NgOonEe's Xanga

Compiling mexw32 (mex for windows) files using Eclipse CDT IDE (MinGW GCC compiler)

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:00:42 GMT

Considering the trouble I had to go through to figure out how to do this (and in the end, it was embarassingly simple), I thought I'd post here how I managed to compile a mexw32 file using the Eclipse CDT IDE (managed make files). This is both for my own reference as well as to help anyone who may be googling for this information.

So, anyway, firstly I had to setup Eclipse CDT (Eclipse started off as a Java IDE, but the CDT plugin enables C/C++ programming). The IDE itself does not come with a compiler/linker/debugger, so I used the free GCC compiler. Setup instructions can be found here, at a how-to I found while googling, explained much much better than I ever could expect to do myself.

Anyway, I'll skip over the normal stuff about creating a project/importing existing files, and stuff like that, to the important part for this post, how to compile Matlab-compatible MEX files?

In the Matlab help documentation on the subject, there's a whole bunch of instructions for generic compilation, most of which I do not yet understand (having been spoilt on Visual Studio for ages) and sort of guessed at. There's also specific instructions there for Visual Studio, which I have been using so far, but those instructions aren't applicable for Eclipse CDT.

So, anyway, on to the real meat. Assuming you have a .c or .cpp file containing your code (for testing, I copied the timestwoalt.c file from Matlab examples), create a project with whatever name you want (in my case, the name was TestMatlab) and import the file (this creates a copy, not affecting your original). This is done by right-clicking within the Project Explorer and selecting Import->General->File System and browsing to the correct file.

Now, the correct settings need to be input for compilation and linking. These settings are project specific, so right click on your project (for me it was TestMatlab) in the Project Explorer and click properties (right at the bottom). Under the C/C++ Build folder, click on the Settings sub-folder.

Firstly, we have to ensure that we're doing setup for all configurations. At the top there's a drop-down named Configuration, select [All Configurations] there.

To select what type of output we want, go to the Build Artifact tab. The artifact type should be 'Shared Library', the name defaults to your project name (any name is fine, really), the artifact extension should be modified to "mexw32" (without the inverted commas), and I normally set the prefix to blank instead of lib.

Next, compiler settings. Select the 'Tool Settings' tab. There should be 4 folders listed, GCC Assembler, GCC C++ Compiler, GCC C Compiler, and MinGW C++ Linker. If you don't have the linker, ensure that you have selected 'Shared Library' in the previous step.

First, setup a required define for both C++ and C Compilers. For C++, under 'Preprocessor', add MATLAB_MEX_FILE as a defined symbol. For C, this goes under the 'Symbols' selection.

Next, for both C++ and C, select 'Directories', and add the following include path "C:\MATLAB\R2007b\extern\include". Obviously, modify your include path based on your MATLAB install directory.

Next, go to MinGW C++ Linker and select 'Libraries'. Under 'Libraries' (-l) input the following :- 'mex', 'mat', and 'mx'. The Matlab Help says to link against libmex.dll, libmat.dll, and libmx.dll, but the lib prefix is automatically inserted by the MinGW linker. Under 'Library search path (-L) add the following path:- "C:\MATLAB\R2007b\bin\win32" instead of the \extern\lib\win32\microsoft specified for Visual Studio in the Matlab Help (once again, replace according to your MATLAB install folder).

The final step (and my mex files run without this step, but I think it may be important) is to select the 'Shared Library Settings' subfolder under MinGW C++ Linker and adding the DEF file name "timestwoalt.def" or whatever your def file will be named.

Once these settings are done (remember to click Apply just to be sure), you need to create/add 2 files to your project. Right click on the project and click Import. Import "C:\MATLAB\R2007b\extern\include\mexversion.rc" into your project. Also create a new file "right-click on project->New->File" named timestwoalt.def, or whatever you specified previously. The def file should contain the following two lines:-

LIBRARY TestMatlab.mexw32
EXPORTS mexFunction

Obviously, replace TestMatlab.mexw32 with the name of your project.

And that's it. You can try and build your project and test the resulting mexw32 file out in Matlab. Now to try and integrate OpenCV....

edit: which didn't turn out so hard. Followed some online instructions, simple enough that I'll just copy-paste here.

You can setup Eclipse CDT to work with the OpenCV libraries.

Create a new C++ project in Eclipse CDT. Select MinGw as the toolchain.

In the project properties, go to the C/C++ Build->Settings->GCC C++ Compiler, set the directories to:

OpenCv\cv\include

OpenCv\cxcore\include

OpenCv\otherlibs\highgui

OpenCv\otherlibs\cvcam\include

OpenCv\cvaux\include

In the C++ Linker->Libraries, set:

highgui

cxcore

In Library search path, set:

OpenCV\lib

Modern life

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 20:01:24 GMT

Julian Chew is a bright young prospect. He's been blessed with a middle-class family and an urban upbringing in PJ. Not exactly a very RICH family, so he didn't go to international schools for his primary and secondary education. But not a very POOR family either, so he was free to skip form 6, head to Taylors for his pre-u, do a twinning course which gave him a year in the UK, and graduate with a "University of London" business degree. He's fluent in English, having spoken it both at home and at school all his life. He's conversant in Malay as the national language, Cantonese as a born-and-bred KL-ian, Mandarin from the soap operas his grandma likes him to watch with her, Hokkien (the southern variety) from family reunions. He's Chinese, and his maths/logic skills are pretty far above average.

Pretty much a solid base, then. The world is his oyster, as they say.

Then he gets his first job. He's got an overseas degree, and the market never has enough of such people, especially when they are conversant in so many languages and dialects. He was a bit worried, having read about 80,000 unemployed graduates, but came to realize most of those were educated in sub-standard environments and not very interested in working hard anyway.

His job pays pretty well. 2.3k starting pay, pretty good benefits. Yet getting his first car means upkeep payments, in addition to the loan repayments. He's filial, gives some of his salary to his parents. He's searching for an apartment in central KL to beat the jam, that's going to cost him. His peers are all working adults, and meal costs have suddenly shot to a level he would have balked at even in London. He's having to consider life insurance and medical insurance, more bills at the end of the month.

And so he needs more money. Yet that's not a problem. He works hard, and he's very capable. Soon he finds his boss giving him a promotion, with accompanying pay benefits. Within 2 years, even though he kinda likes the company he's at, a head-hunter offers him almost double the salary at another company, and he can't really turn down half a dozen K per month. So he jumps company. More work, but the pay is worth it. He's young, and there's lots of time left, so he invests it into something useful. His future, or at least his financial future.

About a decade or so on, and somehow he's found the time to get married to his long-time girlfriend. She doesn't really mind his hours, as she keeps similar hours as well. He's heard of friends who, in spending most of their time at the office, developed clandestine relationships with female colleagues. But he's better than that, and he DOES have a wife to go home to at night anyway. Most nights.

By now he's in a managerial position, pretty high up. Cuts some pretty sharp deals, catches the CEO's eye. Yet he's only one a half a dozen born leaders at his level. He needs to stand out, so he starts his 'campaigning'. He makes sure he's involved in the highest-profile projects, and he does what he has to do to ensure they succeed. There's a lot of backbiting and sabotaging at this level, but he decides to rise above it all. He takes the setbacks as they come and doesn't retaliate. His reason? He has a young son at home, and he wouldn't want the son to find out years later he was playing crooked. But he's not stupid. He makes sure the CEO 'finds out' what's going on behind the scenes. And so the CEO's respect for him increases.

He's a rising star. Business trade magazines have heard of him, he's mentioned by heads of different companies as someone they've heard good things of. And his earnings have increased to the point that his wife has left her job to raise their two sons. When he gets back, he hears how they've been doing, from her. It was difficult for her to give up working, initially, but she's been understanding. He tries his best to keep up-to-date on his sons. Manages to make it to their school events, at least once a year. Once in a while he tries to get home just that bit earlier, to eat dinner with them.

He's out of the business world, now. Has enough money, if there's ever such a thing. He's invested in almost every type of investment there is, and some of his friends say his investments are so diverse, half the planet could blow up and he'd still be able to retire gracefully to an island somewhere. Money is just money, after all. Yet he's still relatively young, just crossing the midpoint of his 50s.

He's into politics, now. There's an opposition party with plenty of potential, and the global economic climate means he understands that power is likely to shift. That most people vote opposition when the going gets tough. And his reputation as a business leader means his name carries weight. Candidates listen attentively to his suggestions. He's almost like a network coordinator, connecting those rising into power with those who need an audience with those in power. His wife is always there beside him as he attends the important functions, the dinner parties. His two sons are off in the US studying. They call home, like all filial children, about once a month. Doing well, as well, they've inherited the sharp minds of both parents.

He's getting old. The sons are well-established. The health problems are starting, but he has the best treatment money can buy. His name is in the newspapers regularly. The unkind label him the 'puppet master' for the new government, but most concede that he's earned his position by merit, unlike those before him. He's built relationships with the powerful at the right time, showed allegience to the right people. His wife is spending most of her time nowadays with a group of like-minded ladies, wives of important and powerful men. And so his days are spent in comfort. Alone.

It was his funeral yesterday. Many spoke well of him. Very well, in fact, especially as his sons were listening. His own sons spoke of how their dad has been an example to them of the value of hard-work, the importance of being driven with a goal. Both are following in his footsteps, one as a businessman, one as a lawyer. Many are those who remember him fondly, who say "Now there was a man who achieved greatness". Political leaders, business leaders, were at the front rows.

Yet consider the fact that no real tears of sadness were shed at his passing.

Consider the fact that the sons did not, could not speak of a dad who loved them.

Consider the fact that many people respected him, feared him, yet none truly loved him.

Consider the fact that his own wife would spend their waning years socializing rather than together with him, enjoying the fruits of a well-built relationship.

Was Julian a successful man? The answer must be a resounding yes! He's made the most of his life.

Or has he really?

Jesus was tempted to turn stones to bread. To use His power to convert what was common to something filling to the body. What can be more common than time, especially when you're young? What fills you up more than money?

Jesus was tempted to throw Himself off a temple rooftop. To show to the whole watching crowd and nation that someone special is here. Who can resist the lure of a good name, of being honoured by all and sundry?

Jesus was tempted with all the kingdoms of the world. Ultimate power. And there is no power greater than political power over a nation. Is there?

Jesus responded to each temptation with words God had spoken.

"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God"
"Do not put the Lord your God to the test"
"Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only"

Its been 2000 years, yet we face the same things He did. And we give in, where He did not. We obtain for ourselves every good thing, but something is missing.

And that's modern life.

A quick post

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 08:50:46 GMT

Haven't had lots of free time recently. So much for taking Masters providing me with flexi-hours, still have a lot of work to do. Oh well, that's life.

Anyway, this blog-post is quite well-written, by an intelligent young lady who's probably going to take Medicine but in a just world would be some type of writer (and not disadvantaged by the fact). Check it out.

Love & Commitment: A Rambling

Just a video I saw on another blog

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:54:13 GMT

Interesting... Watch the crowd reaction halfway through the vid.

Sour Grapes? Grow up, please!

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 20:11:57 GMT

The STAR this week is so much more interesting than during campaigning period. In those times it really looked a bit like a BN newsletter and/or campaign flyer (albeit a thick one). There's still plenty of perceived bias (perceived cos its just my view), such as how the Perak MB situation is making headlines while Terengganu and Perlis are not. Yet post-elections there's been a bit more even coverage, such as the following two articles.

Barisan will act as a watchdog, says Khir

By DHARMENDER SINGH <dharam@thestar.com.my>

SHAH ALAM: The state Barisan Nasional will act as watchdog to ensure that the three parties forming the state government delivered on election promises as stipulated in their manifestoes, said former Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo.

Breaking his silence for the first time since the recently concluded general election, Dr Khir said, “I hope the three parties (PKR, DAP and PAS) will take the best care possible of the people and this beautiful and good state, after receiving the mandate from the people.

“We will work together with the state government if the projects benefit the people and are carried out transparently.”

He was speaking at a press conference yesterday at the Selangor Umno building here.

Dr Khir, who left the building on Saturday without talking to the press after learning of Barisan's defeat in the state, had cancelled several scheduled press conferences before last night.

He said Barisan would register all pre-schoolers, senior citizens, single mothers and students so that they could receive all the benefits such as free education, allowances and healthcare that were promised.

Asked about rumours that the state Barisan had tried to woo PAS assemblymen to gain a simple majority, Dr Khir said this was not true.

Commenting on claims that Barisan had tried to destroy documents kept at the state secretariat building, Dr Khir said these were just rumours and that he had always been transparent and all the papers were in order.

“We have nothing to hide,” he said.

taken from The Star, March 12 (Wednesday)

Call to scrap mega projects

PENANG: The state Umno will “persuade” the Federal Government to scrap all the mega projects in the state in view of the people’s clear rejection of Barisan Nasional.

Since Penangites do not want development, the Federal Government should not force it on them, said state Umno liaison committee secretary Datuk Azhar Ibrahim.

He said that this was not Penang Umno taking revenge “but we are actually giving the people what they want”.

“They voted for change, so let us see what the DAP can do,” he said after the party’s emergency meeting at Menara Umno yesterday.

Azhar, who is Penaga assemblyman, was appointed the state Opposition Leader at the meeting.

Meanwhile, Umno liaison committee deputy chief Datuk Abdul Rashid Abdullah hit out at the new administration for its decision not to practise the New Economic Policy (NEP).

Taken from The Star, March 14 (Friday)

Any kid can identify the sheer childishness in the response of these two men. In the first article, Khir Toyo is simply being malicious, to try and overload the PUBLIC healthcare delivery system by convincing those without need to just show up at the hospitals. And that's the keyword there, the PUBLIC healthcare system. In the second article, Penang Umno's Azhar is advocating the cancellation of all mega-projects (read, road construction, second Penang bridge, development of zoned areas), not because they are wasteful, but because "Penangites do not want develoment". Again, advocating that projects supposedly (and I'm aware there's arguments against this) for the PUBLIC be scrapped, simply because BN has lost in Penang. Even though Penang UMNO was never the main component in Penang's pre-GE government.

If you want to be a people's representative, do it. Fight for things that benefit the people. Otherwise you reveal yourself to be just another power-hungry Little Napoleon, upset at being dislodged from your position of priviledge. The BN and the BA/BR (Barisan Alternatif/Barisan Rakyat) are both supposedly intent on helping Malaysians. Prove it, then. Because Malaysians are not so stupid as to forget that you've called for their public healthcare system to become a joke, for projects in their neighbourhoods to be cancelled, all because you're pissed you've lost an election.

Grow up, please.

P.S. - Though I'm only pulling out the negative comments of a few BN representatives, there are others who say the right thing, speak about reform and listening more closely to the people. Empty words they may be, but they're the RIGHT empty words. Special mention to Wanita UMNO and strong-lady Rafidah Aziz (oddly enough).

Feudal politics vs Gentleman politics

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 20:28:58 GMT

Today, as I was browsing the Star (which has been providing reasonably good post-election coverage, I must say. Good in comparison to what? Shouldn't be too hard to figure out ). Anyway, as everyone is coming to terms with the huge change this election signifies (read this post to understand why this change is implied and not actual, yet), here's a quote from a leader in BN which I feel cannot be passed by.

DAP has duped voters, says Ka Chuan

IPOH: The DAP has revealed its “true face” to the people by cooperating with PAS to form the next state government, Perak MCA chief Datuk Ong Ka Chuan said.

“All this while, the DAP has been denying that it is working with PAS when they sought the support of the Chinese community in Perak during the campaigning period,” he said.

“After getting their votes, the DAP is doing otherwise,” he said yesterday when commenting on the new ruling coalition government of the DAP, PKR and PAS.

The DAP, he said, should apologise to the voters for having duped them about not working together with PAS when wooing them before the just-concluded polls.

Ong, who is also the MCA secretary-general, said the DAP might even go to the extent of allowing a PAS leader to be the new Mentri Besar.

“How are they going to explain to the Chinese community? The DAP had not been honest right from the start,” he asked.

The DAP should have told the community right from the beginning that they were cooperating with PAS so that the voters would be able to make a wise decision at the ballot box, he said.

“Now the DAP is doing otherwise. I feel sad that the situation has become like this,” he added.

“The people gave the DAP their trust and this is how the DAP is repaying them – by working with an Islamist party,” said the newly-elected Tanjong Malim MP.

Text taken from N8, the Star, Tuesday, 11th March 2008.

On the very next sheet, without hint of irony, is this story.

DAP man in Kedah exco line-up

KOTA BARU: PAS has decided to offer a state executive councillor's post to DAP's Lee Guan Aik in Kedah.

PAS vice-president Datuk Husam Musa said although there was no formal electoral pact with the DAP, the Islamist party decided to offer a post in the exco line-up to the DAP.

Kedah DAP secretary Lee defeated Chong Itt Chew by a 804-vote majority for the Kota Darul Aman seat.

“It is our way of showing our gratitude for their support to the loose coalition and also the support that PAS had received from the Chinese,” said Husam.

The Opposition swept 22 of the 36 state seats in Kedah, with PAS winning 16, PKR four and the DAP and Independent one each.

Text taken from N10, the Star, Tuesday, 11th March 2008.

The comments by Ong Ka Chuan just smack of sour grapes to me, and miss the entire point of the political process. DAP CANNOT form the state government (in fact the state's constitution even prohibits a non-Malay from serving as MB, which is fair enough considering the history of these states), they do not have a majority in seats. And so, there is compromise with other parties. Compromise in the realm of politics is good. It encourages dialogue, tempers fanaticism. PAS cannot have their way in Perak, neither can DAP. As such, it is a COALITION government, the same type of government which BN, and by extension Ong Ka Chuan's own MCA, trumpet every 5 years or so as the only possible formula for a peaceful Malaysia.

The first irony is that on the next page, PAS have invited a DAP candidate (the only winning DAP candidate in Kedah, in fact) to be part of the state government. PAS and their partners PKR have an absolute majority in Kedah, they don't need any more numbers to form the government. What possible reason could they have for inviting a DAP member to join the government? Could it be *gasp* that they're actually interested in working together? And not just in converting the bunch of us and throwing us back into 15th-century Arabia?

The second irony is a more national one. Ong Ka Chuan's comments right at the end of the article demonize Islamist parties (in this case he's talking about PAS). Now, leaving aside the fact that such demonization and polarization is very dangerous in a multi-racial and multi-cultural society, I can think of one other party in Malaysia which behaves as an Islamist party. A party whose leaders have for the past decade been trumpetting Malaysia as an 'Islamic country', whatever that means. A party which has always threatened the general public not to bring up any issues against the 'special rights and position' of the Malays and of Islam.

And so the crux of this second irony is that this party, which does not need to be named to any Malaysian above the age of 15, is in a permanent coalition with Ong Ka Chuan's own MCA.

The coalition of DAP and PAS (with PKR as bridge, more specifically Anwar) may yet fail. They may collapse into infighting or be consumed with corruption. They may destroy the 5 states they've taken over (which would be bad for Malaysia, considering Penang and Selangor are the 2 most productive and prosperous states). It is possible, though I don't think it likely.

But Malaysia being a democracy, DAP, PAS, and PKR have been chosen by the people. The rakyat. And Ong Ka Chuan should accept that, in the manner of Gerakan's president Koh Tsu Koon. Mr. Koh's exact words on Saturday night, after he had just recieved the multiple blows of losing both his seat and Gerakan's state, were just so gentlemanly.

"I want to urge the people to give their full support to the leaders they have chosen. Give your new leaders a chance to perform. This is also what I told the civil servants.We may have different opinions on policies but I must accept the views of the people."

And that's how politics should be conducted, because in the end the rakyat have the right to choose, whether you THINK they've chosen rightly or wrongly.

P.S. - and a reminder to all, please continue to pray for our country. Things can either get very bad soon, or improve in the long term. The short-term will likely be difficult. Keep praying, because God is in control.

Where now from here, Malaysia?

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 05:34:38 GMT

Its rare that I get to take part in making history.

Okay, maybe just a strictly localized history, but history nonetheless.

Yesterday, on the 8th of March 2008, I voted. I stepped into my old secondary school at 7.45 am (polls open at 8), lined up with the other first-time voters, and cast my 2 votes, one for Parliament, one for State. It took all of 20 minutes, 15 of that spent waiting for the polls to open, half a minute in line, half a minute to cast the vote, and the rest to get back home.

I had a program in church that day, hence the early voting. Yet at 8 am, there were already maybe a 100+ people in my school. I thought that was pretty normal (perhaps it is), people wanting to get it done, people with other programs that day. But who still exercised their patriotic right and duty to vote.

And through the day, I wondered a bit what was going on in polling stations around the country. We're blessed with peace, I didn't even give a second thought to polling station violence or people being denied their opportunity to vote (as in Pakistan, India, Iraq). I was thinking about vote-fixing, missing ballot boxes, postal votes flying from constituency to constituency. Someone told me opposition supporters had been asking people to only vote from 2 pm onwards to prevent polls rigging which allegedly takes place in the evening lull before polls close.

The calls started coming at night. The first SMS from my mom said "DAP leading key seats in Penang". Calls about every 20 minutes from then on, from parents and others, updating me on the progress. I was eventually asked to return home ASAP from the birthday dinner I was attending, on the strength of rumours of fighting and FRU mobilization, and so I spent the last 2 and a half hours of the day browsing websites, watching TV, watching history take place.

It was only on waking up today at 6 am that I realized the full magnitude. The 2/3rd majority that no-one outside Keadilan was willing to bet on breaking had been broken. FIVE (count them, 5) states were now opposition-governed. Not just any states, but my own state, Selangor. Economic center of the nation, most developed state in Malaysia. Ergo presumably the highest-educated populace in Malaysia (on average). Voting for change.

None of this is new news to most of us, by now. We've had a full day to absorb it. And indeed, at church today the smiles on the faces of many were a story in themselves. Its not that as a church we're anti-government (we voted FOR our government, just not for BN). It's not even that we're anti-BN, various ones did help MCA out with polling and campaigning. Its just that, in the current climate, we all realize that something must change.

And now, my take on the future of Malaysia. I was not old enough to vote in the previous election. Yes, the one where BN got its unprecedented 90% majority in Parliament. Yet WHY did BN win that big majority the last time round? For me, the reason is simple. Badawi made a promise. Actually, scratch that, he made many promises. And I'm not one of those opposition supporters who'll list them all down and show how they've been broken. I actually think he's a preferable prime minister to Najib or (horror of horrors) Hishamuddin. But for me, everything Badawi said in the run-up to the 11th GE (1999) is summarized in this short promise. Things will change. He talked about clean governance, governance for the people, a new and modern interpretation of Islam.

And so, Malaysia was right to vote him and BN in. Malaysia said, in effect, "we like that sort of talk, now go and do it". And, of course, with the strength of the rakyat's votes behind him, Badawi did not. I don't know why, I don't understand. But he didn't.

And so Malaysia has said again, this time to the opposition, "we like that sort of talk, now go and do it". The kind of talk which says there is no Chinese, no Malay, no Indian, that we're all Malaysian. The kind of talk which says the NEP is ONLY for those in financial need. The kind of talk which says religions ought to respect each other and communicate to work together. The kind of talk which says corrupt governance is anathema to a modern society. That leaders should be accountable to those they lead, and not just to some exclusivistic majority.

The opposition has been given 5 states to rule, 2 by a 2/3rds majority (I'm not sure what difference it makes at state level, probably to do with legislation which is the responsibility of the state, such as laws on religion and syariah courts). They, DAP in particular, and lately PKR, have been talking about clean governance. Let them do it. Let them show in this 5 years that it IS possible for government not to be blatantly corrupt. That corruption, which WILL exist in any governmant, will be harshly cracked down on if detected. Then maybe the rakyat will not only continue to give them this exceptional set of electoral results, but increase their responsibility by giving them more states, and who knows, maybe the government of Malaysia.

BN also is being sent the same message by the rakyat. The truth is, the rakyat doesn't care what party their leaders belong to (most, at least). The leaders which demonstrate that they're fairly leading, that they're serious in dealing with corruption and exposing under-the-table deals, these are the ones who will get elected in come 2013. It may be BN. They have to numbers. They have the trust of a majority of the population (I think, data on the popular vote is still not available, but it will probably be close). They have the structure. But UMNO, MCA, MIC,and the component parties need to step back and consider what changes need to be made at home. Old leaders taken down, young and clean leaders set up.

The initial response to the electoral losses, especially by MCA (blaming the losses mostly on changing economic climate, thus saying in adult language "it's not my fault the world economy sucks") is not encouraging. But there is hope. And the next 5 years, while they may or may not be years of prosperity, of plenty, will certainly be exciting years for Malaysia.

We need to pray. Pray for the new, first-time politicians. Most of them (especially from the opposition) have been voted in on perceptions that they're clean, or at least not as corrupt as the incumbents. It cannot be easy to maintain that when you're placed in a position of power, of influence, where you could literally make millions. Hannah Yeoh will not only represent Subang in the state assembly, she is likely to form some part of the government of Selangor. Temptations, especially monetary, will come. Pray that they will be righteous. Pray that they will really serve the rakyat.

There is hope in the air. And while I'm not too convinced with Obama in the US Democratic primaries (I actually dislike all 3 candidates from both sides) I would like to echo his trademark line. "Yes, we can!" Or the local version of it, "Malaysia boleh!" Without any sarcasm, my feeling at this point in time is that we really can. The country CAN turn around. Our direction is not unchangeable. God is still in control.

Elections Coming Up

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 06:16:49 GMT

The church has been telling us to pray for the country, and to vote wisely.

Obviously, in such official circumstances, you have to speak that way.

That's why I'm going to translate the second half of that statement to make it easier to understand =).

Vote Wisely = Vote Opposition

Realistically, they'll never win anything. Even before elections have begun, BN has 9 seats (some due to supposed foul play against opposition candidates) and opposition has 1 seat uncontested. BN is not going to lose its majority. What they HAVE to lose is their 2/3rds of Parliament, so that they can't alter the constitution as they like (600+ times in 50 years, as compared to US 4 times in 200+ years, I think, from memory).

Just as important is that BN has to be shaken up, to realize that they're responsible to the citizens of the country. That old cronies need to move on and be replaced by younger, more idealistic candidates. Khairy not included, of course.

For those of you who are voting in Subang, we have this cool candidate from DAP, a 29-yr-old lawyer by the name of Hannah Yeoh, blog her name if you wanna find more, she has a blog (that I'm lazy to link to) and stuff. Hope she wins.

Oh, but I forgot, I only translated the 2nd part of the church's statement. The first part is still the most important.

Pray for the country.

The sarcastic will say "only God can help Malaysia". But that's exactly what I'm saying, without the sarcasm.

Only God can help Malaysia...

Valentine's Day Response

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 06:51:10 GMT

Hmm... funny to be posting again after months of inactivity... =) Oh well. And on such a topic too.

This post is in response to http://frommyperspective.blogs.friendster.com/my_blog/2008/02/court_woo_and_d.html, the Valentine's day post of an old friend (old friend as in... friend from old times, not literally a friend who is old. Oh wait.... nevermind... *grin*... hi melody!).

Trust an Oxford Fajar employee to post based on dictionary definitions, but I'll just copy that relevant bit here.

court verb

HAVE RELATIONSHIP (old fashioned) if a man courts a woman, he spends time with her and tries to make her love him, so that they can get married.

be courting (old fashioned) (of a man and a woman) to have a romantic relationship before getting married.

woo (old fashioned) (of a man) to try to persuade a woman to love him and marry him

date noun

ROMANTIC MEETING a meeting that you have arranged with a boyfriend of girlfriend or with sb who might become a boyfriend or girlfriend.

HAVE RELATIONSHIP (old fashioned, AmE) to have a romantic relationship with sb

So, that's the dictionary definitions. And Melody is right, the difference between the words 'court' and 'woo' and the word 'date' is basically that the former two have marriage in their definitions. Its in-built. The word 'date' is purely romantic in nature.

Oh, and the (probably related) fact that 'court' and 'woo' are, as the dictionary says, 'old-fashioned'.

I'd go out on a limb here and say that's because marriage as our parents have known it is becoming 'old-fashioned'. If you wanted to be cynical, you could replace 'old-fashioned' with 'out-of-date'.

Dating is such a 'catch-all' phrase, after all. You can say you're 'dating' a girl, whether you're some 15-year-old kid holding hands with his first girlfriend in the shopping mall (doubt many kids wait till 15 nowadays?), a 20-year-old youth sneaking off to same 'pak thor' spot for necking or whatever, a 25-year-old just wanting to stave off the incessant questioning from aunties and uncles during CNY, or someone of indeterminate age who's just 'waiting for someone better to come along'.

The focus, when dating, is on that relationship. Not the personal relationship, but the 'dating' relationship. When I was in secondary school, we used the keyword 'coupling'. A word which technically has quite sexual undertones, but that's naive kids for you. Supposedly, should a guy ask a girl 'wanna be a couple?' (more acceptable) or 'can we couple together?' (much much less acceptable, sounds like something else) and she agree then the two would be an item. A dating item. And all the guy friends would be teasing, and all the girl friends would be ooh-ing and aah-ing. And then they'd breakup after the first fight. And get back together about 3 minutes later, all lovey-dovey and stuff. And then she'd dump him for not replying an SMS. And they'd get back together 5 minutes later after some judicious words from the guy.

So much for dating. Its a state in life, supposedly. Something you go through before marriage. If you ever do get married, that is. You certainly don't expect it initially. "if it happens, it happens" is the phrase I hear alot. Marriage sort of happens naturally, when the couple (most likely the girl starts first) gets tired of the dating relationship. And so it has some sort of natural life-span.

When courting, I think the focus isn't on the relationship, not really. The focus is on getting married, eventually. Where its the guy who starts off with "yes i'd like to marry this girl". The period between that decision and the getting married part is the courting period. Not a courting relationship, in contrast with a dating relationship. And due in part to pressure from culture and parents, every dating couple goes through some sort of courting relationship. 40K ringgit spent on a billboard. 1000 roses arranged in a gigantic heart-shaped bouquet (girls, try and hang THAT one up in your room). The 'normal' 144 roses, maybe specially picked up from Camerons to save money. All evidence that you're willing to spend money to get the girl.

And I think that's where this 'courting' is revealed to be false. The attempt is to flatter, to attract, with a big demonstration of... love? Of willingness to spend money. Or, more precisely, of having money to spend. And of course that's attractive, especially to girls. Not many guys would 'marry money' for its sake. Such a blow to ego, after all. But for girls, its socially acceptable, even encouraged in most Chinese families, to marry into better circumstances. Economically, or socially.

I think 'real' courting is out of fashion. The sort that says "I want to marry you, what can I do to get you to agree". It may look the same in terms of what is done by the guy, but the intent is different. The intent is not to impress a girl with the things he has or can give her, but with who he is. And this means he would place more emphasis on the little things. Checking on her when she's out to make sure she's okay. Getting to know her parents well. Waiting for her outside the clothes shop (I'd say inside, but sometimes that's just weird =p). Helping her make the right decisions. Being honest about her, and his own, faults. Never ever putting her down, especially not in public. Always affirming her worth, apart from but including her looks. Being willing to make every effort on her behalf, whenever needed. Being willing to wait for her, if its needed. Sticking around when it seems like you're needed. Bugging off when its clear you aren't. Respecting her for the lady she is. Keeping your hands and eyes to themselves. Stuff that will never make the news, might not even be mentioned at the wedding dinner.

Stuff that I think should be what a girl looks out for in a guy. Stuff that I want to do, for the girl I choose to court.

So maybe its not so old-fashioned after all.

How many of you got the MSN virus going round?

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 09:05:04 GMT

Am at a friend's house, fixing that iritating MSN virus that has her MSN spamming other people with weird stuff like "hey, what do you think of my latest photo" and a link to a site which would propagate it on.

So after a bit of examination, I kinda figured the file vbcsvc.exe was the culprit, and googled it. I only had like... 6 hits! Which is totally not normal for a file which kaspersky.com later confirmed was a backdoor virus. More importantly, all the links I clicked through didn't inform the poor searchers that this file was actually the cause of their MSN spamming virus links.

So to anyone reading this, if you have vbcsvc.exe running on your computer, its an MSN virus. Be warned. And get a proper antivirus (Nod32 has a big rep, but its on this comp and never caught it... I personally like Kaspersky).