More Random Thoughts

Reducing Deficits Part I

2012-02-03T02:12:00.001+13:00

This is part of a series of essay on ideas for how to reduce the deficits owned by the Government of Malaysia (GoM).

Reducing Deficits Part I : Decentralising Social/civil Programmes

If you are familiar with Malaysian government, you would be by now understand the width and depth that the federal government "intruded" in your life, from before birth all the way after you die. There is not one facet of your life that the government have no direct or indirect effect on your daily life.

Some of these interventions, would be justifiable and should be part and parcel of any decent, responsible government. Such things as public and private safety, defense and also public health are arguable the sole responsibility of modern government. Maybe some will also argue that education should be a main part of a government responsibilities. There would also be people saying that trade, development and national resources/assets should be under the control of the government. All of these responsibilities can be reasonably taken up by the government.

But have you ever wondered why things such as culture, language, innovation. religion and also information (amongst others) be also included as responsibilities of the federal government to plan and execute. These areas of responsibilities are what I would like to categorised as unnecessary government social programs.

I am not saying that the federal government shouldn't be involve in such matter but what I'm saying is that the government should be involve as minimal as possible, or at the very most act as regulators rather than executors. I believe such programmes ought to be decentralised and be given to the communities and the society as whole. This move I believe would not only reduce government spending but would also give more empowerment to the public.

Take for example, the National Day celebrations (Hari Merdeka) that were always celebrated at the national and state level year after year. Imagine how much such celebrations cost the governments, in terms of time, money and energy went into such events. Do you know that selected schools will be chosen to send the students to do rehearsals 2 month in advance of the Merdeka Parade, not to mention employees of government agencies would also be given permission to rehears during office hours.

If following my idea of decentralising social programmes, I would propose that such celebrations be done at the local level, such as towns and villages. Events at such level normally would not involve a lot of resources and time. And would mostly be on more like a volunteer basis. The federal government could encourage local participants by awarding some kind of monetary rewards to the parade with the most participations in an individual State. Just imagine how many people would participate throughout the country? Not just some selected people in the capital cities but small town like Benut, Johor be able to participate in the Merdeka celebrations.

Another good example is the building of house of worships. I am attracted to a news article in Harakahdaily, where the MB of Kelantan, Nik Aziz said that the state government did not need to build mosques, but what they did is help locals to build their own mosques. To me this is a good move by the Kelantan government, not only it encourages participations of local in the planning and building of the mosques but also, it will create a sense of ownership and pride towards the mosque. I would propose the state government extends such principle to other public amenities such as playgrounds/parks, libraries and also community halls.

I strongly believe that my idea of decentralising social/civil programmes would be able to reduce government expenditure and also have de secondary effect of empowering the public through active participation.

-Amryl Malek, Christchurch, 3 Feb 2012

Selamat Hari Wilayah

2012-02-01T10:34:00.001+13:00

Federal Territory of Putrajaya

To all Malaysians living in the Federal Territories, "Happy Federal Territory Day". Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur was once a part of the state of Selangor, it was ceded to the Federal government in Feb 1, 1974 to be the administrative and capital of the Federal of Malaysia.

Citizens voting in the Federal Territories can only elect their Parliamentary Representative, and unfortunately have no direct way to elect their local government. And Members of Parliament from the Territories have no direct representative in the local council also, and therefore there's a disconnection between the voters (especially rate payers) with the local government.

Following the principle of "no taxation without representation", I believe the rights of voters/rate payers have been denied. So, in this day of remembrance, let us be reminded of our rights!

WOW! I didn't update my blog since 2010!!

2012-01-26T23:19:00.000+13:00

I never knew that I have forgotten to update my blog since 2010. Wow! how time flies. Especially since that I'm putting more output and thoughts into my facebook. But thanks to Appai, I just realised that I have spent too much time writing in FB.

I think I need to spend more time writing here on the blog rather than writing in my FB. Here I can write longer and in more details that in FB. And I wouldn't be too distracted by all the other updates. And at the same time I will also be updating more frequently my Photoblog.

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T23:10:00.000+13:00

As the clock ticks to 12,
as the clouds move over the moon,
the darkness amplified by the shadow,
as the cold wind blows against the trees,
as revelers go a merry making,
the little child sleep disturbed,
by what will be,
by the coming days,
restless.

I predict AKIM and UBF will join forces.

2010-12-17T02:27:00.000+13:00

As the title says, I think it won't be too long when Zaid Ibrahim dan Jeffry Kitingan will join forces. Will they be the 3rd bloc? Only time will tell.

I have a new dedicated blog for my photos and my thoughts on photography

2010-12-14T22:57:00.002+13:00

Hi All,

Long time no see. Anyway, I have setup a blog in wordpress specifically for my photographs. So for those interested, here's the url

http://amrylmalekphotography.wordpress.com/

Please come drop by and leave your comments and thoughts. Unfortunately I'll be spending less time on this blog, but I'll make it a point to drop in sometime and despatch my words of wisdom.

Thanks all.

baby Pics II

2010-10-14T10:37:00.004+13:00

More baby pics....after 7 month ++

Baby's Pics

2010-04-09T02:59:00.008+12:00

Hi all,

Just got me some time to post some pics on Iman. Adorable guy aint he?

Several minutes after birth!

Several hours after birth..

3 weeks after birth...

To be continued...

He is Here!

2010-03-11T18:46:00.001+13:00

Alhamdullillah,

At 4.58pm on 8th of March 2010 (22nd Rabiulawal 1431H), Iman came to this world.

Waiting for the Coming!

2010-03-08T02:02:00.001+13:00

For those in the know, Hospital Putrajaya, Wad 5A, Room 13. Visiting hours are 12-2 and 4-8pm

More Photos IV

2010-02-23T03:03:00.011+13:00

Went to Bagan Lalang last Saturday, took some more pictures in Sunday morning. Took the D40 with 35mm f/1.8. Here are a few sample, enjoy:

Went out really early in the morning. Around 6.40 am. Why so early? I want to get that really wonderful blue light. It's the kind of blue that you can only get around

half an hour before sun rise and half an hour after sunset.

"Feeling Blue"

"Here kitty, kitty!"

I think it's time for a bit of colour.

This one below was taken with S90 in Pasar Bagan Lalang.

That's about all.

Oh, by the way, just want to show the picture I took of my beautiful wife in my brother's new condo last week. Taken with a Canon S90.

More Photos III

2010-02-20T19:02:00.006+13:00

Went for a photo outing this morning. Sabry went along. Here are some sample photos. Enjoy!

"The Gate of the Mosque"

"Reflections"

"It's a Zeppelin!"

More Photos II

2010-02-15T03:27:00.007+13:00

Went to Tasik Cempaka in Bandar Baru Bangi and got a few shots, here are a few:

"Kites in formation"

"Reaching Up"

"I can go faster"

"Are you looking at me?!"

I am Disgusted!

2010-02-14T04:58:00.003+13:00

If you watched the news this evening, you would have seen a very disturbing image of a burnt infant body. The news is here in NST reported by Bernama.

Words fails me to describe the abhorrent act of burning a newborn baby! Questions keeps shadowing my thoughts in trying to understand the reason why such cruelty in human nature exist?

What are the mental state of the person while torching the infant? How did he/she become that way? Did he/she feels anger with the baby? Did he/she feels a shame? Is the baby a symbol of social stigma? How did it become that way? Did our education system fails us at the very least in creating a caring person? Did our society fails to create an environment of support? Did he/she have a mental imbalance? Was it hormone? Was it pyschosis?

Can we make sense of all these? Should we?

Events like this and many more makes me lose hope with the future of our humanity. Again, there is no word for me to express this feeling.

More Photos!

2010-02-13T05:07:00.006+13:00

Some of my other photos.

Here is a sunset right through my window. I titled this, "Sunset Through My Window", taken with my Nikon D40, 18-55mm lens. I came back from office and arrived home around 7pm, and thought that the sunset looks nice, so I shot it.

Was queuing up at the Drive-through McD in Bandar Baru Bangi, manage to capture this scene with my Canon S90. Note to all my friends with special needs, don't bother trying to find a parking space here. It's all taken up by more special needy people.

Went back from dinner in Kajang, caught this with the S90 around 7.45pm. The exposure is really good. I have to say that the S90 is a really good point and shoot camera. I strongly recommend this camera to anybody who is looking for a good quality point and shoot.

New salary Scheme for PDRM

2010-02-04T03:03:00.002+13:00

So our men in blue will get new salary scheme. I have a better suggestion, it'll involve more money but I think it will be worth it. It will definitely create a better police force.

My suggestion as follow:

Lance Corporal basic requirement will be Diploma and salary starts at RM2500.00 (it's higher than a Degree graduate starting salary)

A Sergeant basic requirement will be 2nd class Degree and salary starts at RM3500.00

An Inspector basic requirement will be 1st class Degree (preferably 4.0) and salary starts at RM4500.00

An Assistant Superintendant (ASP) basic requirement will be a Master Degree and salary starts at RM6000.00. An ASP with PhD starts with RM8000.00.

Other than that there will be a Physical Incentive which can be accumulated, given monthly as follow:

If you maintain ideal BMI, you'll get an extra RM200.00 monthly (test every quarterly)

If you can sprint 100 m under 11 seconds (male)/ 12 seconds (female), you'll get an extra RM500.00 monthly. (test every quarterly)

If you can run a full marathon (42km) under 2 hr 15 min (male)/2 hr 45 min (female), you'll get an extra RM500.00 monthly. (test every quarterly)

If you can hit bulls eye 18 out of 20 shots standing still, you'll get an extra RM200.00 (test every quarterly)

If you can hit bulls eye 14 out of 20 shots while running, you'll get an extra RM1000.00 (test every quarterly)

IT means that a starting Lance Corporal that can do all the Physical Test can get a starting pay of RM4900.00. While a starting ASP with PhD can get up to RM10,400.00. Getting a Physical Incentive will require you to do beat work 50% of your working time.

How about that, eh?!

Got Myself A New Disease!

2010-01-20T02:41:00.005+13:00

Hi folks, I'm infected with a virus! This virus is very dangerous but not lethal, though don't worry it's difficult to infect others with it. But once you got it, it'll be pretty difficult to control, though unfortunately as of now there's no real cure. Me and the wife suspected something amiss a couple of years back. We didn't exactly understand the symptoms then, but in retrospect it is all clear now.

I was infected by my wife. It turns out she is a carrier of the virus. Though she is only showing minor symptoms of the disease. Hopefully she'll not get worse. I went out last weekend and bought her a temporary vaccine, it was expensive, around RM1500. It'll last 2-3 years before the effect wears off. Hopefully by then, other more cheaper but effective vaccines will be available.

My wife in turns got the virus from her friend in her old office in KLCC. The friend have it much worse, I think she spend near to RM20k in the last 4 years just to hold off the effect of the virus.

While I myself have seen a slightly better effect than her friend but a bit worse than my wife. At the same time I bought for my wife the vaccine, I also bought mine at around RM1600. It seems that different people have different effect and require different combination of vaccines. But I can already feel that the vaccines that I bought isn't quite enough. A stronger dose might be neccesary.

Don't worry dear friends, as far as I can tell, my wife and I have yet to infect other with the virus except for my cousin. I infected him with the virus last year. I pray for the best for him. Anyway, it seems that only certain type of people can get infected with the virus, while others are totally immune to it. It might have to do with our genetics and our lifestyle.

I have to stop writing now, I'll detailed out the virus and the symptoms in later post. But for the time being, I share with you the initial effect of the virus. It will sometime undermine your ability to think clearly.

A Sunday Morning In Bagan Lalang

2010-01-11T02:17:00.011+13:00

Went to visit my in-laws this weekend, had a bit of stroll by the beach in the morning. It was low tide, the sea retreated to about 30m away.

The sky was a bit cloudy and there was a slight cool breeze. It was quite

refreshing though a bit grey.

Took my camera and try to compose a few pictures along the way. Got some good pictures but mostly really bland.

Here's a perspective

view of the walk way. I would say that Majlis Perbandaran Sepang did a good job in maintaining the area. Though it can be a bit more cleaner.

Though I can't put all the blame on them. Our society need to be more civil and cleaner in this matter.

But I read a book by Malcolm Gladwell titled 'Tipping Point'. In it there's a chapter

on how the NYPD manage to bring down crime. They started by cleaning the subway! We should try that in Malaysia, clean the walk way and reduce Mat Rempit.

If you don't know where's Bagan Lalang is, it is in the district of Sepang, right

at the border with N.9.

At the beach is a very ambitious project of creating a palm shape chalet development over the water. Which is the background of this picture on the left. It was to emulate the development in Dubai, look at what happen to them in Dubai now.

Hopefully, the development here will end up with a better prospect and future and become and impetus for further development.

Let's cut the crap and find the crab!

Don't be fool by this reasonably composed picture.

I cropped it later.

Another decent compose I think.

The final picture. And this qualify this post as the most picture in a posting.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures.

The Futility of New Years Resolutions

2010-01-01T04:01:00.003+13:00

Forget about it. It'll never work. Don't waste time thinking about it. Better spent on something more worthwhile. The more time you spend thinking about it the worse life will be for you. Why even bother trying? It'll come when it comes if it comes. So why bother trying.

You wont change your life, you wont make a difference, you are negligible in the whole scheme of things. In the end all your hopes, wishes, dreams are a mere temporary relief to the drudgery that is life.

If you believe that one man can make a difference. You are dead wrong! One man cannot make a difference. Show me a time when a single person can make a difference, and I'll show you a prophet. You're not one. You'll never will be.

But don't be sad. Be mean. That's the only way to be relatively happy. By making more people around you more sad than you. THe more you make people sad, the happier you'll be. THe sadder, the happier. It's all relativity.

Trust me on this. I read Hawkings, the dude on the chair. Being on the chair makes him right. You can't contradict to a person on a chair.

A Picture From Today's Foray

2009-12-27T05:22:00.003+13:00

Manage to capture this while going to KLCC

A Nuclear Malaysia and Missing Jet Engines

2009-12-23T05:18:00.002+13:00

I had the fortune to be in a lecture given by the late Pian Sukro, the ex-CEO of TNB and Chairman of Energy Commission in 2005. He was one of the pioneers of Malaysia Institute of Nuclear Technology (MINT).

I remember distinctively what he said about Malaysia having a nuclear power plant. His view was that it would be impossible for Malaysia to have a nuclear power plant since it entails an attentiveness to details beyond what Malaysian are capable off. We are lackadaisical when it comes to maintenance and such attitude will be the "Chernobyl" of Malaysia.

But what seems to be ironic is that we lost 2 jet engines (the size of a car at that!) while going for maintenance. It would seem that not only do we lack attentiveness to details we also lack to wisdom to be extra vigilant in matter of security.

IF and when we have a nuclear power plant, don't be surprised that we might lose the nuclear reactor due to oversight of the janitors.

A Bit About Statistics: Probability

2009-12-20T13:51:00.004+13:00

Under the study of probability, which is a subset of the study of statistics, an event is formally known as the subset of the sample space. Where as the sample space is an exhaustive list of all the possible outcomes of an experiment. Probability is useful to predict the possibility of future event happens based on past events.

Take for example the Malaysian football team matches (which would be the experiment), therefore a sample space of Malaysian football team matches, which is usually denoted by the letter S, is S ={Win, Lose, Draw}. When the Malaysian football team winning a match is known as an event.

A repetitive match would produce a set of data that can be possible to be use to analyse the probability of the event happening again. If taking the Malaysian football team matches for the past 5 years as the experiment. We just have to count how many times that the Malaysian team win, lose and draw. Take for instance, IF, the Malaysian football team played in 50 matches in the past 5 years, out of that they won 4 matches, lose 40 matches and draw 6 matches. Then the probability calculations are Win 4/50 (0.08 or 8%), Lose 40/50 (0.8 or 80%) and Draw 6/50 (0.12 0r 12%). Therefore the chance for a next win in a match for Malaysian football team would be 0.08 or 8%.

Next lesson would be time series analysis

My First 2 Cakes

2009-12-16T03:44:00.005+13:00

This is a chocolate moist with chocolate ganache as the toppings I made last month. I spread grind cashew nuts and icing sugar.

And here is a chocolate moist topped with fresh whipping cream (the whipping cream took longer that I expected) and chocolate rice which I put later on (sorry I forgot to shoot a picture)

First Shot: 6 month ++

2009-12-16T02:48:00.003+13:00

Well here's a picture of the radiant mother to be posing for a shot

COP 15: Will we be able to change the course of history?

2009-12-14T05:14:00.002+13:00

Currently the COP 15 is meeting in Copenhagen to agree on a formula to replace the Kyoto Protocol. I sincerely wish that the leaders of the world set a greater GHG reduction target (along with CO2) compared with the KP. We also need a bigger financial commitment from the developed countries to help the least developed and developing countries to achieve this new target.

A major push should be to replant forest in Brazil, West Africa, especially the Sub-Saharan states, China (to hold the Gobi from expending). The developed countries should also invest in countries that keeps the percentage of their forest un-touch.

But the funny thing is, since early this year, countries around the world started seriously planning for this conference and having a public dialog about their national targets for the conference. But here in Malaysia there is not a lot of hype about the COP 15. We don't even know what the Government stands on the matter at all. What are the Government (along with our "excellent" Parliamentarians) doing about it?

Ranking the Taxi Driver

2009-12-10T04:24:00.002+13:00

I think we should have a company that give audits, rank and certifies taxi drivers. So if the driver is really good, helpful, comply with rules and regulations, knowledgeable and courteous, he might be given 5 star. He can also present his star on his cab.

We can also certify the drivers for certain skills that he have. Let say the driver have training in first aid and self defence, he might than be certified as competent in emergency situation. We can also certify his knowledge. If the driver is fluent in 3 other languages such as Japanese, Arabic and Spanish, then he can be certified and show that certification on his cab.

With all that certifications, the driver should be given added incentive as a reward for such extra effort. Each star and certification might give you the right to apply for service charge or a different rate.

Goodbye Ramadhan and Salam Idul-Fitri

2009-09-17T15:28:00.011+12:00

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ كُتِبَ عَلَيۡڪُمُ ٱلصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِڪُمۡ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَتَّقُونَ

Surah Al Baqarah, 183

Translation:

O you who believe! Observing As-Saum (the fasting)[] is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqûn. Al-Quran- 2,183

The above is the ayat that prescribe to Muslim the obligation of fasting. It consist of 3 portion or parts.

One is "O you who believe!", it is a call to the Mukmin amongst us, because only a Believer will put it upon himself to fast. There is a distinction between a Muslim and a Mukmin. A muslim (those who are Islam) is a person that follows the five pillars of Islam, that is the professing the syahadah, performing the solah, paying the zakat (alms giving), saum (fasting) in Ramadhan and perfroming the hajj.

Whereas, a Mukmin (those who Believe) is a person that commits to the six article of Faith (Iman), that are, believe in the One God that is Allah, His Angels (Malaikat), His Prophets (Rasul), His Scriptures (Kitab), the Day of Judgement (Akhirat) and also Divine Destiny whether the good or the bad.

A mukmin will always be a muslim, whereas a muslim might not be a mukmin. This is can be clearly inferred from the surah Al Hujraat, verse 14:

The bedouins say: "We believe." Say: "You believe not but you only say, 'We have surrendered (in Islâm),' for Faith has not yet entered your hearts. But if you obey Allâh and His Messenger (SAW), He will not decrease anything in reward for your deeds. Verily, Allâh is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."

The second portion is "Observing As Saum is presribed for you", it is thought by some ulama' that the word كُتِبَ (Kutiba - literally means written on) have greater weight than just merely wajib, which means obligatory. And that the words kutiba and saum are repeated twice, puts a greater emphasis on the obligation. And later verses in Surah Al Baqarah, verse 184 to 187 describes some of the do's and don'ts of As -Saum.

Here I will list a few of the more well known;

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Allah the Exalted and Majestic said: `Every act of the son of Adam is for him, except As-Siyam (the fasting) which is (exclusively) for Me, and I will reward him for it.' Fasting is a shield. When anyone of you is observing fast, he should neither indulge in obscene language nor should he raise his voice; and if anyone reviles him or tries to quarrel with him, he should say: `I am fasting.' By Him in Whose Hand the soul of Muhammad is, the breath of one observing Saum is sweeter to Allah than the fragrance of musk. The one who fasts, experiences two joys: he feels pleasure when he breaks the fast. He is joyful by virtue of his fast when he meets his Rubb.''
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

In a narration by Al-Bukhari, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Allah says: `(The person observing Saum) has abstained from food and drink, and sexual pleasures for My sake; fasting is for Me, and I will bestow its reward. Every good deed has ten times its reward'.''

In a narration by Muslim, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "The reward of every (good) deed of a person is multiplied from ten to seven hundred times. Allah (SWT) says: `The reward of observing Saum is different from the reward of other good deeds; Saum is for Me, and I Alone will give its reward. The person observing Saum abstains from food and drink only for My sake.' The fasting person has two joyous occasions, one at the time of breaking his fast, and the other at the time of meeting his Rubb. Surely, the breath of one observing Saum is better smelling to Allah than the fragrance of musk.''

But to my mind the most important part of As Saum is the objective of saum which is put in the last portion.

The third portion of the ayat is "that you may become Al-Muttaqûn", the word لَعَلَّكُمۡ is here translated as "may", it can also be translated as "in hope". In hope of what? that you become Al-Muttaqun. The word muttaqun comes from the word taqwa which comes from the word waqayya (to protect). It is to protect oneself from the punishment of Allah. How can one achieve this? It is as simple as following all of His instructions. It is the concept of sami'na wa athoq na (we hear and we obey). It is a concept of being concious of Allah in all our daily dealings.

The thing with taqwa is that there is no standard measurement for taqwa. Though Sayidina Ali bin Abi Talib (RA) says there is four signs of taqwa, that is "fearing Allah, adhering to His commandments, being content with what He provides with and getting ready for the Day of Judgement".

If we used what Sayidina Ali (RA) mentioned as our standard measurement, than which one have we fulfill after going through a month of Ramadhan?

With that, Salam Idul-Fitri

Untitled

2009-07-23T02:42:00.002+12:00

Numbness within this clouded mind,
a soft whimper of thought trying to push through,
but the fog of numbness is too thick,
suffocating ideas,
killing passion,
trying as best as possible,
to form coherent thought,
but unable to,
searching,
into the depth of the brain,
but only surface thought exist,
a vague mentioned of logic,
washed away by a wave of tiredness,

a glimpse here,
a glimpse there,
a shadow here,
a shadow there,
a flicker of phantom,
an idea,
but numbness seized,
lost the grasp of focus,
a haze of static thought appears,
shouting at coherent thought,
drowning it with inanities,
only obscene unstructuredness exist,

within the depth of the mind,
it seeks control,
the chaos that is shards of half forms thought,

Public Policy: Initial Structure

2009-07-13T02:33:00.003+12:00

Well it seems that we have a lot of new changes since the new PM taken control of things. There are some that I like and some that can be better. But the more important point is the implementation of all the policies.

Well I think it is time for me to lay down some of the policies that I would to see implemented and if given the opportunity to implement myself..haha..

1) A smaller Cabinet.

I have said this before, and I will say it again. A smaller Cabinet will make decision making much easier and faster. I think I remember writing my line of Cabinet, but I'll change it like this.

i) Prime Minister
ii) Deputy Prime Minister
iii) Minister of Internal Affair
iv) Minister of Foreign Affair
v) Minister of Defense
vi) Minister of Health
vii) Minister of Education
viii)Minister of Trade
ix) Minister of Agriculture
x) Minister of Environment
xii) Minister of Public Works
xiii)Minister of Finance

I'll go through each one in later post

2) A smaller government budget

The government have been running the country in a deficit for more than 10 years. It's time to reduce unnecessary spending. I would like to see a balance budget within 3 years and a surplus budget within 5 years.

How to do it? The Minister of Finance will personally go through each programmes planned by each federal government ministries and agencies. I foresee that it will take roughly 4 months to go through each programmes. And at the end of it the Minister will come up with a plan to reduce spending to zero deficit within 3 years.

3) A smaller Executive/central government

We are actually getting bigger by the day. There's currently 1.2 mil civil servant running the show. And we are taking more contract workers also. With the restructuring of the Cabinet above, there would now be smaller central government. The function of sports, youth and culture now falls under State and local councils. The function of information and communication falls under the regulator which is MCMC.

A lot of the previous functions of central governments will be taken over by a Regulator or Councils that will be overseen by a Parliamentary Sub Committee.

4) Greater power to the Legislator and Judiciary.

More power for the legislator to oversee the Executive by creating more sub-committee to look into the affairs of each minister.

All legislation that give final say to the minister shall be amended and all decisions can be reviewed by the Judiciary.

That would be my first 4 policy that I want to see implemented.

MJ, FF are dead

2009-06-27T02:23:00.003+12:00

Well, we lost two distinctive icon of the the western entertainment industry. We will always remember MJ for his "Thriller" and moon walks, and who can forget FF in her red bathing suit.

But beyond all of that, there will be real loss to those nearest to them. A lost of a love one is really difficult to handle. As though a part of your heart is missing and searching for it bear no results.

By the way, below is a list of obituaries from Staten Island Advance:

Michael Delzotti, 96, of Grasmere, died Wednesday at home. The Hanley Funeral Home, New Dorp, is handling the arrangements.

Marion Metz, 78, of Stapleton, died yesterday in New Vanderbilt Rehabilitation and Health Care Center. The Casey Funeral Home, Castleton Corners, is handling the arrangements.

Vincent Campanelli, 84, of Annadale, died yesterday in Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze. Arrangements are being handled by the Bedell-Pizzo Funeral Home, Tottenville.

Edna Delisio, 84, of New Springville, died yesterday at home. The Matthew Funeral Home, Willowbrook, is handling the arrangements.

Thomas Jones, Sr., 57, of Irvington, N.J., died Feb. 12 in Richmond University Medical Center. Arrangements were handled by the James E. Churchman, Jr. Funeral Home, Newark.

Zenobia Metz, 88, of Whiting, N.J., died Wednesday at home. The Matthew Funeral Home, Willowbrook, is handling the arrangements.

Helen Crispino, 87, of Port Richmond, died yesterday at Staten Island University Hospital, Prince's Bay. Arrangements are being handled by the Matthew Funeral Home, Willowbrook.

Frank Izzo, 82, of Bay Terrace, died yesterday in Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze. The Casey-McCallum-Rice South Shore Funeral Home, Great Kills, is handling the arrangements.

Julia Giordano, 98, of Hertford, N.C., a former Grant City resident, died Tuesday in the Chowan Skilled Nursing Facility in Edenton, N.C. Arrangements are being handled by the Richmond Funeral Home, Concord.

While this list is from The Hindu:

K.BALASUBRAMANIAN (Retd) Squadron Leader, IAF passed away peacefully at the age of 78 yrs on 24-06-2009 at his residence. Mourned by Wife-Shanta Brother-K.Ramamurthy Sons-B.Krishnamurthy-B.Shivaramakrishnan

R.S.GIRI, LIC (Retired) expired on 23-6-2009. Dasasthu 2-7-2009 @ Gnanavapi. Ph: 24323087. Eyes donated to Pammal Sankara Eye Bank.

Mr. T. SAMPATHRAJ (90), father of Mr. S. Parasanlal, Chennai-600 014, expired on 24-06-2009. Eyes donated to Rotary Rajan Eye Bank, C/o Rajan Eye Care Hospital Pvt. Ltd., Chennai-17.

Smt. SHANTHABAI (61) W/o V. Ramanathan SBI (Retd) expired on 25-6-09, Cremation at Ambattur on 26-6-09 at 9.00 a.m. Ph:26574760/9943387866

Sangeetha Kalaimamani Veenai THIRUKOKARNAM RAMACHANDRA IYER 97 passed away peacefully on 25-06-09 Res.Ph.: 044-42640948.

MEENAKSHI AMMAL (98) W/o Late M.S.Venkataraman, Advocate, Paramakudi passed away peacefully on 25-06-2009 at her son's residence at G1 B Block, Mahaveer Apartments, 17 East Coast Road, Tiruvanmiyur, Chennai-41. Tel:044-24422718.

K.S. GOPALAN OF Keeranur Retd., Station Master Pondicherry expired on 23-6-2009. Dasasthu on 2-7-2009 at Pondicherry. Ph: 04132211723

C.V. KRISHNAMOORTHY, 90 years, Retd. Dy. Tahsildar, passed away on 24-06-09 in Vellore. Ph: 0416-2243679.

While this is from The Lebanon Democrats:

Riley L. Cox
Services for Mr. Cox will be 10 a.m. Saturday, June 27 10:00 at Partlow Funeral Chapel with Bro. Gordon Lee and Bro. Bernie Zeilsdorf officiating. Interment will be in Cedar Grove Cemetery. Visitation will be 2-7 p.m. Friday at the funeral home.
Mr. Cox, 83, of Lebanon, died Wednesday, June 24, 2009 in the Quality Health Care Center. He was a member of the Church of God, a minister and former employee with Lebanon Woolen Mills and the City of Lebanon.
He was preceded in death by parents, George S. and Ruth Violet Kirby Cox; sons, Melvin L. Cox and Riley Irvin “Snaze” Cox; brothers, James R. Cox, Charles H. Cox, David Cox and Wayne Cox.
Survivors include: wife, Lura Belle Cox; son, Nathan (Susie) Cox; daughter, Barbara (Jerry) Dies; sisters, Dorothy Scoggins, Zettie (Bill) Hamlett and Vera(John) Wrye; grandchildren, Randy (Lisa) Dies, Shane (Jill) Dies, Valerie Jean McGhee and Steven Cox; step-children, Sue (Johnny) Broussard, Gayle Surrat and Jimmy Forsyth; step-grandchildren, Michael D. Smith, Racheal A. Smith, Penny Pogue, Kenny Broussard, Tammy (Jay) Makatche, Sheree (Dale) Heiflin, Chrystal(Juan) Hernandez, Tina (Billy) Hayes, Ken Surrat and Teresa Bane; numerous great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to The Church of God Worship & Ministry Center, 1007 Hartsville Pike, Lebanon 37087.

Couriyah Elaine Hastings
Services for infant Hastings will be noon Friday, June 26 at Saddler Funeral Home. Visitation will be 11 a.m. until the service at the funeral home.
Infant Hastings, of Lebanon, died Monday, June 22, 2009.
Survivors include: mother, Amanda Parsley; father, Courtney Hastings; brother, CJ Cosby; grandparents, Stacey Talley and Robert Hastings, Shirley (Raymond) Parsley-Walker and Donald Parsley; and great-grandparents, Pastor Charles and Annie Bailey and Ollie and Georgie Parsley.

Just to show that there are a lot more deaths out there.

Let Us be More Eco-Friendly

2009-05-11T02:08:00.000+12:00

In The Know: How Can We Make The War In Iraq More Eco-Friendly?

Tracy Chapman!!!

2009-05-10T05:24:00.000+12:00

One of my favs singer.

Kita Bodoh!

2009-05-08T04:24:00.001+12:00

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Unknowns and Potential

2009-05-07T03:05:00.002+12:00

We live in 1 moment that exist between 2 opposite moments. The moment that we have left behind, is a moment that we can never recapture, no matter how many "Back to the Future" movies you watched. The moment that might be, which we will not know whether or not we will live to see.

And we live in the current moment. But what define this moment?

Some would say it is the now. Some would say it is the moment where we truly live. Some would say that it is the moment of existence. They might all be correct.

But to me, the current moment is defined by those two moments, the past and the future. The current moment exist as a nexus between the future and the past. The future is full of potential and possibilities while the past is in a sense is constant. Whether or not you believe time move in linear or in a loop, it doesn't matter, what have past cannot be undone.

So we live in a nexus, where we can only move forward as the future moment becomes the current moment and the current moment become the past moment that escapes us.

The future moment is full of unknowns, but most importantly it is full of potential. From small potential to great potential. And such, potential can become great momentum if it can be move and be seized. The most important thing is to manage the unknowns. And how do we do that?

My Ideal Cabinet and Ministreal Line Up

2009-04-07T13:52:00.003+12:00

If I were PM, my Cabinet would be a bit different than the normal Malaysian ones.

The PM will not hold any other portfolio. There would not be an official Deputy PM. There would be a group of full Minister that would form the Cabinet that will be pick from Members of Parliament, which will consist of such portfolios; Internal Security, Foreign Affairs, Defence, Finance, Trade, Education and Health. So, seven in all, plus the PM that would be eight. Easily manageable.

In the event the PM resign or die in office, the Minister of Internal Security would automatically be elected as temporary PM, for not more than 48 hours, which after that period the Cabinet must submit a name of a Member of Parliament to be elected as PM.

For us to think about

2009-04-01T00:14:00.002+13:00

Got this while blog surfing.

Hello Again!

2009-03-31T01:33:00.003+13:00

It's been several month since I updated this blog. Because of time constrains and also access problems, I've been unable to put forth my thoughts in a clear frame of mind. A lot happens between then and now.

Plenty of changes with my life, my environments and the world in general. But the gist of things is that, life continues with or without you.

To my friends that I have not been in contact with, I am sorry. I really wish I have more time to hang out with you guys more.

Though I'm several months too late, let me wish all of you a good year and a good life. Here's a trivia question just for fun, "What's the connection between Kiribati and Mithra the god of the sun?"

A Time to Reflect!

2008-11-20T22:31:00.002+13:00

It is time for this nation to stop and reflects on her current condition. We are at a crossroad, the world is at a crossroad. This is an opportunity for us to lead the way rather than to act re-actively.

On matters of unity, let us all concentrate on our shared past and experiences, look into our similarities and build on that. Let us go beyond race, skin colour, religion, language and build upon empathy, brotherhood/sisterhood, love, caring as the basis of our nation.

On matters of education, let us look for the best in our young and future generations, so that they'll lead this nation to greatness. We all are the same, our children are the same, we all share a hope and a destiny in this nation of ours.

On matters of economy, let us throw away the shackles of poverty not only that of capital, but also the poverty of thoughts. New skills and knowledge should be created and shared with everybody. Let new opportunities be created and shared equally with all.

We all share a common bond in this country of ours. We all share a common destiny. We all dream a common happiness.

Hail the President!

2008-11-06T02:55:00.002+13:00

Obama won.
Will it be a change?
Will the American perceived hegemony be soften?
Will the economy rise in hope?
Will fairness and respect be the norm?
Will the real Slim Shady please stand up?
Will.i.am.

So many questions...

What happen to the market?

2008-10-11T03:34:00.002+13:00

Oil.Down!
NYSE.Down!
Nikkei.Down!
Plantation.Down!
Banking.Down!
Everything.Down!

Salam Eidul Fitri!

2008-09-30T13:43:00.002+13:00

Sebulan ku mencari rahmatMu,
ku tak pasti samada bertemu,
hanya Kau yang maha mengetahui,
isi hatiku yang meratapi,
yang mendambakan kurniaan,
yang mencari keikhlasan.

Hidupku, matiku hanya untukMu.

SOON!

2008-09-22T20:57:00.003+12:00

A cold cool breeze,
clearing stagnant air,
bringing change,
bringing hope,
but maybe,
a start of a storm,
or even a bedlam of a hurricane,
destroying long held beliefs,
unshackling shackles,
whatever it is,
an altered vista approaches.

Condo Unit in Kelana D'Putera for Rent!

2008-09-21T22:09:00.002+12:00

I'm moving out! Looking for tenant.

Description:

High Floor, Facing pool, Nice View, Well Maintained With a Fresh Coat of Paint, High Security with Friendly Neighbours.

1257 sq ft. with 3 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, 2 air cond unit, 1 water heater unit, built in kitchen cabinet, and semi furnished.

Newly weds/ working couple preferred. Unit available in November 2008.

Failed Nation? by Rustam A. Sani

2008-09-18T02:06:00.007+12:00

Today I had the pleasure of reading a book entitled "Failed Nation? Concerns of a Malaysian Nationalist" by the late Rustam A. Sani. For those who is not familiar with Rustam A. Sani, he was the son of one of our great freedom fighter, Abdullah Sani@Ahmad Boestaman. More than that, he was a great thinker and academician, a prolific writer, a literary master and most importantly a good soul. He passed away on 23 April 2008.

Anyway, I have been trying to get the book since it was first launch 26 April 2008. It's a collection of his writings that spans roughly 2 decades. In it you can take a peek into the mind of a great sociologist looking at the development of Malaysia as a full fledged nation-state and the creation of "Bangsa Malaysia", not only as a detached observer but also as an active participant of the process.

As you go along the pages, you can almost feel the sadness and sometimes the bitterness that the writer feel when evaluating our progress as a nation. On our confident existence as a nation during the 49th Merdeka Day, he had this to say, "Needless to say, there was certainly no convincing expression of confidence for our future".

In the same article, you can feel the losing hope of the writer on nation building through the last paragraph of the article,"It is high time that the highly articulate, theoretically-informed, social science promoter of the notion of nation-building that I have always wanted to be should also take a retirement just like the rest of me."

But of course not only on his pathos that I am interested in but also the weight of his arguments and his insights on nation-building and nationalism that is highly thought provoking. His statement that,"...Malaysia is just a state without nation - or at least, a state with several competing nations." forces us to look at this country we call Malaysia and re-evaluate our sense of nationhood. Can we look at our fellow Malaysian, without first identifying his race/religion/language/tradition and identify him only as our brother in this nation?

I have yet to finish reading the whole book, but from what I've read it inspires me to share a bit of the content, such a great thinker that was Rustam A. Sani. The only bad thing I can say about the book is that, his articles is too short for me. A more lengthy arguments would only bring greater elucidation to the reader and thus the better.

The Calm Before The Storm

2008-09-16T15:54:00.003+12:00

There's this calm before the storm.
An impending chaos that I can feel.
The future is wrought with dangers.
But therein lies redemption.

There's this calm before the storm.

Happy Malaysia Day!

The Breaking Down of Society

2008-09-14T04:13:00.003+12:00

Slowly but ever so assuredly, our society is breaking down. It is not something that is tangible, this break down. It is more of ubiquitous feelings of the masses. Highest on the list of such feeling is that of fear. Fear of losing power, fear of being proven wrong, fear of being expose, fear of the truth.

With the arrest of RPK and Teresa Kok, the arrest and subsequent release of Tan, shows the world or at least the small minority of people with interest in this nation, how we as society fears the truth. Or maybe a better word to replace society is the government.

The reports filed by JAKIM and several other government bodies against RPK is a clear indication of how immature those in the government departments tackle such an issue. What RPK did was write his opinion on what he thinks is the 'rightous' Muslim. The key word here is his 'opinion', his view, his understanding of the matter. It was an opportunity for Jakim (Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia) to give their 'official' definition of what is rightous and what is not. All they have to do is prove it using all the Quranic words, all the Hadiths, all the Ijtihads, all the Fatwas, that prove RPK wrong. But alas, they miss this opportunity.

They miss an opportunity to gain public support, and most importantly public understanding on the issue at hand. They failed miserably in their duty to preach in wisdom, to preach the truth, to preach in patience.

On the arrest of Teresa Kok, I would believe that most 'reasonable' people will come to a conclusion that this was a political act. Why arrest her in the first place? Why not arrest the person(s) that spread the story? Teresa Kok already denied it in public, if there's any such truth to the claims then why not the aggrieved party bring it to court or report it to the police and let due process takes place?

Why not let truths be guiding light of our society? Why such fear of the truth? All of these are symptoms. Symptoms of a dying society, or of that of a failed government. A government that cannot bear the truth, because the truth of the matter is that the government is a dying beast. And unfortunately it will take us down with it.

Project Malaysia

2008-09-06T01:26:00.003+12:00

There's a new initiative started by Malik Imtiaz called Project Malaysia. It is a 'nation building experiment' where a particular 'theme' shall be discuss each month. It will run for 12 months. At the end of it, it is hope that a 'formula' on nation building can be found.

This is indeed an interesting and most worthy endeavor to try and look at this nation in a more objective and reasonable manner. Hopefully it will be a success. I look forward in reading the thoughts of invited writers and understand their perspectives. I also added the link in my Other Writings.

Al-Fatiha: A. Samad Ismail

2008-09-05T02:30:00.002+12:00

From Allah we come. To Allah we go.

Malaysia today lost a great son, a great journalist, a great soul. Let us pray to Allah that his soul will be amongst the faithful. Amin.

Karaoke: What have we done!?

2008-09-01T15:35:00.011+12:00

Edited 2: Added final video clip

Edited: Added more photos.

Original posting:

And so it goes, that we went to the Kotak Merah to beautifully destroy some songs. I was designated cameraman. FYI, I'm still editing the video, the lighting were terrible, so don't have clear shots but here are some still shots of the session. And a clip of the session as a teaser.

The newly weds

The not so newly weds

The Boyband

The GIRLZ!

The Mamat Jiwang

The Future Youtube Sensation

The Cameraman

The Horror!

Sumpah! Saya tak beli!

2008-08-26T03:38:00.003+12:00

Saya bersumpah bahawa pada hari ini saya tidak makan tengahari! Saya juga bersumpah bahawa pada hari ini saya pergi ke kerja. Saya bersumpah masa saya bekerja saya kekadang terbuat silap. Saya masih bersumpah bahawa setelah balik dari pejabat saya singgah di Tesco. Saya sumpah bahawa saya hanya beli keperluan dapur dan bukan keperluan diri saya sendiri!

Biarlah Tuhan melaknat saya, keluarga saya, sahabat handai saya, keluarga sahabat handai saya, jiran saya, keluar jiran saya, jiran saya yang dah pindah dan keluarga mereka, dan juga semua orang yang bertemu saya berserta keluarga mereka sehingga anak cucu cicit sampai ke kiamat.

Nothing Much to Talk About..

2008-08-13T23:09:00.002+12:00

I wanted to elaborate something on the Bar Council Forum, but I just couldn't put my thoughts properly. But basically, I can surmise it in several points.

1) Bar Council erred in picking up the forum title. Should use less 'sensitive' titles. My suggestion would be, "The legal implication and issues on Non-Muslim when their spouse converted to Islam".

2) The protesters are shallow and narrow minded idiots. But what is worse, they forces their shallowness, narrowness and idiocy upon others.

3) The police should have control the crowds.

Now UMNO Can Control Feelings

2008-08-07T01:37:00.003+12:00

We've heard how some UMNO members can do wonders and magic. Most of the time it's related to money and how they make it disappear. Like I put a 50 cent in my palm and make it disappear. They can do it with bigger amount.

Now it seems, that not only are they illusionist, they are also enchanters. They now want people to stop feeling sympathy. They are indeed greater than Merlin!

Speaking of Merlin, I remember a cartoon in the 80's called Visionaries : Knights of the Magical Light, in it there's a Magician by the name Merklynn. In the cartoon series, the character's have magical power's that can be activated through their magical staves by reciting poetic verses. One of the verse that I remember is this, "Three suns align, pour forth their light, and fill my archers bow with might!"

Wonder what the UMNO guys verse would be? I'm guessing, "By those who bribes, by those who receives, strengthen my tongue with the power to deceive".

Shah Alam to Have Own Hospital

2008-08-02T15:16:00.002+12:00

It's funny that the State Capital will only now have its own hospital. I would have thought that access to health facilities would be one of the basic infrastructures to have in a town, much more so for City. The three basic social infrastructures would be in the area of security, health and education. The three basic physical infrastructures would be water, electricity and sewage.

Useless Info: How much shorter can you get?

2008-07-31T02:16:00.002+12:00

Just got this from Answers.com :
//
za
n. Slang.

Pizza.

[Shortening and alteration of Pizza]

//

I would have thought that if you want to shorten the word pizza, a more probable form would be 'pizz', like in, "I want more cheese toppings on my pizz, foo!" I can only imagine in the near future, we'll be talking in shorten words for our daily conversations.

"Yo! me an m'peeps gonna hangz at the rez. Wanna cumalon? We treatcha a za!"

A sigh of Relief!

2008-07-26T11:36:00.002+12:00

Thank goodness, Bank Negara didn't raised the OPR. With several loans on me, it would be really difficult to manage them all. Maybe it's time for me to rethink my position.

Should Muslim envisioned an Islamic State?

2008-07-24T18:11:00.004+12:00

I have been taught that a Muslim should always strives to create an Islamic State. A state where the rules and laws laid down by Allah through the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) are being enacted. And since young, I've always believed that being a Muslim it is my duty to ensure that the creation of an Islamic State is achieved. I used to believe that if we enact and implement the Syariah (along with Hudud), we will create an Islamic State, a State that is peaceful and at harmony with itself following the guidance of Allah and all problems will be solved.

But as I grew older, I realised that my naivety and simplistic idea in solving the woes of the community is laughable at best. I have forgotten that it took the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), 23 years of teaching, preaching and guiding to achieve an Islamic State, and from that period, nearly half it was not really successful in changing the people of Mecca.

The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), migrated from Mecca to Madinah, with the understanding that Islam will not flourish in an environment of unjust, fear, subjugation and tyranny. That was the main reason the Prophet (pbuh) migrated to Madinah. Madinah was a more peaceful and tolerant city, with more open minded society compared with Mecca. The Prophet were able to preach Islam in a safe and secure environment, while at the same time inquisitive minds were able to questions the Prophet (pbuh) himself on any ambiguities.

What does this have anything to do with an Islamic State?

Everything. For an Islamic State to be created, we first have to create a society that is open minded and inquisitive, a society that is peaceful, safe and secure, a society that is just and fair. These are the ingredients that will make Islam flourish. More important than rules, regulations, laws and forms in Islam are that of the self and the people. Should Muslim be able to espouse the Islamic principles of peace, justice, understanding and knowledge with oneself and society, the first step towards an Islamic State have already been taken.

Pic: Mosque in Bourke, NSW, Australia (picture taken from Wiki)

Added a New Link in Other's People Writting

2008-07-24T01:38:00.003+12:00

YB Gua Hantu just started a blog. I've added a link to his blog. From now on, if you're interested on YB Gua Hantu's thoughts, you can go straight to his blog.

YB Gua Hantu: Biografi Ringkas

2008-07-23T20:15:00.002+12:00

Maklumat Peribadi

Umur: 57
Tarikh Lahir: 3 Januari 1951
Tempat Lahir: Kg. Tengkorak Terbang, Mukim Hantu Raya, Daerah Gua Hantu
Status: Berkahwin (Isteri pertama: 1976 hingga sekarang, Isteri kedua:1985-1996, Isteri ketiga 1997 hingga sekarang, ada khabar angin mengatakan telah berkahwin seorang lagi di negara jiran)
Anak: 9 orang ( Umur/Jantina: 32/L, 30/P, 28/P, 26/P; 22/L, 20/L, 18/P; 9/P, 7/L)

Pendidikan:

Pendidikan Awal :Sekolah Pondok Kg. Tengkorak Terbang 1958-1963,
Pendidikan Pertengahan: Sekolah Menengah St. Francis of Assisi, Gua Hantu 1964-1970,
Pendidikan Lanjutan: University of Northampton (Bachelor of Science - Agriculture), 1971-1975,
University of Warwick (Master of Science - Agribusiness) 1980-1982,

Pekerjaan:

1976-1979: Penolong Pegawai Daerah Gua Hantu
1983-1984: Pegawai Daerah Gua Hantu
1985-1996: Ahli Perniagaan sepenuh masa
1997 - sekarang: Ahli Politik sepenuh masa

Kerjaya Politik:

1969 - Ahli Biasa Pertubuhan Golongan Pekerja (GoPek)
1971-1972- Ahli Biasa Persatuan Sosialis Northampton
1972-1974- Setiausaha Persatuan Sosialis Northampton
1975- Presiden Persatuan Sosialis Northampton
1976 -1984 - AJK Cawangan GoPek Kg. Tengkorak Terbang
1985-1992 - Ketua Cawangan GoPek Kg. Tengkorak Terbang, AJK Bahagian GoPek Gua Hantu
1992-1995 - Naib Ketua Bahagian GoPek Gua Hantu
1996 - Sekarang - Ketua Bahagian GoPek Gua Hantu

We're Going Nuclear!

2008-07-23T13:13:00.003+12:00

Pic: Susquehanna Electric Station (taken from Wiki)

It seems that TNB is exploring the posibilities of building a power plant. I used to be against the building of nuclear power plants due to the risks involve especially when looking into the disaster that is Chernobyl. But now, afer rethinking my position, I believe nuclear would be the best alternative energy source to replace gas, coal and diesel.

I had the opportunity to attend a lecture by an ex-CEO of TNB. He was one of the first pioneers in a division setup by the Government then to look into the posibility of nuclear energy. He did say that we have the capacity and the resources to build a nuclear plant. Though, he said our mind set of safety and maintenance are very poor, that it'll be a liability to the operation.

Another problem I foresee is the dependency on the uranium source. We cannot be solely dependent on nuclear energy, due to the very fact that we don't have a uranium source and we also don't produce enriched uranium. This will be detrimental to our Energy Security.

A good ratio, I think, for our national energy diversification would be, Nuclear 30%, Hydro 40%, Solar and Wind 20%, and fossil fuel 10%.

Added An Oil Price Dashboard

2008-07-21T20:29:00.003+12:00

Just so that I can keep track of th oil price. Btw, I mentioned earlier this month to a friend that I expect oil price to hover at around USD100 by middle of next year. Let us see whether my prediction will be accurate.

This is the best of times...

2008-07-17T02:46:00.003+12:00

..this is the worst of times. My friend, we are at a momentous crossroad. Our politics are uncertain, nobody can guess what's going to happen tomorrow, much less two years from now. The wind of change is blowing everywhere, the weather cock is spinning like mad! Will it be better? will it be worst? Trust me, my friend when I say,"I believe it will be worst tomorrow, we have yet to witness the depth of depravity that hides within the heart of men! But once uncloaked, even Baalzebub will look upon us in awe."

Will all this politics matter? No matter what others says, my stand have always been that politics is the backbone of society. A weak, diseased and crooked backbone will ultimately kill society. We need a strong politic, not in the sense of might but strong of its righteousness. We need a healthy politic to ensure that the very basic needs and rights of individuals and society can flourish. We need a straight and true politics so that we can a walk a path of clear conscience. Without good politics, we will only be bad society.

YB Gua Hantu: Bersyukurlah!

2008-07-07T00:38:00.002+12:00

Semasa melancarkan Pertandingan Laga Biawak di Kampung Peleset, YB Gua Hantu didalam ucapannya menyentuh mengenai isu semasa yang sedang hangat diperbincangkan sekarang di warong-warong kopi, rumah-rumah ibadat, rumah-rumah pelacuran, rumah-rumah judi haram, rumah-rumah anak yatim dan juga rumah ku syurga ku.

YB berkata, "Kita patut bersyukur tinggal di dalam negara ini kerana negara kita nie aman, damai dan tenteram". "Kalau ada kekacauan pun adalah berpunca daripada ah long - ah long yang tidak pandai buat pasaran. Ah long- ah long nie suka sangat tampal iklan diorang nie kat signboard jalan. Sampaikan mat rempit tak nampak hadlaju jalanraya, jadi mereka pun pecutlah. Inilah punca kemalangan yang utama di negara ini!"

Sambung YB, "Apapun kita kena bersyukur, sebab negara kita nie penduduknya ramah. Mana ada lagi tempat di seantero dunia ini yang sebebas negara kita. Kalau kat negara luar, orang cakap buruk pasal seseorang individu mesti dah lama kena saman, lepas tu kena tangkap masuk penjara. Kat negara kita nie, cakaplah buruk pasal apapun, pasal bom ka, pasal main belakang ka, semuanya boleh. Laporan media pulak bebas melaporkan apa saja, samada betul atau tidak itu perkara kedua atau ketiga atau keempat."

"Apapun kita mesti bersyukur, kat negara maju harga minyak tinggi sampai 4 ringgit seliter lagi mahal dari sebotol air mineral. Kat Malaysia nie air mineral sama harga ngan minyak. Maknanya kita nie sebenarnya lagi maju dari negara maju. Kita nie negara termaju. Diantara negara dunia ketiga dan pertama, kita nie negara dunia ruang angkasa iblis, boleh bertukar dalam masa 0.025 saat, itulah kemajuan namanya." YB dengan confident bercakap.

"Ingatlah wahai penduduk-penduduk Kampung Peleset, kita mesti bersyukur!" akhir kata YB Gua Hantu.

Bloggers on strike!

2008-07-06T18:27:00.002+12:00

Well seems like some bloggers just couldn't handle all the blowing up, sodomy, susceptibility to anal sex and what not...what can I say?!....we reap what we sow. We are the people that stand by the side and let shit covers all of us without doing anything about it. For more than 2 and 1/2 decades we move silently by and let others step on us and shat...we reap what we sow.

But as any politicians like to say, "Jangan politikkan isu ini".....

Not Again!!!!!!

2008-06-30T04:15:00.003+12:00

There's a reason why this country will not be able to survive the future. Guess!

I'm Back!

2008-06-15T01:40:00.003+12:00

Well got back from BTN yesterday, all in one peace. Though a few aches here and there. I would say it was an "interesting" experience. I cannot divulge more info than that. Contact me personally for more

Going Off to BTN!

2008-06-08T19:36:00.002+12:00

I'll be going off to BTN for a whole week. It's pretty stupid really. Anyway, I'll miss wife horribly :( and I don't think I'll have access to the internet. So be seeing you next week. If anything bad happens to me in BTN, please sue them for me ya!

Cya.

How to Reach Your PM

2008-06-06T03:54:00.006+12:00

There are a couple of options if you want to contact our PM through websites:

1) You can go to his office website at www.pmo.gov.my

or alternatively,

2) You can reach him through www.warkahuntukpm.com.my

Wait a minute, both are under construction. Too bad I wanted to share with him my thoughts on the new fuel subsidies. By the way, I wonder who got the contract for the construction?

Petrol to be RM2.70/litre

2008-06-05T02:28:00.005+12:00

My prediction is slightly off by 2 months. It seems the government took the hard step of increasing fuel prices at pump immediately beginning midnight. Petrol at RM2.70 means the government is still subsidizing the price at around RM0.30-0.50 as of now. Other than that it seems other subsidies such as gas and electricity shall be slowly reduce. I applause the government brave action in pulling back these subsidies. One thing lacking is that rather than a sudden increase in price there should be a clear policy in reducing fuel subsidies within a time frame of 3-5 years and gas subsidies between 7-10 years.

The immediate impact of the increase on the consumer would be psychological in nature. Seeing that we have been content in living with subsidies. The government have to effectively explain to the people on the street why such an increase is essential to save the nation economy. My fear now would be a civil unrest and people taking to the street their dissatisfaction. Already tonight I noticed a certain sense of chaos with people queuing up for fuels. I'm sure there would be pent up frustration and hopefully such feelings can be contained. A civil unrest and riots would be disastrous at such moment. This would be detrimental to the country's peace and economic health.

Cars queuing up for fuel [picture by my lovely wife :)]

By now, people would have started to compare the fuel at pump between oil exporting nation with that of Malaysia, and rest assured that the prices of fuel at these countries can be unimaginably low. But like all things, not all examples are good. The nation that subsidised so much of their oil will eventually have to bear the negative effect in the future. Our children, and their children will eventually live in a world with no natural resources what so ever due to our wastages now.

Let me remind you again that subsidies like the fuel subsidy reduces the efficiency of a market, it will produce wastages by consumer and never actually meet it's economic target of helping the poor.

Rather than looking at the bleak picture, now is the time for us to be more creative in dealing with daily difficulties. We can now focus the savings we made from our subsidies reduction to areas that can be beneficial in the long run. Subsiding health and education seems to be one of a long term solutions that can actually increase not only the quality of life for the citizen but bring about a better society.

On a more personal level, maybe it's time for us to look at a bus map and plan our journey to the office tomorrow. Or maybe we can advertised in our office and find a car pool mates. In a long term solution maybe we can find a place to stay nearer to the office or near public transport routes.

I hope tonight we can take a moment and reflect on this situation and give thanks to God for giving us some common sense to look further in the future to the needs of our next generation.

Subsidies Reduction

2008-06-03T02:47:00.003+12:00

With crude oil prices passing the USD130.00 mark, the Malaysian government have no choice but to reduce subsidies by increasing prices of essentials and commodities. Though an unpopular move by the government, it is only by reducing subsidies can wastages be stop. It's basic economics.

Recently the prices of iron have been uncapped by the government, thus ensuring more or less an open market pricing mechanism that would immediately increase the price of iron. Most contractors and developers welcome such moves since it will reduce the dependency on iron black market. Though there will be an increase of prices in future development, I would say it'll properly adjust itself in the future by lessing demands. Hopefully there will be an increase in efficiency in the metal industries, by players merging their resources or sharing their facilities to lower production costs. And developers can be more ingenuous by exploring development techniques that'll reduce cost and shorten construction works. Of concern, is the middle and low cost houses. Unfortunately, for the immediate future, cross subsidies by developers or even direct subsidies by government have to be taken to ensure a reasonably priced homes be offered to the poor. A transparent and equitable purchasing system have to be setup so that only the truly deserving can purchase the homes.

While at the same time, rice prices have been set at certain ceiling depending on the quality of rice on retail. While special rices such as basmati, herbaponi have been uncapped. Though unfortunate that the government have to provide rice subsidies, it is important that the people nutritional needs are taken care of. Anything lesser than, the country might face a civil unrest.

And now,most probably in August the government is going to present a new oil subsidy scheme to tackle the rising price of global oil. I would provide a wild guess that the adjusted price at pump would be around RM2.50-RM3.00 per litre. While subsidies fuel would either be maintained at current price or increased slightly to RM1.95-RM2.00 per litre. This would probably be applied for the lesser grade fuel (RON 93/95). There would probably be no more subsidies for the higher grade fuel (RON 97/99), thus making the price roughly around RM4.00 per litre. Though this is just baseless assumption, mind you.

Of course, cost of living will increase and thus inflation will increase. People will feel more burden on their shoulder while their ringgit are stretch to its very limit. Hopefully, all this savings from the reduction of fuel subsidies will go to lower other cost such as lowering car and income taxes at the federal level. While the state might be able to reduce land and assessment taxes. This will go along way in reducing the burden of the people.

Selling Your Soul

2008-05-30T00:49:00.003+12:00

"Cubalah, Encik....cubalah, free for life...cubalah..." pleads the lady. It was nearing 10 pm. The look on the lady's face haunts me. She was small, a hand shorter than me with straight dark hair cut at shoulder length. Her eyes...oh God! her eyes.... you can see desperation in her eyes. I tried walking away...but she persistently pursued me...even though after I remark "Never mind, thank you"... she still shadowed me along with that horrifying pleading voice.."Cubalah, Encik...cubalah"... I had a quick glance at her. My eyes were drawn to her face, thin almost gaunt like.

She was pitching her sale line. As though getting customer to sign up for the bank credit card is her life line. As though her very soul is at stake. I shudder to think what forces somebody to act so desperately.

There must be a better way of convincing people to take up your offer for God sake! And haunting them with your pleadings aren't it!

"Cubalah, Encik....cubalah, free for life.....cubalah"

Benar : Dare to be Free

2008-05-28T03:10:00.004+12:00

I feel strongly about this issue:

There's a walk for a free and fair Media. Read more about it here.

A Long Tiring Journey

2008-05-27T01:29:00.003+12:00

Just came back from Kluang, Johor. Went there Sunday around 10 pm after attending a wedding dinner of Mimi's friend. Mimi accompanied me to Kluang. Thanks Dear :). Arrived in Kluang around 1 am. Quite an uneventful journey going there. Haven't been to Kluang since the last 20 odd years or so. The place definitely changed. More people, more buildings, more roads and of course more traffics.

Around 9 am went for a meeting. Meeting ended around 12.00 pm and went to visit a site in Kluang after that.

Started back home Monday 1 pm, used the 'scenic' route and arrived around 7 pm. Exited Ayer Keroh exit, had a late lunch of chicken rice in Sg. Udang near the Trendak Camp (not bad, definitely should try if you're around there). From there traveled to Masjid Tanah, Ramuan China Besar, Ramuan China Kecil, entered Negri Sembilan through Rembau.

From there passed several villages until reached Port Dickson. Continue to Lukut, Chua, Bukit Pelandok and arrived in Selangor through Sepang.

NEED TO REST!

Here In My Home

2008-05-21T20:25:00.001+12:00

Support the Malaysian Artist For Unity

The Path Most Travelled

2008-05-19T03:24:00.010+12:00

In the dawn of my life,

as I lay awaken,
by the sights,
and sounds,
and smells,
of people living their lives.
Some moved with purpose,
others endlessly roaming this earth,
looking for a cause,
a meaning,
of existence or at least,
a purpose for their meandering.

Sometimes at awed,
most of the times frightened,
the journey that men have took,
through chasm of indignities,
across mountains of hatred,
over oceans of doubts.
A few breaks free,
the shackles that is mass indifferences,
or worse,
the fate of being unnoticed.
But that few,
whether by the lies that is might,
or the strength that is right.
Have force history,
to take a moment notice.

Ha! what path had they undertook?
What stories could such a person holds
dear in his chest or laid bare open?
Upon them, we looks for similarity.
If not that,
at the very least,
an attempt to be similar.

As I started this journey,
traveled this path called life,
my steps hesitant,
but proceed I must.
Slowly and steadily,
the steps grows surer,
the stride grows longer,
the pace grows faster.

How else can a man chart his destiny,
if not by taking a step at a time.
How else can a man measure himself,
if not by the distance he had traveled.

A walk in the Park

2008-05-19T00:27:00.002+12:00

I took these pictures using my wife's friend's camera while we were at the Butterfly Park.

Neutrality vs. Subservient

2008-05-18T04:11:00.002+12:00

In Malaysia, the civil servant is expected to obey and be 'loyal' towards the government of the day. The will of the 'political master' is the command unto the civil servant. The political master set the policies and the civil servant implement them. But at the same time, civil servants by nature have to be neutral in implementing government's policies, without regards towards race, religion or even political preferences.

The problem exist when the policies of the political master are bias against their opponent and detractors. What becomes the civil servant? Stuck between political will and principal neutrality, how should a civil servant conduct him or herself?

It is my opinion that, neutrality is the pillar of our civil servants. The public pays their salary and also all of their offices and equipments. By right, a civil servant have to act in accordance to the needs and rights of the people. They should serve without fear or favor and also fairly and justly. To do otherwise, is to betray the trust of the people. Should the political will commands otherwise. The civil servant have a right to not obey such unjust commands.

A New Kid in Town

2008-05-11T12:53:00.002+12:00

Finally, my wife just posted her first blog. You can find her link in the Other's People Writings. It'll be an interesting blog, since my wife have more flair in expressing herself and sharing her experiences with others. Enjoy:)

This is a Test for Adding Pictures

2008-05-11T02:31:00.008+12:00

From left : Emak, Mimi, Abah

Time Hundred Most Influential

2008-05-10T01:16:00.003+12:00

I just watched the news on ntv7 that, Robert Downey Jr. is listed in the Time 100. Go Downey! I've always thought that he is a good artist and entertainer. But more interestingly, ntv7 forgot or purposely ignored the fact that a Malaysian was listed in the list. This is what's so funny, we always like to highlight our so called 'successes' and we'll always shout such 'successes' to the four corner of the world. But this listing of our 'illustrious son of the nation' seems to be ignored by the news. I'm not sure whether or not it is everyday that a Malaysian managed to make it in any list (though we do have several entries in Forbes Most Riches) but somehow snubbing it outright is really 'to your face' politics.

I'm not particularly sure how the people were selected. It would be nice if the editors can be transparent about it. How did they quantify 'influential' in the first place? Is it by the news worthiness? Is it by public recognition? Is it by lobbyist waiting in the TIME lobby trying not to look like lobbyist?

Well anyway, kudos to Anwar Ibrahim for being listed. I wonder how I can be listed in future Time 100 list?

A most unfortunate turn of event

2008-05-07T21:00:00.003+12:00

**Sigh**

Another attempt at drowning and strangling the freedom of expression and speech.

Lo! within this land,
beautifully carved by God,
upon which millions,
nay! billions,
of life striving,
to seek His benevolence,
alas! a few darken souls,
building four walls,
to enclosed our spirits,
fey! our heart of hearts,
shall slowly wither?
Never!

Prevention of Lightning Fatality While Showering

2008-05-05T02:34:00.004+12:00

I'm sure by now that most of you have heard that the ministry of Foreign Affair is proposing to the government requiring solo oversea traveling female consent from their family before journeying to prevent them being used as 'mule' for drug traffickers.

In the same vein as this proposal, I'm also proposing that we put in the Penal Code the crime of showering during lightning storm. We all know that there is a possibility (no matter how small) of being electrocuted while showering during lightning storms. This incident could even be fatal to the individual involved. So as to stop people from being harmed from this situation, I proposed that we equate the action of showering during lightning storms to that of trying to kill one self, which is a criminal offense. Thus punishable for jail terms and/or caning.

Hopefully with this proposal, we can reduce the number of possible death by lightning electrocution during shower.

World Press Freedom Day

2008-05-03T20:03:00.003+12:00

Today is the day we 'celebrate' the freedom of our press and also to pay tribute to journalist that have 'fallen' in the line of duty.

It is timely for me to remind myself and all, the importance of having a free, fair and credible press. A trustworthy press that holds itself with dignity and integrity will undoubtedly advanced the cause of the people and also democracy. The press should be seen as the Fourth Estate, that forces the other state arms (Judiciary, Legislative, Executive) to be accountable to the people.

Such qualities of press are unfortunately lacking within this nation of ours. It is up to us to demand a better press.

A Requiem for the Fallen:

Arise, arise, O! you who have fallen,
your tears and blood shall not be forsaken,
your legacy and faith shall not be forgotten,
lest we the living forever be silence.

Arise, arise, O! you who have martyred,
your glory awaits you in the hall of the Departed,
your battles are o'er but alas not the war,
we the living shall fight the oppressor.

Arise, arise, O! you who have fallen,
we the living shall be unforgiven.

May Day: A tribute to the Anarchists

2008-05-02T01:40:00.004+12:00

Fourth of May,
what a tragic day,
blood shed for a rest day,
for a less hour work day,
the anarchist hope and pray,
the police march in formation,
a bomb exploded causing consternation,
Degan dies for a senseless show,
gunshots fired between friends and foes,
workers and polices lay wounded and dead,
what a bloodied path to tread,
caught were the eight,
what a terrible fate,
a trial to follow,
all but one sentence to the gallows,
of the seven,
two were commuted to life,
while Lingg prefers the dynamite,
the rest were dutifully hanged,
but slowly not as planned,
before his death,
Spies shouted his last breath,
"The time will come
when our silence will be
more powerful than the voices
you strangle today!"

Happy May Day!

2008-05-01T13:22:00.003+12:00

I was supposed to write this at 12 am sharp but I fell asleep :D

Anyway, Happy May Day! Let us all not forget the trials and tribulations of workers and labourers around the world that fought and continuously fight for our rights. Long live the proletariat!

Btw, we should demand that we only work 8 hours a day again!

Diesel Subsidies

2008-04-30T02:43:00.002+12:00

In principal, I am against subsidies. Whether it is for petrol, diesels, gas, utilities, food and many others. It will create inefficiency in the market. Though there are a few exceptions such as in the area of education and health where I believe that the government have to fully support due to the inherent responsibilities of governments to maintain the public well being.

It is a fact that prices of materials and commodities have increased dramatically in the global market. A higher income population in Asia and Latin America are eating and consuming the resources of the world. This have inadvertently push the prices of most goods to record high.

Locally throughout the decades, the government have tackled this issue in a populist manner by giving subsidies in most critical areas. From fertilizers to petrols, the government have spent billions in subsidies to maintain fixed prices. Unfortunately, the global prices of materials and commodities are still moving upwards with no sign of stabilizing in the near future. It has thus come to a point where the government could not afford to support subsidies for the people.

Recently, the government have made known their intention to pull back or reduce subsidies for diesel. The government chose diesel as their first commodities due to their logic that diesel have a smaller user based compared to petrol. Though, I have to point out that this small user base consist of trucks, lorries, buses and heavy machines that more or less serves as the backbone of our logistic industry. Meaning any price increase on diesel will directly increase the cost of deliveries of goods. This will most assuredly increase the prices of consumer goods. And thus, reducing discretionary income of the public.

The problem with this country is that our income do not increase in proportion to that of the price increase. Which means as we move forward, we will be getting less discretionary income.

Unfortunately, I do not foresee any short term solutions that will be good enough to solve the diesel subsidy issue or any subsidies issues without creating a shock to the consumer. It is my view that the government have to come up with a clear and holistic plan and policy in reducing subsidies in the long term and not tackle the issue piecemeal by piecemeal.

Purpose to blog

2008-04-28T04:46:00.002+12:00

What is your purpose to blog I wonder?
Mine?
I write to fill my spare time.
I write to form my thoughts (whatever it maybe).
I write to form my half form thoughts.
I write to lay bare my demons.
Sometimes I write just because.

How now brown cow?

2008-04-22T03:09:00.002+12:00

It's been more than a month since the last election. Everything and everybody seems to settle down to their purpose and work. The Federal Government introduces several institutional changes and reforms in the administration of justice and anti-corruption. A pretty good move if i do say so myself. But the more important thing is, is changing the mindset of individuals and masses to put others before self. How to do that?

Gblogs or Goblok?

2008-04-14T21:20:00.002+12:00

Haha..this is a funny one....Google is coming up with a new personal publishing service called Google Weblogs, in short Gblogs... I maybe asinine to say this but Gblogs sound soo much like Goblok...

I dream of a better Gini

2008-04-14T19:43:00.002+12:00

For those who are not familiar with Gini Coefficient it is measure of statistical dispersion most commonly used to measure inequality in income distribution. The value used is between 0 to 1. 0 being perfect equality while 1 is perfect inequality. Basically, it's says how equal is the distribution of wealth in a given study.

In the case of Malaysia, based on survey in 1997 that was published in 2007 by World Bank we are rated at around 0.492 or 49.2 %. Looking at the table, highest 10% of the population owns 38% of the nation wealth. Looking at top 40% of the population owns 74.6% of wealth, while more than half of that wealth is concentrated within the top 10% of the population (38.4%). The rest of the 60% of population owns just 25.4% of the nation wealth. This is a terrible indicator of our distribution of wealth. It just shows that we have a skewed economy where only a small minority of the people (1/10) own more than 1/3 of the nations wealth. That was in 1997.

I fear to know the current situation.

Wife

2008-04-14T15:32:00.001+12:00

When the day turns to night,
you are the star that shine so bright.

Nephew

2008-04-14T02:18:00.001+12:00

Bright, clear and fresh,
like spring in a forest.
Flowing, tinkling
like spring in a forest.

Time...not enough

2008-04-11T02:31:00.002+12:00

Argh...too little time..too many things to do... online projects, residence management committees, office works, books to read, blogs to type and read...argh..

Fare thee well.

2008-04-07T03:10:00.002+12:00

I lost a friend yesterday to a motorcycle accident. He was on an tour with a group of super-bikers to Johor. He's 29. He left behind a wife and 2 children (4 and 2). Fare thee well, Firwance. May God protect and bless your journey in the Hereafter. Al-Fatihah.

Fitna the Movie (Short film to be exact)

2008-04-04T04:15:00.003+13:00

Finally, after reading about it sometime ago, the movie is out. I had guess the reaction to the clips would be 'explosives', pun intended. And it was badly accepted by the majority of Muslims. At first I was quite hesitant about watching it, but then if I don't watch it, how can I comment on it. So, I managed to watch it in youtube. After watching it, I had a conversation with Farrish through gmail on this issue. And this is what we discussed:

23:14 me: salam
Farrish: salam
wassssaaappp bro
23:15 me: writing my blog...
on fitna
Farrish: aaaaa
23:17 me: before that...i have to watch it first
Farrish: is it still available?
tot it was put down?
me: it's in youtube
flagged though
Farrish: damn
23:19 me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCrCsTMokTU

23:27 me: done watching
Farrish: not yet
half done
me: k
nothing much really...
23:28 i was expecting more interesting scenes..
or at least better cinematography..
23:32 Farrish: ok
done
23:33 me: so how was it?
not really oscar type
Farrish: hahaha
dat guy who did fahrenheit 911 was better la
me: moore?
Farrish: yeah
but still
23:34 me: yeah, he did a better documentary
Farrish: makes my blood boil just watching it
me: why?
Farrish: did u watch it?
me: yeah...
Farrish: i mean apart from the cinematography and all?
me: ohh...that...
23:35 a very skewed view on islam..
Farrish: very
me: well..it happens
Farrish: and worst part
i read da commetns at the bottom
just sad to see so much hatred
me: didn't read that much of the comment
23:36 most of them are sub-literate anyway
Farrish: yeap
me: i bet some of them get their infos from youtube..
23:37 Farrish: haha
me: seeing how most have a short attention span
Farrish: call it selective memories then
me: the 10 mins youtube clips would be their bread and butter for info..
anyway...not really that awe-inspiring..
Farrish: nah
23:38 me: it's just a cut and paste thing
Farrish: just something to rile the non-muslims against us
me: with very little editting..
Farrish: yup
me: i heard about this clip for quite sometime now..
Farrish: mostly from cnn and other news source
me: more than 3 months i think
Farrish: u did?
me: yep..
Farrish: so long ago?
23:39 damn
me: he was planning this since last year i think..
Farrish: crap
me: he needs a better director i think
or at least better editor and special effect
Farrish: think he save cost and directed it himself i guess
and the edditing
23:40 and the cinematography
me: yeah...very unprofessional way of directing
Farrish: yup
da cut and paste way
sounds like plagersm...
me: hmmm...most of it IS from other sources..
23:41 i would reckon only 5-6 seconds of actual camera shoot
the last part where the hand seems to fold/tear the page..
Farrish: yeah\
me: the rest are all clips..
23:42 Farrish: yup
think the hand belonged to him
to save cost again...
me: maybe..
he needs to go to a better school of movie directing
Farrish: hahaha
me: limkokwing should be good
23:43 Farrish: guess so
me: a lot of creative juices there..
Farrish: cant think of any good dutch movies....
hmmmm
he might not afford limkokwing
since everyone is sueing his @$$
23:44 me: what..i'm sure he's salary is enough to cover long distance learning
Farrish: guess he spent his paycheck on dis thing called a documentary/short film....
23:45 me: hmm...btw, i dont think he can be sued for the film
Farrish: how so?
me: he might be sued for his action of disrupting public peace...
but the film...i dont think so..
Farrish: heard that dutch co's wanna sue him for lost of income
23:46 me: the content is basically an interpretation from his POV on the Quran
obviously he did not hire good translators..
Farrish: hahaha
yup

Bapa - Bapa

2008-04-03T03:14:00.002+13:00

Almarhum Tengku Abdul Rahman - Bapa Kemerdekaan,
Almarhum Tun Abd. Razak - Bapa Pembangunan,
Almarhum Tun Hussein Onn - Bapa Perpaduan,
Tun Dr. Mahathir - Bapa Permodenan,
Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi - Bapa ?

emancipate yourself from mental slavery

2008-03-30T05:02:00.001+13:00

I love this song

The King of the Turtles.

2008-03-26T23:33:00.005+13:00

I suppose by now, everybody would have scrutinized the issues surrounding the appointment of the T'ganu MB. A lot of legal issues being brought forth. Some are saying that there is a "Constitutional Crisis", others claims that the Palace is interfering withe the process of democracy. The more passionate ones, declared that BN actions is tantamount to treason. While some others would speculate that the Monarchy is flexing it's muscle and to test the new Federal administration. You can all read these opinions (some are really good, while others barely acceptable) in other blogs.

However we want to see it, the main point is that we as a nation are slowly adapting to the new political realities. Not only is there a more representative of the Opposition within the Parliament, there is a change in the equilibrium of the power within it. We all know what the effect of the shift in the equilibrium of power in Parliament entails. That is of greater voices of opposing views. But other than that, what other effects have there been or will be?

The most apparent, is a feeling of empowerment within the community. It seems that we have been given our voices back. Even the Monarchy feels a certain sense of vigor. Especially of note the case in Perlis and T'ganu. It seems that we have been taken a breath of fresh air after years of living in an environment of fear, frustration and stagnation. Such was the stranglehold of the Central government, would I say the political power, in terms of suppressing the freedom of expressions, ideas, hope and the thousands varied feelings that are kept within the heart of men.

This sense of empowerment should not be taken for granted. It is to be seized and cherish and nurture further so that it will in turn create a far more vibrant democracy and a more inclusive nation. We can be more with each other. We can find the soul that was once lost in the emptiness of empathy and despair. We can learn and understand the hope and fear that is in each of us and form it we see the glorious beauty of the true self. Let us not waste that.

We have our voice back. It is up to us to decide whether we sing in a cacophony of tunes that ultimately merge in to a harmonious magnus opus of discourse. Or we falter half way and listen to the silence of empathy.

About Terenganu Crisis...Naaah!

2008-03-26T02:57:00.002+13:00

I thought of writing my thoughts on the events that is happening in T'ganu. I have this great observations on it but, I'll probably do it another time...

Though not as dramatic as the T"ganu Crisis...I leave you all with this, the great bumble bee

The New Cabinet

2008-03-20T01:48:00.003+13:00

Out with the Old,
in with the New,
never mind the look,
it serves the same function.

How to pick a Cabinet?,
it is really not that hard.
First, pick one
that caught your fancy.
Second, open it
and size it up.

If it's too big,
look for another one.
Or you can just buy
the first one
that caught your fancy
and cut it in half.

But if it's too small?
Buy another one
that is similar.

And that's how
you buy a new Cabinet

The Forgotten Representatives

2008-03-14T04:48:00.002+13:00

For several days now, both the Federal Government and the State Governments have been choosing their Ministers and Excos respectively. It seems that we have a muhibbah line up of executives. Or do we?

You see, except for Penang, we have Malay Menteri Besar for all the other states. This itself is a glaring unevenness in the distribution of Menteri Besars post. Though to balance it out both the BN and the non- BN parties (they should get a recognizable name) elected excos from Chinese and Indians. While the CM of Penang elected both Malay and Indian to be the Deputy CM.

But the question in my mind is, where are the original people? Where are the Penans, the Senois, the Negritos and the rest of our original people? They have the same rights if not more, to be apart of the administration. Though there are certain limitations to electing excos and ministers (they have to be either a member of the State Representative or Parliamentary Representatives), I'm sure certain ways can be done to put the voice of the original people in the whole national debate. Some of the state, like Kelantan, Perak, Pahang and Johor can elect 2 people to represent the state in the Senate. Maybe one of them can be an original people.

Hmm...maybe there's a chance to for me to set up a political party to fight for the rights of the original people. Maybe a PBDLL (Parti Bersatu Dan Lain - Lain) or PBOAS (Parti Bersatu Orang Asli Semenanjung).