Changing Malaysia
Aug 31, 2008 Rantings
On Friday morning, I had woken up a little earlier than usual (having taken the day off work) to go for my final run around the neighbourhood before heading to Singapore.
Then again, had I not set the alarm, I would have been woken up by the wailing of banshees. Actually, it wasn’t that bad. Still, I was wondering who was karaoke-ing at 9am in the morning before I realised that it was coming from the school a couple of hundred metres down the road from my house.
It was only when I ran past it that I realised that it was Merdeka Day celebrations.
I don’t remember any sort of celebration like that in school. My memory is blur - I think most probably we sang some patriotic songs and that was it. This one was different. There were performances of songs and dance from the various major races (although I’m not sure Kris Dayanti’s Menhitung Hari was a very Malaysian choice). There was also a dance from Sabah and Sarawak.
Well, I think it’s great. And instead of the uniform, students wore their respective traditional costumes - some wore their own, some wore costumes from other races. It was quite a sight that I had to grab that picture of it.
Today is Merdeka Day and I think that it’s an apt time to celebrate the country. Not so much of the independence (although it is important) but also to celebrate who we are, what we have become and where we can go (not where we appear to be heading now, mind you).
That is why I really enjoyed reading the editorial in today’s The Star “Changing Malaysia” Merdeka pullout. I’m not plugging it ‘cos I’m employed by them but I really think it’s time to move on, stop looking at the present and focus on our potential for the future.
It reads:
EACH time Aug 31 comes around, the tendency is to look back to where Malaysia was in the 1950s and at where it is today.
And rightly so – an understanding of where we came from and the elements that have gone into shaping the country is vital if we are to have a true sense of identity as a people.
This act of remembering our history was obvious when we marked the golden jubilee of the country’s independence last year.
The last 12 months, however, have seen us taking our first steps into the next half century of our existence as a nation.
I, too, contributed a story to the pullout - I spoke to four local writers from the performing arts scene to see where the arts in Malaysia is going. Not sure if everyone agrees with me, but I’m happy to listen to your point of view.
In the mean time, Selamat Hari Merdeka again folks. :)
10.44am Malaysian time (+8 GMT)
Happy Merdeka from 0793372 (my Nike+ 10K Human Race number)
Aug 31, 2008 Events
Selamat Hari Merdeka, folks.
I am not in KL celebrating 51st year of independence because I am in Singapore for the Nike+ 10K Human Race which will happen tomorrow.
Yes, I am running!
I was told that 11,000 people have been registered to run in Singapore alone, and there will be runs organised in 25 cities around the world on the same day. Through the Nike+ technology and website, runners in other countries can join too.
This is the goodie bag that all runners get. A special Nike T-shirt with our bib number printed on it (how cool is that??), my wrist tags (green is my runner’s tag, pink is the access tag to the Partner’s Booth) and a number of other goodies as you can see. I love it!
I am staying at the Gallery Hotel at Robertson Quay, which is really nice. Here are some shots of the hotel.
Will update later today (it’s past midnight after all) with details from the run (flags off at 4.15pm).
Wish me luck!
12.16am Malaysian time (+8 GMT)
Tags: 10K Human Race, Gallery Hotel, Merdeka, Nike, Singapore
The Bangsar Boy: Merdeka is more than just waving flags and countdowns
Aug 30, 2008 The Bangsar Boy
I’ll have to keep this short as I leave home in less than a hour to fly into Singapore for the Nike+ Human Race 10k in less than an hour. Eeps! Yes, it’s this weekend!
But just a note about my The Bangsar Boy column this week. I talk about my recent trip to Sabah trip, and how I realised that I know so little about the country I grew up in. But it was an interesting time for this revelation - this being Merdeka month and all - which gave me a different perspective of patriotism.
The article was edited quite a bit for some reason and I don’t think it’s 100% accurate now (some factual, some in terms of reflecting my feelings) but it’s not that bad.
What’s a better time then, when “patriotism” is at its peak, to reflect on all these to ensure that we appreciate what our parents and theirs have gone through, to learn from the mistakes and to ponder on ways we could help the country move forward.
I can’t think of anything more patriotic than this, at the moment.
Gotta go pack now, Selamat Hari Merdeka folks.
8.43am Malaysian time (+8 GMT)
Tags: Merdeka, Pukak, Sabah, The Bangsar Boy
Mobile Number Portability is here!
Aug 29, 2008 News Breaks
“Hey, what’s your phone number?”
“It’s 012 *** ****”
“Oh, you’re with Maxis!”
“Er, no.”
How is that conversation possible? Well, with the new Mobile Number Portability, which allows mobile users in Malaysia to start switching mobile networks but still keeping their same number - prefix included. The Star reports that you can start applying for the swap today (will take two weeks for it to be effective though).
I think this is great - many countries already allow this - because now users won’t be tied down to one company just because they don’t want the inconvenience of having to change numbers. This, I feel, will be good for competitiveness as well - so the consumer can only benefit.
Yay!
9.51am Malaysian time (+8 GMT)
Apple CEO Steve Job is not dead!
Aug 29, 2008 People
Okay, okay, my headline might be a wee bit sensational but heck, it caught your attention didn’t it?
How much do you want to bet that it caught the attention of many, many other people? Well, it just did when Bloomberg (the news agency, not the person) accidentally released an obituary for the man behind Apple, reports cNet.
Among some of the things the obituory said about Mr Jobs is that he:
“…helped make personal computers as easy to use as telephones, changed the way animated films are made, persuaded consumers to tune into digital music, and refashioned the mobile phone.”
Well, I think the world of Steve Jobs (after all, anyone who can give me the pleasures of the iPhone - I love mine!!!! - is kind of like god … well, not exactly, but he’s pretty great to me, I think). What made the obituory so much more believable too was the fact that Mr. Jobs had previously battled pancreatic cancer and as such, assumptions are more easily made. (Also, he recently appeared in public look rather thin, the report states, and some people assumed that he was ill again).
It’s not uncommon to write obituaries in advance (I know this not only from the article, but from working in the media) but to release it, even accidentally, oer!
1.21am Malaysian time (+8 GMT)
Tags: apple, bloomberg, obituory, Steve Jobs
