Having a Prayer Answered

We all have something that we want so badly in life – whether it is a car, a handphone, a job or someone special – and some of us pray very hard for that desire of ours to be fulfilled.

However, despite praying, that ‘want’ and desire of ours has yet to be fulfilled. And we know what happens next most of the time. We stop our prayer, thinking that our efforts will go down in vain.

Why does it boil down to this?

Simple, because we did not pray hard enough. More importantly, we lost our hope in prayer. This reflects the fickle mental makeup of the human race. For our prayer to be answered, we must have unflinching believe in it, and never doubt our prayer, no matter how long it takes.

But just how hard should we pray?

Seriously, I doubt there’s one definite answer to this question. I suppose that we should pray as hard as we can and that for different people and for different causes of prayer, our prayer will take varying time spans to be answered. Since no one can exactly tell us as to how hard to pray, the best would be to listen to our 'inner voice' and we would then know whether it is hard enough or otherwise.

Who are we offering our prayer to, and who will answer it?

This is another abstract question that warrants another abstract answer. Well, one of the greatest mysteries in life is that we would never see the ‘being’ whom we offer our prayer to – how does He look like, what does His voice sound like and is He a he in the first place or a she or neither.

The one thing for certain though is that we can feel Him – and we can feel His warmth. Whatever said and done, we all know that there is a superior being who watches over us at all times. Some call Him God, some call Him Ram, while others call Him Allah. To be exact, His names are infinite.

It is to Him that footballers embroiled in a tense penalty shoot-out close their eyes and clasp their hands and offer their prayer to. It is also to Him that a mother whose only son is fighting for his life in the ICU ward offers her prayer to. And when He feels our prayer is sufficient, He fulfills our desires.

Prayer without boundaries

For all the aforementioned instances, the type of prayer involved is materialistic prayer because what the humans in general want is always from the material world. There is nothing wrong with this but it is important to note that in actuality, prayer is geared more towards the spiritual side of our life.

It is only through divine prayer to the Almighty Lord that we attain salvation because prayer, in the spiritual context, is literally the food for our soul while our soul is actually our connection with God.

In a nutshell

Therefore, the next time you want something real bad and in spite of praying real hard you get nothing, don’t lose hope because it is a matter of having an unflinching belief in your prayer and to whom you are offering it to. And perhaps you might want to consider offering a prayer to Him for the benefit of your spiritual life too every so often.

What do you have to say about prayers, both in terms of a materialistic context and spiritual context? Feel free to drop a comment below to share your thoughts.

The State of Racial Integration in Schools

Ever come across these situations in your schooling life whereby all the Malay students would be huddled in one corner, the Chinese ones mixing amongst themselves and the Indians chilling out with those from their own race?

I’d be hunching my bet on a yes. These situations are prevalent in most schools to varying degrees in our country, with a student from a particular race feeling rather ‘secure’ by mixing with those from his or her own race, and therefore a minimal amount of communication is made with the ‘non-s’.

However, is this the way to go? Is this how we Malaysians who hail from a racially diverse country should behave? Where on Earth has racial integration gone to?

Before I go on, let me clarify though that not all Malaysian students, or even adults for that matter, fall into this bracket. But a good percentage of folks do indeed tend to stick to their ‘own’ kind. This, sad to say, paints a bad image of what a Malaysian should stand for.

Speaking from my personal point of view, I have come across the situations mentioned above. I mean, its ‘normal’ isn’t it, or so it seems. But the good thing for me is that I don’t even get the chance to hang out with those who share the same race as me in school. Well, that is particularly because I am a Sikh, and how often do you come across a Sikh, if at all, in your school?

In that sense, I have been brought up to mingle around with others. You could say I have had no other choice, but even then, I still feel that if there are to be a good many Sikhs in my school, I won’t be clinging on to them.

From what I have observed, generally, the Chinese students who hail from Chinese medium schools during their primary days are less susceptible to mingling around with Malays or Indians as compared to the Chinese students originating from government schools.

Anyway, that aside, I feel that as responsible Malaysians, we who know that it is important to interact with everyone notwithstanding their racial tag should take the first step to mix around. When we start, hopefully others will follow suit. Hopefully, they would then get enlightened.

In my class, there are 20-odd Chinese students, some 10 Malays and the rest Indians. Every day, I make it a point to have a chat with as many of them, and the racial factor doesn’t come in. Interestingly, something that I have observed in any given class since day one is that an Indian would tend to sit next to an Indian, a Malay next to a Malay and so on.

One common excuse that I hear for the lack of racial interaction from some students is the language barrier. Some Chinese students cannot speak fluent English or Malay, while some Malays cannot speak good English. But hey, this is a lame reason because the language barrier shouldn’t be there. It is a self-created mess.

The glaring benefit of racial interaction is that we get to know other cultures, their beliefs and their way of life. It would be quite shameful for a Malaysian to not know the festivals celebrated by say, an Indian Hindu. Not only that, but we would learn to adapt to different environments too, and this would especially come in handy during our working life.

My parents have also placed ample of emphasis on racial integration. Two years back, I was studying in a private school which did not have a good racial representation, and part of the reason for me switching to a government school was to get an even exposure to students of different races.

Actually, it is not that there isn’t any racial unity in Malaysia at present amongst students. There is abundant of it actually. Just that there isn’t much racial interaction and integration amongst one another I would say.

Hopefully, after reading this piece, you would communicate with those from the other races if you haven’t been doing that all this while. I am trying to sound optimistic here OK. And make sure you make that a promise!

What's your take on racial integration in schools in Malaysia? Is it at a deplorable condition currently, or otherwise? Feel free to air your thoughts by dropping a comment.

Government or Private Universities?

Government or private? Many SPM leavers find themselves in this uncompromising situation. Actually, this is not a problem in Malaysia only. It happens all round the world. School graduates don’t know whether to go to a government university, or a private one, to further their education.

Well, I don’t understand what the fuss’s all about. Depending on the situation you are in, where many factors come into play such as admission costs among others, either one would make a good choice.

Firstly, it matters not the amount you pay to get enrolled into a university – what matters is your desire and willpower to go home with that much more knowledge. Therefore, what’s the point paying hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of Ringgit, to get into a private university when at the end of the day, all you do is monkey around and come graduation day, you are missing in action.

In that case, it would be better to become an accomplished engineer by going to a government university since you don’t have to burn so much money off your parent’s income. The environment, which is usually stifled by hardship, will make you want to work that extra bit harder to achieve your dreams.

Moreover, degrees obtained from government universities mean every much and value every bit as those obtained from private universities. In terms of professors and teaching staff though, government universities used to have a better share of these experienced heads, but the tables have been turning no thanks to the allure of money.

Prominent government universities in this country, such as Universiti Malaya, Universiti Sains Malaysia and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia have produced a generation of Malaysians that are not only intellectual, but also a source of pride of the nation. They are the movers of our country now.

Likewise, numerous private universities such as HELP University College, SEGI University College, Monash University and University of Nottingham have had a good track record and have produced great thinkers of our times too.

However, private universities become the only option in certain circumstances such as when a certain course isn't available in a government university. Take my case as an example. I am very interested in Motorsport Technology, but this course is only offered in The Otomotif College, so no chance of me going to a government university there.

Well, the debate as to which university is better goes on and on, with no definitive answer to the question. All that I have to say is that though there are some striking differences between government and private universities, the end-products are pretty much the same - we all want to get those degrees!

Since I cannot come up with one definite answer, do you have any idea as to which is better: government or private? Feel free to share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

The Rise of the Bollywood Movie Industry

The Bollywood movie industry is the second largest in the world, second only to Hollywood. It is based at India’s financial centre, Mumbai. Each year, hundreds of movies are produced under the linage of Bollywood, and the movies are in turn viewed by tens of millions of people.

In recent months, I have witnessed an amazing seismic change in the trend of Bollywood movies – the movies are now of much a more greater quality and are distinct in style as well as substance.

I remember that as recent as 2007/2008, Bollywood movies used to be centred on two main elements – romance and comedy whilst to a lesser extent, there used to be action films too and also the occasional movie depicting social struggles.

Firstly, the romance and love themed movies lacked contrasting variations and gripping emotional storylines. Films such as Kal Ho Na Ho, Devdas and Om Shanti Om were good to watch, but not entirely great!

Besides that, the sense of humour in comedy-genred films seemed to be clichéd and abhorrent to say the least, though I did have a good laugh at times. The similarity of plots is very evident in movies of this genre such as Gol Maal, Phir Hera Pheri and The Maal.

Speaking of action films, the likes of Dhoom and Krrish were short on explosive and dynamic features that usually define an action film. Needless to say, this only confirmed the inferiority of Bollywood compared to Hollywood in making appealing action flicks.

The one element that was least exploited by the movie makers and producers were films based on moral virtues, social hardships and our day-to-day practical lives. However, that fact has been rectified, and that too with a rousing success as directors have started to convey these messages with efficiency.

To start with, I watched 3 Idiots. Truth be told, the movie is anything but about 3 idiots. Instead, it is on the sheer intelligence of Rancho, who prefers practicality to theory. The movie has a glaring stroke of originality, and touched on the many social defuncts that envelope our community today.

Next, there was Paa. Though this movie did not get much reception, but it is another meaningful and touching movie that is centred on a 12 year old boy suffering from Progeria, an age-accelerating disease. The movie also had elements on how to win politics using a non-dirty path.

Presently, I hear from my friends that My Name Is Khan is another must-watch movie as it portrays the racial inequality that had to be endured by Muslims in the West post-9/11. And the lead character in this movie also has some sort of disorder.

So, why the sudden shift? Is it a coincidence or a gradual increase in the intellectual ability of the Bollywood filmmakers? My two-cents is that the Bollywood landscape has undergone a positive makeover, for it has matured, therefore delivering excellent quality films for viewers.

For instance, the movies are closer to the hearts of the people as they see it to be related to their everyday lives, and the growing number of disabilities, diseases and disorders that are being portrayed in Bollywood films give more awareness to the public and at the same time hope to those afflicted with these defects.

If this trend continues, then there is a good chance that Bollywood films would be able to successfully penetrate the Western markets, as the way in which these films are represented is far better than how Hollywood would produce a similar movie.

More importantly, the jokes and slapstick comedy that make up this new generation movies are fresh, and they have a more cerebral value to it, not at all like the lame old comedy-genred Bollywood films.

No doubt Bollywood is far away as compared to Hollywood in producing seat-edging action films, but by focusing more of its energy on creating even better new-generation films that touch the hearts of the masses would consolidate the rise of the Bollywood filmmaking industry.

Social and Racial Unity: Then and Now

Everyday, without fail, we hear people of the highest order – be them politicians, intellectuals or religious scholars – calling for the need to achieve seismic social unity amongst the population of any given country. But, if anything is to come by, fostering social unity is an extremely hard process. That is because everybody has to play an active role, or else, social unity can only be dreamt of.

Let’s not dig too much into the annals of history. Looking back at the twentieth century, there have been many cases whereby social unity was ridiculed.

Basically, this happened when the community that constituted the majority of the population wanted to maintain its grip over the other communities subservient to them, or sometimes even the other way around. It actually depended on who had the most power. However, this was not the case all throughout the world, as in many counties, social unity thrived.

If you look at the Apartheid system that was enforced in South Africa in the year 1948, you would be amazed to know that the racial segregation of the blacks from the whites to curtail their rights was indeed a legalised system.

With this, the so-called civilised British showed that they are nothing less than animals in truth. What this resulted in was obstructed social unity that lingered on until the saviour of the South African people arrived, in the form of Nelson Mandela.

Well, if you thought the British government, looked up as one of the major powers in the world was bad, then the United States was no better. The blacks over there, mostly ethnic Africans, were more than often marginalised in the running of the country.

Not only that, but the blacks were subject to public persecution, and they had little and almost no rights at all. But, as in the case of the Apartheid in South Africa, there was a saviour in the form of Martin Luther King and he changed the landscape of social unity in America for ever.

Ethnic cleansing was an even worse form of destroying social unity and racial harmony. Well, it resulted in the wiping out of thousands of innocent folks, for the petty reason that their colour was different from that of the ruling powers.

Adolf Hither ordered mass genocides of the Jews. The holy Sikh place of worship, the Golden Temple in Amritsar, was obliterated under the command of Indira Gandhi. And Bosnian Muslims were the victims of the nasty Serbian ruler, Radovan Karadzic.

If you look at it, these are but a few of the instances that are generally known to people from all across the world. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of such cases lay buried. However, as we have moved into a new millennia, a paradigm shift has occurred, albeit to a certain extent as last time, social disharmony was widespread, but now, it is practically isolated.

Just take a glance at America. They have a black President, which is an unprecedented feat. This shows that they have broken the wall that blocked the social unity of its citizens, and have moved on to a higher level of living and maturity in thinking.

It is the same in many countries. For some reason or another, people generally have cultivated a sense of toleration towards one another. This is visible for everyone to see in the European nations, the North America, and in large areas of Asia.

Malaysia, of the most racially diverse nations in the world, has managed to keep racial harmony and social unity in check since its independence and even before. Malays, Chinese, Indians, Sikhs and the native people of the land live in almost non-existent disharmony. Only when certain issues are politicised would the social unity of the people be in jeopardy.

Presently, racial unity has one major deterrent – that is religious issues that have been taken out of proportion by certain parties to confuse and brainwash the people and them turn them against one another in the name of upholding their religious virtues.

I strongly feel that once this has been overcomed, racial disharmony would be a thing of the past. And the  name of the new game would be social and racial unity!

How do you look at this issue? Is the world still far from achieving total social and racial unity? Feel free to air your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

When Religion is Politicised

Mark the day 8th of January as a shameful day for Malaysians on the whole. Well, mark it as the day when a religious and theological issue was politicised by anonymous individuals or parties to fuel their own political mileage and aspirations. And mark it as the day when the infantile concept of 1Malaysia was nullified by the irresponsibility’s of certain people.

On this day, there were at least three known attacks on churches around the Klang Valley region. In one of the churches, the ground floor was destroyed by fire as a result of arson whilst at the other two churches situated in Petaling Jaya, firebombs were thrown into the compound of the churches but luckily they ceased to explode.

This whole problem stemmed from the fact that a court ruled that a Catholic newspaper could use the word ‘Allah’, the Muslim pronunciation of God, in their Malay-language publication. This led to widespread discontent and furore amongst the Muslim community upon hearing the court’s ruling.

It is for everyone to see that those responsible for the attacks acted in a very unprofessional, hostile manner. There could have been an amicable roundtable discussion on this issue. But no. First, there were threats of all sorts. And then, this minor group of hard-line but disillusionised Muslims did the unthinkable – attaching the Christians places of worship.

What I find baffling the most is the fact that the more ultra-Islamic political party, the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), downplayed the significance of the court’s ruling. The party President was of the opinion that the word ‘Allah’ is not necessarily reserved for the Muslims only. After learning of the attacks, he remarked, “Where did they learn this from?”

In addition to that, the Malaysian Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, also urged for calm among the Muslim community. Before the attacks, he reminded the Muslims to respect all other religions and to act in a responsible and noble manner.

So, how on Earth has this small problem regarding the legal use of ‘Allah’ in a Catholic newspaper spiral into a full-blown crisis? For one, surely the mentality of the certain individuals and groups who resist the ruling is a little ‘immature’ and ‘childish’. And then, there was the instigating and hyping of this issue by certain parties that probably led to the attacks being carried out.

The most obvious conclusion that people get to regarding this matter, especially those whom I have spoken too, is that this is all done in the name of politics. It would be hard to exactly pin-point a certain individual in this case, but the general theory and idea is there.

As we all are aware of, every religion preaches this set of basic virtues – respect other people’s religion, love one another and do not politicise religious issues. The million dollar question here is – if that is the case, why did they do it? Perhaps, the answer is that they aren’t the Muslims who are God-fearing as they claim to be.

What is your take on the matter? Was it avoidable? Is this the start of something much bigger in scale? Drop some comments to articulate your points.

Now on For Some Trivia

This is going to be a short and quick post on what I feel are some common and not-so commom trivias on worldly issues, people, achievements, the entertainment sector and what not.

The Quick Trivia

Movie of the Year: Avatar

Personality of the Year: Mir Hossein Mousavi

Mystery of the Year: Missing Air France Jet

Sportsperson of the Year: Manny Pacquiao

Song of the Year: Hold On (Cascada)

Joke of the Year: 2012 Doomsday Theory

Death of the Year: Michael Jackson

Conflict of the Year: Israeli siege on Gaza

Novel of the Year: Library of the Dead

Scare of the Year: Influenza A H1N1

Shame of the Year: Tiger Woods

Miracle of the Year: Hudson River Airplane Incident

and wishing all my dear readers a very very

Happy New Year!

The Inglorious Art of Politicking

Winston Churchill, Adolf Hitler, Mao Zedong, Mikhail Gorbachev, Silvio Berlusconi, Dr. Mahathir and Barack Obama. What do they all have in common? You guessed it right, and wrong. Correct– they are politicians of the highest order. Wrong – they are people with 101 amazing reason for every small thing that has happened, is happening, and that they presume to happen.

To clear the air and to know what we are dealing with, let me briefly explain the term 'politicking'. 'Politicking' simply means bickering in order to get the most out of a situation and for it to favour you. It is a word derived from ‘politics’. It refers to the political gamut most of the time, but its usage is not limited to that only. A common joke made out of this word is it being refered to one being a politic-king!

The art of politicking has been around for ages. It has been there ever since the start of civilisation – when men realised the need for a social order. From there, groups formed leaders, and slowly, over the course of time, villages formed. However, there was no law and order. Therefore, a few villages combined to form a kingdom, and till today, that form of ruling – the monarch system – still exists.

As the mind of the human race developed further, and their thinking more acute, they adopted the system of a republic. Then, the style of ruling that today is mostly practised by the Commonwealth nations is the system of Parliament. And of course you have Communism and totalitarianism, the least popular choices of ruling among them all.

In all the cases mentioned above, the man with the highest rank is obviously the man with the most power. Power – something that derides most humans, something so many of us carve for. And hence, the age-old tradition of politicking basically starts from there. Squabbles for power, battle for supremacy and ascendency to the highest office sums up the word ‘politicking’.

In today’s world of ours, there are so many masters of this art. The people mentioned above earlier are just the tip of the iceberg – for there are so many other politicians out there with the same nature. The chances of you finding a politician devoid of any sort of politicking in his entire career is almost next to none.

So much so, this art of politicking is starting to become a social menace. That is because companies, sports teams, and even prefectorial bodies in schools are plagued by this problem. The CEO’s seat in a company, the captain’s armband of a football team, or the opportunity of being the Head Prefect of a school can just be too much for a prospective candidate to bear.

Soon, that candidate realises the best way would be to resort showing that he or she is the most capable. At this juncture, they start boasting to boost their image. They start showing why they are the best suited candidate to land the million-dollar job. The deliver rousing speeches, mimicking those given by politicians who are in the running for President or Parliament.

However, sooner rather than later, rifts start to come to pass. The cracks in an organisation start to appear, some of them being beyond the point of repairability.

In terms of literal politics, political turmoil envelopes nations after they face general elections. Then, the blame game starts. The losing side ceases to back down. The economy of a nation can suffer as a side effect of endless and ceaseless politicking, as well as the peace of the general population.

Our long lost friend Hitler was himself a professional politicker. He made use of people and he played many other circumstances to serve his needs. In the end, he became the authoritive ruler of Germany, and look at the destruction he caused.

Of course, you will be wondering why on Earth is Obama in this category of people too. That is because in his campaign speeches, he said this and that and this and that. No doubt he has been a good leader, but not much has been practised as far as his preachings are concerned.

A Never Ending Obsession With Money

Know this to be true that the world we live in is essentially a money-motivated world. Money talks; period. It’s as simple as that. This is because if the allure of money was not to be, many people would cease to do a whole lot of things in life.

In this modern era of the business merry-go-round, one with the most money offered on the table comes out trumps. The catch is this: The usage of ‘business’ here is not limited to its literal translation. It encompasses a world much larger than just that, sports and politics among others included!

Hang on a second. The literal meaning of ‘business’ has always – and forever shall – be comprised of ‘who’s got the most money’ kind a type of thing. That is the norm in that sense. Hence, the issue that needs to be tackled is the maltreatment and abuse of money in the case of namely sports and politics. That is, I am afraid, just the tip of the iceberg.

How often do you hear a footballer trying his best to innocently claim that he switched football clubs on the basis that his new club is more ambitious than the previous one when in true fact his previous club was rich in footballing heritage whilst his newer club is notable for nothing but a burgeoning coffer? Even a fool would dismiss his claims as to why he switched clubs for the obvious reason is telling.

If that is not enough, then ponder on this. When was the last time you read in the papers that a politician was charged on the grounds of money-laundering or misuse of the taxpayer’s money for his personal use? My bet is perhaps yesterday.

Okay. Enough posers to tinker on for the time being. Let us disseminate the facts and analyse the case at hand meticulously, before attempting to put two-and-two together to solve the jigsaw.

Let’s get down to the basics first. Sportsmen and politicians are meant to be honourable, principled, morally-sane and most importantly, loyal to their cause throughout their lives. The sad part is, due to the allure and temptation of money, their behaviour becomes tantamount to that of a drunken man, unable to see beyond his inebriated vision.

Therefore, rhetorically speaking, money leads them astray in life. The essence of this is that they are not content and grateful with what they have. They forget to thank God for what He has given them. Some may argue that if we are to be content with what we have, then who is going to progress in life? In that case, a middle ground; the point of equilibrium balance, should be sought. Such a compromise would be the best solution.

Moving on to more general outlooks of money, it’s tempt and its implications, there are many instances that were can hand-pick from our day-to-day lives. I recall very clearly that only half-a-dozen years ago, one dollar could buy me a hefty lunch with an adequate variety of side dishes. Now? That same amount of money would get me peanuts. That is appalling even if some of the difference is due to inflation.

Then, a couple of years ago, the price of crude oil skyrocketed worldwide. Public transport operators practically begged the government to allow them to increase their ticket fare in a bid to lessen their burden. The government succumbed to their pressure. Now, two years on, when the crude oil prices have nose-dived, the transport operators still refuse to lower their ticket fares. This just sums up the insatiable human nature.

All in all, based on the facts and examples put forth, it can be concluded that money is indeed an obsession that people come across in their lifetimes. However, as obvious as it may sound, we have the power to change the course of mankind for its betterment. Let us not set a precedence that life is all about money for the future generations. Thus, the human race must do-away with this unruly phenomenon before it is too late.

Online Gaming: An Irresistible Allure

You are bored... stiff bored that is. There is nothing that you can do in the world to annihilate that utter boredness of yours – EXCEPT for this one little remedy – ‘ONLINE GAMING’!

What is so different about online gaming that it beats all other sorts of computer games? Simple. It’s because you can play with REAL people, wishful thinking in the case of computer games where you would only play with Artificial Intelligence (AI) at most.

Trust me, once upon a time, I used to be hooked to the computer on grounds of online gaming. Before I proceed any further though, let me clarify one thing first. What I mean by online gaming is not playing flash games on Miniclip or Facebook or anything of that sort. Online gaming here refers to Massive Multiplayer Online (MMO) games.

I was, on two notable occasions, made a slave of the MMO gaming world. Each of it for a long period of time too. Make no mistake that this is not a confession; it is a mere insight into the online gaming world on my part. Looking back, I feel one of it was worthwhile the servitude, but the other – crap!

Referring to my experience of both the games, the worthwhile former is Powersoccer while the crap latter is Runescape. I had, however, tried my hand at a couple more MMO’s, but for some reason or another, I sticked to these two games only.

I started off with Runescape first. It was practically peer pressure to a certain extent as my classmates were speaking of it every time in class. It wasn’t only me who caught the bug. A few more classmates were on it too. So, we would go home, play till we were scolded off, and boast of our achievements the next day in school.

In the matter of six weeks, I had gone up to level 58, which is a good record. This game lasted me six months before I got the better of its boredom. The game was gradually updated but the updates seemed to be non-relevant, to me at least, and that was the end of it.

Next up – Powersoccer. This was something I ventured into alone, and only one of my classmates caught onto it, albeit by only a bit. I have so many reasons to be proud of my time playing in Powersoccer. It was, and has been, the one and only game in which I successfully made a breakthrough in.

Granted. The graphics and animation have some way to go before reaching the level of say, FIFA, but still it was fun playing Powersoccer. Boasting 3 million members, I was once ranked No. 11 in the world, and top in Asia and Australia. That was until I was banned. Why? I myself am confused. Their version of the story was that I used cheats to reach where I was, but heck, I am no cheater!

Now, I literally do not play MMO’s anymore. Well, I do play Superstar Racing, but extremely rarely because too many features have to be bought and are members-only and this as a result just put me off.

As for you, I am sure you would have experienced online gaming, and most probably enjoyed it. Anyway, what I am looking forward to doing in the near future is playing MMO games via gaming consoles such as Xbox. It is undoubtedly a new-generation gaming experience, one that I would very much like to get my hands on.

Malaysia and Motorsports: The Rise

Some 15 years ago, our then Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir, had mooted an idea to bring the Formula One circus to not only our country, but to this region. There was a general feel of scepticism towards his idea. Yet, here we stand; having already hosted 11 successful Grand Prix’s in Formula One as well as being a permanent fixture on the premier motorcycling world championship calendar, the MotoGP.

Truth be told though, the Sepang International Circuit served as a catalyst to what would mean greater heights. Not long after its inception, Malaysians had their men to cheer on in Formula One and MotoGP respectively. However, the euphoria fizzled out and before we knew it, Alex Yoong and Shahrul Yuzy were out of race seats.

That seemed to be the end of it. There were no budding prospects that were groomed to follow in their footsteps. Apart from some occasional success in A1GP, there was nothing much to shout about on the international motorsports scene since then. Internal bickering among the motorsports affiliates in Malaysia only made the situation from bad to worse.

Whatever said and done, amid the doom and gloom, a bright ray of hope appeared. First, the selection for the wildcard entries into the Sepang MotoGP leg drew momentum. At the same time, Fairuz Fauzy was going guns in the World Series by Renault and to cap that off, our current Prime Minister announced that Malaysia were going to be represented on the Formula One grid next year. Many, including me, were incredibly surprised upon learning that we were going to undertake such a venture. I, for one, could not believe what I was reading in the newspapers and hearing in the news.

Recently, our two motorcyclists who took part in the 125cc class drove the race of their lives’ to come home in extremely commendable positions. There are offers on the table for them to continue featuring in the championship prominently from next season on. The best part is Datuk Tony Fernandes announced that they would be more than willing to pump in the cash to set-up their own team.

As for the case of the 1Malaysia Lotus F1 Team, it only gets better. The team are on schedule to roll out their car for testing, and Tony handed over duties of the team CEO to Proton’s General Manager. At the moment, they are finalising the drivers for their cars next year. My bet is that Fairuz Fauzy has done enough to secure his spot as he had one heck of a season in the World Series by Renault, finishing second overall in the standings. In Mike Gascoyne, they have one of the best technical men to lead their team too.

In the lesser echelons of the racing world, Malaysia has been rising slowly and steadily. One man that is bound to be a headline-grabber down the years to come is Jazeman Firhan Jaafar. He is a racing hotshot and has been tipped by many in the racing fraternity to bloom into a world beater. Then, we also have the Meritus racing team. They are the only Asian team competing in GP2 Asia and have won numerous awards throughout the years via virtually dominating the Formula BMW Asia.

Conclusively, Malaysian motorsports has got the potential, but not yet the resources, to rival and overwhelm the best in the world. I would put down a marker that in about eight year’s time we would definitely be a force to be reckoned with. This would inevitably translate to technological advances in our automotive industry among others.

The 1Malaysia Formula 1 initiative, together with the refined blueprints to fully compete in MotoGP, definitely are not tantamount to building castles in the air. The sure thing here is that through motorsports, Malaysia has the chance to be the best in the world, something that would be wishful thinking in the case of football and lately, hockey.

*This is an article that I had written and a revised version of this has been published in the Niexter pullout dated 3rd Dec. 2009.