Invite Mr. Wright: Oh really? And exactly who told you that?

Whoa!

Is this really a blog post?

Why yes, it is! xD

So after many months of not updating this blog, I am finally writing something again!

And is it bad that I'm writing about something that's bothering me? Because I do that a lot, don't I? (...The previous post was about how Twilight bothered me, so... =..=ll I swear this isn't a hate blog or anything...)

Anyway!

So yes! This is an update, and this time, I'm going to talk about a television show.

Now just to let you know, I'm not much of a TV-watching person - I normally surf the net (like everyone else my age). But the other night I was watching TV, and I was watching Invite Mr. Wright.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this show, I'll give you a brief introduction:

Basically it's a show where Ian Wright, dubbed as "the most travelled man on the planet" on the show's website, travels to various places on earth. Wherever he goes, he gets a guide and stays with the locals.

I've only watched several episodes of this show, so I'm not really following it. The other day I watched one episode where he was in Indonesia. And just a few nights ago, I watched an episode where he went to Kota Bharu, Malaysia.

I was intrigued to see what he thought of the place and stuff. As usual, he had a guide with him, a Chinese woman that I didn't know. But I did some googling just before I started this post, and found out that she is Joanne Kam Po Po. (I...still have no idea who she is. Really. Who is she? The name doesn't ring any bell. Sorry. :/ )

So anyway, after meeting Pak Yusuf, who makes wayang kulit thingies, Ian and Joanne retreated to Pak Yusuf's house, I think. It was during Ramadhan, meaning the whole family was fasting.

Once it was time for them to break the fast, Ian asked Joanne whether you could brush your teeth if you were fasting, and she said something along the lines of:

"No, you can't brush your teeth. You're not even supposed to swallow your own spit."

And this is where I derived the title of this blog post. Immediately after she said that, I thought, "Wtf is this woman talking about? And exactly who told you that?"

I mean, I think I wouldn't be bothered if she'd said it, like, "I think you can't brush your teeth" or, "I heard you can't brush your teeth if you're fasting, I'm not sure though, why don't we ask Pak Yusuf?" - but instead, she said, "No you can't, and you can't swallow your spit either if you're fasting" with such confidence that I just had to go "WTF lady srsly."

And get this -- Ian seemed to believe her.

Double WTF moment!

I mean, here's the thing. She is not a Muslim - that's the main reason it bothered me. And after googling her name, I found out that she's a kind of singer or something? Not a scholar or a teacher or anyone who is in the position to give off explanations - wrong ones, too, might I add! - to Ian, who is known for being in numerous documentary shows.

Being a documentary show means that there are many viewers who would watch and think that this is the truth about Muslims and the month of Ramadhan (because, let's face it, people tend to think that whatever's on TV is the absolute truth), when in fact it's not. When in fact its just a lady giving off wrong explanations - because she isn't a Muslim, nor is she an expert in Islam.

After hearing her say that, I just switched off the TV and stalked off to my room.

Then I thought about it.

I have watched Invite Mr. Wright before, and I've believed everything the host and whatever guide he had with him in that episode had said without even stopping to think whether the facts that they've dished out were true or not. Chances are there have been many other wrong explanations given out about places or religions or people in Invite Mr. Wright. I just didn't know about it.

Well, this time around, it's an episode about Malaysia, and it's also about my religion, so I know for sure that what Joanne said is wrong.

For your information, Yes, you can swallow your own spit. I mean, how silly would it be if we're not allowed to do that? You don't see us spitting everywhere every now and then during Ramadhan, do you?

Also, Yes, we can, in fact, brush our teeth during Ramadhan. It is common knowledge that the Prophet (PBUH) had been seen brushing his teeth using the siwak (brushing stick) during Ramadhan.

We can also brush our teeth using toothpaste, given that we do not swallow it (of course we don't, who does?). While some scholars have deemed it as 'makruh' (disliked/discouraged action) to brush your teeth this way while fasting, it is not haram, and it does not invalidate your fast.

So there. I got that off my chest. I feel better now. :)

But seriously though... This is supposed to be a travel/discovery show. If you want to talk about places and people and religion, make sure you do it right.

I understand that it might just be an honest mistake on Joanne's part, that she really thought that we can't do all those things, but really? Really? You are eating while one whole Muslim family, why not ask them about it? Even if Joanne did come off as very confident with her answer, Ian shouldn't have believed her just like that.

He could've asked, "Who told you that?"

He could've asked, "How do you know they can't brush their teeth or swallow their spit? You're not a Muslim, so how do you know?"

Or, he could've asked those, I dunno, 10+ people eating around him who ARE Muslims and who KNOW for SURE whether or not they could brush their teeth or swallow their spit during Ramadhan.

I mean, it's their religion, man.

Their explanation should, I think, be more valid than Joanne Kam Po Po's (who is a singer, and isn't a Muslim).

The end.

The problem with Twilight.

Here be spoilers. Ye be warned!

So The Hunger Games (which I will refer to as THG from this point on) movie came out last month, and in my personal opinion, the movie was all right. It was true to the book, despite the minor changes they've made.

Naturally, I then went around looking for THG discussion forums. Things were pleasant at first, until the emergence of threads entitled, "Team Peeta or Team Gale?!"

These threads started to take over the forum slowly, and now, there are several threads discussing the same thing. Now, this irks me for two reasons:

1) I don't like it when people clutter up the forum with duplicate threads. If there already is a thread discussing Peeta vs Gale, then why make a new one? Are you too blind to spot these existing threads?

2) THG is not Twilight. So stfu please.

I think reason number 1 is easy to understand. When I go to the forum, I'm always hoping for a new topic to be discussed - but instead, I see another goddamn thread on Peeta vs Gale. It's annoying, and it gets on my nerves.

My second reason for hating these threads needs some explanation, I think. So here we go:

I hate it when people start using the term "Team" for Peeta and Gale. As you may or may not know, the whole "Team X versus Team Y" thing is made popular by the Twilight fans. It's often used to argue whether Edward Cullen, the sparkly disco-ball vampire-wannabe, or Jacob Black, the 'I-liked-you-enough-at-first-but-then-you-turned-into-a-pedophile' werewolf (or shall we say shapeshifter, since SMeyer screwed up her own headcanon) deserves to be with the series' Mary Sue of a lead character, Bella Swan.

One person in the THG forum argued that there's nothing wrong with the usage of the term 'Team,' or with the whole 'Team Peeta vs Team Gale' topics, because it's the romantic sub-plot of the book. It deserves to be discussed about, she says, because it's also a part of the books. Therefore, if some of us have problems with seeing the topic being discussed, she says that we should just stay away from the threads.

While I agree with her that the romance aspect of THG deserves to be discussed about, I think she's missing our crucial point: that we want these people to stop using the term 'team' and fangirl over how hot Gale or Peeta is, because it's ruining the awesomeness of THG by making it seem like the love triangle is all there is to the series.

It annoys me that there are people who want to only discuss about Gale and Peeta, and how cute or sexy they are, because 1) Obviously they're basing these claims on the movie, where the boyish Josh Hutcherson plays Peeta (who they claim is, OMG SO CUTE11!!) and the ever-sexy brother of Chris Hemsworth's, Liam Hemsworth, plays Gale (who they often describe as OMG SO HOT11!!!) - this only makes me look down upon these kinds of fans even more because it's obvious that they don't care much about the books at all; and 2) There's so much more to THG than Peeta and Gale, and these squealing fangirls discussing their 'teams' only further ruin THG by failing to look past the love triangle theme and into the more fascinating themes that Collins had come up with.

Also, the love triangle itself is so different from the one in Twilight. For me, I had no doubts at first that Gale really did like Katniss, because they'd been friends for quite some time, and at a very difficult period for them both. Their dads had both died, and they both had to look after their own families - it's a stressful life, and it's understandable that Gale fell for the girl who's always there with him in the forest. Even if we didn't know whether Gale liked Katniss or not at the beginning of the book, it's obvious that he respected her and liked her enough to suggest,

"Leave the district. Run off. Live in the woods. You and I, we could make it."

Meanwhile, I was skeptical when I read about Peeta's confession. Let's keep in mind that he confessed his feelings, that he'd had a crush on Katniss since forever, on live TV in the Capitol during the intreview with Caesar Flickerman. This is more than enough to make me doubt Peeta's true intentions. Was he trying to fool Katniss so that she wouldn't view him as an enemy in the Games? Was it one of his strategies to win the Games? He knew how talented Katniss was when it came to hunting, so it's only logical that he'd want to try and mess her head up before the Games. Even afterwards, I had my doubts about Peeta's alleged crush on Katniss. Who wouldn't? He teamed up with the Careers in the Games, for heaven's sake.

Now let's go back to Twilight, the poor excuse of a book. Why did Edward like Bella? And why did Bella like Edward? Why did Jacob fall for her?

Edward was attracted to Bella because he couldn't read her mind (and we never got any explanation for this either: what was so special about Bella, that Edward couldn't read her thoughts? Since SMeyer didn't explain, most of us have agreed to settle down with, "Because she doesn't have anything on her mind to begin with; she's that shallow.")

And as far as anyone's concerned, Bella only liked Edward for his physical appearance. She described his features in painful purple prose - his eyes, his skin, his hair, and at one point, even his freakin' breath. It's obvious from this alone that Twilight's main theme is the attraction between two people, and not much else. I mean, in one of the chapters where the biology turned off the lights so the class could watch a movie, Bella actually got horny. I'm not sure Katniss ever got horny in THG -- do you see my point now? These two are different book series entirely, and comparing them just makes you look pathetic. Twilight is basically about a girl who fell for a guy. The end.

But THG is different altogether. The main thing that draws people to the series isn't Peeta or Gale, or who Katniss will ultimately choose, but the Hunger Games and its concept, where 24 teens were chosen each year to be thrown into an arena to kill each other off. That, more than anything, deserves to be discussed - not Team Peeta or Team Gale.

And there are other fascinating and sickening things that we can discuss about when it comes to THG - how the Capitol saw the Games as a form of entertainment while those from the Districs basically hated and feared it; how extremely different the Capitol was from the poor district from which Katniss hailed; the question of humanity and whether or not Katniss would kill when push comes to shove, and so, so much more.

I guess the problem with Twilight, is that it tries so hard to be one of the good series with an actual plot other than Bella's lady boner when she sees Edward. First, it rubs all over Harry Potter's tailcoat, trying to get some of its fame. When that failed, it looks for other well-written series, in this case THG, to compare itself to.

There was this one thread saying that THG is exactly like Twilight. This was what I said:

Yes, they are exactly the same. Bella gets chosen at the Reaping in Forks. And since she's such a klutz, everyone knows that she won't stand a chance in the Games without the help of her sparkly boyfriend. She is later killed in the Games by Glimmer. Didn't you read the books? :/

See what I just did there? I highlighted both the differences between the series and the pathetic 'plot' of Twilight.

THG has a strong female lead character who hunts for food and is the breadwinner of her family. Twilight, sadly, has a whiny, selfish, shallow little girl who clings to and couldn't do anything without her vampire boyfriend as the main character.

So, THG or Twilight? I think the answer is obvious.

Look, ma, I've been writing again!

Fandom: Suikoden I

Summary: Tir is amazed by the Master Robe; Chapman muses over some things; and Pahn thinks only of food.

---

In the point of view of:

Chapman

---

"So, can you tell me anything about this one?"

Chapman hummed thoughtfully before lifting up the robe from his counter. Master Tir had just got back from one of his travels, and this time around, he'd acquired a rather rare item.

"Looks real comfortable, that one," said Chandler appreciatively from his little stall next to Chapman's armory. Jabba and Jean were there to watch, too, each abandoning their stations temporarily to see what the matter was all about.

Chapman hummed again. "Mm. Yes, it's definitely got healing properties. Adds a brilliant line of defense once equipped, too," he said, running a hand through the material. "Where'd you get this from again, Master Tir?"

The ever-quiet young man calmly replied, "South-west of Warrior's Village, I believe. The Sorcerers dropped it."

"Ah, why didn't you say so earlier?" said Chapman, now grinning. "Yes. I believe I have an inkling of what this is. This, ladies and gents, is the Master Robe."

Chapman watched as the look of recognition flashed across the faces of some - like old Jabba, and Kai, and Jean - but others, like Pahn and Morgan, and Master Tir, simply looked puzzled.

"It's famous for its healing properties, and the Sorcerers have a lot of them in their possession," said Chapman. "But it could be difficult to attain. They rarely drop it in battle."

The armory expert watched as a small frown began to form on Master Tir's face. It was an admirable look, in Chapman's opinion: oftentimes, he'd see that expression on schoolchildren's faces whenever they're studying for their exams or when they're trying to answer their teacher's questions. But then, Chapman reminded himself that Master Tir was young enough to pass for a schoolchild. Master Tir was just a kid, and should be with his peers, laughing and marveling over their own cleverness - not doing this, fighting vampires and Sorcerers and carrying the weight of the whole Empire on his shoulders.

Sometimes it's just too easy to forget that the man leading the Liberation Army wasn't quite a man yet, and something, something within Chapman just ached at the thought of it. Tir McDohl was as young as one of Chapman's nephews, and yet he'd stood up against his own father, seen the deaths of his loved ones, fought dangerous battles, and would continue to fight even more battles after this.

How was it possible for one boy to do all this?

"Do you not have any suppliers for this robe?" Master Tir asked at length, bringing Chapman back to reality.

"I'm afraid not," said Chapman. "As I've mentioned before, this is an extremely rare item. Although...I have heard of rumours saying that these are available in Gregminster-"

Master Tir's eyes flashed with something that Chapman couldn't really identify as he heard the name of his hometown being spoken, and the armory expert hastened to finish his sentence.

"-But obviously we don't have access to that place now...and besides, it's only a rumour, sir."

Tir McDohl sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as he thought about this. "Well, we need those robes, and God knows when we're ever going to get to Gregminster again..."

Just then, Master Tir's self-defense teacher, Kai, stepped forth and placed a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "We've had a long day, my boy," he said with such ease that only Kai was able to master, and Chapman could almost see the tension bleeding out of Tir's whole body. "You've already got one Master Robe in possession. Let's rest, sleep for a night, and continue searching for more tomorrow."

"I haven't heard of any news coming from the War Room," said Morgan, lifting his head a little as if trying to listen for anything that might be uttered at the moment in the War Room three floors above. Chapman hadn't really gotten the chance to get to know the new blind recruit, but he had a feeling that he'd like the guy, anyway. "Surely Mathiu will allow us a day or two, or more, to train and hunt down this material."

Master Tir seemed even more relieved as he heard this. He nodded tiredly, and it was one of those rare moments where he actually appeared to be in his age: young, inexperienced, insecured. "Right. All right," he finally said before stretching his arms. "I am kind of hungry."

"Oh, I thought you'd never mention that," Pahn sighed happily. "C'mon, Young Master. Let's see what Lester and Antonio have in store for us, I am starving."

Master Tir laughed then; it was one of his quiet laughter, but Chapman had learned long ago that this was the closest Tir McDohl would get to 'laughing out loud.' "Oh Pahn," he said, shaking his head, "what would Cleo think of you? I'm starting to think that she's right, you know, about you and your life's mission. It's always food and nothing else for you!"

Pahn had the decency to act bashful then, earning more laughter from everyone there.

"Well, I'd better go and drop this into Rock's vault," said Master Tir, gathering the robe once more into his hands and folding it neatly. "Thank you so much for your help, Chapman - I'll come again sometime after dinner, if that's all right with you. Some of our new recruits still need better armory."

"Of course, anything, sir," said Chapman, smiling.

"See you guys at dinner," said the not-quite man, the leader of the Liberation Army, as he nodded to Chandler and Jabba, before walking away.

~*~

What? I was feeling artsy. =.=