Living in Malaysia: This is how we do it

We're all in the know but not homogeneous in thought. In anything that one does in Malaysia, one would like to think that his or her efforts will be rewarded. Merits come into mind and that inspires one to work hard and strive for the best. On the contrary, one's effort almost doesn't count here.

Malaysia is 54 years old and I suppose it is unfair to expect too much of this country. Living in Malaysia: injustice is rampant here but the country is not devoid of good-deed doers - still, the scale of justice weighs heavily towards inequity. Nepotism and cronyism are part and parcel of being human but are inherent to an average Malaysian to a greater degree. Without hesitation, a Malaysian would extend a favour to his or her pal or relative first - this is a habit but more so a custom. It causes one to wonder, whether a Malaysian knows the unfairness of his or her actions - no consequences are considered and this explains the callous, reckless and irresponsible Malaysian way of life. Specifically, incest, paedophilia and abuse in every sense of the word are condoned. Why?  But enough of deviating, little unethical acts like nepotism or cronyism are matters that can be precursors to solving a lot of ailments this country suffers from.

Malaysia is 54 years young and its founders and leaders today can benefit from the safeguard of being a young nation but like many other younger nations it can also benefit from development - today's current age provides for swiftness in all matters, including the progress of a country and its people.

What gives?

It's sad really. Malaysia is a country that houses an abundance of irritants, embarrassments, misfortunes, joys, beauty, history and people - most places on Earth do - but the lack of progress is astounding. Most severely in its media arena but let's zero in on film. 

Many are aware that for anything to first sputter into being, most things begin from either nothing or the unknown. However, when looking at the Malaysian film arena, it resembles a whirlpool of swamp water that is endless - the vicious cycle of cronyism sits at the pinnacle of the hierarchy like an obese, hard-breathing Jabba The Hut. This country has no shortage of passion, talents, genius and hard-hitting business men but support is lacklustre. To begin with, the selection of leaders in the local film industry is blatantly partial and rather pathetic. The thwarting of potentially great filmmakers by ignorant and unqualified leaders from the film fraternity is absolute injustice. 

Generally, Malay films do very well here and in business you produce what sells but there are other demands from the Malaysian public - unfortunately, the same types of films fare excellently, again and again and again and again. You can blame it on the marketing, the funding, the promo and so on and so forth but one fact remains - our so called film gurus and big shots, consisting of individuals from all parts of Malaysia, are elitists who need to be less self-serving. As far as i'm concerned, filmmakers are usually more heart than money, more dream than glamour, more respect than self-worship - there are always exceptions - so there has to be always someone for the underdog. On the contrary, in Malaysia, even the campaigns and efforts that supposedly aid the less capable revert back to one thing - the film fraternity recruiting more 'like-minded' people which equates to idiots breeding to produce more idiots. 

Ignoring another's plight is one thing but shattering one's hope with a false one is just cruel. One does wonder if all hope is lost in Malaysia's film industry or is this just the natural progression of things. 

Driving by...

I've had a few people tell me that there are bad cops and good cops but I've had many fellow Malaysians tell me that all cops are bad cops - in Malaysia, that is.

A friend chronicled an incident with one such bad-cop-in-Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This said friend was unfamiliar with some parts of the wonderful city of Kuala Lumpur and it just happened to be an ill-fated night for her as she drove in the wrong direction of a road. It was just her luck too that a cop actually noticed and proceeded to stop her(Malaysia is well equipped with regulations but not so much with reinforcements, you see) . The bad cop was just doing his job, I guess, when he asked for her I.C (Malaysian Identification Card) but my surprised friend had no choice but to query the cop in return. This last action was triggered by the fact that the cop also asked for my friend's friend's (the passenger) I.C. I suppose this isn't something to be taken aback by, but the bad cop's respond - when my friend asked why it was necessary to see the passenger's I.C - was unbecoming of a man of his occupation. He merely answered "saya polis!" (I'm a police!"). In between this and the final words exchanged, the bad cop even managed a snarky comment after realising my friend's origin, when he said: "Dari Sabah? Ini mesti Bugis!" (You're from Sabah? Then you must be Bugis!). First of all, my friend is not a Bugis but belongs to one of the major ethnicities of Sabah (North Borneo). Secondly, even though the Bugis have been in Sabah since the 16th century, many of the Indonesian immigrants of Sabah today are also made up of a large number of Bugis immigrants from Sulawesi, Indonesia. What a coincidence that one of the major issues in Malaysia's political arena, presently, is how Sabah has a copious amount of immigrants - the federal government hasn't been very helpful with keeping immigrants at bay in Sabah. It's also not unheard of for immigrants to possess fake I.Cs as identity theft is just one of the methods of obtaining one. 

This said bad cop also made an indelible farewell bid when this snippet of conversation transpired:

Friend (obviously angered): What's your name?

Bad cop: K__________n.

Friend: Don't you have a surname?

Bad cop: No.

What's left to be said? Of the numerous problems Malaysians have had to endure, the citizens' sense of security is at least one thing that they should be guaranteed.

Automobiles and Marketing - McLaren and one influential Singaporean?

So who just wrote a fat cheque to McLaren? Currently, I am working with two automobile companies. For the sake of confidentiality, I am afraid I can't divulge the actual names of these companies. I can, however, leave you with a hint. One of them is one of the 2 biggest car manufacturers of Malaysia and the other is a car manufacturer from Europe which speaks a lot about "change". 

The experience is a complete contrast between the two. The local company favours the straightforward and concise way in conveying their message. On the other hand, the European company prefers to go with the current demand and market, zeroing in on which particular model they are advertising for and the target market for that particular car model. 

In the end, both companies are impressive in different ways. Where the local company shines in providing decent cars for the lower income group, the European company is impressive in that it has sold out all it's stock for this particular model at the price it's being offered - another thing to consider is, this is Malaysia and the price mentioned is far from affordable for the average income group. In the end, it's proven time and again that a hot seller surpasses even the law of demand and supply. 

Speaking of cars, wouldn't we all like to be like that Singaporean billionaire who contributed a significant investment to McLaren Automotive? 

Personal Manuscript

Finding the right person for the job can be quite a feat. But getting to know what someone's done is a good start.

Screenplays/Scripts

I develop personal sentiments with these. Forget I said that, I take things personally when it comes to my writing but not in the typical sense. I put in my personal touches and it almost feels like being over-exposed to put even a single word on paper. Saying them can be done with nonchalance but putting words on paper makes a more indelible mark, hence the risk. As I was saying, it's all personal but only as far as the personal touches. Your opinion remains as they are - just opinions. 

I write screenplays/scripts for features, TV content, video content (TV commercials and corporate videos) and documentary

Freestyle

As you can probably already see, freestyle writing is something I do a lot of. Honestly, it is liberating and contrary to popular belief, no.. it doesn't help with brainstorming sessions :p. 

Synopsis/Tagline

This, I do quite a lot of. I often receive scripts/screenplays from those who need to pitch their material. The synopsis or tagline is obviously the shortest of them all but it takes longer than a minute to come up with. 

Web content

Quite easily the most popular form of writing in today's world, web content is challenging because it's all about the client (not taking into account my personal blogs). To make sure that what's written is in sync with the client's image and style is what makes web content writing different from the rest. But I must say that years of writing has mellowed me. It's much easier to put aside what I feel is right and to listen up to the client's needs, when it comes to web content. Now, here's one form of writing where I, the author, know it's all about the material in hand and not me at all :D. 

*I will update this section when the need arises. Meanwhile, it is a summary of what I do as a writer. 

Sincerely,

MED

Dear you...

Dear readers,

I was raised with a sporadic reading experience and born a bit of a scatterbrain. Hardly remembering the titles of the material I've read I can only deduce that i'm a romantic - not just in terms of love but in every sense of the word. For those of you who must be treated to a more specific definition, I shall leave you with this. 

Being the hodgepodge that I am - as a result of my absentminded makeup - I am satisfied enough with this statement:

"Romance encompasses not only being hopelessly in love and being enslaved by it but also anything that has to do with heroism, the ideal, the fantastic with a dash of the medieval and a pinch of historical setting." 

Sums me up quite nicely, don't you think? As you don't know me at all, I will answer on your behalf and say that it does ;). 

Yet, I am not quite ready to yield to anyone's opinion that I am traditional. Also quite the jack of all trades, I must apologise for not being able to grace you with a list of my myriad interests. However, I can tell you one thing for sure, that writing is part and parcel of who I am. Try as I may, escaping the trade is difficult. I have written in all emotional states and in all degrees of desperation :). Writing is a gift, I enjoy it and this is the sole purpose of my blog.

Welcome and I hope it's all worth the read. 

Sincerely,

MED.