Hi there Gang,
Special festive season, is a time of great wonder and joy. It is a time of generosity and peace that bring family and friends together in celebration.
But this is also a time of remembrance for those who are faced with hardship. Those who have gone through untold challenges, who are struggling to keep alive, day to day.
We must internalise and prioritise in today's day as to the path that we take in everything that matters.
Today is a special day for all of us. On this special day I would like to wish everyone a
Merry Christmas.
To all Malaysians I would like to share this special write up by Justin Raimondo, mailed to me by a friend, Normala Ismail, whom I only met at the Perdana Global Peace Forum and quickly struck up frienship. From this article, I found it most interesting to see other people's perspective of our country.
Here goes, do read, do think and do appreciate what we have, and we should only endeavour to strengthen what good we already have and not knock it down.
Cheers,
Ruby Ahmad.
December 23, 2005
Christmas in Malaysia
It's not what you might imagine
by Justin Raimondo
To say that Malaysia is not what I imagined would be an understatement of epic proportions. Situated just south of Thailand, north of Indonesia, and quite close to the equator, the country describes itself as officially "Islamic," and this, at least in the minds of most Americans, means a stultifying uniformity, a monolithic apparatus of cultural and all too often political repression. It means women in burqas, gay people in hiding, and a society generally groaning under the weight of an enormous repression. Therefore, when I was invited to attend the Perdana Global Peace Forum as a speaker, I was somewhat hesitant, to say the least: did I really want to venture forth into such a forbidding landscape? So my initial answer was "no." But after doing a little research, and in response to the urgings of Antiwar.com's webmaster, Eric Garris, I reconsidered. What, I reasoned, could possibly happen to me? After all, I had lived in that most dangerous and forbidding realm, the New York City of pre-Giuliani days, where you were just as likely to be mugged as anything else, and in broad daylight, too. Yet I had lived to tell the tale. So, I thought, what the heck – why not?
I am now well into my second week of staying in Kuala Lumpur, at the fabulous Crowne Plaza Hotel, and it is clearer than ever that my prejudices were not only mistaken – they were and are the exact opposite of the truth. Malaysia is the virtual incarnation of religious and ethnic diversity, a veritable melting pot of racial and devotional groups that somehow manage to live in relative harmony far beyond anything I have seen even in that paradigmatic paragon of multiculturalism, California. Malays, Chinese, Indians, Arabs, and a generous smattering of Anglo expats swarm the streets of Kuala Lumpur, the biggest city in the country: yes, there is a Muslim majority, but non-Muslims are not subject to sharia law. Malay Muslims coexist with Chinese Catholics, and Buddhist priests roam the Bukhit Bintang plaza, begging, amidst crowds shopping for the latest fashions and punk rockers with pink hair stroll fearlessly down the street.
You never saw such diversity. And that's just during the daytime. At night…
I'm getting ahead of myself. Of course, I didn't come here for the nightlife: I came for the Perdana Peace Forum, which was favored with an impressive array of speakers: former Australian prime minister Bob Hawke, British MP George Galloway, former UN assistant secretary-general Denis Halliday, Pakistan-born Britain-based writer and filmmaker Tariq Ali, former UN assistant secretary-general Hans von Sponeck, Daniel Ellsberg, and anti-nuclear-arms activist and writer Helen Caldicott. Representing the Malaysians were former prime minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, current Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
I had some concerns about former Prime Minister Mahathir, but then I read this Paul Krugman column and my fears were somewhat allayed. Upon meeting Dr. Mahathir, whatever reservations remained were put completely to rest: the man seems to emanate benevolence and great gentleness, almost an aura of serenity, like some sort of Buddhist guru.
Another concern was the appearance of any connection to a government entity: Antiwar.com does not accept money from any governmental source, nor do we affiliate ourselves with the activities of any government. Only after receiving assurances that not a penny of Malaysian government money was going into the conference did we agree to attend. The conference was, indeed, a model of private enterprise in action, with corporate contributions from Ambank Group, Berjaya Corporation Bhd, Country Heights Holdings Bhd, Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd, Malayan Banking Bhd, Multi-Purpose Holdings Bhd, Sri Inderajaya Holdings Sdn Bhd, the Sunway Group, and the Sapura Group of Companies. Nestle and Dell Computers were also among the corporate sponsors.
At any rate, the conference was… amazing. Literally thousands of ordinary Malaysians heard the speakers and then divided into discussion groups. Around a third to a half were young people, and their questions and comments provided an illuminating glimpse into the minds of non-Americans, who look on America with great affection and respect and yet object to the actions of the American government.
Eric Garris has gone into the incident involving Zimbabwe's dictator Robert Mugabe, who suddenly showed up uninvited, so I won't go into too many of the details. Suffice to say that I made a point of working a denunciation of Mugabe's thuggery into my speech, an event that seemed to catalyze general opposition to his presence. An event at which Mugabe was supposed to speak was canceled, and, in answer to inquiries about Mugabe's presence, Dr. Mahathir remarked: "Everybody can attend. If he wants to say how good it is to be a dictator, he can."
I have to say that there was none of the crude anti-Americanism at the conference that one has – sadly – come to expect at gatherings of antiwar activists. Eric and I made a point of linking the cause of peace to the cause of free markets at every opportunity, a viewpoint that was especially appreciated by the conference organizers.
I have to say that I am... astonished by Malaysia. Here is an "Islamic" country where a gigantic Christmas tree sits in the lobby of the hotel I'm staying at, and the café waiters in the plaza a few blocks away are dressed like Santa's elves. Here is a city where the nightlife puts San Francisco's to shame. Where the city's oldest gay bar, the Blue Boy, makes Baghdad-by-the-Bay seem like a dive in Podunk, Idaho; where people party well into the morning light, and you can have a good time for a few ringgits (the Malay currency: around 30 cents). The food is fabulous: Malay (spicy, somewhat Thai-like), Arab (there's a great place right off Bukhit Bintang), Chinese (you haven't lived until you've sampled the pleasures of Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown), and too many more to go into here. The place is a gastrointestinal paradise!
Modernity is juxtaposed next to traditionalism: on the one hand you have the soaring heights of the Petronas Twin Towers, the tallest buildings in the world, lit up like a vision of futurity against the night sky, and on the other hand you have women in traditional dress – colorful costumes of bright color and the requisite head covering – traversing its corridors. Two, three, many worlds coexisting: the past and the future converging into a new synthesis of creativity and entrepreneurial energy. The impression one gets is of a tremendous vitality, a restless yet directed life-force that seems to spring right out of the earth.
A final note: nowhere have I experienced more genuine warmth and such a feeling of welcome. When you come to Kuala Lumpur, you are made to feel very special. The gentleness and politeness of these people is a phenomenon that doesn't exist, to my knowledge, anywhere in the U.S. Malays are generally puzzled by the actions of the U.S. government abroad, and do not support the war in Iraq: but they love America, the country, and show great admiration and respect for the American people. And that is the kind of "anti-Americanism" that I can live with.
Photo of Andy Williams: I grew up watching Andy Williams for Christmas. www.andywilliams.com
On arrival we headed for our hotel, or rather Palace….The Rambagh Palace. The Maharajas of India, or at least some of them had converted their palaces to hotels. These were still Pre-Four Season/Boutique Hotel days so please don’t imagine these palaces as you would of the sanitized versions dotted all over the world today.
You have to imagine a Palace version of our Coloseum in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman but nonetheless…..it’s a Palace! The rooms were huge and in our case anyway, the bathroom was bigger than the bedroom! As it was getting late, we decided to spend the rest of the day exploring the hotel. Dinner was in a grand dining room and the food was simply divine. Of course it was no longer parathas and dhall by then!
The next day, our first stop was the City Palace. The City Palace complex in the heart of the city itself is still home to the present day Maharaja and certain sections of the Palace is therefore off limits. We saw some huge silver urns which turned out to be huge water containers. Apparently, during the period of the Raj, the Maharajas would travel to Britain but would insist on drinking from the water from the rivers of Rajasthan! These giant silver urns are listed in the Guiness Book of World Records as the largest silver objects in the world. Imagine that!
His third wife, Rajmata Maharani Gayatri Devi, who lived at Saint Hill Manor with the Maharaja, was once rated by Vogue as one of the world's most beautiful women! There you go...more history!
On arrival at the bottom of the complex, we decided to approach the Palace via an elephant ride, to get a feel of what it must have been like during days gone by. I tell you... going uphill on an elephant is an experience never to be forgotten! Images of romance were swiftly out of the mind as we swayed up the hill! The view of the steep cliff did not help matters. I clung to the elephant’s chair for dear life!!
On the way back to the hotel, we passed the Hawa Mahal, the ‘Palace of Winds’. It adjoins the outside of the palace wall. Built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh, the Hawa Mahal is a remarkable structure which overlooks one of the main streets and also provides some excellent views of the city. In the not-too-distant past, ladies of the court found it convenient to watch the activities on the streets below without being observed themselves.
Special festive season, is a time of great wonder and joy. It is a time of generosity and peace that bring family and friends together in celebration.
To say that Malaysia is not what I imagined would be an understatement of epic proportions. Situated just south of Thailand, north of Indonesia, and quite close to the equator, the country describes itself as officially "Islamic," and this, at least in the minds of most Americans, means a stultifying uniformity, a monolithic apparatus of cultural and all too often political repression. It means women in burqas, gay people in hiding, and a society generally groaning under the weight of an enormous repression. Therefore, when I was invited to attend the Perdana Global Peace Forum as a speaker, I was somewhat hesitant, to say the least: did I really want to venture forth into such a forbidding landscape? So my initial answer was "no." But after doing a little research, and in response to the urgings of Antiwar.com's webmaster, Eric Garris, I reconsidered. What, I reasoned, could possibly happen to me? After all, I had lived in that most dangerous and forbidding realm, the New York City of pre-Giuliani days, where you were just as likely to be mugged as anything else, and in broad daylight, too. Yet I had lived to tell the tale. So, I thought, what the heck – why not?
Here's something interesting, sent by K Muni (Munirah Hamid).
Verdict: We can't solve every one of life's mysteries...sometime!
Aaahh Gang, Here are pictures of me and my pal, Winston, at Old Bond Street. I took the opportunity to advise Winston on a rule of life which is 'Know Who You're Dealing - Do Not Offend The Wrong Person'.
Law 19 - 'Know Who You're Dealing With - Do Not Offend The Wrong Person' extracted from The 48 Laws Of Power by Robert Greene.
I am happy to share with you the news of the Global Peace Forum 2005. 
"We live in an age of nuclear giants and ethical infants. In a world that has achieved brilliance without wisdom, power without conscience. We've solved the mystery of the atom and forgotten the lessons of the Sermon on the Mount. We know more about war than we know about peace; more about dying than we know about living."
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf
Tan Sri Razali Ismail
Dato’ Mukhriz Mahathir
It is just after mid-week. 
Gratitude is an exquisite form of courtesy. People who enjoy the companionship of good, close friends are those who don't take daily courtesies for granted. They are quick to thank their friends for their many expressions of kindness. On the other hand, people whose circle of friends is severely constricted often do not have the attitude of gratitude. 
Perhaps more marriages could be saved and strengthened if couples simply and sincerely said to each other, " I miss you " This powerful affirmation tells partners they are wanted, needed, desired and loved. Consider how ecstatic you would feel, if you received an unexpected phone call from your spouse in the middle of your work day, just to say, " I miss you. " 
Many broken relationships could be restored and healed if people would admit their mistakes and ask for forgiveness. All of us are vulnerable to faults, foibles and failures. A man should never be ashamed to own up that he has been in the wrong, which is saying, in other words, that he is wiser today then he was yesterday. 
Perhaps the most important three words that you can say. Telling someone that you truly love them satisfies a person's deepest emotional needs. The need to belong, to feel appreciated and to be wanted. Your family, your friends and you, all need to hear those three little words. "I love you." 
Hi there Gang,
3.0 Whilst to you, what’s ahead may appear to be a lamp-post or an emergency service telephone, to the majority of the world out there, it’s actually the checquered flag! Yes our highway is actually, to all intents and purposes, Sepang and he wants to beat you to it! So, do the sensible t-h-a-a-n-g and make his day. Give way and console yourself that he’s won and received the 10 Championship points and you have to console yourself with 8 points for being second!
