Change

If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies. ~Author Unknown~

I was never interested in politics; I find it dull, boring and irrelevant compared to my melodramatic life. Let’s face it, Malaysia has declared itself to be a democratic county, but for the last 51 years, we have voted for the same exact same government and the only democracy we practice is if the ruling government gets a 2/3 majority.

Unexpectedly, the March general election has altered the course of our political landscape radically. Everyday political news is becoming hotter than the day before. With the media attention, every one is talking about politics from CEOs to bloggers and right down to the man sipping teh tarik at the roadside mamak. With such buzz everyday, how could I possibly be unfazed by it?

Today, Malaysia is at a crossroad. For the people of Permatang Pauh, it is Anwar versus Arif. But for the rest of the Malaysians, the choices are not black and white, we are after all a multiracial and multicultural county and everyone wants their individual rights and interest protected. On the other hand, if we put everything aside and focus on the bigger picture, the question is this, “Do we want an outright change in government to clean up and reform the entire county OR maintaining the current status quo and live like we have been for the last 51 years?”

This is the Mother of all By-elections. The result will determine the fate of Malaysians and its future generations. So what do you think of Anwar? Are Malaysians prepared for a leader with such confusing contradictions? He claims to be a target of a “systematic character assassination campaign”. But can we all be absolutely sure?

Some believed that it will be an unmitigated disaster for Malaysia if Anwar were to become prime minister, while others strongly feel that he will lead Malaysia to a better tomorrow. So which is it? I don’t have an answer. He may be a flawed character but history has shown us that no leaders are perfect. With the Mother of All By-elections on our hands now, Malaysian must explore, review and decide on this one man, the man that could one day be the future PM.

The window of opportunity for a change is small and narrow, but nevertheless its here.
It is now.

TIME

As I relax here with my friends sipping my afternoon tea

I come to realise that time is not a river but a sea

Time is not an hourglass, not a gift, not our friend

From the beginning, time is never ours in any sense

Except for that one single second that holds our attention

And then it slips away forever beyond our grasp....

Misery

You’re probably thinking Stephen King and the outstanding performance of Kathy Bates as a psychotic nurse who saved the famous writer and held him captive in a remote area, forcing him to write the novel they was she wants it written.

Well, in a different time and place, I know a person like that nurse. She keeps us caged in our cubicle and you cannot be late for even one minute, sets her own rules and wants every single one of us the follow it strictly. Then she will claim disappointment on those to fail to meet her standards. Sigh, my boss, the evil spawn that was put on earth to torture mankind.

I work in a very liberated company that allows free dressing but my evil boss has imposed on her team to wear formal. Her reasoning? To make her team “special”. What the f***. Oh yea, I just had it from her today, she criticized my new Vincci sandals. I wanted to open my mouth and argued but hey, why waste my precious time. She said she doesn’t care even if it’s a LV, her team should never be caught with sandals!

To hell with what other employees wear but her team has to be “outstanding” and be “different” from the rest. Supposedly to create an image and to prepare us for the “future” when we become managers. Well, FYI, she wore junk and was a fashion faux pas before she was a manager. She couldn’t even match colors decently.

That wicked witch is really something…. meticulous, malicious, a fawning sycophant and oh, did I mention that she can’t speak proper English? She put an “S” behind every damn word that comes out from her mouth, “Works harder, more works wont kills you”, “I’m so prouds of my teams”. Yup, if she had more than one team, I’m sure she’ll be assassinated within a month.

Let me tell you this, she can hate me for what I say, deny me as I contradict her ignorance. In the long run, it really won't matter….. Her limited vision can only grasp the surface of my mind.

Kimchi Jjiggae

This is one of the most common home dishes for common people in Korea.

Simple and delicious.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp chopped garlic
100g chicken fillet cut to small pieces
20 clams
200g Kimchi
1 tbsp of gojujang (Korean spicy bean paste)

1 box of silken tofu

A handful of soaked seaweed

1 stalks of spring onions – cut into short lengths

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. In a hot non-stick pan, pour sesame oil, lightly brown the garlic
2. Add in chicken and clams and stir-fry till they change colour.

3. Add in kimchi and gojujang to the same pan and stir-fry for a while.

4. Add in tofu, seaweed and spring onions.

5. Pour in enough of hot water just to cover the contents. Bring this to a boil, season with salt, pepper and pinch of ajinomoto.