Was passed this news by divabat earlier this evening.

Teacher lets Morningside students vote out classmate, 5

PORT ST. LUCIE — Melissa Barton said she is considering legal action after her son's kindergarten teacher led his classmates to vote him out of class.
After each classmate was allowed to say what they didn't like about Barton's 5-year-old son, Alex, his Morningside Elementary teacher Wendy Portillo said they were going to take a vote, Barton said.
By a 14 to 2 margin, the students voted Alex — who is in the process of being diagnosed with autism — out of the class.
Melissa Barton filed a complaint with Morningside's school resource officer, who investigated the matter, Port St. Lucie Department spokeswoman Michelle Steele said. But the state attorney's office concluded the matter did not meet the criteria for emotional child abuse, so no criminal charges will be filed, Steele said.
Port St. Lucie Police no longer are investigating, but police officials are documenting the complaint, she said.
Steele said the teacher confirmed the incident took place.
Portillo could not be reached for comment Friday.
Steele said the boy had been sent to the principal's office because of disciplinary issues.
When he returned, Portillo made him go to the front of the room as a form of punishment, she said.
Barton said her son is in the process of being diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a type of high-functioning autism. Alex began the testing process in February at the suggestion of Morningside Principal Marcia Cully.
Children diagnosed with Asperger's often exhibit social isolation and eccentric behavior..
Alex has had disciplinary issues because of his disability, Barton said. After the family moved into the area and Alex and his sibling arrived at the school in January, Alex spent much of the time in the principal's office, she said.
He also had problems at his last school, but he did not have issues during his two years of preschool, Barton said.
School and district officials have met with Barton and her son to create an individual education plan to address his difficulties, she said. Portillo attended these meetings, Barton said.
Barton said after the vote, Portillo asked Alex how he felt.
"He said, 'I feel sad,' " Barton said.
Alex left the classroom and spent the rest of the day in the nurse's office, she said.
Barton said when she came to pick up her son at the school Wednesday, he was leaving the nurse's office.
"He was shaken up," she said.
Barton said the nurse told her to talk with Portillo, who told her what happened.
Alex hasn't been back to school since then, and Barton said he won't be returning. He starts screaming when she brings him with her to drop off his sibling at school.
Thursday night, his mother heard him saying "I'm not special" over and over.
Barton said Alex is reliving the incident.
The other students said he was "disgusting" and "annoying," Barton said.
"He was incredibly upset," Barton said. "The only friend he has ever made in his life was forced to do this."
St. Lucie School's spokeswoman Janice Karst said the district is investigating the incident, but could not make any further comment.
Vern Melvin, Department of Children and Families circuit administrator, confirmed the agency is investigating an allegation of abuse at Morningside but said he could not elaborate.

Article is (c) TCPalm.

The article moved me. I might not know what it is like, to have a disability, or a condition, but I sure as hell know one thing.
It is wrong to pillory someone at that age. It is damned dead wrong to put a child on the stand like that, and have him, or her condemned and humiliated publicly.
To me, it is conduct unbecoming of a teacher to subject not only a child, but a special child to the ripping claws of peer pressure.
She should have known better. She should have known that such a situation would rip the child to shreds.
The scars remain. And such scars are, from personal experience, no laughing joke.

With all my heart, I revile such people. They do not deserve the title "Teacher".
They deserve neither the authority, nor the respect that the title brings.

For to me, the job of a teacher is to impart knowledge. And not just the knowledge in the textbooks, but life lessons itself.
Especially if you're teaching in a primary school. Especially if you're teaching kids.
Because, please let me say this.
To them, if you do your job well, you're more than just teaching them their 123s and their ABCs. You're their judge, their jury, their MP, psychologist, confidant.
And by your conduct, you're teaching them about fairness, respect, equality, justice. You're helping them see real values in action.

And to me, that is a sacred covenant. I just felt sick reading that article, reading how Portillo took that covenant and threw an innocent young boy into the mob.
She perverted her covenant for mob "violence". This was no vote of no confidence, this was no trial by jury.
This was pure and simple mob violence, emotional violence.

This story hit a nerve in me. And I speak from my experiences.

In Standard 4 (4th Grade), I had, among other teachers, a young teacher named Kumutha Lakshmi. She taught us all Moral Education.
I was not popular with the class, because I was different. My interests did not lie in football, sports or other "normal things."
She was told by my classmates that I was a "troublemaker", a problem child, and that I misbehaved towards my other classmates.

So what did she do. She believed them wholesale.
Every Moral Education class, she'd call me up in front of the class and ask the class one question.
"Class, what has Yi Liang done wrong lately?"

And she'd believe everything that was told, with no chance for me to refute their claims.
Every class, she'd believe them because, well, so many people can't be wrong.
Hell, eventually I wound up believing it myself and trying to "be good."

And she'd try to "counsel" me and punish me for being such a "problem" child. Not once did she ever try to investigate the claims independently.
She. bought. it. all.
Not once did she consider peer pressure amongst the class.

While I may not have been a special child, I too was pilloried for being different from the "normal".
And through the many sessions, it taught me valuable lessons.
To hate injustice. The value of a fair trial. To cherish one's true friends, for the truest of friends are the hardest gems to find.
To not trust human authority, to question.
And to seek justice, proper justice by whatever means.

For mob rule is not justice.

She too, is to me in the same boat as Partillo. Kumutha Lakshmi, conduct unbecoming of a teacher.

Church of Saint-Jean-de-Malte, in Aix-en-Provence, Provence, France in November 2007.

"Church and Sky" is (c) Tan Yi Liang 2007/2008.

It amuses me at how narrow minded and bigoted some people can be.
The only question this article left me with is, a big "what the hell next?"

I suppose there are bigots, bigots everywhere.



School uniform sexy, says group

KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian group condemned the uniform worn by girls at government schools, saying it encouraged rape and pre-marital sex.

“The white blouse is too transparent for girls and it becomes a source of attraction,” National Islamic Students Association of Malaysia vice-president Munirah Bahari said in a statement.

“It becomes a distraction to men, who are drawn to it, whether or not they like looking at it,” she said, calling for a review of uniform policy so that it did not violate Islamic ideals.

In multicultural Malaysia, home to majority-Muslim Malays as well as ethnic Chinese and Indians, female students at government schools have a choice of wearing a white blouse with a knee-length skirt or pinafore.

They may also wear a “baju kurung” and a headscarf is optional for Malay students.

Munirah said that “covering up” according to Islamic precepts was important to fend off social ills, including “rape, sexual harassment and even premarital sex.”

“This leads to babies born out of wedlock and, to an extent, even prostitution,” she said.

“Decent clothes which are not revealing can prevent and protect women from any untoward situations,” she said, suggesting that girls wear a blouse of a different colour or with an undergarment.

However, the girls themselves also came in for criticism, with the association saying that some used the white blouse to lure men.

“This is the source of the problem, where we can see that schoolgirls themselves are capable of using this to attract men to them,” Munirah said.

“This could see them getting molested, having premarital sex and all sorts of things.”

(c) AFP, reproduced in The Star, 22/05/08

Keisha's dog, Chanel gave birth today to 8 puppies. All utterly cute and adorable, and do read about it here.
Her write-up on it is so much better than I could ever do.

I've had that question thrown at me one too many times.
"What race are you?"
It's a question I usually choke at answering. If it's asked by a foreigner not familiar with multiracial Malaysian society, fine.
But not when it's asked by a Malaysian. And certainly not when it's asked in a tone implying that I'm a deviant somehow.

Worse still, is "are you Chinese?"
Especially when asked by a Chinese person, in a tone that just as well might say "what's wrong with you?"
Have got that before. I usually just ask back, does it really matter what race I am?
Does it? I think not.
Once encountered a cab driver who just went on and on about it, that it mattered, that I had to proudly declare that "I AM CHINESE."
That I was a deviant somehow, somehow in the wrong for the very fact I speak English without that skewing of words marking my "Chinese-ness"
I do not "tuk lik dees waan". I do not mangle "eight" to sound like "eggt" or "egks" or zero as "jeelo".

Back to "You Chinese ah?"
Yes, I am. But to stick to narrowly calling myself "Chinese" would be to leave me as an incomplete person.
To me, my Chinese-ness is but a facet of my racial identity. Like the foundation to a house.
A house needs more than a foundation to be complete. It needs floors, walls, a roof. And so much more.
In that light, that is who I am. I have a foundation, but I am also Indian, Japanese, Malaysian, and more.
I am Pan-Asian. I am human, and that is what should matter.

We should keep our horizons broad, our minds open to all cultures.
Acknowledge our foundations, yes. But do not cling to them as the supreme be-all and end-all of who we are.
Because, in my humble opinion that leads only to racism, oppression, and ultimately disharmony.

Taken last Saturday from Penang Hill peak. Photo is (c) Tan Yi Liang 16/05/08

And just when you thought the Perodua Kancil was small, nippy and a tight squeeze

Along comes the Peel P50, designed for, "one adult and a shopping bag," so says the designers from 1963.

Got a shock when it hit me I have blogged zip in this one month.
Not one post, considering all that has happened in the last couple of weeks.
Been meaning to do it daily, updating, but admittedly when one writes for a living. Got a job as a journalist with theSun a couple of months back.
And, frankly it often leaves me too exhausted to type anything, let alone update this journal with anything meaningful.
Poetry, writings, anything of the sort.

Basically, that's it for this post.

The original script is the now infamous
"All your base are belong to us", which is (c) Toaplan

The spoof, (c) Tan Yi Liang is a parody tribute of the 12th General Elections.
I don't usually do political spoofs.

Narrator: In A.D. 2008, election was beginning.
Pak Lah: What happen ?
Khairy: Somebody set up us the voting.
Saberry: We get signal.
Pak Lah: What !
Saberry: Main screen turn on.
All: It's you !!
KIT: How are you gentlemen?
KIT: Many of your States now belong to us.
Pak Lah: What you say !!
KIT: BN has no chance to survive!
KIT: Ha Ha Ha Ha ....
Saberry: Pak Lah!!
Pak Lah: Take off every 'REMPIT' !!
Khairy: You know what you doing.
Pak Lah: Move 'REMPIT'.
Pak Lah: For great Rasuah...I mean NEP!

While the lyrics and words might not be mine one bit, this stanza sums up my feelings for Keisha better than I ever could.
Believe me, I've tried. Heard the song on the radio, took me awhile to dig them up.

You must have been sent from heaven to earth to change me
You’re like an angel
The thing that I feel is stronger than love believe me
You’re something special
I only hope that I’ll one day deserve what you’ve given me
But all I can do is try
Every day of my life
-"Breathless", Shayne Ward.

Keisha, thank you for an amazing weekend. Love you so much.

I have work tomorrow, and I can't sleep.
I know this will kill me, eventually. But really. Can't sleep, don't know why.

There's no title for this, really. I know, unlike say, in 2004-05, my posts are no longer as regular as they once were. I remember when I used to update religiously. On a daily basis at one point.
Then, well, things happened. The real world kicked in and I came to realise a few things.

That I'm not as high and mighty as I once thought I was.
That I'm in no place to condemn anyone, arbitrarily.
And as far as life goes, well, I still have a lot to learn.

Ultimately, the beauty of love stepped in. All this I've learnt through Keisha.
That in life, when reacting/interacting with others, there's no place for arrogance.

After coming out of almost 5 years of heavy wordiness, writing succinctly and catchily is my biggest challenge to date.

Got this photo as I was leaving Putrajaya after an assignment at the Palace of Justice.
Have always been amused at how the monument in the shot really, but not quite looks like a .50 cal bullet.

The photo is (c) Tan Yi Liang 31/3/2008

Found this at the LRT station coming back from an assignment last week. The vandalism of the Listerine ad is definitely not mine, but the photo, as always is (c) Tan Yi Liang, 31/3/2008
*"Isteri" means "wife" in Malay, for the benefit of my foreign readers :-)

"Randomness Part 2" is (c) Tan Yi Liang 24/03/2008



spinning hats
on mats
they are flat
laughing cucumber
in gas
passing through space
space is nice
black
twinkly
like candy
i like candy
do you like candy
smurfs like candy
candy likes ham
the tree is in ham
in the tree is a pixie
pixies are fun

you are mad
sailors are mad
do you have sailors
in your salt
salt
it keeps fresh people
people
like being fresh
fresh is good
hair is green
toss the hair
left
and right
right is more fun than right
says fashion
turn right, derek
the zoo is right
on the land and not in the sky
relax

don't do it
don't smoke it
let it be
honeybee

sticky honey
to the wall
throw spaghetti
out your window
the BBC says it's raining
it's not raining
the BBC is lying
the spaghetti is flying
flying
high
to the wall
very tall

"Randomness" is (c) Tan Yi Liang, 23/03/2008


snow, ahh
always tastes like mosquitoes
smiling mosquitoes
they make hamsters giggle
hamsters like giggling

don't you like to giggle too
giggling is fun

don't you like to giggle too
giggling is fun

especially when fire extinguishers join in
fire extinguishers sound like kitty cats when they giggle
kitty cats are cute
they look like lampshades
lampshades are fun
they dance like hats
do you like hats

especially when fire extinguishers join in
fire extinguishers sound like kitty cats when they giggle
kitty cats are cute
they look like lampshades
lampshades are fun
they dance like hats
do you like hats

funny hats

A photo taken in November 2007, on country roads near the Montagne Sainte-Victoire, Provence, France.

All photos and images are (c) Tan Yi Liang 2007.

Was browsing Wikipedia, and although horoscopes are so much superstition, I found this interesting nonetheless considering a) this is Chinese New Year, and b) this is the year of the Rat.

All in good fun.

Being the first sign of the Chinese zodiacs, rats are leaders, pioneers and conquerors. They are charming, passionate, charismatic, practical and hardworking. Rat people are endowed with great leadership skills and are the most highly organized, meticulous, and systematic of the twelve signs. Intelligent and cunning at the same time, rats are highly ambitious and strong-willed people who are keen and unapologetic promoters of their own agendas, which often include money and power. They are energetic and versatile and can usually find their way around obstacles, and adapt to various environments easily. A rat's natural charm and sharp demeanor make it an appealing friend for almost anyone, but rats are usually highly exclusive and selective when choosing friends and so often have only a few very close friends whom they trust.

Behind the smiles and charm, rats can be terribly obstinate and controlling, insisting on having things their way no matter what the cost. These people tend to have immense control of their emotions, which they may use as a tool to manipulate and exploit others, both emotionally and mentally. Rats are masters of mind games and can be very dangerous, calculative and downright cruel if the need arises. Quick-tempered and aggressive, they will not think twice about exacting revenge on those that hurt them in any way. Rats need to learn to relax sometimes, as they can be quite obsessed with detail, intolerant and strict, demanding order, obedience, and perfection.

Rats consider others before themselves, at least sometimes, and avoid forcing their ideas onto others. Rats are fair in their dealings and expect the same from others in return, and can be deeply affronted if they feel they have been deceived or that their trust has been abused. Sometimes they set their targets too high, whether in relation to their friends or in their career. But as the years pass, they will become more idealistic and tolerant. If they can develop their sense of self and realize it leaves room for others in their life as well, Rats can find true happiness.

According to tradition, Rats often carry heavy karma and at some point in life may face an identity crisis or some kind of feeling of guilt. Rats are said to often have to work very long and hard for everything they may earn or have in life. However, a Rat born during the day is said to have things a bit easier than those who are born at night. Traditionally, Rats born during the night may face extreme hardships and suffering throughout life. Rats in general should guard themselves against hedonism, as it may lead to self-destruction. Gambling, alcohol and drugs tend to be great temptations to Rat natives.

Traditionally, Rats should avoid Horses, but they can usually find their best friends and love interests in Monkeys, Dragons, and Oxen.

Professions include espionage, psychiatry, psychology, writing, politics, law, engineering, accounting, detective work, acting, and pathology.

To all my friends, I wish you a very happy Chinese New Year! All the best to all of you, and put that damn yee sang on the fan for the ultimate in loh hei. Ha!

For what it's worth, gong xi fa cai, good health, happiness, prosperity and all that =)

And indeed, I did, when I read this. It's an old story. It's boring if you're not an air geek, but it's very sarcastically written and I find that funny.

Reproduced here for all of you too lazy or with no time to go link clicking. =)




Picture yourself as the boss of an air force somewhere in time. Let's make it the Soviet Union in the late 1950's, shall we? You have lots and lots of really hot jet fighters, shit hot pilots and a political leadership that lets you travel around the world to play with your airplanes. Every now and then you get to shoot down planes with capitalist pigs inside or you get to bomb stuff with capitalist dogs inside. The world is good.

You have one small problem though; the missiles you mount on your zippy little jet fighters. That's the problem, Tonto. They all suck. Eggs. They're guided towards whatever you want to hit by use of radar beams, which means you can only fire them at huge, slow targets. If you fire a bunch of these things at a bomber that barely moves anyway, it'll probably fall down, or at least make the guys over in the bomber wet their pants. Having a large hole punched in your airplane 30,000 feet up, starting small fires everywhere does that to the best of us.

In short, unless you could maneuver your fighters onto the six of the enemy and riddle him1 with armour piercing, incendiary 20 millimetre bullets, forget about it.

So you are going to need some new and spiffy hardware in order to stem the capitalist tide. But, then you get another problem. Yes Boris2, an even bigger problem. The eggheads in Moscow aren't getting their krapski together, so the shiny new experimental air-to-air missiles are all really really bad. You complain loudly and tell them that you need something to shoot down their Sabres with, because those things are like a UFO, maneuvering at will, appearing over here, then suddenly over there, at lots of different altitudes at once with arrogant impunity. Your guys are dying expensive heroic deaths at the hands of the capitalists. Goddamnit! They have some sort of magic missile now, and I WANT ONE TOO!

The Moscowites toil away in their white coats at their drawing boards, testing, building and scratching their heads. They come up with nothing. No Can Do.

You, on the other hand, are fuming paraffin fumes.

But, one fine day in September 1958 your special delivery of dumb luck arrives.

There's a couple of islands just off China, inhabited by lots of Chinese that have fled the mainland because of chairman Mao (or, as some say, because of Chiang Kai-Shek). They are called Quemoy and Matsu, and apparently the mainland Chinese want their nationalist brethren out of there. So the communist Chinese and the nationalist Chinese start a war and do the things to each other you do when there's a war on.

On this special ridden-with-luck September day3 in 1958, the Soviets were about to get their hands on a functional AIM-9B Sidewinder air-to-air missile. How?

By 1958, nationalists on Formosa (now Taiwan) had built up an impressive air force consisting of among others 327 US surplus F-86F Sabre fighters as well as several F-101 Voodoo reconaissance planes. Under the wings of the Sabres, launch rails for a new kind of aerial weapon had been fitted; the Sidewinder infrared homing missile. The communists had no such thing, and the missile proved itself devastating for the guys flying the just cannon-armed MiG-15s and MiG-17s into the dogfights.

The aforementioned September day turned out to be particularly bad for the communists. Because of the new missiles, nationalist Sabres downed ten MiGs and probably shot down two more for the loss of none4. This was the first time Sidewinders had been fired in anger anywhere, and top brass around the world started having wet dreams about deleting guns altogether from their fighters. Pointy-haired middle managers are the same everywhere I guess.

However, one communist pilot had above average luck that day in 1958. In the midst of the turning and burning dogfight, he was struck by a Sidewinder streaking through the sky at Mach 2. Instead of finding himself in a burning aluminium death trap, all he heard was a loud THUMP! (and probably some of his own words, colourfully comparing the nationalist pilots with miscellaneous low-life creatures mostly eating feces) and the MiG continued flying almost like nothing noteworthy had happened.

Unknown to the communist pilot, a $50,000 dud was now jammed up his tailpipe. For some strange reason, he elected not to eject, but to limp back to the air base with a 2.75 inch steel tube full of high explosives sticking out of his jet engine exhaust pipe. I call that nerves of steel, but your mileage may vary.

The rest is history. Soon after landing, the Sidewinder found itself in Moscow being carefully studied, and more importantly, copied down to the last nut. The AIM-9B Sidewinder pirate version emerged in 1962 as the K-13 air-to-air missile, dubbed AA-2 Atoll by NATO. Boris finally got his magic missile, something US pilots would gain intimate knowledge of in another Asian country a few years later.



"The Sidewinder missile was to us a university offering a course in missile construction
technology, which has upgraded our engineering education
and updated our approach to production of future missiles."
-- Gennadiy Sokolovskiy, Russian missile expert

Personally, this is one of my favourite mantras/prayers. I feel its words, while originally Sanskrit are universal, and whatever religion we are, so long we believe in a God, the one God, we can share this prayer.



Oṃ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ

Tat savitur vareṇyaṃ
Bhargo devasya dhīmahi
dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt



Translation

Oh God! Thou art the Giver of Life,

Remover of pain and sorrow,
The Bestower of happiness,
Oh! Creator of the Universe,
May we receive thy supreme sin-destroying light,
May Thou guide our intellect in the right direction.

Was browsing Wikipedia for my interests when I came across this little incident.

On 5 December 2001, a JDAM dropped by a B-52 in Afghanistan nearly killed Hamid Karzai, now the country's president, while he was leading anti-Taliban forces near Sayd Alim Kalay alongside a US Army Special Forces (SF) team. A large force of Taliban had engaged the combined force of Karzai's men and their American SF, nearly overwhelming them. The SF commander requested Close Air Support (CAS) to strike the Taliban positions in an effort to stop their advance. A JDAM was launched to fulfill the CAS request, but instead of striking the Taliban positions, it struck the Afghan/American position. The subsequent investigation of the incident determined that the terminal attack controller attached to the Special Forces team had changed the battery in the GPS receiver at some point during the battle, thereby causing the device to return to "default" and "display its own coordinates." As a result, the improper target coordinates were relayed to the delivery aircraft, and the bomb targeted the Afghani and American position, rather than the Taliban forces. This incident resulted in three American soldiers and five allied Afghans being killed, with over forty others injured.

Can you say..."oops"? Never has changing a battery been more fatal.

Hello everyone, dear friends all.
Need help with something, please and thanks very much.
Am looking for a room to rent in the PJ area, house/condo/flat, pref. furnished room with washing machine and Internet and near Jln Gasing/Jln 222 if possible, or Section 14.
(looking at Menara Bakti on top of Digimall or the condos opposite Tun Hussein Onn Eye Hospital)
What's a reasonable rent for such a room, my budget is approx RM 250-350 per month.

Can anyone please help me with this? Looking to move in about mid-Feb or early March.


Thanks to everyone!

http://blog.limkitsiang.com. Recommended strongly.

"Things I Wish For, Things I Yearn For" is (c) Tan Yi Liang, 18 01 2008

Routine.
Well, predictability.
Harmony. Peace.
Of mind. Of person.

Freedom.
From being caught in middles.

Realisation.
That people just stop.
Stop seeing only what they want to see.

Stop forcing negativity on others
Stop. Just stop holding on to past faults.

Unity.
When you've got a common goal, unite please,
don't quibble about petty things,
like who said what to whom when and why.

But focus on the goals,
work together not against each other.

There is no mountain to plant flags on,
but one plot of land,
with one tree,
that bears fruit for all if it is not hurt or bruised.

The fruit is for all, in equal shares.

Whether you see it or not.

Some experiences leave me more shaken than others.
Shaken because of many reasons. Shaken because my pre-conceived notions get crashed.
Shaken because I'm confronted with reality. Shaken because I've been confronted by the sheer ugliness of humanity.

To some extent, I can relate to the parable of the Buddha leaving the palace gates for the first time, to finally see the sick, the poor, the dying.
Leaving the shelter of innocence to slowly see the world for what it really is.
I'm grateful I have love though, honest love who's not afraid to confront me and set me straight lest I go blind or off the rails.


Racism is an ugly thing.

Just wondering.
Does some music, be it songs, instrumentals, etc. remind you of a particular place and time in your life.
As in if you were to close your eyes, well, you feel the place as if you were back there?

I know I should have done this 18 days ago. I know I used to be more...eager to post up here.
At least more regular and more timely.

Well. Better late than never, I suppose. Twice a week minimum from now on. Will try at least.

If anything killed my writing in the past it was an emotional lack of momentum.

And, yesterday. I passed my driving tests. The final ones. The ones that 5 years ago I kept flunking.
Thanks to Keisha for believing so much in me and pushing me to do it, I passed it in one sitting.

After 5 years, I finally gathered up the will, the drive and the self determination to do it with focus.
And it feels good to have accomplished it.

Granted, I still need more practice, I'm still new.
But overcoming this challenge certainly feels so good.

To Keisha, to everyone who believed in me that I could do it, thank you.

As Christmas 2007 winds to a close, I can't but not say what a wonderful season it was.
This marks my second year truly celebrating Christmas, as in really truly celebrating.
And as it all winds down, I've been reflecting on things said, felt and done.

Truly a miraculous season, in my opinion.
More important than the carols, the food, the presents, in my opinion is the sentiments of togetherness, family, unity.
And of a certain kind of joy and peace.

A certain peace.

Again, Merry Christmas everyone!

To all my dear friends, dear readers.
Couldn't find my wireless adapter (until now) so better late than never, I guess.

To all of you, I wish but one thing. A very merry and blessed Christmas to all of you!

On this special day
Cherished and beautiful.

My life, well. It changed.
For the better.

It gained a sense of purpose.
A mirror which spoke clearly, honestly and with the truth.
To show me my strengths and flaws.
And a person, a soul beautiful.
With which I could share my life with.
Whom I could cherish with all sincerity.

It all began two years ago.
And I look back with a sense of blessing.
A certain joy.
Which I've never felt before then.
And have been feeling since.

She keeps me grounded.
And purposeful.

She's changed me for the better.
And this I can personally swear by.

She gets me. Moves me.
Turns me upon myself.
To improve.

She believes in me, more than I have at times.
Moves me to better things, higher strengths.

Because she's strong herself. With conviction herself.
I love her for her passion.
Her drive and will to live.
Not only to survive.
But to live life.
To make the most of every moment.
To share what little she has.

This energy. This faith in the Divine
This she has shared with me for two years straight.
With this, she has inspired me for two years straight.
And counting
For I yearn, yearn for many more of these beautiful years with her.

Her love.
Her practicality and focus has seen me through falls and hard times.
When I would have given up before, her drive gave and still gives me the energy
to still press on.

Keisha, you I love
You I cherish.

Thank you for two amazing years so far.
And deeply, deeply
I pray for many many more years together.


------------


2 years ago, Keisha and I hooked up. I've never looked back since. Honestly- it's been an amazing 2 special years with her.

With her, ha!

I've learnt how strong the human spirit is.
She's been through a lot, and rather than being knocked down, she draws on it to strengthen her faith in the Divine, and to believe in her own self.
Keisha's challenged me, just by being with me. Challenged me to break down the barriers within myself, my own fears and move past them.

Like learning to drive. Because of her, after 5 years of self doubt, I'm back at it and better than before.

She believes in me. And she believes I'm capable of self improvement.
And that's something in itself amazing.

Keisha, I truly, deeply love you.

A set of photos taken in late 2007, exact date unknown in Perak

All photos are (c) Tan Yi Liang 2007

Yes, I am alive.
And for want of a word, apple.

For all you dear fellow airheads out there, here's a little photo-ID challenge!
The photos were taken at Marseille Provence Airport on the 11th of November 07. Can you identify what's sitting on the ramp?

Good luck and thanks for playing, dear friends!

Been away for a while, but am now back.

And if I may say, Apple!

Selamat Hari Raya, Happy Eid to all my celebrating friends!

Wikipedia 'shows CIA page edits',
-BBC News| Technology, 15th August 2007.

Intriguing in where the "vandals" come from on Wiki. But on the other side of the coin, does this amount to the potential for unlimited censorship?

"The Agriculture Ministry is not in charge of Gundam"

I just had to laugh at this one. Honestly don't know how I missed it.

While we spend millions upon millions celebrating our newest venue for playing Batu Seremban (Five Stones, a traditional Malaysian children's game), making batik and playing with tops, i.e. space,

this is happening on the ground, here in Malaysia.


Sickening isn't it? We should never be blinded by PR and hubris to forget what needs to be done down here.

The media's all abuzz.
In a few days, we're supposed to be proud that our first "Malaysian" cosmonauts are going into space, blasting off on a Soyuz from Baikonur.

There's nothing truly "Malaysian" about them, if you ask me.
We're a multicultural nation, supposedly celebrating the concept of "Muhibbah".
The blending of races, religions, peoples and faces.

These "Malay"sian cosmonauts represent but one race, one slice of this nation*.
Not all of us, not all Malaysians.
And we're spending a hell of a lot of money to get them up there.

Hundreds of millions of ringgit, at least.
Possibly the most expensive air ticket ever.
There's no reason to be "proud" of going up into space these days if all you're doing, fundamentally is forking out cash for the ride.
We're squandering cash better spent on the ground here, helping out those in need.

The propaganda's overcelebratory and overblown.
Granted, there will be science experiments conducted.
But from the looks of it, nothing that the Russians or NASA have'nt conducted before.

Bar the "Malaysian Food in Space" experiment, which seems to be a real PR "experiment" to me.

And that is why my support is not with them.
It never was, it never will be.


* Statistics of the population of Malaysia from Wikipedia
The population of Malaysia as of 2006 is estimated to be 26,640,000.
Of these, 5.44 million Malaysians live in East Malaysia and 21.2 million live in Peninsular Malaysia.
Malaysian population continues to grow at a rate of 2.4% per annum; about 34% of the population is under the age of 15.
As of 2004, Malays made up an estimated 50.4% of the population, Chinese 23.7%, indigenous peoples 11%, Indian 7.1% and others 7.8%.

Can anyone help me identify just what's in these pics. Been hearing and seeing it fly over my area since I came back in late May. Yefim Gordon's not helping as a resource. Nor Wikipedia. As an airhead, I find this bemusedly puzzling, much like how Sudoku or the crosswords are for other people. Is it a Mi-8 or a Mi-17? E-cookie to the first one who can ID it.

Poet's Note:
This poem was something I felt compelled to write upon waking.
A dream left an indelible impression in my head, a feeling in my chest and in my body. Like I had actually been there and seen it with my waking eyes.
I know this place cannot exist in this world. And somehow, I have a feeling that I was meant to see this place.

"My Dream Last Night" is (c) Tan Yi Liang.


I walked down a road.
Tar hard and black.
Round a bend.
I passed the "Balai Bomba",
the fire station.
I walked down the bend
Not turning back.

Not looking back.

And what did I see
before me?
Spread on the green hill before me?

Graves.
The graves of all denominations
Of all the peoples of Malaysia
represented.

Through the massive valley
Up the mounds and hills.

Chinese omega graves
Headstones and crosses.
Many, many more.

All lining the green valley

and the green, green hills.

The road bent round a mountain high.
The tip wiped
with mist and cloud

The mountain green, the grass fresh with
the sheen of tropical rain
It was tightly packed, headstones many and in
a neat order.

I was drawn.
To gaze upon the peak of the mountain.

Far up in the mist.

I gazed, and what did I see?

The Buddha sitting calmly in meditation, a statue large and marble.
The Goddess of Mercy, poised upon a lotus stylized.

And above, on the very peak itself?
Him with His arms outstretched

above everything.

A set of photos taken in September 2007, at the Ramadan Bazaar in Section 14, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.
All photos and images are (c) Tan Yi Liang 2007.

Do numbers really have an influence on our lives, or does it depend on psyche?
Just musing how superstitions emerged.

"Never Alone", by Jim Brickman feat Lady Antebellum and Hillary Scott

May the angels protect you
Trouble neglect you
And heaven accept you when its time to go home
May you always have plenty
Your glass never empty
And know in your belly
You're never alone

May your tears come from laughing
You find friends worth having
With every year passing
They mean more than gold
May you win but stay humble
Smile more than grumble
And know when you stumble
You're never alone

Chorus:
Never alone
Never alone
I'll be in every beat of your heart
When you face the unknown
Wherever you fly
This isn't goodbye
My love will follow you stay with you
Baby you're never alone

Well I have to be honest
As much as I wanted
I’m not gonna promise the cold winds won¹t blow
So when hard times have found you
And your fears surround you
Wrap my love around you
You're never alone

Chorus

May the angels protect you
Trouble neglect you
And heaven accept you when its time to go home
And when hard times have found you
And your fear surrounds you
Wrap my love around you
You're never alone

Chorus

My love will follow you stay with you
Baby you're never alone

Have been wondering- how do we really, truly know what our best traits are?
Without being blind and arrogant to our flaws.

I passed. By 4 marks. Test completed in 9 minutes.

I'm going to be sitting my Highway Code (Undang) test later today.
It's the first test on my way to gaining a driving licence. The last time I sat it was more than 5 years ago.


Wish me luck, dear friends!