• Fix a date for wedding. About time.
• Eat some idlys with fish curry for the first time in more than 17 years (where to find?)
• Get a tattoo on the back of lower right calf.
• Go for a ten-hour walk.
• Fix a date for vacation (India, south for most parts).
• Make a donation to a mosque.
• Cut down on cigarettes (first step to quitting).
• Cut down on alcohol sorry, no fucking way.
• Last but not least: Vote against the BN (I hope..)

Not much time left.

Getting there is not difficult: Rashomon is located along Kujo Dori in Kyoto (Google map location of Rashomon), near to the Toji temple. There are buses from the Kyoto train station (78, 208 I think) and there is also a local rail station nearby (Toji Station), but I chose to walk there. Quite true, what they said online: blink and you might just miss it:

from across the road

at the side of the road

All this while, I thought that the Rashomon movie is something that the Japanese would be extremely proud of. Proud enough to at least put up a big sign saying “hey tourists Rashomon here”. I mean, its Rashomon, right? Nope. The marker pillar is fenced up in a run-down playground with only a see-saw and a slide:

dilapidated playground

rashomon pillar

If not for my Kanji-literate fiancee, I would have just walked past without even realising that Rashomon was there. Is it just me, or does it seem as if the folks at Kyoto don’t give a shit about Rashomon, maybe even are ashamed of it. Look at this, not even a mention of the movie:

rashomon plate

Well, I don’t regret visiting here, just surprised. I thought people would care enough about the movie to at least mention it here. It is one of the most famous movies from one of the most famous directors in the world. But not one mention.

Oh yeah, the Rashomon bus stop (romanised as Rajomon):

rashomon busstop

hello!

We’ve come a long way from when we first met. Back then, I was tending a bar, part time, while looking for a proper job. She was a first year law student, part time waitress at some crappy tea cafe.

We met under pretty unusual circumstances, as she came down from her apartment. I’ve always joked that it was as if she was a goddess descending from the heavens, in an elevator (you may cringe now). That was why I decided to propose at an appropriate altitude: closest to where I thought she came from (also, I couldn’t have used the classic “let’s buy a flat” method since we don’t even qualify for one).

I’ve stopped counting the number of years we’ve been together, we’ve had good times and bad. Now, I’m just looking forward to the rest of the years that I can spend with her. Hope it’ll be for the rest of our lives, in best of times and worst.

Getting married in Singapore is expensive business. The checklist of stuff to blow your hard-earned money on ranges from absolute essentials to utterly pointless crap that nobody cares about but somehow considered to be essential. Professionally-shot videos/photos that nobody care to look at (let’s face it, most of us are no supermodels), expensive cheesey boring hotel banquets (that you expect your guests to pay for), cards and door gifts that get thrown away the moment your guests get home, costumes that you’re only gonna wear once in your life before being permanently shoved into a lonely corner of your shoebox of a home, which by the way is also frickin overpriced. And I wish I knew which genius made the diamond ring compulsory for a proposal, I hope to piss on his/her grave one day.

Here’s the thing: I don’t think I speak only for myself when I say, I just want to get married to the person I love. I just want to buy a house to live in, try to be a good husband and father to my wife and kids. Knowing my GF of more than six years, I’m pretty confident that her thoughts are pretty damn close to mine (though I would insist on being the husband). However, we might end up having to do some or all of those ridiculous things that we dread or hate when our turn comes.

It is like a curse that’s waiting to be broken, but nobody breaks it when they have the chance. So the curse keeps perpetuating that way. Perhaps a lot of times it is not up to the people actually getting married. Sometimes, it is not even up to the immediate family of the people getting married, which is frankly ridiculous, whether you want to call that “respect for elders” or “peer pressure” or societal norms. It just basically means that as much as we don’t want to do it, we will have to because other people expect us to.

Call me communist, call me anti-social. I just hate all these, and I’m sure you hate a lot of it too. I just hope I can do something about it.

Recently, Miss Popagandhi got flamed for a piece she wrote about what she perceived as “growing chorus” of xenophobic discourse by Singaporeans. I met her in person some years back when I was bussing tables at Indochine. She seemed to be nice and I’ve always enjoyed reading her stuff (and I must add, she is a lot hotter than in pics), but I have to disagree with her on some parts.

Yes, there is xenophobia. There is bound to be some of that wherever you go, but take it from me, a foreigner who has stayed, studied, worked here for more than a decade, that it is mild and pretty damn far from prevalent here in Singapore. Yes, it seems to be a bit more these days, but if you look really closely, it is not foreigners that most people have a problem with. In my opinion, Singaporeans are overwhelmingly NOT xenophobic, but certain problems such as declining quality of life that people genuinely are concerned about, are associated with immigration.

What are the problems?

1. Increasingly unreliable, overcrowded public transport: Try taking a bus or MRT. I have. I understand.
2. Availability and cost of housing: Try renting/buying a place. I have. I understand.
3. Stagnant wages: Try working here! I understand, and I challenge anyone who dares to claim this has nothing to do with influx of cheap labour.

I’ve plenty of Singaporean friends and after this many years, I’ve NEVER met anyone who just have problems with foreigners. There are plenty, though, who have problems with certain issues like above, and yes, these are caused in part by increased immigration (and in part by poor governance). That does not make them xenophobes. Hell, I’m affected by those problems too, and I’m offended just as much when some quarters try to write off these concerns by saying its xenophobia (I think they even made some TCS 8 propaganda to do that). There are real problems to be resolved. Resolve them, then see how much “xenophobia” is left.

Make no mistake, this is big news. The Internal Security Act (ISA) has been around for decades in Singapore and Malaysia, and had been used many, many times to detain people without trial for reasons other than internal security. Yes, it is a serious charge, but yes, it has happened before. Call it Ops Lalang, Ops Spectrum or whatever: it is the same thing – detaining people who are perceived as threats only by the ruling party, probably also only to the ruling party, with no charge, no trial. Hell, it is so big, even Singapore’s MHA deemed it fit to publish an obligatory lie-infested response:

From the MHA Singapore:

“The Singapore Government has used the ISA sparingly. The ISA has only been used against individuals who have acted in a manner prejudicial to the security of Singapore or to the maintenance of public order or essential services therein. No person has ever been detained only for their political beliefs.

…

The ISA continues to be relevant and crucial as a measure of last resort for the preservation of our national security.”

Admittedly, Najis Najib announced these changes under extreme, desperate circumstances. Fuck ups after fuck ups have left him in a very poor position as they contemplate calling for elections. Fuck ups that have without a doubt contributed immensely to the very public display of disapproval in the form of Bersih 2.0 (by the way, people who thought civil disobedience cannot achieve anything, you can start sucking cock now).

Abolishing the ISA is a good start, but it is nowhere near enough. You can still charge people under the Sedition Act, for instance, but at least you will still need to charge them with something and they can challenge that in court. A lot more needs to be done, dear Najis Najib. Start with reforming your own party. Get rid of the Perkasa/UMNOputra parasites. Affirmative action? Fine, but make sure it goes to people who actually need them, not your cronies. Find out how rich your party members are, find out how they got the money, and make all these transparent. Also, send some of them back to school to learn something useful. Do this, then we’ll get somewhere.

In the meantime, sorry, you’re still pretty damn far from getting my vote.

Set out to cross rubicon some months back. Turned out, there are several rubicons to cross.

My parents are both teachers. When I was young, my mom taught primary school kids in Chung Hwa Middle School, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam. I remember one particular incident with one of her students back then. The kid took a dump at the loo, and it was probably the first time he took a dump without his maid present. So he ran back to class, unashamedly asked my mom if she will wash his backside for him.

That kid was probablya P1 kid. Yes, kids are supposed to know how to shit properly by the time they get their asses into Primary 1, but I guess they are still P1 kids. I guess they learn these stuff much later these days cos they get maids to do every fucking thing for the kids. Hey parents, if your kid asks your maid to do something like this, please ask your maid to spank, not wash, that ass.

What I think is even more unforgiveable is that there are adults who cannot shit properly. Surely, at some point of time, someone must have taught these assholes proper toilet etiquette, but no. I struggle to understand why or how their parents put up with them. If you prefer to squat, there are squatter cubes. Even if you prefer to squat on a seat, its okay (don’t blame anyone if you slip and fall). Just don’t leave a trail of shit on the seat after you’ve missed the pool (yes, the kids are supposed to be dumped IN the pool and there should be plop-plop sounds). Clean that shit up!

That too, is milder stuff. This here is what we have to deal with at the new office.

Exhibit 1

This is not just a trail of shit. Some asshole must have sprayed that shit out, then spread it around like nutella. Hey, your shitty mom ain’t here to clean this up.

rim job expert

Exhibit 2:

What we have here, is a classic case of pooping in your pants. Nevermind the excuse, no one gives a shit. But why would anyone fold up the crappy underwear and leave it on a ledge in the cube?

undercover, exposed

By and large, well more often than not, my Singaporean friends no longer believe the frequently repeated mantra that non-violent demonstrations will degenerate into chaos, destruction and basically the end of the world as we know it. Many of them are more well-read and are aware of the hundreds of examples of successful peaceful demonstrations. However, I did also get some remarks that indicated othewise. I’m not sure how typical these are, but here are some:

1. “This is crap cos I’m in KL and I can’t go out”
   Malaysia’s a great place to visit for a plethora of reasons. Beaches, forests, mountains, cities, food, and favourable exchange rate. Once in a while, just like other people living in other democratic countries, Malaysians too have to take part in democratic activities in attempts to create what they believe is a better future for themselves and their children and so on. I don’t think anyone should need to apologize for that.
2. “Won’t you get arrested?”
   This I get quite often from Singaporean friends. I do understand to some extent given what had happened to folks like Chee Soon Juan, JBJ, the “Marxist” group etc, but surely some things are worth standing up for. The police are only as powerful as you are afraid of them. Anyway, Uncle Low didn’t attend the one in KL. I went to the one at Hong Lim Park (that’s in Singapore). No banners, no speeches and its not like we’re a political party, so no trouble from police.
3. “I don’t like it because it is disorderly”
   This I get more often from Chinese speaking friends, who use the word “luan” to describe the situation. Well, I don’t like it either, and I believe I don’t speak just for myself when I say, this isn’t meant to be disorderly. However, I do not speak for certain quarters who would do just about anything to preserve their position of power. Despite their “best efforts”, though, these certain quarters have failed to incite violence amongst the protestors. Their “best efforts” apparently included tear-gassing hospital grounds, yet no one gave them the beating they so deserved.
4. “What can these demo’s achieve anyway?”
   This is got from Malaysian friends too. Well, remember Indian independence? Civil rights in the US? Some months back, I even heard some dictators got overthrown in the Middle East. Read something useful sometimes for fuck’s sake.

KL standoff

When I woke up this morning, I heard that some Malaysians will be gathering at Hong Lim Park in solidarity with the Bersih 2.0 groups in KL. So off I went, to buy a yellow shirt. It was the least I could do.

Anyway, nothing doing here. We’re guests here, and should abide by the laws of Singapore. Just gathering, chit chatting next to the rock fest that’s happening at the Hong Lim stage.

Looks like some reporters are here, but no trouble at all. No one is here to cause trouble.

Thoughts: aren’t there more Malaysians here in Singapore?

turnout at hong lim park

no, that guy is NOT from the ISD

not quite a sea of yellow, but not bad

my new yellow shirt

Week #2 of a new beginning. So far so good, but got lots to learn around here. New systems mean new ways of doing things, new restrictions, new work-arounds. Happy to have the chance to learn, but gotta pick up speed. A bit of a culture shock coming from a largely Asian FMCG, but trust me I can get used to this! Yes, it is a big change in environment, but so far, so good..