Malaysian GE 2013: Last Word Before May 5th 2013

Approximately 2 months ago, I registered as a postal voter. I painstakingly crafted the email in Bahasa Malaysia to be sent to the ‘Unit Pengurusan Undi Pos’ (UPUP). Albeit a few lines, it was an accomplishment on my part as I have not read or written in the national language for years now. Also, I could have very well written the entire email in English but chose not to. Email as follows:

Tuan/Puan,

Sila lihat borang 1B yang telah lengkap diisi and dilampirkan pada email untuk memohon mengundi secara pos dari luar negara.

Sekian, terima kasih.

Yang benar,
'my legal name'

I was very surprised when UPUP wrote back a day after, informing me that they have accepted my application and was processing it. However, two months later I have not heard from them despite the fact that our ‘bro’ has announced that the parliament has been dissolved. I have to admit that I was not diligent in following up on my status and it was my beloved dad that kept track for me. One fateful day, I received an email from my dad informing me that I am eligible to vote as a postal voter. That is good news but I was confused.

¹ Few months ago, we did not know when the election was. So to not waste my chance to vote for a better Malaysia, I registered as a postal voter. At the same time, I wanted to go home to Malaysia for vacation. Time and tide waits for no man especially when there is so much to do. Sitting around waiting for ‘bro’ to own up was not the correct answer. As such, I booked my plane tickets to come home in May.

¹ Election should be held on the same date every five years. Why complicate matters if one wants a consistent and clean system?

Two weeks after my booking, the Electoral Commission (EC) decided that May 5^th, 2013 is THE day. Since, there was no status on my eligibility as a postal voter, I could actually vote at home instead of traveling 2 hours each way from Philly to NYC exercising my rights at the Consulate.

A few days later, I received an email from my dad informing me of my status as a postal voter. I was eligible to vote as a postal voter on April 28^th at the Consulate of New York. This was where my confusion started. Should I come home to vote or vote at the Consulate?

As I looked closely at my notification, I realized that I have been assigned the Consulate as my voting location and ² I did not want the risk of being turned away on May 5^th voting in my home turf. After griping and getting annoyed, J and I made our way to the Consulate on April 28^th. I reached the consulate at approximately 2.00 pm and there were already those who had voted. The turnout may not be as great as those turning out to vote in Melbourne but we did our duty.

² Is the system that rigid that I cannot vote at home? Afraid that I voted twice? Make voting electronic. That will solve the problem. Electronic voting has a better chance of ensuring that election is clean and it eliminates human errors.

Walking into the Consulate, I was first greeted by an agent who was sitting just right outside the entrance to the voting room. I handed him my identification card (IC) and he struck my name off his list. Following that, I was escorted by another agent to the voting room and there I met another agent who asked for my IC while he looked through his list. Only this time, the list had additional information i.e. my voting constituency. The agent again struck my name off the list and I was handed a brown envelope. I was told to open the envelope and ensured that the details on the contents of the envelope were accurate.

I opened the envelope and found a letter with my name, IC number and a serial number. Along with that is the ballot paper with the same serial number. They have also provided me with two envelopes; one to contain the letter and the other the ballot paper. What I had described is merely the first set of documents. There were white and meant for the parliament seat. The second set of documents was almost similar to the first. They were pink and they were meant for the state seat.

My ballot papers were clean. However, what struck me as odd were the serial numbers on the ballot papers, letters and the envelope. They were all similar. I almost had to pinch myself awake to make sense of this. Unless, I was on another planet in a different solar system with a different voting system, I remember recalling voting to be ANONYMOUS. Apparently, the word ANONYMOUS does not exist when you vote as a postal voter for Malaysia. Without hesitation, I asked the agent why serial numbers on the ballot papers and envelopes were also printed on the letters that has my name and IC on them.

The agent explained that the letter confirms that I have cast my vote at the Consulate. The explanation provided by the agent did not answer my question at all. Hence, I went on to say that while I understand the intent of the letter, I still did not understand how the serial number serves the same purpose. If anything else, the serial number should NOT be present on the letters or the envelopes. Perturbed, I went on to say to the agent, ‘I thought voting was supposed to be anonymous. Apparently, this is not’.

At this point, I was agitated as the agents clearly could not do anything about it and the system was truly flawed. It was either I vote or walk out. I chose to vote. I chose to vote knowing that our voting system is corrupt. How is it not corrupt when the Electoral Commission (EC) is hardly independent?

Hence, what is the point of this write up?

For those that did not even bother registering to vote either in Malaysia or overseas – You f**ked up for you have just wasted your birth right.

For those sitting on the fence debating to vote or otherwise, my ‘cue’ to you is this – Get your lazy ass out of your house on May 5^th 2013 and vote. If you are present in Malaysia, eligible to vote and your plans do not involve life or death situations, go cast your vote. Your parents did not give birth to you in Malaysia for you to waste every little bit of your privilege as a Malaysian by sitting on the fence and not vote.

For those educated ones out there – Vote wisely. There have been many arguments about what the primary driver should be when voting i.e. voting for the candidate that you are fond of regardless of party OR voting for the party regardless of who the candidate is. I sincerely do not want to impose but at this point I will.

Look at the bigger picture and vote for the party that holds your ideals at heart. While the candidate may have done great things for your constituency, he/she ultimately represents what his/her party stands for. If he/she does not represent the ideals of his/her party, he/she is clearly confused and probably need to switch parties or perhaps he/she is not bright.

By voting for the candidate, you ultimately vote for the party. The party dictates what and where the country will be, in the next five years. Do not be naïve to believe that one man can change the tide. It does not take one man; it takes the entire army with the same mindset and ideals.

This is resonant especially when the system and the group of people that is running the system are exceptionally flawed. Revamping the system is not easy but it can be done. Our system is flawed and it can be repaired. Revamping people on the other hand is almost close to impossible. Therefore, it is important to put the right people for the job to run this country. Placing selfish, greedy and corrupted individuals for this important role spells disaster. They can only run the country to the ground and it has been for the past decade. While some are clearly not happy with how things are, there are others who clearly believe that things should stay the way they are.

For those that want things to stay the way they are, wake up. Wake up although reality is hard to swallow. The reality is that the world has moved forward. So must we. We cannot sit on our laurels thinking that we can ride the wave by just staying in one spot. The country will eventually fall behind. In our scenario, we already have; to a destitute state.

This brings me to a final point. Again, for those that do NOT want change, I cannot stop you but I sincerely hope that you stay home and not vote as childish as this may sound. Swinging the election results towards the status quo is detrimental to the country. If this happens again, you will only see more of us trying every possible way to leave this beloved country in exchange for a better system and government. We will not be like Daisy who remained with Tom in the Great Gatsby. This country will only experience more brain drain. In time to come, you who do not want change will be left with nothing but a country weighed down by corruption, crime and talentless individuals. 

The Truth About Santa Claus, Elmo, Big Bird & Whatever

Sipping my hot spicy ginger tea while staring at my computer screen I nonchalantly said to J,

‘I am going to be honest this Christmas by saying that there is no such thing as Santa when any children around me excitedly say that Santa left them presents under the tree’.

J jolted up, immediately stopped whatever he was doing and said,

‘What?! Why?! Don’t do that! That will screw them up’.

Looking lazily up from the screen with the hot cup warming my hands I replied,

‘Why not? It is the truth. Kids should know the truth. Why would you lie to a child? Santa is not real but the spirit of Christmas is. Besides, look at me. I am well adjusted and I never believed that Santa was real. Also, Santa did not surprise me with presents. Real people did. By the way, I want a humongous and red plushy bull toy...the kind you see in amusement parks’.

‘Don’t tell the kids that Santa is NOT real. You are crazy! Why would you want a plushy toy anyway?’. That was J’s reply.

‘So that I can sit on it when I am watching my TV shows or playing RPG games on my PS3’.

Perhaps I do not know how sensitive the subject of Santa is for kids since I do not have any of my own. Even so, when I was young and especially growing up in Asia, Santa Claus is nothing but a myth. Yet, I was still happy because there were parties to attend, carols to be sung and I have always received presents from parents, relatives and friends. Most if not all Christmases, we would always have at least one person pretending to be Santa when we attended Christmas parties. One of the most enjoyable activities was guessing who the person was behind the disguise. Also, I do not really remember having conversations with friends at school wondering if Santa was real or otherwise. I did however had a conversation with my parents about how Santa was actually St. Nicholas and his generosity giving out presents to the poor. Spurred by curiousity, I decided to read up and reacquaint myself with facts.

Nonetheless, as I was reading and browsing I came across an episode from Family Guy that was tremendously hilarious. Although aired last year, I still find the show refreshing and funny. My stomach was in knots after laughing so hard watching the show. It has a twisted take on Christmas and Santa but a positive spin on gift giving. The stars of the show were of course Stewie and Brian (they are my favourite characters on Fam Guy). For you adults out there who have not seen this episode, I highly recommend it.

Preview #1

Preview #2

Sneak Peek

Now, now, although armed with facts about Santa, what should I tell the kids when they start mumbling about Elmo, Big Bird, Sponge Bob, Dora the Explorer or Barney? Suppose I say that they are mere products of network television to keep children learning while keeping them entertained, what will happen? There will be pandemonium for sure. Such agony and torture to have to keep mum while everyone is excited about entities that are non-existent. From the bottom of my heart, I wished they do exist. That simplifies everything.

A few days later while I was watching an anime, J asked,

‘Are you really going to say that Santa’s not real?’.

Taking a deep breath and without peeling my eyes from the TV, I said,

‘Are you going to get me my plushy toy?’.

‘I will get you the toy, okkaayyy. So???’.

I turned, looked, slyly smiled and said,

‘My Christmas gift to everyone is to feign ignorance when it comes to Santa, Elmo, Big Bird, Dora or whatever. Happy?’.

Have A Very Blessed and Merry Christmas Everyone :)

Hot, Sexy, Cool...Who?

This is a short one and probably meaningless to some. Nonetheless, this is my thought.

Nelly is yummy. Mmmm……. ;)

The first single I heard from him was ‘Ride Wit Me’ in 2000. Back then I thought he looked good. Then he came out with ‘Hot in Herre’. Watching the music video got me hot all right. Many singles later, I saw him in the movie 'The Longest Yard' alongside Adam Sandler and Chris Rock. Not too shabby for his first acting role I must say.

Lately, I was watching Ashanti’s latest collaboration with him in ‘Body On Me’ MTV. Some years were added on his physical appearance. Even so, he remained hot, sexy and cool. What? With those sun glasses and a V neck T that accentuates his biceps as well as tight body shape, I can only croon.

As for Ashanti, damn she is just as HOTTT. :D

Music Video below for your viewing pleasure....

To Challenge Religion: Your beliefs

Religion has always been a sore subject for me. Many times I have logged heads with family and friends on this issue. It came to a point where I could only express what I believed in, hope for others to open their eyes and to ask questions. Since then, I have ceased to discuss religion at length for fear of tension and friction. Reading an article on msnbc.com (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19190916/page/4/) however, compelled me to express myself once again about religion and how most humans have lost reasoning for themselves. It is as though they have reverted to a learning process of "Monkey see, monkey do".

Most religion advocates life and does not condone destroying lives. The Catholic position begins with the statement that human life must be respected and protected. With this belief, the official Church teaching forbids direct abortion and birth control for it is at the moment of conception that the tiny being is a human life and thus must be respected and protected. By itself, this belief is positive but a tad short from being realistic and practical in today’s life.

Medical science has developed emergency contraception (EC) also known as ‘morning after pills’ to help prevent unwanted conception hence prescription as such is most useful to women who fall prey to rapists. The concern is that these women were denied EC and some even as far as referrals because some physicians chose to uphold the Church’s teaching that forbids birth control.

What then is the right answer for women who find themselves in such circumstance?

Based on this belief, perhaps the fitting answer is to let God decide if the unwanted pregnancy should take place. If the pregnancy does take place, the mother will give birth to the child. At this juncture, she will either send the child for adoption or keep the child but be reminded of the inhumane incident that took place each time she looks at the child’s face. In the midst of upholding this belief, the rest of world should also forget about the financial situation of the mother or her conscience when one day and God forbid her child should question his or her origins. One with a logical mind can clearly comprehend that upholding the belief and not weighing potential issues does not benefit any women in this particular situation. In this instance, the physician who denied her the EC and referral was clearly judging and not thinking.

One would also sense that perhaps there are exceptions to the rule. Perhaps that is not the case.

A married woman 14 weeks pregnant had her water broken needed an abortion to prevent serious infection that could lead to infertility or death. The nearest hospital under Catholic administration denied care for this woman by requesting her physician to wait for an onset of an infection before carrying out the necessary procedure. Her physician fearing for the patient sent her to a secular hospital 80 miles away for the procedure. In another instant, a woman with ectopic pregnancy had a choice of an invasive procedure to remove the embryo implanted in her fallopian tube or a less risky method that administer methotrexate, a drug used for cancer to dissolve the pregnancy that spares the tube. The directive from the Catholic hospital was to perform the invasive procedure as the latter is a “direct abortion” as oppose to the former that is a lifesaving method that indirectly kills the embryo. Like any logical individual, the patient checked into another ER.

As a reader who stumbled upon this article, I tried to understand the need for doctors to be respected for their beliefs. While there is a need to provide healthcare to patients, one cannot deny out of respect for doctors that they are certainly faced with an ethical dilemma. Some procedures pointed out by them are indeed in conflict with their moral ideology and they should have the right like any individual to freedom of religion.

I like many others advocate the freedom of speech, belief and religion. The matter at hand is not the issue of freedom but to what extent one should exercise their belief? What is the boundary? Have humans lost the reasoning for themselves that they uphold teachings that are shaped by institutions, leaders of religion consisting of everyday people like you and I without questioning the basis of these beliefs?

Perhaps to some, it is much easier to abide by what others tell them to trust even to the extent of exercising moral judgment on others as long as the belief is deemed inspiration from a higher power. Conceivably, it is more difficult to deliberate and contemplate of what is true and not. By challenging one's belief for the purpose of seeking the truth is liken to having the security blanket being pulled from the bottom of one's feet and being placed out of the comfort zone.

The question is how many are willing to extract themselves out of the comfort zone for a period of time to seek the truth? Would you be comfortable?

Are We Ready?

Like every other morning amid the slamming of my hand on the snooze button and finally getting my bottom in the car to drive to work, I tuned to the local FM. Driving at 80 mph/130 kmph my concentration was not on the road but an account narrated over the radio station that day.

A caller named Scott calls up a radio station to tell the story of his love affair with a woman he was acquainted to. Scott was hired as a hospital staff through his classmate’s mother’s assistance. Let’s call his classmate’s mother Linda. Every break that he had from his classes during the day, Scott would make frequent visits to Linda’s workplace at the hospital. It was also uncanny how convenient his university was located near the hospital that he could bike to have frequent romps with Linda. The breaking point of this affair was when Linda’s husband became angry to find him in his house way too many times when Linda was around. Apparently, Linda’s husband was also playing the field. Nonetheless, Scott was 17 years old when this affair happened while Linda was 41 years old. While the affair may not have lasted, Scott today at 26 years old found Linda to be attractive.

Why am I remembering this story? Admittedly, it is screwed up when Linda’s marriage is concern. Hence, I am not condoning any ‘extra-curricular’ activities with anyone beyond your spouse. Very simply, this story gave hope. The perspective of an older woman going out with a much younger man is somewhat altered when compared to traditional standards laid down from generations to generations where the younger party should be the woman. As time progresses, slowly but surely, traditional standards start to erode thereby raising fewer eyebrows when an older woman is seen with a younger man having a great time.

I and perhaps many women out there have realised that by attaching ourselves to traditional standards and ignoring our options, we are only limiting ourselves. As women get older, so will our pool of men. Let us perform a simple math. A woman at 18 can have a pool of men that ranges from 20 to 60 years old (Ignore the huge age difference as I have in fact seen that happening). A woman at 30 can have a pool of men that ranges from 30 to 60 years old. At 40, the pool will noticeably decrease from a range of 40 to 60 year old men. This pool did not exclude men who fall into the trap of mid-life crisis or men who cannot survive in the midst of any intelligent and powerful women. Excluding these categories of men will leave women with only a handful to have a meaningful conversation with. Ignoring traditional or conventional standards, women will notice that their pool increase when they allow themselves to go out with men younger than them. As a matter of fact, this is not a new mania in town. Countries like the United Kingdom and United States have carried out census and observed that there is an increasing trend of women dating and marrying younger men.

A while ago, I took this subject matter to my lady friends. Despite the trend, some of my lady friends argued that the age difference may hinder any prospects of a stable and permanent relationship. A few mentioned that they would like to be with someone older as older men have more capability in financially providing for them. Then again, I do have a few of my lady friends in their 40s say, ‘It will be liberating to be able to go out with men half our age who is not intimidated by us, who can make us laugh and carry a good conversation’.

Perhaps, women of different ages aspire for different aspects of a relationship. Regardless of what they are, there are men who cannot bring themselves to roam into uncharted waters of dating older women. As more and more women detach themselves from conventional standards, I look forward to seeing more men take the opportunity to look beyond ‘age’ as a factor and merely enjoy the experiences of being with a compatible woman.