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.

Shangahai Photos III

This is the Sutong Bridge. It spans across the river mouth of the mighty Yangtze River where the deepest water is more than 100 metres deep. It links Suzhou and Nantong, hence the name, Sutong Bridge. To give it some perspective, the barge on the water was some 30 metres long!


The midspan between the two huge A-shape towers is 1,088 metres long, making it the world's longest cable-stayed bridge when completed. When this picture was taken on 10 April 2007, the gap between the two approaching box girder was a mere 200 metres. It is slated to be opened to traffic in September 2007!

Artist's impression of the completed Sutong Bridge, an engineering feat no less. No wonder the Discovery Channel was there to film this magnificient MEGA STRUCTURE!

Shanghai Photos II

The 1st Tee Box at the Lake Melaren Golf Club in Shanghai. It is about one-hour drive from the city and the green fees on weekend is $1200 yuan or about RM650 each without caddy! It is expensive to play golf in China!


The rubbish bin in the Lake Melaren Golf Club has separate compartments for recycleable and non recycleable wastes.


These, unbelievably are urinals in the posh Lake Melaren Golf Club 's men's rest room. Nice!

Shanghai Photos I

This lovely building is not a stadium or a concert hall. It actually houses a Rest & Service outlet along the Elevated Expressway just outside the Shanghai City limit.


The Maintenance and Toll Charges motorists had to pay to use the Elevated Expressway.


This multi-tier Flyover Interchange in the heart of Shanghai City is supported by a huge column as main support. Story had it that there was exteme difficulty carrying out piling and constructing the column and the Feng Shui master was consulted. He found out that nine dragon lived below this huge interchange and to calm them, the City Council must carve the image of these nine dragons on the circular column. True enough, the work was smooth after that and the interchange was completed without further difficulties. Unfortunately, the Feng Shui master died soon after for "letting the secret out" about these dragons. Believe it or not?


These guys were strung from the top of this multi-storey building cleaning the tiles. Spider Men they were indeed.


Not sure what is the name of this shrub but the pink leaves are so sweet.

The Cruise Boat at The Bund had this notice on its wall.


The high-speed Maglev Train from Pudong International Airport to Shanghai City. Capable of a top speed of 450 km/hr, it was unfortunately grossly under utilized due to cost of tickets.

The Bund at night.

Definition of Money

Quote from David Marshall:

I've got nothing against money. I'd like to have money myself! I'd like to have a house and a garden and dogs and a car and a chauffeur but, look, I've got a flat. I've got a swimming pool attached to the flat. I've not even got a car but I use taxis. I have a dignified way of life without being wealthy.

I don't see the necessity of owning a Mercedes-Benz and a swimming pool and a couple of mistresses. I think we've got our values all wrong. What the hell do you do with all that money? You can't eat it! What do you do with it? Your children don't need all that money.

My children have had the best of education. In fact, I'm very proud of them. One of them is a senior registrar to two major hospitals in Oxford. Another of them is a consultant in European law to the Securities and Investment Board in the United Kingdom. They've had their education. There are no complaints. I never earned $60,000 a month or $90,000 a month. When I was Chief Minister, I earned $8,000 a month.

Look, what is happening today is we are encouraged to and are becoming worshippers of the Golden Calf.

We have lost sight of the joy and excitement of public service, helping our fellow men. The joy and excitement of seeking and understanding of the joy of the miracle of the living the duty and the grandeur. We have lost taste for heroic action in the service of our people.
We have become good bourgeois seeking comfort, security. It's like seeking a crystal coffin and being fed by intravenous injections through pipes in the crystal coffin; crystal coffins stuck with certificates of your pragmatic abilities.