EasternPrism

My Christmas Wish List

2011-12-15T23:47:00.001-08:00

You better watch out, You better not cry, You better not pout,I'm telling you why ,Santa Claus is coming to town

He's making a list, And checking it twice , He's gonna find of who's been naughty or nice, Santa Claus is coming to town.

It is almost Christmas . And I’m looking forward to it this year like I’ve never looked forward to it for many years past. When I was a kid , I would anxiously wait for Christmas because it is truly magical with Santa Claus and his reindeer , snow (not in Malaysia) , gifts , beautifully lit and decorated Christmas trees , school holidays, television programmes , puddings and so on. Now, I like it more as I have developed good taste for wine and appreciating Santarina (ok, for sometime now).

After 37 years , I have decided to make my Christmas wish list for the first time. I have never felt this way before and I want to share my list with everyone and maybe if all of us make the same wish, it might come true. I have listed my wishes as below:-

a) There should not be another child hereafter sent to the orphanage;

b) There should not be another senior citizen hereafter sent to the old folks home;

c) There should not be another patient dying hereafter because he is unable to pay
for medical bills;

d) There should not be another child hereafter deprived for education;

e) There should not be another person hereafter suffers from malnutrition;

f) There should not be another person hereafter discriminated against race, religion
and sexual preference;

g) There should not be another natural disaster;

h) There should not be another war;

i) There should not be separation between loved ones;

j)There should not be another person hereafter taking his own life;

I realised that the first ten wishes are purely about appreciating what life is and when you look deeper, it is love that I see. Love is beautiful and instead of chasing love we spend more time chasing after things which does not last. Let us now spend more time with love ones , good friends and the Creator Himself, rest assured life will be blissfully beautiful.

As a wishful thinker, I decided to have my list longer as I believe this will bring us, Malaysians, to greater heights and for a better living:-

1) An education policy or system which will make all our children to compete
internationally;

2) Health programmes that will benefit all social classes;

3) Lower prices for goods and services;

4) Reliable public transport;

5) Efficient and effective enforcement(Police,MACC,Immigration,Customs);

6) Independent judiciary;

7) Free press;

8) No more oppressive laws that curtails freedom of speech and assembly;

9) To freeze and confiscate assets amassed by individuals who are holding public
offices;

10) To arrest, prosecute and embarrass corrupted leaders;

11) Getting rid of Barisan Nasional/UMNO and it's slaved coalition partners;

12) Voting in a new government;

I guess this is it. I don't think I have asked too much and I hope by next Christmas all my wishes would come true.Where there is life there is wishful thinking. Merry Christmas and happy new year everyone. Till then...........

P.S

The language of frustration does not know grammar or spelling. To the English Pandits, thank you, and I will try and improve my language.

Anwar Made Mistakes, So What?

2011-11-28T21:11:00.000-08:00

At the end of the second world war and its success , Winston Churchill's approval rating rose to 83% from 78% and the public opined that Conservative will win the forthcoming elections hands down. To every one's surprise, it was Labour that won the elections. Churchill's deep involvement to win the war made him lose the elections.

Margaret Thatcher was considered the greatest Prime Minister after Winston Churchill, winning three elections and was an asset for the Conservative Party. However all that changed when she introduced Community Charge of Poll Tax in 1989. This tax eventually brought her down and the popularity of Conservative Party nosedived.

John Prescott, the then Deputy Prime Minister of Britain , a Labour Party member took matters in his own hands by punching a voter who threw an egg at him.

Not only the British leaders (some of the political blunders I remembered )but leaders all over the globe made and are still making mistakes which resulted in some to have lost power, some will lose power, some were prosecuted and some were even executed. I dare not write about Malaysian political blunders or mistakes as it will run by volumes and I am bored of it.

Lets not start by saying nobody is perfect, name me one who is. The foremost quality of a leader is the willingness to assume responsibility .Anwar Ibrahim did that by admitting he made mistakes by endorsing some candidates. After all he is human . Then again all other parties were not not perfect in choosing candidates either. Was BN perfect with choices like Bung Mokhtar, Tajudin Abd Rahman, Nazri Aziz ? They did not jump ship, but everything else is not right about them. DAP with Keshwinder Singh and Hee Yit Foong. PAS with Hasan Ali and allowing Ibrahim Ali to contest under their banner.

In my point of view by selecting some of these frogs despite kissing them sadly remained frogs, to contest under PKR's banner was probably one of the best things Anwar Ibrahim did. I can't imagine if these renegades jumped ship after Anwar has formed the government. Therefore , it was a blessing. The rest remained loyal. I believe now Wan Azizah, Anwar Ibrahim together with the leadership of PKR, this time around would screen candidates well for the upcoming elections. Thomas Edison failed many times before he went on to invent better bulb.

The recent article by YM Raja Petra Kamaruddin (RPK) in his blog titled MARRY FOR LOVE AND NOT HATE, suggests that since it was difficult to find quality and credible candidates, Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM), will assist in finding them. How sure are you that these candidates suggested are credible? Haslinah Yacob, one of the candidates handpicked by MCLM, withdrew candidacy , citing unpreparedness for political arena . The handpicked dentist, wants to go for Kapar, which is already a PKR seat.Of course the party will decide where (the constituency) to field these candidates and that to if the party decides to field them after all. So , even MCLM was not right with its choice of candidates and MCLM must be sincere and stay focused in ousting BN and UMNO instead of imposing.

The 12th General Elections, the unwarned Tsunami was in fact a strange phenomenon. Probably the first election , everyone spoke about voting for the opposition and many did as they said.Some believed that the Pakatan Rakyat will win more seats than previous elections but not to the extent of denying BN its two thirds majority. This is the same wave I believe which is coming for the 13th General Elections.

Yes, people were unhappy, and they voted against BN not because they loved Pakatan Rakyat. Agreed. This notion is not true anymore.The Rakyat can see, read and listen to what and how good these 4 states Penang, Selangor,Kedah and Kelantan currently under Pakatan . So, today Pakatan Rakyat is not only built with its own credibility and strength but also BN's bad fortune. BN is in self destruction mode, then the advantage is for Pakatan. Bloggers write about minor imperfections, with Pakatan Rakyat state governments and criticise them till kingdom comes. You don't whack an infant for not listening to you. They are new, learning and we must support and give them suggestions and or advise.The Auditor General has given thumbs up to these state governments .Pakatan Rakyat , I believe will deliver and correct what is wrong and they have grown with the people.

I like to digress alittle and draw an analogy. I don't do it all the time. Do you know that cooking is not easy. You need to put in a lot of effort to ensure that the people whom you are cooking for will enjoy the meal.The menu or items cooked should complement each other and then the cutting, cooking and the cleaning. As you serve, the worst thing that can happen is that,a person who does not know what cooking is all about and has never entered the kitchen goes on commenting about the food and how it should be cooked. You know how irritating that is? Get my drift?

To me Anwar is highly commendable. An individual with burning enthusiasm, strange fighting spirits, the desire to do the right thing and to do things right gifted with great oratory skills , has been and seen both side of the divide. A former Deputy Prime Minister , Finance Minister and was an Acting Prime Minister ,is hands on and equipped with all necessary experiences in managing the economy and the country. It is not an easy task to bring PAS and DAP to work together after the bad bashing voters gave them especially the Chinese voters when Barisan Alternative was formed during the 1999 elections. Today we see that DAP and PAS are supporting each other and rushing to defend each other when attacked. Anwar Ibrahim should have opted out by taking some millions and moved on continue being visiting professor and so on but he didn't. Despite being plagued with court cases and continuous efforts to embarrass him and his family, Anwar , soldiers on to see a better Malaysia for all Malaysians .

Malaysian voters are ready to dislodge BN and UMNO. They have become less sensitive towards race and you will see the Chinese voting for PAS, Malays voting DAP and the Indians will vote for Pakatan Rakyat. UMNO will not field an Indian or a Chinese candidate, but PAS did field and Indian candidate in the last elections. The mutual respect between the Pakatan Rakyat parties will augur well with all Malaysians and rest assured for a greater unity amongst all races.

So if people argue that, marriage of convenience is not always the best type of relationships I agree. What must be understood is that people are being more progressive, therefore differences in opinion is always welcomed. When more ideas are generated then better solutions can be anticipated. Unlike UMNO, where there is no equal partnership and parties like MCA,MIC,PPP,GERAKAN and the others, have got no say, and fifty years later these parties have not made progress for their people.

Therefore I believe, Anwar Ibrahim is the right person to lead this nation and lets all work to ensure that Pakatan Rakyat wins the 13th general elections. Now, who am I to say this? I am a citizen, a registered voter and proudly will be voting for the fourth time this coming general elections.

Till then.........

The Great Heists

2011-11-14T09:26:00.000-08:00

Whether inspired by greed or ingenuity, the world's greatest heists all share one thing in common: a daring audacity to crack supposedly fool-proof security systems and make off with large amounts of jewels, cash, or art. In Malaysia, it is different. You don't have to be daring, you just have to be a cabinet minister. There is no fool proof security systems to crack open, in fact there is no systems, you just loot.

Who is going to question ? MACC ? Huh, MACC only investigates any corruption less than RM 10,000 and it must be a member of the opposition. And MACC has a unique way of questioning. If the questioning fails or MACC is unable to get it out of their witnesses, for some reason unknown to us, the witnesses jump out of the window killing themselves.Thus far it seems that it is legal for people in power in Malaysia to steal , lie, distort information to the public and facts in the Parliament. Shame, this has been the practise for some years now.

I assume, everyone is aware of the National Feedlot Centre a.k.a CATTLEGATE. My fingers are slipping away from the keys unable to type the filthy details of it. Firstly, what credentials, knowledge or expertise the family of Sharizat have in cattle farming, for this project to be awarded to her family? Last term? A cabinet minister? Ok, don't blame Sharizat because it was given to her family. No, it is not conflict of interest, corruption by proxy is simply alright in Malaysia.Not only this project failed in all aspects , you slaughter cows to be sent or sold for your very family owned restaurants . How convenient.

A daylight robbery of people's money worth a quarter billion. And on top of that you purchase condos worth RM 13 something million as investment from the proceeds. You don't have to be a property consultant , any layman like me would know that this is an idiotic move and to say that someone is paying you a rental of RM 70,000 per month is just unbelievable. The Deputy Prime Minister, famous for his PPSMI flip flop has left it to our own judgement. My judgement is simple, it is corruption. It is people's money not UMNO's.

What is more shocking is that members of the BN are defending these investments and put forward arguments, only known to them how stupid it sounds .I, today have no regrets for not making through to Oxford University, i guess one or to bozo accidentally slipped in.

Then Auditor General also reported that Employees Provident Fund (EPF) approved loans worth an astounding RM55.1 billion not backed by government guarantees. However, the Auditor-General’s Report 2010 found only one of the 13 debtors was qualified to obtain a loan without such a guarantee. That particular debtor was extended credit worth RM21.3 billion.

Of the remaining 12 debtors, all of whom are not named in the report, two were exempted from producing government guarantees as they had high credit ratings.The loans to the two parties totalled RM7.3 billion.

The report also revealed that the EPF had also given out 15 loans worth a total of RM35.69 billion as of the Dec 31, 2010.Of the 15 loans given, two were made to non-government entities despite having government guarantees. The loans are worth RM5 billion and RM1.24 billion respectively.

The EPF Act 1991 allows it to extend credit to the federal and state governments, as well as to companies incorporated under the Companies Act 1965, or set up with the Finance Ministry’s written permission.

So who are these people? Whose father's money are you giving out? The contributors of EPF have to go through tough procedures to withdraw their own contributions and there are no ways for the contributors to withdraw even if they are to repay Alongs or other debts. Here , you just give EPF money which belongs to the people to some unnamed people? Why the Auditor General's report did not name them? EPF, you will have to answer the people.

Then the Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia (KR1M). The purpose to set up this entity is because the PM is concerned about the low income earners in the urban areas. Then, the products are suppose to be cheaper than every other outlet, right? No, Ismail Sabri , the consumer affairs minister said that not all products are cheaper. Never mind that, what about products of very low quality ? Is this how PM shows his concern? E-coli tainted fresh milk , 8 times more than the permitted Vitamin A in children's milk powder , high metal contents in chili sauce (enough to build 1Malaysia Bridge) and what not. So, why set up KR1M? Simple, so that someone in between can steal and short change the public. Government subsidies are up by RM10 billion because of Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia (KR1M) and the Menu Rakyat 1Malaysia concepts. Ameer Mydin, the owner of Mydin Hypermarket who is currently given this project must answer the public.

I will stop here. I can keep on talking until the cows get home from Gemas.Enough is enough. I wonder what people do with so much of money? Why rob the people? So heartless, think about all the people who actually need this money for basic food, education, clothing and shelter. In countries where democracies failed, people marched to the streets. Malaysians are nice people, we don't simply go to the streets to show our displeasure and still believe in the ballot boxes unless that too fails. The civil society is restless and students' movement is gearing up momentum. Don't think anymore. CHANGE

The great moral of this story is , giving Barisan Nasional the power and money is like giving a teenager whiskey and the car keys.

Alcohol , Why Yes?

2011-10-12T20:25:00.000-07:00

After a break from writing , I guess this will be a good topic to start with. Most people who do not consume alcohol criticise or look down upon people who consume alcohol. Distinction must be made between a person who consumes and one who abuses the goodness or the nectar of happiness created for all mankind to enjoy responsibly.

So what is good about consuming alcohol? Is there any? Well you will be shocked as I was pleasantly surprised with one of the article I read recently and made a copy for my mom and my wife to read carefully and understand the contents.

The strongest medical evidence exists for the link between moderate drinking and a reduced risk of heart disease. Dr. Kenneth Mukamal, an internist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston, was the lead author of a New England Journal of Medicine study examining the roles of drinking patterns and heart disease that found, after 12 year of follow-up, that men who consumed alcohol between three and seven days a week had fewer heart attacks than men who drank once a week. There you go.

Do we know why moderate drinking lowers heart disease risk? The benefits of alcohol are on the blood vessels and on blockages in the arteries to the heart and to the brain. This might be related to alcohol's effect on the good cholesterol, the HDL cholesterol.

In fact, alcohol affects HDL levels just about as strongly as any other lifestyle factor. People also think that alcohol may lower heart attack risk by acting as a blood thinner.

What are some of the other health benefits associated with moderate drinking? A wide variety of health effects have been attributed to moderate drinking. A lower risk of diabetes has been seen in women and men.

There actually have been experiments done in which alcohol was administered over a couple of months to people without diabetes. In those studies, most of which have been conducted in women interestingly, it looks like moderate drinking improves the body's sensitivity to insulin.

It may actually lower insulin levels altogether and may prevent diabetes through that mechanism.

More recently we've done some work on moderate drinking and dementia. We looked at a group of older adults in the United States - average age was in the mid-70s - and found a reduced risk.

There has been some more work in slightly younger populations from Europe, and those studies have fairly consistently suggested that older adults who were drinking moderately may have a lower risk of dementia. We're not exactly sure what the mechanisms may be behind that.

Some of it may very well be because drinking tends to occur in social settings and just the process of getting out and socializing may be an important way to prevent dementia.

There is also evidence that moderate drinking may prevent silent strokes or other subtle types of brain injury that we know over time can predispose to dementia.

Doctors will advise one drink. What constitutes one drink? A glass of vine, a shot of whiskey or a can of beer. Well, I am no expert but maybe if you multiply one drink to 3 it equals to 3 drinks, you hit two birds with one stone. Feeling good or nice and taking care of your health as well.

It is not good to abuse anything, in moderation everything is fine. I am not a board member of San Miguel and this article is for us to appreciate the few good things in life and I am not promoting alcohol.

As Deepavali is approaching, to all those who are celebrating, Happy Deepavali and drink responsibly.

Just for laughs:-

WARNING: Consumption of alcohol may cause you to wake up with breath that could knock a buzzard off a shit truck at 100 yards.

WARNING: Consumption of alcohol is a major factor in dancing like an idiot.

WARNING: Consumption of alcohol may lead you to believe that ex-lovers are really dying for you to telephone them at 4 in the morning.

WARNING: Consumption of alcohol may cause you to tell the same boring story over and over again until your friends want to smash your head in.

WARNING: Consumption of alcohol may cause you to thay shings like thish.

WARNING: Consumption of alcohol may cause you to tell the boss what you REALLY THINK while photocopying your butt at the office Christmas party.

WARNING: Consumption of alcohol may leave you wondering what the hell ever happened to your pants (panties) anyway.

WARNING: Consumption of alcohol may cause you to roll over in the morning and see something really scary (whose species and/or name you can't remember).

WARNING: Consumption of alcohol is the leading cause of inexplicable rug burn on the forehead.

WARNING: Consumption of alcohol may create the illusion that you are tougher, handsomer, and smarter than some really, really huge biker guy named "Big Al".

Amused by Musings

2011-08-20T19:37:00.000-07:00

When I met my brother a few days ago, he asked me if I read the article written by Marina Mahathir in the Star titled, "We are always an exception" , Wednesday, August 17th. I said no. Simply because I stopped buying the Star as well ( meaning NST has been several years). Maybe sometimes on Sundays for my toilet read.Nothing much to read and lots of advertisements. The columnists like Joceline Tan , Baradan Kuppusamy, Wong Chun Wai are just for good laughs as it does not reflect the actual political reality. A ringgit and fifty cents is not worth it, add another 90 cents it is a loaf of gardenia.

Then I decided to go online to read what Marina Mahathir wrote as the curiosity killed me. Nothing much nothing unusual . What she wrote is what we knew about all long . Nothing new. She condemned those who drew analogy on the similarities between the Bersih rally and the recent riots in England.

Although I totally agree with her, there are issues to ponder. During the tenure of her father being the Prime Minister, would anyone dare to write or condemn his administration? Certainly not. Marina also went on to say that our leaders have the inability to distinguish between reality and fantasy. In my point of view, Bersih's march is in fact a reality, if this was during Mahathir's time it could have only been a fantasy. All of us would only dream to go to the streets and suddenly,snap, wake up , you are dreaming.

As I said earlier, I agree with what Marina has written. Freedom of speech and expression and the right to assemble without arms are rights given to Malaysians under Article 10(1)(a)and (b) of the federal constitution. When home ministry denies these rights then it is a clear abuse of power and violation of the human rights unless there are threats to the general public and properties. If you agree with the government's views and policies it is ok to go to the streets. UMNO youth used to be the champions of this.

Maybe Marina should rewind a little and start writing about :-

1. Operation Lalang, 1987 - This “White Terror” operation was essential to
silence all dissidents and to implement the assault on the judiciary the
following year. The Internal Security Act (ISA) was used to arrest and detain
without trial more than a hundred innocent peace-loving Malaysians and the
allegations of torture have never been investigated.

2. The Assault on the Judiciary, 1988 - This was a Machiavellian move to
frustrate the efforts by UMNO Team B to challenge Mahathir’s faction. The
Attorney-General during the time and accessory to this assault on the
judiciary happens to be the present Suhakam chairman, Abu Talib Othman. In
both these positions, Abu Talib was personally appointed by Mahathir. The
Malaysian judiciary has not recovered to this present day.

3. Displacement of 10,000 indigenous peoples from Bakun, 1998 - The Bakun Dam
project was another of Mahathir’s white elephants. It was conceived to supply
2400MW of electricity for a state whose total demand at the time was 200MW!
The worst part of it was the government went ahead with displacing 10,000
indigenous people even when the project had been shelved during the financial
crisis of 1997. Mahathir must bear responsibility for the certain ethnocide,
which is the result of the displacement to the Sg Asap Resettlement Scheme.

4. The political fixing of the former Deputy Prime Minister, 1998 - Anwar
Ibrahim, the former deputy prime minister, has recently been vindicated when
the Malaysian courts cleared his name from his convictions. Since his
incarceration, he has maintained that he was a victim of a political
conspiracy. As the head of the government, Mahathir must bear responsibility
for these false convictions and the six years of imprisonment Anwar suffered.
To the present day, Mahathir has not apologised to the former deputy prime
minister - even after the courts cleared the latter’s name and ordered the
former Inspector-General of Police to apologise for nearly killing the former
deputy prime minister in 1998.

5. Throughout Mahathir’s 22 years in office, human rights groups have documented
many violations involving the freedom of expression, assembly, association as
well as movement.

These are just a small portion of the large entirety.Therefore instead of condemning the current leadership, maybe Marina should start writing why the current leadership act and think and conduct themselves in such manner. I am in the opinion that the current state of affairs and the leadership's conduct is merely the results of the seeds planted by Mahathir Mohammad himself.

What you should read is the article written by the Sultannah of Johor, Her Majesty Raja Zarith Idris last Sunday 14th August 2011 in the Star. Her majesty in her article titled, London riots bring up question of the society, was an excellent read.read here (

Confucius On Sex

2011-08-18T19:48:00.000-07:00

Confusius on Sex

Virginity like bubble: one prick, all gone.

Man with hand in pocket feel cocky all day.

Foolish man give wife grand piano, wise man give wife upright organ.

Wife who put husband in doghouse soon find him in cat house.

Panties not best thing on earth, but next to it.

Man who fight with wife all day get no piece at night.

Man with tight trousers is pressing his luck.

Man kicked in testicles left holding bag.

Woman who wear jockstrap have make believe ballroom.

It take many nails to build crib, but one screw to fill it.

Secretary not permanent fixture until screwed on top of desk.

Hole happy, whole body happy.

Wash your face in the morning, neck at night.

Don't drink and park, accidents cause people.

Dumb man climb tree to get cherry, wise man spread limbs.

State of pregnancy exist when woman takes seriously something poked in fun.

Man who plays with self, pulls boner.

Passionate kiss like spider's web, soon lead to undoing of fly.

Marriage is like game of poker. You start with pair and end with full house.

Man trapped in brothel get jerked around.

Man's wife his better half, his mistress his better whole.

It is good for girl to meet boy in park, but better for boy to park meat in girl.

Man have more hair on chest than woman, but on whole woman have more.

Girl who have red hair have red hair, by cracky.

Man who lay woman on ground gets piece on earth.

Man who suck woman's tit make clean breast of things.

Woman laid in tomb may soon become mummy.

Man who lay girl on hillside is not on the level.

Man who jizz in cash register come into money.

Man with athletic finger make broad jump.

Man who marries girl with no bust have right to feel low down.

Man who fish in other man's well often catch crabs.

Don't sweat the petty stuff ... and don't pet the sweaty stuff.

What If PM Najib..............?

2011-08-03T21:08:00.000-07:00

Come to think of it, I realise something is not right. Actually so many things are not right. A situation where a striker scores own goals, having wine on the rocks, a diabetic drinking coke? Hmmm. To me these leads to serious consequences. PM Najib, I feel, some what is in a similar situation. I guess the approval rating is going down. His actions and decisions are not in the best interest of the ordinary rakyat (dengan izin). A seasoned politician, one of the youngest MP, the youngest Menteri Besar and years of experience in the cabinet and worked under three different prime ministers and i m puzzled. I wonder if he is getting any good advise at all, or just that his advisers are googling suggested solutions instead of listening to the grouses and grievances of the people.

Maybe PM Najib , to put it simply and plainly should be using certain psychological methods to play with the minds of the people such as reverse psychology. Reverse psychology is essentially asking for the opposite of what you want. You mother was probably really good at this by saying something like "I hate it when your room is so clean." If you were in a tyrannical mood when she said this, you might clean your room just to spite her.

This is the most blatant way to influence someone, but really only works on children when used this way. If you are dealing with adults, you need to be a little bit more sneaky especially if they are smart. Remember Malaysians are very much smarter now. We read all available materials online and other newspapers . So, I have thought of a few of what ifs, for all of us to think. The readers should honestly answer to yourselves if your perception towards PM Najib changes. At least a little?

1) What if PM Najib, on the 7th July, declares Bersih's rally is justified and instructs whoever to block certain roads (just like during Thaipusam ) for Bersih to march and orders the detractors to be arrested on sight(Perkasa and Pemuda).

2) What if PM Najib, immediately instructs Election Commissions to check if Permanent Residence are being registered as voters.

3) What if PM Najib, criticises home ministry when they deported French human rights lawyer .

4) What if PM Najib, openly disagrees with the unlawful detention of the EO6.

5) What if PM Najib, puts his foot down and say that Interlok must be withdrawn from the syllabus

6) What if PM Najib, says that all deserving students to get scholarships regardless of their race.

7) What if PM Najib, comes with a new policy that all students with straight A's to study in Malaysian Universities and no one will be sent overseas to curb brain drain.

8) What if PM Najib, announces that PPSMI to return with a better strategy to ensure all students are proficient with the English language

9) What if PM Najib, criticises Ibrahim Ali for all his uncouth remarks

10) What if PM Najib, reprimands Utusan for being racist and suspends it Chief Editor

11) What if PM Najib , authorises all mainstream media to give opposition fair air time

12) What if PM Najib, makes the people of Malaysia belief that the judiciary is truly independent.

13) What if PM Najib, takes the Presidents of MCA and MIC to task for not working hard enough for their communities.

14) What if PM Najib, ridicules MACC, immigration and customs and police for its lack of commitment

Since 14 is my lucky number I will stop here. PM Najib must sometime think like the opposition, agreeing with them when they are right . This method should defuse the opposition's tactics. This 14 points I guess is enough to win the elections if it is done and done quickly. After all, all prime ministers want to win elections. There are many more what ifs, and I am sure PM Najib can win with two thirds majority. The other what ifs, will bill PM Najib, half now half after winning the elections.

PM Najib needs real advisers from the grassroots, not political warlords who sits on the top and think they know all.

Till then...................

Malaysian First and Forever Malaysian

2011-07-28T20:34:00.000-07:00

Met an old friend recently. We first spoke about ourselves and the things we are involved in and so on and so forth. Just that he couldn't believe I was married and almost fell off the chair when I said I have a six months old boy. Then the famous topic started,politics. He started off by saying that we need a good Indian leader to lead us. My friend went on to say that Dato Ambiga is the right person to lead us and she has done a good job. I assume he is talking about Bersih . I am puzzled with his statement and rudely shocked. We still have naive individuals not getting it. Hopefully he reads my posting today.

This mentality must change. We must first start addressing ourselves as Malaysians or to start with for those who are not used to, Malaysian Indian. . Rajnikanth, Sachin Tendulkar, Aishwary Rai and Abdul Kalam are Indians . Two nights ago I watched Malaysia playing Singapore not because the coach , Datuk Rajagopal is a Malaysian of the Indian origin but as a Malaysian I want my team to win and of course to see Singapore getting trashed . Well, my hopes were dashed but then again I believe Datuk Rajagopal has changed the game and the team is playing football today. Syabas Datuk and to your young tigers keep up the momentum and we are here for you .

I like Dato Ambiga not because she is an Indian, but her genuine quest or crusade to ensure the elections are conducted fairly. I fly Airasia not for Tony Fernandes but because that particular day MAS was more expensive. I use Maxis, not because of Ananda Krishnan but the coverage is good. How many of us asked discounts from Tony Fernendes and Ananda Krishnan for being Indians? You think they will give? No, they will only think how to take it from us.

Just as my friend said that we need a good Indian leader something struck my imagination. To me it is like this.You can have Rajnikanth or the bullet biting Vijaykanth as MIC President tomorrow, they will still bow to their big brothers in the coalition. Rajni or Vijaykanth will still not ask why the community's university quota given to them to enter local universities are not filled. MIC President, Rajnikanth or Vijaykanth will also not ask why Interlock is not withdrawn from the current syllabus although it is very insulting and demeaning to the community as a whole. They just won't do it ,period.

At this juncture, I must congratulate Datuk Palanivel who will soon be made a full Minister. Datuk Sri Najib is generous indeed. Now there will be two Malaysians of the Indian Community sitting in a cabinet meeting. I am happy with the appointment but just that all this while there was only one warming up the chair and now there will be two. Warming up on the community's issue, otherwise they are diligent ministers.Will this move swing the community's votes? Mine, certainly not, I am matured. I was just wondering, as Najib announced the good news and all of a sudden Palanivel interjects and says," Unless Interlock is removed, I will not accept the Ministerial post". Wow, that could have swung some votes.

Keep the culture,get out off this thinking called "WE INDIANS" sort of attitude. Sivarasah Rasiah, Member of Parliament of Subang was criticised for not been having the ability to speak Tamil well.I am unable to digest this silly issue. So what if he cant speak Tamil well? Mr Sivarasah is a Malaysian, Malaysians voted him in,and he is doing a great job in his constituency. You cannot simply ask what has he done for Indians? He is not an MP for Madurai. As if all those who spoke good Tamil delivered.

MIC Presidents will come and go, the status quo will remain. UMNO President says 1Malaysia but still runs a race based party. The so called " HOLISTIC APPROACH" strategised by Dato Palanivel will not hold water.To me, MIC will remain irrelevant.All you know, those sitting in the MIC AGM today, receiving goodies might be voting for the opposition. All Indian based parties in Malaysia are only busy taking care of their own interest. No one will work for us, only we must work for ourselves. Empower ourselves with knowledge, hard work and never say die attitude will be the ultimate weapon for our future.

All Malaysians,from whichever ethnic background are facing some problems somewhere not only the Indians .The responsibility is in our hands to choose good leaders who will work for all Malaysians.We must accept the fact that we are Malaysians first. Be a Malaysian.

Till then

And It Makes Me Wonder.. ..Oh Oh Oh

2011-07-22T21:09:00.000-07:00

The title is a line from a famous, everyone knows the song, called Stairways to Heaven by the legendary , Led Zeppelin. I was told to graduate from this genre of music that I am in love with. To all my friends who advised, thank you. I love my Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, ACDC, Lynyrd Sknyrd, Black Sabbath, Jethro Tull, Bad Company , Deep Purple and a few more. This genre of music is my religion, and I am devout follower.

Then it also makes me wonder about Dr Mahathir's autobiography , A Doctor in the House which was the bestseller for so many months according to MPH's best sellers chart.The 800 page memoir , a recollection of his childhood days until his last days in the office as a Prime Minister and his unfulfilled hopes for Malaysia. Now this is what makes me wonder, his memories were suddenly impeccable. He remembered so many things. My word, a miracle performed by a doctor? I was under the impression that he is losing his memories as he could not remember so many facts during the Royal Commission of Inquiry. Which one? The VK Linggam famous correct correct correct video. It also makes me wonder, why this book was selling like a hot curry puff ( I am a Malaysian). Maybe, some bought to check what he forgot and some what he remembered. I did not buy it because I m quite sure there were so many issues he conveniently forgot. After all biasness filled with lies are the main disadvantages of an autobiography ,academically.

Air Asia moving to Jakarta? "Yes", said Tan Sri Tony Fernendes. He also said that , "Asean is based in Jakarta, and Indonesia will be the largest economy in Asean in times to come ... And I like it there" - enough, he said, to have impelled him to have already bought a home in Jakarta. Tony, characterised the move of the headquarters as a simple business decision to take advantage of Indonesia's vastly larger economy and population, which is nearly 10 times that of Malaysia's. It makes me wonder, why the denial now? Spoke too soon, Delilah has cut off Samson's hair? This is embarrassing, David Gold(one of the co-owners of West Ham United) ridiculed Tony for not being sincere in his bid to take over 51% of West Ham United stakes and call it a PR stunt. How can anyone TWEET an offer?

I wonder, if it is a compulsory to make silly statements to remain relevant in the political scene. The President of KIMMA, a newly appointed Senator, who is also a champion apple polisher asked for the revocation of Ambiga's citizenship. Idiotic? Yes. Then you have PPP President, not an apple polisher but sometimes does not put on his thinking cap, blamed the Bersih rally for Baharuddin's death. Kayveas, a lawyer by profession, please use your knowledge from your first year law degree subject called Criminal law and if you are not sure which chapter, look under CAUSATION and the test is called " BUT FOR TEST". A lot more silly statements, just that, rasa jelak nak tulis.

The other champion would be our home minister. Can Hishammudin Tun Hussein show us the statistics for the number of Africans who are selling perfumes and watches, China dolls, Indonesians , Filipinos and other nationalities who have violated their visas and therefore deported? According to Hishammudin, William Bourdan, the Human Rights lawyer form France has seriously violated his social visa. This is a blatant lie, or he didn't know that William Bourdan being a French citizen and France being a member nation of European Union, does not need a visa to travel into Malaysia. Phew...........This can go on and on. So, why was he deported?

Normally, if you are busy working day and night travelling extensively within the country ,maybe you need a good vacation overseas by the beach, sipping margarita, nice oil massage and great seafood with loved ones. Then you will appreciate the vacation. On the other hand, if you are overseas all the time, don't you think you need to rest at home,spend time with loved ones and eating otak otak? If the Malaysians can do without you when you are overseas working, I think we can also do without you when you are overseas vacationing. Then again it is the thought that matters. Appreciate it, thanks.

Finally, Amy Winehouse, rest in peace. I am not a fan but I have heard one or two songs of hers. For all who criticised this woman for being a junkie and alcoholic, please refrain from doing so. She is now dead and gone leaving behind a legacy of winning 5 Grammy awards which is an achievement. By the way, just realised that Amy has Winehouse for a surname. Now this really makes me wonder.

Till then..........

Nice To Be Back

2011-07-21T19:32:00.000-07:00

It has been eleven months.

So many events took place in the last 11 months. When I sit to analyse and think, my brains just shut. Too many issues.Too much of politicking. Too many lies and deceptions. Too many distractions. Too many of this and that which made me not interested in writing. Of all these events, only one good thing I will cherish forever, my son. He is now 6 months old, and looks a lot like me and he managed to steal his mother's beautiful eyes.

I now realise what mothers go through raising their children. Preparing milk, changing diapers, bathing , washing away his very stubborn and sticky fatty waste at times, singing him to sleep and dressing him up, getting up at nights of which I am hands on and very proud of it. It is a great joy to see my son Shyamalan, in the morning, smiling away to get his feed . My son and I have alot of things in common. We smile all the time, we like music, we like to talk and lastly we like our bottles. The only difference is that, he vomits at times, I don't.

Then the national issues . I have completely stopped buying newspapers. THE STAR reports in its headlines "IT IS ANWAR" and below it says that, "the experts say it is 99.99% it could be Anwar". If I happen to see these newspapers anywhere, I read the comic section, which I now find not as funny as our national issues. We have ministers, who were educated in England , that too having law degrees ,commenting and making ridiculous statements which tickles my funny bone. The ridiculous and not so smart remarks by our certain ministers make other law degree holders and graduates from other fields look small.

Soon we will have Saddam Hussein Award or Muammar Gaddafi Award created for most outstanding students, given away in a certain higher learning institute. The credibility of UiTM in terms of sanctioning Ibrahim Ali award is simply admirable. I am sure those graduated from UiTM now will be disgusted to associate themselves with this institution not for conferring, but even the mere thought of having to create such an award. If you take note, I mentioned Ibrahim Ali only once and now the second time, why, he is just not worth reading and writing about.

For those with an Indonesian maid, please instruct in English to "clean". If you say Bersih, you may get into trouble . Anyone whose lucky colour is Yellow, you are now damned in your own country. Najib would have scored some good points if he were to have kept to his words by allowing the ralliers to go to the stadium and shout all they want. I wonder who advised him. I am not saying that the election commission has to listen to all the demands, which ever is rectifiable immediately, do it. The Election commission must go for a crash course, please do not use the tax payers money and go to England for a week, staying in Ritz so on and so forth. Three hours flight only, go to India, you will find that the Indian Election Commission, which works without fear of favour ,a fully independent body and is a no nonsense institution. Instead of Najib being conferred an honorary doctorate, Ambiga bagged it. The world appreciates. I was just thinking, if Marina Mahathir would have attended the rally if her daddy was still the prime minister?

Many businessmen and senior managers are saying that business is slow, payments are delayed, no new orders are forth coming and so on. It has been difficult for people who chose to go and do business. For employees, it is also getting tougher, as prices of goods have shot up. In all this I noticed young Africans driving very nice cars. I wonder what they do here. I m sure not all of them are from rich background. Malaysians who studied and worked hard over the years are finding it difficult to have the lifestyle that these young Africans are having. This is not about being a sour grape. I wonder how they do it. Their number is growing.Soon the Africans might ask for a Senate seat, or certain constitution. The police , immigration and customs must be busy not taking notice of what is happening around them. Soon it will be too late and uncontrollable.

Anyway not all Malaysians are having bad times. A 29 year old bought an apartment in New York for a whopping $31 million. Another great Malaysian, bought a yacht for 14 billion ringgit. 14 Billion ringgit. My god, 14 billion ringgit. I just can't belief it.

Consumerism is a dirty word in Malaysia. Big organisations and or certain service providers are taking the Malaysian public for a royal ride. Malaysians must choose to litigate or file and go to court when the need arises. This could force these businesses to be more service oriented and start delivering the consumers part of the bargain. I don't miss Astro at all. First interruptions when it rains, and now when it shines. I m serious ,from 9 am till about 6 pm I have interruptions and Astro says I have to pay them, for a visit to rectify. Why the hell would I pay you a minimum of RM 50. If there is a problem, you rectify. The onus is not on me to do it. The dish is yours, the service is yours, therefore the problem is yours.I am in the midst of preparing a suit against Astro. I hope more people would come forward and do the same.

The height of courage is when you have a Manchester United fan going to the training ground in Man U's kit where Liverpool players are warming up and Malaysian Liverpool fans are watching them. I would also call it idiotic. Being a United fan myself, I find it unacceptable and in Malaysia please don't try it. We are much more staunch then the English themselves. Dato Rajagopal and his boys are doing Malaysians proud.The goal difference got smaller with first, 4 goals with Arsenal then 3 with Liverpool and last night 1 with Chealsea. Next English club might get defeated here and Villas-Boas might go back to Portugal much sooner than all the other managers of Chelsea.

More to come till then................

Pevention is Better

2010-08-23T23:02:00.000-07:00

We were all once a baby. I m sure, if we were to sit down and try and remember the way we were brought up especially the nurturing, the care, education and thousands of advises that we have got from our loving parents and thank god today, we are good children . At least my parents would not deny that.

So many years later, I see my own siblings having children. To me it is an additional responsibility as an uncle. Many of my friends too are parents today, and to my surprise, they are grown ups.

Any way before I digress further, the reason why I am penning down my thought is after seeing how irresponsible the young in our very own country throwing away infants as if they are garbage.

It is painful to read it almost everyday, that somewhere in Malaysia a baby is either rot to die, dumped in the rivers or thrown in the bins. It is even shameful for the authorities, over the years ,which has not come up with plans on how to prevent this brutal act from continuing. All we hear is that, the baby dumpers are to be punished. Let’s introduce death sentence so on and so forth.

Death sentence or any other sentences which are suggested by the authorities does not prevent from a child dying. The point of contention is that the INFANTS ARE ROT TO DEATH. This also suggests that, wait till a baby die, then we send a person to the gallows. I am totally against the capital punishment, which is primitive in nature and that too comes from a very learned person or persons. The minister should be talking about pro active measures to prevent infants from first being procreated in an illegal way.

The pornography is blamed. Pornography was available not now, but very long ago. Even when I was schooling, we did get access to pornography. If we could in mid 80’s I m very sure, everyone else would have got access to pornography then. Did we here about child dumping, teenage pregnancy and other social ills like what we hear today? Therefore, blaming pornography is not acceptable and I am also saying that it could be a small contributing factor.

There was no internet in the 80’s. Now we do. Internet is a great gift to the humanities. People who can’t think about any other valid reason, blames the internet. We are moving with times. We are paying the price for modernisation and ever rapidly changing technology. When you restrict a child from surfing, you deny him or her access to information. Sadly all our libraries are no longer adequate, and with a touch of a finger, you get almost anything and everything. So I submit that, blaming internet is lame but it is also a small contributory factor. The firewalls are inadequate. Children nowadays are smart in obtaining even the mirror images of the websites which are banned. When we do away the world wide web, then we are going Afghanistan, not forward.

What are the ways to prevent teenagers from condoning this acts namely teenage sex? Well, it may sound harsh, but I believe, it must start at home. Parents, must instill good values to all teenagers. Educating them about the good , the bad and the ugly side of sex. Parents should advise them from early age the different type of touches, and that this wrong touching must be reported to them(parents) immediately. Teenagers must also be advised that they may risk sexually transmitted deceases. There are variety of them such as syphilis, gonorrhea, Vietnam rose and HIV and explain to them the effects of this deceases. By explaining to them there are two possibilities. One, they will not engage in sex and two even if they do, they might use protection. It is a win win situation.

Parents should not be embarrassed in talking to their children about sex . Parents must also remember that by failing to do so, they might be put in a situation where the family’s honour is at stake and the life of their child could be at risk as well. So, it is ok for parents to educate their children about sex an also how important to maintain the family and ones honour . The teenager will be scarred for life, when she is faced with a situation to part from a child she bore out of wedlock and dumping them later.

The second phase is school. A comprehensive module should be prepared by the education ministry for these children to undergo. The education ministry thus far seems irresponsible in this matter. Teachers must also take measures to advise and counsel the students about the ill effects of sex and the consequences. Of course , teachers have their own duties , but they must also understand that this could happen under their very own nose, either in the school field or an empty class room.

Thirdly, the students themselves, who is young and vulnerable. They want to try doing what is censored on television. It all starts with a kiss and mild touch and then comes the big bang. The girls, should learn to say NO. This comes with greater education at home and greater supervision. I was eighteen, and whilst, studying in Rima College, 18 years ago, my father keeps constant contact with the Principal of the college, checking on me and also my brother. Sending children to school and college alone is not the whole responsibility but monitoring and keeping in touch with the relevant authorities in the school is vital, like good old days. Children then, become more aware that they are being watched and constantly monitored and this in turn would instill fear in these children and I believe 50 % of the war is won. Parents’ nowadays are understandably busy to make ends meet. I still am confident that proper monitoring is key to prevention.

These are some of the prevention methods I can think off . Thus far this year officially about 70 babies excluding foetuses have been dumped in this country and a total of 472 since 2005 and almost half contributed to the death statistics. I am devastated. When I think about couples who are trying to have a child or children, my heart aches. This is certainly not fair. And my prayers are for these couples to be blessed with children soon.

The relevant authorities should take note that the statistics will increase if preventive actions are not taken immediately. Saying is easy, doing is everything. Please work. You guys are voted in to solve our problems. I am busy therefore I cannot or don’t want to be the Prime Minister or members of the cabinet or an elected representative of the House, that is why I decided to vote you all in to ease my or our burden not to increase.

This article is not to blame any one but to create awareness that all of us in this society must act responsibly and land a helping hand in which ever way we can to prevent innocent lives being lost.

Till then.

Don't Go.

2010-05-26T00:55:00.000-07:00

The first time I met Dato Sri S Samy Vellu, I was four years old. He was invited to officiate the opening of a temple built by my father in 1978. I remember sitting on his lap in his official car then. That was something special those days. He was the Deputy Minister of Housing and Local Government and also the Deputy President of MIC.

He is a man of records. The longest serving President of a party and the longest serving Minister in the cabinet.He also had longest serving deputy for 27 years . He was not reappointed to the cabinet after his bitter loss to the third time lucky Dr Micheal Jeyakumar in the 2008 general elections. To add salt to the injury, he lost on his birth date, March 8th.

Samy Vellu, faced a lot of controversies,such as Maika Holdings, Aimst University, Telekom shares and sacking those who went against him . I don't want to dwell into it. Everybody knows it. These are his major controversies and there are many minor ones. The irony is that, he survived or surviving all of it. If the MACC cannot charge him due to lack of evidence then technically he is clean.

Over the years, I have heard many people complaining and talking about getting rid of him. No one could do anything . He survived 11 general assemblies, and no one could unseat him. Logical explanation is that the members of the party want him. I remember even Tun Dr Mahathir said , he could do nothing as he is elected by the members of the MIC. Please remember that MIC is a component party of the Barisan Nasional. Most of the people who wants him out are not members of MIC. They are outsiders. There is nothing you could do.

When you ask a member of MIC, they want him to stay.Of course except for a few , also now sacked and no more in the party. Mugilan, KP Samy and Kumar Amanan are all trying to express the party president's exit, when he has already offered to step down in 8 or 9 months. The trio has also asked PM Najib who is now busy doing work, to help resolve a problem in MIC which does not exist.

When Pak Lah was pressured to quit, it was Muhyiddin Yassin who voiced out, an UMNO vice president then. When MCA wanted Ong Tee Teat (OTK) to step down , the Deputy President himself played the vicious game to bring OKT down. In MIC , it is all the President's men. Deputy President, Vice Presidents and the CWC is with the President. How to dislodge the President when the whole team is behind him? The Youth movement is even willing to look at MIC's membership with the BN component if it finds that UMNO is behind GAS.The President is so strong that his son can be appointed to the CWC without the CWC members themselves knowing. The top leaders of MIC is one.

The former deputy President for 27 years, arch nemesis of the party President, who claimed that 100,000 over members were sacked from MIC (mostly his men)could do nothing to unseat him. He still enjoyed his tenure as the deputy being a member of parliament and deputy minister for all those years without fighting for members who were sacked because of him. How do we expect Palanivel, who lost his parliamentary seat and lost the chance to re contest the seat when it was available to him and who is now made a senator to go against Samy Vellu. That is betrayal. NO !NO !.

I received a call to join the GAS movement, my answer was simple. A plain NO. My friend asked, "don't you want him to go."? I said ,it is none of my business. I am not a member of MIC. I don't believe in race based parties. I am a Malaysian first and a Malaysian last.In my point of view, Samy Vellu is the legitimate President of the party. He should stay on at least until his tenure ends. If he offers to quit, then accept it. No one has the right to push him to quit. You can lodge GAS or scud, this iron man will face it. Remember the more you push .......... Till then

Asian rankings: UM, UKM slip further

2010-05-13T20:13:00.000-07:00

Malaysia's top government universities have risen a few notches on the Top 200 Asian Universities Ranking, according to surveyors Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings.
MCPX
Although Universiti Malaya (UM) fell to position 42 from 39 for 2009, other higher educational institutions in the country have maintained their position or even advanced.

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), however, dropped from position 51 to 58 to be at par with Taiwan's National Central University and the Philippines' Ateneo de Manila University.

UM, once the nation's premier university, was among the world's top 100 higher educational institutions in 2004 but dropped out of the global index in 2006.

Faring better in their Asian ranking were Universiti Putera Malaysia, climbing from position 90 to 77, while International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) rose from 156 from 201.

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), which received the Apex University status in 2009, maintained its ranking of 69 while Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) remained at 82.

The UK-based resource on higher education rated the University of Hong Kong at the top of their list followed by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

The National University of Singapore ranked third out of the 200 Asian universities surveyed, an improvement of seven points from 2009.

Any Donkey Would Have Won

2010-04-25T22:05:00.001-07:00

It was an unpleasant Sunday night. Although the results of Hulu Selangor by election is an expected one, seeing a candidate like Dato Zaid Ibrahim losing is totally unacceptable. Little did the voters realise that they have failed to vote in the best election candidate ever. It is Hulu Selangor's loss.

One of the many reasons BN won the by election was due to monies pouring in to secure the win. Unofficial figures went up to RM 67 million but it is pretty more . The PM spent three good days in Hulu Selangor promising again the undelivered promises, promised every elections. With the PM, DPM and former PM and many more ministers, not forgetting SPRM , police and the scrupulous prime media were aiding in the election and with 731 spoilt votes and together with postal votes, managing 1725 majority in a by election, is shameful and nothing great.

The Pakatan should receive more credit.Although some claim that Tan Sri Khalid was not doing things right, and right things. All Pakatan leaders were there to support Dato Zaid, mainly, DSAI, Lim Kit Siang , Tok Guru and many more state and national level leaders. Unlike the BN, Samy Vellu, Khir Toyo, Muhammad Muhammad Taib and also Chua Soi Lek were advised not to campaign as it would have been favourable towards Pakatan. The surprising fact is that this is the first by election with Mahathir's presence and BN won. The rest only saw defeat.

It is too obvious what BN is doing, desperate and must chalk a win. Worse still reporting back to Obama that BN has still got support after spending over a RM 100 million for this by election. Amongst all these , one fellow who hit jackpot at the expenses of Palanivel is none other than the new Member of Parliament for Hulu Selangor, P Kamalanathan.

Palanivel already gave signals to the MIC number 1 that he is ready to take over the party . Yesterday's press statement clearly indicates that he is ready and now putting pressure on the political maestro who staged a great play naming Kamalanathan as the candidate for the by election. Why is the President a maestro is because , he knew for sure that the whole BN machinery , by hook or by crook has to win this by election. Palanivel should be upset, I think he is damn soar that he could have been a cabinet minister after the cabinet reshuffle. Again , I am stressing the point that if Kamal can win Palanivel, could have won with bigger majority. With the whole of Barisan's support especially the PM's , Palanivel has nothing to worry except that he must be careful not to step on the President's tail and Palanivel will be out in the next party elections. So Palanivel, don't push your luck too soon. Wait. On the other hand, after the press statement yesterday, MIC would have already planned to sideline him.

The people of Hulu Selangor has to ensure that all election promises are fulfilled, which I doubt. The Felda settleres' issues could have been easily solved by the state government as all land matters are under the state government's jurisdiction and not the Federal's. The settlers were promised a million each long time ago and were short changed by the Federal government for a mere RM 50,000 each. The people of Hulu Selangor being short sighted have thrown away a chance to solve a problem which was not solved for the last 16 years. A tamil school in Serendah and also RM 3 million for a Chinese School have been promised by the PM. If the government of the day and its lawmakers were to put in a lot of effort from day one, you need not fight this far. The people will vote you in. Your strategies are totally wrong and I can't guess who is advising you.

The public would like to see if the government of the day will be able to spend the same amount for all the 222 parliamentary seats come the 13th General Elections.

1 Malaysia Candidate

2010-04-19T22:44:00.000-07:00

I never liked writing about MIC. Simply because, why waste time thinking about something that is irrelevant and not important. I blame myself for this because I have itchy thoughts and itchy fingers.

Hulu Selangor parliament seat belongs to MIC . The seat became vacant following the death of Datuk Dr Zainal Abidin Ahmad from PKR. Palanivel won the seat on four occasions, 1990,1995,1999 and 2004. He tasted the defeat in the last 2008 General Elections with razor thin majority. The President of MIC has named Palanivel as its candidate within 24 hours of the death of the incumbent. UMNO being the master within the BN coalition tested MIC by trying to take the seat and Mike Tyson was lobbying for the seat. As usual it was all a drama, until the PM came out openly and ended the speculation that the seat will go to MIC,but the candidate will be chosen or endorsed by him(PM).

Drama within drama. According to sources, MIC president did not intent to field Palanivel, but Kamalanathan instead, from day one. UMNO had on their side , heavy lobbyist called Mugilan in their mind. It looked like as though MIC president was pushing for Palanivel and UMNO was pushing for Mugilan and Kamalanathan was suggested as a compromise candidate. For this alone ,I salute MIC president for politicking in the highest level. According to sources also Kamalanathan is the MIC president's relative.(good motive)

I think the MIC president was always afraid that his deputy would be a full Minister, like what happened to the former deputy president of MIC for 27 years Dato S Subramaniam. It will seem like Palanivel will have more power than the party president himself. All this in assumption if Palanivel wins the by election. This is eminent as the PM will be reshuffling the cabinet. Secondly, if Palanivel wins then Dato Dr Subramaniam , MP for Segamat and the HR Minister will be dropped to a deputy minister and another current deputy will have to be removed (Devamany or Saravanan). This would in turn create unease within the party. MIC is the only BN coalition party that does not have problem.

My point is this. Would you allow your neighbour to decide to whom your daughter should get married to? MIC will. The president of MIC should have put his foot down and told off UMNO. They didn't . This is why I said, I don't like writing about MIC. You cannot decide who you should pick as a candidate, why bother being a partner of the coalition? Malaysians of the Indian origin reject MIC because if you can't stand for yourself, how could you for the society?

All the best, Kamalanathan, should you win. Have your own identity. I see you as Kamalanathan and nothing so 1Malaysia about your name. Have your own identity. Kissing DPM's hand shows , MIC is a coolie and not a partner within the coalition. Speaking up for PERKASA shows how desperate you are. Being a Mass Communication graduate, see if you can define and not describe what 1Malaysia is.

Section 377 A

2010-03-28T21:17:00.001-07:00

Last night I was eagerly waiting for the MCA presidential results. I did anticipate the winners of both the Presidential and Deputy's posts.The deductions were correct. Sometimes , it is thrilling to see if my anticipation could be wrong i.e. Ong Tee Keat winning the Presidential election.

Congratulations Dr Chua. If Clinton makes it to the Oval office for a second term despite being involved with Ms Lewinsky after all MCA, why not?.

I am surprised with the MCA delegates' conviction to vote in Dr Chua. The delegates should go back and justify to their wives and children why they voted a man who has moral problems (if adultery is a moral problem for MCA delegates). Why they voted in a man to lead a party where he himself failed to lead by example as a leader in his own home. Will we tell our children and wife it is ok to commit adultery. Are we showing our younger generation the right example? Probably since he is united with his wife, the delegates presumed he is also capable of uniting the MCA members. Lets see.

When the cabinet reshuffles in the near future, we might have a man whose sexual escapades videoed and viewed by almost all walks of life in this country. I used the word "might" because he may choose not to accept the cabinet position. I doubt it . He might be the next Transport Minister. So, case closed.

I also wonder why despite admitting that he was the one featured in the video, no actions taken against him. The police have not moved on Dr Chua. . The woman was performing oral sex on him. Lay man's term BLOW JOB. Section 377A clearly says that "Any person who has sexual connection with another person by the introduction of the penis into the anus or mouth of the other person is said to commit carnal intercourse against the order of nature. Are those in the ruling party immune to Section 377A, B, C ?????????????????????

Then we have immediate past president attempting to make a comeback. Would you believe that this man receiving second highest votes? He is the worst performing President of MCA , who led his party to the 2008 General Elections losing 25 of the 40 Parliament seats and 59 out of 90 state seats contested. This goes to show that something is wrong with the delegates in terms of CHOICE.

Ong Tee Keat, I am being diplomatic( for journalism purpose). I would say he is not smart at all and in my own words, I rather not say it. How are you now going to walk your talk? You too, just like all other politicians, deceived the people into believing that you are sincere (in solving so many problems) and now your mission and philosophy is not even a question mark, it is a full stop. If I were you, I will quit my MP post. At least now choose doing what you are good at , politics is certainly not your cup of tea.

As I said in my earlier stories, the 12th General elections is jinxed. We are about to face the 10th bye election after Hulu Selangor seat fell vacant a week ago. Samy Vellu has already named the candidate for the bye election. UMNO is asking who are to name the candidate. The Barisan leadership will decide who is the candidate for Hulu Selangor. All you know an UMNO candidate might me contesting the seat.

Khir Toyo is particularly concerned if Palanivel contests the seat. One of the many concerns would be, what happens to Dato Dr Subramaniam , the HR Minister, if Palanivel wins? Two scenarios. One, the PM with his prerogative powers may give another full ministership to MIC which is long due.Since Samy Vellu is no longer a minister in the cabinet, he might support the idea of having two full ministers in the cabinet and Secondly, Dato Dr Subra will have to step down due to the hierarchy where Palanivel sits higher in the party and conventionally he will resume the full ministers position. Unless Palanivel says, he doesn't want to be a full minister which sounds like Alice in Wonderland.

At this juncture, Khir Toyo should just leave the worrying about MIC and its candidates and the cabinet reshuffle to the PM. He knows best. Perhaps he should specialise further in dentistry so that he can own bigger houses.If Dato Zaid Ibrahim were to contest the Hulu Selangor seat, then no one should worry about MIC's membership in the cabinet. I am sure the status quo will remain. Till then.

What is Happening?

2010-03-04T01:47:00.001-08:00

As I have not found anyone to speak to on Malaysian politics (or rather no one wants to speak about it), I have decided to write. After three months absence from penning down my thoughts, today, it gave me the right platform to write on.

During the last general elections, none of us would have expected Pakatan Rakyat parties would do this well. After all we are not even in the main stream politics therefore it is ok for us not have such thoughts. What about Dato Sri Anwar Ibrahim (DSAI)? Even he did not expect it? I bet you , he did not. DSAI's index rose as he apologised publicly that he made wrong choices of candidates, although that was expected much earlier.

DSAI, did not have enough good people in the party, I mean, credible ones. Can you imagine how DSAI is feeling now? He gave this few individuals an opportunity to serve the people and to represent the peoples' voices in the Parliament. He chose a bunch of ungrateful people whom you cannot trust and leave your sister with. These are betrayers, double crossers, and have no pride . Would anyone vote Zulkifli Noordin or Mohsin Fadzil if they were not representing Keadilaan? This individuals still believe that they are high and mighty, because they are MPs. This jacks have no clue that they work for us. They have to KAO TOW us the rakyat and not other wise.

The Rakyat voted in people who have personal interest in their minds. How would the people know? Even DSAI did not have a clue that he is going to be played out. Therefore it is good to get rid or accept the resignation of this shameless double crossing jacks now. The constituents should exercises their rights in forcing these people who have no principles to step down and call for a by election. Shameless people like Zahrain, Tan Tee Beng and Mohsin if they have balls they should step down and now evaluate if they could win the seats being independent and or other Barisan Parties.

What is the remedy then for the coming general election? DSAI or anyone else who is taking over the party (if DSAI is revisiting his friends in the cell hopefully not)should screen the candidates thoroughly. And rule number one is that they should not be from UMNO. Rule number two they must be (reasonably) doing well so that they are not easily enticed with money . Rule number three a sound educational background and was never a party hopper like our famous frog Ibrahim Ali (looks like one as well). These are some of the criterias I could think of at this very moment.

DSAI also said that the resignation of the PKR reps will not change the status quo of seat allocations,I am now worried. I suggest that, PSM, PAS and DAP to have better seat allocations because in the last two years it has been proven that candidates from PAS, DAP and PSM have greater pride in their parties then that off the PKR reps. With four state assemblymen and 3 MPs, leaving the party it is evident enough.With all due respect to DSAI, our minds must be open to accept other equally good leaders as future prime minister of this country.

I am not sure if the government from time to time surveying their relevance. If they did, I am sure they will be vary of what is going to happen in the coming elections. To all those out there, you have to plant the seed of faith. Do not check everyday if it will sprout. Then you are not sure. Plant it and let it sprout. Faith is very important .Till then

The Amazing Cucumber

2009-11-24T01:19:00.000-08:00

This information was in The New York Times several weeks ago as part of their "Spotlight on the Home" series that highlighted creative and fanciful ways to solve common problems.

1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.

3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.

4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.

5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phyto-chemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!
6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!

7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explorers for quick meals to thwart off starvation.
8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don't have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.

9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!

10. Stressed out and don't have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber will react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown to reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.

11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don't have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phyto-chemicals will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

12. Looking for a 'green' way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but it won't leave streaks and won't harm your fingers or fingernails while you clean.

13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!

Do Hindus Worship Cows?

2009-11-19T09:30:00.000-08:00

Hindus regard all living creatures as sacred—mammals, fishes, birds and more. They acknowledge this reverence for life in our special affection for the cow. At festivals we decorate and honor her, but we do not worship her in the sense that we worship the Deity. To the Hindu, the cow symbolizes all other creatures. The cow is a symbol of the Earth, the nourisher, the ever-giving, undemanding provider. The cow represents life and the sustenance of life. The cow is so generous, taking nothing but water, grass and grain. It gives and gives and gives of its milk, as does the liberated soul give of his spiritual knowledge. The cow is so vital to life, the virtual sustainer of life, for many humans. The cow is asymbol of grace and abundance.Veneration of the cow instills in Hindus the virtues of gentleness, receptivity and connectedness with nature.

Who is the greatest giver on planet Earth today? Who do we see on every table in every country of the world— breakfast, lunch and dinner? It is the cow. McDonald’s cow-vending golden arches and their rivals have made fortunes on the humble cow. The generous cow gives milk and cream, yogurt and cheese, butter and ice cream, ghee and buttermilk. It gives entirely of itself through sirloin, ribs, rump, porterhouse and beef stew. Its bones are the base for soup broths and glues. It gives the world leather belts, leather seats, leather coats and shoes, beef jerky, cowboy hats—you name it. The only cow-question for Hindus is, “Why don’t more people respect and protect this remarkable creature?” Mahatma Gandhi once said, “One can measure the greatness of a nation and its moral progress by the it treats the animals.

Cow protection to me is not mere protection of the cow. It means protection of all that lives and is helpless and weak in the world. The cow means the entire subhuman world.” In the Hindu tradition, the cow is honored, garlanded and given special feedings at festivals all over India, most importantly the annual Gopashtama festival. Demonstrating how dearly Hindus love their cows, colorful cow jewelry and clothing is sold at fairs all over the Indian countryside. From a young age, Hindu children are taught to decorate the cow with garlands, paint and ornaments. Her nature is epitomized in Kamadhenu, the divine, wish-fulfilling cow. The cow and her sacred gifts—milk and ghee in particular—are essential elements in Hindu worship, penance and rites of passage. In India, more than 3,000 institutions called Gaushalas, maintained by charitable trusts, care for old and infirm cows. And while many Hindus are not vegetarians, most respect the still widely held code of abstaining from eating beef. By her docile, tolerant nature, the cow exemplifies the cardinal virtue of Hinduism, non injury, known as ahimsa. The cow also symbolizes dignity, strength, endurance, maternity and selfl ess service. In the Vedas, cows represent wealth and joyous Earthly life. From the Rig Veda (4.28.1;6) we read. “The cows have come and have brought us good fortune. In our stalls, contented, may they stay! May they bring forth calves for us, many-colored, giving milk for Indra each day. You make, O cows, the thin man sleek; to the unlovely you bring beauty. Rejoice our homestead with pleasant lowing. In our assemblies we laud your vigor.”

Why Do Hindus worship the cow? Hindus don’t worship cows. We respect, honor and adore the cow. By honoring this gentle animal, who gives more than she takes, we honor all creatures.

Education System

2009-11-19T01:13:00.001-08:00

Teachers are god. That is how I see them . They gave us education, an asset which has no depreciating value. I came across many teachers in my primary and secondary schools, who tirelessly fed me with knowledge and the basics of survival. Dear Teachers, thank you all. Without you, I would have been a waste.

What made me a balanced student is that, I also received the same guidance at home ,when it comes to education. My parents' emphasis was education. My parents' dreams were to see all of us graduating . The emphasis was from very young. I remember my brother and I were fighting for the newspaper, I was nine and my brother was ten.We were fighting to check which cartoon was playing on which channel. The Times Two of New Straits Times tore due to a tug of war . Dad came back in the evening after office hours and gave us something we remembered for months. From that day onwards, dad's instructions were crystal clear. When he is home for tea , he will check us on what had had happened ,may it be in Malaysia or the rest of the world. This in turn got us interested in acquiring additional knowledge . Today we thank our dad, for making us addicted to the newspapers.

Every aspect of education is in the newspaper. Science, geography, commerce, history, language (if you read English papers , you improve English and Malay newspaper, you improve your bahasa). General knowledge is the other important area which helps students in writing their examinations. You get to know the capitals of the countries and their leaders , currencies , current happenings so on and so forth. I would suggest parents to start enriching their children by starting them with reading newspapers. Knowing your text book is good, but not good enough.

Parents should go to schools often to check on the progress of their children, not only talking or advising them when they receive report cards.The reason for me to write on this subject is because I hear parents blaming teachers. It is not fair. I believe all parties need to put in the efforts for their child's future. Parents, teachers and most importantly, the students themselves. A parent cannot say that " I can only bring the horse to the water". Honestly your child is not a horse. Motivating and coming up with new approaches or techniques would create interest in them to study harder. If you can train a horse to jump I don't see any difficulty in training them to drink water.

To what I see, the Malaysian education system does not create thinking students.This leads the students to memorise . I don't blame the students. If the education system keeps asking WHAT, WHERE and WHEN kind of questions, any one will memorise. Instead they should ask questions such as HOW or ELABORATE WITH EXAMPLES, CAUSE and EFFECT or case study based questions , I m sure we will be able to develop thinking students. Metaphorically speaking, you send a person to an uninhabited island, with food, and all other survival instruments or kits, he will have no problem surviving. Try sending him with nothing. This is when they develop thinking skills and when they survive , these are champions. I would also suggest that Education Ministry, to develop a special module on Critical Thinking Skills. I can do it for you for a fee.

My deduction as to the reason for poor quality students is because we have Education Ministers and or their deputy themselves are not fit to be one. Name me one Education Minister in Modern Malaysia who has brought in positive results within the system? Please don't think hard. There is none. Name me one Education Minister who would have sat down with the teachers themselves and asked them the problems they are facing? Are they well motivated? Why would individuals who have vowed to take on this Nobel profession suffering of depression?

If necessary I am willing to give a lecture on INTERNAL MARKETING to the Education Ministry. Paying salary is not the only responsibility of the ministry. Motivating , guiding and making them to share a common goal (if there is one) and consistent in monitoring the students' achievements by the individual teachers would ensure that the quality can be maintained or improved. I believe teachers should also be compensated accordingly.

The latest talk of the town is PUAD ZARKASHI, Deputy Education Minister, who recently spoke without wearing his thinking cap on. His comment on organisations using English as weird is really weird. Puad cannot compare Malaysia , with France , Korea or Japan. We Malaysians have our own identity. Bahasa Malaysia is our national language and we are good at it. We have our own culture and identity . If Puad thinks that way, he should have been in his Baju Melayu as he spoke, not in a suit. This is evident that poor quality of our cabinet members contributes to the quality of the work force and our students.

We Malaysians have had enough with this sort of MPs, Ministers and their deputies. I urge the PM to advise his cabinet members to think before they talk. They don't make sense most of the time. People like Puad is certainly not qualified to be a deputy minister of Education. Till then .

What Is Karma

2009-11-15T03:46:00.000-08:00

Karma is basically energy. I throw energy out through thoughts, words and deeds, and it comes back to me, in time, through other people. Karma is our best teacher, for we must always face the consequences of our actions and thus improve and refine our behavior, or suffer if we do not. Hindus look at time as a circle, as things cycle around again. Professor Einstein came to the same conclusion. He saw time as a curve,and space as well. This would eventually make a circle. Karma is a very just law which, like gravity, treats everyone the same.

Because Hindus understand karma, we do not hate or resent people who do us harm. We understand they are giving back the effects of the causes we set in motion at an earlier time. The law of karma puts man at the center of responsibility for everything he does and everything that is done to him.

Karma is a word we hear quite often on television. “This is my karma,” or “It must have been something I did in a past life to bring such good karma to me.” We hear karma simply defined as “What goes around, comes around.” In some schools of Hinduism, karma is looked upon as something bad—perhaps because we are most aware of this law when we are facing difficult karma, and not so aware of it when life is going smoothly. Even some Hindus equate karma with sin, and this is what evangelical Christians preach that it means. Many people believe that karma means “fate,” a preordained destiny over which one has no control, which is also untrue.

The process of action and reaction on all levels—physical, mental and spiritual—is karma. Here is an example. I say kind words to you, and you feel peaceful and happy. I say harsh words to you, and you become ruffled and upset. The kindness and the harshness will return to me, through others, at a later time. This is karma. An architect thinks creative, productive thoughts while drawing plans for a new building. But were he to think destructive, unproductive thoughts, he would soon not be able to accomplish any kind of positive task even if he desired to do so. This is karma, a natural law of the mind. We must also be very careful about our thoughts, because thought creates, and thoughts make karmas—good, bad and mixed.

Moral of the story is, always think good for others and never hate anyone. Till Then

Food For Medicine (must read)

2009-11-14T04:44:00.000-08:00

HEADACHE? EAT FISH!
Eat plenty of fish -- fish oil helps prevent headaches.
So does ginger, which reduces inflammation and pain.
EasternPrism says take Panadol and sleep

HAY FEVER? EAT YOGURT!
Eat lots of yogurt before pollen season.
Also-eat honey from your area (local region) daily.
EasternPrism says Gulp down two very chill beers and relax

TO PREVENT STROKE DRINK TEA!
Prevent buildup of fatty deposits on artery walls with regular doses of tea. (actually, tea suppresses my appetite and keeps the pounds from invading....Green tea is great for our immune system)!
EasternPrism says, eat everything in moderate and don't get stressed.

INSOMNIA (CAN'T SLEEP?) HONEY!
Use honey as a tranquilizer and sedative.

EasternPrism says, have couple of stouts, you will sleep

ASTHMA? EAT ONIONS!!!!
Eating onions helps ease constriction of bronchial tubes. (when I was young, my mother would make onion packs to place on our chest, helped the respiratory ailments and actually made us breathe better).
EasternPrism says, pouring brandy in black pepper crab Rasam will help

ARTHRITIS? EAT FISH, TOO!!
Salmon, tuna, mackerel and sardines actually prevent arthritis. (fish has omega oils, good for our immune system)
EasternPrism says, there are some small cheap tablets in Chinese Medicine hall very effective

UPSET STOMACH? BANANAS - GINGER!!!!!
Bananas will settle an upset stomach.
Ginger will cure morning sickness and nausea.
EasternPrism says, take strong black tea. That works as a stopper

BLADDER INFECTION? DRINK CRANBERRY JUICE!!!!
High-acid cranberry juice controls harmful bacteria.
EasternPrism says, please see doctor immediately

BONE PROBLEMS? EAT PINEAPPLE!!!
Bone fractures and osteoporosis can be prevented by the manganese in pineapple.

EasternPrism says, take calcium tablets

PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME? EAT CORNFLAKES!!!!
Women can ward off the effects of PMS with cornflakes, which help reduce depression, anxiety and fatigue.
EasternPrism says, yet to encounter this problem, no comments

MEMORY PROBLEMS? EAT OYSTERS!
Oysters help improve your mental functioning by supplying much-needed zinc.
EasternPrism says, be organised and it solves alot of problem

COLDS? EAT GARLIC!
Clear up that stuffy head with garlic. (remember, garlic lowers cholesterol, too.)
EasternPrism says, vodka neat ( 7-8 shots) . No more Cold. Its over

COUGHING? USE RED PEPPERS!!
A substance similar to that found in the cough syrups is found in hot red pepper. Use red (cayenne) pepper with caution-it can irritate your tummy.
EasternPrism says, avoid anything that can irritate your throat including talking to those you are not fond of

BREAST CANCER? EAT Wheat, bran and cabbage
Helps to maintain estrogen at healthy levels.
EasternPrism says, do self examination frequently or see the doctors(female) regularly

LUNG CANCER? EAT DARK GREEN AND ORANGE AND VEGGIES!!!
A good antidote is beta carotene, a form of Vitamin A found in dark green and orange vegetables.
EasternPrism says, cut down on cigarettes, going to poluted areas and poor ventilated pubs

ULCERS? EAT CABBAGE ALSO!!!
Cabbage contains chemicals that help heal both gastric and duodenal ulcers.
EasternPrism says, avoid spicy food

DIARRHEA? EAT APPLES!
Grate an apple with its skin, let it turn brown and eat it to cure this condition. (Bananas are good for this ailment)
EasternPrism says it again, strong black tea, confirm stops

CLOGGED ARTERIES? EAT AVOCADO!
Mono unsaturated fat in avocados lowers cholesterol.
EasternPrism says, squeeze juice off small onions and mix it with honey, a tablespoon every morning and have some alcohol everyday

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE? EAT CELERY AND OLIVE OIL!!!
Olive oil has been shown to lower blood pressure.
Celery contains a chemical that lowers pressure too.

EasternPrism says it again , two glasses of vine and enellapril 50mg a day

BLOOD SUGAR IMBALANCE? EAT BROCCOLI AND PEANUTS!!!
The chromium in broccoli and peanuts helps regulate insulin and blood sugar.
EasternPrism says, no rice, no sweet stuff , no beer only whiskey

Kiwi: Tiny but mighty. This is a good source of potassium, magnesium, Vitamin E &fiber. It's Vitamin C content is twice that of an orange.

Apple: An apple a day keeps the doctor away? Although an apple has a low Vitamin C content, it has antioxidants &flavonoids which enhances the activity of Vitamin C thereby helping to lower the risks of colon cancer, heart attack & stroke.

Strawberry: Protective fruit. Strawberries have the highest total antioxidant power among major fruits &protects the body from cancer causing, blood vessels clogging free radicals. (Actually, any berry is good for you..they're high in anti-oxidants and they actually keep us young.........blueberries are the best and very versatile in the health field........they get rid of all the free-radicals that invade our bodies)

Orange: Sweetest medicine. Taking 2 - 4 oranges a day may help keep colds away, lower cholesterol, prevent & dissolve kidney stones as well as lessen the risk of colon cancer.

Watermelon: Coolest Thirst Quencher. Composed of 92% water, it is also packed with a giant dose of glutathione which helps boost our immune system. They are also a key source of lycopene - the cancer fighting oxidant. Other nutrients
found in watermelon are Vitamin C &Potassium. (watermelon also has natural substances [natural SPF sources] that keep our skin healthy, protecting our skin from those darn suv rays)

Guava &Papaya: Top awards for Vitamin C. They are the clear winners for their high Vitamin C content. Guava is also rich in fiber which helps prevent constipation

Papaya is rich in carotene, this is good for your eyes. (also good for gas and indigestion)

Tomatoes are very good as a preventative measure for men, keeps those prostrate problems from invading their bodies.
EasternPrism has started tomatoe farming since reading this article.

Have a good weekend. Till then

Interview With JobsDB Corporate Newsletter

2009-11-12T19:11:00.000-08:00

Interview with online recruitment site, JobsDB Malaysia, on Knowledge Universe, Malaysian workforce and the need for employers to have quality workforce. Click on the above for the JobsDB November 09, Corporate newsletter.

Excerpts from the article:

'Higher learning centres like Knowledge Universe are one of the avenues employers can tap to help to develop quality workforce in the country. Still, it is important to instill the need to upgrade themselves as employees are at times just too focussed on getting paycheque at the end of the month...'

'“(Upgrade education) is a mechanism to see themselves in a wider spectrum, where they are able to fit anywhere,” said Prem. At any time the companies positions themselves to fit into the volatile and changing market atmosphere, the employees can find themselves ready and able to adapt, a clear advantage to avoid high turnover in the companies...'

For full article click here: An Upgraded Employee is a Boon

Interview With JobsDB Jobseeker Newsletter

2009-11-11T21:55:00.000-08:00

Interview with online recruitment site, JobsDB Malaysia, on Knowledge Universe, Malaysian workforce and constant upgrading of employees. Click on the above for the JobsDB November 09, Jobseeker newsletter.

Excerpts from the Interview:
'Prisma Revolusi Sdn Bhd’s chief executive officer, Prem Mathavan, in an exclusive interview with JobsDB Malaysia, noted that most employees upgrade themselves only when there is a need to do so. Prisma is the key franchise holder of Knowledge Universe, which is part of Raffles Education Group...

'Prem urged both employers and employees to identify the right program that would help employees to upgrade themselves and contribute to the company’s well being.

“One has to do proper search for the right program,” said Prem. “You don’t go for certain programmes just because it’s the trend to do so, or it’s popular….or because it has cute girls in the class.”...'

For the full article click here: Upgrade & Don't Be Choosy

1 Deepavali

2009-11-11T06:59:00.000-08:00

It is a peculiar tradition when a newly wed Indian couple have to celebrate their first day of deepavali in the bride's house. I was finding a way not to do it. It is not fair for me to say this but look at it, my 35 years of life , 35 Deepavalis was celebrated at my place. Since my wife said her side of the family is not particular about these traditions, it worked with what I had planned to do. So we packed our bags and went to JB, my parents' place on the eve of Deepavali. As usual, the reunion was with a big blast.

There were a couple of firsts this time. First Deepavali after my marriage.Legally sharing a bed with a woman under my dad's roof.(It is not that I did it illegally before). Then comes the C4, my mom said all of us have to be vegetarian on Deepavali day. The first Deepavali I had to be a vegetarian. The usual idly and thosai with mutton and chicken curry on a day where the the good triumphed evil was devastating. You know what mom's food is all about. Especially, when you are in a place where you don't even get good Indian food. I consoled and thought to myself , well it is just 24 hours, why not.

The first Deepavali, I went to the temple, that too for 2 hours. Never happened in 35 years of my life. I am not complaining, just that, a person like me, tend to have a fixed agenda and a change is a little difficult to adapt. Being a good son, I did what I think I should do.

The following weekend was another exciting encounter. My other family in Alor Star hosted my wedding dinner at their place inviting friends and relatives. This wonderful couple I call my family were the ones who took care of me when I was posted to Alor Star. Great food , booze and singing session all unlimited. Although you find the distance scary, once you are there, it is heavenly.

I had three wonderful weekends when I was in Kuala Lumpur. The last weekend was my cousin's wedding. I was suppose to attend the church wedding but was unable to and attended the dinner held at Bangsar Seafood Village. Great function , good food and free flow of beers. With this wedding there is only one more left in our group to tie the knot. Two days after that, I was back in Sibu.

I will be back in two weeks time from now. Till then salam 1Malaysia

Quality of Our Mps

2009-11-10T07:08:00.000-08:00

Members of Parliament have responsibility to three main groups, their constituents, Parliament and the party they belong to. MPs duties in the Parliament includes participating in debates and voting on legislation's amongst others. They may also be selected to be a committee of certain functions of the Parliament, like what we have in Malaysia called PAC. The government of the day may appoint certain MPs as Ministers or Deputy Ministers. Here, we also have candidates who have lost their parliament seats and getting appointed as Ministers by way of appointing them as Senators. (For one reason or the other, if you are rejected by a small group i.e the constituents , how sensible is it to appoint them to serve a wider group of people?)

Their responsibility to their constituents, I would perceive as the most important duty of all. In simple words, a candidate who has garnered most votes will represent the constituents in the Parliament, also known as first pass the pole system. That means , you are in the Parliament representing people and their views. In other words, the MP's are employed and salaried to work for the people.

When your maid, makes mistake, you yell. Your employees make mistake, you shout. MP's are no different. They work for you. The only difference is that, you don't address your maid as Yang Berhormat, maybe you can, Yang Berkerja. Here we call them YB because, MPs are also known as law makers. Therefore they are given respect based on the job description , we all think they are performing.

It is different here.People have yet to understand the role , not the YB's, but the constituents . People must be informed and awareness needs to be created to understand that he or she is voted in, to voice people's grievances and not sitting in the Parliament making idiotic comments and voicing personal opinions.

Being a Johorean, I was lucky to have watched Singapore Parliament in session. Those days, it was a pleasure to see Lee Kuan Yew having engaged in heated but subtle and intellectual arguments with MPs such as Chiam See Tong and the late maverick J B Jeyaratnam. We were forced to watch them by our dad but at the end of the day we all enjoy it. A class above, yes , I can compare because I have seen them.

I wonder, if the criteria to select a candidate in Malaysia, by their respective parties is no criteria at all. Any Tom , Dick and Harry here can make it to the parliament and they are addressed as YBs. Some don't open their mouth at all. Written submission and that's it. So we have three categories of MPs. One, who works. Two , MPs who voice out personal opinions and talks nonsense and the third type, we hardly here them. Good, they earn allowances and after five years, benefits. Why should this people be paid allowances? If they have chosen to serve the people so be it. Finish your term, go back to what you were doing just like what Lech Walesa did.

I am disappointed. There is no class in most of our MPs. Maybe the 13th General Election the future candidates need to submit their CVs before we decide to vote. This is from a neutral stand point because Barisan and PR made same mistakes. I may abstain from voting if the candidate does not meet my requirement. Till then

Turmoils For Self Interest

2009-10-28T05:21:00.000-07:00

I sympathise with the previous Perak state government. I suggest that the old team should just rest on wresting back the state. You very well know you can't do anything to dissolve the state assembly. Why waste time? You were elected to serve the people. Do not disrupt the due process of the state assembly.Zambry and the gang are now the state government.Let it be. PR now, have to work harder so that you will in future have stronger state government. Every time I see this guys on television, I am not sure to laugh or pity them. One thing for sure, it irritates the people. If PR continues, BN will win.

PKR's turmoil worsens. I didn't say that. The Star did. What the Star should be writing is about their owners, who now have maggots on their wound. MCA is a goner. There must be a big prize money to get rid of Ong Tee Keat(OTK). Or else there is no reason to see why OTK is being pushed so hard to resign. OTK did suggest to hold another EGM which was rejected by the same CC members who are now trying to push for a fresh EGM. One thing about this guys , the 16 of them who is pushing for the EGM, are classic example of back stabbers. I don't like MCA, but I like OTK. That's it.

I read Tan Sri Muhyuddin's concern and wish to tell him, just keep quiet and do your work. You have problems in the Education ministry to solve. You need to come up with ideas on how to churn out thinking students. You need to see how to improve our students' command of the English language. You need to also tell the public how you have or going to spend RM 5 Billion to improve the English in our students. The PR states are doing better than the BN administered states. I was in Alor Star last weekend and managed to speak to a few people randomly. All of them said that BN can never wrest Kedah from PAS or PR. There you go. The Malaysian Chinese and Malaysian Indians are so happy with the new MB and its administration. Muhyiddin should be talking about Terengganu. Muhyiddin should be talking about MCA, where is Murugiah, and shameless Koh Tsu Koon, who is a component party president of BN, who got whacked till kingdom comes in yesterday's Parliament session by a fry from the UMNO. This is evident that the component parties are coolies to UMNO. I hope Koh Tsu Koon has a pair of it.

At this juncture, I would also like to take pity on Dato Sri Anwar Ibrahim. The media is spinning the news at PKR's disadvantage. It was a good move to appoint Baru Bian as Sarawak party chief and it is also good that the disillusioned Jeffery Kitingan left his position. The talks in the East Malaysia was true then , Jeffery was trying to gain support and move back with is brother, in PBS, where he received invitation today from Joseph. Blood is thicker than water. And for Badrul Hisham, good that this idiot left. I like the reason he gave for losing confidence with the leadership. Stupid.

I hope people understand what is happening. Forget about the by elections. What PKR is doing is cleansing the dirt within the party. If you don't perform you leave. I am for it. People sometimes do get fed up. The 2008 GE was a good lesson for PKR. They fielded so many UMNO rejects and now facing the consequences. I am not at all perturbed with what is happening and I hope the rest are not too. Give them a chance, we gave BN 52 years, can't we give PR 5 years? Think that way.

If you read the Auditor Generals report, you will tear blood. Why trying to pin point the respective department's so called inefficiency in spending( I call it corruption) and the Government should take full blame and responsibility. This is a criminal breach of trust. The government should be sued for CBT. It is our money which is being spent irresponsibly. Would you like if someone you have appointed to manage your estate and screw you left right centre? Would you keep quiet? RM 84,000 for two lap tops. Even Steve Job's lap top will not cost as much. What amazes me more is that despite seeing many things happening people still vote for the BN. This is funny.

I started this blog to share my ideas and thoughts . So much so, I got too involved in writing politics. I can't help it because the political situaton in Malaysia is at its best. I am trying to ignore the developments but I failed. To conclude, none of the politicians we voted in, has people in their minds, just themselves, their positions and the amount of money that they can make.

You can take me out of poilitics, but you can't take politics out of me. Till then

Have a good day

2009-10-27T23:08:00.000-07:00

The God and Goddess

A European tourist was visiting a temple in Singapore when he noticed a statue, with two faces, a man and a woman, back to back, by the altar.

He asked the monk what was the significance of the two.

The monk explained that in the Chinese belief of yin and yang,
positives must always be balanced by negatives, and having the statue
with two sides ensures that the universal balance is maintained.

"This statue of the woman is the Goddess of Mercy, Kuan-Yin."

"What about the other one?" asked the tourist.

"The one with the man’s face is the God of No Mercy, Kuan-Yew."

Blind man at a restraunt

A blind man walks into a restaurant and sits down. The waiter, who is also
the owner, hands him a menu.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but I am blind and can't read the menu. Just bring me a dirty fork from a previous customer, I'll smell it and order from there."

A little curious, the owner walks over to a dirty pile and picks up a greasy fork.

He returns to the blind man's table and hands it to him.

The blind man puts the fork to his nose and takes in a deep breath. "Ah, yes, that's what I'll have, meatloaf and mashed potatoes.."

"Unbelievable!" in the kitchen, the owner exclaims to his wife Theresa, who is also the cook, and tells her what has just happened.

A few days later the blind man returns, and the owner brings him a menu.

"Sir, remember me? I'm the blind man."

"I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you. I'll go get you a dirty fork." The owner again retrieves a dirty fork and brings it to the blind man.

After another deep breath, the blind man says, "That smells great, I'll take the macaroni and cheese with broccoli."

In disbelief, the owner tells his wife Theresa that the next time the blind man comes in he's going to test him.

The blind returns the following week, but this time the owner sees him coming and runs to the kitchen..

He tells his wife, "Theresa, rub this fork on your panties before I take it to the blind man."

Theresa does it and hands her husband the fork.

As the blind man sits down, the owner is ready. "Good afternoon sir, this time I remembered you and I already have the fork ready for you."

The blind man puts the fork to his nose, takes a deep whiff and says,

"Hey, I didn't know that Theresa works here !"

Glory, Glory ,Glory Isa,

2009-10-13T01:56:00.000-07:00

I am getting fed up. Every blogger talks about Bagan Pinang and how shocked they are with Isa's win. I am not at all surprised. The only aspect of the by election I was waiting for was to know Isa's majority. Some suggest a post mortem to be conducted on why PAS or PR lost this election. Don't waste time. The answer is very simple and it is non other than the Isa factor.

Isa Samad although a tainted candidate (to us), had a good working relationship with all races in Negri Sembilan. A well liked individual. The voters voted for Isa, and not Barisan Nasional or UMNO. Even if Isa stood as an independent candidate , he would have won.

In all the previous by elections, PR managed to retain all their seats and managed to wrest Kuala Terengganu from BN. BN is desperate for a win and to retain Bagan Pinang is only by fielding Isa Samad. Isa Samad is not corrupted. Money politics is legal in UMNO. That is why you still have Ali Rustam as the CM of Melaka and Khairy Jamaluddin is leading the UMNO youth. You have to be corrupted (to us) in order to be in the party. PM Najib says that Isa's corruption charge is technical. This technicality is only in UMNO. PM's popularity is dipping further.

Some also said that the bickering between the parties in PR has caused doubts amongst the voters. If this is the case Barisan should have lost because almost all component parties within the Barisan coalition have problems. I understand that some of us are upset because Isa won, but we can't do much. It is his place. Can you imagine a Pas or PKR candidate trying to win Pekan Parliament seat? You can't , right?

This is just another chapter. What everyone should do is continue working and moving on, working towards 13th General Election. The reasons for disagreement between PR leaders in PR controlled states, shows that the leaders are working. Today, BN leaders are worried about themselves than the citizens and the country. Vietnam has cruised passed us on FDI. Failure in curbing high crime rates shows the incompetence of the home minister. Education ministers (education and higher education) have failed to uplift and produce quality graduates. Youth and sports ministry is another joke. You can take the whole cabinet and pin point their ineffectiveness.

These are the issues needs to be told to the people at large. Speaking to them during the by election campaigns alone is not enough. Continuous effort needed from all PR parties to communicate with the rakyat. The voters are not to be blamed. PR should start the membership drive now. Screen and decide on candidates now for the 13th General Election. Let this future candidates start working from now on. I am sure this would help. I am not saying that the PR leaders are not working, but they can do better. We have so many bright young elected reps, work harder and synergies your efforts.

Overall it is neither BN's victory nor PR's defeat. It is solely Isa's. BN should stop boasting on the increased majority and how people have accepted the 1Malaysia concept. I just switched on the television . One channel is airing the UMNO's 60th General Assembly and National Geography is playing "Day of the Sharks". Although similar in nature, I prefer my national geography. Till then

It Is Nearing..........

2009-10-10T02:02:00.000-07:00

Democracy, which derives from the Greek word "demos," or "people," is defined, basically, as government in which the supreme power is vested in the people. In some forms, democracy can be exercised directly by the people; in large societies, it is by the people through their elected agents. Or, in the memorable phrase of President Abraham Lincoln, democracy is government "of the people, by the people, and for the people."

Freedom and democracy are often used interchangeably, but the two are not synonymous. Democracy is indeed a set of ideas and principles about freedom, but it also consists of practices and procedures that have been molded through a long, often tortuous history. Democracy is the institutionalisation of freedom.

This simple illustration describes the meaning of democracy. This simple illustration also showed Dato Sri Ong Tee Keat (OTK) the boot. Firstly, I must say that his action to face the delegates, highly commendable. His willingness to face the consequences showed that he has put the party above his own interest. Although not favoured by the MCA delegates, he has shown to all politicians in Malaysia the courage to fail through right democratic process and this is something some people will not learn. OTK is the man and he did right.

Why did OTK lose the confidence of the majority? I believe being straight and having principles will not take a person far in the political arena. He is probably too straight. Too open and considered aggressive. The delegates may have also considered the issue of RM 10 Million he might have received . MACC has yet to complete their investigation over the ousted MCA No 1, although some reports say he is done with the investigation.

In my point of view, MCA delegates are confused. It is difficult to predict what they want. In less than a year, they voted out the President. They have not given him the chance to prove himself. Then,they voted out Chua Soi Lek, whom they voted in despite his tainted image. Their motivation cannot be analysed . So whats next for them? Who will they choose now?

The MCA members have forgotten history. In 1985, to embarrass the MCA members, Tun Ghafar was made the acting President of MCA. The MCA members dignity was questioned. Today, something similar, no capable person to run the party and AGM will be called to elect a new president and deputy. Maybe another EGM will be called next year because the delegates are so confused and not sure who they want and who is good enough for them. The MCA members themself have decided and now brought the party to what it is.

This was the only chance MCA had through OTK to prove their worthy within the BN coalition. Maybe OTK was the only one not seen as to kow tow to UMNO. Now, it is gone. We will now have to wait and see the outcome of PKFZ scandal if and when OTK steps down from his cabinet portfolio. Many will be happy with the outcome today. Many more will be happier especially the opposition parties as MCA nears its demise.

First it was MIC, now MCA, next.......... Till Then

The Sexes: Equal But Different!

2009-10-09T19:48:00.001-07:00

1. Right down to every last gene the sexes are unique: (XX,XY chromosome) Male
and female as separate acts of creation!

2. Studies have proven that differences are neurological and genetic in origin
and are highly resistant to change by the influences of culture. Men and women
are the same the world over!

3. Socializing: Whether tennis or cards: women often use the event as an excuse
for fellowship and pleasant conversation. For men, the name of the game is
conquest.

4. A man's world is focused outside the home in work and recreation. A women's
world is strongly focused within the home and on family.

5. Self-esteem: Men develop the evidence of their worthiness primarily from their
jobs, being respected in business, profession or craft. Women, and especially
homemakers, depend primarily on the romantic relationship with their husbands
for ego support. This explains why the emotional content of a marriage is
usually more important to women and why the little tokens of affection are
appreciated more by wives, who obtain esteem from these expressions of love
and generosity.

6. Women need continual reassurance from their husband that they are loved,
needed and valued. Because men do not need this kind of reassurance from their
wives, they often fail to see their wife's need for it and neglect to give it.
The wife then develops a feeling of being "unloved and unvalued", which the
husband will assure is unfounded.

7. Women tend to remember anniversary dates and birthdays. Men tend to remember
dates like when the mortgage payment is due and feel their wife gets "overly
upset" if they forget the anniversary.

8. Mothers become emotionally attached to their children prior to birth by the
virtue of carrying the child in her body. Men do not become emotionally bonded
to the child for several months after the birth when the infant begins to
smile, respond and interact with him.

9. Sexual arousal: Men are visually oriented, caring less about the romantic
component or personal identity. Men can easily separate love and sex. She is
attracted not to a photograph of an unknown model or by a handsome stranger,
but to a particular man with whom she has entered into an emotional
relationship. Women usually combine love and sex.

10. Men do not have as strong a desire and need for stability, security and
enduring relationships as women do.

11. Women experience emotional influences that men do not because of the
reproductive capacity: (cycles, pregnancy, lactation, menopause)

12. At a birthday party of five year olds, its not usually the girls who pull
hair, throw punches or smear each other with food.

13. The play habits of young girls is almost exclusively in real life domestic
situations, playing house, school etc. In contrast, young boy's play is
usually in the fantasy world, blasting Martians with a laser gun to save the
world.

14. In a time of crisis, women tend to react with reference to their feelings. Men
tend not to react with reference to feelings but with deducted thought and
reason. God may have placed man as the head of his wife because of this one
God-ordained difference between the sexes.

15. In our material society, we place a higher value on the quality of being a
"rational calculator" for it is this quality which is necessary for success in
business and making money. Yet this quality is of little value for the
happiness of the home. So while the man may be better equipped to lead and
support the family, it is the woman who is better equipped to keep the family
itself happy and emotionally healthy. The sexes are equal, but different.

16. Women are usually credited with possessing "mothers intuition" in regard to
not just her children but all personal relationships. She may not be able to
explain it, but she has a feeling about the situation that the man does not.
She is usually right! Yet while she may be single-handedly responsible for
sensing the situation, the man can usually chose the most appropriate course
of action.

17. Husbands and wives have qualities the other does not. Each has qualities the
other needs. The two are one flesh, a unit, incomplete without the other.
Society places much greater value on the masculine qualities. This has driven
many women to feel "unfulfilled" in the home environment. Many women, being
influenced by society and the images of TV, do not feel valued unless they are
working outside the home for money. They would feel ashamed to be "just a
housewife". This is very sad indeed.

18. School: Boys tend to excel girls in math and science subjects. Girls tend to
excel boys in English and arts subjects.

19. Women possess a strong "maternal instinct" that men do not.

The Other Party

2009-10-07T21:15:00.000-07:00

It is quite normal for a couple to be in disagreement and argue. In the process to irritate the woman more, the man tries to bring in another woman to create jealousy. This jealousy has two eventualities, one, she will adhere to whatever the man says and go back to him or two she leaves. What happens to the woman that came in between this couple? The public will honour her with dignitaries like slut and whore.

I am referring to Malaysian Makkal Sakthi Party . This HINDRAF breakaway seems to have made it simpler to be courted than other parties such as MUIP and IPF . Endorsement by the former PM , Tun Mahathir , seems to have carried some weight because of the effect HINDRAF created on the 25th November 2007. Therefore people think that Makkal Sakthi has the muscle to bring the support of the Indian community here.People are being judgemental. They say the sentiments are too strong swaying to Makkal Sakthi way. This is their imagination only, not a fact supported by data.

This party thinks that it will serve as an alternative to MIC. The founder and party president is seen to be monkeying around with this idea. His invitation to PM Najib to officiate the party on Saturday an accepting the invite is raising eye brows. He also claims that the PM is a PM for all Malaysians and not only for UMNO and Barisan Nasional. Thennetheren has also thrown his undivided support to BN. This guy is an opportunist, named his party Makkal Sakthi which was the motto cried by the HINDRAF supporters and is surely a well trained apple polisher.

He also said that, PM Najib is helping the Indian community, by allocating a piece of land in Lukut for the Tamil School, expediting long overdue citizenship issues and funding for Tamil schools. I would like to tell this chap, that what PM Najib is doing is what should have been done long ago and what he must and should do.Thenintheren sounding like the PM is doing the community a favour. The Indian community in Malaysia are not refugees, we are citizens.

In his response to Bernama, he mentioned his displeasure to the Pakatan Rakyat and the only reason he can quote is Kampung Buah Pala issue. I will not blame Thenentheren. He just got his visa from planet of Apes and arrived here in Malaysia lately. He doesn't know why HINDRAF went to the streets in 2007. He doesn't know that the Telekom shares given to the community was hijacked and the same government that he supports closed one eye. He also doesn't know that Maika Holdings , which does not give an answer to the investors are being protected by the coalition he has decided to support.

So, you think this guy, Thenenthiran is genuine? No , he is not. The community must understand that being in a race based party will not and never benefit the community. The beneficiary is always top level members of the party. MIC will make it impossible for them to be a part of the coalition. They will be the coolies to BN big boys and run around for the victory of BN and never be included in the coalition.Parties like IPF and MUIP should be ashamed of themselves. You are nothing but soiled diapers. The BN will use you when you are needed. Otherwise they care less about the party and its members. Soon Makkal Sakthi too will be defunct and by that time this guy would have made his money and he will be able to buy a blade to shave. The party members will gain nothing.This is nothing new .

I will challenge BN to include all the other parties as members. Show you are sincere. Makkal Sakthi, they are just courting you because they are not getting laid by MIC.Thenentheiren don't be to happy. When MIC adhere to the wishes of UMNO you are another soiled diaper. Pray hard for UMNO to say, I LOVE YOU.

Sex and Calories Burned

2009-10-06T08:42:00.000-07:00

There's something funny I saw on the net and wanted to share with everyone. Have a good laughter.

Calorie counting - How many calories burned during intercourse!

It has been known for many years that Sex was good exercise, but until now nobody had made a scientific study of the caloric content of different sexual activities.

Now after "original and proprietary" research we are proud to present the results.

REMOVING HER CLOTHES:
With her consent....................... 12 Calories
Without her consent...................187 Calories

OPENING HER BRA:
With both hands........................ 8 Calories
With one hand.......................... 12 Calories
With your teeth........................ 85 Calories

PUTTING ON A CONDOM:
With an erection....................... 6 Calories
Without an erection.................... 315 Calories

PRELIMINARIES:
Trying to find the clitoris............ 8 Calories
Trying to find the G-Spot.............. 92 Calories

POSITIONS:
Missionary............................. 12 Calories
69 lying down.......................... 78 Calories
69 standing up......................... 112 Calories
Wheelbarrow............................ 216 Calories
Doggy Style............................ 326 Calories
Italian chandelier..................... 912 Calories

ORGASMING:
Real................................... 112 Calories
False.................................. 315 Calories

POST ORGASM:
Lying in bed hugging................... 18 Calories
Getting up immediately................. 36 Calories explaining why you got out of bed
Immediately................ 816 Calories

GETTING A SECOND ERECTION:
If you are: 20-29 years old..........36 Calories
30-39 years............................ 80 Calories
40-49 years............................ 124 Calories
50-59 years............................ 972 Calories
60-69 years............................ 2916 Calories
70 and over............................ Results are still pending

DRESSING UP AFTERWARDS:
Calmly................................. 32 Calories
In a hurry............................. 98 Calories
With her father knocking at the door... 1218 Calories
With your wife knocking at the door.... 3521 Calories

Remember: this is a joke.

Proton's Saga

2009-10-05T19:51:00.001-07:00

The former PM Tun Dr Mahathir had visions. One of them is Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional.The maker of Proton cars.The production of the first model of Proton is based on the parts and technology of Mitsubishi Motors.The first production was launched in September 1985 , from its plant in Shah Alam. Initially, the car parts were fully manufactured by Mitsubishi but slowly Malaysian parts were used as technologies transferred and skills were gained.

In 1996, Proton acquired Lotus from ACBN Holdings. Malaysia gained another mileage in terms of acquiring technology.After a few years this led to the production of GEN 2 which was code named WRM (wira replacement model).

When the first Proton appeared on Malaysian roads, local wits promptly dubbed it (Proton Saga) the 'Potong Harga', meaning the 'cut-price' Proton. And for good reason. The Proton was at least 20% cheaper than non-national makes in the same 1.3 to 1.5 litre class. With both the price and a dash of national pride working for it, the Proton got a rapid hold on the market. By 1988 the Proton had overtaken all other makes and grabbed 73% of the passenger car market. This is the fact to which most Malaysians are not satisfied of, adding a general conclusion that Malaysian cars are not worth buying in terms of quality.

As a Malaysian, I did feel proud to have Proton as our national car. That too after acquiring lotus, our expectation was high to have proton to deliver cars of better quality. My apologies to those who own and drive one. I did too, twice. When I took delivery of my brand new Satria in 97/98 , I was advised by the person who delivered the car to me, to list down all problems and get back to him in 30 days.I was puzzled. It was my first brand new car. Isn't that Proton's job to ensure that the car was problem free? Soon, one by one was giving up on the car. Then, I gave up on the car.

The cigarette lighter, wiper, indicators, wiring problems and the list goes on and on. Frustrating. I was left with no choice. You don't want to buy a secondhand car because you are afraid of the cost of maintenance and also paying for the installments. I bought a proton not because I liked it. That was the only choice I had. My brains told me that instead of buying a second hand car it would be better to buy a brand new car.The direct competitor to a proton is second hand car. I opted for Satria, brand new, no problems for next five years,so I thought, damn, I was wrong.

The car is of the lowest quality. The management of Proton is absolutely incompetent.They should all step down. I will say that the makers of Proton is lazy, inconsiderate and taking its customers for a ride. Just shut it down. Despite loud cries to improve its quality for years now, it chooses to ignore and diligently produce this vehicles. Why is it so difficult to adhere to quality standards. What irks me more is that the Government is also closing one eye on the operations. I think it is like this, the Proton Management is confident that the Malaysian public will eventually buy these cars,therefore continue producing. This is just one of the instances of how Malaysians are taken for a ride.Only a few people have no complains of their protons, that too if it is a Iswara, Saga and some Wiras. The rest were customers' nightmare.

"Proton is ready with a new high performance engine by 2011. According to the Engineering Division's Director, the engine is designed to have reduced emission, low maintenance and to have better service ability. The engine is Ron 95 and 97 compatible."

I would like to send a message to the director of the engineering division. Macah, having good engine not enoughlah. You must also make sure that the automatic wind screen motor works. The wiring doesn't not give way. Basically all other component of the car works. QUALITY . Otherwise you are a waste of time. The top management team speaks like they are the best. You are a disgrace. Kata pepatah Melayu, Cakap tak serupa bikin.

Confucius Say......

2009-10-04T22:28:00.000-07:00

CONFUCIUS SAY.....

If you want pretty nurse you got to be patient

CONFUCIUS SAY.....

Man with tool in woman's mouth not necessarily dentist

CONFUCIUS SAY.....

Better to be pissed off than pissed on

CONFUCIUS SAY.....

It takes many nails to build crib,one screw to fill it

CONFUCIUS SAY.....

Girl who sit on judge's lap, gets honourable discharge

CONFUCIUS SAY.....

Woman who put husband in doghouse soon find him in cat house

CONFUCIUS SAY.....

Woman who go camping,must beware of evil intent

CONFUCIUS SAY.....

Man who keep feet on ground, have trouble putting on pants

CONFUCIUS SAY.....

Woman who goes to man's house for snacks, gets titbit

CONFUCIUS SAY.....

To meet girl in park is good, to park meat in girl is better

CONFUCIUS SAY.....

War not determine who right. But who left

Is There God?

2009-10-02T23:53:00.000-07:00

My perspective is neither scientific nor theological. It is a realisation. This realisation formed when I see things happening around me. The world is a unique creation for all man to realise good and evil .

The creation of world is a work of a genius. The differing topography and the landscape differs from land to land.There is sea, mountains, rivers, jungles, waterfalls,lagoons and many more. These creations are for the benefit of the mankind to appreciate. The climate is different across the continents. This has made cultivation of different types of grains and other types of food for our consumption. Even the people are different. The colour of skin , language and beliefs are diversed.Certain people cannot consume pork, some can't consume beef and some are vegetarian.Why chicken is consumed by everyone? Some people are lucky, they consume everything. Logically, if everyone can consume everything, I am sure there will be famine.This is a balanced act,which is achieving equilibrium. The creator is a master economist.

Thinking carefully, it is this diversity that has led man to want to live and experience the cocktail of goodness readily made for us to cherish. Can you imagine if all people in this world were to only eat chapati and nothing else? Can you imagine if English was the only spoken language and all men wearing Kilt and women wearing Chongsam ? The day to day life is about learning and appreciating new things. Learning is an ongoing process. Therefore the diversity allows us to enrich ourselves with the most powerful tool, knowledge.

I suppose everything can't be well all the time. We are nurtured with love and punishment.This must be a balanced act. Punishment is a method used to put people on right track. Then again what is the right track? An agreement amongst the people in a given society accepting their practices of what is right and wrong. To do something evil is a choice. This choices come with consequences.

Likewise this beautiful world has its shortcomings. Earth quakes, tsunamis, landslides, volcanic eruptions, avalanches and heavy rains have not only caused destruction but also unaccounted deaths. We see this deaths with a heavy heart. Sympathetic, how else could this tragic be best described? I hear people say, "where is god? Why is god cruel. Is there god?".

I was brought to the temples as I was growing up and told here is where god is. Pray not only for yourself but also for every being on earth.Then I knew, god was in the temples only. Now I think differently. I have learnt to form opinion that , God is everywhere. When I was brought into this world, my mom fed me with food and love, she still does. She is god. My dad is my greatest support and inspiration and always there when I needed his wisdom , he is god. My siblings showed me the importance of staying close together , for that is strenght, they are god. My teachers tirelessly educated me, they are god.The few good friends, they have has been with me for good and bad, they are god. When I got employed, my bosses showed me the difference between efficiency and being effective, they are god.Then again you will come across friends and people whom you later regret knowing, they too are god. Why? This is where you learn lessons of life. These are the people whom you have learnt to correct your mistakes . Stay positive and don't hate them , thank them instead.

The phrase god is everywhere is justified for me. The cruise I have taken in my thirty over years of life was not a fantastic one. I enjoy it.I believe there is god everywhere. When I tumbled and fell , god told me to move on and face the situations before you. Determination is the god within you.

Always be contended with what you have. This brings peace in you. What you need , you have to work for it. Nothing comes easy. I always liked the story of a man who was upset he could not buy himself with a pair of new shoes. As he walked along the streets, he saw a man without legs. That should tell us all something.

People should thank god everyday, as they wake up in the morning to see themselves living. Living to see the people they love. Please say that you love them and it is nothing wrong smiling and waving to people you may not like. You lose nothing.

Life is short, keep it pumping. To those reading this article, please thank god you are living to read it. Since it is a weekend do not forget to love yourself as well. Thank you god.Till then.

To Flog Or Not To

2009-09-30T01:21:00.000-07:00

Kartika's story is getting more and more interesting. Everyone seems to be talking and writing about it. This woman pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 6 lashes and a fine of RM 5,000.00 for consuming alcohol in public. Judge Abdul Rahman Yunus quoted as saying that the punishment is aimed at making the accused repent and serves as a lesson to offenders. She was sentenced in Kuantan Syariah Court. The judge has also been noted as someone who passes heavy sentence to Muslims who consume alcohol.

Many are outraged with the severity of the punishment and the public is shocked over Kartika's decision not to appeal and it has also elicited media frenzy over how her punishment will be meted out.The media has analysed in detail on the act of whipping comparing the difference between the criminal and syariah whipping and also the dimensions of the cane (1.22m long and 1.25cm thick). According to someone I know, not sure how true it is, he said that Syariah's whipping hardly inflicts pain on the offenders body and much more merciful compared to civil corporate punishment.He also said that the punishment is to bring shame to the offender rather than bodily pain.

PM Najib advises Kartika to appeal.For PM Najib it will be a bad PR for him, when the world sees Malaysia as a moderate Muslim nation. This woman has created headlines worldwide and the issue to most people is a simple one.What I am not clear is, why Sisters in Islam files a stay of execution? Is it because the punishment is harsh or because she is a woman? I am certainly not qualified to speak on the punishment itself. The Syariah law enactments are not same in all the states. Some imposes fine up to RM3,000 and or jail sentence up to 2 to 3 years.

I will say it again, I am not qualified to say this, as I am neither a Muslim nor a Syariah lawyer. I stand by Kartika's decision , not to appeal and accept the punishment. As she is a practising Muslim, I think she regrets and feels it is right for her to be punished.This woman has guts, she told the Government and the NGOs to BUTT OUT. So butt out.Respect her decision and her privacy.

I would advise the NGOs and the government to pay attention to bigger and more controversial cases such as Kugan's. This is where we evaluate the relevance of the NGOs. Kugan is dead , the accused is charged with causing grievous bodily harm. If the death is caused by the bodily harm, than the accused should have been charged with manslaughter or murder. Manslaughter is more appropriate.

Last but not least, be it man or woman, the punishment must be the same. In R v Ahluwalia , the accused was a battered wife, and the law did what the law had to do. She was punished.Till then

1Formula or Formula 1 (Part 2)

2009-09-29T19:50:00.000-07:00

Courage is definitely the key word. The Malaysian entrepreneurs have ventured into a sport where giants like Honda has backed off. At Formula 1 , 11 teams have spent a whopping $1.6 billion during the 2008 season- the recession is pushing the organisation to a desperate financial brink. Even before Honda's decision to get out, the circuit's governing body, FIA, called its spending figure "unsustainable" .Honda's two cars team including Button and Barrichello costs the car company $ 217 Mil a year.

The very reason Honda pulled out is valid. They want to stay focus on their core business activities which is manufacturing of automobiles. The question is, would an annual budget of RM 308 Mil will be enough , when Honda spends USD 217 Mil a year. I am sure Tony and the team will have solid grounds on the figure given by them.

I wonder how these guys get this sort of ideas. Isn't it great? Call the team Tony-Lotus , or Fernendes -Lotus or whatever. It is your money. Why call it 1Malaysia F1 Team? Are you hoping a bailout if this dream of yours fail one day? Tony also said that he will unplug if the team failed. Good. What Tony may have also understood is that, if the team fails, government might bailout the team. This is the 1Formula, when you fail, expect a bailout, just like all the other major bailouts, click here .

To reflect the 1Malaysia concept, I hope all the 225 people expected to be employed, will be Malaysians including the drivers for the team . There are many capable drivers in Malaysia only ops sikap will give a report otherwise. It will be an insult and you will be subjected to criticism if foreigners are employed. As Tony put it, it is a life time achievement for all Malaysians.

I wish the team all the best and great success. The objective is to win not just getting a spot in the race. No , I will not watch F1 even if my father were to be a principal of a racing team. Till then

1Formula or Formula 1 (Part 1)

2009-09-27T03:51:00.000-07:00

There were Saturdays and Sundays I can't stand being at home. The days where the boys were all bachelors in our lovely Subang home. My brothers' obsession of this noisy and to me irritating sports called F1. I admit, I don't know what F1 means. The racers take 50 over laps depending on which track they are testing their engines and my patience.

Anyway I took the trouble to understand the workings of F1, the pit stops , fueling strategy and many more uninteresting facts . I did watch for a brief moment to see Michael Schumacher losing. Now there is no need due to his retirement.

As I thought all was over , since the boys are married and living separately and no need to share the television anymore, F1 haunted me again. This time with 1Malaysia Lotus F1 team project. I hate it more when I have to waste so much of time to read and now posting it on EasternPrism.

The 1Malaysia F1 Team, is a collaboration between the government and three entrepreneurs, Tony, Kamaruddin of Tune Hotels and SM Nasaruddin Nasimuddin of Naza . The good thing is that the Government does not hold any equity. It is a collaboration but without equity. The team will try and obtain sponsorship from other major players in the domestic market such as always willing to help Petronas, healthy Malaysian Airlines , thanks to Idris Jala , Genting and others.

I must congratulate the principal of the team, Dato Sri Tony Fernendes, who said that it is a life time achievement for all Malaysians. The Malaysians' life time achievement project will have a start up capital of RM 168 Mil and an annual budget estimation of RM 308 Mil. Tony also said that 225 people are aimed to be employed where advertisements are published in Thailand , Singapore and Malaysia.

I m known for my sarcasm. Not this time. I congratulated Dato Sri Tony whole heartedly. His courage , wisdom and aspiration needs to be applauded. More to come in Part 2 . Till then

Benefits of Alcohol - A MUST KNOW !!

2009-09-26T05:38:00.000-07:00

DCSL EXTRA SPECIAL	Protects your heart	prevents constipation	Blocks diarrhea	Improves lung capacity	Cushions joints
WHITE DIAMOND	Combats cancer	Controls blood pressure	Saves your eyesight	Shields against Alzheimer's	Slows aging process
BLUE LABEL	Aids digestion	Lowers cholesterol	Protects your heart	Stabilizes blood sugar	Guards against liver disease
DOUBLE DISTILLED	Battles diabetes	Lowers cholesterol	Helps stops strokes	Controls blood pressure	Smoothes skin
OLD RESERVE	Protects your heart	Quiets a cough	Strengthens bones	Controls blood pressure	Blocks diarrhea
RITZ	Prevents constipation	Helps hemorrhoids	Lowers cholesterol	Combats cancer	Stabilizes blood sugar
RICHORT	Controls blood pressure	Combats cancer	Strengthens bones	Protects your heart	Aids weight loss
HANNEPIER	Combats cancer	Protects your heart	Stabilizes blood sugar	Boosts memory	Prevents constipation
FRANKLIN	Strengthens bones	Saves eyesight	Combats cancer	Protects your heart	Controls blood pressure
VSO	Combats cancer	Prevents constipation	Promotes weight loss	Protects your heart	Helps hemorrhoids
GALLERY	Saves eyesight	Controls blood pressure	Lowers cholesterol	Combats cancer	Supports immune system
RED RUM	Saves eyesight	Protects your heart	Prevents constipation	Combats cancer	Promotes weight loss
DARK RUM	Protects against Prostate Cancer	Combats Breast Cancer	Strengthens bones	Banishes bruises	Guards against heart disease
HANSEN	Protects your heart	Combats Cancer	Ends insomnia	Slows aging process	Shields against Alzheimer's
BLACK WHITE	Promotes weight loss	Protects your heart	Lowers cholesterol	Combats Cancer	Controls blood pressure
RED LABLE	Aids digestion	Soothes sore throat	Clears sinuses	Combats Cancer	Boosts immune system
BLACK LABEL	Promotes weight loss	Helps stops strokes	Lowers cholesterol	Combats Cancer	Controls blood pressure
GOLD LABEL	Protects your heart	Boosts memory	Protects your heart	Combats Cancer	Supports immune system
CHIVAS REGAL	Aids digestion	Battles diabetes	Protects your heart	Improves mental health	Boosts immune system
GRANTS	Lowers cholesterol	Controls blood pressure	Combats cancer	kills bacteria	Fights fungus
GREEN LABEL	Protects against heart attacks	Promotes Weight loss	Helps stops strokes	Combats Prostate Cancer	Lowers cholesterol
REMUS MARTIN	saves eyesight	Conquers kidney stones	Combats cancer	Enhances blood flow	Protects your heart
V&A	Combats cancer	Protects your heart	Helps stops strokes	Promotes Weight loss	Kills bacteria
NAPOLEON	Heals wounds	Aids digestion	Guards against ulcers	Increases energy	Fights allergies
MENDIS	Combats cancer	Protects your heart	Controls blood pressure	Smoothes skin	Stops scurvy
LEMON GIN	Combats cancer	Protects your heart	Controls blood pressure	Smoothes skin	Stops scurvy
ORANGE GIN	Combats cancer	Boosts memory	Regulates thyroid	aids digestion	Shields against Alzheimer's
WHITE GIN	Controls blood pressure	Lowers cholesterol	Kills bacteria	Combats cancer	Strengthens bones
DRY GIN	Lowers cholesterol	Combats cancer	Battles diabetes	prevents constipation	Smoothes skin
CLASIC RUM	Protects your heart	Promotes Weight loss	Combats cancer	Battles diabetes	Smoothes skin
VODKA	Reduce risk of heart attack	Combats cancer	Kills bacteria	Lowers cholesterol	Fights fungus
SMIRNOFF	Supports immune systems	Combats cancer	Protects your heart	Straightens respiration
GALETINE	prevents constipation	Combats cancer	Helps stops strokes	aids digestion	Helps hemorrhoids
GOLD COIN	Protects against heart disease	Promotes Weight loss	Combats Prostate Cancer	Lowers cholesterol	Aggravates diverticulitis
BARCADI	Strengthens bones	Relieves colds	Aids digestion	Dissolves warts	Blocks diarrhea
WHITE RUM	Slows aging process	prevents constipation	boosts memory	Lowers cholesterol	Protects against heart disease
ILICITY ARACK	Protects your heart	Battles diabetes	Conquers kidney stones	Combats cancer	Helps stops strokes
POT ARRACK	Combats cancer	Protects your heart	boosts memory	Calms stress

Profumo Affair

2009-09-23T19:52:00.000-07:00

Law has been a passion. Probably the only regret I have, not completing it. The first year law subjects were interesting . Mainly Constitutional law. This subject has given me a skeletal idea of the workings of the constitution and parliament. The English system is different in nature as she did not have a written Constitution and that is why the parliament is supreme. One of the most interesting topics would be Ministerial Responsibility. What made me to post this article is that, in Malaysia, the doctrine of ministerial responsibility is alien. I have hijacked an article of one of the most controversial figure in the British Cabinet and also the House of Commons. The article below will be an eye opener as to why most of our cabinet ministers should or should have resigned.

John Profumo, who died on 9th March 2006 , aged 91, was associated in most people's minds with the scandal that bore his name and led him to resign from the Conservative government of Harold Macmillan in 1963; but he also became known, in the last 40 years of his life, as a tireless worker for charity and as a man who bore his humiliations with enormous dignity and personal integrity.

Profumo's story is of a man who made one terrible mistake but sought his own redemption in a way which has no precedent in public life either before or since. No one in public life ever did more to atone for his sins; no one behaved with more silent dignity as his name was repeatedly dragged through the mud; and few ended their lives as loved and revered by those who knew him.

Profumo's transgression came when the Tories had been in power for 11 years. He was then a promising Secretary of State for War, married to the actress Valerie Hobson, star of the film Kind Hearts and Coronets and one of Britain's leading actresses of stage and screen in the 1940s and 1950s.

In July 1961, at a party at Cliveden, home of Viscount Astor, Profumo met Christine Keeler, a model with whom he began a sexual relationship. Profumo ended it after only a few weeks but rumours about the affair began to circulate. Since Keeler also had sexual relations with Yevgeny Ivanov, the senior naval attaché at the Soviet Embassy, the "Profumo Affair" took on a national security dimension. In December 1962, a shooting incident in London involving two other men who were involved with Keeler led the press to investigate Ms Keeler, and reporters soon learned of her affairs with Profumo and Ivanov. But the British tradition of respecting the private lives of British politicians was maintained until March 1963, when the Labour MP George Wigg, claiming to be motivated by the national security aspects of the case, referred in the House of Commons (ie. under immunity from any possible legal action) to rumours that Profumo was having an affair with Keeler. Profumo then made a personal statement in which he admitted he knew Keeler but denied there was any "impropriety" in their relationship.

Profumo's statement did not prevent newspapers publishing stories about Keeler, and it soon became apparent to Macmillan that his position was untenable. On 5 June 1963 Profumo was forced to admit that he had lied to the House, an unforgivable offence in British politics. He resigned from office, from the House and from the Privy Council^[3]. Before making his public confession Profumo confessed the affair to his wife, who stood by him. It was never shown that his relationship with Keeler had led to any breach of national security. The scandal rocked the Conservative government, and was generally held to have been among the causes of its defeat by Labour at the 1964 election. Profumo maintained complete public silence about the matter for the rest of his life, even when the 1989 film Scandal and the publication of Keeler's memoirs revived public interest in the affair.

Confirm, It is Over

2009-09-23T01:12:00.000-07:00

Transfer this guy to that department , increase the marketing budget, change the colour of the carpet , sack this staff, promote that staff so on and so forth. Anyone will be irritated, if a predecessor tells the successor how to run the organisation.

Being Malaysians, one thing we are good at is respecting elders. I suggest if you have retired, with due respect, please stay home. There could be alot of things you have missed during your busy days, catch up . I suggest resting is best, stop getting involved.

See what happened to Khir Toyo when he presented broom (kootomaru). He was swept away.I am totally disappointed with the idea of presenting a garland of slippers to the elderly statesmen. This is not our culture, showing disrespect to a former premier who has brought about what Malaysia is today. Claiming that Dr M has not done anything for the community is baseless.

What has your party done for the community? What your party should have done when the former premier did not do anything for the community? Where were you and the party then? All kept shut for 22 years and now suddenly members of MIC has guts to question? This guy Sukumaran should have been stopped from speaking as soon as he started hurling abuses towards the former premier. They didn't. They wanted him to speak, let him speak, then will see what happens. There you go. He gets suspended. That to after being pressured by the the other big brothers in the coalition.

Sukumaran's suspension was uncalled for. It is like this. Pinch the baby to cry and later rock the cradle as well. Why did MIC bow to the pressures of the outsiders and suspend this chap. Did UMNO suspend all those who were critical of Dr M especially, Dato Nazri Aziz? So why suspend Suku? Simple, that low MIC can go.

Isn't this also called intervention? Why should the party president discuss the succession plan to the PM? I am the president, I will stay as long as the members want me. Cannot lah. You are pressured now. Saying that the president is willing to leave as soon as the deputy is ready to take over and the deputy saying that he is willing to take over when the President thinks it is right to hand over the baton, sounds very dramatic. It also shows that MIC is the only party which doesn't have problem . The former deputy was with the president for 25 years until he lost the election, three years ago. The current deputy refuses to take charge although he has been given the signal to do so. No one aspires to be the president of MIC. The aspirant loses the election.

What the community sees is that, MIC has no character. The fact we know they did not do anything for the community is evident. DR M says, Samy didn't ask. Samy say Dr M didn't give and they gave us all a merry go round. Of course the spat has cooled off. Samy says he loves Dr M. MIC now cannot withstand the pressure and will vapourise in no time. That doesn't matter, what is important is being a minister, being called the third largest member of the BN coalition. I think they are not even the third largest now. It was self interest than the community itself. Pure selfishness.Why should this party that claims to have looked after the interest of the community choose to exist when it failed the community at large.

My group of friends and I will agree that Sivaji Ganesan is the superior most actor the magical land of India gave birth to. To my eyes the late Sivaji Ganesan is a great actor. His passing is a great loss to the industry.The cement laid on his grave is still wet ,the flower wrath has not dried but we see new actors mushrooming. They are mushrooming in the mystical Bolehland. Till then.

Silly Silly, Statements

2009-09-20T21:39:00.000-07:00

I believe the cause of by elections and politicians talking nonsense is due to stress. Dato Seri Hishamuddin Tun Hussein is one such highly stressed politician. Sometimes it makes me wonder if he knows what he is saying. I don't want to elaborate on the Sec 23 statement. Totally nonsensical. Then comes the statement about Noordin Mat Top. He is sad over the death of Mat Top and also thinks that he could have been rehabilitated. Here, I think, the one who needs rehabilitation is the home minister himself. Come on, the guy you are feeling sorry for has taken many lives, injured so many and damaged properties in another country . You still pity him? I will tell you statements such as these, irritates our neighbours,Indonesia and why they are sore with us amongst others.

I did think it was a good idea, when the government decided to split the Education Ministry into Education and Higher Education ministries. Maybe the then PM realised the incapax of the then Education Minister (you know who), and divided them into two. I suggest PM Najib's administration to divide the Home Ministry as well. Home Ministry and Higher Home Ministry. Give Hishamuddin, Home Ministry, and let him handle Mat Rempit issues. I sincerely think that he must learn to tackle, Mat rempit issues rather than Mat Top issues. Lets see his KPI .

Then again, I sympathise with the capability and the thinking capacity of our police and leaders. Mat rempits are criminals. They clearly know the consequences of committing these crimes. Punishing them is the only solution instead of trying to educate and coming up with programmes to rehabilitate them. It has been too long, and the public has not seen the results. It is not a difficult crime for the prosecution office to crack their heads and charge them . The Police must do more to bring this criminals to book. To substantiate their crime is simple as the presence of actus reus and mens rea is clearly evident. I have seen the suffering of a victim very dear to me with stitches all over his head . I also know how the family members felt. Do we want it to be too late, before one of us are attacked again. Or changes will take place only when of the victim is someone dear to the members of ruling government or the cabinet? Here, I would suggest everyone to read an article written by the BN MP of Pulai, Nur Jazlan, titled The Royal Malaysian Police Farce .

I also like to take this opportunity to wish all Muslim brothers and sisters a Selamat Hari Raya and the others Happy Holidays. The tradition of open house has been one of the highlights of the Malaysian culture. I attended a Raya open house yesterday .The reception was grand, the traditional Malay Cuisine served was delicious . I also noticed something else. They did not serve beef , as the majority attended were non Muslims. When I asked where are the beef dishes , my dear friend said he was afraid of offending us, but we were fine.This is respect, tolerance and love for one and another. Here I must comment on PM Najib's call for harmony and tolerance. We have always been a family and will live as one for many decades to come. There is no need for such a call. Till then

Borneo Post 29th July

2009-09-15T01:42:00.000-07:00

No to penghulu monitoring prices

SIBU: The local community here does not fancy having penghulu as enforcement assistants to help the government monitor prices of goods as they could be manipulated by unethical traders to feed back inaccurate market information.

"Penghulu may not have the desired business knowledge. As a result, they will not be able to understand the market dynamics," said businessman Simon Wee when asked to respond to the Domestic Trade, Cooperative and Consumerism Ministry to appoint penghulu (community leaders) nationwide to assist in enforcement of consumer affairs and help the government monitor prices of goods.

Wee said unethical traders may take advantage of the penghulu's lack of exposure to business by feeding them with inaccurate information.

This, according to Wee, will cause the Domestic Trade, Cooperative and Consumerism Ministry to come up with a wrong set of action plans.

"So you see, the whole thing might just backfire," he warned.

The businessman said while the idea was noble, a detailed study must be carried out to study its impact in general.

He said if appointing penghulu was a must then these community leaders must be given sufficient training.

Nonetheless, he said, he would prefer that penghulu be confined to their existing duties, which, according to him, are already heavy enough for the community leaders.

Chief executive officer (CEO) of Knowledge Universe Sibu Learning Centre Prem Mathavan shared Wee's view that penghulu would not make the right people for the monitoring job.

"If you ask me, it is equivalent to a third party reporting. And there could be some serious flaws in the reporting/feedback if the penghulu have no business background," Prem said.

The proper way would still be to get the ministry's enforcement officers to go to the ground to tackle the problem, he said.

He said after all the officers were specially trained for the job and that the penghulu could not be expected to know the job just by attending a week- or two-long course.

"Besides, the way I see it, if feedback from penghulu are not followed up by remedial actions from the ministry then it defeats the purpose of getting them to become enforcement assistants in the first place," he pointed out, reiterating that the ministry should find ways to address the shortage of enforcement staff.

Meanwhile, Chua Tung Wei, chairman of Sibu Great United Club disapproved of penghulu being tasked to monitor prices, saying: "They are community leaders and being held in high esteem by the people at large.

"Thus, getting them to become enforcement assistants may sour their relationship with the public."

Such move may not go down well with some people, he reiterated.

Hence, Chua stressed that the responsibility of monitoring prices should rest on the shoulders of ministry enforcement officers not community leaders.

"I believe penghulu will feel so out of place if they are tasked with such an assignment," he added. -- Courtesy of The Borneo Post Online

I Am No Nostradamus

2009-09-13T04:10:00.001-07:00

For PM Najib, yesterday was his last or only chance to have a new captain aboard of MIC, to stir the ship towards a new direction. This new direction is vital for him to face the 13th GE, which is to bring in the support of the Indian community currently fragmented and fragile. For the first time, I will give credit to the speech made by the PM who has asked the leaders to be humble and approach simplicity to effectively reach people. The PM's message to set a KPI for MIC will not augur well as the community in general does not expect MIC alone to deliver but the whole of BN government itself. The same message should also be sent to other BN component parties particularly UMNO.

No one could have predicted the defeat. Almost everyone , within the party , general public and those spent RM 0.50 voting in NTV 7's polls would have least expected the results. Here , we have a man , directly endorsed by the former prime minister, and a thunderous speech by the PM, signalling a change(obvious) just before the voting process, could not alter his fate for defeat.

Dato S Subramaniam joined MIC in 1964. Climbed up the party ranks and was the deputy president of the party for almost 26 years. During his tenure as the deputy, he encountered numerous hurdles including not being named as a parliamentary candidate twice (1990, 2004) . To my eyes, he has patience. To many others, they felt he should have left the party long time ago. It is not wrong for a person to be ambitious and wanting to be the number one man of the third largest party in the BN coalition.

Dato Subra's strategists are to be blamed for the defeat. Taking his age as a crucial factor (65) , he should have filed his nomination papers for the presidency instead of deputy presidency. Either way it is do or die. Dato Subra should have known that, even after winning the deputy's post, he will be sitted next to the president , like how he did for the last 26 years and the president would have endorsed another candidate to finish him off by the next general assembly. And matter of fact, Dato Sothinathan's candidacy did break the votes. I would say 280 is sizable and that could have gone Dato Subra's way. I have suspected his candidacy. A protege being axed ? This time around there was smoke without fire. The public has all reason to believe that it was a strategy to plant Dato Sothi for the election. Lets see if the party president forgives him in the near future and accepts him back into the fold.

What now for Dato Subra? Remain in MIC, I don't think so, CWC will get you expelled. You only have Manivasagam and KP Samy to vote against the rest of the CWC members. Soon they will also be given the show cause letter and removed. No one likes to have thorn in the flesh. Next option , forming another party. Please don't do that as it will show that you have weakened and subject to MIC's criticism . Taking over an existing party and trying to get the membership of BN, no chance. Strong parties like IPF didn't make it, you will not either. Retiring and staying home, no your services are still needed. I will suggest that Dato Subra now join the PR. Unite all the Indians under you and show BN that you are a force . Your numbers should show that you are a threat to BN and MIC, and BN should remember you were the only opportunity(to unite) they had and now lost. By taking this approach , you will be seen as a victim of circumstaces and your defeat will be justified. Start the membership drive under PR , lets see the numbers.

I admit my prediction was wrong yesterday. I am no Nostradamus . MIC's only strength is the President. The rest people have decided Till then.

Lazy. Me?

2009-09-11T06:06:00.000-07:00

I am not lazy, just busy with work as I am back in Sibu . I had only a day in Sibu to sought my nineteen days absence and had to fly in to Miri the next morning for string of appointments and meetings. During the night with all the pub hopping ,I ended up disappointed. What happened to Miri on Wednesday night, I was simply clueless and I had more meters on my leg than litres in my stomach. The next day , I flew back to Sibu and went back straight to office.

Prior to coming back here in Sibu, I had a great time in KL. Especially my night out in La Vida Lounge, Holiday Villa, Subang Jaya on Saturday night with my wife and friends. I beg all of you to please go and see this band called Masterpiece. Masterpiece indeed. They were just too good. I wished the night never ended and as usual it never came true.

I always did what I liked doing just before I left for Sibu. I managed to have my bah kut teh in SS14, Hokkein Mee in Taipan, bukarah briyani in Syed and managed to squeeze in another lunch in Ganapathy Mess, having salted fish curry and crab rasam. The food I just mentioned, cannot be found in Sibu, even if I did , it doesn't taste as good. My next visit will be just before Deepavali.

Another eventful night would be meeting of my childhood friends in OK Restaurant in PJ. The owner of the restaurant is always happy to receive us. The beer turn around is usually faster. I look at it this way. We contributed to the economy . How? We created demand and this in turn would create more production . Increased production would lead to greater employment. Greater employment would lead to greater purchasing power and we have started to get the ball rolling for a better economy in Malaysia. I must admit that , due to the love of the country we over did it, last Friday. The caring people around us would think that it is waste of resources and hazardous to our health. They are selfish. They only care for us, but we care for the nation. Justifying and justified.

OK, back to a little politics. Yes, it is the MIC party elections. Suddenly I feel like it is the eve of Deepavali. Excited and anxious. I am predicting a Dato Subra win and also predicting his sacking. Another Chua Soi Lek in making , minus the video plus the headache for PM Najib. Why I am predicting Dato Subra's win is because , some how I believe the delegates have matured and will be wise in deciding this time around. Will my predictions be accurate again this time? Well, their maturity will let us know in less then 24 hours from now.

We have another serious pandemic in Malaysia, by elections. I am saddened with the passing of these MPs and ADUNs. Somebody is cursing the 12GE and now we have another by election , this time in Negri Sembilan . Difficult to say at the moment as the candidates are not known. If it is Tan Sri Isa Samad, by the next posting it will be clear. This is the first by election in southern part of the country and a real test for PR. If PR wins this by election , the sale of panadol would increase within the BN coalition leaders. To me it is simple, PR has to win , the only way to gauge their support in the southern states.

I also foresee another by election or this MP turning an Independent. This time it is going further south, Labis. I am sure Dr Chua Soi Lek's son Chua Tee Yong who is the MP for Labis would not remain in MCA when the father is sacked and the rate it is going, he will remain sacked. Will have to wait and see. Till then.

Politics Is Juicier Than..........................

2009-09-03T07:45:00.000-07:00

My circle of friends are maybe fed up. Whoever I meet, we end up talking politics. I am sure that people will talk of juicy issues only. Ok, I am married, no more talking about women. The other topics I like to talk about is food and cooking, most men are not interested. I am certainly not talking about business or at least my business to anyone. When I am asked how is business, I say ok lah, boleh makan. Talk about football , I might get the boot as my circle is infested with Liverpool supporters.

My dad was a politician in the late 70s till early 90s. He was in politics to help people. These are the good people needed by rakyat and no longer in politics, because they have something called PRINCIPLES. Soon, when people realised he was working too hard for the people , he was sacked from the party. The party was non other than MIC. At a very tender age, I was so used to seeing , then Deputy Prime Minister Dato Musa Hitam, Samy Vellu ( I sat on his lap in his car in 1978) , Ling Liong Sik, The late Pandithan, The Late Dato K Pathmanaban, Dato S Subramaniam , Tan Sri G Pasamanikam and many more.

My interest in politics was from young. During the 22 years reign of Tun Dr Mahathir, politics was not much heard. The deregistration of UMNO in 1987 was an interesting episode, I was only 13 then, and was unable to form my own opinion so I listened to everyone . I was so eager to vote in the 1995 elections as I have just turned 21 . I was not allowed to vote because I should have registered a year before to be an eligible voter. I still couldn't because I would have been only 20. Then came another interesting episode , the sacking of PKR's Iron Man in 1998. My friends and I were in Datuk Sri Anwar's residence offering our support and I must say he has the aura, charisma and good looks .

I was voting for the first time in 1999, man I was excited. I exercised my rights as a citizen. That was a good election. Dr Mahathir must be thankful, because there were few Internet users and the people relied on main stream media. By 2003, he gave up because he knew so well that by the following general election he will be gone. The 2004 elections , I was disappointed because I drove from Kuantan to Subang Jaya just for one vote. I voted for the parliament candidate and the state seat was won uncontested by Lee Hwa Beng . More disappointing would be BN winning more than 90% of the seats contested. This was the year people were really fooled.

Then 2008 elections changed everything. Today the BN component parties after the trashing look and sound like my favourite British comedies. UMNO and its flip flops, "we will sencor the Internet" says Rais, 2 hours later , "no we are not" , says the PM. "No actions will be taken against the cow head hooligans" says the Home Minister, couple of hours later we must take stern action, says the minister again. There are many more , I am just giving a few. Maybe PM Najib is trying hard, but his cabinet ministers sounding silly all the time.

Then comes MCA. I would suggest, that during the EGM, please include another resolution, NO MORE DEPUTY PRESIDENT position in the party. The moment you have a deputy you have Team B. Ong Tee Keat should name Ng Yen Yen as the Deputy President, Ong might survive a little longer. If you cannot resolve the issue, please nominate Khir Toyo as the acting President. When Ghafar Baba can, I am sure Khir Toyo is equally or more capable. Will history repeat?

ON MIC, PPP and Gerakan, sadly nothing juicy to write about. Fangless in the BN coalition. BN talks about how so not united PR is , this is evident that BN is worse still. If speculation is correct, PR will have another state, Terengganu. This is indeed a crucial month for PM Najib, the results of the party elections in MIC and also the MCA EGM, which will determine his direction towards the 13th GE. PM Najib must take in more credible people like Datuk Sri Idris Jala. This is a good move. Now we will have to wait and see what happens to MAS?

On Perak, I think, PR should rest. First it was a tree now a hotel. Cukuplah . Just wait for the next election. I pity this chaps. Working tirelessly and not getting anywhere. I am not from Perak, but can you imagine the Perak people's frustration?

So why won't I speak? It is juicier than everything else. Till then

Happy Onam

2009-09-01T19:14:00.000-07:00

Firstly I would like to wish all Malayalees a very happy and prosperous Onam. Since we live in 1Malaysia, I am also extending my wishes to all Malaysians a very happy Onam. Just that, you have to observe vegetarian meals (just today) and maybe a maybe a couple of drinks later. I have also edited in the reason why Malayalees celebrate this day , in a nutshell.

This is how it started. A long long time ago, an Asura (demon) king called Mahabali ruled Kerala. He was a wise, benevolent and judicious ruler and beloved of his subjects. Soon his fame as an able king began to spread far and wide, but when he extended his rule to the heavens and the netherworld, the gods felt challenged and began to fear his growing powers. Presuming that he might become over-powerful, Aditi, the mother of Devas pleaded with Lord Vishnu to curtail Mahabali's powers.

Vishnu transformed himself into a dwarf called Vamana and approached Mahabali while he was performing a yajna and asked for alms. Pleased with the dwarf brahmin's wisdom, Mahabali granted him a wish. The Emperor's preceptor, Sukracharya warned him against making the gift, for he realized that the seeker was no ordinary person. But the Emperor's kingly ego was boosted to think that God had asked him for a favor. So he firmly declared that there is no greater sin than going back on one's promise. He kept his word.

The Vamana asked for a simple gift — three paces of land — and the king agreed to it. Vishnu in the guise of Vamana then increased his stature and with the first step covered the sky, blotting out the stars, and with the second, straddled the netherworld. Realising that Vamana's third step will destroy the earth, Mahabali offered his head as the last step.

Vishnu's fatal third step pushed him to the netherworld, but before banishing him to the underworld Vishnu granted him a boon. Since he was attached to his kingdom and his people, he was allowed to return once a year from exile. Onam is the celebration that marks the homecoming of King Mahabali. It is the day when a grateful Kerala pays a glorious tribute to the memory of this benign king who gave his all for his subjects.

Another Legend

Another legend has it that King Mahabali was a devout worshipper of Lord Vishnu. He was sincere, honest, just and a good ruler. But he had one weakness — ego. And to eradicate his pride and redeem his beloved devotee of this one sin, Vishnu came to earth in the form of a dwarf Brahmin named Vamana.

The king in his pride asked the Brahmin what he wanted for he could give anything. Vamana asked for three paces of land and the king agreed. To humble him Vishnu, as Vamana showed Mahabali that he is just a puny creature in front of God's universal stature.

Mahabali, who was a man of principles, realized God's purpose and offered his head for Vamana's footstep, as he was sent to another world. This fatal step proved a blessing in disguise for the good king — the foot salvaged and released him from the recurrent cycle of birth and death. That is why Onam is celebrated by wearing new clothes and resolving to lead a new life of truth, piety, love, and humility.

ONE MALAYSIA

2009-08-31T20:43:00.000-07:00

We know that One Malaysia has been the most said or repeated motto ever since PM Najib came to power. The Barisan leaders, television, radio, printed media and also companies have taken the opportunity to use this rather catchy motto to attract people and or consumers. Today there are so many ONEs , such as One Borneo (started even before One Malaysia) , One Consumer, One Dream so on and so forth. Soon, there will be a bank called ONE Asia, so I heard.

I was busy looking for the definition of ONE Malaysia, everywhere, even in the PM's blog , all in vain. Why am I looking for the definition? I have asked many people, they don't know what it means. People have asked me and I don't have a clue. Why I need the definition is to understand what it specifies. Its like this , when someone asks me to define an elephant, I will flip, If you ask me to describe an elephant maybe I can. This is the difference, define means specify: determine the essential quality of something whereas describing is easier , a description of something (this later can be changed as you wish).

I will quote from the PM's blog, "1Malaysia’s goal is to preserve and enhance this unity in diversity which has always been our strength and remains our best hope for the future. I hope this Website will initiate an open and vital dialogue exploring our Malaysian identity, purpose, and direction. I encourage each of you to join me in defining our Malaysia and the role we must play in its future. Each of us — despite our differences — shares a desire for a better tomorrow. Each of us wants opportunity, respect, friendship, and understanding."

Maybe I don't see where 1Malaysia is coming from? Is there a need for 1Malaysia? I don't think so. This is because we Malaysians have always been ONE. We have shared so many cultures together, just like muruku being part of Raya, and ang pow is now in all the cultures in Malaysia during festive seasons. We are being the envy of the people throughout the world, different culture, race and religion and yet so united and living harmoniously ever since.

So PM Najib now, should define 1Malaysia, to let people like me know, what it means and why we need it? The 13th General Election is getting closer , I am sure there are alot people waiting for the definition. Most people have a perception of what 1Malaysia is, just like all our ministers and deputy ministers, I like the way they go beating around the bush to tell Malaysians what is 1Malaysia , when they themselves are not sure what is the definition of 1Malaysia. This is the one special ability all politician should possess.

I am proud of Malaysia. She has given birth to Malays, Indians, Chinese, Kelabits, Iban, Bidayuh, and Kadazans . Coming up with 1Malaysia concept, in my point of view signifies that we were not one before and this is not acceptable.

Maybe the motto should have been 1Race= Malaysians. Selamat Menyambut Hari Merdeka. Till then.

Weekend Laughter

2009-08-28T02:10:00.000-07:00

The CIA, The FBI, and the Malaysian MACC are all trying to
prove that they are the best at apprehending criminals. The
US President decides to give them a test. He releases a
rabbit into a forest and each of them has to catch it.

First the CIA goes in. They place animal informants
throughout the forest. They question all plant and mineral
witnesses. After three months of extensive investigations
they conclude that rabbits do not exist.

Next the FBI goes in. After two weeks with no luck they
burn the forest, killing everything in it, including the
rabbit, and they make no apologies. The rabbit had it
coming.

Finally the MACC goes in. They come out two hours later
with a badly beaten wild boar.

The wild boar is yelling:

"Okay! Okay! I'm a rabbit! I'm a rabbit!"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A guy went to the Post Office to apply for a job.
The interviewer asked him,
'Are you allergic to anything?

He replied, 'Yes, caffeine.'

'Have you ever been in the military service?'

'Yes,' he replied. 'I was in Iraq for two years.'

The interviewer said, 'That will give you 5 extra
Points toward employment. Then he asked,
'Are you disabled in any way?'

The guy said, Yes....an IED exploded near me and I
Lost both of my testicles.

The interviewer grimaced and then said,
'O.K. You've got enough points for me to
Hire you right now.

Our normal hours are from 8:00 A.M. To
4:00 P.M. You can start tomorrow at 10:00 - and
Plan on starting at 10:00 A.M. Every day.

The guy was puzzled and asks, 'If the work hours
Are from 8:00 A.M. To 4:00 P.M., why don't you
Want me to be here until 10:00 A.M.?

This is a government job, the interviewer
Said. For the first two hours, we just stand around
Drinking coffee and scratching our balls
No point in you coming in for that.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tits and Bits

2009-08-26T23:18:00.000-07:00

It has been 10 days since I have penned down my thoughts. I was extremely busy, resting. I am back in Kuala Lumpur after 6 weeks in Sibu, the longest ever stay. Within the last one week , I managed to see my parents, sister and brothers , nephews and nieces and not forgetting my wife. I guess I have missed KL life quite a bit.

Within the last one week, politics in Malaysia sees unexpected twists. The unpredicted move was by the mighty Ong Tee Keat (OTK). Issues on PKFZ and also Chua Soi Lek. Lets go to Chua Soi Lek first. I admit that I jumped the gun in my previous article on Chua Soi Lek. When the former Health Minister was caught with a woman on DVD , no actions were taken against him although the offence is punishable by a jail term of up to 20 years and whipping, as stated under Section 377B, which is ‘any person who has sexual connection with another person by the introduction of the penis into the anus or mouth of the other person is said to commit carnal intercourse against the order of nature" . As usual this guy needed to be protected because GE 12 was just 2 months down the road and the party did not want to see a split. Since there were no actions taken against him,. he contested and won the deputy presidents post. Yesterday the disciplinary board finds him guilty and he was sacked. The issue is simple. OTK is challenging the big brother UMNO. MCA now has sacked this man appointed to co ordinate Barisan activities in PR states. Bold.

On PKFZ, I believe and now support OTK to go all out to bring the booking of the culprits who have messed up PKFZ. I m sure alot of people will be afraid, as there are many more involved and will surely jeopardise BN. Go OTK people are with you.

Looks like we are having a by election every month. The interesting part is that PR seems to be winning it all in West Malaysia. The latest was Permatang Pasir, the best of them all. UMNO lost the election the moment the nomination paper was filed. All they could do is fielding a disbarred lawyer? The shameful thing is that,not only you made a mistake with the candidate but also twisting facts clarified by the Bar Council. Like Dato Nazri Aziz said, we are not in the 60's , people are not fools. We read and obtain informations easily, thanks to the blogs and google.

The other intuitive feeling I have is that, BN is going for Kedah and Selangor state governments. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to know this. In my point of view, Tan Sri Khalid and Datuk Sri Azizan should hold their respective state elections(snap) now, or be prepared to lose the states like Perak. Better screening process is needed to field PKR candidates, the weakest link in the coalition. I am afraid there will be more defections.

Will the former Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs , Dato S Subramaniam win the MIC's deputy presidency? Two things. One, after talking to a few people, he might win, as the members themselves wants a change. They also claim that the line up endorsed by the party president is not capable enough to spring MIC back into limelight. Maybe the President should have endorsed Datuk Dr Subramaniam, Human Resource Minister and the current Segamat MP, as candidate for the Deputy's post. In this scenario, no one else has the chance to win as he is liked by everyone. The second thing is that, who cares , whoever wins.

I am also attracted to the latest sensation in the country. Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno , a former model. The issue is to flog or not to. Why is there so much fuss? The punishment was according to the state shariah enactment. The media is over covering her and making her a hero . Put it to rest. We need more pages in the newspaper for more real issues, not such as this.

Overall, I am having great time in Subang Jaya. More issues to come and thank god, Barclay's Premier league is already interesting from the beginning. Can't wait for the weekend as this is a big game, Man United Vs Arsenal. Till then

How Could You?

2009-08-17T20:18:00.000-07:00

I was reading the Malaysian Insider yesterday and did see an article written by Nur Jazlan, a two term Member of Parliament of Pulai, who is also the son of former Minister of Information , Mohamad Rahmat.

He says that he did not believe the people who have voted him in when they complained about the police. I am surprised, that a MP can say such a thing. He also claims that, because he is an MP he always defended the police. Not only he doesn't believe the words of the people who have voted him in, he also supports and defends something blindly, just because he is a MP from the government coalition. This paragraph alone shows that people make mistakes, voting in candidates who is not willing to be their voice, in the parliament.

Now he is reminding people of the "many unnecessary cari makan speed traps and road blocks on major public and tolled highways." . I am in total disbelieve. After all what the Police Force has been doing for us, standing guard day and night, rain and shine , now you don't believe them? You also claim that the IGP is a failure, despite many years in service and getting extension and possible reextension from the great service that he has provided the nation. Did you think about the pressure of guarding the nation? That to an aging IGP who has just undergone by pass surgery or in Bahasa Malaysia , Pintasan Koronari.

Are you trying to say you never knew whatever you wrote in your article , all this while ? You did not even have the slightest idea on what you have written ? Why suddenly now you have come with so many ideas as how to improve the police force? You also said that there are 90,000 employed policemen and there are only 30,000 on the streets. Is this something you came to know off late?

Well it is like this, our MP's wife was mugged in broad daylight by two men in motorcycle. I empathise with the MP, the point I am coming at is that, you are now voicing out because it happened to you. You chose to close one eye when it happen to ordinary people.. But you now say that your trust and believe to the Police Force has evaporated. How could you?

I see you are disgusted with the police force , that too after your wife got mugged. What about people's wife who was pregnent and died getting mugged, where was your voice then? Alot more. The newspapers are full of it.Till then.

"That man who lives for self alone, Lives for the meanest mortal known."
Joaquin Miller

H1N1

2009-08-17T00:38:00.000-07:00

There are many different types of diseases. Some are caused by diet and nutrition. Some are spontaneous and the cause is unknown. Others are contagious and spread from person to person. Some people are born with their diseases.Autoimmune conditions , cancer, diabetes, genetic conditions,Bacterial infections , Viral infections and many more including sexually transmitted deceases.

We are all used to these types of deceases, maybe because there are people around us or we ourselves are on certain drugs to ensure we will not be part of the statistics.

What is H1N1 ? Novel H1N1 (referred to as “swine flu” early on) is a new influenza virus causing illness in people. This new virus was first detected in people in the United States in April 2009. This virus is spreading from person-to-person worldwide, probably in much the same way that regular seasonal influenza viruses spread. On June 11, 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) signaled that a pandemic of novel H1N1 flu was underway. Spread of novel H1N1 virus is thought to occur in the same way that seasonal flu spreads. Flu viruses are spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing by people with influenza. Sometimes people may become infected by touching something – such as a surface or object – with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.

I am going to list down 10 effective ways to prevent this flu from spreading:-

1). Wash your hands frequently and use the antibacterial soaps to cleanse your hands. Wash them often, at
least 15 seconds and rinse with running water.
2). Get enough sleep - try to get 8 hours of good sleep every night to keep your immune system in top flu
-fighting shape.
3. Keep hydrated - Drink 8 to10 glasses of water each day to flush toxins from your system and maintain good
moisture and mucous production in your sinuses.
4. Boost your immune system -Keeping your body strong, nourished, and ready to fight infection is important
in flu prevention. So stick with whole grains, colorful vegetables, and vitamin-rich fruits.
5. Keep informed -The government is taking necessary steps to prevent the pandemic and periodically release
guidelines to keep the pandemic away. Please make sure to keep up to date on the information and act in a
calm manner. (?)
6. Avoid alcohol -Apart from being a mood depressant, alcohol is an immune suppressant that can actually
decrease your resistance to viral infections like swine flu. So stay away from alcoholic drinks so that your
immune system may be strong.
7. Be physically active- Moderate exercise can support the immune system by increasing circulation and
oxygenating the body. For example brisk walking for 30-40 minutes 3-4 times a week will significantly perk up
your immunity.
8. Keep away from sick people -Flu virus spreads when particles dispersed into the air through a cough or
sneeze reach someone else nose. So if you have to be around someone who is sick, try to stay a few feet
away from them and especially, avoid physical contact.
9. Know when to get help Consult your doctor if you have a cough and fever and follow their instructions,
including taking medicine as prescribed.
10.Avoid crowded areas -Try to avoid unnecessary trips outside. Moreover, avoid touching your eyes, nose or
mouth. Germs spread this way.

A little information to share with everyone, I hope this would help . I am deeply concerned about what is happening in Malaysia. As of todate 62 deaths and over 4200 over infected cases. To say it got out of hand is easy, my question is how did it get out of hand? Was the health minister relaxed or he is unsure of what needs to be done? Why do we need you if you cannot plan and execute proper methods to ensure it did not get out hand?

Do you know the parents agony seeing their child dead ? People who have lost their loved ones? See and hear them cry. Please work.

The High Chapparal

2009-08-15T19:54:00.000-07:00

I remember vaguely about this western themed television series. This television drama was aired on NBC from 1967 to 1971, before I was even born. What I vaguely remember is that , Big John married a young woman after the death of his wife . The new wife's brother was my favourite cast Monolito and the unforgettable theme music .

That's history. We have a new drama with the same title going on here in our very own Malaysia. This posting did take me a while to write because I needed to understand the situation , history, political figures, the residents themselves and people (outsiders) who are trying to champion their cause for political mileage which is their ulterior motive and no one is tying to help to ease the situation except a few residents and the state government.

Well I understand the predicaments of the residents, the history which dates back more than 150 years. I feel sorry for the residents, they have been living in this village for a long time. It is not easy to let go where you were born and raised. What I don't understand is that, the resentment showed by the people of Kg Buah Pala was it an act of devotion to this land they belong? Or the compensation was not enough? I am not taking sides, but I believe that YAB Lim Guan Eng, has gone far to help and settle their issue i.e offering them RM 200,000 to giving them a double story linked house , 1200sq ft. I am sure no other state governments would have done what LGE did for Kampung Buah Pala. If the people of Kampung Buah Pala disagree to move because of their love for the land , I will stand by them. But that is not the issue, they are willing to move provided that the compensation is sizable. I will not label them greedy like others did, maybe the outsiders have given them false hope . That too, people who are not in position to help them. Where are they now?

I am sure the candidates who stood for election would have promised to resolve their problems. This is when the residents should have asked them , how are they going to resolve this issue even before voting them in. My bet is, the candidates would have promised the moon and the skies and the situation would have been the same. The victims are the residents themselves. Making promises by politicians are not new and not keeping the promise is nothing new. If you insist that the politicians to deliver their promise, you rather read Jules Verne's ,The Journey to the centre of the earth. This book is more real.

As early as December 2007, even before any land transfer had taken place, prospective buyers were already discussing the launching price and putting down deposits.In retrospect, it appears that the BN government had no intention of gazetting Kampung Buah Pala as heritage land. Instead, the land was to be sold to a developer to build the condominium project. I am quite sure the people were aware of it and how much noise did they make? Why were the BN state government held by Dr Koh was spared and now DAP is taking the wrath. Just like in Selangor, Khir Toyo's state goverment approved the building of Carrefour in Kota Damansara and what is happening now? The residents should have protested then. I hope not, many more land grabs to come.

So can the "others" help. No. One guy gives statements from England, the other starts Paham, and MIC came in for a while to show their concern over the people. Like LGE said, put the money and talk. Did they? No. My suggestion to everyone is that, we are better off without this others who are trying to make names for themselves. Did the people benefit? No. So why listen to people who could have brought you to the streets. If they wanted to help, they would have gone all the way to do it.

My dear brothers and sisters from Kampung Buah Pala, please take what the State Government has offered . This is the best solution and everybody wins. Do not listen to others , but listen to yourselves and your needs. Can you imagine , if you did not get anything at all? I will bet, if it was still Koh Tsu Koon's government, the village would have been demolished and you would not get the kind of compensation that you are receiving today. Till then.

Have a good laugh

2009-08-11T23:15:00.000-07:00

Revenge is sweet

Golf for Beginners

Irish Paramedics

A JOLLY GOOD RECOVERY

A Kodak Moment

How men screw up romance

Parents can be so cruel

Now Everyone Can Fly ( please check first)

2009-08-11T18:50:00.000-07:00

When Airasia first launched, we were happy that it's slogan of "Now everyone can fly " is a victory for consumerism. The repeated advertisements in the newspaper excited every Malaysian Consumer and the reinforcement strategy has developed a perception that Airasia is cheaper to fly comparing to other domestic and international players.

Is the notion true? Are we checking our facts before booking our tickets or we blindly belief that this airlines is really cheaper to fly?

It is better to buy these tickets online, they are cheaper instead of buying from the counter. The flight from Sibu to Kuala Lumpur takes an hour fifty five minutes. I normally buy from the counter , just before flying. Due to unpredictable schedule, I have to do so. Lately, I have been booking my tickets online (getting more organised, I guess) . The maximum I have paid on the counter just before flying was RM 420.00 and the cheapest being RM 230 ++ on line, one way.

What shocked me two days ago is that Airasia flying to KL from Sibu, one way, online, 10 days before flying was RM 645.00. I checked again if it was in Thai Bhat, no, it is in Ringgit Malaysia. So it prompted me to check Malaysia Airlines. Same date, online, one way was only RM 104.00. I am not sure if MAS is having promotions, but what irks me is that why Airasia charges more than the normal rates.

Subsequently, I did check and compared both airlines and the destinations, I found MAS was cheaper. What I am saying is that, we being consumers must get our facts and figures correctly before making any purchases. I must also add that, it is becoming a little irritating nowadays to fly on Airasia, everything is money. You have to pay for the checked in luggage, choosing of seats as it is no more free seating. You have to pay to sit with your wife , or else someone else sits there. Sometimes it is the perception that blinds our decision making process. Please check before flying, all you know Airasia may not be all that cheap to fly anymore. Till then

Dato Sri Dr Chua Soi Lek

2009-08-09T21:36:00.000-07:00

Dato Dr Chua Soi Lek, was the Minister of Health from 2004 to 2008 under the then Prime Minister, Tun Abdullah Badawi. Most Malaysians would not remember his effective and efficient performance as a Minister, but will never forget his performance in a video captured by shameless people .The motive now is more and less clear that someone within the party is trying to kill him politically.

I pity Dato Dr Chua. No doubt what he did is morally incorrect to some, but then again who are you and I to judge him? Most importantly, his family have forgiven him. Secondly , his winning of the Deputy Presidency shows that the party members have forgiven him. After all, I would say that he is a gentleman. He came out openly and admitted that he is guilty as charged and relinquished all his governmental and party posts . Isn't that already a big punishment?

Maybe MCA wants to prove their righteousness. Maybe MCA doesn't want Dr Chua any more. His supporters described the decisions by the MCA Disciplinary Board to investigate the case 1 1/2 years later as a ploy to finish him off.

On the other hand, some supporters said that, they voted him in the four cornered fight because he was the best candidate. They also say that the sex scandal will haunt him forever. I don't understand this part of it. You cannot spit because he is good, you cannot swallow because of the scandal. Common guys, make up your mind. You can't have the best of both worlds.

There is only three options available .

1) Fight the disciplinary board and be MCA's most haunted figure and remain in the party, if the board allows you;
2) Go where you are needed , respected and you have a greater chance to provide to the people;
3) retire and stay home.

Most people think, that the second option will suit you well. You are needed. People want you to serve them. People have forgotten the past and want you for their future. Aren't you reading people's wishes and commentaries to choose option no 2?

Dr Chua, the choice is yours. Those people who couldn't change the system , changed their party. If you are genuinely into serving the Rakyat, you only have one option, option no 2. Till then

Salangai Oli, Feast for the Eyes

2009-08-09T02:08:00.000-07:00

Good lunch, a great movie and the curtain opener of Barclay's Premier League will make today a great Sunday.

As I was thinking how to spend my Sunday afternoon, Channel 201 Astro, played Saagara Sangamam, a Telugu movie which was dubbed in Tamil called Salangai Oli . A movie that can be watched over and over again. This story is about Balu, a passionate Indian classical dancer living in a constrained environment. Everything went wrong with him , his passion, life and love.

Probably these are the types of movies that we are missing nowadays. I don't know much about the director, K . Vishvanath. But what I know is that, this man has given strings of good movies and one of them is Shankarabharanam. I can feel his instincts, especially when you watch Salangai Oli. Every frame is made of passion, love and commitment towards delivering this masterpiece.

No one is more suitable to play Balu's character in this movie other than the great Kamalhaasan himself. He doesn't need to play 10 different roles in one movie to show his talents but merely all 10 different types of emotions he portrayed, made him a rainbow in clear sky, in my point of view, this is Kamal's best ever role, the biggest jewel amongst the others in his crown.

Jayaprada, has added the glitter in the movie, her looks, costumes and her role. I must say from a man's view point, god did take extra care and time to make Jayaprada. The likes of Tamanna, Asin, Nayanthara, Trisha and many more actresses nowadays just can't match the sheer elegance and gracefulness of Jaya. Overall she complements Kamal in this movie , like gin and tonic, whiskey and soda .

Another plus point is the music. Illayaraaja scored perfectly. All the tunes were fantabulous. This composer need no introduction and his contribution towards the music industry is so great.

It would be unfair of me not to mention Sarath Babu in his supporting role. A friend in need is a friend indeed. Sarath's role justified the phrase and he also added strenght in this movie.

Overall, a very satisfying Sunday afternoon. This is just the first installment, as I am waiting eagerly for the second, The Community Shield showdown . All I can say is that, go United, win all the trophies. Till then.

Man's Best Friend

2009-08-07T09:22:00.000-07:00

A dog is a beautiful creature. Thet are also called man's best friend. I remember the day when a puppy (we named him doggy), came into our lives . We named him doggy not because it was his favourite position (that is the only position he can do it anyway), it came naturally. He was the talk of the plantation. Handsome and a well mannered K9. Very much admired by the bitches in the the plantation. A Mongrel by breed , a champion by nature , a pedigree of his own . Doggy died of natural causes which devastated all of us.

Many dogs came in to our life's after that , lived and died . Blacky, Duke, Boxer so on and so forth. Currently my dad has a little bitch called Missy and my sister has a miniature disaster called Brutus. Brutus does not understand the value of a leather product called shoes and the price of it. He nibbles on any leather, and has damaged quite a bit of leather products and escaped with murder. Missy is more educated in that sense. Missy and Brutus are cute animals , that could make your day or otherwise.

Today, despite having close relationship with bitches and dogs all my life, I was chased by one. A handsome, wolf looking bugger. Me being me, I was not panicky. I stopped, and stood there watching him. I looked and he looked . A great stalemate, like Kasparov and Karpov, eye to eye.

I decided to make my move, I did. Chased him instead. The dog, ran for his life, seeing a bigger dog chasing him.

Moral of the story is simple. Don't let the fear chase you, instead you chase the fear, the fear will run.

Amazing Anagrammes

2009-08-06T10:06:00.000-07:00

This has got to be one of the cleverest
e-mails I've received in awhile.
Someone out there
must be "deadly" at Scrabble.
(Wait till you see the last one)!

PRESBYTERIAN:
When you rearrange the letters:
BEST IN PRAYER

ASTRONOMER:
When you rearrange the letters:
MOON STARER

DESPERATION:

When you rearrange the letters:
A ROPE ENDS IT

THE EYES:
When you rearrange the letters:
THEY SEE

GEORGE BUSH:
When you rearrange the letters:
HE BUGS GORE

THE MORSE CODE

When you rearrange the letters:
HERE COME DOTS

DORMITORY:
When you rearrange the letters:
DIRTY ROOM

SLOT MACHINES:

When you rearrange the letters:
CASH LOST IN ME

ANIMOSITY:
When you rearrange the letters:
IS NO AMITY

ELECTION RESULTS:
When you rearrange the letters:
LIES - LET'S RECOUNT

SNOOZE ALARMS:
When you rearrange the letters:
ALAS! NO MORE Z 'S

A DECIMAL POINT:
When you rearrange the letters:
I'M A DOT IN PLACE

THE EARTHQUAKES:
When you rearrange the letters:
THAT QUEER SHAKE

ELEVEN PLUS TWO:
When you rearrange the letters:
TWELVE PLUS ONE

AND FOR THE GRAND FINALE:

MOTHER-IN-LAW:
When you rearrange the letters:
WOMAN HITLER

Bet your friends haven't seen this one!!!
As yet.....

Hilarious

2009-08-05T01:29:00.000-07:00

These are from a book called Disorder in the American Courts, and are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and now published by court reporters who had the torment of staying calm while these exchanges were actually taking place.
________________________________________________
ATTORNEY: She had three children, right?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: How many were boys?
WITNESS: None.
ATTORNEY: Were there any girls?
WITNESS: Are you shittin’ me? Your Honor, I think I need a different attorney. Can I get a new attorney?
________________________________________________
ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
WITNESS: By death.
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?
WITNESS: Now whose death do you suppose terminated it?
________________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?
WITNESS: He was about medium height and had a beard.
ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female?
WITNESS: Guess.
________________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?
WITNESS: No, this is how I dress when I go to work.
________________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Doctor, how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people?
WITNESS: All my autopsies are performed on dead people. Would you like to rephrase that?
________________________________________________
ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to?
WITNESS: Oral.
________________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.
ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time?
WITNESS: No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was doing an autopsy on him!
________________________________________________
ATTORNEY: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
WITNESS: I forget.
ATTORNEY: You forget? Can you give us an example of something you forgot?
________________________________________________
ATTORNEY: What was the first thing your husband said to you that morning?
WITNESS: He said, “Where am I, Cathy?”
ATTORNEY: And why did that upset you?
WITNESS: My name is Susan!
_____________________________________________
— And the best for last: —
ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
WITNESS : No.
ATTORNEY : Did you check for blood pressure?
WITNESS : No.
ATTORNEY : Did you check for breathing?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY : So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
WITNESS : No.
ATTORNEY : How can you be so sure, Doctor?
WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
ATTORNEY : I see, but could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law.

Alcohol Ban in Selangor

2009-08-04T21:01:00.002-07:00

I was posted to Kuantan in 2003, to head a private institution covering three states, Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan. It was my choice, as I wanted to try a different market. My circle of friends told me that I am going back to stone age, and I will not like what I see back in East Coast, especially Terengganu and Kelantan.

Pahang was not so great except for Kuantan, where the beaches (Teluk Chempedak, Balok and Cherating) helped churning in business for people of Kuantan and the industrial estate called Gebeng, the rest of the towns were not worth seeing , even Pekan . Two MPs of Pekan were and are the Prime Ministers of Malaysia.Pekan is where the automotive industries are located.

When I had to go for a visit to Kuala Terengganu(KT) and Kota Bharu (KB), I was not comfortable as I was worried , I may not get what I want to eat and drink. This is when Terengganu was under the Pas rule, Hadi was the MB then. Kelantan as usual , Tok Guru was in power since 1990. KT was laid back and I was told by my counterparts from other establishments to go to KB instead. It is tiring, coastal roads. From Kuantan to KT was 202KMs and 197Km from KT to KB. So we decided to go to KB.

When we arrived in KB, I realised that the media has totally given a misconception of what KB is. Beers were sold in all the non Muslim coffee shops, karaoke centre, pubs, women were walking without tudung, pork was sold openly and mind you the best discotheque in the East Coast was in Renaissance Hotel, KB.

It is shocking, we sat in a coffee shop to have a beer and I had the opportunity to interview the owner. Especially, the Pas rule and also problems faced by the non Muslims in Kelantan as a whole. This guy thought that I was from the Special Branch(do I look like a crook). I gave him my business card, and he started saying the nicest thing about Tok Guru, who is so approachable, and he said that all non Muslims will vote for Pas as they are well taken care off. He said the state government was strict with the Muslims when it comes to consumption of alcohol but no control over the non Muslims.

The people of Kelantan were the best in terms of hospitality, mannerism and very cultured people and full of smiles. The best looking Malay women also come from this land.

In a state, where Pas has been ruling for 20 years and majority are Malay Muslims, have no problem with alcohol and newly formed state coalition government in Selangor orders for the ban? i wonder if this fellow, Datuk Dr Hassan Ali actually have brains? You don't restrict, the consumption of alcohol by non Muslims, but suggesting the ban in Muslim majority areas? So If I am living in Shah Alam, I have to go to Klang to drink? Aiyoo pakai lah sikit. Why creating problem, don't you think this will affect businesses? Think about the coffee shops, and other retailers who are selling this alcohol ranges. It will not be practical for people who consume alcohol to go further from where they live to have a drink or two.

I suggests some of you PAS leaders to go and learn from Tok Guru, a true Muslim leader and the champion of the minorities.

Datuk Dr Hassan Ali, are you more righteous then Tok Guru?

He who has never learned to obey , cannot be a good commander.
Aristotle

Responsible Jounalism

2009-08-03T19:56:00.000-07:00

My little understanding about journalism is about conveying news , comments and descriptive materials through printed and electronic media which also encompasses Internet where the current trend is through blogging. Basic principles of journalism is about being fair, factual and also being nonpartisan.

The above is just to enlighten all of us what journalism is about. When the principles are broken, readers will loose confidence. It is not a secret and I do not have the statistics to prove my facts that people of Malaysia, have started reading alternative media because the main stream media have broken all basic principles stated earlier.

I just came across an article which was posted on Malaysian Insider today which I am deeply disturbed. The champion of morons, Utusan Malaysia, is at it again.

This article is highly seditious, and I am perturbed that, the authorities are allowing such irresponsible article to be published. This is crystal clear that the government is closing one eye on media which is owned by the them. Despite chanting 1Malaysia day in day out, 24/7 , Utusan is proving that this concept is unclear and vague.

Utusan Malaysia, must be warned, as they are not only racially insensitive but also bulldozing in to the privacy of others. The late Yasmin Ahmad, a prolific and a highly acclaimed movie maker was insulted and now Teoh Beng Hock's unborn child. Although Kosmo apologised to the family of the late Yasmin Ahmad, just picture how her family would have gone through reading the article. Is it OK, If I call Awang Selamat a bastard and apologise the next day , that too with proven DNA sample from the doctors I recommend.

Morality is individualistic. What is moral to me may not be moral to you. Here we have a man dead , and you question the values of a woman who is carrying his child , to whom he is to be married the following day of his unfortunate death. Do you know the meaning of being sensitive? And you question the morality? And if it is Utusan I care a damn because you are in no position to speak of morality.

You are trying to instill hatred amongst we brothers and sisters who have been leaving in this country for many years. This will not happen, we Malaysians are together and together we will remain.

Lastly, this goes to prove that government owned media is ignorant of the fact the meaning of 1Malaysia . So what is the meaning of 1Malaysia? If there is a clear definition , then Utusan is breaching it.

“Junk journalism is the evidence of a society that has got at least one thing right, that there should be nobody with the power to dictate where responsible journalism begins”
Tom Stoppard

Sunday Movie

2009-08-02T03:54:00.000-07:00

Usually on a Sunday, I will be doing house chores and cook . It has become a norm after a good lunch, I will be making myself busy watching TV. I don't want to do anything much on a Sunday and nothing much can be done in Sibu. I will be watching programmes such as movies, jokes or anything that plays on Astro .To be honest, I am fed up with the same thing over and over again and Astro is charging higher fees for repeated crap .

So today I decided to watch an English movie. BEHIND ENEMY LINES. Luckily this movie is one of those that I missed . The story is about two soldiers flying on enemy skies to photograph mass graves.

I was feeling really sorry watching the movie. Everything about the movie was terrible , the background score, the lead actor, supporting actors, direction, camera, story, action so on and so forth.

There were so many elements missing in this movie. Owen Wilson who played the lead role, did not have a girlfriend. How can a lead actor not have a girlfriend? As he was being chased by the bad fellows, critical moments such as that, he did not think about his girl friend and the good times they had together (such as eating nuts at the beach), and there was no duet singing , changing cloths and location. This is unacceptable.

There were no punch dialogues. This is also sadly a missing link in the movie. At the end of the movie, Owen Wilson had a chance to say alot to his enemy who has been chasing him throughout the movie. He didn't and I was expecting something like "If I punch you ones it is like punching you 100 times or better still " If I have decided, then I don't even listen to myself". I was disappointed with the dialogue. There is nothing for us to repeat after the movies.

The other area they should have introduced is jokes. A special track in the movie. For example, as the hero being chased by the villains, introduce two jokers who will be insulting each other or whacking one another. The idea is basically, to reduce the stress of the audience. The movie was not balanced.

OK no duets, fine. At least they should have Owen Wilson singing a patriotic song. This is because he is fighting for his country, an army.There were no songs. Hero doesn't sing. How did I keep on watching this movie.

Towards the end of the movie, they showed Gene Hackman walking in slow motion. This guy does not know how to walk. He should watch the late Sivaji Ganesan over and over to learn how to walk with style. Can you imagine slow motion. Camera was horrible, there is only a few slow motion stints in the movie. They should have introduced Owen Wilson in a slow motion , camera should have focused on his shoes, as he walks . None of those.No thrill.

Lastly, the action scenes. Owen Wilson did not catch any of the bullet with his teeth. That is difficult, at least catch a hand grenade and throw it back to the enemy. No. What kind of action scenes are these.

These English movie makers must learn how to make movies . I guess they think alot . See for example how Tamil movies are made. Same story, but different actors, setting , dialogues and so on. You don't have to crack your head to make a Tamil movie or any Indian movies. So simple. Same old wine in different bottles.Till then.

Entertainment is in art like color in pictures.
Martin Kippenberger

One Night Stand, Miri

2009-07-30T07:56:00.001-07:00

I was not satisfied. It was too short to be even called a one night stand. I loved it, although It was only one night. For those who are getting excited, it is not what you think. I meant my experience with Miri itself. I am perturbed with Malaysians' fascination with going overseas, when everything is here in Malaysia.

I flew in to Miri yesterday for a business trip. The moment I checked in to the hotel, threw my bag and lap top in the room and back on the streets, to find interesting places. I look for good food and nice chill beers, of course, and I would love it if I can get both at the same place.

Miri is definitely more vibrant then Sibu, and anytime better than Kuching. This is probably because Miri has a very good mixture of races , this include the expats, working in the oil and gas industry. So , I would sum up Miri being the best city in Sarawak , second best to Kota Kinabalu in the Borneo Island.

I was, tired and thirsty, mind you that Miri is by the sea , and it was a hot day yesterday. After a long walk, I saw something I really like. An open cafe concept , that sells Indian , Malay and non halal Chinese food together with small stalls set up around the cafe selling different types of balls(home made), satay, burger , grilled sea food amongst the others. Beers are sold in buckets, 4+1 chill heineken for RM 36 and Tiger same deal for RM 32.This cafe is called MING CAFE. Opposite EON Bank.

I was hungry but thirstier, so I started with finger food first with the fried balls, chewy outside , heaven inside. It came with home made sauce, chili that is , mind you, it was real chili. Maybe it is a sales technique, the hotter the chili sauce, the more you drink the beer. I was seated beside the satay guys, who became my good friends. One of them remembered my face from the newspapers and asked me if I was working for the Education Ministry, I told them I am the Education Minister (joking of course). What I like about this guys is that, they started this business because they have nothing to do at night. So they kill time by making money. The beauty about the satay is that, there is not fat skewered in between the meat, for ones I ate with no guilt.

As I was enjoying myself talking to this guys,I learnt much more about Miri. This cafe played my kind of music, blues, a little rock and the eighties. The cafe was infested with customers, Europeans, Indians and a good mix of locals. What I also noticed is that, the Indians and Malaysians of the Indian ethnic group gave me the side look. When I was about to acknowledge them with my good smile, they turn away. The guys must have felt threatened of my presence in Miri, why the girls, something to do with my ring?

I was also told that the burger stall makes about RM 500 a day. And he has two stalls.The guys employed making these burgers make about RM 1,200 a month. This is truly amazing. Here we study and try doing everything else to earn a living. I am very happy for this guys. At last, I tried some grilled seafood, awesome as well.

As I said one night was not enough. Within a few hours so many details.I decided to retire early, it was 0130 and I rested well. The meeting in the morning was only for 3 hours, and flew back to Sibu in the afternoon.

If you think West Malaysia is diversed with culture, come to Sarawak , the greater Malaysia. Looking forward to be in Miri more often. Till then.

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.”
- Jawaharial Nehru

Something Funny. Imported from Mighty Pen

2009-07-27T02:33:00.000-07:00

By Dr Agoes Salim | Edited By The Mighty Pen

The objective of STPM is to pass people? How do you explain the fact that 87% of the students passed the exams of the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) recently, when during your father’s time only 10% would have passed? Are students getting smarter? Or are STPM questions getting easier?

Let me put things in their proper perspective. During your grandfather’s time, they would ask exam questions like: "In what year did Parameswara found the kingdom of Melaka ?" The correct answer was "1402", and they found that only 10% of the students managed to answer the question correctly. This didn’t go down too well with the authorities, because the objective of the exams was to pass people. I mean, what’s the point of having exams if people fail?

So later, they found another way to ask the same question: "Parameswara founded the kingdom of Melaka in the year: (a) 2001 (b) 2004 (c) 1986 (d) 1975 (e) 1402. Tick the correct answer." The results were better in that 20% of the students passed. But it was still not good enough, so the authorities tried a different tactic a few years later.

"Parameswara founded the kingdom of Melaka in the year 1402. True or false?" Well, half of the students guessed "True" and the other half guessed "False". 50% passed the exam. The results were getting pretty acceptable by now but still not good enough. Most other countries would be satisfied with a 50% passing rate, but not us. We are a better country, because we are a boleh country.

The authorities then cracked their heads and then came out with this one: Read the following sentence carefully. "Parameswara, the cousin of Proton-Iswara, founded the kingdom of Melaka in the year 1402. Underline the name of the person who founded Melaka." 60% underlined "Parameswara", 30% underlined "Proton-Iswara" and 10% underlined "1402". Yeah!!!!….60% managed to pass! So clever!

But for some reason, the authorities were still not contented. So last year, they came out with this gem: "One day in the year 1402, Parameswara founded the kingdom of Melaka . Then he went home to have dinner. What did he eat?" 13% (smart students) handed in blank answers, 57% wrote "Maggi Mee", 10% wrote " Kentucky Fried Chicken" and 20% wrote "Nasi Lemak".The correct answer was anything concerning "Food" of course! After the marking was over, it was found that 87% of the students had passed. 87%!!!!!..now that’s pretty impressive!

So it’s true. Now the authorities are very happy that the students are indeed getting smarter?Well done Boleh-land! Perhaps, this is why we have a host of students with an impressive string of ‘As’ who can hardly construct a decent sentence! Neow mind, our super-duper gomen can find a job for us one.Duh……

The Mighty Pen says: Perhaps to achieve a 100% pass rate and make Malaysia’s education system second to none in the world, the education authorities in Malaysia can set this question in future STPM examination: Parameswara founded Melaka in 1402. In what year Parameswara founded Melaka? Answer : 1402. Please rewrite 1402 in your answer sheet.

Mashed Tapioca For Breakfast, any one?

2009-07-25T07:39:00.000-07:00

Schooling days were beautiful.I was living in an oil palm plantation, called Chan Wing Estate, 14 KMs from the main town called Chaah, a small town in Johor. As usual when I refer to Chan Wing Estate as a plantation , my friends call it ESTATE. Well ,I beg to differ. It is a plantation. Huge Sime Darby plantation. This plantation was neighbouring the largest oil palm plantation in the world, then , now I m not sure. My grandfather decided to stay put in Chaah upon arriving from Kerala in the early 1900s, Unlike Tun Mahathir's ancestors, who went to Kedah.

Chaah is a small town in the Segamat district. I still remember what this small town is good at.Iwill not forget the chicken rice near Darling Walk, the kuih sold by Pak Cik Omar near the post office, Hassan roti canai shop with excellent dhal curry , and the halal Chinese restaurant called Long Suan and the beautiful girls.

Life then was great. Everything was simple when you think about it now. As usual during a couple of beers, I was asked, if I would consider going back to live in Chaah. The answer is no. I'd love to go back to Chaah as a tourist and cherish it rather than staying there and not appreciating like how I am appreciating it now . So much of treasure , treasure of memories.

What i love most about my childhood days in Chaah amongst the others is the breakfast that my mom makes. Coconut milk appam, puttu, lovely idlies with green chili coconut chutney, orapam and nasi lemak . These are all my favourite break fast. She is a wonderful cook, where my sister inherited and I m trying to be there. The one breakfast that I crave for is the mashed tapioca with ikan bilis. This goes well with black coffee . It looked tedious then but it is a simple dish to prepare. I am blessed here in Sibu, as we have the biggest wet market in Malaysia, I buy fresh tapioca and cook them.

For those interested in trying , this are the ingredients:

1) 1 kilo of tapioca
2) 50 grammes of Ikan Bilis (reduce it if you have high uric acid)
3) 4 to 5 green chilies cut small ,if you like it hotter, use chili padi
4) 1 big onion cut to very small pieces
5) a strand of curry leafs
6) 1teaspoon of fenugreek seeds
7) 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds
8) Salt to taste

Tips

Cut the uncooked tapioca into small pieces before boiling it. It boils faster.

Method

1) Boil the tapioca until it softens
2) drain the water and mash them
3) Pour oil into the hot wok
4) As the oil heats up, throw in the ikan bilis first let it harden a bit
5) Throw in the mustard and fenugreek seeds then,
6) throw in the cut onion , chili, curry leafs
7) Let it cook well . Then,
8) throw in the mashed tapioca and mix it well
9) Salt to taste.

That's all. Eat it while it is still hot. Some suggest that it taste better with fish curry. I won't deny that, can we first make the mashed tapioca?

This posting is specially dedicated to my wife. Darling I m coming home. It will be nice if you could buy any of those for breakfast before I get up on Sunday.I would still prefer you cooking it. Till then

There is one thing more exasperating than a wife who can cook and won't, and that's a wife who can't cook and will.
~Robert Frost

Kids Are Quick...For a laugh of the day!!

2009-07-23T23:05:00.000-07:00

TEACHER: Maria, go to the map and find North America .
MARIA: Here it is.
TEACHER: Correct. Now class, who discovered America ?
CLASS: Maria.
____________________________________

TEACHER: John, why are you doing your math multiplication on the floor?
JOHN: You told me without using tables.

__________________________________________

TEACHER: Glenn, how do you spell 'crocodile?'
GLENN: K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L'
TEACHER: No, that's wrong
GLENN: Maybe it is wrong, but you asked me how I spell it. (I Love this kid)____________________________________________

TEACHER: Donald, what is the chemical formula for water?
DONALD: H I J K L M N O.
TEACHER: What are you talking about?
DONALD: Yesterday you said it's H to O.
__________________________________

TEACHER: Winnie, name one important thing we have today that we didn't have ten years ago.
WINNIE: Me!
__________________________________________

TEACHER: Glen, why do you always get so dirty?
GLEN: Well, I'm a lot closer to the ground than you are.
_______________________________________

TEACHER: Millie, give me a sentence starting with ' I. '
MILLIE: I is..
TEACHER: No, Millie..... Always say, 'I am.'
MILLIE: All right... 'I am the ninth letter of the alphabet.'
________________________________

TEACHER: George Washington not only chopped down his father's cherry tree, but also admitted it. Now, Louie, do you know why his father didn't punish him?
LOUIS: Because George still had the axe in his hand.
______________________________________

TEACHER: Now, Simon, tell me frankly, do you say prayers before eating?
SIMON: No sir, I don't have to, my Mom is a good cook.
______________________________

TEACHER: Clyde , your composition on 'My Dog' is exactly the same as your brother's. Did you copy his?
CLYDE : No, sir. It's the same dog.

___________________________________

TEACHER: Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?
HAROLD: A teacher

Happy Friday folks!!!!!!!

What Makes A Good Marriage (PT 3)

2009-07-22T22:51:00.000-07:00

I tried several days to write part 3 but was unable to do so. It is not easy sometimes to express the inner feelings. Especially disappointment and anger. To what I have seen thus far, the marriage is not working. It is falling apart.

When first, the coalition of PAS , PKR and DAP was announced , people accepted this marriage or rather blessed this threesome . It is called Pakatan Rakyat . The power brokered by Anwar, Hadi and Lim Kit Siang almost ended Barisan's 50 over years reign ( if not for Sabah and Sarawak ). I assume that even the leaders of PR did not anticipate that together their marriage was mighty enough to deny 2/3 majority in the august house.

Malaysians of all walks of life cheered and partied ( I did) the success of this marriage which delivered 83 parliament seats and 5 states. This was the mother of all elections. Pakatan won 81 seats of 165 contested in Semenanjung Malaysia. Although the Independent frog is a non partisan, I will still count him in , as he contested under the Pas ticket.

Did the people believe in this marriage? I did, my family did, my friends and almost everyone I knew believed it. Yes, together Pakatan Rakyat is powerful . Were they really powerful ? Or the ruling coalition was just too weak There were other factors contributed to the PR's strength . Prime Minister (then TUN Abdullah) was weak. Ministers with insensitive remarks, Hindraf, an eye opener (micro factor) but also contributed and many more reasons that has brought about to the muscle of Pakatan Rakyat. All I heard from everyone, regardless of age , race and stature in the society is that the elimination of Barisan Nasional and its component parties. This election was also strange, because, I believe, with statistics , our Malay brothers and sisters voted for DAP, our Chinese brothers and sisters voted for PAS and our Indian brothers and sisters voted anyone who is not from Barisan Nasional.

So, everything was moving well until lately. This marriage started to look like a marriage of convenience to the supporters of Pakatan and all Malaysians. The phrase "marriage of convenience" has been generalized to mean any partnership between groups or individuals for their mutual (and sometimes illegitimate) benefit, or between groups or individuals otherwise unsuited to working together.Does Pakatan Rakyat sounds like this now? I think so.

PAS despite married to the coalition wants to have adulterous relationship with UMNO. DAP in Kedah wants to abandoned the marriage, PKR thinks that the state excos in Selangor needs to be reshuffled and not happy with DAP in the state. Moron of Parliament, Zulkifli Noordin, calls DAP stupid and also internal problems within PAS leadership .Due to these bickering with one and another people have formed opinions. There are two types of people. One group say that the PR will not survive due to the problems faced by the members of the coalition. The other group opines that, the problems faced by PR is small, magnified by the controlled mainstream media. What the second group of people don't understand is that, the first group is larger in number. This is precisely my point . The majority of people is not happy. They are suggesting that Barisan is better in terms of coalition.

I would suggest to the Pakatan elected reps, be transparent, honest and also continue doing your work. Why worried if MACC is targeting one group and not the other. If you are honest, give them your files and you do you work. Don't talk about it. Stop issuing statements until the investigations are over. This gives the media more opportunities to twist and turn facts. Again, just do your job. You must understand that you are representing the people who have voted you in, you are our voice. The people's voice. If you choose to have your own voice heard unnecessarily , I will assure you, you will not win the next election , like Zulkifli Noordin.

We all know you guys are working very hard.Don't let your heart over rule your mind and be emotional. No one wins using their heart, use your head. Stop it immediately. Work together, resolve differences amicably, learn from Barisan Nasional. No matter what happened or happens MCA, MIC, Gerakan and PPP (party with two Presidents) will shamelessly follow UMNO and they are successful , ruling the nation for 52 years. Don't you have that as an objective?

I agree in a marriage there should be quarrels, anger and disagreements but it should be for better not for worse. At this juncture, I would suggest to the PR elected members, convey your views in a nice manner. Discuss the issues and get it solved quietly (like in the bedroom). It is shameful if husband and wife fight so loud that neighbours hear. Get the marriage working, believe in the institution and this is the rule of thumb. Build the confidence back, or all will be wasted. Till then

"Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success."
Henry Ford

Borneo Post 20th July 2009

2009-07-21T01:00:00.000-07:00

Co-curriculum increase gets mixed reaction

SIBU: Sarawak students studying in institutions of higher learning (IPT) may not be able to cope with the proposed 30 per cent increase in co-curriculum activities as most schools in the state still lack proper sports facilities.

Describing the proposed increase as too high, Sarawak Teachers’ Union (STU) president William Ghani said students in the state will be hard pressed to keep pace with those in Peninsular Malaysia.

“In some schools, they don’t even have a field for students to play soccer. And here we are mooting the idea of increasing the co-curriculum activities from the existing 10 per cent to 30 per cent,” Ghani lamented.

He said proper facilities in school are most important as these will help prepare students for their tertiary education.

He added: “We must understand that secondary students will eventually progress to college or universities.

“For that, it is essential for schools to have adequate facilities, particularly for sports, for both mental and physical development of students.”

Using an analogue to better get his view across, he said: “When you build a house, you lay the foundation first before beginning to lay the bricks. You don’t do it the other way round.”

Ghani said this when asked to respond to the proposal by the Higher Education Ministry to increase the co-curriculum activities to 30 per cent in IPT.

Compounding the woes, he said, was the lack of qualified professionals to train the students here.

“So you see, increasing the co-curriculum activities to 30 per cent will burden and make our students’ lives difficult,” he said, reiterating that the proposed percentage was way too high.

In this connection, he advocated that co-curriculum activities in IPT be maintained at 10 per cent.

Ghani’s other concern was that students in IPT may tend to focus more on co-curriculum activities at the expense of academic work.

Hence, this he said defeated the purpose of producing graduates who can excel in both academics and sports.

Towards this end, Ghani said while the idea was commendable, it was not feasible at this point of time.

His bottom line: “Perhaps, more studies need to be conducted to weigh the pros and cons.”

Dr Antony Hii, principal of IBS College, meanwhile welcomed such proposal as it would further enhance the soft skills of IPT students.

He however stressed it must be properly implemented to achieve maximum results, adding that content of the co-curriculum is just as important.

Asked whether the proposal will compromise students’ academic performance, Dr Hii replied: “All co-curriculum programmes if properly managed and delivered are as good as academic performance. This is because it is an added skill and enhances students’ learning process.”

Dr Hii said the fear is that academic performance may plummet if it (co-curriculum) is given more emphasis.

“In fact, in co-curriculum activities, we can have study visits, industrial training, project-related works, team building and learning and so on,” said Dr Hii, who graduated with doctorate degree from George Washington University (GWU), USA.

According to him, the proposed increase of co-curriculum activities to 30 per cent will make students more marketable as they are equipped with better soft skills such as speaking.

Chief executive officer (CEO) of Knowledge Universe Sibu Learning Centre Prem Mathavan said for the proposal to work it must be tailored to the course learning objectives.

“If we are just talking about having more sports activities, I don’t believe we will go far with the concept,” said Prem.

Asked for explanation, the CEO pointed out that the co-curriculum activities must be lined up with educational-related exposures such as site visits, mock setting of work environment and others.

“It must be based on the practical aspect of what they are learning in the IPT.

“For example, if they are studying banking, bring them to the stock market to get an idea of the real operating environment,” he said.

In other words, co-curriculum activities should be geared towards the practical aspect of the subject matter, Prem reiterated.

He added: “There must be a linkage between the co-curriculum and courses taken by students.

“But if we are just talking about sports or clubs, I don’t see how they can be related to what the students are studying.”

He suggested that co-curriculum activities take in more of case studies so as to become work-based oriented.

An undergraduate, Malati Siniah, said there were two sides to the coin.

She said while the proposal will create a more balanced life for students in IPT and so better prepare them for their future work environment, many may find it hard to juggle between their studies and co-curriculum activities.

“And because of the high weightage, they can’t just drop them as and when they like. And at the end of the day, these students will feel burnout as they can no longer keep up with the pace,” she said, adding that it might increase the level of stress among students.

Malati who studied at a private university said there is no requirement for them to commit a specified amount of time on co-curriculum activities, which gives students a lot of time to do useful research or while away their free time to de-stress.

Borneo Post 10th July 2009 Front Page

2009-07-19T21:52:00.000-07:00

Reverting will confine students to domestic market: CEO of learning centre

SIBU: The move to do away with the teaching and learning of Science and Mathematics in English (PPSMI) will confine students to the domestic market, thus eroding the competitiveness of the nation.
Chief executive officer (CEO) of Knowledge Universe Sibu Learning Centre, Prem Mathavan said this yesterday when asked his view on the government’s move to use Bahasa Melayu (BM) as the medium of instruction for science and mathematics.
Prem reasoned that since English is the language of knowledge, students who could not master the language would not be able to compete in the global arena.
He said reverting the teaching and learning of science and mathematics to BM in national schools come 2012 would only cause the command of English among rural students to nosedive.
“Rural students are taking the initiative to speak some English today – thanks to PPSMI,” he noted.
“And it is a fact that these students have developed interest in this subject (English) as characterised by a slightly higher command of the language over the years - due to PPSMI,” he said. He warned that when PPSMI is dropped, students’ interest in the language will wane. They would then be at a disadvantage, owing to their weaker command of English, with serious repercussions.
Among others, doing away with PPSMI meant that students would have greater difficulty understanding science and maths, he added.
“This is because as they move to a higher level, not many reference books for such subjects are written or translated into the Malay language,” he pointed out, stressing that these subjects are very technical in nature.
But they would not be struggling with these subjects had PPSMI been retained.
Prem, who came from an English-speaking family reckoned that conversing in English would not negatively affect a person’s ability to pick up other languages.
Citing himself as an example, he said: “English aside, I can speak Mandarin, Tamil and of course, our national language. What I am saying is that while I speak English primarily, I can also communicate reasonably well in other languages.
“In other words, the learning of English, did not affect my ability to master other languages, so to speak.”
Dr Ting Chek Ming who was interviewed recently supported the move, saying the teaching of maths and science in national primary schools using BM would help build a solid foundation in these subjects among students. A similar effect would be felt in Chinese or Tamil national-type primary schools using their mother tongues, said the former senior lecturer of a local university college.
“This is because students learn best in their own mother tongue. And this had been proven by research all over the world,” said Dr Ting, who spent some 10 years doing research work in the US.
Dr Ting who graduated from the University of Arkansas, US with a PhD in Electrical Engineering said maths and science cannot be memorised as they are very technical in nature.
“To solve a problem in mathematics, you need to understand the nature of the problem. And to understand the nature of the problem, you must first understand the language,” he added.
“They won’t be able to do so if English becomes the medium of instruction for these subjects,” he said.
On Wednesday, the federal cabinet had decided that the medium of instruction for maths and science would revert to the Malay language in national schools while mother tongues (Mandarin and Tamil) would be used in national-type schools by 2012. Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had said that the reversal of the PPSMI policy would be done in stages.

The Funniest So far

2009-07-17T20:56:00.000-07:00

Site: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/32626-zahid-meets-israeli-pm-in-paris-

Visitors to EasternPrism please visit the above site if you want to have a good laugh. This is the funniest so far. You want to bullshit, go a head but not like thislah. You are underestimating the Malaysians' intelligence. Some how I don't understand how certain people are made ministers, particularly, people like Zahid Hamidi , that too defence minister.

Ironically, Malaysia does not recognise Israel. So, why would the defence minister meet a PM whom we don't recognise.Secondly, being an UMNO member, 1st vice president of the party , has met and shook hands with the PM of Israel.I m surprised that UMNO and PAS did not comment or protested in the streets for what Zahid had done.UMNO youth quiet. The funniest part is that our defence minister met the Netanyahu on his (Netanyahu's) request. Ok . I can't write anymore. Just fell out of my chair, laughing.

What Makes A Good Marriage (PT 2)

2009-07-17T02:54:00.000-07:00

Those days, situation was different(Indian tradition). The parents decide, to whom their son is to be married. This is a pitiful situation where the groom , would not have seen the bride before.He would be furnished with certain information about the bride (if he is lucky). Otherwise, the groom only sees the bride during the wedding day.

The situation today is totally opposite. Man falls in love with a woman. Gets to know , understand and learn her. If he is lucky he also gets to feel her(optional). This is the period where discussions prior to the marriage takes place. Issues like children, where to stay, how many times can the husband go out with friends for a beer in a week, and by what time must he be back so on and so forth. These are just silly examples, as there are more important ones.

What I am getting at is that marriage is a serious commitment. Most people say, it happens once in a life time. Well that is what all of us hope for. Thorough consideration is paramount. Or else it is a disaster. It is not only the suffering of the husband and wife.If they have children, they are involved. The families are involved. The friends are involved. The relatives are involved. This is when alot of people start bitching about them.Even if they knew little or nothing at all. All you know someone who does not like the husband might start a rumour that the guy is having an affair. Finish. Then everyone starts speculating. In the eyes of the public, damage done. Not many people are broad minded. Many of us are just emotional or just give up too easily on issues around us.

Some good people told me that, in less than a month of marriage, I have written quite a bit on it. Well , the truth of the matter is that I have used marriage as a metaphor . Crux of the matter will be in PT 3 . Till then

"If we are together nothing is impossible. If we are divided all will fail."
Winston Churchill

Causes of the Russian Revolution

2009-07-16T21:10:00.000-07:00

The Russian Revolution was one of the most important events in modern world history. Its impact was evident in both Europe and America. Although the Revolution did not directly spread Communism, it did give various other struggling third world countries an enticing example to follow. Decades later, the philosophy/governmental model would gain new notoriety as Russia, now a full communist state, squared off with the United States in the Cold War.

In any case, the two Revolutions of 1917 were broken down into two main parts: the overthrow of the tsarist regime (February Revolution) and the creation of the world?s first Communist state (October Revolution). The causes of these two revolutions encompass Russia?s political, social, and economic situation. Politically, the people of Russia resented the dictatorship of Tsar Nicholas II. The losses that the Russians suffered during World War I further weakened Russia?s view of Nicholas. Socially, the despotic tsarist regime had oppressed the peasant class for centuries. This caused unrest within the lower peasant class causing riots to break out. Economically, widespread inflation and famine in Russia contributed to the revolution.

Ultimately, a combination of these three, coupled with the leadership of Vladimir Lenin, led to the Russian Revolution.

Economic

The economic causes of the Russian Revolution were based largely on the Czar's mis-management, compounded by World War I. Over fifteen million men joined the army, which left an insufficient number of workers in the factories and on the farms. The result was widespread shortages of food and materials. Factory workers had to endure terrible working conditions, including twelve to fourteen hour days and low wages. Many riots and strikes for better conditions and higher wages broke out. Although some factories agreed to the requests for higher wages, wartime inflation nullified the increase. There was one protest to which Nicholas responded with violence (see Causes: Political); in response, industrial workers went on strike and effectively paralyzed the railway and transportation networks. What few supplies were available could not be effectively transported. As goods became more and more scarce, prices skyrocketed. By 1917, famine threatened many of the larger cities. Nicholas's failure to solve his country's economic suffering and communism's promise to do just that comprised the core of the Revolution.

Social

The social causes of the Russian Revolution mainly stemmed from centuries of oppression towards the lower classes by the Czarist regime and Nicholas's failures in World War I. Roughly 85% of the Russian people were peasants, under harsh oppression from the upper classes and the Czarist regime. Serfdom is most often associated with the Middle Ages, yet it accurately describes the social situation in Russia under Nicholas: A small class of noble landowners controlled a vast number of indentured peasants. In 1861, Czar Alexander II of Russia emancipated these peasants not for moral reasons, but because it was preventing Russia from advancing socially. This newfound freedom was of limited use, however, since they now had no land to work. As a result, the government drafted new terms that gave the peasants set amounts of land to cultivate. However, the amount of land they were given was insufficient, thus mass riots broke out. World War I only added to the chaos. The vast demand for factory production of war supplies and workers caused many more labor riots and strikes. In addition, because more factory workers were needed, peasants moved out of the country and into the cities, which soon became overpopulated, and living conditions rapidly grew worse. Furthermore, as more food was needed for the soldiers, the food supply behind the front grew scarce. By 1917, famine threatened many of the larger cities. Overall, all of the aforementioned contributed to the vast discontent of the Russian citizens, which further motivated the Revolution.

Political

The Political aspect of the Russian Revolution is essentially the combination or result of the Social and Economic problems created by the dictatorship of Czar Nicholas II. Since at least 1904, Russia's lower class workers had faced a dire economic situatio

Most of them were working 11 hour days. Health and safety provisions were dismal, and wages were falling. There were numerous strikes and protests as time went on. Almost all of these were either ignored by Nicholas or broken up, often in a violent and deadly fashion (see Bloody Sunday). His failed attempt at conquest in and around Manchuria was also very unpopular with the people. Some in the educated classes (many educated in the West) of Russia also resented the autocracy of Nicholas. In 1915, things took a critical turn for the worse when Nicholas decided to take direct command of the army, personally overseeing Russia's main warfront and leaving his incapable wife Alexandra in charge of the government. By the end of October 1916, Russia had lost between 1.6 and 1.8 million soldiers, with an addition two million prisoners of war and one million who had gone missing, which likely did little for the army's morale. Mutinies began to occur, and in 1916 reports of fraternizing with the enemy started to circulate. Soldiers went hungry and lacked shoes, munitions, and even weapons. Rampant discontent lowered morale, only to be further undermined by a series of military defeats. Nicholas was blamed, and what little support he had left began to crumble. As this discontent and utter hate of Nicholas grew, the State Duma (lower class of Russian parliament comprised of landowners, townspeople, industrial workers, and peasants) issued a warning to Nicholas in November 1916 stating that disaster would overtake the country unless a constitutional form of government was put in place. In typical fashion, Nicholas ignored them. As a result, Russia's Czarist regime collapsed a few months later during the February Revolution of 1917. A year later, the Czar and his family were executed. Ultimately, Nicholas's inept handling of his country and the War destroyed the Czarist regime and cost him both his rule and his life.

“The seed of revolution is repression.”

Woodrow T. Wilson quotes (American 28th President of the United States 1856-1924)

What Makes A Good Marriage (PT 1)

2009-07-15T09:12:00.000-07:00

Making a good marriage takes work. During courtship and the newlywed period, a couple will often feel like their marriage will never have any problems. They assume that they will always be as passionate as they are then; that they will have a good marriage forever. However, as many married couples discover, having a good marriage does take work. I cannot be talking of experience as mine is only less than three weeks.

In a good marriage, husband and wife are careful to avoid temptations of infidelity. In a good marriage, couples respect one another. In a good marriage, people are willing to admit they are wrong. People forgive one another in a good marriage. In a good marriage, the partners have respect for one another’s boundaries and privacy. In a good marriage, couples are loving, avoid unnecessary criticism, and are generally polite to one another. In a good marriage, the couple recognized that they are a team, and organize their lives as such.

Communication is one of the most important ways to have a good marriage. This is the rule f thumb of married life. A good marriage is one in which the couple can communicate about every issue, including children, work, household management, and sex (very important). Couples need to be able to discuss how they are feeling, both in terms of how they feel about one another but also in terms of how they are feeling about other things in life. This does not mean that the husband and wife always agree on every issue; but it does mean that each is willing to listen to the other, and to discuss their points of view. Good communication makes a good marriage.

A good marriage is also one in which the married couple spends time together. With the hectic schedule of the modern world, couples have to make time to just be alone together. This can be anything from the weekly scheduled date night to an hour or so spent together in the evening. On a regular basis, the couple in a good marriage will do something together that they enjoy.

Ultimately, a good marriage is built on a foundation of love; but the bricks-and-mortar that rest on that foundation, such as communication, respect, and spending time together, take some effort.

Saying sorry, excuse me and please, will always help in all situations. May it be the husband or wife, remember the partnership is important, as I said earlier.

There is a good reason , I wanted to blog about it tonight. Part 2 will be more interesting. As usual I wanted to end the article with a quote, but nothing is positive. Being an optimist I found one at last. Till then.

"Marriage has some thorns, but celibacy has no roses".

VERNON K. MCLELLAN

Moron of Parliament (MP)

2009-07-11T21:29:00.000-07:00

Dato Sri Anwar is an intelligent person. Then again no one is perfect. To err is human. DSAI's such err or big mistake is Zulkifli Noordin, MP for Kulim Bandar Baru.

This MP,based on his bio-data posted on his blog, he received his early education at Ashby Road (English) Primary School in Ipoh before going to the King Edward VII school in Taiping.

He did his pre-university programme at the Royal Military College before doing his A-Level programme at Pakuranga College in Auckland before proceeding to Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.

To to my surprise he managed to complete his education although he lacks the normal , ordinary human being's intelligence. On many issues, at least with my normal human being's intelligence, cannot see where he gets his ideas to comment . What is the basis of his thinking, rationale and motives. He studied in English, and now suggests that the reversal of PPSMI will be good for the future generation of this country. I guess he wrote his examinations in Jawi, and the university allowed it.

On comparing Filipinas who have good command in English and ended up only as maids and Japanese scientist who did not have good command of the language (English) and made it ,to my normal human being's intelligence, the mistake I made was reading his article this morning, and honestly my breakfast has not digested.

What he is suggesting , I think, with his lack of comprehension of how the world and the people today is that, all Englishmen in England , who speaks English is doing well. Maybe he should attend a refreshers course on political, economical, social and technological aspects of countries , so that he will understand that the comparison he gave was utter rubbish.

With job market is tough in the country, where employers are seeking individuals with good command in the language (English), he does not see that the future graduates, will be lost domestically and not to mention globally, and this is when graduates will go on to sell Ramli Burger and pisang goreng. Is this what he is suggesting? Or he is just saying to gain political mileage. If so from who? Again I made a mistake reading his article in the morning and I have now lost my appetite for lunch.

At least in the future , I suggest leaders from the BN and the Opposition to choose candidates with at least a normal human being's intelligence, Zulkifli Noordin, is a wrong candidate. My bet , next election if you are still the candidate for Kulim Bandar Baru, you will not win it. Malaysians are smart, and they will vote , not for you because you are not smart.

We need Members of Parliament not Morons of Parliament. Till then.

“I would like to take you seriously, but to do so would be an affront to your intelligence.”
George Bernard Shaw