just minishorts.

Here's an opinion. This is what I actually think.

Honestly? A part of me agrees with this: yes, both Jeff and Rocky were 'asking for it'. Honestly? A bigger chunk of me says this: NST is an ass, simply based on what they've been doing so far.

That, from a self-professed government supporter. Now put it this way, I call myself a government supporter because I believe that's what a law-abiding citizen should do, whether or not the current political party in power is agreeable to my personal values. I support the government because I believe in the constitution, and I believe that whatever decision they make (including decisions made by partly party-own institutions), it is made in the best interest of the nation.

So be it a BN government, a PAS government or a DAP government, I'll still support whoever's the ruling party.

Here's another opinion. Another personal straight from the heart shout-out.

While supporting the government and its decisions, I agree that there has to exist channels for voices of discernment, necessary to maintain some kind of checking and balancing maintenance. And while these voices may sometimes, occasionally, 'fly over the counter', I've always thought that particular bodies in power will always arise the better person… That's how small fry remain small fry and huge sharks maintain their positions of power, right? Not a very appropriate analogy, I know, but it will suffice for here.

So what I'm saying is this:

Remember Mr Brown, and how his column was put a stop simply because he had been too provocative for too long? While a part of us might agree and say, 'yesh he asked for it', do we really want to give into that voice and agree to support the government and say that Mr Brown was asking for it?

I think not. I think the Mr Browns and Jeff Oois of the world need more recognition simply for the fact that they dare risk it all just so that they can say what we've been trying to say all along.

So while NST is not the government, despite some obvious gahmen links, I'll just put it out here. Already the prices of your ad-spots are at an all time low, because of low circulation. Already people are noticing the obvious slant towards certain political sides based on angles written in the paper… and this is really sad. Because NST is, the oldest paper in the nation, and personally, I don't like seeing such historical value slide down the rivers simply because of certain poor judgement.

I would think it like this, even without Jeff/Rocky people would have spoken anyway. So what's the whole point of suing? And why even take off a columnist simply because he doesn't abide to your agenda?

Oh but this entire post, is a personal opinion, which some of you may not like very much. Surely I'm entitled to one.

I tak faham lah, these games people play…

Ridiculous as these things are, I thought it's quite hilarious to read this line over and over again:

NST sues bloggers
NST sues bloggers
NST sues bloggers
NST sues bloggers
NST sues bloggers
NST sues bloggers
NST sues bloggers
NST sues bloggers
NST sues bloggers

I don't know lah… The fact that the above has happened within the last 24 hours, just makes our country all the more interesting. kononnya nak jadi 1st world country, padahal yang ikut 1st world tu hanya lah sue-sue mentality… I don't see them doing anything to emulate 1st world positive mentality anyway…

So the big guys at NST, I know I'm just the new kid on the block, you probably makan garam more than I eat rice, and well, most of the them I have no clue about important things like how socio-political bloggers who go by the name of Jeff and Rocky have the power to affect my place of position (cos I'm not in a place of position, you see), but there's this poem that's being taught to 4th Formers in the KBSM syllabus right now, by Rudyard Kipling, and I thought right now, I'd dedicate this poem to you, even though it comes a tad too late:

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

For all its worth, you've probably proven your detractors right by deciding to do what you're doing now.

17 January 2007

Wednesday was 'out-of-office' day. Still can't get used to the long lines of salutations we have to endure everytime we're at a Malaysian official function. And the food at GLC meetings. There's the morning tea, and then the mid-meeting karipap, or Nasi Lemak if you're lucky, and then there's the lunch, inclusive of after-lunch kuih. It's anti-productivity, I tell you, but I can't complain about the food quality, except maybe the amount of condensed milk they put into the teh should be reduced by about 50%.

Mental note to self: To ban mid-meeting makan sessions at my own company, if I ever get to own one.

Other observation of blog readers: some people have a problem reading my blog when it starts to sound diary-like. Probably 'some' = ONE, probably I-know-who-you-are. Obviously I annoy you yet you keep coming in, and why the heck does my blog's readability have the ability to affect you? Hello?

Other observation of Asiaworks graduates: some, well, a good 60% ARE FREAKING WEIRD. Come on, it's just another motivational seminar that employs typical techniques. Don't take it upon yourselves to change another person's life… and well, getting impact from a seminar and attributing all positive change in your life due to a training programme (whether it's a one-parter or a three-parter) doesn't make you amazing. It just makes you a follower.

Elsewhere, off the Net:

You're not gonna do a thing cause you're all morons. Waiting for the people of Malaysia to do something - anything, having faith in the people of Malaysia, is like fucking a tree hole filled with bees: It hurts like hell but you don't stop, hoping for a time when it's going to be good. ~The Malay Male

In my opinion, the worst humans can do is interpret our own pursuit of meanings as fundamentally different and incompatible from the pursuits of others – because our pursuits aren’t that different… and because labeling them as different only isolates ourselves and others, and stirs up animosities.~Avanoo

How I wish I was the one who came up with those paragraphs.

Hi. Since you're able to read this, obviously minishorts.net is back online, (a very big thanks to Edrei for helping with the transfer) and hopefully back in order.

For the record, I thought it would be timely to let you a little into my life and what's in store for me in the coming year. I haven't really had the chance to do that in a while.

In the real world, there's a series of events lined up on my project-calendar. Just hot off the heels of my Asiaworks Training is the team's conducting of our second Media Workshop in Penang at the end of January. Between that there's the public events, and a couple of press conferences in between. And then Eric's whisking me off to Genting for a day's retreat.

No worries, no sex, we're still sworn to celibacy.

Speaking of Asiaworks, I'm just glad to mention to AWM User that honestly? Asiaworks isn't that life-changing, nor is it that earth shattering. No offense to Asiaworks-diehards, but ahem, being an AIESEC die-hard, I'd state it here that I don't think that there's ever going to be an experience that will overtake the AIESEC memories I've got deeply etched up in my head. I told ya I was a experiential learning junkie, didn't I?

I'd also just like to mention, (maybe to the horror of some) that I'm probably going to complete the Advanced and the Leadership Programmes at Asiaworks, simply for the reason that the training is beneficial, at least I'm saying this from where I'm standing. I've been looking for something that can substitute the euphoria-now-lost which I used to get from the daily meetings we used to have during AIESEC days, and while Asiaworks still rates far behind the AIESECer craziness, it will do for now.

Actually I'm sort of hoping, that Asiaworks will sort of kill the guilt in me that came from never actually completing the entire AIESEC experience (because damn it, I choose my local career rather than giving up a year for the traineeship experience!)

Oh and minishorts.net is on the process of looking slightly different. I'm seeking a nice new template for the whole package.But in the meantime, this will sit purposefully for a while, and continue to serve it's reliable purpose.

The winner of the LG Chocolate Giveaway contest has written to confirm the meet-up date, and we're both looking at the first Saturday of February. I haven't quite confirmed the place yet, but I should be able to post up a 'promotional' post by the end of the week. Do watch out for that!

You might have noticed also that as I stated my move from a local host to an international one, my friend April's also got herself a brand new domain @ Verves In Composition. So yeah, after years of sharing ideas and common values, secrets and common loves, we've decided to share a host together. We're also in the midst of a little project that will fund our hosting costs together, and the content for that little project is stocking up. You'll see what that is, but no prizes for guessing.

In the meantime, it's the middle of January already, and I've done quite a bit, eh? Am looking forward to yet another year of ups and downs, and did I say this already?

Thanks for keeping me in your thoughts, bookmarks, and daily reads. Have fun folks!

Add-on: Oh and before I forget, a very special note of appreciation to Uncle Nine3Nine3 for taking his time to give me his insight and share his experiences. Thanks for your support, sir!

As of…well…now actually, minishorts.net is back on a new brand new spanking webhost. Of course, there were some problems trying to port the database and domain name over no thanks to people who haven't the foggiest clue what they were doing. Then again, that's why I'm here. To make sure all the i's are dotted, all t's are crossed and all the problems solved through sheer ingenuity and blind dumb luck.

So if you can read this, then everything is back to normal with a few personal upgrades under the shell (namely something I dug up from the upcoming Wordpress version yet to be released to the public). What Minishorts plans to do with her blog however is best left to her to decide, whatever the case is, I'm pretty sure that we'll all get to see it when it's done.