A Legitimate Way of Protest but...

In light of the recent Gaza crisis which is still ranging on, certain quarters in Malaysia have come out to voice and show their support for Palestine. Before I go any further in this article, let me stress that I am not in favour of any forms of aggression by any country to solve their problems. Any differences between civilised countries should be settled through diplomatic negotiations and not through bombs and military action. As such, I do not support Israel's military campaign on Gaza, nor do I support Palestinian rocket fire into Israel. I do not and will not support any war no matter in which part of the world.



Coming back to my point. One of the ways Malaysians have come out to protest against this uncivilised problem solving method is to call for a boycott on all Israeli and American products. Take note of the word all as that will be one of my key points of argument. One notable university in central West Malaysia through a well-known club also did their part in organising a boycott. Flyers were passed around and a campaign to boycott Israeli products and products of its allies was held during the week. However, though I complement them on their efforts, what struck me most was the companies and products that they were asking us to boycott:

If you look carefully at the cut-out of the flyer above, you'd notice some familiar products. Apart from the well-known products like McD, KFC, Coke and Pepsi, do you notice other popular companies like Intel, IBM, 20th Century Fox, CNN and Nestle? Now, I'm not saying that doing a boycott is wrong. Boycotting is a legitimate way of protest. But what I'm saying is that we should be mindfull of the products or companies that we choose to boycott. What do I mean?

Take Intel as an example. This club is calling for a boycott of Intel. Do you think thats a wise idea? For one, Intel is a major investor in Malaysia. Two, the majority of laptops and computers use the Intel microchip. Three, a number of students studying in that university are under Intel scholarships. Heck, I know of one who went to sign the scholarship contract last Friday. So by calling for a boycott, they are telling us not to purchase or use anything affiliated with Intel. That would mean not using our laptops/computers (we have to change to AMD) and students giving up scholarships. Do you think Intel will say "Oh no, Malaysians are boycotting us. We have do something to avoid the boycotting, if not we'll lose business and have to close down"? In my view, all Intel will say is "Boycott us? Its up to them. Worse come to worst, we'll just bungkus our company here, take out all our investments from Malaysia, and dump it in another country. Whats the big deal?" And who are the ones that will be affected? If Intel closes down, it will be the employees that will suffer, our own people will lose their jobs.

Remember I said "all American products"? Well, one such product we are called to boycott are the golden arches, McD. Amazingly, I went to one a few days ago, and guess what, they still had quite a number of customers. Think about it. If everyone in Malaysia were to boycott McD, do you think McD will suffer big time? The true people who will suffer are those whose lifes depend on having a job at McD. Take away McD, you take away their income, food and means to support their family.

Refering to the cut-out above, if we were to really follow the boycott, we wont be using our laptops, no Levi's jeans, no Kotex and no Maggi mee. There'll also be no movies because among the boycott products are 20th Century Fox and Disney. And we can't drink Milo since we're suppose to boycott Nestle. Oh yes, those of you who use Nokia handphones, find the nearest trash can and put it in there. And one more, if you're an Arsenal supporter, better look for another club to support my friend. Because you're to boycott Arsenal since they are promoting Israel as their number one tourist destination.

One of my friends even made a joke about this boycott. As above, one of the products that they are asking to boycott is Kotex. Well, then what are women going to use? He suggested that they use diapers. Then, they can use it as a 3 in 1, to urinated, pass-motion and monthly period. Just a joke ok. No hard feelings.

I'm not saying that by not adhearing to this boycott, I'm supporting Israel. I condemn what Israel is doing. But what I'm saying is that we should choose wisely what to boycott. Although we don't depend on products like Coke and Kit-Kat for our lives, a lot of companies that are associated with the US have big local investors and a large number of local employees. If I have to choose between boycotting to show my support for the Palestinians but cause local businesses to close down, or not boycott certain products and allow locals to sustain a living, I choose the latter.

My prayers and sympathy's are with all in the Middle-east, Israeli and Palestinian. I pray that this brutal, barbaric and uncivilised actions will stop and that they will experience peace once and for all. One way that we, here in Malaysia and other countries, can help is to pray, donate if we want to and be in solidarity with them regardless of race and religion. Boycott if we want to, protest if we want to, speak out if we want to but in everything we do, be sure that it does not jeopardise our own lives here.

Peace to all.

Sir Adrian, over and out.

TECHFLOW 2008 Christmas Musical: "2000 Years Ago..."

Awesome, spectacular and legendary. Those words best describe the 2008 Christmas Musical organize by the UNITEN Christian Fellowship (TECHFLOW) with the stewardship of Adeline.This years musical, directed by the "dynamic duo" of Jeremy and Aaron, took a different perspective of that of previous years. The musical directors decided to bring the musical back in time "2ooo Years Ago" to the time of the birth of Jesus in the small town of Bethlehem.

Under the direction of the J.A. duo, the musical brought to life what can be considered the greatest story ever told. It was an opportunity to spread the true meaning of Christmas and to remind ourselves what Christmas is all about. Combining comedy with events described in the bible, the musical was indeed bringing the bible to life. With a young and energetic cast, the story that has been told for ages was being told again unlike it had ever been told before.

With a combination of songs ranging from the likes of Mama Mia and You're the One That I Want of Grease, to modern songs like Bukan Cinta Biasa, this musical kept us awake throughout the nearly 2 hour performance. The effort and sacrifice the cast members put into the musical was trully seen in their performance and the characters they played.

It began with a short introduction a Jesus' purpose of coming. This carried on to the meeting between Mary and Joseph followed by the announciation by the angel to Mary. Next came the birth of Jesus itself and the visitation of the sherpards and wise men. The performance came to a close with the killing of the holy innocents and the return of the Holy Family to Israel after the death of King Herod.

Ofcourse the cast weren't the only people involved in making this musical a success. The props team played their part in contributing to the smoothness of the show, being swift and efficient in their duties. The decorations team did a good job to give the hall the atmosphere it needed, not to forget the diamond back drop which can be said with relieve that it didn't fall.The audio visual and lights team gave the show itself the briliant attention and atmosphere that suited the night. Not forgetting the ushers whom with their smile greeted the guest who came from not just within but outside UNITEN to witness this anual event.

However, a review would not be complete without comments on improvement. For one, the event should have started on time as stated in the booklet and not around 30 minutes later. Although this may not be the fault of the organizing team, certain sense of punctuality should be hinted towards the VIP's perhaps to keep to the time of arrival. Secondly, the rotating spotlights placed infront of the stage should be controlled with better care as to not let it shine towards the audiences. This caused the audience, especially those sitting in the front rows a little eye discomfort when the lights shined directly at them.

At the end of the musical, A short performance was done by the kids from the Stepping Stones Home, a home for orphans. But orphans they are, ungifted they are not. They showed great talent in putting on their own showe which, from where I was sitting, delighted the audience.

All in all, the musical was awesome as it was performed with enthusiasm, spectacular as it brought to life the story foretold for ages, and legendary as it told of the true meaning of Christmas.

As I end this, Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year.

Sir Adrian, over and out.

The Paradox of Our Time

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this message to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just forget and deny it...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side..

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent..

Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER: Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

-George Carlin

Comedian of the 70's and 80's

End of One Semester....Start of Another

Hi all, how's the holz going? Well, as the title suggest, we have finished on semester for this academic year and now we're gonna start another. Ofcourse for some of us, we have already started. But for us degree people, we can still relax for another 1 week plus before going back to the hectic and tiring routine of studies, projects and tests.

For some, the coming sem will be our last in UNITEN. I've heard some seniors say that it was just like a few months ago that they started their studies and suddenly, BAM!!, "its our final year!!" Well, to all those in the final sem, how was your uni journey??

But for the rest of us, like I mentioned above, its back to uni life. Happy?? Not sure. Sad?? Not sure either. Why?? I guess its down to the non-stop studying and getting project down in time that makes us want to raise up our hands and surrender. But then again, if its not for the studying and projects, what the heck are we doing in UNITEN?

Just before I left uni for the holidays, I heard some people there complaining about the uni, that is sucks, that the lecturer's are not good enough and that the facilities are not up to standard. It seemed that they had something to complain about everything that they saw there. My question is: "If you wanna complain so much about everything, why on earth then are you studying here?" I mean, come on, if the things here are not up to your standard, get out!! Yeah sure, there are some things that are not the best in uni, but you complaining about it doesn't make it better. If you feel that things can be better, make your move and do something about it rather than complaining but not doing anything. Sometimes I don't know what to say about people like this who just complain about everything but when you ask them to do something to improve the situation, they suddenly have a loss for words.

For me, I'm satisfied with the stuff in uni. Sure there are things that I would prefer to be better, but hey, I'm there to get my degree, meet new friends and get some experience and knowledge. So I reckon I'll just keep to that.

Well, I reckon thats all for this post. Enjoy your holidays people. And see you back in our "beloved" UNITEN in December.

Note: No offence to anyoone who 'terasa' they are the people I've wrote about above.

Sir Adrian, over and out.