ONANI 10 : IS IT REALLY GREENER ?

Humans are fascinating. Each individual is a different story. Unique, different. Yet we share so many things in common as a species. We can be primal and simple, yet complex and sophisticated. Fascinating.

But of the various traits and qualities that makes us human, i would like to single out one for this particular blog post. A human trait that i just recently noticed after a certain conversation with my little brother.

The human tendency to 'OVERRATE ANOTHER'S HAPPINESS'. Where we seem to constantly believe that the 'GRASS IS INDEED GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE'. But is it really?

First up, me and my brother were just having casual talk about how he's been doing in university. Studies, love life, and a few bulshits in between. Soon he was going on about how down he feels lately, that things are not really working out as planned. Being the typical middle son that he is, yeah, he does more than often get into trouble with parents, lecturers, friends, etc.

He goes on explaining to me that he doesn't get why some of his friends long to be in his position, that they assume he has everything in life going for him and would rather be in my brother's shoes at any given time. All the rave just because he scored straight A's for his PMR examinations. The assumption that my brother leads a life of priveledge and success has stuck ever since.

My brother however, understands the assumptions he is being subjected to though. He admits that even he would long to be in the position of a top scorer had he not done well for his examinations. In the end you'd never know how it is to be in another's shoes, but being human, i guess we naturally assume that being someone else (who appears to have more) will always be better than being plain old us.

If we could somehow switch the minds between two comparing individuals, to experience what the other has been through, i'm pretty sure both sides would agree that the grass on the other side is not as green as it initially seemed to be, once you are on the other side yourself! I mean yeah he scored higher in exams, sure she has the hottest boy friend, damn that dude is filthy rich, god that chick has a cool ride, man i want that lap top too, etc. But the people who have all that, are they without their own problems? by having all those earthly indulgences, do they feel an ultimate sense of satisfaction? Do they crave for no more in life because that's mission accomplished to them? Perfection achived? You know the answers yourself.

The reason why we see the person next to us sleeping in a bed of roses is because we put that image there ourselves while completely ignoring the hundreds and thousands of thorns that come with those flowers. Believe me when i say no matter how priveledged a person's life seems to be, it's actually no different than what we go through everyday. Though the scale might differ in the sense that a seemingly better life has it's own equal and opposite reaction, the reality maintains that not a single life is PERFECT.

So the question now is why? Why do humans persistently lock themselves in the illusion that the grass is always greener on the other side? My humble theory is that by assuming our colleague is having it better, jealousy starts fueling our engine of competitiveness, thus motivating us to strive for an improved condition of life. This ultimately ensures the progression and continuity of our growth as a species!

....or we could just be thankful with what we have while trying our best to be the best we can in life, to gracefully accept whatever outcome God has in store for us after all our efforts and deeds? ....nah, who does that these days right?

ONANI 9 : UTUSAN

Before i begin this latest blog post let me make a few things clear :

1. I am fully aware the government has cyber police to probably view this blog of mine, which is good since i hope this could be a constructive 'utusan' to our leaders.

2. I also acknowledge the current administration to be the most capable in leading Malaysia towards vision 2020! The current pool of opposition politicians just don't convince me enough.

3. However, this post of mine will be centered on my displeasure on one of the main topics of the 2011 budget, specifically, the RM5 billion Menara Warisan project.

Do not misunderstand, i do believe such a mega project could contribute positively towards the development of our country, but i'm more concerned with the prioritizing our leaders make when dishing out funds for developments. It is not a mystery that our beloved country has a mountain of unresolved issues that is in dire need of attention. I personally think we should learn how to crawl and walk first before even thinking of doing a 100m sprint ala Usain Bolt down the tracks.

Here are some other agendas, in my humble opinion, should instead deserve top priority in terms of attention and funding(all RM5 billion of it) from the authorities.

1. PUBLIC TRANSPORT = Where shall i begin? lets see... duh! KTM obviously. It leaks when it rains, 15 minutes late is a blessing(a train was late for 4 hours at one point when i was using it), it is never on schedule, there are never enough seats, never enough trains, the aircond regularly breaks down so u can smell the sweet aroma of arm pits from all races including the illegals who regularly commute with it, a train was tilting for a good 15-20 degrees at the Putra Station where the tracks are never maintained(disaster waiting to happen obviously),etc. The only good public transport we have is the LRT and it only circles around KL. Buses don't even reach most parts of Shah Alam while Putrajaya and Cyberjaya are obviously disconnected. Am not even getting started on public transport out of Klang Valley yet! So yeah, even a measly amount from the RM5 billion could do wonders in turning the situation over and provide us with more respectable public transport that would do our people and the country's image a lot of good!

2. ECO TOURISM = I am not about to suggest we have more 5 star hotels or infrastructure or anything down that line. My concern is more to maintaining the beauty this country is already blessed with. I'm talking about keeping our natural tourist spots and attractions clean. This might sound like a small matter but think about the implications. Countries like Maldives, Seychelles, Mauritius, etc, they generate whole economies by simply keeping their country clean and beautiful. And quite frankly, the cleanliness of our beaches is quite pitiful. I went to Port Dickson the other day and i just couldn't believe my eyes. Brown waters with shit in it and on the beach? you see rusted Milo cans more than you see sea shells? boat oil, plastic bags, polystyrene combine to form an unflattering texture that replaces white sandy shores? talk about a picture of a failed tourism poster. And that's rapidly becoming the same scenario for beaches all over the country. I suggest setting up a nationwide committee to directly supervise and manage the set location's cleanliness with rule enforcing and routine clean ups. With RM5 billion in the pot, we surely can!

3. EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE = Okay, before we go about building yet another world class infrastructure for this country, it's only natural to look back at the current facilities we already posses as some sort of a case study if you like. Being in the construction business myself, a glaring problem is easily spotted here. MAINTENANCE! Istana Budaya, Museum Negara, roof tiles missing with walls overrun with moss. That doesn't even compare to the Mecca of all Malaysian moss that is Stadium Shah Alam, with it's mosaic of broken polycarbonate roof panels and absolutely filthy interior to boot. Should i even begin to point out the lack of sanitary services at our very own National Stadium in Bukit Jalil or the termite infested timber seats of Malacca's Stadium Hang Tuah? Almost all LRT stations around KL are either filthy as a rat's ass while most buildings and pavers in Putrajaya are already experiencing cracking and cladding deterioration with most of them barely existing for a mere 5 years! Until we take a serious stand in maintaining whatever architectural marvel we posses, i don't see the point in having a 100 storey wreck hanging in our city's skyline.

So there you have it. I am fully aware that i am no politician, and definitely not one that is most enlightened when it comes to developing a developing country. But here are thoughts to ponder on from a person sincerely wanting the best for his beloved country. Progressing is good, but maybe prioritizing what we develop, or maintain, could be just as vital. Thanks for your time members of the government (if u actually read this la).

ONANI 8 : BOYS vs GIRLS ?

To begin this post let me make it clear that i absolutely hate the gender debates modern society love to indulge in. The only thing that comes out of these kinda conversations is u either make yourself seem sexist or emotional, period (no pun intended). The gender argument, no matter what form they take, always centers on wether a gender is better off or worse off than the other. Here are a few famous topics for such arguments and why i think it is absolutely pointless squabbling about them. =

1. RELATIONSHIPS = Playboys vs sluts. While such category of people do exist, it is also to be reminded that it takes 2 to tango. A relationship is a bond between 2 individuals who find social compromise or comfort with each other. Just as it takes 2 to create this, it also takes 2 to destroy it, even if it is a measly 5% bulshit from one part and the rest of the percentage from the other. Relationships are one of those things in life that is so complicated as it involves an abundance of factors to determine wether it works or not such as past experiences, dedication, commitment, honesty, integrity, wit, mental strength, security, acceptance, tolerance, forgiveness to name a few. Gender, in fact, is a factor that makes a relationship possible in the first place! To generalize a gender as a universal cause of failing relationships just shows how primitive one's brain is, with or without a dick.

2. FINANCE = Rides vs shoes. Let me get a simple fact thru some ignorant minds first. EVERYONE SPENDS. And everyone tends to over indulge from time to time... okay, ALL the time actually. But really, a guy buys a 100000 ringgit car while a gal snags a 4000 ringgit handbag, that makes the girl any better? A girl buys a 700 ringgit pair of shoes while a guy gets himself a 300 ringgit cuffling, that makes the guy any better? Truth is, whatever your sex is, paying an extra 50% for overrated things such as 3D movies is already an act of wastefulness. When you over spend, you overspend, regardless of the scale of purchase in comparison to the opposite sex. Since when has God exclusively acknowledged greed for a set gender only? Think about it before generalizing or u might end up risking the collective sins of playing God.

3. CRIME = Warmongers vs gold diggers. Okay, so we have all the Hannibals, Genghis Khans and George W bushes throughout history. Not to mention all the guy rapists, burglars and so on. With special thanks to our hormonal count, men are definitely the more aggressive half of both sex. This makes men the source of all crime on the planet then right? Not quite though. Explain these women to me first without sounding biased. Sara Aldrete, Susan Atkins, Martha Beck, Marie Alexandrine Becker, Kate Bender, Carol M. Bundy, Mary Ann Cotton, Mrs. Julius Fuzekos, Delfina Gonzales, Maria de Jesus Gonzales, Maria Gruber, Belle Gunness, Genene Jones, Irene Leidolf, Juliane Lipka, Stephanija Mayer, Susi Olah, Madame Alexe Popova, Jane Toppan, Waltraud Wagner, Lila Gladys Young and lots more. Don't get me started on Elizabeth Bathory yet, who has over 700 documented murders to her account, making her the biggest serial killer in human history! to still claim men as the sole source of crime on earth would be insulting to the poor victims of these monsters, victims that include babies and other women. And the guys wanna complain about women being gold diggers? Taking advantage of their oh so innocent love and kindness (in most cases it's just lust anyways) just to get to their wallets? How about this fact then? most get rich schemes available in this country, which numbers by the hundreds, and has cheated both men and women, young and old of millions of ringgits have men as their directors. And when i say most, i mean 97% of the head scammers are dudes! Which leaves us with this not so baffling conclusion that crime is not an exclusive trait of a particular sex, only periods and erections are.

4. INTELLIGENCE = Girl brain vs boy brain. First up, read my ONANI 6 blog post about intelligence, it explains a lot. However, there is no harm in reminding again that some people are better than the other at certain things, which gives us variety, which is also a trait of being human, regardless of gender. Sure more girls are in universities, but how come teen pregnancies are on the rise if they are so smart? Sure most CEO's of huge companies are guys, but what about women CEO's with authority over a legion of guys working under them? Sure women are good at cooking, but how come most top chefs are guys? But then again, the majority of people who could actually cook are indeed women! So u see, we can go on and on and on treading on this Penrose Stairs of an issue but it's safe to assume that intelligence is also NOT a birth right of a set gender.

Okay, so that's about all the famous debates i'd bother to elaborate on when it comes to boys vs girls. I know there is the saying that 'Girls are form Venus and boys are from Mars' (or is it the other way around?) but reality check please. MEN AND WOMEN ARE BOTH FROM EARTH! So take a chill pill, shut up and try to be the best example of your gender and contribute positively to a society of both men and women.

ONANI 7 : Architecture (The Other Side)

Architecture has been practiced for as long as mankind existed. Mythical ancient sculptures, Islamic medieval master pieces, epic renaissance art works, the rise of modernism, Ken Yeang-ish allegedly self sustaining buildings, etc. Architecture has seen it all, been thru everything and has evolved with time.

But i'm NOT writing this to start another boring architecture forum to discuss things like "having no light bulbs in my building and yet it's perfectly well lit" or anything like that.

I'm more concerned with the fact that architecture has probably reached that point, u know. The point where u could say that something is becoming "too much of a good thing". The turning point where anything that evolves, grows or develop will reach a height so high that it topples under it's own weight, crumbling eventually. I BELIEVE ARCHITECTURE IS QUICKLY QUALIFYING IT'SELF TO REACH THAT POINT.

Before people call me nuts and start showing me Zaha Hadid n Dubai rubbish just to prove me wrong, let me lay out the scope for this particular blog post. The buildings are obviously bigger, better, prettier after each passing project, that's undeniable. BUT what about the spirit of architecture itself? after all, architecture is not just merely erecting gorgeous, habitable sculptures. Architecture, in a definition that pleases me, is a PRACTICE OF COMBINING ONE'S KNOWLEDGE IN ART AND SCIENCE TO CONSTRUCT AN AESTHETICALLY PLEASING FACILITY THAT ALSO SERVES IT'S FUNCTION IN CONTRIBUTING POSITIVELY TOWARDS IT'S INHABITANTS, COMMUNITY, ECONOMY AND ENVIRONMENT. A true champion of the human spirit indeed, or was. So what has changed thru the centuries where architecture, in spirit, is concerned? Here are 3 examples that got me thinking a lot lately regarding the issue =

1. MUKESH AMBANI, India's richest man is the proud owner of a 27 storey high rise building he calls a family home to house his seemingly huge family consisting of his wife, three kids and mother. The 500 million pound waste of space and materials is being pushed as a landmark in eco friendly structures it seems. Wow, save a few trees in the process huh? Tell that from your top floor balcony to the slum dwellers around your humble home. Not only that this contributes zero to the community, it is in fact making a mockery of their impoverished fellow Indian brothers and right in their faces too.

2.MECCA CLOCK TOWER. The middle east is currently the capital to every display of the seven sins through architecture. Out of the hundreds of abominations erected there, lets focus on the clock tower here. 600m tall? 800 million USD? For a clock tower? really? you can't just look at your watch for that? Sure it would become the pride of the already world famous arab nation. Sure it would attract investors world wide making Saudi Arabia an even bigger economic super power than it already is. Sure it also double functions as a hotel despite the fact that Saudi Arabia already has hundreds of 5 star hotels at it's disposal.But really? when right next to you, your Muslim brothers and sisters are being butchered by the zionists? If they bothered to spend even a tenth of the cost to construct this overgrown, good for nothing clock to provide aid instead, thousands of lives would be in better welfare. But hey, where's the glamor in that right? A first ever sustainable clock tower sounds a lot cooler! Disgusting is an under statement.

3. MASJID BESI, PUTRAJAYA. At 300 million ringgit it is definitely one of the most expensive projects to ever graced this beautiful country of mine, Malaysia. So how did it got into this list? they're making a mosque rite? should be a good thing right? WRONG. Nothing is right about this project when barely 2 kilometers away you have an equally titanic mosque (Masjid Putra) that is barely full for each prayer. Needless to say, why in the blazes do we need another mosque just to be filled up to a quarter of it's capacity and is such a financial nightmare? The brains behind this project exceeded their initial construction cost by 100 million ringgit just for something redundant? just for the sake of having an architecturally glamorous mosque to show off to the world? To my knowledge a mosque has always been a religious, education, administration and a community center for all. Since when was it also a tool to gloat? Since architecture became a trendy trend, instead of a way of life, that's when.

So there you have it, of the many architectural 'marvels' being produced these days it's these selected few that has gotten me worried about the direction architecture is taking. Anyways, back to the initial question i posed, so what has changed through the centuries where architecture in spirit is concerned?

Well for starters, a house used to feel like a home.
A mosque used to be the shade of a tree that still inspired millions.
And what used to be a way of life is now a soulless tool to make money, money and more money.

ONANI 6: A.I. (Assumption of Intelligence)

Intelligent. UPSR top scorer? PMR? SPM? Rocket scientist? The nerd with the humongous glasses who eats lunch alone at school or a pro scammer making a living out of ruining others? Whatever it is everyone has their own set definition or standard for a certain individual to be acknowledged as an intelligent person or not... which is fine by me unless you start imposing your own ideals as the universal standard to what an intelligent human being SHOULD be like!

I think i kinda believe that each and every person, no matter how ridiculous one might seem to the eyes of another, has their own unique attributes that can't simply be accomplished or replicated by most others. NOTE : SOUNDS CLICHE RITE? BUT THINK ABOUT IT, DEEP INSIDE, SOMEWHERE IN THE THINNEST FIBER OF OUR HEARTS, HOW MANY TIMES HAVE WE THOUGHT OF THESE? =

1. Speaking English as a mark of undoubted intelligence.
2. Appreciative of art/music makes one sophisticated and unique.
3. Studying at the best places is a pinnacle of knowledge.
4. An abundance of tech knowledge is the epitome of a healthy 21st century brain.
5. etc.

See i don't reject these attributes mentioned at all, but what happens when one does not have a few, or all of the above? They are suddenly unintelligent? Mongrels? Stupid? Kampung? A lesser human than the great people that we are? Now some readers might find this farfetched, but trust me, this generalization is alive and well, especially in a developing country like ours when the race to materialistic satisfaction is at it's prime. OKAY OKAY, emotions aside, i just basically want those who do generalize (wether consciously or subconsciously), to read these arguments to the points above with hopes it would at least wither some ignorance.

1. English speaking = i get stick for having a girlfriend who can't speak fluent English and Malay. So this makes her an idiot? But then again she was born in Korea and has only spent a couple of years living in Malaysia, could we speak any better in a language we were not born to in cut time? But since we are at it, she could speak fluent Korean, Mandarin, Hokkien and some Latin. Her Malay and English is still understandable. Does the model joke still apply here? and she dances and play the piano too, a mentally and physically skillful feat not present in many. And people wanna discriminate about some broken english? Think again.

2. Music/ Art = Unbelievably, i have seen people gotten stick for this too. So the music u dig is rare, underground, cool, infamous, deep. While all u sheep hogging on mainstream music are tasteless and without a mind of your own! ... seriously? If this were the world's measure of intelligence, then we'd be living in a collapsing society where all our philosophers, scientists, educators and leaders are made of drug junking, sex addicting, angst ridden, vanity overload, indie bums. But jokes aside, what you listen to (not produced by you in the first place) can never be a measuring stick to how wonderful your mind is COMPARED to others. In fact, all the wannabes are just SIMILAR in their desperation to SEEM DIFFERENT. While the smart one's are obviously the one's who just chill and enjoy what their ears/eyes/fashion sense fancy. Think again.

3. Studies = Me and not surprisingly a lot more have been given stick for this particular topic too. and i quote "eh? study UiTM je!?" "laaa. UiTM je ke?" "serius kau nak settle study sini je?"... I, for one, am very confident that i get annoyed/ terasa by such comments being put forward constantly with either tones of sympathy and ridicule. I have my reasons why i took the path that i took, academically, socially and spiritually. A well calculated decision i must say, and here i am being convinced by others that i would become somewhat 'lesser' down this road. Then explain to me, why in the blazes do i see a couple of overseas architecture graduates from my office being sent to remote branch companies to design sub stations, garbage houses and waste plants while a number of local grads are filling the main office, making big bucks, huge projects, establishing networking with the big boys of the business? it's because IT DOESN'T FREAKIN MATTER WHERE U AT AS LONG AS U APPROACH IT WITH THE RITE ATTITUDE. WHERE U PLACE YOUR SORRY ASS ON THE GLOBE DOES NOT AFFECT YOUR BRAIN CELL COUNT(fact). think again.

4. Gadgets = Oh man, i know personally me and my equally primitive brother gets a lot of stick for this. It's okay that a bunch of peeps are cool, trendy, up to date and saint like with their latest purchase of a piece of flashy plastic. But the odd half of people who absolutely do not give a flying fuck about all that do not have to put up with jibes from your part. Not being interested, oblivious of, and even a lacking in financial muscle to embrace the rise of gizmos galore does not make us backward. I'm sorry i don't need a touchscreen for reasonable fears it would just rosak after months. I'm sorry i don't dig Macbooks due to the lack of right clicks and the unfamiliar interface. I'm sorry i don't need cameras, thermometers, microwaves and others stuffed into my phone then pay thousands for it. So you see, calculated decisions here too, NOT blissful ignorance as most would assume. Our tastes, priorities, wants and needs are different, tu je.

At the end of the day, am admittedly reminding myself too that just because the other dude is not like u, doesn't meant he is lesser than u. One of the many proofs on earth of God's greatness is the diversity in humanity itself, to generalize and disrespect that could probably count as dissing the Big Boss upstairs too. So let's just hope that one day mankind could instead find that universal standard of intelligence for all, the intelligence to respect and not assume.

ONANI 5: NOOB ?

Straight to the point. I am a bumbling idiot that lacks significant knowledge when it comes to IT/ tech stuff. So i will ask this without shame =

Is it freakin normal to not be able to comment on my own posts? enlighten me please. Much appreciated, thank you.

ONANI 4: Realisation? Misconception?

Don't ask me how i came to this...not so much of a conclusion, but a realization about something la. That something is a lil emotion we call love.. or does it qualify to be an emotion in the first place!!!? hoho, that's the interesting part. So really, what is love? like, for real. After having every individual on this planet claiming to have felt it, or have never embraced it. Do we actually know exactly what we are referring to? Well after going thru the motions myself i think i finally get it, a definition that satisfies my logic.

(note: this love in discussion is one that involves unrelated members of the opposite sex. not the love for parents, God, materialistic stuff or even barn animals)

In my kamus Oxford Dwibahasa, the subject love can be defined as =

A thought mechanism actually. A program if you like. One that is hardwired in our minds to makes us blindfully attracted towards members of the opposite sex due to the activity of hormones usually triggered in our sexual prime that is our youth, in order for us to mate, thus ensuring the continuity of our species. Being the complex beings we are, we tend to over analyse, over rate, over indulge and over imagine a simple natural mechanism. We put it on a pedestal, glorifying such a wonderful 'feeling', an unseen force that brings such joy and is such a miracle that it can hit you one time and last a life time.

But here's a reality check, my definition on the issue stands because love is not a miracle that hits you one time and lasts forever or anything like that. 'Love' is in fact a much colder reality than anyone would readily admit. Think about it. Love doesn't just hit you one time. Be in denial if you may but you know the truth, that you can definitely, or have loved more than one in your life. (which is why, thank God to Islam for polygamy... if done right la) Moving on, love is also not a thing that lasts. In fact, love either manifests into something else or diminishes altogether, since it is not a miracle feeling to begin with, but merely a program that evaporates after fulfilling it's function. I know u see couples growing old together and stuff but is it really because they still have that red hot passion between them? Or is it because u just got used to each other? or is it more troublesome to seperate as so many responsibilities and commitment become entangled between the two lovers such as their offspring? financial security? future stability assurance? family honor? reputation? etc. So yes, love manifests or it ends. It does not last forever. And so here i am, convinced that this is the real deal, what we perceive as 'love', really is.

(note: this is MY take on the issue, am NOT saying this is DEFINITELY what it is.kalau nak emo with my writings please leave, who the heck asked u to waste your time here in the first place? i definitely didn't.Peace out.)