No Time for Bullshit

So I go for a coffee with a lady, to discuss the nature of our relationship, come to a consensus that the local legal climate is unconducive to religious Malays dating non-Malays, and end up offering the woman a job instead, before midnight. #businessIsBusiness #noTimeForBullShit

So I Got Curious... and Wore a Yellow Shirt to the Red Shirt Rally

21Sep2015. My friend Alistair requested that I put a little extra commentary over this event. I really don't have much to say about it.

For a casual reader, you should be aware that I grew up in Malaysia, spoke English at home, attended a Chinese primary school, passed my SPM BM with a C6, and have been working in Kuala Lumpur since 2005. I was born in the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital in 1983, and spent most of my youth futzing around Sentul and Jalan Ipoh neighbourhoods. I am perhaps, a political cynic - I stopped reading the (local political news)papers in 1998 because it seemed like vaudeville. I am a registered voter - I made a point to register - and I have never voted - I made a point to not vote for any party that wasn't convincing. I've held the view for the last 17 or so years, that it would take 20-30 years from that time to get Malaysia into the territory of "modern democracy." It may or may not happen, but I never thought that I should be particularly active in Malaysian politics unless I made a lot of money, and had the clout to go fist to head with the big boys - my view is that political success in Malaysia depends on the size of your ammo box, and the ammunition required is money - that is just how the system was set up prior to my ability to get involved - and it was a well-set-up system (saying nothing about its ethical value).

In any event, the videos below sum up my approach to this whole excitable mess of coloured t-shirts that has erupted across the mainstream media, in recent years. In summary, you may view just the first and final videos - everything in the middle was just evidence that one can walk around in a yellow t-shirt and not get bothered by the majority of people at a rally of the sort that was organised on 16Sep2015. Stick questions in the comments, and I'll banter with you - if you want.

I had a bit of down-time, on the night of 15 September, so I cooked up a little plan to entertain myself.

If and only if I can finish my work tomorrow, then this. What's the worst that could happen? I've already been hit on the head and had my finger severed just walking home from the gym, in this country. #forscience

A video posted by jerng (@thesaturnine) on Sep 15, 2015 at 9:14am PDT

I parked at the Sentul Timur station, and got on a train.

Into the redness.

A video posted by jerng (@thesaturnine) on Sep 15, 2015 at 11:52pm PDT

I wanted to get off at the PWTC station, but was too busy fiddling with my phone, so I skipped it. I got off the train at the Plaza Rakyat LRT station, because it was quite obvious that the view was a good one.

It is incredibly ironic, that as America discusses #blackLivesMatter, Malaysian find themselves ill at ease in accepting that #redRightsMatter.

A video posted by jerng (@thesaturnine) on Sep 16, 2015 at 12:02am PDT

I walked along Jalan Kuching, with the gang.

I need more BM practice. Lol

A video posted by jerng (@thesaturnine) on Sep 16, 2015 at 12:27am PDT

I started taking photos of other people in yellow shirts.

#neveralone?

A photo posted by jerng (@thesaturnine) on Sep 16, 2015 at 12:32am PDT

Another one.

A photo posted by jerng (@thesaturnine) on Sep 16, 2015 at 1:01am PDT

Then I walked over to Padang Merbok, and ran into my friend Shannon on the way over. He was wearing a Ghostbusters t-shirt, which has every colour in the Malaysian flag except... yellow.

Customary crowd-walk shot.

A video posted by jerng (@thesaturnine) on Sep 16, 2015 at 1:08am PDT

There were a number of people in Guy Fawkes masks, no thanks to Vendetta of course, so I made sure to photograph at least one of them.

#yellowshirtredshirtrally2015

A video posted by jerng (@thesaturnine) on Sep 16, 2015 at 1:25am PDT

I walked along Jalan Parlimen towards the loudspeakers, until I realised I had passed the stage, so then I walked back to the stage, approaching from the back. This was from stage left.

"This is the crux of the problem" - speaker asserts that a Malaysian Malaysia (is the DAP agenda and ) is against the Malaysian constitutional social contract.

A video posted by jerng (@thesaturnine) on Sep 16, 2015 at 1:47am PDT

The speaker was having a good time.

Speaker.

A video posted by jerng (@thesaturnine) on Sep 16, 2015 at 1:39am PDT

Shortly after I arrived, it was over.

The end!

A video posted by jerng (@thesaturnine) on Sep 16, 2015 at 1:44am PDT

These were all the people I saw in yellow t-shirts - who knows if they knew what they were wearing. Who cares.

All the yellow shirts I could find.

A photo posted by jerng (@thesaturnine) on Sep 16, 2015 at 1:33am PDT

Then I walked to Masjid Jamek, and took a train back to my car.

I headed to the nearest cafe, uploaded the videos that were still on my phone, and reached a conclusion about how I felt.

Let me spell it out. Red shirts turned up at Bersih4 - they represented - I have it on video. Bersih4 was absent from the Red shirt rally. Bersih did not represent. There is no community. Fear always wins.

A video posted by jerng (@thesaturnine) on Sep 16, 2015 at 1:53am PDT

Then I went back to my construction site to build some prototype benches.

My Personal Opinion on Loyalty

We don't believe in trivial loyalties. If our coffee or service sucks, please correct us, or reward our competitors instead.

Ps. No cards for you. (Not right now, anyway.)

Bad Business

Monday morning - first order of business is to pay fines to the SSM for dealings with a company last year. Hopefully I can get a discount, and also never be bothered by this company again.

Sudo Timeline

Jul-1: realestate proposal received
Aug-15: capital committed
Aug-21: capital collected (attrition: 1 person)
Sep-3: partnership agreement signed
Sep-11: Malay copy for the signboard officially approved by DBP (Sudo Coffee, Sudo Brew logos, colours also decided by this point)
Sep-13: I'm still worried that we're moving too slowly ... ‪#‎idiot‬
Then again, it would be nice to see revenue before the 90-day mark.

Espresso Tamper Diameters

58.00mm Pullman Standard Flat Base
58.35 to 58.40mm Pullman Standard Flat Base
58.5 mm Pullman Pergtamp Flat Base
58.60mm Pullman BigStep Flat Base

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58.7mm VST basket inner diameter

41mm La Marzocco single basket inner diameter

40.7-40.9mm Recommended tamper outer diameter for VST 7g baskets