So sick of being sick.

~Betch

Right, well in my previous post I was talking about me being ill and all. I am still ill, you guys. Oh my gosh, I'm telling you... my lungs might just spew out of my mouth if I don't stop coughing. Seriously. I have been coughing like an engine that just won't start in the morning. My medication has run out so I'm basically depending on Hacks sweets and cough syrup, which doesn't really help, because it's a placebo. The ads psychologically influence the consumers to think it helps them, but really it's just sugar and colouring. It probably only helps cool the throat and make you sleep. Honestly I feel drugged most of the time because of the syrup. But anyway, they're all I've got, so I won't complain any further.

So the fall semester is coming and I still dunno what subjects I should take up. I would confidently choose my own subjects but I'm afraid that the subjects I choose might clash and based on seniors experiences, we don't want that happening now. So I'm a little wrecked about that and my cough is still in full throttle... oh man, it's gonna be a long weekend.

I was watching Oprah the other day. Here's my excuse, there was just simply nothing to watch on Astro at that time. So I thought a little Oprah wouldn't hurt. I dunno about you guys but I always have this suspicion about her, like whether she truly means it when she does seemingly good charitable things for people. I mean, no doubt she's a powerful celebrity in Hollywood and she has certainly done her part to influence the entertainment world today. But have you seen her on her show, the way she looks at people and her body language she displays at the guests. Her bored monotonous look she gives to pitiful and needy people who appear on her show is just not attractive at all. Like this one time when she was doing a show about overweight people... from what I'd observed, all 15 to 20 guests who came on the show to talk about the problems they face about their weight were BIGGER than her. I don't mean this as a slight on the guests, it's just a general observation. The cold look she gives to people, honestly... like how she'll just lean her head on her hand on the armchair and how she'll just go "WOW, WOW, shocking...." but she never says anything to comfort them. So basically, she has ways that make me question her role in society as a giver and comforter, due to the fact she's loaded with cash. However, let's make one thing clear... I don't hate her or anything, I just disagree about some of her ways and attitude.

Right, so I found this really fascinating video and it just continues to remind me about the "values and morals" the politicians in our country display. Let's watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ts_87zEZFqk

So, if you'd seen the video, you'll understand why I'm gonna betch about this dude. I don't wanna say his name, it gives him too much credit. So anyway, obviously the Star newspaper reporter was going to speak in English as he works for an English newspaper. But this uneducated piece of trash just puts the poor man down just like that without any valid reason at all. Maybe it's because he can't understand English, I dunno, I hear they're qualifications don't fly so high. Well anyway, I was most annoyed at his jeering and sneering. Yeah I can understand that the Malay language should be upheld because it's the national language of Malaysia... ya da ya da ya da, I've heard the whole speech before... But no one ever said we can't speak in English when it comes to interviews involving Malaysian politicians. And his views on Internet filtering? Not so strong really I would say... Coming from this dude, I wouldn't exactly say it's an honest act. I mean, for goodness' sake, he's the culture minister! Based on his very unimpressive attitude, I would say he needs a little culture for himself before he can ever make statements about culture. So, minister.... I hope you get loads of virtual spit and bad press about your ill-mannered ways. Boo hiss boo!

Anyway, I gotta fly now, so till my next betchin' session, take care!

“Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.” ~ James Dean

Gone, gone, gone! So long!

~Betch

Since Sunday night, I've been sick with fever and cough. Oh, how I suffered... I haven't had a fever before this for 5 years. At least that's what my medical records say. I hit 39.9 degrees. I thought that was normal, right, because I don't get fevers that much. But apparently according to people who were in the room when my temperature was taken, it wasn't good news. So I went to a doctor and he prescribed me with medicine for the fever and the cough. That was all good, all except for the fever. Really, I've had worst coughs before, so I'm not complaining about the cough.

The fever I had, let's just say, it was a bitch. It would just slip in and out whenever it wants! Like "Okay, I think I'll just make him suffer now and maybe some hours later..." It would just come and go like I don't have a healthy life to live. So, anyway, the WORST times would be in the dead of night. I would get up, feeling as if I'd just walked through the Sahara dessert. It was like a furnace. Not the weather, my body! The fever would then subside after sweating lightly. But still for the next few days the fever came back and forth until Wednesday evening, it didn't come back and I'm still fever-free as I type this. So thank you God!

Well anyway, I've another story from college. Well, some weeks ago I went up to college to ask some questions about next semester and about a scholarship. After that, I went to my room in the Residence Building. Well, I didn't tell my roommate (R) I was coming back for a day or two. So when I entered the room, I instantly noticed things had been.... moved. First, his laptop and his books were on my desk along with his bag on my chair. Not only that, there were two towel racks, one above the other right. I occupied the towel rack above since I was the first one who moved in and he took the bottom one. But NOW, I noticed my towel and his have switched position! Lol. I was a little weirded out by that. I thought I was alone, until I heard water running in the shower. So I knocked on the door and called.

R: Oh, you're back? I thought you were on holiday, I thought you - why did you come back up?
Me: I had to check on some things in college.
R: Right, right okay...

I did not address him about the 'changes' as I didn't wanna cause awkwardness. So I just kept quiet and I went out after that for dinner. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't angry or anything. So the funny thing was when I came back, EVERYTHING was back to where they once were before I came back to Seremban for the holidays! I was like, oh he caught on! Lol.

But it was very considerate and nice of him to move everything back in order. I should be thankful he didn't use my stuff without my permission or maybe steal them, right? Lol. I just think that it was just so cute how he quickly changed everything back to normal after I came in abrubtly without him being informed. OH WELL :)

~Life may not be the party we'd wished for, but while we're living it, we might as well dance.

Believe what you think is true and not what you listen

On the 1st August 2009, again the federal reserve unit(FRU) was deployed around SOGO, Dataran Merdeka and a few more places to make sure that the 'peace' and the 'safety' of the people are not threaten by the Gerakan Mansuhkan ISA(GMI)..... For those of you that still do not know what I am talking about....... It's about the rallies held on last Saturday to hand a memorandum to the King. It was claimed to be a peaceful rally by the organizers....and I think it was!:) until the FRU started 'playing' their water guns and gas canons on the people-I think look cool and had a lot of fun but the thing is......... it was not a game.......because only the FRU had all the fun shooting but the GMI couldn't blast them back....they should at least be given a paintball gun:)










About 589 people were arrested and 44 people were underage meaning they are below 18!! Then, the next day, the government claimed that losses of revenues of about 200 million were estimated because of the GMI. I think that is an exaggeration and a complete story telling!


Besides that, I am completely annoyed by the news on local television that always portray the Pakatan Rakyat government as inefficient and corrupt..... You can always hear that the news reporting that the Selangor government of not doing their job right and the Penang's Kampung Buah Pala recent issue. Not done with the television and radio, now the government is charging many bloggers with reason such as seditious content......like the one that posted the claimed to be Teoh Beng Hock's tortured video......that blogger must be in a hot seat now...... I do not want to be charged with the same act so I will repent now by saying DO NOT 'BELIEVE' THE CONTENT CIRCULATED ON THE INTERNET, believe the television such as RTM 1 and RTM 2 which content has been approved by the government:) Hahaha.

I think more rallies would be held in future but they would be blasted by the FRU and they won't stand a chance. Nowadays, many people are very daring to voice out and go against the government but I think it's suicide braveness in our country. Enjoy your weekend in The Mist or MOS or watching Top Gear maybe, instead of joining rallies if you think you still want to be free and with your family. I have seen those who have tried their best to make a change but they end up losing everything. I salute the people who took risks and voice out their opinions in the rally but I think the best way to do it is in the next general election! Anyway who knows, maybe the government may start listening............

What is the purpose of RACE in a bill?

I received an e-mail that many of you out there may have already received one....... it's the race information that is written on the bill of the Pizza Hut Restaurant. My friends and I had a discussion once, on this same topic in school and they claimed that the rate of service charge and taxes that Pizza Hut charges on the customers are based on the race information written on the bill..... As usual, it remained as a discussion only.....then I wonder, but, if what they claimed was true, why didn't other people bring the matter up? Other people didn't know about it?......I don't think so because there are definitely many people out there who have received the same e-mail.

The following are some pictures that were attached in the e-mail:

As alleged by the e-mail I received, the word C was claimed to be Chinese

Therefore, the help of the readers are needed to help to checkout on the receipt whether the accusation made are true or it is just to check which race is eating a lot of pizzas. Before signing out, a word of advice.... Please do take care of yourself because it's the very pandemic H1N1 (aka BABI FLU) season and do not be ashamed to wear a mask... Wearing a mask doesn't make you an Optimus Prime but it may save your life so 'Jaga muka or pentingkan kesihatan?'. If any information was obtained please leave them as comment.

Virus mask given out free by the health officers

(IF NEED TO BUY, I UNDERSTAND WHY MALAYSIAN WON'T WEAR BUT IT'S FREE....)

The Politician.

A very frightened Malaysian abroad writes...

(The following posts was taken directly from malaysiakini.com.)

The author(s) WILL NOT be held responsible for actions taken by anyone or party reading this article.

I HAVE been meaning to pen some thoughts for some time now, to let people actually read the views of the typical 'overseas Malaysian' who is kept away. I realise that my email is rather long, but I do hope that you would consider publishing it (and also keep my name private!).

I shall start by telling a little about my background. Mine is a rather sad tale – of a young Malaysian full of hope and patriotic enthusiasm, which is slowly but surely trickling away.

I am very different from many other non-bumiputeras, as I was given tremendous opportunities throughout my childhood. Born into a middle-class Chinese but English-speaking family, I grew up with all the privileges of imported books, computers, piano/violin lessons and tuition teachers.

My parents insisted that I should be exposed to a multi-racial education in a national school. In my time, my urban national school (a missionary school) was a truly happy place – where the Malays, Chinese and Indian students were roughly equal in proportion. We played and laughed with each other, and studied the history of the world together during Form 4, with one interesting chapter dedicated to Islamic history.

Though 75% of my teachers were Malays, I never really noticed. My Malay teachers were the kindest to me – teaching me well and offering me every possible opportunity to develop. I led the district teams for English and Bahasa Malaysia debating competitions. I was the only non-Malay finalist in the Bahasa Malaysian state-level elocution competition. My Malay teachers encouraged me to transfer to a government residential school (sekolah berasrama penuh) so as to enable me to maximise my academic potential. I refused because I was happy where I was, so they made me head prefect and nominated me as a 'Tokoh Pelajar Kebangsaan'. Till this day, I am absolutely certain that it was the kindness of all my Malay teachers which made me a true Malaysian.

I excelled at school and was offered a Singaporean government scholarship to study overseas. I turned them down because I wanted to ensure that I would remain a 'true Malaysian' in the eyes of Malaysia. So I accepted a Malaysian government scholarship to study at Oxford University.

Throughout my three years as an undergraduate, the officers at the MSD looked after me very well, and was always there to offer support. I graduated with first class honours, and was offered a job with a leading investment bank. The JPA released me from my bond, so as to enable me to develop my potential. I shall always be grateful for that. I worked hard and rose in rank. My employer sent to me to Harvard University for postgraduate study and I climbed further up their meritocratic ladder.

Now I am 31 years old and draw a comfortable monthly salary of US$22,000. Yet, I yearn to return home. I miss my home, my family, my friends, my Malaysian hawker food and the life in Malaysia. I have been asked many times by Singaporean government agencies to join them on very lucrative terms, but I have always refused due to my inherent patriotism.

Crushing down

I really want to return home. I have been told by government-linked corporations and private companies in Malaysia that at best, I would still have to take a 70% pay cut if I return to Malaysia to work. I am prepared and willing to accept that. My country has done a lot for me, so I should not complain about money.

But of late, my idealistic vision of my country has really come crashing down, harder and faster than ever before.

I read about the annual fiasco involving non-bumiputera top scorers who are denied entry to critical courses at local universities and are offered forestry and fisheries instead. (My cousin scored 10A1's for SPM and yet was denied a scholarship).

I read about Umno Youth attacking the so-called meritocracy system because there are less than 60% of Malay students in law and pharmacy, whilst conveniently keeping silent about the fact that 90% of overseas scholarship recipients are Malays and that Malays form the vast majority in courses like medicine, accountancy and engineering at local universities.

I read about the Higher Education Minister promising that non-bumiputera Malaysians will never ever step foot into UiTM.

I read about a poor Chinese teacher's daughter with 11A1's being denied a scholarship, while I know some Malay friends who scored 7A's and whose parents are millionaires being given scholarships.

I read about the brilliant Prof KS Jomo (right), who was denied a promotion to Senior Professor (not even to Head of Department), although he was backed by references from three Nobel Prize winners. Of course, his talent is recognised by a prestigious appointment at the United Nations.

I read about Umno Youth accusing Chinese schools of being detrimental to racial integration, while demanding that Mara Junior Science Colleges and other residential schools be kept only for Malays.

I read about the Malay newspaper editors attacking the private sector for not appointing enough Malays to senior management level, whilst insisting that the government always ensure that Malays dominate anything government-related.

I read that at our local universities, not a single vice-chancellor or deputy vice-chancellor is non-Malay.

I read that in the government, not a single secretary-general of any ministry is non-Malay. The same goes for all government agencies like the police, armed forces, etc.

I read about Umno screaming for the Malay Agenda, but accusing everyone else of racism for whispering about equality.

I tremble with fear

I read about a poor Indian lady having to pay full price for a low-cost house after being dispossessed from a plantation, whilst Malay millionaires demand their 10% bumiputera discount when buying RM2 million bungalows in a gated community.

I read about my beloved national schools becoming more and more Islamic by the day, enforced by overzealous principals.

I read about my Form 4 World History (Sejarah Dunia) syllabus, which now contains only one chapter of world history, with Islamic history covering the rest of the book.

As I read all this, I tremble with fear. I love my country and long to return. I am willing to take a 70% pay cut. I am willing to face a demotion. I honestly want to contribute my expertise in complex financial services and capital markets. But really, is there a future for me, for my children and for their children? I am truly frightened.

I can deal with the lack of democracy, the lack of press freedom, the ISA, our inefficient and bureaucratic civil service, our awful manners and even a little corruption. But I cannot deal with racism in my homeland.

I think this is the single biggest factor which is keeping people like myself away. And bear in mind – there are so many of us (researchers, scientists, bankers, economists, lawyers, academics, etc.).

What people read about in Malaysia (like Dr Terence Gomez) is but the tiniest tip of the iceberg.

You will be amazed to know about Malaysians denied JPA scholarships (which would have made them civil servants), took loans to attend Ivy League universities, but who are later asked to advise our government (on IT, economics, etc.) at fees running to millions of US dollars. Such information will never be published because it is politically incorrect.

As a Christian, I pray for God's blessing on this great country of ours. I pray that He blesses our leaders with the foresight and humanity to see that this will not work and cannot continue. I pray that they will have the strength to make our country a home for all Malaysians and that they will have mercy for the poor, including the non-Malays. I pray for true racial harmony and acceptance (not just tolerance) in Malaysia. - Yours sincerely, A very frightened Malaysian abroad.

www.malaysiakini.com/rentakini/60065

Another one lost.

~Betch

As some of you may know by now, Yasmin Ahmad, acclaimed Malaysian director, has passed away after she suffered a stroke some days ago. She was admitted to a hospital and did not regain consciousness after that.

We've lost Michael, a legend in the entertainment world, and now we've lost another film legend, Yasmin Ahmad.

She directed the movies Rabun, Sepet, Gubra, Mukhsin, Muallaf, Talentime and most recently she was scheduled to work in Japan for a film. Her movies reflected the beauty of racial harmony and how important it is to have that in a country like Malaysia when we're so diversed in race, religion and culture.

Yasmin Ahmad (July 1, 1958 - July 25, 2009)

Rest in peace, Yasmin.

Divas.

~Betch

Okay, I'm gonna talk about the Pussycat Dolls. I think they're alright, they've sold out their albums, they've done their thing in the music industry. BUT what I don't get about them is Nicole Scherzinger. I mean, she's beautiful and hot and all that jazz right... but she IS ALWAYS THE GIRL AT THE FRONT! I think there's too much of emphasis on Nicole, really. What about the rest of the Dolls right? In their latest songs, Hush Hush and Jai Ho! (in which she pronounces Jai as Jay, I dunno why) the lead and background vocals were all done by her, and the PCD are there in the video, dancing along and basically doing nothing but flash their legs and smiles! The only thing the other PCDs did was sing 'Bai La! Bai La!'. There is simply complete neglect over the other girls in PCD.

Did you see the Jai Ho and Hush Hush video? This was Jai Ho was introduced, "A. R. Rahman and The Pussycat Dolls feat. Nicole Scherzinger" and for Hush Hush is the same title except for A. P. Rahman obviously... he can't exactly be Jai Ho-ing in every video right. Since when did Nicole and the PCD become a separate act? Aren't they all supposed to be a team like they were when they started off asking Don't Cha a couple of years ago? It makes people wonder if she ever gave a (toot) about PCD (Makes Me Wonder - Maroon 5). So anyway, Miss Scherzinger really needs to give some room for her bandmates to do their stuff, or not, what's the point of having a band when only one person is singing and doing everything? She might as well just disband from PCD and embark on a solo career.

And this was how the juice began to thicken. Lol.

Apparently, according to the Internet, the other PCDs are unhappy that Nicole is being overemphasised. Here's what I found in Wikipedia:

"Single release and controversy

It was confirmed that the new remix version of the song will be released to mainstream radio as the final release from Doll Domination. The original ballad version serves as the B-side and was released to some radio stations in the US on May 12, 2009 as well as digital download outlets. It will be released as a CD Single on July 13, 2009 in the UK and Europe. Amazon revealed the single promotional cover-art on 20 April 2009, which listed the single as "Pussycat Dolls featuring Nicole Scherzinger".^[1] The emphasis on Nicole Scherzinger as the featured artist caused controversy, as "Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)" also emphasized her as a featured singer. It sparked rumours that Nicole Scherzinger was leaving the group to continue her solo career, despite well below average sales for the singles from her 2007 shelved solo album release "Her Name Is Nicole". This also led to internal strife within the group as the other members were unhappy with the overemphasis on Scherzinger.^[2] The tension surfaced onstage while the group opened for Britney Spears on their tour in Glendale, Arizona. Melody Thornton, on the verge of tears, addressed the crowd saying, "Thank you guys for supporting me, even though I'm not featured" and encouraging the audience to follow their dreams and to "never let anyone stomp on them, ever". After her outburst, she was high-fived by Jessica Sutta, indicating more of the Dolls were upset by the tagging and the over-emphasis on Scherzinger.^[3][4]."

-Wikipedia-

Really, Nicole should have taken the advise of her fellow colleague in the industry, Fergie, when she sang "You don't want no drama... no no drama, no no no no drama" in My Humps. And of course she didn't, and now she has the drama. But whatever, we aren't naive... we know celebrities live off these kinda things.

So another singer that I quite don't get now is Mariah Carey. She used to be an AWESOME singer. With a five-octave range, who wouldn't be awesome? But now, I just sigh... for a long time when I look at her now. First of all, ever since 2002, she became sultry and her songs took a completely different direction. I was like 'Mariah, no! What about your hero? Don't go!'. There are some current songs that she sang that was good but I feel that her passion in her songs have faded. I'm sure she still has it in her, but somehow she's choosing the commercialised way of being famous. This is just a personal opinion by the way.

But I really gotta give it to some singers now. Even though they're way passed their time, they are still singing like there's no tomorrow. And their voices are still in check! OR at least great for their age... Examples are like Cher, Tina Turner, Neil Sedaka, Rod Stewart... this is only a few I'm naming, there are others out there.

Anyway, I just posted this for mere bubbly fun and also to update this thing regularly enough now that I'm on holiday.

Have a good weekend everyone :)