Friday, June 29, 2012

Melancholic Bullshit

There are Jungian archetypes, a system to classify people or characters into several different types.

Then there's the classic Greek Moods which feature the Choleric, Melancholic, Phlegmatic and Sanguine personality types.

You know who obsess over personality types? Sanguine, cause they're self-obsessed peacocks.

Sanguines love attention, are hyper and constantly seek public approval. Their main question is WHO cause they're dumb as fuck. Sanguuines go out and do their rih-rih-rah-rah with no thought, because all that rih-rih-rah-rah is the point. It's their only point.

Sanguines are fun, though, and at least 40% are good in the sack.

Me, I'm a Melancholic, a word which used to mean something else in the old days. Melancholics are obsessed with the question HOW. We are the real scientists, people who figure out execution and methodology.

We crave information and data, often designating and labeling people into three types - valid informers, liars and no information dumbass fucks. As you can guess, sanguines are no information dumbass fucks who constantly preen and kiss their own asses, which would have made them great in the sack except for the fact that they suck.

Our weakness is too much analysis without action. Also, since everything is solved in the brain, there is no need to convey or communicate these things to other people, making Melancholics shut in.

All Melancholics are great at sex and have big dicks.

Cholerics are people who could only ask WHAT questions. They are consumed by the bottomline, the end result. They make great leaders, but are sometimes as clumsy at communication as Melancholics and are prone to temper tantrums when they don't get their way.

Phlegmatics are also like Melancholics in the sense their name represented something else in the old days. Phlegmatics ask WHY and they're quite pathetic. They support everyone else and are constantly trying to be followers and require instruction when everyone should lead their own lives.

Phlegmatics are important since usually we have a lot of these and they shape the group dynamics as well as execute most of the work.

Phlegmatics crave harmony but are indecisive.

You might think Melancholics are the best people and you are right, but the best INDIVIDUAL, is the one who can take on whatever role at whatever time. There is a time to listen and gather data like a Melancholic, time to make firm decisions like a Choleric, situations where Sanguine communication skills to sell ideas are the only things that matter, and Phlegmatics' mentality to maintain harmony and to do the work as per instructions.

I have analysed all this for years, and I do agree with the four divisions - humans suck.

Loose Rhythm

I was brushing my teeth when KLONK! my toothbrush hit a problematic tooth and broke it. It was loose and wiggling the whole day and pissed me off.

Had a meeting at 2pm, stuff to handle, people to meet and stories to edit. All the while trying to find a dental clinic that would do bridging for a reasonable price. The most expensive was RM5,400 for just one procedure.

Fuck.

So I decided to just get a dentist to yank the tooth out and wait for UH to do the bridging. Gov hospitals charge way less, but I may have to wait till September at the earliest to get it done. It might be December before my face regains its model good looks.

Work is finally clearing up. I took some advice and decided to look at timelines. I was cramming everything into one huge ball of whateverthefuck cause I have a superhero complex.

Having done everything I ever wanted to do in writing, everything I could think of, crammed in a short number of years, I've always come from the viewpoint that everything can be done and run simultaneously.

My first editors valued above all else, a huge amount of work. I was going to six assignments a day and finishing six stories to contribute to 16 pages of the newspaper every day of the week.

On top of that, I was writing books, movies and TV series.

I wrote till I puked blood. Literally. Was hospitalised four times. Blah blah blah. Said it all before.

Now, I find my methods outdated and out of sync. The industry has changed so much. Journalism values have also changed.

I do not lament the passing of that era. I find this new world and new situations I keep finding myself in to be quite intriguing. And I face new situations and new challenges every day.

Certain things remain the same, though. Humans don't change. They're the same fear-filled mammals from days of yore.

Humans are social animals - it is what defines them. And each society, has a rhythm. They have an information flow, they have an attitude, and they move to a rhythm, a frequency. You find that magic number, that beat, and you can choose to be in sync or you can remove yourself from it.

Every place and every society is the same, except for their frequencies. Their rhythm.

I just need to find that so I could get back to what I do best. And also an appointment to fill this gaping hole in my mouth.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Hubris

They say pride comes before the fall. I don't know who 'they' are, but those are wise words.

As the most arrogant man on earth, I can tell you that I have been watching pride and ego destroy careers, lives, industries, dictatorships, governments, administrations and ultimately, happiness.

You are never too old or too stupid to learn. And of course, never too smart.

Nobody knows everything, except perhaps Wikipedia. And yet Wikipedia has little information on comparative studies between Druid worship in Ireland and idolatry in pagan Indonesia. I found a journal with that exact information at a different site. It was research for a short story I wanted to write when I was 19, establishing the Ctulhu mythos in South East Asia.

Ego and an unwillingness to take responsibility was what crushed the Badawi administration. I would love to take credit for that, but I doubt Pak Lah ceased to become Prime Minister because I wrote a blog post  suggesting he tossed KJ's salad.

Hubris, arrogance, an inflation of the ego, all comes from a deflated ego. The ego constantly tries to do only one thing - survive. It survives only by fortifying its existence. A deflated ego is a weak ego and the natural gut reaction is to expand that ego.

This is the reason why people do evil, mean things. This is why we have bullies. This is why most people do anything. Insecurities.

The biggest bullies are the most insecure people, trying to find something they can be proud of, while at the same time convinced, subconsciously, that they have nothing they can take pride in.

People naturally hate themselves. I believe the reason is they do not know themselves and are merely lashing out at the thing that is pretending to be them - the ego.

The ego pretends to be you and then decides some 'truths' or some labels to be yours. Anything that tries to put it in any other way, is something to be feared and rejected.


If you fear death, if you fear destruction, if you fear failure, or anything, that is not you. That is your ego pretending to be you.

And now, the daily porn

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

House of M: Fairfax Freefall

This is a link to the video for Anjung Singgah. Apart from being one of the few Government 1Malaysia initiatives which does not utilise the 1- prefix, which I personally think is lame, it is also one of the best.

Anjung Singgah is a home for the homeless. They take in people off the streets and give them free board for two weeks, three meals a day and free counseling. They also hook up with 1Azam - another initiative, to find them jobs.

Some of the stories are heartbreaking - a couple sleeps and bathes at Puduraya. A dude from Sabah was conned into coming to the Peninsular after having promised a job as a cook, only to find he was conned.

I met one of these guys during the recent Jelajah Janji Ditepati in Melaka and will share with you the video as soon as I get it.

Talking about the homeless and jobless, I can say that traditional media is looking at apocalypse way sooner than it or myself anticipated. On June 18, Fairfax Media - one of Australia's largest media conglomerate - shut down printing plants and is laying off 1,900 people from its print division. 20 per cent would come from editorial.

They would go full on digital and erect paywalls to existing sites.

Meanwhile, in the States, around 160++ newspapers have closed down.

This highlights two things - the Internet is having a major impact on even large newspaper companies and that content is not free and must be paid for. Not blogs where quality control is hardly an issue, because people don't give a shit, but real content, stuff you have to get right.

All content costs money. There is no such thing as a free media, because somebody has to pay for it. You think Malaysiakini is free? Hell naw! You have to pay salaries, maintenance costs, electricity bills, production, logistics (yes, even for Internet media) and loads of other things.

I have been saying this for years: Media companies must stop seeing itself as a merchant for the medium, but the content. The medium simply enriches the consumption experience - it is not the end product, but is part of the product.

In simple terms, newspapers don't sell dead trees, but the content. It's the NEWS, not the PAPER, geddit?

It heartens me when top people speak of this important shift from focusing on the medium and more on to the content. Because it means there is hope.

If you're a fucking dinosaur and hope one day people will drop this Internet FAD and start reading dead trees again as well as inhale asbestos and don blackface to play Barrack 'The Minstrel' Obama, and die of fucking polio and smallpox, well, why don't you do us all a favour and go back into the jungle and blowpipe your own dick.

For YEARS, almost my entire career, I have been telling newspaper people this. Nobody ever listens to me, which is a good thing. Because if I fuck up, no one will have to be homeless and jobless, waiting for the next bed to free up at the nearest Anjung Singgah (they only have 78 at a time).

I have the luxury of not being important enough to decide shit. Some people, though, are not as lucky. Whatever they decide now will determine the fate of thousands of people, and whether the Government will be farsighted enough to extend the Anjung SInggah and 1Azam projects to droves of unemployed, starving journalists in maybe a decade or two.

I'm not saying "panic now!" or yelling "FIRE!", what I'm saying is, we should all exit in an orderly fashion. With enough brains and decisiveness, we can all become platform agnostics and find homes for our content, to preserve this industry and our way of life. Because it has come to that.

Wake up, shape up and move fucking forward.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Intermission: Lord of Destruction

The Sandman - greatest comic book ever written - has only one story. The King of Dreams learns that he has to either change or die, and makes his choice.

It is an analogy for a lot of things, and perhaps everything. Change is destruction, change is death. Change and death are interchangeable as when you stop being exactly this or that, you become something else and that is the end of what you were. So there is no real choice between change and death.

I am under a lot of stress - pressure which I put myself under. My role at work has changed recently, and though I was already doing what I am now supposed to do since several months ago, I am automatically shifting to the next gear and doing more than what I was doing before.

The problem is, I do not currently have all the information necessary to complete the next step.

I can whine about this, or I can get the information tomorrow and execute a lot of stuff. Some tasks, though, need to be pushed back. Rearranging, prioritizing, doing some things I have not done before.

Change, or die. And death is not really an undesireable outcome. Neither is change.

Stress comes from a hyperactive mind. The best relaxation techniques do not advise you to stop thinking, but rather to acknowledge and accept the flurry of activity in your mind.

Once you have done that, no power in the universe can stop you.

Now, for the daily porn.

Friday, June 22, 2012

The Science of Fucking

I am currently trying to woo a girl who has little appreciation to my traditional advantages.

I am extremely intelligent to the point of obscuring all geniuses who were ever born in the past three million years, including Tesla.

I love languages, and am literate. I am also working in the media.

This girl I am wooing, she has probably never seen any of the movies I have written, any of my published work and does not share any interest with me whatsoever. Therefore, I fail and will consistently fail in impressing her with the traditional "I'm hot stuff in the media industry, so suck my dick" approach.

I am also not quite symmetrical, with a crooked nose. Science shows that women prefer men who are symmetrical. Science also reveals that women will suck your dick for money, but that only happens in brothels and in marriages, which are thinly-disguised legitimate prostitution.

I can always 'tackle' her during her ovulation cycle as women at that stage of her fertility thing would lower their standards to fuck just about anybody - and I am anybody. Unfortunately, I do not know her ovulation cycle.

However, I have decided to forego all games and scientific knowledge to go with my gut - to be myself. Statistically, I am doomed for failure. I have no plans, no tactics, no strategy, no neuro-linguistic programming, no money, no technique, no hypnosis and absolutely no black magic whatsoever.

I just do and say what I want. It is most probable that I will return from a trip to Sarawak in July, a complete and total loser. But it would have been for the truth, and I would not have it any other way.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Pomp and Circumcision

It was a bumpy journey from Taiping back to KL. I was in a bus that had crazy suspension, resulting in my ass feeling every gravel on the asphalt. I'm not complaining, though, as I was fast asleep for most of the trip.

Been travelling around the country, following this Jelajah Janji Ditepati. Rather than explain what it is, I suggest you go have a look at the website.

JJD basically highlights some of the good that the Government has done. They're not all corruption and cronyisme, as much as the opposition are not all lame-ass populist fake bullshitting motherfuckers.

In fact, I hope that whoever is in charge after the next GE would retain some of these programmes at least.

I was going to make an analogy that connects the trip I had with the journey ahead, but I am too fucking tired to be clever right now.

I have little to prove at this stage, but I forge on because I still have faith in the work that I do. At the end of it all, I do believe I help people, even if that sounds presumptuous.

Friday, June 15, 2012

Wiggles: I Workout! And Other Updates

This week, I went to the gym 4 times (Mo0nday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday). Would love to go tomorrow, but I will be on a bus to the next JJD location - Taiping. JJD is Jelajah Janji Ditepati - a series of ground events held nationwide to promote 1Malaysia products.

There are lots of things you can do there - pay your summonses, renew your license, open/check your Tabung Haji account, get a free health checkup, and get information about and from 1MDB, PTPTN, Projek Perumahan 1Malaysia (PR1MA), etc, etc.

Some of these things are good, like Yayasan 1MDB, which does a lot of charity work - improving the lives of fishing communities, sending poor uztads to Mecca, give vitamins to schoolkids, and so on. For more info, please visit www.jelajahjanjiditepati.com.

This week also saw the launch of www.dosomething.gd of the Do Something Good project. Do Something Good is basically a hub for any and all volunteer activities. Yayasan Chow Kit's effort, as championed by old friend Daphne Iking, is doing something for Chow Kit high-risk kids who are poor, may have come from drug addict parents or just lost.

If I had RM2 million, I would quit everything and just go do charity work, focusing on the extreme poor in Kuantan (or possibly Kuching. Hehehe).

RM2 million would be enough for me to support my basic needs for the rest of my life, unless I catch some horrible disease like cancer, sarcoidosis, Legionnaire's Disease, MS, MG or whatever.

If I had the money, or didn't have to worry about it, Do Something Good is exactly what I would do. Turns out, I don't need RM2 million. I'm signing up. I think everyone who can, should.

Just be careful.

Charity is not about you. It's not about how great you are or how it makes you feel. In fact, fuck you. Fuck your face, fuck your ass, fuck your stupid racist bullshit. Fuck your car, fuck your wife, fuck your shades that you wear indoors. Fuck your political opinions, fuck your daughter, fuck your dog. FUCK YOU.

Charity is about helping other people - those who are in need. The focus, the spotlight, is on them. So, please join Do Something Good and do something good. For other people.

Once I get something that fits my schedule, I'll post it here so you can see how it works.

Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice, my gym sessions are getting more intense. I upped the resistance on the machines to seven times my base level, and as my heart-rate gets lower, it is harder to get it up to my aerobic zone of 150-165. My base heart rate is now below 120, which is good.

I usually go a full 60 minutes on the cross-trainer. The distance I cover used to be 3km. For the past two days, it is 6km. I just need to maintain my strokes per minute to 120 spm and voila - 6km. By next week, I aim to add another kilometre within the 1 hour duration.

I now do 70 crunches per session and 70 reps of chest whatever every alternate day. 70 reps on the thighs, etc.

I only lost 2kg this week, but I guess it's a good average to maintain.

As for food, I am sticking to a high fiber diet rich in oats, vegetables and fruits. I eat rice once a day, but at half the portion I was accustomed to. I love rice, and I don't believe in starving myself to get to my ideal whatever.

Eckhart Tolle wrote about dieting - to be present for each morsel of food. I have a bad habit - I eat fast because I am afraid the other animals would come and steal my food. Eating with presence means I slow down and really enjoy each mouthful. I also do that because my rice ration is now quite low and I want to savour every time I have those things in my mouth.

Sweet drinks and sweets are gone. I do take fruit juice, but of the fresh variety. No more Minute Maid or Coke. I don't even take Pokka anymore, except the oolong or Jasmine tea, and that also on rare occasions.

I find that all this has no negative effect on my energy. In fact, I do feel more energetic and limber.

I am also tightening my belt - literally. Two more notches, and I would have to either poke more holes or buy a new, normal-sized belt. I can now fit into old clothes.

My stomach has decreased around half its size. I can also do some weak pec pops.

I do understand that it might be a slow journey to get where I want in all this, but I don't give a shit.

One day, a picture of me wearing a brightly-coloured, shiny spandex will be plastered on a billboard somewhere with the words, "Now, who wants to fuck?" on a word balloon.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Happiness and Despair

Yesterday, many people spoke to me of their happiness and despair.

I so wanted to reach out and tell them that despair - in fact all of sadness, ALL negativity - is the result of resistance of what is. Many people I find don't understand what 'resistance' is. It is a difficult concept to grasp, resistance or acceptance of the present moment.

Every day, I deal with things that could cause huge emotional flux and swings, as does everybody. When presented with any situation, we have a choice in what we do about it, and even, what we feel about it as well.

You don't force yourself to do anything you don't want to do. You don't do anything that feels unnatural or forced.

You don't wish for anything to be any different. Either you acknowledge the situation and take steps to do something about it, or you let it go. All other choices are superfluous and unnecessary.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Majin Power

I am a fan of Japanese giant robot cartoons of the '70s and '80s.

My childhood's highlights include a lot of Getter Robo and Tosho Daimos as well as Grendiser. Unfortunately, my favourite robot - Mazinger Z - was never aired in Malaysia. It was never broadcast.

For years, I lived my life based on the values of their hot-blooded pilots, until I discovered that the basis for the samurai mythos, which in turn was interpreted to become these cartoon characters, was based on a lie.

The whole samurai thing, is a lie. Perpetrated by the greatest samurai of them all - Miyamoto Musashi. Miyamoto wrote the Book of Five Rings which consolidated the romantic image of the samurai as ethical warriors who would die before defeat, fighters who would favour death before dishonor.

The reason? Well, Miyamoto was a samurai who lived in the Tokugawa era, after the Battle of Sekigahara which unified all of Japan and ended all wars. Samurais still enjoyed a state salary and held the right to carry weapons.

Some people, though, were calling for the samurais to be deemed illegal and represented an unnecessary expenditure. Since the samurais were educated and could read and write, they began writing books to make themselves look great and worthy of a state allowance.

One of these books was the Book of Five Rings, which Miyamoto wrote. In it, he said that a true samurai is well-versed in fighting, the arts, literature, the crafts as well as other disciplines, making them the Renaissance men of their period.

There are many historical records that say samurais would not die before dishonor and that some of them went home after holding a siege at a castle or fort for a while.

Fast forward a few centuries later, and I saw in a documentary about Japan that the samurai ethos has seeped through society, as well as their devotion and beliefs in Zen Buddhism.

I saw a lunch-maker who said that he must get every bento (lunch box) correct because if he fucks up a lunch box, then someone's day will be fucked up and they would not work properly, creating a chain reaction that would destroy society and the world.

All this, based on lies.

I believe in being honest at all costs. In Margin Calll - reportedly the BEST movie about Wall Street ever, the Kevin Spacey character said something along the lines that he is a trader based on trust. His entire career, his business, his industry, lies in him being honest to the people he does business with. Because if he becomes an asshole, no one would do business with him again. EVER. And that is much worse than anything else.

The mixture of lies and honesty from Japanese history and culture is a constant reminder to me of how the world is just fucked up.

Whenever I feel jaded, though, I watch those cartoons again, and I remember why I am still here.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

The Ultimate Question


Caption: PICTURE IS UNRELATED

Talking about questions, I was perplexed today by one of the questions that have haunted me for a while now - should men shave our armpits?

I mean, for women, hell yeah! If women were supposed to have armpit hair, then God - or Gillette - would not have invented razor blades. Women should also shave their pubes as well. Because pubic hair was only to trap smells so men could fuck them in the dark. With the invention of the lightbulb, ALL women should shave their pubes.

Anyway, back to the question - should men shave our armpits? I mean, really?

Esok Tetap Kekal

Tadi, sambil aku sibuk bersilat dan berkungfu, bertomoi dengn kerja, sampai hilang charger MacBook aku, sambil aku berapi syurga meragut lalang dengan Awek Kuching yang semakin jauh dari aku, ada budak tanya aku soalan.

"Pekerjaan mana yang lebih stabil?" tanya budak itu, resah.

Aku tak pandai menipu. Setiap kali aku berbohong, pati akan menyebabkan keadaan menjadi buruk. AKu hanya tahu berkata benar.

Maka aku jawab, "Tiada apa yang kekal dalam dunia ini."

Arwah Pak Samad (A Samad Ismail) menulis, sama ada dalam majalah Gila-Gila atau Gelihati, tahun '80an dulu, 'Semua yang baru pasti akan bertukar menjadi buruk.'

Dan aku setuju. Amat setuju.

Aku baru sembilan tahun dalam industri ini. Kira manusia pertengahan, dengan jangkamasa pengalaman terbatas. Namun, aku sudah membuat banyak beda dan melihat banyak perkara.

Aku sudah bekerja tetap di empat syarikat media bersaiz besar, juga beberapa yang lebih kecil. Dapat aku simpulkan yang semua tempat sama sahaja, cuma yang lain hanyalah duit yang dibayar dan diri sendiri.

Aku mengelak rasa bosan dengan mencuba pelbagai benda baru. Aku tertarik dengan Internet dan media sosial, aku buat kerja itu. Aku syok tengok kamera, aku usung kamera. Aku suka editing, aku buat editing. Aku suka filem, aku tulis filem. Aku suka buku, aku tulis buku.

Aku cukup bernasib baik sebab semua yang aku ingin buat, ada saja jalan yang aku jumpa. Aku bersyukur, sebenarnya.

Bagi aku, peluang bukan hanya apa yang ada di depan, tetapi semua isi dunia ini. Seluruh jirim alam semesta, semua pintu, semua denai, menunggu ketukan yang ikhlas. Kuncinya hanyalah apa yang di depan kita setiap hari. Jaga apa yang di depan, dan terkedepan akan tersusun sendiri.

Jadi, aku tidak menetapkan atau menaruh harapan stabiliti pada mana-mana industri atau syarikat, mahupunn manusia. Stabiliti aku, aku tetapkan dalam diri sendiri, sebab tulang empat kerat ini jugalah yang aku usung ke hulu dan ke hilir.

Daripada segi kerohanian, aku sentiasa mengingat Tuhan. Bukan Tuhan yang diperkatakan mereka yang aku kira sudah sesat, bodoh atau terencat, tetapi kewujudan, kehadiran yang aku rasa sendiri. Pemahaman aku tentang apa itu Tuhan.

Aku tidak mengimpikan syurga, mahupun bersedia untuk neraka. Aku hanya berdiri, memerhatikan dunia menari.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Wiggle: The First Milestone

I have reached the first milestone of my weight-loss initiative - the 10kg mark. I went on the scales and discovered that I have lost 10kg after two and a half weeks of diet and exercise.

Truth be told, I cheated a little. I went on the scales wearing only a towel. Without my clothes bogging me down, yes, that's a full 10kg or around 22 pounds. With all my clothes, it would be somewhat less than that.

My aim is 44kg of weight-loss in a year. This 100 days? I would be happy if I lose 20kg. Or 30kg.

Already called my mother telling her not to cook extra stuff for me come Ramadan. I also have my Raya meals planned out somewhat.

My only concern now are the trips I will be making around Malaysia for a project. The cornerstone of my diet is my ability to fix myself breakfast and dinner. Travelling means this freedom is diminished somewhat. I need to pack up my oats and stuff in order to remain on course.

This is war.


Sunday, June 3, 2012

The Problem With Rich People

Wealth is wasted on the wealthy.

I see rich people, and a lot of them are butt-ugly. Consider the wives of powerful people. I do not and cannot understand why the wives of the rich and powerful mostly have big hair. The kind of hairstyle that makes you look like you were attacked by a Head-Grabbing Full-Fur Headcrab.

I'm like, what the fuck, man? Why would you want to go out looking like that? That's stupid.

And then look at their furniture. Velvet-cushioned chairs? For serious? Did you bump your head on that stupid shit daybed or some shit? It's fucking ugly, bitch!

And then, their cars. Lambos, Ferraris, they don't run properly on our roads. Not when there's a speed-bump every few kilometres. What the fuck? And to drive a car that can go 220km/h in a country where the maximum speed limit is 110km/h is damn fucking stupid.

And then their kids are dumbass douchebags. When was the last time a Nobel Prize winner had hyper-rich parents who di not buy the awards for them? With all the time and money in the world to get it right, and you still suck at parenting.

Man, we should kill rich people just out of principle. And get them the fuck out of the gene pool. I don't want none of y'all to inherit big hair. What the fuck is that shit? I mean, fuck you. Really, just fuck you.

Saturday, June 2, 2012

House of M: Sunset Boulevard

People ask me, "Are newspapers dying?" And I tell them, "Depends."

"What do you mean?"

So I'd give them 'the usual'. The usual is mostly based on an article I read in The Atlantic, that newspapers in Japan - Yomiuri Shinbun and Asahi Shinbun - are still going strong.

Yomiuri Shinbun was reported by The Atlantic as having more than 3 million daily circulation. That's 3 million actual newspapers being sold. Wikipedia puts it at 10 million, every day, with a record of 14 million combined morning and evening editions circulation in 2002.

That's around 10 per cent the population of Japan (127 million, according to the 2011 census). In Malaysia, the highest readership is enjoyed by Harian Metro, at 4 million plus (I believe it is 4.3 million now). From a population of 28 million (2010 census), that's pretty decent, right?

Well, the great Yomiuri Shinbun and Asahi Shinbun (8 million in circulation) are also facing a decline. Several years ago, when OhMyNews! (an online news portal), fresh from installing a new government in South Korea, entered Japan, it closed its doors after two years.

Gone were those days, as Yomiuri and gang are also facing a decline. I do not have the numbers, but I am sure it will pop up soon. And yet the numbers for South East Asia is said to be growing.

However, the failure of digital media such as OhMyNews in attracting readers should not be seen as a plus sign for traditional media. In fact, it just shows to me a worrying trend - how paid media is lagging behind free media.

I am watching some shows online, such as VGHS - that's Video Game High School for those who might not know - and I am willing to buy the DVD or simply pay for access to the entire thing. I like it that much.

I follow NicePeter and EpicLloyd on YouTube, and I would pay for their stuff, even though it is free. I also donate RM100 or 30 dollars to wikipedia (almost) every year because I read it nearly four hours a day.

It takes money to create good stuff, good content, and what is missing from the declining newspapers or content websites is not a button or a gimmick. I believe that it goes back to the product. To the content.

If you make something good enough, I believe people will pay for your shit. There are, of course, multiple revenue streams, but the sites and the products that do survive are usually good ones.

But how do you define good? Well, if it connects with people, it is good. If it doesn't, it sucks. At least for most people who do not connect to the bloody thing.

The next 10-20 years will all be about monetising media as most media companies shift and become platform agnostics, or die. There will be many new ways to consume content, on whatever platform. Trust me - ALL media companies are trying new things.

I'm just afraid that in all the media rush, they all forget their own product. Newspaper companies don't sell dead trees.

"Dead trees! Dead trees with ink on them! Get your dead trees!"

No. Newspaper companies, and all media companies, sell content. And the one thing they can't forget is consumers - readers, viewers, things with molecular structure and this is mah boomstick and yadda yadda yadda.

Content people, meanwhile, can't afford to be arrogant isolationists or elitists.

It is a sunset industry, but please ride off into it rather than be left alone in the cold.