Support for Gaza

Ini cara mereka. Bagaimana cara anda menyatakan sokongan anda?

Ada juga yang memboikot produk-produk tertentu.

Apa-apa pun caranya, perlu kita ingat setiap orang berhak ke atas pendapat dan pandangan sendiri.

Kita boleh memajukan pandangan kita tetapi kita tidak boleh memaksa pendapat kita ke atas orang lain. Begitu juga orang lain tidak boleh memaksa idealisme mereka ke atas kita.

Tak nak boikot tak mengapa tapi jangan kutuk orang yang melakukan boikot. Dan nak boikot pun boleh tapi jangan kutuk orang yang tak nak sertai boikot.

Apa-apa pun, Israel perlu hentikan segala bentuk keganasan dan penindasan ke atas rakyat Palestin yang berhak untuk hidup aman dan merdeka.

Teh O Kopi O

Kepada yang kurang kenal, aku seorang yang predictable bab makan di luar.

Biasanya makanan dan minuman yang dipesan sama saja.

Nasi goreng Cina dan teh O.

Ataupun bihun sup dan teh O.

Dan jika bersembang lama, aku pesan lagi segelas kopi O.

Aku tak perasan pun sehingga ditegur oleh seorang teman baru-baru ini.

Entahlah, bila bab makan ni, aku tak berselera besar. Mungkin sebab sudah lama terdidik sebegitu. Kami sekeluarga cuma keluar makan on special occasion. Dan makanan seperti laksa, rendang, nasi ayam, briyani dan sebagainya pun hanya on special occasions.

Itulah ragam aku :)

UN votes to upgrade Palestinian status

Alhamdulillah. 

Dan tahniah kepada 138 negara yang berani meletakkan keadilan di tempatnya. Sesungguhnya rakyat Palestine telah lama menderita. Semoga ini adalah titik permulaan untuk pembebasan kepada mereka.

9 negara yang menentang dan kalah dalam pengundian ini adalah Israel, Amerika Syarikat, Canada, Republik Czech, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau dan Panama.

Kalau tak silap, Jerman dan United Kingdom adalah antara 41 negara yang memilih untuk tidak mengundi. Harap-harap, Malaysia tak termasuk dalam kelompok ini.



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UN votes to upgrade Palestinian status - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

The United Nations has voted overwhelmingly to recognise a Palestinian state.

The vote, which was taken at a meeting of the body in New York on Thursday, represents a long-sought victory for the Palestinians but a diplomatic defeat for the US, with 138 countries voting in favour of the upgrade.

Nine countries voted against it and 41 others abstained.

A Palestinian flag was quickly unfurled on the floor of the General Assembly, behind the Palestinian delegation.

The new status is an indirect recognition of the Palestinians' claims on statehood in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip. It allows them to join a number of UN agencies, as well as the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Immediately after the results were announced, US ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice reiterated the US opposition to upgrading the Palestinians to a nonmember an observer "entity".

"Today's unfortunate and counter-productive resolution places further obstacles in the path to peace. That is why the United States voted against it," she said.

"The backers of today's resolution say they seek functioning, independent Palestinian state at peace with Israel so do we. But we have long been clear that the only way to establish such a Palestinian state and resolve all permanent status issues is through the crucial if painful work of direct negotiations between the parties."

The US and Israel voted against recognition, joined by Canada, the Czech Republic, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and Panama.

"Long after the votes have been cast, long after the speeches have been forgotten, it is the Palestinians and the Israelis who must still talk to each other and listen to each other," Rice said.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon renewed his call for the resumption of direct negotiations between Israel and Palestine.
  

"Today's vote underscores the urgency of the resumption of meaningful negotiations," Ban said. 

"My position has been consistent all along. I believe that the Palestinians have a legitimate right to their own independent state. I believe that Israel has the right to live in peace and security with its neighbors. There is no substitute for negotiations to that end."

Dancing in the streets

As the votes were cast, there was silence among the thousands gathered in the West Bank city of Ramallah, which erupted with cheers of joy and chants of "God is greatest" when approval was announced.

"I'm happy they declared the state even though it's only a moral victory. There are a lot of sharks out there, but it feels good," 39-year-old Rashid al-Kor told AFP.

Nearby, Palestinian-American Laila Jaman was waving a handful of Palestinian flags and carrying a picture of US President Barack Obama and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.

"I feel so good, I cannot describe my feelings, it's as if we reached the end of a dark tunnel. With a Palestinian state we are now united as a people and a leadership," she said breathlessly.

There were celebrations in cities across the West Bank, as well as in Gaza, where the Hamas government offered tepid support for the bid and allowed backers to express their solidarity with the move.

In Bethlehem, fireworks were shot into the night sky, and churches rang their bells at midnight to mark the occasion.

Ali Abunimah, Palestinian-American activist and founder of Electronic Intifada, told Al Jazeera that the celebrations were uncalled for and that the UN was a "giant distraction."

"I wish that all this hype and dancing in the streets of Ramallah and self-delusion among the people were for a real achievement that actually returned rights to the Palestinian people.

"There is something incongruous and tasteless about the Palestinian Authority sponsoring a dance festival on the streets of Ramallah while families in Gaza are still mourning their children.

"This (vote) is a giant distraction. A cheap gesture, which allows people to celebrate as if they were in a football match."

Difficulties ahead

Abbas addressed the General Assembly, saying that Palestinians were not seeking to "delegitimise" Israel, but to affirm the legitimacy of Palestine as a state.

Abbas referenced the recent Israeli assault on Gaza, saying that Palestine had come to the UN at time when they were "still tending to [their] wounds and still burying [their] beloved martyrs of children, women and men who have fallen victim to the latest Israeli aggression".

"What permits the Israeli government to blatantly continue with its aggressive policies and the perpetration of war crimes stems from its conviction that it is above the law and that it has immunity from accountability and consequences [...] The moment has arrived for the world to say clearly: Enough of aggression, settlements and occupation."

"The General Assembly is called upon today to issue a birth certificate of the reality of the State of Palestine."

"The moment has arrived for the world to say clearly: Enough of aggression, settlements and occupation."

Mark Regev, spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told Al Jazeera that the comments made by Abbas "make it more difficult" for Israel to negotiate with Palestine.

"Instead of speaking the language of reconciliation, we had libelous charge after libelous charge against the Israeli people."

Regev called "a distortion of history" how Abbas characterised the UN resolution calling for a two-state solution exactly 65 years ago.

"The way he talked about it. He forgot the most important thing. It was the Israeli side, the Jewish side that accepted accepted two states for two people."

Yang Mana Satu?

Aku baru sahaja langsaikan hutang pinjaman kereta. Alhamdulillah, aku tiada apa-apa hutang dengan majikan.

Tapi aku berhajat untuk membeli kereta baru. Bajet aku tak banyak. Aku tak mahu berbelanja lebih daripada RM100,000 untuk depreciating assets like a car.

And currently, I'm driving a 1.6cc car. Therefore, my new toy should not have lower cc than the current one.

Apa pilihan yang aku ada?

Preve dan Inspira daripada Proton.

Atau pun Forte, buatan Kia/Naza.

Apa lagi? Ford Fiesta dan Chevrolet Cruze.

Ada lagi tak?

Kalau AC Mizal pun bertaraf VVIP...

... I really think there is something somewhere.

Kita tolak ke tepi diskusi kepartian. Secara logiknya, kalau AC Mizal itu tarafnya VVIP, apa label nak kita bagi kepada Dato' Fadhilah Kamsah? VVIP juga ke, setaraf dengan AC Mizal? Ke VVVIP?

Kalau para mufti? Para Menteri Besar dan Ketua Menteri?

Bagaimana Sultan dan Sultanah?

Orang kita, pada aku terlalu berlebih-lebihan dalam hali ni.

Tak begitu?

Kisah Pulau Pisang

Semua sudah tahu yang Malaysia kehilangan Pulau Batu Puteh kepada SingaPURA gara-gara kepincangan pengurusan maklumat dan bukti (knowledge management). Bukti mustahak iaitu  surat daripada Gabenor Butterworth kepada Temenggung Johor meminta kebenaran untuk membina rumah api tiada dalam simpanan kita.

Tapi kita dapat Middlerock.

Dan ada satu lagi pulau yang menjadi pertikaian di antara Malaysia dan SingaPURA iaitu Pulau Pisang.

Pulau ini berhampiran dengan Semenanjung Malaysia (5km dari Benut dan 12km dari Pontian Kechil) tetapi rumah apinya adalah di bawah kawal selia SingaPURA.

Kalau tidak betul-betul, kita mungkin kehilangan pulau ini juga.

Mari kita berdoa ke hadrat Allah agar kerajaan lebih berhati-hati dan teliti dalam menangani kes ini agar pisang tidak berbuah dua kali.



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Ghani: Malaysia has proof of Pulau Pisang ownership

JOHOR BARU: There is no danger of losing Pulau Pisang to Singapore as Malaysia clearly has sovereignty over the island.

Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman said that this was despite Singapore operating a lighthouse on the 154ha island.

He said the ownership of the island was based on a treaty between Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Abu Bakar and the British in 1900, which clearly stated that Malaysia had sovereignty over the island.

Malaysian territory: This August 1998 file picture shows former Pontian MP Datuk Dr Hasni Mohammad pointing at Pulau Pisang.

“Our land office records show that Pulau Pisang belongs to Johor,” he said.

Abdul Ghani was responding to a suggestion made by Pontian MP Ahmad Maslan that the Government should conduct a study on taking over the operation of the lighthouse.

Ahmad said Pulau Pisang might suffer a similar fate as Batu Puteh where the International Court of Justice ruled in favour of Singapore.

Abdul Ghani said the lighthouse, which guided ships into the Singapore Straits, was manned by four Singaporean guards.

“The guards are relieved by another team once a fortnight and are required to report to the marine department, Customs and immigration in Kukup every time they arrive and depart from the island,” he said.

He added that Malaysians were allowed to enter the island but were prohibited from entering the lighthouse.

Abdul Ghani said there were also 82 farmers who tend to orchards on the island.

“They are only given permission to work on the land but are not granted ownership of the land,” he said.

The island is about 12km from Pontian Kechil and 5km from Benut.

Meanwhile, Johor PAS officials lodged a police report against former foreign minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar, Abdul Ghani and Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, accusing them of causing Malaysia to lose Batu Puteh.

Johor Baru (South) OCPD Asst Comm Zainuddin Yaakob confirmed that the report had been received.

Perak Puteri Umno chief Dr Wan Norashikin Wan Noordin, meanwhile, said Malaysia must take the necessary steps to ensure she irrefutably owned all her islands and territories.

She said the steps were crucial in view of the recent decision on Batu Puteh.

DAP chairman Karpal Singh said the Malaysian Government was “foolhardy to have placed the case before ICJ” without the necessary evidence.

He was referring to Malaysian ambassador-at-large Tan Sri Abdul Kadir Mohamad’s statement that he could not locate a letter sent by Governor Butterworth to the Johor Temenggong seeking permission to build the Horsburgh Lighthouse on Batu Puteh.

Abdul Kadir led the Malaysian team to The Hague.

“Discovery of the letter now or in future cannot restore Malaysia’s sovereignty over Batu Puteh,” he said.

Source: The Star, 27 May 2008

Life of Pi

Ang Lee talks about risks, spirituality of ‘Life of Pi’

November 24, 2012

Director Ang Lee (left) and actor Suraj Sharma (right) attend a special screening of the film "The Life of Pi" in Los Angeles November 16, 2012. — Reuters pic

NEW YORK, Nov 24 — Gay cowboy drama “Brokeback Mountain” may have been considered a risky film to make, but director Ang Lee said his new movie, “Life of Pi,” a 3D exploration of faith about a boy stranded on a boat with a Bengal tiger, is his riskiest yet.

The film, which was released in US theatres this week, is adapted from Yann Martel's best-selling novel of the same name and was once considered impossible to make.

Oscar-winning Taiwanese director Lee, 58, took on the laborious task of using computer-generated imagery to bring the sensational plot to the big screen, taking a year and a half just to edit the film together.

The director talked to Reuters about the film's themes, technical barriers and casting an unknown actor in the lead.

Q. Why was “Life of Pi” considered unfilmable?

A. “Because you cannot make the tiger do everything you want to do, you have to use digital. A digital animal, up until two years ago, was not totally realistic yet, let alone in 3D, and then water is pretty difficult.”

Q. Was this your most difficult filming experience yet?

A. “Oh yes. And it was also the longest ... there was the technical difficulty and then it is a big movie. And it was across continents, I finally decided to shoot most of it in Taiwan, but we also had to go to India to shoot for two to three weeks. Because you can't fake Pondicherry, and Munnar. And then we have scenes in Canada.”

Q. But Brokeback Mountain was a risky film too?

A. “No, that wasn't for me. At least when I made it, I thought it was strictly arthouse and few people would see it. And it's a lot cheaper (to make). So I didn't care...And then I got nervous, 'Oh they are going to lynch me, making a gay cowboy movie, that will go into a shopping mall.'“

Q. It was only after you made it you realised that?

A. “Yes, I was afraid. I was looking around when I walked, when I would go home, to see if anybody was following me. Once it hit the shopping mall I was nervous, actually. My brother is a distributor in Taiwan and I told him not to buy it. He hates me to this day, he is still babbling about it.”

Q. Why choose unknown Suraj Sharma to play Pi?

A. “I wanted someone authentic, and no bad habits, that means you have to train them from the start.”

Q. Why did you replace Tobey Maguire and reshoot his scenes with the little-known Rafe Spall?

A. “It was a small part, and he is a big movie star. He is a good old friend of mine and he would do this for nothing, for me. But he is not doing anything (in the role), he is just sitting there listening most of the time. It becomes a little distracting I think.”

Q. How does the film explore spirituality?

A. “To me, faith can be elusive, but … As a Taoist would say, 'That's the apple's truth.' The source of all the material comes from nothingness, illusion is working more on things you can prove. That's the principle, the essence of life, it is actually an illusion, not immaterial. That's worth pursuing. So illusion is not nothing. In a way, that is the truth.”

“Sometimes I feel (illusions) are more of life's essence, I can trust them more than real life that is full of deceit and covering up.”

Q. Did exploring faith encourage you to make this?

“The book is fascinating, it talks about faith. But it didn't make me believe in God or anything...I didn't go to church or a temple after that. When I started making the movie, you do feel faith embody you and carry you through. But when I picked the subject, and chose to do the book, it was actually more storytelling in my mind. The value of storytelling. How people share a story. Because a story has structure, it has a beginning, middle and end. It seems to have meaning, where life has not.”

Q. Do you practice any religion?

A. “No, my mother is a baptised Christian, so she made me go to church every Sunday, and I prayed four times a day until I was 14. And at lunchtime kids at school would giggle at my praying ... I stopped praying. And two weeks later, nothing happened to me, so I didn't pick it up again.”

“I am not particularly religious. But I think we do face the question of where God is, why we are created and where does life go, why we exist. That sort of thing. And it is very hard to talk about it these days, because it cannot be proven. It is hard to discuss it rationally.”

Q. Do you consider yourself spiritual?

A. “I hate to think life is just facts and laws. And I am a filmmaker, I am a sensitive person, I like to think it is spiritual, so I like people to be more in that way. I think life without spirit is in the dark, it is absurd. Call it illusion or call it faith, whatever you call it, we have emotional attachment to the unknown. We yearn to find out. That is human nature. It can be, in a way, unrequited love, we don't know. I don't have a particular God I pray to, except sometimes a movie god.” (laughs) — Reuters