It’s one of those things. You have a co-worker that you have had
frequent run-ins with. Then in a Christmas draw, whose name did you
pick out of the hat to buy a gift for but hers!  

There is a God for sure, and he has a sense of humour.

So I’ve seen The Incredibles. It had a good buzz and I think the movie lived up to it – sort of. Never mind that it’s derivative and all. If there’s anything to read between the lines, it’s this: the fight against forces threatening to break up a family is just as important as saving the world from destruction. (Doesn’t that sound so much like Robert Rodriguez’s Spy Kids?) 

The tug-of-war between the rights or needs of an individual and the interest of the many is a familiar tale, but what separates a dysfunctional family from the healthy is the way it pulls together - and keeps together. What every member in that family invests in the home to make it work is key, and even a family with incredible super powers is not exempt from such a responsibility!

As much as I like Incredibles, I think it will take more than super powers to unseat my all time Pixar favourite (or favourites) - Toy Story and Toy Story 2. Now these 2 movies were highly entertaining and deeply profound too. Monsters Inc was original, tender, and fun, and it’s a close second. What’s your favourite Pixar movie?

Just the right read for the season. I first heard of the movie starring Martin Sheen called The Fourth Wiseman (2000) some time ago and have been intrigued by the premise in the story ever since. Haven’t been able to lay my hands on the DVD, but then last night I found the book in a Pay Less Bookstore, titled The Story of the Other Wise Man. What a tale, written with a lot of heart and insight! That this inspirational fable was written in 1896 by Henry Van Dyke and remains a family favourite today is testimony to its timeless appeal.

The titular “Fourth Wiseman” Artaban reads the signs in the stars, sells everything he owns to join the fabled Three Wisemen’s quest for the newborn Jesus.  But he misses his appointment and is forced to journey alone through Nazareth and Egypt. Although he missed Joseph and Mary and the baby Jesus, many years later he learns an important lesson:  it’s not just the Christ you seek, but the Christ you meet in the destitute and the suffering that is at the heart of Christmas.

Bloomberg columnist William Pesek Jr. has a sharp eye. Reporting on the just convened ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Conference in Vientiane, Laos, he writes:

"Asia has a particular talent for airbrushing cities when hosting international events. Build a new road here, put a fresh coat of paint there, relocate hawker stalls, close adult entertainment spots and, presto, you've drastically altered a city's complexion for a few days."

That only Asian countries whitewash their cities in advance of international events is moot, but I can’t shake off the feeling that the concept of 'face' is probably the reason why standards, quality, and efficiency are merely skin deep in this Asian country, Malaysia. Maybe I’m a little too quick to judge, because I’m sure the powers-that-be would agree that ensuring high standards are just as essential to face-saving. So can we please see more action then?

I’m tired of hearing the mantra that KL has "first world structures but third world mentality." Oh, thanks for that tip-off. As much as I agree with it, I am also embarrassed that we blithely admit to an edifice complex that has spawned buildings and infrastructure that look good but are shamefully maintained. 

Why do we have to tolerate these things? Why should taxpayers pay for shoddy work, tolerate breakdowns, and live with uncollected trash and rubbish-clogged monsoon drains? Why do we let hawkers and night stall operators take over sidewalks and roads and litter our neighbourhoods? Is there perhaps a tragic correlation between our dreadful maintenance culture and a religiosity that celebrates externals and outward appearances? 

William Hung was in town the other day, performing in Gentings with a comedy act from neighbouring Singapore. Ads in the papers had the man cupping his cherubic face smiling in all his bucktoothy glory. No, I wasn’t there, but I hear it was a sell-out crowd of 4000 and the audience sang along to every off-key note.  

What’s there not to like about William Hung? Right now, the press is talking about American Idol winners (like Kelly Clarkson) whose CDs are losing their Idol glitter even as other contestants and wannabes have quietly made peace with their 15 minutes.

Not William. He must have rhino hide to trade on his rejection and continue bangin’ all the way to the bank!  This guy could laugh at himself and therein lies the secret. So he didn’t have "professional training in singing," but his success (how else to call it?) is testimony to a large dose of confidence and shrewd business acumen. To a generation of whinging and whining young people, William Hung is an example of how NOT to live like a victim. Instead he's hitched a ride on a shooting star and chased after a dream.  

Sure, his star isn’t going to shine forever, but at least, he isn’t likely to sit on his butt reminiscing, “I coulda been a contender.” He went for it, making him one of the most memorable and likeable Idol dropouts we’ve seen so far.  Isn’t that something our kids can learn from?

Pix credit: www.xanga.com/home. aspx?user=mekakitsune

Free paper The Sun carried an article about
homeschooling in Malaysia. This followed calls by their journalist to talk to me saying the
only contacts she had been given were students enrolled in a “homeschooling”
centre (sadly a term perpetuated by certain pastors promoting their learning
centres, mostly using Alpha-Omega curriculum). 
Although our family has been featured once too often, I felt an
obligation to once again explain what it is we homeschoolers actually do.

But the situation has changed since our story
and photos last graced the local press: Malaysia
reviewed its laws on education and passed a new bill in 2003 making attendance
in a school (public or private) mandatory for the first 6 years, starting when
a child becomes 7 years old. 

That caused quite a stir considering we met
with the previous Minister of Education in 2002 to talk about the viability and
legitimacy of homeschool. Never mind that he expressed support (provided
homeschoolers applied for exemption). Now that he has been replaced and the
Education Act revised, parents applying for exemption have been running into a brick
wall.  It seems you now can only homeschool
if your child has a medically certified disability.

My advice to new
homeschoolers since then has been to keep their heads down and follow their
conscience. Although my boys are in the clear (they’re
14 and 12) there’s only this much one can do when education is a hot button
here.

There’s good reasons when you consider (among other things) that hundreds of thousands of
muslim students are enrolled in private (some unrecognised) fundamentalist religious
schools that has the Quran as their only curriculum, and the elected ‘liberal’ Government
a convenient whipping boy (ie, not Islamic enough). At one time detained Indonesian
cleric Bashir, mentioned in connection with the Bali and Marriot Hotel bombing,
operated one such Islamic boarding school in Malaysia.  

That was bad news. Which led former PM Dr
Mahathir to denounce these religious centres’ anti-national ideology and
initiate an unpopular drive to dismantle their influence. A national Christian leader
once told me privately that I should hold off promoting homeschool when the
church had more pressing issues to take care of. “Homeschooling is good, but why
rock the boat unnecessarily?” he said.

Nevertheless, homeschool’s here to stay.
Our kids are growing up, some entering college. As a homeschool advocate, the
road ahead is not going to be an easy one, but more so for new families taking
the plunge. Now that the stakes have gone up, it means you really want to be
sure you mean what you are doing when you pull your kids out of conventional
schools. My prayer  is that we'll be able to stand by them if the need should arise, and the going gets tough.

I enjoyed Marvel's 1602 tremendously. 1602 is a satisfying read and ranks up there with the best of graphic novels and comics miniseries. The visual treatment, plot, and language are stellar, and they only affirm my belief that comics are valid works of art and literature. I like the way Neil Gaiman (Sandman series) has transposed familiar Marvel superheroes back to Elizabethan times. It’s a brilliant extrapolation of the genre, breathing even more life into familiar 2-dimensional characters. You know what they say about character – throw someone into unfamiliar territory or some trying circumstances, and you’ll see the stuff he’s made of. Jean Grey’s death in particular was sensitively written. Familiarity with the Marvel universe goes a long way to double your reading pleasure. And if the way the story is resolved goes over your head, think Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time.

Some other graphic novels and miniseries I’ve enjoyed:

Watchmen: Alan Moore’s big stab at immortality changed the way people looked at comics. A redefinition of superheroics and an exploration of mortality. Okay the panels are rather, er, flat, when you consider how far we’ve come. As Gaiman said in 1602, Watchmen was a lesson in what NOT to do when drawing comics.

V for Vendetta: A vigilante dressed as Guy Fawkes is loose in totalitarian England. Moody and claustrophobic. Probably the most political of Alan Moore’s graphic works.

Batman Hush 1 & 2: Heroes and villains step into the arena in a bold, gritty, brawl. Although essentially an excuse for a big punch-up (with a slightly disappointing conclusion), it stays close to the Batman mythos and qualifies as an interesting read.

Batman Knightfall/Knights End/Sword of Azrael: I know there’s a bunch of comics here, but they’re interrelated. Almost three years in the telling - Batman breaks his back, Azrael steps into Batman’s shoes, Azrael goes berserk (well, almost), Batman reclaims his mantle. Some parts get draggy, (also the multiple-artwork style gets distracting), but the story is engaging nevertheless. The Sword of Azrael arc to me is the high point and I think the writing (Quesada) and art (O’ Neil) made the difference.

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (Vol 1): This anachronistic tale of 19^th century characters of literature in modern superhero mode gets high votes from me. Now why didn’t anyone think of this before? Of course it takes the genius of Alan Moore to pull this off with wit and flair. Pity about the big screen treatment though. (And don’t get me started on the crappy comics sequel).

Of course I couldn't leave out Maus by Art Spiegelman and Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, but I've written about them earlier.

Y was articulate and impressive. He loved
movies; he was a certified Trekkie. He had a degree in Psychology from the US and
had been a writer with an internet service provider for the last 3 years. After
interviewing a few candidates, Y was on our shortlist.

So there he was one
month later bright and early and ready to work. Gave him a video script to
write. On the second day, we brainstormed over a new coffee product. I didn’t
have a car that day and so I was on the train home when my mobile buzzed. It was an SMS from Mei, our other writer: “Aaaarrgh, our new writer has just resigned.” That’s
nice.  After 2 days the man leaves.

It’s not the first time it’s happened. Early
this year, an art director who’d picked up his appointment letter from us two months before didn’t appear for
work citing a change of mind.  No apologies. No calls. We had to call him. A few
months following that, a designer also did a David Copperfield on us after 2 interviews and after saying she would
start work in a month. More recently another designer with a great portfolio and
who seemed the perfect find did the turnaround. She too went missing on her
first day of work. 

What’s happening?  Kinda like a bride left standing at the altar. Is it us, or is it them?
It's okay if you change your mind, but to tell us weeks later, and on
the day you are supposed to start work? Someone said that things are
different now. Work ethic, social graces and courtesies, etc. No one
knows what they mean anymore.

Bush won! Boston Globe says "Hatred Lost." With 8 million more votes than his 2000 win, Bush has got the highest number of votes ever in US election history.

Picked this up just awhile ago - hat tip to Dave Tufte -  written in 1999.
Great men do not always make great presidents, so says history professor Alonzo Hamby, and not all leaders seize opportunities to demonstrate their greatness. "The Great Engineer, Herbert Hoover, took the oath of office in 1929 as
the most admired politician in America and left four years later at the
depth of the Great Depression as its most reviled."

What legacy will Bush leave behind now that he's been given another four years? Charles Colson looks beyond the vote: "The
kingdom of  God will not arrive on Air Force One no matter how good
the president’s character or great his ability." 

little green footballs
is saying it's a time for rejoicing! There's more red than blue at the
tail end of the most watched election in the world, and for 
Bushies the celebration has started. lgf
has some of the most amazing comments - 1379 in all - ranging from the
magnanimous to the profane. Media guys and hollywood aren't taking it
well; someone said they look like their pet died. Let's see how the
papers will report this tomorrow.

Here's a joke about a Senator and St Peter which I got from chronwatch
It's called, "Yesterday we were campaigning."  Real funny!