Monkey Business

Sorry, I’ve been away for so long.  There’s a lot going on in my life of late that has been occupying my time.  Medical emergencies and treatments involving members of the family has been a major issue; then there was the visit of my out-of town in-laws; then there was some work related issues; then there was expanded responsibilities at church; then there was …….and so the list goes on and on.

Astute as ever, Mago and Joyce inquired if my absence has been in part due to recent street protests in Kuala Lumpur.  I was not directly involved in those protests or the clashes between the police and the protesters and it was not the reason for my absence but like for all Malaysians, those events have a great impact on me.  And provides the fodder for this post which I have called “Monkey Business”.

How it all started:

Monkeys are attracted by bananas. In this case, an estimated 150,000 yellow clad Malaysians (hence the bananas but I mean this with deepest respect) tried to march to Merdeka Square (or Independence Square) in central Kuala Lumpur on the 28th of April 2012 as part of the BERSIH 3 rally.  BERSIH 3 is a movement pressing for fair and just elections through electoral reform and action against abuse of the voting process.  Participants included Malaysians of every level of society, every profession, religion and race.

Monkey Business 1

After initially a mostly peaceful protest, the organizers declared the protest a success and ordered the crowd to disperse. At this point, some protesters broke through the police barricades but the police response has been reported as being heavy handed with use of water cannons, teargas, widespread beating of protesters, arrested prisoners and reporters.  Some of the allegations are really quite disturbing including reports that policemen took off name tags so that they could not be identified when carrying out the beatings.  The video below is of the news report by Al-Jazeera which highlighted that cameras were smashed and reporters attacked.

Monkey Business 2

Shortly after the incident, news agencies rushed to cover the event but it soon became known that the local pay-tv provider, Astro, which carries the BBC news channel had censured parts of the BBC news coverage and this during the week of World Press FreedomDay.  Specifically, interviews with protestors and scenes showing some of the police action were removed.  The BBC made a formal protest as censorship or editing of BBC news reports by the pay-tv provider was in breach of the agreement between the two parties.  In response, the Minister of Information, Communication and Culture praised Astro for providing “quality” news by only airing the “best parts” of the rally.

Monkey Business 3

A couple of weeks after BERSIH 3, a couple of groups, apparently from the Army Veterans and the Petty Traders Association decided to protest against the rally by targeting the home of the main organizer of BERSIH 3, lawyer Datuk S. Ambiga.  Claiming that they were upset at the loss of income incurred due to the rally, the Petty Traders Association set up a road stall outside Datuk Ambiga’s home to give away free beefburgers.  On another occasion, a group of army veterans assembled outside her house to do calisthenic exercises which seem to involve a lot of sticking their bums in the direction of her house.  When complains were made to the police, a senior police officer said that they were not breaking any law.  In response, another group of traders threatened to set up a road side stall outside the police officer’s home which promptly resulted in the police changing their tune claiming it would cause a nuisance to traffic.  The whole thing has been dubbed the “butt & burger” protest.

Monkey Business 4

Oh, yes they did.   The government has made amendments to the Malaysian Evidence Act 1950.  The amendments seem to mean that if a post or comment that appears in a website, blog, Facebook or Tweet account is deemed to be potentially offensive or deemed seditious, the authorities can now take the owner of the site to court even if it was written by someone else.

“According to theSun, changes to the passed Evidence (Amendment) (No 2) Act 2012 would hold Internet users liable for any content posted through their registered networks or data processing devices.

The amended law will have serious implications on Internet use as the owner of a site or device is presumed guilty and has to fight to prove his innocence, the daily noted, citing the concerns of civil society groups.

“What this means is, if an anonymous person posts content said to be offensive on your Facebook wall, or if someone piggybacks your WiFi account and uploads a controversial document, you will be immediately deemed the publisher of the content and subject to prosecution under the relevant laws such as the Sedition Act,” the Sun noted in its May 21 report.”  (Full article in Digital News Asia)

This seems ludicrous to me but I hope that will not be construed as an offensive remark.  I also have to hope that none of you readers leave any offensive comments on this blog.  Don’t want to run foul of the law after all.

Now doesn’t that make you think of all kinds of offensive remarks?  Just make sure you post it on the blog of someone who deserves it.

The Post Where Work Interferes

The Lone Grey Squirrel will be out of action on the blogging scene for at least a week.  They got me working on some fool’s errand.  And I’m up to my eyeballs in work.  But a squirrel’s gotta eat and we can’t live on just what we can get from bird feeders alone.

See you on the other side of this dark phase.

A Superhero Apologises

I was having dinner with my wife and another couple at a new restaurant recently.  The place was well decorated and had some nice thoughtful touches which kind of offset the fact that they were still having teething problems and we were disappointed to find out that many of the items on their printed menu were actually not yet available.

One of the little things that they had was a set of cards with fun questions on them which was meant to occupy and entertain diners while they waited for their food to be served.  We tried a few of those questions and came across one that said, “If you could be a superhero, what superpower would you like to have?”

Rather unimaginatively, my three dinner companions all wanted to have the power to control people’s minds.  I suspect they were all influenced by the character Professor Xavier from the X-Men movies (and of course the original comic series, except I doubt if any of the three ever read X-men comics).

Then they turned to me and asked me what would be my answer.  Now, of course all you regular readers know that I am in fact the Lone Grey Squirrel with superpower of cuteness and the ability to bury bad nuts but I couldn’t say that in a public restaurant and compromise my secret identity.  So instead, I said that I would like to fly.

“Fly?  What kind of superpower is that?   Where would you fly to which you could not get to by airplane or helicopter?  It’s not much of an advantage …….unlike controlling people’s minds.  That has so many possibilities.”  Friend A said smugly.

I replied, “Being able to fly means being able to avoid the hassle of going to Low Coat Air Terminals and having to go through all those inconvenient security screenings.”

Friend B mocked, “That really doesn’t sound so impressive and besides how does flying around help you to beat the bad guys?”

My reply stunned them into silence and awe.  ” I would fly around above and poop on their heads ………I am Pigeon Man!”

Yes, with Pigeon Man, no head, shiny car, designer suit or dress is safe and statues tremble in fear! Mwahahaha.

 

 

P.S.  LGS would like to apologise to all pole dancers for implying in the last post that pole dancing was something sleazy.  A visitor came by to educate me to the fact that pole dancing is a healthy gymnastic-like activity and sport.  It is an athletic and artistic activity and not at all erotic;  it is very different from the stripper pole dancing that does attract sleazy men in smoky bars and nightclubs.  If you want to educate yourself more about the difference, visit unitedpoleartistes or read it at this wikipedia article.

Inti Illimani with Moving Pictures

I first posted about Inti Illimani in 2007.  Recently, secret agent woman followed a link on this blog and went to that original post.  Unfortunately, the video links on that post no longer worked and she was rather disappointed.  So this one is for you, secret agent woman – a re-post with working video links.

“Ladies and Gentlemen,

May I present to you, Inti Illimani, a group of Chilean engineering students and part-time musicians who became their country’s de facto musical ambassadors and spokespersons when their country entered a dark period of its history. The group was established in 1967, consisting of students from Universidad Técnica del Estado in Santiago, Chile and will celebrate 40 amazing years in 2007. They were on tour in Europe in 1973 when President Allende was deposed by General Pinochet. In the subsequent chaos, many of the members had friends and relatives who were arrested and some were never seen again including their friend and national musical icon Victor Jara. (It is reported that Victor Jara was executed in the stadium that today bears his name. He was machine-gunned and had over 70 bullets in his body).

In fear of their own lives, they lived in exile in Italy but continued to develop their music and to rally for a return to democracy in Chile. They rapidly gained recognition for both. To this end, Horacio Salinas was the group’s musical director while the political compass was provided by Jorge Coulon. Sadly, after all these years, the group split in 2001, Salinas and two others left and started another band while the two Coulon brothers remained and rebuild their band. Unfortunately, both continue to call themselves Inti Illimani but most fans recognise Salinas’ band as the historical band.

The name means “Sun of the Mountain” or “Sun God” and is actually a Bolivian name. This was an early indication that they musically were not going to be bound by Chilean music traditions only. Indeed these engineer-musicians, have combined their different disciplines and experimented with the physics of sound and were even awarded honorary degrees in music for their efforts. They also sought to combine instruments from different traditions to create new sounds. For example, in one of their pieces, they combine a Persian instrument with the African colimba and an antique Andean flute. They were the forerunners of World Music before it became fashionable.

I was first exposed to the group when they recorded the soundtrack for a BBC documentary entitled the “Flight of the Condor” way back in 1982. That was the first time I had listened to the use of Andean pan flutes in an haunting and evocative orchestral arrangement. Over the years, I occasionally got to hear one or other of their projects but for the most part, I had little access to their music.

Then in 1992, they came to Ottawa while I was a student there. I was ecstatic. Future wife and I went to see them in concert. It was a cold winter’s night and the journey to the venue was far but it was entirely worth it. Seeing them in person made me realize that they were more than musicians but musical scholars. We were treated not just to a concert but a laboratory of sound. There was one song performed entirely out of the beating of ordinary packing crates. There was another in which the band faded off by a deliberate and measured drop in sound level carried out in unison. Sure, fade outs are done all the time with the help of electronic equipment but when you hear it done manually, you know you are in the presence of extraordinary musicians. They also dazzled us with an array of over 30 wind, string and percussion instruments from around the world.

Once again, I have used too many words when I should let the music speak for itself. Enjoy the videos and the music tracks. Illi Intimani, congratulations on 40 years and may your tradition of music scholarship continue to another generation.”

M8XQFUHRJPKG

2011 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 22,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 8 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Happy New Year, Dude!

Have a Great New Year Celebration! But Remember to Play Safe!

 

As we say goodbye to a tumultuous 2011, I thought I would look back at the year that was………..

January – The year touched the ground running with a medical emergency involving a neighbor’s aunt and my wife and I had to call for an ambulance and escorted her to the hospital.  I was also traveling a lot but got to see the orang utans and sun bears at Sepilok in East Malaysia (Old Man of the Forest)

February – Nothing much happened in my own life but the world was ablaze with unrest.  I watched on TV the Arab Spring unfold from Tunisia into Libya and Egypt and on to Yemen and Syria.  There were also reports of religious intolerance in my part of the world. In a word, “turmoil”. (Say No to Intolerance)

March – I was traveling again and this time I got to see the awesome world’s largest cave system at the World Heritage Site of Mulu National Park in Sarawak, Malaysia.  But the world continued to moan under the throes of natural and man-made suffering with the great Tsunami of 2011 in Japan and the abuses against women, religious freedom and the silencing of political voices through assassination in Pakistan. I wept. (Fallen Knights)

April – This month passed quickly as I was busy with work as well as all kinds of activities from helping others attend to legal and medical issues.  Busy and not a lot of fun. (Bummed Out)

May – I took a breather in May and had time to reflect a bit on life and where I wanted to be headed in the future. (Hard Labour)

June – I managed fulfill one of my new year resolutions by getting involved with speaking at a Christian Youth Camp.  It was a good experience but I was reminded about how little I knew about “teen speak” nowadays.  That was humbling. (Teen Speak)

July – Another black month.  The world was stunned by the deaths of so many, especially young people, by the hands of a mad man in Norway.  Nearer home, I attended the funeral rites for a close family friend whose daughter passed away at the age of forty from leukemia, leaving behind a young son.  (The Other Side of the Tracks)

August – I started the month in a funk due to the terrible things that happened in July but I slowly regained my appreciation of the positive potential of the human spirit and ended the month with a trip to Singapore where I got heat stroke while wandering around the tropical island.  The spirit may be willing but this old squirrel flesh is getting weak. (Mad Dogs and Sun Stoked Squirrels)

September – Stop everything! It’s the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.  This squirrel was glued to his chair in front of the TV watching rugby for the next 5 weeks.  I even grew a year older in that chair. (1962 & the 49′er)

October – What a month! First the All Blacks win the Rugby World Cup – always a good omen that all is well in the world.  Later in the month, I was myself surprised to find myself in Mongolia.  I would never have imagined finding myself there in a thousand years.  A very wonderful experience.  (Heroes of Sukhbaatar Square)

November – Another black month.  The main event was the shocking and sudden death of an amazing man who had an impact on so many lives and he was a dear friend.  (Life and Legacy)

December – Even from the ashes of tragedy and sadness, life finds a way to keep going and with time happiness can return.  I had the joy of seeing this in the life of one of my widower friend who has found a new love to share his life with. (Two Funerals Past and a Wedding Soon)

Singapore Girl is Bringing Back the Romance

It’s strange but one of my earliest posts back in 2007 started to pick up visitors in the last month and has had so many hits that it has emerged from the obscurity of old posts and into my list of top ten of my blog’s most visited posts (It is currently in the eight position).  The post was on the Singapore Girl which was made the iconic symbol for Singapore Airlines by one of the most successful advertising campaigns ever.  For 25 years, Batey Ads ran and strategised the campaign that made Singapore Girl the personification of hospitality and sold the idea of the “romance” of air  travel.  I loved it.  For many years, I collected the beautifully shot photographs, adverts and calenders that featured the Singapore Girl.

However, in 2007, Singapore Airlines, changed over to another ad agency, TBWA.  Twenty-five years is a longtime to run with one advertising concept and despite Singapore Girl’s success, there was concern that Singapore Airlines should keep up with the times and try a new approach before Singapore Girl got stale.  Sure enough, for the last few years, Singapore Airlines did not feature the Singapore Girl prominently in their advertisements.  Sure, she might be present in the background but the focus was more on their new fleet of planes and the industry-leading facilities and services.

I was wondering why there was this sudden surge of interest in my old Singapore Girl post and when I investigated, I found that TBWA has done a turn around and has created a new television advertisement which returns to the Singapore Girl and once again sells the “romance of travel”.  The funny thing was when I watched the ad, I felt that I had lost that sense of romance.  In recent years, because of my work, I have done a fair bit of traveling around different parts of the world.  Partly because these trips were work related and maybe partly due to the stress of airport security measures these days, I think I have lost that sense of romance in air travel and replaced it with a sense of hum-dum jaded tiredness.  Maybe, with the return of Singapore Girl, I should refresh my mind and remember the thrill of flying and the romance of traveling that I had when I was younger.  At the same time, remember and be thankful again that I have had the privilege of air travel when many in the world have not had the opportunity.

Changing of the Guard

Well, first let me thank you guys and gals for taking part in the poll for Canada’s animal symbol a couple of posts ago.  The Grey Squirrel won with 5 votes; the polar bear and the moose had two votes each while the beaver, the Sasquatch and the toothless hockey player each earned a sympathy vote each.  I immediately sent the results to the Canadian Parliament but have so far heard nothing from them.

Now let’s get on with this post.

I have been blogging for just over 5 years now.  This blog like the blogger, is not spring chicken anymore.  Yet for most of that time, my avatar, my public image has been the  image below.

See that youthful face?  Doesn’t that face seem full of youthful curiosity and enthusiasm and perhaps hopeful naivety?   Well, 5 years on, life experiences and recent world history has caused me to lose a lot of that curiosity and enthusiasm.  I’m sorry to say that I have become a little jaded.

As a result, I thought it was time to update my profile image.   I think the image below may be quite appropriate.

Headache, headache, headache, HEADACHE!!!!

In Hindsight

I have been trying to post for the last few days but I have been having trouble with my internet connection.  I was hoping to load up some photos from my recent misadventure in Singapore but it has been a frustrating experience with the internet connection coming and going.   So it’s going to have to be a post sans photos or videos.  Hmmm.  what to write about?  That poses a challenge!

Well, I was inspired by geewits who posted on choosing a Groundhog Day.  The idea comes from a Bill Murray film by that name where he re-lives Groundhog Day again and again until he gets things right.  Geewits posed the question as to which day would we choose to re-live if we had a choice.

At the same time in a convergence of thought, I was reflecting on some of the comments to my last post and in my reply to geewits, I mentioned that I was a big fan of Snoopy the Musical.  As it happens, one of the songs in the musical entitled “I Know Now” has an ensemble of the Peanuts gang singing this line, “Just think of it gee, how great it would be, if I could go back somehow, and have my like to live over knowing what I know.”

Geewits had a very wise choice for her Groundhog Day but for me, I would chose a particular day that I have regretted all my life so that I might, like Bill Murray, get it right in the end.  And I would have told my 20 year old self that friendship and doing the right thing is more important than what other people think.

So if you could go back somehow and meet your 16 year old self or your 21 year old self or your 30 something self or whatever age, what would you tell your other self …… knowing what you know now?

One Person at a Time

Do you know the saying, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all!”?  I was trying to follow it’s advice; hence the long pause in my posting.  I try to keep the posts here on a positive note but sometimes just reading the newspapers puts me in a foul mood.  The world is just full of incidences which are competing to be the worst news.

Since the previous post on the Norway massacre, there has been renewed fighting in Syria and Libya, the train tragedy in China, the flooding in Korea and the terrible famine in the horn of Africa.  If I stuck to the saying above, you will not have heard from me for a long time.

But I read something that shamed me.  While I was sealing my mouth and sticking my head in the sand, one blogger faced the horrors face on and decided to make changes in her life.  I picked up the thread first at Jess’s (Daysgoby) and she led me on to Jenny (Just Jenny from the Blog).  My admiration to both ladies.  If you want to be challenged to be a better person, please visit those posts – especially Jenny’s.

Then I came across an article about Marc Gold and suddenly, I had something super nice to say.  Marc Gold is known as the Shoestring Philanthropist.  He had been a volunteer working with Mother Teresa one summer.  However, at the end of his stint, he was depressed by the size of the problems and the urgency of the needs that he saw.  Mother Teresa told him that he couldn’t save the whole world but he could save one person at a time.

Later he went to Tibet and by chance met a woman who had a serious ear infection that had gone without medication and  the ailment had become potentially life threatening.  He spent just USD 1 for the antibiotics that saved her life.  He then found that for USD 30, he could buy her a hearing aid that would restore her quality of life.  He was shocked to see how little it cost to achieve so much.

As a result, Marc started the 100 Friends Project that for 22 years, since 1989, has changed lives through these small donations and projects.  Each person that is helped is asked to promise to pay back the generosity by helping others in the community as the opportunity arises.  To date, Marc has collected donations and given away USD 550,000 on these projects.  His aim is to give away USD 1 million and become a kind of reverse millionaire.

Suddenly, I felt inspired again, not to be overwhelmed into inaction but galvanized to do what I can  – one person at a time.

(If we feel we cannot do anything personally, we can always pray or at the very least, give through organisations like Marc’s)

Marc Gold: Making a Difference in Kabul