What a Wonderful Surprise!

I thought it'd just be another day at the beach... I sat alone watching the boys play and my boyfriend clicking away at the camera... I brought along a novel... just in case I got bored. I was the only girl there after all. I did not expect much fun on my side. He said he wanted to dip into the water too... and I thought "Perfect! Good thing I brought my book"... I paid no attention when he went off to change...



When he came back, I still didn't notice. I was too engrossed in my book (I'm like that when I read), so I was a little annoyed when he asked me to pose for pictures... It took me a while to realize he was wearing a tee I've never seen before... I took even longer to comprehend what he was really trying to do...

He knew my answer of course... The whole thing was a little backwards since the engagement celebration is already under construction... However, he still waited for me to voice out the answer before writing it on the tee he brought for me. Ngeee.







These are the people who made it happen. Thank you so much! (Ayus isn't in the picture, being the photographer and everything...but I know he played a huge part in all this) I love you guys!



Oh... but Azlan, my little brother just happened to be there... Sort of like my chaperon. Haha.



And to top off the day... this picture captured exactly how I felt...



On top of the WORLD!

The Child Car Seat Dilemma

Sigh. Yes. Child car seats are expensive. Yes. Not everyone can change their cars to accommodate them by 2020. Heck, when the country decided to make wearing seat belts compulsory in the back seat a few years ago, it was received with a lot of criticism and backlash. Their concern however, fell on deaf ears. Actually, to date, I am really not sure where the country stands- whether they are for or against it. 

Regardless of how we feel about fitting in rear seat belts and children car seats, it is still a necessity. Yes. It still saves lives. In fact 35% of children under 13 years old killed in a car crash in 2015 were not in child car seats, booster seats or wearing seat belts. The statistics are all for its fittings, and we are all aware of its benefits, so why is it still causing an uproar?

Well, what do you expect when times are so hard, people stuff more than 3 passengers on a motorbike? And you want to talk about safety? Some people are struggling to make ends meet- and the high and mighty tell them to do what? Plan their pregnancies? Learn to save money? Create awareness? Educate the poor? How out of touch are we? 

The disparity is so huge that we have lost our sensitivities. We can barely imagine the hardship of the poor, especially the urban poor. Even the middle income group is struggling to stay afloat. Many are working multiple jobs to make ends meet and paying off hundreds of thousands in debt (starting with student loans to earn that degree that promised them a better life *eye roll*) 

Something needs to be done. Education is one thing but when poverty rules and surviving is the only option, some things, including education gets thrown out the window. It has happened before and is happening again. 

You want people to save up, but what happens when there’s nothing to save? What happens when they can’t even buy basic needs with the earnings? And you want to talk about car seats to make it safe for the kids? You want to EDUCATE them on how to raise their children? Do you really not think they want the best for their children? What level of arrogance and ignorance are we living with? 

How about giving us reliable, affordable public transport? Or safe and shaded sidewalks? How about increasing minimum wage and decreasing prices of basic necessities? How about for the love of God, provide affordable homes? How about quality primary and secondary education that doesn’t flip flop every time the minister changes. How about that ey? 

So YES. Seat belts. Car seats. Save lives. Important. 2020. Got it. But there are more things to fix as well. Do that too. Give the people choices. Can’t afford car seats? Can't afford a new car with fitted rear seat belts? A safe place to walk and a reliable, affordable public transport can do wonders too. Can we start with that? 

Joke's on You

WARNING: Long post. Possible spoilers. 

I finally watched Joker yesterday and ever since I took classes in literature ages ago, I can’t help but analyze what I watch. A blessing and a curse, if you ask me. 

I’m not going to talk about his mental health. That’s obvious. I want to talk about something I found even more disturbing. I want to highlight the dangers of having a huge gap between socio-economic backgrounds. 

The resentment towards the rich when many were barely surviving helped Joker with his crimes. 

The rich, like the Waynes lived in a bubble and lacked empathy for the poor. They were too caught up in their extravagant lifestyles to notice what was happening outside their little circle. On the other end, the poor also lacked empathy for almost anything including their own (“they don’t give a shit about people like you and they don’t give a shit about people like me”) because they were too too busy trying to survive. They were disconnected as a society and it quickly led to chaos.

I feel what enabled Joker was not his mental state alone or his horrifying upbringing but rather the support he received for his crimes. “For my whole life, I didn’t know if I even really existed. But I do, and people are starting to notice.” The papers called him a vigilante-a word that assumes elements of heroism. The people did not know why he killed the people on the subway but they assumed it was a case of the rich vs everybody else and chose to view what was otherwise a heinous crime as somehow heroic. 

How else can anyone sympathize with a psychopath murderer? They did not feel sorry for him. They did not even know him but they felt drawn to him. The people living in poverty, who felt oppressed by the wealthy somehow felt the killings were justified. Such a senseless act somehow made sense. They didn’t just sympathize- they idolized him. 

I think that’s a lot scarier than one mentally deranged man - his thousands of followers and wannabes. 

What can we get from this movie? Now reflect on ourselves as a society. Do we live in our own bubbles too? Are we aware of the hardships of others? What are we doing to help? What if we become Gotham City and it only takes one man to snap before all hell is let loose?

Brick by Brick

Brick by Brick

Jasmin Hassan

Hardcover: RM40

Paperback: RM25

(inclusive postage)

e-mail: jasminbintihassan@gmail.com to order

I Dreamed of Blue Skies

I dreamed of bright blue skies, 

Filled with fluffy white clouds. 

But the clouds became heavy, 

And the skies slowly darkened... 

Then, out of nowhere, 

It began to rain...

Torrents of water falling on my head,

Slowly rising to my ankles,

My knees,

My thighs,

My hips,

My chest,

My shoulders,

My chin,

My lips,

My nose,

And I am on tip-toes...

Trying,

Gasping,

Choking... 

It's getting harder and harder

To breathe. 

I can't breathe... 

Then I awake, 

Breathless, crying. 

The Next Time

The next time you drop by, 

Come quietly

So I don't notice your presence, 

So I won't anticipate the moment

So I can't get my heart broken

When you cancel

At the very last minute. 

Paralyzed

Have you ever

Felt so sad

You feel paralyzed

By your emotions? 

I can't move.