Here's a cock and bull post to confuse the daylights out of you and reignite my passion for blogging hopefully.

Life is just like classic RPGs and MMORPGs. No mana (food and drink), you die. No ability, you die. No money, you die. These are the truths of life but there are exceptions to the rules especially when money and ability is concerned.

I know for a fact needs food and drink. Anybody refuting this is either stupid or big fat liars e.g., Breatharians who think they can survive on pranna (thin air). Most people get more than enough food. A large number of people in fact are fat gluttons like me and my best friend. Then we have those living on the brink of starvation. Many of course end up dropping dead. The world sure is very unfair. Why must gluttons exist in a world where people starve to death? Go ask Robert Mugabe.

Ability? Face it, if you have no ability life would so harsh you are better of dead. P. Ramlee's son is a road sweeper because he has no talent. Your maid most probably is maid probably because she's quite stupid. Drug addicts for one have purged their abilities away. But some stars have no talent but are rich. Why? For women it's basically all about sex. Have nice body? Can dance seductively (dancing seductively can be done just by unleashing your inner animal)? Willing to sex up the big shot? A girl who do all these become a star but go to hell according to George Bush and it's only in the immoral West if you listen to our politicians. Guys only need to be handsome and of course some sexual talent. Anyway, most celebrities are just trash and don't deserve their wealth. Paris Hilton on the other hand should just drop dead.

Money is the root of all evil but without it everyone dies. No money, you have no food so you will die. That is the simple fact unless you get help. The problem is all these problems are human made which again ironically is linked to money again. The kleptocrats rapes a nations wealth e.g., some guy whose father was from Kerala in a country with a peninsula and his cronies. Then they start swimming in their cash which can turn into blood money when people die because they lack the means to earn enough money to eat. No such thing in Malaysia but we have worshipers of money helping prop up regimes that make people starve. Sudan and Burma for example which coincidently involve Petronas. Perhaps Hades should come into the picture too.

Still confused?

~multum in parvo~

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I suppose this post has been a long time coming. It's like a letter you wrote one hot dusty afternoon, only to stop at the postbox, then dump it into the trash can beside it. Somehow, no matter how long you think about what to say and how to say it, the words never come out right. But they say if flowers waited till everything was just perfect before they blossomed after the long winter, then we'd never see spring at all.

It's been a long time since we started RANDTS. A lot of things have happened since then. We've seen members come and go as well as visitors drop by and leave. We've even had controversy drop by once in awhile for the occasional cup of tea. And still we weathered it all.

By this time, you might be wondering, "What's this guy comin' back all of a sudden? It's not like he cares about the blog anyways..."

That's true. If I'd cared I'd have been posting frequently. Trying to fan the flame even as our heads were repeatedly dunked into buckets of cold water. I'd have been there in RANDTS' darkest hour trying alongside you guys to keep the passion going, keep the momentum up.

But the hard fact is I didn't, did I?

It's like waking up from a bad dream only to see the mask of a killer you thought you'd never see again. The glint of the jagged blade in the darkness, your scarlet blood upon the sheets and the knife. You clutch your belly to find your guts were ripped out while you were in the nightmare. As your life force ebbs away and you fade painfully into oblivion, the killer - mockingly, haughtily, dishearteningly - removes his mask. Then you realize all this while you've been afraid of your own reflection in the mirror. Was I the person who stabbed myself in the back, unknowingly?

What prompted me to write this post? Perhaps the amount of resentment, sadness - disappointment? - that is now plain for all to see on the blog. Even the message on the bulletin board below the ever-changing banner seems like a mockery of the shadow RANDTS has become. But no, that still wasn't what hurt me the most.

It was a friend that I know. Or knew, depending on who you asked. A close friend. A good friend. Many months ago he inspired me, and many others, with a heart-warming tale of triumph in adversity of the worst kind. He shared with us a cheerful optimism that many others in his situation would be hard-pressed to display. He reminded us of the brittle fragility of life, and how each moment we take a breath is a moment to be savored as if it was our last. He told us the tough get going when the going gets tough. He shared with us the power of faith and love and family, and how these continue to be his pillars in life, providing him with the strength to pull through a life most others wouldn't consider worth living.

I saw him as a God, a hero, a true man among men. He inspired me, as he has undoubtedly inspired many others. I was touched by his sheer willpower and spirit, and looked to him as a guiding light when the world is descending into darkness.

It was only recently that I saw my hero give up hope. Not because he was at death's doorstep. Not because he suffered the loss of a family member. But because I failed to commit to the vision that I and two others had created. He gave up because I did too.

How else do you convey emotions in an email? Electrons cannot show you shed tears or distant laughter. Electrons moving at lightspeed don't know the meaning of a smile in a group photo, or the hidden jokes associated with the size of the blade you hold. Electrons shooting around the world and back can only do so much to send a message, but it is memories that do the rest of the work.

Mea culpa.

For awhile I held hands and rubbed shoulders with some of the most vibrant and unique people in the world. For awhile we traded inane stories, sexy pictures, lengthy essays, fiery rants, perfect pictures, informative articles, and so many more things. For awhile I was proud to call myself a RANDTSter...

...and honestly? I still am.

Perhaps it is time we gave this blog a little peace and quiet while we start looking in ourselves and seriously ask what it is we really want out of RANDTS.

Now, I think I know what I want. Maybe not a 100%, but even an inkling's good enough. I seriously have no idea what kind of response I can expect to this post. Regardless, the burden is mine to bear. It was my fault, and for that I apologize. I'm sorry I left in your hour of need. I'm sorry I shirked my responsibilities as founding father of RANDTS. I'm sorry I ignored the blog for so long.

But most of all, to all of you here who've been here with RANDTS and I from the start - especially Albert and Jaspreet - I'm sorry for hurting you, and for that I seek your forgiveness .

Lastly, I have this to say: call me idealistic, but even after the coldest darkest winter, flowers still break through the frost and blossom into majestic beauty, heralding the beginning of spring. I'm here hoping winter ends soon... and that spring will come with the dawn of the new sun. I'm ready to rebuild the ruins of RANDTS and start anew. After all, that's what spring is about, isn't it - nature getting a brand new start?

Thank you one and all.

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Sometimes you wonder how some folks (especially in Malaysia) have the audacity to talk without thinking. Really, judging from the things they type, it's glaringly obvious that these people never really bothered to zip up their mouths for awhile before shooting off it at others. Naturally they also don't bother giving a damn about being polite or civilized at all.

Case in point: check out John Lee's blog, Infernal Ramblings, at the chatbox in the right-hand sidebar.

Now pay attention to the mad rantings of the person nicknamed "joshvinder". Start from bottom to top, right before the nickname 'No Eggs'.

Disheartening, no? With such people trawling the blogosphere and spreading ill will everywhere they end up, it's hardly any wonder why our Information Minister is so anxious to rein in Malaysian bloggers; including the rest of us who had nothing to do with it in the first place.

I thought a forum was for people to exchange ideas, not ruthlessly beat them down whenever they express one that doesn't tally with yours!

It's sickening to be reminded that there are many more "joshvinders" out there in the country right now. On a forum once, I was heckled by another 'experienced' user (by nature of the obscenely huge number of posts he has put up to date) who used a variety of colourful and fascinating words on me due to a disagreement of sorts in which we ended up.

Alright, maybe I was at fault for misreading his message and responding rather harshly - but it was never intentionally done. The next thing I knew I was embroiled in a flame war all on my own! Needless to say, I found out from many other users that he has abused them online many times - even witnessing myself him starting up another flame war with another user of that forum.

And it wasn't just about the issue we were discussing at that point - at times he'd go on to insult our parentage, our heritage, our culture, our education, etc. Basically he took a potshot at everything related to us in an effort to draw us in to the conflict with our own weapons. I was damn near close to breaking. Still, bad experiences that could have cost me my friendships helped remind me that that was the last thing I should do.

I have since stopped posting at that forum due to his insolent nature and coarse language. I thought a forum was for people to exchange ideas, not ruthlessly beat them down whenever they express one that doesn't tally with yours! That defeats the purpose of the whole thing entirely, no?

Any of you here have ever had that experience before? Being heckled online by someone hiding behind a pseudonym? It certainly makes you wonder how some immature people can so freely abuse the rights to freedom of speech which democracy has granted them.

[ related article: Bloggers' Code of Conduct: The Great Debate ]

~verus rara avis~

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Most of you would think the reason for me discussing this is because of the question of the NSTP Sdn. Bhd. vs Jeff Ooi/Ahirudin Attan case [read Bloggers Sued: A chronology of events]. For those of you who aren't in the Bloggers United movement (or have not been keeping up-to-date with the progress of the case), the link leads to Research on Malaysian Bloggers.

Well, that's partly the reason why. But the main issue in that debate was, "Are bloggers liable for slanderous/defamatory comments posted by readers on their blog?"

Here I'll talk about a new issue that's cropped up in the international blogosphere (that's right, folks, we're taking the war out of the country), starting with the Kathy Sierra incidents [read Death threats against bloggers are NOT "protected speech"].

Now the issue at hand has shifted (though not really in Malaysia) to the conduct of bloggers/commenters online. To think that people would go out of their way to shut someone up online by posting death threats against her (and it isn't just all talk - there were a few 'disturbing' pictures) is horrifying.

Hence, to counter these anonymous users abusing the freedom of the Internet, people are already uniting in a concerted effort to draft a workable and acceptable Bloggers' Code of Conduct. One such draft can be found at this link (complete with badges for people who obey the code or choose not to follow it): [read Draft Bloggers' Code of Conduct]

...will the proposed Bloggers' Code of Conduct build a free, regulated blogging environment, or impose a totalitarian iron rule of law?...

However, the blogosphere has not united behind this movement completely. There are some bloggers [read Segala: Do we want a code for blogs?] who say that it's up to the blogger to choose whether to adhere to the code (if an official one does come into existence). There are also those who are completely against it [read Blogger Code of Conduct? Two words - Fuck off].

Whatever the support (or resistance) to the Code of Conduct [read robhyndman.com: Blogging Code of Conduct, Redux], there are some things that are interestingly noted by commenters on the Draft Bloggers' Code of Conduct. Among them:

2. We won't say anything online that we wouldn't say in person.

If blogging is international, then I would disagree with this point.

In the authoritarion and cruel regimes, if one wants to get himself hanged, only then he would in person criticize the regime. Blogging is the great and unique way of protest for the oppressed people against such regimes.

Also:

What a load of bull. People should be civil to each other without it having to be 'enforced'. Who is going to enforce this code of conduct? You'll be wanting a regulatory body next, and all bloggers and commenters to register, carry cards or wear badges. The internet is free, and should stay that way. There are ways to trace even an anonymous commenter's IP these days.

Some like the idea, though:

Interesting idea. A lot of the points in this draft could apply to web sites in general, not just blogs. Especially forums.

I like the idea, but I agree with other commenters about the fact that many bloggers would want to customize the code to their specific site and ideals. Maybe the code could be something like Creative Commons licenses where there are different levels to choose from.

It will be interesting to see where the debate goes from here. Is the Code threatening the democracy and freedom of the Internet? Is it actually helping to build a better, global online community that contributes proactively and maturely? Or is this the end of blogging as we know it? Whatever happens, ultimately RANDTS will be affected in its own little way as well.

~verus rara avis~

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You do not choose your destiny, it chooses you. And those that knew you before Fate took you by the hand cannot understand the depth of the changes inside. They cannot fathom how much you stand to lose in failure...that you are the instrument of flawless Design. And all of life may hang in the balance. The hero learns quickly who can comprehend and who merely stands in your way.

- Dr Suresh, from the TV series Heroes [more quotes here]

What is the destiny of RANDTS?

...comment hitches are a really tough nut...

I'm typing this as a response to Maverick's post [RANDTS To The Next Level, Take Two].

Quota or no quota? I think a quota is good for RANDTS as long as it's reasonable. Having the same old bloggers (sadly I may be part of the problem) sort of dominating RANDTS may doom it to the fate of Random Rantings. There are many days when I feel RANDTS is not really happening kind of group blog. Maverick and all RANDTSters don't have to worry about the quota being something stressful as I have already said this quota is entirely voluntary. Remember that the quo ta is just merely to persuade and it's not being imposed per se.

As of our visitors who suffer from information overload maybe they should given a link to a lite RANDTS page featuring 5 of the latest posts on our blog. We could easily achieve this by constantly updating the post tags. Since I brought this proposal the upkeep of this system can be left to me. What do you guys think?

Comment hitches are a really tough nut to crack. Here almost all the time only RANDTSters comment. This really is not very good. What are your suggestions people?

Lastly I'm very happy that my voluntary quota generated a good response. Thanks Henry for putting up three posts last week. Thank you yiwei, huiwen7, esther and jasmine for fulfilling the quota. Adding to that you guys actually posted pretty good posts. Anyway, let us welcome maverick back after his time of absence. He was in Shah Alam, Selangor if I'm not mistaken.

Everyone who reads this is invited to comment..

~multum in parvo~

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Sex could kill you. Do you know what the human body goes through when you have sex? Pupils dilate, arteries constrict, core temperature rises, heart races, blood pressure skyrockets, respiration becomes rapid and shallow, the brain fires bursts of electrical impulses from nowhere to nowhere, and secretions spit out of every gland, and the muscles tense and spasm like you're lifting three times your body weight. It's violent, it's ugly and it's messy, and if God hadn't made it unbelievably fun, the human race would have died out eons ago. [pause to breathe deeply] Men are lucky they can only have one orgasm. Do you know that women can have an hour long orgasm?

- Dr Cameron, from the TV series House [more quotes here]

Sex aside, I'm typing this as a response to Comrade's post [RANDTS To The Next Level].

I guess I did say I wanted to have a dynamic group blog sometime back then. However, it must be said that I think we do have that environment now, to some extent. Judging by the posts' content, we have an extremely varied level of topics relating to current issues and even personal problems on the blog.

...just my two cents' worth...

But for our blog to be truly 'dynamic', there needs to be some degree of engagement, comment-wise, with our audience - the readers of RANDTS. Blogger-wise, we're getting loads of comments from the people who contribute to RANDTS, but near nothing from the readers of the blog.

I was made to understand that RANDTS does have a substantial following from around the country (although these statistics are by no means comparable to the more established blogs out there). Somehow though, there doesn't seem to be a very enthusiastic response here from them, despite them telling me how much they enjoy reading the posts we put up here.

Personally, I'm against imposing a quota at all for a number of reasons. One of them is because I'm not as frequent a poster as Comrade. Another is because some readers mentioned that coming to RANDTS actually gives them an information overload (due to the large number of posts that crop up when they don't drop by the site for a few days).

In the end, it all boils down to the question of 'quality vs quantity'. Too many posts may not necessarily be a good thing. I'd prefer it if we let things stay as they are now. We'll definitely streamline a few things here and there, but we can always work those out later.

~verus rara avis~

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RANDTS has now over 220 posts. That's quite an achievement considering that we are just about 2 months old. However, some people seem to post here once and then take a long break. I'm not saying that's wrong but sometimes I feel that RANDTS doesn't have 16 members. What do you guys think about voluntary post quota of 2 a week? It sounds pretty reasonable as a decent post can be put up in about 30 minutes. If you guys noticed I can post very often usually because I keep my posts short.

You guys should know that I cannot force anything on you guys so don't worry at all about the quota. However, isn't it nice to show yourself on RANDTS more often? Jared wanted dedicated bloggers for RANDTS so maybe we should try to achieve his dream of a truly dynamic group blog. We have to try harder if we want to make RANDTS one of the best blog in town. Only we can do it!

Nevertheless, the quota is just an ideal to achieve but please don't stress yourself over it. If stress is the result of fulfilling the quota then it defeats the purpose. Articulating your thoughts is suppose to be a passion not a chore. Blogging is about something you must tell the world and if it's forced out you'll find your posts start become rigid and uninteresting. If you have the passion for blogging the quota will be naturally be fulfilled.

There's only a few ways. I may praise those who fulfill the quota that's all. Don't fret nevertheless as I'll not shame anyone. Maybe I could do a monthly post roundup for those who post 8 times a month. Another thing that could be done is giving out a random award to a deserving RANDTSter. It would come with a small graphic and give bragging rights.

With a a minimum of 40 posts a week RANDTS could be brought to the next level. I'll be posting at least once a day.

~multum in parvo~

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