Rewriting Adik Hua's Life Script...

How do we mend a broken heart, especially when that broken heart belongs to a child?

How do we explain to a child why his parents hurt him, when his presence in this world started from sparks of love between his mother and father, or was there any?

My heart breaks looking at photo of Adik Hau, whose body filled with bruises and scars. He’s only 10 years old yet he has suffered that badly and survived.

I am puzzled when the “State Welfare Committee chairman Datuk Abdul Karim Sulaiman said welfare authorities can take the initiative to investigate if the boy was abused by his parents” because he is clearly being abused and I opine that we should investigate who did this to him so that ample punishment should be sentenced to the perpetrator(s) as a strong reminder that no child should be abused (or misused as their punching bags).

"If there is anything that we wish to change in the child, we should first examine it and see whether it is not something that could better be changed in ourselves”
~ C.G. Jung

I share with Mak too many times before that many today’s parents are not fit to be guardians to their children. Too many times they are unable to take control of their lives and emotions and they inflict injuries to children – physically, mentally and emotionally – as part of their anger management. It is not acceptable to me when they justified their tantrums that they are after all human beings. But a human being won’t hurt another if he knows what it feels like being hurt.

Such terrifying experience would never befallen upon any child if we, the adults, are attentive enough of what is happening around us – not out of trying to find faults but out of pure concern hearing to a child pleading for mercy, crying in great pain.

But, am I asking too much? Would I violate one’s privacy when I check on what’s going on in their house that woke me up in the middle of the night? Or would I violate a child’s human rights when I dismissed his call for help? And who should I trust more – the parents or the child in question? Personally, I choose to listen to the child because children are born pure.

"What a child doesn't receive he can seldom later give” ~ P.D. James

Scientific research shows that children from such harrowing childhood tend to grow up bitter, insecure and depressed unless they are guided to rewrite the life script along the way.

At this point of time, Adik Hau chooses to stay with his uncle, which I think is the best matured decision he has taken. He is safe for now – let’s pray to God.

However, saving him from such violence is only one part of many more steps to his recovery process. He needs our guidance. He needs our support. He needs to feel that he is worthy being born into this world. I sincerely hope we could be there for Adik Hau so that he would grow up like any other normal children and rewrite his life script.

"If we wish to create a lasting peace, we must begin with the children”
~ Mahatma Gandhi

For me, children are angels on earth. They are priceless gifts God has given us and it is only right we treat them right.

I yearn for a day when we see any child as our own. I long for a day when all children would feel safe and loved when they have us adults around and not the other way around. I desire for a day to come when all children in this world have all the rights they entitle to.

Let’s join in hands and prayers for Adik Hau speedy recovery – inside out. May God bless him with all the care and love a child deserve.

My Antithesis to UMNO Victory

This beautiful song is dedicated to everyone who has done their best during the recent buy-election.

You'll Never Walked Alone

When you walk through a storm hold your head up high

And don't be afraid of the dark

At the end of a storm is a golden sky

And the sweet silver song of a lark


Walk on through the wind

Walk on through the rain

Tho' your dreams be tossed and blown


Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart

And you'll never walk alone

You'll never, ever walk alone


Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart

And you'll never walk alone

You'll never, ever walk alone

Hulu Selangor Buy-Election - The Real Winner is....

UMNO could boast their not-so-victorious win till the cows come home. Well, why should we care much when they won on personal attacks, broken promises, blatant vote buying, vulgarity and brutality?

UMNO could say they are good but what good could they be when they lie all the times? That’s when you have abandoned projects, delayed payments, absence of basic utilities and utter violation of human rights! They could pay the delayed compensation now but the damage has been done on those settlers who have passed away. I read somewhere that they were so poor they had to eat just rice with salt. My heart goes out to these people who have suffered enough. Perhaps, due to such long sufferings, those who are still alive would have to agree to accept RM50K compensation from UMNO because a hungry man is not a free man (Adlai E. Stevenson). This made me thinking out loud – why on earth FELDA wants to invest globally when their people in Malaysia are not properly looked after? Such corrupt capitalist!

UMNO won because they ‘won’ over SPR, PDRM, RELA, PEKIDA and its warlords. UMNO won their own game.

But the real winner is the People of Hulu Selangor – the people who came out in drove despite the intimidation. These are the people who not need much info from internet to know how far we have been wronged by UMNO.

These are the people who, like Spyros, Persues’ father in “Clash of the Titans”, say, “One day, someone g0t to say enough is enough!”

Thank you UMNO, your dirty tactics make this journey we are taking much easier.

Thank you people of Hulu Selangor for showing us how desperate UMNO people could be, compromising our security by allying themselves with Zionists, holding ransom funds to SJKC in Hulu Selangor, bribing their way through to their 6-feet under.

Thank you to everyone out there who have, direct (with your efforts) or indirect (with your prayers and kind thoughts) helped this treacherous buy-election a meaningful one for all of us.

Jalan Tetap Jalan
Lawan Tetap Lawan
Sepakat Sesama Kawan
Ambil Berkat Anugerah Tuhan

Hulu Selangor Buy-Election - Offensive Tackle (Part 2)

Talking about TGNA, everyone was awed by his presence but apparently his aura couldn’t tone down UMNO’s brutality and vulgarity. UMNO supporters, most of them I think are PERK[o]SA members, were having great times calling him names and defacing banners with his face on them. Is that Malay Culture promoted by PERK[o]SA and his ‘master’, UMNO? Looking at their despicable actions to this revered man, I doubt they respect their parents, let alone others who are not connected to them by blood. If they are not, tell me if they could be a good example to their children. This vicious cycle should stop and it stops when we end this atrocious UMNO.

Around 2, we took a breather for lunch at Indian Village Restaurant. I saw a group of men in orange body suit. On my way to wash my hands, I stopped at their table, asking why armed forces pilots are required at this buy-election and one of them told me that they are from fire brigade. OH! “Banyak rumah terbakar ke dekat sini” (Are there too many houses being burnt down here?), I asked them again. The other guy told me I need to ask his supervisor sitting at the end of their table because they are here for ‘special mission’. Wow my foot! To further kill my urge to eat, Semi (no) value walked in with his group of peeps. Thank God the fresh iced lassi was damn good and fulfilling or else…

As the clock ticking towards 5 pm, Ariff received calls that 5 buses, believed to have carry phantom voters, were stopped somewhere near 2 polling stations, each. Hawkeye, who tracked voters’ turnout, detected a sudden surge in around 4ish, when updates from polling stations told us otherwise. By now, everyone was anxious. I personally felt terrible pangs in my tummy and that were surely not so good sign for this D-Day.

After a drizzle, I told Uncle Zorro that I’m going for a walk. Seriously, I need to clear my senses – all the vibrations I received scared me off. At one turn of the road, I saw one abandoned building. Surprise, surprise, surprise! This “Balai Bomba” was supposed to undergo 3-month upgrading works by one Perniagaan AZ and was supposed to be completed in July 2006. Hmmm, how come it is empty now? After some googling, I found out that this quaint town has a new “Balai Bomba”, which was launched by the guy who lies all the time on 22 April 2010. Wah! Ironically, we should now celebrate a demise of one person we called YB for all projects – new and old - will be completed in no time!

Hulu Selangor Buy-Election - Offensive Tackling (Part 1)

UMNO knows PKR's Achilles Heels. They know PR won't resort to throwing confetti of sweets to voters. They too know that PKR's election machinery is the weakest in PR's alliance. On that D-Day, they 'deployed' their plans well.

In the morning of the D-Day, I spent some time talking to a few gentlemen, who looked decent and friendly. They were PR supporters offering themselves to ferry voters to their polling stations. I think they stopped their cars in front of Antares’ house as they could see DAP, PAS and PKR’s flags swaying in fresh morning breeze. On our way out of the village, as I scanned through thuggish look of UMNO supporters standing outside their cars, I chanced upon a familiar face. He saw me and tried to hide his face. He was the guy who ‘scolded’ me last night.

On that D-Day, I was tasked by Uncle Zorro, along with the seniors in Special Bunch, to call up polling stations to get updates on the ground. It seemed that UMNO supporters had piled them up at all Malay-majority polling stations, taunting the voters and the canvassers with their antics revolving around personal attacks on PR’s leaders, compared to PR’s “Reformasi’ chants.

Based on the reports I gathered, minimal enforcement was deployed to stop UMNO supporters from blocking the way to the polling stations in the morning, when voters’ turnout normally peaks. This typical UMNO intimidation worked well because we Malaysians have lost our valor to stand up right for our rights – thanks to Surat Khabar Lama’s dictatorship.

It hurt me deeply as I listened to worrying response from these polling stations. For all they had to go through, I salute PR’s workers and canvassers for holding on to their ‘fort’ till the end as I was told some UMNO ‘Pondok Panas’ were left empty in the afternoon.

I was wondering how they could be so confident of winning lest yes, some ‘kotak undi’ were ready to be dispatched. One of our Special Bunch on the ground saw SPR vehicles being mobilized with PDRM escort while one PR’s worker told me more than one gate to one of the polling stations was opened with minimal PDRM monitoring. After being notified, the second gate was still not properly locked.

One of the bloggers that cover the buy-election was back at the media centre by the early afternoon as he commented that this buy-election was really boring. I am sure it was especially when all you could only hear were dirty words hurled at DSAI, DZI and TGNA – it was just demoralising.

Plus, may I suggest to UMNO that for next buy-election, please send more appealing PUTERI, not some fatty ones OK because those people down there couldn’t stomach such not-so-appealing physical appearance coupled to worst behaviour ever. EEwwwww!

Hulu Selangor Buy-Election - The Road to Block

Road blocks were everywhere for no apparent reasons but after a while, they made sense to me – they were to facilitate the entry of buses of youths before they came out in drove on the buy-election day.

I am not sure why they were brought in but from various pictures you saw, on the internet most UMNO supporters at all polling stations were youths and behaved more like the rowdy mat rempits, who are brave for all the wrong reasons – they never think hard enough that their senseless actions could get themselves and others killed!

On Saturday, I saw a group of schoolchildren, around 15 -16 years old, stopped by in front of one bike shops in front of PR Media Centre. I made a detour and pathetically, in my softest voice, asked them if I could get any UMNO pamphlets. They told me they ran out of them and I showed my perfect dejected face. I proceeded to ask how much they were paid. They said they did not get paid and in turn asked me if I want to give them money. I suspected they would be paid if they turned up at any polling stations the next day. I replied that I cannot get involve in money politics. Before I bid them farewell and asked them to ride safely, one of them handed me one ‘comic’ – a glossy-paged cartoon filled with personal attacks. I prohibited myself from flipping through the pages but my mind was calculating how much money was spent printing this kind of nonsense.

Later that night, while having our dinner in Kg Asam Kumbang, we saw 2 buses drove towards Fraser Hill – yes that is where IKBN located.

On the eve of the nastiest buy-election (I am sure you have read Uncle Zorro’s and Antares’ posts on this incidence), for the first time I was called “celaka” by one Malay guy, who earlier told me that, he is an orang asli from Pahang. My ‘sin’ was trying to justify why an outsider like him could dictate how things are done in this orang asli village when there is no such rule being imposed before.

Yes, UMNO men couldn’t never stomach the truth and when truth kicked them hard, they would resort calling names, intimidating their ‘victims’ and would never hesitate to use their limbs to hurt people.

Instead of fear, I was overwhelmed with intense emotions. My tears rolled down as I tried to put myself in the shoes of many more women out there who haven’t got any one or any place to turn to when they are being treated in such brutality – physically and verbally - by those chauvinistic and egoistic beings. I thought of our sisters natives people in East Malaysia, being raped on their way to school. Aren’t men supposed to protect all women, just like how they protect their mothers, wives, sisters and daughters?

For UMNO, the main purpose is to block any progress this Ibu Pertiwi and her people could get. No wonder, they are so fond of roadblocks!

I guess they forever suffer from mental and emotional block!

Hulu Selangor Buy-Election - The Tale of Everything Large

HS was the first bye-buy election I observed first-hand. Those who have been to the previous ones told me that this was the dirtiest ever based on the amount of money being promised (I was told the Indians in HS were given RM10K based on promises made by the unwanted Palanivel), the kind of abuses (of power) and misuses (of government resources – living and non-living), blatant intimidation tactics by enforcement personnel (from PDRM to BOMBA, PEKIDA right up to RELA).

If UMNO claimed they have captured HS based because the voters have started to warm up to their reform agendas and appealing 1(?)Malaysia notion, I offer my sympathy because they are obviously delusional.

For 3 days the PEEEEEEM spent in HS, he brought along large entourage (gee, I guess he has penchant for anything big, which you could see in his [better] half, big [kitchen] cabinet, big fat lies etc.). Apparently, some were responsible to bring down any banners belonged to the other candidate along the road he took. He also brought along his ‘warlords’ and their ‘thugs’ (famously known as PEKIDA). Isn’t that so pathetic when he was being cheated by his own followers, I wondered with a big laugh because he even couldn’t reform his ‘crooked’ crooks, what more to change the way this country is being managed!

His crooks had too large an ego they had to use our enforcement personnel to make way for them and blocked the roads. Looking at the kind of bad traffic HS people had to go through, I was reminded of similar scene from metropolitan KL City Centre. Instead of giving us smooth trip, these personnel taunted us unnecessarily with ‘Syok-Sendiri’ traffic management style.

Sadly, the only things that come in small packages were the nasi lemak being dished to public during the launch of his “Pesta Nasi Lemak-Teh Tarik dan Makanan Warisan" and not forgetting the disappearance of people who turned up to their ceramahs. Well, they didn’t need ceramahs based on their deep ‘treasure chest’. So, I was laughing like a hyena when the PEEEEEEM denied that he buys votes – they just delivered what they have promised decades earlier. Perhaps, SPR should come up with stricter election guidelines that prevent any political parties to dish out goodies starting from the demise or resignation of the elected representative and any sign of money politics would automatically declare that particular candidate being disqualified. Heck! I must be joking right for SPR to do something about this! Wishful thinking!

I Want To Grow Old With You

Let me enjoy the earth no less

Because the all-enacting Might

Which fashioned forth its loveliness

Had other aims than my delight

~ Thomas Hardy, Time's Laughingstocks and Other Verses, 1909

I spent just 3 days in Kuala Kubu Bahru but now I think I'm in love with this quaint town.

Perhaps, it's the freshest air, the greenest trees lining the roads, the coldest splash of Magick River, the chirpiest birds that greet the breezy morning.

Maybe it's her people that never fail to welcome me into this place they call home sweet home. It's so easy to attract a smile or two. It's so natural to strike a conversation with everyone and anyone.

I saw bountiful ripe papayas sold in a shop - so fresh and organic. I tasted its steamed roti kahwin - so heavenly soft with slabs of butter and homemade kaya. I sipped the most 'kaw' coffee, without me asking for one.

I'm at ease, at peace - this is THE PLACE I want to grow old with. I'm definitely my true self being around her.

Two fitting songs for beautiful Kuala Kubu Bahru and her people - The Sound of Music and Edelweiss.

May you bloom and grow, Bloom and grow forever...

God's Messengers

"A master and his disciple were walking together in the desert. The master was teaching his charge that he could always trust in God, since He was aware of everything.

Night fell and they decided to pitch camp. The master raised the tent, and the disciple was given the assignment of tethering the horses to a rock.

But, as he stood by the rock, he thought to himself: "The master is testing me. He said God is aware of everthing, and then asked me to tie up the horse. He wants to see whether or not I believe in God".

Instead of tethering the horse, he said a long prayer, and left the fate of the horses in God's hands.

Next day, when they awoke, the horses were gone. Disappointed, the disciple complained to the master, saying that he no longer believed in him, since God had not taken care of everything, and had forgotten to watch over the horses.

"You are wrong", the master answered. "God wanted to take care of the horses. But in order to do so, he needed to make use of your hands to tether them to the stone'.

~ Paulo Coelho's "The Valkyries", Page 57 - 58

If we look at never-ending conflicts in Middle East and Africa, we may wonder why God is so cruel, for not having mercy on the people. I always believe God is Merciful and Compassionate yet we, the weaklings, tend to get our Second Mind in control of our fate - that is focusing on what's in there for us in everything we do, overarching our baseless assumptions that what others said are signs from God, sticking to culture and tradition without realising the rationale of folloing them.

Without us realising, this country is also in the 'same boat' as our brothers and sisters in Middle East and Africa. Where did we go wrong, I wonder, because we think we are good people, who love our country but from the actions we are taking, we are doing the opposite.

Tomorrow is the day when HS' voters will be using their hands to put this country into the right course. If we believe in God, may we be God's messengers and let us have the chances to save this country.

Let KKB Shines in Her True Self

A short trip to Antares’ Magickriver reminds me of the old Cameron Highland I have been to when I was small. The air is breezily fresh, the plants are bountifully green, the rivers are crystal clear and the people are genuinely friendly. Development, in terms of how many building have been erected around this serene town, is minimal and most of them could be decades old with neo-colonial architectural heavily imprinted in them. KKB is such a perfect place for ecotourism.

The International Ecotourism Society (“TIES”) defines “Ecotourism” as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well beings of local people”. By that definition, I am not sure if Cameron Highland can be categorised as one looking at looming environmental issues it is facing today.

It seems ecotourism isn’t hard to promote in KKB because all we need is the right system and people to manage it. We definitely don’t need APCO to do our PR works and we don’t even to splash funds to build new hotels, resorts and all. Old is Gold in KKB's case!

KKB has all it takes be a great ecotourist spot and she can certainly put herself in their right platform to be one – that is by voters of HS to vote for the right candidate this Sunday.


Note 1: Cameron Highland has been served by BN representatives in both Parliament and Pahang State Assembly, ever since.


Note 2: The one and only greatest development brought by BN to KKB is Sungai Selangor Dam, completed in 2002. Read this to see who benefited the most from this destructible development.


Note 3: I found another hero by the name of Kit “Antares” Lee in KKB. I cried reading his plea to stop construction of the said dam here. The first time I met him I felt like he could see through me. I agree with what he said that surrounded by nature (for him, at his Magickriver) awakens one’s senses. His magical world starts here.


Note 4: Raub is only 40 km away from KKB, which explains why Ng Yen Yen received a strong protest group from Bukit Koman when she was busy campaigning in KKB. With the kind of development in Ng Yen Yen’s constituency (Bukit Koman and Felda Kelau), voters of HS should stay away from her party if the voters know what is best for KKB and its people.

Defection - It Happens For Good Reasons

Over the weekend, I learn a lot more about defection from true stories as my family and Chu’s diverted our blood flow into our tummy after a heavy breakfast. Strangely, since Monday, Dr. Halili Rahmat (a good, selfless neurosurgeon Pak Busu knows personally as they are in the same Neuro-industry) and the gang from Negeri Di Bawah Katak have defected to UMNO. See, I told you I do have six senses!

Mechanics of defection

My left ankle is now a huge elephant stump – I stop wearing my 3-inch heel because it looks ugly in it. Thanks to my overconfidence, I sprained my ankle last Friday. My curiosity to find out why it swollen brought me to Sports Science’s website that explains the mechanic of sprained ankle:-

"The most common cause of an ankle sprain due to motion is when an athlete seeks to change direction at speed, and the ankle sustains an inversion or an eversion, whereby the ankle joint moves inward/outward as the player travels outward/inward.

The "plant" foot is placed in the opposite of the intended direction of travel. As force is applied to shift from the plant foot to the changed direction, or "cut," the anterior talofibular ligament (one of the three ankle ligament groupings) is the most frequent recipient of the excessive stress that causes the sprain.

The sprained joint swells up as the ligament tissues torn, prompting release of serous fluid surrounding the area. We must avoid wrapping or compressing the joint as it could prevent excess fluid from draining from area, prolonging inflammation and discomfort".

With UMNO gears itself into ‘the ends justify the means’ mode, post-Tsunami 2008, PR, especially PKR (widely known as UMNO splinter party), is constantly being hit in its Achilles Heels and that results in defection of its members, every now and then. Like my sprained ankle, they will come and go. The ones that stick around are ones that would fight for what PKR stands for – with or without ‘harta, kuasa dan takhta’.

"Of One Essence is the Human Race Thusly has Creation put the Base One Limb impacted is sufficient For all Others to feel the Mace The Unconcern'd with Others' Plight Are but Brutes with Human Face" ~ Sa'di
(one of the most famous [poems], of which adorns the entrance to the Hall of Nations of the UN Building in NY, with this call for breaking all barriers)

Reason of Defection

Chu narrated to us about Pak Busu and her involvement trying to patch up stormy relationship of our young relative. To make matters worse for my auntie and uncle, they had to listen to her spilling all the beans and they were horrid and sad at the same time when we think how one could look nice and accommodating in front of those people she vilified.

It is clear that the husband doesn’t want to be in that meaningless marriage anymore, where mutual respect is scarce. However, the wife gave him an ultimatum that if he divorced her, she would make sure to defame him for the rest of his life.

Innocently, I asked, “How could love turn so ugly like this? If she knows of his weakness before, why she married him in the first place? With their chubby baby in the picture, how could she be so nasty to the father of her daughter”. Pak Busu shot me a reply, “Love doesn’t have to have a reason and the biggest gamble in the world is marriage”.

Some people forget that they don’t own one’s soul once they are married but if they think they do, they will start spilling the beans for all to know when they know that someone has lost interest in them. Marriage for them is all about ownership, instead of honour, respect and understanding. Negotiation for them is primarily shouting vulgarities in front of their loved ones because they thought the louder they sounded, they stronger their conviction to influence the other half. When they don’t get what they want, they will make sure the other half would suffer too like them.

Is there love in first place or is it an obsession for possession, I wonder.

Someone told me this “Too much analysis leads to paralysis” and I replied by saying this, “I rather be paralysed (remain unmarried to put it mildly) instead of suffering from cirrhosis (sakit hati)”.

PAS hardly sack its members and its member hardly defect because their members walk the talk and they are proud for their principles. Perhaps, we could learn from these passionate people, who continue to remain true to their beliefs, come shine or rain, bulls or bears on the stock market, 'menang atau kalah, lawan tetatp lawan'!

Defection, like divorce, happens and if it happens, God knows best.

Somehow, I hear Celine Dion’s “Live For The One I Love” as I penned this post off.

Their Cheating Stops With You

The fish rots from its head.

Despite endless claims from UMNO bloggers that PEEEEEEM is doing his parts reforming the white elephant, we Rakyat haven’t seen any affirmative actions that could turn the party into something useful, instead of being such a fool-hardy liar.

Till today, all we can see is just this white arrogant elephant trampling on us and our rights, destroying our resources and misusing our funds.

If he can’t even change his (teh-tarik) party, rest assured he can’t change the way the ruling government carries out its responsibilities to us Rakyat.

If he deems having the highest number of members (Katak dan semua yang hidup dua alam, termasuk yang bertalam dua muka) under UMNO signifies his party’s strength, I wonder why there was only a small bunch of supporters during HS’ Nomination Day, even UMNO’s MSM felt pity to splash more photos in their lousy, lying piece of papers.

If he deems he is fit enough to manage this Ibu Pertiwi, just to name a few:

1. We don’t have to part with RM534.8 Million for Scorpene’s commission;

2. We don’t have to lose 2 of our engines to a pair of ordinary human beings;

3. We don’t have to spend RM27.5 Million for Armed Forces’ ladies shoes;

4. We don’t have to fork out RM76.0 Million’s ‘window dressing’ political gimmicks by APCO;

5. We don’t have to lose our FDI to our ASEAN countries in droves;

6. We don’t have to send our students to tertiary educational institutions to be jobless after their graduation;

7. Adik BH Teoh probably had just finished playing with his son; and

8. We won’t hear some people in HS hoping for better utilities, tarred roads, schools and economic opportunities during this campaign period after being served by BN for almost 2 decades before!

If he deems himself a good leader, we don’t have to be lied by his humpty-dumpty deputy and a few members of his [kitchen] cabinet!

JFK said “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country”. I say “Ask not what BN candidate can do for you; ask what BN has done to our country”.

HS’ voters, I know you deserve better than what BN think of yourselves. Their cheating stops with you.

The Paler Shades of UMNO

As we walked towards Pasar Awam, a fair, beautiful little girl caught our attention. She was chanting the 'songs of CHANGE, A NEW DAWN FOR MALAYSIA'. She was there with her family, joining tens of thousands to show our solid support to our candidate.

It was not a rare sight having three generations marching along to the Nomination Centre - Atok, Nenek, Emak, Ayah, Adik, Kakak and Abang. Their faces lit up, their moves slow and steady, their spirits soared high.

A night before, we saw firm believers unrolled their tikars on 5-foot walk and by the roadside, catching some sleep after a long journey before an early start tomorrow morning. Pak Busu told me not to pity them but to say how proud I am to see this Ibu Pertiwi still have her principled Anak Bangsa Malaysia.

I saw the three chinese gentleman whom I sat with during "5-star YBs ceramah" at Kg. Asam Kumbang, marching along with their malay and indian brothers and sisters. One, was kind enough to translate the mandarin speeches by YB Tony Pua and YB LGE - the great orators - and the flyer distributed. I gave him my attention listening to him talking about the harsh reality of being economically challenged, despite working too hard, when some civil servants could spend easy a million renovating their houses, about our lowly paid brothers and sisters working in many estates and factories in Sabah, about Chinese people not allowing themselves to be cheated again by BN. I barely know him but I feel at ease being with him. That's the magic of humanity, where no man is an island.

No one would be left hungry and thirsty when we had the liveliest and wholesome bazaar along the roads. Camaraderie filled the air, just as the delicious aroma and colourful chilly drinks oozing your senses.

There were sisters in jubah, capri pants, jeans and skirts but as our eyes met in between the places and spaces, crow feets etched at the corner of our eyes - we smiled without hesitations., no pretension. We were there for one reason and that alone made us familiar to each other.

It is so sad that Special Bunch could not be able to upload more photos due to internet mood-swing in KKB. Otherwise, you could see this carnival-like atmosphere within the confine of neo-colonial architecture and lushful greens. It's beautiful.

"If you have much, give of your wealth; if you have little, give of your heart"
~ Arabian Proverb

Allow me to say that UMNO supporters were fewer and looked battered, huddled up together according to their races. They could only hurl "SODOMY" when there is "RASUAH DAN DISKRIMINASI" looming dangerously, behind 'towering' FRU trucks - such cowards.

Their YBs? They talked nonsense, no sense and cents. Orator? They sounded more like old carburators. Bazaar? They had one little stall selling some pale looking drinks to their not so many supporters.

As they walked back, you could see their disappointment and if I could read their mind, perhaps I could hear them thinking, "What the hell am I doing?".

I told Chu and Pak Busu about me crying upon seeing YB LGE. My emotions were so overwhelming. Uncle Zorro told me YB's best friend is Mat Sabu as they shared their 'susah senang bersama' during ISA detention. Pak Busu summed up "The paler shades of UMNO" ceremoniously when he said this, "YB LGE went to jail defending a malay girl - has any of UMNO men done that so far?"

"Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them" ~ Dalai Lama

A Curious Case of Cassava

I decided to find out more on ubi kayu (tapioca, cassava or manioc) after my sister told me about its goodness to children development after she came back from Institut Nury since my Second Angel has to undergo strict diet to 'get his brain circuit functioning well'.

Back in old days, we had fried ubi kayu, ketuk-ketuk (boiled ubi kayu mixed with sugar and kelapa parut then deep friend in gold-ball size), boiled ubi kayu and sambal tumis ikan bilis, ikan masin goreng and kelapa parut for breakfast. For tea, we had bingka ubi and air gula ubi. These dishes seem unhealthy but they sound fitting to shore up depleted energy after we have to do some serious 'tug-of-war' pulling them out the grounds!

However, if we wondered a little bit on how our forefathers and mothers could survive on ubi kayu during "Zaman Penjajahan", living life unmechanically improvised, we would realise that this plain, starchy ubi kayu is their real deal energy bar!

Thanks to Dr. Joseph Mercola, who unveils his new Energy Bar called Organic Cocoa Cassava today, I finally found answers to my curiosity.

"Tapioca is the third largest source of carbohydrates in the world and is a staple food for more than 500 million people. Among crop plants, the cassava plant provides the highest yield of food energy per cultivated area per day, next to sugarcane.

Cassava root is very rich in starch and contains significant amounts of calcium, dietary fiber (that has been associated with lowering the risk of cardiovascular diseases, colon cancer, and helping control diabetes), iron, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, vitamin b6 and vitamin C.

A recent study conducted in the Philippines (one of the countries where cassava is an important crop) looked into the effects of root crops and legumes in lowering cholesterol levels among humans with moderately-raised cholesterol levels.

The study showed that cassava significantly decreased total cholesterol levels, decreased low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (considered as “bad” cholesterol), and may help lower triglyceride levels due to its high total dietary fiber content.

Other studies show that cassava may help support the nervous system and help alleviate stress, anxiety and irritable bowel syndrome.

Cassava flour does not contain gluten, an allergenic protein found in wheat, barley, oats and rye. It can be used by gluten intolerant people to replace wheat flour.

Cassava can also be used for French fries instead of potatoes". This made me thinking why we opt for fibreless, nutritional deficient, chemical laden fries when we could always go for a fresher ubi kayu fries!

So, how about their leaves, that taste heavenly, cooked in rich coconut milk along with boiled mung beans, tinged with spicy bird eyes chillies, ikan bilis and shallots pounded together, or plainly appetising when they are boiled till tender and then dip in peanut sauce (uncooked sambal kacang)?

I found one research paper on their nutritional values. Surprisingly, they are high in proteins, minerals and vitamins, compared to other vegetables, Healthy-wise, they could be used to treat and prevent anaemia, protein and Vitamin A deficiencies.

My curious case of cassava has been answered and I hope you could see them in brighter, healthier light now.

Yang Keruh Dan Yang Jernih Di Hulu Selangor

Note: Rightly said, who needs 'props' when they aren't functioning?



"Buang Yang Keruh, Ambil Yang Jernih"

I saw that banner on my way back to Magickriver and it belongs to BN. How aptly said to all voters in Hulu Selangor. By now, they should know who they should vote for despite continuous personal attacks that have been BN's forte.

In his song "Sedangkan lidah lagi tergigit", P. Ramlee and Saloma serenaded each other that they should forget the bad and remember the good deeds for them to move on with their married life in peace, that would make them both a better person.

For one to forget the misdeed and to remember on the deeds, one has to justify whether the wrong doer has repented, apologised and shown that he is now a principled, better human being.

So when BN came out with that banner telling the Rakyat to 'kiss and make up' when they continue to 'perkosa' instead of 'perkasa' the rakyat, I was enraged because BN thinks the rakyat are just plain stupid, suffering from short-term memory! Excuse me! They could be from Hulu Selangor but they ain't 'hulu' in their judgment of what is right and what is wrong.

"Success in marriage does not come merely through finding the right mate, but through being the right mate" ~ Barnett R. Brickner

In life, we definitely have options that are crystal clear (jernih) against those that are colluded and corrupted.

Like a marriage, we choose our candidate that fights for others (not fight for thyself), that is a good man now and vows to be a good one till death do we part (not picking the bad one and hoping he will one day be a good one), the one that continue to fall in love with the same rakyat, over and over again (not the one that loves thyself too much). Above all, we choose the man who stand for his principle even when he is against the mighty evil odds.

“Life is not lost by dying; life is lost minute by minute, day by dragging day, in all the thousand small uncaring ways” ~ Stephen Vincent Benet

Winning or losing is part of a game. You could win a game but lose your dignity. In this buy-bye election, BN would resort to all tactics to wrestle this constituency that is 3 times the size of Melaka. If they won, their victory isn't about the rakyat - it's purely to serve their self-inflated ego.

They have been cruel for the past 52 years and sadly they seem to get worse. The rakyat should stop this 'annihilation' of the rakyat's rightful rights, justice and dignity by sending them thousands of caring votes for Change.

The choice is rakyat's but let me share with you what Adam Lindsay Gordon once said, "Life is mostly froth and bubble, Two things stand like stone, Kindness in another's trouble, Courage in your own".

So, Hulu Selangor voters, "buang yang keruh, ambillah yang jernih".

Go Ga Ga Over Papaya

They say, “Don’t judge the book by its cover”. So, we shouldn’t underestimate Papaya (Betik) because it is cheap and readily available. Even, the Great Christopher Columbus once called it “The Fruit of the Angel”.

Papaya, a lycopene-rich fruit, is rich in antioxidants like carotenes, vitamin C and flavonoids; the B vitamins, folate and pantothenic acid; and the minerals, potassium and magnesium; and fiber. Together, these nutrients protect against heart disease, macular degeneration; promote digestive and lung health; boost male virility; and produce anti-inflammatory effects (that treat causes of trauma, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and allergies).

Wow! Who needs imported fruits when we can pluck them from our backyard! May I suggest that you buy these Fruits of Angel from your local wet markets to minimise the possibility of them being coated with chemicals to prolong their 'shelf life'. I found my favourite spot buying them - a grocery shop near my baby sis' place. These medium sized papayas, wrapped in simple surat khabar lama, are naturally sweet.

I love eating them just like that. You could put a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream in their hollow belly for an interesting dessert or blend cubes of papaya in low-fat ice cream for an exotic milk shake!

Since it is rich in lycopene, just like tomatoes, maybe you could add them along in your salsa, salad and kerabu. And it's better to eat more raw food like these papayas.

Why not try Betik Masak Air? This humble kampong soupy dish is made from cooking mildly ripe papaya in plain water along with pounded ikan bilis, shallots and black pepper, fragranced with basil leaves. Serve it with hot plain rice and fried (or grilled) fish. It’s simply delicious. You could also opt for cooking them in coconut milk, to replace the water. If you look at their nutritional content, this simple dish can be beneficial for breastfeeding mothers because papaya and fish are great combination for milk production.

I once stayed in a hotel where their soaps are made from papayas - heavenly smell!

Go on. Go ga ga over this humble fruit!

Garbage Weekend

"Stupid Girl"

"I Think I'm Paranoid"

"The Trick Is To Keep Breathing"

"Nobody Can Win"

"Milk"

"I'm Only Happy When It Rains..."

It's Garbage Weekend for me. I grew up listening to their songs back in the 90's. Here' s some of the songs that once 'haunted' me.

You might not enjoy these melodramatic Brits - just like me sadly - but still I have 1 lil' message for all of you out there, especially to those who could get to 'menjalankan hak anda' soon - you can always opt not to do anything about everything but please, the least you could do is TAKE THE "GARBAGE" OUT.

Happy weekend all...

p.s I found an apt definition to the "GARBAGE" I'm referring to from here that is offal, as the bowel of an animal or fish; refuse animal or vegetable matter from a kitchen; hence, anything worthless, disgusting, or loathsome.

Follow Those Men in Skirts

"Clash of The Titans"

For someone who doesn't like watching this kind of movie, I have to make an exception for this inspiring movie. Nah, it wasn't because of watching those men in skirts - this movie makes sense about ordinary people taking charge of their destiny, standing up for their rights, putting good use of their abilities and courage to change in this epic fight between gods and mortal men - instead of living in fear, subservient to their gods who never take a flinch about them.

"One day, somebody's got to make a stand. One day, somebody's got to say enough"
~ Spyros

p.s. Oh, this is for BN aficionados. Stand Up, get out!

Vanquish The EVILS!

The Great Mover commented that most NGO works are inclined towards supporting Pakatan Rakyat. Though I know I am not as smart and well-experienced as he is, I gave my 2-cents still.

I told him it is the other way around. Pakatan Rakyat happens to 'champion' the people and some of their leaders have been fighting for people's rights for ages. So, it is not right to say that NGOs like E.P.I.C are politically connected.

In this Ibu Pertiwi, everything is 'doomed' to be political.

One of my uncles managed to secure a contract to supply school supplies, which include uniforms, shoes and all, to poor people in East Malaysia. He told us they have a sound profit margin (since most items are brought in from China) but he feels bad because he knows most of these supplies won't reach the target but instead they would be 'carted' away by ruling party's people - as always. That's what he said while stirring beriani daging for my auntie's kenduri menyambut menantu last month.

People in my 'village' KT know this too well. During 2006's Banjir Besar, people had to buy mattresses when they were actually provided by the government. Other supplies, meant for people who were affected by the flooding, were distributed to YUMNO group of people only. Most of the worst affected victims were actually assisted by NGOs from The Little Red Dot.

When 150 lawyers protested in front of Bukit Aman last week, to hand over their memorandum over manhandling of Mssr Amer Hamzah, some 'cheeky' lawyers loudly wonder if this protest was another political cheap publicity. If lawyers could think that way, what more normal people like us? Alas, not all lawyers have the right principle, just like us. My sadness over deplorable state of our judiciary system was partially lifted when Loyarburok.com comes out with their "Peguam Rakyat Protest: The Fall Out Series". Why partially? Well, some lawyers need further explanation to this plain issue at hand! SHAME ON THEM!

"It is not what a lawyer tells me I may do; but what humanity, reason, and justice tell me I ought to do" ~ Edmund Burke

Encik Arphan of MAFREL was at Subang Parade last weekend supporting "Voice Your Choice" campaign.Then yesterday, Noh Omar accused MAFREL of being mouthpiece of the opposition and SPR, again, 'kow tow' to their 'EVIL masters', would not allow MAFREL to be the watchdog for coming bye-buy election in Hulu Selangor - because MAFREL didn't submit reports for the past 9 bye-buy elections! Heck! If so, I wonder what have they been doing so far? They make it so bloody difficult to register as voters, now they want to make it even harder to count the vote without bias?

"It's not the voting that's democracy; it's the counting" ~ Tom Stoppard, Jumpers

I am depressed, more of a broken hearted woman. When I wrote about "Paging for mM Sunshine", I was actually talking about finding the right man to lead this Ibu Pertiwi back to where it was 40 years ago. Where art thou?

Anyway, I am eternally optimistic. Thanks to those stupid acts, I call upon voters in Hulu Selangor to come out in drove and 'vanquish' THE EVILS out at the ballot box.

Do you need me to sing Uncle Engelbert Humperdinck's "Please release me let me go"?

Healthy, Tasty Me!

Buddy Ian's Bountiful Balcony Garden

Many of us exercise. Some sign up with fitness gyms, some take time to power walk and jog while others play games. So, is that all to keeping fit?

I sign up to maintaining a garden, making me walk around the house, lifting bags of soil and pots of plant and vegetables, breathing fresh air and wonderful smell and seeing colourful sights. For me, gardening is truly a holistic approach to fitness – mind and body – and what more to be able to do it with my loved ones and share my ‘results’ with them!

"Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it”
~ Plato

Do you know that physical activities during gardening provides good resistance workout that could burn 300 to 400 calories per hour? They increase our body flexibility, strengthening our joints, decreasing our blood pressure and cholesterol levels, lowering risk for diabetes and slowing down osteoporosis. I am sure if you missed your Gym session, you won't feel bad because you have another 'gym' at home!

"Tell me what you and I will tell what you are” ~ Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Do you know that most vegetables and fruits we bought are picked too early (hence reducing the amount of nutrients available in them)? They too are treated with chemicals to make them last longer, fresher and ripe.

This explains why people suffer from never-heard-before illnesses, more rampantly inflicted by cancers and increasing number of youngsters wrecked with illnesses that normally suffered by adults. This too explicates behavioural changes in us as the chemicals disrupt our neurotransmission system and other bodily mechanisms that keep us functioning at optimum level.

My Second Angel, Hariz Firdaus, suffers from mild Autism and he is now under strict organic diet. I helped her Mama plant his favourite vegetables - Popeye Energy 'Bar', Spinach ;and Bok Choy - at their house.

"It is exercise alone that supports the spirits, and keeps the mind in vigour”
~ Marcus Tullius Cicero

Although we could not do so much in this era of globalisation and industrialisation (Read: busy, hurry, fuzzy lifestyle), wouldn’t it be worthwhile if we could start planting our own vegetables – even at our balconies – so that we could control the quality of produce we consume, and don’t you think they taste better? Plus, for me, they are cleaner. Yeay!

Gardening may sound too simplistic but know you know what it can do to us as a person and how our home-grown produce could affect our life, perhaps we could say this to others – “Gardening for healthy, tasty me!”

My Buddy, Ian of Corporate Athlete, has supplies of Chinese Stir-Fry Seeds Collection that you can purchase at RM10.00 per set. Why not have a go at this new 'exercise'? ;)

Asli Tapi Tak Ori?

Pic: Courtesy of Malaysia Berih

As part of my ‘KPI’ on spending more quality times with my parents during weekdays, I make myself watch TV3’s “Aduan Rakyat” and “Bersamamu” – the only two segments that won’t get me into foul mood (or more of a foul mouth if you know what I mean).

A week ago, Karam Singh Walia’s “Aduan Rakyat” shared about constant water shortage in one village in Sik, Kedah (apparently, the problem has lingered around them for the past 10 years - huh! Nice try TV3). One of the ladies there expressed her disappointment saying that their situation is worse than Orang Asli.

I feel sorry for her but when she mentioned Orang Asli, how I wish those who walk the Corridor of Power would take serious note of her remarks.

Was she saying that now Orang Asli too have denied them their rights to one of our basic necessities? I shall reserve my opinion on management of common resources and business conflict resolution some other times (or if you can, could you please look at the sensible works of last year’s Economic Nobel Prize Winners?).

Or was she saying how could she, a Malay lady, whom our ruling party and its crying wolves defend fervently, suffered from such discrimination?

When our Orang Asli started marching to Putrajaya last month, I know they are now educated and confident enough to put a stop to sufferings they have endured for the past 53 years. Now we know it seems to many of us that our education system is made to rot to the core because I remember what Tony Benn from Sicko said, “[I] think there are two ways in which people are controlled - first of all frighten people and secondly demoralize them - Keeping people hopeless and pessimistic. An educated, healthy and confident nation is harder to govern”.

Since our Orang Asli live in close knitted community…

Wouldn’t it be great if we could assist a community by empowering its people by providing proper education?

With proper education, there will be no more children walking miles and miles away just to get to school because there is a teacher - one of their own tribe - in their village.

With adequate education, we would see a clinic in that village being run by their children.

With basic education, we could get them to read before they signed any documents in relation to their ancestral lands and being well informed of their rights.

I bumped into these priceless opinions of Mr. Howard Zinn and Mr. James Puthucheary from Encik Din Merican’s blog here that reminds me that education isn’t a privilege but social justice!

“I had always insisted that a good education was a synthesis of book learning and involvement in social action, that each enriched the other. I wanted my students to know that the accumulation of knowledge, while fascinating in itself, is not sufficient as long as so many people in the world have no opportunity to experience that fascination”

~ Howard Zinn
“You can’t be neutral on a moving train: A personal history of our times”


"If University students are to fulfill their social functions and justify the existence of the university, they will have to help in solving Malaya’s problems by adapting foreign ideas and thoughts to (its) special conditions and developing then according to the genius of (its) people”

~ James Puthucheary, “No cowardly past”
(edited by Dominic Puthucheary and Jomo KS)

p.s. I’m glad my Mr. Obama has signed the biggest overhaul deal of US healthcare system where the poors, the olds and the forgottens would be able to obtain proper healthcare service and supply. Like education, healthcare isn’t a privilege – it’s a right!

Grow Up, Not Grow Old

During my younger years, Mak would say “Kita buat dia, bukan dia yang buat kita!” (“We make them, not the other way around”) when I told her I couldn’t do a task she asked to complete. Mak forced me to think outside the box, which most of time was plain simple. I grew up thinking everything is possible and it irks me if people giving countless excuses for not doing things they are supposed to do (what more if they are paid).

I was about to procrastinate by not attending briefing session for EPIC’s “Voice Your Choice” campaign last Thursday when conscience hit me bulls-eyed – How could I not go when I don’t really know what I’m going to do? How could I not help myself before I aspire to help others?. I decided to take a cab to the designated venue because it was raining. Thank God, it was easy getting one and the cab driver was friendly – I felt safe.

Due to wet weather and horrible traffic, not many managed to be there on time and Johnson was empathic enough to start the briefing with a handful of us in that mini auditorium. When curiosity and creativity run wild, you tend to enjoy and I am grateful to attend and meet interesting youths behind this magnanimous campaign.

"Youth disserves; middle age conserves; old age preserves" ~ Martin H. Fischer

There I spent some time asking Alvin how EPIC started and why they took on this seem-impossible campaign (well, even SPR doesn’t bother to do anything about it). Alvin is a Second Year student in one of those IPTS, doing football management – how cool is that. Ng Swee, another volunteer, who took time off from work doing voluntary works with special needs children et al, rightly responded that Alvin could help to revive our dying football scene.

Alvin told me EPIC started with friends and strangers connected via FB, undertook to build washrooms and painted 12 (or 13) Orang Asli houses in Kuala Kubu Bharu last year. He shared about them getting 2 of their friends from Kedah to help building the environmental friendly washrooms. He shared about how the Orang Asli used very minimal electricity. He opined that we, Orang Bandar, would be the first to suffer if Mother Nature decided to turn topsy-turvy one day and it is important that we learn survival skills from Orang Asli - perhaps, at this point of time, it is more about learning from them how to conserve our natural resources. What almost brought tears to me eyes was when he said that what we have doesn’t belong to us entirely for keep but to be shared with others. He said they would go back to that village in near future to start some educational activities for the children there.

"Youth is a wonderful thing. What a crime to waste it on children"
~ George Bernard Shaw

Why these youths went that far helping people – out of their own pocket and little free time? I couldn’t find any concrete, material answers but I recalled what I told someone before “Cubit peha kanan, peha kiri terasa sakit”. I fell asleep feeling proud of them. In this modern era where many people continue to question the existence of The Creator and many more being ‘cocooned’ in their own materialistic world, there are very few who think we are, after all, His living creations.

Alvin and his friends have certainly grown up, unlike some of us who have only grown old, cold and dulled. Suddenly, the burden in my heart feels lighter, my mind seems clearer, knowing that our future would be better than what it is today – thank you God for these special youths.

To Alvin and the rest of E.P.I.C Team, you are my inspiration!

p.s. I hope Alvin supports my Arsene's Eleven! :)

Growing Children Growing Garden

If there is an education system I could start with for our future generation, it would revolve around dirty soil, tiny seeds, a spade and a watering can. It would be called gardening, where Nature is their teacher; Nurture is their culture; their motto is respect for all God’s creatures; their achievement is measured by nature’s preservation for the future.

Responsible, Sensible Beings

"You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed”
~ Antoine De Saint-Exupery, “Little Prince

Like their parents, they would undertake necessary timely measures and gestures to meet their underlings’ requirements to survive and grow healthy and happy. Unlike parenting however, pampering is a big NO for their underlings because too much of water, sunlight and fertilizers could weaken their underlings. They grow up to be responsible and sensible beings towards others, our Mother Nature and all its inhabitants.

Innovators and Artists in Making

“The most noteworthy thing about gardeners is that they are always optimistic,always enterprising, and never satisfied. They always look forward to doing something better than they have ever done before” ~ Vita Sackville -West

Children are curious by nature and our gardens could serve to be the best, inexhaustible ‘lab’ for them to experiment. They learn the science of our garden through Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Geography. They discover the art of living by understanding intricacies of our garden’s ecology system. They become aware of beauty in all God’s creations and they learn to preserve the beauty in every possible ways.

They say God created children so that we adults could reverse the damages we have done in this world. In a decade where global warming, pollution, corruption and wars reign, do we turn away our children from real world and turn them into mnemonics – full in the head but empty in their heart?

Perhaps it’s time to go back to School of Nature and let your children grow along with your garden. I am sure you would be engagingly rewarded.

Another 'Storyteller' - Mr. Victor Chin

I chanced upon Mr. Victor Chin at SABM's KL Roadshow early this year. He was filming the event for SABM.

He thought I was a welfare officer (for unknown reasons, most think so whenever I start asking questions) and I was embarrassed when he told me that he's a painter and I could find him here (how ignorant I could be). Wow! He impressed me in real life and after going through his site, he is true to every single words of Leonardo da Vinci that “A good painter is to paint two main things, men and the working of man's mind”.

Last month, he wrote "Autism, no barrier to communication" in TMI, where he talked about a few autism kids that communicate their views and wishes through paintings. That reminds me of my Second Angel, Hariz, who loves drawing on his board. After attending some exercise sessions at Institut Nury, he is now able to mutter some words but strenuous physical and mental exercises always leave him cranky. Maybe it is time for us to carry some anger management program for him.

“Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen” ~ Leonardo da Vinci

Apart from autism, what captured my great interest in his article is that he was able to send out the message that we all should never undermine one's ability, stereotype everyone and give up.

For me, everyone is important and everyone matters. I am glad we have someone like Mr. Victor Chin to 'decode' what these beautiful minds put in their paintings.