May the Farce be with you...

Technorati tags: Humor, Star Wars, Jabba The Controversial Hutt, Undilah

The road to stupid controversies is paved with noble intentions, it would seem. What Walski is referring to here is the latest “controversy” surrounding the Undilah video. No, not the fact that the MCMC instructed the TV stations to cease airing it (purportedly due to the clip not having gotten the Censorship Board’s blessings).

No, this is something else.

On Sunday, The Malaysian Insider reported that BN MP for Kota Belud, Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan, felt that the video was anti-establishment, in a "subliminal" way. You can read the full report here.

But here’s the bit that really caught Walski’s eye. Okay, both eyes (emphasis by myAsylum):

He said that at one point in the clip, a man dressed as Star Wars’ character “Jabba the Hutt” is seen standing next to a poster of Datuk Seri Najib Razak, a scene that appeared to mock the prime minister.
(source: The Malaysian Insider)

All together now... HUH?!?.

In case you missed the part where Jabba the Hutt makes an appearance – frankly, Walski had to go back to the video and look C-L-O-S-E-L-Y – the guy in the large slug suit appears around about time-counter 3:35, for about 3 seconds or so.

Now, unless those in BN call our PM Jibby the Hun secretly behind his back, Walski has no clue whatsoever why, or how, the appearance of Jabba the Hutt could be considered mocking the PM. Or maybe, Jibby owes Jabba a bunch of space credits – again, it’s knowledge only those in the BN inner circle would be privy to.

But seriously, it got Walski to wondering: would MP for Kota Belud have thought it were just as mocking if ANY other Star Wars character were in Jabba’s place? 
(the Farce is strong with this one, and more, in the full post)

It actually took a while for Walski to even recognize the Undilah blob as Jabba the Hutt. Looked more like a strange looking Barney to him, disfigured after a hudud punishment exercise gone terribly wrong. Or Barney at the larvae stage of development perhaps.

The “real” Jabba (see left) looks a lot uglier, slimier, and probably more closely resembles a certain Malay language entertainment writer who used to be on Walski’s shit-list, than it would any other fictional semi-character.

But what if it had been Darth Vader that was featured instead? Perhaps a Sith Lord paying tribute to his master would have been less mocking? Or more so? Dunno. The Farce is strong with these MPs and so it’s difficult for a mere mortal like Walski to guess.

It’s amazing how we see something negative when it’s negativity we’re looking for. After all, human beings are pattern-seeking creatures. See an apple, you think Steve Jobs. See Darth Vader, you think paying tribute to an evil entity, in all likelihood. Not that Najib resembles Palpatine (aka the evil Emperor, aka Darth Sidious) or anything like that. But you never really know with these MPs.

Or would Yoda have been a better choice? Hmmm.... strong resemblance this old one has.... would probably have been the thought permeating through the minds of those wont to find something mocking. Okay, so Yoda’s better looking (a tad), has got bigger ears, and likely more adept at deflecting bullshit, what with having a light-saber and all.

But you don’t have to try very hard to find a resemblance, do you?

The point is, even if it were one of the Star Wars good guys, some idiot somewhere would probably find something offensive about it when put against the image of our esteemed Prime Minister. Not to imply that our MPs are idiots, of course (snicker). But some of ‘em have this uncanny skill of attracting ridicule without much effort... strong the Farce is in some elected ones...

In all likelihood, put any character from Star Wars in that bus shelter, and those intent on finding mockery will definitely find it. In spades.

Han Solo? Scoundrel.

Luke Skywalker? Bumbling wannabe trying hard to be like his father, but never quite succeeding. In the Star Wars universe, this turned out to not be such a bad thing. In our universe, a different connotative story altogether.

Princess Leia? Altantuya.

You simply cannot avoid potentially insulting those wired up to be insult magnets. It’s like discharging a shotgun into a horde of rampaging zombies and not hitting a single one. Possible, but highly unlikely.

Come to think of it, put ANY character in that bus shelter... it simply is a lose-lose proposition. Solution? Just do what you think is right, and not worry too much about what the fault-finders may think.

The producer of the Undilah music video has done just that – stuck to his guns, with a rebuttal (via The Malaysian Insider). And Pete Teo being Pete Teo, a head-butt of a rebuttal. Which, to Walski, is the right thing to do.

Naysayers will be naysayers, and it’s next to impossible to create something of value – exactly what Pete Teo has done with Undilah – without them conjuring up some sort of farce to fuss over.

In the words of that make believe diminutive mystic of the Star Wars universe, pondering over his new pair of shiny sports shoes, “Do it, just”.

Click here for the full post......

Go Viral for make benefit glorious nation of Malaysiastan

Technorati tags: PSA, Undilah, MCMC, SKMM, Viral

You really got to wonder sometimes what the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) was really set up for.

A video promoting the right to vote has been taken off the air by local broadcasters despite a push for greater democracy because it contains opposition figures and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah’s speech talking about Malaysia having problems.

The Malaysian Insider learnt that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) directed local broadcasters this week not to use the public service announcement (PSA) produced by musician Pete Teo just days after its launch on September 16.

“MCMC emailed both Astro and Media Prima Bhd about the issue, telling them the video clip should not be aired because Ku Li speaks about the country having problems and also because it features opposition leaders,” an industry source told The Malaysian Insider, referring to Tengku Razaleigh by his popular nickname.
(source: The Malaysian Insider)

The problem the MCMC has, apparently, is the word “problem”, mentioned by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, who’s featured in the video, in relation to Malaysiastan Malaysia. Oh, and the appearance of opposition personalities, too, it seems.

Is this what ‘more democracy’ means, Najib?

Walski is starting to wonder whether the media misunderstood our esteemed Prime Minister, who may have actually said ‘more demagoguecracy’ on the eve of Malaysia Day a week ago.

Well, whatever... in situations like this, when a simple Public Service Announcement urging folks to register to vote becomes something so scary that the MCMC has to stick their noses into and suppress, there’s only one recourse for netizens like Walski: make the video go viral.
(the video, how you can make it go viral, and more, in the full post)

So, here’s the video that the MCMC prefers you didn’t  view. Or even know about.

All credit and kudos to Pete Teo, the creative mind behind this excellent public service effort.

Seriously, make it go viral. Post it on your Facebook page, or blog/website (if you have one), or download it. And if you’re on Twitter, twalk about it.

Walski’s quite sure it’s not the intention of the MCMC for folks to not register to vote. It’s just that they sure have some strange ideas about what we can, or shouldn’t, have access to. Everybody and their pet iguana knows Malaysia’s got problems. Heck, which country doesn’t?

Well, denial is NOT going to solve these problems, just as denial isn’t a river in Egypt. If the current government isn’t effective enough for your liking, change it – not through violent revolt or anything silly like that, but through your vote.

And to vote, you’ve got to be a registered voter. Which is what Undilah is all about. Nothing more, and certainly nothing less.

That’s the part the MCMC doesn’t seem to get. All it sees through their rose-tinted blinkers are the personalities featured, and what’s mentioned, without seeing the bigger picture.

As any optometrist will readily tell you, blinkers – rose tinted or otherwise – obstruct your peripheral vision, making it difficult to see the bigger picture of what’s around you. Or, in this case, in front of you.

Thus far, as of the time of posting, the video has gotten well over 334,000 views on YouTube (the sum of all 4 language versions: English, BM, Chinese & Tamil). That’s not counting direct downloads, which Walski doesn’t have the figures for. On Facebook, Undilah has gotten over 14,000 likes.

You can help keep the momentum going. For Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Malaysia... stan.

Click here for the full post......

Ten Years Later...

Technorati tags: September 11, 9/11, Hate, Tragedy, R.E.M.

Time flies, doesn’t it? It’s been ten years since September 11, 2001, better known as 9/11.

Walski wrote at length about his thoughts five years ago; thoughts that he has no intention of repeating five years later today. If you like, you can re-read them here, and those from one year ago here.

Instead, let us reflect on the world we live in, as a result of what happened that fateful day, and what has transpired since. There is one song that embodies some of the feelings Walski has relating to 9/11, which he’d like to share with you.

There are specific reasons why Walski chose this particular song. But none of them have to do with losing his creed, just like the song really has nothing to do with religion... 
(9/11 thoughts a decade later, and more, in the full post)

As is typical when September 11 rolls along, you’ll hear all kinds of analyses, thoughts, rememberances, blame-storming, etc. Ad nauseum. And so Walski will refrain from doing that. Or, at the very least, try not to.

Fortunately, the events of that day hasn’t caused Walski to totally lose faith in mankind, nor has he lost the belief that people are basically good – regardless of creed, ethnicity or nationality.

The epiphany that hit Walski that day, more than anything else, is the realization of how powerful an emotion hate can be. Because he believes that at the root of what happened that day is nothing other than hate.

Any faith is essentially good. But when hate manifests itself, no creed is spared from the potential of being distorted to do bad things. Evil things.

R.E.M.’s Losing My Religion is not about faith, but it is about something unrealized or unachieved. Specifically, the song is about unrequited love. It’s a pining and yearning for something that you know might not be within reach.

Walski has a similar pining and yearning. However, it’s not love that he yearns for, but the elimination of hate.

He senses that the atmosphere of hate is on the increase here in Malaysia. And it seems to stem partly from the helplessness of not being able to change things for the better. There’s hate in how we conduct our politics, from all sides of the political divide. Making it worse is the impression Walski gets that in order to be successful in politics, one must have the ability to instill hate in one’s supporters of the ubiquitous other, whatever that other might happen to be.

In some cases, that "other" is whoever is on the other side of the political divide, and in other cases, it’s those who profess a different faith.

The last thing Walski wants to see is all that hate, which in turn fuels more hate, come to an unstoppable pinnacle, causing the haters to go on an uncontrollable hate rampage. And that, in essence, is how Walski sees the events of 9/11, half the world away, a whole decade later – uncontrolled hate manifested.

If there's one single lesson we Malaysians can learn from 9/11, it is that hate, assisted by the incredible power of bad ideas, can manifest itself into something destructive.

The destructive forces unleashed one decade ago today not only changed the New York City skyline, it changed the way we view the world we live in. Hate triumphed on that day, in more ways than we can imagine.

It silently perpetuates itself to this day, cleverly disguised, rearing its ugly head ever so subtly in forms not easily distinguishable.

If we can successfully eliminate hate from our lives, the world once again will change. This time, though, it’ll be for the better. It will really be the end of the world as we know it...

But this time around, you’ll really feel fine...

Click here for the full post......

A funny thing happened on the way to the present...

Technorati tags: History, Malaya, Historical Perspectives, Mat Sabu, UMNO, Butthurt

It is often said that history is written by the victors. To be precise, Winston Churchill said that, or so it is popularly believed – there seems to be some dispute over this, as Walski discovered.

But assuming Churchill was the one who said it, the world today remembers the man as a successful war-time Prime Minister of Great Britain. In fact, many consider Winston Churchill to be one of history’s most successful wartime leaders.

The question is, though, if the Allies had not won the war in Europe, and Hitler had triumphed instead, would Churchill be remembered the same way today?

The answer: most probably not. In all likelihood he might be known as The Butcher of Hamburg, or some other nasty epithet like that (over 40,000 civilian deaths were documented in that bombing, by the way).

Walski, while in school, was never too interested in history, because he felt that it was boring. His interest in history emerged many, many years later when he discovered that the subject of history is much more than just important dates, people and places. What makes history interesting is the why and how.

And the truth is that there are many versions of why and how.

History, as it turns out, is very much a matter of perspective, apart from dates, people and places. And the popular perspective, as it turns out, really depends on who the victors are. When someone challenges the popular and official historical perspective of the victors, like what Mat Sabu did recently, feathers get ruffled, emotions stoked, and accusations of being a communist sympathizer emerge.
(inconvenient historical perspectives, and more, in the full post)

So, what was it that PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu (more popularly known as Mat Sabu) said that ruffled UMNO feathers to the point of butt-hurt? Apparently, it is this:

For your information, Pisau.net is an unrepentantly pro-UMNO site (and part of the UMBecile network of sycophantic blogs), and so it’s no surprise that the communism context was added, despite the fact that communists or communism were never once mentioned. The key point Mat Sabu makes in the clip above – the history of our nation’s independence is seen very much from a British-friendly perspective, painting those who really fought against the British in bad light.

Today, the official view of this history is that UMNO and its Alliance partners were the sole champions of Malayan independence, with other contributors frequently left unmentioned, and quite often, even maligned.

In fact, just about everything Mat Sabu said in the video clip is factual:

• the Bukit Kepong police station was a colonial British police station
• the police officers were in the employ of the colonial British police force (this was in 1950)
• Tok Janggut went against the British (over tax imposed, if not mistaken), and later declared a traitor by the then Kelantan Sultan, after British instigation
• only those in the service of (or friendly to) the British colonial government were considered legitimate fighters for independence, while many others who were outright against the British colonialists and what the colonialists wanted, were labeled as terrorists and traitors

Walski wouldn’t go as far as to say, though, that the history of our independence is one big lie. He will agree that much of the popular history of that period is seen only from one perspective – that of UMNO’s, which in turn is a version of history that is very much British colonial-friendly.

Blogger Sakmongkol AK47 (himself an UMNO member and former Pahang state assemblyman) opines why the furor from all and sundry within UMNO over Mat Sabu’s remarks.

Why is UMNO concerned? I have touched on this slightly in my preceding article when I mentioned that PKMM was formed in 1945, one year earlier than UMNO. PKMM was the first Malay political party to clearly state Independence as its main vocation and raison d'être.

What is then alarming about Mat Sabu’s faux pas is the fear that it may lead to a widespread revision of history. If it snowballs into a widespread revision of history, then UMNO’s actual role MAY itself be diminished and it will no longer enjoy an unchallenged and monopolistic place in our nation’s history. Politically it will also mean that UMNO will find it increasingly difficult to claim absolute legitimacy as the nation’s only political force to have fought for MERDEKA. Its own heroes will be brought down to size.
(source: Sakmongkol AK47)

The story of Malaya's independence from the British is often times presented as a vanilla-flavored historical garden path. In truth, the whole story is a lot more colorful and closer resembles a garden maze, with numerous other players and factors involved, many of the paths leading to eventual dead ends. But these dead ends – primarily due to crackdowns by the British – are important, if we are to have a more holistic view of our nation’s history.

There is absolutely no dispute with the fact that UMNO and its Alliance partners played a role. The dispute is in the assertion that only they had a role to play. And why this assertion?

The answer, perhaps, lies in another quote, penned by a different man (emphasis by myAsylum):

'Who controls the past,' ran the Party slogan, 'controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.'
(source: Wikiquote)

The man was none other than George Orwell, and the book he authored, Nineteen Eighty-Four.

So yeah, “official history” can not be challenged, because it challenges the very position of the status quo, and how it got there. That’s the narrow conservative view, at least. And if you were to ask Walski, the mainstream is slowly but surely becoming narrow conservative as the years flow by.

Funny thing history – you can’t change what happened, but it sure as heck makes a difference from whose perspective the story is told...

Click here for the full post......

Blogging with Blogsy

Technorati tags: Blogging, iPad, Blogsy

This post is a test of using a different blogging tool on the iPad, called Blogsy. Walski just installed it moments ago, and this is the first test post.

In a sense, it works somewhat like Blogger+, the other tool Walski has evaluated for the iPad. The biggest difference, so far, is that the user interface seems a bit easier to use.

One thing he has noticed, though, is that the paragraph handling is a little bit different.

Probably, what Walski will use this tool for is blogging on the go. Then, similar to how he's used Amplify, come back later to edit the post to its final look and feel.
(other initial thoughts, in the full post)

What would have made this e perfect tool would have been the ability to use the Rich (WYSIWYG) view to do text editing, instead of having to use the Write view, which is also where you'd do your HTML formatting. That said, there are more tools available to ease the usually tedious task of typing in HTML.

For example, the Format tool provides automatic placement of commonly used tags – in Walski's case the Paragraph tag, which he uses regularly.

Another example would have to do with blogging based on a template – so far, it’s kinda worked okay, but Walski has got to create a dummy post containing the HTML code that forms the template, then copy the code to a new post to use.

Still, it looks like uploading a post to the PC for updating and format-repair work is something Walski still can’t quite escape from – for example, the correct look for this post only appeared after editing it on the PC, including the addition of this and the preceding paragraph. Oh, and the next, too.

More posts on the Blogsy experience later...

By the way, if you'd like to know more about this tool, you can check out this review, published by The iPad Fan.

Click here for the full post......