The Justice League

Justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done.

I swear i could not recall who said  that even if my life depended on it. Thank god my life is not dependent on for i would  long be dead. The bottomline  is someone, somewhere, sometime did utter those pearls of wisdom.

What is justice then? Ask any criminal whether the conviction and punishment meted out is just and you will get a resounding no. The victims of those crime will say hell yes. So if justice must seen to be done, whose eyes are we supposed to be looking out from to be able to see justice being done? Or, is "justice being done/seen to be done" concept is an a moral concept? but justice cannot be a moral as it represents positive values and equally then the concept of justice may not be treated as a moral.

The truth is, there is always the perception that justice is never done. While this perception do not change the segment of society that holds on to this belief changes all the time. These changes are based on the personal beliefs of an individual in a given scenario or on an issue. Be reminded that i am not saying there are none holding the opposite view of justice being done but they too differ in their composition.

This is testament from the fact that two individuals growing up in a similar condition could hold vastly differing views about a same issue. So can we say the stimuli from our surrounding shape us or is it that our perception of the stimuli shape our views on them?

Oh well...why are we thinking about this now right? It is friday after all.....

of Governments and Men

I am baffled by some of the purported explanation that the government is giving in justifying its acts. More and more as our society evolve into a mature and educated society,the more absurd these explanations sound.

Take for instance the increase in sugar prices. Sure, if we are honest, the 20cents increase is not much.It is the reasoning that is given for the increase that is baffling. We are told that billions can be saved from this and we stand to gain as rakyats and of course the other excuse of how sugar is bad etc etc etc.

First up, we do not need a government that thinks that it is our parents, berating us on our sugar consumption. I agree that excessive intake of sweet stuff is bad. what i disagree is the government imposing its will and paternalistic views on us. Sure, its only a small issue such as this today but left unchecked, the govt would be preaching all the do's and dont's in every aspect of our lives. This is an issue of choice and we make our own choices.

Now lets talk about the billions we could save (or have saved). Haven't we heard that one before? How is this saving is supposed to benefit rakyat? By building a new istana negara ?(can i rent the old one please.....?) By building new tolled roads that we have to pay through our noses anyways to use it ?(and why does the minister(s) just pass by toll booths without paying or stopping for that matter?) By building hospitals in major cities and forgetting the out laying areas? By failing to provide adequate standard of living for average citizens (read exorbitant prices for average quality consumer goods)? So how does this savings are to benefit the rakyat?

But of course they need to save billions because how else are they to pay for directly negotiated contracts which supplies below par goods and services at highly inflated prices? It must be fun to do business with the govt.

Ultimate the people wont care for a govt that does not care for them. Governments are the will of people and should not impose its will on the people. A democratic govt which loses its representative character is no longer a legitimate govt. A govt can lose its representative character when it no longer represents the will of the people.

Sure the average citizen will understand the need for corporations to make money. Like i said, we understand the need to make money not the greed to make money. Prices of services are provided in this country escalates due to greed. There is nothing wrong if corporations are to make 1 billion less you know. Accessibility to goods and services will be vastly increased if only business world is not too greedy. And the irony is, greater accesibility translates into profit. But of course we too love the american capitalist model where the one with the money rules. The danger is when you start to treat the govt as a capitalist enterprise. The govt is always a socialistic enterprise. The social well being of the people is its main business.

But hey, what do we know?

Casa Negra?

Have not penned anything for the longest time. Can hardly remember the reason that stopped me from ever coming back to this corner of the world.

A lot of things have happened since my cat got neutered. Obviously, it is not having a pregnant female cat around but so much more significant, life altering experiences.

Experiences are just that, one would imagine. Hardly just categorizing it into bad or good experiences. We live through them all, we survive them all and we are better off or worse off consequentially.However, we are never stagnant. Never in one place. Always moving off and hopefully moving on.

Yesterday, an African American won the race to for the White House. I have always wondered why the term "african american"? Is it not sufficient to describe a man by his nationality without having to resort to somehow also classifying him racially? Are those "americans" with prefix to their nationality description somehow inferior or perhaps superior than those who just refer to themselves as eg "american"? This is a question that have gained much importance judging by the 'shrinking' globe and migration trends.

I do not wish to ponder on the 'shrinking' of planet earth or the travel and migration patterns of the animal man.

There was some form of euphoria(and i know this is an understatement) around the globe emanating from the Obama win. Is it an euphoria of the triumph of minority? Or is it just an euphoria of change? Many of the wise analysts were speculating that it is a message of triumphant blacks, some say minority, some say possibilities that is the US. But in truth after 8 years of W, any change is bound to trigger euphoria.

Perhaps it is not that one race or racial group or segment of society that triumphed over the other. If that is the value we take from this victory, then it is sad as all we care about is one race/class of society putting one over the others.

I am an idealist. I am allowed to be. I believe what triumphed was values.Obama was the reflection of that values. What are those values? Hell, it differs from one person to another but everybody saw the values they wanted to see in the man called Obama. The way the president elect campaigned showed that he was the idol that embodies these values. Of course the core unifying value would be change. But it was radiated so deep in us that we see the changes that we ourselves hope we can make within us. That was what happenned on 4.11.2008.

A mention must be made re the concession speech by McCain. Graceful in defeat and that final speech won him a lot of admirer I feel. The test has just begun, for all of us.

Then again, I am no US citizen. Godspeed president elect!!

Neutered my kitten

Just to share, on 21/4 (very recent), my wife and I sent my beloved Rambo to be neutered. Well, Rambo is our cat and resident army general in the house.

We did decide to neuter him some time back but kept postponing it because we told ourselves that we were busy and cannot help him during recovery.The truth was, we were just sad to let him to be neutered thinking of the pain he has to endure. But I suppose the pain is more imagined than real.

My work required me to travel to KB on 21/4 and 22/4. My wife on the other hand just resigned from work and has a lot of free time on hand (although she appears to be busy all the time ). I woke up on the 20/4 and told my wife, lets go to KB. She was like, ok! Then I said lets get Rambo neutered. She was like ....are u sure?Of course I was not sure. But she didnt know that. I said yes.

We dropped him of at the Vet on the 20/4 and started our journey to KB. On the way, we were just repeating the same thing ...poor Rambo, he wouldn't know what hit him.I mean really, he didnt know what hit him...You see on 20/4 we took out his carrier and placed it on the dining table. Our hero, Rambo that is, jumped on the table and got himself cozy in the carrier...He didnt know what was coming.

We reached the VET and felt sorry for him. The doctor instantly took the carrier of our hands for fear that we may change our minds. In fact he did say I better take him of you before you change your mind. I dont know why he said that though.

On 21/4 at about 10.00 am, I received a call. I was in a meeting but knew almost instantly that it was a call that I must take. Of course on my hp display the word VET was blinking- that's how i knew i must take the call.The doctor on the end of the line said all went well and that Rambo was okay-i was relieved. The meeting wasn't so boring after that call and I wasnt about to kill anyone after that for forcing me to work on a saturday (and sunday) I mean god rested on sunday!

I called my wife and told her the good news. She was as happy as someone would be when you tell this kind of news when one just woke up. Later that nite we called the VET and enquired abt Rambo. He is okay we were told.

22/4: I cant wait to leave KB and rush to my Rambo's side. My wife also cant wait to leave KB but I have the feeling that was because she was bored. We reached KL at about 9.00pm and when straight to the vet tired and all.The doctor on duty (it was a sunday and even god rested on sunday) was attending to an urgent case. A poor kitten fell tumbling down the stairs of an apartment block. Barely moving the kitten was when i saw it. I felt truly sorry and silently prayed that the kitten will make it or for god (who may still be resting-it was a sunday!) to take the kitten's life so as not to suffer anymore.

"You can go and see him first." That's what the doctor said when he saw my wife and I standing there. I suppose he wouldnt have interrupted my silent prayer if he knew I was praying. I was after all praying silently.We went to the holding room (they call it ward) and peeked inside. No, not look, peeked. There was Rambo all macho with his antenna (the round thing they put on his neck). Then disaster! He saw us and started his long sorry meow non-stop. I felt really sorry for him and kept telling him that we will take him home. I hope he understood what I said for everyone else were probably thinking I have gone bonkers for talking to a kitten.The doctor said he was docile until he saw us. Thank god! I always thought Rambo didn't recognise us.

We paid the bill and left. I was happy, my wife was happy and Rambo was happy (in a painful kind of way) and the doctor was happy. I still wonder why was the doctor happy?We reached home Rambo was knocking into everything. He is not used to the restraining collar yet. Lola, my female DLH calico kitten freaked out as if she saw an alien. Although I must admit that Rambo did look a bit weird in an alien kind of way.

I picked him up and looked at him. My wife was busy then changing food and litter and water for the homecoming King (or queen??) and his bedding. I held Rambo and was still looking into his eyes. He had this beutiful huge eyes and was looking back at me.I am sorry I had to do it. I said that to Rambo. He was still looking at me...but i thought i saw the forgiveness in his eyes.

A long wait!

Wanted to do this for some time now. Here I am...ad sum.

Looking forward to my first proper post. Take this as a trial run okay.
I assure you we do have lots to talk(or write?) about.

Later