Where's the rest?

Much have been said about the two transplant recipients in the news recently; but I just want to ask: were any other organs transplanted from the two accident victims-turned-donors? Were the kidneys transplanted...as kidneys are valuable transplant commodities? Or has so much media attention lavished on these individuals that we may have missed other recipients?

Please let Malaysia know!

Complaints...

Well, this article came out in The Star today and I'd like to point out this particular excerpt:

A total of 1,838 complaints were lodged from Jan 1 to June 30 this year with almost 80% made against services provided by hospitals, clinics or polyclinics. About 60% were about misconduct by ministry staff and the quality of services.

The top five hospitals with the most complaints are Serdang, Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Sultanah Nur Zahirah in Terengganu and Ampang.

Gee, I guess things haven't changed the slightest after I left Serdang...and I'm actually glad that I'm not there now. I'm sure the Heads of Departments will get a bit of flak from the Pengarah Hospital, but I'm sure the reason for the many complaints is also because of him...

Oh well, that's government hospitals for you...

The Right Step

Finally...a step in the right direction. Well, I guess the Ministry of Health has been mulling this for quite some time already - the green light has finally been given. And it will be a welcome boost to those working in the Emergency Department, but not necessarily to those working in the Klinik Kesihatans concerned. Everybody working in the hospital knows how overburdened ED doctors are - truly the majority of cases coming to the ED after office hours are non-emergency cases (I'd think that the number is closer to 90%).

It's about time the public health doctors share this burden with their hospital colleagues. It's about time these doctors leave their cushy eight-to-five routine and bear more of the burden (one thing I'd like to see is them working on public holidays too...) But of course if the doctors choose to work overtime, they should be adequately compensated, similar to their colleagues in the hospital who chooses to work in the Emergency Department locum clinics. Somehow I feel that the RM 30 per hour locum pay is a bit light (you must however remember that the workload would be much higher than working at a private GP locum); the proposed RM 40 per hour may be more effective at attracting doctors.

And apparently private doctors are welcome too...who knows, maybe I'd be interested too...

Not Another One!

I think Malaysians are very thick-skulled; you have one accident that caused a huge public outcry (mainly because it was highlighted in the media), a lot of fussing, browbeating and pledges from authorities, and then subsequently delegated to the back of their minds, and finally forgotten. And the accidents continue on. So what was all the fuss about anyway?


So here we are with yet another highly-publicised incident to stir the nation into a frenzy - except that this time it happened not on our highway, but the waterway. Now we hear of the same old music, but of a slightly different tune - ferry licence expired, inadequate life jackets, a different captain was piloting the boat, etc. And yet again we have the authorities making their usual comments. After all the drama, I just wonder how much Malaysians actually learn from these incidents. Not much I gather.

So we've got one on the road and one on the high seas. You know what this means? Another mishap is in the air...literally. And I certainly pray that does not happen.

Another Night Out

Just came back from another night out. Unfortunately the pics didn't turn out right - so this will be one of those drab ones. One of those friend outings again, which inevitably end up as a booze session.

Started off with dinner at IKEA; gee, didn't know that they had a rather popular eatery there. Had this small chicken leg with potato - nothing to shout about though. Went over to the Curve, Cineleisure and then Ikano Power Centre (again!): that's when I tried taking my photos, which didn't turn out well at all for some reason (sigh!). Oh well, there'll be other opportunities.

We ended up in Island Cafe, SS2, where we had some beers reminiscing old times; which in a sense was good, since we all have different experiences to share. I miss these sharing sessions, isolated in Sabah for such a long time, that I came to long for them. And again, four bottles of Skol beer made me only slightly woozy - but since I was driving, I had to pretend that I was totally in control.

It was a good time, with a lot of laughs; just wish that I could do this more often. I do really feel lonely sometimes - guess I have to get out and meet people more often. But that would mean leaving my comfort zone, of which people of my nature loathe to do. You win some, you lose some...I guess...

New Modem

Had no choice but to go and get this ADSL modem - my backup modem is driving me nuts with its built-in firewall. Didn't realise that pure ADSL modems are a rare breed nowadays; most have routers and firewall built into them. Hope that this one will do the trick. For a simple modem though, there's a lot of settings that can be modified, although there is no built-in firewall, thankfully.

My Xyxel ADSL modem (Prestige 600 Series)

Actually wanted to get an ASDL broadband router modem, but didn't know how the firewall settings would screw up the torrenting, so I settled on this first. Can always buy a broadband router later on - the price almost comes up to the same.

So far so good, although there was a scare early on when some of the settings changed and I couldn't access the PPPoE. But everything is fixed now. Just hope that it will serve me well...

Raya Trip

Here's some pics I took on a brief trip down to Damansara - The Curve, Cineleisure Damansara, Ikano Power Centre and IKEA. Again it's using my camera phone, so the quality may leave much to be desired.

No secrets, I'm in The Curve

This is a view of the foyer over towards the Street

A view of the Street from Cineleisure Damansara

Cathay cinema at Cineleisure Damansara

Is it a fad nowadays to have hotels next to shopping complexes?

A view of IKEA from across the road - obviously not enough exposure

Ikano Power Centre: on my way back

Selamat Hari Raya

Today marks the end of the fasting month for Muslims worldwide, and the start of the new Muslim calendar year. KL and PJ is of course, quiet as most city-dwellers balik kampung or go on a deserved holiday. It's a joy to drive on the roads in the city now, but things will be back to normal in a few days. So I'll enjoy the quiet while I can.

Somehow I can't shake the feeling that the festive seasons in this country is getting quieter over the years. I feel the atmosphere eerily subdued this year too. Maybe it's me; or is the spirit of muhibbah that we have fostered over the years slowly slipping away and dying out in the face of increasing racial divide and distrust?

I certainly hope not...for this interview on Malaysia-Today paints a bleak future for our country if we continue to ignore the realities that face us all today.

Anyway, for old time's sake - Selamat Hari Raya!

Istana Zakaria

Guess whose house this is? The one with 16 bedrooms and 21 bathrooms? So much for the crocodile tears...


And more stories here

Now the truth comes into the light...

Storm Brewing?

Well coming on the back of the euphoric first-Malaysian-in-space hype, is this statement by our neighbouring old-timer of a politician:

(Bernama) -- Some 10 years after remarking that Singapore might rejoin Malaysia if the island state's economy faltered and if Malaysia pursued meritocracy, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew has again spoken on the subject.

"They have got all the resources. If they would just educate the Chinese and Indians, use them and treat them as their citizens, they can equal us and even do better than us and we would be happy to rejoin them," Lee said.

Lee made the remark in an interview on Sept 27 with syndicated columnist Tom Plate of the UCLA Media Center and new-media expert Jeffrey Cole of the USC Annenberg School Center for the Digital Future.

The transcript of the interview is available online on the UCLA Asia Institute website.

In June 1996, Lee spoke about the possibility of Singapore rejoining Malaysia, raising a storm on both sides of the Causeway with then Malaysian prime minister Datuk Seri (now Tun) Dr Mahathir Mohamad saying that he did not think that the time had come for that yet.

Dr Mahathir had also described the remark as just a means "to jolt Singaporeans" into their senses.

The latest remarks by the Singapore founding father came after he was asked about Singapore's "sense of endangerment" and why the island state was worried about survivability in the long run.

Lee replied: "Where are we? Are we in the Caribbean? Are we next to America like the Bahamas? Are we in the Mediterranean, like Malta, next to Italy? Are we like Hong Kong, next to China and therefore, will become part of China?

"We are in Southeast Asia, in the midst of a turbulent, volatile, unsettled region. Singapore is a superstructure built on what? On 700 square kilometres and a lot of smart ideas that have worked so far -- but the whole thing could come undone very quickly".

To a question on who would come after Singapore, Lee replied: "When (Malaysia) kicked us out (in 1965), the expectation was that we would fail and we will go back on their terms, not on the terms we agreed with them under the British.

"Our problems are not just between states, this is a problem between races and religions and civilizations.

"We are a standing indictment of all the things that they can be doing differently. They have got all the resources. If they would just educate the Chinese and Indians, use them and treat them as their citizens, they can equal us and even do better than us and we would be happy to rejoin them," he said.

Analysts here do not see any possibility of a Malaysia-Singapore merger.

"The chances of a re-merger in 1996 and in 2007 are the same -- zero," said Dr Ooi Kee Beng, coordinator of the Malaysia study programme at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies and best-selling author of "The Reluctant Politician: Tun Dr Ismail and His Time".

"The very idea of a re-merger on Singapore's terms is appalling to most Malays (in Malaysia) and any move in that direction would be political suicide for a Malaysian politician to take," Dr Ooi told Today newspaper.

I hope Mr. Lee hasn't become senile overnight...but I think he knows that the chances of Malaysia and Singapore reconciling is as slim as me getting married! And why pass the chance to rile the politicians here to a frenzy? I don't think Singaporeans take it seriously either. Knowing the political intricacies in this country, with the current government in place, the status quo would remain. And why rock the boat - if the Malaysian government does not appreciate its best (especially non-Bumiputras - 'you tak suka, you keluar' policy) and end up benefiting Singapore, hey by all means...they'll be welcomed by open arms!

Expectedly this statement was taken as an affront by certain individuals, who felt their best to defend the so-called affirmative action policies (we call it Never-Ending Policy) which unfortunately is so plain to see, benefits only the minority, and has been (of course, will be) abused over and over again.

I've always wondered why this country, with its multitude of natural and human resources at its disposal, could still underachieve most of the countries in this region. Actually it is very clear to see why...and I hope that other Malaysians, especially the Malays see that too. As the rape and plunder continues, only one party suffers: the poor Malaysians with nowhere to go. The change that has to come must be very painful, like the sore that has festered for many years, but must be removed if the country has a chance of healing. Otherwise we will continue down this path of self-destruction. And I certainly hope not ending up like Myanmar now!

Cutting the story short, I see no end to this policy, as long as the individuals benefiting from it is repeatedly voted back into power. A change is needed, and needed very soon.

Again! Three Times Unlucky?

And who said lightning doesn't strike thrice? Hah! It struck me again...both my network card and modem were fried. Apparently it was a lightning and thunderstormy afternoon - i forgot to disconnect the telephone line from my modem, only the main power plug (learnt my lesson after the experience last year! or so I thought...) and as they say, the rest is history.

Now my dilemma is getting a new modem + network card, or just getting a wireless router with usb receiver... But I'm worried I'll get slow connections for my torrenting...

Decisions, decisions...

Funnies

Haven't done a montage of these for a while, so here goes the neighbourhood...

Angkasa1

Well, congratulations to Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor as being the first Malaysian in space. That would be a record of sorts. Yeah, it is the culmination of a 'journey' which I was a part of, starting in September 2005. I was still in Serdang Hospital then, and a part of the initial team of doctors screening aspiring Angkasa1's.

I missed the launch last night which was carried live on ASTRO - they even dedicated a single channel for the whole duration he remained in space, which is a grand total of about 10 days. A friend of mine said that while the cameras were trained on him, he didn't do much apart from playing with a pen in zero-gravity. What do you expect? After all, he is not a real astronaut; some 'jealous' quarters (perhaps rightly so) were classifying him as a spaceflight participant.

I wish him the best; after all this is an experience of a lifetime. Hope he does the country proud.

Who's next? Hmm...when are we due to buy more Soviet fighters?

My Picture Story: Butterworth

Sorry if the picture quality leaves much to be desired...but what do you expect of a phone camera?

A view of Pearl View Hotel, where I stayed for the last three days

My hotel room: you can see how cheap and simple it is...

Well, this is the shower - no bath tub for me to soak my weary body in...

A view of Butterworth town

Another view of the town, towards the north

Sunway Carnival Mall: the latest 'lepak' place in town

In the background is the Sunway Hotel, Seberang Jaya

But it seems very empty...maybe it's a weekday...

Not many places with an indoor car showroom in a shopping complex!

OK, this is a camera effect gone horribly wrong...but at least you now know there's a
GSC cinema in Seberang Jaya!

That's my dinner last night! Grilled sumthing Platter from Manhattan Fish Market...it tastes better than it actually looks! Phew!

This is another shopping complex: Penang Megamall; haven't gone there yet, but definitely something to look forward to for my next trip!

On my drive back: heavy weather ahead! It rained, nearly had my car sideswiped and crashed into fallen tree - what an eventful drive...

The Bad and The Good

After writing the piece on public transport a few days back, I thought I'd give RapidKL and Transport Ministry benefit of the doubt and take public transport for my shopping session this morning. The choice was easy: Midvalley Megamall - mainly because there is a bus that goes from my place directly there. Getting there was the easy part. Getting back was the problem. There were no buses back to my place even after waiting for 45 minutes. Not to mention the heat and exhaust fumes I had to endure waiting all that time at the bus stop. So I was forced to hop on a bus to KL Sentral and wait for the bus there - it came after a grand total of 1 hour! I even had time to slowly finish my chocolate milkshake. Now this would be the last time I take a bus to Megamall; I'll pay for the parking because the time wasted waiting for the bus is not worth the extra ringgits.

View from the linkway to the KTM Komuter station

A view from the bus on my way back; it's gonna rain!

But let's talk about the positives today. I bought a DVD disc cake-pack and found out that my DVD-writer actually still works! So that means I've freed up some 15GB of space on my hard disk - enough for this year's TV season. And I got myself this cute little MP3 player - Creative Zen Stone - the 1GB storage may seem tiny, but then again I don't have that many songs to fit in. Thought initially of getting iPod, but the price put me off a bit. And yes, I am still that frugal, thrifty person I was all this while.

My blur, tiny but working Zen Stone

So I'm off to Ipoh and Butterworth tomorrow for yet another three days; after that I hope to have an enjoyable Hari Raya before ending up in Johor Baru next week. Wish me luck!

Uurgh...gag...sick...

Got this from the Malaysia-Today website: just to remind me how far certain quarters have gone to punish those who are against them:


It just makes me sick - but I guess this is just an example of the disease that is rampaging through our society today...

Will we ever find a cure? We may try in the next General Election, but will we be successful? Only if every Malaysian play their part...

Have a Heart

The country has been gripped by the saga of a 14-year old Chinese girl, Tee Hui Yi who needed a heart transplant to continue living - in two days, she received two heart transplants (the first failed due to transplant rejection) donated by the families of car-crash victims. It is generally an unprecedented act of generosity on the part of the victims' families, as Malaysians are not keen on the idea of organ donation (for various reasons: they feel it violates the sanctity of the body, as it has become 'unwhole', religious beliefs against organ donation, etc.). Not only Tee benefited; another unnamed man received new lungs. What can be donated? A single person can donate heart, lung(s), kidney(s), intestines, liver, pancreas, cornea, skin, bone, heart valves, and veins. And you don't have to be dead to donate (for certain organs) - although current legislation prevents non-donor related transplants (for certain obvious monetary reasons).

We all should have a heart for people who need transplants. If for some reason we die an untimely death, we should donate our organs to give others a new lease on life. I have registered myself as an organ donor many years ago, for I believe in helping others in life or in death. It's about time you do the same.

Flabbergasted!

Coming in the wake of the inevitable toll-charge increases next year, we find yet another increase on the horizon. Or the planned congestion charge for drivers entering Kuala Lumpur. Although this comes as a shock to many, I am not the least surprised, as the pass-through effect of petrol and toll increases would ultimately have to be borne by the consumers. But what flabbergasts me is that the proposed increase comes in the wake of inadequate and poorly-planned public transport system (at least here in KL, and far worse elsewhere).

A few years back, it was promised that the reduction in petrol subsidies were meant to be channeled into improving the public transport system - two years down the road, I still wonder where the improvement lies, and more importantly where all the money went. Maybe to the civil service pay-hike. The question still remains: will we ever experience the promised improvement in public transport? The LRT is still jam-packed during rush hour; taxis are still charging at their whims; public buses are still late and infrequent. And these people wonder why so many still drive their single-occupancy vehicles to work?

Some quarters in the ruling coalition do not like Malaysia to be compared to its southern neighbour (maybe because it's not a country, but I think it's more out of shame) - look at its public transport system and take a leaf out of its book. Their public transport companies actually make money! And how many bus companies alone in KL have gone bust over the years? Will so-called RapidKL go down the same path? It's about time our government humble ourselves and learn the proper way to plan and manage public transport, not for their sake (because the cronies can't make money here), but for the sake of Malaysians! Please...

The Final Product?

The Minister and his ‘Stupid, stupid, stupid!’ utterances

This is a continuation of my rant last night... Maybe this is how those youths would turn out...

Lucky them and poor Malaysia!

Animal Farm

A funny (that's one way to look at it) incident happened on my way back from Kota Baru this evening. I was at KL Sentral station after taking the ERL all the way from KLIA, when I first heard this one group of youths waiting for the LRT train (yup, heard them) making animal sounds - goat, cow, monkey, dog and you name it - towards a group of girls. And not being stereotypical, you can guess which majority race they were from... They were already drawing bemused and occasional disgusted looks from my fellow Malaysians.

So when the train arrived, I thought it would end there - but alas I was greatly mistaken! The cacaphony continued into the near-packed train. Being the civilised and non-confrontational Malaysians we were, no one raised a voice. Yup, not even the PUTRA security guard who came aboard to see what all the fuss was about. But fortunately for me, the torture only lasted 10 minutes. God knows where they went, and God help the people there...

But it just amazes me how youths these days pay little attention or respect towards others - be it on the road, on the pavement, or even on public transport. No one would give a hoot (up to certain tolerance levels, I guess) if they were to do this in the confines of their homes, but to do this in-your-public-face just demonstrates the utter contempt these individuals have.

'Kurang ajar!' we would say in Malay...but they wouldn't be bothered the least! Where have all manners gone?