I was in the airport waiting for my flight to somewhere I couldn’t remember. This was way back. This is one of the most uncanny things that happened to me. Other than the encounter.

While I was waiting for my flight, I noticed a kiosk selling cookies…I bought a box, put them in my bag and then patiently searched for an available seat so I can sit down and enjoy my cookies (I love my cookies). I kept moving around, not choosing to sit beside the people that looked shady. I finally found a seat next a well-dressed gentleman. I reached down into my traveling bag and took out my cookies. Weirdly, as I did so, I noticed that the person sitting next to me starts to look at me.

So, he stares at me, maybe I had something on my face. As I opened the box and pulled out a cookie, the ‘gentleman’ did as well. What was more bizarre was that he alternated with me. You know, I took one, he took one, that weird.

“This guy must be hungry, more like starving,” I thought to myself. This went on until the last cookie. What surprised me more (as if there weren’t enough surprises) was that the man took the last cookie, broke it in half, and gave me the other half. He finishes up, and leaves without saying a word. I just got semi-robbed.

I was left confused, and still hungry. I went to buy another box, and coming back to realize that the box of cookies that I bought earlier were still left untouched in my bag. MY bag. Only then I realized how I brought my massive douchebaggery to a whole new level. Also I am blinded by my judgement and discrimination.

As the title suggests, there are people in the world of news reporting and journalism who stand by this sole principle. It is good if your work is free of discrimination and reports nothing but the truth. In my opinion, if you want to be a journalist, or at least call yourself one, the first thing you should do is learn to respect your subjects and writing them without bias. I stumbled upon this self-proclaimed ‘journalist’, God even, but this ‘deity’ happened to go by the name of Nicole. Well, it really isn’t a ‘she’ but a ‘he’, but for the sake of satirism we’ll just go with it.

“Let’s be honest – I am the Jesus Christ of millennials, the Zoroaster of remembering the 90s, the Yahweh of introverts. Walt Disney. The bible had 40, maybe 50 characters in it. If it were rewritten today, is there any doubt in your mind that I would be every single one of the characters?”

She might sound like some enraged banshee, but I find this one of the most amusing and hilarious descriptions one can write. This post mocks the people who disregard the ethics of journalism whereby journalism has to be ‘this’ or ‘that’, but it can never be both.

Also, Nicole also made a hilarious post on Chinese New Year here. And I celebrated the start of my CNY with Princess, Kim, Venessa, and a few friends.

I had this idea way back but didn’t really go any further than just thought. So, me and my friends grabbed a DSLR and a few self-made reflectors and just went at it for about 4 days. Do give the much needed opinions! Constructive criticism is always gooooooooooooood.

1. That constant reminder that your close friends and family are back home.

 

2. Mamak (Indian cuisine) is just too expensive.

3. Trying to fit in.

 

 

4. Trying to understand heavy accents and slang.

5. The thought of how my studies are affecting home.

6. Missing Chinese New Year.

7. Coming from a tropical country, showering in cold weather is torture.

8. Wondering if I have enough money to survive the month.

9. Instant noodles.

10. Culture shock.

*Water spinach

 

“Lettuce get to the root of the problem. We have mushroom for improvement.” – Kuah Jen Han

This was the tweet by Malaysian comedian Kuah Jen Han, which spread like wildfire over the social network. This isn’t the first time my country has become a laughing stock. Oh, that was too rushed in. Nothing is wrong with my country really. I mean, Malaysia is so rich in natural resources that its gross domestic product grew an average 6.5%, for almost 50 years! The only thing wrong is that our Prime Minister, Najib Razak, under whatever circumstances, constantly manages to get himself into these situations – deep shit.

To clarify, I am in no way affiliated with any political party whatsoever. I am writing this as a concerned Malaysian from a neutral standpoint. I tried so hard to refrain myself from including any sort of political issues in this blog but this was just too hard to resist.

Malaysia welcomed the new year with rise of prices in basic necessities such as fuel and electricity, and as usual, fingers are pointed towards the government. However, in a recent speech, Najib talked in elated spirit saying that while the prices of other things have soared, the price of ‘kangkung’, or more commonly known as the water spinach, has dropped. He also added, asking that why aren’t the people praising the government when the price of kangkung has dropped. What I don’t understand here is, how has the drop of the price of a vegetable mitigate the inflationary pressure and lifted the national economy?

Okay, it is time for us to make kangkung our national dish, I think it serves as a perfect manifestation of Malaysia’s culinary diversity. While we are on it, lets eat kangkung for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Malaysia’s opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, also made a remark on this memorable occasion:

“@BBCWorld: #BBCtrending on #Malaysia‘s “spinach-gate” http://t.co/qxDViqB0Y4 #kangkung pic.twitter.com/WUJORJFmPS”

— Anwar Ibrahim (@anwaribrahim) January 15, 2014

 

So it got me wondering, if the government is so competent in bringing prices down, why is it doing the exact opposite? The reduced price could be due to a climate phenomenon, but our ‘wise’ Prime Minister chose to exploit this as a pretext for his unwelcome policies. But, what really propelled this mistake into a huge mess for our beloved Prime Minister?

It all started when the video of his speech went viral and shared across social media networks, which shows how powerful social networks are. This platform connects to people faster than a blink of eye. If you manage to ridicule yourself and let it be posted on the Internet, especially if you are a leader of a government, prepare to be ruined and judged.

Here is a version of the original video narrated in english.

“To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind the walls, draw closer to find each other, and to feel.” – The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

The recent major motion picture, based on the short story by James Thurber, stars Ben Stiller working in a magazine company and is a constant daydreamer. The art direction of the movie literally blew me away, from the majestic landscape of Iceland, grand view of the Himalayas, to the marvelous shots of the city.

Walter took responsibility of his family after the death of his father, and at the same time gave up on his dream as a skateboarder. Life took over. Despite the plot being similar to ‘Nebraska’, in which the story revolves around the main character finding their self by going on a journey, the visual imagery seems to compensate for it.

Overall, the movie meant well. A lot could be cut down and be simplified. From what I know, it got slammed by critics by being too generic. But I’d recommend you watch it if you’re in dire need of motivation!

Also, Sean Penn is (as usual) awesome.

 

Would you relive moments?

Would you save lives?

Would you correct mistakes?

Would you travel the world?

Would you have fun?

Would you choose to live every day like it’s your last, and every single day you revisit will be a special and memorable as any other day?

Everyone is a time traveler, whether they realize it or not.

 

note to self: why not?