"Land to Till: The Chinese in the Agricultural Economy of Malaysia" by Tan Pek Leng
The book “Land to Till: The Chinese in the Agricultural Economy of Malaysia” by Tan Pek Leng is a welcome find in the local bookstores. This book is a welcome addition because it tells about the role the Chinese have played, past and present, in the Malaysia’s agriculture sector.
Although this book contains some valuable information about our country’s history, I am not surprised by the low profile this book has been received by the public so far. Most Malaysians unfortunately have little interest in books that cover topics other than local political issues, political conspiracies, self help, and feng shui.
Where is Superman for our Malaysian education system? (photo from i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn)
One of the saddest days of my life was when my mother told me Superman did not exist.
She said, ‘Superman is not real.’
I was, like, “He’s not? What do you mean he’s not?”
“No, he’s not real.”
And she thought I was crying because it’s like Santa Claus is not real.
And I was crying because there was no one coming with enough power to save us.
Update (Dec 8, 2011): A modified form of this blog entry was published today in the New Straits Times newspaper.
Standard of English proficiency in Malaysia, as evidenced by this rather famous house sign (photo from engrish.com)
Few people would argue against the importance of English language today. It is the lingua franca in cyberspace and in international science, politics, business, and entertainment.
The Big Bad Wolf Book Sale, the world's largest book sale, was back from Oct 7-16, 2011!
For me, the month of October 2011 is the “Month of Book Sales.” First, the world’s largest book sale, Big Bad Wolf Book Sale, was held from Oct 7 – 16, 2011. Boasting 1.5 million books, coupled with 75 to 95% discount, it is a book sale for which bookworms are willing to lay down their lives.
Update: Added a few more phone numbers (27 Jan. 2012)
Telemarketer nuisance in Malaysia (photo from static.priyo.com)
You have been there before. You are in a middle of work or in a middle of a conversation when your handphone rings. You answer the call, and the voice at the other end says, “Good day! You have been selected from our list to enjoy our special discount….”
Should water really be free? (photo from airuntukrakyat.net)
I live in Selangor state, where people here enjoy free water for the first 20 cubic meters. My monthly water bills have been reading negative (yes, negative) RM21 because I had continued to pay about RM7 every month for three months, without realizing that when the opposition parties gained control of Selangor, they had proclaimed free water for all Selangor citizens. In other words, I had overpaid my (free) water for three months. Silly me.
I have also seen billboards around, setup by the opposition parties, that essentially screamed, “Water should be free because water is our right”.
Internet = uncensored information = freedom = democracy? (photo from owni.fr)
Is it true that the internet offers freedom of information, empowers people, and promotes greater democracy? Browse to any Malaysian anti-government websites, and there are bound to have postings about how some people have stopped depending on traditional newspapers and TV for their news and information. People have lost their confidence on these mass media outlets which they now claim spew out nothing but government propaganda, misinformation, and even outright lies. Instead, these people now depend on internet sources such as blogs, forums, and “independent” news portal for the truth.
Edit (July 23, 2011): I had earlier posted this entry, but I later realized I had made some calculation mistakes. This update makes the corrections.
Street rally by Bersih 2.0 at Kuala Lumpur on July 9, 2011 (photo from www.theepochtimes.com)
How many people turned up for the Bersih 2.0’s Kuala Lumpur street rally on July 9, 2011? Police estimated between 5,000 to 6,000 people, whereas the media reported closer to 20,000 people. The event organizer of Bersih 2.0, however, estimated that around 50,000 people showed up for the street demonstrations. Some bloggers who were also involved in the street rally estimated an even higher number of 200,000 people. So which figure is correct?
Bersih 2.0: Face off between the people of Bersih 2.0 and the security forces in the streets of Kuala Lumpur on July 9, 2011 (photo from fabm.wordpress.com)
Where were you on July 9, 2011 when Malaysia’s capital city, Kuala Lumpur, was in locked down due to Bersih 2.0 street demonstrations?
Were you at the streets, along with the 5,000, 10,000 or 50,000 people (figures differ according to whom you ask)? Or did you try to go, only to be turned back by the police at one of the ubiquitous road blocks? Or perhaps you were like me and my family, who opted to stay at home and to venture out only to areas around our neighborhood?
Typical scenes of unhappy Muslims around the world (photo by dailymail.co.uk)
Would our world be a safer place had Islam not existed? This is certainly a contentious and heated issue. Nevertheless, author Graham E. Fuller is valiant enough to tackle this issue head on in his book “A World Without Islam.”
Scientists such as Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins are well known not only for their atheism but also for their bold attacks on religion in particular Christianity and Islam. Dawkins, for example, once compared Christian churches like Nazi pep rallies, where one comes to feel rather than to think.
