2012: The Year of Apocalypse

Tonight is the last night of 2012 and I'm writing this. It's going to be short.

The world didn't end on 21 December 2012. What a bummer.

Eldest finished kindergarten and will start primary in 2 days. I feel old. My second started kindergarten. I feel old.

I found that I truly loved my job, but I got increasingly frustrated with the direction we were heading to. I'm holding on. For now.

Car broke down. Got new car. TV broke. Got new TV. I'm still broke. What else is new?

Oh, some time in the middle of the year I decided I was too fat. I started working out and went for full-body check-up. I was relatively fine but doctor recommended me to lose some weight. Then I started counting Calories. Lost 4 kgs since. 2013 target: to fit into size 32 pants.

I grew an 8-months long hair, cut only last week after my eldest got his haircut for school.

My wife observed that I was having an early mid-life crisis. I think she was right. I think Whatsapp had a lot to do with that *cough*.

Bridges burned. Lessons learned.

The US had GE. Obawa won another term.

Malaysia's 13th General Erection Election is still anyone's guess. Read less about politics nowadays. No point. It is human nature; once your mind is made up, everything else is just noise. It has to happen Q1 2013 by hook. Or by crook. We'll see.

2012 had not been a great year. Apocalypse didn't happen but disasters did. But of course, optimists would tell me to count my blessings. So I guess I'll just shut up and start counting.

Till next year.

Parenting: Post-Traumatic Stress

What defines parenting, and why is it so damn hard sometime, all the time?

6 years back my wife and I were just starting out life together. We didn't have much money, struggling to make ends meet. Both hundreds of miles away from our hometowns. We didn't have much choice.

We sent our eldest to daycare for around a year during when he frequently caught various flu, fever and was hospitalized twice for severe vomiting and urticaria.

But the real kicker was when my wife caught one of the daycare staff mishandling our child, pulling on his ear while he was crying and refusing food.

It was painful for us as parents, to see our child suffer for a decision we thought best for him.

We then found a decent babysitter for around another year until my wife was pregnant again. She wanted a foreign domestic helper (read: Indonesian maid) as I was by then also furthering studies part-time. I hated the idea because we simply couldn't afford it and it also meant less freedom for me at home (read: no more walking around in underwear).

Nevertheless, the wife always win, so we got one and as much as I hate to say it, it kinda worked. The girl was sloppy but she was good to my children.

That was 5 years ago. In 4 days' time she will be leaving for good after 5 years of service.

We are back at a decision point for our now three children.

So, what defines parenting, and why is it so damn hard sometime, all the time?

It's not about dressing them up in fancy outfits.

It's not about feeding them meals.

It's not toys, fun, nor discipline.

I learned that parenting is about making decisions they can't make for themselves and hope to God we don't screw up.

So folks, before you engage in that 30 minutes of fun, remember that sex is very much like gangsterism.

You either pay for protection or pay the consequences.

Movie: Looper, Time-Travelling Never Gets Old

The rave reviews and high ratings given to Looper on Rotten Tomatoes caught my interest yesterday, so I set out last night to catch the midnight show with my wife, of course.

I was not disappointed.

I find Looper to be a very engaging movie with very interesting backstory. It would certainly appeal to anyone who is even remotely fascinated by the idea of time travelling. Looper is set in a time where a group of contract-killers called Loopers kill people sent to them from the future by highly organized criminal organisations. However, since the activity was highly illegal, the future mobs would ultimately tie all loose ends and the Loopers would eventually have to kill their future selves the same way they kill their catch.

But of course, somebody always didn't.

To really appreciate Looper you need to get some common time-travelling theories and concepts especially the grandfather paradox, and how the future is not set in stone ala Marvel's Days of Future Past or Robert Zemeckis' Back to the Future trilogy. The ideas behind Looper are hardly original; think of it as a cross between 12 Monkeys and Terminator series (oh, by the way, Bruce Willis was in 12 Monkeys too, and remembering that made me feel really ancient), even the storyline sometimes were predictable. However Looper provided just the right dose of mystery, drama, action, violence and some pretty unexpected turns ala M. Night Shyamalan's signature this-is-why-THAT-happened-earlier moments to deserve the high ratings and rave reviews.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt played a very convincing young Bruce Willis. He even pulled off Bruce Willis' trademark smirk rather successfully. Emily Blunt reminded me of a younger, sweeter, prettier Uma Thurman.

Bruce Willis was... well, Bruce Willis.

If I have to judge the movie based on my wife's reaction then I would give it a 3/5 since she did fell asleep at some points. My own rating would be a solid 4.5/5. Watch it to believe it.

But seriously, time travelling never gets old (haha get it? Never gets old... I'm so freaking funny I should kill my future self Looper-style).

Facebook: You Can't Choose Your Family

I spent some time yesterday cleaning up my Facebook friends list. If you are planning to do so, believe me when I say doing it from Android app is much faster than the website. You still need to do it one-by-one though.

I cleared exactly 132 names. You would think that the number consists of complete strangers and creepers but no, I actually removed most of my family members except my parents and siblings, because

a) I seem to get creepier as I get older and that is ruining my Aunty's-good-boy image
b) I find photos of cleavages of my own flesh and blood disturbing
c) I am left-wing, everyone else seems to be right-wing so it's best to avoid unhealthy arguments
d) I simply find a select few annoying (cut the crap, everybody has somebody they can't get along with; the show-off, the loudmouth, the asshole, the goody-two-shoes, the snake, the back-stab, the gossip, the smart-ass, the preacher, etc...)

Anyway there is already a Facebook group for my family members (at least my dad's side) that should be used for family-only updates. I find that to be a good compromise.

I consider this the first step towards a future when I will no longer keep a Facebook account.

For the rest still in my friends list, well, that could mean that I actually like you, need you for whatever devious means, or I still hope to have sex with you someday.

Or maybe I just care enough to tolerate your idiosyncrasies.

Hey, it's just freaking Facebook!

Movie: The Amazing Spider-Man 2012... Was Amazing!

Spider-Man has been and will always be my favourite mythology. I had 'known' him since I was 10. I watched how Marvel groomed him into greatness, and then within a decade almost destroyed his legacy with senseless, idiotic decisions in the course of his storylines. I was among fans who ultimately left Marvel in the late 90s as we watched them torture his life, took away his wife and daughter, killed Ben Reilly and at some point of time, Aunt May. 

I had therefore set pretty high expectations watching 2012 Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man last night. Comparisons against 2002 Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man were inevitable, and ultimately a long time fan like myself would also compare versus canon.

So, dislikes first.

I disliked how parts of the storyline felt a bit rushed. Peter Parker got his spider-powers way too easily with very little pain, and I felt things developed too fast between Gwen and Peter. But hey, of course I get how it is not easy to cramp 50 years of back-story into a 136-minutes movie.

That's it.

A lot of this movie I liked, and liked a darn lot more than the original 2002 franchise. For starters, Gwen Stacy had more depth in her character than just being a screaming damsel-in-distress that was Kirsten Dunst's Mary-Jane Watson. Emma Stone played her as an intelligent, independent love interest and that for me is a big turn on. Of course, in the comics Gwen Stacy would ultimately DIE (too late for spoiler alert? Come on, this has been in public domain for 50 years for God's sake! lol) by the hands of the Green Goblin so I would hate to watch that should it be the storyline of the second instalment.

Sally Field had been my favourite Hollywood 'mom'-figure ever since she played in Brothers & Sisters. She was a perfect choice for Aunt May. She felt like a genuinely affectionate aunt. On the contrary, Rosemary Harris felt more like a doting grandmother.

The mechanical web-shooters were simply awesome. Aside from being canon, Andrew Garfield's way of shooting webs also was more 'real'; he actually 'knit' strands of webbing to create cobwebs in his fights. Tobey's, if Spider-Man is at all real, would have to drink tonnes of fluid everyday to replace his bio-webbing.

I am neutral towards the choice of the Lizard as the primary antagonist and the actor who played him.

Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man also felt a lot more humane. I think that side of Peter Parker was greatly emphasized in the scene where he saved the kid on Williamsburg Bridge.

The action sequences were a lot more fluid and felt less like elaborate computer animations. In fact the entire movie also felt a lot more... scientifically plausible, darker, and had less of the comic book feel. I do think Christopher Nolan did a better job with Batman, though I can't possibly imagine how anyone could have topped that.

Stan Lee's cameo was comical as usual though only a fan would truly understand this.

The most AMAZING thing was that my wife actually stayed awake throughout the entire 136-minutes.

So there, my movie review of  the Amazing Spider-Man 2012. It was a blast, and I definitely will be watching it again and again and again and again. It goes without saying that I can't wait for the second instalment. Just saying.

The Amazing Spider-Man will turn 50 this August.

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility. Of course.

Season: Naga King Durian Overdose

Durian season is in.

I have had Durian, the King of Fruits since last weekend.

Today was the ultimate. Durian feast at work! Apparently, a world class organization like ours deserved nothing but the best of the best, world-class Durian. I didn't care; as long as they tasted good they can call it Durian Ular Sawa if they wanted to. 

I went into my usual Durian frenzy. Today I counted 21 juicy, fat Durian seeds down my bloated belly. A Blackjack. Heck, they should name one Durian Naga King in my honour!

I went back to the office, sweating Durian in cool air-conditioning.

I went to a  meeting with 2 lovely ladies right after. They visibly cringed at the smell of a Durian-infused Dragon (not my fault, I told them to postpone but NO, they wanted to meet today lol).

I went on a 5km walk home from the office to burn some of the calories. I got home, opened the door, and my wife screamed. I reeked of Durian, even the surrounding air smelled of Durian when I passed by. No hugs and kisses for me today. Oh well.

I went up to clean up and wash away the stench. I burped and can literally taste Durian in my breath. Everything about me smelled of Durian. Every single thing out of my body. EVERY.

Yes, I love Durian so much, I would fill a syringe with it and inject it down my bloodstream. I'm a Dragon on Durian-overdose.

Although, there goes my 'malam Jumaat'.

EURO2012: No (S)Pain No Gain ¡Viva España!

Yesterday was the final match of EURO 2012, contenders being Spain vs Italy. I had hoped for a Spain vs Germany game which IMHO would have been a lot more... dramatic.

Nevertheless it was quite a game last night and I think even haters would have to agree that Spain had played the best throughout the whole tournament. Their sharp passes were simply phenomenal! I remember some pretty nasty comments earlier on Spain's 4-3-3 formation and how even Vicente del Bosque would rather play with all mid-fielders than put Fernando Torres at the front line.

I didn't see anybody complaining at final whistle.

While Spain's line-up was open to coffee shop debate, there is no denying that Spain had in their team the best goalkeeper throughout the entire tournament, possibly even the best goalkeeper in the world right now. Iker Casillas, ladies and gentlemen, who for the entire tournament had a whopping 90% success rate in his saves!

You can get more facts and statistics here. Being someone who is generally detached from football except during World Cups and EUROs, then watched Spain play in the span of a month I can't help but wonder:

• if Spain's training regime involved playing chicken in the center of a circle trying to intercept passes between players;
• if Iker Casillas is really human, alien, or genetically engineered to have the supernatural reflexes of a cat;
• if Spain can sell off footballers to Germany in exchange for a bailout of their country's debts;
• if Fernando Torres and Xavi are perfect soul-mates for each other.

Whatever it is, the game-play shown by Spain throughout reaffirmed my sentiments that English football is really over-publicized and over-commercialized.

Till Rio, ¡Viva España!

Windows 8: One Ring to Bring Them All and in the Darkness Bind Them

Last week I read about Microsoft's Surface tablet here. Naturally some see it as Microsoft's attempt at emulating the success of Apple's iPad. Some see it as Microsoft copying Google's Nexus strategy. I see it as the piece of software that will make or break Microsoft. Whatever it is, hardly a day goes by nowadays that I don't read something about Windows 8; it is THAT big.

It is no secret that the future of the consumer technology lies in connected mobile devices. Handhelds. Before his death Steve Jobs went as far as declaring a post-PC world. Data collected last year had shown for first time that smartphone sales globally has surpassed PCs and soon the combined sales of mobile devices, smartphones and tablets will overwhelm PCs by million if not billions! I mean, just look at Fujitsu's Lifebook 2013 concept; who would buy PCs any more with this... AUTOBOT around?


The post-PC world needs an ubiquitous OS that can exist cross-platform. I like to think that Google has a real competitor in the mobile space in the form of Chrome OS and Android. Google's acquisition of Motorola recently plus Intel and Motorola's partnership to introduce Intel's smartphone for US market formed an image at the back of my mind; a Motorola Atrix with Chrome OS as its webtop OS running on both ARM and x86 architecture. Apparently I'm not alone. 


Technology moved at a blinding pace in the space of 10 years. Within just 10 years, status quos changed. Palm died, RIM's Blackberry rose and fell, Apple soared, ARM became mainstream, AMD married ATI, Google's Android and Samsung beat Nokia, and Intel somehow found ways to rise from somewhere down below to be literally everywhere... (wait a minute... hey, I think Intel is the real winner here as even Apple uses their chips now!)


Within 10 years, Microsoft found themselves dethroned not by a single competitor but by multiple segments and ecosystems. They absolutely need Windows 8 to remain relevant. They need Windows 8 to be the ubiquitous OS that can be everywhere to fight the battles in an increasingly convergent world where PCs are no longer the 'in' thing. Heck, nowadays apps and casual games like Mafia Wars and Draw Something that were such hits on social networks don't even need Windows to run!

I do think the magnitude of failure would be even greater than the infamous Vista.

Thanks: Just, Thanks. Thanks, dragonajie

I don't think it is necessary to reply an email with just 'Thanks'. I personally think it an irritating waste of resources, especially 5 seconds of precious time (that I can use to check Twitter) to click, read the damned word and close. No I don't have preview pane enabled in my Outlook; we were hit with worms from automatically loaded pictures a few years back so I had that off since.


I think, if you absolutely must show courtesy and your utmost appreciation in emails, say "Thanks, I'll buy you coffee next time" or "Thanks, let's go on a date". Just "Thanks" blows.


What irritates me the most though is auto-signature in emails that reads 'Thanks, [Sender name]'. Then the sender replied with just 'Thanks', so I get 'Thanks. Thanks, [Sender name]'. Seriously, I can't be the only one, right? RIGHT?


So let me give everyone a suggestion. Instead of replying with just 'Thanks' to end a thread of email conversations, just delete the message title and replace it with 'Thanks [EoM]'. Seeing that and 'EoM' (by the way that means End-of-Message, pops) the receiver would not bother to open your email and you get the message across.


Edit: I forgot that there's an even more irritating species: replying 'np' to a 'Thanks' to a mailing list of 100 people. Dear God #facepalm.


And don't even get me started on 'Your welcome'.


Thanks,
dragonajie

FELDA Listing: The Deal Behind the Deal (In Layman's Terms)

When FELDA listing issue exploded some time back I had been trying to understand the brouhaha behind it. Finance, economics and numbers somewhat fascinates me, yet I guess my brain is too... 'methodical' to fully comprehend half of the things my smart friends discussed. Anything bigger than personal finance seems to beat me down senseless.

Since the FELDA deal involves the government it is natural for people to have some suspicions. Moreover when the deal is multi-BILLIONS in value and spear-headed by someone considered to be a political reject. Nevertheless it is too obvious that some people in the know for certain will be laughing all the way to the bank.

Well, thank God for smart friends. One actually spent some of his time to digest, analyse and simplify the whole thing for not-so-smart people like yours truly. I feel that his simplified analysis deserves to be shared with the rest of the not-so-smart people in the world for enlightenment, so we can make informed judgement on the issue no matter which side of the fence we are sitting on. It is also thankfully in Malay so I hope more non-English-speaking Malaysians can benefit from his work. 

For credits, this guy wishes to be publicly known as Feizrul Nor. A few months back he wrote a series of opinion pieces on PPSMI which was published at the Malaysian Insider. His 'work' below is basically a summary of another, more detailed analysis posted here (follow the link if you are interested in the fancy charts and stuff) + his analysis based on the publicly published prospectus, various sources and discussions. Pretty heavy stuff to digest on my own.

So here goes.

FGVH Background:

1) FGVH ditubuhkan sebagai 'special purpose vehicle' untuk pegang 49% saham FELDA bagi pihak Gomen

2) FGVH is 100% Gomen owned

3) FGVH nih ada gak business lain, kalo refer kat the 1st diagram, FGVH owns shares in FELDA, MSM (gula biz), Tradewinds

4) also a few JV biz in North America and JV with Saudi company, both JV rugi teruk.

The Scheme:

1) to 'monetize' FGVH's assets via IPO - meaning FGVH yg 100% Gomen punya akan dpt billion2 ringgit from the IPO. Duit guna utk apa? Wallahu'alam, your guess as good as mine.

2) harga saham FGVH depends on asset apa yg dia ada.

3) since biz track record pon teruk and asset pon tak banyak, so harga IPO pon tak boleh tinggi2

4) the higher the IPO price, the more money Gomen makes

5) to get higher price, FGVH needs more assets

6) mana nak dapat asset? ka-chingg! tanah FELDA yang 350,000 hektar tuh

7) so Najib tells FELDA to sewakan tanah2 tuh pada FGVH at the rate of RM700 (yes tujuh ratus ringgit sahaja) per hektar per year, for 99 years.
8) so, sekarang FGVH dah ada asset yg osem sket, walaupun cuma tanah2 sewa. dgn adanya pertambahan asset nih, the rumored IPO price is set at RM4.65

9) tapi RM4.65 mana cukup beb. nak la harga tinggi lagi. 

10) to get much more awesome price, tanah2 sewa tak cukup, kena jadikan tanah2 tuh milik mutlak. macam mana nak buat nih?

KPF Gets in the Picture:

1) Koperasi Peneroka Felda owns 51% of FELDA

2) Another 49% is owned by FGVH

3) to get the 350k hectares of FELDA land, FGVH need to get total ownership of FELDA

4) so, to do that, FGVH needs the 51% KPF shares in FELDA

5) so Isa Samad pon masuk jadi chairman FELDA, then somehow KPF dipaksa ambik dia jadi chairman KPF gaks

6) Isa Samad moved a motion for KPF to agree a share swap with FGVH

7) KPF's 51% in FELDA, for 30% of FGVH shares from the IPO. konon tukar suka sama suka.

8) seems like a 'durian runtuh' for the koperasi, dapat saham free 30% dalam FGVH the Public Listed Company (PLC)

9) tapi FGVH sudah ketawa evil, with the 51% KPF shares they will now own 100% of FELDA and all its assets, termasuk tanah 350k hektar tuh.

10) with this much2 more osemm asset, harga saham IPO sure akan lebih tinggi dari RM4.65. maka Gomen pon senang hati.

Tapi!!!

1) NGO ANAK pimpinan Mazlan Aliman sudah bikin kacau

2) dia kata Isa Samad jadi chairman KPF tak sah, pasal ahli KPF aja boleh jadi chairman kalo ikut perlembagaan KPF

3) Ahli KPF hanyalah peneroka dan staff2 FELDA. 

4) so ANAK sudah dpt court order untuk block the whole share swap thingie.

6) without the share swap, FGVH takleh dpt full control of the 350k hectares of land.

5) dari evil laugh, skarang gomen sudah stuck. harga saham IPO pon sudah stuck dekat RM4.65

So, Why Go Through With It?

1) masa makin suntuk, seems like they are rushing for the IPO to be done before GE13

2) so gomen say - lantaklah! RM 4.65 per share pon okay whatt. Money is still money kan, watper nak tamak sgt :P

3) they are proceeding with the IPO without full control of the 350k hectares FELDA land. skarang cuma ada tanah2 sewa aja

But!!

1) ada isu jugak dgn tanah2 yg diorg sewa dari FELDA tuh

2) pokok kelapa sawit atas tanah2 tuh byk yg dah tua2. over 50% dah lebih 20 years old.

3) so hasil makin kurang, pokok tua means pokok tinggi, lagi susah nak harvest so cost makin tinggi. then pokok tua mmg makin kurang berbuah pon

4) also, pasal pokok2 dah tua, so in the near future FGVH kena kluar duit untuk tebang dan tanam pokok baru. this is extra cost

5) also, lepas tanam pokok baru bukan boleh terus berbuah. so akan ada period yg hasil FGVH akan merudum

6) also, eventhough FELDA has the biggest land tract for palm oil plantation in the world, tapi hasil produksi tanah2 nih per hektar in only ranked at 3rd. so productivity agak tidak memuaskan.

6) so, analyst bila tgk isu2 nih, diorg pon kata "Wait, RM4.65 is rather high. The share price should be lower!"

7) makin rendah harga share, makin kurang lah duit masuk poket Gomen.

Buy and Flip

1) tapi analyst nih pon tau, since gomen yg push for the IPO, kompem laa gomen nak tunjuk its a wise decision to go for the listing

2) so diorg expect, upon listing, saham FGVH akan naik mencanak-canak. at least temporarily

3) mcm mana nih leh jadi? nak manipulate KLCI bukan susah, saiz tak besar, with a few billion ringgit the gomen can already create a bull run on FGVH stock. bila tgk saham naik kompem investor lain pon nak join the party, so harga saham makin naik.

4) this euphoria will be temporary, coz in the long run the real issues will take over.

5) maka, kalao berjaya dpt saham FGVH nih time IPO, sgtlah menguntungkan :)

Jika salah harap tunjukkan :)

Moral for today, be friends with smart, critical-thinking people and you get to learn things. Be friends with sheep and you get seared for wool.

It's your choice.

Money Matters: 5 Cents Worth Of Rants

When I was in the US, I was impressed that there were so many fancy new cars on the road. Then a good friend of mine asked me a good question; how do I know that they were not deep in debt? I didn’t give it much thought, until one day a well-dressed stranger begged me for some cash to fill up at a gas station. He was driving a Ford Mustang.

I heard this saying during one Friday sermon (and modified it in my image of course). The wealthiest person in the world is not one who has the most money, nor he the one with the fanciest possessions. The wealthiest person in the world is truly one who desires nothing of this world. I say that makes him either religiously devout, or hopelessly crazy.

We have been conditioned all our lives to comply by the rules of a materialistic society. Social statuses are defined by how much money a person has and what things a person possesses. Consumerism. The constant need to get the better deal. To get the best money can buy. Hence the more money we have, the greater the need to spend on perceived better things.

The best financial advices ever given to me probably came from my mother

1. Avoid getting into (credit card) debt. – Check. Somewhat. If we have to get into debt to get what you want then it definitely is beyond our means. Of course this excludes owning a house and unfortunately for us in this side of the world, a car.
2. Buy a home as soon as we can afford it – Check. Why rent, if one can buy? Start small. Look for 0 downpayment loan. I did.
3. Buy gold. – Uncheck. Too late for me now, with gold trading at RM200/gram. I pity young couples of today; it’s much cheaper and easier nowadays to just romp it at a budget hotel than to get properly married. I would love to rant about this but not today.
4. Set aside 10% of our income for saving – Check AND uncheck somewhat. I set aside 5% of my income which I end up using anyway every 6 months. Oh well.
5. Make sure we feed our family with rezeki halal. – Check. Well, at least I'd like to think that I tried my best. It is not always easy, because halal doesn't only mean consuming halal food, but the source of income must also be halal. Again, I’d love to rant but not today.

The absolute truth is that no amount of financial planning will deter you from whatever material things you desire. You may have a very detailed financial plans and goals, but as soon as you FEEL that you are able to afford a top-end smartphone you always wanted, or a fancy car you’ve been dreaming of, or a bigger home you feel most comfortable in, well, you most likely will get them regardless if you are barely able to afford them.

Najwa Latiff got it right. Otak kata jangan hati pula kata yaaa… The subconscious human mind always wins. And that’s a scientific fact.

Here’s a few cents worth of advice and points to ponder from one poor, sick and tired dragon that has been trying and failing to beat the system for 10 years now.

1. People naturally tend to overspend if it means getting something they perceive to be better. Hence there will always be a smartphone with slightly bigger screen and processing power for JUST RM200 more. There will always be a car with better accessories and bodykits for JUST RM2000 more. There will always be a house with extra 200 square-feet of living space for JUST RM20000 more. If you can afford it, why not?
2. There's a big difference between the haves, the have-nots, and the have-not-yets. In wanting something better, they are the same.
3. Know and understand this when planning your finances: You WILL fail.
4. You will not be able to avoid debt, but if you have to be in debt, go Islamic. And remember that the most Islamic thing to do is to settle off your debts as soon as possible. Try your best to be Syariah-compliant in everything you do, be it finances, investments, insurance, everything. Of course I don’t need to tell you to never skip paying Zakat. Or do I?
5. To believe in Allah means that we must understand that all our fortunes are of His will, and everything that are ours are His to take back. So thank Allah.
6. Stop caring. Even just for a little bit. Then you’ll see opportunities.

One can attempt to accumulate a million bucks for retirement at 55 years-old only to die at 54. Or one can spend on things all his life and die without a single cent at 80. Wealth, unfortunately, is subjective and heavily dependent on health. And death. Steve Jobs said it best, that he didn’t want to be the richest man in the cemetery.

Sorry there’s no motivational mumbo jumbo. If you need that, follow Fadzilah Kamsah. I’m ranting because after 10 years, I'm finally taking my own advice.

To stop caring. Well, maybe just for a little bit.

901: Not A 'Melayu Berpecah' Hot Dog Brand

Let’s face it. Regardless of what the verdict would be on 9th of January, pro-Barisans (especially hardcore Mahathirists) will only believe that Anwar is guilty because otherwise it would make a liar out of their great leader. On the other end pro-Pakatans will only believe that Anwar is innocent because otherwise it would make a liar out of their great leader. Opinions don’t change. You only get more opponents to oppose you and more supporters to support you.

So what’s the point of all the provocative status updates on Facebook?

Oh, that’s right. Opinions. Everyone is entitled to their own. You know it’s the same saying about assholes too, right?

Fine.

And please, stop with all this Melayu berpecah  mantra. To accuse the Malays of being divided simply because many are supporting Pakatan is equivalent to saying that you are guilty of the same thing; that Malays are divided because you are supporting Barisan. It doesn’t make sense, hypocritical, self-defeating and contradicting.

If pro-Pakatans are kuda Anwar, does that make pro-Barisans kuda Najib? Kesian, tak pasal pasal kuda pun ada saham politik.

No, I am not in favor of 901 rally no matter how much pro-Pakatan I am. I have said time and time again that I believe the cause to be bigger than about one man. Bersih rallies were for a national cause. 901 is personal.

Nevertheless, those who will be out on the streets, stay safe. Those who are gonna shoot them off the streets, well, be good.

See you on the other side.