A Buzz From Maz

Another year has passed… it felt like it was just yesterday when I wrote my Jan 1st entry of my day at west Coast Park. How time flies… I haven’t been good with writing cos I have been preoccupied with so much that I’m feeling kinda lost. But good things happened to me this year. i think it’s all these positive energy and the positive attitude I try so hard to keep each morning of each day when I get outta bed.

So what have I done this year… got myself a home… decorated it the way I have always it to be… flat screen tv, a daybed, a catroom for my favourite felines… and more..

Next I took up a crash course on driving and within 2 months, got myself a car… my very own Toyota Yaris 1.5

Life on Facebook is getting a little out of hand…

in a good way cos i have been spending so much time with friends… old friends, school friends, ex colleagues, internet friends… many reunions etc… I’m always meeting someone, having dinner, lunch or just hanging out with friends… either outside or at my place.

On a more important note.. I found love… one that has escaped me all these years and now by my side, ready to spend the rest of out lives together…

WHO?

stay tuned…. i’ll write more… promise!

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I have to share this cos it’s gonna rock the Asian world. This soon-to-be-released book is written by a good friend of mine, Mr Ismail Kassim. I can’t wait to read it!  

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A Reporter’s Memoir

NO HARD FEELINGS

by Ismail Kassim

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PRESS STATEMENT by Ismail Kassim, retired Straits Times journalist

16 September 2008

Attention:  To All News Editors

A Reporter’s Memoir NO HARD FEELINGS by Ismail Kassim

Former Senior ST correspondent in Kuala Lumpur Ismail Kassim has written a memoir that he promises will become more controversial than Mahathir’s Malay Dilemma.

In  A Reporter’s Memoir No Hard Feelings, the author has  weaved in stories about himself, family and friends, associates and politicians amidst the social and political turbulence of the last six decades beginning from 1945. The book will be available from next month.

Unlike the work of former Malaysian premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Ismail said that he wrote about both the high and the low life openly, without fear or malice.

‘’Nothing is sacred. I have expressed my views clearly on all issues from race relations to faith and religion and political differences between Singapore and Malaysia,’’ he added.

He recalled that as a journalist he had to learn to write with restraint, but for this memoir he had ‘’given justice to his innermost thoughts.’’

‘’Whether I write about my boyish escapades or my tribulations over faith or my recollections of Lee Kuan Yew, Goh Chok Tong, Mahathir, Anwar, Pak Lah, Najib and others, I have adopted the same irreverent approach and uses the same nonchalant brush,’’ said Ismail, who wrote for the defunct New Nation and The Straits Times for almost 25 years.

As for the title of his memoir, he said that after stepping on many toes – big, small and powerful –  he felt he ought to say No Hard Feelings (Usah Kechil Hati in Malay and Bie Jie Yi in Chinese) to all of them.

‘’This is my way of reminding all of those mentioned in the narrative not to take things to heart,’’ he added.

As to what kind of reactions he expects, Ismail, 65 years and retired, said that it was likely to get a mixed reaction that would vary with the background of the reader.

‘’Some would obviously not be too happy with my frank treatment on matters relating to faith, race and politics. But I have to point out that I have written my story as a Singaporean and for a largely Asian audience.

‘’ I hope that readers will adopt an open mind. Even if they do not agree with any of my views or comments, I hope they will regard them as opportunities to stop and reflect,’’ he said.

He said that he started writing his memoir in late March 2007 primarily to entertain himself, his friends and former fans who used to follow his reports on Malaysian politics.

Although targeted at the average ST readers, he said that students, researchers and analysts might still find his memoir interesting and useful in many ways.

Ismail said that he opted to self-publish his memoirs for two reasons. One is to retain control of the editorial process from beginning to end. The other is to turn it into a project to challenge and to push himself out of his comfort zone. At 314 pages thick, the book will be on sale at $23 before GST.

‘’ Through the book, I hope to meet and engage more people in a dialogue on matters of mutual interest,’’ he added.

A Malay of Indian-Chinese origin, Ismail was a teacher, soldier, reporter, unionist before becoming the Straits Times Senior Correspondent in Kuala Lumpur.

During his 15 years stay there, he covered almost all the major events and interviewed almost every politician and social activist of any note.

He began his journalistic career with the New Nation in December 1972 soon after completing his Masters in Social Sciences (Political Science) at the then University of Singapore.

In the late 70s, he was secretary general of the Singapore National Union of Journalists and concurrently vice-president and president of the Confederation of Asean Journalists.

Ismail has two other publications to his credit. They are Problems of Elite Cohesion: A Perspective from a Minority Community (Singapore University Press, 1974) and Race, Politics and Moderation A Study of the Malaysian Electoral Process (Times Books International, 1979)

At the inauguration of the annual Asean Awards in Bangkok in 1987 Ismail won the award in the field of Communication.

For more details, please contact Ismail Kassim:

ibekay @ singnet.com.sg or ibikay @ yahoo.co.uk

Coming out soon: Quotable Quotes from A Reporter’s Memoir No Hard Feelings

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1. Getting me through my tribulations this year
2. Helping me settle into my new life
3. Providing me with the opportunity to help another
4. Giving me courage to complete my phd pilot study
5. Keeping me sane
6. Guiding me in passing my driving test in such a short time
7. My new car
8. Giving me breath each day,hour, minute and second

YOU are truly, the ONE and ONLY, always!

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ok so i have decided to turn over a new leaf…. not that i have been bad or anything but just that, i wanna feel positive again and be better at what i do.

why?
i don’t know.
i just felt like it.
i just felt like it’ s time to change.
i just felt like publishing anew.
i just felt like adding to the heap of information on this world we call the world wide web.

am i dumping of am i creating?
am i creating chaos or providing certainty?

i leave it up to you to decide.
I leave it to you to judge.
i leave it to you to assume.
i leave it to you to criticise.
i leave it to you to feel what you want to feel.

keep reading if you want to.
leave if you need to.
stay if you feel like it.
i’ll be here always.

i won’t go away…

cos i’m turning over a new leaf…

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my colleague designed this animated card for me… it’s so cool and I just had to share it! Make sure you got your volume up…

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Hey folks,

Monty the Vader Monster has a new home. I decided to move it to a picasaweb gallery instead to keep my site more for educational. So, if you are interested to see Monty’s progress, follow this link from now on: http://picasaweb.google.com/monty400

Cheers!

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Ok so I’m rather disappointed cos for the first time ever I’m not able to install a plugin I’d like to use. The hosting company replied to say that the php upgrade can’t be done yet. Here’s what they replied:

It is not currently possible to perform the upgrade, as there are many applications running on the server on PHP 4.4.3. Before an upgrade our administrators would need to perform thorough testing to ensure all is compatible. We will inform you if it is possible to install PHP5 in the future.

We apologize for the inconvenience.

Unfortunately I will have to abide for now cos I do like the hosting company and they charge real cheap too. Well, one can’t have everything…

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It’s been a while since I wrote. But I stumbled across the story I wrote for SIF on my trip to Bhutan last year. There’s a typo in the printed date. Should’ve been 2007 instead of 2006. Anyway, it’s still nice to see it published on SIF’s website.

Here’s the link:

http://www.sif.org.sg/en/feature-stories/an-it-heartware-upgrade-insights-from-an-svo-volunteer.html

I visited Bhutan again late Feb 2008. This time I was in Paro the whole time. I’ll post pictures when I get them all digitised and selected.

Some interesting things are happening in my life now but nothing is concrete yet. I’ll share more in due time.

Cheers and be generous with your smiles.

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I have taken thousands of photos last year but have yet to organise and publish them. I’m just overwhelmed like this pic taken at Schloss Ambras Castle in Innsbruck, Austria.

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It’s a beautiful first day of the year. The sun is out but not too strong and the wind is blowing gently, providing a nice cool breeze. A perfect combination for what promises to be a great start to the new year. I’m hanging out at West Coast Park to take some pictures and relax at McCafe for a good cup of latte, observing the beauty that surrounds me. It’s quite an atmosphere here.

Families are out having a ball of a time, especially the kids. You see dogs of all kinds and even a cockatoo perched on its owner’s shoulder, all in celebration of this new year. Watching the joy and happiness bursting out from the kids is just so refreshing. They are screaming, laughing out loud and daring each other to climb higher up the “rope tower” and to speed down the flying fox faster than the rest. While most parents keep a close watch at their precious ones, some just won’t take the chance and so they stay glued to their kids every step of the way.

The less adventurous ones are seen on the open field throwing frisbees and kite-flying. Kites of all sizes and colours are flying on differing heights while some just can’t seem to lift off the ground. Nevertheless, the spirit of fun spurs them on to try and try again and a glimpse of height would evoke loud laughters from the flyers. Come tomorrow, it’s back to work for the adults and school for the kids. Fun and laughter takes on a different mode and for some, they wait with bated breath for the weekend to come to have the time of their lives once again.

So what will I be up to this glorious 2008? For starters, I need to get my act going with my PhD proposal and to sign on the dotted line as a student of the University of Leicester. Next on the list is to get a flat of my own. Preferably a 4-room flat in the west with enough room for me and my cats. Somewhere quiet with a nice view of greenery. I need a change in work environment too. So I’m looking out for an academic position to start a new chapter in my work life. I think that should keep me going for this year. I’d like to work on my music again. I used to write quite a bit of music and play a lot of guitar but have stopped for a long time. I miss it and so I will pick it up again. I might even sign up for classical guitar lessons to learn new techniques and skills. Maybe I’ll get an iMac to do all my recording and mixing. Finance will be a little tight due to my PhD, so I got to start spending wisely and not splurge on the unnecessary. But small rewards every now and then do keep the spirits up. People need to feel good every now and then and be able to spoil themselves a little to prevent the curse of the stress that often creeps, in this fast-paced environment in little island, Singapore.

My resolution… to do well in my studies and work. Do not sweat on the small stuff. Take life as it comes and deal with stresses calmly. Be healthy, happy and to give love generously.

Have a great 2008 everyone. Cheers!

Click here for more pictures.

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