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The People of Malaysia have spoken.

We have made our voice heard, resoundingly loud and clear.

And we got what we asked for.

The road ahead is long and arduous, full of uncertainty.

But there is hope.

For we have transcended our racial differences, united to oppose a corrupt and unequal system of governance.

We are no longer afraid, and we shall prevail.

This is, our Revolution!

Once every 4 years, we arrive at this unfamiliar date of February 29. To most of us, this day bares little significance. After all, the sole purpose of adding this extra day to the year is for the calendar to stay coordinated with the sun’s position.

But I found out a strange tradition that occurs only on February 29. On this day, ladies may ask gentlemen for their hands in marriage. I kid you not. So girls, if you are sick of waiting for your other half to come up with that proposal, today is the day for you to pop the question. Grab this chance while you can ladies, it don’t happen too often.

Come to think of it though, wouldn’t it be weird for a lady to go down on her bended knees and propose to a guy with a diamond ring? First of all, I don’t think diamond is a man’s best friend. And if you see a lady down on her knees in front of a man in public, you’ll probably be calling the police. For all you know, that poor girl might be begging for her life from her psychopath boy friend.

No wonder this tradition hasn’t caught on.

Next week, Malaysia will celebrate 50 years of nationhood. I guess if you are an optimist, you will find plenty to celebrate about. It is true that if compared with many of the less fortunate countries in the world, Malaysia can be considered quite well off. I mean, we are not in a war, and there is no famine, the economy is doing comparatively well, and we are reasonably free to pursue our dreams. So we can’t really complain.

But for most of us that live in the state of Sarawak, there is much less to be celebrated. While our West Malaysia counterparts have tall skyscrapers, four-lane highways and gigantic strip malls to brag about, our state (the largest and the most resource-rich mind you) remains largely underdeveloped. And the economy and politics are firmly in the clutches of the infamous ‘Old Man’ and his cronies.

The circumstances have made me ponder, did Sarawak made the right choice by joining up with Malaya to form the country of Malaysia back in 1963?

No, I did not Photoshop this flag up. This is really the flag of the Crown Colony of Sarawak.

Think about it. We were once a Crown Colony of Britain. Had we not joined Malaysia, we Sarawakians would be British citizens by now. We will be using the British Pound, one of the highest valued currencies in the world, rather than just barely getting by with the measly Ringgit.

Imagine having the British’s legendary administrative prowess coupled with Sarawak’s strategic geographical location and abundant natural resources. Things would have turned out quite differently. We could have become another ‘Asian Tiger’, right up there with the likes of Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea.

But of course, things did not turn out as I envisioned. Sarawak remains to be the backwater state of Malaysia. With most of its precious resources either diverted for development in West Malaysia or monopolized by a few corporations owned by the ruling oligarchy of Sarawak.

I am left wondering, is our so-called ‘Independence’ really as such? It seems that our fight to rid our land of the exploitative colonial powers only resulted in creating an inferior form of government. Leaving us with an unequal society governed by an oligarchy of a wealthy few. They blatantly exploit the land and the people for their own short-term gains and in the process, squandered the potential of Sarawak. Ultimately, leaving us worse off than we started.

We fight, for reasons clear and vague.

For love, for hate.

For pride, for prejudice.

Whatever the reason, let it be the right reason.

For the lack of which, all would be in vain.

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Hence we fought, with passion we thought we have lost.

Against an enemy that dared to mock us all.

And yet, victory had eluded us.

For the true enemy lied deep within our core.

-

Still, we refused to admit defeat.

We chase blindly and knowingly.

For that elusive Trophy of Life.

Dear Santa,

It’s me.

I know, I know. I’m not on your list this year, or any other year for that matter. I admit I haven’t exactly been a good boy lately. Well, I haven’t been a good boy period. But I’m sure you can see past that. And do you know why?

Because they say you are a man with a big heart, that’s why. But I don’t know, to me you are just a big man. A big man with a fetish for red clothings I might add. But who am I to criticize a man’s fashion sense? Let alone a BIG man’s fashion sense. You are what you are. If you can look past my shortcomings, I guess I’ll do the same for you.

Prove to me that you are a man who can give without prejudice, Santa. If you do that, I might just refrain myself from telling the whole world what really happened to Rudolph’s nose. Last I checked, glowing red prosthetic nose wasn’t such a big hit with the reindeer chicks. Poor Rudolph.

OK, enough about that. Let’s talk business.

Here’s what I want for Christmas. No, I don’t want no frickin’ Playstation3. I have enough paperweights already thank you very much. An Ipod you say? No way! Ipods are sooo yesterday. And don’t even try to bribe me with that 100-inch widescreen plasma from Samsung. No no no, I want something better.

I want the Stokke™ Gravity™ balans. This baby has got to be the coolest chair ever conceived by an IKEA wannabe.

Oh yeah, look at that chair pivot. My mind fills with endless possibilities just by looking at that girl in the blue silhouette rock the chair.
[kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.stokke.com/Images/Functionality/Flash/Gravity.swf” height=”440″ width=”440″ /]

Sweet mother of god! I think I need to cold shower.

So I assume we have a deal here? We wouldn’t want innocent little kids around world to know the truth about the “Rudolph Incident” now, do we?

You know what I want. Make it happen.

Have a Merry Christmas!

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Yours truly,

Simon