Like any smart Malaysian, I just had to keep up with my neighbours on the nail-biting Altantuya murder trial.
It drives me nuts that I have to fight for my copy of The Star paper in the shops!
Don't ask me why The Star is selling like hot cakes and The New Straits Times isn't...I'll just tell you now.
Firstly, in random order, everyone knows The Star is not connected to UMNO; secondly, as some NST board editorial staff is embroiled in a legal tussle with little David in blogosphere, the hugely popular independent objective (as perceived by many) Screenshots blog, The NST's UMNO connection and its objectivity is rightly or wrongly, questionable; thirdly, there are those who are imposing a ban on The NST in silent protest with the just mentioned court action by some of its staff; fourthly, The Star's coverage is more extensive on the trial with good color and black and white pics.
Personally, I think The NST's widely perceived strong ties with UMNO is the main reason for the less interest in purchasing that paper, say, in a place like Miri City's largest shopping mall, the Boulevard Shopping Complex where I eventually managed to get the last copy of The Star at RM1.90 from the very top floor, not too long after Miri received the West Malaysian newspapers on Tuesday. Yesterday, The Star was sold out even faster so I didn't read it!
It's just my guess, based on my survey conducted amongst buddies of 28 so far, that there's a strong suspicion (Again, I'm saying it's based on my own survey and reading all those comments in the many blogs in blogosphere) there is a conspiracy like the X-Files kind in this typically Malaysian way of down-playing (for whatever reasons???) this sorry state of affairs, involving one of the brightest stars in the corridors of power (This phrase has to be due to the good influence of the down to earth, crystal clear-headed well-respected, highly intelligent Malaysian prince, Raja Petra 'Pete' Kamaruddin), Abdul Razak Baginda.
Here, we're not talking about an ordinary Joe, some cheap ikan bilis, but an ex- star talk show host on T.V. on political developments which I used to enjoy watching. He's some big guy who started a Malaysian think-tank.
He had gone to some prestigious academic institutions in England...and even got involved in a huge submarine purchase worth millions of bucks which was mentioned in parliament along with his name and he was a close confidante to the Deputy Prime Minister ...
No, personally I don't wish to drag anyone as dignified as the DPM, Abdul Razak who comes across as a really charming guy and another Mr. Nice Guy like the Prime Minister, Abdullah Badawi into this unbelievable, totally unexpected heinous deplorable high society crime.
How then, many of them in my survey asked, as much as we know to date, could this murder have happened? Wasn't it senseless and unnecessary to kill this foreigner in such a callous blatant act using hard to obtain Special Forces C4 explosive with a private eye as a witness in her abduction by the two suspects in broad daylight, that offered little chance of escaping from justice for those implicated? Why were special elite police guys involved? How could they obtain the special C4 explosive so easily? Why were her immigration records gone? Why were there all the court actions (or maneuvers as alleged by some) by the attorney-general?
Then there were those other nagging questions: who misled everyone through the news media by giving the wrong pics of her and denigrating her as a part-time model and hooker?
Those are just a gist of the questions being asked around here and everyone is looking forward to them being answered in the days ahead as the trial progresses.
Anyway, it's laughing time to cheer up ourselves.
So the pic above shows what the women in our lives experience when they reach menopause and if it affects their lives, it would make some, if not many of us wish we could be hermits in an isolated serene and peaceful place.
p/s Thanks, once again, Ijau for sharing the funny cartoon with me and as you're of the opposite sex, you'll know what a reasonably good clean joke is, I guess! BTW, I still have lots of your other stuff which I may share in future with some self-censorship as much as I dislike doing so, of course!
Here's another hilarious one from Ijau I'm throwing in! Sorry, ladies, if it appears a bit sexist but then there's an overwhelming number of my fellow animals of the male species out there so I need to cater to their salivating hungry need for good laughs sometimes!!!
Yesterday, in a court in Malaysia, the biggest trial, after Anwar Ibrahim's, in our Malaysian history began.
It was the perfectly Hollywood-scripted tragic high drama case of the brutal murder of a hapless foreigner, a highly intelligent Mongolian beauty who was callously shot and blown to pieces with special explosives by Malaysian Police commandos around October 19th and October 20th last year.
In the dock were three persons- two commandos, Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri, 31 and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, 36 and a civilian, Razak Baginda, 47 a well-known political consultant and adviser to Malaysia's, Deputy Prime Minister, Abdul Razak. Razak Baginda is accused of abatement in the crime. They face the death penalty if found guilty.
Amazingly, the opening session ended quickly!
At the eleventh hour, the prosecution team was changed!
The case was adjourned to two weeks' time.
Here are some small words of comfort found in the writings of my favorite poet, the late Patience Strong for the dear grief-stricken bereaved family of Altantuya Shaariibuu.
What do you do when your heart has been broken?
What do you do when there's nothing much left?
... What do you do when your world starts to crumble-leaving you lifeless, of all hope bereft?
What do you do? Do you drug your hurt spirit-by numbing the mind in your longing for peace? That way lie dead ends, despair and frustration. No comfort there-no relief or release.
What do you do? You face up to your trouble-believing that somewhere behind all the pain-there is a reason, a plan and a purpose-and strength you receive for beginning again.
This extract below is courtesy of bigdogdot.com
The Borneo Post news cutting is dated 29/3/07 about the elite police squad.
