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?

Get Your Act Together!!

I just wish all these Cabinet Ministers would get their act together!! How many times have we seen them contradicting each other - and the latest gaffe from Samy Vellu and Najib doesn't really help.

I actually got a shock when I read that eight toll concessionaires are going to be awarded increases - I thought it was only PLUS for the North-South Highway. And another shocker of a story awaited me this morning: anyone who sees the volume of traffic along the PLUS highways must be equally flabbergasted.

Whatever it may be, we shall have to wait for the expected outcome. And the inevitable increase.

Something Positive?

Pre-paid users can check billings

Well, I guess this has been a long time coming. A service which has been available for postpaid subscribers now extended their estranged cousin. Kudos to Jeff Ooi who started the ball rolling by exposing the SMS scam by content providers (with or without the knowledge of service providers) since May this year. It seems that many postpaid subscribers pay little attention to their itemised bills and get scammed indiscriminately; what more the poor prepaid subscribers! After all the hoohah, the efforts finally bear fruit.

Hopefully this is a start of something new...

Under Attack...Again?

It seems that the two popular blog sites - Screenshots and Malaysia Today - I usually frequent are under attack yet again. I have been having problems accessing Screenshots from this evening, and Malaysia Today from last night. Malaysiakini has so far been unscathed, but maybe that's because they don't seem to be so 'sensational' in their story-telling. I could be wrong - could just be a server problem - but then again you can't rule out the powers-that-be...

May the force be with us all....

I'm Confused...

I'm quite confused... If his son's name has not officially been released to the public, why is it here? And oh, must have been a slow news day, since this story was fit to find the pages of a mainstream newspaper! They must be really licking the boots really, really clean to have such a long article on the baby's name (no offence to the baby, as I'm sure it is as innocent as any other newborn)...

Sigh...

TV Season 2008

Yoohoo...TV Season has started!! That means weeks of downloading, watching, working through the stories and plots, and so on and so forth. Actually the start caught me by a bit of a surprise since I was so busy with my travels, but it's gonna be busy nights from now on...

So I'm seeing the usual suspects - Heroes, House, CSI (all 3), Criminal Minds, Bones and I'm starting to get hooked on this new reality TV show called Kid Nation. Well it's about 40 kids getting a small abandoned mid-western US town called Bonanza City up and running - well, it's different as it involves kids only - so let's see how they fare compared to adults.

It's gonna be a busy few months!

Surf's Up!

OK, OK, I admit that I thought that this was another one of theose hyped-up movies initially - I mean about surfing penguins??!! Well, I decided against watching this at the cinemas, despite the fairly positive reviews. So it took me this long to wait for a good DVD-rip copy to appear on the Net...and I must say I was wrong.

The idea of surfing penguins still escape me. And the storyline was of course not extraordinary. The music was not catching either. But what grabbed my attention was the rich graphic details throughout the whole movie. I mean it was really really a visual feast, and made watching the whole movie as if it was a live video feed from a far off land. I loved the 'live-cam' sequences; you can even see the water droplets as if it was a real camera - that shows the realism and detail that went into the movie. Not since Finding Nemo was I so mesmerised by the animators' creation - and giving credit where it is due, personally I think it surpassed those of Finding Nemo.

Finally, I think it has one of the best final scenes of any animation - with Cody surfing the tube with Big Z towards the sunset...



Very highly recommended, for young and old alike!

Kuching: 25-27 September 2007

Cat City. But really I didn't see any cats at all! Anyway it's still a bit of a sleepy town in my opinion. Definitely not as happening as Kota Kinabalu. Well, I guess the town is a bit bigger compared to the last time I was here 12 years ago, but the main places of attraction remains as I remembered it. Some things never change, do they? Stayed at Harbour View Hotel - it's OK, but fell short of my expectations due to the lack of broadband Internet connection. But the dinner I had on Tuesday night - urrgh, it was as if the chef pured a whole bottle/bag or salt into the mee mamak goreng; with such a meal small wonder high blood pressure is not uncommon among Malaysians!

Anyway the trip and work was rather uneventful. Was brought around the city by a drug rep - but couldn't catch the breadth of the city and its places of interest on such a short time. But two things of interest happened on my was there and back. On my flight there, there was some 'drama' as a medical 'emergency' occurred and I was summoned - let's just say it was not any emergency (and it damn spoiled my reading pleasure!). And on my was back this evening, I bumped across a long-forgotten friend at the airport - I couldn't even recognise her at first but she recognises me! - and caught up on things. It's a refreshing end to a tiring journey.

Well, my shows are downloading fairly fast; can't wait to sink my teeth into them...bye for now!!

Massage!

This is something I have never experienced before. So when there was a suggestion for an office outing, I thought why not? How bad could it be? We went to a place on Brickfields where there were many blind massage parlours - near the YMCA building. It started of well and very relaxing, but as it progressed, it got more and more painful, especially when they started massaging the bony points. And I mean really, really painful! At the end of it my feet really felt numb - both of it!

But that didn't really distract us from our buka puasa meal at an Indian restaurant - it was different for me, again! The food was really appetizing, but I guess the nasi briyani was also quite filling so I didn't really have very much. All in all, it was an interesting night by my standards...

So tomorrow I'm off to Kuching...may my feet be with me!

More Adaptations?

Maguire in Robotech

Now this caught my eye...Tobey Maguire as Rick Hunter? Or would it be Max Sterling? Nah...has to be Rick Hunter. Wow...but it's a bit late in coming though. I love Robotech, maybe a bit more than Transformers. But they have a lot to do to make it better than Transformers; after all it didn't have the following Transformers had back then. Anyway I am chomping at the very fact that they are considering making an adaptation of the movie. The other one the article mentioned was Voltron. This I am not so thrilled...but it'll be interesting too. Just hope they do the lion ones, and not the vehicles - it looked better with the lions. Now there's another that would be interesting to make: Thundercats!

A check with IMDB shows that all three are in pre-production stage; maybe if all goes well it'll hit the cinemas in 2010. Ho!

Record Broken!

Darned it!! For the first time after driving for nearly 15 years, I experienced my first radiator leak yesterday night! And this coming after my car was serviced last week at that. Well, at least the car didn't burst into flames and the engine remains good...but having your car fill with steam isn't a very rewarding experience. Now I have to go to a mechanic and get the whole radiator system checked all over - another day gone...sigh...

Eye opener

Had a management meeting today. Since I am new, everything was quite an eye opener. Never been a person who cared about the mechanics of an organisation (since we doctors were too busy anyway), exposure to such information is really enlightening. Now I know why the company has to work in a certain way to ensure 'profitability'. Erm, that's in inverted commas because I'm in a non-profit organisation - so technically we have to call it surplus - but it basically means profit. Runs right down from the boss to Finance and Administration to Human Resource to Operations and Fund-Raising. All the cogs in the wheel has to be in place and run properly for smooth running of the organisation. The less disruptions the better. I guess that is true for all organisations, big or small.

After the meeting we has a dinner at a seafood restaurant in Section 14. Never realised there was one there. Well I'm not one for seafood, but I had to support it lah...anyway no comments on the food. The price was a bit heavy on the wallet though...maybe I'll bring some friends over there for dinner, and have them pay for it! Yeah...

Petition to the Agong

Petition to the Agong

Something to remember by...

At the last count, there has been at least 10,000 e-signatures and more are coming everyday. It seems that people's power is at work here. But how to pass them to the Agong? Not through the front door it seems....

Yes, we are embroiled in a Constitutional Crisis

Huh? Is the Agong is under house arrest? And when did the Internal Security Minister become so powerful even to prevent family members meeting each other?? Something smells here...and it's not roses!

Daulat Tuanku!

What beast?

Child found sexually assaulted and killed

What beast would do this to another human being? What more on an innocent child? Where is the humanity in this person? The things done to this girl is so unspeakable... And to be then stuffed into a bag and left out there to be found...

What has happened to our society? Rising crime rates, sadistic rapes and mafia-style killings happen irrespective of age, race and social status. Just a few weeks ago - the story of the UTAR student raped and killed by a campus security guard came and went. And who would forget the execution-style killing of a MCA Youth leader, or the many damning reports of unbridled crime in Johor Baru.

Is it a product of the ills associated with a urban society, or just shows the impotence of our police in protecting its citizens? Perhaps it is a combination of both. Influx of both rural and foreign individuals to urban areas in search of better wages where there is little is almost always a fertile breeding ground to those tempted into crime. This is compunded by the fact that the police force is under-staffed or under-motivated to catch these criminals, where more lucrative opportunities lay elsewhere, and by a leadership under siege from within and without.

Certainly there is no quick fix to this. But it is something that must be tackled immediately if we are not to lose confidence in our own safety, even if in our own backyard. What more if we are to attract foreign investors or their families...

Johor Baru: 17-19 September 2007

My first trip down to JB in two years. The drive was quite uneventful - since I started off at 5 in the morning - and smooth. But ran smack into the morning jam in JB town centre! Well, a jam is a jam whether it be in KL or JB. Anyway had to work for the next three days to the bone. It was tiring but I'm glad that the patients are generally uncomplicated. Stayed at the Crystal Crown Hotel - like I said before, I am a person of little expectations, but this hotel fell short of my one only requirement! Anyway it's OK for a short stay. Think it was the same hotel that I stayed in two years ago. The trip was too short for a trip to Singapore. Maybe next time. The drive back today was rather mundane as well. Anyway I survived the trip safe and sound: after all JB has got a real nasty reputation these days.

Met a friend of mine with his own clinic on Tuesday night. Guess business was fairly good from the number of patients I see in his clinic. He's a bit modest, but like most Chinese (and like me too!), financially prudent. We had dinner/supper at the Old Town coffee house in Nusa Idaman (or something like that) - it's the biggest one I have seen so far; makes the ones in KL look puny. And business is good too, judging by the number of customers they have at 10.00 p.m. at night!!

Kuching next week then!!

Shocker no more?

THE SHOCK-A-LINGAM TAPE

And we just had the two bailouts, Auditor-General's report, Altantuya murder case, blah...blah...

Should we be surprised? The rumours and stories keep coming in - something that Malaysians know for many years has started to be exposed. Sometimes we wonder what it is all for: political mileage, beating-down the government, revenge against certain individuals? Whatever the reason maybe for the expose, the more important thing is whether action will be taken, or will the perpetrators get off scot free (or maybe a very light slap on the wrist)? The reaction is more important than the action - not just words, but true action!

Otherwise we would just be washing our dirty linen in public...again and again and again... Small wonder our country is not looked up to anymore...

Look East Policy...

You know we had (or are we still having?) a Look East Policy. Well, we came up with a few useful tips on how to manage and improve the country. But I think this is the single best thing we should learn from them: Taking responsibility

Unfortunately our shameless politicians (need we further name them?) - from lowly local councillors, members of parliament, cabinet ministers to the DPM and PM - will lie, cheat and do anything and everything to stay in power - do they know no shame?

And since they so good at mimicking and shouting slogans, maybe they should shout this one and follow the example!

Economic Triple Threat

I came across this in the Edge, and found it as a very interesting read on the global economy:

History tells us that September and October have not been good months for investors. The 1929 Wall Street Crash erupted on Oct 24, causing world markets to plunge by more than 30% and tipping the global economy into the Great Depression. In 1987, the US market crashed on Oct 19, triggering a chain reaction across the globe.

This year, as October approaches, the outlook seems rather glum. The silver lining is that no one is expecting a global recession at this juncture. Already, there has been a spate of negative news that has roiled financial markets worldwide.

First, we have the US subprime mortgage crisis threatening US growth and tipping it into recession. Meanwhile, the Japanese economy contracted in the second quarter, sparking concerns that it, too, may slide into a recession. China isn't doing that well either — its inflation hit a 10-year high in July at 5.6% while its economy continues to expand at a sizzling pace. To make things even more complex, crude oil prices are again rising, hitting a new high of US$80 a barrel last Thursday and heading for the next level of US$90 a barrel. Will the worst come to pass?

The US subprime mortgage crisis, whose roots go back to 2005, became full-blown this year. The problem, even as we speak, is still unravelling, and the danger is that it could spill over to the rest of the US economy and tip it into a recession — if not this year, then the next. The possibility of a recession in the US became more real last week when the US Labour Department reported that non-farm payrolls fell in August for the first time in four years. There was a loss of 4,000 jobs, down from 68,000 job increases the month before. Now, all eyes are on what the US Federal Reserve Board will do when it meets on Tuesday to decide on interest rates. The consensus view is that with the latest downturn in the labour market, the Fed will have no choice but to cut the benchmark overnight federal fund rate (FFR) by at least 25 basis points, from 5.25% to 5%, to ensure a soft landing for the economy.

"A 25 basis-point cut in the Fed Funds policy rate on Sept 18 is all but a done deal," DBS Research wrote in its report, adding that it expects another 25 basis-point cut in October. A recession in the US will spell trouble for Asia, whose main export destination is the US. While there is a growing view that China will take up some of the slack, a recession in the US will still hurt Asia. At this point in time, however, most economists are still betting that a recession won't happen. Projections are for US growth to remain flat at around 2% in 2007 before rising to about 2.5-2.8% in 2008. CIMB Investment Research, in a report, wrote: "At this juncture, we think the (US) economy will be able to ride through this period of uncertainty and volatility without heading into recession. "While problems in the housing and financial markets have hurt consumer confidence, we draw comfort that corporate balance sheets are healthy, non-residential investments are positive while job and income growth are still supporting consumer spending."

Last week, Japan said its gross domestic product (GDP) contracted by 1.2% year on year in the second quarter of this year, compared with a contraction of 0.3% in the previous quarter. The drag on growth was a decline in business investment. Now, economists say Japan will not be raising its key interest rate any time soon. Japan's sharper-than-expected economic contraction did not help sentiment any, as it came at a time when investors were already jittery about the possibility of the US sliding into recession. It was not helped either by the political uncertainties resulting from the resignation of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Still, economists aren't too worried about the latest statistics indicating a recession for the Japanese economy, noting that machinery orders in July surged 17%, its highest in four years. Economists say that while business outlays underperformed, export growth is still decent, and they expect a moderate recovery in consumer spending, which should keep the economy from contracting further. The projection is for the Japanese economy to expand by about 2% this year and the next.

The news flow out of China isn't very good either. Last week, China said its inflation rate hit a 10-year high of 5.6% year on year in July and that despite attempts to cool growth, its GDP still ran its fastest pace ever, expanding at a scorching pace of 11.9% in the second quarter. Not surprisingly, investors are asking how long the Chinese economy can grow at this breakneck speed without crash landing. China has raised its one-year deposit and lending rates six times since 2006 while the yuan has appreciated 10% since it was unpegged in July 2005.

The kick in the teeth, though, came from rising crude oil prices. Last week, crude oil prices finally surpassed US$80 a barrel. On Thursday, light sweet crude for October delivery closed at US$80.09 on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Now, market pundits are seeing the next target at US$90 a barrel. Oil prices were pushed higher by three major factors — a sharper-than-expected drop in US oil inventories, a lower-than-expected increase in oil production by Opec and the hurricane season in the Gulf of Mexico and Louisiana coasts, where the refineries are located. A conundrum arises for policymakers if crude oil prices continue to climb. For one, it will fuel inflation, and thus limit the room for the US Fed to cut rates at a time when it may need to do so.

The upshot of all this is that the global economy is heading for some uncertain times. So, we should brace ourselves.

So we have the triple threat. As the author said we are heading for some uncertain times. We better heed the warning and be prepared...

More exciting...

You know badminton nowadays is more exciting under the new points system. I was watching Lee Chong Wei win the Japan Final Open a few hours ago, and I must say it really brings the sport to life. The matches end quicker; there is less reliance on fitness and stamina but more on skill and guile of the players, and concentration is very important. Gone are the days where you can outlast your opponent in marathon games or afford to lose serves instead of points. I think it is a change for the better.

Coming back to the game, Chong Wei should have won easily in the second after leading 15-9; instead he let Taufik back into the match. Deja vu again in the decider after leading 20-14, he allowed Taufik to creep back to 20-19 before winning on a Taufik net return. I must say although Chong Wei played well, he was lucky not to have lost the match.

A good game nonetheless.

What the %$#@?

So frustrated to know that ASTRO for the umpteenth time has changed its programme schedules unannounced. I was so looking forward to catching Criminal Minds at 11.00 a.m. but alas... And it's not just that. All the programmes have been moved to God knows where...

What's worse, there are no programme listings for Star World in the ASTRO channel guide. I wonder why one would need the guide nowadays, paper thin as it is.

Uurgh...

PGCC's web

Whaddaya know? No hangover from last night's drinking session! That must have been a first for me...

And now for some interesting reads...

PGCC boost for Penang
PGCC: Penang's Greedy City Centre?
The Equine Capital Bhd Crash
Datin Wong Mun Yee @ Mrs Datuk Patrick Lim @ owner Kamaluddin Badawi's house
Patrick Lim's Monsoon Cup scam

This shows the web that binds it all...

So who says that the NEP doesn't benefit non-Bumiputras? My only wish is that it doesn't go the way of the PKFZs, PSC-Naval Dockyards, Renongs etc. etc....

Something different...

I'm the kind of person who keeps to himself and is comfortable with daily routines - work, home, sleep. I rarely go out for various reasons, preferring to sit in front of the computer surfing and watching downloaded movies/TV series.

Well it's been some time since I did something different...so I went for makan and exepctedly, a drinking session with a friend tonight. The last time I had liquor was the New Year eve celebrations in 2005 - and that was hard drinking. I wonder how much I could take, but I needn't be overly worried. A few glasses of beer and some whisky coke hardly dented me. I guess I need more to be really drunk. But my friend and I had quite a bit to catch up...not enough for one session. Will have to arrange more similar sessions...and more drinks to go with that!

Wonder whether I'll get a hangover in the morning?

Of earthquakes, aftershocks and tremors

Every time an earthquake strikes these days, the first picture that comes to mind is a tsunami. After all, tsunami was stuff of legends before 2004. So when an earthquake struck southern Sumatra on Wednesday - tsunami warnings went off all over the region. Dunno about you, but for tsunami to strike Penang when the earthquake is in southern Sumatra seems far-fetched to me. Anyway I am not an expert. Of course it is better to be safe than sorry.

But the aftershocks really caused some tremors here in KL. Actually I thought I felt something, but it could have been my stomach rumbling. Anyway, any vibration is enough to send people scurrying out of their high-rises these days.

Since we are so close to the Ring-of-Fire, we should brace ourselves for more tremors and tsunami warnings. It is unavoidable. Let's pray there is no repeat of 2004.

Old story - new life

Actually this is an old story given a new lease of life...after all it comes in the wake of the Port-Klang Free Zone bailout...

Najib must bear brunt of the RM6.75 billion naval scandal

And this involves a massive bailout too - Boustead Sdn. Bhd. had to fork out money to 'save' the company, PSC-Naval Dockyard, a subsidiary of PSC Industries (or is it Tan Sri Amin Shah's butt?) whose major common shareholders are Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera. Incidentally the bank most affected, Affin bank, has a major shareholder in Boustead. So it is a bailout bigger than that of PKFZ. PSCI was once a public-listed company on Bursa Malaysia; if you wonder where it has gone, don't worry - it has been renamed Boustead Heavy Industries (BHIC).

One question I want to ask: will the Tan Sri involved in the centre of this bailout ever be brought to court for mismanagement of funds? After all the billions of ringgit 'disappeared' just like that...of course into pockets of certain individuals...

Wait: let me give you the answer - no, and never will. After all, this is Bolehland.

What else is new?

Paying through the nose for tools

So what else is new? It's an open secret for many years. It'll blow over after a few weeks or months and it's business as usual. So much wastefulness that it doesn't shock anyone anymore. But what is this compared to the PKFZ and naval patrol boat (PSC-Naval Dockyard) scandals?

Retch...

P.S.: Can anyone tell me where I can get the report for remembrances sake? Since we Malaysians are so forgetful?

Ouch!!

Missed this 233% increase in brokerage fees when I was going through the Budget 2008. Now that's a pain in the arse... A lot of negative reaction from retail investors because it affects us a lot. Basically it means the entry and exit charges amount to at least 8% (not including stamp duty, clearing fees); this is even more than charges for unit trusts! You have to buy at least RM 6,000 worth of shares before the increase becomes negligible...and very little retail investors can afford to invest this amount on a single stock! I can see the justification but certainly not the quantum of increase. To encourage investing and not speculating? Hmmph...our market is not conducive to investing as there is so much speculation going around; and to think the degree of market manipulation that occurs shudders me. No investor in his right mind would want to sit on their shares for long periods of time. I think it would kill off whatever little enthusiasm among the retail investors - so much for encouraging retail participation in the stock market.

Anyway there's still three months for the authorities to change their mind. If not, I plan to stop trading and switch back to unit trusts. Probably make all my buys by the end of the year and sit on them. Anyway I'm not too optimistic of the stock market these days...sob...

Fraying at the edges?

Now this is a bit of a shocker!

Ceramah clash in Terengganu

Heard of the incident yesterday when having dinner in Kota Baru. And I was actually quite surprised! Friend of mine said one of the victims was still in Hospital USM ICU in stable condition.

After all it was said to be a peaceful ceramah, and ended up with a riot and two victims shot. And some flag burning to boot too! Have to go through the blogs to see the reaction - can't trust the mainstream media - too pro-government. Who knows...it might have been started by an agent provocateur!

Hope this is not a start of something worse...especially with the general elections around the corner and May 13th incident so fresh in our minds...

Kota Baru: 8-11 September 2007

Was in Kota Baru over the weekend for a company trip. Wow...it's amazing how the town has grown over the last ten years since the last time I had been there. And there are traffic jams too! Weather was a bit on the hot side...I guess it was better than if it was raining. The hotels were nothing to shout about (I won't name names) - pretty old and run down but live-able, if your expectations are not too high. I'll make it a point to stay at the newer hotels the next time around. People there are rather nice as a whole, although they view non-Kelantanese a bit suspiciously. I'm not surprised as Kelantanese supposedly are very parochial and more xenophobic than people from other states.

Was introduced to this fare called nasi kukus - which is supposed to be like some form of glutinous rice with your choice of dishes. Unfortunately for me, I can't tell the difference so it ended up tasting up like normal rice for me! Anyway, it's a change from the usual food I partake. Sorry, no pics! Maybe the next time around. But I missed tasting nasi kerabu (which I quite fancied when I was in Kota Baru previously).

A bit difficult to travel around though, as the buses and taxis were difficult to find. You have to call for taxis, and the charges were exorbitant - so a bit difficult if you have to lug bags all over the place. Guess I need a car if I want to explore. Didn't have the time to visit the places of interest. It's all about work.

Speaking of work - it is quite enjoyable as I get to travel around and see different places. Not so boringlah... Next stop Johor Baru!

Reactions?

Haven't been able to get online for the last three days...but there seems to be a muted reaction to the Budget 2008 both on mainstream media, and online. Of course I am not surprised!

But there are lot sof other news to hog the limelight!

Rumours...

PM: Transport Minister Chan has not resigned

I caught the rumblings in the blogs last night...but I wonder how much of it is true. Of course I am not holding my breath. It would be a first for this country!

Budget 2008

Eh? That's all? So much was expected of the Budget...especially being a pre-election one - would have thought there would have been a bevy of goodies for the man-in-the-street. Alas I guess I was mistaken! And judging by the stunned silence in the online community, I think a lot of people is in agreement. Of course this perception will be quickly corrected tomorrow when the 'spin papers' hit the streets!

Anyway, here's a rundown of the 'highlights' of the Budget:

1. Corporate tax to be reduced to 25% by 2009. Good, indirectly.
2. Single tier tax system, i.e. no more taxation of dividends at recipient level. Good.
3. Commissions for internet stock trading is negotiable. Clearing fees down to 0.03%. Good.
4. 50% stamp duty reduction for house purchases less than RM 250,000. Good.
5. Monthly withdrawals from EPF Account 2 for home loan repayment. Definitely good.
6. Tax-relief up to RM 5,000 for post-graduate education. Good.
7. Tax-relief up to RM 300 for purchase of exercise/sporting equipment. Good?
8. PLC's have to disclose employment composition by race and gender. Very bad.
9. No bonus for civil servants. Definitely bad.

Anyway, I have not much to look forward to, so I'm gonna give it some rest. If you read between the lines, this budget also outlines many opportunities for the well-connected to make money off the people - so in a way it is not so different from the previous Budgets.

Yawn...can't wait for tomorrow to read what the reactions are!

Hubba, hubba...

Look out! Behind you!!!

Dog-gone it!

RM15,000 for dog catching

I wonder who came up with this rather ludicrous idea. Especially when financial rewards are in the picture, human cruelty may know no bounds. Who or what else will be safe in the future?

Can we organise a contest like this to catch the ever-increasing Mat Rempits or those involved in misuse or misappropriate public funds? I think that would be more worthwhile!

Under fire

Seems that our Transport minister has been under the kosh lately, and stress has been getting to him. Now he is on medical leave! Or is it to escape the scrutiny that is piled on the Port Klang Free Zone fiasco/scandal/bailout? Only he knows.

And speaking of medical leave, don't our politicians trust our local doctors? Is he suffering from something so rare that our doctors are helpless? They don't need to shamelessly spend tax-payers' funds to go for medical consultation out of this country...unless it comes out from their own pockets!

I really think there is more to it than meets the eye...

Like I said - nothing new!

So amputation it is! I really feel for the parents who were given the run around by the officials. Although I am not privy to the information provided by the specialists and hospital administration, I just wonder how much false hope has been planted that the arm could be saved. Even in the very first photo (unclear as it was) the demarcation was clearly evident. The arm was not salvageable. Maybe it was a PR stunt to show that they were trying the best - but the time lost was irreplaceable. And they were still giving the infection background story - please own up!

I pity the specialists too - now they would have to come in whenever the slightest worry or call comes about! Doesn't our esteemed Health Minister know that specialists on-call hardly comes in if there was an emergency? Almost all instructions are through the phone! Period. So the poor medical officers and house officers are the ones to shoulder the burden and responsibility. Worse for them, there are those specialists who scold them whenever there is a call for advice!! Even though the specialists are ultimately responsible for the care given to patients. Sometimes I don't get it - I myself find it difficult to give advice over the phone without seeing the patient first hand - maybe these specialists has got super vision or mind reading abilities or something. Now it has come a full circle to haunt them, especially the specialist involved in this unfortunate baby's case.

So unless Chua Soi Lek has been living in a tempurung - it is nothing new!

Merdeka!

Yay! Merdeka...but not much to celebrate about, sniff... As we celebrate our 50 years of independence, we enter a period of increasing corruption, crime rate, standards of living and racial polarisation - even as our national leaders espouse the exact opposite. Everything seems to be hunky dory if the mainstream media and government spin doctors are to be believed...but the truth is more painful to the world.

Tell that to the poor whose lands are taken over and/or taken advantage of by the Government or their cronies.

Tell that to those whose family members and friends are killed indiscriminately in the streets.

Tell that to those who struggle to make a living, and to make ends meet every single day - what with the rising fuel, transportation and food costs.

Tell that to those who has to bear the rhetoric on Bumiputras and Islam on a daily basis.

People are angry and fed up - all talk and no action. They want action. Actions which none up there want to, or willing to take. Guess that is why not many Malaysians want to fly the national colours - even if it was given free! I definitely wouldn't...

What's worse is all this talk of patriotism...so what if I do not fly the flag? Call me unpatriotic - I don't care. Patriotism is something you develop through experience and interaction - I am not surprised if the majority of Malaysians can be considered unpatriotic today. I believe Namewee is more of a patriot that most of the self-serving politicians out there!

So happy 50th anniversary Malaysia...

Is it true?

It is mind-boggling to think that we have our national investment company, Khazanah Nasional, to thank if such rumours turn out to be true! But of course such news would fail to come ashore here, thanks to our media censorship - unfortunately we Malaysians have to read of such failings in the blogs, which have come under fire of late. And if blogs were proven to be more reliable source of information than our mainstream media, so be it; it is sad that as our nation celebrates its 50th Merdeka Day, we still have a government which tries to blackout news of such importance. Of course if it turns out to be true...

Well, even if the story is not entirely true - that the sale of one of the MV Agusta brands to BMW netted an amount less than the reported 93 million Euros - it would still make Khazanah Nasional the laughing stock of the investment fraternity. It would look like Proton had not done their homework, or the sale was done in extreme haste. Or was it? Is there more behind the scenes? Did someone make money out of this deal at the expense of Proton? More questions are being raised as the deal unfolds...

While Proton reels from yet another quarterly loss, little has been made public regarding its efforts to rope in Volkswagen AG to prop up the ailing company: I am wondering whether they are truly still at the negotiating table. And as usual there is some glossiness projected over the new Persona model and exports of its cars to China and an Egyptian escapade.

Maybe it is time to put Proton out of its misery. And with that maybe Malaysians will be entitled to something it has been deprived of for nearly 25 years - an affordable and reliable car.

Smokescreen

I guess Jeff Ooi sums up the Namewee issue best: a smokescreen

PM's chief judge
The bailout (Part 2)
The bailout (Part 1)

Let me add to the ever growing list:

Proton's MV Augusta shocker
More evidence of corruption?
Trouble in the police
Bloggers under siege
Trials and tribulations

These are to name a few. More maybe on the way...

No surprise...

It's so easy to get the charges against you dropped in Malaysian courts these days. Hire a fu-yoh lawyer? Play badminton with the judges? No need to be so strenuous on the pockets or body lar...just don't turn up in court! Malaysia Boleh! Or should I say Datuk Z Boleh!? Or RM xxxx Boleh!? Well, in more developed countries, I guess you would be jailed for contempt of court or evasion or something of that nature - but here they will just drop the charges against you. I guess that is why crime and corruption is on the rise here...sigh...

Really...every Malaysian worth his salt would have seen it coming. In this country if you have money and power, you will go scot free or just with a slap on the wrist. Altantuya (I guess) found that the hard way.

Such sad state of affairs in this country of ours...

Frustrated!

Is it just me or has Streamyx gotten slower since its so called upgrading exercise over the week? Website page loading, Youtube, Blogging...you name it - everything is so slow since then!! Not to mention of course: BT; while I fully expect them to clamp further on file sharing to enhance speeds, I could not have expected surfing to be equally affected.

But then again what do you expect? Malaysia Boleh! Or is there an ulterior motive? After all the unwanted publicity from the blogosphere and YouTube...maybe they have a bone to pick?

Double Talk

To be a good politician you must learn to double-talk. You must not only learn to please your supporters, but also the opposition - if you do it well, then you will be a successful politician. Well that may be difficult to do elsewhere in the world when the free media hounds your every word, but much much easier here when Malaysians in general forget easily, and when the 'free' media is actually under your thumbs.

Compare the above to this comment a month ago from our successful politician regarding the 30% Bumiputera programme of the NEP

Little wonder that the New Economic Policy has been called, is now called, and very likely will be called Never Ending Policy...or maybe Old Economic Policy?

Rob-bed!

I guess this must be the buzz word of the day on Merseyside!!! Shocker of a decision by referee Rob Styles denied Liverpool a deserved victory over Chelsea...I dare anyone to defend the penalty decision. Certainly a game of that magnitude, which hitherto was dominated by Liverpool, should not have deserved such poor refereeing! And to top that off, he nearly gave a double yellow-card to Essien, which led to some amount of confusion towards the end of the second-half. In all fairness Liverpool should have finished Chelsea off with a host of chances in the second half, but alas it was a victory not to be.

But we take heart from Liverpool's performance - perhaps a sign of better things to come? Keeping my fingers crossed!

High School Musical 2

Oh no! Another sequel... And you know how sequels are...never as good as the original. I was kind of hoping that High School Musical 2 would be different but alas, I was greatly disappointed. Maybe my expectations were too high? But my expectations for sequels were never high to begin with, and unfortunately I was right to the money.

I wish they would have just let the first be it's one and only incarnation, but somehow the $$$ allure was too great. The first was a hit, and raked in the dough...so why should this be any different? Sure there will be those who will watch it once, but I don't think many will watch reruns. It has lost a lot of it's magic compared to the first...the songs and dance moves were just so so, and the actors seemed less energetic and fresh compared to last year; somehow the oomph was not there...maybe the novelty had worn off in the last one year. The storyline was fair, but I think the writers could have done much better. And a good thing is that the spotlight this time around was not so much on Troy and Gabriella, so there was some balance to the characters. However that could not save the show in my eyes.

Let's hope they leave this one alone and not have another sequel next year...pleaaaaseeee!

Ouch!

It was not a pretty sight this last one week. The stock markets have taken a beating, especially in Asia. This is all caused by a fear of a credit crunch as a result of losses suffered by major financial institutions all over the world by investing in the US subprime market - mortgage lenders, hedge funds, mutual funds, even banks were not unscathed. As of yesterday, our KLCI composite index closed at 1191.50, regaining much ground from an intra-day low of 1143.90 after much panic-selling in the early afternoon trading.

In early July, Bear Stearns announced losses suffered by two of its hedge funds investing in subprime loans; followed lately by BNP Paribas and another fund in Australia - it has grown from a local problem in the US into a worldwide one. The problem is no one knows how deeply entrenched are the losses as the subprime loans have been themselves repackaged into different investment grade bonds/money market instruments. Such is the nebulousness of the financial markets these days.

A lot of investors got burnt this time around. The last time, the markets rebounded quickly and surged on. Will lightning strike twice in the stock market? Everyone is keeping their fingers crossed...

Closing time?

Closing early? Now that's a first! When are those who leave their offices late or have other things to do gonna fill their petrol tanks? Shall we just drive to the nearest highway just to fill petrol? Or should we just keep quiet and let these dealers dictate terms and conditions? In a way I'm glad that the government is putting their foot down in this matter, but it is by no means resolved.

I also understand the plight of the unfortunate petrol dealers who has little business after certain hours - perhaps the Government and the petrol dealers' associations can work out an arrangement agreeable to all. But to have a blanket rule of 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. opening hours borders on the ridiculous.

And there is still the thorny issue of the credit card charge which the petrol dealers are absorbing. In my opinion if they want the consumers to bear the charges, I say go ahead...but I feel that the Government should also step in and ask the banks to waive this ridiculous charge; after all such charges are waived elsewhere, and banks are making lots of profits - so why burden either the consumer (credit card user) or petrol dealers for the use of credit cards?

For now I am still glad that petrol stations are still open after 10 p.m.: let's hope it stays that way.

Nothing new...

News flash to people out there: This is nothing new!! Things like this happen in the medical world - in one form or another. Admittedly this is not a common occurrence, but a doctor would have to face a situation like this in their working lives. Most of the time the condition does not occur to such a degree and the limb is usually salvaged in the end - but unfortunately for this poor baby it is very likely that the limb would have to be amputated in the end. The demarcation is very clear - amputation would have to be done above the elbow. I would not like to speculate what exactly happened but it is clear to me that an artery has been cannulated and subsequently thrombosed. The official reason as infection being the cause is just a smokescreen - it is not an infection!

We'll just have to see how this works out. By the way, this is not the first, nor will it be the last. The previous case if I'm not mistaken was another baby in Penang. Maybe Malaysians have poor short-term memory. So like I said - this is nothing new...

Negarakuku

This is the infamous video clip that has rattled the nation!



Personally I don't find anything offensive in this video...maybe he poked fun at certain religious practices, but hardly anything to warrant this kind of reaction. Word has it that it has been distorted by quarters in the mainstream media to look as if he has insulted a certain ethnic group and their religion.

I'm sure the storm is just on the horizon...

Mis-Advertisment?

400 SMS for RM 2 alone? Yep, we are talking about that very radio advert peppering our ears since the start of the month...wow it sounded too good to be true? I guess it is...

The radio adverts definitely did not mention the 'surprising' terms and conditions noted in the Hotlink (oops!) website advertisment - so can this be misconstrued as a mis-advertisement? I don't recall the radio adverts mentioning 'Terms and Conditions apply' either. Can the consumer sue if they are not happy?