just minishorts.

We're camping out at home here, eyes glued to ASTRO AWANI, and fingers ready to click refresh on the Malaysiakini site.

I thought that The Star's headers on both sides of the papers today were rather cheeky -

Indeed. MALAYSIA DECIDES. Swinging TIME.

—

I have never ever felt so Malaysian in my life. We were at SM Bangsar Lorong Maarof this morning since morning, and being stationed in Stream 1 (for the oldest of the voters), it was such an inspiring thing to see the really really old folk of that part of Bangsar coming out to exercise their rights.

…

I found out that some other party's Polling Agents were paid RM50 for every shift tau… Kita ni memang nak volunteer MUST lah work for free… today i worked for two shifts and we got nice nasi briyani, but because for some reason the excitement in me filled me up (until now also I not yet hungry)… we rushed out of the polling centres in Bangsar so that I could head back to my house to vote in the Seputeh constituency. This was my first time ever crossing in the ballot paper, and dunno lah for some reason I felt really really really Malaysian this round.

…

Got a lot of things to say actually, but sigh… kerja punya pasal… poor thing right? Democratic country but I'm not allowed to talk so much… (This is as good as it gets). I'm getting smses from my comrades at the counting centre right now, and it seems that we are currently leading by 600 votes at the centre I was at. ^_^

…

Trepidation indeed.

There's going to be a special meet somebody session at my office today, very much like so many other special meet somebody sessions they're now holding at government-related places, like schools lah, agencies lah, even roads lah… so funny.

Then my boss decides to give us the time off today by saying, 'Ok if you guys have to go back and vote I'll allow you off earlier - vote carefully.'

There was this guy today, who hahahha said something about who he admires, 'I like — very much, I like him when he talks, he's so calm, so dignified… I really wanna be like him.'

Now I try very hard not to diss people off for their choices, but, serious, oh my God please bless the soul of anyone who tries to want to speak like that person… sheesh have you EVER heard him speak in real life or not?

Actually I saw the v.i.p last week in action, and was quite aghast at the way the manisfesto is churned around and round. Erm… OK I can quite phrase together a manisfesto like that given the place and power too except of course my age lah, my gender lah, all those beliefs about my personal limitations come into place and I decide that its better to sit aside and not do a thing.

…

One of my bosom buddies Amir took the LRT to meet me near my office the other day, just after telling me about the inequalities that he faced at the office, 'OMG what to do,' I told him, 'Susahnya sekarang nak cari makan pun kena think carefully who you wanna have as your boss…'

My mother, she's freaked and paranoid, believing that May 13th might just happen again and so she's bugging me to take her to the nearest supermarket to stock up on the goodies, 'Girl after election day we sit at home and hide if someone loses or riots happen don't go out…'

…

Its a strange time of the year, I tell you. I wonder why its raining so heavily every night. I pray that God watches over all of us, and that Malaysia will soon see the dawn of day.

Eric was driving me down the Bangsar Village today and I saw that little corner lot shop that used to be Devi's Corner, now Speaker's Corner (or rather, Barisan's Corner)… and a lot of setting up outside the shop… wah hah, it was as if some concert was going to happen tonight, what with the stage and the stage lights and scaffoldings and all… so Eric went, 'Wah some film star coming tonight kah?'

…

A little while later we drove past a street light that had a bunting welcoming the Deputy Prime Minister tonight… I suppose speaker's corner is a little too small to menampung the crowd that will come to see the DPM yoh!

…

Last night also when I was driving home, I saw a huge crowd and double parked cars by the side of the hill-side road outside Citrus Park's Plaza OUG. I heard that Teresa Kok, the incumbent for the Seputeh area was having a talk last night… gosh the CROWD was huge..

…

Its a strange season, this round, the last elections you didn't quite hear the youth speaking out so much about politics. I suppose, with all the flack that BN and the government has been getting for bad governence, surely youths having the ability to speak out and speak up is the sign of a successful education policy? Hmmm?

…

p.s. I SIGNED UP TO BE A PACA (polling agent / counting agent) ! See you in Bangsar Baru! Yay!

Aih… there is no perfect government, no perfect party… so let's surrender to the fact that we won't get any satisfaction one lah…. let's all vote the rolling stones!

Satisfaction (I Can't Get No)

I can't get no satisfaction
I can't get no satisfaction
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try
I can't get no, I can't get no

When I'm drivin' in my car
And that man comes on the radio
He's tellin' me more and more
About some useless information
Supposed to fire my imagination
I can't get no, oh no no no
Hey hey hey, that's what I say

I can't get no satisfaction
I can't get no satisfaction
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try
I can't get no, I can't get no

When I'm watchin' my TV
And that man comes on to tell me
How white my shirts can be
But he can't be a man 'cause he doesn't smoke
The same cigarrettes as me
I can't get no, oh no no no
Hey hey hey, that's what I say

I can't get no satisfaction
I can't get no girl reaction
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try
I can't get no, I can't get no

When I'm ridin' round the world
And I'm doin' this and I'm signing that
And I'm tryin' to make some girl
Who tells me baby better come back later next week
'Cause you see I'm on losing streak
I can't get no, oh no no no
Hey hey hey, that's what I say

I can't get no, I can't get no
I can't get no satisfaction
No satisfaction, no satisfaction, no satisfaction

—

I've gone mad.

Recently, I had the privilege of being with too many journalists assigned to different constituencies and party candidates for the season. I met up with one foreign correspondent from across the causeway the day before, for instance, who I found far more involved and concerned about Malaysian politics than most of my friends.

I was both humbled by these people, and then disgusted by the many.

There's the talk that we have these days, you know, when you meet up in circles and the first line instead of, 'Dah makan tak?', you go, 'So where are you voting?'

I'm disgusted that so many of my friends, JOURNALISTS assigned to cover the elections in fact, answer so matter of factly, 'Hahaha, no i'm not even registered, what's the point?'

These are the same people who, when not in election season, will sit around your local cafe bars and bitch about evil editors and crazy deadlines. These are the same people who are suppressed by government-controlled news agencies, and these are the same people who have the privilege of going to more ceramahs than your average PAS-fervent makcik down the road, these are the same people who have the first-hand view of how our favourite incumbent Pak Lah actually articulates his opinions in not-so-many-phrase over half-an-hour long speeches of success stories and proof of records, and these are the people who KNOW first hand by virtue of EXPERIENCE that who is walking the talk and who is not, …

And they tell me, 'You know, I am not voting, i'm just going to sit and sleep, stupid elections.'

…

Of course its stupid, we have stupid politicians, stupid candidates, stupid elections commissions, and stupid journalists assigned to cover the ceramahs… crap right?