WASTAGE, AND MORE WASTAGE -- PART III
On Thursday, Bernama quoted retired senior civil servant Tan Sri Dr Arshad Ayub urging the government to stop excessive wastage in its spending so that the money saved could be spent on more useful and worthy causes.
"Evening feasts and huge celebrations are held and organised everywhere. And I see a lot of wastage and indulgence," the good Tan Sri was quoted.
He reminded the Treasury and implored the government to curb wastage, and suggested that Treasury officials be sent to audit courses so that they'd be aware that wastage really needed to be reduced.
Bravo, Tan Sri.
While we are at it, perhaps we ought to also point out a few other things we consider as wastage and indulgence:
- a multi-million ringgit overseas athletes training complex
- a multi-million ringgit bid to host a youth sports championship
- a multi-million ringgit new leased government jet
- overseas "study" trips for state municipal councils
- newspaper ads placed by government-owned agencies/entities thanking or congratulating their political bossess
- countless pompous parades to celebrate and/or observe almost anything
The list is not exhaustive, so I'd be exhausted if I were to write all. Perhaps my friends would assist?
ISLAM. DULU, KINI DAN SELAMANYA
I came across this ad in the papers yesterday.
"Have something to say about public road users? Say it loud and clear at our forum where like-minded motorists and authorities will agree or debate your thoughts.
If you think the government has to do more, voice it out. And if you believe the problem lies in the mindset of the public, let’s hear your advice. But do it all in the only place that can make a difference. Get online and hit www.PanduCermat.org.my and let your thoughts be heard."
If you think the government has to do more, voice it out. And if you believe the problem lies in the mindset of the public, let’s hear your advice. But do it all in the only place that can make a difference. Get online and hit www.PanduCermat.org.my and let your thoughts be heard."
So I hit the website, expecting to see loads of inspiring ideas and thoughts from like-minded motorists and authorities on how to solve our traffic problem. Not much here. But, hey, you have to give the Road Safety Department and the Transport Ministry credit for trying.
But there are loads of other useful information, tips and advice for motorists which, if adhered to, would help save lives and avoid a host of other traffic inconveniences.
What I find most interesting about the website is its Hall of Shame and Hall of Merit, where they post images of vehicles whose owners/drivers have committed various traffic offences, as well as pictures of model-behaviour vehicles.
Offences include illegal parking, turning, overtaking, littering, what have you. All posted by members of the public. Bravo.
The website administrator says those images have been forwarded to relevant authorities for further action.
So, what does all this have to do with the title of my post?
I tailed a lady driver for a good kilometre in the morning traffic crawl to work yesterday. From her rear-view and side mirrors, she looked quite young, perhaps in her early 20s, and pretty attractive. Clad in a baby blue tudung, she looked (well, from the shoulder up, anyway) every inch a sweet, demure, graceful young lady.
Then she did the unthinkable. She rolled down her window. And spat. Twice, in that distance of one kilometer. I should have taken pictures. But as advised by the website, taking pictures while in control of a moving vehicle is an offence.
Needless to say, I was shocked. First, because it was totally unexpected. I mean, I have seen plenty of spit coming from uncouth drivers, mainly male truck and taxi drivers (sorry guys, but some of you really are guilty).
Secondly, because of what I thought she was supposed to be. A lady.
Third, because of what her windscreen sticker says.
ISLAM. Dulu, kini dan selamanya.
Something is definitely not right here.
You debate.
WHAT ARE FRIENDS FOR?
I am still in a daze today. I guess M's passing is affecting me more than I thought it would.
Friends SMSed and called to find out. I told them to read the papers, particularly Berita Harian and Harian Metro. Or to visit Samantha.
I am in no mood to write. Nor do anything else.
Depressing. Depressing. Depressing.
Friends die. Or they simply drop out of your life. Sometimes by mutual choice. And when they go, they take away a chunk of you, your history.
My already small circle of friends is getting smaller. I have opened my heart to new friends, and with time, I hope the circle will never end up a dot. Because a dot denotes a period. And a period means an end.
Between thinking of the old friends whom I have lost and the new, newer ones I have made and will probably lose, I came across this article on friendship, written by Jenni Russell that appeared in The Guardian two years ago.
Check it out.
Have a good day.
God Bless.
LIFE, DEATH -- PART II
"M passed away at 3.00am today." The SMS was short (as it is meant to be) yet so final. Yes, he is gone. And I will never see him, talk to him, again. Ever.
Shocked, I sat down, and in a blur my mind went back to the last two phone conversations that I had with M. One in November, and the other in January. Not once did he mention that he was ill.
I had no idea. And the last time I saw him was way too long ago.
We ended each of the calls with a promise to catch up. But we never did. And the worst part is, I don't think I really meant my words. They were just empty promises, small talks, something to end the conversations with.
Horrible old me.
Al-Fatihah.
DUMB, DUMBER, DUMBEST - PART II
Today The Star carried a clarification by Tourism Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor on the remarks he made last week on women bloggers, which is further proof that he is suffering from a "gone-case" bout of foot-in-the-mouth disease.
Read this excerpt:
Adnan: I didn't mean all women
'I was referring to Indon journalist'
KUALA LUMPUR: Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor has clarified that he did not label all women bloggers as liars.
He said his statement was specifically made in reference to an Indonesian journalist who wrote in her blog about the ministry's inefficiency.
Tengku Adnan said he loved "all women" and he was "here because of a woman."
"In fact, most of my supporters in my constituency are women," he said.
(For the uninitiated, you may want to check out Nila Tanzil to understand what this was all about in the first place.)
Ohhhh. Not all women bloggers are liars, he now says, only Nila Tanzil. What an insult to our intelligence! What an insult to all women, including the one who's responsible for his being "here". And what an insult to Nila Tanzil. If were her, I would be hopping mad by now. And then get even. You know, tit-for-tat.
I don't understand why the Minister couldn't be graceful about the whole thing and accept Nila's observation as constructive criticism, and try to do things differently (and better) in the future. That would have been a princely thing to do, kan? We all learn from our mistakes. We are not perfect. But no, he chose to shove his foot deeper into his mouth.
I liaise a lot with people representing his Ministry, and "efficient" is not the first thing that would come to my mind when dealing with them. If I were to tell, their tales alone would need at least 831 postings.
OK, I exaggerate. But I'm afraid if Nila Tanzil were to pursue the matter further, this could turn into an embarassing diplomatic row.
But then, it's not like we're not used to being mortified by the words and actions of our leaders, kan?
LIFE, DEATH
Today, I saw in the obituary section of a local daily a picture of someone I used to know and occasionally work with. It's the ninth anniversary of his passing today. Good Lord, has it really been nine years?
My heart missed a beat, and my thoughts went back to the days when I would be sitting in meetings with him to hear his proposal, his vision for the motorcycle racing team he founded and managed.
He died relatively young, and truly unexpected.
Over these past few years, many more friends and colleagues (and members of my own family) left this world relatively young and unexpected. Was it work, lifestyle, or the food they ate, or what? I have no idea, only a feeling of loss and sadness.
Sadder still were the few senseless deaths in the past few days. Freak accidents, bus crashes, drownings, fires -- incidents that could be avoided with a bit of care and caution.
I mean, if you don't know how to swim, do not go into the water. If it's your child, don't let him or her near the water. Otherwise, teach him or her how to swim.
I watch my twin godsons -- who at 11 are relatively good swimmers -- like a hawk whenever they go swimming, be it in the swimming pool or at the beach. Like a hawk means my eyes would never leave them, not even once.
Quite an aggressive driver, I become the most sopan and berhemah motorist whenever they are with me in the car. They themselves are quite familiar with the road safety do's and don'ts.
They have also been taught not to play with matches, and to shun fire-crackers and mercun.
With what they already know and what I would keep on reminding them about, I hope and pray that the good graces of Allah would keep them safe and sound.
Amin.
DUMB, DUMBER, DUMBEST
Last night, after dropping off a colleague at the Kg Baru LRT station, I took Jln TAR to go home. The plan was to turn right at the Jln TAR-Jln Sultan Ismail junction and then on to Jln Kuching to head south. This was close to midnight.
Alas, after Sogo, the traffic moved at a snail's pace. Apparently some resurfacing work was being done at the junction. And they never thought of giving us motorists advanced warning -- say 200-250 metres before the junction -- about this. They just simply blocked the junction and directed traffic to turn left to Jln Sultan Ismail through that small turning at the lights. No warning!
So you can imagine the congestion with four lanes of traffic converging to the left. What stupid idiots. In the end, because of the wonderful road system in KL, the detour made me end up where I started, near my office.
A couple of months ago, the same thing happened to me in PJ, and a few weeks before that on Jln Tun Abdul Razak, right smack at the entrance of the south-bound tunnel near the RHB building. They were doing some work in the tunnel, and just simply blocked the tunnel's entrance. Stupid, or what?
Well, if they weren't, you argue, would they be doing that kind of work in the first place? Point taken, I say, but what about their supervisors? Don't they possess some degree of common sense?
Whoa. Wait a minute, you say. Why pick on those road repair riff-raffs when some of our so-called elected leaders who are supposed to have a bit of brain to run this bloody country are as dumb, or even dumber?
A few days ago, a Cabinet Minister continued to display symptoms of the food-in-the-mouth disease that intermittently afflict many of his counterparts. Read this petikan from the March 8 edition of Sin Chew Jit Poh:
Tengku Adnan: Bloggers are Liars; 80% are Unemployed Women
The Tourism Minister Tunku Adnan lashed out today that all bloggers on the Internet are liars, out of which 80% are unemployed women.
“All bloggers are liars, they cheat people using all kinds of methods. From my understanding, out of 10,000 unemployed bloggers, 8,000 are women.”
Tengku Adnan was addressing the media at the 2007 Malaysia GP Sales when he was asked about allegations made on a blog.
The guests were shocked at first, but burst into laughter. He said he may lose some female voters but did not retract his statement or indicate that he was just joking.
He said that bloggers spread rumours, disrupt social harmony and many bloggers are slanderous and are cheating people with their blogs.
“All bloggers are not in favour of national unity. Our country has been successful because we are very tolerant with each other, if not, there will be civil war, the Malays will kill the Chinese, the Chinese will take revenge and kill the Malays, and the Indian will kill everyone.”
He urged the rakyat not to simply trust bloggers, and gamble our future away because the achievement we gain in the 50 years of independence is not an easy task.
Stupid, or what?
Stupid.
GLORIOUS GLORY
Heartiest congratulations are in order for shuttlers Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong for bringing back the All England men's doubles title to Malaysia over the weekend. A few months ago, they won gold medals at the Doha Asian Games.
The duo (and their coach Rexy Mainaky), which ended the country's quarter of a century wait for the title, deserves more than just our pat on the back. They deserve our respect and admiration for not just doing the country proud, but by doing it consistently and without much fuss.
Not a hardcore badminton fan, I wonder where they train. My instinct says it's just at some local badminton training centre, perhaps somewhere in Cheras. And not at some fancy-smancy training cum conditioning facility in a foreign land.
Syabas, Kien Keat and Boon Heong for your glorious glory. Keep doing your thing and continue to make us proud.
Talk about glorious, the Chinese Government has just started a campaign to teach its citizen basic manners and etiquette ahead of the Beijing Olympics next year. It seems that spitting, picking one's nose and ears and jumping queues are common among the Chinese, and the Government is intent of ridding these social faux pas of its populace.
Part of its nationwide campaign includes appointing public "monitors" to encourage, remind and persuade their countrymen and countrywomen to be polite and observe manners when boarding up buses and trains, for example. The tagline for the campaign is: "It's glorious to be polite."
I hope this campaign will continue well until after the Olympics. I've been to Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen (and to a couple of other smaller Chinese cities) and yes, the Chinese do need these campaign.
May be our Govenment should emulate its Chinese counterpart. God knows Malaysians could use a lesson or two on etiquette and manners.
A GRIM WORD ON GLOBAL WARMING
The most inconvenient truth about global warming, says Newsweek's Fareed Zakaria, is that we cannot stop it.
A recent report predicts that by the year 2100 (that's 93 years from now), temperatures will have risen by between 1.1 and 6.4 degrees, and as a result, sea levels will rise by 18 to 59 centimetres.
This is largely thanks to the dramatic rise in the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. These gases have built up over hundreds of years, and they don't disappear or dissipate easily.
"Even if the world adopted the most far-reaching plans to combat climate change, most scientists agree that the concentration of greenhouse gases will continue to rise for the next decades. In other words, global warming is already baked into Earth's future," says Mr Zakaria.
Grim. So what can we do about it?
Apart from weaning the world off dirty fuels (this means fossil fuels) and adopting and perfecting new technologies (like clean coal and hybrid cars), another strategy that the world could do is to adapt, says Mr Zakaria.
What does this mean?
People need to already start discussing about policies that prepare for a hotter, drier world, particularly in poorer countries, experts say.
Like what? Developing new crops, constructing flood defenses, setting different building regulations or banning building close to sea level, for example. Because unlike plans to slow down global warming which require massive international efforts, adaptation strategies could be quickly pursued by individual countries.
And they are cheaper to implement now than to wait for another 20-30 years.
Now, do I dare think our elected leaders are aware or care enough to start thinking about this?
THE RAIN IN THE PLAINS DOES NOT FALL ON THE BRAIN
For money, Malaysians would do stupid, irrational things. Whenever they see the RM or $ sign, people would just switch off their brains (or whatever little grey cells that they have) and let their greed take over.
Take the recent SMS fraud cases for example. I mean, what right-thinking individuals would part with thousands and thousands of ringgit of their money just because someone at the other end of the phone instructs them to?
The MO for the latest fraud is very simple. The con would SMS you with a message that you have just won some money in a lucky draw or some contest somewhere. To receive your entire winning, you must first deposit some money into a specified bank account.
This odd "rule" should trigger something in the mind of a normal, average Joe, kan? But not our poor, clueless, ignorant and gullible lot. They just happily follow the instruction, and these idiots and their money are soon parted ...
Why, you ask. Depa tak baca ka? Like, the fraud cases are highlighted in the news everyday -- TV, radio, newspapers. Mana depa pi, tak dengaq ka? Yet, people keep on getting duped.
The most recent involves PETRONAS. On 5 March, the national oil company issued the following announcement:
"NO PETRONAS’ SIM CARD LUCKY DRAW OR CONTEST
It has been brought to PETRONAS’ attention that certain parties have been sending text messages to mobile phone users informing them that their SIM cards have won a RM10,000 lucky draw prize from PETRONAS. Receivers of the text message have also been advised to call a number with an Indonesian country code.
PETRONAS wishes to inform that none of its companies has organised any such mobile phone SIM card lucky draws or contests and would like to advise members of the public not to respond to such text messages.
PETRONAS has also communicated with the authorities on this matter."
It has been brought to PETRONAS’ attention that certain parties have been sending text messages to mobile phone users informing them that their SIM cards have won a RM10,000 lucky draw prize from PETRONAS. Receivers of the text message have also been advised to call a number with an Indonesian country code.
PETRONAS wishes to inform that none of its companies has organised any such mobile phone SIM card lucky draws or contests and would like to advise members of the public not to respond to such text messages.
PETRONAS has also communicated with the authorities on this matter."
The following day, the police divulged that at least three people had been cheated after they received a SMS notifying them of their "big win". The SMS said: "Pengumuman dari PETRONAS Malaysia. TAHNIAH! SimCard Anda Memenangi Undian bertuah hadiah Cek Tunai RM 10.000. Sila hubungi: 00628881382736. Terima kasih."
When the "winners" (losers, they all are) called this Indonesian phone number, they were instructed to deposit some money in a bank account. According to the police, the first victim lost RM999, the second RM1,000 and the third parted with RM1,985.
I don't know lah. When are people going to realise that there's no such thing as easy money? You have to work to earn your keep and not expect the money to fall from the sky.
Like I always say, orang tamak selalu rugi.
AN ILL-FITTING DRESS AND A WHOLE LOT OF PETTY MESS
A letter to the editor of today's issue of a tabloid caught my eye. It says:
"Dear Editor,
People tend to care more about themselves rather than worry about the bigger issues we are facing daily like climate change and the economic outlook.
What is the big fuss about ERA FM deejay Linda Onn, who did not attend an event because she claimed her dress was too revealing?
I was not aware that clothing could be a big issue and it's a joke to me.
We have more serious issues to tackle instead of focusing on this issue.
Please put a stop to this matter.
Kenneth Ho
Kuala Lumpur"
I'm not sure whether the good Mr Ho would receive a reply from the editor. I'm guessing not, so I'd like to say this to him, just in case he drops by my blog site.
First. Wake up and smell the crappy reality, Mr Ho, because the whole world over people care only for themselves. They don't give a hoot about climate change, the environment or the economic outlook. Malaysians not excluded.
Second. Yes, clothing is a big issue in this country. Where have you been? People can go on talking about clothes for weeks on end. Too sexy, too skimpy, too revealing. Why, people are often singled out because of what they wear. Sometimes they are even thrown out of certain government offices or some establishments.
And yes, clothes are a big business. And they could also become a national issue. Otherwise Linda Onn would have worn the dress by the Indonesia-born Malaysian designer she originally intended to wear at the event she was supposed to attend, instead of the replacement dress by the Malaysia-born Malaysian designer that had not been properly fitted. (Although I'm not sure whether it was really because of the dress she did not attend the event, or because she did not pass the dress rehearsal.)
Third. Yes. The whole thing is a joke. Only it is not funny. Right, Mr Ho? You and I are not laughing. Instead we are seething with anger.
Why? Because the whole nation is full of small-minded, pea-brained petty thinkers who never get their priorities right. From the small riff-raffs to the elected reps to those higher-ups we called leaders. None does.
And the sad thing is, they keep breeding, and their small-mindedness spawn more small-mindedness.
And Mr Ho, no one can seem to put a stop to this.
NATIONAL PROBES
These are the headlines that screamed out of the main pages of the local dailies these past few days:
"Carry out full probe, says PM"
"ACA: Probe on"
"Johari: I welcome probe"
"Cops probe if more are freed"
"The denial. The Probe"
Who are being probed, you ask? The head honcho of the ACA and the Deputy Minister in charge of Internal Security, respectively for corrupt practices and graft allegations.
Well. There are so many probes going on these days that they could be our new national pastime. Apart from the current probes, there are a few other probes that have been going on for a while.
Yup, probes here, there and everywhere. Probes left, right, front, back and centre.
Yes, probe them. Fully. Get to the err, bottom, of the allegations.
And let the whole truth and nothing but the truth surface, smelling like roses ...
WE ARE A BLESSED LOT ...
Last night, at a dinner organised at Hotel Istana's Urban Cafe to celebrate a friend's birthday, someone made a remark that our circle of friends is a truly blessed lot.
We've known each other for ages, and we've known each other so well. We may not see each other so often, but so often we are in each other's thought and prayers.
We get together may be once or twice a year, but our get-togethers are such memorable, wonderful and brilliant occasions that make us and our friendship so strong and special.
I thank God for all my friends. To all my friends, old and new, I thank you for you. Thank you for being my friends all these years and the years to come, for sharing all the moments great and not so great, and for being who you are to me and to all we love in our truly blessed circle of friends.
Through each of you, through each other, we have learnt that the art of making friends is simply to be a friend.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
STEPPING BACKWARDS ... INTO THE BACKWOODS
A club in KL's recently trendy Jalan Doraisamy is barring tomboys (read lesbians), gays and tranvestites from its premises because these people "intimidate" its other patrons and because it has an image to keep.
And no, the club insists, this policy is not discriminatory, but is necessary as the patronage of these people is not good for the club and its image.
I guess if the image that the club wants to project is that of a bigoted, backward and prejudiced outlet, then all is well, it can continue snubbing these people (although I'm rather curious about how the club determines people's sexual preferences -- its staff must have got a pretty strong gaydar).
Anyway, to be totally bigoted, backward and prejudiced, the club shouldn't just stop there. Its list of persona non grata should also include the ugly, the stupid, the ignorant, the mats or minahs, or the ah bengs or ah liens, or your cousin-brothers or cousin-sisters.
Once these people are shut out of its premises, then it'd have its ideal set of patrons, right?
Perhaps we should remind the management of the club that ours is not an ideal existence, and it is precisely because of this our life is much more interesting, exciting and colourful.
And if the club has good business sense, or any sense at all, it should go the way another established club has to love all, serve all.
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...
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