Tax (Returns) Day!

Today's the day I submitted my Income Tax returns, the old-fashioned way. Surprise, surprise...it seems I have to pay a small amount this year. And since I had to submit the original income tax deduction receipts anyway I went to the IRB Office in Kelana Jaya.

There were few people around actually, but I guess most of them were upstairs doing their E-filing. I wanted to pay by cash but I was told to go all the way to to the Jalan Duta office to do so...what??? So I had to go back and write out a cheque for the amount and go back all the way to the IRB office to submit the cheque.

But it was quite smooth. Not many people around, surprisingly. If I know Malaysians (why not, since I'm one!) they'll wait for the last minute to do so...I wonder why? Maybe it's our competitive nature...

Well, I don't know about E-filing - apparently there were still a few glitches to iron out there. Maybe next year.

Another holiday

Today's a holiday, for civil servants at least. We had the inauguration of our new Yang-DiPertuan Agong - hence the off day. Why I am not sure. The banks were closed too; but most of the private sector continued working as usual. Guess the inauguration isn't a big deal after all.

I tried to watch the Inauguration ceremony on TV in the morning...all ten minutes of it. Guess it took way too much time. An watching a lump of maturing cheese on the Internet was way more exciting.

I think I had better luck (and better reason) sleeping the day away. Zzzzzzzzz...

P.S., the cheese part is real: Lump of Cheese

The 13,000

No, this is not the sequel to the 4400!

The DJIA, for the first time, has breached the magical 13,000 level, six months after breaching 12,000.

What does this mean for our local stock market? Nothing...because today is a stupid holiday!!!!

Some people never learn...

Millions lost in e-invest scam

Haiyo...I wonder how long this has to go on. But I guess as long as there are greedy and gullible people out there, I'm sure scams like this will continue. I mean the returns are outrageous; I'm not surprised so many find them attractive. Well, if you put your money in get them out as soon as you can and don't get too greedy, otherwise you might lose it and not see them again...

And oh, on a lighter note:

"There is no short cut to wealth, not even via the Internet, advised Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak yesterday".

The Star, 21/04/2007

Football: Malaysia 0 Hong Kong 1

Cough...cough...it's not a typo!! Yes believe it!

How low can we go? Who knows? Malaysia Boleh!!??

Finally!

Well, the good times had to end some time. And for Sanjaya, it did this week. But better late than never. How on earth did he get that far? Combination of good luck, questionable hair-do, and a make-believe persona...I'm sure that charmed millions of American tweens into voting for him. And oh, he's only 17...something American Idol producers have not overlooked I'm sure.

But that guy can't sing to save his life. The judges must have been turning in their sleep trying to figure out how he survives week in and week out. And he did just that. Personally I had expected him to go on the very first week of the finals, but he kept on hanging there.

Credit to him though, he gave a good performance in the Latina night - even Simon Cowell can't say anything about that. But that was one spark in a dimming light.

Enough about him: we have six left, and the competition heats up. I guess a lot could even see the eventual winner now: Melinda Doolittle, but anything can happen. Never had the difference between the singers so marked, demarcation between guys and girls so obvious. If I had my way, the guys could have all been eliminated by now; only Blake Richardson has got any real chance of making it all the way. Jordin comes off sparky, but I don't think she's got a chance; Lakisha needs to buck up. One thing I'm not sure, does it have to be a one guy, one girl final?

So my predictions on the coming weeks, in order of elimination: Phil, Chris, Lakisha, Blake, Jordin, and winner Melinda!!

Not another one!

Oops it happened again! I'm sure that's what the advisor to the George Bush must have thought when he heard the Virginia Tech massacre. Don't these politicians ever learn? Guns are dangerous, and should be controlled. I just wonder how many more innocent people are going to die before they do something about it. Hiding behind the Second Amendment should not help; and what an archaic pronouncement have relevance in this society today I wonder.

But this time, the shooter was a Korean and an Asian. Not one of their own. I just feel for all the Asians out there now, looking behnd their backs wondering the next thing would be a revenge bullet. I hope that things would not get from bad to worse.

Condolences go out to the families of the victims as well as all those affected by the shooting. I just pray that this does not repeat itself.

Another lesson learnt? Or would the killing spree continue? I just hope those politicians get their act right for once.

BN winners

So the Machap by-election goes to Barisan Nasional: no surprises there. But with the whole goverment machinery behind them, David had no chance against Goliath. But little reported was that the majority for BN has been reduced, and that itself a sign of things to come? I hope the BN is listening...

The General Election is coming in a few months, even if there is little talk about it now. BN will definitely not win it with such aplomb as they did last time. It will be a fight, because there are a lot of disgruntled people out there - mainly middle-class, urban professionals, and this will make their voice felt. Of course the rural folk will still vote for BN - seen as heroes for providing the necessary amenities of daily life, all the while sucking them dry like a leech without them knowing it. So there is no doubt that BN will win the election, but a markedly reduced majority will make them sit up and listen. There has to be changes - painful changes - that need to be addressed and done to make this country more competitive, safe and better place for us and our children to live in.

I am no fan of the Opposition, and have not voted for them in the past but living through all the injustices that is going around this country - denied by the BN but plain and obvious for us to see, why am I not surprised? - made sure that I would try to make my vote count this time. Sure it would be an effort in futility with the Election Commission on the government's payroll, but we have to start somewhere.

So next will be the Ijok by-election in two weeks. BN again? I'm sure, but in a reduced majority again I hope...

Blink! Blink!

Lim: 3.5GHz frequency interfering with Measat-2

Oh come on!! I had a good laugh when I read this! Sometimes you do wonder about 'Malaysia Boleh!'

Let me see: maybe we can ask the U.S. Department of Defense's help to shoot down Measat-2 for testing of their anti-satellite weapons!!!

What next?

Leaking pipe brings Immigration HQ to a halt

First a hospital, now the Immigration HQ, so who's next? And these are the ones that attract media attention...what about those that were quitely hushed?

You can blame shoddy workmanship, poor maintenance, so on and so forth, but the telling question is that these are happening to buildings barely three years old!! What is happening here? Are our so-called local main contractors so pathetic that they couldn't do a good job, or are the sub-contractors to blame? If this is happening locally what would happen to the multitude of buildings oversease where our construction companies are plying their trade nowadays?


Easy answer: we Malaysians are being treated like second-rate citizens in our country! First it was the Proton cars - an open secret that export-model Protons are first-rate while the local ones are no more than tin-cans. So now it's government buildings...I suppose 'government' because there is always other parties to blame. But I'm sure nothing like this will happen overseas because the main contractors' reputation is at stake - so they use the best of everything: companies, workforce, materials etc....

And where is the PWD in all this? I'm sure their so-called preventive maintenance is nothing to shout about - it's all about repairs now, because that's where all the money is...

So I ask what's next? Let's just wait for the next juicy story...

Whoa?

Just had to put this up...

NEW YORK – Idaho resident Kathy Evans brought humiliation to her friends and family Tuesday when she set a new standard for stupidity with her appearance on the popular TV show, “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.”It seems that Evans, a 32-year-old wife and mother of two, got stuck on the first question, and proceeded to make what fans of the show are dubbing “the absolute worst use of lifelines ever.”

After being introduced to the show’s host Meredith Vieira, Evans assured her that she was ready to play, whereupon she was posed with an extremely easy $100 question. The question was:

“Which of the following is the largest?”
A) A Peanut
B) An Elephant
C) The Moon
D) Hey, who you calling large?

Immediately Mrs. Evans was struck with an all consuming panic as she realized that this was a question to which she did not readily know the answer. “Hmm, oh boy, that’s a toughie,” said Evans, as Vieira did her level best to hide her disbelief and disgust. “I mean, I’m sure I’ve heard of some of these things before, but I have no idea how large they would be.”

Evans made the decision to use the first of her three lifelines, the 50/50. Answers A and D were removed, leaving her to decide which was bigger, an elephant or the moon. However, faced with an incredibly easy question, Evans still remained unsure.

“Oh! It removed the two I was leaning towards!” exclaimed Evans. “Darn. I think I better phone a friend.” Using the second of her two lifelines on the first question, Mrs. Evans asked to be connected with her friend Betsy, who is an office assistant. “Hi Betsy! How are you? This is Kathy! I’m on TV!” said Evans, wasting the first seven seconds of her call. “Ok, I got an important question. Which of the following is the largest? B, an elephant, or C, the moon. 15 seconds hun.” Betsy quickly replied that the answer was C, the moon. Evans proceeded to argue with her friend for the remaining ten seconds. “Come on Betsy, are you sure?” said Evans. “How sure are you? Puh, that can’t be it.”

To everyone’s astonishment, the moronic Evans declined to take her friend’s advice and pick ‘The Moon.’ “I just don’t know if I can trust Betsy. She’s not all that bright. So I think I’d like to ask the audience,” said Evans. Asked to vote on the correct answer, the audience returned 98% in favor of answer C, ‘The Moon.’ Having used up all her lifelines, Evans then made the dumbest choice of her life.

“Wow, seems like everybody is against what I’m thinking,” said the too-stupid-to-live Evans. “But you know, sometimes you just got to go with your gut. So, let’s see. For which is larger, an elephant or the moon, I’m going to have to go with B, an elephant. Final answer.”

Evans sat before the dumbfounded audience, the only one waiting with bated breath, and was told that she was wrong, and that the answer was in fact, C, 'The Moon.'

Vieira thanked Kathy Evans for coming on the show, and tried to make her feel better about winning zero dollars. But after the cameras stopped rolling, she stood up and smacked her across the face. “How could anyone be so stupid?” shouted the irate Vieira to cheers from an approving crowd. “Get out! Get out of my studio this instant you stupid idiot!”

As Mrs. Evans left the studio, she was jumped and beaten by several angry audience members. She is currently listed in critical condition at Mt. Sinai Hospital.

From: www.bsnews.org

Asked to vote on the correct answer, the audience returned 98% in favor of answer C, ‘The Moon.’ I guess that means the other 2% is in the same boat as her!! I rest my case...

Bloggers register!!

Bloggers may have to register

Oh brother! What else would the government think of next? Maybe they are worried that responsible bloggers are spreading the real truth more widely than they have anticpated. Come on, you can't keep it from us forever!

I mean it's ridiculous to register bloggers...there are so many of us, and the purpose? To keep an eye on us? And how are they gonna do that? Keep an eye on keywords like government, BN etc.?? Blogging should be freedom of speech, as long as it doesn't incite people to do harm. Most of us blog as a form of sharing of views and ideas, an online diary of their life (public ones), or as a way to vent our frustation at certain aspects of life. Is that so wrong?

I think the government should spend their time more wisely on matters of importance...there are plenty of them out there!!

Bomb threat!

Thousands caught in jam after bridge closure

The news started filtering in in the late afternoon. News of a traffic jam at the Penang Bridge lasting for four hours, ostensibly to clear up an overturned trailer on the bridge. But later it was acknowledged that the authorities investigated a purported bomb hoax - a metal pipe found wedged under one of the girders. The bomb squad exploded the pipe at the site - you can imagine the panic when unknowing nearby residents heard the explosion.

With global terrorism at it's height (even though it is apparently far away), in today's world one cannot be too careful when it will strike home. Terrorists are well known in not discriminating sovereign borders (read Bali, Jakarta,) so we have to be on our toes. Anything can happen nowadays...

The raise is coming! The raise is coming!

Government offices to open from 7.30am to 5.30pm

Well, this is something new...but I wonder whether it will work wonders for productivity. Judging by experience, no. An extra hour of work is of no difference if you can waltz in 15 minutes late and waltz out 15 minutes early, and spend an extra 15 minutes each for the two 'mandatory' coffee breaks. The work mentality of majority of civil servants have been so entrenched that a little change would not even create a ripple. What we need is a wholesale shake-up, which will not happen even if the cows actually come home.

But I guess this is a government ploy. Why? Because the elections are coming. Because the civil servants want a raise. So there has to be a give and take. Now you 'work' one hour more so we can give you the raise you richly deserve.

Go figure...

April Fools' Day

Well today is April Fools Day...a day for pranks and laughs. That's why I'm staying at home this rainy day...but so far nothing has happened. No pranks or jokes. The closest thing to a prank is the pouring rain since early in the morning...it's so dark outside that it seems like night!

Sigh...April Fool is losing its lustre...

Here we go again!

Hardly three weeks has passed since the mighty fall in the Shanghai stock market that sent the rest of the world into a selling frenzy. And in a blink of an eye, we are nearly back where we started.

Stock markets are recovering and investors are brimming with confidence again. The pain of the last three weeks have largely been forgotten. And with most markets close to their year highs, one wonders whether it will all happen again... And to come full circle, the Shanghai stock market has already surpassed it's high of the year!!

Our KLSE Composite Index is just 50 points shy of their highs of the year. A lot of feel good news is flowing in: success (?) of Invest Malaysia that just concluded, liberalisation of monetary policies, Iskandar Development Region, good corporate results and upgrades by the international investing communities - fuelling the confidence and growing euphoria in the local stock market. Who would be against the stock market reaching new highs within the next few weeks, especially with the general election to come?

Of course there are external concerns, especially with the slowing U.S. economy, problems within the subprime mortgage markets there, rising interest rates in Japan and China, and recently, rising oil proces (again!), but of course these will be brushed aside unless another major meltdown occurs.

I akin the stock market to a second casino in this country - this is where people pitch in money in the hope to gain more. This is also where the sharks and numero uno predators reign supreme; all others are food to them. The local syndicates and foreign hedge funds play the stock market to their tune and we follow them. To make it in the stock market, one only has not to be greedy! The failings of retail investors in mainly due to greed - if they control themselves and not fail in that aspect a lot of people would have a happier time here. But then that is how the casinos of the world make their money isn't it?

So lets see where the stock markets take us: up or down...

Wishes Do Come True?

Musa: Brief Umno on why it has to give up NEP
Ghani and Shahrir back move to drop quotas

It's like a wish come true...but of course it hasn't happened yet, and I have to be snapped back into reality. Yeesh...UMNO dropping the NEP and relaxation of FIC rules on bumiputra equity a reality? Right... Definitely not when the general election is around the corner!

And why only for projects in the Iskandar Development Region? This should be extended to include the whole country. As well as fair and impartial tendering process for all government projects. That's a start to bring back confidence among foreign investors in our country.

Even as we speak, Telenor's (read Norwegian, hence foreign) 61% equity in Digi Telecommunications (read Malaysian) is still under threat; I am sure a lot of arm-twisting is going on behind-the-scenes to ensure this happens, and that includes the non-award of both 3G and Wimax licenses to Digi. It is so sad that this is happening in the investing community. To them, why give 30% equity to bumiputras (others would call them UMNO-putras) who probably will not do anything to advance their cause, but instead suck the lifeblood (read: money) out of the company - a real parasitic relationship if I ever saw one!

That's not all: foreign companies are relocating elsewhere where restrictions are not so suffocating, local companies are looking overseas to list (on the stock market), and dare I say it, if possible to move operations elsewhere. Perhaps the wiser ones are moving away from this country before worse occurs - seeing that 36 years of NEP have not changed much, and forbid even stifling the competitiveness further, while watching our erstwhile neighbours striding ahead in many different areas.

It is sad this country with it's rich natural resources, sheltered location, skilled manpower and political (?) stability has been much wasted. And if the people in charge don't listen, maybe it's time for a change.

Err...and that would be a dream really coming true!

Something to remember by

Streamyx gripe

Ahh...another article of interest, mainly for old times sake...

300 Wild Hogs...really!

Watched 300 last night...what at a cinema? Of course not...downloaded a screener from the Internet (that's camera version but I guess touched up a bit with a quality improvements). Video is OK but sound is not so good; mostly a bit dark, but all screeners are like that - I guess a trade-off for getting movies fast, and not paying much for a slice of entertainment.

OK, I think that the basic movie premise is correct historically, the acting is fair, and the action is stylised but acceptable. A bit too much gore in it, especially with the chopping of heads and blood-spurting, but enough to quench the thirst of most remaining cinema-goers. A lot have been said about the use of CGI in this movie, to give it the larger-than-life feel, and I agree - personally I am not too excited about it but it does give the movie an extra oomph.

Wild Hogs on the other hand is the more traditional form of movie, and being a comedy it's so so. There are its funny points but all in all I think the movie is just so so, and can be yawning at times. It will still draw it's crowds, and it's place a the box office - with the likes of John Travolta, Tim Allen - what show wouldn't? But I guess biker movies are not commonplace in mainstream US cinema, and worth exploiting?

My comment...300 over Wild Hogs anytime!

A little bit crazy

Feels like the weather had gone a bit crazy over the lat few days. Initially it was blisteringly hot; then came the afternoon and evening rains, and today - heavy rain in the morning!! There goes plans for a picnic...

Wonder whether this has anything to do with El Nino/La Nina phenomenon...or is it related to the global warming problem? Probably both...but I guess we have to endure the dampness and cold (for a change!) for the time being.

No change

Had been going through some local forums and blogs of late...actually more out of boredom than anything else; and there are a lot of pissed off people out there about this TMNet throttling of p2p sites.

Basically TMNet says that 20% of users are hogging 80% of bandwidth (something like that) for p2p use (I guess primarily torrent-ing); as a result other users experience slowdown in Internet access - hence the need for throttling the p2p access.

So the questions are:
1. Why throttle p2p access when this is the original demand that created need for broadband?
Currently throttling seems to be limited to international p2p sites (local connections are relatively
fast) and more pronounced during the daytime - less after 12 midnight until about 8 am!!
2. Why TMNet is unable to increase bandwidth capabilities?
3. Why TMNet is still promoting broadband services, knowing that they are not able to provide the
bandwidth?
4. If TMNet is unable to provide proper services, why doesn't the government allow competitive
services to the public (ie. why the bloody hell is TMNet still monopolising broadband services)?
5. And since late last year - TMNet has been including our download/upload usage in our bills: what
is that for? Is TMNet going to start imposing a limit to our broadband activities?

Personally I feel that the problem lies with the reluctance of TMNet to invest in their infrastructure (read $$$$) and increase bandwidth capabilities. I guess that most of us would pay extra if the services are reliable and consistent. And the fact that lack of competition would make TMNet sit on its laurels, a giant sloth that does not need to respond to changes in its surroundings. I don't get the promotions either; it'll lead to more complaints, duh!!

In this country, people have already accepted the fact that things would not change for the better...not by a long shot, until there is a paradigm shift in the government (change perhaps?). And all Malaysians know that this would not happen even if the fat lady sings...

So what are we to do? Live with it, and just keep complaining...at least there is still an outlet for our frustations!

Sick hospital or Hospital for the sick?

One Sick Hospital








Wah so beautiful ah...

Ahh...another attention grabbing headline in the Malaysian health scene - and the scary part is, it's nothing new! Remember Hospital Pandan in Johor? Same contactor I think. So the expensive Ampang Hospital has got major problems. And it's out in mainstream media for once. Not like my ex-hospital...whose problems are similar to that at Ampang, but has been kept under wraps. Guess it was not so 'fortunate' to be headlined.

But it does bring into light the shoddy workmanship of the contractors appointed to build the hospitals. Mind you it is not a small company, but one of the largest in this country. Speaks volumes of the ability of these contractors, and I shudder to think of their overseas projects. I guess I need not be worried about the overseas projects - I'm sure they will ensure high standards, but alas for us Malaysians as usual, we are being treated second-rate in our own country! Hmm, sounds like what Proton used to do to us locals :()

I'm sure most if not all the other new hospitals similarly constructed will have the same problems and will be swept under the carpet; after all the profits have been made, palms have been greased; what's left is for the poor souls of this country to foot the mounting repair bills year after year...

And the building is only half the problem. The not-mentioned outdated equipment is another. What people don't realise that it takes up to ten years to plan, build and commission a hospital for operation (a government hospital that is) and most of the equipments have been tendered for at the start of the project...if we include the delays into account...that would be about twelve years. You can imagine a hospital that starts operation in 2005 was planned since 1992, and it's equipment are of the mid 90s. But of course we are not so backdated; we have updated equipment, but that means additional money (in the form of variation orders) - footed by the taxpayers of this country - while the original contractor reaps the benefit of its enterprise...

Ultimately we are the losers...the rich get richer, and the people in power...no need to say lah...

Winners!

All-England Champs

So, after a 25-year wait, we finally win something at the All-England championships! Hurrah for Koo and Tan!!

From a scratch pair to world beaters and now world champions, all in a matter of six months - wow!

But they have shown the grit and determination to persevere, beating the top seeds on the way to the title.

Personally I didn't think they would win, even after their win over the Danish pair in the semis. I thought their Chinese opponenents were too strong. Well, I am surprised! They covered the court well and complemented each other; they were especially good at the net. If any, my only grouse is that they can't smash - but then all great Malaysian badminton pairs can't anyway.

This is just the beginning of their journey. Lets hope they make it all the way - perhaps dawn of a new era in Malaysian badminton...

Malaysia boleh!! For good reasons this time around....

Pop!

Well, the bubble burst on the stock market...finally!! It had to come some time anyway; what goes up must come down. In all honesty, stock markets all over the world are a bit superheated, week after week of gains without a correction in sight; something had to give eventually - so this time around it was China, and the rest tumbled like dominoes.

10% isn't that much, considering the gains the markets had made over the last 3 months. But a lot of people (myself included) were spooked that the fall came over a period of five days or so...and just at the time when the retailers were coming into the market. I guess that sent them scurrying back into their little hiding places to lick their wounds.

Personally my experience in the stock markets taught me a valuable lesson...my timing sucks, and I have to be more disciplined in managing my investments - at least I don't have to come to grief that often. But in all fairness, most of my investments are in fundementally good companies and I should not be afraid; just toughen it out and I think I would be OK eventually.

The market will recover eventually. Guess that I have to stick to my investments for the long-term. And the recent falls presented buying opportunities...so who knows? The coming elections will provide the spark.

After all, the government have to make money for the coming elections, doesn't it?

Boar-ing

OK, OK...so I was not well over the Lunar New Year. So it was quite boring for me. Didn't go out anywhere and stayed at home, hot as it was. Did have some people come over for a visit, but spent most of my time downloading stuff. I guess the only good point was that the throttling machine (??) crashed during this period (forever, hopefully) and downloading was a breeze. Otherwise I didn't get a good start to the Boar.

Well, if it starts off bad, it can only get better right?

Happy Chinese New Year

Today is the last day of the old Lunar Chinese Year (of the dog)...and tomorrow is the Chinese New Year. The coming year is the year of the pig (or boar...politically correct here of course). All the spring cleaning has been done, and tonight is the homecoming dinner. Well, I'm not in Sabah anymore so this year will be a bit low key I guess...anyway I expect my relatives to be around, so it'll be quite noisy I guess.

To me Chinese New Year celebrations are overhyped..maybe because I'm older and preoccupied with a lot of other things on my mind...but even as a kid I wasn't too into Chinese New Year. Then it means going to Pulau Ketam to my grandma's place, enduring a 1 1/2 hour boat ride, a few days without running water and limited electricity (and of course television) supply. But I guess it was a bit fun and full of memories (I think...)

Anyway Chinese New Year nowadays reminds me of sweltering hot days and times spent inside watching TV...not much visiting for me. Maybe it'll be a bit different this year, who knows?

Anyway wishing everyone a Happy Chinese New Year!!

Full speed ahead?

Yes...TMNet seems to have lifted the throttling late last week...I'm able to download at the max speed available - by that it means around 150-160 kB/s - much faster than most of my friends. They joke that I must be hogging all the bandwidth :)

Hope this stays...

Headlines?

Crystal bead toe
No crystal beads from toe

This is so sad...as if there is no other news out there worth mentioning. Maybe the censorship and lack of press freedom in this country is worse than I though...

Obviously there are some people out there looking for cheap publicity, and the Malaysian press seems to be encouraging such news, which is more worthy of tabloid sensation than in the mainstream media...there is not even any realm of possibility where the human body can produce crystals. Or maybe I'm wrong?

Reminds me of the 'Bigfoot' discovery in Johor: but at least there is some fact to it...btw, hope it didn't drown in the floods there...

So far so good

Well, there's no throttling for the last 36 hours...thanks God...while the luck still holds I better download as much stuff to last me for another week...just in case they go throttling the torrent sites again!

Stupid?

Well, well, here we go again: Johor CM blames Singapore for floods and DPM distances himself from Johor CM comments

Another wonderful example on unnecessary comments from a top-level government official about our neighbour; after which of course a higher official denies or rebuts the comments - a simple case of brain does not know what the mouth is saying... For those unfamiliar with our local political scene, this is actually a common occurrence.

Now I wouldn't be going so far as saying that this is another example of stupidity, is it? Don't these people check their facts or get approval from their superiors before making such comments? I guess this is the Malaysian way of free speech...

We just have to wait and see what political fallout of such a comment would be...

Achoo...the flu is coming!

You know, it's been some time coming. The flu epidemic is overdue. And it's definitely gonna come. The problem is that we don't know when. And when it does, it's gonna spread like wildfire. No region on this planet is going to be spared, except maybe the Arctic regions.

The SARS and bird flu epidemics are but just warning signs. The new flu epidemic will make SARS like the common cold...relatively speaking. And look around us...it's gonna start in our own backyard. Indonesia, Thailand, and recently Japan. The bird flu virus is spreading despite efforts to control them. It takes the highest human toll in Indonesia; and it's the second best bet (after China) to be the source of the new human flu strain.

And yet somehow there's no news about any outbreaks in the country. Strange isn't it? And there is little urgency for preventive measures. Not visible ones at least. Yeah sure there are media reprots about stockpiling of vaccines, contingency planning etc., but there's still a laissez-faire attitude. Hey look at the floods in Johor...you would think the Government is poised to do more (granted they were caught off-guard, it coming unexpectedly, place maybe but not the time of year!!) in terms of relief efforts. I shudder to think what would happen during an actual flu outbreak.

I really don't think people understand the implications: health, economic and political fallout of a flu outbreak in this country, both to us and worldwide. We better be prepared. The signs are out there.

Flu pandemic
U.S. Pandemic Flu guidelines

Something to think about...

Came across this blog from our esteemed ex-Opposition leader:
50th Anniversary Overshadowed by Race Tensions


Thought the comments would make good reading...

As a westerner who has been living for 10 years in your country, I have an unbiased view of the multi cultural Malaysia. Of course, this broadcasting on CNN and the worldwide promotion of Malaysia being a multi racial country where everybody is living in harmony is a total joke. You all races hate each other for various reasons, and as a guest here, I’m a privileged witness.

Yet, I’m not sure which race (and I don’t like to use that word in our new century) is to blame.

During the fasting month, I would throw a “party” which theme would be for non Muslims (I’m personally Christian) to try fasting for one day to better understand what our fellow Malaysian Muslims undergo and the true meaning behind this month. I would invite Indians, Westerners, Chinese and Muslims. As it turns out, only Muslims and Westerners would participate after a whole day fasting and enjoy the breaking.
Today, I just realise that all (and I say “all”) my Chinese friends were under the belief that they are not allowed to enter a mosque. The ignorance and lack of interest in other cultures/religions of your own country, that is also Malaysia bodoh.
During Thaipussam, going to the Batu Caves is one unique opportunity to mix and celebrate with Hindus. Again, I see no or few Chinese and Malays.

And I can go on and on with similar stories for each and every festive. Each race is to blame, the Muslims no more than Chinese or Indians.

I do admire your work Mr Lim Kit Siang and I read you almost every day but there is such a negativism here that is really not constructive. Can I ask you how many friends of the other race you have and how much effort you do to mix with them.
Yes, Islam is becoming scary in Malaysia but it is only the reflexion of a few stupid people which unfortunately have been given the power to show the direction. Today, I have met and count amongst my friends as many Buddhists, Christians, Muslims or Hindus
and it only takes the will to mix to make it a multicultural society, it is not so difficult and I call on you all to give it a try. You’ll be surprised how nice people ALL Malaysians can be.

Comment, from http://blog.limkitsiang.com/?p=960#comments

I do admire your work Mr Lim Kit Siang and I read you almost every day but there is such a negativism here that is really not constructive. Can I ask you how many friends of the other race you have and how much effort you do to mix with them.

Spot on, andrisoa. It is really amazing how ignorant the non-Malays, even those who call for a Malaysian Malaysia, seem to be of how little they have done to reach out to the Malays. especially blame the vernacular school system and the “national” schools which are in effect Malay schools, because they segregate our young at a very tender age, and somehow expect this to have no effect on their ability to mingle with people from other cultural backgrounds at a later age.

What is even more irritating about the issue of vernacular schools is that there is so little actual logic involved when people debate the topic. Usually, it’s just a bunch of bigoted Malays who seem to think everything can be solved by dumping vernacular schools wholesale without making national schools more attractive, and a bunch of chauvinist Chinese who seem to believe that it is a God-given right for them to use public funds to establish and support a parallel school system that segregates Chinese children from the other races. There are very few voices of reason who realise that both the national and vernacular school systems have their faults, and that the national schools need to be improved in order to attract the other races again; see this recent debate on this blog itself for example.

As a Chinese who has never had any problems interacting with people from other races, I find it extremely sad that most of the Chinese I see, wherever I go, consciously or otherwise keep to themselves. Usually, they prefer to talk in Mandarin or a Chinese dialect, which further isolates them from people from other backgrounds. (Note: I am not saying that habitually speaking Chinese is a barrier to racial integration – I know a number of people fluent in Mandarin who have no problems relating with those from other races.) Likewise, the Malays also keep very much to themselves. It is only the Indians who have been somewhat successful in integrating and being truly Malaysian.

I think in essence, the problem is that we Malaysians don’t have a single Malaysian identity yet. We disagree very strongly over what it means to be Malaysian. A Bumiputra bigot might tell you that being Malaysian means you’re either a Bumiputra who can lord it over the non-Bumiputra, or a non-Bumiputra who has to submit to Bumiputra rule. A Chinese chauvinist might tell you that being Malaysian means you have the right to discriminate against everyone else just as much as the Malays discriminate against you, by demanding taxpayer money to prop up “your” schools and siphoning money away from schools that are meant to be truly Malaysian. There are very few people who would say that to be Malaysian means, for example, being able to talk to and deal with other Malaysians on any level without any hang-ups.

Basically, most Malaysians seem to conceive of this country as a homeland for three separate and distinct ethnic groups, and as long as we all keep to ourselves, don’t mind each other’s business, and hew to the status quo, everything will be just fine. I’m sorry, but the “salad bowl” conception of multiculturalism is simply disproven. Europe is experiencing a lot of problems now because their salad bowl model has created a distinct different group of people, mainly Muslims, who view themselves as separate from other Europeans and refuse to integrate.

Being Malaysian isn’t about being Malay, Chinese or Indian. I recall a while ago (maybe a year?) there was a survey showing that a majority of Malaysians don’t even dine with people of other races on a regular basis. I found it absurd, and pretty depressing since I have always had friends from different ethnicities, and never had any issues about sharing food with them or eating at the same table.

I know I’m rambling at this point, but I feel it’s just frustrating. After 50 years of independence, we Malaysians remain so divided and so hung up about race. After 50 years of independence, we still view it as viable to fight for our own racial interests and preserving our separate ethnic identities. We still think living in our own compartmentalised, segregated worlds is possible. For most Malaysians, this is how life should be. And for that alienated minority who truly think of themselves as Malaysians, who have lunch with their Malaysian friends on a daily basis, who look at their racial-minded compatriots and sigh…we are ignored. It’s so depressing, and it’s the worst thing about this country.

People love to gripe about the government’s racist policies. But often these people don’t see how they themselves are racist. They seem to think all our problems would vanish if we just abolished the NEP and ketuanan Melayu. They don’t seem to realise that the true root of all our problems is that very few of us perceive ourselves as “Malaysian first” (as I believe the DAP slogan goes). As long as we persist in maintaining separate ethnic identities, and insist on keeping ourselves compartmentalised from the other races, no matter how equitably we are treated by the government, we will remain divided. Abolishing the NEP without tackling this basic societal problem is like putting the cart before the horse.

And the worst part is, I know I will be shouted down from both sides of the aisle for saying this. The bigoted Malays will want to keep their special sense of being different, of being “true Malaysians”. They won’t care that even if a non-Bumi had a thousand lives to give for his country, he would always coem second in terms of precedence to a Bumi Mat Rempit. And at the same time, the chauvinist Chinese will insist on preserving their special “Chineseness” and “Chinese schools”, and maintain that there is absolutely nothing wrong with insulating themselves from the rest of the country. They think it’s just fine to think of yourself as Chinese first and Malaysian second. And thanks to the way things are in this country, it’s like this’ll never change.

The problem with Malaysia, I suppose, can be summed up in this witty joke: if it’s a Malay problem, it’s a national problem. If it’s a Chinese problem, it’s a racial problem. If it’s an Indian problem, it’s not a problem. Despite all being Malaysians, 50 years after independence, our children don’t even attend the same schools, don’t even get the same educational opportunities, and don’t even get accorded the equal rights of citizens that they deserve as members of a civilised society. It’s an utter farce, and it’s what’ll lead to the death of Malaysia.

Comment, from http://blog.limkitsiang.com/?p=960#comments

Just thought I’d leave some comments:-

First of all, i accidently bumped into this site and seriously enjoying alot of the articles here. Great Job.

I’m a malaysian chinese but lived overseas, travelling alot since i was young. I loved it everytime I come home, the food, etc.. I’m now permanently living back in KL and my bunch of frens are mostly indians and malays, have a few chinese friends. I’ve been to a mosque, minimarts in brickfields and seriously, places you wont find a chinese fella. I’ve also brought my bunch of frens around to temples and cheras/kepong pasar malams, etc.. Do you all have any idea how awkward it is when you enter a mosque, or be in a place you are not suppose to be in a way? Everyone looks at you like its wrong, even bringing my indian friends to pasar malam with full of chinese seems to be awkward to a certain extend.

So Andrisoa, i guess in a way, it is not socially accepted yet in this country to be multi-racial?? Haha.. how ironic.. But anyway, my bunch of friends and i are always still challenging this issue. We enjoy our company around each other, there are a number of malays and indians in my group, but weird enough, very little chinese. We laugh, share and depend on each other alot of the time. Sometimes when i go out to mamaks and see a bunch of mixed cultures on one table, i’m always glad to see it.. I believe the younger generations are slowly moving to be one.. But mind you, these younger generation that are mixing together are mostly not locally educated, we all come from very different backgrounds. So maybe there are issues with how the kids are socialising at school? Is it what their parents teach them? Even my parents are at times racists to a certain extend but i know better myself.

I know there are others out there who are fine with socialising with other races, but there are too many out there that keep away with other races as well. The indians are the ones that socialise around the most, the malays the second and the chinese are the worst bunch (Again sad but true..) They just have so much generalization on a certain race that they just have negative thoughts about them. Eg. Indians are drunkards, Malays are lazy and Chinese are sleazy. My indians frens say i’m not chinese and i’m actually indian and my malay frens call me a mat-salleh and all these for the apparent reason that malaysian chinese usually dont mingle around the way i do??

In the end, I believe it all boils down to the ‘mentality’ malaysians have. I’ve seriously given up on the current generation, older generation and the younger generation(babies) of malaysia on being multi-racial, i see some comments here like ‘not being able to develop a relationship with malays/indians/chinese’, i do get confused with statements like that? . Maybe the govt should start looking at the educational system and how our kids are mixing around at school cause it starts from there, then maybe there might be a slight chance at our 100th anniversary to realistically announce that we are a multi-racial country.

PS: I noticed alot of malaysians on this site complaining about malaysia and all. If you have travelled overseas to more developed countries like the US, UK, OZ, etc and come back to complain, stop complaining!! Try travelling to bangkok, jakarta, hanoi, medan, phnom phen, etc etc (Thanks to Air Asia), you will realise that your ‘home’, Malaysia is a great country!! In terms of all the countries around south east asia, i love it back home! Singapore is different by itself, but then again, you dont get things like mamak and pasar malams in sgp like you get them in kl.. RIGHT?

Comment, from http://blog.limkitsiang.com/?p=960#comments

Throttled

OK. The gist is this. Ever since the undersea earthquake that disrupted Internet traffic to other parts of the world, we Malaysians have been having problems with downloading and file-sharing. While the former has been rectified, the latter is still a problem. Personally I haven't been having much problems until last week: I could only download my torrents on Thursday, and even then for 12 hours...thank God I managed to download four series and two movies...not bad for 12 hours eh? Then zip...until last night, but downloads were really slow.

Main Entry: ¹throt·tle
Pronunciation: 'thrä-t^&l
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): throt·tled; throt·tling /'thrät-li[ng], 'thrä-t^&l-i[ng]/
Etymology: Middle English throtelen, from throte throat
transitive verb
1 a (1) : to compress the throat of : CHOKE (2) : to kill by such action b : to prevent or check expression or activity of : SUPPRESS throttle creativity>
2 a : to decrease the flow of (as steam or fuel to an engine) by a valve b : to regulate and especially to reduce the speed of (as an engine) by such means c : to vary the thrust of (a rocket engine) during flight
intransitive verb : to throttle something (as an engine) -- usually used with back or down throttled back>

From The Merriam-Webster Dictionary

So, this is the new word I learned from an Internet forum site. With regards to how our broadband service provider treats us on p2p downloads. With p2p downloads I mean Bittorrent and other movie/music downloads. I guess there are frustrated people out there...voicing out opinions which they can really do on mainstream media.

For one it's illegal. Well I admit to that, but the alternative is to wait for it on terrestrial television, or pay inflated prices on the Internet or original CD/DVDs. Or as they say here in bolehland go to the nearest pasar malam and make your pick (err, pirated vcds etc). So much for throttling the Internet download activities...it's just shifting one illegal activity to another. But I guess the authorities don't get greased so much by illegal Internet downloads than by money-making pirate distributors or peddlers. Well it's just a matter of time they find a way to make money that way in bolehland.

So what are we paying our broadband for anyway? Most people do not need broadband unless they need to download huge files or need to be online 24 7...and we are paying RM 88 (myself anyway) for shared bandwidth space (btw it means that we don't really get 1Mbps as advertised...should I sue our broadband service provider for false advertising?) It is frustrating for most people, although I use boadband for other stuff apart from movie downloads. But of course all this whining is not going to stop the monopolistic company to do anything about it...because it's all monopoly, and there's no way the people on the street is going to make a difference.

And to another point: why are new customers being offered RM 77 (promotional) while existing customers (read me!) still have to fork out RM 11 more? I think this happens only in bolehland...again because of the monopoly. That a few steps backwards for business in this country.

But I think I must stop here...just in case they find grounds to sue a poor blogger like myself...uhm, then maybe I'll be famous for a change, who knows?

I quit!

I've finally had enough!! Just submitted my 24-hour notice of resignation. Calling me back to work during my leave when there are others available really was the final straw. And to think that I was contemplating withdrawing my resignation letter. Hmmph... But at least they made the decision for me!!

So I'm officially done with Government service. But I guess no one will miss me...life will just go on as usual. And what am I to do for now? Hmm...I have no plans to work yet - I can concentrate on the stock market for now and cross the bridge when I come to it. I have little expenditure, and I think my finances can withstand the strain for a few months; after all, it's not like I have nil income - the stock market holds opportunities, although a salary would be nice. I'll see how it goes.

The year is still young after all...

Resolutions

Ahh...it's that time of year again, to look back on the year gone by and to look forward on the year to come. I guess I have been pulled into that same whirlpool of self-reflection and resolution making that characterizes the end-of-year behaviour of most of humanity.

Well I'm not the kind of person who makes many notes, so I'll try to make a brief one here, for posterity's sake:

1. Huff and puff, I'll blow the house down
I guess I have to start being less of a couch/mouse potato and more physical-activity friendly. To me that's the euphemism for: exercise!! Well, being a doctor I know the benefits of exercising. To the death believe me. But working in the Emergency Department is exercise enough! And also stressful. And I suppose the need to breathe in fresh air now and then. And hope I don't get bitten by the Aedes mosquito during the evenings (but wait! there's no fresh air then - danged it...it means I have to get up early!). Which bring's me to...

2. Early bird gets the worm
Oh I wake up early enough...but this means that instead of lying awake on the bed, I get off my behind and do something useful: like reading the newspaper, doing some housework etc. Yeah right...

3. Just Do It!
No, no, I'm not going to buy a Nike outfit (I'm not into designer labels anyway). There's a lot of things I wanna do but haven't have the time to do it: going on holidays, meeting old friends, striking up new ones, looking for another job etc. So I feel this is going to be the year to do so... Whoa! Looking for a new job you say??

4. Sunset and sunrise
Oh no, I'm not going up Mt. Kinabalu to watch the sunrise (hey I was there for six years and never did that...do you think I'm gonna do it now??). I feel that this is the year I'm gonna quit from the civil service, which is something I wanted to do for a long time, but never got around to doing it. What am I gonna do after that? That's the thousand ringgit question (err, I'm not worth any million anytime soon you know) but I fancy something totally different. Yeah, it may not be suited to my personality - trying something new - but there's a time for everything right?

Rats...only four? Well it's better than none. It is said it's better to make a few resolutions you can achieve than make tons that you can't. Perhaps...so I'll start off small and go along from there. Wish me luck!!

Happy 2007!!

Well a belated happy 2007 to everyone out there...belated being this posted 3 hours late. As usual I find myself working on a public holiday, despite all the best-laid plans; but I guess that's the life of a doctor. Fireworks and celebration? Hmm...the only fireworks and celebration tonight is the gunshot victim I handled just now (err, that's as close to fireworks as I can get!). Phew!

So who know's what's in store for 2007. But in any case I wish people all over the world peace and prosperity and good luck for this coming year.

Here we go!!!

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!)

One more to go!

Hey it's nearly the end of the year now!! And you know what that means...the holidays are here! So this year is a bit different...there's Christmas as usual, and then the year end Hari Raya Haji and New Year holidays. So a lot of people get the chance to partayyy...

But unfortunately not for us poor doctors. Holiday or not, we still have to work. But I guess that's our line of work, and we are resigned to this fact. Well as for me I'll be working over the long year-end holidays, and I'll probably take leave after that. I guess it's in my nature to allow people to party and me to suffer...ha, ha...

Oh, well it won't be for long now...the suffering will end some time. Till then just have to stomach and endure the pain. Who knows, when the pain ends, it may be for the better?

Complaints, complaints

I think we Malaysians complain way too much. I guess it is part of our human nature, but it is something we can control. Unfortunately for Malaysians, we have lived the good life for way too long, and when the crunch comes now, we are unable to adjust to it...so we complain our hearts out.

Some complaints are valid: long lines at Government agencies, bureaucracy when dealing with the civil service, favouritism/cronyism among public servants (blatant in this country I tell you) etc. and should be taken into account or given further thought. I am glad that the Government has already started steps to manage such complaints at best they can. In the end, there will be certain aspects that we are still not happy with, but that is part of life: you win some, you lose some... So at least in those respects I can still live with.

Other complaints are not so valid...borders on the whiny, in my opinion. Let me give you an example. Lately there has been a lot of buzz on raising of the prices of essential services such as electricity, petrol and water. Come on...we all know that such price rises are inevitable. As long as these rises are associated with improved efficiency in services, we should all be happy and thankful. For my part, the area I live in has not had a power disruption for a year now (compared to once a month two years ago). The tap water hasn't been cleaner in years, and less frequent water cuts. We have to compromise on these facts, and not whine about them. But I truly hope that money saved from the reduction in petrol subsidies is put to good use and not wasted on lining the pockets of those in power (that IS something to complain about).

So today the issue of raising air fares by our national carrier takes center stage. As usual there is the chorus of complaints: fares are too high, putting profits ahead of national interest etc. But the fact is that Malaysia Airlines is a business...and businesses needs to make profits to survive. So what's the point of making losses...with the Government (and ultimately tax payers like you and me) bear the losses...all in the name of national service (and oh, this incidentally has been happening all this while). How does that put us in better light with investors overseas? And people here are scratching their heads why Indonesia draws more foreign direct investments than our country, sheesh...

And speaking of subsidies: I gladly await the day when medical subsidies are to be lifted. Now healthcare, admittedly or not, is a big drain on the Government's finances. Imagine paying RM 1 and get medications, blood tests and x-rays...where else in the world does this happen? It's about time they lift this subsidy and put the money to better use. Sure there'll be the usual chorus of disapprovals, but I'm sure some compromise can come about it. It WILL not burden the poor if executed properly. It is all for the betterment of our society, in the end. Makes us less dependent on the Government and more on our two feet. At least I can say that, but not for the 60% so population of our country...

It's time people tighten up their belts and make do with what they have. They have to be more discerning with spending, and save more. Unfortunately this is not to be...I guess with all the advertisements on spending, sales, credit card promotions etc. Well spend today and there'll be less (if not none) for tomorrow. The good times have to stop some time...

Well I've more things to gripe about, but I'll leave that for another day.

Struck again!

Now who ever said lightning doesn't strike twice at the same place? Danged it, my computer is struck by lightning (err, more to the point: electrical surge) for the second time in two weeks. Sad thing is I wasn't even using it at the same time. So again I will be offline to the world for a few days. Thankfully I still have a distraction in my worldly affairs...namely work.

I wonder how much damage it'll be this time. It took out my monitor and modem too. Came back from work on Friday night and nothing works after a loud pop. Ddin't have the time to do anything yesterday...will try to get a new modem today. Sigh...and that means more money. Maybe I should sue Tenaga Nasional for my losses...

Well, I'm gonna go off shift soon. Had been a relatively quiet night, but a busy day...hopefully things will improve. Wish me luck!!

Where's the Aftershock?

As predicted, the drama of our Datuk Z has quietly faded into the mist, drowned out by other more interesting, juicy stories. How quickly the Malaysian public (and media for that matter) gets distracted by the stories around him. He has virtually disappeared from the scenes, and I guess, free to enjoy the fruits of his labour, in peace now...

Well, a run through of the exciting events that has managed to eclipse his sizzling story!!

Model Death
Wow, we have our own real mystery thriller here in this country, this time involving a beautiful foreign model, complete with body parts, high explosives and most of all, a corrupt politician looking to silence his lover. Is that true? Well, we'll leave it to the conspiracy theorists to write that one up...and I'm sure it'll be hot.

Money, money, money
Everyone's glued to the big screens nowadays...I mean the ones at the Stock Exchange. The market has been running up of late, and people are making money again. So everyone's rushing to invest, and I wouldn't want to be the fool caught with my pants down when the music finally stops. The million ringgit question is: when WILL the music stop?

Day In, Day Out

I never thought being a doctor could be so routine. Well, if you look at the big picture it is: you get up, go to hospital, see patients, treat them, leave, and go back home. But I guess any other job is routine.

But lately the routine-ness have been getting out of hand. Even when working in the Emergency Department. I guess it probably have to do with the large numbers of patient not needing emergency care...these are probably the most irritating and routine part of the job there. Imagine seeing innumerable cough and colds, sprains and backaches, headaches and sore throats...it can drive you crazy. At least it puts your brain to sleep: and work on a spinal reflex level. Trust me, I am working at this level.

Once in a while however the lightbulb up in my head shines brightly...the occasional case that needs a spark to put it all together, but these are far and few in between. It is these cases that makes me cherish and love being a doctor, not listening to grovelling 'sick' patients most people are...(sorry if I actually offend the truly sick). Compassion is certainly in short supply in the Emergency Department, especially if you work day in, day out.

Well I guess there are other ways to spice up one's life: change departments, move to the public health sector, or be a specialist and mix around with the big boys (?!). But i'm not into these things...too bad ain't it? Oh well, that's what you get for being a lowly-paid civil servant these days. Things will get better, but how we wish that it would happen faster than it's snail pace currently...

Anyway, it's back to the daily grind and run-of-the-mill stuff...at least my spinal reflexes work for these boring days...and let's hope for at least, an occasional fireworks...

Double Standards

Abuse of power. Disregard for the written law. Serving their own ends than constituents. I guess that sums up the political drama in Selangor. Guess most of you know what I'm talking about.






For those who don't it all started like this:

A few weeks ago it was reported that the Klang Municipal council elected three members of the same family to the council (obviously something is very wrong here, although the council denied any wrongdoing). Soon after there was a 'witchhunt' against one of the council members Datuk Z, from which it was splashed all over the available media:

1. He erected an illegal house (err maybe mansion) without submitting the proper building plans to the very council he was sitting on (sic),

2. His satay restaurant being built illegally on state land (apparently, he had a compettitor's restaurant torn down for the very same reason)

3. And the fact that his new house sits on a land in his wife's name which was purchased at a great discount to the maket price.


Enter the Sultan of Selangor which summoned this Datuk to his palace and gave him a good talking to...followed by the Prime Minister's astute advice for him to relinquish his post as not to tarnish the good name of the country. Well it did not end there as he gave a teary-eyed press conference to explain his actions; this was followed by the Selangor Menteri Besar's explanation that his illegal house would not be torn down (for the strange reason that it would also lead to the tearing down all other illegal houses, factories etc. and cause great distress to the people and the economy). And oh by the way, it was also reported that he had not paid his assessment as well as his tzaxes (how true is that?) for a few years now. And this from a councillor - and obvious abuse of power in front of our eyes. But of course things like this have been happening - open secret as I would call them - but this is something that is bound to happen in this country, with its lax enforcement and unwillingness to punish.

Then again the Selangor Menteri Besar has had previous gaffes with the media, but that's another story. It leads the common folk to believe that people in power are immune to such trangressions, and need not be punished fully for it; sure Datuk Z has had to resign from his post, now he has to have his satay restaurant torn down, but not his newly-built house. Oh well I guess we can't have everything. How about the other two councillors who had similar illegally built houses (hah, you think he was the only one??!!)? Sure as hell they won't be torn down...but I wonder what action would be taken against them, apart from fining them a measly RM 25,000 (for house that costs millions to build - which begs another question: where do they get the money to do so!!??? Another open secret...)

In his defence I'm sure he'll say that someone is out to get him, or like in his press conference: he needs a bigger house for his extended family (yeah right, as if all his sons and daughters and respective families would stay with him!!), or he's a scapegoat of sorts...but that does not detract from the fact of the matter.

So what are we going to do about this apparent double standards at work? Well, we'll leave that to the government...I'm sure there will be some more drama to be played out in the near future...and then it will all quietly go away.

Until the next time that is...

A Week Away

Wow, what a week...by away I mean being away from the Internet!! Well I guess I learn not to use the computer during a thunderstorm. The power surges here are mean!!!! Fried my power supple as well as my ADSL modem. Imagine the feeling of not being wired to the outside world: I had withdrawal symtpoms just by not being able to follow my regular series online, not to mention the tons of email that was left unread.

Anyway got a new ADSL modem over the weekend...and then down to the grind of setting up the system all over again. Not to mention the problem I had with my LAN connection: probably screwed but still able to function respectably. Hmm...maybe when I have the time I'd need to get a PCI Ethernet card and install it, to be on the safe side.

Well at least I'm back online...slow as the connection is, it sure beats being totally disconnected. Hope to write more as my wired life gets back on track.

Till then....

Selamat DeepaRaya

It's that time of the year again: Deepavali and Hari Raya Puasa occurring within a span of one week!! Means rest and relaxation for most people, but not me.

Of course the Emergency Department cannot be closed, but there is a noticeable drop in the number of patients. Well at least the non-urgent ones mainly. Thank God for that, because this group of people are the ones distracting us from providing proper care for emergency cases: with all their whining and complaints. Sheesh...go to a private hospital then!!!

Sorry, I've gone off course...anyway good wishes to all celebrating this double celebration!!!
Happy holidays too!!

Blurred Vision

Well the annual haze is back...although it's later in coming this year...guess we can't miss the choking burning sensation, teary eyes and pungent assault to our senses, now can we?

So goes the blame game again: as usual Indonesia is the culprit. But I really wonder whether they can help it...with the rural population depending on the slash-and-burn technique to clear land for farming, guess the government is helpless to prevent burning of large areas of jungle; however what they can prevent are large oil pam plantations doing the same to clear the forest for planting season - fine them, and fine them severely. However I doubt the government, or local government has the backbone to do this. And oh, it's the same here in the country. I can see at leat two open burning sites going on in the outskirts of the city, but no authorities around to put a stop to it...must be the fasting month, or the lack of a spinal vertebra...

Oh we Malaysians have gotten used to this...we'll complain and rant about this now, prepare ourselves for next year, and forget all about it once the haze disappears; and do this all over again next year. Hey it's so annual it's like Chinese New Year, Hari Raya or even Merdeka...maybe the goverment should make it into an annual holi-month...now wouldn't that put a lot of smiles on to the faces of Malaysians (I guess there's plenty of unhappy faces with the price rise and failure of a salary increase currently!!)

So much for the 20/20 vision. Anyway today the air quality appears to be better, and I guess we better take advantage of it...maybe go and jog later in the afternoon...as the saying goes, enjoy it while you can!!!

A Quiet September

Wow...I didn't realise that is was already the end of the month!! Guess that I didn't have very much to write this whole month.

I just watched Flight 93: a short movie to remember events of 9/11: well as expected it glorified the efforts of the passengers in preventing the suicide attempt of the fourth plane on White House/Capitol building, but a fairly good movie nonetheless. I remembered that day: I was getting ready to go to work when I switched on the news on CNN - they were already reporting the crashes into the World Trade Center. I remember thinking initially that a fire broke out, until I saw the footage of the planes crashing into the towers. I was glued to the TV set since I got back from work and stuck for a few days there after. I guess those events set in motion everything that happened till today: the war in Afghanistan, then Iraq, the oil price rise etc. and who knows what's next.

So the PM said that they would not raise the salaries of civil servants. Well I guess it could be because that the government is spending more on the constuction projects being rolled out. However it is inevitable that the salaries would have to go up sometime soon. It was 14 years since the last review; true that there are a lot of allowances, but most are based on the base salary - if the salary go up, then the allowances go up as well - so it's about time. Maybe next year...when the election draws near, and cost of living continues to increase. And the fact that next year would be the 50th anniversary of the independence. Not a bad time to increase the salary!!

Anyway, life goes on...for now.

A very sad, sad fact

The death of the House Officer who was killed two weeks after an accident which happened when she was escorting a patient to Hospital Selayang brought to light a very important fact: we doctors as well as other medical staff which performs transfers of patients everyday between the various health centers are not insured against accidents!!! Worse off if we have not been confirmed in service!! We are not 'eligble' for compensation. What in the world does the Health Ministry mean by this?? Are we serving the people without adequate coverage as to our safety as well as the future of our families? How sad this is...

This occurred in an urban area with good roads. We have heard of accidents involving medical staff in rural areas where roads are much worse, or even without proper roads. There are cases of flying doctor helicopter services which crash in Sarawak killing medical staff but hardly brought to light. In all these cases, the medical staff hardly got any compensation for their accidents. It is a very sad fact which had not changed all these years.

Somehow this makes me think twice about getting onto an ambulance and going out there to provide a service for the profession I love. Well, you may say that it is selfish of me, but if something happens, who is going to care for my family? Judging from the Health Ministry's response...no one but myself!!

So should I risk my life for it? Not yet...the ball is in your court Mr. Health Minister!!

Wishes are still wishes...

Oh well, it's good to dream and wish. But as expected the wishes did not come true.

But at least we got our yearly bonus: as expected one month only. Well, I really did not expect any increase in the salary or the increase in the bonus amount; on the flipside we should be thankful that we got a bonus. At least it would help to alleviate the increase in cost of living we are all experiencing: petrol price increase, vegetables, sugar etc.

We must look always look on the bright side!!!

A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes... #1

My wish list this coming Budget 2006 (hey, everyone is entitled to his/her wish):

1. Salary increase
Yahoo! A salary increase for all civil servants. We know civil servants are poorly paid for the amount of work we do (I'm strictly speaking of health staff), but sadly I can't say the same for the rest of the service. Maybe it'll be a motivation for a better working environment and discorages corruption to a certain extent (am I kidding myself??) It's been a long time coming you know...

2. Reduction in personal tax
Actually at approx 12-15% for most people, the tax rates are quite low, but based on actual take home income it's quite high; so there's a possibility of it being lowered. maybe certain allowances such as on-call allowances can be made tax-exempt as well. Hey, I'm a nice guy (since I won't be able to pay tax next year...that's how low my salary is, and hence #1), I can wish for others too can't I?

3. Tax rebates for more purchases
Now limited to computers (once every five years, sheesh!), books and magazines. Maybe it should be widened to other electronic equipment, cars, houses etc. Would really promote domestic spending, I think...

4. Higher sin taxes
Increase the taxes for cigarette and alcohol companies. You look at the people around you and you know how much these two are generating in terms of revenue. Especially cigarettes. Nowadays more and more people, especially the younger generation are smoking. And since smoking and alcohol consumption is associated with a lot of diseases, increasing taxes and hence raising the selling price would deter consumption wouldn't it? Nah...but at least the government will earn a bit more...

5. Bonus time
It's about time the government gives a bigger bonus than the regular one month bonus...maybe two months bonus this year, in view of the price increases we have to tolerate. And keep it up for the subsequent years, unless they increase the basic salary for us civil servants.

And that's my wish this year. Hope it comes true...

Memories #1

Well I was a bit nostalgic this week, thinking of my childhood. It's a bit sad because I can't remember very much of my early childhood; but I do remember somewhat the later years.

Lets see: was in kindie in 1980s, was a kindergarten near where I live: it's called Joy Kindergarten. I remember going there from 9 am to 12 pm everyday, by bus. Yellow-coloured mini-bus (which incidentally I used until Standard Six) - well I called it Auntie bus. Guess I enjoyed kindie a bit, used to get a lot of stars for my work. It's how they reward our work (A's and B's were not there yet). I used to have some of the work until a few years back; did some house cleaning and threw most of the stuff away. Looking at it brings back a bit of memories. I didn't remember much of kindie though.

Primary school: SRK Seaport. Was there for six years. Met a lot of people; but they come and go. Met my best friend there too: now he's in UK as a physician. Yeah I remember the first time we met: he helped me tie my shoelaces. Since then we remained best of friends, though we may have lost contact a bit, but we still met together. Well, we had a few friends, but the years passed very fast. I remember this hopscotch game and this marble game (guli: we used to dig a small hole, each of us had a marble ball which we used to put the marble into the hole, or smash our opponent's marble to bits in order to prevent them from going into the hole!!) I also remember the bottle cap game, card games (that was trying to flip as many cards using palm power), frisbee and chopping (similar games, trying to hit another person using a frisbee [wasn't a real frisbee: we used the plastic milk can covers] and tennis ball). I was first bullied then, Std Four I think. Cried all the way to the headmistress' office. Brings back memories... And in Std Six, classmate asked me what masturbate was (because my English was good); I thought it was master-bed and told him so...was a bit miffed when he laughed, so I got back and checked the dictionary: that was the end of my innocence.

Hmm, guess the 80s were prime days for me. Remember Beat It (MJ) and Every Breath You Take (Police) very well. Also a lot of songs by Cyndi Lauper. Oh those pop songs were wonderful. Then came Phil Collins, New Kids on the Block, Paula Abdul. Sports wise, I remember the 1985 Heysel disaster (actually I woke up to see the match and saw a lot of smoke, and found out that the match was delayed, so I went to sleep, and didn't find out about the disaster till the next morning!!). Selangor were kings of football then. Otherwise nothing much about sports other than that.

TV shows: Greatest American Hero, A-team, McGyver, Knight Rider, Airwolf and Blue Thunder. The period was great for family sitcoms: Gowing Pains, Silver Spoon, Full House, Alf and there was this series about a robot girl VICKI. Sci-Fi: hmm, I remember V, the old Battlestar Galactica. Cartoons: Transformers of course, parts of Robotech, things like He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Visionaries, Voltron, and i think many others. I went for my first cinema screening in 1988: sad, isn't it...guess what show? Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, har...har...

Well, I'll continue my memories later.

Cuties #1

Snapshots

EPL Away!!
OK, OK so Liverpool didn't do too well in their opening game...so what? They're slow starters, and there's the Champions' League Qualifiers on Tuesday to worry about. But at least they showed some fighting spirit in the second half. Will need to give time for the midfield and new attack to gel. The EPL is a marathon and not a sprint. Let's hope the stamina is there this year.

Merdeka!
Just under ten days to go to our country's 49th birthday. Nothing special I guess. Patriotism? I don't fly the national flag. But then again I don't see that many of them flying in the wind this year. Silent protest against price increases? Who knows? And I don't get this flying-the-Jalur Gemilang-to-show-your-patriotism thing the leaders cry out yearly. I still work like a dog for the government and have no plans to leave; I pay my taxes in full and on time; I defend the country when people make disparaging comments against it. Isn't that patriotism enough? Outward show of does not always cut it; it's what you actually do in the sidelines that really counts. I guess we laymen have a different interpretation of patriotism.

Early Budget
It's a bit odd that the Budget tabling is due right after Merdeka Day on Sept 1. Is there something special waiting in the wings? Especially after all the price increases we have to suffer this year. Hmmm...hopefully it's a pay rise and not the one-off bonuses we hear year after year (err, that would be good too, in addition). The Government can afford a pay rise, and it will certainly boost morale in the civil service, I think. Tax cuts maybe...but I'm not hoping much. Otherwise I don't see anything other incentives the Government has too offer. If not this year then maybe the next, seeing that next year is the 'Golden Jubilee'...

Senseless muders
Deaths which have rocked the country. Senseless murders that borders on insanity. Snatch thieves. Why would anyone kill for a few ringgit? Are society getting so impoverished that we need to steal for a few ringgit? Junkies we say...maybe, and who knows? And where is the safety and security we once cherished? Can we afford to walk in the night, even in the bright lights of the city and feel safe nowadays? We are becoming more modern as we speak. It's a reality of life.
Next: shooting and guns in the schools; freely available drugs in the streets; underage abortions shooting through the roof; unemployment rising. Sounds familiar? It happened to the once most powerful economy in the world. You know what I'm talking about. The price we pay for modernisation and urbanisation. Our 2020 vision is fast becoming a nightmare.

Red Storm Rising?

Well here goes the football season. By that I mean the English Premiership season 2006-2007!

The Community Shield match started off this season's proceedings: the game between the Reds and the Blues were up to expectation. As expected Liverpool won the match 2-1, with Crouch and Riise scoring the goals. Rafa tried some new players in new positions while resting the old; Chelsea came with their strongest squad. Yet that was not enough. Sissoko was a rock in midfield, while the Carragher-Agger pairing akward as it was, held firm against Schevchenko and Drogba; Zenden, Riise and Gonzales terrorised the Chelsea defence; Crouch and Garcia could do no wrong. But it was 1-1 only at halftime. Rafa injected some urgency into the Reds attack bringing on Gerrard, Alonso and Bellamy into the attack: this paid off with Bellamy producing the cross of the match for Crouch's winning goal. Chelsea were in tears...but in all fairness Mourinho was outsmarted by Rafa, and his team outplayed by resurgent Liverpool.

So what will we expect of Liverpool this season? More of the same I hope. Consistency is the key. Sisoko should hold the fort ala Hamann; Alonso, Gerrard, Gonzales, Pennant and Zenden rotating in midfield; but the attack pair of Crouch-Bellamy should provide the punch lacking last season. Defence? Carragher and Hyppia would be the rock they were the last two seasons, and with Paletta, Agger in the wings, Liverpool finally has the depth they lacked so much.
Liverpool would be the team to watch.

Next week, Sheffield United. We wait for the storm to come ashore...

Control freak

It befuddles me how our government tries to control every facet of our lives. There are certain areas of national importance which I fully understand, but there are areas which I certainly do not.

Broadband has really made a difference in our lives. But wait a minute. Why would a regular day-to-day user like want to use broadband, unless I want to access the Internet and need high download or access speeds? There lies the crux of the matter. TMNet (almost the only Internet service provider out there) has decided to regulate the amount of access speeds to certain sites. I mean in my case torrent sites (for the uninitiated, torrent sites are sites where individuals may download programs, music, movie etc. for free - granted that the sites may be illegal) and P2P file sharing sites. Downloads are awfully slow recently. A TV show of 350 MB takes me about 18 hours instead of the usual 2 1/2 hours to download. Imagine downloading movies of 1 GB...

Their excuse is that these sites take up the bulk of the bandwidth available. Of course it does, and it's about the only reason why we would pay RM 88/month for Internet access: so that we can see and download our favourite shows/movies, which we could not get here (or wait for it to arrive here)!!!

Changing service providers is not the option, since the only other competitor is being priced out of the game. In short, we are at the mercy of TMNet.

What will be next: other sites? It will never end. It's about time that the government grow up and trust us, or provide us with alternatives (which are currently not available).

In the mean time, please be a good and understanding big brother...

Gotta write something

Yeah I know, it's nearly two weeks since I blooged about something...so here's my two cents worth about last week.

Well, was quite sick last week. Started off with a scratchy throat which turned into pretty high fever, nearly 40 degrees. Had to go out with a friend who came nack for holidays from the UK, despite the fever. You can imagine how that turned out... Wednesday's was the worst. Couldn't get outta bed, and had to go to work nonetheless. Was like a zonked out zombie at work...thanks god I didn't kill any one.

Fever finally broke on Saturday I think. Now I feel a bit better, but tired from the after effects of the infection. Will probably take a few more days before I'm finally up to speed.

The Israel-Hizbollah conflict is hogging the limelight so far...but it is a piece of distressing news. I guess the Israelis played right into the terrorists' hands by bombing and targeting civilians. Guess it's bad publicity all over again... We'll just have to wait and see what happens, and whether the International community can force a cease fire, and more importantly what they are gonna do about Hizbollah, and similar terrorist organisations.

I guess that's all for now. Have to pace myself you know...