Perceptions

And old Indian proverb says "Even if you are drinking milk under a coconut tree, people will still say you are drinking toddy".


The picture below, however, has nothing to with the above saying.
At a glance, one might just think its delicious presentation of chocolates placed on a silky cloth. Off course, since the picture has been blown up and the angle not quite right, the chocs may not look tantalising. Then again, maybe it does to some; everything depends on one's own perception of the picture and the story spun about it. But there's no story here, just the picture.

When I called a certain man by the name of Bijan, I really have no idea what the word meant. But apart from spelling it backwards, I found it to have a nice ring - in the negative connotation, i.e. - and decided to continue using it as I do not want to tarnish the proper name...just the name, mind you as I really detest the man using that name. Somehow, over the years, the images I have of the man are all siniter, dark, and ugly. I really do not know when my perception of the man began, but I think it started with an incident in Port Dickson where several religious department officials were either forced or tendered their resignation voluntarily, as higher authorities tried to protect an individual. The officials who resigned, I was told, did so as they were told to drop the case. Eversince then, my image of the individual slipped from nothing, to a someone who is detestable and not fit to hold a position in public office.

Ever a small fry within the politial circle, I get my juicey bits from several people, some who are or were of the Sarkas family itself. Some of the stories told are now well known already that they are regarded more as hearsay or worse, a legend - depending on who is hearing and who is telling. And one of the many stories that was later circulated, is that the individual's wife, and he himself, are being financially backed by a large consortium of an island nation in the west. But as mentioned, this story and the many that went around, cannot be substantiated by anyone. Well, not exactly true as those people who can, are conveniently made forgetful one way or the other. Perhaps, quite like the 'I forget' syndrome of a US President who is now dead. The President, escaped indictment. His accuser however, became famous producing films based on events he may swear to be true. But since those events and incidences involving the President were filmed, its very credibility were questioned by skeptics, and were soon thrown into the annals of history as just another story of the past...or another story that became a small legend. No one outside the circle can vouch the validity of the stories. Then again, no one too can deny them as being false - a media tactic used successfully by some people when they want to do some cover-up: deluge the public with as many news as possible, both true and false, and the heck with how the public perceived each. Soon, everyone will not want to know anymore.

Only thing these people forget, that such news remains in memory of many. And the many who remembers, certainly do not ever want to be associated with one, especially if that one drinks milk under a coconut tree.

Pardon my ramblings. But after nearly a week now of sleeping in an upright position, one does tend to get tired easily. By the way, the picture of the chocs above, they are actually an inverted picture of the inside of a hippotomus mouth as seen below.
Admittedly, I am not good enough to edit with the picture a proper. Experts, off course, can easily manipulate the picture, as easily they manipulate the minds of the public to the direction needed.

There's something about hippos which one ought to know. Though strictly a vegetarian, they are feared even by the crocodiles in the rivers of Africa. In fact, while there has been no known account of crocodiles attacking a hippo, the reverse may not be necessarily true. And hippos have also been known to attack and kill humans, as many unwary human tend to view hippos as a lumbering gentle giant. But gentle, they certainly are not. A species endemic to Africa alone, one however, has been spotted somewhere along the stretch of the Pahang River. Be absolutely wary of it.