Thinking Aloud

Was at PCM group last night. During one of the rounds of sharing, Kelvin(a group member) shared about his experiences as a very young christian during his primary days.

He used the phrase, "….dancing to the tune of Christ.."

Somehow it sounded so right and so beautiful that I had to put it up here. It’s really who we are isn’t it? Dancers, to the tune of Christ.

It’s kinda inconvenient for me to get my weekly groceries now. The Shop ‘n’ Save at Ginza has just relocated and the entire mall is closing down.

I was chatting with my barber yesterday, and according to him Giant is taking over the place. But of course, the entire place needs to be renovated and that process would take about like 5-6 months?

I definately will be cooking less already.  

This marks the third day of the New Year. Been gradually reducing myself to a parasite that lives on chocolate alone. Indulging in such debauchery makes me a little guilty. But then again, it’s the holidays. Hee..

After the usual round of visiting(Bai Neen), and my grandmother’s open house, things slowly return to normal on the third day. Brother is going down to Seremban to resume the second half of his course: the clinical phase. Wish him all the best.

And as for me, I’ll be returning to kiasuland this saturday (I think!) and back to work again. Gosh do I miss mathematical work.

Learning to give is hard, but I dare venture that learning to recieve is harder.

One becomes super modest or a brazen leech. Either way, it takes the joy out of giving.

Who gives a heck care of the commercialization during V’dae. Roses may be overpriced, but they are for my special one, and she’s the only one that matters during this special day.

Disclaimer: This post has nothing to do with the status of my love life k. Last time I checked, I’m still available…  

Fell sick today. Groan. Spent most of the day sleeping and finishing up the remnants of my Functional Analysis homework.

An aside, I’ll be heading home for CNY on Thursday nite.  

But maybe falling sick was good in a way- Forcing me to take a good rest. Real rest. Anyways, feeling better now. I’m sure I can make it to school tomorrow.  

This is the stuff great novels are made off. What makes you a Muslim? What makes you a Buddhist? Blood or upbringing?

If Zulhaidi Omar succeeds in changing his religious status, what are its implications for naturally born Muslims (i.e. Malay children with Malay parents)? Conversely, what if a mixup occurs in the hospital, and now this time, non-Muslim parents bring up a Malay child?

Or look at the bigger picture, what then is this case implication for the Malay identity? 

Read on for context.  

Going his own way since he was 13

JOHOR BARU: At 13, he was supporting himself, washing dishes after school to pay for his books and rented room.  

Zulhaidi Omar, 29, said he had never been tempted to take the easy way out by dropping out of school or straying into a life of crime. Instead, he worked at restaurants until midnight and washed cars to put himself through secondary school.  

Zulhaidi: Wanted to taste a life of independence

Now a sales executive with a diploma in Business Administration, Zulhaidi said he was neither abused nor disowned by his family but he wanted to be independent. 

Unknown to him, he had been swapped at birth during a mix-up at the hospital in Batu Pahat. 

“By the time I was in primary school, I knew I was different from the rest of my family members as I could tell the difference between their features and my obviously Chinese appearance,” he said at a press conference. 

After a chance meeting that reunited him with his biological family eight years ago, Zulhaidi now wants to change his name to a Chinese one.  

Zulhaidi is hoping the authorities would allow him to state his religion as Buddhism on his MyKad. 

Bandar Baru Tampoi MCA branch chairman Michael Tay said Zulhaidi was never given the chance to choose his own religion because of a mistake made at birth. 

“Under the Federal Constitution, everybody is allowed the freedom to choose his own religion, but Zulhaidi was never given that chance. 

“We will try the diplomatic method first through negotiations with state officials and the hospital where he was born. If that fails, then we will have to seek legal recourse,” he said, adding that might even include a suit against the hospital for negligence. 

State religious officials were unavailable for comment. 

When I was young, my family would head down to my grandmother’s place every weekend. Besides meeting up with my cousins, I would also help myself to the extensive video collection that my aunt had. Compared to now, I realized that they don’t make movies like they used to.

(Lame nostalgic post…or not)

The don’t make action films like Commando (Arnold Swarzenegger….yes he was an action hero before being governor.)  

They don’t make James Bond like Octopussy or  A View to a Kill and the like. (Casino Royale is excellent cinema, but I don’t see 9 year olds identifying with Daniel Craig’s cool poker performance.)

They don’t make sci-fi like Empire Strikes Back. ("Luke…I am your father" must be the most recognizable film scene in movie history, not to mentioned the most parodied ) 

…

It’s different nowadays. Somehow, cinema takes itself too seriously nowadays. Serious cinema is now about making a social statement, a political statement, a religous statement. They may be many contemporary movies like Citizen Kane, but they are hard to identify with. They are many political thrillers, suspense and movies criticizing the Bush government, but no real satire like Dr Strangeglove:  How I stop worrying and learnt to love the Bomb.

I guess its true as they say, the fall of the Wall changed everything.