RM3 ticket.

It has been so long since my last entry. Alhamdulillah...Now I am back!

A few weeks ago I had this conversation over nasi lemak and hot milo at Kafe Kreatif with a colleague of mine. We were talking about her daughter who was a student of mine for the duration of two weeks for a programmed named English Camp 2010. This programme was organised by the staff of UiTM Dungun Academy of Language Studies. We were talking about her daughter for a few minutes until we changed the topic to what's new in her life. So, she was telling me that she was involved in this programme called "Membongkar Rahsia Alam Bersama Angkasawan Negara" that was scheduled to be on the 16th of February 2011. I was a little bit nonchalant when about it. But I kept on asking her questions anyway. When she told me that she was involved in the bureau of sponsorship, she got my attention back. This is because a few years back (2009) to be exact, I was involved in the same bureau for an event in Penang. So I kept on asking her on how to get sponsorship from the private sectors and bla bla bla. We also talked about how important it is to really meet the potential sponsors in order for us to really get them to get interested in the project that we do and bla bla bla. Then, I was still not that interested in the programme that she was organising.

My perception changed a few hours before the event started. The meeting with that first ever Muslim Malay Malaysian angkasawan was held in two sessions. The first one was held in the morning and the second one was held in the afternoon at 2.30pm. Since I had to conduct a class with my Computer Science students that morning (at 8.00am till 9.55am), I had to forgo the first session. So, I patiently wait for the time to pass. Amazingly I was kept busy with a few things that I never knew had to be done. Except for the meeting with Kak Shikin and the rest of the "Language Carnival 2011" committee at 12 noon until 1.30pm.

After the Zohor prayers, I decided to Google info on the Angkasawan. I wanted to know something about him before the actual event. So, I Googled away. So, I learned something about him and I also learned something about orthopaedic as well. Okay. Then, suddenly I got excited in meeting the Angkasawan. I had no idea where was this feeling coming from. But I kept my cool. Ahahaha...So, the three of us (Cik Mazni, Cik Sham and I) went to the hall from Cik Sham's office at Sarjana building. My heart was pounding then. Totally unexplainable. Ahaha...

As soon as we were approaching the hall (Dewan Aspirasi), I could see that there were so many people already outside the hall trying to get in. There were a few more waiting at the entrance to void the ticket. I met a colleague of mine who was just got married over the Chinese New Year break and congratulated her on her wedding. She was just beaming with this smile of happiness. May allah bless her and her husband with a good and lasting marriage. Then, the three of us entered the hall.

As we entered the hall, I was greeted by two former students of mine named Nik and Zuhair. Interesting. Then as we moved to the front to claim our seats, I was greeted by a bunch of girls. At first it was quite difficult to recall their names...but after a few seconds (and a few hints), I managed to get all of their names...Among them were Fara Amira Roslan and Azmiratul Zaharah. Owh...before that i met two of my Hotel Management students outside Dewan Aspirasi. They were Nadia and Isya.

Our seats were in the front row, at the far left of the hall. I was a tad too disappointed but itulah..siapa suruh masuk dewan lambat...(we entered the hall around 2.20pm). Anyways, we took our seats and waited for Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor to arrive. The emcee tried to be funny when he announced the arrival of Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor the first time. It was a hoax! I hesitantly stood up to witness the arrival of the revered angkasawan. But alas, it was just an attempt from the emcee to get the audience to settle down as many of us were anxious and quite noisy as we were waiting for the angkasawan to be with us in the hall. Then, finally, the emcee announced the arrival of the one and only, Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor into the hall. After the du'a recital, the angkasawan was introduced by the emcee and he started walking up the stage and adjusting the mic. As soon as he started talking, I could hear a loud cheer from the crowd signifying their adoration towards him.

The beloved angkasawan started his presentation by telling us his "speech outline". Then he started to take us with him from the beginning of his journey till the day he touches the ground after his 10 day quest at the International Space Station (ISS).

Here are some of the pictures that I took while Dr Sheikh was presenting.

Alhamdulillah, I got the chance to meet him in person. That was just wonderful. Awesome indeed. I asked him a very relevant question (at least that is what I think).

It's my birthday

It's my birthday today.
I was very elated when my old friend and now roommate, Fahmi wishes me a happy birthday as we sat having dinner after a long day at work. I was really tired when he suddenly asks "So, Along. Where do we celebrate your birthday tomorrow?"
I was puzzled as I didn't know how to answer his seemingly easy to answer question. This is because I have never initiated to celebrate my own birthday ever. I simply don't have the urge to actually really celebrate my birthday. After all, I am not getting any younger. In fact, I am getting older. Much to my dismay of course. I get even more scared to be older now. Being older means you are going to have more responsibilities. I don't like responsibilities. I like a carefree life. So, I told Fahmi that "I never thought of celebrating my birthday ever Fahmi. Do you?"
He replied, "Of course! I make it a point each year to celebrate my birthday. With friends of course. If I'm alone....then I will celebrate it with just me!"
How interesting, I thought.
-- -- --
My father called me when I was in class this morning.
I just had to answer his call.
I said, "I'm sorry, I'm in class."
Even before he could say "Congratulations on your birthday, Izan."
It breaks my heart to put the phone down as I haven't been able to had a decent conversation with my father for months now. We are of course on good terms. It is just that my relationship with my father is a unique one. I know that he loves me. I think he knows that I love him. But we just never said it to each other. I find it awkward to confess to your father that you love him. You see, my father is a very nice man. Charming even. But it never occurs to me that it's okay to say, "Abah, I love you. I am proud to be your son."
We never had that kind of relationship. But we are on good terms.
So, right after class, after I had my breakfast, I dialled his number. He picked up only after a few long rings -- which was uncomfortable to me.
We talked for about ten minutes. Mainly regarding family and my owning a car.
I told him that I am still accumulating money for the downpayment. He understands.
We parted simply by saying the salam with each other. And that is perfectly normal.
-- -- --
I just don't know how to celebrate my birthday just like what Jason Mraz said in his beautiful song called Mr Curiousity -- "It's my birthday and I cannot find no cause for clebration".
-- To be continued. I have class now.

My Great Grandmother I

For One More Day" is interesting because it reminds me to appreciate my family. And to a certain extent, I do. Well, I haven't called my mother for more than three weeks now. I feel guilty, of course.Apart from that, this movie really made me recall my late Great Grandmother. I missed her so much. It's hard to explain why. Let me try, anyway.My late Great Grandmother was an interesting woman. She was a very hardworking woman too, even in her eighties. I remembered when I was a little boy, I saw her keeping busy around the house. You see, since her husband passed away, she stayed in my grandmother's. She would be helping my grandmother to keep house.

Since both of my grandparents have green thumbs, they just loved to plant plants around the house. I remembered that they planted a few rows of tapioca on a hill near their house. I remembered pulling a few trees to cook the under-developed tapioca with my friends. So, when it was time for my grandparents to harvest their tapioca, my Great Grandmother would help them to clean the tapioca and peel them and wash them. Then, she would use a peeler to peel the opaque white tapioca into long thin strips. She would then soak them in water with some salt and dried them for days until those strips are really dried. Then, she would deep-fry them in a huge "kuali". I would dash into the kitchen and she would scold me and shoo me away. I kept coming back of course -- to steal those deep fried tasteless tapioca strips. After a few trips, I would just be bored from her scolding and full from eating those chips that I finally gave the extras to some red ants making a line outside the house.

I could still remember my Great Grandmother's passion about her betelnut leaf tree. She had planted a few shrubs around the house compound. I remembered those green trees crawling up to a dead mango tree and the other one just outside the kitchen. I remembered her dedication and attention to detail when it comes to her tending to those shrubs. She is really proud of them. I guess it's because she used to chew betel leaves with the lime, betel nut and what nots. I used to watched her using the "gobek" to crush the betel nuts. I could almost remember the smell of chewed betel leaves as she tells me stories. One fine day, an elderly man came to our house asking for the betel leaves. He wants to buy them because his daughter is getting married. For your information, betel leaves are among the most important things to have in a Malay wedding -- be it traditional (held in kampongs) or modern wedding (held in posh 5 star hotels). So, he asks whether he could see the owner of the tree. I ask him to wait as I call my Great Grandmother. I found her in the living room sitting in a rocking rattan chair. She goes and see the man. The man says that he wants to buy the leaves from her and she agrees. She goes to her tree and starts to pluck the leaves. She asks me to get into the house and take a plastic bag to put the leaves in. As soon as I arrive, she had finished plucking the leaves. The man was ready to pay as I could see that he has his wallet in one of his hands. He gave her RM5.00, said thank you and leave. I could see that my Great Grandmother is happy. I couldn't understand why then. Now, I know that she is happy because she had just received the benefit from planting the betel leave tree. Even though the amount is not that much, it still made her happy.

A Brilliant Movie Based on a Brilliant Novel

Mitch Albom's For One More Day

Last night, while having dinner in front of the telly, I was torn whether to watch Majalah 3 or Mitch Albom's For One More Day. Majalah 3 was presenting Air Asia X's new fleet of Airbus 330-300 on TV3. Simultaneously, The Hallmark Channel CH702 on ASTRO was showing an Oprah Winfrey presentation called For One More Day. I had a dilemma because I have always been fascinated by the aviation industry.

So, initially I decided to watch Majalah 3 since I reason myself that The Hallmark Channel might do a re-run for that movie. However, after a few channel flips, I decided to just watch "For One More Day".

At first, I thought the movie boring. But as soon as I managed to catch the plot, the movie started to become more interesting. I really like the way the plots unfold. I especially like a line said by the mother when she reveals the real deal between her and her husband -- that he married an Italian woman whom he has a son with before he returns to America. In that scene, she said, "Children should never choose". It was so noble of her to say so. The fact that her son has been treating her badly because he understood that his parents' divorced was caused by his mother.

Another line which I found interesting is when the mother said, "A son never loses his mother. She is like an echo. And when can we hear an echo? When it's quiet," right before she vanishes.

Rewarding My BEL130 Students

Not so long ago, I brought my BEL130 students to Cafe Pauh D'Layang in Hotel UiTM Penang for breakfast. They were thrilled, of course. I am glad they were thrilled. Because it's not like I was bringing them to a posh hotel or anything.

These students were rewarded because of their good (I wouldn't want to say brilliant -- because my standard is way too high for them, hehehe) performance for their sketch practice. They were rated by their fellow classmates and I.

To motivate them to really perform for their practice sketch, I have come up with the idea to treat them breakfast at Hotel UiTM with me. They agreed. These students were only given 30 minutes++ to prepare their sketch. Each group should consist of not more than 6 students (smart, isn't it? So that I won't have to treat so many students at one time. *selamat*)

So it turned out that Raja Arif, Azfar Shah, Asyraff, Rafidi, Azhari and Arif Syahrizal won the challenge. So, they were entitled to having breakfast at Hotel UiTM.

The day finally arrived. We reached the coffee house at 9.30 a.m. The boys were excited to start. Before we ate, I asked a student to recite the prayer. I also set the rule that we must communicate in English throughout having breakfast.

So we ate. In the middle of breakfast, I noticed that one of them didn't finish his food. So, I immediately created a new rule. I told them "You must finish the food that you bring to the table. No excuses." The boys agreed. They had to. Hehehe.

Asyraff is a small eater. He doesn't seem to eat a lot at all. He stopped eating when all of us were still busy going to and fro the buffet line.

We talked about many things. Mainly academic stuff regarding BEL130 itself. We also talked about a special cake recipe. It turned out that one of the boys noticed a few icing cakes on display at the buffet line. One of those cakes is yellow in colour. His friend ask "What do you think the flavour of that cake?"

Another simply replied, "Oh...that? Kek jagungla...apa lagi?"

All of us bursted into laughter since we have never heard anyone who bakes corn-flavoured cakes. Come to think of it, have you?

So here are some pictures of us in Cafe Pauh D'Layang.

My Second Theatre Experience

Gold Rain & Hailstone
A Dramalab Production at KL PAC

Gold Rain & Hailstone is a witty play staged by Malaysia’s renowned theatre activist, Jit Murad and the talented Lin Jaafar. Gold Rain & Hailstone has been staged several times with its debut -- a humble production in the year 1993 at the British Council. This two- actor play is jam-packed with witty remarks and hilarious jokes which are woven intricately by the writer himself, the one and only, Jit Murad. Jit Murad reveals that Gold rain & Hailstone “is not autobiographical but none of it is made up.”

Gold rain & Hailstone starts off with the numbers 1991 beamed from the laser onto the stage backdrop which signifies the setting for this play. Multiple roles played by Jit Murad and Lin Jaafar makes this play smooth in transition and constantly demand the audience to fiercely follow the stories presented. Zahim Albakry has made a good job with the directing of Gold rain & Hailstone. This is because with only two actors, Zahim managed to make the play lively with the multitude of characters come to life.

Gold Rain & Hailstone revolves mainly around its four prominent characters. They are Amy (an independent woman), Jay (an effeminate guy), Azman (a man’s man) and last but not least Nina (a modern city girl). These four characters are brought parallel into the story of Gold rain & Hailstone because in some way or the other all of them are connected. For instance, Jay and Azman are the best of friends since their childhood days. The both of them share a lot of memories. Similarly, Amy and Nina too are friends even before they went off to America to further their studies. Thus, based on these four characters’ stories, Gold rain & Hailstone tries to bring forth certain issues experienced by almost the majority of Malaysians going to America in the 1990s to further their studies.

The issues ‘discussed’ in the play is the dilemma Malaysians faced when they have been spending more than five years abroad – in this case the United States of America. This is because there will come a time when the Malaysian expatriate will question themselves “Should I return to Malaysia?” To these people, that particular question is difficult to answer. This may be caused by their sense of belonging to the United States of America -- the free country which is also a melting pot.

Gold rain & Hailstone tries to highlight the dilemma that is being faced by Amy. She is not able to choose whether to return to Kuala Lumpur. To make matters worse, her father is gravely ill and that she has not returned to her homeland for the past ten years. She is torn between staying in America and her father.

Similarly, Jay is also having a dilemma. He takes such a long time to consider his decisions before finally making a huge leap of faith and return to his homeland. As for Jay, he has never felt that he belongs anywhere. He does not simply fit in. This is due to the fact that he has always been different from the other boys. Jay as the name may suggest is a man who is more attuned to his feminine side. In his homeland, Jay is not does not enjoy freedom as much he wanted to. He feels as if there is somebody watching his every move and that person is just waiting for the right time to point out Jay’s mistakes. Being an effeminate male in a Muslim and Malay community is such a torment. That is why Jay feels that he is better off stay in the States. He feels more accepted in the quirky way the American seems to practice. The Americans are more nonchalant about his physical appearance and they also could not care less of Jay’s daily activities.

Nina on the other hand dreads to return to Malaysia simply because she feels that she is not ready to settle down. In America, nobody cares whether she is married or single. In contrast, Nina is being asphyxiate by her family members especially her mother and aunts who relentlessly kept pestering her to marry. They reason to her that “Orang perempuan tak elok bujang lama-lama” or simply translated “a young Malay woman should be married before she reaches the age of thirty”.

Azman on the other hand is having the time of his life as he is free to do whatever he wants to do. In America, it is acceptable for a young man to be promiscuous. This is due to the fact that Azman prefers the American way of life.

Azman, Nina, Jay and Amy are four young Malaysians from the heart of Kuala Lumpur acts differently from their typical Malaysians. These characters are not too Malay due to the education they receive and also the modern cultures that they are exposed to. That is the reason why these four young people feel that they do not belong in either the Eastern community or the Western community.

Apart from that, the director tries to highlight some authentic Malaysian tendency. In a few scenes, Nina’s mother talks to Azman’s mother on the phone. These two mothers have the habit of telling other people’s stories that they heard from ‘reliable sources’. It seems as though gossiping is some form of entertainment for them. Apart from being ‘concern’ of their gossip victims, these two doting mothers also love to boast about their son and daughter respectively. In addition, Azman and Nina like their mothers also gossips. This is apparent in the scene where Azman and Nina meets and get engaged in a conversation while attending the ‘kenduri’ or a feast. They both were gossiping about Amy and Jay. When their friends wave at them, Azman and Nina wave at them back while continue talking about the other persons nonchalantly.

In addition to the abovementioned traits, the characters of “Gold rain & Hailstone” also try to emphasize that in Asian values, especially in Malaysian context, the young must always respect the elderly and the “have-nots” are expected to have respect to the “haves”. This can be seen when Azman and Jay are being accompanied by their respective family members at the airport before their plane takes off to America. In this particular scene, Jay acts accordingly in order to show his respect to the Datuk and the Datin (Azman’s parents). Simultaneously, the audience can see that Jay’s mother is rather timid when she is around the Azman’s well-to-do family. Jay’s mother can be seen acting rather awkwardly around the Datin when in actual fact the Datin does not intend to show any sign of authority. Based from an Asian perspective, in my humble opinion, Jay’s mother knows exactly how to behave due to her parents’ upbringing. Asian has this system whereby a person needs to always present their best side whenever they are in the company of people from higher status such as the royalty and respected people (teachers, the rich and famous, politicians) etc.

Azman symbolizes some Malaysian young men who are seeking for fun and thrills in America. Apart from studies, Azman enjoys social events held around the town in which he stays. Azman makes up stories about his sexual encounter with an all American girl. He boasts that he is capable of giving satisfaction and pleasure to that girl. In America everything goes. This is especially true to most Malaysian expatriates since they are away from the watchful eyes of their ‘concern’ family members, friends and neighbours. This phenomenon can be due to the reluctance of classic Malaysian parents (especially the Malays) to openly discuss about sex. Parents see sex as a taboo subject and it is better not to discuss about it with the children. As a result the younger generation grows more inquisitive and eager to discover sex.

In conclusion, Gold rain & Hailstone is a thought-provoking, hilarious, witty play that carries a multitude of social messages to Asians especially Malaysians. Cleverly written, the issues in this play have been made as if they have never been so blatant before. This play is a good piece not only for discussions in higher learning institutions classrooms but this play can also provide useful and insightful points to discuss while sipping your cup of cappuccino at the all American cafes.

Gubra or Gabra?

Gubra
By Yasmin Ahmad

After “Sepet”, Yasmin Ahmad presents another movie which revolves around the daily lives of a woman named Orked. Yasmin Ahmad’s sequel to her movie “Sepet” is called “Gubra”. Gubra is actually a movie telling the audience about the life of Orked after her graduation from a university overseas or at least after her return from England (as Yasmin Ahmad does not indicate clearly of which version is the most accurate).

This film setting is quite complicated to determine. This is because the movie applies props that are not constant to the storyline. The director employs an old BMW car (appears to suggest the story takes place in the 1970s or the 1980s) for Arif to drive. In addition to that Alan drives an old pick-up (complements the BMW car. Jason on the other hand sells pirated CDs at the market (which suggests that the story takes place somewhere in the late 1990s till the present).

Orked (Sharifah Amani), Arif (Adlin Aman Ramli), Harith Iskandar (Orked’s father), Ida Nerina (Orked’s mother), Adibah Noor (Kak Yam), and Alan Yun (Alan -- Jason’s brother) are among the prominent characters in Yasmin Ahmad’s “Gubra”. The movie is aptly named “Gubra” because the movie starts off with Orked and her whole family went frantic because Orked’s father collapses due to low sugar count in the blood as a result of his suffering from diabetes mellitus. Orked, with her long, unruly hair went along in the chaotic scenes as her mother and the driver cum gardener decides to send Orked’s father to the hospital. The chaotic scene went for almost ten to fifteen minutes until finally the whole family is allowed to enter Orked’s father’s ward.

Yasmin Ahmad’s “Gubra” is filled with direct and indirect messages. Among the messages that Yasmin wants to highlight are religious issues, inter-racial marriages, husband and wife relationship, marriage infidelity, Malaysians’ anxiety of HIV and AIDS, community acceptance to prostitution activity and last but not least Asians’ values and perceptions of sex.

Yasmin Ahmad’s movies have been marked as provocative. This is mainly due to her “openness” and stoicism in telling her stories. It could be that she wants to revolutionize Malaysian films. Not all Malaysian finds this film interesting, thought-provoking and enlightening. However, many of the issues that the film tries to address are worth taking-note for.

Apart from the scene where Orked engaged in a playful mood with her husband in their bedroom, Yasmin also portrays a scene of a “Bilal” playfully chasing his wife in front of their son. These two scenes have the ability to create a stir among the more conservative Muslim viewers. This is because Malaysia’s Muslim community understands the holiness of a Bilal because of his duty to the religion. By portraying a Bilal chasing his wife in a playful mood is seen as marring that holiness image of a religious man. This is provocative because the audience also understands that a Bilal is still a human being and is similar to Arif’s situation with Orked. Just because of the Bilal’s position as a religious man, the audience forgets that he too enjoys teasing his wife.

Apart from that, the scene where Bilal pats a stray dog en route to the musolla or surau also creates a sense of uneasiness among the Muslims. This is due to the fact that a Muslim is forbidden to touch a dog because it is haram and thus if a person who touches a dog and perform a religious duty such as the prayers or reciting the Quran, his actions are useless as it is not lawful against the Syariah. However, it is stated that a person can touch a dog on one condition – both the dog and the person needs to be thoroughly dried. The audience will easily oversee that the Bilal is thoroughly dry and so is the dog. Thus, he is allowed to touch that dog. Except for the fact that there was no necessary reason for that Bilal to touch the dog.

In addition to the above discussion, Yasmin Ahmad seems as if she wants to say that it is okay for a Bilal and his dutiful wife to be nice with their neighbour who is also a prostitute. The neighbour, played by Rozie Rashid (Fatimah or Temah) indifferently goes about her business as if her job is a revered one. It is extremely rare for a Bilal to greet a prostitute. However, it is not the prejudice that Yasmin Ahmad tries to highlight. In fact, what Yasmin is trying to highlight is that the compassion and goodwill among human beings. It is definitely not wrong to greet a prostitute. It is the stigma and prejudices that Yasmin tries to eliminate among Malaysians. It is awkward for a person to greet a prostitute especially when the person greeting the prostitute is a religious man. But is it wrong for a neighbour to greet his fellow neighbour? Definitely not.

On the other hand, “Gubra” also tries to bring forth the issue of inter-racial marriage. This is done via Orked’s character. Orked was previously in love with Jason, a Chinese VCD player. She was infatuated by him due to his charm, calm nature and because they understand each other. However, her love to Jason ends as abruptly as it had started. Jason was suggestively pictured been killed in a road accident. In “Gubra”, Orked gradually falls for Jason’s brother (played by Alan Yun). They met at the hospital on the same day as Harith Iskandar’s character is hospitalized. Even though Orked is still married to Arif (Adlin Aman Ramli), she still goes out with Alan Yun’s character. This shows that she has chemistry with him. Later in the movie the audience are shown their similarities as they both sang an old Chinese song while having a ride in Alan’s old pick up. Obviously Arif is not too happy to see his wife being so close to her old fling’s brother. Similarly, Kak Yam is also attracted to a Chinese guy who works at the hospital. Kak Yam flirts with the Chinese guy as soon as the incident between Orked assaulting Alan with a stained and smelly hospital mop. From then on, Kak Yam acts more lady-like whenever the Chinese guy is around.

Next, one of the most apparent scenes in “Gubra” is the one where Orked’s parents are doing a silly dance movement while lying on the hospital bed. This scene suggests that the relationship between the husband and wife is good. They are both loving and supportive of each other. In addition, there are also other scenes that suggest strong intimacy of this couple. What Yasmin wants to portray here is that intimacy is not unique to young lovers but also among couples who have been married for more than ten years. It is not something funny. In fact, these types of behaviors should be condoned to ensure that the sanctity of marriage is saved. However, couples should make the intimacy gestures more subtle when they are around their children or whenever they are in public.

The issue of marriage infidelity is highlighted via the characters of Arif and Orked. Their infidelity is made apparent when Orked accidentally bumps into her husband as she is sight-seeing Ipoh town with Alan. The audience may easily interpret that Arif is at fault as he is seeing another woman. But what about Orked who may appears to be the victim but still going out with Alan? The risk of infidelity in marriages is inevitable. However, the couple can surely minimize the risk. Infidelity may be caused by a spouse or even both parties can be at fault. Yasmin Ahmad however chooses to highlight the plight of women whose husbands are infidels.

The issue of women’s plight is made apparent in the scene when Fatimah’s ex-husband (played by Khir Rahman) tries to rob her. Temah refuses to give in thus she shouted and she fights the man with all her might. The hammer that Temah takes out from her handbag is a statement that all women should be careful and alert of their surroundings at all times. Apart from the attempted robbing, Temah, who is a single mother to a 7 year old son is diagnosed with HIV positive. Her sadness is made clear by her tears that trickle down her cheeks in the clinic right after she finds out the bitter fact that she is now a carrier of the deadly virus.

Kiah and Kak Mas take Temah’s diagnosis of HIV positive very well. Maybe Yasmin Ahmad tries to convey a message telling the Malaysians that it is safe for us to befriend the HIV carriers as long as we know the risks and the way the virus is spread. This gesture from Yasmin acts as her way of educating Malaysians about HIV and AIDS.

In addition to that, Kak Mas (the young Bilal’s wife) and Temah’s friend named Kiah who is also a prostitute has to suffer in order to earn a living. However, towards the end of the movie, Kiah finally says that she will no longer have to do that job ever again to Kak Mas.

Apart from Kiah and Temah, Alan and Jason’s mother – the peranakan lady is also suffering. The Nyonya and her old and thin Chinese husband bicker all the time. The Nyonya can be described as experiencing domestic violence. Her husband is not tolerant about many things and always makes her life difficult. There is this one time when the Nyonya scolds her husband for asking for pork for lunch. “Lu ni, kalau satu hari tak makan babi, tak sah!” or loosely translated as “You can’t live without eating pork, huh?”. Here, the audience may understand that the Nyonya is tired of her husband’s tantrums and silly requests. Not only that, she has to suffer from humiliation since an elderly Muslim man and his two wives were next to her husband’s bed. The two Malay women heard the Nyonya and her Chinese husbands bickering almost all the time.

Last but not least, Yasmin’s “Gubra” is woven with some sexual innuendos since a few scenes can be considered as too graphic for children below the age of 12. In addition to that, many dialogues in “Gubra” are insinuated with the subject of sex or sexually-related issues. Malaysians are still not as open-minded as their Western counterparts when it comes to talking about sex. Sex is still considered as a taboo and thus can only be discussed with much discretion or better still not to discuss at all.

Based on the arguments stated above, “Gubra” can be considered as a revolutionary Malaysian movie as it depicts issues that most Malaysians prefer to be kept in the closet. At least “Gubra” tries to highlight these issues in a different light and from a different angle especially when it is a masterpiece from the eloquent Yasmin Ahmad.