatever it is; thank you for reading. Thank you
for your comments.
Thank you
