Happy New Year to ALL!

Human Rights Walk and Street Protests

The recent street protests and Walk for Peace, Walk for Justice were unusual for Malaysia. How did they come about?

Why were there protests? For folks who rely on the mainstream newspapers for their daily feed of news and information or misinformation, they must have brushed aside these as annoying events that disrupt their daily routine and lifestyle.

Today is a Selangor Public Holiday but not for folks working in KL but the jam into the city was so bad. It started at 7.30am from One Utama all the way to Jalan Parliament. All of us were caught in the massive jam from One U and thought that it might be due to an accident. But no, it was the numerous road blocks reducing the many highways and roads into one lane!

I did not see the police checking on any cars at all. They just stood there watching us struggling to jostle from 4 lanes into one lane. Infact, I dared say I noticed sinister smiles from our friends in blue!

So After queuing for more than 40 minutes, I decided to turn back and headed back to One Utama and used the MRR 2 and it took me less than 20 minutes to reach the office which is just outside the city centre.

Why were the police so determined to frustrate and cause hell to us working folks, I don't know. May be they are trying to portray to the public that it was due to the protests by BERSIH or the Human Rights Walk, and we should all get angry with these groups?

I hope I am wrong.

Q. E. D.

Q.E.D. = Quite Easily Done?

At least this is what I have been taught or told.

In actual fact, as it turns out, Q.E.D. is the acronyms of a Latin phrase:

Quod Erat Demonstrandum meaning "this is what I set out to prove"

Example of Q.E.D. being used:

".....thus, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the two legs. Q.E.D."

Political Debate

Watching the US Democratic and the Republican Debate on YouTube these past couple of days really enforces the notion that we are indeed living in a borderless world today and how important internet has become very much part of our everyday life.

The way those Presidential candidates answered and handled challenges/rebuttal/remarks thrown at them spoke volume of their maturity and ability to hold their composure and demeanor in front of millions of live audience both in the auditorium and on national TV. No calling of names, no shouting and gesture of profanities, no threatening words.

Unfortunately, the same could not be said of our Dewan Rakyat/Dewan Negeri debate.

Yet, these debates are being viewed, side-by-side, with the American Democratic/Republican Debate on the same YouTube.

Blogger Josh wrote from US:

Being here in the US and having the TV on all the time except when I am asleep, I couldn't help watching first, the Democratic Presidential candidates' debate then just two days ago, the Republican debate. I like the way people post Youtube videos and pose tough questions to the candidates. And I must say, most of the candidates are able to respond well and maintain their composure. They are even civil to each other although they are trying to snuff out the competition.

We in Bolehland do much better than them, ya? Ya? Ya??!

So to stir my pot of patriotism, I went to search for some videos of our dear leaders having intelligent, civil debate in Parliament. I was amazed by their intelletual capabilities and how eloquently they express their views. My my my. I feel so renewed, so refresed and of course, so patriotic.

You deserve the MPs and the Government you voted for !

Is this our Malaysia's Way?

A well written article by Michael Backman of The Age, Australia:

Truth and justice are no longer Malaysian way

Recent street protests have highlighted the self-serving nature of Malaysia's Government.

THE Government of Australia will probably change hands this weekend. There will be no arrests, no tear gas and no water cannons. The Government of John Howard will leave office, the Opposition will form a government and everyone will accept the verdict.

For this, every Australian can feel justifiably proud. This playing by the rules is what has made Australia rich and a good place in which to invest. It is a country to which people want to migrate; not leave.

Now consider Malaysia. The weekend before last, up to 40,000 Malaysians took to the streets in Kuala Lumpur to protest peacefully against the judiciary's lack of independence, electoral fraud, corruption and a controlled media.

In response, they were threatened by the Prime Minister, called monkeys by his powerful son-in-law, and blasted with water cannons and tear gas. And yet the vast majority of Malaysians do not want a change of government. All they want is for their government to govern better.

Both Malaysia and Australia have a rule of law that's based on the English system. Both started out as colonies of Britain. So why is Malaysia getting it so wrong now?

Malaysia's Government hates feedback. Dissent is regarded as dangerous, rather than a product of diversity. And like the wicked witch so ugly that she can't stand mirrors, the Government of Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi controls the media so that it doesn't have to see its own reflection.

Demonstrations are typically banned. But what every Malaysian should know is that in Britain, Australia and other modern countries, when people wish to demonstrate, the police typically clear the way and make sure no one gets hurt. The streets belong to the people. And the police, like the politicians, are their servants. It is not the other way around.

But increasingly in Malaysia, Malaysians are being denied a voice — especially young people.

Section 15 of Malaysia's Universities and University Colleges Act states that no student shall be a member of or in any manner associate with any society, political party, trade union or any other organisation, body or group of people whatsoever, be it in or outside Malaysia, unless it is approved in advance and in writing by the vice-chancellor.

Nor can any student express or do anything that may be construed as expressing support, sympathy or opposition to any political party or union. Breaking this law can lead to a fine, a jail term or both.

The judiciary as a source of independent viewpoints has been squashed. The previous prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad, did many good things for Malaysia, but his firing of the Lord President (chief justice) and two other Supreme Court judges in 1988 was an unmitigated disaster. Since then, what passes for a judiciary in Malaysia has been an utter disgrace and the Government knows it.

Several years ago, Daim Zainuddin, the country's then powerful finance minister, told me that judges in Malaysia were idiots. Of course we want them to be biased, he told me, but not that biased.

Rarely do government ministers need to telephone a judge and demand this or that verdict because the judges are so in tune with the Government's desires that they automatically do the Government's beckoning.

Just how appalling Malaysia's judiciary has become was made clear in recent weeks with the circulation of a video clip showing a senior lawyer assuring someone by telephone that he will lobby the Government to have him made Lord President of the Supreme Court because he had been loyal to the Government. That someone is believed to have been Ahmad Fairuz Abdul Halim, who did in fact become Lord President.

A protest march organised by the Malaysian Bar Council was staged in response to this, and corruption among the judiciary in general. But the mainstream Malaysian media barely covered the march even though up to 2000 Bar Council members were taking part. Reportedly, the Prime Minister's office instructed editors to play down the event.

Instead of a free media, independent judges and open public debate, Malaysians are given stunts — the world's tallest building and most recently, a Malaysian cosmonaut. Essentially, they are given the play things of modernity but not modernity itself.

Many senior Malays are absolutely despairing at the direction of their country today. But with the media tightly controlled they have no way of getting their views out to their fellow countrymen. This means that most Malaysians falsely assume that the Malay elite is unified when it comes to the country's direction.

Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, a former finance minister and today still a member of the Government, told me several weeks ago in Kuala Lumpur that he could see no reason why today Malaysia could not have a completely free media, a completely independent judiciary and that corrupt ministers and other officials should be publicly exposed and humiliated.

According to Tengku Razaleigh, all of the institutions designed to make Malaysia's Government accountable and honest have been dismantled or neutered.

It didn't need to be like this. Malaysia is not North Korea or Indonesia. It is something quite different. Its legal system is based on British codes. Coupled with traditional Malay culture, which is one of the world's most hospitable, decent and gentle cultures, Malaysia has the cultural and historical underpinnings to become one of Asia's most civilised, rules-based, successful societies.

Instead, Malaysia's Government is incrementally wasting Malaysia's inheritance.

Sweet Pickles Vs Anthrax Powder

This is a funny story carried by IHT today:

"A Malaysian diplomat has apologized to the Iraqi Embassy for mistaking a gift parcel of sweet pickles as anthrax powder, a news report said Saturday.

Zakaria Sulong, the newly appointed ambassador to Germany, sent a fax to the Iraqi mission offering his "sincere and deepest apologies" for the misunderstanding which he "deeply regretted," the New Straits Times said.

The Iraqi Embassy sent the parcel to Zakaria as a gift on Sept. 13 to mark the Islamic holiday of Ramadan. He only saw white powder when he opened it and fearing it might be anthrax, placed the box in a barrel outside his house and called the police, the newspaper said.

Police discovered the powder was sugar sprinkled on top of the pickles to preserve them, it said.

Iraq's envoy lodged a complaint with Malaysia's foreign ministry over Zakaria's "panic-stricken behavior," the report said.

Iraq's charge d'affaires Hoshiar Dazayi was quoted as saying the fruit pickles were an Iraqi delicacy and were also sent to the offices of the Malaysian king, prime minister and foreign minister as Ramadan gifts.

"It is such a special sweet and this year I wanted to show my appreciation to the Malaysian government, the ministry and my friends," he said.

Zakaria's apology was personal and fell short of an official apology from the Malaysian government, he added.

Zakaria and Iraqi Embassy officials could not be reached Saturday for comment."

Perhaps our Diplomatic Corp should train all new Ambassadors on how to differentiate between pickles and anthrax and learn to be less panicky.

Farewell, Nurin and Start of the Blame Game !

Pic courtesy of Bodohland

UPDATE (22 Sept 07): While we all grieved for little Nurin and felt for her parents, Jazimin and Norazian, our "heartless" IGP, Tan Sri Musa Hassan was quoted by mStar to have suggested that the parents be charged for negligence under "Children's Protection Act" !

This was also the view of the Women, Family and Community Development Minister as quoted by NST suggesting that parents whose negligence leads to their children being harmed risk being jailed.


Here goes another favourite game of the people we had voted and given full trust in the last election, to protect and to serve the nation and rakyat. This "Blame Game" is denial syndrome of the highest degree. Instead of going in full force to nab the perpetrators or conspirators, they seemed to be more interested in nailing the reporting parties or the whistle-blowers.

Have you seen little Nurin Jazlin Jazimin?

UPDATE: Heartbroken...The latest news is that the girl in the bag is Nurin after all. See The Star. We convey our heartfelt condolences to the parents, Jazimin and Norazian for their lost...

Original Post: En Jazimin Abdul Jalil, the distraught father of little Nurin, has put up a blog appealing to the public to help find Nurin who had been missing since 22nd August 2007.

Someone somewhere must have seen Nurin. Please please help to provide any information to the police or to En Jazimin.

It will be the best Hari Raya gift anyone could give to the family!

Wise Words from a Wise Man : Remembering Bob Hope

May 29, 1903 - July 27, 2003

Bob Hope, born Lesli Townes Hope, recipient of US Congressional Gold Medal

ON TURNING 70 "You still chase women, but only downhill".

ON TURNING 80 "That's the time of your life when even your birthday suit needs pressing."

ON TURNING 90 "You know you're getting old when the candles cost more than the cake."

ON TURNING 100 " I don't feel old. In fact I don't feel anything until noon . Then it's time for my nap."

ON GIVING UP HIS EARLY CAREER, BOXING "I ruined my hands in the ring ... The referee kept stepping on them."

ON GOLF "Golf is my profession. Show business is just to pay the green fees."

ON HIS FAMILY'S EARLY POVERTY "Four of us slept in the one bed. When it got cold, mother threw on another brother."

ON HIS SIX BROTHERS "That's how I learned to dance. Waiting for the bathroom."

ON HIS EARLY FAILURES " I would not have had anything to eat if it wasn't for the stuff the audience threw at me."

Intimately Beckham Nights, the New Fragrance for MEN

David and Victoria in a strikingly raunchy pose

They are famous for their clean-cut family image. But David and Victoria Beckham pose in a sultry, semi-pornographic embrace under crisp white bed linen to show their 'dark side' while launching a new perfume.

This advert was shot by Terry Richardson, infamous for his semi-pornographic pictures, to promote their scent Intimately Beckham Night.

Beckham, 32, said: 'Not many people see this side of us and I think that's what's great about having a fragrance like this. It's a way of us showing our dark side.'

Touching and cooing each other, the Beckhams insisted the fragrance was a joint effort.

It was created by French perfumer Coty, the firm behind scents for Kylie Minogue and Kate Moss.

Daily Mail

Proton Oh Proton - Part II

Apparently this launch car in Kuching was found to be fitted with two fuel gauges instead of one for fuel and one for temperature.

No wonder the Proton bosses were all red faced. Anyone who bought this model could confirm this?

The looting of Kenya

The Guardian: The looting of Kenya

Link

http://www.guardian.co.uk/kenya/story/0,,2159757,00.html

Country

United Kingdom

Date

2007-08-30 (Friday)

Source

The looting of Kenya under President Moi

By

Xan Rice

The breathtaking extent of corruption perpetrated by the family of the former Kenyan leader Daniel Arap Moi was exposed last night in a secret report that laid bare a web of shell companies, secret trusts and frontmen that his entourage used to funnel hundreds of millions of pounds into nearly 30 countries including Britain.

The 110-page report by the international risk consultancy Kroll, seen by the Guardian, alleges that relatives and associates of Mr Moi siphoned off more than £1bn of government money. If true, it would put the Mois on a par with Africa's other great kleptocrats, Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo) and Nigeria's Sani Abacha. The assets accumulated included multimillion pound properties in London, New York and South Africa, as well as a 10,000-hectare ranch in Australia and bank accounts containing hundreds of millions of pounds. The report, commissioned by the Kenyan government, was submitted in 2004, but never acted upon. It details how:

· Mr Moi's sons - Philip and Gideon - were reported to be worth £384m and £550m respectively;

· His associates colluded with Italian drug barons and printed counterfeit money;

· His clique owned a bank in Belgium;

· The threat of losing their wealth prompted threats of violence between Mr Moi's family and his political aides;

· £4m was used to buy a home in Surrey and £2m to buy a flat in Knightsbridge.

Kroll said last night it could not confirm or deny the authenticity of the report.

The Kroll investigation into the former regime was commissioned by President Mwai Kibaki shortly after he came to power on an anti-corruption platform in 2003. It was meant to be the first step towards recovering some of the money stolen during Mr Moi's 24-year rule, which earned Kenya the reputation as one of the most corrupt countries in the world.

But soon after the investigation was launched, Mr Kibaki's government was caught up in its own scandal, known as Anglo Leasing, which involved awarding huge government contracts to bogus companies.

Since then, none of Mr Moi's relatives or close allies has been prosecuted. No money has been recovered. Three of the four ministers who resigned after the Anglo Leasing scandal was exposed have since been reinstated.

Last night, the Kenyan government confirmed that it received the Kroll report in April 2004. But Alfred Mutua, the government spokesman, said it was incomplete and inaccurate, and that Kroll had not been engaged to do any further work.

"We did not find that the report was credible. It was based a lot on hearsay." He said the leaking of the report was politically motivated and insisted Kenya was working with foreign governments to recover the stolen money. "Some of the money is in UK bank accounts. We have asked the British government to help us recover the funds, but so far they have refused."

The report was obtained by the website Wikileaks, which aims to help expose corruption. The document is believed to have been leaked by a senior government official upset about Mr Kibaki's failure to tackle corruption and by his alliance with Mr Moi before the presidential election in December.

On Tuesday Mr Moi said he was backing Mr Kibaki for a second term, saying he was disappointed that "selfish individual interests have been entrenched in our society". Mr Moi remains an influential figure in Kenya and his endorsement is expected to go some way to ensuring his successor's re-election.

In the Kroll report the investigators allege that a Kenyan bank was the key to getting vast sums of money of out of the country via its foreign currency accounts. The same bank had already laundered $200m (£100m) on behalf of the late Mr Abacha, with the assistance of a Swiss-based "financier".

"It is believed that twice as much was laundered through the same system by the Mois," the report said.

Kroll confirmed last night that it had previously done work for the Kenyan government. A company spokesman was given extracts of the report seen by the Guardian. "We cannot confirm or deny that this report is what it purports to be," he said. "Nor can we talk about the scope, content or results of any work we have done for the government of Kenya, which remains confidential."

Gideon Moi is an MP and Philip Moi is a businessman. Daniel Arap Moi's spokesman did not return calls last night.

Breakthrough: A machine that cures Cancer!

Man invented machine that can cure cancer

A Florida man with no medical training has invented a machine that he believes may lead to a cure for cancer.John Kanzius, who turns 63 on March 1, is a former broadcasting executive from Pennsylvania who wondered if his background in physics and radio could come in handy in treating the disease from which he suffers himself.Inside his Sanibel Island garage, Kanzius invented a machine he believes sits on the brink of a major medical breakthrough.
......
......
Kanzius explained that his machine uses a solution filled with nanoparticles, which measure no more than one-billionth of a meter. A test subject would be injected with either gold or carbon nanoparticles, which would make their way through the body and attach to the cancerous cells. The test subject would then enter the machine and receive a dose of radio frequency waves, theoretically heating and killing the cancerous cells in moments and leaving nearby cells untouched."That is the holy grail ... Research has shown that they're able to kill them once they attach to the cancer cells," Kanzius said.Kanzius said he hopes to begin human testing with his machine within the next two years.

go here for details!

Proton oh Proton !

Proton Persona was launched by DYMM Agung yesterday (15 August 2007).


This article from Forbes.com caught my eye today:

Malaysia's Proton Pins Hopes on New Car

Malaysia's money-losing car maker Proton launched a new stylish sedan Wednesday that it hopes will lift its sagging sales and return the company to profit.

The new Pesona model, together with Proton's new ventures in China, will "mark the emergence of Proton from its low ebb," Managing Director Syed Zainal Abidin said in a company statement.

Proton has been losing money and market share in Malaysia, Southeast Asia's biggest passenger car market. Its domestic market share has plunged to around 23 percent from 60 percent in 2002 amid stiff competition from both domestic and foreign rivals.

Syed Zainal was quoted by national news agency Bernama as saying that Proton hopes to export the new car to Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Britain and Australia to reap economies of scale. Proton "cannot concentrate on the domestic market alone as it is getting smaller and smaller. That's why export is going to be the approach," he was quoted as saying.

Some analysts are not convinced the Pesona can greatly boost Proton's fortunes.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Michael Backman commented in his exclusive interview with Malaysia-today.net recently that Malaysia should NOT have a national car because one cannot get sufficient economies of scale with a population as small as Malaysia's when it comes to car manufacturing.

Whether this statement is true of not is not the subject of this blog.

The truth is, Proton car, especially GEN 2 is just too disappointing, to say the least.

My first Proton car was, unfortunately, a GEN 2. I was unlucky to have been the first batch GEN 2 owner, having awed by its sleek design and by the euphoria of the grand launch by PM. I received the car after six weeks and after resisting the countless offers to "jump queue" to be among the firsts to get the car.

The car "behaved" well for the first 3 months, if you did not count the complaints of creaking noise from my family as imperfections. Then one fine day while driving near our house, we noticed the car wobbled and jerked as if we had a flat tyre. But the tyres were fine.

We brought the car to Proton Platinum showroom immediately and upon arriving, we noticed the bonnet was dented by something protruding from below. It was the shock absorber which had come loose and now sticking up like a sore thumb! Imagine if we had been on the North South Expressway at night, far from civilisation or on the busy Jalan Tun Razak during peak hour... we could have caused a massive jam! And it was supposed to be a brand new car, for crying out loud!

The Proton mechanic knew the problem right away. He even suggested that I should have brought the car in earlier as they knew of this problem (probably by the numbers of car brought in for repair) and had informed their office to notify the other owners. Sadly, they "managed" to exclude our names.

Our "new" car had to be "hospitalized" for more than a week to replace the parts, to change to a new bonnet (I insisited I would not accept a re-knocked bonnet) and to do the painting job. And all these within 6 months of owning the new car !!

We are still trying to get rid of the GEN 2 but the price is so bad that we have no choice but to keep it as a spare car.

One thing is for sure... no more Proton car for us !

Google Earth now in 3D

Google Earth is a wonderful tool. More and more people are using it for presentation, for advertising and even for promotion.

Now Google Earth is offering 3D views of buildings and bridges. This however is applicable only to major cities within the US; and only a few prominent buildings are rendered in great details such as the World Finance Centre, Jacob K.J. Federal Building etc.

The two images show the view at World Trade Centre in normal Google Earth view, while the other one show the superimposed 3D rendered buildings around the WTC.

World Trade Centre without 3D

World Trade Centre in 3D

I also found out that the Google Earth people had also rendered our Petronas Twin Towers quite beautifully in 3D!

The captured image in comparison with the one I captured while flying over the area here provide an interesting perspective!

Petronas Twin Towers in Google Earth 3D

Helicopter Shot of Petronas Twin Towers

Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia

Pic courtesy of Mob's Crib

Another Joke to Start the Week!

One day, a magic mirror was delivered to the Parliament Building.
This magic mirror will verify if something you think of will come true or not.

All one has to do is stand in front of it and say what you are thinking.
If it is the truth, it will let out a thunderous applause but if is not likely to happen or if it is a lie, the person asking the question will be given the boot and 'POOF!' he or she disappears.

So Ropidah Azis stood in front of the mirror and says:
"I think Mahathir and and I will become good friends again."
POOF! She disappears. Verdit : Not likely to happen.


Then Najis stood in front and says :
"I think I will become the next Prime Minister of Malaysia."
POOF! Given the boot and disappears. Verdit: Fact hope!


Well.. Abdol Bodowi walked past and decided to give it a try.
He stood in front of the mirror and says : " I think."
POOF!

My Caricature by Samsudin Ismail

I wrote a few days ago about Samsudin Ismail. the very talented Sketch Artist who hails from Sik, Kedah and now lives in Melawati, KL. He had graciously consented to do a sketch for me, for FREE!

He just sent me my caricature complete with "work in progress" sketch. Wonderful effort.

You should get to know this guy; he is so humble and so immensely talented.

Thank you, Sudin !

Visit him here!

Hawaiian Love Song OR Our National Anthem?

AUGUST is here and our countdown to the 50th Merdeka Celebration has begun.

A friend sent me a link to this Hawaiian Love song named "Mamula Moon". The intro reminds me of our National Anthem.

Happy 50th Merdeka!

Jeff 4 Parliament : A New Galactico in Malaysian Politics

I am happy to extend my warmest and heartfelt congratulation to Jeff Ooi on his entering the political arena.

I used to read Jeff Ooi's Screenshots blog. I respected him for the ideology he stands for and for the articles he wrote. He is always sharp and insightful in current issues. He is tireless in uncovering the wrongs and the ills of our society. He is someone who really care for the country and the well being of all Malaysians.

Unfortunately, he sometimes could be short tempered and arrogant. Let me relate my brief experience with him.

I sent him an email in late December 2006 about an Air Asia B737 aircraft landed on its belly at one of our airports. This was forwarded to me by a friend from a neighbouring country. I did not read the report in the mainstream newspapers so I thought it was recent and an interesting lead for him to follow, all in good intention. Few days later, I got this from him:

* * * * * * * *

Jeff:
"Stop it!"

"This is almost 3 years old, and I have received it a dozen times since 2004!"

me:
"Sorry, I thought it was recent as I had just received in December 06.

Anyway, I hope you could be a bit more polite with your fellow bloggers. Your tone was reprimanding and intimidating, especially when we are just trying to provide you with good leads for your articles. "

Jeff:
"You should know I am a no nonsense person.

If you start spreading via email materials that are unsubstantiated with current evidence, you may be reprimanded by law, and I am not willing to be associated in anyway with you as I don't solicit rubbish like the one you sent me.

I ask in not uncertain terms to stop. You can take it as a frank but stern advice -- I don't give a damn if you say it's rude -- and feeling your ego is bruised. Your choice.

Rgds, but you are wasting my time."

* * * * * * * *

Even if I was wrong in forwarding the email to him, albeit with good intention, he did not have to practically shout at my face??

Anyway, I have put this episode behind me and have moved on. I still read his blog but had refrained from writing to him or commenting on them.

I wish Jeff all the best in his new undertaking !

Samsudin bin Ismail : Talented Local Sketch Artist

Li Ka Shin, Forbes' List of Top Ten Billionaire
Sketch by Samsudin bin Ismail

"Met" this talented Sketch Artist in Facebook today. This sketch of Li Ka Shin is one of his many sketches on the website.

If you are nice to him, he will even do one sketch of you for FREE! Go visit!

Femtosecond

We received tonnes of email everyday. This one landed on my Inbox today and since I am in a mood to share, here goes:

A femtosecond is one billionth of one millionth of a second. Ahmed Hassan Zewail, the Egyptian American chemist, used femtoseconds to measure certain chemical reactions. For his great pioneering work, Zewail won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1999, as well as the right to go through airport security one femtosecond faster than other people named Ahmed.

A femtosecond may seem like an inconceivably short time, but it does have applications outside science.

If you're a married man, you know all about femtoseconds. You experience them every day. A femtosecond is the amount of time it takes your wife to:

---glare at you when you look at another woman at the beach.

---start giving you a lecture when you make a wrong turn.

---switch channels after accidentally landing on ESPN.

---figure out if anyone at a party is wearing the same dress.

---decide what to buy when she receives a new credit card.

If you're a married woman, you don't need Dr. Zewail to explain femtoseconds to you. You've already got them down pat. A femtosecond is the amount of time it takes your husband to:

---glance at the instructions that came with the furniture assembly kit.

---figure out where the beer is kept at a party.

---switch channels after accidentally landing on Oprah.

---jump off the couch when you say, "I'm in the mood tonight .."

Femtoseconds are not just for married people, of course. Almost everyone encounters them now and then. It takes only a femtosecond for:

--The short line at the post office to turn into a long line.

---Bill Gates to make a buck.

---George Foreman to eat a pizza.

---The New York cabdriver to honk when the light turns green.

Politician !

"Two Crocodiles were sitting at the side of the swamp near Parliament House.

The smaller one turned to the bigger one and said, "I can't understand how you can be so much bigger than me. We're the same age, we were the same size as kids. I just don't get it."

"Well," said the big Croc, "what have you been eating?"

"Politicians, same as you," replied the small 'Croc.

"Hmm. Well, where do you catch them?"

"Down the other side of the swamp near the parking lot by the Parliament House."

"Same here. Hmm. How do you catch them?"

"Well, I crawl up under one of their Lexus cars and wait for one to unlock the car door. Then I jump out, grab them by the leg, shake the shit out of them and eat 'em!"

"Ah!" says the big Crocodile, "I think I see your problem. You're not getting any real nourishment. See, by the time you finish shaking the shit out of a Politician, there's nothing left but an asshole."

Miracle man walks again

Associated Metro Ltd

Associated Metro Ltd of UK reported Monday, 9th July of "Miracle Man Walks Again", an article which caught my attention as it depicted the struggle of a man in the face of extreme adversity. It also showcased the advancement of medical science in Beijing.

" He survived against all the odds; now Peng Shulin has astounded doctors by learning to walk again. Bedridden for years after a lorry had cut his body in half in 1995, doctors in China had little hope that Peng Shulin would ever be able to live anything like a normal life agan.

But recently, he began exercising his arms, building up the strength to carry out everyday chores such as washing his face and brushing his teeth.

Doctors at the China Rehabilitation Research Centre in Beijing found out about Mr Peng's plight late last year and devised a plan to get him up walking again.

They came up with an ingenious way to allow him to walk on his own, creating a sophisticated egg cup-like casing to hold his body with two bionic legs attached to it.

He has been taking his first steps around the centre with the aid of his specially adapted legs and a resized walking frame."

Coincidentally, the SUN reported in the front page today of a man, Amri Mohd Samat who is also reduced to "half a man" but "full of life" after his body was amputated from his waist down due to infection. Amri was paralysed from the waist down due to a motorcycle accident in Singapore 21 years ago.

To Mr Peng and En Amri, we salute you for your courage!

The Sun, 13 July 2007

Tetris Game with a Twist, and a Headache After

3D-Stereogram Tetris by ~3Dimka on deviantART

Joke to start the week

MALAYSIAN HELL

A Malaysian dies and goes to hell. There he finds that there is a different hell for each country.

He goes first to the German hell and asks: "What do they do here?"

He is told "First they put you in an electric chair for an hour.Then they lay you on a bed of nails for another hour. Then the German devil comes in and whips you for the rest of the day."

The man does not like the sound of that at all, so he moves on.

He checks out the American hell as well as the Russian hell and many more. He discovers that they are all more or less the same as the German hell.

Then he comes to the Malaysian hell and finds that there is a long line of people waiting to get in.

Amazed he asks "What do they do here?"

He is told "First they put you in an electric chair for an hour. Then they lay you on a bed of nails for another hour.Then the Malaysian devil comes in and whips you for the rest of the day."

"But that is exactly the same as all the other hells - why are there so many people waiting to get in?"

"Because maintenance is so bad that the electric chair does not work, someone has stolen all the nails from the bed, and the devil is a former Gormet servant, so he comes in, signs the register and then goes to the canteen for teh-tarik..."

Sustainable Urban Transport

I was researching on "Sustainable Urban Transport" recently and came across this innovative, interesting, effective, environmentally friendly yet safe uban transport system:

The Trampe bicycle lift.

Trondheim, the third largest city of Norway, is where the world's first prototype bicycle lift is constructed in 1993. The reasons why this form of urban transport system is successful are:

1) Trondheim is a university city with 30 000 students, 90 % of whom using their bicycles as their main transport tool,
2) During the last 20 years, the Authority had invested more than 20 mill NOK in a bicycle roads network and bicycle transport infrastructure in Trondheim,
3) The Trampe bicycle lift being one of the most important infrastructure elements that has ensured the success of the system.

There is no doubt that Trampe has inspired students as well as other people living in Trondheim to take to their bicycles. In a user survey, 41 % of the lift users claim they're using the bicycle more often due to the installation of Trampe. Since the opening in 1993, it's pushed more than 220 000 cyclist up the very steep hill BBrubakken in the historical heritage part of the city center.

The cost of building the Trampe is reported to be 8,000 to 10,000 Norwegian Kroner (NOK) or about RM4,700 to RM5,900 per metre. The owner of the Trampe, Design Management AS charges 100 NOK or RM60 for a one-year keycard to use the Lift which works out to be less than 12 Sen per day!

So instead of continuously building highways into the city, I think we should emulate the Norwegian to build bicycle lifts to encourage the public to use bicycles instead.

What's your view?

A Joyous Occason: Qigong Master's Birthday Celebration

A Remarkable Lady: Our Mum

This article which appeared in China Press (Melaka Edition) on 27 May 2007 was written by my 5th Brother, ST who writes for China Press after his retirement as a teacher last year.

I will attempt to provide a translation of the article for those who do not read Mandarin:

"A good eating, sleeping and living habit is the secret of her longetivity!

This remarkable lady migrated from China when she was a young girl and married our father, Mr. Chua Choon Tiak who was a school clerk in Pontian Pei Chun Primary School. Together, they raised their 10 children and provided them with quality education. He had to work three jobs to support us.

Last November, the children celebrated her 93rd birthday in Pontian.

Inspite of her age, Madam Tan Hua Heang is remarkably healthy. Her secrets? No late nights, less salt and oil in her food. Sleeps and rises early everyday and did her morning exercise by tending to the flowers and sweeping the house compound. Her memory is equally amazing; she could remember the birthdays of every sons and daughters, and the 25 grandsons and grand daughters. She is a walking telephone directory for she can tell us the house telephone numbers of every one of us.

She was also extremely talented. When she was young, her mother taught her the art of transforming fish bones into a phoenix . Even at age 93, she still remembers the procedures and mesmerized us with her skill and dexterity when we requested for a demo.

She does not favour any one of her children and treats every son and daughter, daughter in law, son in law with fairness. She recognises everyone's weaknesses and strong points. She would not make comparision and she does not discriminate.

How does she maintain her memomy so well? Her secret lies in constantly exercising her brain by playing her favourite past times: mahjong and ginrammy. She enjoys this game of mahjong or ginrammy on Sundays with her sons, daughters or even grand children. Her skill in these games is amazing as she usually ends up winner for the night.

She writes beautifully in Mandarin. Most of us could not even write half as good as she does. She loves to read and apart from reading the newspaper everyday, she reads the Mandarin version of "Readers' Digests" and "Family" magazine.

She has a clean habit. She likes her things to be neat and tidy. When the children and grand children visited her and messed up the house, she would painstakingly rearrange everything back to its original position. She is very fussy when comes to putting things back to where they should be.

All her children and grand children and even the in laws respect and love her very much. She earns this love and respect by being kind, by not taking sides, by not prying into their affairs, by being understanding, and most of all, by being a GREAT mother! "

Three Demotivational Posters for the Day

Joost TV is HERE!

This is Joost, a beta site offering free (for now) high quality TV on PC here.

Joost is a new way of watching TV on the internet. With Joost, you get all the things you love about TV, including a high-quality full-screen picture, hundreds of full-length shows and easy channel-flipping.

These are some screenshots of the offerings on Joost.

I liked the World's Strongest Man episodes (Year 2000 to 2005) and Guinness Book of Records (40 episodes).

You will need an invite to test out the beta Joost.

Drop me a line if you want one.

Post Note: If you want an invite, please provide your full name and email address.
All requests will be entertained on first come first serve basis. Good luck!

Get Well Soon, Aunty Kuan!

Read from Bernard's blog that Aunty Kuan is a little unwell.

Get well soon, Aunty Kuan, and hope your MU Team wins !
(sorry, Aunty Kuan.... Didier Drogba just scored! Nevermind, MU is still EPL champ!)

Here's a poem adapted for you from all of us aka BOB,
(courtesy of http://www.poemsource.com/)

We're sending this to let you know
We think of you each day,
And pray for your recovery,
Hoping soon you’ll be okay.

You’re going through a lot right now;
You’re treatments can be trying;
Remember while you do them
It’s your problem you’re defying.

Hold on to your positive attitude,
And when things get hard to bear,
Know that we're here for you;
Remember that we care.

And when you’re well and flourishing,
Look back and realize,
You learned what you were made of;
That’s a reward that satisfies!

By Joanna Fuchs

For Those Who Take Life Too Seriously

Original from here :

Beijing Photos II

I spotted this lorry ferrying workers to their work place. I asked my van driver why they did not have proper buses for them. He looked at me as if I was from outer space !

I counted more than 25 of these workers on the lorry. Seat belts, harness, helmets? Never heard of them!

Beijing Photos I

The new Beijing Olympic Stadium.

This was the closest anyone could get to the spanking new stadium in Beijing. Picture quality was not satisfactory due to the haze/fog.

Nicknamed "The Nest", the stadium will be the venue for the opening ceremony on 8th August 2008.



The new Beijing International Airport from the air.

This photo was taken on 15 April 2007 as the plane took off from the existing airport.
The new airport is being built by the Chinese government in time for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and will be the world's biggest, bigger than all the terminals in Heathrow combined, according to its British architect, Lord Foster.

Shanghai Photos IV

The crossroad junctions of some of the main streets in Shanghai are so wide that the City Council has provided these "Elevated Pedestrian Roundabouts" for easier and safer passage of pedestrian. Problem is to get people to use them!


Sunset at Yu Yuan Old Street, a well known tourist attraction in Shanghai. Here, one could sample the old architecture of The Bund while tasting some of the best "Xiao Long Bao" (小笼包) and local titbit.

This picture was taken in a Silk factory. With 2008 Olympics just around the corner, China could do well to improve on the quality of its english translation. Some of these are simply hilarious.