AKADEMI FANTASIA – Wining Fantasy…For Women

Last Saturday was the Akademi Fantasia 4 (AF4) final. I didn’t watch the whole show because as most people who are familiar with this reality series, this season was not as interesting as the previous ones.

Furthermore, it’s getting more and more irritating to know the results of who made it and who didn’t. There’s a difference between wanting to infuse an air of suspense and irritating the audience/viewers. There is no reason to waste precious time in taking what feels like an hour to bring out a contestant’s suitcase, neither is it suspenseful to take 30 minutes to announce who’s going home.

But like the other seasons, the winner this time for the fourth cycle is a man. Will a woman ever win this show – the kind where the winner is totally determined by the votes from the Malaysian viewers tuning in? I doubt it.

I say this because, it is in my opinion that most Malaysians are unable to spot talent and will probably vote based on the character and background of the contestant rather that whatever talent is possessed.

In the case of having a female contestant win, this would perhaps be possible only if the male contestants are ugly, aren’t nice, and if they are from comfortable backgrounds. Even something like this might work, “he’s cute and comes from Felda, let’s give him a chance and vote for him” or “let’s vote for this contestant who is a single parent”.

This had led me to think that some Malaysian audiences/viewers who follow shows like this vote based on the “Kesian Factor”. In addition to this, my gut feeling tells me that most of the voters are female. Who won the 2nd Malaysian idol? I rest my case.

But hopefully with more channels like 8TV plus the affordability of subscribing to Astro, Malaysians will be able to experience singers and musicians of various genres from around the world, and not just the wedding “kugiran” bands, ghazal bands or even “Pertanding Karaoke Peringkat Daerah Parit Sulong” (village karaoke contest) or Chinese opera.

At this moment, I feel if there are 10 contestants participating in AF, all of which are female and a singular male contestant who has the “looks” and “talents” of William Hung (The guy who shot to fame with a very bad rendition of Ricky Martin’s “She Bangs” on American Idol), I’ll not be surprised if this male contestants wins.




William Hung was furious after he found out he was not eligible to take part in Akademi Fantasia.




Click here for Akademi Fantasia Entry Requirements & Eligibility

Tiny Minded Creatures

Total Online Earning: $7.96

Today I want to share my thoughts about Tiny Minded Creatures. Creatures whose minds are so small you can’t see it under a microscope. They’re extremely hard to understand and they irritate you. I’m sure most of you have encountered these creatures. No, it's not the dog. I’m referring to hypocrites who like to correct other people’s life as if their lives are so great. Usually they are your “friends” who are really “concerned” about you and love to give advice.

Of late, my Muslim “friends” have been very “concerned” about me because I have a dog. I’m a Muslim and I have a dog, Flip Jack. Last week, my ex-girlfriend called (after I made it clear I don’t want to talk or see her anymore), asking me to keep the dog outside the house. According to her, angels will not enter the house if there is a dog inside. Another “friend” even suggested finding another home for the dog! I was really pissed off and irritated when I heard this.

I’ve never heard about Muslims being unable to rear dogs. What I know is if you touch a dog and the dog is wet, then you must clean yourself in a certain way. To prove this point, my partner and I searched the internet to learn more about the mention of dogs in Islam. Below is a part of an article by Dr. Ayoub M. Banderker (BVMCh) who is a veterinary surgeon.

“Every animal has been created for a purpose. It is a duty upon every human being to respect Allah’s creation. If we ill-treat any of His creation, we will be questioned about it on the Day of Judgment. Sayyidina ’Umar (ra) was very concerned about the animals during his rule as Amir or head of the Islamic empire.

Let me clarify a few myths and make a few points:
1. It is NOT haraam to own a dog, though it is not hygienic to keep a dog in the house.

2. It is NOT haraam to touch a dog or any other animal. If the saliva of a dog touches you or any part of your clothing, then it is required of you to wash the body part touched and the item of clothing touched by the dog’s mouth or snout.

3. It is incumbent upon all Muslims who own animals, whether for farming or work purposes or as pets, to provide adequate shelter, food, water, and, when needed, veterinary care for their animals. Arrangements must be made, if one is going to be away from home, to have one’s animals taken care of as well.

4. It is haraam to keep a dog or any other animal on a short lead for long periods without food, water, and shelter. Dogs need exercise and are social creatures who form organized “family” structures in nature. Dog owners therefore need to spend time daily with their dogs.

5. It is cruel, and therefore haraam, to keep any animal in a cage so small that it cannot behave in a natural way.

6. Fireworks cause untold suffering to most domestic animals because of their acute sense of hearing.

7. It is haraam to participate in any blood “sport,” like dog fighting and trophy hunting. "

It is a big responsibility to have pets. Bigger responsibility for Muslims to have dogs as pets because they have to do more cleaning and have to make sure the dogs do not enter certain areas like the prayer room and kitchen. However, I’m so fortunate to have a partner who understands these requirements. I can’t thank her enough for cleaning the house and making sure Flip only roams and plays at certain designated areas.

We live in a double-storey house. Flip is not allowed to go to the second floor and kitchen. He sleeps outside. Most of the time he plays in the garden. We let him in when it rains or when it’s too hot outside. I have enough questions to answer during Judgement Day. I hope ill-treating my pets is not one of them.

Do my “friends” know this? No. Because they don’t ask how my partner and I take care of Flip. They went straight to suggest that Flip be given away. This really irritates me. However, I won’t be irritated this much if this advice came from someone who really follows the Islamic laws.

From the way I see it, for them, having a dog, as a pet, is much worse than adultery and having sex before marriage. If you really follow Islamic rules, it is not allowed for the opposite sex who is not muhrim (may marry) to touch each other, even holding hands. They don’t seem really concern about that. It’s cool to hold your boyfriend’s hands or his penis, but it is not ok for me to have a dog. Which Islamic School teaches you this? I wonder how these people got through university.

Before you tell me that angel doesn’t come into my house because I have a dog, think about your house (or hotel rooms you went into before). Yes, I’m sure there are many angels hovering over you when you are having sex with your boyfriend or girlfriend, because one is not enough to write down what your sins are. I rather not have an angel come into my house than to have them inside recording more sins than indulgence.

May God Bless Us All.

For more related articles, please go to http://islamicconcern.com/dogs.asp

Addition to the family!!










El Sancho Puente

Chetz
http://www.cupidcounty.com

Something about Life

Total Online Earning: $7.96

I had an argument with my partner last night due to a misundertanding. I thought she was angry at me, but instead she was angry at my tiny minded friends. It started when she misunderstood what I said. I feel I don’t speak the language very fluently, in addition to the fact that I speak softly and this has led to people misunderstanding what I’m trying to say. I rather write than speak. Sometimes I’m afraid to speak. I’m worried my words will hurt or offend other people, especially the ones I love. Anyway, on my way home for lunch, I thought about what happened, not just last night, but other arguments I could remember. They were mostly because of miscommunication. Our actions and words hurt each other. But at that point, we didn’t know we were hurting each other, because I thought what I did was right at that moment. Most of us have heard the saying that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. Not just beauty guys. Everything. What you see or think is happening might not be the same as what you partner sees or thinks. Even after the argument, you talk about it and you still think you’re right, but remember most of the time she also still thinks she’s right because that’s how she thinks, that her belief. We might react differently at the same situation. Previously, when my partner was quiet, I thought she was angry at me because my grandma’s like that when she was angry with me. She would give me silent treatment. Another good example are my aunts. My Aunt Urip (not her real name) is soft spoken. Similar like my grandma, she will give the silent treatment when she’s angry. Unlike my Aunt Pucuk (not her real name also), she’s a bit loud and bad tempered. If she’s angry she’d scream at her children. So, if my Aunt Urip is quiet, her children would be worried, but, if my Aunt Pucuk is quiet, her children will be jumpin’ up and down happily. These are my aunts, brought up by the same parents. Imagine that you were brought up by Aunt Pucuk and your spouse was brought by Aunt Urip. Both of you will react differently at the same situation, won’t you? Last night, eventhough my partner clearly said that she was not angry at me, but the way she looked at me and her voice when she spoke was similar to my Aunt Pucuk when she was angry at her sons. Therefore, I believe in the saying that actions speak louder than words. Well, my Aunt Pucuk is much much louder though. Hmmm, and my Aunt’s eyes are much bigger. Anyway, although my partner didn’t scream and shout at me, she didn’t look at me and talk to me like she normally would. I’ve been with my partner for nearly five months. There are lots of things I don’t know and understand about her and vice versa. I’m sure in the future we will hurt each other. But I know she loves me so much and she knows I love her so much that even if we hurt each other, it’s not intentional as we are both always making concious effort not to do so and not to repeat past mistakes. We are different. We will recover knowing each other better. Learning what the other likes and dislikes. Relationship and life in general is trial and error. You try your best, if you or your partner still gets hurt, learn from it. If there’s so much love and respect for each other, we’ll be happy. The happiness is infinite that the hurt can be ignored (speaking mathematically).

Life = Happiness/Pain
If Happiness -> Infinity
Then Pain -> 0

I’m gonna stop for now. We’re going for caramel latte. I’ll continue later about what actually my partner was angry about. Stay tuned for my Tiny Weeny Minded Creatures story.

Chetz
http://www.cupidcounty.com

My 1st House Warming and BBQ

Total Online Earning: $5.45

Last Saturday I hosted my very first House Warming. My partner and I decided to have us a BBQ. Fortunately, unlike me, my partner can cook and is BBQ and house warming savvy. My BBQ experience before this, has been limited to standing beside the pit and saying, “I want that one please”. But last weekend, I got the chance to assemble our new BBQ pit! It was really fun assembling it with the help of my dog, Flip, and a few mosquitoes. I would like to share with you what I’ve learnt from my 1st BBQ experience. Today, let me give you some tips on assembling a BBQ pit.

Lesson 1: Before Taking the BBQ Pit Out of the Box.

1. Make sure the area where you are going to assemble the BBQ pit is big enough for you to put all the parts.
2. If you have pets, you can either:
a. Assemble the pit in a room or area where your pets cannot gain access to it.
b. Assemble the pit on a table where your pet cannot reach it (I assembled mine in my car booth).
c. Put your pets in their cage/cages.
d. Have your partner entertain your pet (Caution: Later you might have to entertain your partner because of this. If you want to avoid this, go with option a-c).
Pets are very curious and helpful creatures. Besides that, bolts and nuts might look like Cheerios to them. This is to ensure their safety and a short assembling time.
3. If there are many mosquitoes at your home, smear on some insect repellant or light mosquito coils before you start working on the pit. This is not to ensure the safety of the mosquitoes but to reduce assembling time and to prevent Dengue fever.
4. Have a screwdriver. Most of the time screwdriver is not included in the box. If you don’t have one, you’re screwed.


That’s all for today. Stay tuned for my BBQ Lesson 2, After Taking the BBQ Pit Out of the Box. Until then, take care!

Today is Wednesday

Total Online Earnings: $5.45

Today is Wednesday. I hate Wednesdays. I also hate Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Friday is not that bad I guess. However, although yesterday was Tuesday, I like yesterday’s Tuesday because it was Valentine’s Day. And I got to spend it with my partner. Yesterday was the first Valentine’s Day which I actually spent with someone I love and who loves me back. It was great! I wish I could do it again today… and tomorrow… and the day after that. But demmit!! Right now I can only wish. I noticed, after I met my partner and started spending more time with her, the more I have come to hate Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. I also started to hate Fridays. Now I hate my weekdays more than before. Damn you Weekdays! Previously I hated weekdays because I don’t like to go to work. Now I hate weekdays because I don’t like to go to work AND I can’t spend time with my partner! Damn you weekdays!!! Damn you!!! I’ve always wanted to quit my job and do what I want. But that didn’t happen. Maybe I don’t hate going to the office enough to quit my job. Or actually I don’t really know what I want to do if I do quit my job. Or maybe, both. My partner asked me what I would do if I’m not working. What my day would be like. I wasn’t really sure of the answer to that. But now I am. So, I believe I’m not that far off from the day I can quit going to the office because now I hate it enough and I know what I’m going to do with my day if I’m not working for someone else.

I will spend the day to make you happy, Aneesa.

Day - 38: Dream Come True.

Total Online Earning: $5.45.

My dream came true!!! Thirty-eight days have passed since I was supposed to have tendered my letter of resignation.. You may wonder what happened. You might also wonder, how the hell could I possibly quit my job when my total online earnings stands at the grand total of $5.45. No, I’m not trying to run away from paying tax guys. I didn’t quit my job. That dream has not been realized yet, but, my ultimate dream has already come true.

I fell in love. The last time I fell in love was eight years ago. At one point I lost faith in finding the love of my life, my soulmate. I’m not the type who easily falls in love. Friends have said I’m too choosy, my standards are too high. Hey, I’m not going to chase the next available breathing mammal. I’m Taurean. I will not commit myself to a partner until I’m really sure of my choice, untill I know in my heart that I can be with her for the rest of my life.
Anyway, a few months ago, I realized that I was falling in love. She was the first thing on my mind when I woke up and the last thought before I fell asleep. I was happy just looking at her, hearing her voice. I got very excited just seeing her online. Sometimes I would wait for her to say “hi” to me first so it wouldn’t be obvious that I liked her.

I was very happy when I received sms-es from her. So, what’s the difference between liking someone and falling in love with someone? She was actually with someone when I fell in love with her. I realized that I fell in love with her one nite when I was at her house. I saw her with her partner. Suddently, I felt like someone stabbed me in my chest, and I could feel the pain spreading slowly from the chest to my brain and to my toes. It was hard to breathe. I wanted to run out of the house and drive back to Kulim. But of course I didn’t do that. I just stood up, said I was tired and wanted to go home. I walked out of the door instead of running.

To make long story short, she fell in love with me too. We are together now. She’s the best gift I’ve ever received. I will not trade her for any of my other dreams. She’s my ultimate dream. I will not exchange her for 10 billion dollars, a BMW 5 series, a luxurious house facing the sea or even Angelina Jolie. Every time I look at her, I felt blessed. I would like to tell you more, but I right now I want to stop typing and spend my time with my beloved wife.

Aneesa, I love you so very much.