cookie-cutter comments

I was inspired after visiting M. Bakri Musa’s blog where he discusses the work of Kassim Ahmad, a man I do not know, but whose ideas I am now begining to read about. Mr Ahmad’s seminal work, it appears, is an honours thesis on the characterization of two Malay heroes, that of Hang Jebat and Hang Tuah. He basically turns the common interpretation of that legend on its head, in an analysis of principles and loyalty in these two giants of Malay myth and legend.

Check out M. Bakri Musa’s blog here.
En Kassim Ahmad’s blog is here.

Do visit them, you will find yourself pleasantly surprised by the insights therein.

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I knew I couldn’t sleep if I didn’t blog about it, which is why I’m sitting here contemplating the conversations I’ve had tonight. In reverse, the night seemed to make sense.

The introspection came on strong in the wee hours of the morning, after the guests had left and the host had finished his duties. We were sitting around a flimsy table with a maroon tablecloth draped over its plywood and formica surface. Stains scribed across its surface were like fingerprints of former parties and dinners, and it was littered with the remnants of cracked peanut shells and a sea of empty beer cans.
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