Reaching The Top..At Last

During the Chinese New Year tournament in Berjaya last year(2010), I had the chance of winning the tournament with one game ahead of the pack. Then, I faced Alex Tan in the last two rounds. Result? I lost both the matches and finally i had to settle for third place. After that mistake, I never got close to winning anymore tournaments, the nearest being seventh place in the recent ASTAR tournament.

Until now.

On the 9th of July, K.Sundraraj (father of my Scrabble mentor) organised the Subang Scrabble Challenge for the second year running. It was a great tournament as the number of participants doubled the amount from the previous Subang Scrabble Challenge. In the Open Division, more Scrabble whizzes pitted their wits against each other. Even Australian Scrabble players, the Richards family, came to support the event. The event also witness the return of former World Youth runner-up Sean Chung, as well as the usual Scrabble masters like veterans Pui Cheng Wui, Tan Jin Chor, Jocelyn Lor and rising youngsters Khoo Beng Way, Ramaraj and William Kang.

After 15 grueling games, yours truly emerged the winner of the tournament winning 11 out of the 15 with +585 spread, one game ahead of 2nd place Khoo Beng Way and 3rd place Pui Cheng Wui. Truth be told, I had absolutely no idea how I managed to claw my way back from 7th place after round 9 to lead the table.

But, more of that later. For now, here are the games i played.

Game 1. Kang Eng Lee vs CCW [ Win 513-323]

Bingoes played - SIDERAL, UNICORN, REAMIER

Bingoes against - AWAItERS

Current status - 1/0 Bingoes - 3/3 S's - 3/3 Blanks - 0/0

My only mistake for this game is not playing REREMAI instead of REAMIER which would have scored more.

Game 2. CCW vs Martin Teo [Win 455-304]

Bingoes played - MEANIES, LEPROSE

Bingoes against - TReNTALS

Current status - 2/0 Bingoes - 2/5 S's - 3/6 Blanks - 1/1

PUCInG is not a word, could have done CUING, CAY and AR which scores more. Martin missed the hook for IZAR (making IZARD) and therefore lost the chance of closing the spread with his last-minute bingo rack CDDELRU. #1.Can you spot the bingo? (There are 3..and all fit)

Game 3. CCW vs Khoo Beng Way [Lost 306-497]

Bingoes played -

Bingoes against - INVOICES, EVAsION, FORMATE

Current status - 2/1 Bingoes - 0/5 S's - 2/8 Blanks - 0/1

RERANK, my starting play is a non-word. Had I not played it (I had AEEKNRR, my original plan was ERK keeping AENR, a high bingo-probable rack leave), I would not have been hit with the successive INVOICES and EVAsION and the game might have went differently. I missed two bingoes here with the rack AEHLOPT, opting instead to play HOP. [Bingoes were TAPHOLE and PLETHORA hooking the first R of RERANK]

Game 4. CCW vs Pui Cheng Wui [Lost 421-447]

Bingoes played - HELiPAD, SOLATED, LITERATO

Bingoes against - STEEPING, ARAbIZE

Current status - 2/2 Bingoes - 3/8 S's - 2/10 Blanks - 1/2

A game full of mistakes. I missed two easy bingoes with my beginning rack of AEIIMP? (IMPErIA and lIPEMIA) and chickened out of PLAsHED on the next move. I think the game might have been in my favour if I had played something at the top right corner, preventing his 49 point VEXT move. But, this was a hard game to see.

Game 5. Jocelyn Lor vs CCW [Lost 325-468]

Bingoes played - WARIEST

Bingoes against - BANTING, MARBLEs

Current status - 2/3 Bingoes - 1/9 S's - 3/13 Blanks - 0/2

Another game full of mistake. Phoneyed twice which resulted in me losing the chance to bingo.

Bingoes missed - BODGIEST, DISSEAT, SAIDEST, STAIDEST

After this game, I had very little confidence of making it into the top 3, knowing that I only could afford to lost only one more game.

Game 6. Tengku Asri vs CCW [Won 509-369]

Bingoes played - PETIOLES, AGISTED, DESYAtIN

Bingoes against - TINNERS

Current status - 3/3 Bingoes - 3/12 S's - 3/16 Blanks - 1/3

A convincing victory but yet again, I missed a first-turn bingo of CURARINE. I played DESYAtIN instead of opting for cYANIDES because I've always wanted to play DESYATIN in a tournament game. Missed good plays like KITTUL, DUETTI and CURLI

Game 7. Sean Chung vs CCW [Win 410-366]

Bingoes played - vEINULET, VOLUmES

Bingoes against - ACTINITE(phoney! X.X)

Current status - 4/3 Bingoes - 2/14 S's - 1/17 Blanks - 2/5

Missed a first turn bingo AGAIN with the tiles EEILTU?, phoneying with pETULINE which was challenged off. Missed dILUTEE, UNBORNE which was the best play. It was a lost game but Sean's mistake of phoneying SAUS to block my open bingo line allowed me to clinch the point with a last-minute bingo. Incidentally, his rack of AINOSSU had SANIOUS and SAUSION which was the doom of me. Thankfully, he did not spot the bingos and instead phoneyed, giving me the winning bingo.

Game 8. Cedric Stewart Lewis vs CCW [Win 481-474]

Bingoes played - REHEATS, ARRIvING, SMALLEST

Bingoes against - REVOTING, NEOBLAST, DIVINITY, SIrENIAN

Current status - 5/3 Bingoes - 3/17 S's - 2/19 Blanks - 1/6

Very close game, with Cedric playing very unique bingoes, playing NEOBLAST and DIVINITY consecutively. Missed QUIPSTER when I played QUOP but oh well, at least, i bingoed after that.

That was the end of Day 1. With 5 wins, i was at 7th place and my next game was against Tan Jin Chor. To those that do not know, Tan Jin Chor is actually the actor of the Malaysia sitcom Kopitiam back in 1997. My record against him is fairly even, I think we have played about 8 games in tournaments and each have a share in losses and triumphs over one another. Still, he is not a player to be taken lightly. At the end of Day 1, William Kang holds pole position with 7 wins, only losing his first game to Sean Chung. Trailing closely are Khoo Beng Way, Tan Jin Chor and Ramaraj, all on 6 wins.

And we move on to the next day.

Game 9. Tan Jin Chor vs CCW [Lose 335-450]

Bingoes played -

Bingoes against - TAENIAs, LOWEREd, PELOIDS

Current status - 5/4 Bingoes - 0/17 S's - 1/20 Blanks - 0/6

A very bad game with terrible tiles. Fun fact, 90% of my moves are best moves after I analyzed my game with Quackle, a Scrabble simulation program. Jin Chor missed a 100 point bingo when he played PELOIDS, missing SOLIPED, LI, OP, WE, RED at C13. I have lost 4 games now. The only way of breaking into the top three is by winning all of my next 6 games. Shall we proceed?

Game 10. CCW vs Karen Richards [Win 479-420]

Bingoes played - BRISKENS, DECAYERS, aWARDER

Bingoes against - LEOTARD, DEvIATED

Current status - 6/4 Bingoes - 3/20 S's - 4/24 Blanks - 1/7

Quite an okay game in my opinion. Learnt BRISKENS from Cheah when he played the move against Ramaraj during the 2008 Penang ICT. Wasn't sure it took an S though. Was very lucky to hold the last D for hooking DJINS, without which I would have not bingoed at the final moment to win the game.

Game 11. CCW vs Sean Chung [Win 407-310]

Bingoes played - ThRONING, INSNARER

Bingoes against -

Current status - 7/4 Bingoes - 2/22 S's - 2/26 Blanks - 1/8

Sean phoneyed twice in the beginning with EMF(was valid in the old dictionary) and UMBU(probably confused with UMBO and OMBU). I missed 3 bingoes before ThRONING; CITRININ, TRINING and TINNIER. Chickened out of the latter two. Not a good game for Sean.

Game 12. William Kang vs CCW [Win 460-375]

Bingoes played - VOTARIES, RESTORE, oVERLIES

Bingoes against - CENTRaL, MESOLITE

Current status - 8/4 Bingoes - 3/25 S's - 3/29 Blanks - 1/9

A very bad game played by yours truly. First off, I phoneyed ADAY (mixed it up with ADAW). Then, i missed a double-double with AEIOSTV through the R. Can you guess it? #2 Missed TETRAPLA and RATTERS before settling with a low-scoring RESTORE. William phoneyed IMPLANED which I challenged off, thankfully.

Game 13. Alastair Richards vs CCW

Bingoes played - AVENIRS, SCANTEST

Bingoes against - CALOrIE

Current status - 9/4 Bingoes - 2/27 S's - 3/32 Blanks - 1/10

My first nine-timer in a tournament. Another badly played game. Phoneyed LUPE(must have mixed it up with tonnes of words) and EPUIRAS(Its EPEIRAS the anagram for this is UPRAISE and SPURIAE). Thankfully, i have better tiles after that. During the end game, Alastair could have won had he not played BA, leaving DE. Had he played AG, setting himself up for a 36 point DEB, i would have lost the game. On a happier note, 4 wins in a row! Can i go on?

Game 14. Alex Tan Ken Seng vs CCW

Bingoes played - POWnDING, DEITIES

Bingoes against - OUTGOES

Current status - 10/4 Bingoes - 2/29 S's - 1/34 Blanks - 2/12

My games with Alex have always been one-sided. None of the games were actually fair. If I had good tiles, I win. If not, I lose. Well, except for that game in Johor where I really should have challenged ABYED. This game, I missed my last-move bingo with the tiles AAENPR? #3 There's three and again all could fit. Alex phoneyed his last move bingo of CEEINOS(#4 whats the bingo?) at AMENES which is no good.

So, I've won 5 games in a row and i'm currently second. WTF?? Second-place?? I could hardly believe myself as I looked at the Round 15 pairings. I had managed to claw my way from 11th place after round 9 to be right behind the leader. And who is the leader? Well, after 3 rounds of playing each other, Pui Cheng Wui won 2 out of it against Khoo Beng Way to be at the top. And thus, the battle for the first prize was on. Pui Cheng Wui with 10 wins and 729 spread and me with 10 wins and 466 spread. Whoever wins will be crowned 2011 Subang Champion. Whoever loses will have to be content with third place. Very much deja vu for me as this was the case during my 2010 CNY tournament.

Game 15. Pui Cheng Wui vs CCW [Win 506-387]

Bingoes played - DEAERATe, AUDITED, STONIER

Bingoes against - YEASTING, SOFTENER

Current status - 11/4 Bingoes - 3/32 S's - 4/38 Blanks - 1/13

A very unhappy game for Pui Cheng Wui. Both of us missed nine-timers with our racks. I missed mine through the Y of YEASTING and instead played the double-double DEAERATe. I could have played BAYADEER or BAYADERE. Pui's niner was a very simple miss. Choosing instead to play SOFTENER, he had REFASTEN through the A of AUDITED which I played, the A at a very dangerous spot. I was lucky to have all the S's in the game albeit having to balance vowel-heavy racks for 3 turns.

And so, with the win, I was champion of the 2011 Subang Scrabble Challenge. RM400 and a nice trophy was in the bag.

Here's the results.

http://www.penster.com.my/standings.php?tou_path=archives%2F2011%2Fmasters%2F110709+-+Subang+Scrabble+Challenge+2011%2FSSC2011.TOU&section=OPEN&round=16&rank_limit=24

I will be heading to Penang for the MSA Nationals. Hopefully, I am able to improve my performance. For now, I am content with my winnings.

CCW

#1. CUDDLER, CURDLED, CRUDDLE

#2. VIATORES

#3 PARPANE, PREANAL, HANAPER

#4 SENECIO

Battle for Control

I am not a person who is easily provoked. I am not a person who is easily brought to the point of snapping. Unlike the rest of my family members, I have the ability or trait to be very patient, even when heaps of insults are thrown at me. I have never snapped in front of anyone. At least, not for the time being. Every insult that was thrown at me was bearable. Even those that came out from the mouth of my enemies. I remained patient, taking it in, hopefully learning from those insults.

But.

All those times have their limits. Maybe I won’t snap now. Maybe not in the near future. I’m only 19. Who’s to say that I won’t snap when I turn 25? Who is to say that I won’t inherit the god-awful rage that my parents have? I am, essentially, only human. Humans are unpredictable. At times, it may seem that doing wrong may be the best thing to do. At times, it may seem as though you are in the wrong when others may see differently. At times, rage may be the best medicine, not laughter.

When will that time come?

I do not wish for rage to consume me. I do not wish to succumb to it and become a mindless savage whose only aim is to smash and scream and nothing in particular. I hate that. However, there are times when rage is absolute. There will be times when patience will not be a virtue and rage would ultimately be the solution.

I do not want that ending to happen. Not now. Not ever.

Are you sure about that?

Even as I convince myself that I can control myself, the other half of me chuckles snidely.

Are you sure you can continue taking such insults? I am the voice in your heart. I know your emotions. You may not show it but in your heart, everything is shown clearly. The crimson colour of fire. The sign of rage. You have it in your heart. Why not release it?

No. I will not express my anger on the exterior. Doing so during such a period of time would serve no purpose.

Then, what about in the years to come? Will you use the same reason you are using now? Patience and the desire to not disturb the peace in your life will only bring you more pain. You do not want to make a stand. You are done making your point? Bullshit.

You might be right. I may be a coward. I may give the same reason in the next 5 years. I will keep my wrath at bay. I do not plan on using it, nor do I plan to show it.

Right. So I guess your wrath is not fit for someone who is regretting you ever existed? Is your rage not fit for someone who insults not your actions, but your very self? Is it okay for someone who is seems to teach you a lesson in life but is in fact insulting you at the very core?

Enough. I do not wish to have this talk. For that somebody who thinks like that, there is no point in trying to make my point. There is no point in wasting my energy for something so trivial.

Trivial, you say? You might be okay with it. But you are outnumbered two to one. I am not okay with that. Neither is HD. You may think that such insults will not affect you. Think again. There is a reason why you created HD. There is a reason why you created a being that has no heart of his own. A being whose reasoning is based on the reasoning of reality itself. The fire will never stop burning, Andrew. As long as, your unsettling emotion lingers in your heart, the flame will keep going. Even if you can hide it, you know it is there. You know that we are always waiting for the chance to emerge.

Maybe it will not happen now. Maybe not in the near future. But someday, rage will beat me. One day, I will succumb to madness that is in my blood. But, for now, I shall leave it as it is. I am still in control. The blade has not struck. The blood bath has not commenced.

For now, there is peace.

CCW

Mixed Emotions

It is said that humans have so many emotions that they do not even realize what they are actually feeling at any period of time. It is said that within anger, there is despair. Within hurt, there is befuddlement. Within chaos, there is peace.

What am I feeling now?

The empty darkness that slowly drains me?

The cloudy confusion that veils my understanding?

The dripping despair of the rain?

Or the unbearable swirl of rage in me?

How am I feeling now?

What am I supposed to feel?

You see, I am lost about how I am supposed to feel when someone drags you right down to the earth. Drag might be a bit inappropriate. Should I say beaten to the ground?

No.

There is not a word to describe the insults that were directed to me at the time when I do not want it. At the time when I am most susceptible to snap under the burden.

No one likes to be insulted right smack in the face..Maybe some people can live with that. But no one can possibly feel nothing from being insulted right down to the very core of your being. Even an entity that I create to ignore such remarks would not have withstand such a barrage.

I might be a bit more sensitive than I would like to be. I might overthink this. However, the main problem here is that I have no idea how should I feel in this moment.

This is not a normal insult session anymore. This is going beyond the realms of insults. It feels as though I've been stabbed over and over again with a knife so blunt that a huge amount of force is needed so that it can stab me. Hell, being literally stabbed would have been less painful.

How would you feel if you are being so lowly thought of that you are actually being regretted upon existing? How would you feel when the pillar that you thought would support you, crumbles without you even hitting it? What would you do if you were branded a failure in life, that you cannot move forward? How would you feel being overgeneralized?

I do not know.

I would not be asking if I had known.

It is not despair. It is not something I can use as my strength. It is not anger. It is not something I can hold in. It is not emptiness. It is not something that leaves a hole in heart.

This mixed emotions is a mystery to me.

I will find out what it is.

Soon.

Hopefully.

If I continue living.

CCW

An Update In Life

Yes. It is an update in life. An update of what has transpired in the past weeks.

First and foremost, I am proud to be the owner of a new laptop. Its a Dell Inspiron 15R

Specs

1. 8GB RAM

2. 500GB HD

3. Nvidia Geforce 1GB Graphics Card

4. Second Generation i7 Processor

5. Windows 7 Home Premium

Suffice to say that it is awesome [I noticed i've been using this word very often in these weeks.]

Shiny blue..nice colour

Very nice, i must say

All in all, it costs RM2819..and it is very cheap, considering the fact that it has an i7 processor. Mum bought it in Lowyat after we looked at a few models. This was the cheapest with the best specs though I have a hunch that we could have lowered the price a bit more.

That is one.

This is another.

I am happy to say that my dad is cleared to be discharged from the hospital tomorrow (28 June). The operation went very well, with a small bump in the post-op.

Which brings us to a topic which i would like to bring up and I hope someone can shed some light on this predicament.

What is the name of the problem whereby the food consume fails to flow into the digestive tract and instead flows into your lungs instead? I have tried researching it in the Internet but it was futile. Can someone give me a hint or explain the foresaid situation?

It was a problem my dad had after the operation.

That is another.

I realized I have not specifically said that I am driving now. Eversince getting my P licence, I have been an active driver, taking every opportunity to be in the car. By the way, I own a 1997 Honda City 1.3 Vtec.

My pride and my ride

14 years old and still rocking

Yes, you saw correctly. It is 14 years old and it is still magnificent[stopped myself from using awesome here]. It looks pretty new because its been well-kept. I shall not show the other side as there is a dent on that side(please don't ask X.X). My mother was the previous owner but this was given to me after she bought a new car. A new Honda City full spec.

This looks way better and meaner than mine :(

My family is a Honda family. We prefer Honda to Toyota though we did made a mistake of buying a Proton Iswara. When contemplating what car to get, my mum had three options;

1. Perodua Alza - A good car, but it was an MPV so my mum was not that keen.

2. Toyota Vios - This was Honda City's rival. But the looks is pathetic since undergoing a facelift(not sure if this is the word, should i say facedown?)

3. Perodua Myvi - An immediate reject when it reached the discussion table. There's too many on the road and my mum thinks its a bit too small.

In the end, the new Honda City caught her eye and she bought it after researching it in the showroom.

Personally, I would have suggested getting the new Proton Saga FL which was released about two months after she bought the new Honda City(Auto transmission with paddle shifters, a change in her life after driving manual for 30 years).

By the way, my car is a manual-transmission type which i got used to after 2 weeks. Sure, its a drag going up cliffs or getting stuck in jams, but I personally favour manual. You get to control the gear change and the pick-up speed is cool. My car might be an old car but I've managed to drive it quite stably and fast at that. Currently, its max I can take is 150km/h, just achieved 2 days ago. I plan to try and bring it to 170 in the near future but that might be a bit straining for the car. I'm literally floating when it went at 150 on the NPE.

Did I mention I'm having a car fetish?

Yes.

I'm in love with supercars, muscle cars, mod. cars, old drift cars. In short, I love cars.

I started loving cars after being introduced to the world of cars by my college friend, Saadeesh Gunasekaran who knows most of the cars that you see everyday and those that you can only see in showrooms.

And his dream car is...

This is a Mercedes SLR 722GT..the pride of Mercedes-Benz

And my dream car is..

This is an Aston Martin Virage..a 2012 production model

Unfortunately the Aston Martin is a long shot since it is EXPENSIVE. Fun fact, this car is supposedly the bridge that connects the tiny gap between the Aston Martin DBS (James Bond) and the Aston Martin DB9.

So, if this car is so expensive, what do I see myself having?

Well, i do like this car

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X [rally car]

and these,

Mazda 6 (2011 Facelift 2.5L version)

Mazda RX7 (F&F Tokyo Drift)

Fine, even in the three, only the RX7 seems attainable.

I am currently bumming off after finishing my A-Levels course.

I am hoping to be accepted into Nanyang Technological University, Singapore to study either Chemistry or Materials Engineering. In the event of that failing, I have University of Nottingham Malaysia as an alternative.

I believe this concludes the chapter of my life updates (i am a very boring person when I'm alone).

I miss my college friends. The time we were together was not enough.

The next chapter- I shall go in depth about my college life.

CCW

Black Sheep

Thats probably what's happening inside of me right now. The cold feeling of indifference. The hot feeling of rage that I've been trying to keep myself from having. Two forces forcing itself to fight inside of me. A seemingly heated, yet cold argument happening within me, trying to reach a conclusion.

What conclusion?

What am I trying to reach?

A solution to a problem that I myself know there would be no solution as long as I'm alive?

A solution to a problem that would never end as long as someone else is alive?

No.

That's not what I'm trying to find.

All I want to find is justification.

I want to justify that what I have done, what I will be doing..and what I am doing are preparations for my future. I want to justify that for the things I have done, I have done ultimately the best I can. Whatever order that was given, I had executed them to how I see fit.

No.

It was not how I see fit.

It was to how YOU saw fit.

I did exactly what I was told. Done what I've been ordered to do. Accomplished everything..never even once objecting.

NEVER even once declining an order, if it can even be declined at all.

And what do I get in return?

WHAT do I get in return?

Pain.

The building up of rage inside of me that I have to control so much and then expel it through unthinkable means.

That's what I get in return.

To a certain extent, I would agree that some of the pain you inflict may be beneficial for me in life. Maybe the insults you throw at me for the 4 hours that you actually see me are worth it. Maybe that would make you feel better.

I do nothing..nothing..but accept them.

I've learned ever since I turned 13, that there was no point in doing anything. Nothing seemed to work. Nothing.

I do not have the guts like my brother to turn on you.
I do not have the rage like my father to defy you.

I do not have the venom like my mother to confront you.

I'm the black sheep of the family.

I stand out..or should i say..I want to stand out.

I am uncomfortable with any of the guts, rage or venom from any of the above.

I prefer peace, which is why you don't get any, when you're me.

I'm just throwing out my anger here. Spilling my boiling blood over the computer because that's one of the only ways that I can actually catalyze my anger out of my system. I can never complain out loud. I could..but I wouldn't.

There's no point changing the unchangeable.

That much I've accepted.

"This is the hell which you are trying to cope with. A hell that would prepare you for the next hell"-HD

CCW

Pathetic

Finally, the Malaysian government has snapped. Yep, they have finally reached a point where they must do the one thing that might incite a massive riot. Allow me to take the news from the newspaper.

'No more free downloads as MCMC blocks 10 file sharing sites

PETALING JAYA: In a bid to combat piracy, the Government has declared war on filesharing websites with 10 such websites now blocked by the telecommunications industry watchdog.

The websites were among the most visited sites by Malaysians to illegally download movies.

On May 30, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) had written a letter to all Internet Service Providers (ISPs) ordering the block.

The letter was signed by Digital Security Services division acting seniordirector Eneng Faridah Iskandar.

The letter, which was leaked online, also stated that the websites were being blocked for breaching Section 41 of the Copyright Act 1987, which deals with pirated content.

An MCMC spokesperson confirmed the ban and said it was done on the request of the Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Ministry.

The ministry's enforcement division director-general Mohd Roslan Mahayudin confirmed that the request was made.

“It is standard procedure for the ministry to request MCMC to block sites that violate the Copyright Act 1987,” he told The Star.

Roslan said the ministry had requested that 19 websites, including the 10 listed in the letter, be blocked for violating the Act but added that it was up to MCMC to decide on which ones to block.

When asked about the fate of surfers who legally use the websites such as for storing non-pirated content, Mohd Roslan said they could always write to the ministry.

“Anyone who feels the ban is wrong can write to us and we will look into it,” he said.

Film maker Norman Abd Halim of KRU Studios said the move was long overdue.

“The unauthorised use of copyright work is destroying the industry. If everyone feels that works should be shared, then there is no value in these works,” he said.

Norman equated the move to South Korea's three-strikes law, where a person guilty of copyright infringement can have their Internet access suspended for six months.

However, irate users have vented their frustration by creating aFacebook page to protest.

By 8.30pm yesterday, there were 410 supporters who “liked” the page that was named “1M Malaysians Don't Want Block File Sharing Websites.”

FilesTube Media Search Engine, one of the sites ordered blocked, also commented on the page.

“We have posted information about this on our wall. We are with you.”

Before the page was put up, some Malaysians were already protesting via Twitter.

“You can't create a walled-up Internet garden,” read one tweet.

Some also made reference to the MSC Malaysia Bill of Guarantees which states that the Government will not censor the Internet.

MSC Malaysia is a national initiative that kicked off in 1996 and is aimed at transforming the nation into a knowledge-based economy.'

There you have it. Some people would be fuming at this. Some people would not. But, I can tell you this..I would expect 75% of the Malaysian citizens who are avid downloaders [we shall generalize downloaders here] to be very angry.

Why do I say that?

Look at the sites they have banned.

Look at number 2, 9 and 10. When I took up the paper today, the dreaded feeling was there. I have expected them to block ThePirateBay [aptly named, which proves that the Malaysian government only looks at the name and not check its contents] but I certainly did not expect them to block Filestube and Megaupload. For me, I would say that Filestube and Megaupload are two of the largest file-storing sites in the world. And the government is happily..let me repeat that, HAPPILY banning those sites.

Seriously, if the move was implemented to curb piracy, then this shows that the government has effectively ran out of all other options [brain disruption?] to curb piracy. This double-edged move, in fact, so double-edged its so dangerous I won't be surprised if the Parliament gets rioted, is such a completely pathetic move. Its like moving your king to center of the board during the mid-game of chess and hoping your opponent falls into your trap.. a trap that clearly says "This is a trap!".

Maybe I'm the only one feeling this way. Maybe I'm the only one uses Megaupload and ThePirateBay. Maybe I've no other options in downloading. But. But. This does not change the fact that this move is double-edged. If you read the article,

"When asked about the fate of surfers who legally use the websites such as for storing non-pirated content, Mohd Roslan said they could always write to the ministry.

“Anyone who feels the ban is wrong can write to us and we will look into it,” he said."

I don't know. Has anyone ever written to the Ministry and received anything else other than a letter saying 'We'll consider it and will look into it as soon as possible'? I'm not saying this is all that's happening. I'm saying this is the typical scenario. Do you know how much of a bother this puts into those who are "legally using the websites such as for storing non-pirated content"? Imagine the discomfort experienced by those who decide to check their file stores and realize that everything has been banned.

I'll leave the thought process to you guys to think about this ill-based move. With the government making bad moves every now and then, its no wonder piracy is never solved [I dunno. Inspira seems to be piracy at its best..and Spiderman managed to earn its reputation in Malaysia as a lizard].

What i would like to comment is this.

"Film maker Norman Abd Halim of KRU Studios said the move was long overdue.

“The unauthorised use of copyright work is destroying the industry. If everyone feels that works should be shared, then there is no value in these works,” he said.

Norman equated the move to South Korea's three-strikes law, where a person guilty of copyright infringement can have their Internet access suspended for six months."

I do not see any other country banning ThePirateBay because of the worry of copyright infringement. And, i would like to point out that if what you say is like that, then Proton Inspira has no value at all and Malaysia would do well in making works that are ACTUALLY original.

I've said my piece. Now, hopefully, something good in this might come out.

CCW

Very very Thin Line

Did you know that between genius and madness is just a very very thin line?

Did you know that between being a fool and acting like one is just a very very thin line?

Did you know that between caring too much and being an annoyance is just a very very thin line?

Well, till today, I've found out all of the above.

But what I would like to delve in today is the second question.

Being a fool and acting like one are two different things. Entirely different things.

You are acting like a fool if you grumble about being lazy to buy bread from a convenience store that is just right in front of your eyes. You are being a fool if you don't even know the entrance to the convenience store.

You are being a fool if you do not answer your handphone after not one, not two but six times calling you. You are acting like a fool if you're telling me that you do not notice your handphone ringing because you were walking and not being able to feel the vibration.

You see?

Two nearly similar situations. But two entirely different things to describe the situations.

Why do i say that between being a fool and acting like one is just a very very thin line?

Because you can be both of them.

Without realizing, you can actually be a fool for one moment and act like one in the next.

Unbelievable?

Believe it.

HD