Went to the practice green to brush up and hone my skills in putting, chipping and pitching. Spent nearly 2 hours, bent over and swinging my clubs diligently trying to put the balls near to the pin as possible. Going into the hole is more of luck for me at this stage.
Something else happened from all this diligence. A small muscle at the lower back to the right side has started to complain. Now I can't straighten myself too quickly after bending over for so long. Got to do it slowly. Anyway, that cumbersome nagging pain didn't stop me from going for golf again the next day. Must beat those guys and that 'gal'.
The four of us teed-off at 7.30am. From the beginning I knew it wasn't going to be my day. By the end of the 9th hole I was at the bottom of the score list. Bummer. I have to rest for at least a week to get over that sore muscle. Anyway, that 'sore' muscle didn't stop me from playing tennis in the evening. Had a good game and even forced one of the opponents to retire midway in the 2nd set due to exhaustion! That's what I call a workout.
I am still watching all the golf competitions that are being shown on TV to see how the professionals play and learn more about how the game is played. My day will come.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Monday, March 19, 2007
Golf Anyone?
I have played various types of games in my lifetime. From the group games that we invent when we were kids(police and thief, hide and seek) to the more established and internationally recognised games like football, volley-ball, badminton, ping-pong, tennis and golf. Of late I have the opportunity to play more golf as I am retired and have more time on my hands than I care to admit.
It is a strange game where one has to hit a small round ball into a small hole. The distance from the stating point to the hole varies, between 300+ - 500+ yards. The first blow is called a tee-off where one uses the biggest 'club' in the arsenal of clubs to whack the ball to as far as one can or as in my case, out of my sight - probably into the 'forest' or pond or 'unmown' area of the course. This seems to give a certain amount of pleasure to my opponents as I have the knack of playing from one side of the fairway to the other side as I slowly approach the 'green'. I am also very good at playing from tree to tree and am very familiar with the location of all the ponds and drains on our 9 hole course.
But I am getting the hang of the game and have started to hit straight, maybe not towards the pin, nevertheless straight as opposed to the 'curvaceous' shots that carry my ball out of bounds. Of late I have been buying a lot of drinks but all this shall come to an end.
Note to self:"I must go to the driving range and the practice green to hone my driving, pitching and putting skills so I can beat some of these guys and 'gal'."
An important factor in playing this game is the exercise I get, dragging my golf set for 5 or 6 kilometers. Hopefully by the end of the year I will be slimmer, my knees will be stronger and my HDL will increase.
Hole1(Par 4) where we Tee-off. To the right is the practice range and to the left is a pond.
Hole 5 (Par 5) Drain right across with a pond about 300yds on the right.
Hole 7(Par3) The pond in front has gobbled up a lot of balls.
The practice green.
It is a strange game where one has to hit a small round ball into a small hole. The distance from the stating point to the hole varies, between 300+ - 500+ yards. The first blow is called a tee-off where one uses the biggest 'club' in the arsenal of clubs to whack the ball to as far as one can or as in my case, out of my sight - probably into the 'forest' or pond or 'unmown' area of the course. This seems to give a certain amount of pleasure to my opponents as I have the knack of playing from one side of the fairway to the other side as I slowly approach the 'green'. I am also very good at playing from tree to tree and am very familiar with the location of all the ponds and drains on our 9 hole course.
But I am getting the hang of the game and have started to hit straight, maybe not towards the pin, nevertheless straight as opposed to the 'curvaceous' shots that carry my ball out of bounds. Of late I have been buying a lot of drinks but all this shall come to an end.
Note to self:"I must go to the driving range and the practice green to hone my driving, pitching and putting skills so I can beat some of these guys and 'gal'."
An important factor in playing this game is the exercise I get, dragging my golf set for 5 or 6 kilometers. Hopefully by the end of the year I will be slimmer, my knees will be stronger and my HDL will increase.
Hole1(Par 4) where we Tee-off. To the right is the practice range and to the left is a pond.
Hole 5 (Par 5) Drain right across with a pond about 300yds on the right.
Hole 7(Par3) The pond in front has gobbled up a lot of balls.
The practice green.
Monday, March 12, 2007
The Arts?
There was an article in the World Section of our local newspaper about a show in Rapid City, South Dakota where French performance artists vomited, simulated sex and threw fake faeces besides stripping and called this ‘art’! The promoter for these Frenchmen, Kevin Dorsman seems to think that it was well done as performance art although it was stopped shortly after the simulated sex act involving a carrot. The promoter did apologise as he discovered that the act was too extreme for the people of Rapid City. It seems nobody really knew what these guys were going to do when they hired them. Is this really art?
When you say art to me, not necessarily ‘performing’, this is what comes to my mind :
Venus de Milo, an ancient Greek statue and one of the most famous works of ancient Greek sculpture.
Mona Lisa, or La Gioconda (La Joconde), a 16th century oil painting on poplar wood by Leonardo da Vinci.
The Taj Mahal (sometimes called "the Taj") generally considered the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements of Persian, Turkish and Indian.
Performing arts would bring to mind things like cultural dances, Shakespeare, musicals, mime, magic shows, stage bands, opera, and so on and so forth …
How could vomitting, throwing fake faeces and simulating sex act with a carrot be calssified as art? What is the world coming to or did I miss something in the last decade or so? I might have been in a Rip Van Winkle zone when they reclassified the term ‘performing arts’. But if given the choice, I would rather have nothing to do with it even if I am considered as a prude or old fashioned. I have to draw the line for myself and this type of ‘performing arts’ stays out of my zone. Waaaaaaaaaaaay out.
When you say art to me, not necessarily ‘performing’, this is what comes to my mind :
Venus de Milo, an ancient Greek statue and one of the most famous works of ancient Greek sculpture.
Mona Lisa, or La Gioconda (La Joconde), a 16th century oil painting on poplar wood by Leonardo da Vinci.
The Taj Mahal (sometimes called "the Taj") generally considered the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements of Persian, Turkish and Indian.
Performing arts would bring to mind things like cultural dances, Shakespeare, musicals, mime, magic shows, stage bands, opera, and so on and so forth …
How could vomitting, throwing fake faeces and simulating sex act with a carrot be calssified as art? What is the world coming to or did I miss something in the last decade or so? I might have been in a Rip Van Winkle zone when they reclassified the term ‘performing arts’. But if given the choice, I would rather have nothing to do with it even if I am considered as a prude or old fashioned. I have to draw the line for myself and this type of ‘performing arts’ stays out of my zone. Waaaaaaaaaaaay out.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Staying Healthy When Old
One thing I notice when I am on my usual morning walks is that the ones who are religiously exercising are the older generation. Even their numbers are more than the younger generation. There are teenagers and the young adults, but they usually come to socialize more than actually exercise. They will run a few hundred feet and then end up running around the trees chasing each other.
Whereas the older generation, made up of the healthy to the sickly, are very serious about the whole ‘keeping healthy’ workout. We always take our health for granted when we are young or when in the pink of health. When something happens to wake us up from our stupor, then we start to prioritise our activities and manage to make time for exercise and other health related activities.
I can see so many elderly people who have survived heart attacks or strokes and who are regularly exercising to stay healthy. When we start losing that precious commodity that was given freely at birth, we try to work hard to keep it as long as we can. Growing old gracefully was probably coined for greeting cards. There is no ‘gracefully’ with old age. You lose your strength, your stability, your reflexes, your memory, sometimes your sense of humour and probably have a lot of gas as well.
What you really need is to be healthy with strong muscles and limbs to carry your body around. For the mental workout, reading is about the best exercise. Otherwise you would end up being a burden to those whom you love. What I have noticed is that no one wants to die before their time. And those who are surviving, staying healthy and strong seems to be the priority. Life after death is another story.
Whereas the older generation, made up of the healthy to the sickly, are very serious about the whole ‘keeping healthy’ workout. We always take our health for granted when we are young or when in the pink of health. When something happens to wake us up from our stupor, then we start to prioritise our activities and manage to make time for exercise and other health related activities.
I can see so many elderly people who have survived heart attacks or strokes and who are regularly exercising to stay healthy. When we start losing that precious commodity that was given freely at birth, we try to work hard to keep it as long as we can. Growing old gracefully was probably coined for greeting cards. There is no ‘gracefully’ with old age. You lose your strength, your stability, your reflexes, your memory, sometimes your sense of humour and probably have a lot of gas as well.
What you really need is to be healthy with strong muscles and limbs to carry your body around. For the mental workout, reading is about the best exercise. Otherwise you would end up being a burden to those whom you love. What I have noticed is that no one wants to die before their time. And those who are surviving, staying healthy and strong seems to be the priority. Life after death is another story.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Smoke Free Environment
It is a good thing to have a smoke free environment, especially in an air-conditioned hall or building. We had a dinner and dance function at our club last night to celebrate the end of the Chinese New Year and also our regular fellowship night which is held once a month. The organising chairman has been advertising the event and calling up a lot of the members to give support to make this event a success. When he approached me to get some tennis players to attend, I did mention to him that we all love to go but most of us are not happy that smokers are allowed to puff away in the enclosed area. We do not want to be second-hand smokers.
I read that inhaling second-hand smoke is worse than smoking the cigarette and besides the obvious danger to our health, the smell of smoke on our clothes is also a put off. The smoke can penetrate right down to the undergarments! After listening to my complaints, he said he will do something about it.
Last night before the dinner began, he made the announcement to all smokers, "You are free to smoke, but do it out on the balcony. There should be no smoking inside the dance hall". That made our day. The music was good. We had a live band from K.L. called the 'Ghost Riders' who belted away the type of numbers that we liked and got almost everyone on the floor. There was of course the better dancers who walked away with the hampers. They could swing their hips better than most of us and the swinging lady also happens to be a good friend. There was a special prize for the best dressed gentleman and one also for the lady who happened to be our good friend also.
All in all it was a fun night with wonderful music and good company and most of all without the smoke. I hope that policy stays for future events. Below is a photo of some of our gang.
I read that inhaling second-hand smoke is worse than smoking the cigarette and besides the obvious danger to our health, the smell of smoke on our clothes is also a put off. The smoke can penetrate right down to the undergarments! After listening to my complaints, he said he will do something about it.
Last night before the dinner began, he made the announcement to all smokers, "You are free to smoke, but do it out on the balcony. There should be no smoking inside the dance hall". That made our day. The music was good. We had a live band from K.L. called the 'Ghost Riders' who belted away the type of numbers that we liked and got almost everyone on the floor. There was of course the better dancers who walked away with the hampers. They could swing their hips better than most of us and the swinging lady also happens to be a good friend. There was a special prize for the best dressed gentleman and one also for the lady who happened to be our good friend also.
All in all it was a fun night with wonderful music and good company and most of all without the smoke. I hope that policy stays for future events. Below is a photo of some of our gang.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Waiting Room Blues
It was time for our car to be sent for servicing. Reached 51,000km and according to the manual, the car needs servicing. When I was still working, the practice was to drive to the service center and leave the car there. The service center people will send you back to the office and when the car is ready, they will send the car to you.
Things are different when you are retired. You don't have to go to work. You have plenty of time so you can wait at the service center for the car to be ready. I went around 9.30am and told the guy I wanted the car to be serviced plus to check the brakes as they were making squeaky noises when I applied the brakes. He said no problem and invited me to the customer waiting room. There was a receptionist there to assist you should you need anything. I surveyed the room and noticed a TV, an automated coffee machine and an ice cream 'box'. Everything was self-service of course.
I am not used to serving myself, so I asked the girl if she could turn the tv on. She said no problem but informed me that there was some problem. She didn't mention what the problem was but turned on the TV anyway. As she was trying to get into the many channels offered by Astro, I asked her to click to the sports channel. Everytime there was a message, 'you are not subscribed to this channel'! Then she turned around and told me they (employer) may not have paid the Astro bill for this month. What a bummer! She said I could watch some movies from their VCD collection if I wanted. She brought the list of movies available and I quickly chose 'Pirates of The Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest'.
While I was waiting for her to get the VCD, I looked around and saw two other customers sitting at a table and deeply engrossed in the local newspaper. When you have a lot of time on your hands, you tend to read everything in the papers, from the news, the advertisements, the sports section right down to the obituaries. I didn't bring my reading glasses so I didn't have to do that. After she started the movie going she asked if I wanted a drink. I said yes and asked for 'Nescafe'. She was kind enough to get me the cup of 'Nescafe'. I settled down for the next one and a half hour wait, watching 'Dead Man's Chest' with a steaming cup of 'Nescafe'.
The film was not as good as the first one. Too much slapstick and couldn't quite get the plot of the story. Anyway, the car was ready before I could finish the movie. The bil came to RM 338.50. Cost for changing the engine oil, oil filter, brake oil, power steering oil, spark plugs and services charges. When you own a car, you have to get prepared to pay for the upkeep.
The squeaky sounds have dissapeared, and the car is running smoothly.
Things are different when you are retired. You don't have to go to work. You have plenty of time so you can wait at the service center for the car to be ready. I went around 9.30am and told the guy I wanted the car to be serviced plus to check the brakes as they were making squeaky noises when I applied the brakes. He said no problem and invited me to the customer waiting room. There was a receptionist there to assist you should you need anything. I surveyed the room and noticed a TV, an automated coffee machine and an ice cream 'box'. Everything was self-service of course.
I am not used to serving myself, so I asked the girl if she could turn the tv on. She said no problem but informed me that there was some problem. She didn't mention what the problem was but turned on the TV anyway. As she was trying to get into the many channels offered by Astro, I asked her to click to the sports channel. Everytime there was a message, 'you are not subscribed to this channel'! Then she turned around and told me they (employer) may not have paid the Astro bill for this month. What a bummer! She said I could watch some movies from their VCD collection if I wanted. She brought the list of movies available and I quickly chose 'Pirates of The Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest'.
While I was waiting for her to get the VCD, I looked around and saw two other customers sitting at a table and deeply engrossed in the local newspaper. When you have a lot of time on your hands, you tend to read everything in the papers, from the news, the advertisements, the sports section right down to the obituaries. I didn't bring my reading glasses so I didn't have to do that. After she started the movie going she asked if I wanted a drink. I said yes and asked for 'Nescafe'. She was kind enough to get me the cup of 'Nescafe'. I settled down for the next one and a half hour wait, watching 'Dead Man's Chest' with a steaming cup of 'Nescafe'.
The film was not as good as the first one. Too much slapstick and couldn't quite get the plot of the story. Anyway, the car was ready before I could finish the movie. The bil came to RM 338.50. Cost for changing the engine oil, oil filter, brake oil, power steering oil, spark plugs and services charges. When you own a car, you have to get prepared to pay for the upkeep.
The squeaky sounds have dissapeared, and the car is running smoothly.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Stop Snooping
"Stop snooping" was the instruction given to the Terengganu State Islam Hadhari Committee chairman Datuk Rosul Wahid by the Prime Minister. The PM said there was no need for the policing of the morals of muslims. He went on to say that instead of devoting too much time and effort trying to police the morals of Muslims, state religious departments were better off concentrating on programmes that could strengthen the Islamic values and morals of the community.
Finally there is a voice of reason from the government. Such activities gives a bad image of our country. Such practices must be curbed at the beginning. If it is allowed to bloom then it will be too late and we will end up with situations like in the middle-east and some other muslim countries where the religious police are more powerful than the regular police.
We should be concentrating on strengthening our economy, racial intergration and eradicating the quota system giving equality to every Malaysian. This should be the target of a fair and democratic government. As it is we losing tons of money due to the ridiculous system of awarding contracts based on race. It is time for a rethink for the good of the nation as a whole.
Finally there is a voice of reason from the government. Such activities gives a bad image of our country. Such practices must be curbed at the beginning. If it is allowed to bloom then it will be too late and we will end up with situations like in the middle-east and some other muslim countries where the religious police are more powerful than the regular police.
We should be concentrating on strengthening our economy, racial intergration and eradicating the quota system giving equality to every Malaysian. This should be the target of a fair and democratic government. As it is we losing tons of money due to the ridiculous system of awarding contracts based on race. It is time for a rethink for the good of the nation as a whole.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
How To Murder
I read in the New Zealand Herald that kiwis are a heathy and active lot but don't feel safe on city streets at night. Many reasons were given for feeling scared which included dangerous people, media reporting on crime, alcohol and drug problems and badly-lit streets. One reason that they left out could be because it is the latest to emerge.
Howick College has given it's students a special assignment to stimulate their thinking. How to carry out a perfect murder and dispose of the victim's body. Only one parent complained about this gross assignment and insisted the college give an apology. The principal, Bill Dimery, said the aim of the assignment was to get students reading the Roald Dahl book Lamb to the Slaughter, in which a woman kills her husband with a frozen leg of lamb, which she then serves to the investigating police officers for dinner.
He then acknowledged that, setting such an assignment was probably poor judgment.
"The intention was to get kids thinking about people and their actions and their motivations and there was an assignment which was couched in terms of plotting your own murder." The teacher later apologised to the parents.
What about the rest of the kids who completed their assignments? What would be their conversation during break? The one who got an 'A' would be in cloud 9 and pleased with himself that he can get away with murder. What would happen if his classmates think that his plan would not actually work and dare him to prove it. Things like this always happen in school compounds. I heard someone's child jumped off their apartment after watching Superman! So what's to stop these kids from carrying out the 'perfect' murder? Who will be the unfortunate victim?
Schools must be more careful on what they put inside impressive minds of the young. Do they really need to learn how to kill to stimulate their minds? This kind of teaching method is carrying it a bit too far. I am glad my sons are not in that school.
Howick College has given it's students a special assignment to stimulate their thinking. How to carry out a perfect murder and dispose of the victim's body. Only one parent complained about this gross assignment and insisted the college give an apology. The principal, Bill Dimery, said the aim of the assignment was to get students reading the Roald Dahl book Lamb to the Slaughter, in which a woman kills her husband with a frozen leg of lamb, which she then serves to the investigating police officers for dinner.
He then acknowledged that, setting such an assignment was probably poor judgment.
"The intention was to get kids thinking about people and their actions and their motivations and there was an assignment which was couched in terms of plotting your own murder." The teacher later apologised to the parents.
What about the rest of the kids who completed their assignments? What would be their conversation during break? The one who got an 'A' would be in cloud 9 and pleased with himself that he can get away with murder. What would happen if his classmates think that his plan would not actually work and dare him to prove it. Things like this always happen in school compounds. I heard someone's child jumped off their apartment after watching Superman! So what's to stop these kids from carrying out the 'perfect' murder? Who will be the unfortunate victim?
Schools must be more careful on what they put inside impressive minds of the young. Do they really need to learn how to kill to stimulate their minds? This kind of teaching method is carrying it a bit too far. I am glad my sons are not in that school.
Religious Zealots
When will the politicians in Malaysia come to their senses? This is a multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-cultural society. We have lived in harmony for so many years because we respect each other and are tolerant to each other's peculiarities. Even our religious differences didn't keep us apart. We learnt to live with each other and have prospered this far.
Lately there seems to be an emergence of relgious fanatics who think they are championing their faith by introducing laws and rules based on their religion and want to implement them on the rest of us.
An example would be the dressing of women(it always is about the women for these zealots). The various heads of government depertments started warning the public that they won't be entertained if they didn't dress properly! Properly according to whose standards? Then came the stupid rule about the fine of RM500 for sexy dressing in Kelantan. The next one was about the suggestion that women should wear chastity belt to 'protect' them from rapist! Nothing is mentioned about any study being done on why the men resort to rape. The victims are not always beautiful, sexually attractive females. Little children and even grandmothers are not spared. Shouldn't they start looking at the men for a change to look for the reason?
If that wasn't good enough, now one of the so-called 'elect' among the Muslim society has decided to set up a group which he termed as 'Mat Skoding'. Their job would be to spy on unmarried couples who are having sex and report them. Basically I would describe them as peeping toms. These people in religious departments have never been voted by the people but they seem to be progressively gaining more power as the years go by. Very soon they will have their own religious army! This is bad for the nation.
Politicians can be voted out but these religious zealots hide behind their 'holy books' and once they have power they are almost impossible to be removed - short of a bloody revolution. Our leaders must wake up and put a check to these zealots before it is too late.
Lately there seems to be an emergence of relgious fanatics who think they are championing their faith by introducing laws and rules based on their religion and want to implement them on the rest of us.
An example would be the dressing of women(it always is about the women for these zealots). The various heads of government depertments started warning the public that they won't be entertained if they didn't dress properly! Properly according to whose standards? Then came the stupid rule about the fine of RM500 for sexy dressing in Kelantan. The next one was about the suggestion that women should wear chastity belt to 'protect' them from rapist! Nothing is mentioned about any study being done on why the men resort to rape. The victims are not always beautiful, sexually attractive females. Little children and even grandmothers are not spared. Shouldn't they start looking at the men for a change to look for the reason?
If that wasn't good enough, now one of the so-called 'elect' among the Muslim society has decided to set up a group which he termed as 'Mat Skoding'. Their job would be to spy on unmarried couples who are having sex and report them. Basically I would describe them as peeping toms. These people in religious departments have never been voted by the people but they seem to be progressively gaining more power as the years go by. Very soon they will have their own religious army! This is bad for the nation.
Politicians can be voted out but these religious zealots hide behind their 'holy books' and once they have power they are almost impossible to be removed - short of a bloody revolution. Our leaders must wake up and put a check to these zealots before it is too late.
Monday, February 12, 2007
First Time For Everything
We have never opened up our home for any function before. So, when I was nearing 58, my wife said now would be a good time to try it. We planned to invite a small group of close friends. That itself was a big headache. When you sit down and write the names, the list is not so small anymore. This was one of the many obstacles that we had to cross. Somehow we trimmed it down to 12 and duly informed our 'victims' that they were required to present themselves at our residence for lunch. When all had confirmed their participation after trying their best to find out what the occasion was for, we started to plan the menu.
There is no cooking in this house so everything has to be catered. We wanted to keep it simple so we ordered chicken and mutton (Indian restaurant). There will be no rice this time, so we ordered 'capati' and 'idli'. We also ordered fried chicken (Chinese restaurant) called 'inchi-kibin', whatever that means. That looked very simple. After a few days someone told us it is better to have more food than less food, so I rushed to the Indian restaurant and increased the chicken quantity and the 'capati'. I checked with him three times to make sure he didn't forget my order and to make sure there was sufficient salt in the curry. I also told him none of us was diabetic. I remembered the last time I ate there the cook didn't put enough salt. He reassured me everything would be fine.
That morning we went to the market to buy some fruits. We managed to get 'nangka' and 'papaya'. At 11.30 I took my wife to the restaurant to collect the food. The man told us everything was ready except the 'capati'. The person who makes the 'capati' hasn't turned up for work! I told him my guests will be arriving very soon. What are they going to eat with the curry? My wife settled for rice. Lucky fellow. I would have made him sweat longer. She also ordered 'papadom', fried fish and vegetables that she said looked good. We collected the 'inchi-kibin' from the Chinese restaurant and went home to wait for our guests.
They all arrived on time and soon everybody was enjoying the meal. We were all 'yakking' away so much that I forgot to bring out the 'papadom'. I went in to open a bottle of wine but was having some trouble with it. Fortunately an expert wine bottle opener was present that day and she opened the wine bottle with ease. The wine was sipped slowly by some while others just gulped it down. No matter. As long as the bottle was emptied. Then someone, who had found out that it was my birthday, had brought a cake and I was made to blow out the candles(there was not enough candles though!). The 'yam cake' was delicious though.
All in all it was a good time for all who were present and a very good experience for us in organising such an event at our home. Maybe we might do it again for my wife's birthday, God willing.
There is no cooking in this house so everything has to be catered. We wanted to keep it simple so we ordered chicken and mutton (Indian restaurant). There will be no rice this time, so we ordered 'capati' and 'idli'. We also ordered fried chicken (Chinese restaurant) called 'inchi-kibin', whatever that means. That looked very simple. After a few days someone told us it is better to have more food than less food, so I rushed to the Indian restaurant and increased the chicken quantity and the 'capati'. I checked with him three times to make sure he didn't forget my order and to make sure there was sufficient salt in the curry. I also told him none of us was diabetic. I remembered the last time I ate there the cook didn't put enough salt. He reassured me everything would be fine.
That morning we went to the market to buy some fruits. We managed to get 'nangka' and 'papaya'. At 11.30 I took my wife to the restaurant to collect the food. The man told us everything was ready except the 'capati'. The person who makes the 'capati' hasn't turned up for work! I told him my guests will be arriving very soon. What are they going to eat with the curry? My wife settled for rice. Lucky fellow. I would have made him sweat longer. She also ordered 'papadom', fried fish and vegetables that she said looked good. We collected the 'inchi-kibin' from the Chinese restaurant and went home to wait for our guests.
They all arrived on time and soon everybody was enjoying the meal. We were all 'yakking' away so much that I forgot to bring out the 'papadom'. I went in to open a bottle of wine but was having some trouble with it. Fortunately an expert wine bottle opener was present that day and she opened the wine bottle with ease. The wine was sipped slowly by some while others just gulped it down. No matter. As long as the bottle was emptied. Then someone, who had found out that it was my birthday, had brought a cake and I was made to blow out the candles(there was not enough candles though!). The 'yam cake' was delicious though.
All in all it was a good time for all who were present and a very good experience for us in organising such an event at our home. Maybe we might do it again for my wife's birthday, God willing.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Just A Thought
I always wondered why someone could not come with a design for cell phone batteries that would last for , say 1 week before it needs to be recharged. Wouldn't that be wonderful? It could also trigger a chain reaction leading to greater inventions!
For example, we already have solar cells that convert the sun's rays into energy that can be utilised for lighting and heating of water in the house. What if we had such small batteries that could last for more than a week. Some brilliant or crazy person could come up with a device that could magnify this source of power so that it could be used to move pistons! If that could be done we would be driving cars using small batteries that would need recharging about once a week. There would be no pollution of the atmosphere. The noise pollution would also drop. Best of all, this invention would break the oil cartel that is controlling the world economy and giving so much power to a few families in the middle-east.
Once everyone is used to moving around in a noisless, pollution free environment, another brilliant or crazy person might come up with the idea of using the gravitational force around us. A vehicle that uses gravity to propel itself will be the beginning of the space age. Not rocket fired, fuel guzzling monsters that we are familiar with. We must have a design that uses the natural environment around us without destroying or depleting it. This is the real space age. The moon has its own gravitational force around it. A vehicle that can use such natural forces can also operate over there.
That day will come, but when? I wish it would happen within my lifetime. Imagine the possibilities. It could go places even a helicopter cannot reach. There would be no need to cut down trees to build highways! We can only hope and wait.
For example, we already have solar cells that convert the sun's rays into energy that can be utilised for lighting and heating of water in the house. What if we had such small batteries that could last for more than a week. Some brilliant or crazy person could come up with a device that could magnify this source of power so that it could be used to move pistons! If that could be done we would be driving cars using small batteries that would need recharging about once a week. There would be no pollution of the atmosphere. The noise pollution would also drop. Best of all, this invention would break the oil cartel that is controlling the world economy and giving so much power to a few families in the middle-east.
Once everyone is used to moving around in a noisless, pollution free environment, another brilliant or crazy person might come up with the idea of using the gravitational force around us. A vehicle that uses gravity to propel itself will be the beginning of the space age. Not rocket fired, fuel guzzling monsters that we are familiar with. We must have a design that uses the natural environment around us without destroying or depleting it. This is the real space age. The moon has its own gravitational force around it. A vehicle that can use such natural forces can also operate over there.
That day will come, but when? I wish it would happen within my lifetime. Imagine the possibilities. It could go places even a helicopter cannot reach. There would be no need to cut down trees to build highways! We can only hope and wait.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Police Efficiency
It's a feather in the IGP's cap as it was reported that the police took only nine hours to crack the Saturday night jewellery heist at the Subang Parade shopping mall. That's a job well done. The next step the IGP should take is to send some of those efficient police officers to tackle the snatch theft problem that is still rampant in all the states.
These punks are not working in the dark. They are doing it in broad daylight and sometimes in busy areas. I am sure these officers can come with a plan to nab these scoundrels. It only takes a few success stories which will be highlighted in the papers to act as deterent for the other crooks. As they say, 'Justice must not only be done, but must be seen to be done.'
These robbers prey on defenseless people causing bodily harm and sometimes even death. It is time the police took a more serious look at these crimes even though they may not look so glamourous. Neverthless they are criminal acts and many lives have been lost even though the financial losses are small.
If the IGP can solve this problem which affects the people on the street, I am sure a lot of people will feel safer to go out in Malaysia and he will not only receive accolades from the PM but from all the 'rakyaat'!
These punks are not working in the dark. They are doing it in broad daylight and sometimes in busy areas. I am sure these officers can come with a plan to nab these scoundrels. It only takes a few success stories which will be highlighted in the papers to act as deterent for the other crooks. As they say, 'Justice must not only be done, but must be seen to be done.'
These robbers prey on defenseless people causing bodily harm and sometimes even death. It is time the police took a more serious look at these crimes even though they may not look so glamourous. Neverthless they are criminal acts and many lives have been lost even though the financial losses are small.
If the IGP can solve this problem which affects the people on the street, I am sure a lot of people will feel safer to go out in Malaysia and he will not only receive accolades from the PM but from all the 'rakyaat'!
Costly Blunders
I read in the New Straits Times regarding costly blunders in awarding contracts. These facts were revealed yesterday by Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop and deputy Auditor-General Anwari Suri.
The article was about contractors who were incompetent, who lacked expertise but yet were awarded government contracts. These contractors didn't have the finance, the skilled manpower and didn't have the equipment in the first place. How was it that they were able to get the government contracts? You don't need Agatha Christie or Hercule Poirot to solve this one.
The government has itself to blame when the 'give to bumiputra contractors only' policy came to effect. Why would the bumiputra contractor be bothered about competency, or doing a good job or even finishing it. The subsidy mentality is in existence. The government will bail him out all the time. He would have got 15% as advance payment to be used to start the contract. So, when he gets the advance, the first thing is to get an E-Type Jaguar to be used for site meetings among other things. Then get a second wife although maybe not in that order. When things are given out, the welfare mentality takes over. In the beginning the suppliers will agree to supply the required materials and the banks might give loans based on the Letter of Acceptance. When the money doesn't come in, the supplier and the banks will turn the screw tighter. The supplier will demand cash for the building materials.
The contractor will go crying to the government that the non-bumis are not helping him! The little 'Napoleons' in the Finance Ministry and the Works Ministry try to help the 'poor helpless' contractor by getting him some money from the revolving fund meant for the deserving bumiputra contractors. That money will also dissapear. The contract will be terminated with some poor civil engineer who happened to be in charge of that project having to write out a full detailed report on what happened. It will then take months for the contract to be retendered. The cost of the project of course would have gone up. Is this really news? This has been going on for a very long time.
Poor management in the various government departments is also to blame. This is because of another unwritten policy that the head of any section must be a bumiputra and it doesn't matter if he or she is inexperienced. This state of affairs will go on until the government wakes up to the fact that non-bumiputras can manage the department and manage it well too. The government has to stop playing the races against each other just to stay in power. It was announced that RM2.1 billion has been reserved for 32,000 class F contractors. Who are the class F contractors? Bumiputras. What about the rest of the non-bumiputra contractors? Who is being marginalised here? The government must come up with a plan that will include everybody regardless of their race or religion.
There must be a paradign shift in the minds of the executive from being fearful of other races to that of working together for the good of all. Take a look at the Chinese muslims in Malacca. Just to allow the Chinese muslims to build a mosque for them to worship is a big problem for the Malays there! "Mosque for Chinese Muslims unnecessary, says Malacca CM" screams the headlines. When are the politicians going to grow up in Malaysia?
The article was about contractors who were incompetent, who lacked expertise but yet were awarded government contracts. These contractors didn't have the finance, the skilled manpower and didn't have the equipment in the first place. How was it that they were able to get the government contracts? You don't need Agatha Christie or Hercule Poirot to solve this one.
The government has itself to blame when the 'give to bumiputra contractors only' policy came to effect. Why would the bumiputra contractor be bothered about competency, or doing a good job or even finishing it. The subsidy mentality is in existence. The government will bail him out all the time. He would have got 15% as advance payment to be used to start the contract. So, when he gets the advance, the first thing is to get an E-Type Jaguar to be used for site meetings among other things. Then get a second wife although maybe not in that order. When things are given out, the welfare mentality takes over. In the beginning the suppliers will agree to supply the required materials and the banks might give loans based on the Letter of Acceptance. When the money doesn't come in, the supplier and the banks will turn the screw tighter. The supplier will demand cash for the building materials.
The contractor will go crying to the government that the non-bumis are not helping him! The little 'Napoleons' in the Finance Ministry and the Works Ministry try to help the 'poor helpless' contractor by getting him some money from the revolving fund meant for the deserving bumiputra contractors. That money will also dissapear. The contract will be terminated with some poor civil engineer who happened to be in charge of that project having to write out a full detailed report on what happened. It will then take months for the contract to be retendered. The cost of the project of course would have gone up. Is this really news? This has been going on for a very long time.
Poor management in the various government departments is also to blame. This is because of another unwritten policy that the head of any section must be a bumiputra and it doesn't matter if he or she is inexperienced. This state of affairs will go on until the government wakes up to the fact that non-bumiputras can manage the department and manage it well too. The government has to stop playing the races against each other just to stay in power. It was announced that RM2.1 billion has been reserved for 32,000 class F contractors. Who are the class F contractors? Bumiputras. What about the rest of the non-bumiputra contractors? Who is being marginalised here? The government must come up with a plan that will include everybody regardless of their race or religion.
There must be a paradign shift in the minds of the executive from being fearful of other races to that of working together for the good of all. Take a look at the Chinese muslims in Malacca. Just to allow the Chinese muslims to build a mosque for them to worship is a big problem for the Malays there! "Mosque for Chinese Muslims unnecessary, says Malacca CM" screams the headlines. When are the politicians going to grow up in Malaysia?
Monday, January 29, 2007
Leasing An Airbus
This interesting piece of news caught my eye as I was browsing through today's paper. The title of the article was 'Government leasing Airbus'. The Prime Minister was denying some reports that the goverment had purchased a corporate jet for his personal use. He said the goverment was only leasing an Airbus from Penerbangan Malaysia Bhd. which would be cheaper than buying the plane. He also mentioned that the AIrbus was not only for his use but would also be used by the king.
The interesting part of this news is PMB (Penerbangan Malaysia Bhd.)is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Khazanah Nasional Bhd, the Government’s investment arm. So, indirectly the government is still buying the plane and leasing to itself!
Who gets to use the plane when it is not used by the Prime Minister or the King? Is it left idle in the hangar? Is this a win-win situation for both parties? I am not good at accountancy or in doing business, and that is probably why it doesn't seem to make sense to me.
The interesting part of this news is PMB (Penerbangan Malaysia Bhd.)is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Khazanah Nasional Bhd, the Government’s investment arm. So, indirectly the government is still buying the plane and leasing to itself!
Who gets to use the plane when it is not used by the Prime Minister or the King? Is it left idle in the hangar? Is this a win-win situation for both parties? I am not good at accountancy or in doing business, and that is probably why it doesn't seem to make sense to me.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Ethnic Relations Module
The revised Ethnic Relations Module has been approved by the Cabinet for use in public universities as reported in the Star today.
The contributions by the Chinese and Indians in the fight for independance is mentioned in this revised version. The May 13 racial riots in Kuala Lumpur in the year 1969 is mentioned without any reference to any political party. The introduction of this module is to help in the intergration of the various races in this country at the university level. It is a good policy by the government but I think the introduction is in the wrong place.
If the Prime Minister and his government is dead serious about racial intergration, they should start with the primary and secondary schools. These children are our future leaders. They should be taught such things when they are young and at their formative years.
We should not start with university students. By the time they reach university level, many would be active in politics and would have carried with them the prejudices which they picked up from their school teachers. So, the first step is to weed out the fanatics in the schools and to introduce inter-racial programs. Choosing teachers according to merit and achievement would be a great help. Segregating classes using religious studies as the reason is a hindrance to intergration.
Encouraging sports activities would go a long way as children don't see the colour of the skin when they are playing. It is the adults who use religious issues to spoil everything. Promoting teachers who deserve it(regardless of their race) would be a good start to improve the education system in this country as they would then concentrate on educating the children in their care instead of giving tuition to make more money.
At the moment many schools segregate the students and I believe this is the source of non-intergration at university levels. Neverthless, introduction of the Ethnic Relations Module is a good proposal even though it is introduced at the wrong place.
The contributions by the Chinese and Indians in the fight for independance is mentioned in this revised version. The May 13 racial riots in Kuala Lumpur in the year 1969 is mentioned without any reference to any political party. The introduction of this module is to help in the intergration of the various races in this country at the university level. It is a good policy by the government but I think the introduction is in the wrong place.
If the Prime Minister and his government is dead serious about racial intergration, they should start with the primary and secondary schools. These children are our future leaders. They should be taught such things when they are young and at their formative years.
We should not start with university students. By the time they reach university level, many would be active in politics and would have carried with them the prejudices which they picked up from their school teachers. So, the first step is to weed out the fanatics in the schools and to introduce inter-racial programs. Choosing teachers according to merit and achievement would be a great help. Segregating classes using religious studies as the reason is a hindrance to intergration.
Encouraging sports activities would go a long way as children don't see the colour of the skin when they are playing. It is the adults who use religious issues to spoil everything. Promoting teachers who deserve it(regardless of their race) would be a good start to improve the education system in this country as they would then concentrate on educating the children in their care instead of giving tuition to make more money.
At the moment many schools segregate the students and I believe this is the source of non-intergration at university levels. Neverthless, introduction of the Ethnic Relations Module is a good proposal even though it is introduced at the wrong place.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
To Lower Or Not To Lower?
We were having dinner just before our monthly meeting and during the consumption of our food, the topic of high cholesterol happened to crop up. One of the members who happened to be an orthopaedic surgeon kept emphasizing on the importance of monitoring the cholesterol level and more importantly, doing something about it - namely taking prescribed medication and adjusting our lifestyle to help lower the LDL and increase the HDL. He kept on harping the fact that it would be too late to do anything after one has had a stroke. Prevention is always the better strategy.
My good orthodontist friend tried to get the surgeon to declare at what level would he consider the need for medication. At this point I mentioned that mine was at 7.5 and I am taking medication. My doctor has prescribed to me 'Ezetrol' as the statin drugs were giving me problems.
I do believe the surgeon has a good point. When one has reached the age of 50, we need to be more conscious of the status of our body, both internal and external. We need to exercise and if possible do some weight lifting to tone and strengthen the muscles. Internal care includes taking supplements and medication prescribed by the doctor after the regular checkups. It is not wise to prescribe herbal medicine for yourself as you would never know what will happen as one of our friends at the table found out. He had rashes all over his body from taking medicine bought from a medicine shop for lowering cholesterol.
This is not unusual over in Asia as quite a number of people have their own remedies passed down from their grandmothers and grandfathers. Even my good friend was taking some concoction made by her mother! I think the surgeon's reminder was a timely one for the others. I started testing my blood some 8 years ago and changed my lifestyle based on the results besides learning that I had the H factor to deal with. H for hereditary. Somethings you can't change but with modern medicine you can keep it in check for as long as is possible.
My good orthodontist friend tried to get the surgeon to declare at what level would he consider the need for medication. At this point I mentioned that mine was at 7.5 and I am taking medication. My doctor has prescribed to me 'Ezetrol' as the statin drugs were giving me problems.
I do believe the surgeon has a good point. When one has reached the age of 50, we need to be more conscious of the status of our body, both internal and external. We need to exercise and if possible do some weight lifting to tone and strengthen the muscles. Internal care includes taking supplements and medication prescribed by the doctor after the regular checkups. It is not wise to prescribe herbal medicine for yourself as you would never know what will happen as one of our friends at the table found out. He had rashes all over his body from taking medicine bought from a medicine shop for lowering cholesterol.
This is not unusual over in Asia as quite a number of people have their own remedies passed down from their grandmothers and grandfathers. Even my good friend was taking some concoction made by her mother! I think the surgeon's reminder was a timely one for the others. I started testing my blood some 8 years ago and changed my lifestyle based on the results besides learning that I had the H factor to deal with. H for hereditary. Somethings you can't change but with modern medicine you can keep it in check for as long as is possible.
Monday, January 22, 2007
English Proficiency Test
The Education Ministry of Malaysia has finally decided to test teachers who are teaching Science and Mathematics in English for their proficiency level in the English language. The teaching of these two subjects using the English language was introduced in the year 2003. It took them 4 years to realize that a large number of teachers who were supposed to use the English language to teach, were themselves not proficient enough to carry on a conversation much less teach Maths and Science in that language.
I think the root cause of having so many teachers who were not proficient in English but yet assigned to teach subjects in English was because of the monetary rewards offered by the Ministry to teachers who are involved in this program. Anytime there is news of money, there will be the 'boneheads' who will pull cables to get into such programs as long as they can get extra cash. This is very likely what has happened but no one will admit it officially.
What does this tell us? Poor management. The government has many good policies and they still keep churning them out. The Prime Minister's publicity manager is doing an excellent job to make him look good locally and abroad. They came up with a blueprint on Education as if there was none before. Introduced a new term - 'Cluster schools'. Before that the Ethnic Realtions subject was introduced in the Universities to improve intergration among the various races, starting with the students. Good policy but somebody forgot to tell the reason for this policy to the Minister of Higher Education. The book that was introduced to one of the University, blamed a particular race for incidences that happened. The book was withdrawn after much protest from various groups. The implementation of the policies have much to be desired.
It seems the Prime Minister doesn't have a task force to see if his policies are being carried out as planned or he is not bothered. The announcement of billions of ringgit for the 9th Malaysia Plan sounds very good for the economy. But is it really planned to help all Malaysians. Everytime one reads the papers, the politicians talk of projects to help a particular race. This is the problem in this country. It is becoming very racial and I think somebody is planning to keep it that way just to be in power. It is so difficult to find mature, open-minded and non-racial politicians in this country. We have people who talk of bloodshed and like to play with their kriss though. What a bummer.
I think the root cause of having so many teachers who were not proficient in English but yet assigned to teach subjects in English was because of the monetary rewards offered by the Ministry to teachers who are involved in this program. Anytime there is news of money, there will be the 'boneheads' who will pull cables to get into such programs as long as they can get extra cash. This is very likely what has happened but no one will admit it officially.
What does this tell us? Poor management. The government has many good policies and they still keep churning them out. The Prime Minister's publicity manager is doing an excellent job to make him look good locally and abroad. They came up with a blueprint on Education as if there was none before. Introduced a new term - 'Cluster schools'. Before that the Ethnic Realtions subject was introduced in the Universities to improve intergration among the various races, starting with the students. Good policy but somebody forgot to tell the reason for this policy to the Minister of Higher Education. The book that was introduced to one of the University, blamed a particular race for incidences that happened. The book was withdrawn after much protest from various groups. The implementation of the policies have much to be desired.
It seems the Prime Minister doesn't have a task force to see if his policies are being carried out as planned or he is not bothered. The announcement of billions of ringgit for the 9th Malaysia Plan sounds very good for the economy. But is it really planned to help all Malaysians. Everytime one reads the papers, the politicians talk of projects to help a particular race. This is the problem in this country. It is becoming very racial and I think somebody is planning to keep it that way just to be in power. It is so difficult to find mature, open-minded and non-racial politicians in this country. We have people who talk of bloodshed and like to play with their kriss though. What a bummer.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Scholarly Thinking!
Yesterday, our honourable Prime Minister said, "Malaysia should create an Ulul Al-Bab community of between 5,000 and 10,000 scholars and thinkers in science and technology by 2020 to ensure the nation’s success." When I first read the headlines I thought to myself, now our leader is moving in the right direction for us Malaysians to keep up with the rest of the developed world. On further perusal of the said article, I realised that he was talking exclusively to the Muslim population of Malaysia but it sounded like he was addressing everybody, Muslims and non-Muslims. Otherwise, how could he bank on only the 52% Muslim community to come up with 10,000 scholars to ensure the nation's success? Malaysia's success in science and technology depends on every Malaysian, regardless of race or religion.
This is the problem with this country today. Everything seems to revolve around race and religion. Even the schools are doing it openly. It seems the intoduction of the Arab language will be an advantage for our students and learning an additional language will good for the children. It is stated that the learning of the Arab language has nothing to do with Islam but what goes on in the schools is very different. Why? Because the implementors of this policy have their own agenda. They start the lesson with a prayer. What do the non-Muslim children do during that time? Are they advised what to do? Why in the first place should they have prayers during the learning of a language be it Arabic?
The Prime Minister looked surprised when he was told that though he had good policies, the situation on the ground was very different. He looks like Alice in Wonderland, in a world of his own. His son and son-in-law have been accused of amassing wealth using his influence. He has denied all that but it has never cleared the air. Now he thinks only Muslim scholars can ensure the nation's success! The rest of us are useless.
In contrast, I read in the paper that a Pakistani murdered his sister because she had entered the university while he was working as a fruit vendor in Lahore. It seems she disobeyed him when she enrolled at the university! How can a girl be more educated than a boy! That's too much!
Pakistan is a Muslim country. A number of our so called Muslim 'thinkers' go there for their 'higher' education. I sincerely hope they do not bring back that kind of mentality to our country. Not only will it dash our Prime Minister's vision but it would be bad news for our Muslim women folk, many of whom are already in the various universities in the hope of improving their future when they get their degrees.
If we keep sending our Muslim brothers to Pakistan they might end up with the standard of English as shown below, although it surely is not representative of all Pakistanis.
This is the problem with this country today. Everything seems to revolve around race and religion. Even the schools are doing it openly. It seems the intoduction of the Arab language will be an advantage for our students and learning an additional language will good for the children. It is stated that the learning of the Arab language has nothing to do with Islam but what goes on in the schools is very different. Why? Because the implementors of this policy have their own agenda. They start the lesson with a prayer. What do the non-Muslim children do during that time? Are they advised what to do? Why in the first place should they have prayers during the learning of a language be it Arabic?
The Prime Minister looked surprised when he was told that though he had good policies, the situation on the ground was very different. He looks like Alice in Wonderland, in a world of his own. His son and son-in-law have been accused of amassing wealth using his influence. He has denied all that but it has never cleared the air. Now he thinks only Muslim scholars can ensure the nation's success! The rest of us are useless.
In contrast, I read in the paper that a Pakistani murdered his sister because she had entered the university while he was working as a fruit vendor in Lahore. It seems she disobeyed him when she enrolled at the university! How can a girl be more educated than a boy! That's too much!
Pakistan is a Muslim country. A number of our so called Muslim 'thinkers' go there for their 'higher' education. I sincerely hope they do not bring back that kind of mentality to our country. Not only will it dash our Prime Minister's vision but it would be bad news for our Muslim women folk, many of whom are already in the various universities in the hope of improving their future when they get their degrees.
If we keep sending our Muslim brothers to Pakistan they might end up with the standard of English as shown below, although it surely is not representative of all Pakistanis.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Old Age And Health
When one is young, it never crosses the mind about the total well being of oneself. This is understandable as there are too many things to do and there are many new things to learn which occupy our minds.
It is different when you get past middle age and beyond. You begin to think of the dire consequences if certain parts of your body do not function properly. Take for example your brain. What will happen if one day you become senile or mad! If you have a close knit family, the chances are that someone will look after you until you kick the bucket. What if you don't have such a someone?
Or, if you have all your faculties intact but your body is not. You had some problem with your spinal cord and cannot move certain parts of your body. You will also be totally dependant on someone to stay alive. Between the two, I would think the person who went senile or mad is better off. He has no idea of what is going on. The people who suffer most will be those around him and the one who takes care of him. As for the physically handicapped person, he will go through mental anguish as he or she cannot do the many simple things even if he or she wants to. The people close to him or her also feel the pain and the suffering.
Some people would even think of suicide under these circumstances but death is not an option. The appointed time of departure will come as determined.
So, as we approach old age, we must try to stay fit, be choosy about what we eat, read more to exercise the mind and be happy! The rest is in God’s hands.
It is different when you get past middle age and beyond. You begin to think of the dire consequences if certain parts of your body do not function properly. Take for example your brain. What will happen if one day you become senile or mad! If you have a close knit family, the chances are that someone will look after you until you kick the bucket. What if you don't have such a someone?
Or, if you have all your faculties intact but your body is not. You had some problem with your spinal cord and cannot move certain parts of your body. You will also be totally dependant on someone to stay alive. Between the two, I would think the person who went senile or mad is better off. He has no idea of what is going on. The people who suffer most will be those around him and the one who takes care of him. As for the physically handicapped person, he will go through mental anguish as he or she cannot do the many simple things even if he or she wants to. The people close to him or her also feel the pain and the suffering.
Some people would even think of suicide under these circumstances but death is not an option. The appointed time of departure will come as determined.
So, as we approach old age, we must try to stay fit, be choosy about what we eat, read more to exercise the mind and be happy! The rest is in God’s hands.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
AAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!
Today is the 4th of January. There was so much on my mind on the 30th of December 2006 but I was not able to log onto my blogsite to write it. I must start writing my thoughts offline and blog it when I get the chance. So many things have come to pass and we have moved into the new year so suddenly.
No time for resolutions that are meant to be broken. Saddam has been executed and there seems to be a great debate going on in the BBC corner between the supporters of Saddam and his enemies. Personaly I think he got what he deserved. End of story.
Then there was the earthquake near Taiwan which showed us how vulnerable the internet is. Not to forget about the many who suffered in Taiwan. Recently the tragic ferry disaster and the missing plane in Indonesia. That place is a haven for disasters. Especially after the tsunami near Acheh.
Before that there was much hype about the serial killer in UK. He murdered 5 prostitutes. The police have arrested a man suspected of being the killer. Hope they get the killer and put him away for good.
In the local scene we are awaiting the trial of the man who is suspected of murdering the Mongolian girl. A lot of theories going around about that case.
Latest - I found out that taking green tea to lower my cholesterol isn't working for me! The reading(Total Chol./HDL ratio) is 7.5 now! Now waiting for my doctor to find me a drug that will work for me.
Finally, we had one of the worst floods in the southern state of Johor. They still haven't recovered from the flood as can be seen from the pictures in todays paper. Below are some pics of the flooded areas :
No time for resolutions that are meant to be broken. Saddam has been executed and there seems to be a great debate going on in the BBC corner between the supporters of Saddam and his enemies. Personaly I think he got what he deserved. End of story.
Then there was the earthquake near Taiwan which showed us how vulnerable the internet is. Not to forget about the many who suffered in Taiwan. Recently the tragic ferry disaster and the missing plane in Indonesia. That place is a haven for disasters. Especially after the tsunami near Acheh.
Before that there was much hype about the serial killer in UK. He murdered 5 prostitutes. The police have arrested a man suspected of being the killer. Hope they get the killer and put him away for good.
In the local scene we are awaiting the trial of the man who is suspected of murdering the Mongolian girl. A lot of theories going around about that case.
Latest - I found out that taking green tea to lower my cholesterol isn't working for me! The reading(Total Chol./HDL ratio) is 7.5 now! Now waiting for my doctor to find me a drug that will work for me.
Finally, we had one of the worst floods in the southern state of Johor. They still haven't recovered from the flood as can be seen from the pictures in todays paper. Below are some pics of the flooded areas :
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