Into Year 2008

10 New Things To Do:

1) Prepare my son for his PMR.
2) Setting up a new office in Shah Alam so goodbye Empire Tower. Will miss Plaza Yow Chuan for karaoke though.
3) Buy a bicycle.
4) No more working hours but wondering around of six hours/day (The Whole Week).
5) Learn plumbing.
6) Visit new places for holidays.
7) Circumcise my youngest son.
8) Learn Flash and Animation (Hopefully Toon Boon too).
9) Look into Small-Medium Industry.
10) Search for new business ideas.

Will miss Carene Lee, my good friend and my secretary who has served me well through thick and thin since 1987. Enjoy your retirement.

This is my last entry of the year as I am joining my family and Carene for their remaining vacation.

Happy Holidays, Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Adha, Maaf Zahir dan Bathin, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

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New Song Posted: December Waltz

Rumours

From: http://www.giga-usa.com/quotes/topics/rumor_t001.htm

"Some report elsewhere whatever is told them; the measure of fiction always increases, and each fresh narrator adds something to what he has heard."
"Enemies carry a report in form different from the original."

"Rumour was the messenger... Of defamation, and so swift, that none... Could be the first to tell an evil tale."

"In every ear it spread, on every tongue it grew."

"Rumor doth double, like the voice and echo,... The numbers of the feared."

"Rumor is a pipe... Blown by surmises, jealousies, conjectures, ... And of so easy and so plain a stop ... That the blunt monster with
uncounted heads, ... The still-discordant wavering multitude, ... Can play upon it."

"Rumor is like bees; the more you fight them the more you don't get rid of them."

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On HINDRAF

I was interested to write my views on HINDRAF (Hindu Rights Action Force) but I found this article have the same points as mine.

Farish A Noor has written a good article on HINDRAF here.

I also like comments made by Tzarina on the blog of Datuk A Kadir Jasin aka AKJ aka hehehe.

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New Video Posted: A Tribute to Cats
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New Song Posted: Jerzy Jerzy (Dedicated to Jerzy Dudek and Jerzy Kulik).

Crooked Media

Azer and Mantessa are idiots so ignore them :-)

Azer: What do you think of the media these days?
Mantessa: Which media?

Azer: Okay, the one that is said reflecting the dominant class ideology both in their reportage and commentary.
Mantessa: Oh, the one that leave the impression that they are free and independent, capable of balanced coverage and objective commentary.

Azer: Yes, that one.
Mantessa: Hehehehehehe Not just these days laaa ... since history, they have been very contradictory. When they leave the industry and decided to be the online-journalists (Ooppss, they do call themselves as bloggers), they are even more contradictory ... hehehehehe.

Azer: Contradictory?
Mantessa: Including selective too.

Azer: Selective?
Mantessa: You think they are not bias? Shit! Media bias has been moving rather consistently into the bias direction.

Azer: Being sensational and invasive?
Mantessa: Sensational and invasive? Shit! They are often muted and evasive! The online-journalists (Ooppss, they do call themselves as bloggers) did admit during their time, they don't tell lies but they don't tell the whole truth either. You think the public get the whole picture? The real picture?

Azer: ???????
Mantessa: Like recently ... you know the BERSIH rally and the Hindraf Rally, they seems ignoring the issue ... I mean the real issue.

Azer: Why ignoring the issue?
Mantessa: The media sort of knowing the public perception even ahead of the public.

Azer: What kind of public perception?
Mantessa: You know, the public is being labeled.

Azer: Being labeled?
Mantessa: Ya, like positive and negative kinda labeling. The positives are like "aura", “legacy”, “popular”, “good looking” and “friendly”. The negatives are like "Corruption", "Discrimination", "Nepotism", and "Cronism". Yet these are the people who call themselves liberals.

Azer: Oh ...
Mantessa: Worse ... the labels are never really precise. Basically, many labels are made by higher protocols.

Azer: Oh, can't we object on the labels?
Mantessa: What to object? They have always responded that their personal views cannot be reported. That's how these public perception and labeling come into play.

Azer: They do however give us the knowledge-base for their process analysis, descriptive, discussion and so on and so on.
Mantessa: Like what? The movie critics? Oh gimme a break. In the end, they just want to have a good rapport with the public. That's why they only give us the smaller picture. They have to tolerate with their bosses. That's why they are very contradictory once they left and become online-journalists (Ooppss ... they do call themselves as bloggers).

Azer: They are more contradictory?
Mantessa: Yeah ... like starting to write their own opinions and stuffs. Like giving out details. Like trying to be the public hero and all.

Azer: So the media people are better media people when they leave the industry and taking charge of their own writing?
Mantessa: They are? Okay they might give us their own views but still you know, I don't think they are practicing good journalism as online-journalists (Ooppss ... they do call themselves as bloggers).

Azer: Still not?
Mantessa: Go to their blogs. Do they really get the sources from both sides? Okay ... okay ... okay ... okay ... okay ...In a way, they do get the sources from both sides, one side is their own and the other side is from the mainstream ... hehehehe like you can see on their blogs some pieces copied from the newspaper companies webbies which they call it the other side and what they write is the another side ... hehehehe. I won't define that as taking sources from both sides ... hehehehe ... that's not good journalism ... hehehehe.

Azer: Oh ... ya ... now I realize. But that they give another side which is their own from their own sources gives us bigger picture? Is not that better journalism?
Mantessa: In a way yes and that's why I said they are even contradictory ... hehehehe. Since they are from where they are from, still we have to be a bit careful.

Azer: Be careful?
Mantessa: You see, the industry sometimes works better on framing rather than on falsehood.

Azer: Framing?
Mantessa: Like you know ... bending the truth a bit. There are many strategies for it you know.

Azer: Like what?
Mantessa: Like giving an impression ... you know, the way news are presented can always give us the impression. This is the art of giving impression.

Azer: Like what?
Mantessa: Like amount of exposure, big or small photos, front page or middle page, tone of presentation, what are the headlines ... for the electronic media ... even artful like sound, visual and special effects and so on.

Azer: Oh!
Mantessa: That is not it. The worst part is when the public is left to interpret things.

Azer: Like what?
Mantessa: Like you know, less explanation on stuffs. The art is to make the public do own critical thinking ... hehehehe.

Azer: Is not that good?
Mantessa: Hehehehehe ... hehehehehe ... when the public is left to do own thinking, there come the varieties of news and interpretations. That is the main objective. Different interpretations mean the real truth is not known ... hehehehe.

Azer: Oooo man. Very crafty!
Mantessa: Yep ... very crafty indeed ... hehehehe.

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New Video Posted: Mathematical Art

New Song Posted: Discrimination Blues