MMS=Malaysian Mega Sale?

So the Sales are back.

Question: did they ever leave? If I recall correctly, there seemed to be a sale every single month since September last year. In various guises: Raya Sales, Christmas Sales, New Year Sales, Chinese New Year Sales, etc. So does the prefix 'Mega' imply that things will be really, really cheap? Or just another one of those gimmicks Malaysian retailers are so fond of?

But fair enough, off with the cynicism. And in with reality. Can we really afford to be splurging when times are rocky, at best? Yes, I refer to the economy, for those slowly crawling out of their comfortable moss-covered rocks. The Great Economic Slump which has hit almost every country, except Malaysia, if the media is to be believed. I think one can always gauge how bad times are by the paranoia displayed by the average executive. When people are hesitant to even take a valid MC for swine flu (or whatever the gov calls it), you know employers are wielding the axe handily. As The Verve put it so bitterly, "we're a slave to the money, then we die."

Back to the Sales. It appears Mastercard is waxing lyrical about 'generosity without splurging' or something closely related. Yeah, right. Let's see how 'generous' the banks are when they start hounding credit card users for late payments and overdue accounts. Even more incredulous is some banks offering Personal Loans for the shopping season. WTF???

So yeah, despite all the doom and gloom about the threat of a global economic holocaust (softened by the wool that's the AH1N1 outbreak), it's good to know that retail therapy is still being prescribed heartily. Disregard the fact that it is this very therapy which led us all to a mess which even the messianic Obama can't seem to untangle.

But enough of common sense. I'm already eyeing the clothes at Marks & Sparks (wink wink).

worked to death, beaten to death and only paid after death

Okay, yet another Malaysia rant. Bear with me k? Cause I haven't done this in a long while.

I think the growing number of cases involving abused Indonesian maids is highly reflective of the current state of Malaysian society. In general, we've become so fucking absorbed in the rat race, and as a result, have become mightily arrogant. An arrogance that's befitting a collective herd of ignorant, self-centred, narcissistic hypocrites.

And before any of you start huffing and puffing and begin to experience nose-flaring, look at the myriad pictures of the poor abused souls in the local papers (who, incidentally, have stopped any mention of any further maid abuse cases). What on earth gives these fucking sadistic Malaysian sickos the right to treat people like that? And so what if it happens in Singapore, HK and the Middle East? Does it make it justifiable that it happens here too?

And in true Malaysian style, the entire ugly episode first gets distorted, then is promptly swept under the nearest tikar. From addressing the plight of the victims, Malaysians (led by the Man in the Street) started justifying these horrendous acts by highlighting how Indo maids (a) stole from them, (b) ran way, (c) spoke back, (d) fought back, or (e) all of the previous.

So essentially what these pompous pricks are telling is that it's okay to (a) beat the shit out of the maids, (b) pour boiling hot water over them, (c) tan them with an iron, (d) smash their faces into the wall and (e) all of the previous (bonus points for a abuse combo) because they deserve it.

Notice how these abuse cases almost exclusively involve Indonesians. Yet again, since they're perceived to be poorer, some Malaysians think they can treat them like sub-humans. Yet these same scumbags do not have the balls, eggs and whatever else to do the same with Filipinas, for example. Thus it all boils down to playing bully. Pick on those who are meek, and steer away from those who will fight back.

Has the problem been solved? Have the perps been convicted? An overwhelming no. Even better, our inept jokers in power have been busy boasting how Indonesia will suffer because of its ban on sending maids over. The cretin who call themselves 'media' here have been gleefully showcasing how Malaysia is the hub of maids, and how the Indonesian population will be on the losing end for not sending over thousands to the various 'concentration camps' here.

But you know what, this is the Malaysia everyone busy brags about. On one side, you have the white elephants that litter the streets and nooks and crannies in KL, the modern infrastructure, the glitzy clubs and vibrant restaurants. But beneath that facade, a far uglier face manifests itself. Social apathy, unchecked crime, animal cruelty, human cruelty and a host of other infestations.

The article below just goes to prove my point to a tee.

What about employer abuse?

Submitted by pekwan on Friday, July 3rd, 2009

Friday, July 3rd, 2009 03:47:00

I don't mean to sound heartless, but some of these abuse cases are totally over-rated and have been brought up too many times.

Why do we, as Malaysians, care so much about Indonesians? We should be looking out for our own people.

So far, how many abuse cases of Indonesian maids are there - four or five a year?

Now, how many Indonesian maids run away from their employers who spent thousands of ringgit just to get them here? I'm sure it's more than 50 in a year.

Furthermore, the ones that do stay can't even do their jobs right. I mean, how difficult is it keeping a house clean and taking care of small children?

If you don't want to work, then why bother coming here?

Then, there are cases of maids abusing their employer's children. Why not expose those cases as well? Are the fates of Malaysian children not as important as that of migrant workers?

Aren't they "the future of our country"?

Why does the government not make a big deal of those things? Why not start an issue with the Indonesian government, as it has done with us?

The Indonesian government now wants to stop sending maids to Malaysia. I say it's proper. But is that going to work? I'm sure those people will find out a way to sneak into our country.

When a maid runs away from her employer, the employer has to pay a deportation fee. Not only has the employer lost thousands of ringgit in agency fees to get the maid, he or she now has to pay extra because of the maid's ill-behaviour. Why should we pay to send them back? Their government should be held responsible for them.

Issues like these make me so angry, especially when I read in the newspapers
of yet another abuse case reported.

If we are so sadistic and love to read about people getting abused, then report also on Malaysians who are getting abused.

I apologise for the tone of my letter, but I feel that's the only way I can get my point across.

Shazreeza AK
Shah Alam

Malaysia Boleh, no?

Switch the Channel: Desperado is on.

It's really amazing to see how desperate Malaysians are to be in the world spotlight. If it were for something of substance or meaningful, then by all means, go ahead.

But reality reads: trivial, mundane, inconsequential. The things people here conjure up to cement their 15 minutes of fame borders between hilarity and incredulity.

Take this latest attempt by to swim across the English Channel. Why, oh why? To be the first Malaysian girl to do so, it appears. So initially it was First Malaysian, now it's First Malaysian [insert gender].

I mean, not to sound discouraging, but BFD.

Think about it, why hasn't there been any Malaysian who has attempted to swim along Sg Rajang? Or across the Straits of Malacca or the South China Sea? What's so earth-movingly spectacular about paddling through the Channel?

I reckon, maybe it's a subconscious form of inferiority complex. Since the Brits colonised Malaya centuries ago, some Malaysians feel the need to flick a finger back by, get this, conquering the Channel. Oh wow! Yeah.

And just to put things in perspective, Wiki quotes, "The total number of swims conducted under and ratified by the Channel Swimming Association to 2005: 982 successful crossings by 665 people. This includes twenty-four 2-way crossings and three 3-way crossings."

That's the country for you: plenty of chest thumping, thrash talking and brash bragging, little of everything else.