| Nathaniel Tan believes this world is full of people, he was born to love them all. He blogs at www.jelas.info and tweets @NatAsasi |
Bersih Part 1: A government gripped by paranoia?
June 22, 2011JUNE 22 — “Ambiga is a Jewish agent!”“Cyber attacks part of Bersih campaign!”“The Chinese better stock up on food supplies!”That’s what people in power have had to say about Bersih, and we’ve got three whole weeks left to go. I think we can only expect the demonization, ridiculousness, paranoia and accusations of being opposition puppets to continue.It’s … Read More
#YoRais vs. Anonymous
June 17, 2011JUNE 17 — Rais Yatim and the IGP say they’re ready to take on hacktivists Anonymous. I find myself asking: Do either of these guys even have an active email account?What do we really think is going to happen here? Men like these two guys are going to successfully stop the guys who have brought down government websites all over the world?ANONYMOUSLet’s begin … Read More
We are all Lain-lain (Part 2)
June 10, 2011JUNE 10 — I watched a movie on Astro recently, where a group of men were going to great pains to determine the purity of an individual’s identity, and had to consider factors like, what if the individual had one grandparent with mixed blood? Two? Three? What if an individual married and had children with someone who was half mixed? A quarter? An eighth?Of … Read More
We are all Lain-lain (Part 1)
June 09, 2011JUNE 9 — How many Malaysians you know are ethnically “pure”? At this stage of the article — inspired in no small part by the saga faced by Shay Adora Ram’s parents — let’s just take that to mean 100 per cent Malay, Chinese, Indian or Lain-lain.I’m willing to bet it’s easily less than 50 per cent, and that the people you know and surround you have a little … Read More
The Padfone: Innovating integration
June 05, 2011JUNE 5 — A smartphone that’s also a tablet? Yay!The subject of today’s exploration is the Asus Padfone. While perhaps not the sexiest name in the universe, this innovative device encapsulates the spirit I wrote about earlier when discussing the Motorola Atrix 4G — one heart, many bodies.What I got excited about back then was the idea that a smartphone could … Read More
The 100 apologies that immortalised Blu Inc
June 03, 2011JUNE 3 — Malaysia makes the big news: “Social activist forced to tweet apology to corporation 100 times.”I think that’s up there with the other international coverage we get — churches burned down, detaining parliamentarians without trial and banning yoga.What actually happenedSo this all began with a tweet by Fahmi Fadzil dated January 25: “My friend’s … Read More
60pc of vote, 93pc of seats?
May 11, 2011MAY 11 — Firstly, congratulations to all Singaporeans who took part in the 2011 elections — the contest has seen a great deal of blood, sweat and tears as well as immense bravery from many individuals and groups.Congratulations most of all to the voters, who voted for an alternative in greater numbers than ever before (two out of every five Singaporeans … Read More
Elections, Vui Kong and Singapore’s soul, Part 2
May 05, 2011MAY 5 — Yong Vui Kong is a young man convicted of being a drug mule and sentenced to death in Singapore.This death sentence and many like it have sparked all sorts of passionate debate — debate on the importance of upholding the letter of the law, consistency, the danger of drugs and so on.I have stated at some length why I believe Vui Kong should not be … Read More
Elections, Vui Kong & Singapore’s soul, Part 1
May 04, 2011MAY 4 — What do you get an island that has everything?Despite how much I’ve been watching, neither the question, nor the answer (a soul) is a Lost reference.I’m also reminded of the song “There is nothing like a dame” from South Pacific, where they sing of all the wonderful things they have on their island, “But what ain’t we got? We ain’t got dames”.Itself … Read More
The one-handed tom yam seller terrorist
May 02, 2011MAY 2 —- It seems hard to find a hero in Malaysia today. Too many scandals, too much confusion.Reading about Kadir Hashim, however, may provide the faintest glimmer of hope that heroes might walk still among us.Kadir is a 43-year-old gentleman from “Bangsar South." His home is described as being made of plywood and zinc, and instead of Arabic verses framed … Read More
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