Happy New Year 2012

Technorati tags: Blogging, New Year, 2012, Looking Ahead

It’s been said that if you want to get things off to a good start, you first gotta start.

Original background image from The Malaysian Insider

And so Walski made the decision to start the new year with a blog post. Because this year, he intends to keep this blog more active. Unlike in 2011.

To one and all, myAsylum fans and haters alike, Happy New Year 2012… may this year bring our nation much needed success, less politica-wrangling (from all sides), and for once, realize that dwelling on where we individually came from is less important than determining where we’re headed.

Together, as one nation.
(Walski’s hopes for the year, and more, in the full post)

To that end, myAsylum will help in whatever little way it can. Be it by posting Walski’s own opinionating, or reposting pertinent news clips and articles from other sources. 2011 was kind of a bleh year for him, but he thinks that it’s high time to put all that behind him.

These days, Walski uses Twitter a lot as a barometer for cyberspace’s opinion climate. The climate in 2011 was gloomy to a great extent, causing him to simply be fed up. Compounding this was probably the fact that he follows individuals from the UMBecile Empire. And inadvertently, Walski’s been affected by their gloom.

But he knows better than to succumb to a bunch of nitwits, and so it probably is a good idea to ignore much of what these folks have to opine, and to fight their rhetoric when it makes sense to do so.

Just so you know, the channels of myAsylum’s engagement are threefold: this blog, Twitter, and via our page on Facebook. While some crossposting will undoubtedly happen in the process, all three channels are designed to be unique.

That’s one of the things you can look forward to in terms of myAsylum’s activities for 2012.

Something else that Walski hasn’t been doing nearly enough of lately: myAsylum Polls. There will definitely be more polls this year, starting with one that will be posted later today.

But will 2012 be a better year for the nation? That’s a tough question to answer, as it really depends on whom you ask.

And it doesn’t help one bit that the same hostile attitudes remain towards freedom of expression. The following happened in the we hours of 2012:

Police beat up, arrest undergrads in UPSI over academic freedom demo

Several student activists at the Sultan Idris University of Education (UPSI) who held a peaceful demonstration demanding academic freedom were allegedly beaten up and arrested early this morning after refusing a police order to disperse.

Up to 17 were arrested by the police at about 2am, said lawyer Fadiah Najwa Fikri. They were still being detained, she added.

The Lawyers for Liberty coordinator said the police had acted in a heavy-handed manner against the students, which resulted in one, Muhammad Safwan Anang, the president of undergraduate movement Gerakan Menuntut Kebebasan Akademic (Bebas), being sent to a hospital in Slim River after he lost consciousness.

“They were beaten up, kicked and punched. According to an eyewitness, Safwan lost some teeth,” Fadiah Najwa told The Malaysian Insider over the phone.
(source: The Malaysian Insider)

You can read the rest of the news article at The Malaysian Insider, but this doesn’t bode well for a more democratic Malaysia. On that front, we have a long, long way to go.

Despite what happened this morning, Walski is still hopeful that 2012 will be a good year.

Another area how we can all help make 2012 be a great year for Malaysia - stop associating race & religion with everything. Not only is it tiresome, it’s totally non-productive. A problem is a problem, and problems need solutions, not blame.

In that respect, myAsylum will definitely offer its two bits when things racial and religious seem to get out of hand.

So there, a sampling of what Walski has in mind, and in store for myAsylum in 2012. In short, more activity here, and on the other myAsylum channels.

In the meantime, enjoy your Sunday. Walski definitely intends to enjoy his. More stuff to come this year around, for sure.

Happy New Year 2012… peace, love and rock-n-roll from Walski and the crew invisibule here at myAsylum…