Bersih 3.0: 428 An epic day for Malaysians

I’ve never seen Malaysians were so brave to stand up for their rights until April 28, 2012.

With 250,000 ordinary Malaysians and thousand more around the world, Malaysians united to share and to voice the same echo: free and clean election and return our freedom!

Although we failed to enter Dataran Merdeka but we were proud that Malaysians, without any regards to race and background, we had come together as one. The government is using our money to show what 1Malaysia is all about, which is rather crappy. However, we, rakyat has proven that we no need crappy 1Malaysia to unite us, we already united to fight injustice and unfairness! 

 Here is my chronicle of Bersih 3.0

11:00 am  Surprisingly, the traffic was smooth without any major clampdown or roadblock like last year.

Heading to Bersih 3.0

11:30am Silly me, I thought we would be arrested by police for wearing yellow, so I wore black outside and yellow inside. Gee, the LRT was packed with yellow warriors. This shot was taken on the tail of the train. The front and the middle were sardine packed by yellow warriors.

On the way to Jalan Sultan, one of the gathering points for Bersih 3.0

12:00 pm Yellow warriors disembarked at Plaza Rakyat station without any police supervision at that time.

Sea of yellow

12:10 pm Once we got out from Pudu, it was sea of yellow. Malays, Chinese, Indians and others shouting same echo " Bersih!”

12:20 pm since Telco in Malaysia is generally sucks, we couldn’t contact our friends who were waiting for us at Jalan Sultan. So we joined this crowd to march to Dataran Merdeka.

Pandemonium in the air

12:30 pm Sometimes, I wonder Duduk Bantah ke atau Berdiri Bantah, coz we sat and stood for so many times. 

Marching to Dataran Merdeka at Jalan Tun Perak

1:10 pm As we were approaching to Dataran Merdeka at Jalan Tun Perak, the 250,000 strong crowd were shouting even louder. Whenever we stopped and sat down, there would be several speakers to talk about their frustration on the government.

 

1:45 pm It was zohor prayers. The non Muslims were cooperative enough to be silent for a moment for the prayer. Shouting and singing were ensued and followed by booing whenever police truck past by.

Just meters away to Dataran Merdeka

1:50pm We were near to Dataran Merdeka but we couldn’t really sit down as the crowd behind kept pushing us forward. 

 2:00pm The pandemonium reached fever pitch. We hardly could breathe as it was so packed and staffy!

2:15pm  We had to walk out from the crowd to Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman to join another crowd. This is where the people faced off with the police. We really had light moments there. Some of the shouting leaders could really crack jokes, well you know, nothing good on our PM and his wife. It was a harmony scene to watch Malays, Chinese and Indians shouting together as one voice and as 1Malaysia.

3:10pm The frontliners were cheering! We didn’t know what was going on since it was bit distance, so we were all stood up.

Here comes the water cannon

3:20pm Polis Anti Rusuhan started firing chemical-laced water. We started to gear up with our masks, salt and damped cloth.

3:25pm Tear gas was fired. The crowd refused to move backward. However, as the wind blew the smoke toward us, we had to run. Not because we were chicken but no one could endure the pain of the tear gas. It was like hundreds of onions irate you eyes. It was like you choking on a bottle of pepper and the lips and the mouth were burning hot. Literally, we couldn’t breathe at all and i was choking and running to escape from the smoke. I felt sorry coz i couldn’t help those who fell on the ground as thicker smoke was blown gradually faster to us.

3:35pm i have lost my friends who left behind. Poor thing, people were choking and their eyes were painfully red. I think is my call to help them. So I stopped those who needed help and pour my contact lens solution on their eyes. I hope it could reduce the burning sensation.Though not helping much but at least i did something good.

BTW, i saw Anwar passing by with his security, his face was burning red!

3:45pm Managed to assemble with my friends again! I had no idea what was going, people at the front were running, then we also ran!

Seriously, what heatbreaking was they were a group of blind people joined the rally. Why punished them?  They didn’t have eyesight to run away from the smoke!!!

3:50pm, Silly us, we kept on running on the main road of Jalan TAR which gave more chance police to catch us, so we decided to turn right to God Knows what road. Phew. I think we look terrified, everyone passed by would ask us “Are you okay?”

4:00pm , we called it a day. As we were approaching to LRT station, we helped those whose eyes were really red with my solution.

It was very nice experience for me as it has given me a chance to see what  1Malaysia is all about.

Bersih 3.0, you have made the country proud!

More updates soon!

Bersih 3.0 : The night before D Day

When I told my mom that I’m going to Bersih 3.0, her reaction was rather nonchalant  - “Oh okay” Whereas , my baby was “You have nothing better to do?!”

To be honest, this is the second time I’m going to a demonstration. The first one was in 2009, when the Pakatan government collapsed, and I joined thousand of Perakians  at the Datuk Seri Nizar’s residence to give him support.

Three years on and I couldn’t believe that I need to join thousand of Malaysians to clean the crappy electoral system.

Why joining?

Apart  from the Eight Demands for cleaner and fairer election in the name of democracy, just look at our authority lately.

Under the Peaceful Assembly Act 2011, which came into force on Monday, assemblies in motion are prohibited but gatherings at designated areas of assembly may proceed without police permit once proper notice is given. Erm, so if my friends and I so happen wearing the same colour of shirt and so happen are going the same destination is considered as unlawful?

Next, Section 14(1) of the Act, which the Najib administration said would allow freedom of assembly in accordance with international norms, stated that police could only impose conditions for any planned assembly but not disallow it – so why now they don’t allow us to sit and protest peacefully at Dataran Merdeka?

They are not only breach the Peaceful Assembly Act but also the Federal Constitution of Article 10 in which every citizen has the right to freedom of speech and expression, all citizens have the right to assemble peacefully and without arms.

What so sick about Malaysia democracy scene recently is  that Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof and Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar both chairman and deputy chairman respectively were once UMNO member. Seriously, the heads who are conducting and counting our votes were member of the UMNO – their integrity can be trusted?

I think this is my last note before I join thousands of rakyat marching in to Dataran Merdeka, we are not pro opposition or pro government neither. All we want is clean and fair election. We have been silent for so many years, last year we had risen up and said no, this year, thousands of people on Malaysian soil joining by thousand more Malaysians around the world once again come together as 1Malaysia to demand our freedom and democracy back to us.

Power to the people!!

Walk A Payung 2012 For Lupus

Last Wednesday, I attended a media briefing on Walk-A-Payung 2012 organized by Persatuan SLE Malaysia.

While I was waiting the event to start, there was a cute young kid who was really hyperactive – running and jumping around as if he was in the wonderland.

About this cute young kid, there’s a story behind on his brave and strong mother. His mother suffers from Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) or lupus for short – a life-long, life-threatening disease that occurs when the body’s immune system turns against its own healthy tissues for unknown reasons.

That young cute kid is her third pregnancy. She had miscarriage for twice. Third one was a successful one and she is now pregnant with the fourth one. In life, we easily give up on the things we pursue in life. But this mother, she is strong, sickness is not a barrier to stop whatever she believes in. Through her perseverance and strength, now she has a happy family of three and plus one soon. 

50% suffering from the classic malar rash (or butterfly rash)

More than five million people worldwide battle lupus daily, of which 90% are females. In Malaysia it is estimated that 43 in every 100,000 suffer from this disease, or more than 12,000 people, with the youngest recorded aged only four years of age.

For its lupus awareness campaign in conjunction with World Lupus Day this year, Persatuan SLE Malaysia (PSLEM), a non-profit support group started by doctors and patients to help people suffering from lupus, will be holding its annual umbrella walkthon, Walk-a-Payung, to raise funds and to raise awareness on the disease. Greater awareness on SLE will enable an earlier diagnosis and a better prognosis for the patient.

PSLEM provides free counseling services to patients and family members at their lupus information and counseling centres in Petaling Jaya and Georgetown, at SLE clinics in major public hospitals, and via their 12-hour SLE Helpline (9.00am to 9.00pm). PSLEM has also started to provide much needed financial assistance to needy patients undergoing joint replacement and cataract operations -- problems faced due to the side-effects of their steroid medications.

Walk-a-Payung 2012 is jointly organised by PSLEM, Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya, and Friends of Kota Damansara, with Tropicana Medical Centre as the venue sponsor. The event will be held in the grounds of Tropicana Medical Centre in Kota Damansara on Sunday, May 20, from 7.00am to 12.00noon, where lupus patients, family members and supporters, will walk with umbrellas to highlight that exposure to sunlight can trigger SLE in those who are genetically predisposed to it.

PSLEM President Assoc Prof Dr Esha Das Gupta explained that while lupus is generally known as a condition that affects young women of child-bearing age, lupus can also affect children and men as well.

Lupus often goes unrecognized because its primary symptoms – joint pain, fatigue, skin rashes, and fever – mimic many common illnesses, which can cause people and children to receive treatment for conditions they may not have.

“Diagnosing a person with lupus is difficult, even for doctors, as the signs and symptoms are so broad and the complications are far-ranging. PSLEM’s objective is to raise awareness among the public and the medical community on the signs and symptoms of the disease because early diagnosis and treatment leads to a better prognosis for the patient, and therefore a better survival rate,” Assoc Prof Dr Esha explained.

“After the diagnosis, the first step for every patient is to understand what the disease is about and to learn how to take care of themselves. We also encourage lupus patients to join our support group so that they can learn from other patients. We have started a “Share & Care” group that meets monthly at our centre in Petaling Jaya where patients share their experiences and support one another,” Assoc Prof Dr Esha said.

Walk A Payung 2011 - Participants walked under the umbrella to show solidarity to lupus patients in which direct sunlight will compounding their sickness 

“Presently, there is no known cure for lupus. The medications used to control lupus depend on the severity of the disease. These medications have side-effects that could affect the patient physically, emotionally and psychologically, and that’s why counseling plays an important role in improving the patient’s compliance with treatment.

“PSLEM needs to educate not just the patient but also the people that they interact with – their spouses, other family members, friends, employees, even schoolmates. The people around them need to understand the challenges and needs of people with lupus,” she explained.

Walk-a-Payung Organising Chairman Ooi Chooi Im said that the event is aimed at raising public awareness of the disease but also emphasised that there is an urgent need to raise funds for the society’s work in supporting lupus patients. The society is targeting to raise RM100,000 through the Walk-a-Payung.

Ooi urged members of the public to support the society’s efforts by getting a Walk-a-Payung donation card to collect a minimum of RM50 or make a direct donation of RM50 to PSLEM and join the walk. Online payment and registration is also available at PSLEM’s website, www.lupus.org. Corporations that donate a minimum of RM1,000 will be invited to send their company team to walk with their corporate colors and banner. Well-wishers can also get booths at a charity food and fun fair held on the same day to sell items to raise funds for PSLEM’s fund for needy patients.

“The message we wish to convey to lupus patients is that there is hope for them. We all cope better with a support group to turn to. I have learnt much about SLE, about taking care of myself, and about coping with the side-effects of my medications after joining PSLEM,” said Walk-a-Payung Committee Member Chee Siew Lian, who has lived with lupus for more than 24 years.

For enquiries or to get a Walk-a-Payung card, please contact PSLEM at 03-7957 7672, email pslemhq@gmail.com, visit the association’s website at www.lupusmalaysia.org or drop by their office at 3rd Floor, Bangunan Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, No 16, Jalan Utara, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

How To Detect Gay Men At Shopping Malls

Do you like to hang out at Pavilion?

I don’t. First of all, I have to brace through a bunch of loitering no-life-losers at the main entrance. The strangest thing is that they only loitering outside of Pavilion, but they do not dare to step into the border approaching the entrance, I guess they are too poor to purchase anything from there.

Secondly, gosh, Pavilion is like focal point of the gay! I have no idea why they like there so much. Someday, Pavilion can change its name to Gayvilion. I think dim-witted JMM has chosen the wrong place to hold LGBT protest. Protest at Gayvillion, you moron!

Anyway, do the gay men in Malaysia are getting more and more mundane? Seriously, all the gay men look the same, dress the same and act the same. Indeed, gay man can easily detect another gay man in his vicinity at shopping malls. In born talent or there are ways to detect gay guy in the vicinity? I believe my points below could somehow guide you to see who is queer and who is not. How to detect gay men at shopping malls?

Grinder, Jack D and Boyahoy

I believe those apps are the simplest way to detect them. If you see a man who constantly who moves finger up and down on the phone screen, you would know what they are doing- they are hunting. BTW, those apps are for gay men to network. I use the word ‘network’ for the sake of my politeness. In other word for ‘network’ is ‘slut’.

Heavily covered face

I don’t mean women in burqa. I’m not against gay men who wear make up to cover up the scars or just to make the face glowing. However, if you see a man whose face is suffocated with make-up, I’m pretty sure he is one. Seriously, is the face is so damaged until need to  apply cement thick make up? Sometimes, I really wonder are they putting make up on their face or putting face on their make up. I’m really confused. 

Unusual sitting position

One night , my girlfriend  and I were at Chatime, and we kept  looking on a guy who sat so straight and crossed his legs. So she asked me, “is he gay?”. My answer: “Definitely. Which straight guy will sit straight up and cross his legs?”

Skin tight shirt

Gosh, gay men are trying too hard to showing off their body asset nowadays. They rather to be trapped in the skin tight shirt just for attention. Can’t they just wear something that they are comfortable with? I’m wondering are they waiting for someone to rip off their shirt. Also, I’m wondering do they go to the toilet regularly for oxygen tank hidden in their bag.

Flashing their skin with singlet

Maybe I’m tiny so whenever I’m at shopping malls, I’ll feel cold easily. However, I have no idea why some of gay men, esp the skinny ones love to wear singlet in such a cold air-conditioned place? To flash their armpits to attract armpit fetish? For the love of God, please shave those armpit hairs! You’re not growing fat choy on your armpits, are you?

The stare of death

This one only applies to gay-to-gay basis. When a gay man looking at the other gay man, somehow, the other gay man will realize then they will look back. Is it a non-verbal communication exclusively for the gay? Come on, I do believe you experience this before esp when you are staring at the cute / hot guy. There are two possibilities that the other person return your stare. One is you look cute/hot/handsome. The other one is you look monstrous. 

Bring a whore out

If the above suggestions fail to guide you, bring your whore friend out. Trust me, without any grinder, boyahoy, jack d, whores know all the gay men in the world!

Beofre I end my note, the recent anti LGBT movement by JMM was kinda bias to us. Why they have to relate LGBT to free sex. Dear JMM, if you do not know what free sex is, let the lady below enlightens you. 

Bersih 3.0 : Why You Should Join

For many years, even decades, we, rakyat has been holding our silence on the fraud electoral system. Our most basic democratic right has been robbed and abused by the unscrupulous parties and its cohorts to safeguard its control over us.

But the silence has been broken in July 2007 when 10,000 to 40,000 of ordinary people marched to streets of KL to voice out for an electoral reform. Four year later, Bersih 2.0 returned once again with a vengeance on July 2011. Over 50,000 people, without any reference of the skin colours, braced through tear gas and police brutality to demand the clean and fair electoral system. 

Sadly, the voice from rakyat fell on deaf ears again. Though Parliarmentary Seat Committee has submit its recommendations for electoral reform but on April 19^th 2012, many Bills were rushed through Parliament – one of them was Election Offences Act 1954. The amendments further undermine the promised initiatives of electoral reform.

From Dato’ Ambiga Sreenevasan in Bersih 2.0 official website:

1.         Those that publish defamatory, racist and sexist remarks may do so with impunity
Section 11(c) which had required any print materials to have the names and addresses of its printer and publisher is DELETED IN FULL.

This means that anyone can now put up anonymous defamatory, racist or sexist posters without identifying the publisher or printer.  Poison posters will now become standard fare.  This goes completely against Bersih 2.0’s demand to end dirty politics.


2.         Election monitoring at EC’s discretion
s14 1(A) is replaced with a clause which allows the Election Commission to appoint time slots to determine when polling agents or counting agents of a candidate may be present.  Therefore the time when an agent of a candidate is allowed into the Polling Station is no longer fixed and is now left to the discretion of the EC  to decide. They are free to remove Agents from Polling Station at will.

The reality is that polling and counting agents are usually appointed by the candidate and this ensures a more transparent process. However, with the new amendment there are possibilities of abuse. The time schedule is best understood by the candidates as they organise their agents according to their time availability, as most of them are volunteers.  If the time schedule is at the discretion of the EC, this may mean that different persons are being rotated and this does not allow the agents to observe inconsistencies systematically. Worse, when such a time schedule is applied during vote counting, as it again may open up opportunities for mis-counting.

3.         Curbing candidates and their staff from checking on identity of voters
S26 1(e) which allowed for checking of the identity of any person entering a polling centre is DELETED IN FULL.
The implication is that candidates and its election staff are not allowed to check on the identity of voters to establish if they are genuine or even to help them to identify if they are at the correct polling station. This also means that phantom voters or multiple voters will not be detected. The 50m exclusion zone outside the Polling Centre is now extended to 100m or more, depending on what the EC to decide. This makes it impossible for election monitors to see anything illegal going on.
It will also make it impossible to see if a voter is marked with indelible ink thus minimizing its effect.

4.         Election agent or candidate disallowed at election booths (barong)
s26A Sub-section (2) and (3) are DELETED IN FULL. This means that all channels of election observation are sealed off as it now does not allow election candidates and staff to observe the registration of voters during polling day. Such an amendment opens up possibilities of abuse and fraud. There will be no more Barung Observers who were previously the only non-EC people able to look at the IC of the voter and pick up discrepancies. This is a major blow to the plans to weed out phantom voters. They can now walk in freely and the Polling Agent (even if he is allowed into the Polling Station) will have no opportunity to look at the IC of the voter. The same point about indelible ink made above, will apply.

Why you should join  Bersih 3.0?
This is not about political demonstration. This is all about our basic democratic right, which is to choose a legitimate government from a clean and fair election.
This is not about nuisance and obstruction to the country. Our nuisance and we are facing now is the obstruction to our basic democratic right to choose a legitimate government,
The recent development on Bersih 3.0 until today:

1.      DBKL has rejected the permit to organize Bersih 3.0 rally at Dataran Merdeka on the basis that iconic Dataran Merdeka is meant for national sporting events or cultural in nature. I do not know why the mayor is so stubborn since his crony said that the rally has no threat to national security. DBKL does not own Dataran Merdeka, it only acts as caretaker of the iconic venue. Dataran Merdeka belongs to the rakyat!

2.      City police will not allow Berish 3.0 rally to proceed as due to security reasons. WTH? Now the rakyat pose security threat to the country? Why is so contradicting to its boss statement “no security threat” to the country. So who is the boss now?

Come on, Malaysia, rise up, and voice out! Return  basic democratic rights to us!

Food Bite: pH Pastry

 I really do admire those food bloggers who can use so many adjective to describe one single dish.

For me, the adjectives for the food are sucks, ok la and very nice.

Anyway, my close friends know that I love to eat and my taste buds are very hard to please.

I’m not doing food review to compete with other food bloggers as I know I’m not qualified enough. Just that I really like to share the best food or restaurant in town without hurting your wallet (cheap)!

Let’s start it off with pH Pastry.

Vibrant and colourful welcome at the entrance

Outdoor area

Indoor

 

 

Located at Jalan Utara, Off Jalan Imbi (also nearby Jalan Tun Razak), pH provides a temporary hut for the motorists to escape for the dreadful traffic jam at Jalan Tun Razak. pH pastry is able to augur a soothing ambience well from the bustling city of Kuala Lumpur. For the folks who work nearby, they also provide a head start meal from its breakfast menu from 7.30 am to 12 pm daily.

Though it has pastry in its name, but pH Pastry really serves delectable savory dishes as well.

                                      

My colleague ordered this Caramel Latte@ RM9.90 to boost up the energy for the rest of the day. For me, I would not drink it as the heart shapes were too cute to be consumed!

I’m a sucker for mint based drinks, so I couldn’t its Choco La Mente@RM 14. Rich in chocolate but the mint essence was lacking. 

Whenever and wherever I’m looking at Pasta menu, the first think I will check is Carbonara. I’m also a sucker for Carbonara too, you can call me boring when it comes to pasta. The Carbonara @ RM18.90 and it served with bacons and button mushroom along with pecorino – scrumptious with every bite! 

The Spicy Prawn Aglio Olio @ RM17.90 gives a tantalizing fusion taste between east and west. 

They have good selection of desserts here with macarons as well!

Last but not least, Chocolate Pizza@RM 17.90 to add in our guilty pleasure. How guilty? Banana and macadamia nuts layered by chocolate!

Before we departed, there was one thing in the display fridge that really looks appetizing to me, the Apple Strudel @ RM 10.90, since I was so full, I just brought it back home  for my nightly dessert. Crispy layer on top, apple in the middle and sweet custard at the base, what more I can say.

They also have wide range of breads

For more photos and its menu please join their Facebook page here. 

Pork-free. 

Opening times: 7.00am to 9.00pm daily.

Parking: Ample

Location: pH Pastry House, 54 Jalan Utara, off Jalan Imbi, 55100 Kuala Lumpur.

(if you ever lost, the landmark will be Beryl’s chocolate house which is flooded by tourist and Bas Persiaran)

Tel: 03-2141 2208

GPS Coordinates: 3.143805, 101.719483

There's a lie in believe

When I was small, I would play my plane toy - as I pierced my plane through the clear blue sky, I would believe myself as the pilot.

When I was small, I remember that I would put red cloth on my back and I would believe myself could fly like a superman.

We believed that we could be anyone and we could do anything when we were small.

As time flies, we are gradually to be wary in what we believe in.

As we are maturing, we realize that believe is an illusion of what we want to see or what we want to have. We also realize that believe is just a mere fantasy that will never come true.

I used to believe in many things. It is that believe that kept me moving forward so eventually I could make my vision and my desire and my goal come true.

But the world doesn’t welcome the people who are living in fantasy. For what I believe in, it will never come true. For what I have, it will be gone someday and never last. You may call me pessimistic but I have gone through a lot. My believe that used to be my tool to motivate myself has failed and disappointed me.

It does make me emotional sometimes to reflect the things I’ve gone through. But the time keeps us moving forward, misery or happiness, there is life out there for me.

I know this blog is kinda pathetic but at least I feel good after writing it out.