It’s tomorrow night. Can’t wait. The problem now is to choose which act to see. Line-up times:

inthemix.com.au pres The MoS Annual Arena (Metro City)
9 – 9.50 Chad D
9.50 – 10.40 Kriece
10.40 – 11.30 Adam Kelly
11.30 – 1.30 TOM NOVY
1.30 – 2 MARK DYNAMIX
2 – 5 JOHN DIGWEED
5 – 6 MARK DYNAMIX

Lashed Arena (Old Berlin)
9 – 9.50 SSB
9.50 – 10.40 Weavy
10.40 – 11.45 Kenny L
11.45 – 1.30 AMBER SAVAGE
1.30 – 4.30 LISA LASHES
4.30 – 6 JASON MIDRO

Loaded Dice Arena (Rise)
9 – 10.30 Kash and MC Assassin
10 – 10.30 Diamond D and MC X-sessiv
12 – 2 KID KENOBI and MC SHURESHOCK
2 – 4 MAMPI SWIFT and IC3
4 – 5 Tcee and Eclectic
5 – 6 Concept and Stylee

A 25 year old man from Melbourne, Nguyen Tuong-Van was arrested in December, 2002 after being stopped at Changi whilst running to catch a Qantas flight to Melbourne. He was caught with 396 grams of heroin strapped to his body and in his hand luggage. Tuong-Van was then charged and sentenced to death last year. He is expected to be hanged within a month.

The details of the appeals and pleas for clemency are reported elsewhere in the links below.

My take on all this is that a desperate man would do desperate things. Tuong-Van was enticed to do a drug-run that would have seen him earned $25,000 to repay a debt owed by his twin brother Khoa.

Despite the death sentences for drug-trafficking in most of SE Asia, there will continue to be cases like this because there will always be desperate ppl easily exploited by the drug syndicates. It’s a sad state of affairs. The drug mules who are caught are sometimes reluctant to give evidence out of concern for the safety of their familes, and then there are those who are executed before full information can be gathered.

To the drug syndicates, it’s a game of percentages. They know that some of their drug runners would be caught and it’s of no concern to them. The profit margins are high enough to cover their losses. So in the end, who does the law really punishes? And what does it really achieve?

Lawyer’s plea to president over Australian execution – World – smh.com.au
Letters from death row – World – smh.com.au

Lawyer pleads for Aussie’s life – Top stories – Breaking News 24/7 – NEWS.com.au
Canberra calls in a favour on Nguyen – Top stories – Breaking News 24/7 – NEWS.com.au

I had been distracted enough to have delayed this post. Rosa Parks – a woman who was brave enough to stand up, or in her case sit down, for what she believed in, namely racial equality – has died at the age of 92 on Monday night.

It was 1955, Montgomery, Alabama and Rosa was on her way home from work. She was tired and her feet ached; as the bus got more and more crowded she was ordered out of her seat for a white man. She was seated in the fifth row, the first row for the “coloreds”. This on a bus route that was predominantly black. She refused and was arrested for it. This was the South, where racial segration is law and lynching occurs with impunity. You just don’t do that. But Rosa did.

That act of defiance triggered a 381-day boycott of the bus company led by a then unknown Baptist minister by the name of Dr. Martin Luther-King. And the rest as they say is history. Institutionalised racial-segration was abolished from the Southern states and the civil-rights movement was born. And she hadn’t plan it at all:

“I did not get on the bus to get arrested,” she has said. “I got on the bus to go home.”

Read her amazing story here.

* CAUTION : Very sarcastic one ah! *

There’s once this sibeh HOT blogger … wah see her I nose bleed already. But hor, she wouldn’t reply to my emails leh. Cibai! How dare her? The insolence!

Then I decide to make her eat humble pie. Because why? Because I so in love with her and she bo-chap me lah! I decide to use my Jedi Mind Trick on her. Last time I practice on my dog, I said “Sit!” and my dog sit. Don’t play a fool – Jedi Mind Trick ah! Star Wars man!

Anyway I use my Jedi Mind Trick on this chaboh. I make her write racist words. I make her insult KL ppl and KL. Wah damn shiok lah. First time I see my Jedi Mind Trick work so well. Fuiyoh. I scared myself.

Then of course every Malaysian and KL ppl come and kaopeh-kaobu her lah. Wah liao eh, flame so good I almost want to have BBQ ah. But then kanasai, the siao chaboh still ok after that. Never apologise somemore. Then I go back to see what had happened to her blog. Eh, where are the racist words? No more liao! F**k! PLAN B!

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This time I must power-up my Jedi Mind Trick. I go and drink yeen-woh and chicken essence. I make ginseng soup. My mother said tong-kwai also good but for girls only but I don’t care I anyhow drink also. Then I also eat teen-7. Wah liao my body go all haywire ah, hot cold hot cold. But then, my powers become more powderful. It was worth it. Time for action.

I Jedi Mind Trick her again. This time I make her say that disabled ppl are rude, that the special toilets are for everyone, that whatever inconveniences her is bad. Because why?

Because I’m Princess Leia and a member of the Imperial Senate!

But chialat … my Jedi Mind Trick didn’t work completely – she somehow mentioned that her brother was smarter and more understanding than her. Wah, first time I see the chaboh so modest sia. KNN I don’t care. This time confirm ppl will get outraged again. How can she insult the less mobile and less fortunate and get away with it!?

I also pretend to be this lan-chiao blogger called Mooiness and went and left a comment. This lan-chiao lang always so damn polite one. It was very hard to be like him. Dunno how he do it. Must ask him to transfer his hei to me. Anyway so left a nice comment say cannot be like that lah, must be more tolerant and respectful lah. I almost vomited. Then I waited. And waited.

Then Peter Tan wrote a nice informative story about why the special toilets are not for everyone. I thought ho-say-liao! Then soon everyone joined in and blogged about it. Flame here flame there again. But then …. siao chaboh still don’t apologise! Nabeh!

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Ok loh like that what to do right? Then Superman flew in. Kimberly Cun also came. Why she damn cun lah. I nose bleed again. Peter Tan also flew in on his super-wheelchair. Wah Superfriends sia.

I said to Superman, “Eh limpeh beh song leh. How?!” Superman said, “Nair mind. You leave it to us.” And the rest … well, you know the rest.

Freedom of speech does not exclude you from having to think about what you say and write. In other words, you still need maturity and good sense.

Neither does it exclude you from being fired or prosecuted if you get caught leaking sensitive or harmful information. Be careful of what you say and write, and to whom.

But freedom of speech does mean that you are free to deal with the consequences. Why? Because words are powerful. They can do much good but they can also do much harm. They can cut deep. They can cause a war even.

And because your freedom of speech is also other ppl’s freedom of speech. Throw out ill-conceived thoughts and you can expect to be called out on your bullsh*t. Hurt someone with your vitriol and you can expect the same vitriol hurled back at you. Worse if it comes back amplified. Even worse if it comes back in the form of physical violence.

Words carry consequences. You want freedom of speech then you have to be ready to deal with the consequences too. Take responsibility for your words. Blog Responsibly.

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Everyone had been bickering about what should have been done instead of Peter and Kimberly’s email campaign but no one has come back to me yet with a single justification for Xiaxue’s words. Why is that? Because they cannot be justified.

I adhor racism because I went through it. FYI Mr. Kenny Sia I did do something when Pauline Hanson made her speech but I have no proof and frankly I don’t really care if you believe me or not.

I came to Australia as a child and I saw and experienced racism as a child. Yeah I learnt to deal with it but I also learn that we have to fight it wherever we see it. I’m not a radical, I never pelt eggs at racists but I tore down those ANM posters that were plastered everywhere. I wrote letters just like I did with the emails recently.

To sit silently by is to tacitly condone Miss. Cheng’s behaviour. We have made it known either through emails or on her comments section that her words are a bit unsettling. We tried the soft approach. I personally cannot take credit for this recent campaign but I joined in it because I truly believed in it.

Just because something is online as opposed to being in the newspapers or TV, doesn’t mean it’s less hurtful. If you say it, you own it. Simple as that.

I is Superman.

Even my emails are super-powered. I sent out two and lo and behold, TWO companies trembled at the sight of them.

I alone said boycott, and TWO companies cowered.

I not even in Singapore but still … TWO companies relented to my super-powered emails.

I didn’t start this campaign – big ups and respect to Kimberly Cun and Peter Tan for the initiative. But I alone caused TWO companies to fall down on their knees. Yeah Peter and Kimberly were just my sidekicks – they DID NOT contribute at all. Oh no. My SUPERPOWERS alone caused TWO companies to crumble.

I is extremely noble. I carried all the outrage and indignation caused by XiaXue. Yes I alone carried it. No one else did.

Let it be known henceforth, I is Superman. For my powers are damn powderful sia.

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UPDATE 26th OCT 2005 9:04 a.m.
Additional info at XialanXue, SandraPowderPuff and The Malay Male. Also comment about the disability issue from a nurse – Mad One.