Optimism Killed My Creativity (Or At Least I Hope I Had One!)

Whenever I have the time to blog and I feel like blogging and actually have the time to pen some words l'll log into this site...and...I end up staring at the white screen...for the longest time!!!

I remember the days when I could blog endlessly (on a different site). Perhaps it was because my mind was full of hatred ...to many things in life at that time. I changed into a new blog because I wanted to turn a new leaf, I wanted to be optimistic about ....lets just say I wanted to be optimistic on many things in life. Unfortunately, I realised that optimism kills creativity! Well, at least mine!

So from now on I'm going back to my oldself...and continue whining!

The Irony of Censorship

Here I am writing about censorship again. Censorship is one form to control a society. In many countries, especially in Asian countries, censorship is vital to safeguard and uphold the morality of its society mainly from being influenced by foreign cultures; Western culture. Hence censorship can be witnessed in films, dramas, books, music, and other forms of media. Though generally there is a universal acceptance on what's right and wrong amongst Asians, censorship is rather subjective. It is no black or white matter. What is considered as "inappropriate" to one, may be "appropriate" to another. This is due to the demographics of the people consuming the media, even when we are all clustered as Asians. 

The problem with censorship that I see in our country is beyond this factor. Our problem is that censorship is done irrationally at times. Let's take music as an example. In Beyonce's If I Were a Boy, the word beer was censored. In Rihanna's Cheers (Drink to That), the word bastard was censored. There are many other ridiculous censoring done in music which annoys listeners. It's not because I'm assent to words such as bastards or any other foul words, it's just that censorship should be rational. It should be done beyond the literal meaning of the word itself. It should be done by analysing into the context of the song too. 

Though we are not native English speakers, in this nation, most listeners who listen to English songs are well versed in the language. Our vocabulary is beyond a beginner's level. Hence, we can read what's in between the lines. Sadly, those who censors the media for us either underestimate our knowledge of the language or worse, are not well versed in the language themselves. As a result, innocent words like shit and sex are censored for the fear of so-called Western influence, but songs like Akon's Smack That, or many of Pitbull's that sometimes contains detailed lewdness (according to Asian standard) are aired freely without censorship. So, what's there to censor, really?

A Superficial World Indeed

Today I read that apparently humans like to be praised even if we know that the praise is insincere or even smell a tad of sarcasm. The research revealed that though outwardly we may not show the appropriate reaction to praises that are deceitful, indirectly, without us realising, we are psychologically inclined to it. Doesn't this show we are pathetic? 

Then I read another article. A research conducted by Harvard University revealed that when men look at beautiful faces, they feel the same as taking in cocaine. Could that be a euphoric sensation? Now, there's a solution to drug addicts!Thumbs up beautiful women! But, what happens to average looking women? 

Though both of these articles are based on research findings, I come to a sad conclusion: We live in a superficial world. 

Artificial Field and Imports

So the Malaysian football team lost to Singapore just now. Yet, I don't really feel bad. Of course, we've played better games prior to this, but yet a 5-3 lost is not something I'd feel devastated for several reasons.

Firstly, our team consist of pure, original, born-and-bred-Malaysian. Singapore's players on the other hand just look...foreign. Well, they, like many other "Singaporean athletes", are imports or shall I say foreigners with Singaporean citizenship. Which makes our team, a better team than theirs.

Secondly, I feel it was acceptable to lose since our players were not used to play in an artificial field, where the ball speed is faster and slippery. After all, our Malaysian team is used to play in real grass field. So, to the Malaysian football team, let's show what real football is when the Singaporean team play on our real grass field this coming Thursday.

Malaysia Boleh!

Dear Obama, Osama's Down...What's Next?

The world's Most Wanted has fallen. Al Qaeda leader killed. I couldn't believe my eyes when I first read it. I read it again and again. Thumbs up USA! Then I watched the speech by Obama. A speech though brief, yet will go down as one of the most important speeches in history. Of course, not to forget, a speech that could change Obama's fate this coming election.

Finally, the man has fallen. The irony is why does it take a great nation, the United States of America nearly ten years after the September 11 attacks to finally put a closure? Shouldn't Uncle Sam with all her renowned technological advancement have gotten hold of this 50-plus-old man with ragged top and lives on mountainous terrains a long time ago? 

So, what's next for the USA? What will happen to the Uniting and Providing America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (PATRIOT Act)? After all, one of the reason this act was established was due to the September 11 attacks. Will the act which will expire end of this May be renewed, amended or abolished?

Obama cleverly mentioned in his speech that America is not fighting with Islam. So, with Obama saying that Osama's down, and the world a better place, can Muslims now feel safe in the USA? Will there not be any form of human rights violation intrude upon the Muslims after this? Will there not be anymore so-called "random security checks" on Ali, Ahmad and Muhammad surnames? 

Obama has indeed done an excellent job. Definitely better than his oaf predecessor Bush. The Muslim world have not forgotten his speech in Cairo back in 2009. However, he has a long way to go to show that he is indeed a man of his words. Especially to the Muslims, and in particular the American Muslims.

How Much of Media Censorship is Appropriate?

To censor..or not to censor? It's a gray area and a tricky decision. What is viewed as inappropriate to one, may be subtle or not a big deal to another, especially in a heterogeneous society. Asian media have tighter guidelines on censorship as compared to Western media. However, censorship varies even within the Asian media itself, as some countries are lenient while others strict. 

Media censorship does not take away society's right to freedom of information, instead it helps to draw the line between what's morally right and what's immoral. It helps to influence the morality of a society. I believe that media censorship is also necessary in accordance to the society's conformity. I also believe that the person who has the accountability to censor what is viewed or heard by the whole nation must be well versed in the job. They cannot merely handle the task based on ethical guidelines given on a piece of paper. Instead, they have to be able to analyse critically what their job entails before making the cut.

Sadly, I see discrepancies in our media censorship. For instance, some parts of Beyonce's If I Were a Boy was censored simply because the lyrics said "Drink beer with the guys" (The word beer was censored). Same goes for the song Hey Soul Sister by Train where the word virgin was cut. My question is, what's wrong with the word beer and virgin? Virginity is a taboo topic in many Asian cultures, but what is taboo within a society does not necessarily be vulgar, does it? If words such as beer and virgin is inappropriate, how come the famous Smack That song by Akon is not? After all, if one were to analyse the lyrics, one would find a lot of vulgarities well described. The song of course got through simply because there was no taboo words in it. Or perhaps because the Smart Aleck does not understand the song at all!

This brings me to a new incident - movies. Just a few weeks back I went to watch Black Swan at the cinema, not knowing what it was all about prior to watching it. Today, I went to watch The King's Speech. Now both these movies are world's apart, but what connects them is that both contained scenes which are deemed inappropriate (to the Asian perspective). However, if they were to censor these scenes, audience wouldn't understand the story. Thus, I assume that's why these scenes were maintained. Good job! 

My next question is, if scenes of a person touching herself (in Black Swan) and another about a king swearing every vulgar word you can think of can be released without censoring, why does a scene of an innocent kiss in the classic movie Sound of Music censored? 

There are many more of similar incidents in our media. It is annoying when censorship is done without rationality. Where exactly do we draw the line between what's appropriate and what's not?

My Top 5 Favourite Countries

1. Egypt
Type of travel: Tour
Name of tour company: POTO Travels (Malaysia) and MISR Asia Travels (Egypt)
My fav place: Cairo.

I can write endlessly about this bustling city with its friendly and warm people, ancient architecture, and of course their mad driving! Refer to my previous post entitled Marvelous Egypt.

2. New Zealand:

Type of travel: Backpacking
My fav place: WellingtonWellington is beautiful and extremely windy, thus being ranked as one of the windiest city in the world. I remember being pushed by the strong wind while walking near Jervois Quay one windy morning. I also like Wellington Zoo, spent half a day there as the zoo is large with many interesting and some peculiar animals. The local bus from the city centre to the zoo is NZD3 one way (if my memory serves me right!) and entrance fee:to the zoo is NZD14. There are also places to visit from LOTR's scene, but be prepared to pay a few hundred NZ dollars. I only managed to visit the WETA Cave, a mini studio where I got to see some props, displays, BTS footages of LOTR and even met one person who were part of thousands of LOTR crew members.

Rotorua Lake, New Zealand

My fav place: Rotorua

Do not be put off by the pungent smell of rotten egg while you walk around this peaceful town. The smell is actually sulphur, a common element around volcanic area such as Rotorua. This tiny, serene city is very relaxing. Sometimes while walking around the area, you get to see puffs of white steam protruding from the ground - interesting sight indeed. Also, due to  its unique geographical area many hostels offer free saunas. Make a trip to Wai O Tapu, and The Mud Lake and watch the famous Lady Knox Geiser. These places are at the outskirts of Rotorua town, so it's better to book a tour from your backpackers hostel which gives you discounted rates. After all that go-sees, the Rotorua lake is a perfect place to relax and have fish and chips. Though it cost NZD 12,  it was the best fish and chips I've ever tasted. Fresh and juicy fish and mussels!

3. United Kingdom
Type of travel: Backpacking
My fav place: Scotland and Lake District

Interesting places to visit in Scotland: Inverness, Falkirk, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Stirling. Inverness is the highest town towards the north peak of the UK. It's cold but beautiful especially by the riverside with daffodils and tulips blooming during the spring. I also enjoyed walking around Stirling Castle and admiring the greens from atop. This place is a must for those who admires William of Wallace's fight for freedom or those who have seen the movie Braveheart. Edinburgh is also an interesting city which has its own unique features. I've enjoyed all my three visits (once in an extremely late autumn and twice in spring) to Edinburgh and would like to revisit it someday.

My fav place: Lake District
It borders England and Scotland. Beautiful lakes surrounding the area. I stayed at  a B&B in Lake Windermere and it was awesome. My two friends and I also took the local bus to see more of the country side and it was worth the trip. The only thing was we had to wait for an hour for the bus, as there was only one bus in the country side. Keswick, a town nearby is also interesting.

4. Switzerland
Type of travel: Backpacking

Old city of Geneva, Switzerland

My fav place: Geneva city.
There are many things to see and visit.  I visited Switzerland 3 times, twice in Geneva because I like the city very much. The city is like many other metropolitan cities, but not as busy and congested as London and Paris. There's a guided tour within the UN building for CHF10 (or more, I've forgotten). Behind the UN, there is a beautiful botanical garden (about 5 minutes walk from the UN).

Also, there are many other UN affiliates around the area. Lastly, visit the historical old city of Geneva and enjoy a cup of tea outside of the shops within the area. For souveniers, some items are cheaper if you buy at COOP City, a supermarket at the town centre rather than at the popular touristy areas.

Besides Geneva, I also recommend visiting Lake Como which borders with Italy. It's a beautiful town but only go for a brief visit...unless you have loads of cash because this town is extremely expensive! When I went there, I could see many luxurious cars parked along the streets. Not a place for me for sure!

5. Italy
Type of travel: Tour
Name of tour company: Cosmos Tourama (UK)

I think Italy is an expensive place to visit as compared to Germany, France or several other European countries I've been. There are many beautiful sceneries in Italy not to forget many good looking and beautiful people on the streets too! 

My fav place: Florence
Florence is known for its leather. There are many leather factories around the city with tours available. You can also buy leather goods in these factories. However, there are also cheaper leather goods available by the roadside where you can bargain. Also, take a break and observe passersby at Piazza della Signoria while having delicious gelato for EUR3 per cone.

My fav place: Venice.
Venice is classic, lovely and unique. When in Venice, don't miss taking the gondola ride and enjoy live songs serenaded by Venetian boatmen don in their classic striped T-shirt. You'll ride under arches of bridges and get to see the ruining and sinking of old Venetian buildings. I've forgotten how much it cost, but through all its ruins, Venice is simply - romantic! Visit Venice before it sinks!