Interviews, Tests and a Visitor

If the past weeks were filled with interviews and inane questions like "What are your career goals?" this week was about recalling basic arithmetics to calculate compounded interest rates and currency exchanges, writing essays about the Malaysian economy and attempting to solve impossible IQ questions in my elusive hunt for a job. I can't say I'm any closer to finding a promising job that I could imagine myself not disliking after a month but therein too lies the problem since I'm always confounded by questions about my interests and future plans -- I don't know if I have too many or none at all.
It makes it easier to put all the career thoughts behind me and look ahead to my guest who will be arriving in Singapore tomorrow night, probably cranky from a 30 hour flight from the capital of the free world. There's a lot of anticipation and anxiety on my part regarding Brian's arrival and I definitely want to show him everything that this region has to offer. Here's to hoping that Mr. Whinypants doesn't let the heat get to him first :)

An email I sent to my Malaysian friends

Dear friends,

I am writing to you as a fellow Malaysian at a very important time in our nation's history. This year, Malaysia celebrates its 50th year of independence. It is probably also the year that Malaysia will hold its 12th general elections. In the past fifty years, Malaysia has been through many noteworthy moments -- Singapore's separation, the May 13th racial riots and the ensuing political fallout, the 1997 financial crisis, the 1998 Commonwealth Games to name a few -- and we will continue to see many more in the future as Asia grows in prominence on the international stage.

As members of a democratic nation, it is our right and our duty to vote. Without strong voter participation in an election, tyranny of the minority -- the outcome in which a small population of the electorate decide the political leadership for the entire population -- is likely to occur. Friends, I realize that this will be the first opportunity to vote at the general elections for many of us. I urge you to register to vote if you have not done so and come election day, exercise your right to vote based on your convictions. The Electoral Commission's website is below as are the places you may register to vote.

This election cycle is pivotal for Malaysia's future. Several key issues will figure on the minds of voters this year, such as:

• Religious freedom in Malaysia: This year, the Federal Court of Malaysia ruled that Lina Joy, a Muslim apostate was not allowed to change her religion on her identity card.
  
• Islamic/Secular State: Our Deputy Prime Minister Dato' Sri Najib Tun Razak was recently quoted by the press as saying that Malaysia is an Islamic State while leaders from the MCA and DAP have challenged that notion, claiming that the Social Contract and the Malaysian Constitution state that Malaysia is a secular state.
• The New Economic Policy: Recent information regarding the effectiveness of the NEP show that the policy has not achieved its intended goals of creating equality for all Malaysians. Income inequality within Malaysia is high and income inequality within Bumiputeras is widest amongst all racial groups. Furthermore, the government is reluctant to provide statistics for the NEP making it harder to assess the NEP's usefulness.
  
• Minimum wage for private sector employees: The Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC) says that an estimated 40 percent of Malaysia's eight million private sector employees earn less than RM700 a month. The MTUC's proposal raises the minimum wage to RM900 a month.

Here are some resources to guide you:

Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (Electoral Commission) website: http://www.spr.gov.my/

Places to register to vote:

The most convenient place to register is at the Post Office.

You may also register at the SPR Headquarters:
Aras 4 & 5, Block C7, Parcel C,
Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan
62690 PUTRAJAYA.

Media links:
The Star (http://thestar.com.my/)
The New Straits Times ( http://www.nst.com.my/)
Malaysia Kini ( http://www.malaysiakini.com/)

Political blogs:
Nathaniel Tan ( http://jelas.info/)
Khoo Kay Peng ( http://khookaypeng.blogspot.com/)
Marina Mahathir (http://rantingsbymm.blogspot.com/)
The Cicak ( http://thecicak.com/)
Jeff Ooi ( http://www.jeffooi.com/)

Political party websites:
Barisan Nasional ( http://www.bn.org.my/cgi-bin/index.asp)
Party KeADILan Rakyat ( http://www.keadilanrakyat.org/)
Democratic Action Party ( http://www.dapmalaysia.org/newenglish/)

If I'm preaching to the choir and you've already registered to vote, my humblest apologies. I also realize that many of you are abroad and are unable to vote but that doesn't exclude you from the election machinery! Tell your family and friends in Malaysia about the importance of voting, research the issues and tell everyone what you think, start a blog! If you've found this e-mail helpful, please forward it to anyone you think may benefit from it. See you on election day!

The KL Skyline

Beer for Malaysian Queers

Walking down a busy street packed with bars, clubs and tourists, looking for La Queen, a popular gay club in KL, I realize my gross underestimation of the gay scene here. Instead of a dark back alley with a nondescript entrance, the club stands three storeys tall on the corner of a busy intersection, a rainbow flag draped conspicuously over the front door. After hesitatingly paying the 30 ringgit cover charge, I climb the stairs to the main dance floor. At 11:30, it is nearly at full capacity with boys dressed in their twillight best, gal pals in tow. I stand on the sidelines for a while but soon realizing my awkwardness, I decide to explore the place a bit. The level above the dancefloor contains its own bar and balcony and above that, another alcove and loungey room with beds (!) and couches. I see the requisite glass birdcage that hangs from every gay club I've been to and upon closer inspection, I realize that it's a glass birdcage WITH a shower. In between the spurts from the fog machine, I realize how much La Queen reminded me of Pure in Philadelphia or G-A-Y in London, a serious party venue with plenty of eye candy and loads of fun.

Since I still don't have any pictures to show you, I'm doing the next best thing: Steal someone else's photo from Flickr.

This is a photo of one the bars along Jalan P. Ramlee, a street close to the twin towers where revellers pack the street every weekend.

Good Food is Probably Not Posh Nosh

There's a delightfully funny comedy on BBC called Posh Nosh that lampoons every single cooking show on air -- Food Network fans beware! The episode I watched showed Minty and Simon create "Architect's Fish and Chips." First, they had an actual architect build a paper model of the food. Then there was an olive oil tasting demonstration in which Simon swills three different kinds of E.V.O.O. in his mouth before deciding on the perfect bottle. Best yet, the pair incessantly talk about their old and expensive house and kitchen utensils while they're preparing the meal. Here's what's written in Simon's "Food Philosophy" on the Posh Nosh webpage:

I once ate a Flayed Swordfish And Guava Millefeuille that reminded me, in one sweet mouthful, of a Sea Interlude by Britten, a painting by Turner and one of Michael Holding's rampant, perfect-length balls.

I think it's even funnier when you actually know someone who talks as pompously and obnoxiously about food as the folks at Posh Nosh do.

Down Memory Lane

Sorting through my old photos yesterday, I unearthed these gems:

This is me at 12 trying to debunk Asian stereotypes. Back then, I thought I was really cool and couldn't figure out why I was targeted by the school bullies.
Here I am again, dressed in the Malaysian school uniform but unable to shed my outer geek.
This was my room at boarding school in Singapore. You can tell I wasn't very organized by the post-its on my desk.
It's true what they say about boarding school -- that it's a hotbed of homoeroticism. We had a tradition of stripping birthday boys so it wasn't uncommon to see a guy running around in his underpants, screaming at his friends.
This was when I thought fisherman hats were awesome.
I don't know the two guys on the right but from left to right: Wind (she'd be upset if I used her real name because she thinks she's being stalked(!)), Chuan Yaw, Lip Yoong and Johnson. The latter three were my roommates in boarding school.

My group of friends in junior college after a lecture.

Feeding the Beckham frenzy that's sweeping the US, here's a photo of David B. when he visited my school in Singapore.

Malaysia ain't got no First Amendment

The Malaysian blogosphere is abuzz with news of Nathaniel Tan's detention by the police three days ago "to facilite investigation under the Official Secrets Act". Nathaniel works frequently with the opposition party and blogs about politics in Malaysia, often critical of the government's policies. This is not the first time a political opponent of the ruling (and since 1957, the sole) party has been imprisoned by the coppers (Anwar anyone?) and I would wager everything that it will not be the last. Speak out against oppresion, sign the petition.