HIP HOP FOR THE INTELLIGENT LISTENER

My Songs

2011-02-07T05:32:00.003+13:00

THE MIXTAPE SERIES VOL. 1

THE MIXTAPE SERIES VOL. 2

THE MIXTAPE SERIES VOL. 3

THE MIXTAPE SERIES VOL. 4

THE MIXTAPE SERIES VOL. 5

Goodbye

2011-01-01T00:04:00.000+13:00

It's really funny coz the same thing happens when you end a blog as when you were starting to write one. You don't really know what to say. Should it be 'umm, yeah, this is it, goodbye now' at the end of a blog as 'umm, yeah, hi, this is my blog' when you started one? Either way, you are at a loss for words.

So I decided to just go straight to the point.

This is the last post of this blog. I will take an indefinite hiatus from writing any new posts and recording any new songs. However, this blog will still be open for you to read and comment, and all my songs and mixtapes will continue to be available for free download (if the links are still alive).

So yeah.

I'm taking a hiatus because I'm finally starting work after so many years of studying, and I don't know if I'll have enough time to spend on blogging and recording. I need to figure out where my priorities lay, and until then, I have to put both blogging and recording on the backburner.

However I did say the hiatus is indefinite. So if I found out that I can actually fit blogging and recording into my schedule after factoring the time spent on work, you might find me writing a new post or recording a new song tomorrow. On the other hand (which is the more likely scenario), the workload might prohibit me to blog or record new songs permanently, and despite my exhortations to live your own life and do what pleases you, I might turn out to be another one of those millions of people whose life revolves around their work and who describe themselves by their occupation instead of what they love to do.

Sorry for the rant.

I will still be working on the final compilations of the Mixtape Series, which are called Renaissance Man (English-language songs collection) and Taming Sari (Malay-language songs collection). But I don't promise anything about those too: they might come out tomorrow, or they might come out when Malaysia lands a man on the moon. So don't get your hopes up too high, or else it gonna smack your head when it drops.

Regarding the download links for my mixtapes and songs, they are NOT permanent. They will expire one day and all the mixtapes and songs will be deleted. I'm pretty sure I've set up the links so that they expire one year from the last viewing. So for example, if you're viewing the download page for my mixtape on 27th June 2011, the link will expire on 27th June 2012. And when another person views the mixtape tomorrow, the expiry date extends itself another day next year. That's how it works. So get your friends and families to download my music daily so that the expiry date continually extends itself and the music stays on the Internet for everyone to enjoy.

I have a lot of things to say about my experience in making music and blogging throughout these four years (nine if you include my n00b period). But I reckon I would write them down in a separate way. Maybe a book or just a plain old journal. They are memories and experience, and I don't want to trust my memories to a corporation by typing them all here. Blogs can be deleted, hacked or wiped clean by viruses. Plus I doubt my grandchildren would be able to access my writings if I put them online; technology changes rapidly and blogs might be obsolete in ten years' time for all I know. But books last forever and are perpetually accessible (as long as you don't test its combustibility or liquid absorption rate).

According to my Google Friend Connect statistics, this blog has around 20 readers. But I'm sure there are plenty of silent readers out there who have been following my thoughts, rants, and raps throughout these years. It's been a pleasure writing for you, dear reader, and a blast making music for you, dear listener. Thank you for your support. I might come back tomorrow, or I might not return forever. Either way, until we meet again, goodbye and good luck.

The Rhymeweaver

The Etiquette of Baju Melayu

2010-12-25T00:00:00.001+13:00

Being closer to the reality of working in a government agency, I couldn't help but familiarize myself with the proper working attire. I had to know how to match colors, what clothing piece goes with what, and what attire to wear for different occasions. Invariably, I'm talking about the conservative business/office attire, which originated in Europe.

However there seems to be a gross imbalance happening. Here I am, a Malay man who knows heaps about Western clothing etiquette, but not even a slightest clue about Malay attire decorum. What gives? But I know this isn't my fault alone; ask anyone on the street about Malay clothing etiquette and you're bound to get the same negative answer "I don't know." Why is this happening? The Malay peoples are not barbarians or savages. They were a part of an ancient and powerful civilization with advanced technology and intricate customs. Surely then, the Malays have their own clothing etiquette and decorum, just like the Europeans, Chinese, or any other civilizations on Earth. If a man has to wear a morning dress to meet a European king, what should he wear when he is meeting a Malay sultan? If a man wears a lounge suit to go to a party, what does a man wear to go to a kenduri?

So I resolved to study Malay men's clothing etiquette, did some research online, and came up with some useful information. Just FYI, I didn't even attempt to explore Malay women's etiquette because it's simply too vast an area to study and because women's fashion changes rapidly, whereas men's clothing generally stays the same throughout the years. So I'm sticking with men's attire.

First off, let us study this ancient poem about the formal attire of a Malay man. We'll then consider each line in relation to the current trends and situations.

Yang disebut pakaian lengkap
Pertama memakai destar
Kedua bercekak musang
Ketiga berkain samping
Keempat berseluar labuh
Kelima berkeris
Keenam berselempang
Ketujuh bengkung berpending
Kedelapan berkasut kaki
Kesembilan berkambil sirih
Kesepuluh bergelang berdokoh
Kesebelas bercincin
Kedua belas bersapu tangan

The first line is about the destar, also known as tanjak or tengkolok in certain states in Malaysia. My online research indicates that the destar has been prohibited as headwear for the common Malay men since 1825 by the Sultan of Johor. Only kings and lords are allowed to wear the destar, while the common man wears the songkok. FYI I'm not from Johor so I don't fall under His Majesty's jurisdiction, but I think it's a sensible order to wear the songkok, primarily because it's more accepted nowadays than a destar. Plus, there are intricate meanings behind the folding and creasing of a destar; the wrong fold may give a completely different message to the observer than what the wearer intends. In fact, a destar wearer who is completely ignorant of the art of folding one might butcher the whole thing altogether. Hence, the songkok is far less complicated than a destar and safer for the common man to wear. It does not give any hidden messages and so it is more suitable as a headwear in these modern times.

The second line is about the shirt itself. Notice the phrase 'bercekak musang'. The cekak musang shirt is the formal one with four or five buttonholes fastened with ornate buttons. It is worn to important occasions like functions and work. It's an equivalent to a shirt with tie. For informal occasions like social visits or going about town, the informal option is the teluk belanga shirt, which has only one fastener at the neck.

The third, however, concerns the samping. For me, a samping to a baju melayu is like a jacket to a Western shirt and pants. You can dispense with it, but you won't look as handsome as when you wear one. However for formal occasions like meeting the Sultan or even going to work, the samping is a must. The style of wrapping a samping also indicates the formality of your dress. When you wrap the samping and your baju melayu is tucked in, that's called a berdagang dalam and is worn to important functions. This style is worn with the cekak musang shirt and usually by kings and lords. Conversely, when you pull out your shirt to cover the wrapped samping around your waist, that's called a berdagang luar and is worn for informal occasions. The shirt for this style is the teluk belanga and is usually worn by the common people. But nowadays I reckon if you go to work in baju melayu, it's better to wear the cekak musang with berdagang dalam style. If you're going to visit family or going about town, it's more suitable (and relaxed!) to wear the teluk belanga with the berdagang luar style. The latter can be worn either with or without a songkok. It's the same as wearing a Western suit to work and wearing a polo shirt and khakis for social activities.

The fourth line concerns itself with the pants accompanying the shirt. The word 'labuh' is significant because it underlines one of the key differences between baju melayu and Western dress: baju melayu has to be loose, while Western dress has to be tailored so it fits the body. I suppose this has something to do with the climate: Europeans need to have their garments as close to the body as possible to conserve heat due to the cold, while Malays prefer to have air circulating between their bodies and clothes due to the tropical heat. It would be very awkward to have a tight-fitting baju melayu as it is having a loose and baggy Western dress. Needless to say, the color and fabric of the baju and seluar should match, just like a Western suit requires an exact match between the jacket and the trousers.

The fifth line is about the keris. In these modern times, carrying a keris equates to carrying a concealed weapon which can incur jail time. Plus nowadays few men knows the art of fighting with keris, so there's no point carrying a weapon you don't know how to use. Hence a modern Malay man can dispense with a keris when wearing a baju melayu, in my opinion. The sixth line is about the selempang, also known as a sash. Personally I don't understand why one should also wear a selempang when one has a samping already wrapped around his waist. I suppose it's an extra item, like the waistcoat worn with a two-piece Western suit. However I've seen pictures of Malay palace officials wearing ornate sashes during royal functions, so I suppose it's more of a kingly thing. Hence in my opinion, a modern Malay man could also dispense with the selempang.

The seventh line is about the bengkung berpending, or the belt. Unlike Western-style belts, bengkung is wide and usually made of metal (I know this because I have one at my house). The pending is the buckle and the centerpiece of the bengkung, usually decorated with jewels or carvings. I personally don't see why bengkungs should be worn because the real skill in wearing a baju melayu lies in one's ability to wrap the samping around one's waist snugly so it doesn't fall down. So the wearing of a bengkung is pretty much superfluous from a practical point of view, although it looks quite extravagant for functions. Hence, the modern Malay man can also dispense with the bengkung, IMO.

The eighth line is about the shoes. Some people would argue that capals (a kind of open-air sandals) are the best footwear for baju melayu. I respectfully disagree if the occasion where the baju melayu is worn is a formal one (including the workplace). I think it's just uncouth to show everyone at the function your feet, which are not exactly a pleasure to look at, by any rate. Instead, Western shoes can be worn for formal occasions, as long as it color-coordinates with the whole outfit. Capals and other informal footwear can be reserved for casual venues like social visits. Invariably, capals look better with the whole relaxed outlook of the teluk belanga/berdagang luar attire anyway.

The ninth and tenth line are about some sort of things called 'kambil sirih' and 'gelang dokoh'. I honestly have no idea what they are, except that kambil sirih might be a container for sirih and its assorted condiments and apparatuses like kapur, gambir and kacip; and gelang dokoh might be some sort of bracelet. Anyway, these things must be considered in light of modern expectations. The practice of sirih eating has almost died nowadays, so I don't think kambil sirih is a relevant accessory to baju melayu anymore. It's a bit like pockets watches to Western suits; they're never worn anymore except by fashion buffs, history reenactors or in the most formal of formal occasions. The gelang dokoh however is a different thing. Seeing that it's a type of jewellery, I think it's up to the man if he wants to wear one with his baju melayu. The same applies to the rings mentioned in the eleventh line.

The last line is about the handkerchief. I think this is an excellent accessory to the baju melayu, considering the tropical heat and humidity a Malaysian man must face day-in day-out. However I do not know if the kerchief is folded the same way as a pocket square in a Western suit. It would be a nice touch if it does.

Finally, I thought I would like to mention an additional item which can be added to the ensemble of formal baju melayu. I don't know the name but it's a loose jacket patterned like the Nehru jacket, but with no pockets. It is fastened at the neck and the rest is left open. It's worn over the baju melayu and usually the collar is embroidered with intricate floral motifs. My research indicates that this jacket was introduced by the Emperor of Johor, Sultan Abu Bakar in the early 20th century (hence its absence in the aforementioned poem) to be worn by public servants in Johor. It still survives today in Malay weddings, where you can usually see the groom wearing one.

So here is my research into the etiquette of the baju melayu. Feel free to comment and discuss, but do not copy and paste into your own miserable blogs or Facebook notes. Read but don't copy.

Thanks for reading
The Rhymeweaver

References:
A dress code for royal functions
Etika pemakaian orang Melayu dan kaitannya dengan silat
Baju melayu - traditional Malay costume for men

The Rhymeweaver
Malaysian hip hop for the intelligent listener

More interesting posts HERE

The Zeitgeist in P. Ramlee Movies

2010-12-18T00:06:00.002+13:00

In a previous post I talked about why I love to watch P. Ramlee movies. First, because his movies enable us to take a look into the past and know how was life back then, in order to gain a richer understanding of our own times. But there is also another reason.

In Bujang Lapok (the first film in the series chronicling the adventures of Ramli, Sudin and Ajis), one of the plot lines was about Ramli who was blind to Cik Normah's romantic overtures. In the movie, Cik Normah was their landlord. A series of events resulted in Cik Normah being alone in a room with a sleeping (and shirtless) Ramli while Sudin and Ajis were out.

Cik Normah tried to wake Ramli up by touching his chest, but Ramlie grabbed her hand in his sleep and pressed it much closer. This was most assuredly a scandalous situation (but pleasantly so for Cik Normah). Suddenly Ajis came in unannounced and saw the whole thing. He quickly darted out of the room and hid behind the door curtains, trying to "unsee" the whole event. Failing to wake Ramli up, Cik Normah sauntered gaily out of the room, and in a comedic sequence unable to see Ajis who was standing right behind her and staring at her antics. The whole comedy derived from Ajis who was supposedly standing outside Cik Normah's field of vision. When they abruptly locked eyes, both of them were very embarrassed and scampered to avoid each other, nervous laughter and all.

This is really hard to explain in writing, so you better watch the movie to know what scene am I talking about.

I am intrigued by the way the screenwriter approached that situation. Like I said earlier, a lone woman in a room caressing the chest of a shirtless man was a very scandalous situation, even by current Malaysian standards, so I'd imagine it to be much more so with the original 1960s audience. But the screenwriter didn't write Ajis's script so that he raced out of the room and called on every single person in the village to bear witness to the 'crime' the couple has committed. Nor did Ajis's script was written so that he grabbed Cik Normah by the hair and told her to repent for her sins. Later on in the movie, Sudin and Ajis didn't even mention the incident to Ramli in a hostile way or as a blackmail, except to moan about their own inability to get a woman to fall in love with them. Basically, everyone was embarrassed about the turn of events but wisely kept their mouth shut.

Why did it happen? Why wasn't Ajis depicted as a denouncer, a self-righteous person, or a blackmailer? Why did he kept his mouth shut and didn't rub it in Ramli or Cik Normah's face? It would make a far more compelling plot if Ajis decided to act on the information he has received. But he didn't. Why? For a 21st century audience like me, this decision is puzzling.

Bujang Lapok was made in the 60s. But if this movie was made now in the 21st century, I guarantee you Ajis's script would have been written to make full use of Cik Normah's scandal with Ramli. He most definitely would not have kept his mouth shut. He would either denounce them to everybody, take aggressive action on the couple, or use the scandal to blackmail them both. I believe it would make for a more compelling plot, but then again art is not created in a vacuum. It reflects the society. The zeitgeist, if you will.

So I wonder about our 21st century zeitgeist. Are we more predisposed to put our noses in others' business compared to the 60's?

Thanks for reading
The Rhymeweaver

The Rhymeweaver
Malaysian hip hop for the intelligent listener

More interesting posts HERE

An Open Invitation for Bloggers to Guest Post

2010-12-11T00:04:00.000+13:00

I'm thinking of having other bloggers write a guest post for my blog. Anyone up for it?

Guest posting has been a staple feature of the Western blogosphere for years. Blogger A writes a post and emails it to Blogger B. Blogger B then puts up the post in her blog. Blogger A gets to put a link back to his blog in the guest post as a reward. Often guest posting is reciprocal, so Blogger B will write a guest post for Blogger A in return.

Guest posts provide blogs with variety. It breaks the routine and provides blogs with a fresh new perspective other than the author's. It can also save the host blogger's time to write a new post. Guest post is also an excellent way to attract new visitors, both for the host blog and the guest blog. It compels the guest blogger to write an unfamiliar topic for an audience outside his usual circle, thus improving her writing skills.

As far as I know, guest posting isn't yet a notable feature of the Malaysian blogosphere, at least among the blogs I read. Maybe it's because blogs by Malaysian writers are still intensely personal. Often it's a place to publish rants, recollections, brags, insults or just plain day-to-day descriptions. So when blogs are still very much a personal space, it's unthinkable to have other people post in one's blog.

The fact that much of the Malaysian blogosphere is personal is absolutely OK. Nothing wrong with it. Comparing the Malaysian and Western blogospheres is like comparing apples and oranges. Each has its own pros and cons. But I'm an exception, as far as the local blogosphere is concerned. I don't write about myself, at least not on a personal level. So I don't have any reservations about having other bloggers guest posting in my blog. In fact, I think it would be pretty cool to experiment with the guest post concept with other Malaysian bloggers. I don't mind whether your blog has 3000 or three followers, as long as you're local, you're welcomed to guest post here.

But of course there are requirements. If you're interested to write a guest post for this blog, you can't write about yourself, obviously. Instead you should write about either how to do something, what do you think of something, or a story for us to read and think about. Make it useful. Make it thought-provoking. Make it evergreen. And that means you might not want to write about current topics, today's celebrities or hot gadgets, because those posts will quickly slide into obscurity. For a better example of what kind of posts I require, you might want to browse the archives.

In addition, the post must be an original piece of writing, not copied from your own post archive or somebody else's blog. Naturally, the guest post shall be my own property, although you can do the same thing with my guest post in your blog. The post must be written in Malay or English, though I don't have any problem with nonstandard forms (a.k.a. bahasa pasar) or the combination of both languages (a.k.a bahasa rojak). Just avoid using extreme TXT abbreviations like 'ak/aq' for aku or 'tot' for thought coz it makes reading very hard.

And as a reward, you get to insert a link to your blog in the guest post, so everyone who reads it will be directed to your blog. Which is only fair since you have your own blog to be read too. Also if you want me to, I will write a guest post for you in return.

So if you're interested, head over here and send me a guest post. I don't care how long it is. I'll have a look at it first, and if it's OK, I'll put it up on my blog here. Don't be dejected if you didn't succeed, just continue writing. After all, we are both bloggers.

Thanks for reading
The Rhymeweaver

The Rhymeweaver
Malaysian hip hop for the intelligent listener

More interesting posts HERE

The Dunning-Kruger Effect and Why It's Dangerous

2010-12-04T00:03:00.000+13:00

The other day, I came across an interesting psychological concept called the Dunning-Kruger effect. In layman's terms, it states that incompetent people are often more confident and willing than competent ones to take on a task. Conversely, the Dunning-Kruger effect can also describe the reluctance of competent people to take on a task, allowing incompetent people to come to the fore. Bertrand Russell in his essay A Triumph of Stupidity presages the Dunning-Kruger effect 40 years earlier when he stated that "the trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt".

I'm glad to know that there is actually a name for the concept I've been observing (and practiced, to my shame) throughout my life. And I expect to see more instances of it happening as I get older, so it's a good thing to be able to tack on some sort of name to it. A name gives something its existence, and I'm glad to know that this phenomenon isn't just a product of my imagination, but rather something that is real and has been subject to scholarly research.

I state in all honesty that I've been guilty of the Dunning-Kruger effect. In the past, I've taken on tasks that I have little or no knowledge about, and almost all of them resulted in disaster. Perhaps the most glaring example is checkers. Despite my utter incompetence when it comes to strategy-based games, I foolishly challenged other people to play checkers, because I thought it's easier than chess (which I absolutely don't play) and that I had the chance to win. Fuck no. I was demolished as soon as I made my third move, and I was forced to acknowledge my utter and humiliating defeat by buying the victor an expensive drink.

But being crushed in checkers due to the Dunning-Kruger effect is only a matter of personal disaster. I jeopardize nothing (well, perhaps my ego and my wallet) if I overestimated my ability and lost a game of checkers. My concern is when the Dunning-Kruger effect is displayed in a group, when a task is taken up by incompetent people who grossly overestimate their ability and don't recognize other people's skills; and when competent people take a back seat and let the incompetent ones run the show. The end result is almost always disaster for the entire group; both the competent and incompetent people.

Case in point: the United States during the presidency of George W. Bush. I personally think that he is an incompetent president. He first invaded Afghanistan in search of Osama, which from certain points of view can be construed as a response to the September 11 attacks (albeit poorly thought of). But then he invaded Iraq on his own initiative, ostensibly to disarm Saddam of weapons of mass destruction. His incompetence caused thousands of people to be killed and billions of dollars to be spent for naught, as Osama hasn't still been found and there were no WMDs found in Iraq. Chaos and violence reign in both invaded countries, and anti-American sentiment ran high worldwide. The mess caused by his incompetence were then dumped over for Obama to sort out when he replaced Bush as president. Because one incompetent person ran the show, all Americans, Afghans, Iraqis and various other peoples, both competent and incompetent, took the shit.

True to the description of the Dunning-Kruger effect, I reckon Bush wasn't aware of his incompetence. Because if he did, he would've resigned as president and let someone else took charge. But noooooo. He felt like he's the most competent president in US history and so he ought to stay at the top, giving out orders and planning courses of action that confused a lot of people over American intentions, which finally resulted in a huge motherfucking mess that nobody is willing to sort out.

The Dunning-Kruger effect isn't a problem, but rather it's a description of a phenomenon. But I personally think that everybody (including me) ought to avoid the Dunning-Kruger effect from happening. Although we cannot prevent incompetent people from overestimating their own ability (how do we do that anyway?), competent people ought to be proactive and take on a task before the incompetents do. Tasks don't carry themselves out; they need someone to do it. If the competent people would not take on the task, then the vacuum will be filled by someone else. When that happens, all we could say is 'may God have mercy on us all'.

Thanks for reading
The Rhymeweaver

The Rhymeweaver
Malaysian hip hop for the intelligent listener

More interesting posts HERE

Internet After People

2010-11-27T00:07:00.000+13:00

I had a dream last night about a friend. But he wasn't the main character in the dream. That's because he was dead.

In the dream, I bumped into another friend, who frantically told me that this young man was found dead in his apartment. Apparently he died of cardiac arrest.

I wasn't really that fond of him; we were never friends more than we were acquaintances, and I found some aspects of him revolting. I suspect the feeling is mutual. Hence the only thing that indicates us having crossed paths is a silent e-friendship on Facebook. And yes, he is still very well and alive in the real world.

But within the dream, I felt immense sadness upon hearing about his death. Yet strangely, my thoughts went to his Facebook account, his blog, his email and his other numerous web presence. What's gonna happen to them? Will they be closed down? Will they be preserved as an e-memorial?

Being a young man, it's unlikely that he made a will, let alone one which bequeaths usernames and passwords of his web presence. So his family and friends wouldn't be able to access his accounts, notify his e-acquaintances and friends, and close them down. Thus his Facebook profile, his blog and his email would remain open for everyone to comment on and send messages to, just like when he was alive. The problem is, they ain't getting no replies.

When a Joe Blogg dies pre-internet, all the next-of-kin has to do is notify the government registrar about the death, so that the deceased's name can be taken off the tax roll, electorate roll, vehicle registration etc. Then they have to notify the bank so that the deceased's accounts can be closed. That's about it.

But a dead person in the internet age has a very high likelihood of having a web presence, at the very least an email address. Younger dead persons may have a Facebook account, a blog, a Twitter, a Tumblr, a Flickr, a LiveJournal and a MySpace in addition to an email.

Those who communicate with the owner via these accounts won't even know if the owner suddenly dies. It falls on the next-of-kin to tell people that these accounts will no longer be active because the owner is dead. But if they don't know the usernames and passwords to these accounts, how could they do so?

So my question is: for those who are living in the internet age (including me), do you think we should include usernames and passwords in our will?

I'm dying to know what you think (sorry for the morbidly bad pun).

Thanks for reading
The Rhymeweaver

The Rhymeweaver
Malaysian hip hop for the intelligent listener

More interesting posts HERE

Pocong Yang Comel di Pagi Ahad

2010-11-20T00:06:00.000+13:00

Beratus-ratus tahun dulu di Eropah, kalau sebut je serigala jadian atau troll, mau terkencing dalam seluar. Begitu juga dengan pontianak (vampire) atau ahli sihir. Orang Eropah zaman kuno mempercayai kewujudan makhluk-makhluk ni dengan begitu taksub sekali, dan kisah-kisah berkenaan mereka diceritakan sejak turun-temurun. Masyarakat sangat histeria dengan ancaman makhluk-makhluk ni sehingga terjadi upacara mendedahkan serigala jadian dan ahli sihir yang berakhir dengan pembunuhan besar-besaran.

Zaman sekarang semua tu dah hilang. Sekarang serigala jadian dan vampire dijadikan kartun yang comel buat hiburan kanak-kanak, dan troll yang dulunya begitu digeruni oleh masyarakat Skandinavia kuno kini dipaparkan dalam buku-buku fantasi dan permainan seperti Dungeons & Dragons dan Magic: The Gathering. Kostum-kostum berdasarkan makhluk-makhluk ni dipakai dengan gahnya semasa parti kostum dan sambutan Halloween.

Aku tertanya-tanya bilakah masanya hantu-hantu dan makhluk ghaib Melayu bakal menerima nasib yang sama seperti makhluk jadian Eropah? Adakah seratus, dua ratus atau lima ratus tahun akan berlalu sebelum kita boleh melepaskan hantu Melayu dari arena ilmu hitam dan cerita seram pergi kepada komoditi media?

Bilakah kita akan dapat menerima perkumpulan komedi hantu-hantu Melayu ala-ala The Addams Family? Bilakah agaknya kita akan berjumpa dengan topeng penanggal di kedai-kedai kostum, sepertimana topeng vampire yang dijual sekarang? Bilakah agaknya kita akan dapat menerima pocong sebagai watak kartun yang boleh membuat anak-anak ketawa di pagi Ahad?

Sebab serius aku cakap, pocong antara hantu Melayu yang aku rasa paling seram sekali, dan kalau ada kartun pagi Ahad yang dibintangi oleh pocong yang comel, aku akan lari lintang pukang dari TV tu sebab aku takut nak tengok.

Terima kasih kerana membaca
The Rhymeweaver

The Rhymeweaver
Malaysian hip hop for the intelligent listener

More interesting posts HERE

Check the Arabs Too, Why Don't You?

2010-11-13T00:06:00.000+13:00

I was walking round the city the other day when I saw four police officers at the sidewalk. They were checking the IDs of two immigrants, which I think were Vietnamese or Burmese from their facial features. But one thing for sure; they were not locals.

The officers spent like five to ten minutes checking each ID, during which two Middle Eastern men walked past them all. The officers didn't even bat an eye towards them as they continue to check the Vietnameses' IDs.

I wonder why the officers didn't stop the Middle Eastern men and check their IDs too? I mean, since they're checking the IDs of the two Vietnamese people, they might as well check theirs too, since the guys were obviously not local.

On one hand, policing is a lot like teaching. Teachers rely on their guts and prior experience to gauge a student's ability. Experienced teachers will tell you that such and such student will behave in a certain way, achieve certain marks in school, and grow up to be a certain something, just by looking at them. Of course, they do have the data about the student, but most of the time, gut feeling and experience trump numbers and facts. It might sound presumptuous and downright discriminative, but ask any great teacher and they'll say the same thing: they know how a student will turn out just by looking at them.

Police officers work the same way too. They rely on their gut feeling and experience to tell apart the felons from the innocents. They know that such and such person is a potential lawbreaker just by looking at them, so when they see a member of the profiled group of lawbreakers, they take the initiative and run a check on him. It saves time and effort, rather than doing it by the statistics and numbers. As much as you might say it is presumptuous to work that way, it's just the way it goes: police officers act on people they perceive to be potential lawbreakers because they can feel it in their water.

On another hand, it's kind of discriminative and a bit racist to check on a certain ethnic group while ignoring others. As far as Vietnamese or Burmese people can be potential illegal immigrants, the same can be said for the Arabs and Europeans. Just because one looks Burmese, it doesn't mean that he is an illegal immigrant; and just because one looks Arabic, it doesn't mean he came here as a tourist. If the police want to enforce ID-checking on foreign-looking persons, they might as well check all of them.

What do you think?

Thanks for reading
The Rhymeweaver

The Rhymeweaver
Malaysian hip hop for the intelligent listener

More interesting posts HERE

Mangkuk dalam Almari

2010-11-06T00:05:00.000+13:00

Aku pasti ramai tahu tentang amalan memperagakan pinggan mangkuk dalam almari. Mungkin rumah anda mempunyai almari sedemikian, atau mungkin anda pernah melihatnya di rumah orang lain. Yang penting, tradisi mempamerkan pinggan mangkuk dalam almari memang menjadi kebiasaan sebahagian besar isi rumah Malaysia.

Kat rumah aku ada dua buah almari yang digunakan untuk memperagakan set pinggan mangkuk. Seingat aku, set pinggan mangkuk yang diperagakan tu tak pernah dipakai walau sekali pun. Ia cuma kekal di dalam almari tu dan pintu almari tu tak pernah dibuka.

Bagi aku, tradisi ni berakar dari tahun 70'an di mana rekabentuk pinggan mangkuk dari Barat mulai masuk ke Malaysia, dan orang mulai membeli pinggan mangkuk rekabentuk terkini sebagai simbol status. Ia dah tak relevan pada abad ke-21 ni, sebab status dah diukur dengan benda lain seperti peranti canggih (cth: iPhone). Tak main dah pinggan mangkuk.

Aku tak bersetuju dengan amalan memperagakan pinggan mangkuk dalam almari ni atas beberapa sebab, antaranya:

kerana ia membazir wang dan tenaga
kerana ia tak membawa faedah
kerana ia mengundang penyakit
kerana ia mengundang rasa iri hati

Kalau nak pamerkan pinggan mangkuk kat tetamu, kena la beli pinggan mangkuk yang mahal. Takkan nak beli set pinggan mangkuk plastik yang orang buat makan moreh kat surau. Dan pinggan mangkuk yang mahal perlukan almari yang mahal untuk memperagakannya. Kualiti pinggan mangkuk berkait rapat dengan kualiti almari peragaan. Maka dah jadi dua kali mahal. Tak ke membazir namanya tu. Tambah pulak kalau almari tu diterangi oleh cahaya mentol untuk menyerlahkan kerlipan pinggan mangkuk mahal yang diperagakan. Kalau mentol tu menggunakan 2 watt tenaga setiap malam, maka 730 watt telah dibazirkan dalam masa setahun. Bukan saja membazir duit, malah tradisi ini menyumbang ke arah pemanasan global.

Selalunya pinggan mangkuk yang diperagakan tu terlalu mahal untuk digunakan sehari-hari. Takut pecah atau sumbing. Jadi set tu hanya kekal dalam almari dan tak digunakan. Aku tak nampak faedah membeli pinggan mangkuk kalau ia tak digunakan untuk makan. Kalau aku terasa nak pamerkan sesuatu, aku beli arca atau lukisan. Aku tak beli pinggan, kerana pinggan dicipta untuk diletakkan nasi dan lauk. Kegagalan menggunakan pinggan mangkuk sebagai tempat mengisi makanan ialah satu kezaliman kepada objek tersebut, di samping melambangkan kebodohan jitu si pempamer.

Pinggan mangkuk yang tak digunakan dalam almari peragaan akan mengumpul habuk. Ini boleh mendatangkan bahaya kepada penghidap asma dan penyakit paru-paru. Di samping tu, pengumpulan habuk juga boleh menjadi habitat kepada hama. Hama ni boleh mengakibatkan alahan dan lelah.

Tujuan seseorang mempamerkan pinggan mangkuk dalam almari ni selalunya untuk menunjukkan kepada tetamu yang datang bahawa dia banyak duit. Dia mampu beli pinggan mangkuk yang mahal-mahal. Almari yang mahal menambahkan lagi kekuatan penerajang simbolik ke arah batang hidung tetamu yang datang. Ini boleh menimbulkan perasaan riak, takbur, hasad dengki dan iri hati. Semuanya bukan sifat terpuji yang membawa ke syurga. Maka berbangkit dari nafsu ingin bersaing, tetamu tu beli pinggan mangkuk yang lebih mahal, sampai keperluan rumah yang lebih mendesak seperti pelajaran anak-anak diabaikan.

Aku tak kuasa nak tegur mereka yang masih mengamalkan tradisi ni, sebab ianya dah berakar dalam diri mereka. Kalau ditegur, nanti marah pulak. Apa yang aku boleh buat ialah tidak mengulangi tradisi ni bila aku punyai rumah sendiri. Aku takkan beli pinggan mangkuk semata-mata untuk dipamerkan. Kalau aku nak beli almari peragaan, aku akan beli yang murah saja, dan aku akan isi dengan buku-buku untuk menggalakkan budaya membaca di kalangan keluarga aku. Kalau tak pun, aku isikan gambar-gambar keluarga atau memorabilia percutian. Banyak lagi cara aku nak tunjukkan kat orang yang aku ni hebat, tak payah gunakan pinggan mangkuk. Pinggan mangkuk untuk aku makan nasi.

Terima kasih kerana membaca
The Rhymeweaver

The Rhymeweaver
Malaysian hip hop for the intelligent listener

More interesting posts HERE

You Are Not God's Gift to Women

2010-10-30T00:00:00.002+13:00

I once saw a man (a stranger) trying to have a conversation with a woman. The woman was obviously reluctant to talk to him but he kept on pushing her. He leaned really close to her, invading her personal space, to the point that the woman looked like she's gonna cry. And the worst part was the lady was cooking. She wasn't clad in a sexy dress or wore glorious makeup. She was wearing a pyjama, for fuck's sake.

I can understand the situation if it happened in a club or during a party. She'd wear a fancy dress or put on fancy makeup, so she's asking for attention. But this was a communal kitchen. People come there to cook, not to socialize or to flirt. Who the fuck gave these men, no, these scum, the right to impose themselves on women whenever they want? Just because you had a chat with the lady or know her name, it doesn't mean you can impose yourself or give unsolicited greetings to her. It's just plain fucking rude.

I think these self-imposing scum hold it in their hearts that they're God's gift to womenfolk. Every time they get to know a woman, they believe she would automatically swoon with admiration for them. Why not? I put hair-gel on my hair, for starters. Well, fuck no. You're piss-ugly, you're rude, you dress like a slob, you can't even speak English well. So save your breath you miserable scum.

Even worse (but not impossible), I think where these guys come from, women are treated like chattel. For them, women are meant to swoon over them and they can't refuse advances made by men, simply because they are men and women are women. Women are tools for them to prove their manliness; if you aggressively flirt with women and succeed, you've become a man. Well guess what: fuck you and your notion of manhood. If you want to be a total chauvinist prick back in the shithole you came from, then be my guest. But when you come off the boat to a new place, leave that shit behind and know that the local culture doesn't allow your aggressive pseudo-manhood alpha-male bullshit. When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

I know many men will agree with me on this. Real men do not have to aggressively flirt to gain a lady's attention. They do not have to resort to invading personal space or wolf-whistles when interacting with a woman. Real men will gain women's admiration effortlessly. Unfortunately you sir, you are not a real man. You are a fucking chauvinist prick.

Thanks for reading
The Rhymeweaver

The Rhymeweaver
Malaysian hip hop for the intelligent listener
More interesting posts HERE

Start with Who You Liked, Then Move On to the Greats

2010-10-23T00:04:00.000+13:00

When you're just starting out in a particular field, you ought to start your way by studying the person who enticed you into the field, before moving on to the greats. After that, you can start doing your own thing to contribute to the field.

Back in 2004, I was first introduced to rap via Eminem after I listened to The Marshall Mathers LP. I listened to almost all his songs, studied his lyrics and watched his videos. Took me about a year to do so. By that time, I thought that I've known everything there is to know about rap. Until my friend introduced me to Tupac, and gasped in horror when he discovered that I haven't listened to Tupac. Soon I listened to Nas, Jay Z, Biggie and all the great names of hip hop, as well as the local greats Too Phat and Poetic Ammo.

Last year, I got hooked up on writing comic books via The Sandman graphic novel, which was written by Neil Gaiman. So I read his books, read about his biography and his writing style. But this time I did not stop at Gaiman, because I was aware that Gaiman isn't all there is to comic book writing. I discovered that Gaiman learned to write comic books from Alan Moore, so I studied Alan Moore. The cycle continued until the grand-daddy of them all, Will Eisner, Harvey Kurtzmann etc.

Every field has its greats. If you want to contribute to the field of gorilla study, you ought to study Jane Goodall. If you want to study Malaysian comics, you ought to study Lat. If you want to join the field of quantum physics, you ought to read Stephen Hawking's works. Chess, hairdressing, astronomy, knitting, paintball; all these fields and more has its greats. But when you're starting out, there's no way you could've known their names. So you ought to get to know the person who enticed you to the field you're interested in, and move on from there to studying the greats.

Thanks for reading
The Rhymeweaver

The Rhymeweaver
Malaysian hip hop for the intelligent listener

More interesting posts HERE

Ujian Beg Kertas Malaysia

2010-10-16T00:01:00.000+13:00

Tahukah anda tentang parti beg kertas?

Antara tahun 1900 hingga 1950 di New Orleans, Amerika Syarikat, parti beg kertas merupakan acara yang sering diadakan di kalangan masyarakat tempatan berkulit hitam. Parti ini dinamakan sedemikian kerana sebelum dibenarkan masuk, pengunjung diwajibkan melalui satu 'ujian beg kertas' di muka pintu.

Satu beg kertas berwarna coklat dipegang di sebelah muka setiap pengunjung parti, dan jika tona kulit pengunjung berkenaan lebih gelap dari tona beg kertas itu, beliau dilarang masuk. Tetapi sekiranya tona kulit pengunjung tersebut lebih cerah dari beg kertas, beliau dialu-alukan menyertai parti itu.

Ini ialah salah satu contoh diskriminasi di kalangan masyarakat kulit hitam, di mana mereka yang mempunyai tona kulit yang lebih cerah (walaupun masih berkulit hitam) dianggap mempunyai keistimewaan yang lebih berbanding mereka yang mempunyai tona kulit gelap. Mentaliti ini sama-sekali tidak rasional dan tidak mempunyai asas yang kukuh dari segi saintifik dan moral. Tona kulit bukan penentu kehebatan seseorang.

Malangnya, kini sindrom ujian beg kertas telah berakar di kalangan masyarakat Malaysia dalam iklan krim pencerah kulit di kaca televisyen. Krim-krim ini dipasarkan bersama tolok kecerahan kulit yang dicetak dengan tona yang paling gelap kepada yang paling cerah. Tolok ini disertakan untuk membantu pengguna mengukur kecerahan kulit mereka selari dengan kemujaraban krim tersebut.

Tolok itu ialah beg kertas, dan kita ialah masyarakat yang sibuk hendak memastikan bahawa tona kulit kita lebih cerah dari tona paling cerah yang ditunjukkan di tolok itu. Jika kita berjaya mendapat tona kulit sedemikian, kita rasa bangga dan penuh keyakinan. Kita berjaya mendapat jemputan ke parti kehidupan, di mana kita akan bertemu dengan orang-orang yang sukses, berkaliber, berharta, dan semestinya, berkulit cerah.

Sebaliknya, jika tona kulit kita lebih gelap dari tona yang kita mahukan, kita rasa rendah diri dan hilang keyakinan. Kita tak dibenarkan masuk ke parti. Kita tidak mendapat peluang untuk bersosial dengan orang-orang berstatus tinggi (dan berkulit cerah) dalam parti kehidupan. Dan kita pun terus-terusan menggosok dan menepek krim pencerah ke muka kita, dengan harapan sesi seterusnya bersama tolok kecerahan akan membuahkan hasil dan kita berjaya dijemput ke parti.

Kita asyik mahsyuk mencerahkan kulit sementara orang lain bangkit maju.

Terima kasih kerana membaca
The Rhymeweaver

The Rhymeweaver
Malaysian hip hop for the intelligent listener

More interesting posts HERE

Your Parents are a Mirror of Yourself

2010-10-09T00:01:00.000+13:00

Most people would like to have an amiable personality. They ideally want everybody to like them. But we all have personality flaws, and most of us are not aware of their existence. For example, plenty of people are arseholes, but they don't realize they're acting like one. Hence, they wonder why they haven't got as many friends as the next guy.

They say other people are the mirror from which we see ourselves. But few people appreciate having their flaws pointed out by somebody else, no matter how sincere that person is. I know this because I was the one doing the pointing, and the result was not pleasant.

So how do we become aware of our own personality flaws? Next time you're with your parents, observe them. They are an excellent mirror of your own personality.

For example, I have this quirky habit of summarizing other people's sentences. I would rephrase their sentences with a shorter version after hearing the original utterance. Sometimes I would offer word suggestions whenever somebody's speech is stumbled. Then I realized that my mother (she doesn't read this blog) has the exact same habit. She would put words in my mouth whenever I stumbled in my speech, and she would summarize my utterances right after I finished speaking and she's beginning her turn.

Here's another example. In general, I'm a silent person; I rarely speak out unless there's something I think the other person should know about. But among my close friends, I become quite the chatty guy. I discovered that this is a mixture of both my parents' personality traits: my father is a man of few words, and he rarely chats. On the other hand, my mother is a tireless talking machine and she can hold a (mainly one-sided) conversation for hours on end.

I also see this correlation in other people and their parents. In boarding school, I had a friend who talks with a foul tone of voice, even if it's just a normal conversation. Almost like he is challenging everyone to a fight. He was a constant source of irritation to many. Then one day, I saw this kid's parents who were visiting him. His mother talked to her husband with the same foul tone her kid used.

So if you don't appreciate people exposing your flaws, maybe you should spend some time looking at your parents and see if there's anything particularly distasteful about their behavior. Chances are, you might have been doing the exact same thing all along.

Thanks for reading
The Rhymeweaver

The Rhymeweaver
Malaysian hip hop for the intelligent listener

More interesting posts HERE

I'm Really Not into Wrestling Wild Bears

2010-10-02T00:00:00.001+13:00

I saw a friend reading Crime and Punishment the other day, so I remarked, "Wow, never know you're into Dostoevsky."

He replied, "Well, I've never been into novels in general, but I figured I had to give it a try anyway."

I really like that statement, and the attitude behind it. If you're not into something, there's no reason why you should continue to avoid doing it. Especially if that something is good to you in the long run. Like reading novels; I know plenty of people who don't read novels. But I honestly can't think of no reason why they should continue to not read novels. It stimulates the imagination and it provides opportunities to learn new words. So they really ought to try their hands on reading one. And it doesn't even have to be Dostoevsky. It can be Enid Blyton or even Stephanie Meyer.

It also applies to me. I don't play chess, coz I'm not into the game. I got murdered every time I play checkers, so chess is definitely a huge no-no for me. But now I think about it, there's no reason why I shouldn't try my hand at chess. It forces my mind to think strategically in several moves beyond my opponent, and that's good for my brain. If the reason for me avoiding chess is 'because I'll get beaten', then the onus is on me to not get myself beaten, yes? And it's not like I'm aiming for a Grand Master title the second I make my first move. I could (and probably would) be beaten the first time, but at least I know how the game works and the reasons why I got beaten.

Obviously I don't endorse doing everything that you've never been into before. It only applies to things you know is good for you if you try them out. I've never been into wrestling wild bears but that doesn't mean I have to give it a try. Wrestling wild bears isn't good for me, nor does it bring me any good. So I'm not giving wrestling with wild bears a try, thank you very much. It all goes back to you: if the thing you're not into is good for you and you know it, then by all means try it out. If you're not into novels but you know that reading novels will teach you new words, then crank up some motivation and discipline and try it out. If you're not keen on chess but you know that chess promotes strategic thinking, then take a deep breath and start a game.

There's a lot of things I'm not really into: chess, swimming, using chopsticks, physics. But now I'm gonna take a leaf out of my friend's book and try my hand on these things and more. But unlike my Dostoevsky-reading mate, I won't try and do superstring theory the second I sit down to learn physics. I'll probably start with a Physics for Dummies book.

Thanks for reading
The Rhymeweaver

The Rhymeweaver
Malaysian hip hop for the intelligent listener

More interesting posts HERE

Good Treatment of Hosts

2010-09-25T00:03:00.000+12:00

In a previous post I’ve talked about how we should also thank people for their good deeds, in addition to doing good deeds to people. Many people want to be treated nicely, but they don’t want to thank other people for treating them nicely, yet they wonder why the world is becoming a crueler and more selfish place. It’s because the world is becoming a thankless place, where good deeds are seldom appreciated, thus any potential good Samaritans are put off from treating people nicely. I do not believe in the idealistic principle of treating people nicely without expecting a thanks in return, and it’s not because I am a selfish person; it’s because good deeds and thanks go hand-in-hand. Sacrifice is meaningless without gratitude.

This precept also applies to having guests in your home. Many cultures around the world accord high priority towards good treatment of guests. Some cultures prescribe feeding your guests first, even if you only have enough food for yourself. Other cultures hold guests like your own family members, and you’re supposed to protect them from harm as long as they’re under your roof. Good treatment of guests is a universal concept among humankind, shared by diverse societies and cultures throughout the world.

But unfortunately this precept only covers half of the business. Good treatment of the host is never, if rarely, mentioned or exhorted in cultural practices. To me, this is bloody unfair and ridiculous; and it would mean less and less people would treat a guest nicely because they, as hosts, aren’t getting the same nice treatment from the guest.

There are three things I would like to elaborate in this article in regards of good treatment of the host: notifying the host, respecting his abode, and polite refusal. First, a good guest should, at all costs, notify the host that he or she is coming. This should be no big problem in today’s world of instantaneous, long distance communications. Even in the days of yore, guests sent envoys or letters informing the host of their arrival. Why can’t we do the same thing now, with our cellphones and TXT messages and emails?

A good host presents his guests with a clean house and food to be eaten. He does not let his guests enter a filthy abode and serve them no food. So good guests should give time for the host to be a good host, by notifying them in advance about their arrival. Sadly, some kids today bring guests to their parents’ house without notice, and the parents end up slaving themselves cooking and tidying up the house because they haven’t been informed of the guests’ arrival. Think about this. The host is having a good time lazing in front of the TV, and suddenly some guests barge in without notice. Do you seriously think that the guests will be treated nicely by a host whom they treated that way?

Second, a good guest should respect the rules of the host’s abode. I admit that no host posts up such rules in the living room for the guests to refer to, but it doesn’t mean the rules don’t exist. You might be the guest now, but pretend you’re a host. What rules of your house that you want your guests to respect? No riffling in cupboards. No putting feet on expensive sofas. No breaking things. No loud music. I bet there’s hundreds of them, and chances are your house and the host’s share the same rules too. So use your common sense and respect the rules of your host’s abode.

A good host withholds himself from reprimanding his guests if they break the house rules. So a good guest should reciprocate the good host’s discretion of not reprimanding them by observing the house rules. Common sense reigns supreme here. The golden rule. Do unto others what you want others to do unto you. Toddlers and kids, whom we know are prone to breaking and messing things up while visiting other people’s homes, are exempt from this precept because they haven’t developed their common sense yet. This applies to not-toddlers, which would mean everybody, because everybody has common sense. It’s just a matter or realizing that it exists and utilizing them. So if you aren’t a toddler, are you a good guest?

Third, a good guest should not overuse the concept of polite refusal. You know, phrases like ‘please don’t bother’ or ‘I’m not hungry’ or ‘too much trouble’. A simple thank you will suffice instead. It’s an exercise in absurdism to repeatedly say ‘please don’t bother’ if the host gets up to prepare a drink. A good host feeds and waters his guests. Yet you’re telling him to not be a good host by not preparing you a drink. If the host decides he won’t prepare you a drink after all (per your wish), you will have a bad impression of him which you will share with your friends. But the whole bloody debacle started when you said ‘please don’t bother’.

In fact, you and the host know you’re faking the refusal anyway because you do need that drink. It’s rare to have someone else making you a drink (unless you’re in a restaurant or you have a servant) so adamantly refusing a free drink done with free labor is really something only a crazy person would do.

Plus, even if the host do get up to make you a drink, saying ‘please don’t bother’ is akin to mocking his efforts to be a good host. Of course it’s bloody bothersome to make you a drink, when the host could be finishing his work or relaxing with a book. You could’ve even made the drink yourself. Yet he is living up to the cultural expectation of being a good host, which is rightly something to be applauded. But saying ‘please don’t bother’ is like saying to the host, ‘look, I told you already, don’t bother making me a drink, now you’ve gone and wasted your own time and energy making one, so it’s your loss’.

A good host spends his time and his effort being one. So a good guest should appreciate that time and effort spent by not faking refusal. A simple thank you should be enough to show that you acknowledge his efforts. Unfortunately, the polite (and fake) refusal has been overused so much that guests just blurt it out coz they think it’s the right thing to say, and when the drink or the nibble does arrive, I’ll be fucked to hear a ‘thank you’.

Good hosts deserve good guests.

Thanks for reading
The Rhymeweaver

p/s: This post was written using Windows Live Writer, so apologies for any screwy parts.

Maximize Your Blog's Exposure Using Twitterfeed and Selective Tweets

2010-09-18T00:00:00.000+12:00

Hello and welcome to the über rare post where I actually teach you something useful instead of my usual repertoire of rambling and criticizing shit.

I'm going to teach you, dear struggling rappers, how to maximize your blog's exposure using two slick services called Twitterfeed and Selective Tweets. This trick allows you to automatically publish a link to your newest blog post to Twitter and Facebook, therefore saving you precious time which you can then use to make music. Goes without saying that if you want to implement this neat trick, you must already own a blog or a website with RSS feed, a Twitter and a Facebook account.

Why do you need to publish a link of your newest blog post to Twitter and Facebook? Firstly, unlike Digg or Del.icio.us, you know how many people will be exposed to your updates. Suppose that you have 100 followers on your Twitter and 300 friends on Facebook. Publishing to both services can ensure that at most, 400 people will have seen the link to your newest post. The number of those who actually click through might be lower, but at least you'll have an initial number to hold on to. Secondly, it offers your followers a bit of mystery. Facebook can import your blog posts as Notes, with an excerpt of the post and a link to the full article. But the excerpt often betrays the post title, robs the post of intrigue, and diminishes the reader's interest to click through. The trick I'm about to teach you will display only the title of the post, a bit.ly link, and some optional text. With no excerpt to spoil the surprise, the reader is more likely to click through to the actual post, which then translates as another notch up your exposure gauge.

Thirdly, because it's all automatized. The only chore you need to do is to update your blog, but you don't have to manually tweet or post a Facebook status about 'blog updated!' Fourthly, because it makes life easier for your fans who might not subscribe to your blog by email or RSS reader. The information will still come to them even though they only use Twitter or Facebook.

So how does this trick work? Here's the lowdown:

1. First, you have to register for free with Twitterfeed and add your RSS feed there. This service publishes a link to your newest blog post on Twitter. For each new post, an optional text of your choice e.g. "Hey, check this out" followed by a bit.ly link will be published. This is called your template. Every new post will be published according to this template.
2. Then, sign in to Facebook and search for the application called Selective Tweets. This application publishes your Twitter updates to your Facebook page, provided there is a #fb tag at the end of the tweet you want published.
3. Associate your Twitter username with Selective Tweets to enable it to publish your Twitter updates on Facebook.
4. Log in to Twitterfeed again and append the #fb at the end of your template. This signals to Selective Tweets that you want this tweet to be published on Facebook.

That's it! So everytime you write a new blog post, Twitterfeed automatically picks up your updated RSS feed and publishes a bit.ly link to that new post on Twitter. Because there is a #fb tag at the end of the template, Selective Tweets automatically picks that tweet up and publishes it as your Facebook status. All these are fully automatized, as long as there is a new blog post. The tweets from Twitterfeed will remain on Twitter after it is published to Facebook.

I have used this trick for my other blog and it brought in heaps of visitors from Twitter and Facebook, so I figure it's worth sharing! Please spread the word if this trick does you heaps of good, and a simple thank you will suffice.

Thanks for reading
The Rhymeweaver

The Rhymeweaver
Malaysian hip hop for the intelligent listener

More interesting posts HERE

Obsesi dengan Makanan Kesihatan

2010-09-11T00:04:00.000+12:00

The Rhymeweaver
Malaysian hip hop for the intelligent listener

More interesting posts HERE

Nak Pinjam Perkataan Boleh?

2010-09-04T00:01:00.001+12:00

Artikel ini merupakan sebahagian dari siri artikel-artikel bertemakan Malaysia sempena ulangtahun kemerdekaan Tanah Melayu pada 31 Ogos 1957 dan penubuhan Malaysia pada 16 September 1963. Siri ini berjalan dari 21 Ogos hingga 11 September 2010 dan ditulis sepenuhnya dalam bahasa Melayu.

Berlainan dengan penutur Bahasa Inggeris (BI) yang bersikap liberal terhadap peminjaman perkataan dari bahasa asing, penutur Bahasa Melayu (BM) secara amnya susah nak menerima perkataan pinjaman dari sesetengah bahasa lain.

Sebagai contoh, kita ambik ayat ni: "extreme political activities are verboten". Verboten ni berasal dari bahasa Jerman yang bermaksud 'dilarang'. Secara umumnya, penutur BI takde masalah nak menggunakan perkataan verboten di samping forbidden atau dua belas sinonimnya*, walaupun perkataan verboten tu dicedok bulat-bulat dari bahasa Jerman.

*menurut Thesaurus.com

Tapi kalau kita ambik contoh ayat BM ni: "hiburan tanpa limitasi", penutur BM secara amnya akan memandang serong terhadap perkataan limitasi (dimelayukan dari perkataan BI limitation bermaksud 'had'). Mereka akan berkata 'takde perkataan lain ke boleh guna selain limitasi? Cakap hiburan tanpa had pun boleh'. Seboleh-bolehnya, penutur-penutur BM akan menekankan pencarian istilah bahasa Melayu untuk menggantikan perkataan pinjaman dari bahasa asing terutamanya BI, dan memandang serong terhadap penterjemah dan penulis yang wewenang memelayukan perkataan BI dalam hasil kerja mereka.

Tapi sikap curiga ni selalunya hanya dizahirkan kepada perkataan yang dipinjam dari BI. Majoriti penutur BM takde masalah dengan perkataan yang dipinjam dari bahasa Sanskrit dan Arab. Mungkin kerana BM mempunyai pertalian yang erat dengan kedua-dua bahasa tu; Sanskrit dituturkan sejak beribu-ribu tahun dulu di Nusantara, dan Arab dibawa oleh pedagang Timur Tengah ke Tanah Melayu sejak 600 tahun dulu. Sebagai perbandingan, BI hanya dituturkan di Tanah Melayu sejak 200 tahun dulu, lebih kurang.

Tapi dalam zaman BI menjadi lingua franca dunia sekarang, tak dapat tidak sedikit pengaruh BI tu meresap jugak ke dalam BM, lebih-lebih lagi dalam bidang teknologi maklumat. Penutur BM secara kasarnya lebih suka menggunakan mouse daripada tetikus. Jadi adakah sikap curiga BM terhadap perkataan pinjaman ni sudah tak relevan sekarang? Adakah penutur BM perlu bersikap lebih liberal terhadap peminjaman perkataan dari bahasa asing?

Adakah mouse perlu dipinjam ke dalam BM untuk menjadi maus?

Satu benda yang kerapkali menarik perhatian aku ialah penggunaan so (penanda wacana dari BI bermaksud 'jadi') dalam pertuturan harian penutur BM. Contohnya macam ni: so kita akan buat pemantauan dalam tempoh terdekat. Satu lagi contoh ialah so kita nak buat pe malam ni?

Aku berani cakap bahawa 99.99% penutur BM sekarang menggunakan so dalam percakapan mereka. Tak kisahlah ahli politik ke, budak kecik ke, ahli bahasa ke. Walaupun si polan ni bercakap BM piawai, aku jamin akan ada so dalam percakapan dia. Jadi aku rasa wajar so tu kita pinjam je ke dalam BM di samping jadi. Kita tak menggantikan jadi tapi kita cuma tambah so untuk membawa makna yang sama. Bagi aku, tak masuk akal kalau so kekal dipandang sebagai perkataan asing jika ia dah acap kali digunakan oleh hampir semua penutur BM.

Adakah cadangan aku tu bertentangan dengan sikap penutur BM terhadap perkataan pinjaman?

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The Rhymeweaver

The Rhymeweaver
Malaysian hip hop for the intelligent listener

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Kesalahan Putih, Keegoan Coklat

2010-08-28T00:06:00.003+12:00

Artikel ini merupakan sebahagian dari siri artikel-artikel bertemakan Malaysia sempena ulangtahun kemerdekaan Tanah Melayu pada 31 Ogos 1957 dan penubuhan Malaysia pada 16 September 1963. Siri ini berjalan dari 21 Ogos hingga 11 September 2010 dan ditulis sepenuhnya dalam bahasa Melayu.

Terdapat sesetengah orang Melayu yang tak boleh menerima iklan di TV yang menggunakan bahasa Tamil, Cina dan sesekali Inggeris di samping bahasa Melayu. Ada jugak yang tak betah dengan iklan yang memaparkan kaum Cina dan India di samping Melayu. Ditambah pulak dengan sesetengah pihak yang membantah penyertaan tarian Cina dan India dalam persembahan zapin. Aku tau semua ni sebab orang-orang ni sendiri yang menyuarakan pendapat mereka dalam akhbar.

Aku malas nak komen lebih-lebih, sebab isu hubungan kaum di Malaysia ni sama dengan isu Israel-Palestin. Sampai bila-bila pun takkan selesai. Cuma aku nak bercerita sikit tentang cara masyarakat kulit putih yang menjadi majoriti di banyak negara, sepertimana orang Melayu menjadi majoriti di Malaysia, menghadapi kepelbagaian budaya.

Wujud sebuah konsep dalam sosiologi yang digelar white guilt, iaitu rasa bersalah yang dialami oleh orang kulit putih, natijah penjajahan dan penindasan yang dilakukan oleh nenek moyang mereka terhadap bangsa bukan kulit putih selama beratus-ratus tahun. Seperti yang kita tahu, orang kulit putih dari Eropah telah menjajah semua benua di planet Bumi ni kecuali Antartika.

Sebagai contoh, orang Portugis menjajah Melaka, orang Perancis menjajah Algeria, orang Belanda menjajah Indonesia, orang Jerman menjajah Namibia, orang Itali menjajah Habsyah, orang Sepanyol menjajah Mexico, dan orang British menjajah Australia, New Zealand, India dan Amerika Syarikat. Sepanjang zaman kolonial, berjuta-juta orang bukan kulit putih di jajahan-jajahan ini dibunuh dan ditindas oleh orang kulit putih.

Selepas runtuhnya empayar-empayar Eropah pada pertengahan abad ke-20, timbul kesedaran dalam sebilangan waris kulit putih ni tentang betapa teruknya penindasan yang dilakukan oleh nenek moyang mereka terhadap bangsa terjajah (yang kebanyakannya bukan berkulit putih). Hasil daripada kesedaran tu, orang kulit putih hari ni sebahagian besarnya cukup terbuka dengan kepelbagaian budaya orang lain kerana mereka tak mahu dicap sebagai mengulangi mentaliti nenek moyang penjajah mereka yang menindas bangsa bukan kulit putih.

Dalam cara tersendiri, penerimaan orang kulit putih terhadap budaya asing ialah satu cara mereka ingin memohon maaf atas kezaliman nenek moyang mereka sewaktu era penjajahan. Contohnya di New Zealand, masyarakat kulit putih sama-sama meraikan Tahun Baru Cina dan Deepavali bersama komuniti Cina dan India. Jadi kita dapat tengok kat sini bahawa orang kulit putih bersifat liberal dengan kepelbagaian budaya kerana mereka dibayangi oleh rasa bersalah akibat penindasan yang dilakukan oleh nenek moyang mereka.

Tapi orang Melayu tak menjajah sapa-sapa, jadi mereka takde rasa bersalah terhadap mana-mana kaum bukan Melayu. Lalu orang-orang macam ni tak nampak kenapa mereka kena bersifat terbuka terhadap kepelbagaian budaya. Mereka tak dibayangi oleh perasaan bersalah dan takde sapa mereka nak minta maaf. Bahkan ada sesetengah orang Melayu yang merasakan diri mereka sendiri yang tertindas akibat terpaksa berkongsi Tanah Melayu dengan kaum Cina dan India sebagai syarat mencapai kemerdekaan.

Aku percaya itulah salah satu sebab kenapa ada orang-orang Melayu yang tak selesa dengan paparan berbilang bangsa dan bahasa dalam iklan dan penyertaan tarian Cina dan India dalam persembahan seni Melayu. Apa pendapat anda?

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The Rhymeweaver

The Rhymeweaver
Malaysian hip hop for the intelligent listener

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Malaysia Maju Jika Dijajah British?

2010-08-21T00:02:00.003+12:00

Artikel ini merupakan sebahagian dari siri artikel-artikel bertemakan Malaysia sempena ulangtahun kemerdekaan Tanah Melayu pada 31 Ogos 1957 dan penubuhan Malaysia pada 16 September 1963. Siri ini berjalan dari 21 Ogos hingga 11 September 2010 dan ditulis sepenuhnya dalam bahasa Melayu.

Sempena ulangtahun ke-53 kemerdekaan Malaysia dari penjajahan British, aku nak buat spekulasi sikit tentang apa yang akan terjadi jika Malaysia tak berjaya merdeka dari British.
Pertama sekali aku tertanya-tanya jika Perang Dunia Kedua tak berlaku dan British kekal menguasai Malaysia sehingga abad ke-21, adakah perkara-perkara ini akan berlaku?

1. Malaysia akan dihuni oleh pemukim-pemukim kulit putih seperti yang berlaku di Amerika Syarikat (pra-1776), Kanada, Afrika Selatan, Australia dan New Zealand
2. Malaysia akan mencapai tahap kemajuan ekonomi yang setaraf dengan negara-negara tersebut.

Tujuan aku bertanyakan soalan-soalan tu ialah kerana negara-negara tersebut (kecuali Amerika Syarikat) mempunyai sejarah kolonialisme yang hampir serupa dengan Malaysia; mereka semua telah dijajah oleh British selama 200 tahun, lebih kurang. Jadi kalau mengikut peredaran sejarah, Malaysia juga patut mengalami keadaan sosiopolitik yang sama dengan negara-negara tersebut jika ia kekal dijajah British sehingga abad ke-21.

Tapi jawapan peribadi aku untuk kedua-dua soalan itu ialah:
1. Tidak
2. Mungkin

Sebab kenapa aku menjawab 'Tidak' untuk soalan pertama ialah kerana pemukim-pemukim kulit putih dari Eropah takkan menganggap Malaysia sebagai destinasi hidup yang bagus seperti Australia dan New Zealand. Iklim dan persekitarannya terlalu berlainan dengan apa yang mereka dah terbiasa di Eropah. Walaupun geologi, flora dan fauna di Afrika Selatan, Australia dan New Zealand begitu asing berbanding di Eropah, paling tidak mereka mengalami iklim empat musim yang juga dialami di Eropah; berlainan dengan Malaysia yang panas dan lembap sepanjang tahun.

Mungkin sekarang ramai pelancong asing dari Eropah datang ke Malaysia kerana mereka menganggap iklimnya selesa dan eksotik, tapi jika anda seorang pemukim dari Eropah 200 tahun dahulu yang menyeberang laut untuk memulakan hidup baru di tanah jajahan negara anda, anda takkan menganggap iklim dan persekitaran Malaya sebagai sesuatu yang selesa dan eksotik. Semestinya anda akan menderita begitu teruk dalam proses menyesuaikan diri dengan persekitaran baru semasa berusaha untuk mencari sesuap roti (sebab orang putih tak makan nasi).

Mungkin jika British kekal menguasai Malaya, akan ada juga pemukim kulit putih yang datang, tetapi mereka ni akan terdiri dari pegawai kerajaan British, anggota tentera, pedagang yang sekadar singgah, atau mungkin pencari emas. Pendek kata, orang-orang kulit putih yang bermukim di Malaya ni samada kerana dipertanggungjawabkan untuk tinggal atau kerana mempunyai daya tahan yang tinggi. Takkan ada pemukim kulit putih di zaman dahulu yang sukarela hendak tinggal dan memulakan keluarga di satu negara yang begitu berlainan sekali iklim dan persekitarannya dari Eropah. Silap-silap mati sebab iklim terlalu panas atau kebulur tak makan.

Untuk jawapan kepada soalan kedua, aku menjawab 'Mungkin' sebab Malaya mempunyai potensi untuk menjadi kawasan yang sangat maju dari segi perdagangan. Selat Melaka merupakan laluan kapal dagang yang paling sibuk di dunia, dan pulau Singapura ialah tapak pelabuhan yang sungguh strategik. Jadi jika British kekal menguasai Malaya dan Singapura, ia dapat menguasai perdagangan laut antara Eropah dan Asia. Ini berpotensi menjana kemajuan untuk Malaya. Kalau difikirkan, New Zealand yang terletak nun jauh di hujung Lautan Pasifik (tempat jin bertendang) pun boleh mencapai tahap kemajuan negara dunia pertama; inikan pulak Malaya dan Singapura yang terletak di tengah-tengah laluan dagang antara benua.

Tetapi harus diingat, kemajuan yang mungkin dicapai tu untuk siapa? Seperti yang aku ulas tadi, besar kemungkinan tiada populasi pemukim kulit putih yang besar di Malaya untuk membolehkan ia digelar sebagai British Dominion seperti mana Kanada, Australia dan New Zealand. Malaya hanya akan kekal sebagai British Colony yang hanya berguna buat British mengaut hasil bumi dan dihantar ke Britain dan dominion-dominion lain. Masyarakat di Malaya besar kemungkinan takkan dapat menikmati hasil kemajuan negeri mereka sendiri kerana semuanya telah diangkut balik ke Eropah oleh British. Jadi mungkin Malaya boleh mencapai kemajuan di bawah pemerintahan British, tapi ke mana hasil kemajuan tu digunakan ialah satu persoalan lain.

Justeru itu, aku menyimpulkan bahawa kalau Malaysia kekal dijajah British sehingga sekarang, Malaya boleh maju tetapi bukanlah masyarakat Malaysia yang menerima faedahnya.

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The Rhymeweaver

The Rhymeweaver
Malaysian hip hop for the intelligent listener

More interesting posts HERE

A Folding Chair Can Save Your Relationship

2010-08-14T00:07:00.001+12:00

The day after Boxing Day, I went to do some shopping at the mall. There were plenty of people jostling for the best bargains since prices were so slashed you'd think it played for Guns 'n Roses. As usual, women outnumbered men in every store I came in, and lots of blokes were brought in tow by their wives and girlfriends, most with a reluctant expression on their faces.

I was particularly interested in this middle-aged man and his wife I came across in a shoe store. His wife did the shopping while he was left waiting for her to finish. He didn't look like he wanted to be there, at any rate. Now you know that footwear stores are bloody ironic because they have benches but you're not allowed to sit on them because they're reserved for customers to try on their purchases. So in the throng of people, the benches were filled and there's no way a poor man can take a seat and rest his aching legs.

What I found very interesting about this middle-aged bloke was that he brought along a folding chair. Thus he was able to sit while waiting for his wife, leaving all the other poor male buggers enduring the wave of customers while standing. I found this idea so interesting that I think it merits a blog post of its own.

Fellow men! Liberate yourself from the tyranny of standing while waiting for your partner to finish shopping. Bring along a folding chair and give your legs a well-deserved break. Bask in the glory of having a place to sit, and earn the right to smirk at the poor unprepared bastards. You will become the envy of many. Your legs will thank you, and your partner will thank you (for not being grumpy because you're too tired).

Thanks for reading
The Rhymeweaver

The Rhymeweaver
Malaysian hip hop for the intelligent listener

More interesting posts HERE

E-Book Project for Struggling Rappers

2010-08-07T00:06:00.002+12:00

I'm thinking of writing an e-book about my experience in promoting my music online. This would be especially targeted to struggling rappers like me who don't get radio airplay and media coverage but still want to be heard. Whether rappers are making money off their music or are doing it out of love for the culture, I have no doubt the Internet is the place to go to promote your music in this day and age. And because I've been promoting my music through the Internet for four years, I think I can contribute some of my ideas towards maximizing the Internet's potential as a promotion tool for struggling rappers and their music.

I also want to write this e-book because I see a lot of struggling rappers who come in after me doing the exact mistakes I did when I first started promoting my music through the Internet. I itch to tell them that their methods won't work, they are wasting their time and energy, and their promotional strategies can potentially drive people away instead of attracting them. But it's impossible to tell that to each and every struggling rapper I meet, not to mention the risk of being perceived as a busybody know-it-all. So I reckon an e-book will be a ready resource for any struggling rappers to learn from, and consequently not repeat the mistakes I did.

Online music promotion actually requires a certain level of understanding on how people's minds work, either as an individual or a member of a larger group. It's great if rappers can understand how the Internet works and where's the best music sites for upcoming artists and so on, but it is not enough. They also need to understand how and why people act like they do, because that would enable rappers to refine their promotion and achieve the maximum results. My experience has taught me about these things, and thus I would like to share them with other struggling rappers through this e-book I'm going to write.

The e-book is probably going to be made a paid download through this blog, and it's going to be sold for a dirt cheap price of about RM2. I don't plan it to be more expensive than that because it will mainly be a distilled version of my previous posts about music promotion in this blog, plus some elaboration. I also don't consider having it printed because I don't think struggling rappers are a large enough audience to merit mass publication. Hopefully it would prove to be another successful channel of income coming from this blog. But don't expect it to be finished soon, as I do need to do my homework before I write the first word.

Thanks for reading
The Rhymeweaver

The Rhymeweaver
Malaysian hip hop for the intelligent listener

More interesting posts HERE

Download Music Inspired by Superman, the Man of Steel for FREE!

2010-07-31T15:34:00.003+12:00

FLOW FINESSE, ROGUE SQUADRON and THE WATCHERS present

The Rhymeweaver

THE MIXTAPE SERIES VOL. 5:
MUSIC INSPIRED BY SUPERMAN,
THE MAN OF STEEL

Track listing:

1. Up in the Sky! (intro)

2. Say No to Kryptonite

3. Fly You to Polaris

4. Jaguh Angkasa

Spread the word about Music Inspired by Superman, the Man of Steel!

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The Rhymeweaver
Malaysian hip hop for the intelligent listener
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Jangan C.O.P.Y (Curi Orang Punya Ye!)

2010-07-31T00:07:00.002+12:00

Aku tak bersetuju dengan tindakan sekumpulan kecil penulis blog tempatan yang suka salin artikel dari blog lain untuk dimuatkan dalam blog mereka sendiri. Bagi aku, tindakan sebegitu tak mencerminkan rasa hormat terhadap usaha penulis blog yang disalin tu serta merendahkan martabat pembaca blog mereka.

Ini senario yang aku maksudkan. Mak Andeh mempunyai sebuah blog di mana dia bercerita tentang kehidupannya. Selalunya Mak Andeh bercerita tentang nasi hangus, kayu api basah, Pak Pandir kalah laga ayam, dsb. Tapi bila Mak Andeh melayari internet, dia terbaca blog orang lain yang mengandungi artikel yang bernas dan bermanfaat. Kebetulan dia terjumpa blog Si Luncai yang memang terkenal kerana dia suka tulis artikel-artikel yang bermanfaat dan mendorong kita berfikir.

Pastu Mak Andeh terbaca artikel Si Luncai pasal macam mana nak terapung kat laut dengan hanya sebiji tembikar labu. Mak Andeh suka artikel tu, jadi dia pun terus je salin artikel tu bulat-bulat dari blog Si Luncai tanpa bertanyakan izin Si Luncai terlebih dahulu. Ada sesetengah yang letak link kepada penulis asal, tapi ada jugak yang salin dan tak sebut langsung nama penulis atau tajuk blog asal. Artikel dari blog orang lain tu dah jadi macam dia pulak yang tulis.

Menyalin artikel blog di internet tak sama dengan memuat turun lagu atau video. Kalau kita muat turun lagu cetak rompak, orang lain masih tahu itu bukan lagu kita, sebab kita bukan penyanyi atau pemuzik. Kalau kita muat turun video cetak rompak, orang lain masih tahu itu bukan video kita, sebab kita bukan pelakon atau pengarah filem. Tapi kalau kita salin artikel blog orang lain, orang tak tahu samada artikel tu hasil karya kita atau orang lain. Si penyalin boleh buang segala maklumat pasal penulis asal dan salin apa yang dia nak je. Justeru, cetak rompak artikel blog sebenarnya lebih teruk dari cetak rompak lagu atau video sebab ia betul-betul menepati maksud 'rompak'.

Menyalin artikel orang lain ialah satu ketidakadilan kepada penulis blog asal yang penat-penat menulis dan membuat research tentang fakta-fakta berkaitan. Lagipun pembaca yang datang ke blog seseorang mengharapkan hasil tulisan dari orang itu. Kalau mereka nak baca tulisan Si Luncai, mereka datang ke blog Si Luncai. Tapi bila pembaca datang ke blog Mak Andeh dan dihidangkan dengan hasil tulisan Si Luncai, mereka akan rasa ditipu. Baik tak payah baca blog Mak Andeh, artikel dia pun ambik dari blog orang lain.

Tapi motif sebahagian kecil penulis blog ni perlu diperhalusi sebelum apa-apa tuduhan dilemparkan. Sekadar yang aku nampak, kegiatan blogging di Malaysia ni masih berada pada tahap peribadi. Penulis blog tempatan jarang menulis artikel-artikel bermaklumat untuk bacaan umum. Sebahagian besarnya menulis blog kerana nak meluahkan isi hati. Justeru mereka mungkin fikir 'ah takde siapa yang baca blog aku, kalau aku salin je pun apa salahnya, bukan orang tahu'. Atau mungkin mereka tak berniat langsung nak berbuat jahat, sebaliknya mereka hanya nak berkongsi artikel yang bagus dengan pembaca.

Justeru itu, aku tak rasa sebahagian kecil penulis blog yang suka salin semberono ni orang yang jahat. Sebaliknya, aku rasa mereka ni kurang kesedaran mengenai pentingnya menghormati hasil tulisan dan kajian orang lain. Oleh kerana mereka tak tahu, jadi mereka tak rasa perbuatan mereka tu salah. Lalu mereka ni perlu diberi makluman. Kalau dah bagitahu pun masih teruskan jugak, memang sah la jahat. Tapi perbuatan salah tetap salah, walaupun motifnya baik.

Jadi macam mana penulis blog nak berkongsi artikel yang bagus dengan pembaca tanpa dituduh menciplak? Ini aku bagi tiga cadangan:

1. Petik satu dua perenggan dari artikel tu dan letakkan link ke blog asal supaya pembaca boleh membaca keseluruhan artikel.
2. Perkenalkan idea utama artikel yang anda nak kongsi tu dan curahkan pendapat anda sendiri mengenai idea yang diketengahkan tu. Akhir sekali letakkan link ke blog asal.
3. Ringkaskan artikel asal menggunakan ayat anda sendiri sebanyak 500 patah perkataan. Lepas tu letakkan link ke blog asal.

Aku mengaku, aku pun pernah buat jugak kegiatan menyalin artikel dari blog orang satu ketika dulu. Tapi masa tu aku masih mentah. Sekarang aku dah sedar apa yang aku buat tu salah. Jadi kalau aku boleh capai kesedaran tentang perkara ni, aku rasa orang lain pun boleh.

Jangan terasa hati pulak mana-mana penulis blog yang membaca artikel ni. Aku tak sasarkan sesiapa, aku cuma mengetengahkan satu idea baru.

Terima kasih kerana membaca
The Rhymeweaver

The Rhymeweaver
Malaysian hip hop for the intelligent listener

More interesting posts HERE