MEEKY-MEEKY

Moxi Moxi Mee Rebus

2011-07-29T14:51:00.007+08:00

Ask any non-Malays about Chinese prepared Malay food, and they will tell you it is a poor imitation, be it Assam Pedas, Mee Bandung or Mee Rebus. There are a few imitations in the old town, but the closest to Malay Mee Rebus is the Kuang Ah Restaurant by the river side, and that I suppose, is because it caters to a largely Malay clientele. I personally feel that the Kuang Ah version isn't exactly the Mee Rebus I would like to eat again and again. But Moxi Moxi? That's different. I have heard some people give glowing reports of its unique flavour. I wasn't convinced however, until I was teaching English to a group of apprentice techicians for repair of sewing machines. The training centre was close by and one afternoon, a good friend came by during lunch hour and brought me there.

How shall I describe the Mee Rebus. I don't really know, but it seems to be like a cross between Mee Bandung and Mee rebus. Apart from the usual stuff we get for Malay Mee Rebus ( boiled potato, tofu and boiled egg), this Chinese Mee Rebus seller added tofu skin to it with a liberal splash of sambal. The real difference lies in its gravy and the sambal. It's really delicious for a light lunch. Cost: Rm3.30.

How to get there? It is after Square One, which is next to Carrefour. Facing Square One is a block of double storey shop houses. Walk along the shophouses and you will find a prominent signboard announcing its presence.

Sorry for the rather blurry picture. It was taken with a phone camera.

Moxi Moxi. It is actually two shoplots, selling pre-cooked food as well as western food. A rather unusual name, but it sticks in your memory.

Bersih 2.0: Summer of Discontent

2011-07-26T15:53:00.019+08:00

People took to the streets for different reasons, despite the threat of racial violence, police intimidation and arrest. But the present generation of Malaysians, regardless of race, seem less fearful than the older generation. Bersih 2.0 seemed to have provided them with the opportunity to vent their frustration at the government. This anti-establishment sentiment seemed to prevail among those young demonstrators. Fahmi Reza's political art apparently reflects this sentiment.

Bersih 2.0: A Life Changing Event

2011-07-13T19:45:00.017+08:00

What is it that forced a docile population under threat of a repeat of May 13, teargas, water cannons, beatings, and arrests by the Police to come out in the thousands in defiance of the government's ban and the Police? Bersih 2.0 was a defining moment in the history of a people that have been too trusting of a government that has betrayed their trust. Bersih 2.0 has galvanized a nation of diverse people to stand up to claim their right to a fair and clean government. Bersih 2.0 is no longer only about fair and clean elections; it is about a government of the people by the people for the people.

What made more than 170,000 Facebook users support the call to urge the Prime Minister to step down? The Prime Minister has exhorted the silent majority to speak up against illegal street demonstrations, and within a couple of days after the Bersih March, the 'silent' majority thumbed their noses at him. Bersih is different things to different people. Some took to the street to have 'fun'; some to record the historic event that could change the life of the nation; to some it was a catharsis to exorcise and bury the ghost of May 13 that has haunted them through the machination of government controlled media and politicians of divide and rule. Whatever the motivation, Bersih 2.0 was like a collective expulsion of air most foul that has suffocated the people for too long.

Scores of personal narratives in July 9 My Story revealed how it has forever changed the lives of those who marched. The thread that runs through all the narratives has been the same: the palpable sense of unity, of oneness, of shedding bigotry and embracing humanity, of people caring for and helping each other without thought to colour of the skin or religion in the face of batons, teargas and water cannons.

And the wondrous thing about these personal accounts are that they were written by young people who have been until Bersih 2.0, self-centred, apathetic, consumed with only one thought: to lead a comfortable life surrounded by the trappings of comfort. To them it was a rebirth, an awakening to the possibility that they could shape a new nation, without the baggage of the older generation. What of those who didn't march or were afraid to? They had taken to Facebook and Twitter with a vengeance to throw their support behind those who had descended on to KL.

That is the greatest gift of Bersih 2.0 to these young people, to this nation. Their stories henceforth will be read again and again as inspiration to the young and old alike. It is a beginning, a very good beginning.

# More personal accounts on Bersih 2.0 on the side bar.

More Images of Bersih 2.0

2011-07-12T12:29:00.017+08:00

Images of Bersih 2

2011-07-11T14:04:00.018+08:00

Some images of Bersih walk for fair and clean election. Despite a lock down on KL city, people could still find their way into the city to voice their demands.

Dato Samad Said, National Laureate

The Sarawak group

Business as usual

Kicking away a tear-gas canister

Dousing a tear-gas canister

Aunty Anne of Bersih

2011-07-10T22:12:00.013+08:00

"Why do we have to feel so scared (and threatened) in our own home land.. and by our own countrymen?".

AUNTY ANNE

More about Aunty Anne. The latest on Aunty Anne.

Other supporters of Bersih.

A disabled supporter of the "Bersih" electoral reform coalition is taken away from water cannon and tear gas during clashes in downtown Kuala Lumpur.

In moments of crisis, it brings out the best in humanity too.

Facing off the riot squads and police.

A Tribute to Malaysians

2011-07-10T20:28:00.001+08:00

Bersih 2: An eye witness's account

2011-07-10T16:40:00.006+08:00

An eye-witness's account of Bersih walk for clean and fair elections.
Read here and here for more inspiring accounts.

Bersih's Global Gallery Album

2011-07-10T15:45:00.002+08:00

More images here.

The Yellow Viper (5)

2011-07-01T20:56:00.008+08:00

The Seattle Anti-Chinese Riot of 1886

Panel 1: packing up
Panel 2: on the wharf
Panel 3: the collision

A mob rounded up the Chinese in Seattle and herded them to the dock to be transported back to China. More than 350 were confined to the shore to await the first ship. While most left on the first ship, 150 were stranded on the shore. As a result of the riot the US President declared martial law in the city to prevent further expulsion of the Chinese. Eventually passions cooled as most Chinese immigrants left on their on accord. The US government paid $276,619.15 in compensation for the rioting to the Chinese government, but the victims never saw the light of that money.

Other incidents

The Chinese Massacre Cove, Oregon, 1887. A gang of 4 white men robbed, murdered and mutilated 31 Chinese men. Three of the men were tried, but none were convicted of the murder.

The Rock Springs massacre, Wyoming, 1885. 28 Chinese died and 25 injured in a clash between White immigrant miners and Chinese miners. Incensed by the coal mining company's policy of paying lower wages to the Chinese miners resulting in the hiring of more Chinese miners over the white miners, the white miners rioted. They razed 75 Chinese homes to the ground.

The Yellow Viper (4)

2011-06-21T14:29:00.006+08:00

Mark Twain's observation about Chinese immigrants in California.

"OF course there was a large Chinese population in Virginia--it is the case with every town and city on the Pacific coast. They are a harmless race when white men either let them alone or treat them no worse than dogs; in fact they are almost entirely harmless anyhow, for they seldom think of resenting the vilest insults or the cruelest injuries. They are quiet, peaceable, tractable, free from drunkenness, and they are as industrious as the day is long. A disorderly Chinaman is rare, and a lazy one does not exist. So long as a Chinaman has strength to use his hands he needs no support from anybody; white men often complain of want of work, but a Chinaman offers no such complaint; he always manages to find something to do. He is a great convenience to everybody--even to the worst class of white men, for he bears the most of their sins, suffering fines for their petty thefts, imprisonment for their robberies, and death for their murders. Any white man can swear a Chinaman's life away in the courts, but no Chinaman can testify against a white man. Ours is the "land of the free"--nobody denies that--nobody challenges it. [Maybe it is because we won't let other people testify.] As I write, news comes
that in broad daylight in San Francisco, some boys have stoned an inoffensive Chinaman to death, and that although a large crowd witnessed the shameful deed, no one interfered".

Mark Twain's observations about the Chinese immigrants: California as I saw it 1849 - 1900.

Image: Chinese, gold mining in California. From The Bancroft Library.

A vegetable vendor. From The Bancroft Library.

The Yellow Viper (3)

2011-06-19T11:45:00.012+08:00

THE CUBIC AIR ORDINANCE (1870)

The Cubic Air Ordinance

Faced with a dwindling economy and loss of job opportunities which were blamed on Chinese immigrant labour, organized white labour groups agitated the San Fransisco's local government to enact a law known as the Cubic Air Ordinance to "persuade" the Chinese immigrants to return to their country. The law required 500 cubic feet of space for every person residing in a lodging. Ostensibly, this law was the result of a submission by a health officer who reported that "they [the Chinese immigrants] live crowded together in rickety, filthy, and dilapidated tenement houses, like so many cattle or hogs”. The Chinese immigrants who lived in cramped, crowded tenements to save money became the target of incarceration in even more crowded county jails. Thousands were arrested and thrown into jail.

The Cubic Air Law would eventually lead to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 restricting Chinese immigrant labour into the US for 10 years.

Out of the frying pan into the fire

The Yellow Viper (2)

2011-06-17T11:36:00.010+08:00

"Quote in upper right hand corner attributed to Mayor Kalloch: 'If a dead horse lies in the Street, he is carted away and thrown into the water'." Shows dead Chinese in form of horses being carted away and thrown in the Bay" (Bancroft Library, University of California).

"Overpopulation, gambling, opium houses, disease, filth, immorality depicted as Chinatown's vices. Suggests transplantation to south S. F., being drawn by weak mules of Board of Supervisors and Board of Health" (Bancroft Library, University of California).

White workingmen's Party protesting against Chinese immigrant labour

"Chinese depicted as analogous to this duplicitous character: "California, having once relieved the Chinaman, is now compelled to carry him around indefinitely"(Bancroft Library, University of California).

California (Eureka) nursing Chinese labour in the first panel. Second panel showing fully grown Chinese labour refusing to leave.

Colonel Bee (who fought against driving out the Chinese from California) 'fleeing' from opponents to Chinese labour. He was later acknowledged by the Chinese Emperor as the Chinese Consul at San Francisco.

The Yellow Viper (1)

2011-06-16T13:22:00.016+08:00

The Chinese Diaspora, numbering an estimated 40 million, and scattered across several countries are very much alive and thriving. Invariably, the early migrants did not have it easy. In every foreign soil they set foot on, they were subjected to discrimination, prejudice and hate mongering. Although slavery was abolished, Americans in the late 1900s were no different. The anger against the Chinese immigrants for the most part stemmed from the Chinese' willingness to work for lower pay, which had deprived the white immigrant labour as well as local labour of work.

The Wasp (a weekly illustrated Californian magazine), was especially rabid in its portrayal of Chinese immigrant labour in the latter half of the 19th century.

Sons of the Modern Dragon

2011-06-11T16:26:00.023+08:00

I remember in the early 70's my grandma spent a lot of her free time sewing blankets from of pieces of cloth collected from seamstresses. And these blankets together with used clothes were sent to her sisters in Swatow, China by ship. Every month too, she would send her meagre saving of about RM 200 to them through someone who would write a letter as well as remit her money for a fee. Those were the times when China was struggling to feed her 1.2 billion people. Two decades or more later, the China of my grandma has been transformed radically into a nation feared and distrusted by many nations, particularly the US. Even Japan and the Southeast-Asian nations fear her rise as an economic as well as a military power although China continues to assure the world that she has no ambition to become a military power or any intention to interfere with the affairs of sovereign states.

What we have seen is a China in a hurry to modernise, to haul her people into the 21st century, and she has succeeded dramatically.Despite China's clampdown on individual freedom and free speech, its fear of cultural and moral pollution, it seems rather lax in curtailing citizens' expressions of their individualism in unexpected ways as captured by the popular ChinaSmack.com site.

A businessman and his secretary horse riding to work

Students at an academy protesting an official's long boring speech by lifting their shirts over their heads

A 26 car wedding motorcade

Planking has become very popular among the youths

A psychologist promoting himself by using a beautiful girl in underwear

Woman beats man after minor accident

Girls dressed in school outfits keep internet cafe customers happy

A naked man trying to lift a taxi

A male cross-dresser at a McDonald's

Lingerie models performing in front of a large crowd including children

Strip performance in a rural community

Non-Muslim Women As Sex Slaves

2011-06-08T18:13:00.008+08:00

Just a few days ago, the Obedient Wives Club of Malaysia suggested that wives should be a whore in bed (not only a whore but a super one at that) to prevent husbands from straying. In addition, she should absolutely be submissive to their husbands.

Well, this woman (left) from Kuwait who once ran for parliament went even further by proposing that Kuwaiti men be allowed to buy non-Muslim women from war-torn countries to be sex slaves. Her reason: to prevent men from engaging in forbidden sexual relationships. To strengthen her case, she said that it was not forbidden in Islam, she had consulted scholars who said that "the only solution for a decent man who has the means, who is overpowered by desire and who does not want to commit fornication, is to acquire jawari.' Jawari is the plural of the Arabic term jariya, meaning 'concubine' or 'sex slave'.

Kate, a reader of my post on "The Obedient Wives Club" suggested that I post this clip on my blog. So here goes.

In Celebration of Women and their indomitable spirit

2011-06-04T14:09:00.028+08:00

Unforgettable images of women largely hidden from the wired world. Thanks, Nancy for these pictures. I would like to acknowledge these accomplished photographers, but I don't know where you got them from. Anyway, whoever these people, thank you for reminding us that there are so many women out there who struggle against all odds stoically and courageously to bring up their families.

Unforgettable images of women largely hidden from the wired world.

Obedient Wives Club

2011-06-04T12:28:00.011+08:00

If your wife is not what she should be, that is wife, lover, mother and soul companion, ask her to join the Obedient Wives Club . The club will teach your wife how to cater to all your whims and fancies. If you like to be chained to the bed post and spanked, she would willingly satisfy your wildest (kinky?) fantasies. Or if you suddenly feel the urge, wherever you are in the house, just holler and she should immediately acquiesce to your demands. If you decide to stay up until 3 in the morning to watch a football game, she should stay by your side and cheer your team. If your stomach growls in the middle of the night, she should wake up and cook something special for you.

In other words, the wife must be completely obedient to you and your needs, never mind even when you are unreasonable. Well, I don't how the wife feels about it (maybe she is masochistic), but I think that would be a damn good arrangement for the husband.

Quote:

OWC vice-president Dr Rohaya Mohamad told reporters that women often forget their duties as a “good wife” also entails pleasuring their husbands in the bedroom.

“If you look at the world today, women are already being treated as sex objects... in magazines, on TV... so why can’t they be sex objects to their husbands? It is legal and permitted by God.

“A good wife is a good sex worker to her husband. What is wrong with being a whore in bed to your husband?” she asked.

The club has even become the talking point of a radio talk show in the US, and more comments on the club.

WHAM, BAM That's My Man! A response to the OWC.

It would be interesting if the club has a handbook on techniques to keep the husband happy all the time. Better still, demonstrations of some of the techniques.

China Boy Sells Kidney for iPad

2011-06-03T22:20:00.004+08:00

In today's news, a China boy has sold his kidney to buy an iPad and a laptop. According to him, he arranged the sale over the internet after he noticed an ad offering money to organ donors. His kidney was worth US3,392.

A Batu Pahat Icon: Dr. Kua Kia Soong

2011-06-03T13:48:00.011+08:00

I wonder how many of us knew that Dr. Kua Kia Soong was a BP High School boy from 1962 to 1966? Arrested twice under the Internal Security Act, he has been campaigning actively for a more accountable, transparent government. Now, as a director of SUARAM (Suara Rakyat Malayis or "Voice of the Malaysian People, a human rights organization) he is again in the limelight recently in pushing the case of Malaysia's purchase of two French SCORPENE submarines to be opened up and heard in a French court. The submarine deal was tainted by allegations of kick-backs to senior French officials and a Malaysian company, Perimekar which acted as the middle-man for the Malaysian government. Also involved in the allegedly shady deal was a Mongolian lady, Altantuya who was murdered and her body blown to pieces with C4 when she was in Malaysia attempting to collect the US 500,000 commission promised to her.

Dr. Kua is however, more well-known for his account of the May 13 1969 incident.

Read more about him in an interview with The Nutgraph.

SUARAM is in the midst of a campaign to raise funds to pay legal fees of French lawyers handling the case. For an update on the latest development on the SCORPENE case, view the video clip below.

Summary of the video clip from Malaysiakini.com

The French court is expected to hear the case involving alleged kickbacks in the French-Malaysian submarine deal soon, said the complainant for the case and human rights watchdog SUARAM According to SUARAM director Cynthia Gabriel, French prosecutors have concluded the initial investigations and an application for an open trial was made in late March. "Our lawyers have advised us that it could take anything from the next few weeks or the next couple of months until a judge is appointed (for the open trial)," she told reporters today. Gabriel added that the delay involves bureaucratic requirements, and because the matter is politically sensitive in view of France holding its general election soon.

Full story here.

Caning In Malaysia

2011-06-02T12:25:00.002+08:00

Will the latest deal in swapping illegal immigrants between Malaysia and Australia subject them to be incarcerated in filthy, overcrowded detention camps? Or subjected to whipping for those who are caught outside the detention centres?

"DON" Razaleigh Hamzah leading the charge

2010-10-11T11:37:00.006+08:00

I got this from Malaysians unplugged uncensored. It's ironical that UMNO has called upon him to lead the charge in the Galas by-election(due to the death of the state assembly man). Hitherto, he has been persona non grata in UMNO. But those UMNO leaders who wouldn't even touch him with a ten foot pole have suddenly welcomed him with open arms, gushing with enthusiasm that he would win back the state seat from PAS. Having appointed him as the state election director, a position traditionally reserved for the big wits in UMNO, they even threw him a challenge to stand for the by-election as well.

The Galas by-election is seen as the bellwether to how political power will be played out between the ruling coalition and the opposition.

Would he be the knight in shining armour, rally the voters to UMNO? Or would he, as the caricature above suggests, end up being ridiculed and disillusioned?

The Rape Of The Sarawak Forests

2010-10-10T15:46:00.008+08:00

Debris and logs covering about 50 kilometres of Sungai Rajang

Well, all these years of indiscriminate logging of the Sarawak forests and its attendant ecological damage have finally caught up with the Sarawak state government. Once again fingers are pointed towards the big logging companies. In the first place, who allowed them to log in the upper reaches of rivers, who ensures that these loggers adhere to stringent conditions laid down in the approval given to them?

Today's major newspaper reported hordes of people gleefully swarmed the choked river to grab dead or dying ikan patin or lulong.

Pic from the Star newspaper

Afghanistan: 1946

2010-10-08T12:31:00.006+08:00

Another good book to read as basis for understanding modern Afghanistan. A book that recorded the transition of Afghanistan to nationhood, albeit through the eyes of Michener. It's free too. Some vivid insights:

1. Afghanistan was once invaded and razed by the Mongol hordes, but they left behind a pillar of corpses encased in gypsum as testimony of their terrifying presence;

2. Life of the Pashtuns, a major tribe of Afghanistan and their fascination with the travelling dancing troupe of feminine boys

3. The lives of the Povindahs, that nomadic tribe that traversed the deserts and mountains of Asia;

4. The powerful influence of the mullahs in the life of ordinary Afghans;

5. The stoning to death of an adulterous woman;

6. Afghanistan as a centre for learning and teaching Buddhism centuries before Prophet Mohammad was born;

7. The covert jostling for influence among the Russians, Americans and the British, and much more.

The funny thing is that there is no mention of the 'Talibans'. Presumably, they belong to another dominant tribe, the Afghans.

Go here for free downloading of the book.

The Si Mata Sepet and Si Botol

2010-09-28T11:56:00.005+08:00

Quote of the week:

The Assistant Director of the National Civics Bureau, the institution responsible for promoting and inculcating patriotism and unity among civil servants called the Chinese 'slit-eyed' and the Indians 'alcoholics'

“The ‘si mata sepet’ that has never gone to a mosque or surau only has one vote. The ‘si botol’ that only knows how to go up to Batu Caves up and down only has one vote”.

In the meantime, the Prime Minister in his maiden address at the UN held up Malaysia as a shining example of a country that celebrates her racial and cultural diversity.