Contribute your opinions to Jun-E please?

Better to light the candle than to curse the darkness

My high school friend, Jun-E Tan (Also known as June x2 in the blogosphere), has written recommendations for the newly formed National Alliance of Bloggers(NAB), based on the results of her masters thesis survey on the issue: "Is Blogging An Effective Tool for Democratizing Malaysia?". Please click HERE to read and contribute your opinions to her recommendations, so that we can help direct the NAB towards the right direction, to preserve our right to freedom of speech online. =) Your view counts!

Thanks!

Wikipedia

Wikipedia is amazing. Really.

It all started when I was curious about Article 153 of the Constitution of Malaysia. you know, the one that is the reason for most of (note to SangYee: See I don't use TOTALISTIC words such as ALL anymore =P) the cursing and swearing of non-malays towards malays in Malaysia.

I ended up spending the whole night reading random information in Wikipedia, from the Sedition Act, to the Internal Security Act (ISA), to the Malayan Emergency, to the Malaysian Malaysia, to the People's Action Party (did u know that the DAP was actually the Malaysia branch of the PAP of Singapore?), to the Malay Dilemma, to our First Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, to Ultras, to the Presidential Council for Minority Rights in Singapore. And possibly more that I can't remember.

Makes me feel so much more empowered when I start forming opinions towards the current situation of Malaysian politics. Some long-standing questions in my head that were answered tonight:

• How on earth did the Sedition Act and the Internal Security Act manage to get itself into the Malaysian Constitution?


• What was the force behind the Malayan Communists that led to an Emergency State being called? (Stupid history books always portray them as bad guys, but I wasn't convinced then)
  
• Why did Singapore REALLY leave Malaysia? And how have they progressed so much while Malaysia pludges along behind slowly?


• What was Tunku Abdul Rahman like when he led Malaysia to merdeka? (Found out about some ugly past about Tun Mahathir and Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi in the process with regards to their status on bumiputera rights)


• How are Malays in Singapore surviving WITHOUT THE PRIVILLEGES offered to them in Singapore?

Interestingly, the Presidential Council for Minority Rights body stood out to me. Probably highlights the fundamental difference between Malaysia and Singapore too.

Article 153 in Constitution of Malaysia: Protects rights of BUMIPUTERA

Presidential Council for Minority Rights: Protects rights of every singaporean race, religion or community.

Shucks. I could go on and on now. Suddenly feel 500% more intelligent.

But I shall go to bed instead and leave it to you to check out those sites at Wikipedia.

Go on, you know you want to!

Racist Malaysians

Whenever we point a finger at someone, we end up pointing 3 fingers back at ourselves don't we?

I think that's very much the case of us Malaysians when it comes to racism. We accuse others of being racists, but the bigger culprits are ourselves. Reading my high school friend Jun-E's blog about this issue made me take a good look at myself.

Here's the insight I developed:

Whenever I refer to someone as an Australian, I usually mean 'that white skinned dude/dudette of the caucasian race that was born and bred in Australia'. Same goes to whenever someone tells me about an Australian. Never does the picture of an Australian born 'yellow-skinned dude/dudette of the asian race' enter my mind.

But what amazes me is how often non-white-skinned people who grew up in Sustralia refer to themselves as Australian.

No, not ABC (Australian-Born/Bred-Chinese), ABH (Australian-Born/Bred-Hongkie), ABK (Australian-Born/Bred-Korean) etc.

Just plain AUSTRALIAN.

They see themselves and every characteristic in themselves as Australian, nothing more, nothing less. They are proud to be Australian, and some even resent being given the labels of ABC, ABH, ABK etc. "But I'm Australian!" would be their outcry.

On the flip side of that, is how often we Malaysians like to put race over country. When people in Australia ask me and some of my other chinese friends: "Are you Malay?", we would almost instinctively respond with: "NONONONONONOO, definitely NOt malays. Malays are the darker skinned race in Malaysia. I am a Malaysian CHINESE.". (some may even have an overflow of thoughts as to how 'lazy' or 'pampered' Malays are etc).

The curious ones would then go on asking about what the difference between malays and malaysian chinese is besides their skin colour. Which brings us into a whole new level of discussion, involving the social contract and it's implications such as quotas for malays in every sector in Malaysia etc. Often we need to exert a great deal of self control to stop ourselves giving a 150 hour lecture on this issue and what we think about it.

And we end with "That's why we're Malaysian Chinese, and not Malay".

That's total B***sh**.

One finger pointed at the government, 3 fingers back at us.

Sure we don't agree to the quota system and its associated discrimination practiced in Malaysia, but aren't we practicing the same thing, discrimination, yet in a totally different form? By labelling ourselves as Malaysian chinese, do we not subtly imply that we should not be mixed up with the other races? Are we implying that we are better? hm...

No more racism from me. I'll practice EQUALITY. I am NOT a Malaysian Chinese from now on. I was born in Malaysia, therefore,

I AM MALAYSIAN.

National Alliance of Bloggers

I am so very excited!!

Lawsuits against Jeff Ooi and Ahirudin Attan have finally provided the fuel needed for Malaysian bloggers to set up a National Alliance of Bloggers.

In case you haven't been up to date, Channel News Asia reported about this issue, and it's even been put up on YouTube. Yay for worldwide publicity!

I don't know if you can feel it, but I sense a somewhat brighter future ahead for Malaysia. Yay for freedom of speech in Malaysia! Of course, this doesn't mean we can start spreading lies and slander against the government etc la.

On a side note, here's another example of a 'very educated and well informed Malaysian minister' showing the public just how knowledgable he is: Deputy energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor wants bloggers using locally hosted websites to register with the authorities. Try all you can buddy, I don't think our generation of Malaysian bloggers will allow you put muzzles on us anymore. We'll bite! I think you're one of the reasons why some foreigners still think Malaysians live up in trees, considering the amount of free publicity you got on this issue....on Radio Australia and International Herald Tribune , just to name a few.

Hopefully the National Alliance of Bloggers thinks big. Goodness knows this may be the start of a revolution of government transparency! Quoting what Jeff Ooi wrote:

First they ignore you,

then they laugh at you,

then they fight you,

then you win.

Mahatma Gandhi

I'm all in for this one!

Below:
Picture 1: Present day =(
Picture 2: Future? =)

Dealing with Death

Today, our group had a professional development tutorial, and discussed about DEATH, and how we as doctors, should conduct ourselves when we confirm death, and inform relatives about death of a loved one.

It struck me, how ignorant most of us are about death. We tend to pretend the word doesn't exist, especially when we're still fit and healthy, or even when we're not so healthy.

Yet in hospital, medical staff have to deal with death at such a regular basis.

I don't think anyone ever gets used to seeing death. Much less doctors, who have the unfortunate task of being the one certifying someone's death and having to carry the burden of informing relatives about the death of their loved one.

I personally have tagged along with a doctor to certify the death of a patient. It was 2 years ago when it happened, but I still remember it like it happened yesterday. I'll try to give a first hand and honest account of what happened:

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"The intern (first year medical graduate) and I walked into the room. The patient was lying peacefully on his bed. The wife and son (in his mid 30s) sat by his side. The wife was holding his hand, learning her chin onto his chest, eyes staring at his peaceful face. There were 3 nurses in the room, but they were unusually quiet. Pin-drop silence.

We walked to the bedside, and I stood silently too, while the intern politely asked the wife for permission to examine the patient. She nodded, and reluctantly moved away for the intern to examine him, yet her hand was still holding on tight to him. The intern examined his heart, and eyes. She stepped back, and took a deep breath.

Silence.

The intern opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Silence.

Finally, the intern spoke.

"I'm sorry Mrs _____, we have tried our best. There is nothing else we can do."

Silence again.

Then it all happened at once. The wife weeped. And weeped.

"Don't leave me, you promised that you will never leave me!! I love you so much! We still have so many things to do together!!" ....*cries*....."(speaks Italian)..."....*cries*...."I LOVE YOU!!! I LOVE YOU!!! DON'T LEAVE ME!!!"

The son weeps.

2 nurses weep too. The eldest nurse tried to hold on, but eventually turned her back and sobbed in silence, her face hidden from sight.

I looked at the intern. She was strong. She had an empathic look on her face, but no tears. I said to myself, Jazzi, you must be strong too. You will be a doctor, and you will need to be a pillar of support for the relatives of the deceased, as well as the medical staff here.

The intern asked the wife and son if they needed time alone with the patient. They said yes, and we left the room, promising to be there whenever they needed us.

I went to the restroom. And tears couldn't be held back anymore. They overflowed."

(I later found out that the intern weeped at home that night. It was her 2nd certification of death that week)

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I dread the day when I'll be the one certifying my patient's death. But I must be strong, I must be strong.

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I think a picture paints a thousand words. Here are some pictures, just to give us all a perspective on death of a loved one.

Here are some more light hearted cartoons just so we don't leave this blog ending on a sad note....

Female Chauvinist Pigs

We talk of MALE chauvinist pigs, and everyone knows how to despise them. What about FEMALE chauvinist pigs? What do we think about them?

I had no idea what to think of the female types, until today.



A female consultant doctor working in the traumatic brain injury rehabilitation centre gave us a lecture today on what was meant to be the topic 'TBI', which was short for Traumatic Brain Injury. Or so that was what we thought it was.

I think I must've misinterpreted the acronym TBI. It felt more like I was being given a lecture on 'TBI - Traumatize poor Boys and treat them like Idiots'. Throughout the lecture, she went from:

• how most of her TBI patients were young males (hence the B for Boys), to ...


• how 'statistically speaking' (without proof) the ratio of men to women born were 2:1, which didn't matter because it was evolution's plan that the ratio eventually evened itself out to 1:1 due to male deaths, to ....


• how 'statistically speaking' (see the trend? what a farce!) women were more likely to die from a motor vehicle accident as a passenger of a male driver than driving the car themselves with blood alcohol levels of 0.24 (accepted limit is <0.05), to ...
  
• how 'statistically speaking' (ok this one is true for once) women who are married to men are more likely to be depressed than single/divorced/widowed women, to ...


• how men who end up in the TBI rehab wards are not a pretty sight, not very manly, and embarassing, to ...


• to ....(adding some opinions of her own on what she thought of men)


• to ....(expressing sympathy for the students in the classroom who had the bad luck of being testosterone filled)

Ok thank goodness for WEN, a guy in our group of students, who spoke out and said 'I think we get the picture' so that she could shut up.

@#*!#@$^@)!#(!!!

Ok let me clarify and say that I try to be nice and always give people the benefit of doubt, before labeling someone based on their actions/words/thoughts. She may or may not be one of those FEMALE chauvinist pigs, but she does definitely have potential if she keeps this up.

TO BELITTLE MEN IN A PUBLIC TEACHING SESSION?!?!?! That's just as bad as our Malaysian Minister of Tourism and his swipe at female bloggers! Hang on, it could be worse! The way she does it....so subtle, yet so direct; so 'scientific', yet so much b***sh*t!!

I was SOOO disgusted during that lecture, and started contemplating all sorts of comebacks for the sake of all malehood. At one stage I was almost about to pack my bag and walk out of the tutorial room (I was sitting right beside her too), and at another stage when she asked if we had questions, I was so tempted to raise my hand and ask 'Tell me, what is it like behaving like a female chauvinist pig?'

Damn. I was too polite, and let her get away with it. It was only because she WAS much more senior than me, and I didn't want to risk sabotaging my career supposing i bumped into her again when i start work as an intern.

But it seems everyone in the room (not just the guys, mind you) felt that she went overboard... so heh, it wasn't just testosterone clouding my mental capacity! =) Hm...perhaps next time I won't be so polite...

So watch out you Female Chauvinist Pigs out there! If the male types are forced to shut it, so should you!

Being the middle child

I am the middle child.

I have an older brother, Nigel, and a younger brother, Francis.






And I love them both.


Growing up with them wasn't easy, being the middle child. I was very much a middle child with the middle child syndrome (click HERE if you don't know what this is, or HERE for a simpler version). Which middle child wouldn't? Whenever a fight between I and Nigel broke out, my parents would say 'listen to your older brother, he's the oldest, he knows better'. And whenever i had a fight with Francis, my parent would say 'give your younger brother a chance, he's the youngest and is ignorant'. I would regularly feel isolated and unloved, because of the disparity i felt between the treatment i got compared to my brothers.


Now it is quite different. I actually feel quite privilledged to have grown up as a middle child.

I am both a younger brother, and an older brother.


I used to think Nigel never understood my feelings as a younger brother whenever he tried to teach me things. I often felt that he was trying to control my life. And now when I try to teach Francis some wisdoms of life, I often get hit with the realization of how much Nigel actually loved and cared for me then, to be wanting the best for me, sharing his gems of experience etc. And I grow more thankful everyday.


Similarly, knowing how I felt as a younger brother has allowed me to be able to tap into Francis current feelings as a younger brother, and I would constantly reflect back on how I would've felt if I as an older brother did certain things, like scolding him or ordering him about just because I am older. And whenever I tell Francis 'I know how you feel, i've been in your shoes', he can actually believe me, because i really have.


Guess life is how you want it to be huh? If you choose to see the bad side of things ( i.e. the middle child syndrome), life can be miserable; if you choose to see the good, life can be quite enriching and rewarding!

=)