Iranian Man Did Not Take a Bath for 60 Years.

So this kind of a recent buzzing news now : this man who didn't bathe for 60 years.

Yahoo news made it a point to make a paltry 'news' out of this with a minute-long video that played the exact same 5 screenshots over and over again with what I think supposed to be ominous music.

It is extremely sad, really. Seeing such a person in an obviously destitute condition, instead of finding out what happened that he is in his current condition, people thought it was better to take a picture of him and make him into an internet sensation with most people making a mockery outta him.

First of all, consider these things:

a) Is he homeless and shunned by the nearest townsfolk for some reason?

b) Is he mentally ill? (depressed people are known to neglect their personal hygiene)

c) He appears to live in a desert area - the place seems like you will breathe in dust instead of air. So...maybe there wasn't enough water for him to bathe but just enough for drinking?

So far, I can not find anymore information on this news, did they say his name in the video? I can't understand the speaker's accent.

But he is an intriguing character though, who is he? What is his story?

Goodbye Love.

I have read many books where the books starts with the introduction with the death of someone. This subsequently becomes the cataclyst for the main character to run throughout the book, a backstory of sorts for the said protagonist. He or she would recall this death of someone in a grim tone, eloquently explaining the experience of regulating of his or her lived experience of going through the death process. Oftentimes, hyperboles like 'the atmosphere smelled like death' doesn't get me. I thought it was meant to aleviate how much the protagonist grives the said death. Little did I know they were something that you ACTUALLY SENSE. For the first time in my life, I had smelled the smell of death.
I don't wish to go through it again.

My childhood pet, and beloved family of 15 years had passed away peacefully in the wee hours of the morning at around 5-6am. Her name was, is, Tiffany.

People who knew me for a long time would be familiar with my tendency to go on and on about Tiffany so they would understand what she meant to me. Because she really is a dog with the most colourful personality that you would ever meet. Stellar reputation even amongst my family members who aren't too fond of dogs, she makes us proud in so many ways. Each and every one who met her would have high praises for her - such a good dog, she's so well behaved, she's so quiet, she has good manners, how does she know the acceptable place to do her business when she is at someone else's house?, how does she know what to do when so-and-so happens?

Easy, whatever we do - we include her. When we are gazing out the window, we would carry her with us, have her look at the world we are looking at. In time, she would ask to be included when we are doing something, anything.

So she became familiar with our body language - asesseing the situations where she needs to make herself scarce or make a grande appearance like the little superstar she is. When she needs to be alert and when she can have her guard down, how to behave with visitors to the house - the whole shang-ri-la.

We have never treated her like a dog - we talked to her, had conversations with her like you would with a human being. She listens, she understands. When a familiar word is being uttered, like 'walking', you'd have her full attention. 'Bath' makes her into a floppy fluid-like blob, refusing to move, but she always end up having a bath anyway. Her method of reproach to us - sitting on a corner and sulking.

She was born somewhere between late March or early April in 1999. We brought her home after her sister from another litter (Juwie, 5 months old R.I.P), died suddenly on Cheng Beng.

Juwie's loss was too sudden for us. We were not able to handle it and begged our father for another puppy. Something happened in between, my memory is a little fuzzy here - in my defense I was 9 years old.

So to prepare the arrival of then 1.5 months old Tiffany, we made a mini-house with a large box, newspaper and a bowl filled with milk.

She took a hard time adjusting weaning off her mother but in less than 5 days, she was barking at my dad who was coming home from work. Talk about being hardcore.

She was intelligent, curious and definitely had indescribable gung-ho-ness about her. She would tackle a problem instead of running away; having a natural inquisitive mind, she would sniff at everything. We encouraged and even introduced new scents and objects for her to sniff at.

Growing up, she was a bundle of energy. She was obscenely hyperactive. She was a light sleeper. At that time, we had a HUGE garden so she would move from one end to the other, inspecting every nook and crook.

Anything she deems suspicious, she would inspect it even more diligently. There were times when we had to remove her from potentially harmful situations because we know of her tendency to tackle things head-on. She was HARDCORE.

She hates being alone. She likes to sit beside you and sleep or just relax. She is the sort of person who needs company. So just imagine whenever we come from a 4-day holiday her hips would do a little hula dance! We absolutely ADORE that sight. Perhaps we are the only ones who understand seeing her happiness upon seeing us return from the said long holiday. The rest of the day is spent with lots of pampering, kisses and of course, treats.

She loves the camera, when she is in the mood for it of course. I can show many a picture that clearly shows she is posing for the lens. And my, was she [she is] a photogenic lovely little lady!

We like to buy her/get her gifts - dog sweater, fancy treats, new food bowl and even blankets. And everytime we gather the groceries, she would be at standy because she knows all too well that we would have gotten her something - a special favour dog food is oftentimes how we indulge her. She likes this Japan-made dog food that has lamb and rice as its ingredients.

She used to play 'predator' with socks that was wrapped on our hand. She would pretend-play, treating the sock-wrapped hand as a prey-thing, and engage in her own little teacup predator imagination. When she is done playing with the sock hand, she would lick it, indicating that she had played to her heart's content.

My two fondest memory of her is when she was still young, about 3-4 years old; she had rummaged the dustbin and actually went INSIDE the dustbin and rummaged the trash. I woke up at that time, going downstairs for a drink when I heard some rustling sound. We had mice infestation then, thinking I had finally caught the culprit, I took a heavy load of newspapers and yanked close the open dustbin. I heard something between a yelp and a squeak. "Wait, this is not tikus.". I removed the newspapers, only to have globular brown eyes staring at me with such guilt at having caught red-handed. I couldn't help but laugh but, punished her still by giving her a bath. It was 3 am yes but we can't have a mischivious pup who stinks like gutted fish.

My second fondest memory of her is when she managed to catch the said mice (finally) with her own paws. But she was clumsy and pounced on the mice instead of pinning it's tail, which resulted the mice to make a SOMMERSAULT in mid-air while plunging into a pail that was nearby. Even Tiffany was confused as she did not see the mice sommersaulting in mid-air and its landing in the said pail! In between hysterical laughing fits, I loaded some heavy newspapers to trap the mice in.

Everytime I tell this story to my family, we still laugh.

The crazy shit she does, man! It's too long to list them all here. Let them remain as fond memories in our hearts between my family.

On March 22nd, she suffered a massive heart attack at 3am. I was preparing to go to sleep when I heard a loud cry that emanated so much pain, sounding almost human. To be hearing that sort of sound at 3am, you can't help but think if you have a special visitor. But something in me prompted me to go out my door and look for Tiffany. She sleeps outside our rooms since she poops between the night, the toilet more accessible to her if she sleeps outside the room.

I found her laying stiff in an odd position, in a place I know she wouldn't normally sleep, her eyes were unblinking. Panic rose in me and I woke everyone up. Mother came first dashing and tried to revive her. My sister came a little while later and joined in reviving her. I felt my entire being shake and tremble, we have never experienced this.

It took about half an hour before she rose her head asked for water. Drinking some, after some time, she began to move about normally. My mother and sister took the day off to bring her to the hospital that very same day when the hospital would be in business.

We were given grave news. She had a serious heart attack and it was congenital. There was nothing to do except that we make her as comfortable as we can. The message was clear - brace yourselves.

Prognosis was 2 months. Because her heart was enlarged and one of her discs in her lower spine was deviating. Doctors advised that if she is starting to feel pain due to the spinal disc, we must take the most human decision for her. Because there is no traction or physiotherapy for dogs with spinal ailments. But her heart was the main focus here. Her pulse was haywire, the heart wasn't pumping enough blood so she suffered water retention. We visited the hospital weekly to get it drained.

This is the dog prior to her heart attack had only been to the vet clinic 5 times in her life for allergy reactions. Now she is a frequent visitor to a hospital.

Helluva lot of money was spent on her, the medical checkups and procedures and her medicines were filthy expensive.

Initially she was doing well. So well. There were signs of stability. We thought with constant vigilance - she'd somehow pull through till her time comes.

In between, she did have several attacks - surviving all.

For the past 2 months, her health deteriorated at an alarming rate. She refused to eat, her toilet trips were something else to manage, eventually, she didn't even wanted to move. We had to carry her here and there and assist in everything.

For the past few days, she refused food totally no matter how much cajolling we did. She didn't sleep too well either, she just lied down, drowsily looking at things.

It was when she soiled herself last night while sleeping did we realize - her time had come. Last night, we were talking about making arrangements for a vet to come to the house to finally put her to peace and the pet funeral service fees etc.

After making plans, mum slept in sis's room, tucked her between them and fell asleep. It was my mum who discovered that she had breathed her final somewhere in the wee hours of 5 or 6 am.

The two of them gave her bath and while my sis dried her off, mum knocked my door. The first time she knocked I didn't want to get up because I know what news was awaiting me. The second she knocked, I got up and mum uttered these words - "she died".

I leaned over and saw that my sister was on the floor drying off her stiff body with cloth and hairdryer.

I didn't know what to do. Perhaps there was nothing I could do. I moved around the house helplessly, doing mundane this and that. I offered to inform my father about the news, so that kept me busy for a while.

After washing her, we put her on a blanket and covered her. Mum went to the internet to check for Sanskrit calender to check the time and date of her death. Today is Vaigundha Ekadasi - it is an event that happens only once a year where the heavenly gates are said to be open. Those who pass away on Vaigundha Ekadasi is said to go straight to heaven and they do not get reincarnated. They remain in heaven. I suppose Tiffany held on for good 10.5 months because she had her own plans.

Now her loss is greeted with relief and some happiness, because at least she died on an auspicious day. Her existence in our lives taught us everything we needed about a pet. It was because of HER that the subsequent pets that come along would get treated like kings and queens because we had a good teacher in Tiffany.

Thank you Tiffany, for everything. Everything.

Darling, Dearest, Dead 

(Lemony Snicket, Letters to his Deceased Fiance).

The 'Allah' Issue

So Malaysia is now abuzz with the hoo-haa of certain extremists claiming the word 'Allah' and several other 'Malay' words strongly belonging and exclusive to the Malay race.

It came to a point that I am no longer angered to see my mother tongue that is as old as 10 000 years old being claimed by a civilization that was merely a farming community still in the 1900's, which coincidentally had solid proof of having Indian and Chinese merchants coming to their straits and introduce the art of trade and business, subsequently - Islam and basically formed a proper civilization.

I think a 'thank you' is long overdue.

The following words are a list of banned words for non-Muslims.

I can vouch on my great-gandmother's grave that none of these words are 'Malay' but Arabic and Sanskrit derivations. So where, and how, did the arrogance of 'language ownage' came from?

Let me list you some words that are blatantly Sanskrit but is being used by a good vast of ignorant Malays and Malaysians. 

Putera - Puttra, literally means 'Prince' or 'Son' and the exact meaning is still used by Malays today.

Puteri - Puttri, literally means 'Princess' or 'Daughter', the exact meaning maintained.

Bumiputera - Bhoomi, literally means 'earth' or 'world' and Putera as mentioned above, son or prince. Put together? Sons of Earth. 

Jaya - Success, literal meaning maintained.

Putrajaya - Puttra - son, Jaya - success. Put together? Victorious Princes.

Dosa - dhosham, literal meaning maintained.

Derma - Dharma, literal meaning maintained.

Raja - exact meaning 'King'. How should I address my sovereign now since the government claimed this word exclusive to the main religion?

Rani - exact meaning - Queen. So is 'Permaisuri', in Sanskrit it is 'Parmaisuri".

Menteri - Mandhiri. Exact meaning maintained.

Perdana - Pardana, meaning 'Prime'. Therefore, Perdana Menteri is literally a romanized Sanskrit term.

Warna - Varna, meaning mainatained, which is 'colour'.

Wakil - Vakkill, meaning maintained, which is 'representative', now it is a common term for 'lawyer' in Tamil. Tamils still use this word till today.

Rahsia - Ragasiam or Ragashyiam, exact meaning maintained, which is 'secret'.

Aniaya - this exact word is used in Tamil which bears the same meaning - 'to inflict cruelty".

Asrama - Ashram, exact meaning maintained - 'hostel'.

Samudera - samudra, exact meaning maintained - "the ocean".

If I keep listing them all, this blog post would be obscenely long therefore have a look at this comprehensive list of Sanskrit words that were borrowed by the Malays. Also, there are words borrowed from English, Arabic, Chinese and other Eastern languages. Malay is basically a mish-mash of borrowed languages. But certain people became insecure that their identity was 'inherited' from other cultures. What is there to be embarrassed about? The fact that you are still living today carrying on the legacy of an ancient language where the inventors and people of the language themselves have long been extinct, signifies how much we have come far as a society, the influence of the language on a global level and how we are the living proof that certain old things from ancient times perseveres till modern age is a miracle in itself.

Why are we not seeing it this way? Why such burning insecurity that marginalization as a form of self-validation was opted instead? 

The story of Hang Tuah and his brothers were removed from History textbooks when it was revealed that he was of Chinese descent and not Malay, like the erroneously long held belief. But the thing is, he was part of the entourage that escorted the Princess Hang Li Po from China, and her five escorts comprised of five brothers whose names starts with Hang coincidentally...how was that not clue enough that he was Chinese? Hang Li Po could very well be their sister! 

Parameswara was Indian prince who allegedly converted to Islam from his marriage to a Persian princess so...his descendants have Indian blood, no?

If we could stop altering history as we see fit, that'll be great.

To be frankly honest in the most brutal way, Malays did not even have a culture until the arrival of the Indians and Chinese merchants some few hundred years ago. I can't give you the exact date because it happened so that along our course of Malaysian history, many things have been changed, altered and destroyed to suit the tastes of certain people with superiority complex. There really is no telling when exactly did we came but the earliest record that the Malaysian historians have maintained thus far dates to 500 years. Everyone who is honest with themselves probably knows it dates WAAYYY back beyond that timeline, when Srivijaya made a stronghold in Kaddaram back in the 7th century. What is Kaddaram, you are wondering? We Malaysians know it as 'Kedah". See? Not even the names of our states are "Malay".

If you're a Malay reading this, and have been ingrained a superiority complex by irresponsible people, and you have any ounce of humility left in you, you'd be embarrassed.

But then there are several extremists who go out of the way to make Malaysia a laughing stock in the eyes of the world. Malaysia once had a slogan of 'Malaysia Boleh' it seems that now 'Malaysia Tak Boleh' is the preferred slogan, all thanks to recent events.

If renowned Muslim scholars from the Middle East themselves, where Islam was birthed, are baffled over our ruling of the usage of the Allah issue, then isn't it time to take a step back and re-evaluate this whole situation?

I have taken the liberty to attach some academic journal publications for your reading on the true history of Malaysia. If you are an extremist that prone to violence because your 'culture' is being challenged, you can turn back and bask in your own bobble of ignorance as this will definitely rattle your jimmies.

1. Malay and Javanese Loanwords in Malagay, Tagalog and Siraya (Formosa).

2. The Competition of Religious Terms in Sanskrit and Arabic in Malay         manuscript on Hindu-Buddha Transitional Period of Classical Malay Literature : Case Study Hikayat Marakarma.

3. Sanskrit Loan Words in Indonesian.

4. Indic Transformation.

5. An Inscribed Tablet from Kedah: Malaysia. Use Ctrl+F and key in Sanskrit. 

6. The Extent of the Influence of Tamil on the Malay Language.

7. The Jawi Writing System and Vocabulary.

8. Unveiling Secrets of the Past.

Back in the times of my parents and grandparents, this was never an issue.

Never. 

My parents and grandparents would recall fondly how the Malays, Chinese and Indians were so comfortably united because of their difference, the closeness of friendship among all the races. Racial slurs and tensions were unheard of.

It is sad that Malaysia was once a proud example of racial unity, envied by many and even lauded for our miracle of staying in one piece because of our racial differences. 

What the hell happened to us along the way? 

Japanese Fitness App Insults You While You Work Out.

Those who know me well know of my absolute love for anime and manga. No, not Japan. I do not agree with some of their cultural practices but I do love them for their anime and manga. That's where I draw my line. Visiting the Akibahara one day is sort of a daydream of mine.

But Japan has some appalling weaknesses - treatment of women especially. Many women are choosing the single life over marriage because they lose their worth as a person after getting married and is expected to serve her husband and his family. Not much different from my own South Indian culture.

Meet Nensho! For Girls. The original version was intended for as a fitness app for guys with pretty cutesy girls cheering him on as he works out. So the female counterpart was released. With macabre intentions in mind.

What better to lose weight fast than a bunch of good looking anime boys insults you with fat-phobic slurs and ultimately falls in love with you after you lose your target weight? Why is that the masculine app of this has positive reinforcements in the form of cutesy animated girls being supportive but the feminine app form has abusive underpinnings? What kind of Scumbag Steve are you conditioning your Japanese girls to see as the ideal boyfriend archetype? A pretty looking boy who insults you into thinness, but excused because he's beautifully animated? How does this even remotely make sense? 

Here's a sample of the audio available in the app:

“Hey, fattie,”

“You do know there’s a limit to being well-rounded, don’t you?”

Eating disorders is on the alarming rise in Japan among the females, of all ages, some start as young as 12. 

This would end only in disaster when it comes to their mental health. In a circuitous perception, you would condition girls to believe from a very young age their most important asset is their bodies (Brumberg, 1997). 

Does fat-phobic mainstream products really need to be conjured to further deteriorate your girls' mental health?? Or is the government propagating this eating disorder as a method to consolidate their anti-obesity campaign? Dreadful.

To think that back in Heian-era, a fat woman was considered a beautiful woman. Just read Genji Monogatari, which was written in the Heian-era, it describes women with with apple-plump cheeks and large build as 'beautiful' because it was a sign of health.

I am not here to propagate fatness, I am merely saying it is never right to criminalize one's weight using societal standards as an excuse.

This is truly disappointing. Well, I guess right and wrong is exclusive to culture. Just hope they don't extend that to outside. But given how ethnocentric Japan is, that is highly unlikely.

Nensho! For Girls - (Source)
Cited chapter in the book - The Body's New Timetable, (Brumberg, 1997)

My Reaction to Mandy Du's article in The Real Singapore.

Once in a while, you are slapped with the reality that although the women you hang out with generally have good head on their shoulders when it comes to settling down, out of the blue, you get thrown in gems like Mandy Du, who is absolutely clear that she wants to marry a robot.

I seriously hope to God she meant this piece to be a satire because some parts clearly leans towards that way. Or at least it appears to lean towards satire. I don't know - the more I read, the more I am convinced that Ms.Du is earnest in her convictions.

Be warned though, by the end of that sparkling gem of a writing, you might end up like this:

Let's analyze her writing chronogically. Not all would be quoted here, just some that is worth mentioning the reaction I had since I believe I speak for everyone as we all read her eloquent dating resume.

"Guys who send me a FB friend request must be itching to talk to me every minute of every day. That is a sign that he is really interested in me. Anything less than that, don't waste my time. I have better things to do."

Are you like, on the perception that you're a real catch?

"If you are contacting me from interstate or overseas, please make sure you are wealthy enough to fly to Perth to meet me in person (if we have chemistry). I am not willing to travel to other states or countries on the principle that a girl shouldn't have to go the distance for a guy."

"I don't like or love people easily but if I like you, then obviously you must be special. But you have to try your very hardest for me to like or love you. I get upset easily and I have a big temper. When I'm angry, I am more vicious than a pack of hungry wolves. So I suggest you don't go there. But if you don't believe me, I dare you to try."

Excuse me, my brain just bled a little.

"I have very expensive taste and I enjoy the finer things in life. I am not a simple girl with simple tastes. I simply refuse to have a boring housewife life where I just manage the home and take care of the kids and not have a life of my own. I want a guy who will provide me with an extravagant lifestyle- he must be able to take me on expensive cruises and holidays and stay at 5 star hotels and dine at the finest restaurants and take me on shopping sprees. I want a guy who treats me like a princess all the time."

Pretty sure this how most gentlemen readers of this article looked like.

"I am a genuine and a nice person. I am thoughtful, sweet and understanding. I will go out of my way to make my boyfriend/husband happy (if he makes me happy)."

Are you sure Ms.Du? Are you really sure?

"I don't have a model figure nor am I super skinny. I don’t aspire to be like models because I am comfortable in my own skin and I like the way I am. Anyone telling me differently will get an earful of my cussing. I believe every girl is beautiful whether they’re a size 6 or 16. If you're purely after looks and if you want a slim girl I'm not it. That is a physical relationship. I don't do physical relationships because I think it's truly revolting to like someone based on looks."

I take that you look something like this then.

"I don't like dogs. I hate living with them. So if I ever get to a point where I am living with a guy and he has a dog/dogs, it or they are going to have to go. If you choose a dog over me, well firstly you're dumb enough to let a great girl go and secondly, you will never get me back so you might as well marry your dog."

"I do not believe in pre-nuptial agreements. And I will not sign one when I am about to get married. I stick by : "What's mine is mine and what's your's is mine too".

""I will not tolerate guys talking back to me or trying to win arguments. That isn’t going to work. I like having the last word. If you think you simply can’t resist snapping back at me, well….there’s the trash can and you can go sit in it."

"Hmm, let's see....I have a pretty long list but essentially I want a boyfriend who will potentially become a husband. He must be good-looking (or at least decent-looking), clean, hygenic, caring, generous, loyal and faithful. He must be patient, tolerant, kind, honest, trusting, gentle and respectful. He must also be hard-working and committed and dedicated to building a future with me and giving me a luxurious comfortable life."

You want to be the on the receiving end only and not reciprocate?

Good luck, madam.

"I will not entertain sleazy guys, rude idiots or guys that are full of themselves. There's a fine line between self-confidence and arrogance."

She haven't listened to herself speak, has she?

"I want a guy free from his past relationships and ready to commit to me and me only. His relationship history must be exactly that: history. He must not linger on thoughts and feelings for this past girlfriends. Make sure you completely get over them first. He must only have eyes and the heart for me. I will not settle for less."

She thinks the universe revolves around her!

""I want a guy who will financially provide for me. And I must be able to choose if I want to work or not. A genuinely nice guy will give me that freedom of choice. And if I work, I should get to keep what I earn all to myself. If you're scared of that, then you're not the guy for me and you should probably bugger off right about now."

Somewhere, far away in the glen, a guy breathes a sigh of relief.

"Sounds good to me!" he says as he saunters off in a field of daisies.

"I'll tell you upfront that I am looking for a rich guy. He must be financially able to pay for EVERYTHING- bills, petrol, groceries, mortgage, kids, wedding, honeymoon, etc...and I should not have to pitch in a single cent. I am NOT paying for anything. With me, there is no such thing as ‘going halves’, ‘you pay this, I pay that’ or 'let's split the expenses'- none of that nonsense. I believe the guy pays for everything and I am never backing down from that ever. If that doesn’t suit you, don’t click the ‘contact’ button. It’s simple. I was raised in a very Asian culture and this concept of halving household bills and stuff is unheard of and I am not about to start that ridiculous trend."

"I want a guy who buys me gifts, lots of gifts such as expensive jewellery, perfumes, clothes, surprise getaways, takes me out to fancy dinners and balls and is always willing to go to the ends of the earth to make sure I stay happy all the time."

"He also must not go to pubs and clubs at all- I absolutely forbid it and he must not contact or go out with female friends. I don’t have any friends who are guys and I want a guy who doesn’t have any female friends either. If you want to keep them, don’t contact me. He absolutely must not be into disgusting things like pornography."

"Also, with all due respect, please don't contact me if you are physically disabled in any shape or form. Frankly I don’t want to spend the rest of my precious life nursing a man child with a condition."

If anyone needs a nursing, it's Ms. Du's ego.

"I must be number 1 in your life. I must come before anything and anyone else. I will not accept anything less. I must always be a priority. I will not take the back seat. If you think you’re going to struggle putting me number one, I won’t be interested in talking to you. Guys with exes who are still tagging along, with children, divorced, separated, going through divorce or separation- please don’t contact me at all."

With that attitude, fat chance.

" And I can tell what kind of personality you have just by looking at your FB account details."

To be fair, everything that you have written in that article of yours speaks volumes about you.

That last bit was actually written in the earlier part of her piece but I thought I'd keep the best for the last.