The Whateverlah Blog

Malaysians advised against being immersed in Facebook, Twitter. Our Information, Communications and Culture Minister Rais Yatim was quoted saying:

“They are just selling Facebook, Twitter, L-Band and various other services, even through space, as a product but we do not do such business. We accept all this in a state of cultural shock,” he said.

Um. I have no fucking clue what the means. His cryptic, swaying train of thought is as WTF-inducing as a certain former Alaskan Governor. This fler is more than a katak bawah tempurung, it’s a deaf and blind katak under a tempurung buried under six feet of manure.

I think everything that can be said about this nitwit has already been said. The paper reported the backlash, and on Twitter was where the fun was. So search the hash tag #yorais for hours of enjoyment.

One final comment: I don’t know if he says this because he’s stupid or he thinks the rakyat is stupid. They stood flabbergasted after having their seat majority slashed and bloggers were voted in to public office in the last general election. The continual dismissal of the capabilities of new media to disseminate information will be their downfall. But let’s not give them any ideas…

*I used this phrase offhandedly on Facebook one time. It rolled off the tongue so well that I’m gonna keep it. “Preternatural goblokness” ® ©

January
is ready for teh rose bowl
has developed a love-hate relationship with the word ‘diversity’
wants to hug and kiss strangers; Alex Cabot is baaaaaack!
is 3 more weeks to new years. yes!
if only it didn’t “feels like -1″… brrrrr
is all like, “frak you!”
is waking up from a nightmare that lasted 8 years.
is stop saying happy new year! you’re all making me think i missed it!
is way to stay classy Aussie Open fans!
HAPPY FREAKING NEW YEAR! ????!
is jet setting this weekend
is Liverpool or Chelsea?
is almost a for-reals librarian.

February
is making dumplings. stupid kroger ground pork… >.>
is leaving on a jet plane. See you on the other side of the planet.
is obviously jetlagged.
is addicted to Spore. Curse you Maxis!!
Yay Mauresmo (now just rinse, repeat at Roland Garros)
is waiting on the rain
sadly acknowledges that Guitar Hero pwnage is not a resume skill.
tiada gentar meskipun it’s all fubar.
… still blaming it on the bossa nova

March
blew beaucoup bucks on books at borders
can time travel.
can time travel, & am now only 12 hrs ahead of eastern time instead of 13.
commences hating on the new facebook
happy spring breaking, kids
tiene muuuuucho hambre.
want to go see Lee Hom (no, seriously)
C’mon SC! Beat the Eagles!
holeeee cripes! we beat BC! Next up: #2 Mich St. Can’t watch!
gah basketball. gah.
is really tired of the HP vs Twilight debate. Please just go away.
still giggles everytime she sees the “Dana Scully Does Not Have Time for Your BULLSHIT” bumper sticker…
Will Ferrell, get on Twitter. ’cause Pete Carroll sed so! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fh5KweP3qdo
hey, man. I’m alive. I’m takin each day a night at a time.
runs around screaming, ‘KIM CLIJSTERS IS RETURNING TO TENNIS’ thankyougod.

April
misses bloomington.
is all along the watchtower
is all across the universe
is all your base are belong to us
likes easter. six feet tall pink easter bunnies, not so much.
is now properly licensed and diplomafied. fear me.
“It’s hard to talk when you’re teabagging.” – Anderson Cooper
happy 4/20
Depeche Mode free concert in LA this Thursday. askjfhapofikjcnaiv!!!!!! there. I feel better now.
actually kinda misses Little 5 weekend…?
Man United!
thanks IU Auditorium, for emailing me your 09-10 season lineup. I really needed to know that Yo Yo Ma and Avenue Q will be there when I’m not.

May
congrats to those graduating. YiPPeeIT’SSumMErrrr to the rest.
i have no desire to wear big fugly hats but I WILL drink a mojito in honor of the Derby.
wondering what else to do with the leftover rum… eyes the container of raisins XFD
cinco de mayo on a tuesday is just an excuse to extend the partying done this last weekend. eeeeeexcellent.
is doing her Happy Man U dance, which, is kinda like her Happy Snoopy dance.. which is, kinda like her Happy Everything dance.
aaw, Kyle Taber is graduating.
wants Guitar Hero Metallica. kthxbai.
is watching NASA tv cuz i’m that nerdy
if i had a vote, my vote would not be for Adam. (don’t hate!)
Man U wins the Premiere League!
watching Wimbledon Centre Court new retractable roof ‘opening ceremony’
will take summer music recommendations now. Unapologetically mainstream is ok by me.
I swear I had nothing to do with how the result of American Idol turned out…
Once again, it’s Roland Garros. Once again I’m taking bets on when Mauresmo *facepalm* will announce her retirement.
Remember: I love you all. Just not at the same time.
Roger Federer – Roland Garros Champion. (I totally just jinxed him there)

June
Dear librarians, I miss working on a ref desk. Am I weird? Sincerely, me.
I’m on emran’s crackberry! Coveting it!
hates Hartamas traffic! Hate. Haaaate. BENCI.
Google Sites – you’re lame. I hope to never have to teach a class on using you.
is trying to have a positive status update… processing… please wait.
hearts Dewa 19 so much at this moment.

July
Facebook, I have been ignoring you… and it feels good.
Rather jealous of librarian peeps at ALA Chicago.
Ok, REALLY jealous of librarian peeps in Chicago now. ::sadface::
I has a PS3! GTA IV here I come!!!
fell into a big ass closet, still clutching the PS3 controller.
would like everyone to appreciate that “flour” has one syllable, not two.
No, I have no idea why I thought Man U was playing in Sing instead of here. I’ll go kick myself in the head now.
has a date with the Boy Who Lived.
has a crush on the Boy Who Lived.
has laptop battery issues and is not a happy camper today.
eclipse!
laptop problem fixed. cause I’m awesome like that.
would like to give you one tight slap.
needs to pack.
hopes you’re having a nice hump day.
has a new toy.
has a new toy and would give it up to be able to have been in San Diego last weekend.

August
just had a really good day with her brother and niece.
loves her Craftsmans tools. It beats a can opener and Swiss Army knife when you need to put furniture together.
is gonna attempt to find USJ2 after not having been there for 10 years, armed with nothing but an address and memory.
Has been vindicated – the more common word is ‘jelak’ and not ‘muak’. Haha to Emran.
<3 ’s the Trojans. Bring on football season already!!
has Color Me Badd in the head but does NOT want to sex you up.
is now at 29°22′11″N 47°58′42″E?. Net access intermittent. Send some lovin!!!
loving Kuwait. Miss you all.
haz teh interwebz now.
has Homeroom duties and is excited about it.
has yet to achieve a critical mass of significant knowledge.
misses buka puasa food and is really hungry right now.
is thinking about museums.
is not going to do it all in the first year.
Shout out to the Quadrant of Waste. Holla back!
is actually nervous about first day of school. Eeek!

September
it’s college football season. *happy dance*
was on a boat.
isn’t really having the best start to the week
Hey school librarians – need a 10 minute library activity that won’t insult the fragile egos of 11th/12th graders and their intelligence. Ideas??
Heaven forbid we let the man in the office to which we have our kids aspire to actually speak directly to them.
finally got around to getting a local SIM card.
Go Kim, go!!
Good luck, Buckeyes.
Serena cussing? Kim in the finals? Matt Barkley, frosh QB marching the Trojans to victory? I NEED TV!!!!
YES, KIM! Wooooooo!
wishes you all a Selamat Hari Raya.
Washington is not a happy place for the Trojans.
Beat Wazzu!
wants to go to Abu Dhabi F1

October
remembered to tim tam slam today. It was good.
is a gherkin?
I’m not asking for much, Hoosiers; just don’t let the Buckeyes run circles around ya.
In case you were wondering… yes, I did use my library’s laser scanner and pointed it at Google’s homepage today.
has had Facebook fail for past 36 hours and is therefore plenty out of the loop.
weeded.
Someone tell me how to not respond sarcastically when asked – by a grown up no less – if I have an astronomy section in the library.
Happy Deepavali/Diwali!
Just saw the news about tanker explosion on I-465. Like, whoah.
Dhoom!
FB eated my statuses

November
*facepalm* USC got beat by the damn ducks
Oh Hoosiers.. so close yet so far.
finally, lemon flavoured toothpaste again!
wants to start a wild rumpus.
is thankful for booze and bacon. whaaaaat
go Boise State! and FUCLA. kthxbai.

December
is now one of those blackberry zombies
Not sure but I think I need to weed this book… “Exploring careers in the computer field” Published 1990.
like the rest of the world I have Google Wave invites. Hit me up if you want one
show your local food bank some love. kthxbai.
If you don’t know, as of today, Facebook will automatically start plunging the Earth into the Sun. To change this option, go to Settings –> Planetary Settings –> Trajectory then UN-CLICK the box that says ‘Apocalypse.’ Facebook kept this one quiet. Copy and paste onto your status for all to see. (via Anne Haines)
is cold
slept for 14 hours. How YOU doin’?
Hey Facebook, why must I download your plugin to upload photos? You suck. Love, me.
My digits while in KL: +6017 3646 154.
Happy Christmas and all that shiz.

Went to mall and saw these gems.

First off, at IKEA’s everything-and-thekitchen-sink section — make sure you read the entire thing:

Next, at Carrefour:

If you think I don’t have at least two jokes about “underware” and “packing” you don’t know me

Oh, lord. The woman loves her doughnuts. Fried ones. *whimper*

Bobby Flay thinks doughnuts are underrated lately. “Everyone is suddenly on a health kick, but doughnuts are a very important part of cuisine, in my book,” he said at the after-party for the new Tracy Letts play, Superior Donuts.
Even the play, about a doughnut shop in Chicago, “gives doughnuts a bad rap,” he said. “Think about it — they’re fried, they’re sweet, they have a fantastic flavor, a great contrast in texture. What’s better than a doughnut? And it goes great with a cup of coffee!”
Could health fiends add a few doughnuts to their diets? “Yeah, just serve it with yogurt,” Flay suggested.
So where do he and his wife, actress Stephanie March, go for a doughnut? “There was this Krispy Kreme that was really 200 yards away from our apartment. I’m sad it’s closed now,” March said. Flay went with a foodier favorite, Doughnut Plant, who catered the party: “They’re really good,” he said. “And they’re fried,” March added. “Let’s not forget they’re fried.”

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/around-town/food-drink/FOODD-Bobby-Flay-Asks-Whats-Better-Than-a-Doughnut-63423157.html

Twitpic by svumac [http://twitpic.com/imrh2]

I just don’t know what to say these days.

How lah?

Addendum: but I think once life gets more settled here, I’ll have much to say about SVU, college  football and life’s general meandering course.

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting —
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

but I can’t help but love this song. And I think he’s so hott.

Wang Lee Hom’s “Everything”:

*by the by, does anybody know the Engrish equivalent of geli? Not the literal sense of ‘ticklish’… Would ’squeamish’ be even close?

“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

Late Friday night / early Saturday I was driving a lonely stretch of the highway from Subang when the radio came on with a PSA for the upcoming Merdeka celebrations. The voice was explaining the significance of our flag, the Jalur Gemilang. Much to my absolute horror he kept saying shit like “Did you know the fourteen red and white stripes in our flag resemble…” and “The star and crescent resemble…”

Dear Copy Writer at Radio Station That I Cannot Remember Its Name:

resemble – v. have a similar appearance to or features in common with.

So… I do not think the stripes on our flag have a similar appearance to any of our 14 states nor does Islam looks particularly crescent-shaped today.. but a croissant does.

I think you were looking to use this word:

represent – v. 1 be entitled or appointed to act and speak for. 2 be an elected member of a legislature for. 3 constitute; amount to. 4 be a specimen or example of; typify. 5 (be represented) be present to a particular degree. 6 portray in a particular way. 7 depict in a work of art. 8 signify, symbolize, or embody.

I wish I could find an audio file of this PSA to traumatise you all with, but no joy so far. I’ll try to remember what station it was on next time. If only my phone can record sound…

In the meantime, let’s all pretend our English is very the good one.

ADDENDUM:

My brother and I had a very short conversation earlier this evening about his 3G internet access, and the Malay term for “broadband” was brought up. He rightly pointed out that “jalur lebar” is a terrible translation. Did someone in Dewan Bahasa not bother looking up the different meanings for “band”? Do they need to be shown how to use a dictionary ah?

How to have advancement in science and maths when the language it will be taught in is not properly equipped to convey the most accurate meanings for technical and scientific terms?

Whateverlah.com wishes Gillian Anderson, who just gets better as the years go by, an awesome 41st birthday.

“…it’s like putting 40DDD boobs on a size 6 body.”

This songs makes me want to dance like no one’s watching. It’s not quite replacing American Boy as my summer song but close. Very close. Much closer than Love, Sex, Magic.

Me: I don’t think Yasmin Ahmad would like it much that they’re calling her “the director”…

Because, please if you don’t mind, she is so much more than a director. I aspire to her levels of living a life brimmed with joie de vivre and an unswerving faith in god, this world, and being Malaysian.

Yasmin Ahmad was buried early this afternoon. The Malaysian Insider has a report from the funeral.

The Star has been posting tributes to the story teller sent in from around the world.

The New Straits Time carries the obituary.

In the final entry of her blog, published just four days ago, Yasmin posted a piece by Puccini from his Turandot which she was hoping to use in her latest project, “Wasurenagusa”. It’s rather ironic then, to learn that Puccini died before he could complete Turandot. I don’t have a point, I’m just moping..

Ending this with an interview she gave on July 21st, 2009:

There are no words to describe the loss this country has suffered in the passing of Yasmin Ahmad, a film maker, the story teller, a hopeless romantic, a one true Malaysian.

We miss you already.

…

Happy birthday to Stephanie March. May you be showered with plenty of tequila today. Hopefully, literally; and hopefully with photographic proof. One can hope.

And, um, also happy birthday to the Prime Minister.

And, and.. happy 19th birthday to Dan Radcliffe, who gets better looking with every HP movie.