Yes my blog has been deemed dead to some... Oh well...the period finally came after every four years and yeah i'm late in blogging about it. But so what!
Obviously everyone who is no one (snicker) knows what is the World Cup. Did my dear readers notice the little pun which was intended in the title. It has been rather much of a love hate relationship for me in terms of the world cup. I think it rather mad, the hype that has been going for the football sport. Everyone wants to watch and support whatever teams. Interestingly Malaysia supports England mostly due to much EPL, but can one blame us?
Speaking of which, I'm sure Malaysian's alike would've notice the wonderful survey results by reader digest that stated that we are the third rudest country. I really don't know what it is such a big deal. Who in the world, personally, is ever complete polite, kind, generous..whatever it is that you categorize us as courteous...anymore. Back to a previous entry on 'points of swearing' if one can considered foul language as that to be normal and expressive, so where is the line of being rude drawn. If say f*** and a****** is used on such a daily basis. And the citizens want to comment that Malaysians are not rude. Have you seen us on the road? one can't imagine the amount of cursing that comes out when we encounter either a road bully or road dummy.
Back to World Cup...The other day in the paper.. think it was TheStar some journalist had express his concerns of the World Cup endangering our very culture. I think he's too paranoid as it can't just be the World Cup that has affected culture but more so globalisation. The merging of every country into a global community. He worried that the 'roti canai' was not even safe anymore as we know have roti England and roti Spain. So? It's a marketing gimmick just like everything else one sees on television. Take the tosiba and celcom advert. I mean hello???
Just my two cents on that...Do i sound overtly annoyed? Nahh.... just sleepy and cranky. :P
Have you noticed that half the time we are not always unified with one another. May it be for a country, an idea or whatever. But i'd like to point this out with the idea of a country.
The other day I was at Souled Out watching the football match between Manchester United vs Arsenal. The room was pretty much filled with Manchester United fans. A rooney here, a O'Shea there, a Ronaldo here and another Rooney there. Whatever the name, the place was Man U supporters. It was just a screen with a projector used to project the game. Whenever Rooney would try for a goal and the ball would go over the goal post,the crowd will go "OOOOOHHH" and one Arsenal fan/moron would go "Oi American football ke?".
Then when Rooney scored a goal, the audience at Souled was like "Whoaaaaa". Then when Park scored the crowd went mad cause that was the goal to secure the win of the match. When the match was over, the camera panned on Park, then the audience who were leaving Souled Out all turned around and started clapping for him.
Ok fine, I did it too. But that's my point. It's as if the screen is the one tihng that unified these strangers for a brief period in time. After that everyone went of on their way. I mean hello it is a screen? A piece of some sorta special cloth that is just white. Park wasn' even there.
Take the home for example, where do the family gather besides the dinning table. The tv room, or if not gather at the dinning table where the tv is there too. Cinema, everyone is there for a common thing. Again a big screen and people are drawn to it.
What is it about the screen that attracts?
When was the last time, everyone felt united like that? When others actually came together saying, we are of the same country, the same homeland? Ok granted it still does happen..when one is away from home and they go click with the same people from their country, when they are given the chance to mingle with others over seas. But when you are in your homeland, when you have different races, maybe it doesn't become so easy to say of we are all one and the same. The different ethnicity maybe just separates us at times. Being Chinese, being Indian, being Malay, or of another ethnic kind.
Probably when there is some sorta war and there is a similar enemy, then we come together as a united nation. What is a nation anyway? Is it a term coined up by the politicians and media to try and bind everyone together? An imaginary binding?
I have suspect there is more unity when people watch a football match. Screen draw power. Heh.
Echoing the words, of a story or an example.
A girl is placed, since the day of birth in a particular culture. Where she is isolated from all other types of knowledge. She is planted with thoughts that people who are not her family are considered to be outsiders and not needed to be given attention. She is raised by Roman Catholic beliefs. She is not allowed to associate herself with men boys or men. She is taught to always be curteous and polite. She is taught that the women's place is always in the house, never in the working environtment. She is taught to always obey the men and that as a woman girl she is not entitled to to an education.
Then after 25 years of her life in that kind of isolated environment. She is brought out to the 'real' world. Where people do interact with one another. There are more than just one beliefe system. The women fight for their rights. No they are not meant to be the slaves of men, and no others in need of help are not just the ones of the same blood.
Did she adapt to all these changes? Or did she stay with her same attitude and mentality?
I write about this because of late, i rather relate this to what goes around me. Do people really change after being influenced by a particular discourse for so long? All the ideas that have been implanted to them. Do they stay like a the flower in bloom, or do they wither and die and bring forth a new flower. A new idea, a new identity?
Are people sometimes really like the saying "You can't teach an old dog new tricks"? I have in no mind to believe that people are always in their dumb state of mind ways. They have been blessed with a brain and they can think, for all that is good to them. Yet sadly there is also the group, who prefer their comfort zone and do not wish to think otherwise. They refuse to hear criticism, they refuse to hear other opinions, thoughts and what could be ultimately truth and reality.
So do people just absorb like a sponge what the see and hear throughtout the years? And when they do, do they take everything into account? Or just consider, oh the stuff i learnt before is all good. The stuff I hear about now and see are all bad, bad bad!....
Teach the ol' dog, new stuff.
Once again, cultural studies has over taken my brain (as it should be at least for this year). Stepping into class yet again, we are given the medicine by our lovely lecturers, and the name of the bottle is called..."Where is your brain?".
When I was younger, I actually did stop to wonder as how is it possible that I understand what is being said to me? How is the words that are unseen can actually make sense to me even though they are not before my eyes? Why is it that certain words actually do have different meanings but i can discern which is which and able to put it into application?
Yes.. and then after thinking all that. I go MAD! Because then nothing makes sense.
It is of course another level all together too much for my comprehension.
Naturally, science has to come in to play and guess what it is called cultural science. So they will then find some factual and comprehensive way that states 'oh this is actually how it starts and how it works'. They have to say stuff like this, oh you think this way and behave like that because of the environment you brought up in, the social construct of your society which has all its own cultures..bla, bla, bla...
Then the question becomes "But are you shaped from all that?" Or are you your own person that is able to make your own decision. Is your mind, the place where ideology and all other crap that is instilled to you, an active one or a passive one?
In the end there isn't an answer for that. Because then it becomes a paradox. You can't say that when you listen to something, you disagree with it and therefore you are active or you agree with it therefore you are passive. If it were so simple, you and I wouldn't need a brain. You shall forever be, in some ways my opinion, a combo of active and passive thinking. Probably it is when you stop bothering to make a decision then you can be considered a passive person. But on the other hand you have just made a decision to not make a decision so technically you are also active. See the vicious ridiculous cycle here...and we have to LEARN stuff like this?
So in the end when you actually make a statement from your own opinion, is it really you discerning from everything you have learnt in your whole life, your experiences and what not...Or something else..?
You tell me my active or passive buddy...hehehehe.......
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muahahahaahahahahhaa
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I don't know why i did that! I'm passively active!
Yes my dear people, my blog has been dead for a while as most of you would like to call it...ah well
Anyway Valentine's Day has passed, as if it was nothing but a heart imprinted in the sands, that slowly gets washed away by the sea. I'm feeling poetic simply because i didn't get to express my romantic side during valentine's since i was mostly selling flowers and making them!!
Hehe literally i had a case of where my honey said "Hon, here is a dozen roses for you....Now go sell them!" Which i have to say despite the want to have a romantic evening and what not of this so completely commercialised day, was a rather refreshing experience when i think about it.
It was so cute whilst going around the streets of Penang, walking up to complete strangers and making friends with them...just so they could purchase one of the lovely roses we had made. One of the couples I remember selling to, must have been a fresh relationship in the bloom.
It was so winter sonata drama like. Both of them were dressed in white, the girl was sitting with her smiling face down and her hands clasping each other. The boy was looking away with one hand to balance himself on his seat also smiling. It was the epitome of complete utter shyness with a tinge of sweet and cuteness. Oh i couldn't help, but i had to make their day even sweeter by asking them...."Would you like a rose?" Hehehe needless to say the guy bought it for his darling.
There was also one particular couple..hehe not boy and girl but father and daughter. Which i have to say was one of the sweetest things to see. The young girl saw the little heart and teddy with the rose and looke up at her dad. The dad stopped me to ask how much was a rose for his little flower. See it's not all about the lovey dovey couples, but with the loved ones and friends as well.
But then again, whoever said you have to express or show your love with an item? Gee now if only i could keep to that, i can save a lot more in my bank :P. But honestly, the treasure which i find the most precious on the special day, is after all the company that is with me. All the roses in the world, could never make me as happy, when compared to seeing a smile on the face of the person i love oh so much. Wouldn't you agree with me?
What does a rose mean?
When compared to the scent of the one you love?
What does a card mean?
When compared to the laughter of the one you love?
What does a price mean?
When compared to the hand of the one you love?
What does a package mean?
When compared to the smile of the one you love?
What does it all compare to...
Absolutely nothing...
For the greatest gift...
Is to love and be loved...
Happy belated Valentine's Day to all those whom i care for, may you be friend, family or foe... ^_^
Not entirely true.. it is silent just on wonder ponders...seem like i ahve either gotten lazy in my blogging days or i've gotten too busy. Whatever it maybe i'm just filling up a post here, just so it may not look like i have turned into a wrinkley prune and died. HAHAHAHA
Spent New Year's in a quiet fashion this time in Penang (oh ghee where else hehe ^_~) and for the first time in ages, i was actually able to see good fireworks, without my view being blocke or obscured by same inate object.. like a plant which was two years ago. I had to huddle to some small corner to make sure i was not trampled by the rest of other gawking people to catch the pretty lights. No instead this yeah i unfolded it with standing at the balcony of Marina Bay with good friends and company just watching the fireworks do their fire work....>_<... oh dear fikri mentality shinning through. Most of the time was workign and playing around with adobe.
Which brings me to my next full paragraph. I LOVE ADOBE PHOTOSHOP EVEN MORE NOW!!! It is the coolest program and most powerful thing i have ever come across (so far in my life anyways) i can make anything hehehehe.... find soo i'm just starting to find that out now.. but doesn'tmatter it's soooo cool when you learn new stuff ^_^. The Pen tool is now one my favourite favourite tools in adobe. it can create such fascinating lines and edit curves and such.. wheeeee....
Anyhoo.. i wanna end here first with a big big line that says
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALLL!!!!!!!!!