Dal Noon Ha Alif Gaf, 5

“There is only one difference between a madman and me. I am not mad.”
-Salvador Dali

For the moment:
Please Don’t Leave(The Essential Mix)-Paolo Fedreghini

I am now in Jacob Mulderweg, Den Haag.

I leave for Malaysia in 12 hours.

After I wrote the previous post, I woke up the following morning at about 8.45 am, well rested. I left Daphnés place shortly at 11 am. Her mom, Simin, walked me to the bus stop. To pack, she gave me 2 oranges and tissue (mini ) packs, an apple, a Lebanese cucumber, a Fanta, banana and some of the most hardcore class-A drug pastries. Just as we’re about to leave, she also insisted that I took one of her umbrellas which became extremely useful later.

Extremely useful.

The night before, Daphné wrote on a piece of paper a few places in Anterwpen I should see before I leave for good. Although her handwriting was neat and admirable, I could not really read it. My understanding improved a little using the map Fré marked for me 3 days earlier.

Nevertheless, I did just about all that was advised to me. I walked all the way from Centraal Station-> Museum of Fine Arts-> the Cathedral where I did not get to see Rubens infamous depiction of Christs post crucifixion because I decided not to afford the 2 euros it demanded-> Centraal Station.

It rained throughout the long triangle route I took. My feet were cold, wet and exhausted.

I got to the Centraal Station at 2pm. The train to Rosendaal at 2.18pm is 20 minutes delayed. A Stoptrein. One stop away from Rosendaal (the Netherlands), I was told to get off at Essen (Belgium). Later, I got on a train to Rosendaal. I then took a train to Den Haag Centraal. However, at the next stop, Dordrecht, I was instructed to disembark.

Keep in mind that 98% of the announcements at the train station was in Dutch. And also keep in mind that 2 days earlier, I broke my spectacles in Brussels. As I never had contact lenses, ever since I have had to carry around the left spectacle lense in my right pocket and held it to my eye whenever it was of immediate importance for me to read a signboard.

To summarize this portion, I suppose you could say I saw no evil, heard no Dutch and said mainly,

Hi. Excuse me. Did you hear the announcement? What did he say..in English?

The wait was longer than short, so much so that, in Dutch, the railway man announced that to help us keep warm and dry, we could wait in the train on Platform 1. There was a blockage/flood in between Dordrecht and Rotterdam, which explains the slower than idle train traffic.

Later there was an announcement that there was a Stoptrein (which stops at almost every station) to Den Haag at Platform 3. So I went. Less than 3 minutes later, another announcement came saying that there’s an Intercity train leaving for Amsterdam at Platform 1. So me and a few other Muggles ran up the steps and back down past 9 and 3 quaters, to Platform 1.

As I briskwalk to the train, the doors close.

I had to wait for the next train.

I suppose that was not enough. At Den Haag I took a tram to Maduradam, the closest stop to Jacob Mulderweg. As I had no streetmap or eyesight, I did not know where to go despite my host telling me the street names that follows to the house. Shortly later, I was picked up under the flyover bridge, by my host.

It would have usually taken me 1 hour and 45 minutes tops.

That escapade took me 5 hours.

Alif Noon Ta Wau Ra Ba Noon, 4

“Please try to stay another night. Go to Brussels tomorrow morning. I will cook a Persian dinner for you. Come back ok? I like you.”*
-Simin Ghaffari

For the moment:
She Don’t Have To Know-John Legend

*Not verbatim.

I am now back in Wuytslei, Antwerpen.

I changed my plans. It’s Monday night and I should be back in Den Haag by now. I was here on Friday night and when I left for Brussels on Saturday, a place I did not enjoy (especially in comparison to Antwerpen), I knew I had to come back to Antwerpen somehow.

I met Daphné Busseniers and Frédérique Fransen in KL in late July when they were backpacking in South East Asia.

We clicked somehow. They forced me to join Facebook so that we could communicate to meet up the following day. When we parted, they asked me to come to Antwerpen.

And I did.

When I was here on Friday night, the first six hours was brilliant. I had tea at Daphné’s house as Guy, Daphné’s dad, explained to me, among many other interesting things, the main business of Antwerpen, its ports and not diamonds (his trade), which apparently first started in India.

Later we met Fré, Els & Steven for a splendid dinner.

After hopping at 5 other places, we decided on Nannox. When we were leaving Daphné’s purse was stolen. To cut the long story short, I slept at 6am and she at 8.

I left her house at 2.30pm where Fré picked me up and we went to the Diamond Museum. Before she left, she marked my tourist map (in Dutch) a few places I should visit. At 6pm I left for Brussels, on a low note.

I had arranged to be back in Den Haag by Monday evening. A huge crowd is expected on Tuesday morning as the Foreign Minister is coming for that day and it is also Malaysia’s turn to submit its case, there is a possibility that I might not even find a seat in the Courtroom.

For an additional night in Antwerpen, that is a risk I am willing not to take.

After calculating the pros and cons, on Sunday evening I called Daphné. Besides telling me that they found (only) her purse, car keys and house keys, she also told me I should stay over on Monday night. So after spending a Sunday night in Brugge, I went back to Antwerpen.

I got the dinner Simin, Daphnés Persian mom promised. Super.

And I got a better understanding of the history, political system and (present) situation of Belgium, as Guy explained to me over the authentic dinner. Brilliant.

And I also met Daphnés sister, Chloé, who unlike many others, had the courtesy to ask permission before touching my hair.

I know they will be reading this, as I will tell them to. So I thank Daphné and the Busseniers: Guy, Simin and Chloé for welcoming me to their home. Fré who went out of her way hosting me on her busy day, giving me a quick look at the University of Antwerp and insisting that I got my Belgian pastry. A simple cool guy name Steven and a gutsy tough girl name Els.

I leave for Den Haag tomorrow morning.

I don’t feel like going.

Dal Noon Ha Alif Gaf, 2: lauterpacht wanted to kiss my hand

4 hours ago, I met Elihu.

The son of Hersch.

The grandson of Tok.

Alif Mim Sim Ta Ra Dal Mim, 1

“Hey Meedee, the seat is too high? But that is normal. Hey it’s ok. At the end of it, you will have a tight ass.”
-Officer at Mac’s Bikes

For the moment:
Snoring-Hamidi Md Noh

I am now in Westerpark, Amsterdam.

We arrived at Schipol Airport 6 am. Headed to Amsterdam Central Station shortly after and when we got there we sat in a cafe for 2 hours, chatting to 3 locals primarily about Amsterdam while a fourth one nicked one of Hamidi’s Marlboros rather casually. One of the locals was a slightly dodgy Romanian girl named Nikky. While clearly she was born only at the end Nicolae Ceausescu’s regime, I was especially suspicious when she didn’t want to leave us.

Almost all throughout I had my laptop was open and charging freely from the cafe’s electrical socket, which was shortly before we practically unpacked both bags and repacked it again for all the cafe patrons to see because we had to store most of the luggage in a locker which was not made convenient for non-Dutch speakers to use.

Or illiterate Dutch speakers.

We are staying at Maaike’s house, who is an Arts student at the Theatre of School of Amsterdam studying Stage Management. Her thesis on (Injuries) in Dance Companies. After the magnificent Van Gogh Museum, we met her at 3.30pm yesterday at Dam Square, where she was standing by her bicycle.

Shortly after, me and Hamidi went to rent our bicycles. We were too excited that we forgot how queer we would look if it was all in Malaysia. Midi was worried as he has not been on a bike for years. He felt better after I gave a him a long hug and a string of psychologically correct words of encouragement.

Unlike Midi, I am not a fan of Anne Frank because let’s face it, her second album was just shit. Clearly she’s no good at experimenting Dikir Barat. Anyways, the Anne Frank House was quite interesting. I wrote something cynical in the guestbook, not undermining what happened like my mate Ahmaddinejoyah, but stating that the world has not change. Impliedly indicating that we should not dwell too much on one thing.

Unlike Midi, I was looking forward to the Van Gogh Museum where I saw something that almost made me cry. I saw a few Malaysians. But the cold prevented my patriotic tears and helped me not to say anything to them.

My appreciation for Amsterdam increased (greatly) when I saw a few relatively brilliant second rate artistes of their so called ‘best works’. Such as Degas, Cézanne, Hokusai, Picasso and Goma. And then to my favourite second rate artistes such as Van Gogh and former Kuala Lumpur Central Market failure, Monet!

Take my breath away. In a manly way.

*Don’t I just love name-dropping. Especially now that I am in a cool city that rains at night when you’re riding on a bicycle with no gloves.

We plan to leave for Den Haag at 4.30 pm today.

Less than 24 hours after that I will be going to Eindhoven alone and meet my host at the elevated corridor which is as my host says, “technically on the water”, that connects between the old and new building of the Van Abbe Museum, at 8pm. And after that to Antwerp, Brussels, Brugge to meet my respective host and spend one night in each city before I head back to Den Haag.

Fascinatingly, at this point, Midi has showered. Maaike went out to get the newspaper and some breakfast, she asked me what I wanted because they don’t have Koko Krunch here. So I said:

Roti telo tamau bawang. Teh tarik kureng manis. Time kase.

20 years on: the encroachment that plagued malaysia

“It is a blow to read that a recent World Bank survey on resolution of commercial disputes ranked Malaysia poorly, 63rd amongst 178 countries. Hong Kong is placed first and Singapore ranks fourth. Ironically, both inherited the British legal system like Malaysia. ”
-Wong Chun Wai
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For the moment:
Team Leader-George Lopez
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*It’s not a fantastic article nor is he a favourable columnist of mine, but he did make a brilliant observation.
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Do you know why the Judiciary of Malaysia is under such scrutiny today?
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Especially if you’re a Malaysian, do not read if you’re not open-minded. Apparently it is fashionable to be nowadays, but in truth most who claim, are not. I suppose that’s part of fashion.
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In the 18th century, French Enlightenment political thinker Montesquieu introduced the doctrine/notion of Separation of Powers. Each government basically has 3 arms or instruments. The Legislators which are your Members of Parliament whom you as citizens elect and represent you to make the laws of your country, the Executive which are the Legislators or MP’s who are also your Ministers, who also dictates the direction and policies of the country and the Judiciary, the people who apply the law, not make or change it.
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SOP sets out to say that in order for an efficient system to run, the people who make the law and make decisions can’t at the same time apply the law. (Similar to companies who delegate their research and survey to another organization.) Therefore, the Judiciary (the Courts, the Judges) must be separated from the Executive and the Legislators. You shouldn’t step in that territory, vice versa.
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This is to avoid an abuse of power and ensure a fair and just system for all. Not a selected group of citizens.
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Do you know why the Judiciary of Malaysia is under such scrutiny today?
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Which has resulted local and foreign investors to pump their money outside of Malaysia and that affects the economy, my income and yours?
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There are various factors, but one of the few significant ones is because in 1988, this one guy (I think his name is Mahathir) decided to manipulate the law and made sure he fired the Chief Justice of Malaysia.
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While he may have sacked one man and denied him of his pension money, but such form of intimidation by the Executive towards the Judiciary, goes a very very long way.
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It’s 2007 now.