Homegrown Talent. Past / Present / Future - Part 2

Juliet the Orange

I would have loved to linked the original MTV. Cause I thought it was brilliantly made. There is some gothic semblance to it. I think they were originally called something else, called Broodwyn when I first heard of them in this no defunct programme called Alternatif. Their music was initially goth-pop. I suppose Juliet the Orange sounded better. Their music is pretty haunting but good nevertheless.
Good music from these two lasses , Pin Lean And Mei Mei. If only they continued :)

Naked Breed





Pretty good stuff. Good riffs, nice vocals. They were the band to watch and listen back in early 2000. But then they went on a hiatus. Don't really know where they went. And then they appeared with this new single entitled Cruise Control. Really awesome stuff. Typical straight up rock stuff. I suspect there is a line up change though. Oh well, Enjoy people. :)

Love Me Butch





This band needs no introduction in the Malaysian music scene really. Hardcore rockers. Music akin to the likes of Alexis on Fire, Norma Jean and others. Screamcore, Emocore. I suppose those labels are interchangeable. But make no mistake, they made quite an impression opening for the likes of Deftones and also Incubus if i can recall. Full of energy therefore me likey.
And they have a new album coming out soon :) Can't wait!



Jason Lo





Ok. Known just as Lo previously, but now Jason Lo, CEO for Tune Talk and also occasional Radio Deejay. To be fair, his music was pretty tame. Not exactly metal or hardcore. But rock. Melodic to say the least. But I do enjoy his music and some of his songwritting is really good. :) The videos are quite class too. Never thought he was Malaysian when i first chanced his first video, Evening News. Sad that he is a Chelsea fan though.

Zee Avi





Seriously, she is a megastar now. Picked up by jack Johnson and now her music is produced under his label. Walmart commercials use her song. It was featured in Parenthood. Makes me really proud to be a Malaysian. Knowing that we can not just scratch the surface, but break barriers internationally.
So i leave you here with two of her songs which I favour :)
The second one entitled 'Kantoi' is pretty tongue in cheek. Heck you can even sing to it! Gotta love it. :)

Rosevelt



Relatively new to the scene I suppose, but already making waves. Heard from Joshua, who is the guitarist for the band and also a friend and ex church mate, that they were going to opened for Incubus' 3rd gig in Malaysia. And No doubt I'm sure they made quite an impact. Still waiting for their album though. But the future for Malaysian music is bright with these chaps.
Keep Rockin' Fellas! :)

Yuna





Yuna. Like Zee Avi, her music is pretty folksy. But her voice is edgier and honestly, I would say she edges Zee Avi slightly. I prefer her music too. Nice simple, but the lyrics are pretty profound. :)
And the videos shown above remain my favourite. Heck, she is my current favourite Malaysian singer at the moment and I have blogged about her once.
Decorate still remains as a favourite of mine. Simple, but nicely layered.

SevenCollar T- Shirt





I first heard their music when I bought their debut, Freeway...something something it was pretty much experimental. I didn't really enjoy their music then. Until I was in a colleagues car and i heard their latest album, The Great Battle. I was instantly hooked to their melodic brand of experimental rock this time round. Perhaps they were edgier and more distortions.
In any way, they converted a non fan into a fan in an instant.
NOt surprisingly, I later went to the nearest 7-11 to pick up their latest album.
No regrets ever since :) None

Goodnite ppl. Do contribute if you think u have local talent that you wanna share with the people in the blogging community.

Homegrown Talent. Past / Present / Future - Part 1

Ok. I know there is still the part 3 of the Christian Bands in the 1990's which I have yet to complete. The Procrastination has kinda left me lazy blogging about it. But eventually I will.
Anyway today's post pertains to our local homegrown Talent. Too often we say that Malaysian artistes are not good enough. That we are copycats of a genre set up far ahead by the bands in the US of A, the UK and even....well, Europe.

Well, fact is, back in the 90's and early 2000, I have made many purchases of really cool homegrown music and until now, I'm left as a fan. They have certainly left me dry and wanting. Of course their music style may change over time. Some retain their genre, whilst others cross over.
Anyway, Malaysia has talent and perhaps this blog may be a testimony of it.
Please, do understand that I won't blog about pop music. These are stuff that I like. And they are definitely of the edgy kind.
OK I may throw in some pop tunes or R N B tunes here and there. But remember, these are the music that I was and is still fond of. So Please contribute any ideas or suggestions if you have em, and I will try to include them in future posts.
For now, this space is mine to manipulate !! ahhaha..Here goes:-

Pop Shuvit -Skater's Anthem


Very fondly, I remember listening to this in college. Almost everyday. I'm not a skater. But it became my anthem nevertheless. And watching them play this song at Rock the World (can't remember which edition though) and getting the same crowd address like in Korn concert, got me wanting more! Of course their style is much more mainstream and have diverted from their rap rock roots, but this still remains a gem.

Tempered Mental


Please check out Melina's bass scaling at 0.30 secs onwards....top that if any of you can. Except Les Claypool ahhaha




This band is a personal favourite of mine. Until now, I still think they are my favourite band amongst many. I got their EP and subsequently their full album and they did not disappoint. One of the more technical bands in Malaysia, playing a mix of hard rock and progressive rock.
The bassist, Melina is simply awesome, and one of the few kick ass ladies who can scale, slap the bass and yet sing. The guitarist is also gifted, complementing the bassist and the drummer, Jimmy is one of the best in Malaysia. So naturally, this band has the potential to go places. They just need to churn more awesome stuff. Watched them play at Rock the World and they were great
My favourite song which I can't find anywhere in youtube - Simple. That song kicks ass!


OAG


They call themselves Old Automatic Garbage. GOd only knows what they were thinking when they coined the name up. But apparently its to pay homage to 60's music. And hence that was their genre. 60's pop but with 90's flavour. 60's tv was the anthem of the Malaysian scene in the 90's. Even Coca-cola got them to endorse their product, playing this song in the rooftops. It was the epitome of cool. Indie music never looked cooler. And I remember this was one of the few songs I learnt to play with my Kapok guitar. Of course, years eventually, they started singing more Malay songs and Radhi also took to the movie scene and played less music. But we will be hoping for them to play 60's music once more :)



Butterfingers


Malaysia's truest grunge band. In the messy vein of Kurt Kobain but with Malaysian flavour, half the time the lyrics are poetic but make no sense. Like the grunge of Nirvana and not so much Pearl Jam or Alice In chains. But they were massive. They music was hard and killer. I wouldn't have wanted them to change. After getting 3 albums which were grunge music, they finally gotten experimental in Malayneum and Selamat Tinggal Dunia. I guess I couldn't take their experimental music. They were no Radiohead. They were grunge. They should have sticked to it and rocked on :)



Ok . Time to sleep. It's late in the day. And early in the morning. I better rest.

Part 2 beckons soon. :) More good local homegrown stuff to come from me

Peace out.

Homeward Bound

Twas a good weekend.
Went back to Ipoh with sister and some friends.
My relatives from Singapore were also up north for the weekend, hence we decided to go back to Ipoh to meet up.
Of course the agenda would be to eat eat eat and eat somemore. Well, I spend more time with my family back in Ipoh. I think as I grew older, the importance of family is more apparent, cause I dont see them as often anymore. Which is always good.
So we had meals at Tai Kar Rock, one of the best places for 'liew' and the noodles there are nice.
And also at Wooley Food Centre. The food there is getting better and better. Not to say the best around, but for Ipoh standards, quite decent.
We had main meals at this place called Soon Fatt which is in the same row as Overseas. Good food, good price. Too bad this is not a food blog. Otherwise I would have blogged more about it. No photos though

Well, Colin, Joo Na and I also managed to catch Captain America: The First Avenger.
Captain America in costume

It was a very good movie I would say. Certainly better than the Green Lantern and even to some extent Thor. The movie had me rooting for Captain America (as Simon told us that we would, and we did) cause it was quite believable. Chris Evans gave a fantastic performance as man of pure heart and courage. And also the character development was good and did not fall short. One of the few movies that Marvel actually took time to build on character (the other movies being Spiderman and X men). So it was good. The pre-ending was also very emotional and Colin mentioned that there were a few ladies crying. Heck, I would have cried too if I was a lady :)
Even the fight scenes were still believable and not too extravagant. I especially like the fact that he was accompanied by a ragtag team of soldiers which was a nice touch.
The downside of it is that Hugo Weaving's Red Skull was a tad too one dimensional. As compared to Loki in Thor.
Well, the ending credits are definitely worth the wait and seeing the Avengers assemble will be something awesome. Loki is the main villain, so the awesomeness is amplified!

Ok. Plan for next Sat then: Rise of the Planet of the Apes! The trailer looks intense! and with James Franco, it shouldn't be anything less than good. :)


And yeah, I also bought a Ukulele.
Brand is called Mahalo - which means "Thank You".
So, I'm thanked for buying a China Made, Hawaiian sounding Ukulele?
I guess so. I mean the facts show it. "Mahalo" :)
Well, was it an impulsive buy? Nah not entirely. this was my second time asking for it at the Music Store in Ipoh. Well, maybe it was an impulsive buy cause it only costs...............................RM65 haha...cheaper than my second Kapok guitar even. Ukuleles in KL costs around RM200-Rm500 so this definitely sounds like a steal. Then again, the differences in quality would be apparent too :) Now time to download the chords and save myself from buying a Ukulele chord book. Hey Soul Sista! :) ahhaa

Maholo Ukulele - Made in China. RM65.00. Purchased at the Music Store. Noticed that they even throw in a Ukulele bag.

And United won the Charity Shield! Yes!!! wait...should I be happy? Cause the charity shield is always deemed as a curse to Champions! The only time United won the Charity Shield and continued to win the EPL Was back in ...wait they won it twice and won the EPL thereafter 2007-2008 and 2008 -2009. So the curse should not be feared..haha oh me of lil faith.
But it was good to see De Gea making some good saves and also Welback playng clever one twos and passes.
Looks like Nani is dying to shine and I do hope he will. At least try. But more in store...and normal EPL service resumes next week. Nice.:)
One up for the red half of Manchester. Too bad to the noisy neighbours. But they will be a force to reckoned in the days to come :)

Not too impressed with the Jersey though, doesnt look nice. But nevertheless I know I will buy it at some point in time. The bloody United fanboy that I am :) hahah

Charity Shield winners 2011 - Manchester United

The Amazing Spider-Man / The Dark Knight Rises

Ok. I'm sure by now, many of you would have watched the trailers for these two movies.
For a fanboy like me, I'm super excited!
And with my two most favourite super heroes ever in the same year? What more can I ask?

Of course, I do feel sad that Spider man had to be rebooted. After all, Tobey's Spiderman was pretty good. Emo and stuff, very much like the comic version of late. And not so funny.
Let's hope Andrew Garfield does a better job injecting humour. Somehow, the costume seems lacking and I kinda preferred the previous one. But, hey, its a reboot. It may be better or not. But either way, I'm hoping its gonna kick some ass! And ironically, the movie is suppose to be taken from the Ultimate Spider Man comic concept, but named Amazing Spider Man, which is what the original comic was named after (Amazing Fantasy #15 would however present Spidey's first appearance though)
With a stellar cast of Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Irfans, Martin Sheen and Sally Field, it should work out well. And, No...there isn't any Mary Jane Watson in the fold, not yet. Cause the love interest is Gwen Stacy, Peter's first love who will die at the hands of the Green Goblin eventually.
So, watch out for this one in 2012. Let's hope its a sizzler!


And then the other movie, which I'm sure many are anticipating. After a massive run with the Dark Knight, the Dark Knight returns in what seems to be sadly, the final movie in this Batman franchise. Seriously, Dark Knight blew away the expectations of making a comic book movie. It combined the fantasy elements of super hero comic book stories and blended it with thrilling noir / crime elements. No longer gothic but dark in its story telling. I still look for loopholes in the Dark Knight for all its complexity in it's story telling, but yet, was unable to do so. Christopher Nolan truly created a masterpiece. Initially I thought the trailer looked like a fan made trailer, you know, the fake ones where idiots compile scenes and montage from the previous films and make a 'trailer' or it leads to Rick Astley's "Never gonna give you up" MTV....yes that sucks. But this one is the real deal, cause you get to see ol' Bats being weary from his fight with Bane!
And yes in the comics, Bane broke Batman's back! Thats really dark indeed.
Well, anyway, I'm still not sure how Anne Hathaway is gonna fit into the dark mould with her squeaky clean image, but I'm sure she will rise to the occasion as Selina Kyle / Catwoman.

Its been 3 years since The Dark Knight and on 2012, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES!



And also, later....watch out for the Avengers! Though I think I would hold these two movies in anticipation more! :)

Hohoho... and check this out!

9 July 2011 - The Voice of the People - And a Beautiful Rally

Press conference by Datuk Ambiga the morning before Bersih 2.0

After a week of sleepless nights, for the fear and excitement which was to come the day finally came and I'm glad to be a part of it once more and lived to tell the tale.
Perhaps if I didn't put my thoughts in writing tonight, I will not be able to get sleep :)
I have been sleeping on an average of 4 1/2 to 5 hours a day, something which I'm not supposed to be doing nor proud of. But since we live in exciting times, I just can't help but to wake up and not be able to sleep again.

Today, 9 July 2011, once again history was made. Once again, we have shown the government that we are capable of calling their bluff on their fear threats.
KL city, as of Friday evening was at a locked down. We made mental and spiritual preparations (prayer service and also yum char / discussion sessions on tactics and routes) as we hear news of the government warning us not to participate in these 'haram' rallies. Undoubtedly we were fearful, but at that point in time, perhaps we have crossed the line of being fearful. Rather we felt that we could no longer tolerate the hypocritical stance made by the government. We have always been fed blatant lies and even up to the point of our beloved PM seemingly granting a truce for Bersih 2.0 to be held in a stadium after meetings with the Agong, only to find out that he has retracted his stance. So much for being our esteemed leader when we can't even trust his word anymore. Was it there to begin with?
We planned carefully of what to bring and how our bags could fit anything yellow. We heard that there will be roadblocks (and yes, true enough streets with 5 lanes were forced to become 1) and that there will be bag checks in the LRT. Nevertheless we decided to leave earlier and God-willing to have breakfast in the heart of KL (Petaling Street Area). We planned to move from KL Sentral as we heard that Pasar Seni was already locked down by the Police.

I couldn't sleep much. The anticipation and excitement was there. And for once, I felt the fear of arrest, which in these times proved so much more real than the other rallies that I went to including the First Bersih. We know that the PM will do everything to hinder Bersih 2.0.
Come morning, I met up with Kah Weng and Wil Liam. We were on the way when we got the call from Colin stating that Pasar Seni is opened and that we could move in there immediately. We duely did that. And then we caught up with Yuk Meng in Bangsar LRT station. Surprised to see him there cause we thought he would leave with Sze Hoo. But nevertheless, we were on this together and it was good we caught up with him.

We were able to catch up with the group at Lai Foong Coffee Shop. It's been a while since I've eaten the beef noodles there. They say that its real good. After all these years, I still think it's mediocore. Hahah. Sorry. Not doing a food posting here. But, as said, we met with the larger group consisting of Colin, Simon, Desmond, Huey, Jude, KayX, Ashley, Eddy, SzeHoo and Mee Chuen. And then Alvin came not long after. Colin had another group following him, the peeps from FES. We were introduced to each other. In the coffee shop we saw the usual suspects for the rallies, familiar faces but people who would go out to fight for justice and have a hunger for a better Malaysia.



I called my colleagues, who were starting their journey from Sentral and told them to try to meet us up here safely. They said they would. The streets around Petaling Street were however eerily quiet.



Close to 12.30 pm, we watched a large group coming from Dayabumi, but blocked by the police barricade. However, we also saw more and more people rallying and gathering at Petaling Street and from our sources, we heard that the march to Stadium Merdeka had already begun. Awesome.

We went to Petaling Street and waited. The crowd grew. And then suddenly we heard cheers aloud. The group which had a stand off with the police at the Bar Council had now journeyed it's way to meet up with the Petaling Street group. And then with perhaps close to 5000 people by now, we marched to the Stadium shouting chants of "Hidup Bersih!" and "Hidup Rakyat" which translates to "Life to the People". And this is the point where we changed to our Yellow apparel or wear anything significantly Yellow in support of the wave. It was massive! Seeing people gather for a cause is such a beautiful thing.


Upon finding that the roads to the Stadium were barricaded, we walked back towards Kota Raya with the crowd. News, was that the crowd was meeting at Menara Maybank. We walked nevertheless. I caught up with my colleague at some point and I was quite surprised to see my boss, Mr Siva in the walk. At the moment, I felt deeply encouraged knowing that the people in my firm supported this cause with all their hearts and was more than willing to come to the city on 9 July 2011 in support of people power. Oh yeah, we picked up Eugene at this juncture as well. We were glad to have found him here!

Anyway, when we reached Menara Maybank, the group had easily swelled to about 30,000 people, so some say. Of course the mainstream media will spin its lies stating only 3000 instead.
Not everyone wore yellow but the fact of being there already speaks magnanimous volumes for fighting for their cause!


Here are a few pics of us, enjoying the Rally and were in party mood. :) The guilty parties.






The atmosphere was electrifying to say the least. The crowd this time round was definitely bigger than Bersih 1.














That's Colin by the way. Our group's organizer and leader. Some say he is Taliban. I refuse to believe those dodgy comments. :) nyahahaha









And here you can see happy smiling faces.
Was there any malice or violent intent? Surely not :)
But no, the police would never stand down. And soon they deployed teargas and watercannons onto the peaceful protestors. We were made to understand that the chemicals laced in the water cannons were by far worst than ever and more potent. But in the spirit of true Malaysians, those who were in trouble, from the effects of the teargas were quickly offered aid by those around them. When one falls, there will be at least 10 to pick him/her up. :) Incredible spirit by the people.


And so, the large entourage now at Menara Maybank had no choice but to rally at Puduraya station. And here once again, the people have proved that they were discipline enough and marched for peace and solidarity.


And one point the rallyers were sitting on the road, peacefully and tried to negotiate with the men in blue. However, teargas was once again fired and there is evidence that the people were even manhandled and beaten by the police and even so, they refused to retaliate. Truly their spirit, determination and discipline is greatly admired.
Below is a video of proof that they were manhandled, beaten and arrested from Malaysiakini and Al-Jazeerah





And this is where we felt the full effects of the teargas. It had been a cat and mouse game. Each time they fired, the people backed, but return with more conviction than ever. And once again the police were relentless in firing the teargas canisters. We were tearing and some us felt like we needed to vomit to lessen the effects of it. It was bad but we survived it. Later did we only found out that the gas was quite lethal and there was a fatal casualty in connection with the suffocation effects that the teargas brings.

Eventually we managed to get to safer and higher ground and we rallied to a friend's office to rest and recharge. By this time, some of us have split up. Simon, Jude and Huey would eventually follow the large crowd to KLCC for another showdown. And this is the place where a supporter died from the suffocation effects of the tear gas. His name was Baharuddin Ahmad, and his death will not be in vain. :)

After resting at our friend's office near Bursa Malaysia, we eventually decided that we have done our part and now plan to go back to where we came from. However at that point in time, LRT's were still closed and we hear of arrests now made in KLCC, perhaps the final showdown.
Previously there was another showdown at Merdeka Stadium where we were told that the police, initially agreed to give safe passage to the protestors but eventually launched an attack on the protestors after giving false leeway. And this group was forced to move to Pasar Seni, where they were once again surrounded by tear gas.
In the end, we received news that Datuk A Samad Said, our national laureate, had successfully handed the memorandum at the Istana Negara. During this time, we perhaps knew that the group in Pudu was the decoy group perhaps leading much of the police away from the other group. Bravo! Mission accomplished thought casualties were in place.

To sum it all up, it was an awesome Saturday, this 9 July 2011 was.
I'm truly encouraged by the turn out though it could have been more people if not for the police and the FRU. But I do believe the numbers have surpassed the first Bersih and this time, although i see the familiar faces, new friends and comrades join in the fight against injustice and this is truly encouraging.

Few points to be taken from the rally:-

1. The People rallied not just for cleaner elections, but to make a stand against the fear put unto them.

2. The People are tired of the government's double standards of treatment

3. The People are more aware than ever of half baked truths spun by the mainstream media

4. The Police do not act fair (The police aimed their tear-gas guns directly at the civilians, they have no sense of fair rules of engagement even when the protestors sat down to show that they are there in peace and the attacks on the protestors in Tung Shin Hospital are just distasteful and disrespectful - the videos shown below are proof of that)

5. The government shows it's fear towards the people and it's beautiful idea of democracy (suggesting perhaps that they have much to hide)

6. Once again, the protestors showed great discipline and brotherly love towards one another and even against the FRU's and the police without retaliating amidst the violent treatment towards them. An eye for an eye? Unlikely. But as a friend of mine , Wil Liam was saying, the treatment meted out by the police is as such - "you don't kill a mosquito with a gun" - More pics and videos on this below.

7. Two weeks of Bersih propaganda has united Malaysians more than 2 years of 1Malaysia ever did and this was quoted by Sze Hoo, another fellow marcher.

8. We are and can always be a united nation when we recognize that we can no longer be merely tolerant with each other but truely embrace the difference and the diversity that each of us has to offer. And in this diversity, Unity is achieved when we fight for a common and higher purpose.

And I also want to take this time to send my sincere condelences to the family of Mr Baharuddin Ahmad, who had died due to breathing difficulties from the effects of the tear gas. It truly saddens me and his death was an unnecessary one if we had a truly competent government. Though I do not know him, I do hope that his passing would not be in vain and people, please do not let his efforts be in vain as well. Please be reminded and honour him, when you cast your vote in the coming elections. Cast it well.







And further pictures that speak more than words itself. Beautiful pictures from Al-Jazeerah

This is a picture of someone known as "auntie Anne" - her courage and resilience is truly inspiring.


THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN!! POWER TO THE PEOPLE!!!

Come 9th July 2011 - Yellow Fever

To be honest, I haven't been sleeping well. Perhaps, i may have been thinking of someone. Or perhaps it's the stress. I haven't even been concentrating much on my work, and thankfully, the week did not need me for any affidavit replies, submission preparations, documentation, preparation for hearings or trials. And because of that my Twitter, Facebook and Malaysian Insider has been constantly refreshed.

The real reason, folks is the build up for BERSIH 2.0
This Saturday 9th July 2011.
We have seen government threats, arrests taking place, LRT commuter service providers being given directives on not to operate or to operate sparringly and not to stop at the usual hotspots in KL especially Merdeka, court orders ordering some 91 Malaysians to stay away from KL. Whatever their reasons for the granting of the order we know are not water tight. But we also know that the magistrate is more often than not cornered into making such orders.
We were also informed at the last 2 hours, that a permit has been given by the Dang Wangi police for the rally to be held in Stadium Merdeka. Of course, things are always too good to be true and we find out minutes later, that what the Police meant was to collect the letter denying them permission. A crude and ironic joke perhaps. Hardly surprising though. I would be even more surprise if the permit was given.

In any event, the Agong has urged that the Bersih Committee talk it out with the Executive branch to come to an understanding or resolve and Bersih has accepted the PM's offer to hold it in a stadium. I posted this in my last post.
Of course the next day we find out that our PM has passed the buck to the police on whether it is still illegal or not, while playing good cop and trying to tai-chi the issues to someone else and the police..well playing their usual roles, bad cop.
So there, once again, it's back to square one. And mind you the King has already spoken and ascented and yet, the government refuses and plays the denial game once more. But one thing is clear and Bersih itself has succeeded in proving, is that the Government is fearful. It fears it's people. It fears the power it's people possess. And hopefully, tomorrow, the people of Malaysia can truly show the government that they are there in the first place, because of the people.

I have spoken to my parents. They know the risks are there. I'm sure they are afraid as am I.
Things may get messy. Actually the likelihood is so high that it will get messy, though i hope not. But in any event, if it does, please know that it will not be from Bersih as i have absolute faith that the people will march peacefully despite the disruptions from the powers that be. That will be the truth. :)
So then, I have people telling me before, that I can't even look after myself, why bother with what's happening? To reply that, I will say that since I can't look after myself, at least I can try doing it for my country. :) You can call it Kepoh if you want to, I'm sure many will say that about me. But perhaps as a concerned citizen, I could no longer stand sitting in the coffeeshops complaining about how bad the government of the day is, and when the opportunity to be heard comes, i just sit there and do nothing. :) I can't do that anymore. And perhaps as a Christian, I cannot stand to see this injustice being metted out. I was also told by Christian people that this are not our fight. If this is not our fight, as Malaysians and Christians (and whatever religion you beleive in), then when is this fight ever going to come? There will never be a perfect fight if you are looking for one. But opportunity knocks and you have a chance to answer it. But of course as a friend of mine also say, don't do it because you think it's hype. Do it because you believe in the fight. Do it because you believe that the voice of the people should be heard. And do it because you truly believe that your small part can bring a change.

So, I will be going out this Saturday, with fear and also hope and I hope i will be encouraged with the turn out and what's to be :)
And I hope that I can attend the Urgent Arrest Team and further contribute as a lawyer where for once, lawyers are not condemned to the evil deeds that they do :)
And of course,I'm hoping to watch Transformers 3 on Sunday and hopefully give a good review on it but i doubt so (whether the review is good i mean). ahahaha :)

So come tomorrow, we walk for justice, for our rights under our Constitution, we walk because of our freedom from fear, we walk because we can no longer just sit when injustice takes its place blatantly and we walk once again because of solidarity as Malaysians.
See you guys there. Stay safe :)

It's still going to be a yellow Saturday

As the momentum for 9th July 2011 builds up, more and more arrests were made. In fact the 6 PSM members were re-arrested under the Emergency Ordinance. Detention without trial. It's hard to imagine such draconian laws exists. Existing side by side with another needless horror. The ISA.

However, in an unprecedented move, we witness yet another twist to the tale.
The King has spoken on Sunday, 3rd July 2011, that Bersih 2.0 hold talks with the government for an 'amicable settlement'.
The term is 'amicable' is loosely used for we know, that higher powers are at play here , for the benefit of one party mostly. And I don't mean divine hands at work. I mean the powers that be, seeking for royal intervention.

To be honest, I was quite peeved when I first read the news on the Malaysian Insider. The King has stated that the Malaysia should not be emulating other countries in these regards. Indirectly, we are told that the protests, walk, march whatever you may call it, is not a good idea. So, if the walk continues on, it would be a direct affront to the King and it would further give the requisite ammo for Ibrahim Ali and Umno Youth (or even UMNO) for that matter to demonize Bersih 2.0 and it's marchers would be held for treason.
On the other hand, calling off the march would mean that Bersih has lost. Civil liberties for peaceful assemblies is lost. The chance to show that people are no longer afraid and would rather stand up against a corrupt government is lost. And for that, I was quite peeved.

Today, Bersih 2.0's chair, Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, after talks with the Government, accepted their "offer" to have it in the stadium. To be fair, we knew that this decision would be made. Between a rock and a hard place, but yet decision must be made. And we all knew that this is the only outcome. But mind you, Datuk Ambiga still has my utmost respect for going against the tides after being subjected to much criticism including having her pictures burned by Mat Cemerlangs, and even a proposed revocation of her citizenship by Ali Rustam (his reasons making no sense at all). She will be remembered and honoured for her contributions to the Malaysian Bar as chairman (the Walk of Justice) and for her contributions for Malaysian society (Bersih 2.0). And therefore let none of these decisions made ever take that away from her.

Finally Bersih 2.0 was to be held in the stadium. The venue at this point, possibly Stadium Shah Alam.
Upset I was, over all this. The fact that civil liberties has perhaps suffered a miserable death at the statements of the monarch. Does this mean that there will never be peaceful assemblies in the future, for a common cause? I don't know. But I thought it meant so.
Nevertheless, we still made it for the Urgent Arrest training at the KLBar to learn more on handling these situations in case things get rowdy on Saturday (the possibilities are still there).

However, in spite of everything, this may even be a blessing in disguise. Now with Bersih recognized by the Monarch, it would mean that people could gather together for a common cause, although not on the streets like I hoped for it (from my experience in Bersih 2007 it was indeed a beautiful sight of solidarity). No arrests should be made by the cops unless they want to further taint their already frail and fragile image of trust amongst public. And perhaps the biggest test for the PM, to know release those who were unreasonable and WRONGFULLY detained under the guise of national threat in the form of Bersih 2.0. The spotlight is now on him to play his cards right.

Anyway, not wanting to digress, these were the articles I read, which brings hope and a smile. :)

http://malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/no-holds-barred/41703-yeh-yeh-kita-menanghmmor-did-we
- Raja Petra's well written article, may have just convinced me, that there are silver linings to dark clouds.

And this one :- http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/bersih-2.0-winners-and-losers

Therefore, we hope to see Yellow support still on Saturday. And as for me, I will be with the rally and if I'm not hauled in the Black Maria, I will be there for the urgent arrests as well :) Let's hope all goes well :) And that the people continue to show their voices in support and solidarity in yellow.

Anyway, for comic relief on the attempts to 'communize', 'demonize', 'nonsensilize' Bersih read the link here and of course Hishamuddin's statements and views on the ok's of communism but not Bersih. Clearly funny and double standard stuff :)

This has absolutely nothing to do with Bersih. But my sis gave me a link and I thought it was pretty funny but awesome. So please enjoy Enter Sandman - jazz style. :)