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Saturday, January 02, 2010
{ 2:10 AM on '' }
Amelina: Ok bathing haha let's play when we meet :D
K.mai: Hello you so super Rafflesian! You are damn enthu about everything. As are Sadikin and Amelina haha
Sadikin: Haha I am chilled. And thanks, you too! Happening life eh some people enjoying freedom before 4th Feb
Sheila: Move house sounds very appealing hmm. Anyway Nursheila you can drop by anytime if you want my whatever notes!
Fawaz: Aww don't be sad. Merkchandize dah outdated haha
Bye merkz.bs
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
{ 8:43 AM on '' }
Ugh I've been putting off ~reflecting~ back on 09 for some time now and I guess it's now or never.
Actually 09 has been so boring and uneventful that maybe I should ~reflect~ on the last 6 years because my life = school = rp
I never felt like a true Rafflesian anyway. A Rafflesian = Classchair + head of cca + member of congress + member of sln + part of osl + psl. And I, my friends, despite being awesome, was never any of the above. Because honestly I couldn't care less. I was (am?) such a jaded person I don't know if it's just me or the environment (rg made me suffer serious esteem issues like the people in this school are totally ridic). But in any case Rg was okay I liked it because it was homely (not physically cos really the place is quite dilapidated I'd be worried if you consider that your home). So what if I wasn't the most enthusiastic person around, it didn't matter because I was fine in my own little bubble of angklung-hating, pepsicolainthemalayroom-playing friends. It was okay not to have a lot of friends because it didn't matter. Nothing much mattered when you're in rg, not the 230174032752 pts, not rs, not even your gpa (well it counts but aiya who cares).
But when I came to rj it was different. Everyone made new friends, joined new ccas etc and everything was so different. Walk into the canteen in the morning and you see the jock (soccer/rugby/hockey) table, dance table, touch rug table, netball table, archery table etc. It was so weird to me like suddenly everyone had their own identities and I didn't, not really. But I thought, what the hey, doesn't matter. But I think it some ways it really did matter because if there is a point in life where you should go out there and get involved in things and do things you've never done before, I think it's jc. But of course I did none of that and I would say I don't think I made choices that I should've made. Which is why my jc years are so sad. There is almost no fond memories at all. I wasn't depressed but I wasn't happy either. From jaded I became... unfeeling. Going through the motions like a robot. Oh well.
In the last 6 years the only thing I was passionate about was bahas. When I was a kid I used to watch 4pm finals with my dad on tv and even though I had no idea what the heck they were arguing about, I thought they looked super kewl and smart and I wanted to be just like them. Which is why I was extremely excited to follow the 06 team around. Even though I was completely useless and got bullied a lot, I enjoyed watching them brainstorm and practise and yell at each other and hearing Kak Guy's random spouts of wisdom. And even though I knew I wasn't a great debater(why is it not spelled "debator?") I liked it a lot and I am 4eva thankful for Brighty because I couldn't have asked for a better team. Even though I wasn't great, the team was and that's all that mattered. And because bahas was my one and only passion my whole happiness in rj hinged upon bahas (wah wah dramatic). Of course as we know rj bahas didn't turn out as I would have wanted it to and every single day of the past year I kept beating myself up because I knew every single thing could have turned out differently had I done just One thing differently. That One thing haunted me like 4eva and I was so depressed like totally dramatic y'all. But after thinking about it for so long, I doubt that I would do anything differently. Even though my attempt to prevent nonsense ended up causing more nonsense anyway, I think at the end of the day I suffered most of the nonsense and that's better than making someone/everyone else suffer, amirrite? So I didn't get to look kewl and smart like the debaters I used to watch but what the hey it was fun while it lasted. And although bahas and I have unfinished business, I think it's time we say goodbye and go our separate ways. Goodbye... bye... bye.... by...(echo, to make it dramatic)
I suppose I thought that I would be more... evolved at the end of 6 years (like a Pokemon) but I really don't. Am I smarter/more experienced/more mature? I guess in some ways yes but I don't know if it's enough. I will be 19 in a few months and it's a scary thought like where on earth has my teenage years gone?! Everytime I do/say/consider buying something I will pause and think whether this is what a 19 year old will do/say/buy. If this is not an identity crisis I don't know what is. But what the hey (how many times have I used this phrase?!) I survived the most important exams in my life (for now, maybe different story when results are out) and I am set to rule the world. Oh except I'm lacking in funds because no one wants to hire me because of my unconfirmed conversational malay schedule and my lack of work experience like hello of course no experience because you people don't want to hire me? Duh. But you know what. WHAT THE HEY 2009 CAN KISS MY BIG FAT ASS.
Come to Mama 2010. Come to Mama.
(that was so not a ~reflection~ it was a rant about random things but whatevs I am awesome)
Oh and to anyone who cares, I am moving. Merkz has been good but I want change. See you soon.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
{ 7:58 AM on '' }
I am perpetually blogging in my head but when I come here there is nothing to say. I await the day someone comes up with a way to wire brains to computers. Then again that might not be such a good idea...
Anyway I think they will stop Singapore Idol now because there can be no winners except malay boys hehe but I like Sezairi better than Sylvia anyway la and I thought his performances tonight were dabombz. But obviously no one comes close to Taufik like hello. I must say I don't really know if I like the new image but he can do no wrong in my eyes so wadeva. Also, I know Charice wants to show off her vocals and the fact that she is a Celine Dion fan but must she sing the same songs she always sings. Ok not like I've watched a lot of her performances but I watched the ones on Oprah (yay Oprah) so like not so oopmh. But still that girl is one of a kind why can't Singaporeans sing like that.
Bored k bye
Saturday, December 19, 2009
{ 7:07 AM on '' }
Nadirah was good I thoroughly enjoyed myself and it had the elements that make Yasmin Ahmad's films so amazing - humour at all the right moments and it leaves you thinking. Not like having a fleeting thought but really Think.
Brief summary: About a girl called Nadirah whose dad is Malaysian Malay and mum is Singaporean peranakan who became a Muslim. The parents separated so Nadirah lives in Singapore with the mum. The mum falls in love with a devout Christian and plans to have a civil marriage which, under Islamic law, is not recognised. Nadirah is tormented; she does not know how to accept this man as part of the family and she no longer knows who her mum is because how can this woman, who raised her to be a good Muslim, be willing to do something against the religion for the sake of love?
I think the crux of the play lies in these two lines:
1) "How do you love God when you can't love another human being?
Essentially the issue of divine and earthly love. Nadirah refuses to even see Robert (the Christian man) because she hates what he is doing to her mum - she accompanies him to church and takes off her tudung when she does. Nadirah's friend, Maznah (MY FAVOURITE CHARACTER), said the above line and for once Nadirah kept quiet and really thought about how baseless her hatred for him is. He is a good man who loves and cares for her mum and who is she to judge his worth solely based on his faith? How can she claim to love God and accuse her mum of not loving God as much as her when she herself cannot accept a fellow human being who has done no wrong to her? After all, the whole of mankind is His creation so if you are not willing to love His creation how can you claim to be on a higher moral/religious ground? Islam teaches us to be accepting of others, not to judge or hate on the basis of faith. If you can't look beyond that and truly understand/accept a mere mortal for his true character, what makes you think you can understand and love God , who is on a whole other (divine) level?
2) "There is only room for one God (in this house)"
"How do you know it's not the same God?"
It's true isn't it? We all know Christianity and Islam are really more similar than we realise and sometimes people just forget. Why the divisions then? Why the fighting the chaos the riots? I think the basis of all religions are the same. They all spread the message of peace, love, good. No religion condones or encourages doing evil deeds right (unless I dunno Satanism or something? /:) I thought the football analogy was so clever. "You support Man U, I support Liverpool. We are loyal to our favourite clubs but in the end it is the same game we love and enjoy to watch."
I also loved the contrast between Farouk and Maznah (both Nadirah's friends). One is somewhat an extremist, an ustaz wannabe who is forever preaching. The other is like a "liberal" Muslim - Muslim because she was born Muslim and does not really practise the religion. Farouk's character is interesting (Sadikin calls it problematic haha) because as much as his faith is sturdy, he is also guilty of pride - you can tell he thinks he is superior to Maznah and is so proud of his knowledge of Islam that he (quite disrespectfully, in my opinion) meets Robert to convince him to either convert or not marry Nadirah's mum. He also buruk sangka (thinks bad?) of Nadirah's mum, claiming that she plotted the whole divorce and plan to marry under civil law yada yada which is so nonsense. His preaching is overly dramatic (sometimes comical to me) and ineffective which goes to show you can't use force - education is the way to go. This is also why Maznah is interesting. As much as her clothes are tak senonoh for the most part of the play, she somewhat taubats at the end not because of Farouk's incessant preachings (which she constantly makes sarcastic comments about - I like hehe) but because she herself went to read up on the religion and truly understands instead of going through the motions just because she was "born into the religion". (Also because she is falling for a hot Turkish guy whose dad is an imam, but I think the fact that she is making the effort to understand and appreciate shows that even if things with Turkish dude doesn't work out, the tudung will stay)
The timing is apt what with all the hoohaa regarding broken Malay families in BH recently. Some people think that these families need all the help they can get, some people think religious authorities should preach about the religion because the crux of the problem in these families is lack of religious fundamentals. I think neither would be truly effective. You keep offering help, when will they ever learn? When I read the article about the young woman who has 5 kids out of wedlock with 3 different men, I can't help thinking why does she not learn her lesson? She claims she did use protection, as if that is clearly the main problem. It's not whether you use protection or not, it's the ACT itself that is wrong, how can you try to justify it by claiming to have used birth control. Maybe I am being judgemental but I can understand if it was a mistake, once or twice. But FIVE TIMES? This is clearly not just a problem of carelessness or impulse, it's a case of blatant irresponsibility and ignorance of the gravity of her actions. She is now struggling to make ends meet because she has to stay home to take care of the kids and the 3 men are all in jail. What on earth is going on, really. Of course financial assistance would help to some extent, but I think education is most important. Not preaching, not condemning, but educating. Teach these families to love the game before guiding them to embrace and pledge complete loyalty to a particular club.
Also, it's interesting isn't it, to think about what makes a person "good". Is a Christian "bad" in the eyes of a Muslim and vice versa? Is a person who wears tudung "good" and one who doesn't "bad"? Madrasah kids good and secular kids bad? The issue of civil marriage is soooooo intriguing. As far as I understand, civil marriage is not recognised under Islamic law so any sexual relations is considered zina and any child born is illegitimate. My research tells me "No adulterer is a believer at the time when he is committing adultery" so as long as Nadirah's mum is married to Robert under civil law (and by extension, having sexual relations) then she is murtad and as much as she practises the religion after the marriage, all of it is void? Essentially she is "bad" then and there is no redeeming her unless she ends the marriage? Is that right? Hmmm. This is too much I think I won't be able to sleep tonight and I bet Sadikin feels the same way.
All in all actors were great, script was so clever. But it left me feeling sad because as much as it was a success, it was a play and not a film. There can only be one Yasmin Ahmad and it is such a huge loss to not be able to enjoy her films, think about her thought-provoking points of view. Gone too soon indeed.
Anyway it is sad 99% of my friends have never watched her films. Please Please Please watch her films, starting from Sepet. It's less "heavy" because it's a love story that touches on cultural more than religious issues and after watching it you would naturally want to watch Gubra to know what happens to Jason. In Gubra she introduces the religious elements with the story of the imam and prostitute with controversial scenes like the imam patting a dog. And then move on to Muallaf which is a bit more "religious" though the focus is still on love, family, humanity etc. Srzly watch please ): The films are not even in Malay. I would say 40% malay, 30% english and 30% Cantonese and the malay parts are mixed with english lor. Watch and join the club which currently consists of me and Sadikin only. We need friends.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
{ 3:14 AM on '' }
Long time no see I will talk about PROM hahahha how tak basi am I but srzly need to record this so I remember Not To Go For Prom Or Similar Events because semestinya I am not a people person and neither are my friends so we all had quite a miserable time there. Come to think of it only one of us really wanted to go, quite funny how we all ended up going eh. Anyway I think part of the reason we didn't have a good time was because we weren't seated together? The story goes like this. A few kids really wanted to go for prom, the rest of us quite indifferent and while waiting to settle a class table, some classmates thought nobody was going so they ran off to create tables with their own friends. So the rest of us couldnt form a full table because people either didn't want to go or have already formed tables with other people. But since some junior PROMISED us that she wouldn't separate us we said yea ok whatever. Of course juniors cannot be trusted and we were separated anyway. Funny thing is most of the people who didn't want to go were there anyway so we actually could've formed a table. Can you tell that my class has no communication problems whatsoever?
So anyway I was seated with Jill and the only other person I knew at the table was Zhiyi and the rest were strange boys. It was weird. Barbie and Dee left mega early because Barbie had eye trouble so they went back to our room. After awhile Jill wanted to leave too and then she disappeared and I couldn't possibly stay at that table because Zhiyi disappeared too so Nurul Amelia and I roamed around outside the ballroom waiting for people we knew to appear so that we could take picture but after awhile couldn't take it so we joined the rest at the hotel room. Told you we are not people people. It was barely halfway through the actual prom I think? After Seng Henk and Cherie's performance. I felt really bad for leaving because I felt rude(?) and damn wasted cos I paid to be there? The food was damn good btw that was the only saviour. Since I barely had anyone to talk to at the table I ate. :D I like food. Back at the hotel room the kids went to change and drink their prom woes away at the hotel bar (miserable see) while Nurul and I stayed in the room. Nothing beats lazing around on a comfy bed. I like lazing around. Miff joined us later (she stayed for the entire prom) and soon the kids came back (Jill quite tipsy but then again even without alchohol she is not quite sane) and we went to watch New Moon hahahhaha it was very dramatic we mistakenly took the long way round to get to City Hall (we wanted to take underpass to Marina) and we were already late and then we discovered that the underpass was closed so we hailed 2 cabs (yea from Swissotel to Marina Square) and when we finally got there the ads were playing and they played for so damn long like hello anticlimatic. New Moon was Extremely entertaining (for all the wrong reasons) I totally loved it. Oh yes before that Jill and Barbie had time to buy some vodka from 7-11. My friends are alchoholics. By the time we got back Barbie plopped on the bed and started snoring while the rest of us talked/watched tv/bathed/ate some more. By 5+am everyone was asleep except Nurul Jill and I. Suddenly Nurul said eh I'm quite sleepy then Jill said yea me too and 2 secs later when I looked at them they were both asleep. So I was alone and couldn't and didn't sleep at all D: So yes that is our story as you can see we are not very happening people at all. Like Jill said we should have just booked the room, eaten at Carousel and go do our own things instead of attending prom. If we wanted to take pictures we could've crashed (hello Dian Irshah Nabilah Nat Yingqi and many more). I blame peer pressure.
In other news I reorganized my laptop recently and instead of posting prom pictures (overload on Fb amirrite my friends) I will post pictures of cool people.
All of us obviously looking way cool but I think Dian a tad cooler than the rest
 Arina looking cool
Mai and Nad looking cool
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Sadikin oozing coolness 
Brighty emulating a Very Cool Person (I really should show him this)
And finally, Ame looks relatively normal here but I look mega cool wassup
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
{ 8:33 AM on '' }
Before school ended I always thought about the things I'd miss and how I would list them all out just so I would remember but honestly I don't really miss anything yes I feel useless and bored out of my mind but it's not about missing school it's about finding the right things to do with the time I have now which is actually harder than it sounds because right now I feel like I am going to rot and deplete my bank account for the next few months but anyway is it weird that I hope I start missing school soon because I think that is the normal thing to feel but then again since when was I normal hmm that's opening a whole other can of worms so let's not go there let's go to Copenhagen where everybody is tall blonde and happy and they do things based on interest and not based on pay or prestige because the more prestigious your job or the higher your pay, the higher your taxes so people are contented having what we deem "mediocre" jobs and they get paid to go to college and free healthcare and the houses are really neat and clean and the bread super yummy (says Oprah) hmm who wants to go Denmark with me
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
{ 8:01 AM on '' }
So A levels have been really gruelling but enlightening too. I have learnt that:
1) Just because you don't feel stressed doesn't mean you're not. Other than the stupz panic attack before the first paper I actually felt relatively calm for the rest? And I thought that I wasn't stressed but the pimples hair loss and weight gain obviously prove me wrong. Nobody told me it would physically degenerate my body ): And it's subconscious like I don't feel hungry or anything but just to take a break from stupid studying I would somehow find myself in the kitchen looking for food and it doesn't help that my mum seems to keep replenishing the chocolate supply in the fridge. Really depressing. And even though I don't Feel stressed even during the papers themselves, it is translated in my papers. Like I don't feel very pressured or anything but I can't think straight and I tend to not finish organising my thoughts before I start writing which is mega mega bad.
2) I am a coward. I am afraid to try things that I am not used to. Like for econs even if a globalisation question or oil question is easy I wouldn't do it because I am not confortable and I'm scared to try even though I did study the topics. Cowardly like that. Which led me to do the Othello essay instead of context even though the context was SO OBVIOUSLY the easier choice and in fact I kinda anticipated it but because I don't usually do context I stuck to the essay which I totally regretted at that time and whined like hell (leading my dear classmate to make that srjc comment). In retrospect I don't regret it anymore I mean everything happens for a reason and there must be some warped reason my brain decided to pick the harder question. So for the next lit paper (ie today's) I learnt my lesson and decided that I will be brave. And I was! :D I usually do poem for Renaissance unseen because the dramas always seem too long with too many words and I'm always scared that by the time I analyse it I won't have enough time to write. But this time I did drama instead of poem even though some people are saying that the poem was the easier choice but I'm really proud of myself for picking something I don't usually do and felt really good about it. Even though it was a weird drama because it wasn't a revenge tragedy (No one believed me when I said the drama could be a comedy!!!) but yea I'm glad I chose it. I know this is like such a trivial matter but I'm really happy it's a small step in getting rid of my cowardly ways.
In my excitement today I forgot to bring my jacket, almost forgot my pencil case (this happens to me for almost every paper), forgot to bring notes/books that I'm supposed to return cikgu and left my books in my locker. Macam damn excited so grabbed my bag and dumped my texts in my locker without thinking about when the hell I'm going to collect my books. As much as I thought I didn't want to keep the Lit texts I actually kinda do haha sentimental konon. I love Lit. So I have to return someday before they decide to clear our lockers? And to return cikgu's stuff. Spoiler sia. In the meantime GOODBYE RJ YOU HAVE NOT BEEN GOOD TO ME GOODBYE GOODBYE
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Saturday, January 02, 2010
{ 2:10 AM on '' }
Amelina: Ok bathing haha let's play when we meet :D
K.mai: Hello you so super Rafflesian! You are damn enthu about everything. As are Sadikin and Amelina haha
Sadikin: Haha I am chilled. And thanks, you too! Happening life eh some people enjoying freedom before 4th Feb
Sheila: Move house sounds very appealing hmm. Anyway Nursheila you can drop by anytime if you want my whatever notes!
Fawaz: Aww don't be sad. Merkchandize dah outdated haha
Bye merkz.bs
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
{ 8:43 AM on '' }
Ugh I've been putting off ~reflecting~ back on 09 for some time now and I guess it's now or never.
Actually 09 has been so boring and uneventful that maybe I should ~reflect~ on the last 6 years because my life = school = rp
I never felt like a true Rafflesian anyway. A Rafflesian = Classchair + head of cca + member of congress + member of sln + part of osl + psl. And I, my friends, despite being awesome, was never any of the above. Because honestly I couldn't care less. I was (am?) such a jaded person I don't know if it's just me or the environment (rg made me suffer serious esteem issues like the people in this school are totally ridic). But in any case Rg was okay I liked it because it was homely (not physically cos really the place is quite dilapidated I'd be worried if you consider that your home). So what if I wasn't the most enthusiastic person around, it didn't matter because I was fine in my own little bubble of angklung-hating, pepsicolainthemalayroom-playing friends. It was okay not to have a lot of friends because it didn't matter. Nothing much mattered when you're in rg, not the 230174032752 pts, not rs, not even your gpa (well it counts but aiya who cares).
But when I came to rj it was different. Everyone made new friends, joined new ccas etc and everything was so different. Walk into the canteen in the morning and you see the jock (soccer/rugby/hockey) table, dance table, touch rug table, netball table, archery table etc. It was so weird to me like suddenly everyone had their own identities and I didn't, not really. But I thought, what the hey, doesn't matter. But I think it some ways it really did matter because if there is a point in life where you should go out there and get involved in things and do things you've never done before, I think it's jc. But of course I did none of that and I would say I don't think I made choices that I should've made. Which is why my jc years are so sad. There is almost no fond memories at all. I wasn't depressed but I wasn't happy either. From jaded I became... unfeeling. Going through the motions like a robot. Oh well.
In the last 6 years the only thing I was passionate about was bahas. When I was a kid I used to watch 4pm finals with my dad on tv and even though I had no idea what the heck they were arguing about, I thought they looked super kewl and smart and I wanted to be just like them. Which is why I was extremely excited to follow the 06 team around. Even though I was completely useless and got bullied a lot, I enjoyed watching them brainstorm and practise and yell at each other and hearing Kak Guy's random spouts of wisdom. And even though I knew I wasn't a great debater(why is it not spelled "debator?") I liked it a lot and I am 4eva thankful for Brighty because I couldn't have asked for a better team. Even though I wasn't great, the team was and that's all that mattered. And because bahas was my one and only passion my whole happiness in rj hinged upon bahas (wah wah dramatic). Of course as we know rj bahas didn't turn out as I would have wanted it to and every single day of the past year I kept beating myself up because I knew every single thing could have turned out differently had I done just One thing differently. That One thing haunted me like 4eva and I was so depressed like totally dramatic y'all. But after thinking about it for so long, I doubt that I would do anything differently. Even though my attempt to prevent nonsense ended up causing more nonsense anyway, I think at the end of the day I suffered most of the nonsense and that's better than making someone/everyone else suffer, amirrite? So I didn't get to look kewl and smart like the debaters I used to watch but what the hey it was fun while it lasted. And although bahas and I have unfinished business, I think it's time we say goodbye and go our separate ways. Goodbye... bye... bye.... by...(echo, to make it dramatic)
I suppose I thought that I would be more... evolved at the end of 6 years (like a Pokemon) but I really don't. Am I smarter/more experienced/more mature? I guess in some ways yes but I don't know if it's enough. I will be 19 in a few months and it's a scary thought like where on earth has my teenage years gone?! Everytime I do/say/consider buying something I will pause and think whether this is what a 19 year old will do/say/buy. If this is not an identity crisis I don't know what is. But what the hey (how many times have I used this phrase?!) I survived the most important exams in my life (for now, maybe different story when results are out) and I am set to rule the world. Oh except I'm lacking in funds because no one wants to hire me because of my unconfirmed conversational malay schedule and my lack of work experience like hello of course no experience because you people don't want to hire me? Duh. But you know what. WHAT THE HEY 2009 CAN KISS MY BIG FAT ASS.
Come to Mama 2010. Come to Mama.
(that was so not a ~reflection~ it was a rant about random things but whatevs I am awesome)
Oh and to anyone who cares, I am moving. Merkz has been good but I want change. See you soon.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
{ 7:58 AM on '' }
I am perpetually blogging in my head but when I come here there is nothing to say. I await the day someone comes up with a way to wire brains to computers. Then again that might not be such a good idea...
Anyway I think they will stop Singapore Idol now because there can be no winners except malay boys hehe but I like Sezairi better than Sylvia anyway la and I thought his performances tonight were dabombz. But obviously no one comes close to Taufik like hello. I must say I don't really know if I like the new image but he can do no wrong in my eyes so wadeva. Also, I know Charice wants to show off her vocals and the fact that she is a Celine Dion fan but must she sing the same songs she always sings. Ok not like I've watched a lot of her performances but I watched the ones on Oprah (yay Oprah) so like not so oopmh. But still that girl is one of a kind why can't Singaporeans sing like that.
Bored k bye
Saturday, December 19, 2009
{ 7:07 AM on '' }
Nadirah was good I thoroughly enjoyed myself and it had the elements that make Yasmin Ahmad's films so amazing - humour at all the right moments and it leaves you thinking. Not like having a fleeting thought but really Think.
Brief summary: About a girl called Nadirah whose dad is Malaysian Malay and mum is Singaporean peranakan who became a Muslim. The parents separated so Nadirah lives in Singapore with the mum. The mum falls in love with a devout Christian and plans to have a civil marriage which, under Islamic law, is not recognised. Nadirah is tormented; she does not know how to accept this man as part of the family and she no longer knows who her mum is because how can this woman, who raised her to be a good Muslim, be willing to do something against the religion for the sake of love?
I think the crux of the play lies in these two lines:
1) "How do you love God when you can't love another human being?
Essentially the issue of divine and earthly love. Nadirah refuses to even see Robert (the Christian man) because she hates what he is doing to her mum - she accompanies him to church and takes off her tudung when she does. Nadirah's friend, Maznah (MY FAVOURITE CHARACTER), said the above line and for once Nadirah kept quiet and really thought about how baseless her hatred for him is. He is a good man who loves and cares for her mum and who is she to judge his worth solely based on his faith? How can she claim to love God and accuse her mum of not loving God as much as her when she herself cannot accept a fellow human being who has done no wrong to her? After all, the whole of mankind is His creation so if you are not willing to love His creation how can you claim to be on a higher moral/religious ground? Islam teaches us to be accepting of others, not to judge or hate on the basis of faith. If you can't look beyond that and truly understand/accept a mere mortal for his true character, what makes you think you can understand and love God , who is on a whole other (divine) level?
2) "There is only room for one God (in this house)"
"How do you know it's not the same God?"
It's true isn't it? We all know Christianity and Islam are really more similar than we realise and sometimes people just forget. Why the divisions then? Why the fighting the chaos the riots? I think the basis of all religions are the same. They all spread the message of peace, love, good. No religion condones or encourages doing evil deeds right (unless I dunno Satanism or something? /:) I thought the football analogy was so clever. "You support Man U, I support Liverpool. We are loyal to our favourite clubs but in the end it is the same game we love and enjoy to watch."
I also loved the contrast between Farouk and Maznah (both Nadirah's friends). One is somewhat an extremist, an ustaz wannabe who is forever preaching. The other is like a "liberal" Muslim - Muslim because she was born Muslim and does not really practise the religion. Farouk's character is interesting (Sadikin calls it problematic haha) because as much as his faith is sturdy, he is also guilty of pride - you can tell he thinks he is superior to Maznah and is so proud of his knowledge of Islam that he (quite disrespectfully, in my opinion) meets Robert to convince him to either convert or not marry Nadirah's mum. He also buruk sangka (thinks bad?) of Nadirah's mum, claiming that she plotted the whole divorce and plan to marry under civil law yada yada which is so nonsense. His preaching is overly dramatic (sometimes comical to me) and ineffective which goes to show you can't use force - education is the way to go. This is also why Maznah is interesting. As much as her clothes are tak senonoh for the most part of the play, she somewhat taubats at the end not because of Farouk's incessant preachings (which she constantly makes sarcastic comments about - I like hehe) but because she herself went to read up on the religion and truly understands instead of going through the motions just because she was "born into the religion". (Also because she is falling for a hot Turkish guy whose dad is an imam, but I think the fact that she is making the effort to understand and appreciate shows that even if things with Turkish dude doesn't work out, the tudung will stay)
The timing is apt what with all the hoohaa regarding broken Malay families in BH recently. Some people think that these families need all the help they can get, some people think religious authorities should preach about the religion because the crux of the problem in these families is lack of religious fundamentals. I think neither would be truly effective. You keep offering help, when will they ever learn? When I read the article about the young woman who has 5 kids out of wedlock with 3 different men, I can't help thinking why does she not learn her lesson? She claims she did use protection, as if that is clearly the main problem. It's not whether you use protection or not, it's the ACT itself that is wrong, how can you try to justify it by claiming to have used birth control. Maybe I am being judgemental but I can understand if it was a mistake, once or twice. But FIVE TIMES? This is clearly not just a problem of carelessness or impulse, it's a case of blatant irresponsibility and ignorance of the gravity of her actions. She is now struggling to make ends meet because she has to stay home to take care of the kids and the 3 men are all in jail. What on earth is going on, really. Of course financial assistance would help to some extent, but I think education is most important. Not preaching, not condemning, but educating. Teach these families to love the game before guiding them to embrace and pledge complete loyalty to a particular club.
Also, it's interesting isn't it, to think about what makes a person "good". Is a Christian "bad" in the eyes of a Muslim and vice versa? Is a person who wears tudung "good" and one who doesn't "bad"? Madrasah kids good and secular kids bad? The issue of civil marriage is soooooo intriguing. As far as I understand, civil marriage is not recognised under Islamic law so any sexual relations is considered zina and any child born is illegitimate. My research tells me "No adulterer is a believer at the time when he is committing adultery" so as long as Nadirah's mum is married to Robert under civil law (and by extension, having sexual relations) then she is murtad and as much as she practises the religion after the marriage, all of it is void? Essentially she is "bad" then and there is no redeeming her unless she ends the marriage? Is that right? Hmmm. This is too much I think I won't be able to sleep tonight and I bet Sadikin feels the same way.
All in all actors were great, script was so clever. But it left me feeling sad because as much as it was a success, it was a play and not a film. There can only be one Yasmin Ahmad and it is such a huge loss to not be able to enjoy her films, think about her thought-provoking points of view. Gone too soon indeed.
Anyway it is sad 99% of my friends have never watched her films. Please Please Please watch her films, starting from Sepet. It's less "heavy" because it's a love story that touches on cultural more than religious issues and after watching it you would naturally want to watch Gubra to know what happens to Jason. In Gubra she introduces the religious elements with the story of the imam and prostitute with controversial scenes like the imam patting a dog. And then move on to Muallaf which is a bit more "religious" though the focus is still on love, family, humanity etc. Srzly watch please ): The films are not even in Malay. I would say 40% malay, 30% english and 30% Cantonese and the malay parts are mixed with english lor. Watch and join the club which currently consists of me and Sadikin only. We need friends.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
{ 3:14 AM on '' }
Long time no see I will talk about PROM hahahha how tak basi am I but srzly need to record this so I remember Not To Go For Prom Or Similar Events because semestinya I am not a people person and neither are my friends so we all had quite a miserable time there. Come to think of it only one of us really wanted to go, quite funny how we all ended up going eh. Anyway I think part of the reason we didn't have a good time was because we weren't seated together? The story goes like this. A few kids really wanted to go for prom, the rest of us quite indifferent and while waiting to settle a class table, some classmates thought nobody was going so they ran off to create tables with their own friends. So the rest of us couldnt form a full table because people either didn't want to go or have already formed tables with other people. But since some junior PROMISED us that she wouldn't separate us we said yea ok whatever. Of course juniors cannot be trusted and we were separated anyway. Funny thing is most of the people who didn't want to go were there anyway so we actually could've formed a table. Can you tell that my class has no communication problems whatsoever?
So anyway I was seated with Jill and the only other person I knew at the table was Zhiyi and the rest were strange boys. It was weird. Barbie and Dee left mega early because Barbie had eye trouble so they went back to our room. After awhile Jill wanted to leave too and then she disappeared and I couldn't possibly stay at that table because Zhiyi disappeared too so Nurul Amelia and I roamed around outside the ballroom waiting for people we knew to appear so that we could take picture but after awhile couldn't take it so we joined the rest at the hotel room. Told you we are not people people. It was barely halfway through the actual prom I think? After Seng Henk and Cherie's performance. I felt really bad for leaving because I felt rude(?) and damn wasted cos I paid to be there? The food was damn good btw that was the only saviour. Since I barely had anyone to talk to at the table I ate. :D I like food. Back at the hotel room the kids went to change and drink their prom woes away at the hotel bar (miserable see) while Nurul and I stayed in the room. Nothing beats lazing around on a comfy bed. I like lazing around. Miff joined us later (she stayed for the entire prom) and soon the kids came back (Jill quite tipsy but then again even without alchohol she is not quite sane) and we went to watch New Moon hahahhaha it was very dramatic we mistakenly took the long way round to get to City Hall (we wanted to take underpass to Marina) and we were already late and then we discovered that the underpass was closed so we hailed 2 cabs (yea from Swissotel to Marina Square) and when we finally got there the ads were playing and they played for so damn long like hello anticlimatic. New Moon was Extremely entertaining (for all the wrong reasons) I totally loved it. Oh yes before that Jill and Barbie had time to buy some vodka from 7-11. My friends are alchoholics. By the time we got back Barbie plopped on the bed and started snoring while the rest of us talked/watched tv/bathed/ate some more. By 5+am everyone was asleep except Nurul Jill and I. Suddenly Nurul said eh I'm quite sleepy then Jill said yea me too and 2 secs later when I looked at them they were both asleep. So I was alone and couldn't and didn't sleep at all D: So yes that is our story as you can see we are not very happening people at all. Like Jill said we should have just booked the room, eaten at Carousel and go do our own things instead of attending prom. If we wanted to take pictures we could've crashed (hello Dian Irshah Nabilah Nat Yingqi and many more). I blame peer pressure.
In other news I reorganized my laptop recently and instead of posting prom pictures (overload on Fb amirrite my friends) I will post pictures of cool people.
All of us obviously looking way cool but I think Dian a tad cooler than the rest
Arina looking cool
Mai and Nad looking cool
Sadikin oozing coolness
Brighty emulating a Very Cool Person (I really should show him this)
And finally, Ame looks relatively normal here but I look mega cool wassup
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
{ 8:33 AM on '' }
Before school ended I always thought about the things I'd miss and how I would list them all out just so I would remember but honestly I don't really miss anything yes I feel useless and bored out of my mind but it's not about missing school it's about finding the right things to do with the time I have now which is actually harder than it sounds because right now I feel like I am going to rot and deplete my bank account for the next few months but anyway is it weird that I hope I start missing school soon because I think that is the normal thing to feel but then again since when was I normal hmm that's opening a whole other can of worms so let's not go there let's go to Copenhagen where everybody is tall blonde and happy and they do things based on interest and not based on pay or prestige because the more prestigious your job or the higher your pay, the higher your taxes so people are contented having what we deem "mediocre" jobs and they get paid to go to college and free healthcare and the houses are really neat and clean and the bread super yummy (says Oprah) hmm who wants to go Denmark with me
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
{ 8:01 AM on '' }
So A levels have been really gruelling but enlightening too. I have learnt that:
1) Just because you don't feel stressed doesn't mean you're not. Other than the stupz panic attack before the first paper I actually felt relatively calm for the rest? And I thought that I wasn't stressed but the pimples hair loss and weight gain obviously prove me wrong. Nobody told me it would physically degenerate my body ): And it's subconscious like I don't feel hungry or anything but just to take a break from stupid studying I would somehow find myself in the kitchen looking for food and it doesn't help that my mum seems to keep replenishing the chocolate supply in the fridge. Really depressing. And even though I don't Feel stressed even during the papers themselves, it is translated in my papers. Like I don't feel very pressured or anything but I can't think straight and I tend to not finish organising my thoughts before I start writing which is mega mega bad.
2) I am a coward. I am afraid to try things that I am not used to. Like for econs even if a globalisation question or oil question is easy I wouldn't do it because I am not confortable and I'm scared to try even though I did study the topics. Cowardly like that. Which led me to do the Othello essay instead of context even though the context was SO OBVIOUSLY the easier choice and in fact I kinda anticipated it but because I don't usually do context I stuck to the essay which I totally regretted at that time and whined like hell (leading my dear classmate to make that srjc comment). In retrospect I don't regret it anymore I mean everything happens for a reason and there must be some warped reason my brain decided to pick the harder question. So for the next lit paper (ie today's) I learnt my lesson and decided that I will be brave. And I was! :D I usually do poem for Renaissance unseen because the dramas always seem too long with too many words and I'm always scared that by the time I analyse it I won't have enough time to write. But this time I did drama instead of poem even though some people are saying that the poem was the easier choice but I'm really proud of myself for picking something I don't usually do and felt really good about it. Even though it was a weird drama because it wasn't a revenge tragedy (No one believed me when I said the drama could be a comedy!!!) but yea I'm glad I chose it. I know this is like such a trivial matter but I'm really happy it's a small step in getting rid of my cowardly ways.
In my excitement today I forgot to bring my jacket, almost forgot my pencil case (this happens to me for almost every paper), forgot to bring notes/books that I'm supposed to return cikgu and left my books in my locker. Macam damn excited so grabbed my bag and dumped my texts in my locker without thinking about when the hell I'm going to collect my books. As much as I thought I didn't want to keep the Lit texts I actually kinda do haha sentimental konon. I love Lit. So I have to return someday before they decide to clear our lockers? And to return cikgu's stuff. Spoiler sia. In the meantime GOODBYE RJ YOU HAVE NOT BEEN GOOD TO ME GOODBYE GOODBYE
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