Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Malaysians of My 2009


"That man is great, and he alone,
Who serves a greatness not his own,
For neither praise nor pelf:
Content to know and be unknown:
Whole in himself"
~ Lord Lytton



It's been an interesting year.

Instead of highlighting the blunders, plunders and some dunder-heads, I wish to remember this year with people that have touched and changed my life in countless better ways.

I found selfless courage and brotherhood in Uncle Zorro and our Special Bunch.

I saw valour in Mr. Bong from The Flaccid Mind.

I met great thinkers and visionaries in Mssr Art and Judge Wenger Khairy.

I was blessed with a rewarding friendship with Bro Private Trainer Corporate Athlete and Mr. Zewt (virtually, simply!).

I wept and cheered for live coverage by Mr. Anil Netto.

I seeked unconditional comfort and protection from wonderful, nameless strangers in Ipoh last May who showed me 'warna kulit, pangkat, harta, pendidikan tiada harga tanpa rasa cinta pada Negara'.

I drew great inspirations from a gentleman behind this blog.

I was touched and all fired up by writings from Mr. Dnightcaller, especially on Adik Siti Amynur's plight, that led to the birth of Blogosphere Social Responsibility.

I had my confidence amplified knowing there are still many young souls out there that could make our Ibu Pertiwi a better place for all like Adik Chronicle and Adik Ironic Paradox.

I read more books and shares many more passions in life with The Construction Lawyer, Mr. Modern Life and The O Great Sir Walla.

I felt a huge vacuum when The Enlightening Storyteller passed on to a better place. Al-fatihah.

G.K. Chesterton once said, "There is a great man who makes every man feel small. But the real great man is the man who makes every man feel great".

For that, these are the people who make me feel worth being a Malaysian.

For them, I look forward to a better in-road in 2010 - in our heart, mind and soul.

p.s. For 2010, I'd like to do what I found in "P.S. I Love You" - that is, "Today, give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he sees all day".

Thursday, December 24, 2009

For Mr Duke The Whisperer



"Believing hear, what you deserve to hear
Your birthday as my own to me is dear
But yours gives most; for mine did only lend
Me to the world; yours gave to me a friend"


Tuesday, the 21st Dec 2009, was Mr Duke The Whisperer's and his Little Girl's birthday. I'm lucky to know someone like him. Sir, you know what you mean to me right and what I wish for you? (Yeap, he's a mind reader so watch out;)

Happy Belated Birthday Mr. Duke.

All I Want For Christmas Is....




All I want for Christmas is
A beacon of light for maturity
In our heart
In our mind
In our acts
In our words
In our solidarity
For love and peace
For all
From all of us


All I want for Christmas is
A friend like you
A warrior in you
Someone special just like you


All I want for Christmas is
To share this warm fuzzy feeling with you
To let you know your presence in life
Is indeed special and makes a lot of difference
To someone who see how very special you are


All I want for Christmas is
You spending your time with your loved ones
Putting aside differences and coldness
And let love glows in the darkness of your heart


All I want for Christmas is
You to know that I am glad I know you

May you have a meaningful and joyful Christmas...




p.s. I do not mention name because that would be a long list but let me assure you that if you do read my blog, you are indeed very special to me...


Scores in Life


I shared with you about my Little Women of Penang here back in February. Amongst cousins, we are always the closer ones. Well, apart from me spending many days at their place in Serambi Mekah and The Pearl of the Orient, we love books and enjoy being kiddies when we get together (even now considering I'm so that 'young' - hehehhe sarcastically).


Today is a very special day. Lisa, the youngest of them, just got her PMR result and since intelligence runs in the family, of course she scored bull's eyes - 8As!


Seriously, I don't really care much about scores and grades but in her case and her sisters' too, i have high regards for these ladies because, not only being bestowed with great brain power, they are the ones with big, compassion heart and my Chu and Pak Busu are indeed divinely blessed.


After my baby sister went to visit them last October, she shared with me how helpful Lisa is, helping out my Chu, even without being asked. For us, she's the most helpful amongst the three of them. I know too many kids who are pampered to the max, that they have all the times in the world to study and study, with no reality check on how busy were their parents trying to give the best for them. They scored on papers but not in their heart.


"Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart" ~ Kahlil Gibran


Based on the above glowing notes, Lisa not only scored 8As for her PMR, she scored many more points in life that I know would guide her so well throughout her life.


Thank you Allah for this sweet victory. With your mercy and grace that this once tiny pre-mature baby has turned into a beautiful soul. I know she would make a lot of great difference to this Ibu Pertiwi in near future.


A smart Little Woman with a Big, Sensible heart - that's priceless!


p.s. Can I go and cry now? :) _ _


Wednesday, December 23, 2009

I Shall Be Victorious!




I like opera because it's dramatic - just like me. Apart from "Cats" and "Phantom of Opera", "Turandot", for me, is a magically divine love story because it encompasses on how do you teach someone to love?
I admire Calaff for he is such a remarkable strategist because too many suitors were beheaded at cold-hearted but smart Turandot's orders and he is really a true hero because like Albert Ellis says, "The art of love is largely the art of persistence".

On this bittersweet wintery Wednesday, let me indulge you with "Nessun Dorma" performed by Legendary Luciano Pavarotti.





("No One Sleeps")

No one sleeps! No one sleeps!

Even you, oh princess, in your cold room,

Look at the stars that tremble with love and hope!


But my mystery, it is locked in me

And my name, no one will know! No, no!


On your mouth, I will say it, when the light will shine!

And my kiss will break the silence, that makes you mine!



His name no one will know

And we shall have, alas, to die, to die!

Disperse, o night!


Vanish, oh stars! Vanish, oh stars!

At daybreak, I shall be victorious!

I shall be victorious! I shall be victorious!



p.s. My posts have been ladened and dripping with love lately but I truly believe in what Eric Fromm says that, "Love is the only sane and satisfactory answer to the problem of human existence". Let's heal the world!

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

A Genie or A Genius?



"When you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder a second seems like an hour. That's relativity" ~ Albert Einstein

She's A Genius. Yes, the intelligence of one's progeny is primarily attributed by the strength of mental capability of a group of women we called mothers. If your children are smart, bless you for having a smart wife.

Having studied about the passing of dominant genes from one generation to another makes me shaking my head in horror or disbelief if a pretty decent guy got hooked up with trophy-girl-on-the-outside-but-tipsy-up-there (like those dumb blondes with exception to Ivanka Trump). Why? Well, let's just say that this world will be contaminated with not-so-good-gene-carrying progenies, who would then shape it into what it is now.

Please, I'm not referring to whether they have bundles of qualification paper in their hands because it was reported a few weeks ago by Mr Anil Netto on the rising number of unemployed graduates. Bear in mind, more than 50% of graduates from our universities are women. Their unemployment status has shown that these lots are just lack of resourcefulness and stuck in their mental rut.

The founder of "Sendayu Tinggi" is one mighty intelligent lady though she never went to college, which stands true to what Charles F. Kettering says that, "The difference between intelligence and education is this: intelligence will make you a good living".

So, where does this lead me to? You have to choose your woman - just right - gentlemen.

All mothers are gifts from God but wives? You could always choose a wife. Choose the one that makes you happy
because "a wife is the joy of a man's heart" and the one that makes you a better person because "a man's wife has more power over him than the state has".

We know too well what happens when the wife empower her power on her coward husband. When RM50.0 Million jetfighter enginer could go missing, we just have to figure out how easy to get C4 and blow people up? Gee. That's scary. I better not flirt with this coward man otherwise there would be 2 ladies being c4-ed in my area.

You may think she's bloody smart for controlling the husband by the balls and all, I beg to differ. For every baby step the coward husband is taking, one of her 8.5 Richter scale steps would bring his coward husband 100 steps behind, underperforming or not performing at all in the eyes of common people like us.

"Man becomes man only by his intelligence, but he is man only by his heart"
~ Henri Frederic Amiel

In addition, a wife would either make her husband a human or a lesser being. A heartless husband allows someone under his care to die in vain just because he wanted to show how powder-fool he is. An idiotic husband would make sexist remarks in the August House when he is supposed to fight for the rights of his less fortunate people. A coward husband would suck up to the irrelevant political parties just because they and their progenies cannot survive without the connections.

A woman could be a genie (and makes your dreams come true) or a genius or both. But I better advise you to go for genius women for like what George Bernard Shaw says, "Common sense is instinct. Enough of it is genius".

As my trainer this morning kept stressing the importance of common sense in risk analysis (for the lack of it has brought us the global financial crisis we are currently recovering slowly from), let us all embrace common sense because
[we] can never fear that things will go far wrong where common sense has fair play(Thomas Jefferson).

Let me go with peaceful mind now that I have given my piece of mind to you, gentlemen. If only we have more wives like Michelle Obama, what a wonderful world this would be!

"Most people who meet my wife quickly conclude that she is remarkable. They are right about this. She is smart, funny and thoroughly charming. Often, after hearing her speak at some function or working with her on a project, people will approach me and say something to the effect of, you know, I think the world of you, Barack, but your wife, wow!" ~ Barack Obama

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Zimbabwe's Twin Country...


Ralph Waldo Emerson says, "America is another name of opportunity".

If you read Prof. Abdul Aziz Bari's interview here, then "Malaysia is another name of corruption".

Just try reading TIME and Newsweek and I bet you won't missed the similarities. Really, trust me. But then again, Zimbabwe is only 29 years old. Shouldn't we have grown wiser now that we have turned 52 years old?

Maybe we want to learn a thing or two from Peru as I shared here "Why we are where we are" a couple of month ago.

Contemplative Weekend



"And think not you can, Direct the course of love,

For love, If it finds you worthy, Directs your course"

~ Kahlil Gibran


"And ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation"

~ Kahlil Gibran


Sound 1

Sound 2

Sound 3

Sound 4

Free Education and Health Service Can Set Us All Free



This weekend, my soul was wrecked with sadness and utter disbelief.

Amongst the notable reasons are as follows: -


1. Why can't education be made free and compulsory to all children

"If you think education is expensive, try ignorance"
~ Attributed to both Andy McIntyre and Derek Bok

I was waiting impatiently to watch Crayon Shin Chan over NTV7 yesterday evening when I had to 'relish' one of the most idiotic explanations too frequently uttered by Gomen men. In no time, my childish excitement turned into sadness, tears rolling down my cheeks.

This secretary general to our Education Minister was telling the audience that they won't provide education to children of the refugees because 'if we give them a good education, they will be more of them coming over'. He went on by implying that these children should also be punished accordingly since they have entered our Ibu Pertiwi illegally. Can't he see that by providing these children with education, part of our problem is solved? But above all, no child should be punished for his parent's mistakes or weaknesses.

Well, let's not talk about providing free education to those children of the refugees. Even some Anak-Anak Bangsa Malaysia are denied access to school because they do not have proper documents, like Birth Certificate. Some do not have this certificate because they were born out of wedlock. Some due to life's circumstances.

A few couldn't make into school because it's too far away that their poor parents couldn't afford to send them. A few couldn't even afford a proper meal for them to grow. A few kind souls give school a miss because they need to care for their ailing parents or work so that they family could have something to eat, somewhere to live, and a hope to live by for another challenging day.

For all these glaring facts, we fail to help them. We fail to register all babies that were born in any hospitals in this Ibu Pertiwi as our own. We fail to trigger early warning signal that these children were not enrolled in any education centres by the time they reach 6 years old. We fail to notice and follow up when one child went missing from school. We fail to identify these children that need our assistance in many ways. Why? Isn't that a sin that we know yet we do not do anything about it?

Yet, one teen was sent to jail because he failed to attend our deluded NS when he had stopped schooling since he was 15. When we can fill his name in the list as he turned 17, why can't we fill the name of those children to attend school when they turn 7?

I simply cannot comprehend that we would allow hundreds of million being paid as commissions to purchase an instrument of war, another Istana Negara and Exhibition Centre being built, to condone corruption when these children are left in the darkness without hope of future? Aristotle once said, "Education is an ornament in prosperity and a refuge in adversity". How could we not feel for them?

It's even more sad because those people who run this Ibu Pertiwi are educated but perhaps, true to what Bill Beattie says that, "The aim of education should be to teach us rather how to think, than what to think - rather to improve our minds, so as to enable us to think for ourselves, than to load the memory with thoughts of other men".

I take comfort on UNICEF's Convention on the Rights of the Child. One of the rights is to provide free, compulsory quality education system for all children. I think we all should work towards providing this priceless gift to these innocent children.



2. Why can't we provide non-profit universal health care?

While hurrying to the kitchen this morning, I stumbled upon Michael Moore's "Sicko" on telly and spent a good 20 minutes watching it before it ended with me sobbing silently. I would save some bytes and plead that you have to watch this heart-rendering documentary.

So, I shall share with you some quotes that just squeezed dry my tear glands: -

(a) Tony Benn

"Keeping people hopeless and pessimistic - see I think there are two ways in which people are controlled - first of all frighten people and secondly demoralize them. An educated, healthy and confident nation is harder to govern".

(b) Micheal Moore

"If this is what can happen between supposed enemies, if one enemy can hold out his hand and offer to heal, then what else is possible? That's when I heard that the man who runs the biggest anti-Michael Moore website was going to have to shut it down. He could no longer afford to keep it up because his wife was ill and he couldn't afford to pay for her health insurance. He was faced with a choice of either keep attacking me or pay for his wife's health. Fortunately, he chose his wife. But something seemed wrong about being forced into such a decision. Why, in a free country, shouldn't he be able to have health insurance and exercise his First Amendment right to run me into the ground? So I wrote him a check for the 12,000 dollars he needed to keep his wife insured and in treatment, and sent it to him anonymously. His wife got better and his website is still going strong".

"It was hard for me to acknowledge that in the end, we truly are all in the same boat. And that now matter what are differences, we sink or swim together. That's how it seems to be everywhere else. They take care of each other, no matter what their disagreements. You know, when we see a good idea from another country, we grab it. If they build a better car, we drive it. If they make a better wine, we drink it. So if they've come up with a better way to treat the sick, to teach their kids, to take care of their babies, to simply be good to each other, then what's our problem? Why can't we do that? They live in a world of 'we', not 'me'. We'll never fix anything until we get that one basic thing right. And powerful forces hope that we never do. And that we remain the only country in the western world without free, universal health care. You know, if we ever did remove the chokehold of medical bills, college loans, daycare, and everything else that makes us afraid to step out of line, well, watch out. Cause it will be a new day in America. In the meantime, I'm gonna go get the government to do my laundry".



Saturday, December 19, 2009

Politics of Marriage




"Book VII (of "Politics") is the counterpart in Aristotle's work to Plato's "Republic", a description of what it would be best to do if we had to found a new state.
A state is not a mere society, having a common place, established for the prevention of mutual crime and for the sake of exchange. Political society exists for the sake of noble actions, and not of mere companionship.

Different men seek after happiness in different ways and by different means, and so make for themselves different modes of life and forms of government.

In inquiry about the best form of state, it is necessary to decide first which is the most eligible (choice-worthy, preferable) life for individuals.

Aristotle summarises parts of his "discussions outside the school concerning the best life". A happy man must have external goods, goods of the body (e.g. health), and goods of the soul (virtue).

"Some think that a very moderate amount of virtue is enough, but set no limit to their desires of wealth, property, power, reputation and the like of external goods. But experience shows that happiness is more often found with those who are most highly cultivated in their mind and in their character, and have only a moderate share of external goods, than among those who possess external goods to a useless extent but are deficient in higher qualities".

"Let us acknowledge then that each one has just so much of happiness as he has of virtue and wisdom, and of virtuous and wise action. The best life, both for individuals and states, is the life of virtue, when virtue has external goods enough for the performance of good actions.

The good state will therefore be one which makes it possible for its citizens to engage in intelligent and virtuous activity, including scientific and philosophical thinking".


The word "Politics", to me, is automatically linked to Aristotle. So, I thought I should go through his enlightening e-book of the same title to see if I could draw some similarities between forming a political society and forming a marriage partnership.

Well, if you are able to apply the above findings by Aristotle on forming a new state, you would be able to postulate that people get married for various reasons, depending on what kind of partnership they want to have with another person.

Many tie a knot for all the rights and benefits that come along i.e. intimacy, family and responsibility. Some walk down the aisle for all the desires to own, sit on a throne and to be well known. A few exchange their rings for having someone to spend the rest of their life with. Sadly, rarely one marries another knowing that by being in sanctity of matrimony together, each of them become a better human. May I conclude that people get together in a marriage for reasons they know best.

What prompted me to share this valuable thoughts of Aristotle is the fact that we, outsiders, are making a lot of noise when one Bung-who is said to take an actress as his second wife. We say both of them are being insensitive to his first wife's feelings, that the actress is simply a 'pisau cukur', and that man is just plain 'gatal'.

Please, could we just stop interfering with other people's personal life?

That one Bung-who is well known to make sexist remarks in the August House, which would make us wonder why on earth those voters in Kinabatangan sent him there - fully paid.

Aristotle says, "Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies". I just wish that once he's married to one Lithe Young Lady[1], he would have more respect to women, be more accountable to the responsibilities and start acting like a real gentleman because only when you have found love, only when you know that you are worthy of being loved, only when you are capable of sharing your love, only then you and your sense and sensibility are alive.

Maybe, you want to listen to Bryan Adams' "Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman and Shania Twain's "From This Moment On".

[1] I am referring to the actress. Her mother told the media that she's concerned about her status at the age of 31. Indirectly, the mother was saying that the actress doesn't want to be labeled as old maiden. Well, I am so old maiden. So, who do you think would consider me as Lithe Young Lady? If you can answer me correctly, can you tell me the probability of finding one without a wife and children? Thanks but no thanks. I'm not that desperate...


Friday, December 18, 2009

A Tribute to My Angel - Wherever You Are



Maggie Rice: I wait all day, just hoping for one more minute with you, and I don't even know you.

Maggie Rice: Are you here? I want to see you. Let me see you. Just stay. Just stay until I fall asleep.

Maggie Rice: I don't understand a God who would let us meet, if there's no way we could ever be together.

Seth: To touch you... and to feel you. To be able to hold your hand right now. Do you know what that means to me? Do you - Do you know how much I love you?

Seth: Hello Maggie! It's nice to see you again.
Maggie Rice: It's weird to see you again.
Seth: Weird is nice.

Maggie Rice: I'm not afraid. When they ask me what I liked the best, I'll tell them, it was you.

Seth: I would rather have had one breath of her hair, one kiss of her mouth, one touch of her hand, than eternity without it. One.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

The Significance of Ma’al Hijrah



This evening, Muslims around the world would bid farewell to 1430 Hijrah and usher in 1431 Hijrah - the start of Muslim calendar year with prayers, contemplation and reflection of our own existence and mortality - unlike other New Year celebrations.


Abraham Lincoln once said, “We know nothing of what will happen in future, but by the analogy of experience”.


Here, on the eve of 1431 Hijrah, I would like to share the significance of Ma’al Hijrah, as extracted from here: -


Mohammad, the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) was well aware of the fact that people who were plunged in prejudice, superstition and ignorance would not abandon their beliefs and ways easily and that it would take extensive struggle, severe hardships, and sincere self sacrifice to save them from the pit of corruption and guide them onto the path of virtue and monotheism. He could easily read in the faces of the people of Makkah, the opposition to Islam and their bigoted determination to fight the Muslims.


The divine foresight of Mohammad, the Prophet of Islam (saw) had given him a dark image of the future. With such an insight and divine knowledge, he held high the banner of prophecy and adopted patience and tolerance. Mohammad, the Prophet of Islam (saw) struggled with the enemies of Islam in Makkah for 13 years and resisted all their torments and obstructions, but the opponents of Islam did not give up their devilish beliefs and manner and utilized all their power to destroy Islam. Under such circumstances, the universal mission of Mohammad, the Prophet of Islam (saw) necessitated his migration to a calm, suitable place and to find a new arena for his work and mission.


After the blissful entrance of Mohammad, the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) into Yathrib, its name was changed into Medinat ul-Nabi, meaning 'the City of Mohammad, the Prophet of Islam (PBUH)”.


That year, the year Mohammad, the Prophet of Islam (saw) migrated (Hijrah/Hijrat 622CE) at the age of 53 years from Makkah to Yathrib (Madinah), was recognized as the origin of history (beginning of the Islamic Era or the Hijrah calendar), due to this significant historical event, the triumph of righteousness and justice.


The illuminating sun of Islam gave new life to the people. They discarded all the old superstitious beliefs and thoughts and all the wrong deeds and manners of the past, replacing them with the perfect life-giving culture of Islam.


Note: When we say 1431 Hijrah, it means that 1431 years have passed since the time of Prophet Muhammad's (saw) flight (Hijrah) from Makkah to Medinah”.


May we draw some inspiration from this story and be inspired to make some ‘Hijrah’ here and there in our life, that would eventually lead to betterment in our Ibu Pertiwi at large.


First ‘Hijrah’, have you registered yourself as a voter to this Ibu Pertiwi? Kindly visit this page for “ small step for man, giant leap for mankind”.

1 Fine Gentleman


I saw him talking with full conviction over BBC one fine night in a forum held in the Mighty Enterprising India on the topic of women's rights.


There were other men and a few ladies debating the same issue at hand yet he came out victorious when he said that if we respect other women like you respect and care for your mother, sister, wife and daughter, every woman in the world is well protected, safer and better.


Yes, I have high esteem for Mr. Carlos Ghosn, not only for his professional achievements (well, the one and only non-Japanese heading Japanese MNC, leading 2 top automakers), but also his way of thinking, putting sensibility and accountability together into actions is just a Class Act. Would it be too much for me to claim that he can stand on the same rostrum with the legendary Lee Iacocca and Louis Gerstner.


"These days Ghosn gets the sort of adulation in Japan normally reserved for rock stars and football players. He is often mobbed by fans in search of an autograph and has even been portrayed as a manga comic book superhero in "The True Story of Carlos Ghosn" [1].



He is indeed one fine gentleman.

1 What?


Have you listened to Green Day's "21 Guns", especially the one they recorded along with "American Idiot" musical cast? It is beautiful.


If this song was contested in our "1M..." song, it would garner the top spot, based on how many times "1" was being mentioned. Alas, if the judges really listen to the lyrics, it would be thrown out straight away.


Take a listen to it here.


Do you know what's worth fighting for?

When it's not worth dying for?

Does it take your breath away

And you feel yourself suffocating?


Does the pain weigh out the pride?

And you look for a place to hide?

Did someone break your heart inside?

You're in ruins


1....

21 guns

Lay down your arms

Give up the fight


1....

21 guns

Throw up your arms into the sky

You and I


When you're at the end of the road

And you lost all sense of control

And your thoughts have taken their toll

When your mind breaks the spirit of your soul


Your faith walks on broken glass

And the hangover doesn't pass

Nothing's ever built to last

You're in ruins


1....

21 guns

Lay down your arms

Give up the fight


1....

21 guns

Throw up your arms into the sky

You and I


Did you try to live on your own

When you burned down the house and home?

Did you stand too close to the fire

Like a liar looking for forgiveness from a stone?


When it's time to live and let die

And you can't get another try

Something inside this heart has died

You're in ruins


1

21 guns

Lay down your arms

Give up the fight


1....

21 guns

Throw up your arms into the sky


1....

21 guns

Lay down your arms

Give up the fight


1....

21 guns

Throw up your arms into the sky

You and I


Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Let's Do Well for Well Being


“You know it's love when all you want is that person to be happy, even if you're not part of their happiness” ~ Julia Roberts


I pen this as my marah sequel to my earlier post "Home Is Home, Be It Ever So Humble". Geram la.
If only DBKL and its Federal Territories and Urban Well-Being Ministry could have such feelings for the residents of ever-growing squatters that have to move from their home sweet home under Urban Resettlement Plan, life would be a bliss for these people who have to part with not only their homes, but also with their heritage, their sense of belonging and the society they have grown affectionately into.

A few months before, a colleague of mine commended how good looking the Well-Being Minister is. Err. I asked her with my favourite sarcastic question, “So?”.

So, what if he’s bloody good looking with cheeky smile? Would he work bloody well as his looks? Would his heart be as good as his look too?

So far, he has come up with well-being-my-foot preposterous plans.

The resettlement exercise is ill-planned (Gee, after all these years, they never seem to look outside their tempurung thinking cap that there is in fact many guidelines on resettlement, for instance like this one from Internatial Finance Corporation (“IFC”)).



“Good plans shape good decisions. That's why good planning helps to make elusive dreams come true”



The shopowners in Keramat Old Market were asked to move out from their premises as new development has been planned on their piece of land last week. The funny bit about this whole shenanigan is that the newly built ‘Gajah Putih’ aka Keramat Mall is still empty as the traders, who lease the shoplots, decided not to move into this ‘Gajah Putih’. In order to solve this problem at their end (I mean at those greedy people who wanted to lay their hands on this prime land), the minister will dump in RM15.0 Million to build another building where these traders would eventually have to move. Hmm. This tactic sounds familiar to me.

Like many malaysians, DBKL and the ministry that carries the title “Well Being” are just concerned about their well being and cosmetic well being of this badly planned city. They would rather spend and spend more money on fixed and perishable assets instead of making life better and easier for the citizens, especially the less fortunate ones.

So, where do these complains of mine lead me to? They will bring me back to earth (ouch!) and tempt me to knock the head of those voters who have put inhumane MPs and ADUNs as their mouthpiece, really damn hard.


“Dreams, ideas, and plans not only are an escape, they give me purpose, a reason to hang on”


Or, perhaps I could try YB Tian Chua’s tactic – bite them where it hurts the most – and my well wishes and prayers to him for showing up during the negotiation between Kampung Tanah Lapang villagers and DBKL. Hope, he could lend these people some YB assistance and guide them especially in legal matters.

p.s. On a personal front, I, too concur with what Julia Robert says. Love is indeed not a possession to be hold but a feeling to be shared and treasured, with or without that person we love. Love is indeed selfless.
p.s.s. Powerwalk anyone? This heart is so ladened with emotions, these eyes are so full with tears. I need to walk them out from my system.

That I Would be Good


Alanis Morissette "That I Would Be Good"


That I would be good even if I did nothing

That I would be good even if I got the thumbs down

That I would be good if I got and stayed sick

That I would be good even if I gained ten pounds


That I would be fine even if I went bankrupt

That I would be good if I lost my hair and my youth

That I would be great if I was no longer queen

That I would be grand if I was not all knowing


That I would be loved even when I numb myself

That I would be good even when I am overwhelmed

That I would be loved even when I was fuming

That I would be good even if I was clingy


That I would be good even if I lost sanity

That I would be good

Whether with or without you

Dreams Do Come True



After 2-year delay to get this magnificent creation off Boeing Field in Seattle, yesterday, Dreamliner completed its maiden flight at Boeing Field in Seattle.

I’m not sure if I would be able to get on it in the future but I’m over the moon to see that it finally came true because it proves that dreams do come true if you put your heart and soul into them.

Secondly, it spread its wings at the right time when the world has just woken up from ‘traumatic economic coma’. Can you imagine how it feels like knowing there is someone out there who wanted you so badly? I’m pretty sure that’s how the Dreamliner Team feels knowing All Nippon Airways is so eager to get its hands on these ‘dreams’.

Thirdly, one of the co-winner of Economic Noble Prize, Mr. Oliver Williamson, “focused on how companies and markets differ in resolving conflicts. He found that many economic decisions that standard theory said would be more efficiently left to the marketplace were actually better left within a firm”.

“Economist Steve Tadelis at the University of California, Berkeley's Haas School of Business, who has worked with Mr. Williamson, cited the 787 Dreamliner being developed by Boeing Co. as an example of how firms can be more efficient than the marketplace. Boeing, which previously designed and built planes in-house, outsourced much of the Dreamliner's manufacturing. But because it had less control over its supply line, Boeing couldn't adapt as quickly and flexibly to the changes and problems that invariably arose within a project as complex as the Dreamliner. Boeing has since taken much of the Dreamliner's production back in-house”.

Plus, when Boeing decided to bring back most of its production under one roof, delays continued to plague this dreamy project but then, they were good because safety and security problems were tackled holistically, instead of merely trying to catch up with the ever-changing deadline. Rest assured, this baby will be one of the safest carriers up there.

Alex Hamilton, director of research at Jesup & Lamont, says what the Dreamliner offers chiefly is much better fuel efficiency in a package that lowers maintenance costs and opens up new long-distance routes that were simply uneconomic. "Long-term it's a game changer," Hamilton says. "And if you change the game, and you are the market leader, you are in a tremendous position".

There you are, some important lessons from the Dreamliner. If you think this post is all about a gigantic composite model, I guess you're too caught up with life you forget to see what these tell us about life.

My favourite First lady, Eleanor Roosevelt says, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams”.

Dreams come to those who dare to dream. Move over faint-hearted men, stop blocking my way!

Monday, December 14, 2009

Home Is Home, Be It Ever So Humble


"Home is Home, be it ever so humble" ~ Proverb


At one open house, I overheard one well-endowed lady (physically and financially) telling her ‘audience’ how lonely her life has been that she hopes she could find one man to share her life with, soon. Unfortunately, she is not alone. Some financially handsome people suffer from anguish and boredom.

So, I wonder – is happiness too costly even these people could not attain it? Then, how about those people who haven’t got enough even to feed himself tomorrow or who would lose a home tomorrow?



“A house is made of walls and beams; a home is built with love and dreams”



Life, with love and dreams, makes hunger bearable, turns a simple house into a comforting nest, gives meaning to every single act, speaks volume to silence between two souls, lets hopes soar and makes happiness so contagious.

Today, Uncle Zorro shares a story about Raja and his family here. I cannot understand how one could inflict so much suffering to helpless people like Raja – all in the name of development.


“He is the happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home”

~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe


Tomorrow, some of the houses in that area would be torn down. Raja and his young family would be displaced to a remote area in Puchong, where I bet there won’t be any public transport access, no field for the kids to roam around, no school and clinic within its vicinity on top of poor public service.


This kind of place would only make poor people poorer for they have to fork out more money for transportation. They would become more worried for the uncertainties surrounding their lives – Who would employ Raja? How far would be his new workplace? Would he have enough to feed his growing family? Would he be able to bring some happiness to his family? Would his son walk safely to school? Would his wife be able to buy the necessities within the area without having to travel far and exposing herself, unnecessarily, being a target to snatch thieves?

So, do you think Raja and his family a new home would find peace in their new flat?

I personally opine we have too many useless developments. We continue to build things everywhere without knowing why we built them in the first place. We could have the best properties but we do not support them with well-integrated facilities and services. As usual, we fall into the lingering “First Class Infrastructure, Third Class Mentality’.

Too many a time, I cannot understand why they need to hurry the resettlement of these people. Too many a time, it boils down to how fast some people could make fast money. Yes, all their joyfulness in blood, sweats and tears of people like Raja. How cruel can we get? By then, we have ruined too many lives, flora and fauna and it’s too late to do anything.

For once, let us be a little bit more human to another humans.

For a moment, let us show our camaraderie with our forgotten brothers and sisters like Raja, just like Elie Wiesel says, “This is the duty of our generation as we enter the twenty-first century - solidarity with the weak, the persecuted, the lonely, the sick, and those in despair. It is expressed by the desire to give a noble and humanizing meaning to a community in which all members will define themselves not by their own identity but by that of others”.

This is not pity. This is humanity.

Friday, December 11, 2009

My Unsettling Mind About Settling Down


I was wondering where my fiesty, zesty spirit has gone lately. Have they gone south since it's winter in the Northern Hemisphere, searching for warmer temperament in Down Under?


I was contemplating to write something warm and sweet like the smell of my favourite spice (Vanilla) yesterday on International Human Rights Day but decided to delete the setengah-masak post after reading this news.


Tak la, I'm not angry with TGNA and I actually praise him for trying to make things easy for those couples in love, who are not been able to tie the knot due to dowry issues, especially during this credit crunch period. I bet you have also read here what an ex-fiancee can do to get back financially for what he had given to his ex-girlfriend. Gee. Perhaps, that's him exercising his rights.


Well, people, like me, don't settle down for many reasons. There have been many instances where I was labelled choosy because one was only a local graduate, too plain, too average, too...too many unjustified claims obviously, which I disagree strongly.


If one were to ask me what would be my one and only criterion for My Man, it would be his ability to reason and act conscientiously, logically, rationally and intelligently.


If one were to puzzle furthemore why can't I find one here, hm, maybe the eligible ones in my 'same-age league' are tad too self-centred, lack ability to stand up and face up, too caught up in the storms climbing up the corporate ladder, too lost in the reality maze, too demanding, laid back...or let me put it the other way around - that I am just too difficult to please. Yes, it's me - simply.


Dowry is one thing, but there are many more things to worry about when it comes to spending the rest of your life with a total stranger. It would be a bliss if one look from someone could unlock the mystery of your soul. OK, that's too fairy tale but how I wish because telling stories about me and everything and everyone in it is just too hard. Well, look at how i write - such a long winded road post!

Sorry, if I've ruined your TGIF mood.

For what kind of relationship I like to be in for the rest of my life, you must read Ariel & Will Durant.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Do You Want To Know What Courage Looks Like?




It is not the critic who counts,

not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled,

or where the doer of deeds could have done better.


The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena,

whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood,

who strives valiantly,

who errs and comes short again and again,

who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions,

and spends himself in a worthy cause,

who at best knows achievement

and who at the worst if he fails at least fails

while daring greatly so that

his place shall never be with

those cold and timid souls

who know neither victory nor defeat"


~ The husband to Madam Eleanor Roosevelt


This morning, I saw "Courage" in the form of my fellow Blogger, Bong. I pray that we have more faces of "Courage" walking in this Ibu Pertiwi.


Please, please, please read his Tales of Courage here and here to be enlightened and maybe like me, come out inspired, all smiling and crying reading them.

Adrenalin Rush Week



Arghhhhh! Ops, sorry!

I desperately need to go for my power walk NOW while listening to these songs



Linkin Park feat. Jay-Z “Numb

Timbalanfeat. Nelly Furtado and Soshy “
Morning After Dark

Chris Brown feat. Lil Wayna and Swizz Beatz “
I Could Transform Ya

Flo-rida feat. Nelly Furtado “
Jump

Fort Minor “
Believe Me

3Oh!3 feat. Kathy Perry “
Starstruck

Paramore "Ignorance"

Lady Gaga “Bad Romance

Muse “
Supermassive Black Hole


Gee.


I am truly madly deeply in love with my works! The adrenalin that goes through my system now could endure 30-min power walk (Read : My energy bar is on overdrive mode).

Consequently, despite the itching of writing posts with substance (hehehhehee as if I am capable of befor this), I will feed this blog for my physical and short-term mental sustenance – music!


And yes! Yes! Yes! I could view KLCC from my desk (nah, I am imagining me ‘bersila’ near the big window overlooking the fountains, with piles of books at Kino’s - my fave hang out den).


Thanks Boss!


See Ya Later Alligator!

Once Bitten, Forever Revenge


Dear Temerloh Municipal Council people

What a shame that you have so much fun picking on people when they are down.

What a shame that you decide to forever tormenting people who had stepped on your tails by exercising their rights.

For all your inactions before, please, for once contemplate and ask your lousy self why are you in this mess.

For all your prayers you performed 5 times a day, for once, think really hard, haven't you got an iota of compassion for this man?

Simply UMNO! Simply stupid!


p.s. Read this and you know why I deem it a typical UMNO 'tactics'.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

You're Never Alone


On my way to work, which happens to be early in the morning, I make a point to say a prayer, especially to my parents, asking God Almighty to have mercy and compassion on them just like how much they had bestowed me when I was a little girl. Only then I feel I am ready to take on this world by the horns.

So, on this lovely morning, I'd like to share a beautiful song by Jim Brickman, the pianist, along with Lady Antebellum, called, "Never Alone".

Wishing all of you a fulfilling day ahead. This is my wishes to all of you...




May the angels protect you

Trouble neglect you

And heaven accept you

When its time to go home


May you always have plenty

The glass never empty

And know in your belly

You're never alone


May your tears come from laughing

You find friends worth having

As every year passes

They mean more than gold


May you win and stay humble

Smile more than grumble

And know when you stumble

You're never alone


Never alone

Never alone

I'll be in every beat of your heart

When you face the unknown

Wherever you fly

This isn't goodbye

My love will follow you stay with you

Baby you're never alone


I have to be honest

As much as I want it

I’m not gonna promise that cold winds won't blow

So when hard times have found you

And your fears surround you

Wrap my love around you

You're never alone


Never alone

Never alone

I'll be in every beat of your heart

Monday, December 7, 2009

Potty About Pot Holes?




“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit”

~ Aristotle



My colleague just shared with us about too many potholes around her residential areas and they seem to appear like mushrooms after the rain during this Monsoon Season.

A week ago, I asked someone why was his company holding up payments to the contractor, when most of the time, these ‘developers’ are more than happy to release payments to the contractor to speed up the project.

He told me that one ‘Lembaga’ that look after this type of project suggested that they check the quality of the works done thoroughly – the contents, the techniques, etc. Reasons being that the completed project would last longer, with less repair works in the next 4 to 5 years. Less repair works could be translated to less hiccup to the operations,hence the projected cashflow would not be negatively impacted. I must say I am thankful for the benevolent ‘Lembaga’ and a far-sighted, prudent company.

If you read “Cave-ins on new road spark fears” appeared in The Star on 3 Dec 2009, you would know why it is imperative that all projects must be professionally and conscientiously monitored so ‘the means justify the ends’. It is plain stupid to spend billions when we didn’t get what we ‘ordered’ and simply inhumane to cause financial loss and above all, to allow our ‘tamak haloba’ to cost precious lives of innocent people, who have never been involved in the project’s decision-making.

Whenever you do a thing, act as if all the world were watching”, says Thomas Jefferson. As always, I like to extend it as such, “Whenever you do a thing, act as if you are doing it for your loved ones”.

The someone's future is in our hands. Be considerate and gentle.


p.s. I wonder if we could take some actions to ensure that every contract awarded by the municipals is properly carried out?

Sunday, December 6, 2009

A Coward Died A Thousand Times, A Brave Man, only once!



You are a coward when you even seem to have backed down from a thing you openly set out to do
~ Mark Twain


So, true to Twain's, one man is indeed a coward by retiring early when his 'company' is in complete disarray.


Moral excellence comes about as a result of habit. We become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts” ~ Aristotle


Today, tens of thousands of Italians chanting "resign, resign" marched through Rome yesterday demanding that Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who they accused of corruption, step down. So I read in MI.

"The crowd, which police estimated at 90,000 but organisers said was larger, included actors and writers, among them Nobel Literature laureate Dario Fo.

"This a day of democracy, a day that shows that the country can come together to build an alternative and most of all to tell Berlusconi to go," said Antonio di Pietro, an ex-anti-graft magistrate who heads the opposition Italy of Values party.

"There are people from all over the country here, and even from abroad with one message: Berlusconi has to go!. Berlusconi has to be treated like every other citizen. He has to face trial," di Pietro said"

Well, this is why I have a dream of an Italian or someone who could cook Italian food to spend my life with;) They have guts!


Dengarlah Jeritan Batinku




"Where Justice Is Around, It Feels Just Like Heaven" ~ Fi-sha


Tak la
, I'm not referring to the Gifted Allahyarham Tan Sri P. Ramlee's song of the same title.

In the movie "Sixth Sense", Cole Sear, played by a brilliant young actor, Haley Joel Osment, could see dead people. While some people could see these out-of the-world beings, some could see through one's soul and feel what's brewing inside. Under both circumstances, it hurts.

It hurts because you know there's so little you could do to alleviate the pain, the sadness, the grief, the anger and the longing. What if you have to live with it for the rest of your life? Would you hide away from reality? Or would you deny your senses so you could live happily ever after since this life is too short to worry about others?

Maybe I am exaggerating but I, sometimes, could lift a sense or two when looking at someone. At times, I am glad I could because I could do something to ease and please - before they ask for it. Sometimes, I wish I could erase the 'captured senses from strangers' because they could torment me for weeks.

Last Friday, as I was driving, I saw a middle-aged man who looked forlornly, while talking to another guy at one stall. They live, i assumed, in one those low-cost flats. Around them were children busy playing and eating at the stall.

The first thing that crossed my mind at that point of time (yes, while asking My Little Angel Fariz whether he would want me to teach him to read Peter And Jane 3a book later) was if I could help that forlorn looking man, and many more parents out there, to have lesser worries in life about their children, I would make sure they have easy accessibility to proactive and effective public social services so their children would grow up in a conducive environment. Till today, I could still picture his face in my head.

As I told you before, things that I read are really meant for me, things that keep me thinking and alive, i guess.

So, despite my 'cold war' with the MSM, I told myself few months ago to at least read The Star's Metro Section.

Why? Well, this is the most interesting, make-sense section of this news piece. It is more transparent (yes, like when they reported the water operators for FT, Putrajaya and Selangor FAILED to follow clean-up schedule - Gee, Don't you think it's a BREACH of contract? Good Bye Tariffs Hike), more humane (various highlights on Furry Friends Farm and Hitam, the hero of Pulau Ketam's Dog Dumping) and its Wishing Tree Project.




But what caught my wondering eyes was a photo on Adik-adik JERIT, on their bikes, in The Star Metro's "Celebrating 20 years of human rights".

So, what do these children fight for? Why would they be burdened to fight for rights and justice that have been denied to their parents and forefathers for years? Shouldn't they just be left alone being children?

Yet, I believe that they are doing the right things because "It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men", so Frederick Douglass says.

I surfed JERIT website and I found that these "Rakyat Pengayuh Perubahan" fight for: -

1. Gubal Akta Gaji Minima RM1,500;

2. Turunkan harga minyak dan kawal harga barangan asas;

3. Mansuhkan segala undang yang mendiskriminasi rakyat seperti ISA, OSA, AUKU;

4. Pastikan perumahan selesa dan yang mampu dibeli oleh rakyat;

5. Pendidikan percuma sehingga ke tahap pendidikan tinggi.

If I may add to their list "To Fight For", I would wish for a free medical services and treatment. Yes, all of these could make that forlorn looking man, contented.

You may think these people need charity but like Norman Bethune says, "Charity should be abolished; and be replaced by justice".

Thanks for reading for this long and winding posting - it feels so good to share this with all of you. And I know I have excited certain feelings in you...