Envision

I was reading the newspapers not long ago and I came across this: Richest People in Malaysia. Yes, finally something financially interesting to read. So, the report began, amidst this economic turmoil, Malaysia's richest men and women just got richer in 2009. And it went blablabla about how much money these people made in 2009, millions and billions worth of ringgit. Of how they will spur the economy of the nation. But I overlooked the report, perhaps too much.

Here's the list of richest Malaysians...
1    Robert Kuok
2    Ananda Krishnan
3    Lee Shin Cheng
4    Lee Kim Hua
5    Teh Hong Piow
6    Quek Leng Chan
7    Yeoh Tiong Lay
8    Syed Mokhtar al-Bukhary
9    Tiong Hiew King
10  Vincent Tan

Okay, here's the thing. I always notice things people don't. And I'm not having any preference or prejudice in my statement here. It is just too obvious. I mean, look at the list! Besides Ananda Krishnan and Syed Mokhtar, the rest of them. They are all Chinese. Why, when in Malaysia, Chinese are considered a minority community and have a declining percentage count in population, do Chinese still monopolise the financial economy of the country? After so many years of Malaysian Independence, are the Chinese still the dominant driving force in terms of making money?

Malaysian Chinese have always been considered the Jews of the East. They were never considered as natives of the homeland, and therefore no such thing as bumiputera privileges for them. Malaysian Chinese are considered foreign no matter where they go, even back to the motherland China. Yet, they are able to adapt to new environments with relative ease, and strive from there.

Chinese have always been considered to be the most enterprising people in the world. And so it is proved: The Chinese, with their strong businessman sixth sense, are great entrepreneurs no matter where they are. Perhaps the best evidence is this: even before the British came to back-then Malaya, the Chinese were already trading and establishing diplomatic ties with Malaya. Most Chinese settled here as a result of the torrential monsoon jeopardising their journeys. This happened way way before the Industrial Revolution, as the Chinese were already exploiting the Malaya's rich resources with tin ore mining. Using the traditional methods, they excavated the land considered to be Tanah Melayu.

And so the British came, bringing in Chinese immigrants en masse to mine tin ore in order to cope with the demands of the Industrial Revolution back in Europe. It was like handing a pillow to a yawning man - the Chinese pounced on the opportunity to unearth Malaya's rich tin ore resource. Immediately after the Second World War, the price of tin plunged, and yet the Chinese were not left jobless - they started small businesses and were the pioneers of the country's economic growth. The Chinese community soon grew to be Malaysia's greatest assets in terms of money-making and cultural diversity.

And so with the country's independence and British leaving us out in the cold, the major races of Malaysia joined forces - with a sense of respect towards each other - to form a better country. We all had our advantages, the Malays being the backbone of the nation; the Chinese being masters of business, finance and economy; and the Indians being as versatile and adaptable as the way they are.

But deep inside, we all know that it was the Chinese who brought this nation to life, being the very first Malaysian entrepreneurs back when the British Empire ruled with an iron fist. Even though the Chinese are not natives or bumiputera of any kind, the Chinese still flourish and prosper in this potentially prosperous land - Malaysia.

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It's been quite some time since the World War II was over. I'm not here to yet again blog about the conspiracies and theories of war, I am instead going to elaborate on the implications WWII has on our lives right now.

First of all, the bad guys (axis) were some of the meanest badass bunch of zealots in history. They were tyrants utilising unethical means to achieve absolute power: Hitler being a dictator of the Nazis, and Japan's imperial emperor ruling with an iron fist. At the beginning point of this war, the axis were by far more superior to the allies. Germany conquered most of Central Europe while Japan harrased China, Korea and even Southeast Asia. It looked as if liberty and freedom will be lost forever.

However, like most events in fictions and novels, there has to be a turning point. The maximum point of a parabola. A curve following the turning point that sends the axis spiraling down. It was the bombings Pearl Harbour that awakened and provoked the sleeping beast of USA.

Henceforth, the allies and the good guys teamed up and was on the front foot ever since D-Day. With the global veto powers USA and Russia on the same side, the tides of war were changing. The tables were turned and in no time the axis were crumbling apart. When all hope seemed lost, and the world was at the edge of disaster, the so-called "heroes" counterattacked at the right moment to claim victory by the end of the war that was 1945.

What does this tell us? This plot of events, like in literature... the exposition, rising action, climax and so on.

Before the war, mass-media wasn't exactly that popular, as it was rather low-tech that time. By the time the war ended, the entertainment industry began booming. Hollywood became some of the biggest moneybags in the world. Whenever they produce a movie that involves conflicts (can be action, adventure and war), they always imply this plot. Even now, our movies have a similar plot.

It is always the baddies who relish the roles as antagonists in the first half of the movie. In the end, they'd make some kind of mistake (like bombing Pearl Harbour), and the good guys will be on the attack, striking a killing blow at the end of the movie. And, a happy ending. In some cases, when the good guys are on the attack, the baddies find a way to counter it and ensure an nail-biting ending. But yet again, the good guys will believe in miracles that propel them to victory.

As a result, these movies are, although exciting at time, but rather predictable. For example, Transformers 2. The plot was very textbook and ultimately very (very!) predictable. Star Wars (excluding Episode III), Spiderman, Quantum of Solace, Night at the Museum, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings; are examples of famous movies implying that textbook formula. I'm not saying the plot is bad. It is good and suits almost all occassions, keeps your blood pulsing and also killing boredom. But boredom might reach out to you if the movie is no good, for example Quantum of Solace. You might discover what I have discovered here and in the end criticise the movie.

There is a stark difference between movies with an extraordinary plot compared to this formula here. We shall compare The Dark Knight and Transformers 2. Both had high grossings and legions of fans, but one was showered with awards and good reviews while the other was plagued with criticisms. The Dark Knight, when we watched it... we expected another boring old plot but it turned out to be so unpredictable and still very exciting. However Transformers unfortunately stuck to the safe plot and perished.

Kudos The Dark Knight for making movie so different. Movies nowadays have to learn from this example above, in order to produce movies with better storyline that impresses fans and critics alike. Movies relying on fans alone will not stand for long.

Don't just watch movies, observe them. Think of them as literature material.

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One thing in this world that intrigues me the most is the Japanese.

Not because of their obsession for their emperor, not because of their rich cultural heritage, it's their spirit in them that led to great success worldwide in terms of economy, technology and military.

Little was known about the Japanese before World War II. All the world knew was that it was a relatively small nation with big population, with an all-powerful and influential emperor and rich cultures. Soon, their nation became so powerful in economic and military prowess they began waging warfare against the powerhouses of the West.

No, they weren't strong enough to defeat the West. They were blown into dust by two atomic bombs. It might have levelled the infrastructure and shattered their morale right to the core, but it didn't nullify their spirits.

This is something I like calling the samurai spirit. The samurai have so much honour in their duty they are willing to die for their own honour and most of all, the emperor.

Rebuilding their nation wasn't an easy task at all. It was the mentality in the Japanese, the willpower to regain their lost pride. Within thiry-odd years of rebuilding the infrastructure and economy, Japan became the second-largest economy in the world.

After World War II, the Americans' economy flourished the most. It was an advantage to them after defeating Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. Investments poured into Wall Street. But on the other side of the world, Japan had to start from scratch.

For now, Japan are superior in technology and economy. They have learnt a fine lesson through the war and now, alongside the engineering/automobile superpower Germany, they have gunned their way through the ranks of economic growth. The fact that among three of the world's largest economic powers, Japan and Germany lie second and third respectively, and both nations had to begin from scratch after the war.

Former premier Mahathir Mohamad once told Malaysians about looking to the East (Dasar Pandang ke Timur), looking at the Rising Sun. Look at the spirit of Japan.

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Has something really gone wrong with English for science and maths? So far as I've experienced, the new application of English is good for the nation's success in the future.

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All along, the media have persuaded us to believe that the Americans are always the protagonists of all wars. Yes, all wars. Almost every single modern warfare includes American intervention/decision-making and/or indirect support.

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