Legend of the Dragon

Legend has it that a dragon would appear in the skies around Earth with the sole intent of swallowing the moon. And when it does, the world would then be engulfed in darkness. This, raised the fear in many people and were sometimes capitalised by certain individuals hoping to gain respect and adulation from the society they live in. The present time equivalent to these individuals would perhaps be certain politicians. But that would be digressing.

Though the legend above can be found in many past civilisations across the globe, it is more prominently told in ancient Chinese and Oriental scrolls.

In a story that may perhaps be traced back to these scrolls, the people of many communities would try to overcome their fear of the dragon in their bid to save the moon. The moon, after all, is the pearl of the night sky which provide these people with many nights of romantic and romanticised stories handed down by their ancestors to the generations below; how could one then, live the nights without the soft light of the moon?

Thus, their fear thrown aside, the people would gather at an appointed time and place to try and scare the dragon away. To do so, they would find any material they could get their hands on, and beat on them in hope of making enough noise to scare the dragon away. As stories told from such legend, the people did succeed, and the dragon was chased away but not before pulling the moon out of it's mouth...only for it to reappear again every once so often.

Today, many people are aware that such stories remain only within the minds and scrolls of yesteryears: dragons and their lores have been debunked and the story mentioned above persist but only as a legend. Then again, maybe not.

In one of the many stories equated wtih these mythological dragons, one dragon tried to rise above the rest and be the king of his kind. Though I cannot remember the story clearly now, this story perhaps has it's roots with Shi Huan, the first Emperor of China. Locally, and today, another is putting his foot forward in a bid to relive this legend. Whether he will succeed or not, time - and perhaps not too far a distant - will tell.
















Rather late to be writing on this with constrains of one kind or another blocking one's mind, not to mention one's keyboard. But event of late has forced such blockage out. And hopefully, for good too.

Don't know what the broo-haha about the budget was about. In fact, didn't even want to read but was forced to hear some bits about it. Mostly, the propoganda that it is good for the people, and that the money to be spent would be done so wisely. But when you look at events and the piece by Sazlin here, one must be excuse if one puke or even cry. Not, not at Sazlin's writing, but at how the budget is being abused and misused even now. This is especially so with the deaths at the (one-what?) camp in Kuala Dipang, where, in their haste to kowtow their leader, the untouchables has set the new propoganda in motion; not at the expense of the Khidmat Negara camps (what khidmat, if not a blatant waste of money), but on top of it, stretching the nation's coffers even more than before. Sadly, had the deaths not occured, many would not even know how: 1) the money is being spent for propoganda and hence, a total waste; 2) that some hanky panky went to the building of the camp, the said bridge in particular (read here, here and here). Is this what the budget for the people is all about?

Earlier, in a bid to be accepted, countless ringgit were thrown away. And for what? Certainly not just to legitimise an illetimate state government (what do you call one born out of wedlock?).

Then today, a No.2 said, which I freely translate here: "For the sake of the people, we will give our full support to any independant Reps (I guess he means both: DUN and Parliament)" (read here). Hullo! Who are you trying to bullshit here? Or perhaps, don't you know that within DUN and Parliamentary seats, there are Malaysians there too? Or, are you trying to tell us that there is now a 2Malaysia concept? You and your boss make me sick to the stomach! And that goes for your retinue of untouchables as well.

Dragons or legends, the lot of you are not. Slither fools and forked tongues, more likely.

A Simply Funny But Honest Piece

Reading Zan Azlee's column here, one can't help but laugh at the humour in it. It was a well written piece of perhaps, a true incident in his life. But as funny as the situation he was put in - not the religious matter, please - there is a much grimmer truth to be told: After more than 50 years of rule under the Perikatan and later the BN, both led by umno, there are still many people, yours truly included, that have vague understanding of Islam. And if the Malays themselves cannot understand their religion well, not much can be said of the non-Malays if they don't, can we? This, relates to the story below.

There is an old story about a Malay kampung. No specific location need be mentioned as the kampung is as typical as any. And situated in the small town of the kampung, one would find at least one coffeeshop, and another selling grocery and sundry goods to serve the needs of the villagers. In many occasion, both shops would be owned by 2 different Chinese families, though there were a large number where a single family owned both the shops. And typical as it was then and even now - in different guise, 'accounts' would be opened in the form of those small 555 note books. But that is not the point here.

At the above point of time, the kampung's statistics would probably say "98.5% Malay, 1% Chinese, 0.5% Indian", where the Indians would most probably be either serving with the Security Forces, or living in a small community of rubber tappers. It would then natural for the Chinese shopkeepers - many of them non-Muslims - to sell and serve alcoholic drinks, which is well within their rights to do so. What isn't though, are, or were, the Muslims who, without shame, participate in a binge or two.

The point of this story as told to me years ago, was that despite the overwhelming numbers, the Malays/Muslims were not able to hold staunchly to their belief but succumbed to the temptations which is against it. Now, I am not being a prude or having a holier-than-thou attitude here, but merely recounting this story which I believe, is well known already. And this, is what umno is all about: they fail to hold on to the principles of the cause of their founding, and created new ones along the way, the kinds which goes smack opposite the former. And instead of creating better understanding of Islam, they turn it into something different that confuses the minds of many, Muslims included, and yours truly not excluded (no need to mention anything specific as there are far too many incidences). But perhaps, their actions can be attributed to their very own lack of knowledge; a wishful thought to some, but we are taught to think kindly of another, weren't we?

An example of the above mentioned lack of knowledge and confusion can be found in a comment here, where the person do not understand the role of a Muslim to a non-Muslim regarding dakwah - ours, is only to propogate the news and understading of Islam, and not to convert people into our faith. That, lies within the sole discretion of Allah s.w.t. And clearly the person in question, who is of umno faith, does not understand this. And it is for reasons such as this one whih makes me loathe the party ever more.

As with Zan Azlee's writing in his column, let me too mention that I am no Ustaz, nor a man deep in knowledge of Islam. It is with that latter confession which makes me believe that if not I, then later generations, would be able to understand and appreciate Islam, not only as a spiritual faith, but one that is encompassing including the good governance of a nation, were PAS to replace umno, and not stand alongside it. And with that too, I cannot understand why certain quarters - sadly, within PAS - who believe in umno's invitation for some form of a coalition government. To me it is very clear: If a non-Muslim is against Islam, then in high probability they do not understand the religion. But, what do you make of a Muslim who not only go against the teachings of Islam, but help fan hatred towards it? A traitor, perhaps.

Going back to Zan Azlee's simply funny but honest piece, if there is a need for us to cleanse ourselves, that it must be of the misdeeds, cruelty, corruption, and all the vile words one can think of, and that can be found in an acronym of words spelt "u.m.n.o" - a four letter word which is self-explanatory.


There is a story about Khalifah Harun ar-Rasyid I read, but sadly one which I have lost the source. Upon ascending the caliphate, the Khalifah appointed several people as new governors of distant cities. But upon learning news of one of the governors, the Khalifah rescinded the appointment. When that person learned of the rescinding order, he met the Khalifah to know the reason why. The Khalifah said it was because he had served under the previous Khalifah who was a tyrant. In reply to the man's protest that his previous appointment was only a brief spell, the Khalifah replied "Even had you served him for a month, you were an accomplice to him". (Anyone in knowledge of this, kindly tell me the source, or correct any mistakes mentioned. JazkAllah khair.

Stripped Bare

My personal blogging is now at My Neverland; do visit it.


Quite sometime back, I wrote about the suspicious move by the previous Selangor State Government to change the status of the Forest Reserve within Kota Damansara to make way for a large Muslim cemetery.

Though no one was able to (or not willing to) come forward to either deny or confirm the story then, the present ADUN for Kota Damansara, Dr Nasir, has brought the matter up to the present State Government, and they have acted accordingly. Below, is an email from Dr Nasir sent to the egroup for Kota Damansara. Kindly note the sentence/s in bold, especially in red.

“KOTA DAMANSARA FOREST WILL BE GAZETTED IN THREE MONTHS “ MENTERI BESAR SELANGOR .

26^th April,2009.

It was a very joyous occasion for residents of Kota Damansara when Selangor Menteri Besar announced that the Kota Damansara Forest would be re-gazetted in three months time.Tan Sri Khalid bin Ibrahim attended the Earth Day programme at the Kota Damansara Forest area.

Under the PJ Local Draft Plan 2 (RTPJ2) drafted by the previous BN administration, stated that about 40ha of forested area in Kota Damansara, which is part of the Sungai Buloh Forest Reserve, will be turned into a recreational area. This included the land that has been developed into a Muslim cemetery. It leaves only 26.9ha as the forest reserve. The rest would make way for development, including residential housing.

The Friends of Kota Damansara, the group comprising representatives of Kota Damansara Residents Associations, have been fighting to save the forest from development

The group together with the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) as the adviser have started a campaign to preserve part of the forest, which they have dubbed as the Kota Damansara Community Forest Park.

They even managed to obtain RM380,000 from the United Nations Development Programme through its Small Grants Programme towards efforts to establish the park. The forest is still largely covered by rich lowland forest dominated by meranti-keruing trees, some of which are more than 100 years old. The forest is also rich in wildlife, including 227 species of birds such as black bellied malkohas, crested serpent eagles, kingfishers, broadbills, dollar birds and possibly even the rare argus pheasant. Eight species of mammals and 25 species of reptiles are also found in the area. The Community Forest project was a success and it is the first of its kind in Malaysia.

Since the political tsunami of 8^th March,2009,Dr. Nasir Kota Damansara Assemblyman worked together with the FOKD to campaign for the forest to be regazetted. A first meeting was held with YB Elizabeth Wong, the Exco incharge of Enviromental concerns.

Many pro-UMNO quarters tried to divert the issue into a racial one . They were trying to highlight how a ‘predominantly Chinese’ FOKD was trying to stop a ‘Muslim’ cemetery from being build. However the elected representatives, Dr.Nasir ,Sivarasa and Elizabeth Wong stood to their principles . During the Earth Day celebrations last year, they made a commitment to ensure the Kota Damansara Forest be reserved.

The long campaign by FOKD and the residents bore fruits today , when they got the assurance from the Selangor Chief Minister .

“This campaign is very special , as it was participated by the residents to preserve the area as not only as a green area but as a community forest, the rakyat have wholeheartedly understood the importance to preserve the ecosystem and also how the forest helps in community building. This is what we need, we need to empower the people to fight against the greed of the large corporations which seek to exploit our green lung.” Dr.Nasir Hashim.

Pejabat ADUN Kota Damansara.

***.***

As I was informed then, the previous SG shifted the approved original Muslim Cemetery site to one which was hilly and rocky, and thus not suitable. The Cemetery was then moved to the present site, giving certain quarters the perfect excuse to level the forest to make way for housing development. Never mind about the flora and fauna there, nor about the forest was once designated as a water catchment area. What mattered was, the RM to be made from the sale of new houses. But Alhamdulillah, though the Muslim Cemetery will not be moved from this location, all other development plans has been put to a stop.

By the way, part of the area in concern was turned into a park, one which I took pictures of and can be found in Painting Pictures here. And what was it those ameno people said: "PAS was using Islam for its political gain?"

All the Pakatan Rakyat states ought to expose and lay bare the misdeeds of those previous administration.

Pot of Honey

My personal blogging is now at My Neverland; do visit it.




Even as it is still feeding on the nectar of one flower, a butterfly is already eying its next meal, of another flower of the same plant. Soon later, it flutters towards it, its flight path almost haphazard as it navigates the gentle breeze blowing. To add to its problem, the butterfly, like all or most insects, have compound eyes. While the compound eyes gives the butterfly and all around vision, it cannot however, focus on particular subjects the way a human can. In other words, the visions of a butterfly are as blurry as a person with a very weak eyesight and not wearing glasses.

"Quite like the story today" quipped Manan as we compared pictures we snapped for the day. Not understanding his statement fully, I asked how so.

"Well," Manan said "imagine for a moment that the flower the butterfly is on is called Perak. Only a brief moment ago the butterfly landed on it and began feeding. Somehow, it finds the nectar of this flower not as sweet as it would like, but nonetheless, still feeds on it."

"Then somehow..." Manan paused a moment as he stuffed tobacco into his pipe and lit it.
"Somehow, the butterfly's instincts reminds him of another kind of nectar. Thought darker in colour, it oozes with the richness that makes honey pale in comparison."

"Only problem is," Manan continued on "is that the butterly's can't see very well and thus the reason why it goes from one flower to another, like your butterfly there. In fact, if there's another butterly there, the two might just fight over the flower, and even killing over it".

"Butterfly fighting and killing? You're off your rockers" I shot back to him.

"Well, if it is just about the butterflies, I may very well be", replied Manan. "But, what if the flower they're fighting for is named Ganu, and the fighting are done by those here". I, off course, had a good laugh over it.

Yes, Manan's right; those people he refers to do need to have their eyes checked. Heads, rather.

A Feast

Last Monday, I took Emak for a drive down to Melaka for a family matter or two. Since it was an overnight trip, I took the opportunity to call Doc TA for a possible meet. Being the kind and accommodating Doc he is, he obliged and meet we did that night at Medan Anjung Batu, Serkam, which is just a stone throw away from the seafood stalls I know. Still, the food was great. I mean, no matter how its cooked, a seafood dish still taste just as good as any. But while that maybe true, the amount and variety can be totally different. Hmm...my only regret now is not having a camera on hand that night.

Anyway, since akak was down with fever, Doc came alone and soon led Emak and I to a table. Soon as the niceties were dispensed with, Doc and I went to the counter where, well, like most men, ordered to our hearts' fill. And while waiting for the cook to whip up the dishes, we had some lovely otak-otak for starters. When the dishes came...oolala! There were buttered prawns, fried squids, lala buloh (bamboo scallops? - first time I had any), jenahak, tuka (baby ray), and nasi lemak bungkus to accompany those delicious mouth-watering, cholestrol rich food. By the time we were done, we came to realise that there were still more than half of the food on the table! But we were full already, thus Doc had those extras packed for him to take back home. If ever I had previously dreamt of a seafood feast, this was certainly it. Honestly, I cannot remember the last time I had so much food before.

There is, however, another kind of feast which now has yours truly seething with anger.

As many would have known by now, the thievering and immoral be-end has announced themselves as the new Perak State Government. This, despite the fact that the Sultan has yet to announce his decree to accept the PR's request to absolve the State Assembly, making way for a State Election. And knowing those mongrels waiting at the gates, some would already have begun their celebration.

Its totally disgusting, actually. When that Bota assemblyman announced his defection to PR, Dolah said that he was an immoral man, betraying the trust of those who elected him. Well, look who is immoral now? Say Dolah (and Najib), how does the spit taste?

Personally to me, those PR assemblymen and woman who defected are worse than the mongrels whom they answer calls to now, especially the 2 who are still facing corruption charges. Perhaps its better for them to join the sarkas, seeing that latter is a sewerage plant of corruption, but one that does not cleanse rather, defecate the environment even more. So, let those 2 swim and sink with the filth they are. But the biggest filth dispenser must be SPR. Let me try to put it in layman's term.

The duty of a postman is to deliver mails, even to a house without occupant. The postman cannot use his discretion not to deliver mails to the seemingly empty house, because he is not empowered to do so. If ever the owner of the house would like the Post Office to hold all mails for some reasons, he would need to write to the Post Master, who would only then, upon receiving such request, instructs his office to hold all mails addressed to that particular house.

In the 2 cases of the 2 PR Assemblymen whom the Speaker of the House had announced their resignations from their respective seats, the SPR is acting outside its boundaries when it judged that those seats have not been vacated, when they - the SPR - are not empowered to judge, but only to administer; the power to judge the validity of the resignation letters and or the seats lies with the courts. So here, the SPR is clearly in the wrong. And they know they are in the wrong. So, who was it that said the SPR is not a stooge for be end, namely the sarkas? For those who have worked on ground level especially during election - by or general - they know how SPR stinks like a skunk. Only the naive and fools believe that SPR is impartial and abides to its role. They are just bulls with rings in their nose, waiting for sarkas to tug them whenever, wherever, it pleases. But a bull is tough creature and does offer some form of resistance. Thus here, SPR is nothing but a lame duck, a creature that likes to waddle in cesspool.

Go ahead, have your feast, your celebration. For today, is the day for dogs such as you are.

Below, is a Media Statement by YAB IR Nizar, the true MB for Perak, taken from Cina Islam:

Terkini : Kenyataan Akbar MB Perak .

IPOH, 4 Feb ;- Saya telah meyembahkan permohonan kepada Sultan melalui peruntukan undang-undang yang ada sebagai " leader of the house", namun saya fikir apa-apa yang diperlukan oleh Sultan maka Sultan ambil masa dan menagguhkan keputusannya. Demikian antara kenyataan YAB Menteri Besar Perak, Ir. Muhammad Nizar Jamaluddin dalam sidang akhbar di Pejabat PAS Perak di sini.

"saya akan menjalankan tugas seperti biasa sebagai Menteri Besar" tegas Ir. Nizar.

Ir. Nizar menyifatkan UMNO cuba merampas hak rakyat, dan memohon sekiranya berlaku Piliharaya supaya rakyat memberi majoriti yang besar kepada Pakatan Rakyat.

"Saya akan akur kepada apa saja keputusan Taunku, dan perbincangan dengan Tuanku cukup baik dan Baginda ada membacakan ayat Al Quran 'Sesungguh Allah bersama orang yang sabar' " Jelas Nizar.

Ditanya mengenai ADUN Bota, Nasaruddin Hashim yang telah menyeberang kembali kepada BN, Nizar mengatakan ini adalah satu konspirasi yang besar. Jika sekiranya ada unsur paksaan itu adalah satu penainayaan kepada Nasaruddin dan orang Bota.

"Kita sekarang adalah kerajaan minoriti dan saya berharap tidak ada huru-hara dan sebagainya" jelas Nizar.

****.****

ps. I guess it would not be far wrong to liken be end, namely sarkas, to the illegal entity Israel. Both, when the people voted against their favour, punish the people for doing so. - cakapaje

Rubbish of an Excuse

Once, the view from where the picture above was taken, may have been beautiful, and even majestic. Perched on the slope of a high hill, it may have offered resident and visitors a commanding vista of the Klang Valley. And at night, the lights from the houses and streets of the cities below, mirror the star-lit skies above. A heavenly picture, if one may say.

However, that was in the past. Now, though the view outwards still exist, the immediate area looks more like a rubbish dump.

Reading Malaysiakini report of JKR's refusal to hand over their report to the MB of Selangor (read here), I can think nothing but further cover-up by the Sarkas in trying to protect their toyol as well as officers from the previous state government.

"JKR sebaliknya hanya memaklumkan "terlalu banyak implikasi" sekiranya salinan laporan itu diserahkan Abdul Khalid" as quoted in the report, what else can anyone think of? This is nothing but total rubbish, just like the Sarkas and all its goons.

Ancient...and Antiquated.

He may not be amongst the best performer. But like his contemporaries and recent peers, he sings good as are his music. Once, he and 2 others hailed themselves as the new voice, or something along the line, only to fall flat on their face. Just when most people think he is a fading star, he begins to make a stir, hoping to get back into the limelight.

Singers, are a dime a dozen, so they say. If one were to go to the streets of KL, New York or even the Underground of London, there are literally thousands of gems out there - uncut diamonds, so to say. And the public sentiment today is they do not want mere singers, but singers who are able to perform too - the days of recording singers are numbered and considered antiquated as the old hand-cranked phonograph of 2 centuries ago; voice alone, do not maketh a singer.

The public of today have different needs and tastes, and are conscious of that. Besides being able to sing, have fairly decent look, perform well under varying circumstance, a singer would also need to touch base with the people, and raise himself above the norms of his contemporaries and peers' standard, leading his band of fans to a greater heights, and not mired in some controversies which raises doubt of one's abilities and especially, honesty. This, certainly has not been the case for the singer. There have been to many questions raised about him and his true ability, as with his contemporaries and peers. I, for one, do not find him appealing at all and certainly do harbour hopes that he - along with his contemporaries and peers - would find a deep hole to hide in and not surface ever again. Let the future generations find their bones in some archeology dig, and let their bones be kept in some future museum as something ancient...and antiquated.

Oh, if by chance you think I'm referring the above to Phil Collins, heck no! I mean, how could I when the guy not only sings well, but writes and perform good on stage! I was, referring to a certain Sarkas guy by the name of Muhyiddin something from Johor.

Whilst at the shop earlier this morning, I glanced at the Star and read that he will be offering himself for one of the 2 top clown post in Sarkas. My thoughts on the subject are, as above. The video? Well, I am just feeling down - have been the past few days - and was just in the mood for it.