Songs you might not like to hear at 2 in the morning

I'm bored, so I made a list. It's quite famous among people nowadays. Apparently it's supposed to help with "organising" thoughts or something.

Usually people will have a Top 10 list of stuff, but the minimum would be 3, and I'll go with the latter. Way easier for me.

Now imagine. You unexpectedly woke up after deciding to hit the pillows at 12. It's 2 AM, but you're not feeling as sleepy as you should. It's dark, a cold wind blows into your room, and quiet (except for cicak, but then again, when are they ever give up their tut-tut-ing?).

At this moment, it would be a bad, and I mean baaaaaaddd moment for your ears to pick up one of these songs. And I speak from experience:

1) Waiting for You (等著你回來, Deng Zhe Ni Hui Lai), by Bai Guang.

Don't get me wrong. The song was probably originally meant to describe a woman's yearning for a beloved who was off to war or something. It's probably romantic and sad in a way.

But I heard this song for the first time like 9 years ago. In a story called "Time After Time". Which is a story of forbidden love. Between a guy. And a female singer. Who wore a traditional blood-red qipao. And is a ghost...and the line' waiting for you' has a new meaning...

2) Pulangkan, by Misha Omar.

Ok, Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam was not scary. I mean, seriously? A vampire without fangs? And after Ringu's Sakako, every white-clothed lady-ghost seems like a rip-off.

But Misha Omar has this voice. Like, mendayu-dayu voice, maybe the voice you would like to see win AJL or Akademi Fantasia. But it's not one you would like to hear at 2 am in the morning. Because in the darkness, white stands out...

Not one to listen to if you're planning to do a last-minute study of the paper you're supposed to sit for the next morning at 8.30.

3) Ulik Mayang, Malay traditional music

This song is what they call a lagu berhantu. Because it's haunting. Seriously, it is. Listen to the lyrics. It's the story of forbidden love between a man of land and a princess of another dimension. And it's what Supernatural fans call a summoning spell. It's so haunting, I heard it being played once on RTM at 6pm and it popped into my head the moment night lights are out.

And finally...

4) The soundtracks of the Arrivals...

Yes, I am talking about the latest craze to hit Malaysia since "Mawi World". You Don't want to listen to this song playing at 2am.

And not because it's scary. But because it's freaking annoying. I mean, pilfering the soundtracks from The Fountain and Saw is one thing. But the soundtrack also means a congregation is watching the documentary in your room. With the lights on. Right when you feel you needed proper rest for a presentation tomorrow. You'd actually wish for the existence of an Illuminati-Freemason-Vatican-Jewish-Zionist-American-NWO-Antichrist who would destroy half the world. You'd actually get some rest.

Yeah, that's about it.

This Day in History...

This Day in History: 8th December 1941-Japanese troops landed in Pantai Padang Pak Amat, Sabak, Kota Bharu, Kelantan, beginning a 70-day period (ended 15th Feb 1942 with the Fall of Singapore) known as "Operation Japan Pwning Europe".

History – a much maligned subject

With the announcement by Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin that History would be a must-pass SPM subject for 2013 (The Star, Oct 23), there has been many reactions from politicians, university dons, and amateurs.

There is indeed a need for History textbooks to be re-written, and done so with reference to professional historians, with evidence and research to verify the facts written in the books.

The fact is, there is room for much improvement in the textbooks.

It is unbelievable that much of the so-called “facts” in them do not hold water.

Forget the heated discussions on the “hidden history not much talked about,” such as the left-wing movement.

Even the most basic idea about the concept of history is laughably asinine.

For example, a Form 1 History textbook mentions the origin of the term “history”.

Instead of saying that it originated from the Greek term Historia, meaning inquiry or investigation, and based on the tome of the “Father of History” Herodotus of Halicarnassus, this textbook simply mentions it as being a fairytale, as history is just that: his-(or her) story.

Of course, the entire discussion of re-writing textbooks is but a part of a larger issue: the dignity of history as a subject.

History has been much maligned, especially by politicians with interest, no matter where they come from.

As such, History today has been taken out of the hands of the university professionals by pseudo-historians, biased politicians and amateurs for their own manipulation.

It is small wonder why History is not taken seriously by students.

If indeed History is to be respected as a legitimate subject, then it must be given back to the historians so that they can produce good history textbooks, and without interference from interested politicians or narrow religious views.

In this case, History must be given the same authority as Science in class.

The Theory of Evolution is thankfully allowed in Biology in Malaysia, even though it is rejected by the religious class with no basic knowledge in science.

As for the politicians and the idea of political correctness, their views must be taken with a pinch of salt when writing History textbooks.

The latest call by politicians for equal space for all (supposedly ethnic) communities in History books to show a sense of fair representation is quite flawed from a historian’s point of view.

This is based on the politically correct, but flawed, premise that all communities contribute equally to national development and historical change.

Nothing can be further from the truth.

The idea of history is to see change through the ages, and how change is achieved or who contributed to that change.

E. H. Carr, the author of What is History, a textbook on the philosophy of history among university students, pointed out that historical change is achieved by the dominant group or dominant force, and that this force forms the backbone of the historical narrative.

To diminish this role of the dominant group (ethnic or class) due to the idea of equal representation of other ethnic groups is another form of bias and twisting of history.

By all means, tell the history of all ethnic communities, as well as other communities in society.

But do not let History be cheapened in the process due to political correctness or bias.

Sejarah ditulis oleh mereka yang menang?

"Sejarah ditulis oleh mereka yang menang." Kita tidak tahu bila kenyataan ini dilahirkan, ataupun orang pertama yang menyatakannya. Mungkin Napoleon, atau Winston Churchill. Dan kenyataan ini digunakan oleh beberapa golongan, seperti anti-nasionalis, post-modernis dan parti politik untuk menolak penceritaan sejarah yang dianggap "rasmi", kerana dikatakan sejarah yang benar tu telah dikawal, dimanipulasi, bukti disembunyikan dan ditolak oleh golongan berkuasa ala Big Brother yang mempunyai hegemoni ke atas penceritaan sejarah.

Namun terdapat beberapa masalah dalam kenyataan ini, yang tidak akan diterima oleh mana-mana sejarahwan atau pelajar sejarah yang serius dengan kerjanya. Diharap persoalan ini akan terjawab.

1. Adakah kenyataan ini benar? Jika ya, mengapa? Atau lebih penting, jika ya, so what? Bagaimana ini membuktikan sejarah itu palsu, atau tidak benar? Adakah status menang itu menyebabkan sejarah yang diberi itu perlu ditolak secara terus? Mengapa? Apakah justifikasi untuk melakukan perkara ini?

2. Dengan kenyataan ini, adakah ini bermakna semua sejarah yang dipelajari merupakan hanya propaganda busuk kerajaan yang ingin mengawal sejarah lalu menghasilkan bias, dan kita sejarahwan harus 'mensucikan' dan 'memurnikan' sejarah?

3. Sekiranya kenyataan 2 diterima, adakah ini bermakna sejarahwan sudah mempunyai pandangan bias sendiri apabila mengambil keputusan untuk melawan sejarah "rasmi"? Jika ini berlaku, bukankah ini bermakna sejarahwan yang 'suci' dan 'murni' ini juga tunduk kepada bias dan tulisannya juga tidak boleh dipercayai seperti mana tulisan sejarah "rasmi"?

4. Sekiranya diakui sejarah itu berdasarkan perspektif semata-mata (kerana sejarah itu subjektif dan hanya bergantung kepada pihak yang 'menang'), maka adakah ini bermakna sejarah itu sendiri hanyalah permainan bahasa dan falsafah, kerana tidak lagi mementingkan eviden, sebaliknya pentafsiran ke atas eviden, atau lebih menakutkan, pentafsiran tanpa mempedulikan eviden?

5.Sekiranya kenyataan 4 merupakan kenyataan yang benar, adakah ini bermakna sejarah itu tidak benar, tidak boleh dibezakan daripada fiksyen?

6. Apakah definisi 'menang' seperti yang disebut di atas? Siapakah yang menang? Apakah penentuan sebuah pihak itu menang? Kemenangan di medan perang? Kemenangan dalam perjuangan politik? Kemenangan apabila pandangan yang dikemukakan diterima ramai dan menjadi sejarah 'rasmi', lalu menjadi sejarah pemenang?

7. Sekiranya kenyataan terakhir dalam 6 benar, iaitu pandangan yang menang itu ialah pandangan yang diterima ramai, apakah gunanya mempersoalkan kenyataan 'sejarah ditulis oleh mereka yang 'menang' seolah-olah pemenang itu bias dan jahat? Kerana penentangan kepada golongan 'menang' dilakukan dengan menulis sejarah 'alternatif' yang diharap akan diterima ramai dan menolak sejarah 'rasmi'.

8. Namun, apabila ini berlaku, iaitu sejarah alternatif diterima ramai dan menjatuhkan sejarah rasmi, kesan logiknya ialah sejarah alternatif akan menjadi sejarah rasmi, iaitu sejarah pemenang. Inilah bentuknya:

Sejarah rasmi--->ditulis oleh pemenang--->bias dan tidak suci--->ingin mensucikan sejarah--->perkenalkan sejarah alternatif--->diterima ramai--->menjadi sejarah rasmi--->ditulis oleh pemenang--->sejarah itu bias dan tidak suci--->ulang.

9. Historiografi sejarah sendiri membuktikan kenyataan ini sebagai salah. Sekiranya hanya pemenang perang yang menulis sejarah, maka tidak akan wujud 'The Peloponnesian War' karya Thucydides yang ditulis dari perspektif Athens yang KALAH dalam perang dengan Sparta. Sekiranya hanya pemenang politik yang menulis sejarah, maka AS akan dilihat sebagai kuasa yang murni yang menjatuhkan kuasa Axis yang jahat selepas kemenangan Perang Dunia Kedua, dan sejarahwan akan dikawal oleh kerajaan untuk tidak mendedahkan kesalahan kerajaan AS semasa tempoh perang, seperti penahanan warga Amerika berbangsa Jepun dalam kem penahanan di Manzanar dan sebagainya kerana bersikap perkauman.

10. Sejarahwan, tak kira apa pun pandangan politik, agama, ideologi, atau latar belakangnya, apabila menyiasat sejarah, harus tunduk kepada bukti (superiority of evidence). Kita bukan peguam atau ahli sosiologi yang memanipulasi bukti untuk disesuaikan kepada teori atau rangka yang sedia ada. Kita ialah sejarahwan. Teori kita dibentuk SELEPAS semua eviden yang sedia ada dikaji dan dilihat.

Mundane Observations 1

I walked back to college,

12 minutes of walking time, mind you,

Sigh

Just when I was comfortable

in my lecturer's room,

with the air-conditioner on,

Cataloging books in the shelves,

Listening to Cat Stevens and Jewel,

I had to walk back

just because

I forgot my pendrive.

Finally I arrive,

Rushed past the cars in line,

Up the stairs,

Before the washing machines,

I saw two cats,

"Wrestling"

The male eyed me annoyingly,

Before continuing his conquest,

Growling, biting, growling some more.

I shook my head.

Show-off.

Sitting in My Office

Sitting in My Office,

Well, not Mine, obviously,

I'm just a Caretaker,

of a Lecturer's room,

(Prefer the term Steward

More dignified, really)

Earning my meager keep.

Turn on the PC,

Listen to songs on Youtube,

While typing translation works,

I look around,

At the many books on the shelves, arranged

And the ones not arranged on the table,

And the many letters and messages yet collected.

Looked up,

At the small hole above me,

Where a black mouse could be seen,

Peering below,

Sniffing,

At the leftovers of chicken rice,

and grape juice

The dumbbells at the foot of the table,

Good decoration,

But no practical purpose to me.

I look outside,

Dark clouds,

Branches swaying left with the wind,

And I'm thinking,

"And to think I chose,

to wash my clothes today!"

But I have been wrong before.

*Feel like writing this after listening to "Goodbye, Alice in Wonderland". Apparently, Jewel Kilcher is the most amazing poet-singer right now.

Saja-saja 1

This is me posting something for the sake of posting. Sorry I haven't given enough time to uploading this blog because of assignments and my academic exercise. Trust me, I have opinions on some things that should be put here, like religion, book reviews, debates on history, the tiniest issues that would hurt Pharisees and their moralising.

Maybe when I have the free time.

So here it is. A song I discovered by accident on Youtube a few days ago. It kicks ass (or whatever that words mean in Polish--because this is a Polish song).

It's by T. Love, called Ajrisz.