If you read the newspapers today, you may have noticed that the Malaysian government has christened May 29 as National Artistes Day. Read the full article HERE

I’m not really bothered what new day the national government has called it because there seems to be a day to commemorate everything from January 1 all the way till December 31! If all these days were declared holidays, no one would ever be at work! But anyway, I’m totally getting sidetracked here. The reason for the exceptional interest is due to the fact that National Artistes Day is celebrated to honour the Malaysian film legend, TAN SRI P. RAMLEE.

Born Teuku Zakaria Teuku Nyak Puteh @ Ramli Puteh, he was born in in Penang on 22nd March 1929 of noble descent from Aceh of Sumatra, Indonesia. Unknown to many people, P. Ramlee did not burst onto the acting scene and neither was he a child acting prodigy. P. Ramlee worked in a tin factory during the Japanese Occupation in Malaya (as it was known back then) while attending a school set up by the Japanese navy, learning Japanese songs. He entered the Penang Radio singing contest in 1945 where he came in third. He was the runner-up the year after and finally the winner in 1947. It was in 1947 that Teuku Zakaria took on the moniker P. Ramlee in 1947, a modification of his name Ramli Puteh.

P. Ramlee got his big break in 1948, when he was spotted by director B. S. Rajhans from Malay Film Productions, who was so impressed with P. Ramlee that he offered the fresh-faced 19 year old a job as a back up singer for the Shaw Brothers studio films, before getting his first acting role in the 1948 film Cinta. He never looked back.

During his illustrious career, P. Ramlee directed and/or starred in 66 films, excluding 4 stage plays. Composing 360 songs during his lifetime, P. Ramlee was an immensely talented musician, playing instruments such as the saxophone, piano and guitar.

Sadly, P. Ramlee died of heart complications on 29 May 1973 when he was only 44 years old and left a void that no other Malaysian has ever managed to fill. A gifted actor, a talented musician and a sterling producer, P Ramlee was truly a legend in every sense of the word. To me, he is the only reason why National Artistes Day will be worth celebrating!

2nd comings are usually things that are eagerly awaited after the initial event. For example, we at blatant© were eagerly awaiting the 2nd coming of our t-shirt stocks for the caffeine addict and the anti-suicide t-shirts, Christians wait for the 2nd coming of Christ, fans of the Lord Of The Rings were not only eagerly awaiting the 2nd coming of the movie, but also the 3rd and of course the list can go on till tomorrow…

However, there was a particular 2nd coming that came, took the world by storm, and left the world in ruins after it was finished. This was the 2nd coming that was wasn’t wanted. This was the second coming that we all know as World War II (WWII).

World War II was waged from 1939 – 1945, triggered by Hitler’s lust for power alongside the armies of the Japanese and the Italians which eventually left approximately 72 million people dead including innocent people who died from war atrocities and war related diseases and famines. The number of civilians deaths were gravely worse than military casualties, with a ratio of almost 2:1.

The monetary cost of the war was just as depressing as the body count. Analysts estimate that WWII cost the world’s economy USD1 trillion (in 1944 economic value). Money that could have been used for the betterment of humanity had to be instead be used for the defence of freedom.

The devastation of WWII still lives in the nightmares of the older generation, demonized by death and destruction. However, a ray of light that emerged from the ashes of WWII was the formation of the United Nations (UN) to prevent similar atrocities from ever happening again. The UN is hardly perfect, but at least by and large, many of us have been born into peaceful countries and blessed with economic stability. Don’t forget that it took a 2nd coming that no one wanted for us to reach where we are today.

What are good t-shirts like? It’s easy to say words like “good” and “great”, but it doesn’t really capture the essence of how much a good the t-shirt is right?

We at blatant© would like to describe what good t-shirts are like… in our own words

GOOD T-SHIRTS ARE LIKE:

	UNDERWEAR: it takes a brave person to leave home without one
EDUCATION: you can’t figure out why you needed it in the first place, but everyone had to get it anyway
	SLEEP: resistance is futile!!
SILENT PROTEST: you get your point across without having to say anything
	FOOTBALL BOOTS: they don’t make you a better football player, but they sure make you feel like one!!
MEN: look hard enough, you’ll find a good one

Do feel free to share us know what you think good t-shirts are like….

We’ve had Iron Man in the movies lately, we’ve had Spiderman, Batman, Incredible Hulk….. and the list goes on. Sadly, there is a race of superheroes that never gets enough publicity. It’s funny because this superhero community exists all around the world, and all of these heroes work normal lives…but they’re SO good at keeping a low profile, Marvel, Vertigo and DC comics don’t seem to know they exist!! They are an elite squad known as the Super Mothers Of Modern Society, more popularly known as: SuperMOMS©

Ever noticed that most of our comic superheroes all have self-doubt issues, and most of the time, some sort of inferiority complex. However, one will also note that all these superheroes very rarely have SuperMOMS© in their lives, and that probably contributes to their low self-esteem. If they had SuperMOMS© like you and me, this world would be free of crime! Yups, Iron Man would sell his iron to the scrap metal factory, Superman would relinquish the title of “Super” (and henceforth simply be known as “man”) and Wolverine can finally go get himself a decent haircut and shave. Yes folks, the power of SuperMOMS©.

SuperMOMS© are not jobs that are applied for. It is a calling that will be known when after specific chemical reactions take place, they realize that something is growing inside of them. That’s when SuperMOMS© get boot camp training and a probation period of 9 months carrying a heavy parasite (that’s you and me folks) that feeds off their food supply and never says thank you.

Finally, upon graduation from the SuperMOMS© boot camp, they are charged with the safekeeping and upbringing of the very parasites that were used in during boot camp. This is a task of global importance, for the little parasites that are not cared for and nurtured become monsters of society. However, given the proper care, education and love by SuperMOMS©, these parasites (yes, it’s still you and me) have a chance to achieve great things in life like becoming t-shirt designers and superheroes without any inferiority complex issues.

So, what have you done for YOUR SuperMOMS© lately?

To mothers all around the world, HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY and we parasites LOVE you! (what’s for dinner tonight?)

After the post regarding the 10 facts and muses about t-shirts last Friday, we have been getting curious responses regarding the T-SHORTS© and everything else related to it. In tribute to this wonderful new phenomenon, we have decided to dedicate today’s article to explain the power of T-SHORTS© and its life changing benefits….

***********************

WHAT ARE T-SHORTS©?
T-SHORTS© are basically t-shirts, which have been carefully inverted and caringly modified to cover the bottom half of the body as a last resort to avoid giving a free show at any given time and end up being a disgrace to one’s family at any point in one’s life.

***********************

WHY WOULD ANYONE (NEVER MIND ME!) NEED T-SHORTS©?
Remember, desperation is the mother of all invention. What if, one day, you went hiking and after setting up tent, suddenly looked into your bag and found: NO SHORTS???? OR, what about when one day, you go to your cupboard and realize all your shorts have been sent for washing?? The solution that we offer does not require a shameful call back home to mom and doesn’t require any additional purchases. Presenting: T-SHORTS©, the power to change your life!

***********************

HAH! YOUR CONCEPT IS FLAWED BECAUSE THERE IS A BIG HOLE RIGHT WHERE THE SUN AIN’T SUPPOSED TO SHINE! NYEH NYEH NYEH….
That’s where you are mistaken friends. That big gaping hole that used to be the head opening is the all new T-SHORTS QUICK-RELEASE© mechanism! Imagine, you need to relieve yourself and rush to the toilet… you fumble at the belt buckle, your zip gets stuck, and before you know it, you’ve totally disgraced yourself. Now, with the T-SHORTS QUICK-RELEASE©, you just quietly close the door, and let it all go without any worry. NO zippers, NO belts, NO mishaps.

***********************

HOW DO I MAKE MY OWN T-SHORTS©?
With our all new T-SHORTS© MAKERS’ MANUAL© (available for free only for the next 30 days), it’s as easy as 1-2-3!

1. UNDERSTANDING T-SHORTS©. What was previously sleeves are leg openings, the head opening is now the all new T-SHORTS QUICK-RELEASE©, and the body opening is now your T-SHORTS ADJUSTABLE WAIST WRAP©.

2. WEAR YOUR T-SHORTS©. You need to ensure that you are able to pull your T-SHORTS ADJUSTABLE WAIST WRAP© to a comfortable height. It would be wise to note that baby-ts that ladies love to wear make absolutely horrible T-SHORTS©. Ensure that the T-SHORTS ADJUSTABLE WAIST WRAP© is securely tied around your waist (to avoid disgracing yourself and your family) with the world famous sarong fold method

3. BE PROUD OF YOUR T-SHORTS©. Now ain’t that a beauty? Understand that you are one of the elite few who understand the importance of having the highly powerful, secret knowledge of the T-SHORTS©. With great power comes great responsibility, so spread the knowledge of T-SHORTS© wisely. You cannot imagine what could happen if this knowledge fell into the wrong hands…..