June 2006

This is the Atlantic Ocean. Well not really. The ocean is towards the right. Did I already say it’s peacefull here? This is my 5th day in this small and wonderfull city. The people are so friendly. Maaan, you infidels ain’t so bad huh LOL. Unlike Chicago I don’t feel paranoid walking around all alone at night. Hey don’t blame me, blame Hollywood. I always imagine some drive-by will happen or someone will come up to me and be like “ey mutha****a gimme ya money biatch!” It’s pretty safe here in Portland. I don’t get worried at all. I can be walking at 2am in the morning and not give a damn. I also had a chit chat today with my aunt. She’s been in the country for about 10 years now and she wears the hijab. After all the years of being in this country and even after the time of 9/11, she tells me she’s never experienced any racism or hatefull remarks from anyone. People were and still are very friendly. Long live the infidels huh? I’m glad to be here experiencing the country and its people for myself.

Portland, Maine. It’s one lovely and tranquil place where you can recharge your batteries and find the peace of mind you’ve been seeking all along. I really like it here but in a different way though. There’s not much to do like in Chicago but it’s so peacefull and beautifull. Before I go into details though let me rewind back to Chicago where I left off before. The day before I came to Portland, I went to check out the gay parade in downtown Chicago (southern part if I’m not mistaken). Don’t get the wrong idea. It’s not like I went there simply for the parade. We actually had to go pick up a friend from the same area where the parade was going to take place. We went and… oh… okay… mmm… well you see it was… I don’t know what word to use… mmm… let’s see… how about SHOCKING!?! Lesbian action woooohoooooooo haha and hey don’t blame me but seeing super gay men in action YuCK! Hey, I’m sorry but it was just extremely yucky… Yuck eewww… I can’t believe I had to witness all that… Damn it get a room or something… Please don’t do it in public… Eeeewww!! I mean it was seriously and greatly unforunate for me that the men’s gay action overwhelmed those of the lesbians… Talk about a culture shock… Sheesh!! Anyways all jokes aside… I don’t support homosexuality and I’m against calling it normal because it’s simply not. It’s abnormal and please don’t even bother to convince me otherwise (hemophrodites are an exception). Anyways being the naughty guy that I am I cannot deny that I found the lesbian action amusing LOL… In the parade they were all carrying rainbow coloured flags. That’s apparently “their” flag. The parade was also kind of political. They carried posters calling for legalization of same sex marriages. Yup yup sure thing… I really can’t understand it. I mean there were a few lesbians in the parade who brought along their little kids. They made them carry the rainbow flags too. What??!! Those chicks are pretty weird. They go dating random guys, get pregnant, all of a sudden turn lesbian and then bring their kids along to support the “rainbow” cause. It’s those things that I don’t appreciate about Western culture. Don’t get me wrong it’s not like I’m calling such chicks whores. Some people make mistakes and I believe society shouldn’t put an extra burden on them by giving them the “dirty look”. However seriously please what happened to family values? Compare America in the 1950’s and now after the sexual revolution and all the hippie movements (what’s hippie anyways? I’m kinda blur about it)… Anyways you know… Check the divorce rates of the West and compare them to those of the Arab world (ya ya I know we’re pretty screwed in a lot of ways but hey you know what I mean right??!) And also check out the birth rates of Muslims in Europe and Europeans… Same goes with America and the Arab world… Check the number of illegitimate children and make a comparison… Also what’s up with elders here being shipped off to elderly homes?? Seriously what’s up with that man/gurl/boy/she-male/whoever you are reading this =p?? We’re very family oriented people but in my opinion the West and especially the new generation in it is increasingly becoming not… Just saying okay. So I might be wrong… Crap!! I went out of topic… Okay switch back… Damn, where was I? Yes Chicago gay parade. Ya so after that we went back home and me was still kinda shocked. I packed up and got ready for my trip to Portland. The takeoff was schedueled at 9.30 but instead we took off an hour later. The best part was the one hour wait in the small and cramped plane. Why? There were 9 planes waiting to take off infront of us. What is this a movie ticket line?? I didn’t know planes line up that long. It was a unique experience. I fell asleep and forgot to switch off my iPod. The attendant comes yelling at me just before takeoff “please switch off all electronic devices”. Me sleepy and Bob Marley music too loud “What??!”… Attendant raises his voice and repeats the same words. Me finally gets it and switches it off. Super old friendly white lady next to me laughs. Me laughs too. Plane takes off and me sleep again. BAM. Touch down. Me land. Me come out. Me see big sign “Breathe Easy, You’re in Maine”. Guess what?? It didn’t lie. The air here is so fresh I just so love it very much. It’s so easy to breath in and out. I was never a big outdoors guy but because of Portland I’m starting to change my mind. Great views of the ocean. When I arrived we immediately went to a lovely restaurant. It serves Italian style seafood. The restaraunt is DiMillo’s. If you go to Portland, Maine you must go eat there. Great food and service. Today I went to Old Country Buffet. First time. Yummy! Delicious and so many things to choose from. For the first time I tried meatloaf. Yummy! Oh ya and I ate pork (by mistake) not bad ey? Eeeeww oink oink me don’t like pigs but me support animal rights okay! 2moro we might go to Boston. Not sure though. Bad rainy weather. I gotta go check my laundry in the basement. For the first time in my life I’m using words like “basement”, “bagel” and “meatloaf”. Me go to basement. Man… Basements are coooool… Hey don’t blame me. I’ve never been in one before. Anyways me wanna say peace so PEACE!

Yes you read that right. They now recognize Israel’s right to exist. So what do you have to say about that?

UPDATE: I know how you all love to post comments whenever Israel or Palestine is mentioned. I just hope the above post gets your attention too.

I’ve been here only for 3 days and I already love it. Chicago is da bomb! Maaaan I went downtown today and they had this really cool live band at Millenium Park. I love Latin music. I danced with like what??… More than 10 girls and the best part??! Each one was hotter than other one. It’s so easy to converse with people here. No need for all the boring and formal introductions. You just go up and talk. That’s it. What’s so cool is that I realized America is like a bowl of fruit salad. You’ve got people from everywhere all in one place. It’s such a rich culture and each race and nationality contributes something to it. Homeless people are annoying though especially when you start being nice and sypmathetic towards them. Oh ya and for the first time in my life I saw a Jewish Synagogue. It’s only 5 minutes drive from my brother’s place. His area is very diverse. I don’t get it though everyone in that area was wearing uniformed clothes. The men wore black pants and white long sleeve shirts. So did the boys too. The men wore cowboy style black hats while the kids wore the tiny Jewish hats. They had the same typical Jewish braids. The girls same but no hats and braids. Instead of pants they wore black long skirts. I guess it’s a conservative Jewish neighbourhood. I also went for Friday prayers today (that was before all the dancing LOL). Surprisingly, the sermon the Imam gave was by far the best I’ve heard in a long time. It was so spiritual rather than the same sociopolitical ones you always hear in other countries. I also noticed a large number of white Americans there. Many were converts and others weren’t Muslim but were just curiously sitting at the back listening to the sermon. Donwtown Chicago is really cool but when you go to the suburbs you get a different feel. The fruit salad is no more. The neighbourhoods become clearly segregated. Hispanics, blacks, Arabs, Koreans, Whites (Italian, Polish) etc. are all seperated. We were driving along one of the roads and you can tell the difference just by looking at the sides. First it was English signs and then Korean, then Arabic and then Spanish. DAMN… All that just along one road. I guess race is still an issue here. However downtown is different. Racial barriers disappear. When the live band was playing everyone was dancing with everyone. No race crap no nothing. It was wonderfull. People were just having a good time. By the way people, I’ve been added as a contributer on Hyscience yaaaay. I’ll be joining the big boys soon I guess… Anyways me off to sleep now. I’ve got to get my rest cause I’ve got 2 big private parties to go to 2moro… Muahaha talk about usefull connections huh? I’m kinda worried though. I don’t wanna have too much fun cause once I get back to Malaysia it will be BAAAM… University and classes all over again… =( … Ah whatever… Me go grab bagel and then sleep… Goodnight!

PS: The magic word in America is “tourist”.

Is America in decline? That’s the question you sometimes hear being repeated when something bad happens to America. Now that I’m here in the country and experiencing it first hand, I would say everything seems to be fine. People who want to spread the idea that America is in decline always try to support it based on military capabilities and economical facts. Some say America’s military is becoming less capable. They point out the Iraqi insurgency and Vietnam as examples. When they talk about the economy they talk about America’s massive debt and they also talk about the weakening American dollar. While all those points might seem viable I personally don’t buy them.

The only day I will believe America might actually be in decline is the day I see the influence of American pop culture fading away from the rest of the world. American pop culture is one of this country’s strongest assets I believe. After traveling to various places and meeting so many people from around the world, it’s simply undeniable. From Japan, to Saudi Arabia and to the deep jungles inside Africa, you’ll find the influence of American pop culture there especially among teenagers. Hip Hop and Rock cultures are currently the biggest and most popular in my opinion.

Don’t be surprised if you go to south Sudan and see a Dinka tribe member wearing a fake FUBU shirt and nodding his head to 2pac’s beats. Don’t be surprised if you go to Tokyo or Kuala Lumpur and you find girls with their hair dyed pink and dressed up like Avril or Gwen Stefani. Don’t be surprised if you go to Egypt and enter a jamming studio only to find a couple of Egyptian teenagers skillfully playing Metallica songs and head banging to them. Don’t be surprised if you go to Moscow and see a Russian band playing some BB King and Jimi Hendrix songs to a big and attentive crowd. Don’t be surprised if you go to Bahrain and see a DJ blasting and scratching away while a bunch of kids break dance so professionally.

American pop culture gives people in those countries a sense of freedom. Through it they look up to America and admire it. Being a teenager is mostly about revolting and “breaking away”. In the West kids can “break away” easily but in the Arab and Muslim world teenagers have to stay within the cultural norms and bounds. I’m not going to lie. The number one reason I love America is because of the amazing music and artists it has given us. From Elvis, to Jimi Hendrix, to Frank Sinatra, Iron Maiden, Ray Charles, Kool and the Gang, Michael Jackson, 2Pac, Notorious BIG, Dixie Chicks?!, Tina Turner, Shania Twain, John Mayer, Whitney Houston, Metallica, AC DC, Guns N Roses, Madonna, Tracy Chapman, Sade and so many more I can keep mentioning until the year 2015 dawns upon us.

American pop culture is undoubtly popular all over the whole world. I love it and people love it. It might be un-religious sometimes but it’s still popular and nobody can deny that. The day I see teenagers throughout the whole world turning their backs on it is the day I can actually start believing America might be in decline.

BAGEL! I just woke up and my brother asked me if I wanted a bagel. I was like “what the hell is a bagel?” His housemates and him all started laughing. NOT FUNNY! How the hell am I supposed to know what a damn bagel is? Anyways I tried one with cheese and eggs. Kinda nice ey! It feels like a donnut that has been left to dry for days. Also for the first time I tried raw fish with lemon juice on board the flight on my way here. It was so good. Seriously! I can’t wait to try Suishi now. I was always afraid of eating raw fish but not anymore. Oh ya and I just got a taste of the real America “average Joes” experience everyday. My brother’s housemate’s car got stolen today LOL. Someone smashed the window and drove it away. It happened when we were sleeping. This is the fourth time the same guy’s car gets stolen. Nice huh! Hurray to America yaaay! By the way my trip to California has been confirmed and here’s the best part. It’s gonna be a road trip from Chicago all the way to LA and we’re gonna stop at many places along the way including Laaaaas Vegaaaaas baby wohooooo! I’ll experience the “negativity” of secularism first hand so maybe I’ll start to like it huh? LOL Strip clubs wooohoooooo… ZIP… Damn it, I ain’t even 21 yet. Fake ID anyone?? My friend in the US Marines offered to get me one but I don’t know guys… Should I?? LOL… Naaa, I don’t wanna risk it… Laterz… I’ve got to go grab more bagels… Muahahah bagels bagels bagels… I’m gonna write a song about bagels one of these days… Hey, I hope I spelt bagels correctly. I did right? BAGELS! Wohooo! Bagels bagels! Muahaha! Laterz… LOL

My ass hurts and no they didn’t strip search me and stick a light bulb up my beep. It’s just I’ve been sitting on it for so many hours already. O’Hare was a headache. I was so tired from the flight and I could barely even focus, so in order to stay awake I started blasting some Linkin Park and Metallica into my ears. I approached the passport counter after nearly being in line for 15 minutes. I got my fingers scanned and face photographed. The inspector was polite but so rigidly formal. He escorted me into the main office where I was supposed to carry out a further registration procedure. The reason for that is because ehm ehm… I’m a citizen of a country enlisted in the Axis of Evil. The officer in the office was also strict but polite. He gave me some papers to fill and I did that. He then called me again to scan my finger and get photographed one more time. I stood there as he struggled to stroke some commands into the computer. “I hate computers” said the officer. At that moment I couldn’t take it anymore and I had to break the ice so I said “hey let me give it a try”. He laughed and said “I’m afraid I can’t let you do that. Oh there we go. It’s working now. I’m sorry for the delay but it’s just requirements.” So I was like “yeah I know, thanks to Uncle Sam huh?”. At that moment the whole wall of formality just collapsed and he laughed loudly. From that moment onwards we just had a normal converstation. After about an hour, everything was done. I then went to the customs officer who was a very wonderfull guy. He didn’t even search my small bag. I went out to meet my brother who was already drained out of patience. I finally made it. I was in America. Throughout the long and boring process, the officers maintained the highest degree of professionalism. I am thankfull. When I reached my brother’s place, I realized they had broken the lock on my big bag and searched it. They even tore some of the gifts’ wrapping =( … Ah it’s all good. We left the apartment and went to K-mart which was the first time and most probably last time for me to go inside one. The customer service was HORRIBLE! It sucked big time. Oh ya and I now finally know you why Americans call fast food junk food. Fast food in Malaysia and Emirates tastes so good. I love McDonald’s back there. I thought it was going to be the same here but the burgers were like cardboard sprayed with burger flavour. Why is the fast food so bad here? It’s so strange. Thank God however for Starbucks. I swear Starbucks rules. Indeed it’s great whenever and most importantly wherever you order it. I love Starbucks here. Anyways, I’m really tired now. I should get some sleep. I haven’t slept yet since I arrived. Oh ya and I bought an accoustic guitar and guitar effects on my first day here. The salespersons are very helpfull at Guitar Center. And ya Raccoon, I’m going to spend a whole day in Tokyo on the way back. They gave me a room in Nikko hotel in the middle of the city so it should be lots of fun. Bubyeee ZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzZZzzzz

Hello cyber buddies. I’m in Narita International Airport right now, Tokyo. The freaking internet here is so bloody expensive. It’s one damn US dollar for a bloody short 10 minutes. Damn it! For an American buck I can use the internet back in Malaysia for almost 2 hours. Sweeet! Once I reach Chicago, I’ll blog about the trip. I hope they don’t bug me with a million questions when I arrive at Chicago’s O’Hare. Anyways, I’ll update this post later. Peace!

UPDATE: Wohooooo finally I reached Chicago. Now.. time to talk about the flight and the airport. Before I boarded from Malaysia, I requested the airlines to provide me with a halal Muslim meal. I got on board and all the stewardesses were like “oni gaishimas” and bowing. They were hot but unfortunately old. Talk about MILFs LOL. During the flight a stewardess came to my seat and she had to talk a little loud since the engine was roaring… “sir, you requested for a (and then in whispers) Muslim meal”. It’s as if she didn’t want to say the word “Muslim” loudly. I found it a little funny but it didn’t bother me. Surprisingly the stewardesses spoke English with a very clear American accent. It was easy to communicate with them. At the airport I had to wait a long 5 hours on transit. At Narita airport I saw sign boards that had funny broken English. One of them said “Down with Narita Airport”. Sounds like one of those anti American “down with America” slogans you hear being shouted in demonstrations in the Middle East. Anyways, I got on board my long boring and excrutiating flight to Chicago. Arrghhh… it was bad man. Don’t get me wrong… the service was excellent but the chairs were so small and didn’t fit my long legs. Plus there was Japanese woman next to me and she was snoring so loudly. I changed my seat after that and sat next to this American dude from Iowa. He was extremely friendly and I really enjoyed talking to him. He also warned me of carrying too many pirated discs. Too late. I had about 8 in my bag and so I started to worry since me gets very paranoid when it comes to these kinda situations. To be continued in about 12 hours.

Wazaaaap people!! In about 17 hours I’m going to be on my plane heading to Chicago via transit in Tokyo. Muahaha I can’t wait. I’ve been waiting for quite a long time now for this day. This is going to be my first visit to the US and I’m really excited. It’s hopefully going to be a very nice 5 weeks vacation. Destinations in the US will include Portland, Maine… NYC… Chicago and maybe California. I’m not really going there for the purpose of doing “touristy” things but rather to visit friends and family. I’m very excited however because I finally get to experience America for myself rather than through Hollywood, peoples’ stories or MTV. I take pride in having being able to mix and meet various people from different cultures and backgrounds in my life. I believe it makes you a richer and more open minded person. Stick around as during this 5 weeks, I’ll give you my perspective of America through my own eyes and experiences. I hope my holiday will make me richer and give me “that missing thing”. I won’t be able to blog as often as I do now but I will do my best to at least post something twice or three times each week. Thank you all for being supportive readers and for helping me in my quest towards better understanding. I’ve been able to learn so much from you all through our discussions.PS: For the latest happenings and updates on Sudan check out Sudan Watch and Sudan Tribune.

Peace out brothers and sisters!

The Mogran of Khartoum which is where the White and Blue Nile meet is going to be the centre of Sudan’s future business hub. The development is going to be absolutely amazing (for Sudanese standards). It’s a very big and ambitious project (video). I have a huge problem with it though. This project is going to cost an estimated USD $4 billion. This project is a continuation of the wealth sharing imbalance that has been plaguing Sudan for decades. This freaking project will only further push the gap between the minority filthy rich in Sudan and majority starving poor. This crappy damn project is made with the sole purpose of enabling the corrupt Sudanese dictatorship of filling its stinking deep pockets only further. This so called “future Sudan” project is meant to give the Sudanese people something “developed” to be proud of. This is complete and utter rubbish!! Sudanese people wake up and realize that there’s NOTHING to be proud of when it comes to this project. 90% of the Sudanese people can’t even manage to fill their stomachs and you expect them to have the time to be proud of a few tall glass buildings?! Sure, I like big tall glass buildings but you’re wrong if you think this project is going to make Sudan developed. In fact it is the exact opposite. This bloody project will be an “in your face” testimony to the wealth imbalance in this country. Wake up my people. Don’t be proud. Get “LOUD”!!