Your body is a wonderland..

Wahh...got halal logo..

Treatise of Human Nature (Part 1)

The heights of popularity and patriotism are still the beaten road to power and tyranny. Flattery to treachery. Standing armies to arbitrary governments. The glory of God to the temporal interest of the clergy. - David Hume

Fancy title to explain the very basic of human nature. It was written by a philosopher nearly 300 years ago named David Hume. He wrote that ‘ideas’ are just images/words that attaches to certain words that can be recalled when something similar is met. Sounds complicated, right? Not quite, imagine if you see a cat (the body, tail, etc), so if you go to another country where the ‘cat’ species is kind of different (more bigger, hairy, etc), you would still recognise the being as a cat, not a dog. The colours and size could be different but the image or the associated characteristics would be similar, so the mind would not be confused.

Why do I want to write about it?

See, one of my female staff who updates me on regular star gossips and such she reads in the papers told me the story about a well known Ustaz ‘Rock’ and this cute tudung wearing singer so called affair. The Ustaz is married with kids and the lady is single. I told her a few weeks ago that I think the Ustaz is a load of crap and though he can preach about religion and sing a few dakwah songs on an Astro channel does not make him impervious to the temptation of the flesh. My tudung wearing staff took the opposite point of view. She told me that she believes the Ustaz is innocent.

Yesterday, she told me that I was right. The wife of the so called Ustaz had filed for divorce citing that the Ustaz had not come home since February and agreed that there was something going on with the husband and the singer. She told the media that the husband had told her that he wanted to marry the singer, strange as he told the media that all the speculations about him and the singer were untrue. Ohh...he also quote some ayats from the holy scripture condemning those who thought otherwise.

Anyway, I don’t care. None of my business. People often quote scripture to serve their own purpose, tell me something I don’t already know.

But,what I care is the hordes of male and female admirers of the rocker turned ‘pendakwah’ that will be shattered by this latest news.

What would tie this up with what David Hume proposes 3 centuries ago?

I elaborate.

See, people associated these so called ustaz or ‘pendakwah bebas’ as honourable, religious and do what you preach type of person. Heck, if you been on TV, you really must be doing something right. If you can quote the scripture, sing some Arabic songs..it will probably enhance the stature of the person. How many equate male leading prayers as role models? C’mon put up your hands..

Well, not quite.

See, religion is not about the superficial stuff. It’s the inner stuff. Stuff that you cannot see, taste or perceive outside. Read the Quran, how many injunctions about what you wear versus how many injunctions about how you should treat the religion, family, friends and community.

Being 40, I have been privy to some things. I have personally seen a few persons that normally leads doa and prayers turned around completely upon reaching Hatyai, Thailand. I have seen a person that teaches strictness in clothing to his female family members, screwing with a female companion elsewhere. When it comes to this, believe me...I have seen or heard it all.

Grow up, people.

The Postman always rings twice...

Look what the postman brought me today..a few books that I ordered online. I usually buy through acmabooks if I don't get the titles from KinoKuniya or MPH.

I don't buy through amazon as it cost a bomb to have the books flown from the US. Acmabooks are from here. They even gave me some bookmarks and an invoice for tax purposes. Shipping cost only around RM18 for books below RM200.

Ahhh...Gilead.Love the smell of new books.
Ok, I bought Gilead, Roots, The Centre Cannot Hold and Open Veins of Latin America.
The last book I bought because it was the book given to President Obama by Venezuelan's PM, Hugo Chavez. It tells the story of exploitation of foreign companies that reaps huge profits at the expense of the poor in Latin America since the past few hundred years.


What book should I read first...? Hands down, Alex Hailey's Roots. I love his writings esp. Malcolm X autobiography. I even have the audio book for it.

Why I hate mondays...

I don't care if Monday's blue
Tuesday's grey and Wednesday too
Thursday I don't care about you

It's Friday, I'm in love

Monday you can fall apart
Tuesday, Wednesday break my heart
Oh, Thursday doesn't even start

It's Friday I'm in love


(Lyrics for Friday I'm in Love - The Cure)

Malaysian Time

Better never than late - George Bernand Shaw

I was attending a morning function somewhere in KL. It supposed to start at 8 am but until 9.15am the Deputy Minister failed to show up. School children with kompangs have been practicing a familiar tune to be played when he arrives 3 times already. The kids are getting weary and tired. I am not weary but hungry. I could eat a horse type of hungry.

Damn, I should have eaten the sausage bread I bought yesterday.

So along with my friends we proceeded to a small eatery to have breakfast without waiting for the so-called VIP to arrive. According to my friend, ever since Pak Lah, now politicians do not come to functions on time. We laughed. I hope it was a joke but my friend said it earnestly enough so it might be for real.

Yippee...way to go.

I was surprised because this so-called VIP was in the papers previously catching a few government workers relaxing whilst on the job.

Pot calling kettle black.....damn em’ all

Me, The Anti-Hero

Anti hero...is a protagonist who lacked certain virtues of a traditional hero and uses methods that are antithetical to normal heroism.

Me.

When I was small, everyone wanted to be Superman. I wanted to be Batman. My idol, Bruce Wayne aka the Dark Knight was a genius, rich, flamboyant, handsome but also flawed. Greek tragedy type of flaw. Aristotle coined a term for this kind of flaw, hamartia. He wrote it in Poetics which focuses mainly on tragedy. Not exactly a preppy pick-me-up Oprah book club kind of book.

Who can blame me? I was born during the counter culture revolution in the 1960s where avant-garde stereotype of heroes are replaced with the more street smart ones. There is no knight in shining armour and bullets does not ricochet of the bracelet of sexy wonder woman.

Out Lynda Carter, Enter Angelina Jolie. Yes, the heroine looks cool smoking.

The kid in front of me, couldn’t be more than 11 years old stared at the box I am holding. Yes, it is the limited edition Neil Schon guitar for the PS2 game, Guitar Hero. And yes, it is the last box the store has currently. The manager told me that he has back orders for another 20 units and the one I am holding cost RM150 more on ebay.

Too bad, all his father’s money could not help this kid get what he craves for. And that teary eye trick won’t work on this anti-hero. Maybe in his adolescent, when the girl that he wants or the expensive sneakers that he craves for fail to materialise, he will have a flash-back on this moment and cope with his failure. Maybe it’s true after all..

You must be cruel to be kind.

‘Uncle, uncle’ he calls out ‘Can I buy it from you?’

The audacity of the kid calling me uncle, we are not even related. Heck, the kid is not even malay.

‘No’

Out John Wayne, Enter Clint Eastwood. Yes, the anti hero looks cool with a stubble.

Go ahead, make my day.