Near walk out.

I actually felt this urge to walk out of class in the middle of a lecture today.

The lecturer was an old friend; if students and lecturers can be considered friends in MMU. Being a pal, he noticed someone he didn't recognize and asked the offending girl if she was part of the class. She replied no.

That was fine.

He said that he liked having non-registered students in his class. Especially if they were girls. Mechanical engineering joke. Little chuckles all over class.

Still fine.

Then he asked the guy sitting next to her, "Is she yours?"

I perked up.

Then he added, "Who does she belong to?"

Frown. I like that lecturer, I think he is one of the best the whole faculty has to offer. And I really didn't want to make a scene. But I couldn't deny that nagging sense of unease that I felt when he said that.

Sure, you might say that he was just joking about. Well, to me its not funny. I find it deeply insulting actually. Am I over-reacting? To most people around me, probably yes. But I live along very strange ideals that few bother to understand. In the name of tact, I play along. But as happy I am with where I am now, when things like this happen, I can't help but to feel that I was born on the wrong side of the world.

LOL.

http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2008/1/20/lifefocus/20036279&sec=lifefocus

Pissed me off at first, but then I realized its quite funny. A good laugh, this opinion.

Pope versus potter.

The church has never really been happy with Harry Potter and I always imagined that its because of all the hocus pocus involved and the number of children who actually believe it. That was until I read an article about a certain future pope being opposed to the stories because they blur the line between good and evil.

In all fairness, he didn't actually say exactly that. What he did was endorse a book Harry Potter- good or evil? by a German writer. That book claims that 'the Potter books corrupt the hearts of the young, preventing them from developing a properly ordered sense of good and evil, thus harming their relationship with God while that relationship is still in its infancy'.

That writer is either so smart she sees things that I cannot possibly see, or very, very naive. This is what I think of the world. Its a relentless sea of gray where we are all asked to make moral choices on a regular basis. There is no right or wrong; only what we perceive as right or wrong. Some people tell me that I have a fucked up moral compass. Some call me a heartless bastard incapable of pity. I don't really think I'm one.

I think that good and evil is a very lazy way to think of the world. It saves you the trouble of finding exactly where you stand on an issue because it narrows everything down to two options. Yes or no. Nothing in between. I used to think like that as a child, thanks to a steady diet of Enid Blyton and Disney. Debating beat those beliefs up pretty badly, and now, I still slightly resent the people who fed me stories that have very attractive and likable protagonists and butt ugly and repulsive antagonists. I can still feel the effects of those years of conditioning till now. I subconsciously expect every asshole I meet to be instantly unlikable and my subconscious takes a bit of a jolt when I find that nice people turning out to be dicks and bitches.

Sure, when we read a story, we want someone to cheer for. I'm not against that at all. All I'm saying is that a good dose of reality for children isn't really a bad thing. Every hero can have a dark side, just like how every villain can have a good side. Its never too early to realize this.

Harry Potter

I : Welcome to another edition of Smalltalk, the show that hits all the small issues and hits them hard. We are joined today by a very special guest from the wizarding world, Mr. Rofelius Udder. With him, we will hopefully explore some of the more shocking things that seemed to be overlooked by the Ministry of Magic during their war with the one that may not be named. We will also take a look at wizarding language, and try to get some insight into spell wording. Mr. Rofelius, welcome to the show.

R : Thank you.

I : Let us first look at the war with Vol-

R : Argh!

I : Sorry. I thought the taboo would have been lifted a year after his death. Very well then, lets just call him V shall we?

R : V is fine. Thank you.

I : Right then. The war with V. What was your role in the war?

R : I was an Auror. It was a terrible job at that time. So many of my colleagues died.

I : Yes, yes. I suspect the Aurors are like muggle policemen then. In charge of law enforcement and the like. You are accustomed to muggle life, are you not, Mr. Rofelius? You know what policemen are?

R : Yes. I lived a muggle life before Hogwarts, much like Harry Potter. Yes, Aurors are very much like policemen. Under the jurisdiction of the Ministry.

I : I see. And what of the army? Or do the Aurors double up as that too? Because thats the impression that I got. They seemed to be doing work that is normally the domain of the army.

R : I suppose they do in that sense.

I : And if there is international conflict? A war between countries. Do the Aurors then pick up their wands and do battle just like any regular army?

Pause.

R : I suppose. I never really thought about it to be honest. I don't really think that the wizarding world gets into international conflicts.

I : Frown. The wizarding tournament points otherwise actually. Wizards seem very comfortable resolving their conflicts in spectacular shows of destruction. But I don't think this is getting anywhere. Next question. How is the Ministry's relationship with the Americans?

R : The Americans?

I : Yes. The people who look remarkably like us, except they insist on being as different as possible. Live across the ocean on a big piece of land, eating hamburgers and getting too fat to walk.

R : Ah. Yes. Them. They are our friends of course. Just like in the muggle world.

I : Really? And it never occurred to the Ministry to ask for help from the Americans or your neighbouring French when you had the most dangerous terrorist in the history of magic running riot in Britain?

R : I am not at liberty to answer that question.

I : I didn't think so. I suppose only Minister Rowling will be able to answer that. I just find it intriguing that in a world that seems so connected by magic, all the countries seem content leaving Britain to collapse to its knees, knowing full well that V is bent on global domination. I would have thought it was in their self interests to see V beaten.

Silence.

I : I see. No matter. I just have one last matter. It concerns the language of magic. Do other cultures have their own magic words?

R : I should think so.

I : But pronunciation is an important aspect of the spell is it not? So translating the spell into say.... Chinese would have it lose its effect then?

R : Squint. I suppose.....

I : Then all magic must come from England, America or Australia then. Pretty much every spell seems to be rooted in the English language. Expellimarius, Stupefy, Confundo, Crucio. All seem to have English root words don't they?

R : I'm not a history scholar. I wouldn't know.

I : In that case, non-English speaking wizarding communities have my sympathies. Why they wouldn't just learn English and make their lives easier is beyond me. Anyway, thats all we have time for today. Thank you Rofelius for your time today, although I must say, you weren't very much help at all. I'll try to get a more informed person on the show the next time.

Till then, goodbye.

I freaking hate that country.

I can't think of any other title for this post, really. I could try naming it something more sensitive and then proceed to talk about how bloody scary this few days have been for me, but that really wouldn't be much fun now would it? (Damn, I'm starting to sound like yahtzee)

Anyways, this time, it really is the last straw. I'm sorry if you come from there, but the doctors in your country are useless. Even your specialists seem to have less medical training than a five year old waving a pink plastic stethoscope around. I will never forget the day that your doctors told my dad he needed an operation when all he needed were a few pills and a few lozenges. It seems like the only person who can get decent healthcare in your festering pus-pit of a country is your ex-president who seems to be more resilient than a cockroach.

This time, you people almost killed my dad. I'm not exaggerating. If he had waited another day for your bloody specialist to turn up, he wouldn't have come back in a wheelchair. He would be back in a coffin. As it is, I think that we got lucky. I have never seen him that way, and I never want to ever again.

Sure, there are lots of parties to blame. Sure, blaming an entire country for the failings of a few who were supposed to provide the very basic medical services is a simplistic and very unfair way of looking at the situation. But I'm pissed. One too many times, I say. I can only forgive so many times, and this time the transgression has taken a step too far.

I have never really liked the country, save for one little trip to the education capital. Most of the time, I reach the KLIA with a feeling of relief, as if I have returned to civilization. I don't expect I'll return willingly there.