Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to everyone out there. It's the last holiday of the year and guess what, I'm on leave. A short break from the hectic daily schedule. Not that I'm planning to go to church or some Christmas party anyway...just to relax and enjoy the day.

Sometimes how I wish there was snow here...then we can really enjoy Christmas. Snowball fights, making snowpeople, things like that which is fun that you see on television. Sure we have different things here, but how I wish I can be somewhere different. Hmm, maybe I'll go somewhere next Christmas.

But till then I have to live with the cloudy and rainy time this Christmas. Sad, but different...

Water, water everywhere!

So what's the big deal about floods this time of year? Yeah it always happens in the East Coast...with the monsoon season and all...but it's not the East Coast which grabbed the headlines. Off all places it was Johor, on the southern part of the country!!!

Well it's not limited to the east coast either...it's all over the state, including parts of the state capital. Thousands were forced to flee their homes and stay at makeshift relief centres. Talk about disaster. And Johor is the target for the next big Malaysian plan: Iskandar Development Region...unless they find out what the problem is and take steps to correct it, the IDC will probably drown in it's own filth...literally.

But that does not take anything away from the efforts of the Government, Civil Defence, volunteer organisations out there tirelessly working to help the flood victims. Kudos to you guys and keep up the good work. As to all the generous people out there waiting to help the victims, kudos to all of you too. And let's hope that this time the money, food, clothing, etc really gets to the people who need them and not to some parasite waiting in the wings...

Hah, like that's gonna happen in this country...

Resignation

Have finally decided to resign from Government service. I am giving the required three-month notice. OK lar...since I've got almost a month and a half worth of leave to take.. Things are really not going down well with me. And with most of my colleagues as well.

My main grouse? Having to work the noon the following day after a night call is really too much. And to think that this is the only Emergency Department that I know with such requirements! I do not want to be a party to human error that will lead to death to a patient! Our Head-of-Department can't do much as this is the Hospital Directors prerogative. Combined with the fact that I have to be at home to help look after my father didn't leave me with much of an option. I guess this has been a long time coming...but the first step is always the hardest!

The coming year would be very interesting one for me indeed...

Up, up and away!

Well, I guess it's been a long time coming. An increase in the road toll rates, effective 1st January. Just that the quantum of increase had not been announced yet. Reason being that the government cannot afford to compensate the toll operators further, and stipulated increases had been set into their existing contracts. But I guess that is life then isn't it? Increases in cost of living, which is unfortunately not offset by increase in salary. No wonder people have so many grouses...

My beef is this...an increase in the toll rates should be accompanied by efficiency of the toll operators. As it is a lot of the tolled roads are suffering from massive jams caused by a teeny weeny insignificant accident (most of the time anyway), as much as narrow roads (not fit to be called a highway...read Lebuhraya [that's highway in Malay], Damansara-Puchong, which is a two-lane road) leading to traffic congestion. Sure, in their defence they will mention the rise in consumer spending leading to increase in the number of cars on the roads, which exceeds their projections then. But I think they can manage other reasons better.

1. Like towing away accident-involved cars away as soon as possible
2. Managing the congestion at toll booths (read LDP, again!!) by directing traffic there properly (um,
those who use LDP during peak hours would understand this - drivers cutting in to the paying
lanes from the Touch N' Go lanes because of haphazard driving, possibly because of
poorly-placed lanes)
3. Increasing the width of roads (well, this is subject to land space)
4. Providing alternative exits to users (God-forbid, that is not an option!!)

Having said that, traffic jams are a common occurrence and will in the future, get worse. That is why the integrated transport system here, if done properly could relieve much of the congestion. The key word here is properly. Because private companies always think of profits...and previous attempts failed because of that. A transport system, in my opinion should not be privatised until it in in place...to ask a private company to come up with a proper transport system without solid financial backing is doomed to failure.

Until then we again have to stomach the increases and weather the pain...so it means less road-travelling for me and more on the Internet highway...and that is cheaper and free of jams (most of the time anyway!)