Hit Me Baby One More Time!

Fake Anwar Ibrahim Diary - A Parody

2012-01-05T16:51:00.000+08:00

Gambar aku kat Wikipedia. Yay!

Khamis, Januari 5, 2012

Aduh. Lama aku tak update diari ni. Kepala aku serabut betul. Sorry-lah diari, aku betul banyak problem sekarang. Isnin ni mungkin aku masuk jail balik. Risau, risau.
Peon aku cakap ramai penyokong aku nak demonstrasi 9 haribulan nanti. Yay! Reformasi! Lama tak havoc kat KL ni. To all yang stuck dalam traffic jam, sorry-lah!
Malam ni nak buat apa ah? Boring lah bagi ceramah. Dah tak ramai crowd. Kena tukar topik la. Kalau aku cerita pasal MLM lagi bagus kot?

Jumaat, Januari 6, 2012

Ish… Kenapa lawyer aku tak return call ni? Dulu tak sabar-sabar nak telefon aku. Sekarang dah senyap pulak. Not a good sign.
Nak pegi makan cendol luar masjid lepas solat Jumaat nanti. Agak2 dapat pulut tak? Kalau lambat mesti habis punya. Potong queue jer lah. Heheh.
Berapa banyak kali aku miss call daaa… Wei, angkat la phone. Prepaid habis ke?
Fuh! Ada awek China doll cun siut. Kalau nak proceed, kena make sure no hidden camcorder. Hantu betul aku kena setup nanti. Kena pikir dulu ni.

Sabtu, Januari 7, 2012

Eh? Lupa pulak nak delete si Saiful ni dari friend list aku. Nah, amekau! Aku dah delete… Puas hati aku… heheh
Baru terpikir pulak. Is it a good idea to cabut dulu? Hmm, jap aku login website AirAsia.
Tiket pegi London murah pulak. Ada flight besok ni. Nak booking ke tak? Nak booking ke tak? Alamak, passport aku kat mana?
Mencari bini: “Jijah, passport aku mana?” Dia bilang dia simpan passport aku kat tempat jam tangan Omega. Cis!
Eh? Mahathir pun ada dalam friend list? Delete, jangan tak delete. Block forever. Ngehngehngeh.

Ahad, Januari 8, 2012

Adoi. Lambat bangun la pulak. Tak sempat nak beli roti canai for breakfast. Ni yang aku jadi cranky ni. Aku nak roti canai! Suruh peon aku buat jer lah.
Nak exercise kejap. Belakang ni kuat lagi tau?
Yay! Ramai hantar aku ‘Good Luck’ FB/Twitter message for tomorrow… Seronok! Tak sempat nak balas semua.
Okay la, nak pegi tengok Ombak Rindu kejap kat wayang. (Sementara masih boleh enjoy.)
Pergh… Aku nangis teresak-esak siut. Kelas betul si Aaron Aziz tu… Yummy! Jambu betul! Oh Aaron! ~sigh~
Ceh… Dah ada kat Astro First rupanya. Buat penat jer aku queue panjang2 beli tiket. Nasib baik belakang aku kuat.
Okayla diari. Nak packing ni. Harap-harap verdict esok bagus la. Kan best kalau verdict boleh undi guna SMS? AFUNDI AI?

TO BE CONTINUED?

2012

2011-12-30T15:44:00.001+08:00

It’s that time of the year again, where we make resolutions we don’t intend to keep. I find it more fun to make silly predictions for the coming year, and see if any of my predictions come true.

Here’s my list:

#1 : The World Will Not End

The Mayan calendar predicts that we will enter the Fifth World in December 2012. So, according to them, we are in the Fourth World, and every time there’s a shift to the next World, there will be cataclysmic / doomsday type events which wipes out whole civilizations. (It’s an interesting read and there’s a whole bunch of articles of 2012 doomsday in Wikipedia.) But I really don’t think the world will end yet. I’m a Muslim and believe in Doomsday and the Hereafter. Islam teaches us signs that the world will end, and some of the signs are already here. But Muslims believe that only Allah knows when the Day will come. Mankind will not be able to predict the Day, nor can we avoid it. So, that’s why I believe the 2012 Doomsday prediction is rubbish. If Mankind can predict the Doomsday date with accuracy, then that means that we can know God’s Secret. Allah is All-Knowing, but the Day belongs to Him and only He knows when the time will come.

#2: Roger Federer Will Win His Last Grand Slam

I’m a fan of the man. His already considered old at 31 years, but I would like to see him win just one more Grand Slam final. Somehow I think he can win his last Wimbledon. If Agassi can make a comeback, I don’t see why the Fed Express can’t do better. Maybe Roger can win the Olympic singles gold medal too?

#3: Barisan Nasional Will Win 2/3 Majority

This is a big IF. BN will win only IF Najib retires most of the ministers in his current cabinet. IF he doesn’t do it, then BN will not get 2/3 majority. Otherwise, BN will win by slim majority assisted by Sabah and Sarawak votes. Oh, this is all under the assumption that the next General Elections will be held in 2012.

#4: Barack Obama Will Not Get a 2^nd Term

I’m 50/50 on this, but am predicting that the first African American US President will not be re-elected. Reasons being that the US economy is still not picking up, protests are rampant (Occupy Wall Street for example), Israel not getting what they want from Obama, etc. I flipped a coin on this, and result was not on Obama’s side.

#5: No Peace in the Middle East

The middle eastern countries will continue to burn… Protests will go nowhere, and killings will be everywhere. Syria is going down in flames, Egpytians are still protesting for ‘freedom’, and Iran also will be next on the US hit list. Even Israel will have internal problems of its own. Palestinian State remains a dream. I have no faith in those countries, they are so backward even with so much oil wealth. Sia-sia boleh paham al-Quran tapi tak praktikkan.

That’s it for this year. See you in 2012, and have a good year ahead!

Education. Do we really need it?

2011-12-22T12:30:00.002+08:00

Today thousands of anxious 15 year olds are getting their PMR results. Most of them nervous due to high expectations from their parents, friends, and self expectations. Some kids are under so much pressure to do well, they get depressed even though they score 7As and 1B. Bear in mind, this is just PMR. The only consequences of the PMR results will be selecting which classes to join in Form 4, be it science stream, arts stream, commerce, etc.

When you read a lot of biographies of successful people, most of them don’t do well during schooling times. Einstein was thought to be slow, Steve Jobs struggled to get just average grades, Sir Isaac Newton was thought to be an idiot. Not to mention, many are college dropouts like Bill Gates, Michael Dell, Steve Wozniak, Larry Ellison. (Can’t quote Malaysian success stories cuz not many biographies are out there)

This comes to the question: Do we need education? Are things we learn in school a waste of time? Is it better to have practical experience, or just learn theories from a textbook?

In my line of work as a marketer/product guy, I can’t remember ever using algebra, elements from the periodic table, or formulas like force = mass x acceleration. Maybe there are those in specialist positions who use them on a daily basis, but I’m not one of them. Instead, my work now mostly leverage on the work of others. I combine their skills to produce a desired output. Along the way, I learn technical terms, but not to a deeper degree. I manage people, and that wasn’t inside any school curriculum.

Education is a must. But one must know which education opens doors, and which type of education are dead ends. To make it in today’s world, we need to go through the motions taking UPSR, PMR, SPM, and ultimately have a minimum of a Degree. To go further in a corporate career, one may need to have a Master’s degree. But can you imagine 10 years from now? I predict it will be more competitive than ever before, and everyone will have minimum of a Master’s. How will you be different from the rest? How can your life be better than others?

Ultimately, I’m for education. But not the type we learn in school. Seek knowledge and teachers from outside. These type of knowledge will help your life better than any textbook. Get knowledge that will improve your life, not to just pass exams. Then, truly you will be educated.

P.S: Congratulations to my little brother Iman for getting 6As in his PMR today. Proud of you.

Harvard Business Review: Facebook is Making Us Miserable

2011-12-11T13:21:00.001+08:00

Looks like I'm not the only one feeling that Facebook is slowly, but surely, eating into people's lives.

Here's an interesting article from Harvard Business Review.
It summarizes what I feel is happening in society because of Facebook:
1. Increase in unhealthy social comparison
2. Time wasting and fragmentation
3. Decline of close relationships

I won't expand on this as the article said it best. Give it some thought.

Role Models... Who Are Yours?

2011-12-04T18:40:00.009+08:00

Today I'd like to talk about role models. Role models are people who you aspire to be, or at least have traits that you would like to have. In essence, they are good examples of which you'd like to follow.

Anthony Robbins taught the concept of 'modelling', that is mimicking someone so that you get into their mindset and help you achieve a certain goal. You can imitate the style of a person's talk, style, behaviour, etc, in order to get into their character. You will then understand the inner workings of their minds and see the world through their eyes. In other words, it's a way of stepping into the other person's shoes.

You can model anyone you admire and want to be. It can be a scientist, entrepreneur, rock star, religious icon, politician ... simply anyone. But mostly likely, whether consciously or unconsciously, you'd tend to 'model' your role models.

Role models help shape you into what you are. Most of us have our parents as our role models. We may also have secondary role models, according to our interests. Additionally, for Muslims, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the ultimate role model. Hence, Muslims tend to follow their lives in the footsteps of the Prophet. Christians tend to follow the teachings of Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him), and a certain portion of the world follow Confucius, Karl Marx, Buddha, etc.

Here's my list of role models:

1. My Parents

Naturally, you tend to idolize your parents. My father Hamzah was a guy I look up to. He was smart, handsome, talkative, and caring. Sadly, I don't have any of those traits. Therefore, I try to model him as much as possible. My mother Siti Nora is strong-willed, disciplined, patient, and artistically talented. Unfortunately, I don't have those traits either, so I try to model her whenever I could. As I go through life, I always remember among my father's last words to me, "Son, you have my intelligence and your mother's strong will and patience. Use these traits wisely and you will be a success."

2. Steve Jobs

Most people say I'm obsessed with Steve Jobs, and truthfully he's one of my heroes. The first person to introduce me to Steve Jobs was my elementary school teacher, Mrs Alice Olson. (I was schooling in Los Angeles at the time in 1987) I remembered going into a class which taught using Apple II and Macintosh machines. So, the first computer I have ever used was a machine created by Steve Jobs. Mrs Olson also shared a story with the class about a company called 'Apple' and how two guys Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak made the very first computer. (It's factually incorrect, but then we were kids) From then on, I was a star-struck kid who fell in love with computers. Along the years, I followed Jobs' success and failures and saw his entrepreneurial life is what I'd like to model. I even modeled his presentation style, and that gave me confidence to talk in front of a 1,000 capacity crowd. (The seminar was a hit!) Now, I'm modelling his thinking style which suits me fine. (I don't believe in market research and really passionate about product design.) Most people think Jobs is evil and cruel and temperamental. But that's how geniuses work.

3. Tun Dr Mahathir & Tunku Abdul Rahman

I lumped these two great statesmen together because they were politicians. I admire Dr M because he had a vision of what Malaysia had to be and executed his vision well. He may be a tyrant and kuku besi, but that's what you have to do to achieve the vision. I admire the Tunku because he selflessly fought for our independence from the British (he used his own money until he went broke and reluctantly had to ask from the public for plane fare to London), and also he had the guts to kick Singapore out from Malaysia. (Lee Kuan Yew / Singapore still has a grudge until now)

My list of role models will probably change as time goes by, and as my priorities change. Some people question why I like to read biographies of people (yes, I have lots of books on Mark Zuckerberg, Google Guys, Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, Richard Branson, Donald Trump, Paul Allen, etc.) but I'd like to have them as my 'mastermind' group. (Look up mastermind if you don't get the concept. It's a concept from Napoleon Hill.)

Who's your role model?

My Election Prediction. What's Yours?

2011-12-02T22:39:00.001+08:00

The UMNO General Assembly is happening now, causing traffic jams in KL as usual. I always wonder why they televise the debates for UMNO, but not the other political parties. Hmm... Anyways, Najib is giving signals of imminent elections coming soon. But I don't think it will happen THAT soon. Here are my reasons:

1. Anwar is still around.

Yup, he's still around making sure the justice system works and lawyers have jobs. I think Karpal Singh and his lot are getting tired of defending him. Anwar is losing support, and he has too much baggage like the liwat case, China doll sex videos, etc. Penat jugak nak pertahankan orang macam ni. Anyways, DAP is much stronger now and don't need the leadership of Anwar. Most of my Chinese friends are openly supporting DAP. Can't blame them cuz MCA/Gerakan sucks and there isn't much choice in the Chinese community. For Malays, if UMNO messes up, they can choose to vote for PKR or PAS. Back to Anwar. It's much easier for BN to win the next election if Anwar is not around. So why not wait for the court to throw him in prison? With Anwar out of the picture, PKR with be leaderless and the DAP will champion Pakatan Rakyat. PAS will not like it, but what choice do they have? Anyways, a DAP and PAS marriage has divorce written all over it. It will never work.

2. PM Najib needs to be more popular

You can't deny that Najib's popularity is at all time high now. Especially with Tun Dr Mahathir supporting him. But something is missing. Najib could be MORE popular. How? Simple. By getting rid of ROSMAH MANSOR from public view. Dude, put your wife in her place... at home! She does not have to accompany you to every event. PEOPLE JUST DON'T LIKE HER! Especially when the public saw her footage during the last haji season. If in Makkah she's too arrogant to fully cover up her hair, then she's too arrogant for the typical Malay voter. Rosmah is and will be Najib's downfall. Mark my words.

3. DAP is gaining ground

I've mentioned it again and again. DAP is getting stronger by the day. BN needs to come up with some clever strategy to discredit them in the public eye. For the record, I detest DAP with every fiber of my being. It is a racist party (even more than UMNO) and un-democratic party. Tak percaya? Cuba baca post ni. We need to figure out a way to bring our Chinese friends to their senses, and show the true colours of the racist DAP party. One thing about the Malays. Kalau Melayu memerintah, kita jaga semua bangsa. It is in the Malay nature to be accommodating and helpful. Can you say the same thing about others? Look at Singapore. Malays are neglected and are in pitiful state. Anyways, DAP is a child of the Singaporean PAP. They are still trying to buat kacau in Malaysia after Tunku kicked them out.

Personally, I detest politics because majority of the people involved in politics are idiots. But I cannot run away from the fact that politics determine the future of this country. To not care means not caring about Malaysia. I hope BN will win with a bigger majority but with better candidates who are not corrupted (wishful thinking on my part). I hope DAP stays only in Penang too.

Anyways, just in case Najib announces elections tomorrow, choose wisely and happy elections!

FB No More?

2011-12-01T21:16:00.003+08:00

Hi Everyone. I haven't been updating my blog for a few years. Mostly because Facebook is way more interesting than blogging. But I'm tired of FB-ing now. Mostly because many people don't know proper behaviour/etiquette of being online. And I noticed many of my contacts are abusing FB for purposes of showing off, kutuk-ing others, stalking, and other negative stuff. The current atmosphere on FB is the exact opposite of when I joined a few years ago. It was really, really fun back then. I mainly used it to connect with long lost friends from the US and VI.

Anyways, I've been off FB for 3 weeks now, and honestly I find it liberating. I can focus on work and other stuff. I'm just using FB now to play games like Castleville. (I need more neighbours dammit!) I don't read much statuses anymore, and comment even lesser.

Hmm. I wonder if there are others like me. Or is it an age thing?

I'm back to blogging, where I don't have to put up a status every 5 minutes. Hehehe. Cheers!

All Hail 2009

2009-01-26T01:32:00.000+08:00

It has been an interesting beginning for 2009. Maybe others think so too. But below are some of the things that make early 2009 interesting in my eyes:

1. Welcome President Barack Hussein Obama.

Ironic isn't it? One Hussein was killed by the previous president, and another Hussein became the new president. Anyways, I'm adopting a wait and see attitude to the first black dude president. He may have good intentions but he is surrounded by Zionists. I doubt he can change anything. Palestinians will still be suffering at the hands of the Israeli racist pigs. The US economy will destroy itself because the US lent itself billions of dollars which it doesn't have. (Maybe some came from Israel, who knows?)

But if everything goes to hell, he can always do a Bill Clinton. Play with your cigar Barack, while the world burns. Wait does he smoke?

2. Australian Open 2009

I love tennis. So does my wife. We are certified tennis junkies and always spend a considerable amount of time in front of the telly whenever Grand Slam season is on. Novak Djokovic won the last Aussie Open, but as usual we're rooting for the man himself, Roger Federer. (By the way, we stalked Roger when he was in KL. We were 5 feet from him before a big burly security guard blocked us from getting an autograph. Ahh... Good stalking memories!) At the time of this writing, Federer is through to the quarterfinals after a nail biting 5 setter with Tomas Berdych (did I get the spelling right?).

Am planning to catch the 2010 Open at Melbourne, so save up some money Charlie! Btw, Rafa Nadal finally covered up his armpits by wearing a (gasp!) sleeved t-shirt! His performance is incredible, so far. Like a terminator with a tennis racquet. For the record, I'm not a Nadal fan at all. GO ROGER!

3. THE HOLIDAYS

We are so lucky to have a lot of public holidays in Malaysia. We have New Years Day and Chinese New Year in January, Federal Territory Day and Thaipusam in February and Maulidur Rasul in March. Lotss of 3-4 day weekends! It's a wonder how Malaysia can run while everyone is on leave. I'm sure this is the vision of our forefathers that we have so many holidays for such a small country. But hey, who am I to complain?

Later people! Go enjoy your holiday!

My Misadventures with ASTRO - Part III (CONCLUSION)

2008-10-07T23:58:00.000+08:00

Mon, Oct 6 2008 - As expected received no call from Astro people. So I called up their technician number. As usual, need to explain all over again my problem. But in a strange twist of events, this time they said that there's no record of my complaints. (Some lady called 'Sam' told me this.) Simply amazing the level of incompetence of these people. She said she'll check and call back. After 1 hour, I received a call. Okay, they said they'll send a technician over tomorrow and to have RM169 and the old decoder ready. (Obviously, they did not record that I already told them that I threw out my old decoder because it was beyond repair.) I told them again that I don't have the old decoder, and guess what they said? "Enchek kena buat polis reporrt.. leypas itu baru kite boley bagi enchek dekoder baru," said the lady. "Polis suda biasa dengan ini punye kays."

WTF? Is it a crime to throw out your old decoder? I dah malas nak argue, so I just did the police report at Balai Polis Taman Tun. Of course la, the sarjan pening kepala because never has he had to do a report on Astro decoder.

Tues, Oct 7, 2008 - The technician finally came and installed the new decoder. At least he was friendly. I thought that was it, but I had to call back ASTRO to ask for re-connection. Or else nothing showed up on the telly. ARGH!!!! They did reconnect (which took only 30 seconds) and they adjusted the bill to pro-rate the days without the service.

MORAL OF THE STORY
1. Astro is taking too much of our money, for such crappy after-sales service.
2. Don't throw out your old decoder. No matter how angry you get.
3. By the way, did I say Astro is crap?

My Misadventures with ASTRO (Part 2)

2008-10-03T02:10:00.000+08:00

Sept 28, 2008 - No word from ASTRO.

Sept 29, 2008 - Still no word from ASTRO.

Sept 30, 2008 - A nameless Indian lady (phone number 03-90807532) called me up at 2.16pm and asked whether their technician can come over tomorrow? I lost my cool. Doesn't she freaking know that tomorrow is Hari Raya? What coconut has she been living in? Sudah berapa lama duduk kat Malaysia ni? Tak paham-paham lagi ke? I asked them to come today, but she said she'll call back after checking with her boss. As expected, she never called back. Moron.

Oct 01, 2008 - Hari Raya! Don't care about ASTRO.

Oct 02, 2008 - Silence from the all-powerful ASTRO. It has been 10 days since I lodged the original complaint. Patience is wearing very thin. Am thinking of letting the newspapers know about this....

Oct 03, 2008 - Called the Astro "technician" number at 03-90807532, and an Indian lady called Rita picked up my call. As usual, I introduced myself for the umpteenth time and complained that I'm waiting for my decoder. "Hold on sir. I will call you back ya?" said Rita. So okay, she did call me back and guess what she said? "We are out of stock for decoder, sir. We are expecting new stock to come in 2 days." So then I asked her when they will send the decoder. "Monday, sir" was the reply. I give up with these people. Full of crap.

TO BE CONTINUED ON MONDAY, 6th OCTOBER 2008.

My Misadventures with ASTRO!

2008-09-27T23:04:00.000+08:00

22 Sept 08 - Called ASTRO. Said that I need to replace the decoder box since it went kaput a few weeks ago. Their customer service said that I would have to pay RM169 for a new replacement set, and to pay any outstanding bills. So, okay I gave my credit card details to the rep and paid the RM300++ bill that was owed. He said that the new set will be delivered within 24 hours, and Astro technical side will give me a call to confirm on the delivery.

23 Sept 08 - No decoder. No calls from Astro.

24 Sept 08 - Still no calls from Astro, so I called them up to check on the progress. The rep (some chap called 'Mus') said that my credit card payment didn't go thru, so they had to delay on the delivery. Luckily I was in front of my laptop, and I logged on to my online credit card statement. Yup, according to my bank, the transaction was successful and Astro already charged RM300++ to my card. I angrily mentioned that to the Astro rep, and he said he'd call me in 1 hour time. Surely enough, he called me back in 45 minutes, and said that my transaction was approved and they would deliver the new decoder in 24 hours.

25 Sept 08 - No decoder. No calls from Astro.

26 Sept 08 - My birthday. Someone from Astro technical called me up, and said that the order has been passed to the Astro agent and the agent will call me to deliver the decoder. Strangely, no calls from the Astro agent.

27 Sept 08 - Still no decoder yet. Decided to give Astro another call. This time I really let them have it. The Astro rep said he had 'escalated' this issue to be resolved. Hmm, somehow problem still not resolved. It has been 5 days, since my first call to Astro. DUMBASSES!!!

TO BE CONTINUED.

Anwar vs Shabery - A Good Start!

2008-07-16T00:17:00.000+08:00

I was lucky enough to catch the Anwar vs Shabery debate live on ASTRO. After watching both of them and their points, I came to a conclusion that we have reached a point where Government and Opposition CAN actually debate their views live on air.

It was beautiful watching the debate. Both parties were not too emotional, although both Anwar and Shabery tried to get on each other's nerves and threw barbs at each other. They had their points on the oil price issues and they articulated it as best as they can in the short time frame given. (Wish they were given 2 hours, instead of just one.) Even the supporters were equally represented in the audience. Both sides had equal amounts of shouts and applause.

There was only one winner in the debate: Malaysian Democracy.

Hopefully this is a good beginning. Encourage more debates and our minds will expand further.

Kudos to Anwar and Shabery for their brave effort.

A Simple Book Called "Mobile Millions: Secrets of the Mobile King!"

2008-05-05T00:46:00.000+08:00

Hi. Just want to inform that my book "Mobile Millions: Secrets of the Mobile Kings" is selling out fast! (If you're lucky you can still get them at your nearest MPH and Borders bookstores)

What is Mobile Millions all about?

As some of you may know, I am one of the niche experts in the mobile content business. Simply said, I know how people make SERIOUS MONEY from all the SMS services you see advertised in the papers, tabloids and late night TV. I have compiled all my knowledge and put in a simple, 127-page, easy to read manual.

If you read it, you will discover that you can easily BUILD A MOBILE CONTENT BUSINESS and EARN PASSIVE INCOME FROM HOME!

Tough times are coming and it is imperative that we equip ourselves with knowledge that will benefit us economically. Rampant inflation, falling job rates, and the latest scarcity of food will affect us one way or another in the near future. Not to mention that many of us are retiring (or have retired) and find out that we can't survive with the scant pensions or mediocre EPF savings?

Do YOU want to be LEFT BEHIND?

Read Mobile Millions. It is written in easy to understand language and you don't have to be a techie to understand the concepts behind it.

If you would like order online, visit http://www.millionairesplanet.com/books_author_eng.htm

Or just email me to have an autographed copy. :-)

Ikhlas? I think not...

2008-04-27T23:21:00.000+08:00

There was once a time where I had the power to give or not give projects to whoever deserved it. I had given the opportunity to many new/start-up companies to make money without ever asking anything in return. I was offered bribes (some amounts that could've made my life very comfortable now), but I never took a single cent. Some people said I was foolish to be so 'lurus bendul', but I have no intention of feeding me or my family with duit haram.

Now, I'm not so powerful anymore. I'm on the other side asking for projects, instead of awarding them. You know what? Those people whom I had helped make hundreds of thousands of ringgit would not even help me anymore. Previously, they kissed my ass when they needed me. Now, when I asked for some simple favours, they wouldn't even have the time to talk to me. When they had nothing, I helped them to the point of becoming millionaires. Now when they drive big luxury cars with big expensive offices, they forget those who helped them get there in the first place.

To those people, you know who you are. I pray to God that you'll get your just returns. Your sheer arrogance will be your downfall. The world is round, my fair-weather friends. I'll see you again... This time it'll be different.

Where Did the Creativity Go?

2008-04-26T15:31:00.000+08:00

I was flipping thru Astro again, and came across a new local show similar to E! channel's 'True Hollywood Story'. It showed the lives of local artistes, and that one showcased the life of Amy Search. He had led a colorful life, and those who are old enough might remember when Search was one of Malaysia's biggest band exports, and when Indonesians actually loved our rock music back then.

Now I'm thinking... why can we produce quality entertainers anymore?

The TV show also played a clip showing Datuk Mohamad Rahmat (aka Tok Mat) cutting the long hairs of Amy Search and Awie Wings on live television. I remembered that back then those bands relied on RTM to play their music. (ASTRO radio stations weren't around yet.) RTM blacklisted artistes who had long hair, and as a result many of them lost their livelihood from music. The rockers had to unwillingly comply to the pressures of the Information Ministry or else they could not feed their families.

In my opinion, that was the beginning of the Dark Ages of Malaysian creativity.

Tok Mat treated the rockers like school-children. Cutting their hair in public like it was primary school. (I think Tok Mat was a school teacher/headmaster or something before he came into power.) That was the beginning of more censorship. We can't do this, we can't do that. No one can be creative anymore, to the point that we were stuck listening to the banal Saari Amri love songs, and led to the birth of the completely un-creative/un-imaginative music of Siti Nurhaliza. Not to mention we are now stuck to listening to Akademi Fantasia students, who are getting worse and worse by the week. (I don't think many of them can actually read music notes or sheet music)

Simply put, if we are constantly exposed to low-quality entertainers, the product will be low-quality and uncreative social minds. Back then, music actually make you think and the lyrics have meaning behind them.

For now, I'll just stick to listening to quality music/tv/movies on my iPhone. Don't suck me into your unimaginative black hole.