Review, please!

These are the facts:

Ayu, (age unknown) - RM 1000 fine and caned four times.
Aishah (18) - Six months jail (wtf), RM 3000 fine and six strokes of the cane.
Nur (age unknown) - 30 days jail and six strokes of the cane.

The public is left to guess and speculate as to why the sentences meted out by the Syariah Court (and it has also not been specified explicitly as to which Syariah Court handed out these condemnable sentences) grotesquely differs from one another. The difference between the sentences is jaw-droppingly illogical yet scarcely anybody (let it be bloggers or columnists or organisations or local leaders) has pointed out this disturbing fact.

Heaviest Sentence for Youngest Offender?

What that leaves me in no peace is that the second offender, eighteen-year-old Aishah (not her real name, understandably) is given the heaviest sentence out of the three highly-debated sentences. Is there any clue (let alone clarification) regarding this fact? No. But the public would like to know why a merely eighteen-year-old, barely legal girl is meted out such a mind-bogglingly heavy sentence of a jail term of six full months (which I assume, is to run consecutively), on top of that a RM 3000 fine (sufficient to feed a family squatting in the poverty line for a month) and of course the six strokes of the cane. I understand that the severity of the Syariah caning differs greatly from judicial caning in terms of intensity and brutality, but still, the appropriateness of sentence meted out, in regard to the offence committed, is, in my opinion, highly-questionable. (for the difference between Syariah caning and judicial caning, kindly refer to this page)

Syariah law overrules Constitution?

It is understood that Malaysia currently practices a dual justice system, and we were taught in secondary school that the Constitution has legal supremacy over any other laws enacted, and that any law that contradicts the Constitution is in itself invalid. Therefore if indeed "it [the sentence] violates Constitutional guarantees of equality and non-discrimination as whipping of women under Shariah Criminal Offences legislation contradicts civil law where women are not punishable by caning under Section 289 of the Criminal Procedure Code." (source: Sisters condemns caning of 3 Muslim women), the authorities would owe the public an explanation as to why this controversial sentence was carried out. Does the Syariah law, has, in reality, legal supremacy over the Constitution?

The Other Party?

Another unanswered question is regarding the other party involved in the case. Here I'm referring to the men involved in the extra-marital affair which caused the three women all the public humiliation and physical pain they could bear. Unless the explanation is that it is only the women that were married and therefore when they engaged in sex with the men (that has not been mentioned in any of the media), they were committing an offense punishable by the Syariah law and that the men they engaged were in fact, all single and unmarried. Where is the men in this case? The total absence of this all-important other party is just baffling. We all know it takes two palms to clap together. The only, fragmentary mention is that while "All three [offenders] were caned at 10am on the same day. Four men were also caned for committing similar offences at the male prison on the same day." (source: NST Online: 3 Muslim women caned for illicit sex) But are the aforesaid men related in any way to this case we're discussing here? This is another vital question that has yet to be answered by the authorities.

In conclusion, there are many gaping loopholes in the sentencing of this case. Thus I'm sure the public would be in favour of a review of this case and it is urged that the three unfortunate women appeal to a higher power to ensure that their rights are well-protected. If this case is to be let hanging (like so many others in this country and elsewhere), it would be the catalyst to spark the Syariah Courts to mete out increasingly heavy (increasingly ridiculous too, not to mention) punishments for such petty offences. I mean, come on, extra-marital sex is immoral but the gravity of the offense is just outrageously disproportionate to the sentence meted out. Extra-marital sex might be immoral, but we have to admit it happens. What the women (and their husbands) need is a marriage counselor! (just my opinion) Shouldn't the authorities focus on rehabilitating them and helping them rebuild their (undeniably) dysfunctional family instead of shattering the already unstable family? A healthy, loving family is the foundation to a harmonious society, we all know that! Thus I strongly urge that this saddening event that has happened to all of us, as a society, would never repeat itself.

p/s: Judicial caning has never caused death, Mr. Muhyiddin, not that I know of. ("While the caning sentence meted out by civil courts can cause hurt and sometimes even death, caning according to Syariah law is light" - source: The Star: Caning of Muslim women was legal: DPM)

This

is how I spend my Chinese New Year this year:

Firstly, I got my heart shattered into pieces one day before the purportedly "auspicious" First Day of CNY. Secondly, I had a really sumptuous Reunion Lunch with my dearest family members. All credits to my mum for preparing the usual, but still, all-important dishes. Photos to be uploaded to Facebook soon =)

Amid the raucous laughter that enveloped the atmosphere at my aunt's house, I still can't help but think about the way you posed for my camera. I still can't help but think about how much happier I would be if you were with me, albeit not physically. I don't wanna believe that we were not meant to be together. I wonder why did you not reply all my messages. I wonder why did you not pick up any of my calls. I wonder how are you spending your Chinese New Year?

Dinner was really awesome. We were treated to a pyrotechnical display of cooking skills by my fourth aunt. She's the man! Each and every dish was really excellently prepared. The wine was superb, too. The desserts, sublime (notably the apple crumble). Ah, the gastronomical delights Chinese New Year brings upon us!

Happy Chinese New Year to all~!

it was exactly what i was dreading. you changed. you chose to forget those times we spent together a day before new year's eve. do you still remember how you used to call me "darling", how you used to call me "dear", how you said you wanna call me "korkor"?

or

do you still remember how you hugged me from behind when i was trying to open the door? do you still remember how you hugged me in the swimming pool when i said i was cold? do you remember how you asked me to hug you from behind in the kitchen? do you remember how we baked the chocolate cake together? do you remember how we kissed, hugging each other?

do you know how much i need you? do you know how important you are to me? do you know how serious i am into our relationship? do you know that i seriously don't need "someone better"? i just need you. i love you. i really really love you. i know you had some feelings for me. i know u believed in our future.

what happened?

you went to NS. you listened to alot of things. you changed. alot.
i should have went with you to NS.

today:
do you know how much effort i put into to make sure you enjoyed yourself today? do you know how much time i spent to prepare for today? do you know how hard i tried to make today a memorable day for us? do you know how much you hurt me when you refused everything i gave you? do you know how much you hurt me everytime you pushed my hand away?

do you know how important you are to me? do you know how deeply you can hurt me? do you know how much i trust you? do you know how pained i was when you were away? do you know how much i really love you?

do you know how much i'm prepared to sacrifice just to be with you? do you how much i want to be with you?

please, darling, i love you.

A Letter to a Friend

Dear friend, I hope this reaches you well.

I was reading your blog the other day, and well, it was kinda sad to see you so depressed and confused over several matters in your life right now.

Yeah, you're not exactly having the best time of your life right now (which you should be). In fact, you should be enjoying your three-month break from studies immensely 'cause vacations like this won't come by in the near future anymore. Sadly, you've been caught up with an unfortunate fever and also several issues which you have been having complicated thoughts about.

First of all I really hope that you recover fully from your sickness before the eve of Chinese New Year so that you can enjoy quality time with your family and all. Also I hope that you take care of your health especially when you're flying to somewhere humid and cold. Don't eat too much mandarin oranges!

The Meaning of CNY:

Furthermore, I too hope that you can fully appreciate and cherish your time with your family this coming Chinese New Year. Although it may not be what you have in mind ideally (with you having your own plans to visit your relatives and friends), but remember that Chinese New Year is actually about being together with your family. That is the actual meaning of Chinese New Year. That is why we have a traditional Reunion Dinner with our family members one day before Chinese New Year.

Don't worry, you might miss out the so-called CNY feel, but keep in mind that family is more meaningful than all those superficial CNY deco, angpows, tv programmes. Those are only skin-deep (but undeniably they play an important role in the celebrations). What is truly important is to treasure the time with your family together. Take it as an opportunity to take a break away from the strained gaiety of celebrations. Be different! Enjoy your holidays at New Zealand, inhale the fresh air, appreciate the calming beauty of nature, quiet your mind and thoughts. And come back a happier, more relaxed person, ok?

What You Want Will Come:

Another thing is to not worry about your bowling issues. You're a really talented bowler. Don't give up so easily just because you're getting a lil' impatient in getting a good-quality ball. Just have a little more patience and trust there someone up there would grant your wish. The good things in life have a more special place in our hearts because they're harder to come by. So don't think of quitting! It's such a waste! You can aspire to be a really skilled player, really.

Here's what you can do: Visualise (imagine) that you're at the bowling alley, and you're holding your own ball. You stare into those bowling pins, then you step forward and hook the ball perfectly. Imagine the high revolution and the satisfying way the ball hooks into the pocket! You don't need to do anything to get what you want, except to imagine it and believe that your imagination will come true. Maybe it sounds absurd to you but it's actually a very well-known and effective method that many many people have been using! You'll just need to have Faith. Ok? So don't give up! You still need to teach me, hehe =P

I really hope this makes you feel better. Cheer up dude! And Happy Chinese New Year!

Which Book?

Okay, so I grossly over-estimated myself. Two pages into "A Tale of Two Cities" and I'm already crushed by it's weighty Victorian overtones. The opening paragraph wasn't too bad: "It was the best of times, it was the worse of times, etc etc". But! After that dramatically declamatory passage, the rest is just (to me) frustratingly incomprehensible. Sigh...

So I conclude to let it stay in my bookshelf for another year while I acquire the necessary literary knowledge to consciously appreciate the towering value of that masterpiece =)

As time goes by, I noticed that the way I approach reading has changed, somewhat subtly. Reading, to many, is a past-time, to be enjoyed at leisure. Many people read for sheer emotional and intellectual gratification, in the sense that they chose books according to their personal taste. Now, that's nothing wrong at all with that, after all, it's an enjoyment, not a chore.

The Choice of Books

But what I really want to talk about is not about the "proper" psychological frame of mind one should be in when reading. What that concerns me is our attitude when it comes to choosing books. Sadly, most people do not place much emphasis on the actual literary value and depth of a book. Instead, many prefer to read books that are well-publicised.

How many people carefully evaluate a book's inner content: the message it carries, the theme it centralises on, the social impact it aims to achieve, and also the writer's penmanship, before spending hard-earned money on it? For example, there has been all this hype about the "Twilight Saga", but technically, it merely falls under the category of "teenage romance". Not that it is an illegitimate genre, but it offers more emotional pleasure than intellectual gain. What can we learn from books like this? How to be a vampire?

Intellect vs Emotions

Nevertheless, we are not robots. We are humans. Highly Emotional beings. Therefore we must strike a reasonably well balance between cold intellect and fiery emotions. The next time you buy a book, ask yourself, is it worth my RM xxx? What can I learn from it? A well-written book will (in most cases), be both satisfying, emotionally and intellectually as well. An oft-repeated notion is that an intellectual work will be generally boring and inaccessible to the reader. This is not true. To those who haven't tried out Indian writers, give them a try! They are the most powerfully descriptive and painfully intellectual group of writers I've ever seen.

So, be wise in choosing your next book!