With a matching black heart

The three black ducks of Danu Bratan, Bali. Birds of a feather do flock together!

Today I woke up late and arrived late for work, because yesterday my flat had no water and I had to wait for the water tanker to arrive at 1 in the morning. I felt so bad :(

Haven't you heard? Rumour has it that the next election is just around the corner. The propaganda of a certain political party flying around is that the party running a particular state fails to provide enough water to the people, and voila, last night I came home only to find out that our whole block of houses (which to my knowledge is very rarely struck by the misfortune of water shortage) has no water! An unlucky coincident, you might say. But wait, while the bunch of us grumbling citizens - with buckets and whatnot - were waiting out in the street for the water tanker to come to our rescue, two friendly figures in T-shirts bearing the logo of the accusing party showed up just in time when the water tankers arrived. I smell a rat...

We Malays have a saying: rambut sama hitam, hati lain-lain (we may have the same black hair, but our hearts are never the same). We can never be 100% certain of what the person next to us is thinking about, or what his/her political leanings may be. To the political parties concerned, I urge you guys be as transparent as you can be (could be quite difficult in politics, I guess), as I truly hate liars and pretenders. Or else you might just be another black haired person with a matching black heart (who may or may not get my vote).

And oh, happy 55th birthday, Malaysia. You'll always be a part of me wherever I may be!

Unconditional love, unyielding friendship

The fasting month of Ramadan is here yet again and whoever calls him/herself a Muslim should feel truly blessed at this very moment because Ramadan doesn't just brings with it God's command for us not to eat and drink during daylight for a month (which to no surprise is a brilliantly cheap and effective way to lose weight), but also the discipline of abstaining ourselves from doing blatantly bad things and doing more good thing instead. Yes, the no eating, no drinking part is quite a challenge, I admit, but it takes practice from young - if my cute 6 year-old nephew can do it, why can't I, right?

On another note, whoever has watched Malaysian television for the past decade or so would notice that this month also ushers in a handful of TV commercials-cum-festive-greetings for the upcoming Hari Raya (Eid), among others things. Unlike other commercial ads, I always look forward to watching them, as they are usually the best local TV commercials, conjuring a myriad of emotions from the viewers and reminding them of the good values in life - festive joy, melancholy, local humour, selflessness, humility, interracial respect and appreciation, et cetera.

Heart warming festive commercials have been a relatively unique trend to Malaysia thanks to the late Yasmin Ahmad, a great film director whose magical touch had given birth to a series of well-loved TV ads for Eid and Independence Day celebrations over the years. Since her 'untimely' death a few years back, I don't really expect anything superb to come along anytime soon.

But hey presto, this ad by the national rice authority BERNAS has swept me off my feet and touched the hearts of many this year; I'd find it very odd if it didn't touch yours too. And to you people who clicked the 'dislike' button: exactly, why?

"Two special children build a beautiful relationship based on genuine care and understanding. On the eve of Hari Raya, these orphans, Ahmad and Fizi embark on a journey and encounter many challenges along the way. Through their perseverance and determination, they overcome all odds to fulfil their obligation of unconditional love."

Before I forget, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all Muslims out there Eid Mubarak (or Selamat Hari Raya as we say it in Malaysia)!