masterwordsmith-unplugged

In the faraway kingdom of Dreamsville, lived a Vizier named Marauder whose favorite leisure pursuit was excavating for booger and trimming his curly moustache. He had a strange fixation on noses and oft wondered if people would be better off using a nasal tone or speaking through their noses. Some of his subjects cringed when he approached them for his uncomely nose-digging habit sometimes extended to examining their noses and even that of their pet dogs!!!!



Employed by his Lordship to spread malaise, he delighted in numbing his subjects into stupor at the wonder of his supposed intelligence. In reality, his listeners were stumped into silence at the stupidity and ludicrousness of his tales and myths.

The irony of it all was that there were actually people who enjoyed listening to his balderdash and believed the yarn he spun from dawn till dusk.

Walking into the court one day, he heard the other Viziers complaining about how their fiefdom was being bypassed by travellers from other fiefs.

"What utter nonsense are you garbling?" said Marauder as he picked his nose, distorted it unrecognizably and then pulled out a bountiful harvest and promptly rolled it into a nugget for all to see.

"Now this, my loyal subjects, is the ULTIMATE in life - enjoying the little pleasures that life can give you," he sniggered while flicking his harvested booger away in the direction of his dog who happily jumped up to catch it in its mouth and then licked his face, slurping noisily.

"Come on, you morons! Why worry? We are self-sufficient. Take a look at the fields yonder. Can't you see those simpletons who slave for us just because we told them that in time, we will give them their own fields? Idiots. They should go back to where they came from. Anyway, we have enough crops to feed the people of this land. Everyone is happy. Don't worry, be happy!" he spoke authoritatively as he strutted across the court to examine the nose of one of his soldiers.

"But, Your Excellency," said one of the junior Viziers, "I fear the other fiefs around us will surpass us in produce of the land because they are working very hard and getting the best workers from our land to till their fields."

"Let them go. If they think the grass is greener on the other side, good riddance to bad rubbish!" said Vizier Marauder with much nonchalance.

"Look here, young man," he continued."Dreamsvillians are happy. You get it? H-A-P-P-Y! You dimwits. Listen to me. There’s no major catastrophe in Dreamsville. By Jove, our national past-time is dreaming! And it's free! There's no quarrel, no feud, no impending war so what's your problem? The others are just jealous of our progress. Come on - GET REAL!"

"Why don't the rest of you just go back and get a good nostril haircut? You are talking through your noses and not making sense."

"I am very happy where I am and you can ask our neighbouring fiefdoms to visit Dreamsville and let them eat their hearts out when they see us doing our national past-time - DREAMING. I am going to sleep now, if you don't mind. Call me only when there is a real problem! Remember- I do not want to be disturbed."

And so Dreamsvillians continued to rot as they all pretended to live in the throes of happiness when in actual fact, they were rotting in the pits of ultimate denial!

Did the neighbouring fiefdoms overtake them? You bet!

Do leave a comment if you wish. Thanks! If you are driving home for the CNY, please drive safely! Gong Xi Fa Cai to all Chinese blog readers and friends.

The recent report by Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC), which gave the impression Malaysia is veering towards instability, has been a hot topic of discussion not just in cyberspace but almost everywhere in the real world. To date, there has been no seems official response from Putrajaya despite calls from Ipoh MP Lim Kit Siang for the PM to do so. Obviously, our international repute has suffered serious setbacks with all the red marks in the PERC.



The statements from the PERC report were extracted from HERE:

• a group of elite minorities were dominating the national agenda to the extent that it was hurting Malaysia’s attractiveness to investors.
• it is “probable” that no other Asian country is suffering from as much bad press as Malaysia.
• pressures are building and the entire situation is becoming much more unstable
• the government is blaming the international media for exaggerated reporting
• the root of the problem was a vocal minority that is dominating the national agenda.
• Najib’s strategy is looking “increasingly unworkable” as a way to defuse pressures in the country
• if the opposition were to be in charge come the next election, foreign investors and others would wait and see if the opposition could govern the country effectively
• foreign investments into Malaysia have not been forthcoming, either in direct form or in the equity markets. Read more HERE.

These statements are not new. Most Malaysians already know the true state of affairs without any PERC or international report. Previously, the authorities concerned had been living in denial and painting a picture-perfect Malaysian scenario to pretend that all is well on the Malaysian front when it is not. Now, we have the state of affairs for all and sundry to see and with international neon lights shining on us Broadway style too! How have the authorities concerned responded?

A wall of cold S.I.L.E.N.C.E.

I would have thought that with international consultants in the picture, damage control would have been a piece of cake but the situation shows otherwise.

The government MUST come face to face with reality and stop deluding themselves or the rakyat that things are in order contrary to reality. A public relations crisis management plan is absolutely necessary in this IT savvy age because BAD news and information travels at a phenomenal speed and the negative consequences are deep and far-reaching. The Malaysian government must quickly respond to these allegations and avert any doubts, especially from potential or existing foreign investors about fears of a looming crisis.

Silence could send a few messages to the public such as:

• Many both near and far could perceive the report to be accurate and truthful.
• There could be those who could conclude that the authorities concerned are unprepared as a result of living in their own fairy-land psyche of 'living happily ever-after'.
• Some could be even more frustrated that the authorities are handling the situation poorly and this could lead to more complicated problems that could possible exacerbate the situation
  
• Certain groups could accuse them of stonewalling the situation, toughing it out or pretending the crisis will pass, but such irresponsible passivity could only make the situation worse.
• Research has shown that organizations who waste valuable time at the beginning of a crisis can expect to see a loss in revenue, plummeting stock prices and negative impact on their reputation.
• In any country or organization, its most important asset would be reputation. It is useless to conceal the truth from the public because eventually someone will blow the whistle.

And this time, PERC has blown the whistle loud and clear except that those who need to hear it and to react to execute damage control are playing deaf.

What then are other MPs doing? Why aren't they putting the heat on the authorities? As many as possible should make formal requests for the government to come to terms with reality and to do the needful even though it appears as though only divine intervention can save the day.

The saddening fact is that the silence not just from the authorities, but also from people who have the clout to put the heat on them!! Some are voicing their concerns about this report via comments sections in news portals. Our elected representatives, business organizations, chambers of commerce, foreign investors, NGOs etc should also do the same but is this happening?


Are we in such a state of passivity and numbness that we can swallow all this grime and continue to roll in the mud and pretend we are having a healthy mud spa together?

Honestly, when will we come to terms with reality? Where is the heart for the nation and collective conscience etc etc etc?

What we hear is the sound of silence that reeks with of a callous, cold, detached, aloof and passionless stance. Any responsible leader with dignity and conscience would have taken umbrage to the report instead of being diffident and heedless when warning bells and alarms are ringing everywhere.

And so, it appears that this nation will suffer in silence, and take a lesson in silence from the leaders. Many seem to contented to passively look at long-term damage to their nation's reputation because they have given up hope that those who have the power to make that difference are completely dispassionate to regain or restore international repute and investor confidence quickly simply because it seems that they do not act in the interest of the populace.

And how will the story of this nation end?

A tragic comedy?

A case where good will triumph over evil?

At this point of time, I wish I knew....

I grew up with the fairy tale ideal of romance and waited for my Prince Charming, for my knight in shining armor riding on a white stallion to sweep me off my feet. After reading so many love stories from the time I was 9 years old, I waited for that special One to pledge his eternal love to me and I thought by doing so, I would be happy. Is it that easy to find love? Does romance begin where our partner does everything with us in mind, and whose life revolves around us?



Let's consider our reaction when watching romantic movies. I tend to get teary and deeply moved by those types of films. I cried my eyes out when watching my favorite movie, Cinema Paradiso, and know that movie producers are well aware of the gamut of emotions that we go through when thinking about love.

Think about our behavior in a relationship. Very often, we get upset when our partner doesn’t do what we want, when you we want it, with us first and foremost in their mind. Many quarrels can happen when your partner doesn’t see things our way, or when they make plans that don’t revolve around us. The worst cases I have seen would be how some try to control them and make them behave the way they want them to behave, even how they dress and talk.

With Valentine's Day round the corner, I thought it worthwhile to consider our core beliefs about love. At my age, I have come to realize that no one can make us happy, solve our problems or entertain us when we are sad. Unhappiness could be due to the lack of self-love and the tendency to look for love and comfort externally. Successful relationships in life are those between happy and fulfilled people who selflessly share their lives with their partner, to whom they can unreservedly express their love with no conditions attached.

Love is not a state of neediness where we look for a partner to save us from boredom or to complete us in some way. Truly, if we cannot love ourselves, it’s unlikely that someone else is going to love us. There is a likelihood that some may take advantage of us if they know we are in a needy state. If we love ourselves completely and fully then our partners will follow suit.

As Valentine's Day approaches, I believe that the best gift we can give ourselves would be to honor, respect and love ourselves fully regardless of whether we have a partner now or never. We are complete and whole beings and we should live our lives to express our love without focusing on hunting for love. Let us enjoy the best Valentine’s Day by celebrating ourselves and our expression of unconditional love for our loved ones with joy, energy and vigor - no questions asked about what's the gift, where's the dinner or any other insignificant questions. What matters is love and the now of the moment.

Celebrate life today and always! Enjoy the following video clip by The Marmalade - Reflections of My Life. Have a nice day!