Someone just tried to Kill Santa!

I was happily trying to kill time when, at the stroke of midnight, the cool quiet night air was suddenly shattered by a barrage of Chinese crackers followed by whistling rockets and booming fireworks. At first, I thought that it might have been a sudden burst of violence. Then, my son's friend went: extremists!, they're trying to kill Santa! Though he may have been joking, it did for a moment cross my mind that Rudolph may be startled by the fireworks, swerving aside, the sleigh swerving and throwing Santa and all those presents off the sleigh. And, in tomorrow's news headlines, in truly Malaysian spirit: "Santa claus killed in freak mishap involving fireworks. Not wearing safety belt the primry cause" Anyway.. no offense intended. Just to wonder when fireworks became part of Christmas. Merry Christmas everyone. Have a safe and happy celebrations.

Don't We Want To Understand?

Friendship. Companionship. Attraction. Sex. We meet people that catch our eye, and we naturally drift towards each other because of interests, the little jolt of electricity that we feel when we see that smile. The tremor in our chests when we catch a whiff of that scent, the willingness to accommodate differences in opinions because we like the other person. The comfort in having a shoulder to cry on, the support in overcoming our fears. Do we jump in bed together because of that? Or do we continue to get to know each other better? There are some who jump into bed, there are other whose values tell them not to. We accept this as part of being human, as part of building relationships. Most of us go through these experiences that make learn to be good humans, governed by values instilled in us by society, by parents and by religion. Just as a man going out with a woman doesn't necessarily engage in sex, why should we expect differently from same sex relationships? There are those who, brought up with the same values as others, grow up to be good humans, good parents with families, even though in their hearts they feel differently. Some of us go through the same, guided by the same values, but unable to explain or understand the difference in their hearts. The majority condemns this few to be unnatural; to be dirty; to be bad. And these few, confused with their differences, follow different paths, unable to fulfill their potential as a productive member of society, condemned to discrimination and persecution. The truth is that these few never chose to be what they are, and just like the most of us, are governed by the same values. There are people who are born feeling like a man in a woman's body, a woman in a man's body, a woman attracted to another woman or a man, attracted to another man. People fear them, abominate them and persecute them even though they never had a choice in what they are. Events like Seksualiti Merdeka should be encouraged so we understand who they are, that they are normal human beings and we don't fear them with silly ideas like "promoting unnatural acts". The depth of our lack of understanding is evidently clear when we have to ban this event because we are afraid it propagates same sex. We need to understand them so that we do not fear them. So that they know they can speak to you about their feelings without fearing persecution, or punishment. Pretending that they don't exist, or persecuting them is not the answer. Supporting them, understanding them and accepting them is what they need. I do hope that our wise IGP will give the organizers a fair and objective opportunity.

Island holiday, again!

Thot that we could have another snorkelling holiday, again. It looked like a nice island. The drive took 6 and a half hours and the ferry did not run as listed in the schedule.
The boat ride was rather rough, made worse by the stifling heat in the cabin from a less than efficient aircond.
The hotel serenaded us as we arrived, the staff friendly, so friendly they took us to our chalets without our room keys.
Of course, there are great things here, too. The chalets are nestled amongst the trees, the sands sparkly white, the sea, azure. Tame deer roam the grounds and you get to feed them bread if u like.
The makings of a great holiday, i tell you.

Happy father's day

One just cannot not enjoy father's day when the ones you love bend over backwards to ensure its a day to remember.
Thank you, sayang, amalyna, amirul and ariff. I love you all. :-)

Overdone?

I was at a shopping mall last night and two things caught my eye:
a couple was struggling with their stroller going down the escalator as i was coming up on the adjacent one. I guess it's easier to struggle with the escalator, because no one will give way if you try to take the lifts.
When i passed the couple, to my horror i saw the baby inside! I'd have thought you'd take a little more care and carry the baby!
2. When i reached the foyer, i found music booming at ear splitting decibels. A fashion show was on. I don't know how anyone can stand the noise! I thought it would be reasonable to bring it down a tad. Everyone there didn't seem to mind.
To me things like this show that we aren't ready for climate change, environmental awareness, wildlife conservation. We have a long way to care for ourselves, let alone things around us.

Zing Card app form (1 page).pdf

Bukit malawati

Being a public holiday, we went up bukit malawati in Kuala Selangor. They have tractor pulled trams, but we chose to walk up after seeing people rush to the seats when the trams arrive.
There are 2 museums up there, selangor history and traditional games. They close at 530pm, so we only managed the history museum.
On the top of the hill was the light house, built in 1907. The royal mausoleum is there, too. And there were monkeys, monkeys and monkeys. These are called silverhair monkeys, they're black, and are brown as babies. Men on motorbikes bearing nuts and vegetables make a quick buck selling them to visitors to feed the monkeys. I don't think they're supposed to be fed, but i guess ignorance is bliss. Just the risk of rabies, thats all.
Do you know how selangor got it's name? There was a warrior who bathed in the river. A fly, called langau, landed on his nose. He tried to hit it and whupped his nose, and in a flash of humility, realized that a great warrior like him had been defeated by a fly. Thus the place became known as 'se langau'.
Oh well. We can only speculate.
The museum does provide interesting nuggets like this, but the visitors there skim through the artifacts, barely pausing to read. Most are there to enjoy the airconditioning!
Have a great new year break, everyone!

Weddings!

At the daughter of a friend's wedding :-) My wife knows most of the guests, so i take care of the handbag. Thankfully, i'm comfortable holding one, lol!
We've known the bride since she was in primary school, it kinda makes me feel old. Well, i'm still being mistaken for being retired, or in the process of, so i guess that *is* a sign.