Merdeka?

August 31 – a day of celebration for “the freedom, the independence, and the progress that we enjoy”. Or so the “official” idea of Independence Day is. But, has it always been the case?

Supposedly Independence Day is the day to reflect on the effort by those who had contributed (not necessarily those from today’s ruling party as the school textbook would like us to believe) in attaining sovereignty for the nation.  But for generation – Y like yours truly, the spirit of gaining independence is beyond the realm of my experience. So what does Independence Day mean to the late bloomers?

Supernatural Encounter

My paternal grandfather passed away in 2006. It was a milestone for me – it was not about “the day I lost a family member”, it was about “the day I attended a funeral procession for the first time in my life”.

Sitting through the entire praying session was at best agonizing, but some of the elements, especially those concerning life-after-death is intriguing. We burnt paper house, TV, VCR, fake money (apparently issued by “Hell Bank”), car, and the likes. It was believed that by doing so the deceased would be able to enjoy these “luxuries” in “the other world”.

Elitism

I think I am becoming an elitist.

My gate malfunctioned earlier and my mum decided to do the darndest thing by hijacking my day. I was told to get a welder to fix the situation as my dad (one of the two men in the family) is probably eating sushi in Tokyo right now.

“Economic Recession? Yeah Right!” and Other Random Thoughts

1. Economic Recession? Yeah right.
I detoured to walk through exhibition booths at the PIKOM PC Fair before starting work at the Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur. Trains were, as expected, packed. The adjacent KLCC park was literally turned into a one way street by the crowd heading toward the convention center: it exposes you to vulnerability if you choose to head out of the convention center, the way it felt driving at the wrong side of the road defying the flow of the traffic, a la Trinity in The Matrix Reloaded.

To Apply or Not to Apply, That is the Question.

As my last name does not spell Gates, Trump, Buffett, or Hilton (much to my dismay) getting money for college is ultimately one of my greatest concerns. This is aggravated by the policy (called “need-aware policy”) of the university of my choice to take into account my financial status in making admission decision.

The Philosophy of Socializing

As my cell phone’s memory capacity is limited, I did what would be the most intuitive response – delete phone numbers from my contact list. Scrolling down the traces of my social connections for the past ten years, I am surprised by the measly number of people on my list whom I actually call or connect with on a regular basis.

Voyaging from “A” to “Z”, I mentally categorized my contacts into four main groups. Group A consists of those who are, as I am typing this, in a foreign country. The phone numbers, given their limited geographic coverage, were thus invalid. That’s a compelling reason to press the “Delete” button.