30 September 2006

Life as a balancing act

*dancedance*

*trip*

AAACKK!!

*thud*

£&$%@.....

24 September 2006

Pointing

It's happening again. Things are going wrong, deadlines lapsing and paperwork is going missing.

I know whom to blame.

*pointpointpoint*

But of course, three fingers point back at me every time....

16 September 2006

Merdeka 2006: Part III

Having seen into the past and looked at the present, I wonder what the future holds for our beloved nation.
On this, the 43rd Birthday of Malaysia, let us sing of the future we can make.

---------------------------------------------

Sejahtera Malaysia

Puji dan syukur pada Ilahi
Anugerahnya tiada terhingga
Kedamaian kemakmuran
Malaysiaku bahagia

Dengan tekad untuk berjaya
Berbakti pada nusa dan bangsa
Kami junjung cita-cita luhur
Perpaduan seluruh negeri

( korus )

Seia sekata sehati sejiwa
Menghadapi cabaran
Kami sedia kami setia
Berkorban untuk negara

Bersemarak Malaysia tercinta
Kibarkan panji kebesarannya
Kami rela menjaga namamu
Sejahtera Malaysia

-------------------------------------------

Update 21 Sept 2006
For readers whose Bahasa Malaysia is not up to par (like me), a translation follows. It is not exact, but you can (just about) sing it....

Malaysia, The Bountiful

All praise and glory to the name of God
His gifts aplen-ty, boundless as the sky
Bless’d twice with peace, prosperity
Rejoice, belov-ed Malaysia

In name of King and Country sally forth
To build a nation for us one and all
Our unity, the greatest of our worth
For side by side we shall stand tall

(chorus)
One of soul, of purpose, one of mind, one of heart
In the face of all our trials
Never apart, never to part
We shall conquer with our smiles

Shine forth, O glo-rious Malaysia of mine
Shine forth, bright light of South East Asia
Forevermore the world at large will know
The name of our Malaysia

08 September 2006

Merdeka 2006 Part II

During the weeks between our Independence Days, the question is sometimes asked, 'What does it mean to be Malaysian?'
Erm... the easiest way to find out is to take the Malaysian out of Malaysia and into a different country.

Becoswai? You cannot take Malaysia out of the Malaysian....

----------------------------------------------------------------------

A Malaysian in New York
[to the music of An Englishman In New York by Sting, though the funkier Jamaican In New York by Shinehead, is also nice….]

Don’t drink coffee, I drink teh si peng
And my hair colour one kind
You can see it in my motions when I walk
I’m a Malaysian in New York

Hear me walking down Church Avenue
Speaking loudly at my phone
People watch me and they talk!
I’m a Malaysian in New York

Chorus:
O-oh / I’m an AhLian / I’m a legal AhLian
I’m a Ma-laysian in New York
O-oh / I’m an AhLian / I’m a legal AhLian
I’m a Ma-laysian in New York

Sparkly varnish for my nails I like
(And) Hello Kitty merchandise
Short tops, shorter skirts, a practiced vacant smile
All this so I can look more kawaii

O-oh / I’m an AhLian / I’m a legal AhLian
I’m a Ma-laysian in New York
O-oh / I’m an AhLian / I’m a legal AhLian
I’m a Ma-laysian in New York

Bridge:
Fengtao rules at parties / and alcohol cause fighting
Star from Taiwan comes / We all go wild
But ‘coz New York so scary / We say we like to party
Talk only / We acherly no fun….

[Musical bridge]

Man cheats on his wife with someone else
(And) We find out it is her mom
Not the story from the latest K-drama
But my neighbour’s life in Manhattan

Foreign friends can’t figure what I am
Indian, Chinese or Malay
Doesn’t matter friend, regardless of the hype
I’ll go on / a class-A stereotype

O-oh / I’m an AhLian / I’m a legal AhLian
I’m a Ma-laysian in New York
O-oh / I’m an AhLian / I’m a legal AhLian
I’m a Ma-laysian in New York

[fade]