Gimme 5 good reasons

The other day, someone commented I looked like I was going to a party from the way I dressed. Did he mean I looked nice or did he mean I overdressed for work? You never know the real meaning behind these double edged comments.

Another time this person said my hair looked like Farah Fawcett's. Is that really possible? I mean she was gorgeous and very blond compared to my rather dark Asian hair even after a round of colouring. Again, I can never be sure if she was making snide remarks or being genuine.

Maybe I'm cynic, since as a journalist I've learned not to believe everything you hear. Furthermore, I trust my instincts - I think I can sniff out phony compliments from real ones.

Anyways...on another matter, a classmate of mine passed away at 36 from a heart attack. It was shocking and disturbing to say the least. At this age, you hear about weddings and babies, not death. Although dying is part of living you don't expect it at 36. Even death at a ripe old age can be painful for loved ones.

When we remember how ephemeral our time on earth is, we will be reminded of what's truly important. So in spite of all my griping and whinging, I do have a few things to be thankful for everyday. For today, I'm thankful for the following:

1. Calling Mom to tell her I've baked two fruitcakes for Chinese New Year.
2. Listening to classical musical on Astro after a long day.
3. Shared meals with my workmates.
4. Wearing a hawt dress today.
5. Receiving a text from a dear old friend.

Sigh! I feel so blessed already and I can go to bed happy.

A new post for the new year

It has been a while yes and even the skin of this blog has given up on me. I'm now back to using templates from Blogger...until I sort out what's wrong or I may even stick with this for a while.

I had meant to write about the attraction books hold for me last year but held off as I got lazy and then whoosh...it's already 2010.

So, what is it about books that I like? Is it the pretty covers, the smell of freshly printed paper - in the case of new books - as I flip the pages or with old books, the notes some other reader had scribbled in the margins? Is it the story line and characters that come alive through every line of print? Is it the intrigue of a mystery, the betrayal of a friend, the tenderness between lovers? Of just a hunger for knowledge, opinions and perspectives?

For me, it is all the above and perhaps most of all, books, especially fiction, allow me to escape to another world, to take on a fly-on-the-wall view of all that the author has to offer the silent and invisible spectator that is the reader.

That is why I love to read.

The evil among us

How many more must die in custody before Malaysia does the right thing? Those who died have as much right as the next person to exist in this world. Even if they have allegedly committed crimes, they deserve to be treated as human beings not animals to be tortured and intimidated.

When will Malaysia sign, ratify and implement the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment? When will the government stop its lip service and start doing something about deaths in custody, which have become too common to ignore?

We can talk about the liberalization measures and removal of Bumiputera quotas till we lose our voices if Malaysia is portrayed (and in many ways, the portrayal is a reflection of reality) as a country with no rule of law, where the rich, corrupt and powerful are allowed to trample on the rights of ordinary Malaysians and where some are more seemingly more equal than others. I mean, why would an MNC head honcho want to live here in Malaysia when he and his family can live in Singapore or Hong Kong? Malaysia itself is not that cheap anymore. The cheap labour we have are from Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar and elsewhere. Besides, the Malaysian market is really very small compared to Indonesia and China. And at least, in Singapore and Hong Kong, we don’t hear of people dying under mysterious circumstances while in custody.

There is something truly evil lurking within those in positions of power and the government when they allow the nation’s young to die, purportedly as they were being held by authorities. First a Mongolian, then a Malaysian, and then another, and another, when will it end? It could happen to anyone, it could happen to you and me.

Thank you for the music

I wasn't sure if I wanted to write about this but then I do want to make a record of it, just so that I can read about my thoughts on it years from now.

Yes, I'm talking about the tragic death of Michael Jackson. The news channels are all broadcasting his public memorial service and I must have been the only person whose eyes weren't glued to the TV earlier in the evening.

It's still so surreal watching Michael Jackson's funeral. It's hard to believe he's dead when his songs are so full of life. His songs have been part of my growing up years. I remember I was introduced to the world of pop music when I first saw the Beat It and Billie Jean videos. I was in my early teens then, still finding my way in this world.

I was never a hardcore fan - or even considered myself a fan - but in my mid-teens, I did sing along with Michael Jackson and Siedah Garret whenever I hear their duet, I Just Can't Stop Loving You, on the radio. I did have a soft spot for that song.

In university, we sang Will You Be There from the movie Free Willy along with a medley of other songs at the inter-college choir competition and won first prize. We sang a few English songs but I only remember John Denver's Country Road and Michael Jackson's Will You Be There.

Through the years as Jackson descended to the pale androgynous figure that he became, his life becoming more and more bizarre and I soon got tired of the madness and lost interest.

It was only some time last year that I was re-introduced to his songs again during a trip to Cameron Highlands with some friends from church. As we Malaysian and Filipino gals drove along the winding roads, we kept playing and singing Michael Jackson hits. All of us knew or recognised his songs. Indeed, almost everyone has a favourite Michael Jackson song. He truly was a global icon.

His death is heartbreaking and came too soon - imagine the songs he could have written if he lived or had the opportunity to focus on songwriting in the last few years of his life. For me, it was the end of an era.

Perhaps this world has no place for someone like Michael Jackson. He had to be an adult as a child but remained a child in adulthood. Maybe that could explain the weird things he did.

For me, the hypocrisy emerging from the last two weeks would be how everyone is coming forward to say how great Jackson was. I wonder if they said the same during his darkest hour. And why do we only appreciate what we have when we lose it?

Even the performances during the memorial feels a little contrived at times. In death, so many of us still hunger for a piece of Michael Jackson, or offered their memories of him. Admittedly, this is exactly what I am doing. Perhaps it's because he offered us an escape from reality through his songs, and now a crucial link to those ephemeral fantasies is gone forever.

Thank you for the music and God bless you, Michael Jackson.

fish food, part duex

This is looking more and more like a food blog...

Well, so be it. Mom and I tried our hand at making nyonya dumplings. It's a first for both of us, especially seeing the inky blue colouring oozing from the bunga telang soaked in hot water. And the dumplings turned out good too even though we forgot to add the peanuts.

Not bad for a first attempt. :-)