On this day four months ago, I started work at the International School of Johor.
Was about to leave school just now when I saw the Japan Club next door had the Malaysian and Johor flags raised upside down. hmmph. like a total insult k. Just because your Japanese flag looks the same whether it's hung upright or upside down doesn't give you the right to hang our flag in such a callous manner.
So I went over and told them to correct their mistake loh. Call me bo liao or whatever. But a national flag should be given its due respect.
USA and Iraq
Hmm. so many sad things happening in Iraq of late - the torture photos of Iraqi prisoners in the Abu Ghraib prison, the beheading of US civilian Nicholas Berg in Iraq (almost quite certainly in retaliation for the humiliation of the Iraqi prisoners)...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/3689167.stm (the most common torture photos in Iraq that we've been seeing on TV)
In my humble opinion, I think that in the first place the UN should have done the job of removing Saddam instead of the US in a so-called coalition. Cos really, for George Bush to use words like "democracy, fighting for freedom, the security of the world, to remove terror, axis of evil" to justify the Iraq invasion really sounds damn hollow no matter how you look at it, especially in the Muslim world.
And that now, in the face of this quagmire in Iraq, he STILL repeats the same damn phrases. "freedom. that it's only the work of a few people who don't believe in American ideals." what shit k. it really sounds cliched. period. When you are a senior officer, you alone are responsible for people under your charge. Why aren't the top heads rolling? That only 9 quite ordinary-ranking soldiers at the moment are being court martialled? To say "I'm not resigning becuase I know people are turning it to a political issue" is inexcusable. *shrugs* The Nan Chiau principal would be a good example for Rumsfeld to follow. For Pete's sake, he served as P for 6 years (twice the time u spent as Defense Secretary).. and what was the P's mistake again? He just hit a student with a book. But he graciously chose to step down because that was against what he was preaching about to his teachers. And what's your alleged folly, Mr Rumsfeld? Your soldiers were treating prisoners in the most undignified manner. Like dogs. sexual humiliation. Your military intelligence covered up the International Red Cross when they sumbitted a report testifying of "systematic abuse" at Abu Ghraib.
While I'm sorry that Nicholas Berg happens to be a victim of circumstances.. that his death was gruesome. that his murderers were barbaric. that Islam won't preach this. but violence begets violence. it won't have happened if the americans hadn't stepped into Iraq (not unilaterally at least).
And u haven't caught Osama yet. just a friendly reminder, Mr Bush. i think that's the bigger threat.
P/s: Which really reminds me of my Yr 2 GP June CT essay.. "Only the educated are free. Comment" - and I only got 26/50 cos i naively argued that only the educated have the power to change, and the uneducated are well, just that. can't change. living in kampungs, can't assert change. no freedom. Mr Hasim marked my essay and taught me that well, that's not true. For eg, the educated and powerful in govt and resist reforms to protect their vested interests. That People Power in the Philippines toppled Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.. that becuase we are educated, we're trapped in our own mental paradigm and cos of that, we can't change - hence, can't be free of our mindset, our prejudices.