Of History and Cuteness

I managed 3 chapters in 1.5 days. Not bad, but still way below target. I mean, this is a reading subject. Urgh. Must not bring Coelho along to the library. Must not buy magazines. Only mindless Malay Mail is allowed. In fact, maybe I should ban that too.

I'm hungry. There is this nice chicken rice shop nearby. It seems like authentic old style chicken rice, in a pre-war shophouse. The proprietor is good, he knows exactly what I want, he would still remember even if I don't go there for a few months.

The Japanese and Chinese are getting funnier by the day. Oh please, grow up! The long standing issue of a Japanese apology is decidedly different from the Chinese allowing the rule of mob (when convenient to them) to cause damage to properties (in this case sovereign grounds of an embassy). I'm not taking sides, really. I feel Japan does owe the world an outright show of diplomatic style remorse, 60 years on. But it has to come from the people of Japan. China et al can demand all they want, but the best form of apology must be one arrived at by consensus in Japan. And not getting an apology from them does not warrant abetting mass and sometimes violent protests. Come on China, who are you kidding? You usually clamp down on protests of any kind. Except when US accidentally bombed your embassy in former Yugoslavia (hmm, your embassy huh? do not do unto others what you do not want others to do unto you. Do us a favour by dealing with your corruption problem, rising gap between the rich and the poor, unrest in the interiors, free-float of yuan and better governance. Don't deflect attention of your people and the international community. We can see right through you. Nothing like the bogeyman to unite the masses huh? :) Then don't take the millions of dollars of aid from Japan, you giant hypocrite. You don't need aid anyway. As for Japan, look at yourself and don't kid yourself by demanding an apology as well. Hang dah gila kah? And anyway, I think most younger Japanese can't relate to the war. It was so long ago. Any apology should have been done long time ago. Now, it's harder. They probably don't see the point.

Anyway, as for Japan having misleading text. Reminds me of Orwell's 1984. The truth is, distortion of history is not entirely a new thing, especially for China, and Japan, and many countries. Japan's litany of misleading historical context includes the obscurity of the Nanking incident, war crimes, et al. China's includes not admitting to the millions of lives lost in the famine (Great Leap Forward consequences), purges, and more purges during the Cultural Revolution, and flattening of student protesters in Tiananmen. In the US, certain lobby groups have sucessefully cause a book by Henry Ford (I read it, it does look anti-Semitic but not deserving of a ban) and another on JFK's assasination to be banned. And very little attention is paid to the pre-Columbus or native American history (I read their high school text once, not much exploration on the Japanese Americans being interned or the unfair immigration treatment on Asians in the early 20th century as well).

Back home, they don't really tell the whole story of the Malacca Sultanate as well. I was told the Sultanate's history is juicier and perhaps darker than what is being protrayed. And we don't touch or explore our national psyche forming events as much as we should.

History is something I enjoy. But the danger in history is that the victors have the monopoly on truth. Those with power can supress historical truths. But then again, what is truth but a matter of perception anyway?

In other news, stunningly cute girl managed to turn Resurrected off. It proves one thing, cuteness one bring you anywhere if you are not sincere.

I'm rambling nonsense. Next post will be better.