Jennifer F. Netto's Blog, page 7

Drama Minggu Ini!

With the general elections just a week more, Malaysians are bombarded with dramatic advertisements and stunts of the political parties contending for votes. From very pathetic ads to disrespectful ones, there seems to be no end to what the political parties want to influence the RAKYAT with, but what tops it all is this picture below.


pic from friends of BN-Barisan National (FB Page)
Hilarious I say!How on earth can anyone in the right mind say this man is actually trying to experience what we Malaysians are experiencing? Does he think by taking the public transport (of which we do appreciate but know for a fact we could have it better than what is given to us - after all, we did once have the tallest building in the world which stands proudly erected in the middle the actual mess of a city) any one of us would be swayed into believing he cares or any of his cronies for that matter?
How about after this 'on-set' LRT ride, he goes for a bus ride during peak hours and stand under sweating armpits of construction workers all sardined in bus for a can? Or go and wait for the infamous KTM Commuter that breaks down anytime and every time for no apparent reason in the crappy dustbin like stations that this government has built for the RAKYAT that doesn’t shelter the users from rain? Oh yes, we have a fantastic looking KL SENTRAL but have you seen the smaller stations like TIROI? or SUBANG and TEMPLER? and every other stations in between where Malaysians need to get off to go home or use to get on to go to work and school? Not only do they not have a decent roof or room for waiting if it rains, the rotten stations are the site for crimes waiting with a silver plate and a shelter for drug addicts and the homeless! Where are the guards? Lights? Shuttling services that by right should be available for commuters to use upon departing this commuter? Don’t get me started on the hygiene of these places! Are there any toilets that can be used? Have they seen the trash littered around and the vandalised public property?   We have train service right till almost midnight but is it safe for anyone to use them? Will he be there making sure no one gets raped, assaulted or snatched? Or will he be silent like how he stayed silent whenever his 1Malaysia ministers discriminate Malaysians for their race and religion or point their fingers at the way women dress as the cause of these crimes?
What the hell is he thinking by putting up this charade? Does he thinks Malaysians are bloody-fools to think he and his ministers CARE? May be they do think we are FOOLs because 55 years have come and gone and they are still in power?! There are scenes like this in many Hollywood movies! To me this act wins you NOT an OSCAR, MR. PM!

If he thinks he can win votes by doing such campaigning stunts then he must be living the 19th century! I know for sure his wife isn’t living in that timeline! 
Malaysians should stop allowing themselves to be INSULTED by this sort of STUNTS that seems to know no end with this current administration we elected as our government!

GE13 is our chance to practice the power of our VOTE, so VOTE wisely Malaysia. Vote for what you believe MALAYSIA deserves - Better education, better infrastructure, better economy, better lives. Don’t be swayed by the confusions and tactics of the actual perpetrators disguising as caretakers of this country.


pic from www.goodreads.com

GE13 what's at stake? Preparing ourselves for elections!

Today's turn out at The Visitation Church of Seremban was not a crowd of uncertain people but of one that knew the purpose of their very reason for being Malaysian - to see their land prosper by electing the right government.

Most of us know that it is our moral obligation to vote wisely. But today's talk gave us a clear guideline on what to look out for when we go for that voting this coming May 5th.

Datuk Ambiga mentioned amongst many other things that CHANGE is inevitable as we have experienced change in the last GE12. We must make the effort to vote whomever it is we believe deserves our votes based on the grounds of actions and not words spoken. All talk and no action or worst, promise one thing and doing another behind our backs is not permissible and our votes determine the future of such wrong doers!

The other speaker was Dr Faruq who gave a clear understanding about our Constitution and Religious Rights which was enlightening to many.

Speaker Jerald Joseph, Malaysia's Human Rights Activist and Trainer gave a dynamic speech on our rights as Malaysians and how not to be swayed by money politics especially over the BBR1M money which will not end even if there was a change in Government as that money belonged to the RAKYAT and should be considered a HUTANG that hasn't been cleared by the government to us.

Was an enlightening 1.5hours forum that got many of us cheering on to the concerns we had and the opinions and advices given by the BERSIH leaders as well as the wonderful political jokes and stupid sweeping statements that are and will crop up in the next couple of weeks by various political people in the main stream media and by our EC.

Their words of advice
1. Check your ballot paper!

2. Don't allow the ink to smear on your ballot sheets as EC has decided to mark our left index finger before voting and not after as is done every other country in the world!

3. Don't allow yourself to go through a sudden amnesia before casting your votes. Remember why you are voting or not voting for the names listed on your ballot sheet!

4. Do not stand up for leaders who are racist, who a slanderous, who show no respect for the religious rights of others! And the silence that is accompanied by the main party these politicians are linked to! Silence is not an ANSWER!

5. Remember that 5th May is OUR DAY! Because MALAYSIA IS OURS!

Thank you BERSIH for the talk and thank you to the Fathers of the church of Visitation Seremban for their efforts in wanting the RAKYAT of Malaysia to know and execute their rights and obligations.

Pink or Blue?

What colour do you think your child would choose if you as a parent hadn't influence them towards it?

Belle hardly had anything pink because I'm not in favour of pink myself. But I didn’t stop her from choose it if she wanted to although I'm still puzzled at her disfavour for it.

I never overwhelmed CJ with blue but he somehow goes for blue himself and later as he grew older, he started gender classifying colours himself based on the kids in school, so much so he asked Belle why don't you carry a pink bag or wear pink like so many other girls do. Pink is for girls right? And blue is for boys! Well AJ loves yellow, and I, purple but most of my stuff are in the shades of brown. Yes brown not grey.

I believe there's a scientific explanation to why kids are drawn to some colours and I'm certain it doesn't always have to be the influence of parents. But in the case of this study The Pink And Blue Project  (article from Salon.com) I wonder who’s living the childhood. The parent or the kid? The photos in this article really gave me a head ache.
To think children are stuck with so much pink and blue, haven't these parents heard of the United Colours Of Benetton?

Politics - A Wet Market Discussion

Today, instead of hearing the rattling sounds of bargaining at the wet market, I heard the swearing and cursing of several distinct political names which entertained AJ n I while we waited for our Ikan Bawal to be cleaned and chopped.

Listening to these people speak, really got me thinking about the many who actually TRULY depend on the government to make their life a little easier and meaningful but simply failed at receiving it and the many who were cheated and are still being cheated by our dear politicians in power.

As much as I have decided several years ago, to call myself the "expat Malaysian who lives in Malaysia," I too must say the reason for my feeling so distant from my rightful sense of ownership to this land my father shed his blood for, is because our leaders have made me and many I'm sure, feel that this country has gone to a bunch of monkeys who look more into feeding their own family tree and fattening their wallets. Indian first Malaysian after, or vice versa? Well I'm human first than Malaysian lah! When citizens depend on a government, we expect a little respect for even the most little contribution one may bring forward to this country they call home.

Will there ever be a government who would truly care for its people without first caring about themselves? Well by all means care about yourselves but don't rob others to do yourself some TLC! Don't give us an ounce and swindle a gallon and think we are the monkeys you get to control with a bunch of bananas in your hand.

On another note, when you live out of the city, and see the living conditions of many, you'd know how much we haven't developed, or rather progressed fairly. You'd know that many Malays struggle although many non are made to hate their rights. You'd see how many Chinese only own a bicycle and struggle to feed their kids, you'd discover how many Indians don't own anything on this ground to call theirs. But our leaders, supposed leaders, walk in and out of jewellery shops in foreign lands buying stuff they don't need out of the money they don't own. You'd see how politicians are welcomed to officiate a new business upon given a sum of money as payment for the favour, then drives away with the finest things the merchant has brought into his shop for sales. Yes trust me I've heard a fair share of such stories as a kid who followed my mum shopping in the Indian streets of Klang. You think being 10 or 12 I'm busy looking at bangles? Nope, I heard the political talks people made back then and hearing what I did today in the market rang so many bells.

Well one would see and hear a lot more if one just came out of their comfortable zones and took a walk with eyes and ears off one's smart devices. Our leaders use us and once they get what they want, they don't really care anymore till the next round of elections come about. Throw in some road repairs, new pipes, 1Malaysia provision shops and off they go shopping at Jewish Diamond stores and Aussie streets.

As much as I believe you need to help yourself and not expect, hearing and seeing the faces of these few people, and seeing what I see now that I'm no longer a city gal, I'm constantly reminded of the moral obligations our leaders fail to uphold and how much longer are Malaysians going to allow this.

Yes we are a peaceful nation, comparatively speaking.
Yes we are blessed as a nation, but while all this are used to advertise stability by those in power, we must not forget what's happening behind our backs and for many, it happens right in front of their faces, day in and day out.

I for one, being the expat Malaysian in Malaysia, believe this soil needs a change!
So lets give Her what she deserves! (No I'm not talking about Rosmah)

Malaysian Neighbours

I came back from sending Belle to school today and found this in my mailbox, with only my house number on it and I thought it was a memo from the Management office or something, instead it was a wedding invitation from a neighbour I haven’t spoken to nor do I know which face to place with the address and name in the card, but yes its an invitation to those living in 210 - My family!

This brought back memories of life outside the CITY. Back when I lived in Klang, I remember the number of invitations my parents would receive from neighbours left and right, back and front of our house and although many of them we did not know personally, the invitation to a happy occasion such as a wedding never stopped coming by our home. Of course one of us would make the effort to go as a sign of neighbourly respect, and when sadness befall a neighbour, such as death, we would go and pay our respects as well, even though we never knew them personally. All that kept us together was the fact that WE STAYED IN THE SAME NEIGHBOURHOOD, and I believe that is the beauty of being a Malaysian. We put aside our differences and respect each other because we are neighbours. 
We put up with the sounds and colours of our celebrations and have our homes open to our neighbours to come in for a drink or a meal. We watch children grow from learning to cycle into being adults who drive a motorcar. We see parents becoming grandparents, we watched neighbours move out or migrate. We have school mates and bus mates living among us. We have friends who share a park with our pets, fields where our kids kick the ball with other kids. We have neighbours we could depend on when we need a helping hand. 
I remember when we first moved to Chi Liung Pandamaran in Klang back in the 90s, and my sister in law’s water bag broke and went into labor, there was no car in the house as my dad had gone to work and my mum ran to the corner house and asked the neighbour for help. He agreed and took both my mum and sister in law to the clinic and then a week later he changed his car because his back seat was, how shall I say it? GONE! hahaha.. Well it’s hilarious. 
Back in Berkeley Garden, also in Klang, I used to see a friend in the park, Maria, and our fathers became friends before we did, and now we are still friends, even after 30 years though in 2 different continents. 
I think its beautiful how neighbours teach us tolerance and how even though we run our lives separately, we still remember them throughout because we lived in the same neighbourhood. Some drove us up the wall as they hoarded away, some with their insensitive insolent behaviours, but that’s what makes it interesting, that we live to tolerate the bad and value the good. Something I believe Malaysians should not take for granted. Our unique ability to live in harmony despite our differences. We have come a long way to give it up or see the ruins of it no thanks to the political tensions we face today.
Anyway, this invitation card, along with the smiles of the people who pass by my house for their evening walks and some with their dogs, or riding their bicycles without paddling down the slope, raising their hands and saying HELLO at us while my kids play outside, is simply heart warming. It’s nice to finally feel it again after 10 years of living in the city where everyone is too busy to live!

Jasper’s on mig33.com

I received a wonderful news this morning, Jasper from my book AN ODDLY HELPER is now available on mig33.com’s social network site as a Virtual Gift for love and friendship. This is sure one lucky star, to me especially. For those of you who do not know Jasper, do buy my book on amazon.com and discover Jasper’s amazing story. My little Jasper is surely going places! Well done and Congratulations JASPER, and a big THANK YOU to mig33! 

War On Kids

Last night my kids and I watched WAR ON KIDS, the Independent Documentary on Sundance Channel and at the end when the scene changed to an African American student aged around 7 being handcuffed by 2 police in the school office, CJ started crying.

He became so upset that he said - WHY DONT AMERICANS LET KIDS BE KIDS? THEY ARE JUST CHILDREN! NOT BAD GUYS!!!

Then I told him, yeah we are blessed to be living here, imagine if you were there and you tried to be ULTRAMAN with your friends in school? What on earth would they do then?
He argued saying, WHY NOT? ISNT SPIDERMAN, SUPERMAN and IRONMAN from there?

Then Belle said YEAH EVEN HULK! WHY THEY MAKE MOVIES LIKE THAT BUT WHEN A KID PUTS HIS HAND LIKE A GUN THEY GET ARRESTED??? SO DUMB!!

Thats the logic you get from a 6 and 9 year old.

Kids do what they see on TV, but they also get punished in school so drastically? Why isn’t correcting a child with some logic added to it beneficial enough? Must they at such a tender age, and at an age where they are easily influenced and excited and searching for their identity be punished as if they were CRIMINALS?

I honestly don't agree with the system being so. If we had such a policy here, I think police stations would be more crowded than public schools! And teachers would have a field time not being educators of MORAL VALUES that try to change the perspective of a child to be and do good rather than the opposite.

On another note, I don’t believe HOMEWORK does NO GOOD to any kid below the age of elementary school. Homework to me is a way to revise and to keep track with what you have studied. In fact not only should homework be about what they have studied for that day, it should be about what they’ve already studied in their previous lessons. It can also be about what they need to research for for their following lessons. It not only reinstates the subject learnt, its a form of self discipline where time management and memory is practised well. So that bit I don’t agree with the parents over there.

School should be cool. Learning should be fun.
It is not meant to be a military regime, but a place where children grow learning about themselves and those around them as well as to have logic and civic lessons thought upon them about what’s right and wrong.

Watching this documentary, I really felt sorry for those kids.
Is that still they way it is in the US? I know this documentary was made in 2009, but has any transformation taken place over there in regards to how their children are treated and thought in school?

They are just KIDS as my kids too say.
Discipline and awareness can be thought to them by simple dialogue on ethics and principals of good and bad. You don’t need handcuffs and prison cells to deal with a child who acts like he’s shooting a gun using his finger, or for bringing a nail clipper, or a stake knife to eat her stake, you just need to sit them down and explain! Or is that too much for their teachers and senior staff to do?

If they only accept PERFECT kids at school then they obviously don’t know the very definition of SCHOOL and that’s a pretty SAD state indeed!

International Women’s Day 2013

I honestly have mixed feelings about celebrating International Women’s Day.
Besides celebrating the success of women in various different fields, have we women truly succeeded in our evolution through time?
May be we have come a long way from how our kind has been treated in the past, and certainly such a day is wonderful to celebrate the many women who have fought for women’s rights especially for violence against women, but has violence against women actually stopped or reduced for that matter?
We still see so much in the news about women being raped, abused, murdered, trafficked, cheated, victims of child marriages and women who are condemned for standing up for their own rights and these are just what's reported. 3/4 go unnoticed by anyone other than the victim itself.

I think the question I would like to ask on this day is how we as women ourselves respect other women?

We are so quick to throw sly remarks at women who make us feel jealous and threatened.

We are so quick to call a lady a SLUT or a FLIRT because she’s had 1 too many boyfriends not considering, she might just be looking for the right one, or non of the men are committing to those relationships or worthy of her?

We are so quick to blame and condemn the women who deals with domestic violence, condemn the woman who’s husband is cheating on her,  condemn the woman who has to go to work leaving her children at home and condemn the one who says NO to being taken for granted and chooses to divorce rather than be abused and be used.

Quick to blame the dressing of a women who got raped.
Quick to blame the women who’s child got molested.
Quick to accuse a woman of sleeping around when they are at a higher positions.
Quick to destroy the reputation of another woman who doesn’t think the way they do.
Quick to put them down because they are better at some things than ourselves.
Quick to treat others like they are not worthy of life.

I admit that I am at times guilty of saying a couple of these myself and felt like a rotting apple after doing it because I know its wrong, and that I had allowed my anger to get the better of me. In fact I have also been on the receiving end of some of this claims and accusations. It can never be right to condemn someone else, more so someone you don’t know. Just because one is insecure and unhappy, doesn’t give them the right to trash another around even if its behind their backs. Then again, for the women who has it all, you have to count your blessings because you could loose it all in the blink of an eye as well. Watch what your tongue can’t see. Say not what your ears won’t like to hear if it’s directed to you.

So if you think you are worthy of being a woman, how about trying to treat other women with some worthy respect as well? You don’t need 24 hours of 8th March to remind you of it, you are exactly the same gender as these other ladies and that’s great enough a reminder of how to treat another of your kind.

Like the famous quote which many of us already know IF YOU HAVE NOTHING NICE TO SAY, DONT SAY ANYTHING AT ALL!

Let’s award ourselves by watching our tongues and our thoughts, as we show our hands and our hearts to all the women on earth.. HAPPY WOMEN’S DAY!

Oz! The Great And Powerful

Zim Zala Bim!
Oz! How I'm glad I got to watch this movie with my kiddos. My kiddos love the story of Wizard of Oz, and this movie was a wonderful preview to what comes next, Dorothy’s adventure into Emerald City.

If you’ve watched the movie, you would realise how Oz represents many of us in real life. A person who wants to reach great heights but had no means or clue of how to use his capabilities to getting there till encouraged by the simplest gift a person could ever have - friendship.

It also carries a good lesson for women not to be fooled by the charms of a man, as most of them have hidden agendas. Theodora, had to learn it the hard way, although I must say for being witch, she hardly had intuition in her. She couldn’t foresee her own destiny. Or is that a trait of a fairy? Ah well, anyway, you’d clearly though not explicitly see how Oz get a second chance at life, and what he couldn’t do right in his first, he tries to fool through in the 2nd as well, but circumstances has its way to changing a person, either in a good way or bad, and you’d have to watch the movie to know that yourself.

You must know I don’t review movies, I lick the icing of the cake and tell you if I like it. I wouldn’t want to spoil the fun for you, cause I don’t like it when others do it for me.

Go watch it and enjoy it! James Franco is so cute with his smile and goofy expressions, the perfect cast for the character of OZ if you asked me. Thank God they didn’t give the role to Johnny Depp. As much as I like him, its nice to see a new face in such an act. Mila Kunis’s act caught me by surprise. Expected to see the girl who acted in That 70s show to be in this but nope, thank God she left that dumb slutty act in that show and came to this presenting herself as a perfect woman who later turns into a beast all because of her own assumptions over a jackass. Ooops, did I reveal too much?

Jack The Giant Slayer (2013)

Let me start of this post by saying the movie was awesome! The special effects were good and the plot certainly took this old age folktale to a whole new level.
Of course it took me by surprise to know the name of the princess and thought what an excellent choice it is.
Ewan McGregor carried such poise in his act. He was like the James Bond of that time.
But what made the movie stunning was definitely the GIANTS! They made the movie worth watching.
All my kiddos loved the gruesome, disgusting giants most.
An enjoyable movie indeed.
One worth watching with your kids.
And Happy Birthday to me.. I'm officially 36 years old!!