Ruminations

Death of a Pope

Milton Friedman died yesterday at the age of 94. Yes I know, I know. He won a Nobel Prize a year before I was born and single-handedly created monetarism. Never mind that three years ago he recanted and conceded that he may have got it wrong with regard to monetarism all this while. Central bankers today however still swear by him: many of them are still fanatical devotees of the monetarist cult. God help us.

But I digress. What I remember best about him though is the time when I read an interview in which he propounded his views on the euro way back in 1999. In the introductory caption to that article, he was referred to as le pape du monétarisme - the Pope of Monetarism, a phrase which truly caught my imagination. A Jewish economist being anointed as Pope of anything was too much of an irony for me to ignore.

Harimau mati meninggalkan belang, manusia mati meninggalkan nama.

Disagree as you might with his views, it is difficult to disagree that with his death, Dr Friedman has become immortal.

Bagaimana Ini Bisa Terjadi?

I have just belatedly learned that Peterpan has expelled Andika and Indra! Waduh, waduh, bagaimanakah ini bisa terjadi? And wasn't Andika sort of the "founding father" of Peterpan? Bagaimana bisa dipecat deh?

I'm musically illiterate and can't tell the difference between one guitar and another (why do they need so many guitars, again?) I have always thought that there were too many people in Peterpan and that they needed to be downsized (think Rabbani, people). So to all intents and purposes this news doesn't really affect me as a Peterpan fan.

But I was at their 2006 new year concert in KL, which I think was the last time they performed in Malaysia as a group. So in a way it's kinda sad.

But as Epi said, sad as this may be, the autographed CD that I have - with the signatures of all six of them including Andika and Indra - will now become a collector's item!

Can you hear that jingle-jangle sound?

Tuhan Maha Kaya

The Ted Haggard case to me sounds like a story lifted out of a novel. Ted Haggard is a charismatic, ultra-righteous, very outspoken and influential religious figure who not only founded an evangelical movement 20 years ago, but was also the Chairman - until he resigned a few days ago - of the National Association of  Evangelicals, a US umbrella body of evangelical churches which boasts 30 million members. No wonder he has strong connections to the White House: 30 million sounds like a lot of votes.

One of my mum's trademark phrases is "Tuhan Maha Kaya" (Most Bountiful is the Lord) - a phrase she often uses when a bad deed that the perpetrators have been at pains to hide is uncovered. (We often heard this phrase in our childhood, particularly when we were found out watching TV instead of studying for school or doing other naughty things.) This phrase came to mind when I read that Ted Haggard - who is well known for his strong public stance against same-sex marriage - was ejected from the Church he founded - get this - for sexually immoral conduct involving a gay male prostitute and drugs. Tuhan Maha Kaya, indeed.

To the Core

I was out having lunch the other day when I noticed how much prices of foodstuff had increased. Just a two days before, the Department of Statistics announced that the country's Consumer Price Index has risen by 3.7% for the month of August, its highest in six years. At this rate, even spoilt, financially inept brats like me - who, in the words of Oscar Wilde, live so far above our means that we effectively lead a different kind of existence - are feeling the pinch.

I lamented as much to a friend, who, like me, is a bit of an economist wannabe. He reassured me by saying, "Fret not, my friend. Though headline inflation may be shooting through the roof, core inflation remains contained. And as long as this is the case, we shouldn't worry."

The Book Catalogue

I can no longer remember why I decided to catalogue my books. Maybe one of my book-collecting friends suggested it. Or maybe, looking at the mess that is my life and my book shelves, a catalogue seems to be a good place to start imposing some order (ja, Ordnung muss sein!). Or maybe I began to notice the number of books in my collection that are missing; and what better way to keep track of their whereabouts than to start a catalogue?

Whatever the reason, there I was, sitting on the floor of my bedroom many a weekend ago, my laptop in front of me and my books in high piles around me, taking on the daunting task of reviewing my book collection and in so doing - of course, for how could I avoid it? – my life.

Don't Tell Me That ALL Cardinals Speak English?

The Italian newspapers have started spreading the rumour that John Paul II would be entombed in the crypts of the Vatican instead of previous speculations of the pope's wish for his mortal remains to be buried in his home country, Poland.

That Music Questionnaire

To prove beyond any doubt that I can blog something silly - I'd always thought that most of my entries here were proof enough but apparently some parties are not satisfied - I have decided to take the challenge of Lisa's and Epi's music questionnaire. 

The Hiatus

I can now finally swim - after a few classes and half a dozen of near-drowning experiences over the last two months and irrational fear of water over the last 27 years - in the pool, but my swimming skills at work have hardly improved over the four years of my working life. I am currently on the verge of drowning.

Hence I am off on a hiatus (between work, life and blogging, something's got to give). But beware: I may be back much sooner than you think.

Yours affectionately,
Fazu

P.S. Re: Swimming - One more item struck from the list, yay! But more on that later.

Ahmad Patria Abdullah is Back!

Bilamana bumi Aurora yang kulangkah
Langit Aurora yang kudongak
Pedang Aurora yang kuusung
Nyawa Aurora yang aku tatang
Tidak aku tegar menapak pulang...

~ Legenda Numerius

I was in Kinokuniya, KLCC, in the poor-excuse-for-a-corner dedicated to Malay language books. I was doing my ritual of inspecting the books on display when a certain title caught my eye. I picked up the book and looked up the name of the author. I re-read the name and stared again at the title. I leafed through to the title page. I couldn't believe my eyes.

Ahmad Patria Abdullah is back!

An Experiment in the Kitchen

(To borrow a phrase.)

On Saturday, I tried my hand at making green curry.

This is my story.