Muslim Cops

A religion preached by Holy Prophet Muhammad, Islam is one of the three largest religions in the world, yet there are very confusing and disturbing matters in this religion. It has by far the most restrictions in any religion I've ever come across, from what they consume to how what they wear. No offence against the Muslims or their religion. I'm sure that there are probably alot of issues I wouldn't understand. But I'm just opinionated.

I read this article about a Muslim father of a teenage girl who would occasionally party with his friends say that he has nothing against clubs and bars but, he just does his best to make sure she goes to the 'right' clubs. How many Muslim Dads would actually be this understanding? It's not easy to find the 'right' clubs with his high standards but he tries. The club should be a decent place situated within a decent neighbourhood, without drug records and must not be a hang-out area for people who are bad news. The place also has to be popular with both foreigners and locals.

He would ask his friends in the police force for second opinions about a particular clubs. It seems there are quite a number of 'right' clubs to go to in the city of Kuala Lumpur. His friend named a club that was raided not too long ago which happens to be his daughters favourite but she was lucky she wasn't partying that night but the other Malay Muslim youths who were there, weren't so lucky.

They were locked up, abused, and treated badly. They were not allowed to relieve themselves until one of the girls cried and urinated in her pants. They were abused by officers who were crude and rude. During the rest of the week, there were endless calls from furious parents and victims of the raid. The anger was not directed at Jawi since some said Jawi had a job to do. But the issue wasn't on what they did but the way the officers got the job done. Those officers have given Jawi a bad name.

Crime analyst said some officers tend to get carried away and become heavy-handed and that is where they go wrong. This wasn't a first but it was certainly one of the largest raids (about 100 youths locked up).

A few years ago, there was a case on a club performer who was detained by the Jais for 'insulting Islam by being in areas where alcohol is served'. The charge was dropped. Jais officials publicly handcuffed three Malay Muslims for taking part in a beauty pageant in the 90s.

Can these people really do that? In a country like Malaysia where majority of the citizens are Malay Muslims, they probably could. But personally, I think the youths should have a choice and the freedom to choose what they believe in. The best one could try and do is to guide them and allow their youths to set their own values and make their own mistakes. At the end of the day, they'll be paying for their 'sins' right? So are these people who are supposed to protect really doing their job correctly or is this an act of discrimination against the 'sinners'? Is Islam a religion of intolerance?

Glimpse Into The Phuture

Ask me where I see myself in 10 years when I was 8? I'd have the answer in an instant. Now I'm clueless really. I have big dreams, definitely ambitious. I wanna be a creative director one day at some renowned advertising agency but sometimes I wonder if it's way outta my league.

I'm going through a transitional period right now. I hate choosing between Universities, especially courses. When I just completed my 'O's. I was a total screw up but I was given a second chance from the man above. I learned a lot in Lasalle and stumbled upon passion. A blessing in disguise indeed. Not everyone would be as lucky as I am. I have friends who are older than me and cruise through life not knowing what's next for them. It worries me.

Studying in Australia is not gonna be cheap. But my Mom, the one person I thought would disagree, gave me her full support. In situations like these, you'd expect full support and contribution from both parents huh? Ok so here's the thing, my dad didn't like the whole idea at first. But once my mother offered to pay, he didn't even think to offer to share the cost. Fuck I'm furious!

My Mom, the one with the lower income in the family, the one paying for everything else without getting any extra household expenses from my Dad, is actually going to pay for my overseas education. How unfair is that? My Dad is the egoistic, insensitive man of the family who treats his friends better than us. My mom pays for both me and my brothers' transportation fees, she gives us our pocket money, she pays for our monthly insurance, she pays for household expenses. My Dad pays for cable TV, internet, water, electricity, me and my brother's handphone bill (which by the way is about maximum $70 a month for both) and car maintenance. So who pays more in the family? I'm not going to judge really, I'll just have to wait and see if my Dad would actually sit through this.

My Mom never had an easy life and has always been the weakest in the family. With her being this vulnerable to illnesses and not hesitating to sacrifice her insurance money just to pay for my education, shows me how much she loves me. It just breaks my heart to have to sit through this and not do anything about it. I can't freaking talk to him. Everytime I try have a decent conversation with him. He'll just snap and it pisses me off. I communicate with my Dad through notes. I'll leave it at the door every night. How pathetic is that. I'm just gonna take one step at a time and see where this leads to. Thank you Mom.

Ok let's drop the serious stuff. On a lighter note, I was at Phuture with my classmates on Friday night. Bumped into a couple of friends. Basically, it was awesome minus the feet stomping! Gosh there were so many people, ugly guys could go there and get lucky with all that squeezing. LOL.

So most of my schoolmates left earlier but I decided to stick around with a couple of friends. At the end of the night, when everyone was leaving, some cute guy made my day, although I was pretty sure there weren't any cute guys around. I'm a sucker for a cute smile and dayuuum, he sure had one. LOL.

And then there was this atrocious English guy who came up to me and asked me if I would like to share a cab with him. Hilarious. I was on my cell, so I ignored him and that guy didn't leave me alone. He grabbed me by the shoulders and said "What good would you get from using your phone, let's share a cab". Shit that guy was wasted. I was practically running away from him. When Teresa told him off, he eventually left me alone. Next thing we knew, some bouncers were running after him in the midst of all that traffic on the road. It was like watching some Travis MTV. When they caught him, he was handcuffed on the spot. Dude, say goodbye to sunny Singapore.

Awhile later, there was this other guy who approached us after. He was so direct and we were obviously insulted. Teresa was pretty pissed.

White Guy: Do you ladies wanna come with us?
Teresa: No!
White Guy: Why?
Sharon: *Checks out the bald spot on his head* *Disgusted*
Teresa: *Points at a group of SPG looking chicks* Try them.
White Guy: *Tryna look cool* Ok thanks.
Sharon: *Rolls eyes*

Flip Flops

Okay, so I'm not your average chick who's crazy about shoes, clothes and accessories. I mean what is it about those things that drive women crazy? Don't ask me. I'm clueless as any guy would be. I'm not like a crossdresser or anything. I'm just not materialistic enough to care.

This oh so bitchy chick made a comment about me being a generic dresser. She's definitely not from the cover of your CosmoGirl. I would never in a million years, dress like that. I appreciate opinions from friends and not comments forced onto you. If you don't look like a million bucks, before you say anything, take those comments and stick it up your ass.

Tops from Dorothy Perkins, denims from Far East, bags from Bugis Village and flip-flops from Flojos! That's just about what I wear to school everyday. I've never bought something that costs over a hundred bucks. It's not like I'm poor or don't have the money. I just don't think spending that much on clothes is worth it. The simpler it is, the better it'd be. Something to fit in on any occassion; I wouldn't wanna look like some overdressed groupie in school.

I have esteem issues. Wearing darker colours make me feel and look smaller and of course black goes with just about everything. My friends have been getting me to try brighter colours, was skeptical at first but Edna managed to convince me. Hah! Good work Nana!

Edna and I are planning to go to Australia to get an advertising degree. We're still deciding between Queensland University of Technology and Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. I can't wait to get there. In the creative industry, having an education based in Singapore is just not good enough. Everything is by the books, even creativity. I remember when we were in high school, they even had to include creative classes in our cirruculum. Sad but true.

If only I could fast forward the next 2 months and graduate from college ASAP! Look at me, I'm blogging when I'm supposed to be working on my de-junked campaign! Procrastinating! Never a good thing. I need exposure; new country, new culture, new people and my new roomie, Edna! *evil laughs*

The Cheese Factor

I'm brain-dead and uninspired. Caught White Noise today with Audrey. Missed about 10 minutes of the movie, totally me, sorry babe. Theatre full of obnoxious irritants who were jumping on every opportunity to scream. Who are they fucking kidding? Are they like, what 5? Those prissy girls should screw the horror genre and stick to their bimbotic teen movies.

Audrey was corny as usual. She thought there was a bug on my arm when it was a mole. #@*#!*#! She thought the movie was okay. I thought the movie was a sad case of some Hollywood director's first shot in the horror film genre. A finale with a twist didn't make up for the bad script. I was practically waiting for some action to begin. And when it did, it was a huge disappointment. Slow movie, no content. The film-maker probably didn't understand the whole cinematic experience. Direction is another stupid cliche. The anti-climaxes and sudden death scares. This shit is getting old. The only thing interesting about the story is that information about the Electronic Voice Phenomenon at the end of the movie. Find out what its about in the next blog. Tonight's between Thurs and Fri not a good time. Here's why.

Long day short. Met Edna after the movie. Shopped for abit. Bought something from Mango today. Love it. Saw this fabulous skirt at Zara. Ugh I want that. It's on my wishlist! Anyone? LOL. Talked to another overseas education consultant.

My dear rommie-to-be Edna and babyface Audrey. LOL! I shall attempt to briefly introduce you to them. Audrey, she's spontaneous. All about fun. Being with her brings out the kid in me. She's cornier than corn. She puts a spell on you. She can cheer you up almost immediately. Edna, shoe crazed and that's just about all there is to her! Nothing else matters. Love shopping with her. She has the 'eye'. I can tell her practically everything. We have quite a number of things in common, on a opinionated level. Something about her motivates me. Edna gets cheesier by day.

indie whore: Feel like writing about u now. lol
Edna ®: Oh no! Now that u have THE BLOG
Edna ®: I'm nice
Edna ®: Really
indie whore: Hahahahahahhahahaha!!!

I'm addicted to them.

Horror Flicks Chick

I'm definitely am a sucker for horror flicks. Can't help it. It keeps my adrenaline pumping but that doesn't mean I don't get scared. In fact I get so paranoid sometimes when I'm in my room. This whole paranormal phenomenon has always intrigued me. Don't you ever wonder? In this logical world, where we have science to prove just about everything else. The only thing left that doesn't make sense is this. The world of the supernatural. Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely a believer.

The scariest movies are usually foreign (Korea, Japan, Thailand), most Hollywood horror films are just gruesome. The legendary Freddy Kruger for example is just LAME! If you're past the age of 12, and it still scares you, you've got issues.

Into The Mirror, believes that the supernatural world is a whole other world parallel to our own and the portal are mirrors. Similarly in Constantine, heaven, earth and hell is the same parallel world but in this case, water is the portal to crossover to the other worlds.

And then there were dolls. Did you know that Muslims believe spirits possess anything that resembles the human or animal form? Scary shit. Lucky for me, no dolls in my room. The Doll Master, another korean horror film, isn't the best has it's moments.

Muslims, they sure have a long list on the different types of spirits out there. I don't even want to name the common few. Just thinking about it sends shivers down my spine. Apparently the way you die determines the kinda spirit you'd become. Did you know that it is believed that between Thurs nights and Fri mornings, its when 'they' come out to play?

A friend Naz told me this story about his freaky encounters on Thursday nights for 3 weeks in a row. The first week at around 11 at night, he was in the living area reading the papers. The area was dimly lit. He was sitting with his back facing the kitchen, where the light source was from. While reading, he saw a shadow moved by. Since the light was from the kitchen, with his back facing, if someone stood walked by from behind him, it'll be blocking the light source. It was like an eclipse moving by real quickly. So he did what we all would do. Turned, nothing was there. Checked the rooms, family members asleep.

The following week on Thursday as well, while he was watching TV at night. A piece of paper which was in the middle of the table with a paperweight on top of it mysteriously fell to the floor. "No sudden gush of wind, I didn't turn on the fan!" he said. As usual he would always try and make sense out of the situation and eventually managed to forget.

On the third week, on the same night, he was watching a football match. His TV is right beside the door. So when watching TV, he's watching the door as well. Naz leaves the door open (gates locked) at night to get fresh air. So that night, it was a usual routine. He was watching TV when he heard a hard kick on the gate. He just stood there stunned, there was no one there. He told me he just stared and stared hoping to see a cat or a rat or something. He was in denial. Walked over to the door and slammed it shut. I'll probably freak if I were him.

The fourth week, he had enough, ain't gonna sit around and wait for something to happen. You'd probably think he got himself a bomoh but instead he went out with his friends that night. And that thing, whatever that was, stopped after that night.

Readings on Asian spirits, visit Singapore Paranormal Investigators or Sfogs, a bunch crazy people who goes 'hunting'. Audrey will probably freak if she reads this. Haha. We're going to watch the movie White Noise tomorrow. I'll fill you in if its worthy of my talking. I'm craving for the Burger King Chicken Salad! Ugh! I miss Audrey and her bull-crapping! I want longer holidays!

The Carandiru Massacre

I got myself a couple of dvds which I haven't had the chance to watch yet. I have a friend who works at the video store and I have free access to all movies there. :P There's one good movie I watched recently; Carandiru. Utterly depressing and cruel it is. The movie is in portugese and did I mention that it was based on a true story? Carandiru was a violent prison and the largest correctional facility in Latin America. The criminals were the ones who really ran Carandiru. The infamous day on October 2 1992 was a day that shocked the world. 300 policemen from the riot squad stormed the facility and brutally murdered 111 unarmed inmates. The Carandiru massacre.

What the hell? So what if they're from the riot squad? These inmates had only knives on them and they even surrendered those. Although they were bigger in numbers (4500 I think), they were not stupid enough to try and put up a fight against 300 policemen armed with guns. But still 111 of the inmates were not spared. According to witnesses and a forensic expert at the trial, many of the inmates were shot execution-style or from outside their cells as they hid behind their bed mattresses for protection. Many were found naked in an apparent sign of surrender. What shook me the most was how hopeless these inmates were.

No justice was done. No one spoke up until 2001. A Brazilian former police chief on trial accused of ordering the country's worst jail massacre has denied the charges, saying his men acted in self defence against 2,000 armed prisoners. Colonel Ubiratan Guimaraes, who was in charge of the operation in 1992 to put down the prison riot, said the inmates died in a shoot-out with the police. He said "If our intention was to commit a massacre, then how come only 111 died?". If you ask me, he probably knew this day would come and killing more inmates would definitely land him in jail.

Is Brazil is prepared to clean up the poor human rights record of its military police? There was a 9 year delay. Charges were filed against Colonel Guimaraes in 1993, but the case was delayed for years, first because of red tape and later, between 1994 and 1998, because Mr Guimaraes enjoyed immunity as a Sao Paolo state legislator.

He was finally brought to trial on 29 November 2000 and convicted on June 30 2001. He was Sentenced to 632 years, six years each for the victims and 20 years for five attempted murders, despite Brazil's 30 year maximum sentence.

If the movie ended like how it ended for real, I'll probably not be that depressed watching it.

Junk Food Addiction

I'm hooked! Practically everyone I know loves junk food. Sure we know it ain't healthy. I bet if you ask anyone else, they wouldn't know why. I'm working on this anti-junk food campaign and junk food addiction is definitely a growing concern. Its like a drug that comes with severe side effects. We all joke about being junk food junkies. But a growing number of scientists believe that there's some truth to that.

Addicted or not, our kids are growing bigger by generations. Only bigger health problem is smoking. I'm a nicotine addict and I would know what it's like to be addicted to something. And its exactly the same. On some days I would just crave for some unhealthy, greasy fries. So what keeps people craving for it?

Firstly its the additives which adds flavour. Sugar, salt and even fat. Bet you didn't know that fast food 'giants' has dirty little secrets. The food industry spends a lot of money trying to make sure that they get the right combination of fat and salt to create an almost addictive response. The next time you walk by a fast food joint thinking about 'junking', think about all the evil looking scientists who are trying to make you fat by getting you addicted to fats. Gross. If you could eat a block of butter without cringing. Well hats off to you. You can go marry Ronald McDonald's for all I care.

Cigarettes went up to 11 dollars for a 20 stick pack of Marlboro! God its just so expensive to live in this 'fine' city. They make you pay so much tax for something smoking, drinking, etc. The 'sins'. Instead of coming up with the eat the greens campaign (as if it'll work) they should have kill the junk campaigns. Too bad they didn't think of that earlier. I'm doing it for school first. Hah! People should start paying taxes for all the sins. The tobacco industry has long been strapped with special taxes and there's no arguing it's a serious drain on the health care system. So, logically, if the fast food industry also causes health problems, why shouldn't the fast food financiers be slapped with a similar tax?

Since the fast food companies are targeting their advertising at the kids, maybe they should implement the 18 years and above only rule on junk food. LOL. The Slow Food Movement has been around since the mid 1980s. They've been trying to get out the message that fast food does not have to be a way of life. So the next time you come up with another excuse to 'junk', kick yourself in the ass.