Have a Happy and a Prosperous 2009!!

It is not even three, yet the room is enveloped with darkness and I am too lazy to move and switch on the light. The air outside is still and the bare branches of the acer, from where I am sitting, look like untidy scratchings against the grey canvas of a sky. It is a good time to reminisce and reflect, with nothing but the mobile heater humming in the background.

According to the news, it is going to be a freezing new year and the next few days will not see the temperature climbing further than four degrees C. But it is nothing compared to the freezing conditions endured by our blogger friends Naz and Lyana in Norway.

This is the thing about blogging, eh? One click, you are transported from somewhere in the blistering heat of the desert where bloggers like Elisataufik and Lollies are to the freezing winter conditions of Norway or Finland.

It is a beautiful world, this cyberworld – that is if we want to make it so. I looked back at my archives and just realised that I had actually passed my 4th blogevasary – that was on 25th December. I remember writing my maiden entry called “ Blame it on the Jetlag” and my only commenter was Pak Adib or Berisman who has been a longtime friend since we met in London.

Since then, I have met many wonderful people along the way – sharing their stories and experience, no matter where they are. I love the banter, the jokes and the nostalgic trips that we urge each other to take with us.

Recently there was a Mak Cik Bloggers’ meet in Kuala Lumpur organised by Mrs N, and attended by many such as Madam Tai Tai in Dhaka, Wanshana, Ezza, Kay, Tireless Mom and many more whose blogs I have frequented to join in their fun. And what a scene they must have caused meeting up like old friends. This reminds me of our Mak Cik Bloggers meet some years ago, when I went back to Malaysia and the gathering was organised by AuntyN, Mak Andeh and attended by Ood, Blabs, Anedra, Intan Nazrah, Elisa from Finland and many, many more. To mark our gathering, we had blogger Adiejin whose talents know no bounds, to create a memento – a Mak Cik Blogger vase – that I still have until today.

Excuse me while I turn on the light – it is truly dark now and am just bidding time before going out for a New Year’s dinner with some friends at Holiday Villa.

Anyway, it was recently too that we met up with blogger Jaflam, who came to London with his lovely wife. Both of them joined us for a celebration of 4 wedding anniversaries at Tok Din’s house – and let me not talk about the food!

I met Jaflam in the early nineties when blogging was still unheard of. I was on the plane back from Sabah. As fellow travellers, we got talking and he told me that he was coming to London for a meeting. That was when we met up again and our friendship was renewed in blogosphere when we found each other’s blogs. Last year, he played host and invited many other bloggers who had bought my husband’s GuiT. There we met Mat Salo, Zabs, Akmal, Ancient Mariner, Elviza and many more.

Of course during that same trip too, we met up with Pok Ku, Pak Idrus, Ruby Ahmad, Fauziah Ismail of Xmatters and Jiwarasa.

Two days ago, while reading the accounts of the Mak Cik Bloggers’ meet at Zaitgha’s blog, I decided to order some cupcakes and muffins that have been tantalising me from afar. I gathered that, even if I couldn't taste them myself, I could at least order them for my clan back in Bangi and Kajang. What a wonderful world the net is. It is also through the net that I met Ninnie and Nek, whose blogs are a no no to those who cannot resist temptations of buying branded goods online. In fact, I think I gave in to the temptation not once but twice and bought something for myself and one for my beloved sister-in-law.

These last few months I have discovered more precious and interesting blogs such as Masterwordsmith, Argus, Atabib, Mat Chendana, Bangkai, Anak SiHamid, Mamasita, Mummy Rokiah , Pugs and of course Pak Cik and his wonderful stories. And I’d be deluding myself if I say I have not enjoyed Piah and the antics of her very interesting and creative commenters. Where else can you meet our own alternative Hollywood stars, if not at Piah's. They have provided quite an entertainment during some boring winter evenings.

Thank you all for making the gloomy days and nights more tolerable and for transporting me to a more bearable weather condition, even if it is only in the mind. Thank you too for commenters who have made me all the richer with your interesting inputs– Hi & Lo, Mek Yam, NanaDJ and Pak Malim – me thinks it is high time you share your stories with us . Afterall aMiR has already started his GuiKP, ghosting the blog for his son.

I am sure there’s more that should be in the list and I do appreciate your visits here. Thank you . I think most of you have ushered in 2009 while we, on this side of the world, have a few more hours of 2008. So, I’m going to curl up on the sofa and share the heat radiating from Tabby, and think about this past year and ponder what 2009 has in store for me.

Have a Happy and Prosperous 2009!!

PS. Am having problems linking the sites but will be back later to try again.

The Thinking Blogger Award

This must be the first award given to me in cyberworld. In fact the first award given to me ever! Thank you to Sharon Bakar who thought my blogging activities to be worth any award at all.

Well, if my entries can make one person think, or if even one person thinks the entries are worth thinking about, then I am truly happy.

I am happy that this comes from Sharon as she must be one of the most influential bloggers around who makes me think about books, good books, good style of writing.

So now I must set about tagging five more bloggers.

As I kept saying to anyone who cared to listen when I was in Malaysia recently, when there were so many negative news and vibes about blogs and bloggers, “There are blogs and there are blogs!” And believe me, this I have said to Ministers, people up there who are eyeing my blog, and especially to the one who said to me “Hey , you are a blogger, and you are on the other side!” (Whatever that means!)

Now this award goes to:

1. Pi BAni

Pi Bani is a volunteer with an NGO providing moral and emotional support to HIV infected people. Her entries are heart rending. She brings to light the plight of women like Zana, a single parent who was was infected by her husband who also died of AIDS. She writes about children who need basic things like milk, Nestum, anything...please read, please think, listen and please help.

2. Ruby Ahmad

Ruby is a newfound friend. You go to her blog and instantly you think, this must certainly be the Tatler of Cyberworld. There’s a function and she is there and believe me, she is there not just to take pictures so that she can blog about it. Ruby is one great networker, a deep thinker and an even greater listener. During my last visit to Malaysia, I met Ruby four times and each time, I couldn't help noticing her skills at networking. She listens to people some people wouldn’t give time of day. Hey, those great shoulder pads are there for a reason!

3. NJ

NJ makes me think.Those wonderful pieces about the value of time, about her relationship with her mother- in-law and many more. This lady has style!

4. Jane Sunshine

Jane, my darling Jane. We met through blogging, some emails and then coffee at the canteen of the Institute of Education. A wonderfully intelligent and warm person with thought provoking entries, beautifully written. My friendship and love, always.

5. Tunku Halim

Tunku Halim is a newbie in this blogosphere but no stranger to writing. Thus whatever he writes about in his blog, be it about book covers, about writing competitions, they are worth reading! His current entry is about his first story, typed on the old trusty type writer, when he was about 14! And years later he is author of so many books! So, dont go throwing your masterpieces thinking it would lead to nothing.

So there!

This award was started here:

And now my dear recipients, your award comes with a price. You have to award five others whose blog you think deserve this award.

Should you choose to participate, please make sure you pass this list of rules to the blogs you are tagging. The participation rules are simple:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote.

Please, remember to tag blogs with real merits, i.e. relative content, and above all - blogs that really get you thinking!

Today is the day...

...that history is made as the uncharted path of cyberworld and everything that goes with it, is tested. And the person to tread this uncharted path, on his way to the High Court this very moment is Ahiruddin Attan, or better known as Rocky the blogger of Rocky Bru. The legal suit brought against him by his former employer, the NST and four individuals in the newspaper group, is clearly a case of alternative media vs mainstream media.

In the next few days, blogger Jeff Ooi will walk the same path as Rocky.

A lot has been written about this here , here and here and everywhere else. So at this moment, I just want to reflect back on the Rocky that I know.

It was in the nineties that I first met Rocky, a giant of a man who came to be the London correspondent of the NST. As usual, the London group of correspondents from Utusan, Berita Harian, the Star, Bernama and TV3 would get together for a welcoming party to this new member of our group and say goodbye to one going back.

As someone who remain in London, I welcome these young breed of journalists and embrace them as my brothers and sisters. Throughout the late eighties and nineties, there was a stream of correspondents: Zamzam, Azizi, Azman, Rahim, Hj Shahrum, Ali Mansur, Fauzi Omar, Baidura, Karim, Selvi, Danial, Padma, Tony Emmanuel and Saiful to name a few from the NSTP group and others like the late Tan Kah Peng and Ho Bang Kee from the Star, Baharom, Abdullah Hassan and Hamzah of Utusan.

We worked together and we had fun together. We shared stories and scooped each other, but then that is the name of the game.

Rocky is a tough, hard core journalist who enjoyed his work and certainly his stint in London.

We covered stories together in the continent, the All England Badminton and many more. And when we were not working, we played scrabble till the early hours of the morning. The NST apartment, where we once lived, became a meeting place for the others as well.

On days that Rocky bought Haagen Daz ice cream, I’d receive a phone call that it was time for a session of scrabble. And, of course, he’d add, “It would be really nice if there’s bubur pulut hitam.”. That was the cue for me. For some strange reason, he enjoys Haagen Daz, chocolate flavour with bubur pulut hitam.

For all the tough looking guy that he is, Rocky is a gentle giant who dotes on my children, who carried little Taufiq on his shoulders as we wandered around the streets of Birmingham in between games of badminton, while covering the All England. He bought Taufiq his first Barcelona strip and won over Taufiq as his ally for ever.

All too soon, Rocky went back. And the rest is history.

This case is pulling me in all directions. This case of NST vs Rocky. My former workplace which I still have a lot of love for vs a friend, a brother, for whom I have a lot of affection.

Readers of this little blog will have noticed that whenever I wrote about Jalan Riong, it is with great affection and fond memories that I had done so. It is after all the place that had given me the best training in journalism, and we were proud to announce at any event, that we represented it. It is after all the place where I met my soul mate and fell in love and the place where I met many wonderful and talented people who I admire and love to this day.

At this moment, at 0231 in the morning, while the temperature outside dips to minus zero and there’s snow flurries falling on the ground for the second day, my heart is heavy with sadness as I write this.

Yesterday, I was at the press conference when the Prime Minister was asked to comment about this first test case. As a blogger myself, I am very interested and very concerned. Datuk Seri Abdullah said, ”the government is not going to censor what is on the internet.”

I have transcribed the reply below:

"We do not censor what is on the internet. But you must understand that there are laws, undang-undang on defamation, on sedition. There are laws enforceable.... so they must bear in mind they cannot hide, they cannot take advantage of doing something that is against the law and it is in that context that perhaps the newspaper is taking action against them. Undang-undang...ada undang-undang. They must know. They cannot hope to be protected from some kind of cover whatever they think they have.

Duty and responsibility go together and if you want freedom, what is freedom without responsibility. Freedom without responsibility is anarchy. Actually it becomes irresponsible."

PS.
Bearing in mind that the case is still going on, please be very careful with your comments. Thank you.