Behind An Animal's Malice to Alice

Literally every animal in that book was bullying Alice. Either they were all species-ist, Alice really offended everyone, or those drugs really did not agree with her.

And we all sympathise with Alice, because she is a main character, because she is pretty much the only human in the book, and because she is the *seemingly* sane person in an insane world.

Except I got it all figured out. The world's insane, I'm insane, everything is alright.

But now people seems to be very sympathetic with a non-human in Zimbabwe. Well, was a non-human anyway.

I am of course talking about Cecil the lion. Requiescant in pace.

You're... afraid of me?

It is a shame to hear about the death of one known as a friend to many people, especially across races. This fact is a little bit of good news in this tragedy. It's also very heartening to know that the whole of humankind still stands up against the face of the bullying of the harmless Alice, especially if no other humans share the same race as him/her.

Of course, there are still some who consider the act of sadness over Cecil's death and the subsequent #MurdererDentist hullabaloo to be as senseless as the looking glass. The argument goes that why are people making such a big fuss over the death of one measly lion when, everyday, big game hunting happens across the world, and humans are performing atrocities way worse than death upon their own kind. What can be worse than death? Well, the destruction of a race, a future, a nation, a culture.... You name it, someone is probably equipped to destroy it.

But you know what I see from all this? I say all this is happening because Cecil is a celebrity.

"Dad? Wake up, you're famous now! Dad? Dad, please answer me!"

....that was too soon, wasn't it?

Let's face it, this phenomena happens even to humans.
Van Gogh didn't make money from his paintings until he died.
Micheal Jackson suddenly wasn't creepy anymore and sold a lot more albums when he died.
Steve Jobs is still honoured as a tech god even though half of the Internet thought of him as a thief.
And there's a whole lot of celebrities I only know existed because of their obit, and I bet there will be a lot more to come for me and the generations to come.
But still I pray. Requiescant in pace.

And the same thing is happening with Cecil right now. A month ago, I didn't know who Cecil was. And now, I don't know anyone who doesn't know Cecil. It's like I entered a rabbit hole to a world where Cecil is adored and praised.

Or it's just the plain fact that the Internet is too powerful. More powerful than the drugs Alice was on.

Now don't get me wrong. I am absolutely against any kind of game hunting, big or small, and to be honest am still in an ethical debate with regards to farming.

But really, this has been blown out of proportion. There are murders! Fraud! Robberies! Murder robberies! A fraudulent robbery to cover up a murder! Elections! Political murders!

Or maybe I'm just subscribed to the people who cares about this sort of thing.

Sigh. That's the thing about human kind. We are bound more easily by hate than by love. I hate this sort of thought. Don't you agree? I need some tea to drown this madness.

But when all is said and done, we all still mourn the lost of a life known by many.

Requiescant in pace, Cecil. Maybe in my dreams I can cya, and you can tell me what you think?

Let us remember that other things are happening too!
Happy 50th Independence Day Singapore!

Behind Dear Siter and Anyone Who Listens

Around and in me, there be voices,
That make no sense, I call them noises.
The truth and lies are all atrocious,
Gosh.

Mmm whatcha say?
Oh that you only meant well?
Oh, of course, of course you did,
Pick us up after the school bell.

The people people demand silence,
Responded the others by defiance,
Responded again by violence,
Sigh.

Mmm whatcha say?
Oh that you only meant well?
What you say is not what they hear,
What they print is not what we tell.

I buy yours, I buy your competitor's,
Just to see which is better,
So I unsubscribe, won't read your letters,
Set.

Mmm whatcha say?
Oh that you only meant well?
Mmm, that it is just what we need,
Pave the road with good intentions.



Hide and seek. Cya.

Behind A Thorny Shell

It's good to be home!

And what better way to properly celebrate that than the smell of skunk mixed with a thousand spikes, the challenge one must face to reach the nectar of the gods (or the next best thing).

Yes sir, I am, of course, talking about the great king of fruits, the DURIAN.

du·ri·anˈ(do͝orēən,-rēˌän): Malay origin. Literally "of the thorns"

Of course, being a student of the overseas, I understand that many would disagree with me on the nectar part. Especially with the smell mixed in. And I would understand that. Some durian can be quite disappointing.

What I don't understand is their description of that god-awful smell. They say it smells of socks, or sweat, or something smelly. I don't get it. It just smells like.... durian.

Perhaps it is because I grew up with it, being exposed to it, habituated by it. I have not not seen a durian stall until I reached the UK. And durian flesh is delish. Most durian flesh anyway.

Usually here I would put some weird metaphor about how some people are like the durian: thorny and unpleasant first impressions, but fresh and bittersweet in the middle. Of course, with all metaphors, it comes with several unsuitable comparisons, such as that you can find good friends by their size, smelling a special place of them, and shaking them next to your ear.

I for one disapprove on being treated like that by potential friends, people I do't even know.

Anyway, I hope I can really meet up with what my friends back here in Malaysia; see what they have been up to. I really miss a lot of them.

Cya over a cuppa teh tarik? And possibly a durian or two?

Behind Becoming Stronger

Do we need a reason to continuously improve ourselves?

Perhaps I have been watching too many animes and movies, but it seems that the usual archetype of the character wanting to become stronger usually has a reason to it. It could be an event in the past, such as the loss of something due to what he might consider as self-incompetence. It could be an expected event in the future, such as winning a kung fu/karate tournament. Or the reason could even be in the present, such as a promise to one who is dear.

But is it possible to want to become stronger just for the sake of becoming stronger?

I wonder sometimes why improving oneself is not an intrinsic nature of the human. I mean, we constantly churn out new and improved versions of our gadgets, almost on a daily basis. But it's only the things we use, not ourselves per se. And even then, not every human participates in the improvings, only a few who are well versed in engineering usually involve themselves. Perhaps we can consider genetic engineering... But that is beside the point.

Perhaps that's why humans can progress. Some can improve all, so that the work of all is improved, for the sake of everyone.

But I would like to think for myself, and be selfish while I still can. While I have the time, I would like to invest in myself. Why? I don't know.

Just in case?
To become fitter?
To impress someone?
To beat someone?
To avenge the death of the family fishes?
To be better than my past?

I don't know. So until the reason presents itself, I will try and become stronger.

Cya.

Behind Musical Movies

So I've been pretty free now, and went to watch some movies in the cinema.

Well two movies anyway. And both of them have Anna Kendrick in it.

What? She's kinda cute.

Anyway, it also just so happens that both of them are based around songs.

First one was "The Last Five Years". S'a musical about a couple who met, loved, married and divorced in a matter of 5 years. And also the story is told in an unchronological, random manner. I mean, it's an interesting style, but it kinda spoils the ending.

Second one was "Pitch Perfect 2". S'a movie where after an unfortunate mishap, a group of "weirdos" (quoteth the movie) have to sing their way to rise from disgrace, and find their sound along the way. Oh, and there are two sub-plots as well.

While they each have their own merits, they are both far from perfect. The first one was not that interesting, 2 people singing for 2 hours, and not that good a lyric too. The second one, really cool and has much wonderful songs, but full of stereotypes. I mean it makes it a lot of fun to watch, but also a whole lotta cringe.

But it's fun to watch people belt it out on screen. And each movie is kinda relatable funny to each of the niche they are targeting. And honestly I like them both, even though I've seen better.

And it's totally not because of Anna Kendrick. No, totally not. Nuh-uh.

But I do want to sing now. A lot. But not about life or to win a world-competition.

I just wanna sing for the sake of singing.

Can I do that?

Cya on stage.

Behind A Vote Is A Man (Or A Woman, I Don't Discrimintate)

So last Thursday was D-Day for the people of the United Kingdom. Well, for those who follow politics.

Don't get me wrong, it is the duty of people to vote for the people who will lead the country to greatness. And I am 100% behind 100% of the people voting for their leaders so that those in position of power really represent the needs of the people.

Well, except there will be no 100% voter turnout, because of some international students like me who do not even bother. This is wrong, because, especially as a medical student, I'll be here for the next few years or so, and whatever policy that the winning government would come up with will certainly affect me, an international student. Financially, but socially as well.

But on the other hand, if I vote, I feel that it is unfair for the local residents. I mean, I've only been in London for 20 months. What do I know about how the country had always been run, and what would be the best way to run it? I don't even know who was the Prime Minister candidate for each party! Although I suppose that was just apathy on my part. Disregard that last statement.

I don't know. I wished I cared more.

Maybe because I have to go back after all this is over, so I only have my sights on what's happening back home. But it's bad to be blind to what is happening here in UK. Especially if there's trouble brewing. I like to think of myself being able to sniff out trouble before it starts.

Anyway. If it was any consolation for myself, the constituency that I could have voted for was a safe seat, so it wouldn't have made a difference anyway if I casted a ballot. Or would it?

I really don't wanna think about it. But I have to when my home elections come round. So, I have to start really caring.

I only wanted to be fair to everyone.

Ah well. It's Monday tomorrow. Again.

Cya in class.

Behind Busy Emptiness

This post was originally going to be a story about the DRESS, but I didn't have time for that and now it's no longer relevant.

Ah well.

As like most times, this blog has been temporarily neglected in favor of exams. Again. I'm sorry :(

Now that the big ones are over though, I will try to write more. It has been a while though.

Anyways.....

*   *   *

I wouldn't say that I am a huge fan of travelling. I know some people live for it; the thrill of being a foreigner in a foreign land. I know some people would rather sit at home in comfort; resting to prepare for the long journey ahead. I consider myself an in-betweener. Not someone who couldn't decide on what he likes, but rather one who enjoys the little things of both worlds.

But it seems that around me, the travelers are typically international students studying in the UK; hardly anyone local seem to travel abroad. Maybe it's because the local students are busy spending their break at home with their family. And also because since we're all in Europe, far away from our home back in Malaysia, we might as well take the opportunity to travel to neighboring countries and see what we could see.

Since I'm still young (ahem) and brimming with energy (ahemahem), I feel that it would be good for me to travel as well, to places only heard of in books and the Internetz.

But seriously though. If you think about it, what really is the point of travelling? Many people seem to make it a point on going to as many, if not all, countries in the world, as if a decorated passport is a badge of honour that must be obtained.

Think about it.
You don't get any new skills.
You rarely pick up the native language. (Over half of all countries speak English.)
You don't get money. (You lose quite a bit.)

Gotta catch my flight

But ask anybody who has been travelling, and they will say that it was the best thing that ever happened to them. And it's hard to see why not.

I like to call myself a seasoned traveler, but I have only been a tourist in the must-go places of the countries I've been to. Does it count?

But I've enjoyed every minute of my travels, regardless of what I've written above. It's just the experience of something that you don't really get in your home or study country. And sharing that experience with people you love, no matter your family or our friends, is something special that has no substitute.

Everything is just so new and weird. I like it. And as tourists, it wouldn't get old as we will return when the magic is still in the air. Or in the camera, depending on what kind of tourist you are.

It was never about practicality. It has always been about the magic, of which simple logic does not apply.

What one may expect to see in a new country.
Credits to Alice Tang

Poof. Aaaaaand there's class tomorrow. Sigh. This post seems kinda short to me, but now that exams are over, I'll try to write just a bit more.

Cya real soon!

Oh, and Happy birthday Mom!