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Since I moved out of my parents place late 2009, I’ve made it a point to avoid (almost completely), to call in extra help to clean y own place. It is imperative, I believe, that for as much as a person can be and remain independent and/or self-sufficient, he should.

Yes, there is the consideration of practicality and productivity, such as our expensive skilled time better invested elsewhere for better impact, if looked at in isolation. But that should not be veiled against formed complacency and harvested incompetency.

*Disclaimer: I too, struggle to schedule even random cleaning operations at home.

A reason why I take issue on this is two clear examples that are evident to me, the idea that:

  1. a middle class home today cannot function without a domestic worker doing the house certain, most or all chores,
  2. a child is expected to be primarily educated (in an encompassing context), by school teachers, and not the able adults in his reach.

Those two are only an example of what it brings us to. What is between the lines in essence, that makes it damaging, is the distorted outlook and paradigm that we have upon everything beyond ourselves, and worst still, upon ourselves, without actually realizing it. And then, the self-believe that it could be otherwise.

The video is an area of my recent interest. But that aside, at two parts it relates to my point above. What she calls inner-dependancy, and following that the consumerist mindset (for me, that which affects our lives overall, and not just materially).

*Thanks Yasmin for sharing this video with me. A pot of earl gray with some darjeeling, is owed.

- click to watch video http://zainhd.com/2011/11/ted-why-zain-doesnt-call-in-domestic-help

Below is an excerpt (full version here)of a piece written by celebrity, former addict, Russell Brand, to and for Amy Winehouse. His take on drug addicts is worthy to note.

One that I had briefly considered when reading Jeffrey Archer’s Prison Diary, as he explained his encounter with former addicts who tried hard to overcome, but yet failed. Additionally, what moved me to post this was my recent contact with some addicts in Malaysia at a voluntary rehabilitation centre.

In all three instances mentioned (Brand, Archer and myself), there’s an apparent level of congruency that is undeniable. It starts with the non-addicts, everyday people, giving something as simple as a benefit of doubt, or hope.

All we can do is adapt the way we view this condition, not as a crime or a romantic affectation but as a disease that will kill. We need to review the way society treats addicts, not as criminals but as sick people in need of care. We need to look at the way our government funds rehabilitation.

It is cheaper to rehabilitate an addict than to send them to prison, so criminalisation doesn’t even make economic sense. Not all of us know someone with the incredible talent that Amy had but we all know drunks and junkies and they all need help and the help is out there.

- http://zainhd.com/2011/07/your-addicted-view/

Not sure who owns the rights to this image, but too good to not share it here.

I thought about this a while ago, especially in the context of religious knowledge and teachings.

It’s not confined to this issue of course, but a parent can’t wonder why the school teacher doesn’t educate their child to say, not pray 5 times a day, if that child did not grow up in a household where he saw his parents doing similar.

Other similar examples are the typical negative act of littering, or on the other end, the positive act of saying hello how are you to a neighbour.

Additionally, I think the public discussion about how we are not a thinking society, or a say, a racist one, can be addressed by simply how adults take lead in their own homes to set examples. Clear examples.

Thanks Vu for sharing this.

Watch the video.

- http://zainhd.com/2011/05/children-see-children-do/

You can’t have opinions, unless you form opinions.

- Vivienne Westwood

Got this via Mark Teh. Watch the video, comments here.

- http://zainhd.com/2011/05/punk-art-education-why-a-book-is-the-best-status-symbol/

With President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Aden, Yemen Dec '01

 

A lot of Asians, get annoyed with foreigners categorize us as one, when the region is both too vast and too diverse. Similarly with South East Asians, and then Malaysians – who are very aware that by the regions within the country alone, we can be quite diverse, let alone on other aspects. But the same has been the case for us towards the other parts of the world. A case in point is the Arab world (a chunk of which is in Asia).

I’ve been to the Middle East now maybe 8 times and still trying to understand the cultural demographics and political dynamics. But even with something closer to the surface than that, there are stark differences. So even if you have come across a sufficient number of them either in or out of their land, it’s not a representation of the mass, and perhaps an inaccurate generalization, albeit sometimes necessary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqJDuZIcQ34

Besides being in frequent contact with people there, online and offline, my last visit to that side of the world was to Yemen in last December. And it further highlighted the point in my view, that overall things there need a shakeup, and one that I had no hope for until Tunisia. The above video (lyrics here) is a lighter note of things, and below is an email I received recently from a man I had dinner with in KL last year. I vividly remember after him looking at me carefully and asking where I’m from, he replied, ana min Tunis (I am from Tunisia).

I’m not at liberty to share his name nor the nature of how I met him, but he is one that is very familiar with the political climate (public and underground), among other things, of that spot on the globe we call the Arab world. I share this email here to put out to you that what happened was very real, and it started along time ago. More importantly, it involves our brother and sister human beings.

 

‘Everything is ok for my family in Tunisia and I’m really proud of being Tunisian, one of the sons of a great people. Our martyrs, including my eldest brother killed in the 1961 war against France, were not dead for nothing and the honour of our dear  country belongs to them. The struggle against despotism, in all its forms, will guarantee to the Arab peoples the dignity they deserve and the bell is tolling for the dictators and their lackeys.’
http://zainhd.com/2011/02/funny-video-passionate-email/

The following, is just what I posted on Twitter moments ago:

Im abt 2 rant.&no, dnt excuse me.Its a point Ive 2 make,that may only b relevant 2 Muslims as that is the target audience this time. I’m not asking or suggesting you to be for or against Valentine’s Day, neither to keep dwelling about how good or not JAKIM is. While I understand, that Valentine’s is more in your face, and probably tangible, but as with the same line the discussion has been quite involved with Islam lately. Conveniently it’s a public holiday for all tomorrow. And more so, it’s Maulidur Rasul if the basic premise of being Muslim is subscribing that the Prophet (Rasul) is your Messenger, then surely it would be within your interest to note that tonight, at dusk where the beginning of day is in Islamic calendar, is a significant one. We can go on ends debating either Valentines, Maulidur Rasul or Zain’s self righteous surprise to speak on religion, or we can do that, AND be part of a maulid/maulud. There’s one tonight at Al-Falah mosque, USJ Taipan. I’ll be there most prob.

*On Tuesday night, another function at Wilayah Mosque.

 

I read this fascinating interview which most importantly deals a lot with perspective and paradigms. It’s a bit lengthy, but captivating nevertheless.

Is it important to veer away from the masters to develop one’s own style?

I once found a little excerpt from Balzac. He speaks about a young writer who stole some of his prose. The thing that almost made me weep,  he said, “I was so happy when this young person took from me.” Because that’s what we want. We want you to take from us. We want you, at first, to steal from us, because you can’t steal. You will take what we give you and you will put it in your own voice and that’s how you will find your voice.

And that’s how you begin. And then one day someone will steal from you. And Balzac said that in his book: It makes me so happy because it makes me immortal because I know that 200 years from now there will be people doing things that somehow I am part of. So the answer to your question is: Don’t worry about whether it’s appropriate to borrow or to take or do something like someone you admire because that’s only the first step and you have to take the first step.

Read the complete interview here.

- http://zainhd.com/2011/01/coppola-on-risk-money-craft-collaboration/

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I’m quite certain I mentioned him somewhere previously in one of my blogposts (after I interviewed him for my Constitutional Law assignment on Article 11 Group in 2006, I think), but can’t locate it. Either way, click here to listen the recent on-air conversation with the human rights lawyer, activist (his blog). I especially liked what was said in the earlier segment of it. http://bfm.my/assets/files/InConversation/2010-12-10_InConversation_MalikImtiazSarwar.mp3

- http://zainhd.com/2010/12/malik-imtiaz-bfm-podcast/

 


Very interested to see what happens of this.
- http://zainhd.com/2010/12/11-1-11-mahasiswa-tidur-bangkit/

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