The Hall Of Fame Gone Wrong

I thank God, my Lord! I thank mom. I thank every single person in the world and yet not some. These are the ones that almost or could have destroyed my very future if it were not for the grace of God and some effort I made. To these people : You're excluded from my thank-list.

But, don't be discouraged. You are in another list. The hate-list. No doubt my words are harsh, but who would understand the misery of being targeted like targets for two whole years?? And to live the life I lived for such a period would be hell for any sane human. Well, at least something like hell. Telling me to shut up right now would be senseless in any sense.

And thus, the ceremony begins. The first person to be inducted into Clarence's Hall of Hate would be the infamous pants-pulling, jokes-cracking, table-thumping and words-slurring son of a gun - Ng Yi Sung. Apart from looking sleepy all the time, this guy's a GREAT Physics teacher. Oh, yea! Believe that! His well-known feats includes making a fool out of himself, entertaining the class as a clown, and being a total failure. And of course, not forgetting to mention his infamous catchphrase "You want to die ah?" That, my friends, is the mentality of a Physics teacher, a little over half a century in age. Imagine then how good it is to have a Physics teacher as described above. My sincere thanks goes to Mr.H.C.Lim, my tuition teacher for Physics. Without him, I would have been ensnared in the world of that lunatic. This concludes the induction of our first Hall Of Hater, Ng Yi Sung. Many cheers to him.

Next in the line would be the Modern Maths teacher, some lady named Chen. Sadly, I can't even remember her name. Oh well, who needs to anyway? I'm nobody to condemn anybody but this lady definitely looks ugly. Putting that aside, she thought all of us were a sick sad bunch of freaks. We were like thorns in her side. One of her favourite past time would be scolding the crap out of us. Words like "stupid", "useless" were often heard throughout the scolding. Even when nobody did anything wrong, the scolding would still be on. It has become a habit for her, a habit which made her a mad woman and much older. If we could overlook all that, she was quite a good teacher. Anyways, my little heart-felt thanks still goes to her. Guess we'll have to look at the little bright side of someone, eh? Second one down.

Now, in order to cut short my blabberings which some of you might not even understand, I would go to our final and also most outstanding Hall Of Hater. And the award goes to (drum roll), Deh-warnei Dust. This was the woman who made my life a living hell. This was the woman who made me hate my sciences. This was the woman who made me hate every inch of her. For some sort of reason, I've always been her bullseye. No matter what it was and no matter who was the culprit, I would always be the scapegoat. Besides getting fired when I wasn't even opening my gap, I would get into all sorts of trouble with her. It's quite difficult to put down in words what I've been through with her but I'm sure some of my classmates could attest to what I've said. The fact that I'm Dust's favourite target is as well known a fact as the sun exists. I'm not exaggerating but trust me, if those people in Hitler's concentration camp were alive today, they would be taking pity on me. I've made a vow to myself not to thank her no matter what grades I get. And indeed, this day, I am not thanking her one bit. She did not help me in anyway in Chemistry and I never needed her help. With that, I officially welcome our three new Hall Of Hater. Enjoy!

P/S : To all the victors in the battle, my salutations to you for triumphing in this big chapter of your life. To all my brothers and sisters in Christ, to God be the glory and may we never cease to praise Him all the remaining days of our lives. To those who are deeply moved with what I wrote above, if you are facing or faced such situations, remember, be patient just like I have been and you will triumph eventually. Love your enemies, for if you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. The Word of The Lord lives forever. Amen.

** Names used above have been changed to avoid controversies.

This World, So Unfair...Or Is It Just My Country?

Warning. The following story which I'm about to narrate will definitely boil your blood and burst your veins. Nah, just some hyperboule for introduction but then again, not just plain hyperboule. It contains a splinter of truth and the truth is, that was just what nearly happened to me on one Tuesday afternoon, dated 28th of February 2006.

It would be a beautiful and flawless day if it were not for the damn hocus pocus I had to go through in order to get my MyKad. You see, me and my mom had to travel miles, all the way to some cursed, isolated place in the middle of nowhere, just to get a piece of card when things could be a million times simpler if people were to just use what they have - brains. And that's just the beginning of a very bad dream which cannot even qualify as a nightmare.

Sometimes, I just could not understand where is the little intelligence in some people. I don't know where do they put their brains or when do they use them. I mean look, we have a nice building, completely or almost new, in the most strategic place one can ever imagine (Greentown Ipoh) and yet our Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara was purposely moved to some isolated place even further out than Silibin. And just today, the price of petrol has gone way up by 30 cents a litre. Man, I'm living in Pasir Putih! Can you fathom the distance I have to travel? And can you calculate the loss in that? Now, that's what we call mere wastage. Both of time and money. Talk about being thrifty. This is the first issue I would like to address.

Upon reaching there, I thought, "Alright. This will be worth it since I'm getting my MyKad." Hell no. I was completely wrong. It didn't really take me a long time to get my MyKad in there. But the way the staff were doing their job made me sick. Some of them were just walking around like they were doing window-shopping in a huge mall. They have few counters and yet only one or two were operating. The way they were doing their job makes one wonder if there's nobody waiting for anything in there at all. This is the second issue I would like to address.

While queueing up for my number, a woman came and stood next to me. I thought, "Well, maybe she'd move behind me when the queue moves." And this was the day when all my thoughts were wrong. She kept moving up alongside me. I was getting angrier by the minute when suddenly, she left the queue. I thought, "Aha. Now she knows who's the boss." But as I said earlier, this was the day when all my thoughts were wrong. This was my Friday the 13th. I turned around and saw her calling her husband and these were her words which fueled my wrath. She spoke in Cantonese to her husband, "Line up here. You're behind the guy with red shirt." She was completely ignoring my presence, like I was invisible. The guy with red shirt was right in front of me and here she's telling her husband that her place was just behind that guy, dethroning me from the place I deserved. And so, her husband took her place alongside me and continued what was started by her. While almost my turn, the staff at the counter made a remark to the husband of that unreasonable woman saying, "Encik, tolong berbaris." I thought, "Aha. Justice is served this time." But he got off by just mumbling, "Bini saya suruh saya baris sini." which I'm quite sure the staff didn't hear a word. And so, I lost out to the infamous queue-cutting couple.

The number rang and it was my turn to collect my MyKad at the counter. I went with an overflowing hope that I'll get a nice and beautiful MyKad. The first impression I got when I look at myself in the MyKad was that I was a drug-addict who simply can't get enough of drugs. Putting the photo aside, everything was well apparently. I went on to check my details and fine enough, something was good this time, or so I thought (Now take note of the word "I thought" here). Then I went to another counter to check for further details, which was my religion and to my dismay, I was entered as a Buddhist. The guy at the counter asked me, "Do you want to change your religion in the system or in the chip or both?" I replied, "Both." and he gave me some forms which were exactly what I filled up when I applied for the MyKad the first time. Then, I was given a number and I had to wait again. The apparent consolation I thought I was getting was this : I'd get a new MyKad with a better photo. =P

I went when they called my number and sure enough, I took a photo and was asked to wait till they call my number again. And so, the waiting continued for awhile before it was finally my turn. Now, this is the final blow which dashed all my hopes to the ground. I was asked by the woman staff, "Do you want to change your religion in the system or in the chip?" I told her I want both. And her answer was one you thought you heard wrongly or you had trouble with your hearing. She told me that to change the religion in the system would be free but to change the religion in the chip will cause me RM10. Come on! Where is the justice in that? I wasn't even at fault here and now you're asking me to pay for your fault? Finally, she told me that I had to change my MyKad again when I'm 18, which I will be in November 2006. She then told me to wait till then and not waste 10 bucks for nothing now. That's reasonable. NOT! I was forced to change my IC to MyKad because the government said they will fine those who don't in December 2005. And here, I was told I need to change it once more when I'm 18. So the question is, why didn't they just let me wait till I'm 18 and change my MyKad once and for all, thus avoiding all these nonsense??

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the brains of some folks.

Unshave Me Bald?

Lost hair in a bet

There is nothing like instances to grow hair on a bald-head argument. The words of Mark Twain echoes through my mind. The latest episode of the Police-Citizen epic was this. 1 man with a coffee shop, 10 men with mahjong : 11 men shaved bald. The whole story was as simple as this. It wasn't even one month away after the nude-squat issue was barely settled and here comes another drama. My mind is overflowing with words to describe the police force but "out of control", I would say, are the best.

Where is freedom? Where is democracy? What crime did they commit, these 11 men? What crime did they commit, deserving such humiliation? A simple game of mahjong? Alleged gambling? Ridiculous. Absurd. One could never fully fathom the mind of the police force. But yet, as the Bible says, quoting from Luke 7:35, "But wisdom is justified of all her children." True wisdom shows itself by its works; folly is never found in the wise man’s way, any more than wisdom is in the path of a fool.

These 11 men were not completely innocent. But neither were they guilty in such a way as to deserve such treatment. Why did criminals, who committed even more serious offences, not receive a hair cut, what more to say, shaved bald? Let's say that these 11 men were indeed gambling. Then, and only then that they are guilty of a crime. But what if they were not even gambling? What if they were just having a mere game of mahjong to blend into the Chinese New Year mood? Both options leave no room for the police to justify their actions. Guilty or not, they never deserved such treatment. They were no murderers. They were no rapists. They were no dogs to begin with.

One of the most outrageous thing that I found was this. The police were unrepentant. They were not even sorry for their actions. They claimed that shaving heads was a law and was necessary. This is no different than a murderer who killed someone and then claimed that he has to do it as it was necessary. A game of mahjong is simply a tradition. It's simply a game, to meet up with friends during the Chinese New Year festive season, and to sum it up, it's simply for fellowship. Now, everyone would be afraid to touch mahjong every Chinese New Year. Everyone would be afraid to use chips to play mahjong. Everyone would be afraid to play mahjong even without chips. Think of the possible consequences of this incident. Think of the worst case scenario. This could cause a tension between races. Just one foolish act by the police and the many years of building and bonding of relationship between races could be destroyed. The Chinese would accuse the government of being unfair and unjust. They would think, why were the Malays not caught for playing with fire-crackers during Hari Raya? Why were the Indians not fined for dirtying the streets during Thaipussam? As simple an incident as this may result in a tragedy similar to the one in 13 May 1969. Maybe worse.

We know that the government has been fair all the while. Still, this incident definitely brought a certain impact upon everyone (but of course not as serious as what I said). Citizens would have a different view about the police force now (it's not like we do not have one before). A view, maybe, of how abusive is the police force. The only thing we as citizens can do is to forgive. Christian or not, forgiving is no harm to anybody. The police should be granted another chance. We should not put the final nail in the coffin just yet. Let us wait for the change, the improvement that we hope to see. Let us pray that the nail would never need to be hammered in, or heads need to be shaved again.

The Battle

The struggle got heavier. Each second seemed like forever. He wouldn't give up. Neither would I. Both of us fought intensely. I stood my ground, he stood his. After a long period of win-win situation, I mustled up all the energy I could find. I gave it all I could and I pushed. It's not working. I pushed again. Harder this time. But to my dismay, he was as solid as a rock, not even budging. It has been an hour but still everything remained as it was. He was once the source of my energy but now he was the source of my pain. I stopped for a moment, trying to catch my breath. Sweat was all over me. The air inside the room was intoxicated with a foul smell. Probably due to the emission of a certain gas from his body. I couldn't stand it anymore. I told myself that I have to get out of here. Though my body was weak and exhausted, without a single ounce of energy, I pulled myself up. I felt an excruciating pain from the inside. It was as though I could hear him laughing at me. I surrendered to the pain and stopped for a moment or two. I began to look around for something solid which I can push against. The walls beside me looked most inviting. I pushed against them with my bare hands. I was almost standing. This time, a sudden surge of energy occured in me and I victoriously pushed him out. He fell down into the water and there he laid, still and motionless. I heaved a great sigh of relieve. I turned around and looked down at him. He was still in one piece. The water cushioned the fall. A soft wind blew, and I could almost hear a faint voice cursing me. There was only was last thing to do and that was to finish him off. I pulled the handle down. A rumbling sound was heard and water flowed out vigorously with great speed. The water came down on him, crushing him and he went whirling down the hole, lost forever in the seas of waste matter. I stood for awhile, reminiscing the fight that I fought. A soft wind blew past me. I won the battle. The battle of constipation.

Miracles

Have you ever wondered, or give a thought, about this question : Does God still work miracles NOW? I personally don't think so, well at least not in the following context. It's very rare to see miracles such as those in the New Testament. We don't see the feeding of a crowd with only five loaves of bread and two fishes now. We don't see demons get cast out now (at least not like in Jesus' time). We don't see lame people walk miraculously, or the blind receive their sight now (I don't mean through operations or surgeries), what more to say the dead being raised? BUT, I definitely believe God works miracles in a different way now. Don't believe? Judge it for yourself at the end of this post.

It has been so many years since I started going to our youth group, Elim Youth. When I was much younger, nothing mattered to me, cause all I do was have fun, without a care in the world. But now, many things are different. I'm no longer just another normal Elim Youth-goer but I'm someone with responsibility. I'm in the committee. I have always considered our youth to be so-called "unlucky". Why? Well, I have always envied at other youth groups of other churches. They have everything. From quality to quantity. "Why?" I asked God. What is wrong with our youth group? Not to say we don't have quality, but the quantity. Everyone knows that quantity does not matter when compared to quality but isn't it discouraging when you attend the youth and the number is like 10?? It definitely is, especially when you're in the committee. Throughout the years, the numbers have changed. Not that it got bigger but instead, it got smaller. Now, stop for a second and think. A small number of people is already discouraging enough, what more to say when that small number grows smaller? I don't remember whether it was this year or last year but there was a time when only 5 people turned up for EY. 5. Only. I thought to myself at that point, how could this youth group survive??

But by the grace of God, a miracle happened. I truly and strongly believe in the power of prayer. I prayed (not sure about the others) and waited. I prayed again and waited. I thought God has given up on us. The only reason I could think of why there was no increment in our numbers is that God was not satisfied. The prayer I prayed - "Lord, please bless our Elim Youth. Pray that more people will come for our EY, Lord. Let us, the committee, first correct our attitudes and our lives before we try to bring more people to the EY. Strengthen us in our walk with you so that we can lead the other youths in EY." That's the gist of it. Well, God doesn't always answer prayers speedily and He didn't with mine either but He surely DID answer it after all. And this is the part which I claimed, was a miracle. Would you believe it or not, just lately (for the past two weeks), our numbers have gone up from barely over 15 to nearly over 30. That's twice the amount, people! TWICE!! Praise the Lord indeed!

Now if this is not a miracle to you, ladies and gentlemen, then I don't know wat is. I'd never really know why our numbers have not grown for the past years but two things I know for sure is that God answers prayers (in His time) and God works miracles even now. I know now that God's favour is upon the youth group. And that's the only and very reason why we are growing - in quantity, and not forgetting spiritually. May this story be an encouragement to all who read. Miracles have not extinct.

Wake Me Up When September Ends

Green Day - Wake Me Up When September Ends


Encoded By Clarence's Records

Here is a great song with great music, great lyrics and great video. I'd really wish to wake up when September ends. SPM trials is a stress! But think twice, I'd rather wake up on 3rd of December. Haha. Cheers.

Wake Me Up When September Ends - Green Day

Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
Wake me up when September ends

Like my father's come to pass
Seven years has gone so fast
Wake me up when September ends

Here comes the rain again
Falling from the stars
Drenched in my pain again
Becoming who we are

As my memory rests
But never forgets what I lost
Wake me up when September ends

Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
Wake me up when September ends

Ring out the bells again
Like we did when spring began
Wake me up when September ends

Here comes the rain again
Falling from the stars
Drenched in my pain again
Becoming who we are

Music Mania

White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan

Here are some happening albums(my favourite). Definitely worth your time. Few are unreleased but anyway there's always www.isohunt.com! Haha! Have a nice day!

~ The Rasmus - Hide From The Sun
~ Switchfoot - Nothing Is Sound
~ Nickel Creek - Why Should The Fire Die?
~ Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better... with Franz Ferdinand
~ The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema
~ The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan
~ The Killers - Hot Fuss
~ Green Day - American Idiot
~ Keane - Hopes & Fears
~ Gorillaz - Demon Days
~ Coldplay ~ X & Y
~ Crossfade - Crossfade
~ Crazy Frog - Crazy Hits
~ Staind - Chapter V
~ Seether - Karma & Effect
~ Cake - Motorcade Of Generosity
~ Cake - Prolonging The Magic
~ Cake - Fashion Nugget
~ Cake - Comfort Eagle
~ Cake - Pressure Chief

Ok that's about it. I know it's a hell lot but anyways you can not get it if you don't want. Just some food for thought. Out.

The Dark Side Of National Service

Otto Von Bismarck

One of the things I've dreaded most ever since the NS programme started is that I'll be one of the 'lucky' ones selected. Today, that dread no longer hold me. For those that are still in the dark, here's the website to check -

http://www.khidmatnegara.gov.my/ns/semakanStatusPeserta.jsp

I can't prove that this is final but rumours have it that it is. Well, if getting selected for NS is considered 'lucky', I'll rather have bad luck instead and indeed I got what I wanted - that is mere bad luck.

For me, NS is not only a waste of time, enery, cost and effort but also a factor in the rise of crime rates such as molestation, rape and so on. The government and people can babble all they want about the pros of NS but in reality, it's just another lie. Do people really learn anything in NS? Everything is made up - the advantages, the benefit - it's all a fantasy which the government desires. Well, the one and only advantage of NS which I can think of is it keeps you physically fit. This is because half of the programme involves physical activities. But then again, this so-called advantage brings harm too because it is these physical activities that creates opportunity for trainers/trainees to unleash their lust. So do we now consider this advantage an advantage still or disadvantage instead? Discipline? Independency? These are values which could never be attained in National Service.

I am not against the government but this is my view concerning the National Service. If the government would drop the idea of this programme and spend time and money on some more promising programmes instead, I am sure less troubles will occur and the sexual crime rates will definitely go down. I thank God I'm not chosen (I've been praying since last year =p) but if I was, I'll still accept it with a grateful heart. The only problem now is that I only assume that I'm not chosen. Who knows whether there is a second or maybe a third badge??

Chariot

Chariot - Gavin DeGraw

Staring at a maple leaf
Leaning on the mother tree
I said to myself we all lost touch
Your favorite fruit is chocolate covered cherries
And seedless watermelon ohhhh
Nothing from the ground is good enough
Body rised
It puts over me

[Chorus:]
Oh chariot your golden waves
are walking down upon this face
Oh chariot I'm singing out loud
To guide me
Give me your:
Strength

Remember seeking moons of birth
Rings made mirrors of the earth
The sun was just yellow energy
It is a living promise land
Even over fields of sand
City filled with burden
Cover me
From bringing back
More than a memory

[Chorus]

You'll be my vacation away from this place
You know what I want
Holding that cup,
It's pouring over the sides
Make me wanna spread my arms and fly

[Chorus]

Michael's Acquittal

King Of Pop : Michael Jackson

It's been ages since i last wrote but something struck me to get this blog going on again. I'm not interested in writing stuff about myself here (e.g. my personal things or diary-like entries). Instead, I'm much more into things that concerns Christianity, current affairs, or just plainly my thoughts/opinions on some things (e.g. movie, book, song). What struck me to get this going on again (as you can read from the title) was the acquittal of the infamous King of Pop - Michael Jackson - from all counts. I've always been on his side for no particular reason and I believe he's innocent. I did not know of his acquittal till I heard from one my dumb friends (who calls him a child molester 24/7 in front of me). On hearing the news, I became overjoyed for words, again for no particular reason. I neither like Jackson's looks nor adore his style of dressing but yet i supported him all the time. Funny guy you may say but then again not that funny after all.

After some thought about this matter, I finally came to a conclusion that I was on Jackson's side due to how the defense presented their case. The way they rejected every single charge with indisputal logic and irrefutable evidence was the winning point in this case. On the other hand, Jackson's accuser had a rather weak credibility as she was portrayed by the defense as a welfare cheat who brought a trumped-up lawsuit against J.C. Penney, accusing store guards of roughing her and her family up. With just that, it's already a sure-win case for Jackson even from the very beginning.

Jackson is not my idol or what but I really hope that people will learn to respect him in the future and not simply labelling him a child molester. Every human is a sinner and even if Jackson was guilty, it is not right for us to look at him as a sick freak and pass rude comments about him. In the Bible, Jesus saved a woman who was about to be stoned by saying let him who has never sinned cast the first stone. Jesus also taught us in the book of Luke not to simply pass judgement or condemnation. Let us not judge people by the way the look (just because Jackson had surgery who turned him from a nigger into a white guy with pointy nose, it doesn't mean he's a monster) and if we could practice this, I'm sure the world will be a whole lot better place for us to live in.