Muse Of The Day: Lady Gaga - The Fame

I can't help myself I'm addicted to a life of material
It's some kind of joke, I'm obsessively opposed to the typical
All we care about is, runway models, cadillacs and liquor bottles
Give me something I wanna be, retro glamour,
Hollywood yes we live for the Fame
Doin' it for the Fame
Cuz we wanna live the life of the rich and famous
Fame, Doin' it for the Fame
Cuz we gotta taste for champagne and endless fortune

Fame is a double edged sword. It brings you the dough, fast cars, fancy women - what else would we want? However, every small thing is turned into a huge media frenzy nowadays - the papparazi are everywhere, waiting to pounce on even the slightest whiff of a scandal.

There are those that bring you down - see Tiger Woods, Edison Chen, Ariel from Peterpan, and of course closer to home - MCA President Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek & Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

There are those that benefit - becoming even more famous! Best examples obviously being Paris Hilton & Kim Kadarshian (hey they started the trend of making & accidentally letting the tapes leak out right?)

Hey, some even get to write an autobiography immediately after a scandal - and make millions from it!

 

The reason why i'm writing this post is in support of one of my favourite Malaysian Heroes - Dato Lee Chong Wei. You would have read in almost every paper, every online news portal regarding the "incident" on the Penang Bridge on Monday - regarding Mr.Lee Ah Chai. Now why i'm referring to it as "incident" as opposed to the sensationalized "family crisis + attempted suicide" story is because - do we know for sure if its true? And if it were any other normal Malaysian dude and his dad, would it even make any page of the paper let alone the Front Page?

Yes we can report about the cars he drives, the ferrari, his injury during the Thomas Cup, but let's not forget that he is our shining light on the Badminton World Stage, the main reason why most Malaysians are glued to the television sets during any Badminton Tournament. Show some respect and gratitude please! Here is a guy that gives his all during every tournament, and cries when he is injured and may not be able to represent us at the Olympics!



Mr. Lee Ah Chai













Ferrari Gate?



The Thomas Cup Injury



The media is paid to cover such news, and I would think that even if he just decided to stop his car by the bridge and take a stroll along it, it would have been reported as an attempted suicide anyways. So yeps, since the media will cover this incident, regardless of Dato LCW's request to respect their family privacy, I encourage all Malaysians to show our support for Dato LCW - through the good times, the tough times, and the bad times!

Leave him and his family alone if you can, and if you can't - show your support instead! If his opponents on the court can do it, so can we - Malaysians!

Dato Lee Chong Wei Boleh!

Question Of The Day - Would you rather be rich & famous, or live a moderate, peaceful life?

Muse Of The Day: Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown - No AIR!

Tell me how I'm supposed to breathe with no air
If I should die before I wake
It's 'cause you took my breath away
Losing you is like living in a world with no air

Tell me how I'm supposed to breathe with no air
Can't live, can't breathe with no air
It's how I feel whenever you ain't there
It's no air, no air

Most of us would agree that love is important - and that living without love is like living with no air - hence the lyrics in the song done by the lovely Jordin Sparks and perhaps not so loving Chris Brown (see Rihanna - assault - 2009). However, i'm sure we'd all agree that we can't live without our Local Air - a.k.a WATER!

'Selangor must be resolved by June to prevent the heavily-populated state from facing a water crisis in the next two years, warns Association of Water and Energy Research Malaysia (Awer)'

'The Selangor water talks between the Federal Government and Selangor state government will remain at a stalemate unless the latter is willing to separate the issue of the state water restructuring exercise and the construction of the Langat 2 water treatment plant' said Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Peter Chin

The fate of all in Selangor?

One of the major talking points is the cost of the Langat 2 Water Treatment Plant is the estimated RM4bil cost to build it, and of course the politics involved behind - between the BN and the PKR (Federal Government and State Government). Now, here comes a simple fundemental question - when the world reaches a point where everyone has insufficient water to drink - or survive, would money or politics still play a role? I'm sure we all (People Of Selangor let me see your hands in the air!) wouldn't mind the Govt cutting spending on military, highways & roads, education & health, etc if it means we have clean & fresh water to drink! I mean, whats the point of building roads and submarines if there are no people left to use it?

One look back at the Sains textbook or even Kemahiran Hidup book would tell you the basic needs of humans are food, water & shelter! Its amazing to think that in the Year 2012, we have the technology to forecast meteor movements, predict earthquakes and even attempt to find a cure for cancer, but yet may not be able to avert a water crisis because we refuse to build a water treatment plant! We have an Angkasawan, but can't find a way to treat enough water? Hello! It's not ROCKET Science! ~ pun intended.

So yes - strange as it seems, while other states are fighting for voters based on other issues such as PTPTN loans, free education, the building of vernacular schools, the prices of petrol - the people of Selangor - including myself, will be voting for the Government that can provide us Air!

Here's to Kempen Berikan Air 1.0 Selangor!

Question Of The Day - What else can't you live without?

Muse Of The Day: Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know

Now and then I think of when we were together
Like when you said you felt so happy you could die
Told myself that you were right for me
But felt so lonely in your company
But that was love and it's an ache I still remember

You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness
Like resignation to the end, always the end
So when we found that we could not make sense
Well you said that we would still be friends
But I'll admit that I was glad it was over

But you didn't have to cut me off

Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing

And I don't even need your love
But you treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough
I guess that I don't need that though
Now you're just somebody that I used to know

Have you been cut off from a friend, an ex, a family member? Have they cut you off? Do you even know or care why?


The Childhood Friend

  

We all probably have that best friend - childhood friend, the one you used to hang out with when you were young, possibly a neighbour, a friend from school. You used to share everything together, including all the fond and not so fond experiences of growing up. Do you still keep in touch with this childhood friend of yours? Or has life and its priorities changed you till the extent you no longer remember what memories you used to share with this friend?

   



 





The High School / Uni Gang!


This is the gang you used to hang out with, doing anything & everything together! The late nights, crazy early mornings, seeing them more often than you would even see your own parents! Your parents would know each of them by name, due to the frequency you would see this group. However, after Uni/College officially ended, some would get married, some would migrate, and each had their own path to follow.



The One Who Migrated



All of us i'm sure, would have heard before about how countries overseas pay much better than Malaysia. The spending power, dollar to dollar is a lot higher, and for the Western countries, even part timers earn at least 20$ an hour! Compare that to your RM3.50/hour for McDonalds and you may decide to just stay home instead!

Your friends - e.g the Uni Gang are now part of this travelling entourage, some having left for the US, UK, China, Singapore, Australia etc etc. You may be the travelling friend too!

 

Last but not least, there are your exes! How's your current relationship with your ex? This is a tricky one especially if you are currently in a relationship. Too close, and it'll potentially spell trouble for you. Friends? Yet there'll always be an akwardness, plus the additional flashbacks now and then. No further contact since the break up? Do you wonder how he/she is doing now and has he/she moved on? Do they even think about you every once in a while?

Does your ex hate your guts, refuse to speak to you, plus talk badly about you to everyone whom the both of you used to know? That's probably how Gotye felt when he got the inspiration to sing this song.

When you do meet these people on the street, would you remember them? Would you remember their names? Social Networking - e.g Facebook has helped us to connect in many ways, yet I still get the feeling every now and then that this isn't exactly it. There's still a difference when it comes to finding out updates directly from your friend that by reading about it on their status pages.

So what are you waiting for? Time and tide wait for no man (or woman)! Is there that someone you would like to reconnect with, or meet up to share like you used to about everything that has happened to you since? Anyone you would like to apologize to and hope to make everything better? 



Question Of The Day: Who Are You Missing Now?

Muse Of The Day - Michael Jackson - Thriller

You hear the door slam and realize there's nowhere left to run
You feel the cold hand and wonder if you'll ever see the sun
You close your eyes and hope that this is just imagination, girl!
But all the while you hear the creature creeping up behind
You're out of time

'Cause this is thriller, thriller night
And no one's gonna save you from the beast about strike
You know it's thriller, thriller night
You're fighting for your life inside a killer, thriller tonight

Zombies. An undying fixation for human beings, we've discussed and talked about them since the early ages - put them in songs, in movies and of course in our video games. One of Michael Jackson's most famous songs - Thriller probably did much to also put Zombies on the map.

We've all run, stabbed and shot zombies before - in Left 4 Dead, Resident Evil, and even laughed at them in Shaun Of The Dead and Scary Movies.

Yet, through all of that, did it ever occur in your mind at any one point that there is a possibility that zombies may exist one day? That the Umbrella Corporation's bio weapons of mass destruction may one day render the Walking Dead a possibility?



http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/news/national/man-who-ate-other-mans-face-may-have-been-high-on-bath-salts

A naked man (Zombie lah!) was seen attacking another man, biting off parts of his face in the U.S, and one of the conclusions drawn was that the attacker (Zombie!!!) was high on bath-salts (sure not some failed experiment with the T-virus?). Police had to shoot and kill the man (Zombie...) who refused to respond to calls to stop by the police - and had continued to eat the other dude's face! 

So - still don't think Zombie-men are a distinct possibility? If drugs can make you numb, lose control of your self, and have various side effects, how different is that from being a zombie? Now all they need to do is somehow design the drug to make us want to eat each other out (not the i go down on you, you go down on me way, dont think wrong things!)!

Your neighbourhood friendly Zombies?

So - the next time you're talking to your neighbour, sitting at the cinema, a restaurant or in the bus, do check to ensure they don't look like anything of the above! And if you see a naked man/woman running towards you, run AWAY!

Question Of The Day - Where do you think medical & tech research is going to bring us to one day?

Muse Of The Day: Bon Jovi - Something To Believe In

Tonight I'll dust myself off
Tonight I'll suck my gut in
I'll face the night and I'll pretend
I got something to believe in

Though I know I won't win
I'll take this one on the chin
We'll raise a toast and I'll pretend
I got something to believe in

Recognize the picture? It's the Holy Trinity of Best, Law, Charlton of none other than Manchester United. The Great Manchester United Football Club - boasting 19 Premier League Titles, the largest fanbase in the world, the Great Sir Alex Ferguson, and perhaps - the LARGEST DEBT any football club has?

Old Trafford



Stretford End



A Trophyless 2011-2012 Season

Don't get me wrong. I love United. Being there for the very first time last year to watch Park (hey a fellow Asian & United man) score the winner against Arsenal was a great feeling. But one can't help but feel the title slipping away at the dying minutes of both the Manchester games was something of a pre-determined fate. The moment we drew at Everton, you could feel it - the false hopes of a title - the paper covering over the cracks coming undone - yes Scholes is and was a great player, but how long more can he carry the team? I think we hoped rather than believed that we would win, and I had also more in hope more than belief watch the Swansea/ Sunderland games expecting a landslide United score. Yes, City have got tons of money to spend, but the current United just doesn't feel right. SAF keeps insisting he has the money to spend - really? He says the team is progressing well and is close to Barcelona standards - really? The 89 point tally would have won us the title in many other seasons - so what?

There is this nagging feeling I have that we are falling behind. There is a genuine fear this time around that we may not recover as our opponents are getting richer & richer. Regardless of the great brand and support we have, Glazernomics is holding us back and preventing us from maintaining a hold on the EPL, let alone challenging for European Honours. The way we exited Europe - two times, in itself was painful to watch. What happened to the Singapore IPO? If the stats are right, and 1 in every 10 football fan is a Red Devil, if each of us contributed 1 pound per year to the transfer fund, we'd have more money than City to spend!

The question now is - offseason - what is going to happen? Kagawa? Baines? Who else? I'm glad we're being linked to the right players for the right positions - Midfield, Left Back and hopefully a Right Back.

For tonight - i'll dust myself off, go to sleep with hope. Face the night and i'll pretend, I have something to believe in. Glory Glory Man United.

Question Of The Day - What do you foresee, or want to see happen in the next few months?

Muse Of The Day : Coldplay - Paradise

When she was just a girl,
She expected the world,
But it flew away from her reach so
She ran away in her sleep and dreamed of Paradise.
Every time she closed her eyes
When she was just a girl,
She expected the world,
But it flew away from her reach and
the bullets catch in her teeth
Life goes on, it gets so heavy
The wheel breaks the butterfly
Every tear a waterfall
In the night the stormy night
she'll close her eyes
In the night the stormy night away she'd fly

NO RESPONSIBILITIES. That would be the best statement to describe the feeling of youth. Everyday would be a question of what to do, what to play, where to go, and who to meet. Living life like as though it would last forever. Friends and social gatherings, games, parties, would be the main priority. Money was never a concern, as you could always ask for more from your parents, a seemingly limitless well of funds ready for you to withdraw from whenever things were running dry.

GROWING UP - THE WORKING WORLD - RESPONSIBILITIES. Where are your friends now? Yes, they're still your best friends, the people you feel closest to, and always remember. The times and opportunities you have to meet up are limited, work consumes most of your time, money, family, responsibilities surface to the forefront of your attentions. You no longer see your best friends every day, every week - and some are far far away, searching for that perfect job - financial security & a lavish life.

Every now and then you'd wish you have more time to spend with them, to catch up and discuss - to share what has happened to you, what has changed in life since you last saw them. But you're an adult in the working world now - you've learnt to be more careful of the things you say and do, to be more private and to keep your secrets to yourself. You hate to admit it, but you've changed. So have they.

So - strive hard to build a paradise on earth, one that you enjoy with your friends and family - regardless of how old you are, and where your different paths in life take you. The pressures of the New Age are great - you see children committing suicide due to poor exam results, adults taking their own lives due to financial and emotional difficulty. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger - learn to accept the bad, look for the positives. Stay happy, stay strong. Keep your friends & family close - they will support you when you most need them. Build your own paradise on Earth. Life is a gift, accept it, embrace it, live it.

Question Of The Day - How would you build your paradise, if you were given a choice?

________________________________________________________________________________

Today in the news - many tributes are pouring in for Marina Keegan - a Yale student who tragically lost her life at 22, a writer with a bright future, extinguished in the blink of an eye. Her view of the world is one I believe many a youth shares and reading this article brings many thoughts of what could be, and what could have been.

You can read the article here:

http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2012/may/27/keegan-opposite-loneliness/?cross-campus

RIP - Marina Keegan

Muse Of The Day: Jason Derulo - What If

If you are the one
Then us meeting here is fate
Future with a dog named Ben
Buy a house with a fireplace
This is the first I've seen your face
But there a chance we are soulmates
I know that this might sound crazy
You don't know my name
What if...

Life is full of "What Ifs". Reflection and regret are part and parcel of life - and thats possibly what makes us stronger and better as human beings. Even a baby or child learns not to do things that hurt them, e.g touching a hot kettle or knocking your head against something.

What if you could have studied harder for an exam paper that you took?

What if you would have known the prices of houses in KL would skyrocket, so you'd eat bread everyday at lunch just to get a house earlier?

What if you could have gone back - talked to the girl that you loved (if you could call it love) back in college?

Some of these "mistakes" would haunt you for the rest of your life. I'm glad to say that i'm content with most of the decisions in life I've made, even though some were definitely mistakes, they've helped me to grow as a person.

Question of the day - What would you have done differently if you were given a chance?

Muse Of The Day : Katy Perry - Part Of Me

This is the part of me that you're never gonna ever take away from me, no
Throw your sticks and stones, Throw your bombs and your blows
But you're not gonna break my soul
This is the part of me that you're never gonna ever take away from me, no

Its ok to lie - everybody lies. Have you ever heard that before, or perhaps told it to yourself to reassure you were doing the right thing? Did you lie as a child, sometimes to avoid being scolded or perhaps lying to get something you wanted? How different are we as adults now? We lie for selfish reasons, and we also lie for the sake of others - butis this the right thing to do?

Culture, society and our environment shapes us to be who we are today. The decisions we make in life also determine the path we end up walking and the people we meet along the way play a big impact in the way we behave as human beings.

As we grow up, childish dreams fade, the responsibility of adulthood forces us to see a reality far from what we learnt from our parents, kindergarten, school etc. For me, even the view or perception of my parents and family members changed as I was growing up.

Dreams of fairy godmothers, princesses & their prince charming, happily ever after fade away with time. In a more Malaysian perspective - I wonder how many of us ended up doing what we "bercita-cita" to be in school - Polis, Askar, Doktor - serve King & Country?

When I was younger, I always told myself to make sure I do the right thing, to not do anything that would offend "God" as I wanted to be as perfect as I could a human, to help people whenever I could & do the right thing at all times. Looking back, I see a shadow of my former self, a person now tainted by the harsh realities of the world - a personwith a better understanding of why people say "No one is perfect".

Despite all these negative influences and changes in myself, I believe the one part of me that no one will ever be able to take away is my love for my immediate family and the country where I was born in.

What will you never ever compromise? What can life & the world never take away from you?

Muse Of The Day : Taylor Swift ft The Civics - Safe And Sound
Just close your eyes,
The sun is going down,
You'll be alright,
No one can hurt you now,
Come morning light,
You and I'll be safe and sound.

Hunger - a strong, compelling need or desire

Watching the Hunger Games really changed my perspective of the life I live, and refocuses the thought process on what is really important in life. Our ancestors - fought for survival against nature, wild beasts, disease, hunger - and came out triumphant. Malaysia's founders - fought for a hunger to be free from rule, the freedom to shape our country and lead it to greater heights.

What do we fight for today now that we have freedom? Our parents & their parents fought to provide us everything we would need - food & shelter, so that we would not have to be a Katniss Everdeen - sleep in a tree, hunt for our own food, start a fire. What are we - Malaysians - fighting for today? What will our generation be remembered for?

If the Mayans are right (told you the Gregorian Calendar was wrong - how can the Feb 29 babies only have Birthdays once every 4 years! That's not fair!), and the world were to start falling apart some time this year, what skills do you have to keep yourself alive? The material dreams we chase - cars, condos, cash, would probably be rendered meaningless right? What good is a gold bar or diamonds when the world's temperature rises to unbearable levels or in the face of a natural disaster? Would Hugh Hefner's Playboy Bunnies be able to save him or themselves?

The kampung boys & girls would probably smile with glee - an offer to trade a Mercedez for the knowledge on how to catch fish or start a fire? What skills have we learnt that would help us in such a situation? Yes I could be a Diamond player in Starcraft, and have a Level 60 character in Diablo III, or be the top student in Economics - but I can't beat my dad when it comes to plucking (sometimes stealing!) fruits from a tree or grabbing a live fish with just his bare hands.

Which then brings me to another topic which I feel compelled to comment on - how does pointing fingers, setting up burger stalls, doing butt-exercises prove to us - The Rakyat - who is better suited to lead the country (lets just assume it doesn't all end in 2012 - phew!)?

The Government's promise is one of safety & security, while the Opposition promises change. Change - for better or for worse? Looking at Greece, Spain, or even closer to home - Thailand - it gives me chills thinking about what the cost of fighting for change, and the result of that fight may be for Malaysia. For many of us Gen-Y, we never knew the cost of such fighting which our grandparents/parents had to go through - to go to sleep fearing for our safety, or where the next meal may come from.

For tonight, I'll go to sleep, knowing that come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound.

What is your definition of "Safe and Sound" in this 2012 World that we live in?

Hello & Welcome!

'Without music life would be a mistake' - Friedrich Nietzsche.

How many times have you been knocked down in life, only to have your spirits raised again by a song, better than even the comforting words of your best friend can? Or been through a moment where a song plays on the radio, and all the memories - like floodwater bursting through a broken dam come back to you?

Welcome to my blog - a repository of past reflections, hope for the future, and hopefully an inspiration to readers to share what a particular song may mean to you - in your own unique journey of life.