Teoh responded as a witness to an investigation carried out by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, which should have been as harmless as appearing for jury duty in court – but instead he died a tragic death, and the evidence so far doesn’t put the MACC in a very good light (unless you only subscribe to The Star, or the New Straits Times, who are both owned by the ruling coalition).

Teoh’s death is shocking because it’s yet another story we don’t want to believe – that our country isn’t as safe as we once thought it was. But it’s also shocking because the MACC, which is supposed to stand against corruption, did not provide the kind of protection for this witness. In fact, all evidence seems to point against that – that what we are made to understand as a means to benefit the country, is just a tool of the ruling coalition to cement their power by spin doctoring news in their favor.

If this is indeed true, then it’s as though they have crossed a certain boundary like a termination of contract – one that says that the current government has gone against its promise to serve the people.

When it comes to times like this – it changes your perspective of life – that somehow your rights are no longer being protected, and that the dreams that you work so hard for seem to fade away in the distance.

A real country that stands on its own is a country that is run by its people, not a country that is run by a perfect government – because there is no such thing. I can’t help but feel that there are many of us who are beginning to feel called to set aside our daily luxuries to make certain sacrifices for the future of the nation.

And it’s only through these sacrifices that justice will prevail.

May Teoh’s departure not be in vain.

Settling down in London

LL and I managed to find jobs within a month or so after touching down. That has certainly been a real blessing from God, which we don’t consider to be a coincidence. Firstly, because the recession was starting to build up at that time, and jobs were being cut left and right. The jobs we got were not just timely, but comfortable too.

LL was hired as an office assistant in a small charity firm that help financially challenged people who can’t afford to pay rent, to mitigate the curse of homelessness and joblessness. She has a desk to herself, and enjoys the autonomy and the freedom that’s been given by her employers. Some of the work is challenging, but that keeps her occupied. In the meantime, she invests her time in her newfound knitting hobby, and has enrolled herself in an advanced knitting course at the University of the Arts. She’s intending to take it further.

As for me, I applied for a job on Gumtree (of all places), and shortly received a call from a guy who was interested to take me on as a web developer for a startup he’s building. We hit it off real fast, and it’s been going really great so far. At least, my programming skills won’t get rusty, and it’ll help put something down on my CV at the end of the day.

The jobs paid well enough for us to move into a cosy studio apartment, that had a separate kitchen to prevent the stink from soaking into the bedsheets in the next room. It’s undoubtedly small, but for the two of us – it’s okay. We spend the remaining on dining out on good grub, as most Malaysians do.

UCLIC

I can’t explain how in love I am being in school, learning all that I am learning about design, user experience, applied psychology, and interactions.

£16,870 is a hard number to swallow, especially when a lot of it’s on loan at a time like this. But that’s what it costs to get into the MSc program at UCLIC. I could’ve gone to City and paid a whole lot less… but I really won’t know what I’d be missing if I did. And I hate that thought. I’m so thankful for the friends, the experiences, the opportunities – that this program has had to offer so far.

A few weeks ago, I received confirmation that I would be working with Microsoft Research Cambridge, and some really established researchers in the field. I even got my wish to do an ethnographic study, because I really wanted the experience of working with real users, in the style of anthropologists – if just a taste.

Graduate school has evolved over the years to cater for the working class. And I think it’s reach a point where there’s a good balance between industry and academia, at least from the perspective I’m observing here.

I get to leverage on my expertise and maturity from work, and this bodes well with my lecturers and classmates. Classes now involve a lot of groupwork, and are no longer the stuffy image of butt cramping lecturers hour after hour. We’re graded on insight, not output. And we get to converse with folks from industry, thanks to the connections the lecturers have built with practitioners over the years.

Leaving Malaysia

I contrast this to my life back home, and it wasn’t too long ago. I don’t think I would have had the same opportunities, had I not left. Even if the opportunities were available, it would have been a constant battle. At least, not for UX practioners.

I never told this to a lot of people, but I was given an opportunity to interview with DiGi for a usability position, but I had to turn it down because I had already submitted my application to UCLIC. I felt it was unethical to go under the radar for this. Thinking back, I’m not sure if that would be more ideal. Surely, KL does not have the kind of vibrant UX community London does (and I dare to debate with anyone on this). It also doesn’t have the kind of culture that’s open to UX paradigms… at least, not yet.

Looking ahead, in a few month’s time, my mind will be preoccupied with my dissertation, job applications, and who knows what else. Sometimes, paralyzed out of anxiety, I’m unable to do anything but stay in bed longer. On other days, I’m so inspired I can’t help but immerse myself in literature and interact with the community around me.

This post is a receipt of what can happen in a year.

So much to learn, and so much to live for.

A BusinessWeek article titled, “The World’s Most Influential Companies” was published very recently, but this particular section of the article caught my eye.

Firstly, because I didn’t realize Unilever was so influential, and secondly, the photo they used shows Dove shampoo tagged with a Mydin price sticker. Anyone from Malaysia knows Mydin is a local hypermarket chain, and the label clearly shows RM3.70, for a slightly-smaller-than-average bottle of shampoo (which is pretty darn cheap).

Useful lessons to take away in this current economic climate.

Why so CACAT ONE!?!?!??!

Webmaster: madsalleh@btconnect.com ????

“Photographer Service Availabled” ????

Tun Dr Mahathir, originally uploaded by wazari.

Part of Malaysiakini’s interview with Dr. Mahathir:

Malaysiakini: Can you comment on Zam (Zainuddin Maidin)?

Mahathir: He won or lost? Oh, he lost. Well, the way he was campaigning was really funny, telling people to look at his face and how it doesn’t change. But I think that a face that doesn’t change can be very boring. Sometimes you must laugh, sometimes you must cry.

He was telling everybody “Ini muka tak bertukar, tak bertukar”. Who is interested in his ‘wajar’? If he was Britney Spears, then…

—————————

You just gotta love that old man.

Here’s another one:

Malaysiakini:Are you surprised by (ISA detainee) M Manoharan’s victory?

Mahathir: This has happened before in 1959 or is it 1964, when PAS used to go from village to village carrying the candidate’s shoes and he won.

article URL: http://122.0.17.30/news/79523

BN in the drain, originally uploaded by jaremfan.

I stayed up till 2am until I exhausted all my anticipation of finding out the juiciest details regarding the Malaysian 2008 Election, in which I voted for the very first time as a born-and-bred citizen.

A close Malaysian friend of mine who works for Google in the UK was back a week ago and asked me, “so how’s the situation in Malaysia?”

I answered, “it’s exciting”.

This was a week ago, when I was still doubtful that the present government would be moved, doubtful that we as citizens could make a difference, doubtful that we would be divided yet again along racial or economic or political lines.

And today, I’m happy to stand on my answer. Not because we have won it all, and not because my vote made an extremely big difference, but it did make A difference rather than NO difference.

To quote a stranger, “I would rather vote the monkey in the opposition than a good guy in BN”. People are rallying for one cause – make change happen, for better or for worse. And this could only take place at this point in time, for all the things are in the right place, and with the right people, and the right reasons.

It’s hard to change when there are too many sides. This time, there are less sides to choose, and that makes it so obvious. So people choose change. Hopefully, the next round, we’ll arrive more mature where we can actually vote for the right “monkey”.

What happened this week is historic not because it appeared in the papers, and it’s not historic because someone else told you so. It’s historic because every Malaysian had a part in it, and will continue to have a part of it from now on.

I believe that more young people will now have the mind to speak up for their communities, for their businesses, for their schools, for their state. They know better now who the representatives are, who is in charge, because they made the choice to put them in that place – with all conviction.

We’re all in this ship together, for better or for worse. Cliche, yes, but united we stand, divided we fall.

I’m glad the things took place the way it did. I’m looking forward to the next few years to see how a real democracy works, in such a diverse nation such as this. And I want to be a part of it.

Now, THAT’s exciting.

Independence day is just around the corner, and the elections is slated to come soon after, though when exactly “soon” will be is anyone’s guess.

The heat is increasing on several local blogs, and more bloggers have become more conscientious about political awareness and Malaysia’s state of affairs. No thanks to the efforts of some of our local ministers who never fail to surprise us with their words, and the fact that these things, as much as they have been dumbed down, do end up in the major newspapers.

I’ve refrained from publishing my political views, mainly because I don’t have much of one. Growing up as a Chinese, I always had this idea that you couldn’t do much about the government, and the government didn’t want to do much about me.

Of course, those were my childhood days. Today, I am a taxpayer. And I still remember making the conscious decision to make Malaysia my home, after completing my studies overseas.

Despite conflicting opinions that I should really have tried to settle down in the US (or somewhere else), I wanted to make Malaysia my home. It’s not the greatest place in the world – the political climate is sort of screwed up, crime has become more apparent, people are in general still complaining (if not more), and it’s getting more and more difficult to earn a living as the days go by.

But you know, running away from it all won’t make it any better. In fact, it’ll make it worse. If there’s anything I can and should be doing, is to exercise my rights as a Malaysian citizen, and contribute to the country. Besides, the country is mine to enjoy as much as the other guy.

I was upset when I missed the last election because of my ignorance. In fact, I’m still not quite satisfied with my lack of awareness and understanding of the country’s affairs.

But I believe I’m doing my part as a citizen when I avoid double-parking, when I exercise a proper standard of professionalism at my workplace, when I appreciate my fellow countrymen across racial lines.

This year will be the first time I am casting a vote. It’s a little late, but it’s better than never. If you’re in the same spot as I am, you should go out and register yourself as a voter. Even if you’re in doubt, or feel defeated, or insignificant about the whole thing.

I had a few young people over the apartment tonight, for a farewell gathering of one of our youth group members who will be furthering his studies in Michigan soon.

I like opening up my apartment to this group of people, particularly because our home is an extension of ourselves, and they’ve blessed me in so many ways, it’s just good to be able to give back.

I made use of my Mukka Express to make coffee for them, and served them with some pasta that I made from a few bottles of Dolmio sauce and some extra herbs. The other food were take-aways, but we managed to clear up almost everything.

The brownies from MVO‘s recommendation were a hot item. I was sure to serve them warm from the oven with a healthy serving of Bulla’s vanilla ice cream. I found out today that the lady who sells it is an aunt of a good friend of mine. Small world. If anyone is interested, you can get them from Pat at Rocky Restaurant in Bangsar Baru, opposite the MPH bookstore. Give them a call (Rocky Restaurant) because they have to make it in advance.

People were hanging out everywhere. It was good just to see people lounging at the balcony, or the couch or the dining area. We even rigged up the study table for a game of Puerto Rico. I’m really happy with my furniture purchases so far. They’ve gone to good use.

We have plans to add paint to the walls, and to spruce up the study room. We bought paints from Jusco from some vouchers I received earlier, and we plan to get the study room ready before a friend of mine, LS, comes over to stay for a weekend in a few weeks’ time.

I’m glad I found the time to hang up the shoe wall rack, which I had been wanting to do for the longest time. It makes the intermediate area just outside our door a little more homely. A rug and a mirror would make that place really cosy.

Even the Omar shelf was set up today by some kind guests who volunteered some spare hands just when the party was getting bigger. I need to get another one, for the laundry area outside before the sale ends.

My mom only ever thought me one real lesson on cooking – you can cook anything as long as you know how to improvise. By that she meant the art of knowing what, how and when an ingredient goes into place.

Tonight, I decided on yet another random creation for dinner. My wife isn’t fussy, at the least. That gives me a lot of room to experiment, at least in the kitchen.

We ran out of leafy vegetables. I decided I wasn’t going to wait for my wife to buy some back, and decided to have chinese mushrooms as a centerpiece for a dish. But with what? I decided to make some egg and flour batter for the shrooms and toss them into a pot of oil. I wasn’t exactly sure how they were going to turn out.

The batter didn’t quite cover the mushrooms as well as I thought. Adding more flour didn’t help much either. I think I needed some bread crumbs or something, as solids to mask the outside layer of the shrooms. But I was lazy. Improvisation benefits from knowing how to prepare your disposable ingredients.

I like the chewy part of chinese mushrooms, which was why I decided to put them into a batter. But I think the taste somehow doesn’t fit into the whole deep-fried thing. Unless I add in something sweet like honey. I must try that one day. I have a can of button mushrooms I bought weeks ago… maybe that might work better.

The only thing I had really planned to make was a pot of herbal soup, with some pre-packed chinese herbs I got during grocery shopping. I had bought some chicken bones for that purpose. And next time I’m definitely going to be buy chicken feet, because they’re so cheap (60 sen for a pack) and taste great with soups.

Then there was a piece of de-boned chicken breast marinating in pepper and soy sauce. I hadn’t quite figured out what to do with that.

I almost wanted to cook butter chicken, but I found out at the last minute we had run out of butter. There was some leftover egg batter left, and I tossed in some garlic into oil and marinated the chicken again with the batter and some honey.

I tossed the whole thing into the frying pan, the sight of garlic almost too welcoming – and my afterthoughts about the batter came to light as the garlic bits sort of balled up together in the mix of egg batter from the marinade… almost chewable things, they became.

But the honey did the trick – the chicken came out great, partly because it had been sitting in a pool of soy sauce and pepper for so long. It tasted good and was chewy and flavourful from the mix of garlic and honey. Compliments from the wife, of course.

The soup ended up a bit too herbally… three spoonfuls of sugar didn’t help that much. And I realize now to drain the top of any meat-based soups from animal fat. But it was still edible by far. I think pork would have been a better meat to go with the herbs. Either that or more sugar.

Any suggestions?

I invited my cell group members over last night for a meal of beef stew and garlic pasta. We had a really good time, and it was a first for them since we moved into our new place. We played pass the pigs and one round of puerto rico and had ice cream with chocolate and love letters for dessert.

The stew came out better than I expected. It was really flavorful from the herbs, and there was enough to go around. Some toast added variation to the meal, and the simple pasta was an adequate base to supplement the hearty stew. I got the beef stew recipe from here and the pasta recipe from here and modified it a bit.
Next time, I think I need to add more salt and maybe some wine to give it that kick.

I went to bed last night around 1 or 2, I can’t remember… after cleaning up a bit. I think my wife did more cleaning up, actually. I have to give her credit for that.

The next morning I really couldn’t wake up, but I had to because 6 of my friends were coming over for breakfast. I promised them pancakes and coffee and eggs. MVO and WS volunteered to bring mushrooms and bacon, and SY and EK brought along some bananas and grapes and plums.

ES was the first to arrive, and we got down to making sausages that he brought and fried bananas when SY and EK brought the goods. WL arrived after that and there were about 4 of us in the kitchen. EK decided it would be wiser not to add to the commotion, and sat non-intrusively at the dining table.

The food turned out… well… we were hungry, so we ate it all. Ok, the bananas were good (kudos to ES and some other banana friers). The pancakes were pancakes, and the mushrooms and bacon helped to really bring the breakfast to a full brunch meal.

Soon we were all stuffed, and we drowned it in some really good red wine from Neroteca, cheese and brie from Australia.

The couples left ES, WL and I in the apartment, and the three of us talked about cars over the new TopGear malaysia magazine and watched episode 1008 of Southpark (dubbed the best southpark episode ever).

Overall, a really eventful two meals. I’m glad everyone really enjoyed themselves, as I did too.

This apartment needs a few more carpets, is what I think.
Related posts: Breakfast at Boon’s, Breakfast at Chew-fany’s