i'm not Atlas

Dan tanganku ini
Masih memegang erat kepalaku
Semua yang membebaniku
Sungguh membebaniku
Sungguh membebaniku
Sungguh membebaniku

-Peterpan (2005) 'Membebaniku'
-Album : Alexandria

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The news about Emy, a presumably healthy 29-yr-old who passed away recently of a heart attack scares me a little.

Okay. A LOT.

Rais Finds 'The Last Communist' Film Not Offensive

Now over to you, Internal Security Minister.

This reminds me of the KRUmania concerts ban in 1997. I hope the issue doesn't have to go up to the DPM or (gasp!) PM to be resolved, though. Banyak lagi benda lain diorang nak buat.

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KUALA LUMPUR, May 21 (Bernama) -- The banned musical documentary "The Last Communist" is not offensive, said Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim.

"The plot isn't controversial and there's nothing that could be deemed as offensive from the cultural viewpoint," he said.

The facts portrayed in the documentary could be read in the book about former Communist Party of Malaya leader Chin Peng sold in book stores, he told reporters after joining Members of Parliament to watch the film at the National Film Development Corporation (Finas) Sunday.

The Internal Security Ministry banned the documentary produced by independent film-maker Amir Muhammad on May 10 days before its screening in cinemas although it had been passed by the Censorship Board.

The ban followed criticisms that the film glorified the cause of the communists and Chin Peng.

The documentary was screened for the MPs at the request of parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang who wanted to see the justification for its ban.

Rais said there was nothing new in the film except for the interviews with the Communist Party of Malaya's former members.

"They were vague, not conclusive for any quarters... that's normal," he said, adding that whether the ban would be lifted was the prerogative of the Internal Security Ministry.

He said his ministry would give its views if it was asked to do so but he hoped the issue would not be blown out of proportion.

Lim said that he could not see anything controversial that could justify the banning of the film.

"When I went in, I was prepared to be outraged. But, hard as I tried, I could not find anything to be outraged about because it does not glorify the Communist Party or Chin Peng, and does not even promote communism.

"It just used the Chin Peng connection to make a documentary about life in the country and a little bit about life at the border. Some scenes such as the charcoal factory (in Taiping), petai boys (in Bidor) are an eye opener for many and highly educational," he said.

PAS secretary-general Datuk Kamaruddin Jaafar said it was a simple film portraying the life of a group of Malaysians in the 1940s and 1950s.

"It does not even tell a full story on the communist insurgency in the country nor is it a propaganda film," he said, adding that it would not leave a negative impact on the audience.

-- BERNAMA

Link

win, lose, or ....

Kocokan dadu di tangan berharap nasib baik
Orang yang menang langkahpun semakin naik
orang-orang yang kalah peluang makin susah
Kalau salah salah langkah bisa bisa masuk penjara
Dana umum dan kesempatan hanya untuk yang bernasib baik
Dana umum dan kesempatan hanya untuk orang yang menang
Ini hanya permainan
Ini monopoli Ooo...
Ini monopoli Ooo... main monopoli
Orang-orang yang menang menguasai segalanya

'Main Monopoli'
Slank
'PISS!' (peace) album, 1993

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Someone said, winning isn't everything.

But, who wouldn't like it to win it all? Honestly. I would. Of course. Why not?

An optimist like me do believe that it's possible to have a "win-win situation", where to win some, you may have to lose some as well. But that must be better than one-wins-all and the-rest-lose-all. Especially when you're at the losing end.

We do get 'Chance' cards in life. It's just that we may not realize it since it most probably come in various disguises. In Monopoly though, we may get to keep the card to use when we think fit. In life, we gotta know it when it comes and grab our chance before it's gone. Swoosh!

Main monopoli, hah. Banker jugak yang confirmed kaya, ekcerli.

Ban of Lelaki Komunis Terakhir

Read the director's own take on Why is Lelaki Komunis Terakhir banned in Malaysia.

But basically, I think it's first and foremost because of the title. Not just because it has the word "komunis", but also the fact that there was a previous local movie with the title "Perempuan Melayu Terakhir". There's already a sort of romanticism and feel-good factor to the phrase Perempuan-Melayu-Terakhir (PMT), and suddenly Amir came and put forth a Chin Peng-inspired documentary titled Lelaki Komunis Terakhir.

If there's no previous PMT movie, would people readily accuse a documentary titled Lelaki Komunis Terakhir as an attempt to "glorify the communist leader when the country has much more credible people that we can learn from"?

Do we only learn from the good things that happened? Shouldn't we also learn about the bad? Learn, i.e. to not repeat them. Learn, to know that A is wrong and B is right. Learn, why is it such.

There's a Malay saying that goes, "Yang baik jadikan tauladan, yang buruk jadikan sempadan".

As far as I'm concerned, Chin Peng is one to be considered as sempadan.

I've not seen Lelaki Komunis Terakhir yet, and I want to.

Why?

Not because I think Chin Peng is someone to be glorified.
Not because I'm insensitive to the hurt that he's caused to our countrymen during his time, the fathers and the grandfathers of fellow Malaysians today.
Not because Communism is an ideology I'm interested to see in practice.

But because I'm interested to know how a semi-musical-documentary would be like, because Amir Muhammad made a couple of movies that I've enjoyed watching before and because I want to learn whatever I could (if there's any) from the movie. Either as a teladan or sempadan. I'm a product of a local school system. I read local dailies since I was five year old. Of course the mere notion of Chin Peng, to me, is a sempadan.

You think by watching a semi-musical-documentary of places he's lived in, would change that?

Let we think for ourselves, lah. Listen and make decisions based on facts, not just notions and the mere mention of the word "komunis". Take it within the context. Lelaki Komunis Terakhir. The Last Communist. Why won't the title be taken as Amir's patriotic claim to Malaysia successfully banishing all commies from its terra firma then?

IF

Chin Peng = Communist
Chin Peng = exiled from Malaysia

AND

last = the only remaining

THEREFORE

"The Last Communist" = The only remaining Communist, Chin Peng, who has been exiled from Malaysia

Conclusively means,

In Malaysia, there are no more communists!

Tak patriotik ke tu?

Err... geli!

Some people just have that ingrained ability to make you go..

kembang tekak.

Euwrr.

kuah tumpah

Kecik-kecik lagi dah pandai nak capai kamera. Asal nampak kamera je dia mula posing. Terbedik-bedik mata, senyum dan excited tiba-tiba. Pelik lah, cemana dia tau kalau nampak kamera kena posing ah?

Betul la kut, mungkin sebab abah dia jurugambar... menurun = genetik?

sunday is a day

1. Kawan-kawan

Friendships could be strange things that defies explanation.
How they came about, or how they got unravelled.

You could find the best of them coming from places you don't really expect to, with people you don't really plan to.

And you could find them getting undone, with things you did that you thought were the best.

Then you may even forget the when, how and why, but one will always remember the who and the good times had. And when that time comes, it's best to just move on.

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2. Lantai T(onggek) Pinkie

Lantai T. Pinkie the musical was a yawn in the middle. The singing scenes were quite enjoyable though, and Nasha Aziz sure is one pretty lady.

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3. Che vs Gie vs Chin Peng

Watched The Motorcycle Diaries (tq JLo!) three times already. And have seen a picture of the dead Che. And read the wiki page on him. Still couldn't make up my mind whether to admire him or not. But at least I know now the rough idea of the man, instead of the many who may just have his mug on their tshirts / slingbags / caps without having the faintest clue about the guy.



Watched Gie, once. Maybe I have to see it again. But I think The Motorcycle Diaries is a much watchable movie. And not just because the actor who played Ernesto is so hensem.

Am keyed for local release of Lelaki Komunis Terakhir (supposedly 18/5/06). But the latest development is quite a suspen one, hope all goes well.

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I just like something different, sometimes.
But please don't put me on the list of people to sign up for that party.