Goodbye!

Friends, families, and people who have been believing,

Well, this will be my last post in this blog. Don't ask me why but it's a personal reason. No, i have not been threatened by the police, CIA, KGB or whatever. Just that due to some reasons that i do not want to discuss, i think it's time to let this blog go.

This blog have given me the platform to believe that every person has his or her right to say what they want, and have an opportunity to be heard without prejudice for what they believe in.

A million thanks for your support all these times for believing in me and for coming back for more no matter what crap i put up on this place. It's been a nice journey and i have been enjoying it every second of the way especially with the support i have been getting from u guys.

So this will be goodbye. For those who would like to keep in touch can always buzz me on the messengers or just send me an email at wonglokemeng (at) gmail (dot) com.

Again, thanks and keep on believing.

-Loke Meng-

Ada Apa Dengan Songkok?

I read in disgust today a story which i have been following for the past few days regarding a DAP politician, Chinese of course, whom refused to wear a Songkok to a ceremony in the royal palace and therefore did not attend it. At least that was what was told by another person. I, of course was not born with the feature to read other's mind, so therefore i do not know what really happened. I do not wish to comment on that as i believe that every person has his or her right to do what they want as long as it's not against the law or even if it is, if he or she does not mind paying for the consequences from their actions. I am too lazy to find the link to that story but here are the ones from the aftermath, here, here and here.

What really disgusted me was the elaborate discussion that ensued the event. I know i'm contradicting myself with what i have said about the rights of the people up there, but i also have the right to vent in MY blog. First of all, i do not know what is the fuss about, if a Chinese man is required to wear a Songkok to an official event? And then, what is it with the Malays if a Chinese man do not wish to wear a Songkok??

Rilek la brader. Nothing better to argue about ar? Go fly a kite la.

Man, some people can really be that shallow a person. It's not just the Songkok story but a host of others that we still have happening around us in general, up to today, 50 years after we have achieved independence. According to what i have read, the Chinese politician said that it is against his principle and he do not wish to be Malaynised by doing that. What the fuck man?? And then the others, which are Malays (i don't see much logic in Indians defending the Songkok here), i presumed, which slammed him as being a racist. Then we have a very long discussion which i read with much amusement about who is right and who is wrong, and who is racist and then who is not.

To me, all those big bunch of people who were involved in the discussion up there are all racists. So much for the nationwide shouts before the election that we are all Malaysians and there is no Malay, Chinese, or Indian and that we should not be seggregated by race or skin colour.

I know that most of us Chinese's are a little bit paranoid about doing something that would a portray us as being Malays. It is as if we would be Malaynised by it. Shit! If that is so, i would've been a Bin Abdullah by now. Maybe because i had grown up in a neighbourhood where out of a 100, only 5 are Chinese, that i share such an opposing view. Maybe I have been "Malaynised", but hell no. I don't think so. I still think Shah Alam have too little accessible Char Siew supply.

Me and my brother practically speak to each other in Bahasa Melayu most of the time, even until today, of course sometimes to the displeasure of my parents. They will always ask "U two are Malay ar?" Even Malays say i speak BM more Malay than Malays, even in Terengganu where i work. I guess you 'Moo' in a cowshed and you 'Mengembek' in a kandang kambing. As much as i could remember, once, i wore a Baju Melayu which i borrowed from my Malay housemate to attend a Hari Raya open house invitation some time ago when i was fortunate enough to celebrate it with friends. Yes, there was a time when i was staying with a bunch of my Malay friends, when i was in Uni and had some of the best funs, of course not without having to endure funny looks i get from them Chinese friends. Hell, i even sing along to Indian rap songs! And nowadays, from the associations in the work place, i naturally swear in German when something goes wrong.

I attended Sekolah Kebangsaan and i don't know how to read or write Chinese but does it make me look and feel less Chinese? I certainly don't think so. I feel that how and where i was brought up made me more Malaysian than the people i made this post referenced to. I am proud of it and i don't feel ashamed. I do feel ashamed for people who cannot accept that Malaysia is a multi cultural country and for them to feel that it is a taboo for doing something that belongs to another culture or race.

Damn! Don't even call yourself a Malaysian if you cannot even accept others that hangs out around you in a mamak shop.

I am not a perfect Malaysian but at least i'm not such a hypocrite. Shaise!

Winds of Change

Yesterday was an historic day in Malaysian history, a day where all Malaysians suddenly felt a tinge of fresh air blowing out from polling stations or rather for people like me, from the internetosphere.

Yes, yesterday was the 12th General Election in Malaysia, as you might have already known from the buzz circling around the country at the moment or maybe even from from when i have shared some of my grouses in this blog, sharing sentiments with millions of other Malaysians on how frustrated we have become with the current administration and how they are slowly picking up pace in screwing up our lives.

Well, us Malaysians spoke up yesterday, we voted (well, actually i didn't, well, u know where i am now) and we make them politicians know what we wanted. Well, the present government controlled by Barisan Nasional or National Front still won the elections but the Opposition swept them off their feet, making them fall HARD on their asses. They lost their 2/3 majority which was the main opposition objective and also captured 5 States at the same time, well, 6 if you consider Kuala Lumpur also as a state.

(Mr. Rocket Kid here blew them silly)

It's big, it's historic, it's unbelievable, it's phenomenal, and most of all, it's 'Makkal Sakthi' meaning people's power, a phrase most of us Malaysians probably have gotten used to in the past few months or so, after our fellow Malaysian Indians educated us on how we could be the change we want to be. Never in my living memory in Malaysia, have i seen how so much people from different races and religions, beliefs and social status, got united together and champion a feat of such mammoth proportion.

To even imagine this victory for the people half a year ago would have been unheard of, but then there are indeed angels living among us. People who are more socially than politically inclined to initiate change in our beloved country to rid off these corrupt and racist politicians. We know we are being screwed around, economically, socially and racially, but then, we felt so helpless wanting to try to stop the rot with the government consistently showering us with news day after day, on how well we are doing, how they are helping every race and religion to prosper to greater heights, when in fact, this is not entirely true at all.

Kudos to the independant news websites on the blogosphere which have kept us informed on whats really happening and opened our eyes to the 'real' world. My personal praise to Raja Petra Kamaruddin, the webmaster of Malaysia Today, the website which i have been following religiously along with the other government controlled mainstream medias to get a balanced view of whats really going on. This man was one of the main reasons why the government got a good thrashing in the elections, for he have tirelessly champion the cause for the Rakyat, online and offline. He was one of the speakers many people braved the rain for, to listen to during the campaigning period of the elections. Yet, he's not even a politician running for the election, just another guy who dares to speak his mind and walks the talk. I admire this guy a lot. Go to the link above and read his postings and you will know why. He have no fear in offending even the different races by calling them names, when he knows he's speaking the truth. Maybe thats why people listen to him.

Well now, i may sound naive with all the things that i have said. Maybe even what the oppositions made me believe are also not true, maybe everythings really a load of cock and bull. But i don't care, everyone can have their own judgement of things, for me, i have analyzed the case being presented to me, maybe it's not the whole truth, but i can only believe in what i know, and now i damn well know that with the 2/3 majority of the government lost in the Parliament, we can be assured that these dimwits can no longer do as they want. Some form of democracy will take over the elected dictatorship that the country have lived with since we achieved independence in 1957, more check and balance will save us all from doom.

Life will hopefully be fairer for everyone in this country, everyone will be given a chance, I will not pay my income tax, year in and year out, just to make the rich people richer, and there will be a new dawn with a greater hope for all. This is what i hope the opposition will bring us as they have promised before. Maybe they are also a bunch of scumbags, who now have been given the chance to pillage what they can before the time runs out for them as well. Nothing is clear yet, at least the winds of change have arrived, we will just have to wait and see what it brings to us and what it blows away. But for now, lets just savour this moment, this great big wheel of hope is turning. Let's get on and ride it to wherever it brings us. It's a proud day for me to be a Malaysian.

A post for Mama

I don't know how many of you out there actually read newspapers, but if you have read The Star newspaper in the past weeks, you would probably have noticed an article written by a certain Elaine Dong titled 'The Beauty of Ordinary Lives', which can still be viewed here. It was actually a review of a book titled 'Gilding the Lily' as seen through the eyes of writer Liew Suet Fun and photographer S.C. Shekar.

I have personally not seen the book, because, well, you know where yours truly is at, at the moment. But basically from the article, the book's objective is, i quote the author:

"to focus on human values, the values of these women. All the women we interviewed worked, they faced daily challenges. These challenges are universal challenges faced by women, whether they are in big cities or small towns. They worry about the household, their children, their livelihood. Therefore, we try to highlight the values that these women bring to the table in carrying through the challenges.”

I think the effort is just magnificent and it truly reminded me of my mum who have struggled to keep the family up and running through the years until me and my siblings are now grown up . Since the days when my father had his first stroke attack which made him unable to work, my mum have gone a long way from holding multiple household cleaning jobs to being a kindergarten teacher today, even though she only managed to finish her education until Form 3. She managed to put food on the table and provide for us despite the struggles, being the sole breadwinner for the family after what have happened to my father.

(Mummy dearest n me all smiles)

Her determination and courage that she had while having to put up with the crap that we were dishing out to her while we were growing up never failed to inspire me all these times when i am learning to live my life.

Now she may not be internet savvy enough to be reading my blog (sending an SMS out from her mobile was already an achievement enough in her ways), or being featured in the book i mentioned above, but in my world, my mum is a hero that i look up to for inspiration, the extraordinary person in this world that, if not for her, i would not be where i am today. I love you mum!

Bonjour Liban

If a picture is worth a thousand words, surely being there is worth a million words. The last few days of my off days was occupied with a trip to Lebanon, Beirut being the main destination and other places along the way, Byblos, Bekaa Valley, etc. Despite all the security concerns and political bullshit and what nots running everyday in the news now, me and Charles were pretty sure that everything was ok.

(Beautiful snow capped mountains and the first big sign of civilization!)

So with the million dollar assumption made, we packed our backpacks and duly hopped onto the service taxi that took us across the Syrian-Lebanese border through snow capped mountains for the 3 hours journey to Beirut. Our first stop for what would be an unbelievably nice trip.

The first moment we crossed the border onto the Lebanese immigration office, we were truly caught by surprise by how the world on the other side of the fence was different to the many middle east countries i have been to. The immigration officers were so friendly and throughout the 4 days in Lebanon, the hospitility that was bestowed upon us by all walks of people that we came across made us feel like we were not in a middle east country with war threats looming at the window sills.

Although the streets in Beirut were littered with police and army personnels every 50 metres armed with tanks and M-16's, i think the main job of those guys were mainly to become guide to lost tourists or being a mobile sophisticated interactive map and city guide. Every one of them that we chanced upon never failed to give a smile and greet us in either English, Arabic or French.

Beirut is also well known in this part of the world as the Paris of the middle east and walking through the streets of the city truly verified the claim. Suffering from civil war that hit the country till the 90s, the city was left with a bunch of Ottoman era buildings that were badly damaged leaving behind structures with only supports and holes in walls. Since then, the city have been rebuilt to something that you would have to see with your own eyes to believe.

(What was the Holiday Inn hotel that was left as it is after the war. It was never rebuilt unlike the adjacent buildings and now is one of the landmarks in the city centre)

Although there is no war, we were trying hard at attempting suicide with the amount of McDonald's, Burger King, Starbucks and what nots we were indulging in for the 4 days. Mind you, we were deprived from all these life necessities in Syria for the past almost 1 year :p

(You can only imagine my jubilation!!!)

Shopping was the main agenda when we were there considering the sale that was on and the lack of avenue to spend our hard earned money in Syria. Every new day was a new quest to another shopping centre to find the things we need and conquering virgins...ermm..Virgin Megastores i mean.

(Hard Rock Cafe: Spreading early Christmas news)

Of course i also visited some other places, when the shopping centres are not open. Nothing much to shout about, a few small towns here and there, one being Byblos, one of the oldest continuously inhabited town in civilization. Also had the chance to visit and tour a winery in one of the mountain areas. Chicks serving free wines, gotta love 'em!

(No, they don't sell them wines by the barrels..)

I may seem full of praises for a country others would probably view as a shithole and would pretty much avoid at all costs, but well, the main reason i enjoyed the trip so much was probably because we went there expecting so little but then actually got so much in return. Certainly was not what I expected for a country in the middle east where terrorists are said to breed like mosquitoes.

One sure thing is that this is a country where i have seen the most number of Porsche's in a day and where 6 cars out of 10 on the road are BMW's. If the world thinks that Lebanon is run by screwed up people who just wants to go to war in the name of religion, i surely hope that one day they will stop by in Malaysia and tweak things up a lil bit! I would surely love to have one of them nice cars in my garage!

2 Wheels, 72 Spokes

(Last one to McDonalds in Hill Star Road buys the Happy Meal rounds!)

















The Tour De Langkawi just ended 2 days ago...and this was a hell of a nice shot..

I miss my bicycle, miss going mountain biking, miss going at absurd bone breaking speeds through the jungle on 2 wheels with testosterone infused balls, miss being chased by overly friendly wild dogs with big and sharp teeths and miss the high fives given by village people when we pass by them.

I miss my life back home.....

Bomberman

So maybe some of you readers actually have a life besides ogling at my blog and noticed that there was a car bombing incident in Damascus on the 12th of Feb, last Tuesday that is. Which was, i suppose, showing on some news channel, everywhere. A senior Hezbollah (read: Lebanon-Israel politics/war) leader was killed in the attack they say was initiated by Israel or maybe some angry taxi driver with a spare bomb in the trunk.
























The fact that the bombing happened about 10 minutes from my place made it quite the interesting. Dangerous, yes, interesting, more. These Arabs have adopted a weird population control concept as we have observed from recent times. I wished they would've just let me buy them a bottle of insecticide to do the population control job and then spare me the car.

It's kinda tiring having to walk around the city all the time and not really knowing how to handle the public transportation system that well here in Damascus, or rather in any funny language country that i end up in. I don't understand what's written on the buses, for all i know, they might drive me all the way to Baghdad, and when i take a taxi, as customary for taxi drivers all over the world, they try to rip me off at every chance they get. Honestly, do i by any chance remotely resemble Uncle Scrooge?

I see these events come and go in the news all the time, but this time when it happened so near to me, at a range where the blast could actually be heard from my apartment, i got all excited and actually wished it was near enough for me to go and watch. Not near enough to get blown up as an accessory though, i know some yours truly out there would actually wish otherwise :p Anyway i was sleeping at that time. Didn't find out about it till the next day and it was my friend living nearby who heard the blast and thought it was just another fireworks show.

As interesting as i thought it would be though, life and business in the city went on as usual the next day. In fact, half the town was painted red, literally, poor trees, to welcome St Valentine's day. Bombing or no bombing, love wins the heart of the people. Bravo to the people for not succumbing to fear induced by these bloody municipal population controllers. Cheers to that!

And on that note, i'll hand over you guys back to your worshipping of YouTube, Friendster, MySpace and what not. That's all from the idiosyncratic satirical Farm Man, your unreliable Middle East correspondent, reporting from you, delayed, from Damascus, Syria.


(CUT! Ok guys, thats a wrap, now let's go grab some shawerma before they blow them stalls up as well!)

Celebration Time!!

First of all, Happy Chinese New Year to all friends and families back home, here in Syria, over there somewhere and also those who are everywhere else. Well, this is my second year that i'm celebrating CNY away from home and i admit that i'm really homesick at the moment and it's not fun to miss CNY. Trust me on that one. Just to make things better and not admit defeat to being away from the celebrations, i managed to cook up a feast and invited some friends over for a 'Reunion dinner' which we actually had on the first day of CNY cos i was working the day before and i had my off day on the first day of CNY.

It was truly a memorable and interesting one. We had a nice dinner, lotsa booze to wash it down with and then moved on to a club downtown where we had a hell of a party. Well, you just never thought that clubbing in Middle East would actually be that fun. But all and all, still no angpow =(

And then i spent the rest of the next 4 off days lazying around, getting over hangovers, reading and crashing cars on the PS2.

Today is Valentine's Day. Although i never believed in celebrating it and having an opinion that it's just a a day overhyped with expensive dinners and lavish gifts and flowers, you can never truly run away with it if you're in a relationship. Of course, unless you're a few thousand miles apart you can't. Hehe. When that is, a phone call would normally suffice. The rest then goes into the 555 book.

It is a wee bit weird though today, i have my guy friends here in Damascus going out for dinner together, and a bunch of my girl friends here having also dinner together among themselves, and then i had a date with my dentist, whom duly fixed all of my nibbly toothly problems of course. Thank you very much! So much for Valentine's Day.

And no, i'm not getting all political with my previous post, just venting out some of my boxed up opinions and frustations on how my beloved country is being ruled into a mess, plus, this is my space, if i would, i can write about how my underwear got discoloured when i washed it in the washing machine the other day. But i guess i won't, cos i know if i do it, i will be swarmed with interview requests after that. :p So all that being said, have a ratty rat year ahead, Happy Valentine's Day, take care, have fun, go mad!

Nuff said. Lets vote for no more racial segregation, discrimination and monopoly. My beloved Malaysia for Malaysians! Not Malay, Chinese, Indian and Dan Lain Lain.

I am not an opposition supporter nor am i a supporter for the current government. I am a supporter for a change for the better.

Whinefest

The calender new year have passed for exactly 1 week for the rest of the world at the time I’m writing this. Not for me at least. I’m still trapped in the slavery slump we named work since before the end of last year. Yesterday was the 24th consecutive day I’ve been working since god knows when, you do the maths, brain too screwed up to do it at the moment. Well, all I can say is that working nights straight for the past almost one month at a rate of 14 hours devoted to work every day, surviving with an average of 4 hours sleep, during which, I was accompanied by idiots hammering on god knows what in the apartment above mine, have not been really fun. Today is day 25. The last day of this madness, and then I’m going to celebrate my new year during the 5 days off that I’m going to get after this. A decent cooked meal, sleep and some meditation with the PS2 is in order. Maybe no fireworks, or maybe I can just make something explode in the house, hmm, interesting thought and the rantings above pretty sums up the situation I’m kinda in now.

The weather have been exceptionally cold here in Syria, on average, dipping down in the minus regions every night with the lowest so far of -7 degrees. Kinda cool to be experiencing this at first, but then it gets freezingly cold. Conclusion is, not cool nor fun, period. Not for a tropical kid at least. If you wanna know how it feels like, find yourself a freezer big enough for your size, and then live in it. Pretty much covers the experience. From the freezing fingers to the numbed nose. And a note for the cyclists, cycling on frozen ice ala ice skating is not recommended. Although this may or may not have been proven by extensive Nobel prize winning research, however fun it may be, I found this activity to be a tad dangerous. Let’s just say the thing we call friction, well, it’s kinda not there when you are cycling on ice.











(Brrrrrr..cold)







For those whom have been asking or wondering, I still don’t know when I will be back in Malaysia yet. Not in time for Chinese New Year at least. This dumpsite still have works to be completed before it can be passed on to the idiots who own it to generate some electricity to light up their houses. Till that moment comes, I will be stuck here, with the ultimate powers of not being able to do anything about it. I know i sound bitchy, i blame it on the hammering idiots.

2007..The year that was

Another year have passed by, ok..almost that is, at the time of writing. Looking back, 2007 have been an interesting year for me. I achieved many things that was on my “Things That I Would Like To Do Before I Die” list for example. Albeit this was the year where I was away from home for the longest time, and still am at the moment.

Well, highlights of the 365 days show would include the proposal to my girlfriend to marry me which was duly accepted, and thus kicking me off into the planning mode for our wedding next year. Hooray!! One big step for me and the industries that are sucking my savings out of it, one teenie weenie step for mankind.

My brother got married, and to top off the icing on that nice cake, I’ve just received news that there will be a new a new addition to the family soon. Double whammie on the Yahoo!! scale there I guess. This year also saw a lot of my uni and high school friends got married and some of them have even became parents already. Thousand apologies for missing out on the invitations people.

Hmm, what else, I travelled more. Managed to conquer Europe and nick it off my travel list, though I hope to go back there again one day, so much more to see and experience. More travels in the Middle East, floated in the dead sea, which was an incredible experience. And along those journeys, expanded my collection of Hard Rock Café country pins, which is now threatening to overflow the HRC lanyard hanging at home.

In total, I was away from Malaysia for approximately 46 weeks this year, missing out on Chinese New Year, Hari Raya and all the other festivities and parties with family, friends and all the nice foodies that came with it. Sad it may be, but when you lose some, you win some. That’s the rule of the game,

Looking ahead to 2008, the year of the Rat in the lunar calendar, there will be more travels to be made, a wedding to be in, and through it all, just hoping that it will all be better. With the war going on all over the place and the political and corruption problems in Malaysia itself now threatening to slump the country to a downhill roll, I would just like to make myself sound like a bimbo in a Miss World competition and wish for World Peace! and of course, no rain during my wedding days!, and to that note, here’s raising a glass and wishing everyone a very Happy New Year 2008. May everyone make their new year resolutions and still remember they made one by the end of January!

Cheers!

Seasons Greetings

Just a quickie here...not much time to write since i've just moved to a new apartment and still adapting to things. I also had to work everyday until after new year since a lot of the people here went back for Christmas holidays..

Well..the ones whom are left here are coping pretty well with the festive and holiday seasons..i just baked some brownies and a cheese cake today to put on smiles on people's faces and also in my stomach of course. Well, if you can't beat them then join them i guess.

So here's to wishing every bloody thing on this planet or maybe even beyond

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

May all celebrate these good times together with the ones they care about the most and enjoy themselves with good times. Being away from family at times like this kinda sucks but then, work is work. So happy holidays people. Drive safe and drink responsibly. Get drunk but don't kill anybody while you're at it!

Oppss…the farm man went missing again..hehe..well..sorry guys..fact of the matter is..i was back in Malaysia for holidays for 3 weeks…but now I’m back in Syria finishing off my project here..

The holiday was a wonderful 3 weeks of time well spent with dearest girlfriend…family and friends...although I didn’t manage to meet all in the shortish time frame..it was so good to be back after being away for more than 6 months…its kinda sad when a trip back home is actually a holiday for me…totally the opposite of how it should have been...missed everyone back home so much but judging from my weight before the start of the 3 weeks and the end of it…maybe I missed the food more..hehehe

So…what did I do in the 3 weeks of blip from the farm life…first of all I ate…a lot…that was on the main agenda most of the time..hehe…and then there was my brother’s wedding…a beautiful wedding it was..and im happy for my bro that everything went smoothly as planned…Congrats Chris and welcome to the wacky family Michelle…all the best for u guys for the years to come..love u guys so much! Especially for the shrimp sambal u guys got for me to bring here..hehe

(Newlyweds and beaming smiles: Inseparable)

And then there was my girlfriends graduation ceremony…which is also a deserving winner of a big congratulations...you make me PROUD dear!…well..considering how hard the journey was through the years she have to spend finishing the degree...it made me extremely so…of the times when I have to deal with her threats of giving up and all…we went through all the hurdles and strain it put to our relationship and in the end…we got through together just fine..

(No i think i'm not in the shot yet..move more to your right dear...)

(Graduation: Funny hats

and lotsa cameramans...)

I was also kinda busy running around town during this time making some arrangements for our wedding…yes u hear it right ladies and gentleman…my wedding it is…for u whom have not been busy body enough to know already…me and See Yin is planning to get married in November 2008…the dates and all have been set…21st Nov for the bride’s side ceremony and 29th Nov for the groom’s side…we’re both getting very excited and planning and execution is well underway…dinner venues have been booked…money have been spent…it’s just a matter of time now…so u people out there better note down the dates in your diary, toilet wall, forehead, whereever u deem fit to do so and make sure ur ass is there when the time comes..

All good things have to come to an end and as things were…I left on a jetplane after 3 weeks of holiday and back in Syria I am…getting on back with work everyday ever since...it’s winter and it’s bloooooooooody cold…on average the temperature not getting above 15 degrees and normally running below 10 and even as low as 0 since I’ve been back…just waiting for snow to fall now…should be nice with Christmas coming around the corner and all…

oh well…all in all...hot or cold…im still the same farm man there is…wong loke meng is still wong loke meng...cocking and bulling is my main agenda…and I still have to carry a screwdriver when I go screwing around…

My "So Call" Celebrity Look Alikes

Kinda crappy eh?

Middle East

saw this post on lonely plant's thorn tree forum...couldn't help more than agree with this guy's post as i was searching for some information for my next backpack trip to jordan next week to visit the dead sea and petra..a lost city which is reputed as one of the wonders of the world..though im not really sure if it's in one of the 7 in the list of 7..oh well..if only the whole world would do itself some justice by reading this...

so then...as quoted from the linked post above by jezhealy on 11 Oct 2007 4:23am:

"I haven't actually been to Jordan myself yet, but I'll be there in a week - I write this from an internet cafe in Tripoli, northern Lebanon. Many of my friends and colleagues assured me I'd die the moment I entered Syria 5 weeks ago - those that didn't were convinced crossing the Lebanese border would be the last thing I did. As for leaving Beirut and visiting other regions of the country?

What utter nonsense.

People who are telling you to stay away from the Middle East do NOT know what they are talking about. Do not listen to people whose opinions of the world are based on government propaganda and the western "news" media - most of which is a cocktail of lies, half-truths, and exaggerations calculated to push a very dubious political agenda. Arabs are not all terrorists - in my experience they are generally about the most welcoming, hospitable and friendly people on earth. Don't go to Iraq, don't go to Gaza - apart from that the rest of the Middle East is pretty much fine. There is no crime to speak of - pickpocketting, petty theft etc just don't happen here - in touristy areas you'll get hassled by people trying to sell you postcards, trinkets, camel rides, but just stay good-humoured and don't let it bother you. You have a similar chance of being involved in "terrorist" activity here as in the West - arguably less so because Middle Eastern governments don't tend to mess around with human rights and civil liberties - anyone suspected of belonging to any kind of dissident group is usually locked up, tortured, and/or executed before they have chance to do anything which might harm the lucrative tourist industry.

The FCO Travel Advice: Jordan page states:"Around 68,000 British tourists visited Jordan in 2006, up from 57,000 in 2005. Most visits are trouble-free. The main type of incident for which British nationals required consular assistance in Jordan in 2006 was for illness."



oh well...back to more research work then..don wanna end up in Timbaktu while im in Jordan do i?

women

speaking on behalf of all the male population...

why is it that when a women especially the one u parade off as ur other half, have something to say..it's always an important thing..especially if its about them buying a new shoe and i dont know...some matters that would threaten the ant kingdom perhaps?

and when we "the men" have something to say..we're always being shooedd off, as the news or remark can always wait...according to the women that is

i know..i sound like a sore loser, but oh men..why are we all damned to this unfair world??

Have backpack will go backpacking!

yeay!..i'm going backpacking again..not so far this time...well..i decided to head up north in Syria to some beachy area quite near to the Turkish border..a place called Lattakia..where the Mediterranean Sea meets the beautiful chickies of Syria..4 days to spare and lotsa muscles to loosen up..or...errr..strained...hehe





(Non-paying tourists on my trip waiting to board the backpack)












anyway really looking forward to it come tomoro morning...it's been so long since i took some time off for myself to go exploring..and explore i will..

Happy 50th Anniversary Bolehland

lately i have been taking interest on reading bout some "not so mainstream" news back home..well...i was not so surpised to find things goin on not so well as published by all the mainstream medias advocating the evil plans of the current govt (which seems to have been there forever)..by plans..i mean just plans...as in nothing that really materialiased beyond the lips of the messenger..plans where money is spent and the end results never came

news about corruption...govt scandals..misuse of power and so on have been plaguing BolehLand more and more lately despite all the hoo haas about integrity, fight against corruption and all...integrity my ASS i would say..i just cant believe that my hard living tax paying ass is being played off by blood hungry politicians back home more and more these days

im just sad by what is happening..and i thank you to the people in the opposition front for supplying us with information on the other side of the fence..i admire people like Lim Kit Siang for his courage and bravery in going against the "terrorists" in BolehLand..well..i'm not into politics and i dont really side anyone...just i feel that anyone can make a sound judgement when they did hear the stories from both sides of the public toilet wall..

its sad when our politicians compare Malaysia with Ghana..saying that despite achieving independence on the same year..Malaysia has progressed so much more...not sad for Ghana but sad for the politicians who make excessive use of their pea size brains to come out with such comments..maybe thats why we are never better than countries like Japan, China and heck..even Singapore...cos we put our yard sticks next to African countries like Ghana..

life is never a bed of roses..and politicians and lawyers can never tell the truth..thats just how it is..it is likened that age is supposed to bring wisdom but not it seems in our BolehLand..with age...we have more segregation in the community due to certain selfishness of individuals...anyway..Happy 50th Anniversary Malaysia...may u recover well for the years to come.

Karipap Panas

woohoo..my cooking for refuge from misery of living abroad have hit a new milestone..haha

today..i made karipap (curry puff). for u who dont know what it is..it's a puffy crust enclosing curry chicken and potatoes in it. A favorite Malaysian pastime food..i thought since it's Ramadan and i sure do as hell miss the Ramadan bazaar with all the food varieties..i might as well just dont sulk bout it and well...do something bout it!

and voila..here u go..anyone for Karipap Panas in Damascus, Syria? now taking orders...heheheh

(Moon got zapped my Marvin the Martian and fell into pieces)

~~~Wormy behaviour~~~

Finally i could access my blog..where? definately not at home cos as i have mentioned in my previous posting..the stupid isp's i were using have blocked all access to the blogspot adresses...so which means i am shot and wounded too..

alas..my rediscovered hobby here in Damascus, reading, have also its perks...now a member of the British Council in Syria, i can use their internet stations for free and finally i could access the blog from here.

but not much time to spare cos i just picked up 3 more books with a total thickness of around 8 inches to dive into for the next two weeks..reading have been fun..takes ur mind off things u don't want to be thinking about when u dont wanna think about it.

okie dokie..time to squirm myself with some slimy stuff to transform myself into a bookworm again.....