FEWER DEATHS, SO OPS SIKAP A SUCCESS ...
The recently concluded Ops Sikap XII, carried out during the weeks to and after the 2007 CNY holidays, saw 207 road deaths compared to the 226 deaths during the previous year's CNY holidays. And this has been declared a "resounding success" by the federal traffic police.
I guess if the goal of all Ops Sikap is to reduce death toll, yeah, I suppose you could call this a success. But hey, take a look at the total number of road accidents. The 2007 CNY Ops Sikap recorded 14,930 road accidents, as compared to 13,153 in 2006. That's 1,777 more accidents than last year!
A "resounding success?" I think not. A marginally less number of people died in an astoundingly higher number of accidents hardly qualifies as a "success". To me a "success" (if you can call it a "success" when you talk about deaths) is when you have a lot less deaths in a lot less accidents.
I was also astounded by the news reports that say a lot of our motorists do not even have licences to drive or ride their vehicles. Out of the 16,493 traffic offences recorded during the Ops Sikap XII, 28 per cent were committed by those without driving licences.
I've known all along that most road accidents are caused by stupid people. Little did I know that they are caused by moronic idiots who are too stupid to pass their driving tests, or too stupid to know that they need to have a licence to operate their vehicles.
Speaking of Ops Sikap XII, I too am part of its statistics. During the drive from KL to Johor, I painfully adhered to the highway's speed limit, arriving at my relative's home more than one hour later than usual. It was when I hit the trunk road -- just a few kilometres away from my destination -- that I was flagged by a traffic policeman. Apparently I was doing 72 km/h on a 60 km/h stretch.
Yup, geram ke tak? RM300 gone, just because I was too busy having a nice conversation with my extremely curious twin godsons to notice the speed limit signage.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ... TO ME!!
Well, folks, today is my birthday. Although a year older, I'm much, much happier, and thankful for all of God's blessings, for my family, my close friends, my twin goodsons through whom I learnt the true meaning of unconditional love, my colleagues, and for all the people who have touched my life and heart in one way or another.
A dear friend posted this on her blog, and I'm touched beyond words (Che Man is the name she fondly calls me by):HAPPY BESDAY CHE MAN DEARIE
By New Zealand's time and date, it is already February 21st, way past midnite. Therefore, HAPPY HAPPY BESDAY CHE MAN DEARIE AND MANY MORE AWESOME YEARS TO COME. LURRVEEE YOU MUCH.
I pray for your good mental and physical health, I wish you happiness and joy, I pray for your wealth and may life be generous with you - always, I wish good friends will always be with you, I pray for what your heart desires, I wish you never ending smiles and I pray that ALLAH will always take care of you ... Amen.
Che Man and me - we came a long way. We started more than 15 years ago and how we came about to be good friends, remains an enigma. We never count moments, days or years. We just sail through in and out of the relationships ... We had our good moments, sad moments, peculiar meoments, awkward moments, ha ha ha moments, tender moments and all sort of moments - the ups and downs. Through it all, we became closer and wiser in our relationships.
Che Man is not just a friend - but part of my family. Che Man was there when Tuya was bawling away when she was a baby. Che Man was at most of the family's celeberations - besdays, raya, just makan2, just gathering, just nothing ....
Just before I left for Christchurch, I was looking at some photos at mama's place and found Che Man's pictures with Kak Long and family at the zoo, a day after I left for London. Che Man was there, with or without me around ..... Just like most of my close friends (Kash is a splendid new addition - thank you Che Man for Kash).
Che Man is a man of few words but whenever he speaks up - it comes straight from the heart. I tried to fully understand him but I decided that it is best that we went with the flow and grow .... We flow in the relationships and grow within it. And we have grown into where we are today. Thank you God for Che Man. And thank you Che Man for having me in your life. It has been a pleasure and will always be.....
Che Man...whatever you do in your life, wherever you go and whichever way you decide...I will only pray the BEST for you. And I always believe that we are allowed to make many mistakes in our lives but not mistakes that destroy us (Paulo Coelho, 1998).
I am so sad for not able to be there on you birthday and the celeberation. I am sure that you're gonna have a blast just like the years before as you are especially loved and appreciated by your friends.
And thank you very much for the awesome celeberation for my birthday that you thoughtfully organized for me. I appreciate that very much. And you know that you will always have a special place in my heart, Insyallah.....
Lurvve Always, Che Wan - Christchurch, February 21st, 2007
Needless to say, I shed a couple of tears. I miss her, although she has only been gone 10 days....
And to those who have also extended your good wishes and kind thoughts, wherever you are, thank you very much. May God bless you and your loved ones, too.
CELEBRITY VALENTINE'S FANTASY
I was at a relative's home in Johore for the recent CNY break and came across the latest issue of hot, tagged as Malaysia's favourite entertainment magazine. The publication carries a lot of stories and gossip on Hollywood/western celebrities, with a smattering of coverage on local artistes. And apparently the relative's eldest daughter is a fan and a subscriber.
Look-wise, hot tries a lot to be another Hollywood entertainment rag, or a copy cat, at least. Personally, I feel the editors/writers could do much better without the juvenile captions and quotes that accompany certain pictures on certain pages. These captions and quotes are immature, unprofessional and quite annoying. You have to read them to see what I mean.
I was drawn to a two-page spread where some celebrities, mostly foreign, were asked about their dream Valentine's Day date, or something to that effect. Decent and straightforward answers came from most of them.
Then I saw quite a familiar face. It belongs to a local Malay male TV host. His Valentine's Day dream is to ask "Angelina Jolie's left breast out" to dinner, if her breasts were detachable, that is.
Yezza. Quite daring, huh, this TV host. I'm just wondering whether his bravado was partly because he thought that his comment wouldn't be read by people who matter (read: his Malay/Muslim fans); or because he just plain didn't care what they'd think.
I remember not too long ago, some stupid sexual fantasy almost killed a local songstress' career. But I suppose time's changed, huh. And it helps if you are a man.
YOU JUST CAN'T STOP TALKING...
"With Longevity Calls, you just can't stop talking", proclaims DiGi in its latest print and TV promos. Not even at the dinner table, during what looks like a reunion dinner, the most revered occasion during the Chinese New Year celebrations.
I don't know about you, but I want to take issue with DiGi on this one. I'm sure you have come across its CNY print and TV ads that show a family at a dinner table where all nine of the family members are on the phone, talking.
I find the ad extremely offensive. I mean, what kind of values DiGi is promoting? That it is OK to talk on the phone while having dinner with your family at this very auspicious occasion lest you miss out on its great promo?
All people with basic manners would agree with me that it is extremely rude to talk on the phone at a dinner table, especially when you have company. Let alone during a reunion dinner where you're supposed to reunite with your loved ones and cherish the moment, kan?
It's already bad enough when people with no manners talk on the phone everywhere -- in public transport, in crowded elevators, in movie theatres, and (believe me) in the toilet. Remind me to recount this one later.
And thanks to DiGi, it seems talking at the dinner table should now be encouraged. A lot this would do to our budi bahasa campaign, kan?
FEBRUARY 14. WHAT A SPECIAL DAY!
Yesterday, February 14, was a very special day. The day saw the official launch of the Tan Sri Azizan Zainul Abidin Integrity Circles for Young Professionals, a networking programme to motivate and inspire young professionals to subscribe to and promote the basic values of honesty and integrity.
Tan Sri Azizan Zainul Abidin was the former Chairman of PETRONAS. The programme is the initiative of the Malaysian Institute of Integrity.
That the programme is named after the late Tan Sri Azizan is a further recognition and fitting tribute to a man who during his whole life-time epitomised strong values and ethics, a man highly and widely regarded as the beacon of integrity and moral fortitude.
In the words of Tan Sri Mohd Hassan Marican, President of PETRONAS, the late gentleman and true statesman "breathed life into the concept of integrity". He regarded values, particularly integrity, as a moral compass, guiding the choice of right over wrong. And without the firm foundation of values, all our efforts will be rudderless, a journey embarked without a purpose.
I had had the honour and privilege of participating in a few events and initiatives which required the involvement of the late Tan Sri, and my limited contact and discourse with him were real treasured pleasures. He truly was what everyone says he was and more.
"Make serving a desirable objective or we will succumb to greed which will undermine the fabric of society," he reportedly used to say.
I wish they were a lot more so-called leaders within our midst who would be guided by the example of the late Tan Sri. But I guess this would be too much to wish for. You can't really teach greedy old dogs new things.
Alas, all is not lost, I suppose. The onus and responsibility of propagating the culture of ethics and integrity now should fall on the shoulders of our young professionals who are members of the Integrity Circles.
To be nominated to the Circles' 2007 session, you must be below 35 years old, have 2 to 5 years' working experience, and demonstrate exemplary leadership and interpersonal qualities.
Interested? Please call 03-6209 2000/2065/66/68/69.
BLOOD-BOILING STORIES, HEART-WARMING STORIES, HEART-WRENCHING STORIES
Oh my Gosh. It's been ages since I last posted. And yes, I might as well admit it, I was afflicted with a terrible disease: I was sick to my stomach! There were so many things going on in this country that made me not want to write. I thought to myself: What's the point of writing at all? What would I achieve? Who would read? Or take heed?
No one.
The stupid, the ignorant, the arrogant, the inconsiderate, they will remain as they are. Certain people can go on purchasing luxury yachts, leasing executive jets, building extravagant homes, raising fuel prices, hiking toll rates -- and not many would care. Certain other people can go on wasting public fund in certain other ways, and only a few would raise an eyebrow.
But, let anything happen to a favourite reality TV product, the whole nation would be in an uproar.
And this makes my blood boil. What's happened to our sense of responsibility? And as a people, where is our priority? Or have we, as a people, given up trying to influence those leaders we duly elected?
Amid all this, I came upon a story both heart-warming and heart-wrenching, and I suppose quite a few people have read this also.
In 1982, a Thai woman residing in Narathiwat took a wrong bus home after a shopping trip to Malaysia. The bus took her all the way to Bangkok, about 1,150 km north from her home. According to AFP, the woman only speaks Yawi, a Malay dialect spoken only in Narathiwat. So, unable to read nor speak Thai, she boarded another wrong bus that took her to Chiangmai, another 700km further north.
In Chiangmai, she ended up as a beggar for five years, before she was sent by the authorities to a shelter for the homeless. There she lived for 20 years, where no one understood her, until a group of students from Narathiwat came to the shelter to do their research on the problem of the homeless.
To cut the story short, the woman, Jaeyana Beurahing (her Muslim name -- I suspect -- is Zainab Ibrahim) was soon reunited with her family, after 25 years! And days after the reunion, her children and grandchildren were still kissing and hugging her.
What a story. What a detour!! And there are a few lessons to be learnt as well. Which I would leave to your imagination...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)