Gah we're so cheesy....

Oh Gawd... we did the typical thing that new parents do: we took family photos at a friend's studio- they turned out quite well- I love white backgrounds they're just so CLEAN....

I cropped my face out of one of them and used it as my profile photo.
I now sport a "mommy haircut". :)

Next election, I want to make history.

I hope the rest of Malaysia catches the "I hold the power to control the future of my country, my vote matters" disease, too- I hope that BN is actually toppled next election.

I live in Australia, but am registered as a voter- I will put my money where my mouth is and come back home to vote. I'm so inspired by many brave Malaysians- it keeps hopes alive amongst those of us who lost it and left.

Australians voted for change when they voted for Kevin Rudd.
Americans voted for change when they voted for Barack Obama.

Malaysians can do it, too. If Malaysia Boleh anything, then boleh vote.

Got Maid?

In my inner world here behind the facade, there's been a paradigm shift since becoming a mom just a few months ago. I still make comparisons of my adopted culture (Australia) and the culture in which I was raised (Malaysia)- but I have been thinking of how modern mums take on the task of raising their kids.

In Malaysia, it's fair to say that the majority of kids are raised by maids or grandparents. I do see amongst Malaysian women, more and more smart young execs giving up their high flying careers to stay at home and raise their kids with the help of a maid. Malaysian kids spend half the day in school (either morning or afternoon session) plus extra curricular activities on certain days. Then the rest is taken up by tuition classes and extra lessons.
I saw a 2 month old baby on Orchard Road, at the time, was similar age to my own baby except that the Singaporean baby was carried in a cloth sling by the maid, with the new mum walking alongside (the new mum still looks about 6 months pregnant) together with an older woman (looks to be the granny) carrying a bag bursting with bottles (can conclude that the new mum was not breastfeeding then). This woman had a maid and a mother at home to help. No wonder she looked fat.

In Australia, the number of children in daycare and those raised at home with their mums (with some days in daycare as well) are about equal. And here, too, being a strong woman also means making a choice and commitment to give up your career and dedicate your time to raising your children. Australian kids spend most of the day in school (starts at 9am to 3pm with sports or extra lessons mostly in school grounds) and weekends are for extra lessons. Most women here have to hit the ground running once the baby is out of the uterus. If there are no grandparents around to help, they're on their own with the husband. Imagine doing all that yourself!

Meet The Parents time!

My best friend, happily ensconced in Surry Hills with his man, called me up last weekend and announced that they have decided to "make a commitment" together. On Sunday, I ventured out to Crown Street and met up with the happy couple to be about their "commitment ceremony". The venue: Spice I am and then later, Bird Cow Fish



OMG, so I sat through it all as they poured out their plans to me. My best friend is wearing a WHITE SUIT and his man will be wearing regular grooms' attire. Why should he nave to wear a white suit??? Does that mean that he's the woman? the bottom? That just sounds so wrong to me. Why the heck can't he wear a groom's suit as well???? After all, they're both men who want to marry. Trying to imitate a bride is just so wrong in this case.....

But then again- it's his wedding. And I'm just glad to be part of it, so I did a very grown-up thing: I kept my mouth shut.

1 week in Singapore and one sad bitch.

Our wee little family took a break from life in Sydney to head for Singapore for a week. My husband was more than happy to take time off, because things are kinda quiet in the world of investment banking at the moment. We returned to crazy weather in the last few weeks. There was a hailstorm waiting for us when we got back, with snow falling just outside Sydney. This is late October, y'all! I've never seen this after nearly 2 decades in Australia.
We stayed at Orchard Road, we were able to spend some alone time shopping because we had a nanny come along with us for the trip.

This is my first time back since my time at INSEAD. It was a little bittersweet, seeing the place I spent as a virtual hermit, pursuing knowledge and higher learning- whilst forgetting all and everyone else in my life. (YES! I kid you not, I went weeks and weeks without waxing!!!)


Pics: Most of Orchard Road under renovation and runway rehearsal at Paragon, Orchard Road




Pics: View from the Qantas lounge at Sydney Airport and its interior.

Look at me now. A full time wife and mother with an unused MBA. I don't feel this burning need to go into the workforce just so that I can have a career. I feel secure enough about my intellect, my ability, my experience and my value.

I spoke to a woman, "L", who is married to one of my husband's relatives (whom I also know because he is an Interior Designer) recently. "L" was a successful photographer before she turned to IVF to get pregnant. She is in her 40's, her son is now 5. She is now back in the workforce but as a marketing consultant for a tile company. In her words "Thank God I am working, I would go crazy babysitting all day." WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THIS WOMAN? It's not "babysitting" when it's your own kids, you sad bitch! So I told her exactly that- minus the sad bitch part. A "marketing executive"- I know what you are exactly, "L", because I used to be those architects that you salesgirls in mini skirts go to so that you can sell tiles/toilets/carpets/or/whatever/the/fuck/it/is/you/need/to/get/your/sales/quota to. But I think she knows what I think of her. Similarly, lots of other asian friends/older women think like this too.

I'd like to know what other SAHM have to say about women who want to be out in the workforce just so that they can be at work (it's not because of the money, and it doesn't matter what work they do, they just want to be at work) because being a SAHM is boring and brainless work.

How much is your so-called "career" worth, you sad bitches? Are any of you actually earning enough to justify the time away from your kids? Are any of you actually in managerial positions?

Androgyny

Just what is it that makes a person beautiful?

Is it an amazing fashion sense? Like Sarah Jessica Parker? A small woman with a somewhat equine face but really cute body, made famous by the clothes she wears?
Is it a perfect body but forgettable face vis a vis Gisele Bundchen?
Is it a symmetrical face? Think Alicia Keys?

What are the terms and conditions that make up beauty?

"Everyone is born with a pre-programmed understanding of what makes a person attractive.", Study from the University of Exeter.







A German study has shown that beauty is created by "averaging" the faces of a spectrum of people. The end product is a face that has wide appeal. This is purportedly the science behind the modelling industry. Each region or nation will have a type of face that appeals to them.

Beauty breaks down all ethnic barriers. Australia's ideal beauty would probably be a dark haired eurasian. BUT the advertising/modelling industry's idea of beauty that sells is: blonde, tanned aussie beach beauty- think Elle MacPherson. Think Sarah O'Hare.

Does beauty then also break down gender barriers? Look at Agyness Deyn, the current face of Dior Homme. Does the marketing work here? "If only she was my man, I'd steal her cologne." Why not? *cough* If only I was Lindsay Lohan. *cough*


Katya Shun is an up and coming androgynous supermodel. Double the appeal- cos she's also Eurasian. Woot! Represent!

What is amazing about these women is that they can look just as gorgeous as women as they can as men. Now, is there a male equivalent to what I'm talking about? Of course there is, but straight men are more anal about what makes another man beautiful, so I'd probably expect less anecdotal evidence.








Men. Beautiful androgynous men were ubiquitous in the 80's. Ahhhh. My favourite era.
The most beautiful of them all at that time? John Taylor of Duran Duran of course. OMFG, is there even a question? He no longer has the androgynous look these days, maybe because he has abandoned the eyeliner...... but he's aged well, like a fabulous Pinot (Noir because it's the best Pinot). Exquisite.



OK OK I know this was in the 90's, but remember the lead singer for Suede? Brett Anderson?
The embodiment of VainGloriousGlam?
So beautiful.
He was in Suede together with his girlfriend, Justine Frischmann (of Elastica- pic below) who is another androgynous beauty. (Brett is by far more beautiful than Justine.)




















Today's emo and scene boys know it's all been done before and they're not breaking the mold.
That's the predicatment we face in our post-modern times isn't it? The word Neo- is a prefix for every art, fashion, architecture, design movement.

Art has been everywhere; now it has no where else to go.

Renaissance of thought

The thought process is a beautiful thing.

Information inputs, transformed by education, experience, intellect and instinct produces analysis and conclusions. Governed by an innovative process of delivery and a dash of six sigma........

That's what they pay management consultants the big $$$ for.

Wanna see my yoga mat?




Remember this article in Time magazine about Anwar Ibrahim in 1998?
Remember that and look at the man he has become now.

Remember what Dr.M did?
Remember that and take it with you into the voting booth next election.
Never again.
Humans forget too easily.
Human nature produces fear and inertia-

A word of advice: trust the process.

Growing pains of two varieties.

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I've been visiting many a Malaysian political blog these days.
It's wonderful to see the fire in the eyes of these intelligent Malaysians- especially in those people who will one day rule the country. There is something to be said about leaders like Anwar Ibrahim, who endured incarceration, yet maintained his dignity, especially when facing international press. And Lim Guan Eng- who also faced his darkest moments when his wife and child visited him in jail, according to an interview with TV Smith.

I wonder how the present leaders would fare like under adversity? Who do you think looks like a spoilt, cushy, dough-boy type who would crumble into a snivelling mess? If anyone wants to avoid having this as your next leader, then you know where to put your vote.

Are there any Nelson Mandela's in our present leadership line-up?


To me, Malaysia is about ideals. About the usual vision, mission and values. And I think Malaysia has always been great at long-term strategies. NEP, OPP etc. you name it, they've got it. But every strategy needs to be reformulated as the needs of the stakeholders change. The people DO speak- you can hear them. Since that has been ignored, it's become only strategy for strategy's sake.

And unfortunately, the BN (I'm not about to blame one lone scapegoat for the sins of the entire political system- but some leaders are more to blame than others- Especially those who have had many years, yet little regrets- touche?) culls its bright young leaders for strategic fit and leaves those who specialize in ass-kissing politics. Sorry but true- you know it is.

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Most newborn Malaysian babies get to have a shaved head. That's the adat in those neck of the woods. I admit I didn't do it because I er, just plain forgot. :P
The two grandmothers who are here have decided that it's not too late.
My home has turned into a cultural battleground.

So, both my mother (pro-shave camp) and mother in law (anti-shave camp) took hold of my little girl and had a discussion over tea:

MyMum: There's a reason why people have been doing it for generations......
M-I-L: These days, most people skip the tradition. There's no reason to do it lah!
MyMum: If you shave, the hair will grow back thicker.
M-I-L: No lah! How can the amount of hair just increase by making it shorter.
MyMum: The actual hair itself will be thicker because shorter hair takes less nourishment.
M-I-L: So, more nourishment will be received by each hair, is it?
MyMum: Ya, so each strand of hair will be thicker.
M-I-L: Ooooo, like that....

Pak Lah, RPK, the old guy and the neanderthal

Oh man. There is not one ounce of hope or confidence left in our PM, huh?
He hasn't got it easy. We knew whoever took over after him was going to be a scapegoat no matter what.



Yes- he's weak.
As a leader, he has let his DPM run wild in Dr M's garden of dirty sordid fairy-tale scandals. And he can't just turn to Najib the Neanderthal and say "You're fired." because he needs to keep this alliance alive if he's going to have any support from the UMNO ass-embly.
That's disappointing from someone whom I can say is actually a good person.

At least he won't be hated. I just headed over to the old guy's blog. It's inching closer to 5 million hits (not that he needs to make any money out of it, after 30 years of screwing with our minds)- I read the comments section because I want to know who reads the drivel that is his opinion.
The seemingly educated comments were largely: "Wake up to yourself."
The seemingly uneducated comments were largely: blah "tokoh negara" blah blah "hidup Dr M"
And those that sounded educated but pro-Dr M were probably ingratiated/ related to him. Touche?
The old guy is actually a good human being, too, if I do say so myself. But he's stuck in a mental model that's outdated. And he's old. And stubborn.

I also headed over and saw what RPK's mission was: he's taking Najib down with him. Really? Promise? Pinky-swear?

That would be a service to the beautiful, prosperous land bursting with potential that once was Malaysia, now known as the laughing stock that is Bolehland.

No one wants to do the dirty work of taking the trash out, not even the PM.

Sleep. I need sleep.

I think I'm having hallucinations. I had a conversation with my mother in the kitchen without realizing no one was there. Eeek.

My little baby girl is not a great sleeper, unfortunately. :(

The Brain Drain

Not enough time to post- Hungry baby and hungry mummy on the loose!
It's true that BFing makes you hungry and thirsty all the time..... and it makes you look like you have Pamela Anderson's chest if you don't feed or get on the pump soon. Ah- nice.

Anyway, I looked through an old post about Malaysians and stereotypes.
Wow. Looked at the comments section and it looked like a MalaysiaKini opinions page.
Most people were talking about Malaysians who choose to migrate. Who are these Malaysians?

The comments are too long but I will post one of them here.

No brain leader said...

"Now if you followed speech about a new agenda to help bumis. So this is the way to create towering malays - just give them more handouts.

All talk was about helping, read enriching the malays. No one had the balls to talk about the Malaysian agenda. If this is what our future leaders spew, then I shed tears for my beloved country.

Much of so-called leakages of bumis allocation has not gone to other bumis but merely lost. Look at the ringgit depreciation, the loss of Proton, the debt of Perwaja, the bank write offs etc, and you get an idea where they have gone. The non-bumis benefit is marginal compared to the larger loses.

Just look at how many of the Menteri Besar and Chief Ministers reap profit from their position for personal gain, compared to few did not do it. They must be using the same pretext of some noble cause like NEP. But at the end the one benefiting is their closet cronies.

What left to Malaysians is the exorbitant car prices, high toll rate, no viable alternative public transport in cities, ever increasing water tariff etc. Who is suffering at the end? Isn't it the "rakyat" at large and bumis forming the largest portion?

Have they not considered why previous implementations failed? In fact one needs not look far to find the answers - CORRUPPTION and ABUSE of POWER leading to cronyism and nepotism.

A simple solution is to implement an independent judiciary, answerable to parliament and freedom of the press as a starter.

Instead, Umno is asking for more privileges. Who are the main beneficiaries? So long as Malaysia's resources are plentiful, the non-bumis as scapegoats, the use of religious fear factor works on the rakyat, Umno will continue to call the shot.

Unfortunately there is not enough resources to satisfy the greed of Umno, the rakyat will remain poorer while the rich get richer.

For non-bumis, their ultimate aim is going abroad. Those left behind, well, the left over will join the poor including the bumis in Malaysia. Thus denying Malaysia the skill and wealth of the emigrating Malaysians.

Don't forget the call for more help, enriching the malays are actually for Umno, selected few and cronies! Not all the malays!

Do read them carefully and not counting it as every malay or Malaysian! Because of this nature of speech don't count it as "for all malays" and a case for you to bombast the innocent malays!

With all the multibillions and hundreds of millions of ringgit contracts going to the Umno bumis and crony companies, with all the Approved Permits (APs) going to the bumis (almost), with all the banking licences going to the bumis (almost), with all the big Government-Linked Companies (GLCs) coming under the control of the bumis, with all the government jobs (almost) going to the bumis, with all the petrol stations, transport licenses going to the bumis, etc, etc.

Perhaps one reason that Umno Youth perceived that the bumis are not faring too well in the economic field is that the wealth that is now in their hands is not well shared out, and is concentrated in the hands of a small number of elite and crony bumis.

If you look at the number of government contracts going out to bumis is really discriminating against the non-malays.

Until now, I have not heard of one malay who has the courage to admit, that about 90% of the government projects and assistance that went to help the malays has gone to waste - huge squandering and wastage.

It is the reason why they are not being respected by other races.

That is their huge weakness. No matter how much monetary assistance you give to the malays, somehow or rather it doesn't improve their character and attitude towards work. It doesn't improve their knowledge on any business they are in.

Their business ethic is the lowest among Malaysians. Their wealth will never improve. Later down the road, they will be spending most of their money if not all on material gain rather than on building values, skills and knowledge.

That is why, 90% of the student scholarships, or 90% of the government projects goes to them, has gone to waste. They didn't take the opportunity to enhance their knowledge, skills but merely for material gain.

They have no confidence in themselves after so many years of independence. No confidence and faith in themselves to do their best and compete in the world. None at all.

Because most of the time, they spend their money and time on politics, and material gain. I would say malays place more importance on the form rather than on the substance.

Look at the amount of protocol they have to follow in their daily life. Most of it is not practical at all.

In short, we are stuck in medieval concept of balance of conflicting interest rather than those about moving forward to be become one.

So long as we are stuck in such medieval thinking, so long as we will be paralyzed by our fears and insecurities, and honestly second-rate as a nation."

6:43 AM

Why can't the nation's leaders LISTEN? If I were a CEO I'd be heavily reliant on market surveys and customer feedback.
Why don't you have any opinion polls? Is it because you don't care what people think?

Or is it because you want to tell people what to think because you think people don't know how to think for themselves?
That last question is very typical of old-school politics in Malaysia.

That post was in the beginning of 2005. We're in mid 2008.
Anwar faces sodomy charges again.
It's all still the same old, same old again.

It's a GIRL!

Background: We decided that we did not want to know the gender of our baby- we would be happy with anything.

Being around 38weeks and very heavy, feeling like 42weeks overdue, I was checked in for an emergency c-section was the best way to go. The little princess was born in Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney. At birth, she had a very pink complexion for (the most part) asian parents, very long fingernails and loves to hold her hands together. BF has now been shakily established. Brought home a pump machine with me.

We are all warm and fuzzy now.

His parents are staying with us. My parents will join us later, as there is a big-news important diplomatic event happening in Malaysia this week, so Dad has to be there. 

A few months back, when travel was still possible, I visited KL while hubby was away ..............

I spent some time with my feet up and did some furious shopping, stayed at my parents' home in the good old 50490 'hood for some rest and relaxation before my tummy got too huge.
As with all visits, I am amazed at how different KL looks and feels each time.

If you'll bear with me, please: I want to talk about 2 dinners that I attended while in KL. This is of particular interest because the people at dinner#1 are people who have considerable influence on the everyday lives of Malaysians. People at dinner#2 is maybe an example of how we begin to chip at these walls average Malaysians surround ourselves with.

DINNER #1
Went to dinner with my parents and their friends at a place in KL frequented by a very middle age demographic. (Don't want to name names because Dad is a regular) A person/people at this dinner table very probably built and/or (depends on which building) own the building that your blogging ass is sitting in right this very moment, one is the MD of a listed holdings company, a former politician slash doctor/lawyer/dentist. All of them are very high profile people. People came up to greet and shake hands with the people at this table. (Including me! An engineer I was involved in a project with a few years ago came up to say hello.)

We talked animatedly about politics contrasted and compared politics in Australia and Malaysia. First, we agreed that all governments have corruption to varying degrees.
Second, the former politicians felt/feel like a slave to petty party politics- they felt it affected the direction of the nation TOO much. You could see the frustration in their face as they talked about it- but doubt that anyone put a gun to their head and threatened to kill them if they didn't toe the line, even if it was beyond the boundaries of common human decency.
Third the businessmen agreed that it was much harder to make any real money in transparent governments like Australia and the corruption and bureaucracy in Malaysia made them their fortune. That's true- we all know that every cent in every politician's allowance is transparent and accounted for in the very egalitarian political system in Australia.


Not an actual pic of the event above: just setting the scene.

I love dining with the older generation! I was happy that they included me and always spoke to me like an equal.


DINNER #2


I went to The Gardens and met up for dinner with my old “kaki”(Malay word for feet, meaning your friends/bffs/bros/girls) from the 50490 'hood at the new avant-garde Alexis bistro. (You see, this time, I am naming names of places because the visual setting is important for the point which I will get to)

This time, yet again, the no-good (I jest, I jest!) guys left early because "takut bini". Heh heh I knew it. But the husbands of my friends were more than happy for them to stay out as long as they liked. (Well, some of those husbands are much older Dato's who are seldom at home, some still at work, one of them was at home with their kids- Whoa! That's because he's Mat Salleh.)

Anyway, I look around the room and this table stood out amongst the usual diners in these establishments: obvious foodie bloggers, table of all-female label whores/wanna-be's and dating couples. There was a table of guys and gals resplendent in their Hong Kong style trendiness. They spoke only cantonese. One of those guys, with his dyed hair and J-pop star wardrobe, was REALLY gorgeous. Around 6ft, nice body-muscular & not skinny, nice face. He was only two tables away. We could smell the Calvin Klein perfume on him.

Some visual cues of such HK chinese and Japanese hotties to help:
We all agreed and had a group-perve. One of us at the table, "J", was 100% chinese, but I've never heard her speak chinese maybe because she couldn't/wouldn't. I'm not exactly sure why. But get this: she was absolutely disgusted with the guy, the whole group. WHY?

J: I don't care if he's Brad Pitt under all that designer gear, cologne, hair colour and gel- he's still "Ah-Beng" garbage. Just look at the rest of his friends.
Us: *shock* I can see the stereotype, but it's quite possible that he's a person underneath all that.
J: I think I know what kind of a person that is: he likes imported cars, he loves canto-pop, he's chinese educated. Trash.
Us: *shock* Where did all this hatred come from?
J: I've been surrounded by it all my life. I hate it when people lump me into the same group as these people just because I'm chinese.
Us: "People"? What do you mean by that? We've been friends for many years and we've never thought of you in that way.
J: That's because I have always tried very hard not to be identified as too chinese.
*J gives us a few examples throughout the years that we've known her- and we nod and listen mostly because we feel some sympathy for her*

Can you imagine what it's like for "J", who has had to deny an integral part of who she is for fear of being racially stereotyped? I have a feeling some people actually know, because, come to think of it, I know lots of chinese friends who insist on being 100% westernized, dating outside their race and speaking only malay and english. It's scary.

Some critical media advice for Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim

Last night, on Bloomberg Asia, we (in Australia) saw Anwar Ibrahim being interviewed live over the phone by a journalist (probably broadcast from a studio in Hong Kong or Singapore) regarding the new sodomy charges against him. A foreigner would be at best, puzzled by the verbal barrage that came from the other side, mentioning the "IGP" a couple of times, the "Mongolian model case" once. He talked of "they" and "them" (who are these people? My personal guess is the UMNO people-not the top dogs but those who are in the succession plan are shitting in their pants because they're scared of Anwar taking power) who continue their crusade against him. The journalist did not question what he meant- because it sounded like a lot of incoherent verbal diarrhoea.



If I were in Dato Anwar's esteemed position, I would choose my words carefully for the audience- you are not being interviewed by a Malaysian journalist from a local paper. No one outside Malaysia knows what an "IGP" (Inspector General of Police) is. No one outside Malaysia knows what the "Mongolian model case" is all about.

That invaluable media opportunity to confirm his political position to the world unfortunately didn't do much to help his case at all. Time to get a little bit more media savvy, Dato Seri.

Not all media are like the monkey see-monkey do three ringed circus performers (RTM, TV3, TheStar, NST, etc etc) that you get in mainstream media in Malaysia.

A New Malaysia for New Malaysians.

Will the current goverment will choose to do one of the following?

• Take a leaf out of good old Dr. M's old-school book: starve those opposition states. To the opposition leaders who won, dangle enough money in front of them so that they'll switch. (Opposition state Sabah's top Ministers arrested in the late 80's.) Discredit them, foil their plans above all- who cares about the rakyat who voted for them, right?
  
• Take responsibility and take steps to regain the trust and votes from the Chinese and Indian community. Let's be honest, this is the big fat reason why there was such a blow. What Chinese and Indian voters want today is very different from 10 years ago. Ways to reach voters are different. Even the little worm, Khairy, has a website.
  

Dr. M now calls for Pak Lah to step down, says he should have chosen Najib instead. So, a potential PM and first lady who are collaborators,"on the take" and who has never apologised for threatening to "bathe the keris in Chinese blood" (in 1987) is a better option?
Ummm, I have a better idea: why don't we all go back to hunting animals and living in caves?
The old guy's son, who is now an MP (and who knows- in the running for being the future PM one day) also calls for Pak Lah to resign. That's a sure-fire way to get the little worm, Khairy out of the equation in UMNO.

Dr. M's daughter, Marina Mahathir is someone whose voice is respected by many of the new Malaysians who want a new Malaysia. I've followed her writings from the newspapers when she had just returned to Malaysia. She is in a difficult situation- family or personal beliefs? She has done her best and she has my respect. I've chosen to remain overseas and write under a pseudonym.

I saw Dr. M's Malaysia as a sinking ship that I had to abandon.

I left because I lost hope in having the life that I wanted to live in Malaysia. I wanted to live in a place where my kids can play safely and where I can have peace of mind. I wanted a place that would recognize and reward people who worked hard.

I never thought that I would live to see election results like this. I'm excited for all the possibilities that may happen in Malaysia. There is so much work to do.

Pak Lah, to his credit, has done a decent job of cleaning out the old-school corrupted cronies of Dr.M.
The best thing he will do as PM is to handle the changes that Malaysia is currently undergoing. History (NOT propaganda) will look upon him with more kindness and respect than the old guy.

Wow. I'm floored by the 2008 Malaysian General Election results

So the people have spoken. I honestly never thought I'd see the day. And to think I wanted to spend my nice Sunday night with my laptop writing about how I spent my last weekend at the 2008 Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras party. (The event was a sea of love, acceptance and diversity, thanks very much for asking, sweetie.)

This is of particular interest to me because a person/s(?) related to me were/was up for elections in seat/s in a state that was not lost to the opposition. Post results: weary but still there to fight another day. I'm hazy I know, but those who know will just click into "A-HA!!!!" mode. You know who you are.


Here's what I have to say:

• Congratulations to the new MP of Jelutong in Penang, Mr. Jeff Ooi!!! A person worthy enough to have the honour of representing the Malaysian people. You and your electric guitar ROCK! The triumvirate were utter rock stars, captured by TV Smith.
  

• I was pleased to see that voters in KL were up in the 70+%. But in some towns in other states and even in rural areas, the turnout was incredibly poor. Less than half in some areas. Don't these people know how much their votes count? What is the reason: apathy? Or just plain laziness? WAKE UP AND MAKE VOTING COMPULSORY, MALAYSIA!

• A televised moderated debate about issues concerning Malaysians should be televised on ASTRO as well as RTM. (That'll reach those people who can't get their arse off the couch on Election Day.) This way, voters can see the bigger picture on how they can have a say in the future of Malaysia. This will help voters look beyond micro-issues.

• Oh yeah: fantastic results in my 50490 'hood. Congratulations to Nurul Izzah (David) who toppled the incumbent Lembah Pantai MP, Dato' Shahrizat "I want to lift the veil on bloggers" Jalil (Goliath). Not bad for the little girl down the road who was chauffeured to the primary school in Sri Hartamas at about the same time I was chauffeured to secondary school in CBN.
  

• VIVA DEMOCRACY!

still a fag hag?............. HELL YEAH!

I may be knocked up and MBA'd, but I still have my fag-hagness inside somewhere.

(Argh I have to do this post in bullet points again. I went through the past year and a half in bullet points. That is no joke, I kid you not. I actually did everything in bullet points. Now I can't SHAKE THE DISEASE. Oooo. Did I just do an 80's reference again- that's one of Depeche Mode's best songs ever.)

• Has anyone seen The Janice Dickinson Modelling Agency on Foxtel? The yummiest gay man I've ever set eyes on, male model JP Calderon (he's God's way of saying "life is not fair, girls") is on it.

In one episode, he goes on a blind date with another gay male model, Rodrigo de Carli. (Also drop dead gorgeous.) They were set up by a friend who wanted to double date.









On the date, they shared a hotdog.

Damn, this eye candy is just TOO HOT! *Implosion fans herself*
Wooohoo. OMG.



Mardi Gras is just around the corner, I'll be sporting a baby bump by then. Gay men will just have to look enviously upon THIS image of fertility, which is God's way of telling them "You can't have it all, mate."

• My best friend, "Will" (as in our "Will & Grace" nicknames, after the TV sitcom) is happily coccooned in coupledom, having moved in with his lover, he hardly has time for his angsty pregnant fag hag friend anymore.... he now has a whole new circle of friends who mainly consist of other happily coccooned gay couples in bloody Surry bloody Hills. Sigh. I miss him and hanging out with this gorgeous male specimen (who also happened to model a bit when he was younger. He mainly modelled in Asia, where they love blue eyes and blond hair. Yep, he got a lot of asian-girlie-love in those days. He was also BIG IN JAPAN. OMG, another 80's anthem by Alphaville. I swear this is NOT intentional.)

• YAOI. (Short for "Yamete, Oshiriga Itai" or "Stop, my ass hurts") Japanese manga or anime about homosexual relationships...... if you're a fan of idealised images of gay love, then about 80% of this genre will appeal to you. Main characters are typically the manly, stoic, square-jawed "seme" (the "top") and the weepy, slender, doe-eyed "uke" (the "bottom"). Most yaoi fangirls swallow all this shit up.
  

It's good to note that this is changing and
starting to cater to more "fujoshi" or fag-hags. LOL.
A few examples:

Homosexual relationships are about two MEN who love and desire each other.

Men who could have chosen a woman if they wanted a man just because he resembled a woman..... actually, I nicked that line off one of the mangas on the right.



Right. That's all for now on this variety channel. Tune in again next time!

Bye bye nausea!

It's 3 months now and I feel fantastic.....
I can't wait for my tummy to pop out.

They say this can happen as late as 5 months if your abs are *ahem* very firm.
However, they also say that firmer abs run the risk of getting separated down the middle during later stages of pregnancy.

3 month ultrasound tests showed all's well.

WHEEEEEE!

JUST DO IT

Many in Malaysia describe "the problem", analyze the root of "the problem", the urgency of a solution to "the problem" .....etc.....ad nauseam.....
Yes, the first step to any solution is realization and defining the problem.

Then, comes the "how" part- the actual solution itself in the form of plans, strategies, policies etc.

If you're not careful, you'll be stuck in the "paralysis by analysis" stage, so get off your arse and and DO SOMETHING.

Thai your luck

I'm starting to crave food that I've never liked before. Never liked Tom Yum, especially when it's not a clear soup (versus all natural tom yum where all you can see is just lemongrass, galangal, bird's eye chili and kaffir lime leaves in the soup plus the seafood). I'm a purist. So sue me.

This one's obviously made from some generic paste from a jar. (But I'm not picky these days.)


So, with a pregnant craving to satisfy, we went to Chao Phraya at Star City on a hot Sydney weekend afternoon that was infested with flies. Yeah, everyone who has been to Australia in the summertime know what I'm talking about when I mention those damn flies. Arrrgh.

Glad we were indoors, not like the poor people out there. They eventually moved in because the flies were out of control.

Spicy food and Singha beer (for him, not me, dammit!)

Once in a while, I do the rounds and read Malaysian news.....

I read BOTH Malaysiakini and TheStar. Why I bother with TheStar, is because you need a point of reference for each side of the spectrum. Then I read the blogs. To get the opinions of the people.

From where I stand, a few things stand out:

• Nurin Jazlin, the 8 year old Malaysian girl who did not deserve to die the way she did. Looks like a lot of bloggers felt the loss hit a little too close to home. This is happening in Malaysia. And pretty often, too- from what I can tell from a little session with Google. So, Malaysians, what are you going to do about it? I trust that there will be lots reactive responses from the powers that be, that's for sure. Anything proactive at all?
  
• 
  

Perhaps something blindingly simple like keeping your children within your sight at all times? This may not be realistically possible for many parents, as angry Malaysian mums might cry out- but there's such a thing as relatives, friends, babysitters and maids.

Dumb it down a bit more for for those who need it: EDUCATE your kids about the dangers that lie out there in big bad old KL (no, this is NOT about which neighbourhood you're in). Sickos and perverts exist. This isn't the same innocent world that we grew up in. DO NOT let your kids out of your sight, hold them close to you. Don't let Nurin die in vain, LEARN from this. May she rest in peace.

I feel pretty lucky that I live in a country where I feel safer than I would in Malaysia, but I would never, never take it for granted for one second.

Are law enforcement officers in Malaysia paid enough to care about people who don't bribe them? Pigs will fly before anyone addresses that little ditty of a question.

Will there ever be education campaigns in the media that target average Malaysian about ways of keeping kids safe from sexual predators? Will it ever be politically correct to show this openly on TV the way anti-dadah campaigns were shown? Will any money be spent on this?

• Zainuddin Maidin, Malaysian Information Minister, trying to halt the progress that technology (eg. blogs) brings into all our lives. Let's not forget that there are people out there who voted for this man, who will listen to this man because they have no idea what bloggers actually do. Isn't this typical of what Hofstede's research suggests about high power distance countries like Malaysia?
  

• Malaysian bloggers. Intelligent, proactive, socially aware, articulate individuals who are making more of a difference than politicians ever will. How? Social networking and engagement. It's just like viral marketing but not quite. Unfortunately, despite the difference made, the Malaysian government still largely consists of neanderthals. Voting isn't compulsory in Malaysia, so it all boils down to who fights the traffic jams, queues up, registers to get to the polls on election day. Anecdotal evidence suggest that most affluent Malaysians couldn't be stuffed to move their arse off their comfy couch away from ASTRO or their laptops to make a REAL difference. Supporting and campaigning for the candidate that you want to represent this country is the most effective way.

It'll be a while before I bring myself to read the same old same old shit again.

Kevin Rudd. The face of the future.

Well, well, well. Call me an optimist. Or call me psychic. *EDIT: I actually predicted it all, and even blogged about it in 2005. It was so long ago I actually forgot about it*

Flashback to the 2004 elections: Kevin Rudd was just the shadow foreign minister, I, just was just a project architect who had just started her MBA in a local university. In a pro-ALP conversation (we are in the construction industry after all) with (let's call him "Macca's"), one of the directors in my firm, I said "Kevin Rudd should really be running for Prime Minister instead of that *#$%@ Mark Latham! Besides standing for a lot of good values, he's a master at the art of strategic marketing...for policies, the ALP and himself, of course" he said "The ALP will win the election as soon as they find the right leader." Macca, being an old timer, then went on and on about the ALP's glory days.

We also agreed that the then-NSW Premier, Bob Carr was also a fantastic candidate, but as fate would have it, he later resigned, presumably before the Cross City Tunnel shit hit the fan. He is a good leader. He might be an evil Macquarie Banker now, but that's because his business skills are unparalelled.

Kevin Rudd's election campaign is an excellent example of Blue Ocean Strategy.
What is Blue Ocean Strategy? In short, it's innovation that involves creates your own markets, all encompassing leadership and ensuring justice for all.

• He reached out to the younger generation (this demographic values education, environment and healthcare- no surprises to generation x, y and z) and the migrants (the rising demographic that John Howard has alienated) an untapped market for the ALP. And at the same time, he has maintained the union vote and the ALP old-boys' club (you know who you lot are, you chardonnay swilling, Northern Beaches dwelling, yacht sailing bastards) vote.
• K-Rudd now says things like "mate" and "fair dinkum"..... he never used to do that before hitting the campaign trail. He often refers to being born and bred on a farm, this subtle (or not) change in language is a symbolic way of reaching out to outback Australia.
• In the pre election debate, he kept his cool and stuck to the facts. He was the first one to walk over to John Howard to shake his hand. A very dignified thing to do. Or maybe he knew the cameras were still rolling, as K-Rudd is VERY media savvy. The media is great tool to manipulate perceptions. Joe Hockey and K-Rudd had been regulars on Channel Seven's Sunrise programme, they've even recorded an MTV style spoof.

Anyway, small little disclaimer here: I'm Asian Australian and that's part of my mental model.

K-Rudd is a former diplomat, speaks mandarin, markets himself in Asia very well and his daughter married has an Asian Australian man.
Bob Carr's wife Helena is Malaysian.
It's great to write again. It's a welcome break from being knocked up. LOL

VERY IMPORTANT UPDATE

Another good move by some Malaysians

Everytime we think Malaysia is finally out of the dark ages, it rears its ugly head once again.
This happens everytime an international music act plays a gig there. Linkin Park, Gwen Stefani and now Beyonce. The protests come from the union of muslim students (I admit I've got this wrong because I can't be bothered to remember what they're called) in regards to dress code, yadayadayada....ad nauseam.

WTF, my overseas dwelling ass thought.

I wonder if these people have seen what Malaysian female artists are wearing. HELLO??? Just read any malay gossip rag lah and you'll find that these women are actually wearing or not wearing exactly the same amount of clothing as Beyonce. Example:

To the union of muslim yadayadayada students yadayada....etc. etc.:

NEWSFLASH: Why not protest against these women instead? They're right there in your own backyard of Kuala Lumpur, unlike Beyonce or Gwen who are on the other side of the globe. Why not hold these Malaysian women to your own standards?

Why do it only when the international media are watching you? Why embarrass the hell out of other normal Malaysians?

Anything?

Can't bring myself to accept new jobs or look for any. I've spent the past months wondering WTF do I do with my MBA..... WTF do I do about my marriage..... my life.....

During my time in Fontainebleau and Singapore. I let weeks pass by without speaking to my husband. It was easy to immerse myself in the experience and let it change me. There was no third party on my side of things, but I don't know about my husband, though. Corporate Finance people from BigAssGlobal first tier banks like him stray all the time.... the fact that I don't know and don't want to know is a huge concern to me. Don't I care anymore? I really thought I had everything. I was even arrogant about it all. I am looking through my old blog to put pieces of my life together again.

So why am I blogging again? Hopefully I can find myself again. I am so LOST.

This is an idea for what's next

I am not thinking of having a baby to save my marriage. 

Babies happen to people who never even thought of having them. 

I admit that I have never thought of having one until now. 

I have lived 33plus selfish years on this earth. Can/dare/should/would/could/will/etc. I do it?

Still undecided

It's been a while since I finished at INSEAD.

And my life has changed so much. Not what I expected it would be, though.

I haven't come home powering straight into the labour force at all. My marriage has survived but it's so different. I can't even put my head around things at the moment, let alone blog about it.

I am finding myself spending days doing nothing at all because there's a "what now?" void in my life.

The Credit Card Disease in Australia

(July 2007 Australian issue of Marie Claire, pg. 81 article: Are You In The Debt Set?)


This article addresses Australia's "spend now, pay later" culture, amongst young women in particular. I have always wondered how these young blonde things who cut my hair in salons thumb their noses at me for not using those salon products that cost around AUD50 per bottle when they earn a fraction of what I earn, spend all their money on rent, designer gear, partying..... read this article. There are women whose annual credit card bill totals up to 37k when they earn 40k per annum.

I know I'm considered an old fuddy duddy by their standards because I'm approaching my mid 30's, own property and other assets, etc.
The article also states that the national credit card debts total AUD39billion. That's a ridiculous amount. That amount should be sufficient to wipe off the national debt of a third world country.
From the get-go (from birth), we are all told that this is the lucky country, that everybody deserves the Australian Dream.

The Australian Dream is a wonderful thing. It should be something that we aspire to and strive for. I'm all for those values and ideals. BUT I don't agree with the people who walk around in denial in an illusion that they're living that dream that is beyond their means. Sydney is an expensive city- and it is NOT New York, and you're NOT Carrie Bradshaw. Wake up.

Food blogging corner

Tapas for three:
salsa verde, roasted garlic and bread entree, sofritos, polenta biscuits, lamb, deep fried zucchini flowers, grilled cheese, artichoke hearts, tapenade, quail, zucchini, tuna stuffed pimento.... etc.

Perfect for that mid afternoon pick-me-up.

Delicado Foods
2/134 Blues Point Rd
McMahons Point NSW
2060 - (02) 9955 9399
Open Mon-Sat 7am-7pm; Sun 9am-5pm


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