As Suanie Sees It

Anyone who has been on-line since the late 90s can tell you that the Internet is not what it used to be. At least not in the Malaysian scene anyway. If we didn’t like someone on the Net, we’d thrash them out on the Net. If we disagreed with something on the Net, we’d reply back with fury and seemingly convictions informing the culprit of what we thought went wrong. Everything that happened on the Internet, stays on the Internet. Applicable to IRC, forums, websites and much later, blogs. This understanding worked, and it was a very good system because everyone could bloody well go on with their lives in the real world. Just ask a few of my close friends linked on my sidebar who have been on-line since the mid-90s and they would tell you the same. Me? Well 2007 is only my 10th year of using the Internet, so what do I know, right?

You would notice that I don’t really talk much about what’s happening to other bloggers and the blogosphere in general these days. What is there to talk about anywhere? My enthusiasm for the growth of the local blogosphere is unfortunately waning, so I just concentrate on my own blog and those that I still read frequently or from time to time. Too much have changed into the direction that I personally do not like, but c’est la vie. Maybe it’s gone good for some, worse for others, same to the rest of them. Not to say that I do not keep up with what’s happening in the blogosphere, but it is hard to keep up especially when real life beckons. I do keep myself updated from time to time, just that I do not talk about it on my blog.

Gone are the days when you can talk about anything and everything under the sky on the Internet, and get away with it. Not that this is a bad thing — some people do need to keep their traps shut. But I am not the authority to tell them that, so I keep quiet lor. The age old wisdom of mind over matter ( I don’t mind, you don’t matter ) applies. It is only inevitable after all — Internet access is becoming increasingly affordable, people are making their marks on-line their own ways, fine by me. Perhaps I was just thinking of the old days when people who knew how to use the Internet were more savvy people, and come with their own sets of intelligence and humour that I appreciated. Those days too are (almost) gone, and that makes me more thankful to be hanging out with people who continue to retain the same mindsets.

Also gone are the altruistic days of campaigning for the rights of the trodden, without being tarnished (?) by any political parties or agendas. Blogs written and maintained not for the sole reason of making money? Earth calling Suanie. Unscrupulous people making use of blogs and bloggers for their own selfish means? A dime a dozen, take your pick. People who don’t understand the nature of the Internet actually using it? People who don’t understand the nature of the Intenet lodging police reports against the people who don’t understand the nature of the Internet who are using it? These, my fellow friends and bloggers, are the days of our lives.

I am not in full support of RPK and his site’s commentors. Frankly speaking, I think a lot of stuff there are crap. But they are not without their merit. When you reside in a country that has severe lack of press freedom (I said lack of, not totally without) and people cower in the face of authority (never mind that we are the ones who supposedly voted them in), the disgruntled are bound to find other means and avenues to deposit their thoughts and what-not, never mind if they have a cause to be disgruntled with in the first place. When this happens, how then? I would personally recommend that those in authority (or those who lodge the police report) state their rebuttals where it all begins — on the Internet. I would like to believe that people are born stupid, but along the way to adulthood, they manage to gain intelligence and the ability to judge for themselves who is right or wrong, or whether they should care less in the first place. Freedom to choose after being presented with both sides of the story, no?

But that’s me. Hi, I am Suanie.

1. So tired from tiring weekend. Babysat Ryan on Saturday and Sunday, he seemed to be content just doing nothing with me, so that was fine. Gave him lots of milk so he would sleep, so I could nap in between as well. Couldn’t locate the DVDs for ‘Cars’, ‘Monsters Inc.’ and ‘Finding Nemo’, so had to fob him off with ‘Toy Story’ and ‘Alice in Wonderland’ which he did not like at all. Too bad, kiddo.

2. Kept thinking about the following line from the movie ‘The Painted Veil‘ ( nice movie btw ): “Women are always under the impression that men love them more that they really do.” Would elaborate, but that would be telling.

3. Harry Potter Book 7 was more rubbish than not. So blah that I don’t even feel like thrashing it. After Book 4, it was just not worth the effort.

4. Was looking for an entry on my phone contact list to call someone, and saw an entry for ‘JESUS CHRIST’. Wtf?! Clicked on it, the number was a multiple of 7s, and the URL was ‘www.heaven.com’. Was momentarily stunned, then began thinking of people who would pull this prank on me. SMSed buckie to ask if he did it, and he replied, “Yeah. Wasn’t mean to alarm until Christmas though…” Har har.

5. Much love to my girl Kim on her birthday! Go to her blog to wish her many happy returns of the day, now now now!

If the photo is linked, it will take you to the 800×600 version on my Flickr.

A couple more photos taken at Wave Rock. This was my laptop wallpaper for a couple of days…

This road reminded me of the forest in LOTR. Sort of.

Me returning from one of the many wineries along Swan Valley, yay!

Was at Subiaco, looked up and saw this.. I just like it

From left to right: me, buckie, Dabs, Kian and Cynthia.

Perth city at night from King’s Park.

I like this one… grandpa with his grandkids at Queen’s Garden.

Black swans at Queen’s Garden… they looked mean

Buckie at Mends Jetty.

Looked up and took this along Mends Street… also my current laptop wallpaper.

Perth city from Mends Jetty.

Sekian.

I was thinking about my earlier post ‘cultural differences‘, and would like to expand on that a little…

Memories are like a deep, dark, quiet pool of still water. Then once a while a single drop of water would fall into the pool, and there would be ripples, and certain memories from your younger days awakened. Obviously I paraphrased this from somewhere, as I am not that clever as to come up with this analogy by myself.

Anyway I suddenly remembered that I went through a period when I detested human contact. This must have been during the rebellious teen years. I didn’t like to be touched. Skin to skin was disgusting and loathsome. I think it was brought on by a slight OCD case when I was younger. Yes I just self-diagnosed. But when I think about it now, it doesn’t seem right that I needed to neutralise every action. Think Jack Nicholson in the movie ‘As Good As It Gets’ multiple times of switching the light, locking the door and the importance of equal stepping when you walk. These and other little similar stuff, I am happy that I am off it now.

Back then, the human contact thing was like, if someone touched me, I felt an irrational desire to instantly wash or rub the spot where the skin has been touched. Otherwise I would feel dirty and uncomfortable ( though I was good at hiding it ). I remember how and why I got out of the neutraliser action phase, but not how nor why I got out of the skin touching phase. But I did. No, you still can’t touch me if you are a stranger to me.

It seems that this has nothing to do with cultural differences anymore. I think my initial points are that, I am not a natural touchy-feely person unless I really like you, which means you have to be either a member of my family, or my close friends, or my bf. I know some people have this thing of touching the other person everytime they speak and try to make a point. I understand that it’s their thing, but it’s a bit weird for me lor. Like how some people retreat to a corner when they are in an elevator; they are protecting their personal space as much as they can.

So my very digressed point is, please avoid the two cheek kissing thing with me, unless you have been brought up in an environment where it is the norm, or you really need to fulfill your daily human contact quota.

But if you go ‘lah’ at the end of every sentence and you still do the single or double cheek kissing thing with me, I shall smack you. You just wait and see lah.

Okay, I am a Malaysian right? A Chinese to boot. Having lived in Malaysia all my life, it goes without saying that I grew up in a link house with a squatting toilet that has a water tap equipped with a hose for easy water access. Water + toilet paper = clean and fulfilling. I don’t really need to spell things out right?

It took me some time to get used to a sit-down toilet. But I eventually did, because beggars can’t be choosers. Thankfully most of the sit-down toilets I’ve been to comes with a water tap, so that part was great. Awesome. Wonderful. Think cleanER.

So it really bugs me when I have to use a toilet that does not come with water taps within easy reach. This annoys the SHIT out of me ( pun intended ) and I usually wait and hold it until I could get to a toilet that has access to tap water that I could use. This is the reason why public toilets in Singapore are much cleaner than public toilets in Malaysia, BUT I DON’T CARE OMG I WANT MY WATER TAP!!!!

I can deal with the cubicle not having paper. It doesn’t matter because I can use my own tissue paper. But I can’t bring my own gallon of water everywhere I go!!

I wonder how you guys and girls deal with it …