The Continuing Restless Situation in Lahad Datu

Firepower Unabated

Today, two more of our Malaysian policemen were shot in the legs.

Meanwhile the exodus from nearby villages continued.

Containing the Flagrance

To add to the confusion, the media stumbled upon a possible intruder.

When can we see the end of hostilities?

The Hobbit- Bilbo Baggins' Unexpected Journey

Another Hobbit Adventure?

Bilbo Baggins-he is the hobbit of this movie.

A three parter, this installment sets out the plot for the next two parts that will hit the screens in 2013 and 2014.

A city of gold has been taken over by a dragon which loved gold called Smaug.  Most dwarfs perished in the fire and the rest like Prince Thorin had to leave to find jobs far away, homeless as the dragon is very protective of its new found home and bounty.

More yarning?

Just like the first parter of Lord of the rings, you again have the fellowship and the quest.

Excitement-wise there is the usual unexpected 'monsters' that we meet such as man-eating trolls, boulder throwing giants, evil-cave dwelling goblins forest-dwelling forest spiders, heroic eagles, the orcs, wargs and also the Necromacer.

Again, we are brought to Rivendale to meet up with Lord Elrond and Lady Galadriel who will ultimately save the fellowship of the dwarfs as the journey back to reclaim their homeland,  Lonely Mountain.

Riddling with Bilbo

I just cannot place Gollum's ring in this movie as I thought it had to do with the seven rings and the destruction of all such rings where one reigns supreme.

This is apparently a different ring that Gollum found.

Coincidence?

A Peter Jackson effort, The Hobbit is a  worthy movie to watch,though.

Journey's End

I have just received a letter from the Palace of Justice.

It states in very clear terms that I have not been offered the post of Commissioner for Oath and the decision of the Chief Justice of the Federal Court is final and no appeal will be entertained.

Looking back on this 'short' application process that took more than 2 years and having gone through two examinations as well as an interview, I believe my effort has not been wasted nor entirely futile.

A Likely Vocation Gone Awry

The experience has been quite eye-opening.

On hindsight, they have to be more consistent with the way the examinations has been set. The current manner where questions could be in MCQ, fill in the blanks with short answers as well as application questions in subjective format which changes year after year; and the undue stress on memory work on the rules should be reviewed. They should stress more on the understanding of principles.

On the interview sessions, questions that should be asked should be more on testing the maturity of the candidates and not on repeating questions that have already  been asked in the examinations where the candidates have already passed them to be short-listed for the interview.

Asking questions that has nothing to do with the job as a Commissioner for Oath should also be reviewed.

Another thing, they should get more elderly interviewers and not young officers of the court to conduct the interviews so that the sessions will be more useful and engaging for both interviewer and interviewee.

By not giving another chance to a candidate for a second interview could also be considered harsh by all measure. After all, justice must be fairly served in a more equitable manner!

Perhaps, that's why they say that justice is blind!

No, I am not one of those 'sour grape' persona or sore loser.

I leave here on record for those who intend to pursue the course of taking the Commissioner for Oath examinations, the advice above for whatever it is worth.

Flashpoints in Sabah-What Really Went Wrong?

Tragic Statistics

It was  a tense face-off for more than three weeks before firepower began.

On Day 22, there were 28 dead where 8 were Malaysian policemen.

Militants in Sabah 

4 Malaysians are apparently held by the militants while the Malaysian authorities purportedly held three of theirs.

I think there were the wounded from both sides though the numbers were not disclosed.

Action Station

Two battalions were sent recently to Sabah as reinforcement.

What happened to the 2 Scorpenes as more militants have recently come into Sabah at two new landing spots?

The Young Casualties of  the Militants

To date, no one really knows what was the government's strategy or the credibility level of its  intelligence on who they are really dealing with.

However, some incidents are truly comical in spite of the tragedy where lives were irretrievably lost.

Air Asia to the Rescue

That the army had to use Air Asia to ferry their soldiers to Sabah has brought a smirk to many a face.

The Sessions-Extraordinary Surrogate Sex Therapy

A Sex Therapy Session

This film," The Sessions", chronicled the real life story of Mark O'Brien, a polio victim that underwent adulthood by losing his virginity through sessions with a sex therapist.

A very dialogy movie, it tells us about the issues that goes in the mind of Mark and how  he felt about his own inadequacy and the need to grow.

As Old as She Gets

Th e movie also tells us about the world of a paraplegic who has no recourse to movement and yet was capable of sexual arousal.

That Mark finally died and was loved and could love three women tells us about life that transcends the physical being.

The Prime of Helen Hunt

Good show with a very oldish looking Helen Hunt who posed in full frontal nudity many times during the intimate sessions with John Hawkes.

The Liberated Pastor

Compared to her current physique, those times and pretty looks in As Good as it Gets and Twister were really her days of heaven!

William H. Macy has a great role playing a pastor with liberated thoughts while Moon Bloodgood acted as the supportive care-giver.

Abduction: More than a Chick Flick

More than Meets the Eye

Well, the movie at the start did give the impression that it is going to be one chick-flick after all.

Perhaps what restrained one from thinking so is perhaps the more heavy-weight stars such as Alfred Molina, Sigourney Weaver, Lily Collins and Maria Bello.

Usual grinny self

Taylor Lautner, for most of the time was his usual un-acting self  with his vacant stares and he-man action punches. The plot has actually nothing to do with abduction but more with international intrigue and espionage.

Candy Charmer!

A chance discovery by Lautner that his parents are not biological parents set the movie into action as the bad guys listened on the wires of the CIA that has a mole operative in it.

After the first 20 minutes or so, the movie went into overdrive and that's where the biting excitement starts.

Fast action but the final minutes with an expected ending perhaps dull a little of the suspense.

Still a good outing as a movie.

The Lost Generations of Malaysia

Bavani on BFM

K. Bavani is certainly a household word these days especially after her argument with a forum speaker went viral on You-tube.

I just had the privilege of watching her on BFM where she spoke about the reasons for her high-profile committed stance over the PTPN and the roots of her activism.

I guess for a Psychology graduate and a current law student, she has a fair grounding on political thoughts and   the derring-do to speak out amidst a background of students that have been taught the passive mode in thought and interactions  in the hallowed ivory towers of this country.

What concerned me when I saw the 9 minute or so video was despite her strong stand on issues, she could not express as well as she could to put her message through.

Say what you must, but Bavani is probably one of the members of Malaysia's post first lost generation. The first generation were those who had to undergo the changeover in the school system from English to BM and today the outcome of this has been the poor command of English and Malaysia losing its international competitiveness in terms of K-workers.

For Bavani, despite her possible escape from the dragnet of the current reversal of the school system back to status quo where English has again been relegated to an inferior position; and even though she can still throw her thoughts around in a staccato manner , we can only second guess her meanings. Her command of English is not good and because of that her thoughts did not come across so well in spite of the emotions she displayed  on the talk of  her ideals.

My contention is if Bavani is representative of most students at our local universities at this time, be prepared for much worse English command in the second lost generation.

This is indeed pitiful especially as world competitiveness becomes more acute, Malaysia will continue to lag behind because we lack the command of the world's number one language of communication in academia, the arts,the WWW and in entertainment.