Keep on Writing

My younger sister is a PhD holder and she has an advise for me (and all candidates): just write something every day. Never stop. I find this one of the hardest thing to do. I get exhausted by the end of the working day and my brain refused to work. Especially post covid-19, my body protests whenever I want to do PhD work. Maybe now I should exercise mindfulness and positive thinking and motivational hat-have-yous.

Jason my supervisor is ever-so-thoughtful and supportive throughout the process. I have to keep going, no matter how hard it gets. This is probably courage. Hopefully I have enough of it to keep going 💪💪💪

The Final Appeal

Our former Prime Minister was convicted in a corruption case and his final appeal in the Federal Court was unsuccessful https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2022/08/23/najib-fails-in-final-src-international-appeal-as-federal-court-upholds-conviction-and-sentence/24290. 

He now spends his days in Kajang prison, part of a 12-year imprisonment https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2022/08/23/najib-arrives-at-kajang-prison/

There were accusations that the Federal Court were unjust in their decisions > I will not write about this.

There were insinuations that the prisoner received special treatment > I will not write about this either.

What I found striking after the verdict was the fervour exhibited by his supporters. It is reminiscent of  the footage of  (Junior) Marcos' win in Philippines. My mind boggles on the sight. 

In our PM's case, the highest court of the land has confirmed the guilty verdict i.e. he had done something wrong. As for Marcos Jr, maybe the countrymen are too young to remember the damage caused by Marcos Sr when he was in power. The sense of good vs bad. No matter what anyone says, I think the supporters will continue believing these folks are their saviours. There is no rhyme or reason behind such behaviour. I hope when push comes to shove, there are more reasonable and rational people (rooting for the country) than not. But then again, weird things do happen such as Trump becoming President.. so help us all!

My Covid-19 Journey

I had contracted covid-19 and was quarantined from the 19th to 25th August 2022.

This was my covid-19 experience:

15 Aug 2022 (Monday): contact with covid-19 confirmed case > she found out on Tuesday 16 Aug 2022

17 Aug 2022 (Wednesday): felt feverish but no temperature; self-tested with RTK; negative result

18 Aug 2022 (Thursday): started coughing and had the sniffles but was under a false sense of security due to the negative result the previous day

19 Aug 2022 (Friday): the fever got worse (but strangely, no temperature) and I went to a clinic to rule out dengue fever (because I was shivering) > they asked me to self-test using RTK and it returned positive.

I had not expected that it was covid-19, because I had my sense of taste and smell. There were no joint pains either, and no breathing difficulty. There was that chesty cough though, constant sniffles and a bitter taste in the mouth.

On 19th August the clinic reported my case to the authorities and self-quarantine was imposed. I had to report my status via MySejahtera twice daily. Given Cat 2A status.

20 Aug 2022 (Saturday): probably slept 20 out of 24 hours mainly due to fever, flu and cough meds

21 Aug 2022 (Sunday): felt good enough to start working on the PhD and replied to work messages

22 to 25 Aug 2022 (Monday to Thursday): worked from home due to the quarantine.

As of today I am still nursing a mild cough and my voice has not fully recovered. A friend from work suggested me to drink a clove-infused concoction. Will try it later.

I learnt that covid-19 affects different people differently. Hubby had a mild cough and nothing else when he had it in Dec 2020. Another friend was rendered completely immobile from the experience due to fever, lethargy and body pains.

Lucky am I to be healed and alive. My maternal aunt passed away last year, due to covid-19 induced breathing difficulties that she never recovered from. My Allah rest her soul in peace and forgive her for all her sins, aamiin.

For those who walked the path before us

Context:

Colleagues pregnant & giving birth after January 2023 will be entitled to 90 days maternity leave.

I had all my children prior to the amendment (of the Employment Act 1955) and claimed 60 days maternity leave each time.

My maternal and paternal grandmothers (Tok Mek & Embah Wedok) had no such thing as maternity leave. After a 40-day recuperation, they would have brought their newborns to work on the paddy fields and plantations using a 'baby carrier' fashioned from unstitched batik, tied to their backs. How about that?

It is true that those who walked the hard path prior, paved a better way for all of us. 

Just Saying

Foreign-born children to Malaysian mums (and non-Malaysian dads) do not automatically receive Malaysian citizenship.

Yes the mums may apply and appeal consistently for their child(ren)'s Malaysian citizenship, but what are the chances of getting one? And what's the benefit?

A friend of mine married a British and their children carry the UK passport. She has openly written in FB that she is not hard up for Malaysian citizenship for her children.

The problem may arise in cases such as this one: https://www.bernama.com/en/b_focus/news.php?id=2017939. Italian dad + Malaysian mum divorced. Child returns to Malaysia with mom after divorce. Child is an Italian citizen and mom needs to communicate constantly with her ex-husband whenever she wants to renew the child's passport. 

Malaysia has strict citizenship requirements. Many born from Malaysian mums still await their Malaysian IC even after so many years. What gives? Are we not the land of opportunity? At least we're consistent = denial for ALL cases regardless of religion/ race.

Decentraland: How to differentiate reality from virtual

The metaverse: erasing the distinction between real & virtual?

It in an interesting new frontier:

- CGI models: no tantrums or special treatments

- A world that mirrors the real world, or not > you are free to choose

- An extension of the "market" for products

- Possibility of learning, teaching & training creatively

- Never grow old & and look the way you want all the time!

- "Feel" as you would in the real world, using haptic devices

Some legal issues may arise:

- intellectual property ownership, especially for fan-created content

- if 'harm' is done online, will it be legally actionable offline?

- what rights of 'ownership' exist in the metaverse (or what is "property"?)

Personally I think the metaverse will be an interesting platform, filled with possibilities.

Although a unified law is ideal, it may not be fully possible. Look at the Internet and talks about "sovereignty" (should the Internet have a common law?) > it may not ever happen because the Internet is better off not defined by the idea of "State" > it is borderless and shall remain so forever.

Live Forever?

The metaverse seems very alluring and promising. Digital worlds can be 1000 times more exciting than the real world. We never gain weight, we do not age, our houses never get dusty or messy (unless we want it to). We can leave the world alone and if you have built-in AI, you can basically programme your avatar to do anything you want: from doing a craft project to building a whole city.

The world of metaverse is attractive that way. I get it.

Kids: how will they manage their real lives vs virtual/ mixed reality?

Roblox > training ground for kids. 

Second Life > training ground for adults. 

The visuals, especially in Roblox or Minecraft look digital and boxy still, but technology may well soon evolve and create a 'real-looking' world. Look at Final Fantasy in 1997 to the ones now. Enough said

An Opportunity to Live forever in this universe: we have finally found the fountain of youth!

Hang on to your cryptos. It will probably be the next great thing.

These folks need money to spend don't they?

Why is Power so Enticing?

Imran Khan won't leave without a fight

Jokowi proposing to extend term

Mahathir in power almost as long as he is alive

Marcos and his family reign in the Philippines

Idi Amin and dictatorship

Same sorts of people? I don't think so. Some have achieved great things in their countries, while some have left their countries in ruin.

Not in the same breath? Or are they?

Those in power have great responsibility. The people trusts leaders to take care of the citizens' and the country's best interest. I can see how power is so enticing, and how hard it is to maintain your core morality amidst everything. This is why check and balance is super important. Someone has to speak up for the voiceless. Questions can be asked to leadership, to put them to task.

Is there a job for "The World's Problem Solver"?

There's a kid called Francis in Disney's animated series "Recess" who sells stuff to other kids. Things they need or want. He will have it, or find ways to get it. The Hustler, they had called him

Source: https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Hustler_Kid?file=239238939.jpg

Main Page: https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Hustler_Kid

A friend of ours from school wanted to be a "sustainability consultant/ expert/ researcher" (he hasn't decided yet), and hubby somewhat was roped in for his connections (rather, for the names in his phone list 😂). I happened to join them for brunch one day and as with these "ventures/ stories/ tales" I get roped in too. 

My take on this: as a honorary unpaid advisor, I think he should explore this thing more and align his 'brand' to this venture. His IG is mainly about his VW restoration work and gatherings. His linkedin is still on his last job with the State Government. There is no indicator of the 'sustainability' spin.

I wish I can do this as a career. Giving advice and helping people find their "thing". Need to do this with the children first, before moving on to the general public.

50km Virtual Run

This virtual run was initiated by the Ansara Team to commemorate our 50th year anniversary.

The direct effect: we competed for distance, we wake up in the morning pushing ourselves to walk/ run.

The indirect effect: I feel like I am I losing weight (although I am not); feel more energetic too.

The moral of the story: exercise is good for you 😎

[Proviso: I don't exercise as much as I would like to, but when I have the drive I try to do something lah]

Trust me and argue with me

My children were taught to argue with me. Not in a rude defiant way but rather in rationalising their points and defending the merits of their claims. 

When it comes to husband and wife relationship, I do prefer to have a similar interaction. It is lovely when we can debate and discuss without getting into petty heated bickering. And it is indeed MILES better that keeping quiet for years and taking off when you can't handle it anymore. The latter is too hard to fix. Giving up and starting over is easier.

"A lifetime is too long"

This feed came to my FB page a few days ago https://ms-my.facebook.com/PuanDLyeaniz/posts/kerana-seumur-hidup-itu-terlalu-lama/3304186006367089/

Written in Indonesian language, it was a post by a person who reflected on his mom's divorce with his dad when he was 12. His granny was upset when mom made the decision, because granny saw nothing wrong with his dad. When he asked his mom why (the divorce), mom replied with "You have to understand me. A lifetime is too long". He did not understand.

He was 16 when mom remarried. From his lens as a son, he saw the relationship between his mom and stepfather; and can't help but compare it with his mom and dad's relationship. How his stepfather helped mom with her flower pots and around the house; how he was there when she was in the hospital and their overall conversations and interactions.

As an adult he understood how "a lifetime is too long" to spend being unhappy (with his dad).

There were some feedback that this post is permissive of divorce, however I see it as a child trying to understand (then) and realising his mom's truth many years after. It is also about relationships. Many are lucky to have found that person the first time they looked; while those not so lucky are sometimes given another chance. It's all good I think. We live and we learn.

Evidence

As I traverse the journey that is PhD, I increasingly find myself doing more of writing & finding support. 

Learning law also similar (in a way), in that there is a lot of WHY? Why this? Why that? Even after we have answered the questions (we thought), the lecturer will still ask why the n-th time. 

That was a good practice in my opinion, to seek justice. To question status quo. To consider other points of view. To finally be able to stay put on your opinion after exhaustive inquiry.

Feeling a bit lethargic at the moment, about the PhD. I will find the strength to go on. Why not!

Enough is Enough

When she first married into the British Royal Family I had thought this person represented diversity, and provided hope for happiness after divorce. 

Now that Ms Meghan Markle had become a non-working royal and released her podcasts and interviews, I think she should stop digging.

The Royal Family has not said anything. There is no point responding to a dog barking up a mountain.