Thursday, October 04, 2007
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Stop The Rot
The state of affairs in this country is getting worse. The crime rate is rising. The corruption level is high. Trust in the judicial system is eroding so much so that even the lawyers have started marching in protest. The powers that be must take the responsibility for this state of affairs.
The first thing to do is to change the policies that are causing the nation to be divided along racial lines. Basically this is the root cause of most of the problems. What was introduced as a help to the underprivileged has been greatly abused until today. After 50 years do you still need the NEP? Shanghai has become a super city within 10 years. Our leaders are still clinging to their crutch stating that there are still many Malays below the poverty line and as such the racial quota system must stay.
The problem is there are two generations of people who are in powerful places because of this policy but know nothing of how this nation came into being. They see no reason to change anything as they have benefited from it. The education system, the awarding of scholarships, places in universities, awarding of contracts, business licenses, availabilty of houses, price differences in purchasing of these houses, etc. All these are considered as inheritance because the major 'tribe' considers itself 'sons of the soil'. This mentality was placed there by the previous Prime Minister and is continued by the present one.
They talk about racial integration but they divide the students by race in school.
There is no sincerity in the policy makers.
You need to have more non-Malays in the Government service at the top. You also need to remove the little 'Napoleons' in the various government sectors who do not follow the policies decided in Parliament. Otherwise we will end up like Afghanistan or Iraq or Palestine or Sri Lanka where the neglected and downtrodden have no choice but to take up arms. There will be no peace in this land if there is no give and take policy. The religious problem will add oil to the fire. The clear example is in the state of Kelantan. The state government does not allow the non-muslims to open the food outlets before 3.00pm. They think that since they are fasting, the whole world should fast also! What would happen if the syariah laws were implemented! As it is one of the local universities is checking if the female students are wearing skirts! If they do, they will be fined by the campus security!
If we want unity, peace and progress, we need to change policies and also the deadwood that obstructs the policies. It is easy to make grand speeches at Merdeka about our glorious past but it takes a brave and courageous leader to take into consideration all the races that make up this nation and make changes for the good of this country of ours. This country doesn't belong to one particular race but to all who are Malaysians, regardless of race, colour or creed.
The first thing to do is to change the policies that are causing the nation to be divided along racial lines. Basically this is the root cause of most of the problems. What was introduced as a help to the underprivileged has been greatly abused until today. After 50 years do you still need the NEP? Shanghai has become a super city within 10 years. Our leaders are still clinging to their crutch stating that there are still many Malays below the poverty line and as such the racial quota system must stay.
The problem is there are two generations of people who are in powerful places because of this policy but know nothing of how this nation came into being. They see no reason to change anything as they have benefited from it. The education system, the awarding of scholarships, places in universities, awarding of contracts, business licenses, availabilty of houses, price differences in purchasing of these houses, etc. All these are considered as inheritance because the major 'tribe' considers itself 'sons of the soil'. This mentality was placed there by the previous Prime Minister and is continued by the present one.
They talk about racial integration but they divide the students by race in school.
There is no sincerity in the policy makers.
You need to have more non-Malays in the Government service at the top. You also need to remove the little 'Napoleons' in the various government sectors who do not follow the policies decided in Parliament. Otherwise we will end up like Afghanistan or Iraq or Palestine or Sri Lanka where the neglected and downtrodden have no choice but to take up arms. There will be no peace in this land if there is no give and take policy. The religious problem will add oil to the fire. The clear example is in the state of Kelantan. The state government does not allow the non-muslims to open the food outlets before 3.00pm. They think that since they are fasting, the whole world should fast also! What would happen if the syariah laws were implemented! As it is one of the local universities is checking if the female students are wearing skirts! If they do, they will be fined by the campus security!
If we want unity, peace and progress, we need to change policies and also the deadwood that obstructs the policies. It is easy to make grand speeches at Merdeka about our glorious past but it takes a brave and courageous leader to take into consideration all the races that make up this nation and make changes for the good of this country of ours. This country doesn't belong to one particular race but to all who are Malaysians, regardless of race, colour or creed.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Let All Races Benefit
'Let all races benefit from govt funds,' is the statement made by our Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
Doesn't it sound like a bait before the fishing begins? We know elections is around the corner. This is the same man who made the statement that Malaysia is an Islamic country knowing fully well what is written in the Federal Constitution. He was probably fishing for votes among the rural Muslims. Now he wants to give handouts to the non-Muslims to garner their votes. I wonder how many people will be taken in by this?
We don't need handouts. We need clear policies governing our basic needs like freedom of worship, a place for our children in the universities, jobs for those who graduate and business opportunities for our children who want to venture out into the business world. At the moment the little Napoleons in the various government departments dictate who should get a place in the university, who should get scholarship, who should get the business licence and who should get promoted! Most of the time it looks like all this is done by looking at the racial card.
If the DPM is serious about what he said, he needs to just look at the government departments and see how many non-bumiputras are employed there. Check the Ministry of Education and see how many Principals of schools are non-bumiputras. That's not too dificult to do. If you want all races to benefit, make sure they all have access to higher education so that they can take care of themselves. No need for handouts from any political party.
Below is an example of a handout that is vague :
A Selangor state assemblyman, when contacted, said Barisan assemblymen receive about “a few hundred thousand ringgit” a year to organise programmes for the rakyat.
“It is already a practice for the assemblymen to share the allocation with local Barisan component party leaders.
“However, the money cannot go to any political party.
“Rather, the parties will recommend where we should channel the allocation and the money will go straight to the rakyat,” he said.
Has any money ever gone straight to the "rakyat"? It sounds like a money train. The train will stop at designated places and the train driver will just throw out bags of money to the people waiting at the respective stations! How wonderful!
Doesn't it sound like a bait before the fishing begins? We know elections is around the corner. This is the same man who made the statement that Malaysia is an Islamic country knowing fully well what is written in the Federal Constitution. He was probably fishing for votes among the rural Muslims. Now he wants to give handouts to the non-Muslims to garner their votes. I wonder how many people will be taken in by this?
We don't need handouts. We need clear policies governing our basic needs like freedom of worship, a place for our children in the universities, jobs for those who graduate and business opportunities for our children who want to venture out into the business world. At the moment the little Napoleons in the various government departments dictate who should get a place in the university, who should get scholarship, who should get the business licence and who should get promoted! Most of the time it looks like all this is done by looking at the racial card.
If the DPM is serious about what he said, he needs to just look at the government departments and see how many non-bumiputras are employed there. Check the Ministry of Education and see how many Principals of schools are non-bumiputras. That's not too dificult to do. If you want all races to benefit, make sure they all have access to higher education so that they can take care of themselves. No need for handouts from any political party.
Below is an example of a handout that is vague :
A Selangor state assemblyman, when contacted, said Barisan assemblymen receive about “a few hundred thousand ringgit” a year to organise programmes for the rakyat.
“It is already a practice for the assemblymen to share the allocation with local Barisan component party leaders.
“However, the money cannot go to any political party.
“Rather, the parties will recommend where we should channel the allocation and the money will go straight to the rakyat,” he said.
Has any money ever gone straight to the "rakyat"? It sounds like a money train. The train will stop at designated places and the train driver will just throw out bags of money to the people waiting at the respective stations! How wonderful!
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Wedding Anniversaries
What is it with anniversaries that causes so many flare ups and frictions between couples? All because one party forgot the date! And another thing is the menu for that special event. Even that can be a big problem.
One good friend of mine asked what we had planned for our anniversary which incidentally falls on this day. I told her nothing special. We woke up in the morning to go to market to buy fruits. Had our breakfast there. Came back to do the household chores as usual. We had a good lunch together with our younger son. Tom yam chicken soup, fish, clay-pot tauhu and vegetables with a nice cold drink. This is what we like.
I think couples should learn to enjoy each others company everyday then anniversaries will not be a problem. You don’t need candle-lit dinners and champagne. The only time we use candles is when there is a blackout. We try not to eat during that time as the visibility will be poor and there will be uninvited guests flitting around the candles and land on the food!
And further more, when you gaze at each other’s eyes there will be no more twinkles in the eyes. Twitching maybe and the dull reflection of the candles! Get real.
What we would really enjoy is opening up a number of durians, say around 10 numbers, and sit on the kitchen floor and finish them off! Now that, would be a great event for an anniversary! We have ordered the durians and are now awaiting their arrival.
One good friend of mine asked what we had planned for our anniversary which incidentally falls on this day. I told her nothing special. We woke up in the morning to go to market to buy fruits. Had our breakfast there. Came back to do the household chores as usual. We had a good lunch together with our younger son. Tom yam chicken soup, fish, clay-pot tauhu and vegetables with a nice cold drink. This is what we like.
I think couples should learn to enjoy each others company everyday then anniversaries will not be a problem. You don’t need candle-lit dinners and champagne. The only time we use candles is when there is a blackout. We try not to eat during that time as the visibility will be poor and there will be uninvited guests flitting around the candles and land on the food!
And further more, when you gaze at each other’s eyes there will be no more twinkles in the eyes. Twitching maybe and the dull reflection of the candles! Get real.
What we would really enjoy is opening up a number of durians, say around 10 numbers, and sit on the kitchen floor and finish them off! Now that, would be a great event for an anniversary! We have ordered the durians and are now awaiting their arrival.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Accountability
The big news in one of our local dailies is about a big scam on imitation spare parts for the police patrol cars. Supplier tries to pass off imitation spare parts as genuine" goes the headlines.
To me this is nothing new really. Things like this have been going on for ages. I don't know why the Inspector-General of Police looked so shocked! Why does something like this have to go all the way up to his level before something is done?
This is what I am talking about. In every department, company, business or co-op, there will be some 'smart alec' who thinks he can get away with cheating his employer in order to get easy money. That is why we have supervisors, auditors, etc..
What are these people doing? They have been given jobs that require them to check on their subordinates. That's why they are paid more. In the government service, many are promoted to higher levels not based on merit or capability but purely on race. These people do not know how to supervise or manage others below them nor do they have any inkling on what action to take or that they indeed are required to take action!
This is what is happening in our country. Lousy management leading to very little or no enforcement. If the IGP is serious, he will start by calling the chief of the Police Logistics Department and give him an ultimatum. That will start the ball rolling all the way to the procurement officer who should by now be shivering in his pants. Everyone involved must be made accountable and this will send a clear message to others who have not been caught as yet. This is the only way to straighten out the government servants. A slap on the wrist and a transfer to another section will not do.
It is very common for government servants to be let off the hook very lightly because of the Malaysian mentality. "Nanti kecik hati" is the usual term used by the Malays. The Chinese will say "lose face". Take the incident in Sarawak where some 200 girl boarders were punished by their warden for the careless attitude of one student. The warden made the girls squat in a murky fish pond in the rain for an hour. All this because one girl left a sanitary towel in the toilet bowl! Since when did the Education Ministry give so much power to wardens?
But the interesting thing is the satement by the Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein which goes like this "We do not want to point fingers at anyone now but we will take action against those who are wrong".
On the other hand, the Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department in Kuching, Sarawak, Fatimah Abdullah said the case should be brought to the school’s disciplinary board and a report handed over to the state education department. She said any punishment meted out must be in accordance with the school’s rules and regulations.
“But I’m sure the punishment for those caught throwing a sanitary pad into the toilet bowl is not asking them to squat in a pond.”
So you see they are not really talking about the 'culprit' who made the girls squat in the pond for 1 hour in the rain but the 'culprit' who threw the sanitary towel in the toilet bowl. This is the Malaysian way. Is it any wonder Malaysia lost to China, Uzbekistan and Iran! Management is the key word.
To me this is nothing new really. Things like this have been going on for ages. I don't know why the Inspector-General of Police looked so shocked! Why does something like this have to go all the way up to his level before something is done?
This is what I am talking about. In every department, company, business or co-op, there will be some 'smart alec' who thinks he can get away with cheating his employer in order to get easy money. That is why we have supervisors, auditors, etc..
What are these people doing? They have been given jobs that require them to check on their subordinates. That's why they are paid more. In the government service, many are promoted to higher levels not based on merit or capability but purely on race. These people do not know how to supervise or manage others below them nor do they have any inkling on what action to take or that they indeed are required to take action!
This is what is happening in our country. Lousy management leading to very little or no enforcement. If the IGP is serious, he will start by calling the chief of the Police Logistics Department and give him an ultimatum. That will start the ball rolling all the way to the procurement officer who should by now be shivering in his pants. Everyone involved must be made accountable and this will send a clear message to others who have not been caught as yet. This is the only way to straighten out the government servants. A slap on the wrist and a transfer to another section will not do.
It is very common for government servants to be let off the hook very lightly because of the Malaysian mentality. "Nanti kecik hati" is the usual term used by the Malays. The Chinese will say "lose face". Take the incident in Sarawak where some 200 girl boarders were punished by their warden for the careless attitude of one student. The warden made the girls squat in a murky fish pond in the rain for an hour. All this because one girl left a sanitary towel in the toilet bowl! Since when did the Education Ministry give so much power to wardens?
But the interesting thing is the satement by the Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein which goes like this "We do not want to point fingers at anyone now but we will take action against those who are wrong".
On the other hand, the Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department in Kuching, Sarawak, Fatimah Abdullah said the case should be brought to the school’s disciplinary board and a report handed over to the state education department. She said any punishment meted out must be in accordance with the school’s rules and regulations.
“But I’m sure the punishment for those caught throwing a sanitary pad into the toilet bowl is not asking them to squat in a pond.”
So you see they are not really talking about the 'culprit' who made the girls squat in the pond for 1 hour in the rain but the 'culprit' who threw the sanitary towel in the toilet bowl. This is the Malaysian way. Is it any wonder Malaysia lost to China, Uzbekistan and Iran! Management is the key word.
Friday, July 06, 2007
Cry For Justice And Fairness
Every day we hear of unfairness, nepotism, corruption and general disregard for the legal system in this country. Scholarships being denied to those who are eligible without any reasons given. Majority of contracts given out to one particular race. Government policies which favour one particular race. There is a cry going out through the land for justice and fairness for all Malaysians regardless of race, creed or colour.
Do we have a choice in leadership? The current leadership have let us down in every way. They talk alot and churn out slogans during their campaign trail but "cakap tak serupa bikin".
What we need is a strong opposition that caters for the Malaysian people which is not race based or religion based. This is the only thing that will unite the people and bring law and justice to this country. We will be able to use all our resources wisely to become strong economically and be politically stable. Otherwise, our resources will soon dwindle and we will be at the mercy of 'profiteering super powers' who will come in to 'help' us as has happened in Iraq, Afganistan, etc.
The last thing we need is a religious based party in this country. We really don't need these clowns who get their training from Pakistan or somewhere in the middle-east and who would like to establish their style of law here. God forbid that this should happen!
Do we have a choice in leadership? The current leadership have let us down in every way. They talk alot and churn out slogans during their campaign trail but "cakap tak serupa bikin".
What we need is a strong opposition that caters for the Malaysian people which is not race based or religion based. This is the only thing that will unite the people and bring law and justice to this country. We will be able to use all our resources wisely to become strong economically and be politically stable. Otherwise, our resources will soon dwindle and we will be at the mercy of 'profiteering super powers' who will come in to 'help' us as has happened in Iraq, Afganistan, etc.
The last thing we need is a religious based party in this country. We really don't need these clowns who get their training from Pakistan or somewhere in the middle-east and who would like to establish their style of law here. God forbid that this should happen!
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Do We Need Religious "police"?
I heard that a good number (more than 10) officers from the religious department in K.L. went on a checking spree. They went to one of the Indian restaurants (non-muslim) to do some checking and after that, they left with a ‘writ’ instructing the owner not to put up pictures of their Hindu deities on the walls as this will be a problem for muslims to eat there!
This is a typical banana leaf Indian restaurant, run by Indians who are Hindus. What else would they put up on their walls? Pictures of Osama, Ayatollah or any other mullah? What is wrong with this country?
I have been quiet for some time as there were too many stupid things that took place and it was just hilarious the way the politicians made their excuses for the many blunders and the amount proposed to remedy the defect!. The leak at Putrajaya (the pride of the country), another at the grand courthouse and the numerous shortcomings at a number of hospitals that were just completed. It is all about lousy management and no enforcement whatsoever! The case of the murdered Mongolian woman that is going on where the antics in the courthouse is like a circus act. Where is the dignity of our courts?
And now they have let loose the “religious police” to check on the “infidels” in this country. If the Prime Minister does not do something about these clowns, he will be in for a rude shock at the next elections. I feel the time has come and the general public(the non-muslims) have had enough of these “religious’ groups pushing us around. They are not elected but seem to be given more power than the elected.
One day the situation will be like that in Palestine or Afganistan or Pakistan even. In Pakistan, the members of the local mosque seem to be more powerful than the police or the elected representative. They are even better armed. Bombs going off everywhere and no one knows who or why anymore.
“Tuesday's violence began when about 150 militant students attacked a police checkpoint close to the mosque. Police fired tear gas and the students fought back with sticks and guns. They were joined by dozens of women from one of the madrassas attached to the mosque, who chanted in support of holy war. When police responded, some of the students snatched their weapons and tried to kidnap several police, according to police.
The students then fired on Pakistani forces, killing at least two security personnel and wounding seven others, police said. The students, some armed with Kalashnikovs and wearing gas masks, held positions behind sandbags in camps located around the mosque compound. Pakistani forces returned fire, killing at least four students. A Pakistani journalist was killed in the crossfire, and several other journalists were wounded -- including a cameraman, who is in critical condition.” Extract taken from CNN.
Our government is always talking about tolerance and racial unity. It is time to put the money where the mouth is. Stop the rot before it is too late or we’ll end up with a situation like the one in Islamabad.
This is a typical banana leaf Indian restaurant, run by Indians who are Hindus. What else would they put up on their walls? Pictures of Osama, Ayatollah or any other mullah? What is wrong with this country?
I have been quiet for some time as there were too many stupid things that took place and it was just hilarious the way the politicians made their excuses for the many blunders and the amount proposed to remedy the defect!. The leak at Putrajaya (the pride of the country), another at the grand courthouse and the numerous shortcomings at a number of hospitals that were just completed. It is all about lousy management and no enforcement whatsoever! The case of the murdered Mongolian woman that is going on where the antics in the courthouse is like a circus act. Where is the dignity of our courts?
And now they have let loose the “religious police” to check on the “infidels” in this country. If the Prime Minister does not do something about these clowns, he will be in for a rude shock at the next elections. I feel the time has come and the general public(the non-muslims) have had enough of these “religious’ groups pushing us around. They are not elected but seem to be given more power than the elected.
One day the situation will be like that in Palestine or Afganistan or Pakistan even. In Pakistan, the members of the local mosque seem to be more powerful than the police or the elected representative. They are even better armed. Bombs going off everywhere and no one knows who or why anymore.
“Tuesday's violence began when about 150 militant students attacked a police checkpoint close to the mosque. Police fired tear gas and the students fought back with sticks and guns. They were joined by dozens of women from one of the madrassas attached to the mosque, who chanted in support of holy war. When police responded, some of the students snatched their weapons and tried to kidnap several police, according to police.
The students then fired on Pakistani forces, killing at least two security personnel and wounding seven others, police said. The students, some armed with Kalashnikovs and wearing gas masks, held positions behind sandbags in camps located around the mosque compound. Pakistani forces returned fire, killing at least four students. A Pakistani journalist was killed in the crossfire, and several other journalists were wounded -- including a cameraman, who is in critical condition.” Extract taken from CNN.
Our government is always talking about tolerance and racial unity. It is time to put the money where the mouth is. Stop the rot before it is too late or we’ll end up with a situation like the one in Islamabad.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Boring Entertainment
Attended our Indian Golf Festival Dinner tonight. The heavy rain didn't stop the members from attending this function. After the dignitaries had all arrived, the guests were invited to help themselves to the wonderful food.
The food was good, the company was good and while we ate, we were entertained by a talented couple. The man played the keyboard while the lady belted out some very popular oldies. Until that moment, everything was just fine.
Then the M.C. for the evening announced the next show. Two stand-up 'comedians'. That was the most boring performance. It was so embarrassing to watch two adults putting on what they thought was a 'funny act'. No one was laughing and even when there was some laughter, it was more like being polite so as not to put down the two guys. One was dressed like a woman and the other was supposed to be the husband. Maybe we expected too much from them as we were entertained the previous month by a very talented guy who had the crowd in stitches with his jokes and showmanship.
I guess this happens in the entertainment world. If you want to survive, never get behind a more talented person.
The food was good, the company was good and while we ate, we were entertained by a talented couple. The man played the keyboard while the lady belted out some very popular oldies. Until that moment, everything was just fine.
Then the M.C. for the evening announced the next show. Two stand-up 'comedians'. That was the most boring performance. It was so embarrassing to watch two adults putting on what they thought was a 'funny act'. No one was laughing and even when there was some laughter, it was more like being polite so as not to put down the two guys. One was dressed like a woman and the other was supposed to be the husband. Maybe we expected too much from them as we were entertained the previous month by a very talented guy who had the crowd in stitches with his jokes and showmanship.
I guess this happens in the entertainment world. If you want to survive, never get behind a more talented person.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Totally Racial!
Read in one of our local dailies that a major local bank that is linked to our government has issued a directive to all legal firms that have business dealings with it that they are required to have a 50% bumiputera partnership.
Doesn’t this sound like those racial policies that we used to condemn in the 50’s and 60’s which were implemented in other countries, especially South Africa? How is it we are implementing it here in this age? Where is the equality and fairness to one and all that our politicians are boasting of every time there is a by-election?
In my opinion, this is a direct result of the NEP policy. When this policy came into force, a huge number of less than qualified people came into power with the backing of the government, all in the name of restructuring society and correcting the economic imbalance between the races. These ‘worms’ that crawled out of the woodwork now are sitting in high positions from where they make policies that are favourable to them and their cronies. The government mentioned only 30% in their NEP masterplan but as can be seen, these ‘worms’ have now increased it to 50% without having to go through any parliamentary debates or voting by all the races.
What do the political leaders have to say about it? Nothing, because the dirty work is being done by others. They just shake their heads and look dumb. From here we can only speculate that before too long more directives will be sent out from other government controlled financial institutions, government agencies, local councils, education departments where all the 'worms' have entrenched themselves, with regards to compulsory bumiputera participation in all areas!
Our ‘mamak roti canai stall’ will be having a new sign board – “Dawood & Khairi Enterprise”. The local mini market could have – “Chuan Huat & Jalaludin” instead of the existing “Chuan Huat & Sons”. The worst hit will be the Indians. The local barber shop – “Samy Hairstylist” might become “SamyAhmad Hairstylist” although I find it hard to imagine how the barber is going to break even with this partnership. Most of them go it alone. What will be the bumiputera partner’s contribution? Sweeping the hairs from the floor?
If the Prime Minister doesn’t see the folly of these ‘policies’ issued by these ‘opportunist’ and take some sort of remedial action to put a stop to this nonsense, I think we will not progress but rather will fall behind Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and even Indonesia. Many of our enterprising and intellectual young people will migrate to greener pastures or at least where they will be rewarded for their own hard work and not have to surrender half of it to undeserving parasites.
Doesn’t this sound like those racial policies that we used to condemn in the 50’s and 60’s which were implemented in other countries, especially South Africa? How is it we are implementing it here in this age? Where is the equality and fairness to one and all that our politicians are boasting of every time there is a by-election?
In my opinion, this is a direct result of the NEP policy. When this policy came into force, a huge number of less than qualified people came into power with the backing of the government, all in the name of restructuring society and correcting the economic imbalance between the races. These ‘worms’ that crawled out of the woodwork now are sitting in high positions from where they make policies that are favourable to them and their cronies. The government mentioned only 30% in their NEP masterplan but as can be seen, these ‘worms’ have now increased it to 50% without having to go through any parliamentary debates or voting by all the races.
What do the political leaders have to say about it? Nothing, because the dirty work is being done by others. They just shake their heads and look dumb. From here we can only speculate that before too long more directives will be sent out from other government controlled financial institutions, government agencies, local councils, education departments where all the 'worms' have entrenched themselves, with regards to compulsory bumiputera participation in all areas!
Our ‘mamak roti canai stall’ will be having a new sign board – “Dawood & Khairi Enterprise”. The local mini market could have – “Chuan Huat & Jalaludin” instead of the existing “Chuan Huat & Sons”. The worst hit will be the Indians. The local barber shop – “Samy Hairstylist” might become “SamyAhmad Hairstylist” although I find it hard to imagine how the barber is going to break even with this partnership. Most of them go it alone. What will be the bumiputera partner’s contribution? Sweeping the hairs from the floor?
If the Prime Minister doesn’t see the folly of these ‘policies’ issued by these ‘opportunist’ and take some sort of remedial action to put a stop to this nonsense, I think we will not progress but rather will fall behind Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and even Indonesia. Many of our enterprising and intellectual young people will migrate to greener pastures or at least where they will be rewarded for their own hard work and not have to surrender half of it to undeserving parasites.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
A Break From Issues
Read an interesting 'prayer' in Suddenly Senior' today. This is how it goes :
The Senility Prayer
God grant me the senility
to forget the people I never liked anyway,
the good fortune to run into the ones I do,
and the eyesight to tell the difference!
I realised how true it was even though the author might have written it with humour in mind.
The Senility Prayer
God grant me the senility
to forget the people I never liked anyway,
the good fortune to run into the ones I do,
and the eyesight to tell the difference!
I realised how true it was even though the author might have written it with humour in mind.
Friday, April 06, 2007
Unity In Diversity
I have always stated that our country's future lies in the ability of its citizens to respect one another's difference. We are a multi-cultural, multi-racial and multi-religious society. We have understood this and so did our founding fathers who prepared the Constitution to uphold the delicate mixture that exists in this beautiful country of ours. Of late, certain elements are trying to undermine this very foundation thereby creating an atmosphere of suspicion, distrust and hatred among the various races. Because of this situation, most of the speeches made by public figures go in one ear and come out the other. I have no more faith in our political leaders.
When I read the article on the keynote address by the Prince of Perak Raja Nazrin Shah at the Young Malaysians' Roundtable Discussion on National Unity and Development in Malaysia : Prospects and Challenges for Nation-Building, it was so refreshing! Coming from the royalty and of such a high rank, it really was what this country needs at this juncture. I hope all our politicians took note of his speech. This man is speaking from his heart for the good of this nation. Sit up and take heed.
In his speech he said, "In the case of Malaysia, nation building has occurred in generally peaceful circumstances. It was not imposed by another country. And it is undertaken mainly by collective choice rather than compulsion. The fact that we have been able to forge a nation without resorting to the rule of the gun has made us something of a rarity and a case to be studied, if not emulated. It has allowed a relatively effective system of governance to develop. Our track record at development and resolving problems such as illiteracy, poverty and poor health has been good."
This is in recognition that all races were involved in the development of this country.
He also said, " First, Malaysians of all races, religions, and geographic locations need to believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that they have a place under the Malaysian sun. Only when each citizen believes that he or she has a common home and is working towards a common destiny, will he or she make the sacrifices needed for the long haul. In Malaysia, the Federal Constitution, the Rukun Negara and Vision 2020 encapsulate the rights, hopes and aspirations of the population in a way that no other documents do. The integrity of these documents must be defended and promoted, especially the first."
How very true! We will know if we are defending the Constitution in the near future! (The Federal Court has fixed May 14 to hear R. Subashini's application for leave to appeal against a decision ordering her to bring her divorce and custody claims to the Syariah Court. For the uninformed : Subashini is a Hindu whose husband converted to Islam without telling her. The Syariah Court is a religious court for the muslims.)
Strangely though, not many of our top political leaders had anything to say about his views on nation building. There were many comments from non-muslim groups, NGO's and a few bloggers, praising his stand on the importance of the Constitution. I waited a few days to post on my blog as I was hoping there would be some favourable comments from the top leadership but I didn't read or hear anything from them in the papers or the news. I guess they don't have time for such trivial stuff as National Unity!
As long as there are people like Prince Raja Nazrin, there is still hope for this land. The full text of his keynote address can be found at thestar online.
When I read the article on the keynote address by the Prince of Perak Raja Nazrin Shah at the Young Malaysians' Roundtable Discussion on National Unity and Development in Malaysia : Prospects and Challenges for Nation-Building, it was so refreshing! Coming from the royalty and of such a high rank, it really was what this country needs at this juncture. I hope all our politicians took note of his speech. This man is speaking from his heart for the good of this nation. Sit up and take heed.
In his speech he said, "In the case of Malaysia, nation building has occurred in generally peaceful circumstances. It was not imposed by another country. And it is undertaken mainly by collective choice rather than compulsion. The fact that we have been able to forge a nation without resorting to the rule of the gun has made us something of a rarity and a case to be studied, if not emulated. It has allowed a relatively effective system of governance to develop. Our track record at development and resolving problems such as illiteracy, poverty and poor health has been good."
This is in recognition that all races were involved in the development of this country.
He also said, " First, Malaysians of all races, religions, and geographic locations need to believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that they have a place under the Malaysian sun. Only when each citizen believes that he or she has a common home and is working towards a common destiny, will he or she make the sacrifices needed for the long haul. In Malaysia, the Federal Constitution, the Rukun Negara and Vision 2020 encapsulate the rights, hopes and aspirations of the population in a way that no other documents do. The integrity of these documents must be defended and promoted, especially the first."
How very true! We will know if we are defending the Constitution in the near future! (The Federal Court has fixed May 14 to hear R. Subashini's application for leave to appeal against a decision ordering her to bring her divorce and custody claims to the Syariah Court. For the uninformed : Subashini is a Hindu whose husband converted to Islam without telling her. The Syariah Court is a religious court for the muslims.)
Strangely though, not many of our top political leaders had anything to say about his views on nation building. There were many comments from non-muslim groups, NGO's and a few bloggers, praising his stand on the importance of the Constitution. I waited a few days to post on my blog as I was hoping there would be some favourable comments from the top leadership but I didn't read or hear anything from them in the papers or the news. I guess they don't have time for such trivial stuff as National Unity!
As long as there are people like Prince Raja Nazrin, there is still hope for this land. The full text of his keynote address can be found at thestar online.
Monday, April 02, 2007
Barbarians At The Gate
Recently our government has opened up an area in the State of Johor, south of the Malayan Peninsular called the Iskandar Development Region to help boost our struggling economy. To get foreign investors to participate, the Prime Minister unveiled incentives and also announced the relaxation of certain rules that were considered the stumbling blocks. The main one is the removal of the requirement for the foreign businessmen to set aside 30% interest in their business for local Malay business partners.
This is of course common thing to us Malaysians as it is spelt out clearly under the NEP (New Economic Policy). Initially the 30% was meant to be the guideline, which later was abused until it became not less than 30%! Until today if this matter is brought up by the non-Malays, it is considered a threat to their rights and some people will unsheath their kriss and wave it in the air and threaten blood shed!
The reason for the special rights of the Malays is to correct the economic imbalance among the races especially between the Chinese and the Malays. The NEP was launched in 1971 by Tun Abdul Razak who was the Prime Minister at that time. The NEP ended in 1990. It is now 2007! Isn't it time to do away with this racial policy? This is the Malaysian political scene. The crutch is very difficult to throw away even when you can walk without it! Such is the subsidy mentality.
The Strange thing about the Iskandar Development Region is that the government is willing to forego the 30% for the Malay businessmen just to attract the foreigners!
"The opening up of the Iskandar Development Region to foreigners should not be seen as a threat to the Malays." says Entrepreneurial and Cooperative Development Minister Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin. He also said that Malays should take up the challenge to compete against foreign companies. Why is it there is so much confidence when it comes to foreigners but not with the local businessmen?
If the government is really sincere about the matter, the 30% requirement should be abolished throughout the land on all matters and level the playing field for all Malaysians. We should first try it in the local arena before we give the opportunity to foreigners. We are already inundated with illegal Indonesians who seem to get better treatment here than they get back home! There is a Malay saying, "Kera di hutan disusukan, anak mati kelaparan!" It means feed your children first before you take care of the monkeys in the forest.
This is of course common thing to us Malaysians as it is spelt out clearly under the NEP (New Economic Policy). Initially the 30% was meant to be the guideline, which later was abused until it became not less than 30%! Until today if this matter is brought up by the non-Malays, it is considered a threat to their rights and some people will unsheath their kriss and wave it in the air and threaten blood shed!
The reason for the special rights of the Malays is to correct the economic imbalance among the races especially between the Chinese and the Malays. The NEP was launched in 1971 by Tun Abdul Razak who was the Prime Minister at that time. The NEP ended in 1990. It is now 2007! Isn't it time to do away with this racial policy? This is the Malaysian political scene. The crutch is very difficult to throw away even when you can walk without it! Such is the subsidy mentality.
The Strange thing about the Iskandar Development Region is that the government is willing to forego the 30% for the Malay businessmen just to attract the foreigners!
"The opening up of the Iskandar Development Region to foreigners should not be seen as a threat to the Malays." says Entrepreneurial and Cooperative Development Minister Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin. He also said that Malays should take up the challenge to compete against foreign companies. Why is it there is so much confidence when it comes to foreigners but not with the local businessmen?
If the government is really sincere about the matter, the 30% requirement should be abolished throughout the land on all matters and level the playing field for all Malaysians. We should first try it in the local arena before we give the opportunity to foreigners. We are already inundated with illegal Indonesians who seem to get better treatment here than they get back home! There is a Malay saying, "Kera di hutan disusukan, anak mati kelaparan!" It means feed your children first before you take care of the monkeys in the forest.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Where Is The Religious Freedom?
Any country that is progressing economically will definitely have certain salient points that are very necessary for it to advance. They will most probably have hardworking citizens. There would be law and order to ensure peace and harmony among the citizens. The government of the day would have ensured freedom for its people to practice the religion of their choice, to be able to protest if there is injustice. To be able to seek justice through the legal system. An efficient armed forces to protect the land from invaders and so on and so forth.
We in Malaysia have most of it but of late we see the emergence of intolerant attitudes in religious matters. Those in power somehow feel obligated to favour one party over the other when it comes to religion. Take for example the case of R. Subashini whose husband converted to Islam. He is trying to convert the children too. Subashini is trying to fight for her rights in getting a divorce settlement in the civil courts. On March 13, a panel of judges had ordered Subashini to take her case to the Syariah court! She is a Hindu. Why should she go to the Syariah court to look for justice? The Syariah court is for Muslims. It is a religious court.
How could the honourable judges come to such a conclusion? It shows the hidden forces playing behind the scene. Some people are trying to turn this case into one that is against Islam. It is about the religious freedom that is guaranteed under the Federal Constitution. To deny her the right to take her case to the civil courts is to deny justice to all the non-Muslims. That's what it is. The government is trying to fish for votes in the rural areas or it is worried that the opposition party, namely PAS would condemn it as being un-Islamic. We cannot allow the mullahs or ayatollahs to dictate to us about how we should live.
It is very important that the government make the right decision if we want to have peace and harmony in this land. The government must ensure the rights of every citizen regardless of race or religion. Even in Iraq where the majority are muslims, they still kill each other simply because they belong to different groups. Do we really need this type of Taliban mentality here?
The latest news about R. Subashini is she has obtained a temporary injunction from the Court of Appeal to preserve her civil rights pending her appeal to the Federal Court. I sincerely hope our legal system allows her to fight for her matrimonial rights in a civil court, whatever the outcome.
We in Malaysia have most of it but of late we see the emergence of intolerant attitudes in religious matters. Those in power somehow feel obligated to favour one party over the other when it comes to religion. Take for example the case of R. Subashini whose husband converted to Islam. He is trying to convert the children too. Subashini is trying to fight for her rights in getting a divorce settlement in the civil courts. On March 13, a panel of judges had ordered Subashini to take her case to the Syariah court! She is a Hindu. Why should she go to the Syariah court to look for justice? The Syariah court is for Muslims. It is a religious court.
How could the honourable judges come to such a conclusion? It shows the hidden forces playing behind the scene. Some people are trying to turn this case into one that is against Islam. It is about the religious freedom that is guaranteed under the Federal Constitution. To deny her the right to take her case to the civil courts is to deny justice to all the non-Muslims. That's what it is. The government is trying to fish for votes in the rural areas or it is worried that the opposition party, namely PAS would condemn it as being un-Islamic. We cannot allow the mullahs or ayatollahs to dictate to us about how we should live.
It is very important that the government make the right decision if we want to have peace and harmony in this land. The government must ensure the rights of every citizen regardless of race or religion. Even in Iraq where the majority are muslims, they still kill each other simply because they belong to different groups. Do we really need this type of Taliban mentality here?
The latest news about R. Subashini is she has obtained a temporary injunction from the Court of Appeal to preserve her civil rights pending her appeal to the Federal Court. I sincerely hope our legal system allows her to fight for her matrimonial rights in a civil court, whatever the outcome.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Water Woes
If the electricity supply is cut off, all you have to do is light up a few candles and voila, you have light. But when the water supply is cut off, that is a different kettle of fish.
We have been having water problems for a few days now in our fair city. Today is the pits. Our tap is bone dry. The information I got was the operator of the water treatment plant was having trouble with the pumps. The newspaper has an article on this sad state of affairs but even the papers don't seem to give a clear picture of what is happening. They are more concerned with the plight of students at the local university. None of their 'investigative' reporters seem to zoom in on the real story. How could 8 pumps break down simultaneously? There was no mention of who is operating the water treatment plant and how such a situation could have come about. Every pump at any treatment plant has a stand-by pump. In the event of failure of the operating pump, the stand-by pump would be utilised to minimise interruptions to the supply of water to the consumers.
Nobody seems to ask how 8 pumps could breakdown at the same time! The running of the water treatment plant has been privatised and I guess the operators of this treatment plant have powerful connections which has enabled them to be kept out of the news! So much for 'investigative' reporters in this country.
Operating a water treatment plant is not very difficult, actually. It is easy money if the operators pay attention to the maintenance part of the job.
We have been having water problems for a few days now in our fair city. Today is the pits. Our tap is bone dry. The information I got was the operator of the water treatment plant was having trouble with the pumps. The newspaper has an article on this sad state of affairs but even the papers don't seem to give a clear picture of what is happening. They are more concerned with the plight of students at the local university. None of their 'investigative' reporters seem to zoom in on the real story. How could 8 pumps break down simultaneously? There was no mention of who is operating the water treatment plant and how such a situation could have come about. Every pump at any treatment plant has a stand-by pump. In the event of failure of the operating pump, the stand-by pump would be utilised to minimise interruptions to the supply of water to the consumers.
Nobody seems to ask how 8 pumps could breakdown at the same time! The running of the water treatment plant has been privatised and I guess the operators of this treatment plant have powerful connections which has enabled them to be kept out of the news! So much for 'investigative' reporters in this country.
Operating a water treatment plant is not very difficult, actually. It is easy money if the operators pay attention to the maintenance part of the job.
The raw water is extracted at (1. Intake). Depending on the quality of the raw water - chlorine, allum and lime are added and the water flows to the flocculation tank(2) and then to the sedimentation tank(3) where the unwanted particles settle down and are periodically removed. The water is then channeled to the filters(4) where the finer particles are removed and the clear water is collected into the clear water tank(5). Chlorine is added for disinfection purposes and lime to control the PH value. At No. 6 is where the pumps used for pumping out the clear water to elevated reservoirs are located. The problem could be here. If the pumps are not maintained properly, then they will breakdown and no water can be pumped out.
On the other hand, if somebody had been sleeping on the job and had allowed the clear water tank to overflow, the excess water might have flowed into the pumphouse and inundated the pumps! That could also be a possibility. We will never know as all our 'investigative' reporters are busy at the University Utara Malaysia taking photos of students playing with water pumped from wells at the campus.
Why are they having wells at the campus is another mistery especially after the government had spent millions to lay trunk mains leading to the campus, building reservoirs on the hilltop for them and a special pumphouse to pump the water up to these reservoirs! Maybe they had advanced knowledge of the possibility of 8 pumps breaking down simultaneously at the water treatment plant!
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Turning Point
This morning was a good day at the golf course for me. I managed to beat all 3 of my golfer friends who were playing with me. Even Mr.Consistency gave up after hole 5. Tomorrow I will be playing with 1 less stroke.
In order to encourage me, my friends(the more experienced golfers) gave me strokes. It will start with 1 and will be increased each time I lose until I get to the turning point where I actually beat them with the given number of strokes. After that the strokes will be reduced by 1 if I keep on winning.
Tomorrow we tee-off at 7.30am. Hope I can hang on to my winning streak! Another lady wants to join us and I have to give her 5 strokes! Cor blimey! I hope I remember the way Tiger Woods swung his clubs at the recent WGC-CA Championships. That will come in handy plus all the tips my friends gave me as I was playing with regards to course management.
One of them even gave me some equations to remember. "If your equation has trees in it, remove them and you will be alright." Which simply means if you had teed-off into the woods, tap the ball following the easiest way to the fairway so that you will be in a position to attack the green. Good advice. Must remember to execute that equation.
In order to encourage me, my friends(the more experienced golfers) gave me strokes. It will start with 1 and will be increased each time I lose until I get to the turning point where I actually beat them with the given number of strokes. After that the strokes will be reduced by 1 if I keep on winning.
Tomorrow we tee-off at 7.30am. Hope I can hang on to my winning streak! Another lady wants to join us and I have to give her 5 strokes! Cor blimey! I hope I remember the way Tiger Woods swung his clubs at the recent WGC-CA Championships. That will come in handy plus all the tips my friends gave me as I was playing with regards to course management.
One of them even gave me some equations to remember. "If your equation has trees in it, remove them and you will be alright." Which simply means if you had teed-off into the woods, tap the ball following the easiest way to the fairway so that you will be in a position to attack the green. Good advice. Must remember to execute that equation.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Still On Golf
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.
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.
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.
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