matspeaking

Yay I'm like so happy I get to finally do an entry for the Matspeaking Jalan-Jalan segment! Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calender, is just looming around the corner. Muslims around the world will fast from dawn to dusk during this month, which led to it being called the "fasting month" or bulan puasa in Malay. And this year my family decided to hit Geylang a week before Ramadan, with the primary goal of our getting our baju raya! Hehe semangat kan getting baju raya even BEFORE puasa starts.

Well I guess we're kinda sick and tired of the hoards of people at Geylang during Ramadan, making it so hard to find our bajus, let alone try baju in peace. Here is a snap shot of me trying to be a 2nd Chance model:


Bleh make it tak ni? This was inside the fitting room get a load on that hehe. More of the pics later in the entry! Let me now bring you to Geylang Serai, the most Malay of all Malay places, on the last weekend before puasa, or spelt as "posa" in some smses.

CLICK BELOW TO JALAN-JALAN WITH MATSPEAKING!!

"Andai kau menjadi puisi,
Biar ku jadi melodi, bersama kita menyanyi."
- Merindu Kepastian (Art Fazil)
[Should you turn into poetry,
Allow me to be your melody, and we will serenade indefinitely.]

I started this new MatSpeaking blog, after seeing that there is a wide active Malay blogging community. Hence I branched out, so that now I have a portal to talk about Malay stuffs. My first Malay-related entry was of course "The Malay-ness of Malay Weddings" at my other LJ, hazwayne.livejournal.com/5143.html. Even though this entry was written a month ago, I recently got this anonymous comment:


It is quite puzzling to me, given that I have not had any problems with that entry. I know the one about Rafaat put off a number of people (and rightfully so), but the jemputan entry? This person claims I was insulting the pengantin perempuan, not respecting the pengantin, and found problems with my entry, downright to my comments on the colour baju pengantin.

Is he/she dumb? I mean, I only mention the colours because I said it was not for me, because I say mine will be white. Which is a preference what kan? Did I insult them by saying "alamak the colour orange buruk sungguh!". No what right. And the whole reason I wanted to find out their age of the pengantin (or how young or old they were) is because I wanted to prepare myself for it, since like i said, I'm not getting any younger. Yang this person have to say "depends on god when he want to give ur life partners" tu aper hal?

And yes la I did say the bride's name is common, but only because I felt it was not helping with the fact that I was trying to find out who she is. I never did say it was not a nice name or what aper. I'm very upset sak. How dare the person insinuate that I don't respect my own saudara-mara. Macam mane punye laser nak blog pon, of cos ader limit la, takkan stakat publish gambar kahwin jadi aper, bahan tabloid? If anything, the pengantins got good reviews and exposure isn't it. Even Minahspeak herself commented, saying the pengantin lelaki is handsome!



Now we're at it, I might as well come clean. For those who have been offended by my Rafaat entry, I'm here to explain that it was nothing more than a personal attack against him. Nothing to do with penyakit orang Melayu, nothing to do with falsafah or pujangga or whatever.

As the picture above shows, I was in the Top 15 males for Anugerah Skrin in 2006. There I am circled in red, sitted right to the left of the male Winner. If you remember, Rafaat Hamzah was one of the judges for this reality show. Of course I will not reveal why I have something against him (nanti kena sue pulak kan), but it has something to do with a fellow contestant, myself and Rafaat. So yes. My bashing against him was purely my personal attack at him. Nothing more. Not because I think I am big, or better. It is because I have a personal grudge.

That is why I decided to remove the Rafaat part in the "Macam-Like, A Lot Like Malay, Love!" entry. Because yeah I do admit I was not being very tactful, and again I apologise to any of whom who had been offended by it in one way or the other. I did not mean to do that. I was just releasing my long-kept anger. So yes I am human too, please forgive.

To the anonymous commentor to my jemputan entry, I also do apologise if you find me offensive. I do understand you are being protective of your extended family's privacy whatever it may be. But please bear in mind that it is also my extended family you are talking about. And the beauty of their marriage means you and I are now related, however distantly.

Peace out,
MatSpeaking.

Pendekar Bujang Lapok (1959)
Director: P. Ramlee
Malay Film Productions Ltd (Jalan Ampas, Singapore)

This scene is so kelakar-seram don't you think? I have always found it a bit disturbing when I was little hahaz. But yeap it is undeniably hilarious lah, honestly what's with the Hawaiian-inspired tune when the Hantu Jepuns appear from the kubur seh?? Siap dengan gelek lagik. Freaky isn't it. . HAHAHA. Famous lines from this clip includes:

"Oh engkau main kasar boleh yer. Oh kau samseng yer, nanti kau. Eh menyibuk lah ni gigi!"

"Dia bawak gang ah!"

"Sarjan! Panggil gang kita semua, tangkap manusia ini, potong daging nya, buat SATAY."

"Banzai! Alamak, hantu Jepun!"

I still cannot see the link between the Hawaiian tune and dead Japanese soldiers' ghosts, but I guess only the great P. Ramlee can pull off a scene like this!

This is the Michael Jackson's Thriller music video. See if you can see why it led to my bapak believing that the King of Pop 'stole' P. Ramlee's idea.

Michael Jackson's Thriller (1983)
Album: Thriller (Best Selling Album of All-Time)
MTV Award for Rank No. 1 in the 100 Greatest Music Videos Ever Made

For those who are wondering asal music video gini macam nye panjang (especially YPs), it is because that is the iconic style of the late Michael Jackson. He was the first to revolutionise MTV with his "mini-films", where his music videos have a story form with the song within. He was one of the first Blacks, if not the first, to be featured so prominently in mainstream American MTV. If you find his special effects rather laughable, it was considered groundbreaking during its time. Part of the many reasons why he was, and remains the King of Pop.

Which kind of reminded me a few weeks back when MJ just passed away and semua orang sibuk with their Facebook status saying "RIP King of Pop" (me included of cos), one of my mat friend said this:



I was laughing so hard by dier nye fren yang comment "dia sek time charlie's angels je, mj kan KING" sampai my "tak leh angz" pun come out as "tak lah angz". My friend's spelling of "Micheal" pun terkehel. Hopefully he don't mind me 'exposing' him here ahakz. Sorry Hakim eh wakakaka.

So yeah coming back to the main topic, regardless of what my bapak said, I do not think MJ 'stole' the idea from P. Ramlee lah. If anything, I guess this shows how great these two individuals are, to be able to come out with something as creatively interesting and never-seen-before. Yes the scene where the zombies come out of the grave and dragged their feet reminds you of the hilarious Hantu Jepuns. But that is because both P. Ramlee and the King of Pop were geniuses at what they do.

Tapi my bapak (who, like me, is also a fan of both) will nonetheless still maintain: "Whatever it is, sebelum Michael Jackson buat, P. Ramlee dah buat dulu!"

Oh bapak ku. And if we're at a typical Malay social gathering time Raya kepe, and he would repeat his theory to my pakciks, then the WHOLE LOT of them will agree, buat kecoh satu rumah.

Alamak, dia pun pandai bawak gang ah! =)

"Apa yang ku inginkan, cuma kejujuran dalam perhubungan.
Jika itu tiada, apalah ertinya, penantian ini hanya sia-sia."
- Butakah Cinta (Spring)
[All I wish is for an honest relationship,
if it is not there, then pointless is this wait.]

Last week, I had this MSN conversation with some of my close friends:

Dee08: Don't let today's disappointment casts a shadow on tomorrow's dreams:
i tink u shud blog about Sudirman Haji Arshad baru bergelar Datuk

HazwanKeong: Godforsaken Right To Be Loved:
Yah actually i've been dying to blog about this!!!

Do u noe even P. Ramlee got the title "Tan Sri", 17 YEARS AFTER HE DIED??

Shuk:
that's why ,aper je orang-orang nie. actually, this pangkat-pangkat thing, i find it useless la.

Dee08: Don't let today's disappointment casts a shadow on tomorrow's dreams:
it's not useless la. it's a form of anugerah, satu penghargaan.

HazwanKeong: Godforsaken Right To Be Loved:
why Siti boleh dpt Dato', why M. Nasir is NOT a dato', and why Loloq mati takde title?

Bcos m. nasir and loloq, like Saloma herself, is SINGAPORE-born!

Shuk:
yg Shah Rukh Khan tuu dpt title Dato', aper kejadah!


"Sudirman receives title of Datuk", Berita Harian, 25 June 2009

The issue of titles like Tan Sri and Datuk (also spelled Dato') in Malaysia is pretty sensitive and contentious. A tradition steeped in Malay culture, this issue has again been raised in light of the recent conferring of the title to Sudirman bin Haji Arshad (a legendary Malay singer 1954-1992), 17 years AFTER his death.

Since the titles are only conferred by the Sultans, it has been seen almost similar to the knighthood given by United Kingdom's Queen/King, like the title of "Sir", and "Dame" for females.

In general, for the case of Malaysia, the titles are divided between Federal Titles (given by the Federal Government, through the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong) and State Titles (given by the respective Sultan/ governor of a particular state, e.g Sultan of Johor). The common titles are as follows, with the highest being "Tun":

TUN


Example:
Tun Dr. Mahathir Bin Mohamed, 4th Prime Minister of Malaysia

Style of Addressing: "Yang Amat Berbahagia", formerly "Yang Amat Berhormat" (while in governmentt)
Wife of a Tun: Tun/ Toh Puan

Usually Malaysian PMs will be conferred this title upon handing down, often seen as the "highest honour of the Land".

In classical Malay writings, this title was held by the likes of Hang Tuah, Tun Mamat and even females like Tun Fatimah and Tun Teja.

TAN SRI


Example:
Tan Sri Dr. P. Ramlee, legendary Malay director, actor and singer-songwriter 1929-1973

Wife of a Tan Sri: Puan Sri

P. Ramlee however was only given this title in 1990, also 17 years after his death (discussed later in this article). The picture depicts him being conferred the Ahli Mangku Negara, (a recognition though with no title) in 1962.

DATUK SERI


Example:
Datuk Seri Anwar Bin Ibrahim, Malaysia's Head of Opposition

Style: Yang Berhormat
Wife of a Datuk Seri: Datin Seri

There may be some confusion as to the status of "Datuk Seri" versus "Dato' Sri", and as to which is higher in stature. Here we shall assume that "Datuk Seri" is higher than a simple "Datuk", since most Malaysian Prime Ministers hold the title of "Datuk Seri" while in power.

DATUK


Example:
Datuk Sharifah Aini, legendary Malaysian singer since the 70's

Wife of a Datuk: Datin (In this case, a woman can also earn datukhood in her own rights)

Most prominent Malaysian politicians are Datuks. Years back, as a form of respect, then-PM of Malaysia Tun Abdullah Badawi referred to our Minister Mentor as "Datuk Lee Kuan Yew" in an interview.

During classical Malay times, "Datuk" also denotes a prestigious appointment, as seen in the film Puteri Gunung Ledang (2004). Hang Tuah held the appointment Datuk Laksamana (translated as: Lord Admiral), and was addressed as "Datuk" in the film, though he is also a Tun and a "Orang Kaya", another ancient title.

CLICK BELOW TO READ ABOUT THE DATUK CONTROVERSY IN MALAYSIA!

Intro to MatSpeaking: PART TWO

Etymology

MATSPEAKING

While at first glance it might seem that I am a 'male version of Minahspeak', this is actually not really the case. As the Gossip Girl of the Mat/Minah World, Minahspeak gives interesting scoops of what makes up that 'world' and in so doing primarily explains Mat/Minah lingo, terms and terminologies. I have the greatest respect for Minahspeak, because I sincerely believe that in reading her blog, you will open up your mind and dispel negative notions and stereotypes typically linked to the Mat/Minah world. =)
 
Why "MatSpeaking"?

For the record, I am not Matspeak, because I do not want to attempt to represent Mats in general. Honestly I am not qualified to do so, not even close. I am MatSpeaking, which basically means "a Mat who speaks English".

"Speaking" is a Mat/Minah term that means "to talk in English", be it with a negative or positive undertones. At the end of the day, how you view it is based on your own perspective. To me, I chose the name "Matspeaking" because I do not wish to be pretentious about who I am. If you do not like it, it is your own seluar dalam. As far as I am concerned, no matter what our differences, I will still respect Minahspeak (who also blogs in English FYI).

The MatSpeaking LiveJournal

So in simple terms, this is a blog of a Malay guy talking about Malay stuffs. In doing so he hopes that Malays will follow him and embrace their Malay-ness, whatever that may be. "Being Malay" means different things to different people, but as long as we are Melayu, we are brothers and sisters, I sincerely believe that. While primarily targeted at Malay readers, non-Malays can also do so and gain insight on the Malay community.

OK CLICK BELOW TO KNOW WHAT MATSPEAKING IS ALL ABOUT! =)

So yeap that's about it. Stay tuned for the entries, jangan serik datang sini ehk!

=)

"Memanglah tak semua lelaki busuk, namun ladies tetap harus waspada,
Semogalah kita semua akhirnya, mendapatkan cinta yang tulus."
- Hey Ladies (Rossa)
[Well of course not all men are rotten, but ladies cautious you have to be,
Pray that we all one day, will find love in all its sincerity.]
 

Introduction to the MatSpeaking: PART ONE

Alrights so first and foremost, this new venture is of course inspired by the sambutan gemuruh (overwhelming response) to my entry "The Malay-ness of Malay Weddings" (dated 16 JUNE 2009) in my other LiveJournal "Speaking Silence of a Dream". You can check it out through this link:

"The Malay-ness of Malay Weddings": hazwayne.livejournal.com/5143.html

Due to my new partnering with MinahSpeak for kahwin-kahwin entries, I feel perhaps it is better for me to branch out with another LiveJournal focused on our local Malay community. To read about MinahSpeak, visit her site below:

MinahSpeak, whom I've named the "Gossip Girl of the Mat/Minah World": minahspeak.livejournal.com/

So now you might ask, who exactly are you Wan Sepet, now styling himself the MatSpeaking???


"Nothing is ever simply Black and White" - a wise quote from Wan Sepet.

LEFT: Recent picture of me. RIGHT: Me in an all-white baju kurung (Malay traditional gear) last year, siap ngan samping putih (complete with a white "samping") that took me years to find. 

Click below to read more.