Entries from July 2007 ↓

What a tongue-twister - goblok blogger - try saying that 10 times quickly.

According to our dear Information MinisterDatuk Seri Zainuddin Maidin, people should ignore goblok (Indonesian slang for “stupid”) bloggers “who are willing to be tools of others to destroy the nation”. Aiyoyo… Indonesian speaking woh… makes me wonder why he could not just call us “bodoh” or is that too harsh? Goblok sounds cuter like you are a little punchbag - rather like Bozo the clown here.

I’m a Goblok

Anyway, there’s no smoke without fire I say. Its things like calling people “goblok” that rile up the masses who then poke fun at the Government or react with even more Government bashing about the lack of freedom of speech.

Don’t they realise that bloggers are voters too? Do you hold a “ceramah” (meeting) at the village square to flog for votes and in the process call all those attending “goblok”? Won’t endear you to any of the voters will you? So, why alienate a whole bunch of voters at a fell swoop?

Its no secret the General Elections are coming and might even be right on our doorstep. Doing goblok things like this will just convince the fence-sitters as to why they need change. Having your baby kissed during the campaigning period won’t wash away the bitter taste of being called “goblok” before. (Not that I will allow any babies to be kissed by some foul-mouthed politicians we have.)

Somehow, I’m not riled up but terribly amused (also because I learned a new word today). I don’t take things that “Information Ministers” say very seriously. Why I say so is because during the Iraq war when Saddam was being hunted down through Baghdad, the Iraqi Information Minister would repeatedly assure the people on television that the American troops were being soundly beaten. Even when the troops were right on the doorstep of Saddam’s palace, he still insisted that Baghdad had not fallen and that there were no American troops in the city. Information Ministers don’t give out information. They hand out delusions.

So, no need getting all riled up about this latest comment. Keep away those pitchforks and torches for another day when the next comment about bloggers rouse the masses.

And don’t ignore this goblok blogger. I still need all your link love and attention just like any other narcissistic blogger out there. So, boost my feedburner stats why don’t you?!

Bwahaha…. Look who is the latest character to be turned into a yellow skinned Simpson. C’est moi!

I don’t think it looks very much like me, but hey, no one’s the wiser right? 

I’m a great Simpsons fan - I watch it for the tongue in cheek humour that exists in great abundance despite the overwhelmingly slapstick feel of the series.

So, I’m going to have to make sure I don’t miss watching the Simpsons movie. I have this knack of missing movies while they are still showing in the cinemas. I only saw Harry Potter because I arm-twisted asked sis to get me a ticket when she was watching it. I want to see the Transformers but would probably miss it before I know it.

It looks like I might have to play lamp post again for this movie, whether sis likes it or not haha….

In conjunction with the release of the movie, Burger King is letting you have the honor of being a Simpson at Simpsonize Me. Just upload a good close up picture of yourself and tweak it to your liking, then show us what you look like, eh? Have fun!

Ooh the last post was deep wasn’t it? So un-PB. Blame it on the aliens - PB is now back

When Pinkelle is around, we spend a lot of time chatting to each other online and usually on the phone at least once a day. Sometimes, its mind-boggling what we have to say to each other, when we sometimes meet up after work or on weekends and yabber away some more. I suppose we are close in that way.

While she was in London, I felt quite lost not having my chat buddy online. But this is where technology makes the world a smaller place.

Roaming is expensive so SMS messages were few and far in between. But with roaming, we knew just when she arrived at immigration and that she had arrived safely at her hotel.

When she had no access to MSN, we reverted to Gmail chat. Through Gmail chat, she could tell me what she had access to (a supermarket!!!) and I could tell her what I wanted from there (sausage rolls!!!).

She could tell me what time she was due to arrive home, and to ask me to remind my brother to bring over a pair of shoes she needed for a dinner she had to attend.

I could tell her that my credit card bill was here with her expenses on it and that she owed me money in a BIG way.

And here’s the best part:

3000 miles away, and in a totally different time zone, she could transfer money from her bank account into mine at a click of a button.

What is there not to love about technology?

Have a good weekend all!

In 2002, the nation was stunned by the murder of an 11 year old girl by her mother’s tuition student. He was then 12.

After trial and upon being found guilty of murder, he was sentenced to be detained at the pleasure of the King. Yesterday, the Court of Appeal upheld his conviction but released him from prison where he has been held, due to what I would call a statutory technicality that made his detention unconstitutional. As he was 12 at the time of the murder, and technically a child, the Court of Appeal held that there was no provision for a sentence for a child convicted of murder.

The girl’s mother was understandably upset at hearing this result. The boy is now 17 and he had been held in prison for about 4 years. He now says he wants to be a lawyer but as far as I’m aware future lawyers must not have had any criminal convictions against them (Section 11 of the Legal Profession Act 1976). I’m afraid this ambition might just be too far an ideal for this boy.

When I read this piece of news, I was reminded of a not unsimilar case of child murders in England, in the horrifying case of James Bulger. There both the child murderers were 10 and they were ordered to be detained for 10 years. This was later extended to 15 years after public outcry - the case had caught the attention and sympathy of many due to its horrific nature - but was reduced back to 10 years again due to legal issues. However, the 2 boys (now 26 year old men) were released from prison after 8 years and have had their identities changed so that they are not marked by the public.

I don’t profess to agree with the decisions in both cases, whether in England or here in Malaysia. Murderers, whether children or adult must serve their time and must bear the consequences of their act. In the case of an adult, conviction for murder = the death sentence if it applies.

Murder is killing with premeditation - it means the killer planned and acted upon the plan to kill another human being. For a child to do that indicates something seriously wrong with him. It is not a fly he pulled the wings off, nor a dog or cat he disembowelled. It was another human being. In our Malaysian case, he stabbed his victim 20 times and slashed her 4 times. In the English case, they battered the boy and left him to be run over by a train. They should get what is due to them for their actions clearly show they planned to kill, not just hurt or maim.

However, it is a known fact that prisons are universities of crime. If you did not know how to commit any crime, you would by the time you spend enough time in prison. To this end, letting a child mature in that environment may not be the best thing for him.

My concern is about their future. Will they grow up, having forgotten their “childish misdemeanors” or will they go on to more crime, having survived the most heinous of all crimes relatively unpunished? Are they obliged to attend regular psychological evaluations or to meet with a counselor to ensure that they do not commit further crimes or murder?

Criminal profiling tells us to be worried when children perform acts of cruelty towards animals or if they bully other children. In many cases of serial killers, this is the starting point of their killing sprees as they get older. What is the criminal profile then of a child murderer? Are there any precedents to tell us what they grow up to be? Are we letting potential serial murderers walk out of prison to start a life of crime and killing?

To answer my own question:
On an emotional level, I don’t think child murderers should walk free after committing murder. However, practically, balancing their going free after a few years in prison and keeping them in prison for the rest of their natural lives or for a longer period might not be the best option. I would ask that even though they are set free, that they be required to attend counselling sessions and psychological evaluations on a regular basis. And no, society never has to forgive them for what they did. That would be asking way too much.

What is your view?

In a strange twist of ironic fate, a portion of my wardrobe has gone off to the UK without me.

Sis has strolled off on the red-eye to London with a bunch of my clothes and jackets, prepared for some cool weather. Its hardly bikini weather in London right this moment, and with some restructuring going on at home, she had no access to most of her clothes and warm stuff so she went and raided my wardrobe.

At this time, my wardrobe has probably landed in London.

Sigh. How on earth did my clothes find their way to London without me?! o_O