Insensitivity of Some Writers

While snooping on what's been hot news among my Fb friends, I stumbled across a shared blogpost in response to an article published a few days ago on The Star news website on "No benefit in being fat" (written by Tee Lin Say). With limited time and internet access during lunch hour, I Googled up the offending article and found it. Unfortunately I wasn't able to read past the first two paragraphs when I was called away.

About an hour ago, I tried to access the said article again and found that it had been replaced with a public apology by the writer! Shoot (I thought) I had missed it! In the space of a few hours, the article had been taken down. A screenshot of the current webpage is as below. More of the story after the jump.

Article replaced with public apology

sm Vs the Haze

I'm glad to say that my body held up pretty well against the haze this time around. I guess thanks to careful minimal exposure and lots of water and fish oil supplements too. The worst symptoms so far were allergies which made me sneeze and start a runny nose with a little itchy eyes. But no asthma or emergency clinic visits. Just as a reminder of how bad the haze was this year:

Comparison of a normal day and a hazy day - the hazy day photo doesn't do justice to the actual haze situation we experienced

Election Fever

This year will be the second time around that I will be voting. Admittedly, the first time around I voted because I was exercising my right, and not because I truly believed that I was an instrument of change.

Forever Young in Malaysia

Living in Malaysia has its benefits. Besides having great weather and a decent standard of living (till the point where the Germans are sending their old folks to retire here), we can always rejoice that we, as Malaysians, can feel like a young kid in perpetuity.

Malaysia Needs More People Who Think Before They Act

Sad to say, I have lost track of the recent happenings in Malaysia. For example, I had only heard about the Himpunan Sejuta Umat this morning. So in an effort to decrease my ignorance, I Googled it and found this article in The Star Website.

Living with Their Eyes Wide Shut, Ears Alert but Deaf

It's been a while since I followed the news - in a way it was a blessing, being ignorant for a slightly longer period with lesser hours of heartache from the injustice of utter lies certain bloggers and media have cooked up. It is a wonder how the "person at the heart of this storm" is able to withstand all the pressure. Prayers for the blessed man who has proven that he walks the talk.

God's House Trespassed

Today we heard from Pastor what really happened. It was as what was quoted by him in The Sun newspaper report. I haven't had the chance to search for what other media have been cooking up about the issue. But I can imagine, as this is Malaysia, and the true issue always gets side-tracked and some "smart alec" will raise other unconnected stories that would shift the blame from the perpetrator to the victim.

Yellow

Today, Malaysian history is being made. The local TV stations are telling us lies - all having their "balls" clutched by the Government. But we are still able to know some parts of the true situation via the great Internet and international news agencies.

The Rape of Sarawak's Forest

Admittedly I have not been keeping up-to-date with the latest local news. I know that Sarawak is having their general elections next week and that the current chief minister just married a young Middle Eastern wife, in a somewhat hush-hush manner, while his son is being sued by an ex-wife for hundreds of millions (Ringgit).

And then I read this today. At first I thought it was just an exaggeration of facts by foreign media, but when I Googled for the actual satellite images and found them, I was really upset at the lies this politician has weaved for us. Imagine the indigenous people who do not have Internet to check all these information for themselves and are continually duped by this evil man and proceed to vote for him and his party of liars! This just makes me sick! Sometimes I really wonder when will these people taste retribution? It is grossly unfair that they pull on a sympathetic face in front of the people (voters) and behind our backs, they are sucking us dry like a two-faced viper.

If our politicians don't even have conscience, then they are not humans and don't deserve to be treated like one!

This Google satellite map image is just one example where anyone with a functioning eye can see what stark difference our Sarawakian rainforest and that of Brunei's are! The capillary-like things are logging roads (and the CM claims 70% of Sarawak's forest cover is intact)

Now We Can Make Homemade Coke

Apparently the leaked Coca-Cola recipe has been floating around for some time, just that no one really knew it was authentic or not! This here is an interesting read on how the recipe's history (or some sort). Anyway, this is cut and pasted from that Gizmodo article (Just in case you wanted to try making it at home):

The recipe:

Fluid extract of Coca: 3 drams USP
Citric acid: 3 oz
Caffeine: 1 oz
Sugar: 30 (unclear quantity)
Water: 2.5 gal
Lime juice: 2 pints, 1 quart
Vanilla: 1 oz
Caramel: 1.5 oz or more for color

The secret 7X flavor (use 2 oz of flavor to 5 gals syrup):

Alcohol: 8 oz
Orange oil: 20 drops
Lemon oil: 30 drops
Nutmeg oil: 10 drops
Coriander: 5 drops
Neroli: 10 drops
Cinnamon: 10 drops

However, before you start, just a pointer to take note of... there is a very high chance that you may never get hold of the fluid extract of Coca in your lifetime. So if you're expecting to be the next hit with an imitation Koka Kola or something, you'd better forget about imitating that special Coke taste! hehehe

Did you know Barbie and Ken had split up? I didn't!

I was browsing through my Fb news feed when I came across this link. It was about a public vote on whether Barbie and Ken (Yes, the Mattel dolls!) should get back together! I didn't even know that they were 'together' (I thought Mattel just made a pair of dolls without much story behind the toy) or that they had split up in 2004! If you were one who's childhood revolved much around playing with Barbie dolls (like me!), you really should read Barbie and Ken's history together. Or even if you're not a Barbie fan, check out the pictures - you get to see how Barbie's face changed from the original 60's version to the modern one, and also the numerous facial changes Ken underwent (if he were a human man, he'd probably beat MJ hands down to the King of Plastic Surgery title!). And if you're hyped up after all that education, you can try your hand at creating Barbie & Ken history by voting on whether Barbie should get back together with Ken, or not.

Photo taken from here. I used to dream of collecting enough 'ang pau' money to buy this collector's item Barbie when I was in primary school. She was so different from the ones we could buy off the rack in Toys'R'Us in Subang Parade. Doesn't Ken look a bit like Carson Daly?

Photo taken from here. The first Barbie I remember having (or a better word would be 'inherited') was this 1984 Dream Date Barbie. I think my mum bought it even before I was around - she thought the dress was lovely! Anyway, I think I might have thrown that doll away a couple of years ago, but I remember keeping the dress. Being a kid, I'd naturally messed up Barbie's hair into a knotted tangle well before I realised it was a collector's item. Damn!

Photo taken from here. This is the latest version of Barbie and Ken (2010). Doesn't Ken look like a young Ryan Philippe?

Funneh! Foolish Comments Wall War

This morning I read an MSN news article about TV3 pulling out their Raya 2010 advertisement because of an outcry from the public. I searched for the video and finally found it on YouTube. You can view it here and read all the nasty comments below the video.

Admittedly, the advert doesn't seem to emanate the Ramadan feel that good Raya ads are supposed to do. It was like a case of confused/mixed up cultural identity with a silly storyline. Perhaps the creator(s) were aiming to portray an assimilation of our many cultures into one advert and I don't blame them for trying, after so much press on the 1Malaysia concept and the idea of bringing Malaysians together again. However it was foolish of them not to realise that there would be a backlash from the viewing public. Never meddle too much with race and religion issues - most people are just not matured enough to accept differing opinions about their personal beliefs, and this is when things start getting nasty and personal attacks abound.

Reading the comments below the YouTube video, I was at first amused at how these people were in a war of words with each other and everyone else. I didn't manage to read all 800+ comments but the later ones were mostly personal attacks and not related to the video at all. There were many other comments which showed that there is still a bunch of racists and religion-supremacists in Malaysia. Sad case, but I guess these kinds of people will never become an extinct species. (I would trade one of these humans for the restoration of life of an extinct dodo bird in a heart beat! God forgive me for thinking such thoughts)

I really don't get it why people can't embrace the differences in our cultures. It is this which makes Malaysia unique and interesting - a home to many cultures. I mean, we're actually using that fact to 'market' our country as an ideal tourist destination to the world! So why don't we practice what we preach?

Every culture is important and should not be sidelined just because it belongs to a minority group. And when it comes to religion, I understand that everyone thinks their respective religious beliefs is the best and that it would be a better world if only everyone else would just embrace that religion (this is admirable as their zealousness probably shows the level of faith they have). However, if you really intend to propagate your religious beliefs, wouldn't it be better to win their hearts first, and then win their minds. Let others witness with their own eyes how your beliefs has made you a better person. Let every aspect of your life - your thoughts, your words, your actions - be a testimony of how great your god is. After all, what good is a religion if it doesn't change your heart, and subsequently your life?

I am in no way implying that I am what I've just described above, but I meant it more as an advice to those people who think they have a right to publicly condemn other races and religions and say things like "my religion is the ultimate truth and those who are not of the same faith will never be able to fathom this truth until they die and meet the creator". Honestly, if I was still seeking a faith to believe in, words like those would put me off in an instance. I would not want to believe in a god whose followers speak with arrogance and show no mercy. Although technically, it is not right to blame god for the follies of man, but whether we like it or not, each of us are ambassadors of the god we believe in. The moment we identify ourselves with our faith, our every actions are being meticulously assessed, constantly (be it consciously or unconsciously), by unbelievers (those of other faiths or atheists). Therefore a seemingly harmless move (to you) could stumble someone's walk in faith.

If only people could get it into their thick skulls that the way to win a person over is through their hearts and not by a battle of intellect or forcing them into believing something they have not 'experienced' themselves, then we would have so much more peace in the world! 

Karma?

I know it is sadistic to laugh when someone gets hurt, but when I read this on Bernama, I couldn't help it!

This guy was riding his bicycle in Jakarta, carrying a home-made bomb when it suddenly exploded in front of a traffic policeman. The policeman said he saw the guy sprawled on the road with nails scattered about him. He got up and tried to run away but was apprehended by the police. He sustained head wounds and a fractured right leg and arm, and was hospitalised. The policeman was unhurt, although he was only one metre away from the explosion.

The home-made bomb consisted of nails, sulphur powder, a plastic string and a lighter. There were two letters written with "warnings to the infidels associated with satan for killing the Mujahideen".

Somehow I keep picturing it in my mind like a comic strip.

1. Guy sets out with evil intent on his bicycle
2. Kaboom!
3. Guy sprawled on road (Splat!) with bomb components around him
4. Guy tries to run away but gets caught by police

Is this karma? hahaha
(If I could draw better, I would've added a visual to this)

Look Who's Ringing the NYSE Closing Bell!

Chris Botti (photo credit: daylife.com)

 Pink Panther! (photo credit: zimbio.com)

Marley the dog from 'Marley & Me' (photo credit: zimbio.com)

KISS (photo credit: zimbio.com)

Darth Vader (photo credit: guardian.co.uk)

Hello Kitty (photo credit: daylife.com)

and I just saw on CNN and on The Star and Bernama websites.... our PM Najib! (photo credit: thestar.com.my)

In the news today: Murders, Murders, Murders

For the past few days, the headlines have been dominated by the then 'missing case' of Datuk Sosilawati - the millionaire owner of a local cosmetics company - which has now been classified as a murder case. According to newspaper reports, the successful career lady together with a lawyer, bank officer and her driver were beaten, stabbed multiple times and burnt in a farm in Banting.

Their bodies were burnt using a traditional method from India, where cow dung and fuel were used to speed up the cremation and burning efficiency. Their ashes were then scattered in a river. The main suspects in this murder case are two brothers, both lawyers and one of them holds a Datukship.

Today's NST headlines particularly made me shake my head in disbelief - "Datuk may be linked to at least 17 murders". As I read the related reports in the newspaper, it's a wonder with so many missing persons and violence-related cases reported against this Datuk, why does he still hold the Datuk title and hasn't been under investigation? To see who this 'person' is, click on to this Utusan Malaysia article (Note: at the time I'm writing this, all the other major English and Malay newspapers have censored off his face - the one in purple prison uniform).

One of the other reported cases involved a workshop owner who was related to this Datuk and had been slashed and shortly later his wife slashed to death in front of their home. Another involved a businessman from India who never returned home after dealing with this Datuk and his wife came over to Malaysia to search for him but the police weren't helpful (all this, read from newspaper reports).

To read more about this case, here is the NST article - 17 murders! And for some juicy news check the Malay Mail. It seems the Datuk's wife has swiped the 2 kids from their international school and skipped town.

And to suddenly see all the politicians giving their two cents worth of opinion and 'urging' the authorities and the rakyat to prioritise investigation and not misinterpret it as a racial killing, makes me sick. Call me skeptical, but I really think that they're just riding on the publicity - get their names mentioned as much on media headlines to remind us all that they are there and that we should take their statements as proof of their concern and don't forget to vote for them come next election season! *whoopeee! (with ample sarcasm)*

Anyway, another murder case in the news is about a female religious teacher and her son murdered by their flat neighbour in Port Dickson. He tricked her into letting him into her flat, hit her and her son and tied them up, taped their mouths, covered their head with a sarong and left them to suffocate under the shower. And all this for... money... a mere RM3,500 (after selling her jewellery) to pay for his car loan and bills. What kind of human is this? Who would kill to pay for a car loan? Sell the car if you can't afford it, dude! Why take someone else's life? Someone who is unrelated to you and has not wronged you or cause you to be in this financial debacle!?! And such a cruel way of killing... and on top of that, a 10-year-old kid!?! Pure evil.

Note (20 Sept 2010):  It is now reported that the murder suspect lawyer bought his fake 'Datuk' title and that none of the royal families had awarded him a Datukship.

Persecution

Late last week, two youths (brothers) were sentenced to five years imprisonment each, for setting fire to the Metro Tabernacle Church in early January. To read more, please refer to this The Star newspaper article. A week or so earlier, another youth was acquitted of the offence due to lack of evidence. And if you were to read this other news report about what one witness testified and what the judge found of another witness' account, it makes you wonder why the court proceeding is just like another summon to the principle's office - where the naughty boys are telling the headmaster whatever that springs to their mind just to cover their asses. Obviously these dudes don't understand the severity of lying in court and probably are expecting some 'unseen powers that be' to put up a big show but save their hinds eventually. Very sad case indeed.

A similar situation is occurring in Indonesia. The government has bowed to the pressure of radical Muslim groups, allowing the church attacks to continue and one town council even shut out the church from a venue they usually congregate at. To read more about this issue, you can read either this secular news Website report or another one from a Christian news site. 

We are so blessed in the sense that we are able to legally exercise our right to practice our religion. So much so that we have taken it for granted till the point where we did not hear the alarm bells ring. Little by little, this right is being taken away (I leave you to make your own conclusion on what I'm referring to).

We need prayer.

	Hillsong - You Said By Hillsong Music Australia .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

You Said (Hillsong Music Australia)

You said ask and you will receive
Whatever You need
You said pray and I’ll hear from heaven
And I’ll heal Your land

You said Your glory will fill the earth
Like water the seas
You said lift up your eyes
The harvest is here
The kingdom is near
You said

Ask and I’ll give the nations to You
O Lord that’s the cry of my heart
Distant shores and the islands
Will see Your light
As it rises on us

Credit Cards - Evil?

As a follow up from Paper or Plastic?, I'm sorry to say that I've caved in to the double-Cs. Yes, I got one, as a contingency measure for my month-long trip (but I didn't use it abroad at all!). Having this plastic in my wallet is quite tempting, but as a compensation, I think I'm more alert at checking myself on whether I really need to buy something (whenever the urge arises). Anyway, so far it's been working out good - as next month the bank will be giving me around RM28 cashback (I'm not too sure for what exactly - perhaps since I'm a new user and I've been using my card weekly for petrol and misc. and the fact that I pay up before they bill me?). :)

This is a cute way of putting things into perspective!

Anyway, the purpose of this post (and me revealing that I have succumbed to the banks) is this Reuters article. The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston released a study on how credit card fees and rewards programs are acting as a transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich. You may ask, how can this be when I don't actually ask the poor to pay my credit card bills? Well, if you've noticed, most merchants usually do not charge extra if you opt to pay via credit card. Of course, (in Malaysia) with the exception of smaller shops, some Chinese restaurants and certain cellphone dealers - where they will charge you a higher price (about 2% more) if you want to pay by card or they set a minimum limit of RM50 for credit card purchases. For the majority of the merchants out there, they are willing to absorb that small percentage of credit card fees in order to secure more sales. So at the end of the day, customers paying by cash are actually paying more to the merchant for their goods, while credit card users are paying less and the rest of the dough goes to the bank. And when the merchant 'absorbs' the credit card fees, it means that they're taking that extra money earned from their cash-paying customers to pay the bank. According to the said article, people who pay by cash are also more likely to belong to the lower income group. Therefore, in essence, credit card users are robbing cash-paying customers (through the very subtle middlemen - the merchant and the bank).

So, this doesn't really encourage consumers to pay cash for their merchandise, as you end up paying more than what the actual price should be (i.e. minus credit card fees) and you're poorer immediately (as opposed to buying on credit and paying up at the end of the month). On top of that, if you rack up more on your credit card bill (and maintain a good credit history), you'll get more points for gift redemption or cashback (like my credit card plan!).

The banking system and all these credit card schemes aren't perfect - somehow, somewhere, sometime, someone has to become the scapegoat at the end of the day. I don't think there's a win-win situation or solution to this matter. After all, it is business and people do what they do to get more money. In other words, it's a dog-eat-dog world. So for those who have credit cards, use them! You're actually getting more for your money spent! (Disclaimer: The author is not liable for any overspending done via credit cards on the part of all readers of this post. You should have enough brain to know your spending limits when you sign up for a credit card!)

In the news today: Certified No Pig, Make a Fool of Yourself to Win Votes

Pork-free dipsticks

This article tells of an invention by Kazakhstan scientists, where these dipstick tests can identify whether there is pork content in the food with just a glass of water to dissolve the food sample. I can imagine seeing this used in Malaysia, but I don't think our Malaysian halal food vendors are that cunning to add pork into their food. In fact, pork prices are escalating, so it wouldn't be cost-effective to the food seller.

Circus politics

How much cheesier can you get than politicians (especially in Southeast Asian politics). In the last general election here in Malaysia, we could actually see the childishness of these 'potential leaders', broad-day sabotage, billboard gimmicks, singing and dancing during campaign drives. Well now we get to read of similar antics in the Philippines here. Their case includes bad rapping, comedy and sexploitation. And what is with the increasing number of celebrities (drama actors, singers, boxers, you name it!) who are trying their hand in politics? It's becoming a fanfest rather than an election!

Just a passing thought

I was reading the first few lines in this article and a thought crossed my mind. I don't mean to be anti-government and all (in fact, I specifically selected this news for our news broadcast to promote the good side of Malaysia) but is our newspaper reports some sort of propaganda channel? (oh wait, I just found out it was written by Bernama... so that explains a lot!)

Anyway, I shall elaborate on my initial thoughts as mentioned above. The article starts off with how our Prime Minister has "woo-ed" the Chinese community by attending (a.k.a 'showing face at') various Chinese celebrations and functions throughout his first year tenure as leader of Malaysia. While his presence at these events show that he is making an effort to include the Chinese community into his undoubtedly busy schedule and thus convey the subtle message of his equal concern for all races in Malaysia, it should not be used wholly as a sign that the status of the Chinese community has actually been improved because of him. Results and actions, rather than cosmetic or superficial diplomacy acts, should be used as a yardstick of how far he has leveled the equality between the races.

What was written seem to imply that the Chinese community is very happy and obliged because he chose to grace their events. That all the past injustice was cured by his simple acts of thoughtfulness. Does the writer really think that the Chinese are that simple minded?

It is mentioned later on (quoting political analysts) that the current new generation of Malaysian Chinese are more concerned with issues, rather than making money (unlike the older generation who were mainly first or second generation Malaysian Chinese). Issues that would affect our future generation's education and opportunities. Issues that concern our rights as Malaysians. Issues that would bring advancement and the general well-being to the country. This is a sign that the Chinese community is evolving into one that is boldly taking ownership of what it truly means to be a Malaysian. To be part of the rakyat, and not just another race group in the demography of Malaysia.

One of the political analyst also said

This explains why some Chinese voters even voted for a party which had been promoting its aspiration of an Islamic state in the last general election as well as several by-elections after that as they had adopted a different political thinking from that of their parents.

Isn't it a wonder why the Chinese voters polled for any other party under the sun besides BN in the last general election? A message is being sent by the rakyat to the party leaders: that we will no longer swallow all the 'kowtow'-ing of the MCA leaders. It is time for a change.

What we need is more action than talk or branding campaigns or publicity stunts or full-page coloured newspaper ads. A little less of politicising and a little more of implementation. Our Prime Minister's four initiatives - 1Malaysia, Government Transformation Programme (GTP), 10th Malaysia Plan (10MP) and New Economic Model (NEM) - promises good things, but how far will the implementation effectiveness be is still a question mark. Perhaps it is still too early to draw any conclusion about these plans that he has for Malaysia. All hope is on his earnestness to carry out these initiatives to completion and achieving each of their objectives by leaps and bounds above what was set.

Politicians Will Fail You

In the last general elections, I decided to exercise my voting rights as a Malaysian. It was the first general election which I was legally eligible to vote in. I got myself registered at the post office months before the cut-off period. And on the day itself, walked to the nearest school (which was my designated voting station), waited in line to vote and finally voted.

I voted for the opposition - thinking that perhaps a little more support (my vote) would boost their position and allow them to make a little more noise that would matter a little more to the government. Besides, the young blood in the opposition parties seemed promising and did not fit into the politician cookie cutter that we see with the BN coalition. Little did I know, a lot more people were thinking the same thoughts as me and the opposition parties garnered quite a big victory, although not enough to become the ruling government.

A number of the opposition parties grouped together to form another coalition - PR - which would be headed by our ex-DPM Anwar Ibrahim.

The point is... recently there has been a number of PKR members of Parliament (MPs) - who were elected by the rakyat (us) - quitting the party, initially stating that they will remain independent but later defecting to the ruling coalition. You can read of a recent case here (<--clickable link). I agree that PKR hasn't been a bed of roses but it's still young with a lot of teething problems to settle and not to mention those BN defectors who now want to return to their previous party. Why are our politicians acting spineless, just drifting where the wind blows and lacking in commitment to a particular party - like they have no roots. What kind of fruit will a tree bear if it does not have roots? None.

This just shows that you can't trust any politician. They promise you the sky but that is all that they can deliver - thin air. We voted them in thinking that there will be change. Although there has been a little change (for the few who truly love Malaysia and are serving the rakyat), but it is too rare like finding an uncut diamond in a mountain of sand and whatever little influence they hold is overridden by the corrupt lot. This is why I find following the local political scene so frustrating and sometimes it really seems like a joke that I expect will disappear after I stop laughing at its absurdity, but it doesn't... and it remains as news in the newspapers. Funny how they think we are a stupid bunch of rakyat who will just swallow whatever fallacy they wish to feed us!

This is the reason why there has been an exodus of 30,000 Malaysians to other countries around the world. If the politicians (ruling or opposition coalitions) are not careful, our country's best movers and shakers will uproot themselves and leave the country. And then what will Malaysia be left with?