The Healthy Blogger

Okay I know some of you will chuckle when you read the title ! I am laughing myself too. Some of you might know that I used to be the most unhealthy person on Earth !

Times have changed. This blogger is now adopting a healthier lifestyle and diet. No no. Dont get me wrong. I dont drink or smoke. In fact, I cant even take Shandy !! Haha. Yes. Shandy might be nothing to some of you. But I hate the smell and taste of alcohol.

Well, in the past I have always loved meals and unhealthy stuff like chips, fried and oily food, etc. Who doesnt? Haha. Aunty BK asked me recently about weight loss matters and suddenly I remembered and realised that I really have adopted something very different in my life these days.

My blog entries here are all heavy, academic and analytical issues that focus on social and political matters. Let us all take a short break and look at health issues, shall we?

A Piece of My Mind wants to have some light sessions with all readers at times. Fuh ! I myself feel tired and stressed. Haha. My dad and family knows that day in day out, I only read matters on politics and business. I always leave aside health sections in The Star or any other news portal that I read.

Whenever I come back from Australia, he will keep clippings or photostated news articles for me to read when I get back. He never fails to do so ! Of course this time is no different. The most recent article he kept for me is the one dated 23rd April 2008 - The Star - "Star fruits can kill, says doc".

I believe most of you had read it? If you had, then it's okay. If you hadn't, then pay some attention to this article.

The Star carried the article here. Also, a Google search brought up an interesting website. Read it here. It is similar to The Star's article but there are additional comments and researches.

Sincerely,

Wei Liang :)

The Man In The News

Anwar Ibrahim. From pre elections to post elections, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is always in the news. Before the elections, we had Bersih demonstrations. During the elections, DSAI grouped all the Opposition together to form a loose pact and challenged BN as a team.

After the elections? DSAI came up with inconsistent dates and not credible information that he will form the next Government of Malaysia. The latest date given was said to be September 16. Day in day out, Anwar meets thousands of people. And in the recent mega gathering in Penang, if I am not mistaken, he gathered a crowd of 30000 people.

Two days ago, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had a police report lodged by his former personal aide, Saiful Bukhary who alleged that Anwar had sodomized him. A Piece of My Mind stayed up the whole night for chats with friends and received an instant update about that piece of news.

However, I did not bring forward any comments because it was still fresh and premature to hold any discussion or analysis. Now, the time is ripe. Allow me to raise a few things.


Point 1
According to Rockybru, and I agree, that Saiful Bukhary's life will be poured out. Every single information about him from the day he is born, the pages of his life will be under the magnifying glass of the PDRM, Government of Malaysia, Opposition parties, NGOs, the Press, bloggers and the public.

Basically, everyone ! However, I would like to call upon all parties who are interested in the story of Saiful - Anwar Ibrahim not to disturb Saiful's fiancee. She is innocent and do not deserve the harassment from the Press or public. Perhaps the Police can record a statement from her. But that will be it. Be understanding, please.


Point 2
Anwar has held all kinds of rallies and speeches. Why would it be so hard for someone to assassinate him? If indeed someone from the trained forces or someone well experienced in assassination would want to send Anwar to his grave, it will be so easy.

Anwar has been exposed to potential assassination situations millions of times. For example, his gathering for rallies and speeches in streets, stadiums, stages. A sniper could have put a bullet right through his head from anywhere on the roof of the shophouses, from between the trees etc.

Someone could have gone near him to stab him or poison him with chemical. Well, Datuk Nik did it on Tun, why not on Anwar? Why would anyone wait till now to kill Anwar? Makes no sense. Read more here.


Point 3
I hope people have read the statements by Datuk Nalla and Dr Chandra Muzzafar after the police report was made. They claim that Anwar is great in manipulation of the stories and make him look great and innocent. He deceived many of us. Well, coming from both of them who were once the greatest supporter of Reformasi and Anwar Ibrahim, what else have I got to say?


Point 4
This one is a question that needs to be answered. Why the Turkish Embassy? We all know how well connected Anwar is with the United States government and leaders. Why didnt Anwar choose the US embassy?

Did the US embassy coordinate with the Turkish Embassy to determine Anwar's "safehouse"? Well, I read up in some websites that Anwar Ibrahim is close with the Turkish PM and the Government. Hmm.

Some even said that Pakatan Rakyat received advice from the Turkish PM's strategists. Nevertheless, I disagree with Anwar Ibrahim who hides there. By hiding there, even if he is found guilty, Malaysia will not be able to arrest him because he is residing in Turkish grounds.

I wonder if Malaysia has extradiction agreements with Turkey. Again, I agree with Datuk Seri Rais Yatim's move to have a meeting with the Turkish Ambassador for his interference with domestic internal affairs of Malaysia.


Point 5
If you lodge a police report, do you expect the police to investigate? We always slam the police for not investigating cases properly. Now, I believe the Police will go all in and investigate the truth of this sodomy claim.

But let us look at this from Saiful's perspective. Well, Saiful Bukhary lodged a police report that he was sodomized. He is just 23 years old. Do you think he enjoys lodging a report on a case where he claimed that he was sodomized?

His family and Saiful himself will have to live with the tag "I was sodomized by Anwar" all his life if it was investigated to be true or "I am a liar" if his claim is not true. We shall leave that to Saiful himself and the police.

From the public gallery, we should not come up with conclusions ourselves and claim that this is another wayang kulit and set up from the Government, Barisan Nasional or UMNO. Saiful has his rights and he claimed that he was sodomized.

So let the police investigate. We never know whether or not Anwar sodomized people. Please read the judgement of Anwar's 1999 case here. I have once blogged here and said in the past that Anwar was released due to inconsistency of timeline presented in court and inability of the Prosecutors to prove it beyond reasonable doubt.


Point 6
This is for Pakatan Rakyat's sake. DAP and PAS are strong parties themselves. However, PKR was founded because of the man in the news - Anwar Ibrahim. If indeed there are concrete evidence that Anwar has committed sodomy acts this time on Saiful, then Pakatan Rakyat will fall. No one else can lead Pakatan Rakyat.

There is no better leader to lead the Opposition than Anwar Ibrahim because of his speaking skills, charisma, and aura in politics. His influences stretches to the international arena too. PKR and Pakatan Rakyat's credibility will be crushed for quite some time.

If he is cleared, then nothing much will happen. It doesnt mean that Pakatan Rakyat has won the Federal Government. Due to this uncertainty, I advise the leaders of DAP and PAS as well as those in PKR to come up with contingency plans for the future of Pakatan Rakyat. Just in case ... you know? We will never know what the future holds.

I will not comment much on whether Anwar is really a homosexual or not. I dont know the truth. Tun said he acted back then based on intelligence and police reports. Haha. Tun even calls Anwar - "mata lebam". Anyway, now, the recent police report was made by Anwar's personal aide, Saiful Bukhary. Let me just add a little bit.

To be honest, I believe many people from all walks of life thought that it was Tun Dr Mahathir who created the whole sodomy story (no one slammed the Prosecutors or even Anwar when he was sacked, charged and jailed for corruption).

And Tun felt the anger of the Reformasi members, politicians inside and outside UMNO and more importantly, the voters in the 1999 Elections. BN's majority fell and they lost another State (Terengganu) to the Opposition.

If that was the effect of the "sodomy" court case thought to be engineered by UMNO and Tun, then will anyone even dare to come up with the same sort of accusations against Anwar now? Do not forget that we just had the great tsunami in March.

Will BN or UMNO or any individual actually "fix" Anwar up for a sodomy case now? Well I use the terms "fix" because many people seem to think Anwar was actually "fixed" in 1998.

Hmm. Given that Saiful was Anwar's personal aide, perhaps we can view it as a "sandiwara" from the Opposition to stir the feelings of the people up more? Well, I am not claiming that Saiful acted on Anwar's advice, strategies and plans. I am merely seeing things from another side.

If people can claim that UMNO, Tun Dr M, or Najib planned and "fixed" Anwar up with this "sodomy delicacy", then I dont see any reason why some of us cannot claim that it is Anwar actually playing games here with "sodomy tales".

PKR seem to be linking Saiful to the office of the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia - Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. We can also see it as a "story telling" game plan from Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Nevertheless, if Saiful is the chip of Najib or UMNO or Anwar or Pakatan Rakyat, then I do not know what benefits he will be getting. Because for sure, he will either live with the tag "I was sodomized" or "I am a liar" around his neck for the rest of his life of probably 52 years more (based on life expectancy rates).

If he is telling the truth, then I can understand because he merely wants to seek justice! If he is lying for either party, then I am really curious to know what will enter into his pockets from his sponsors.

I know some of you have been waiting to read what I will comment about this case. I have said what I want to say above. And let us all wait. Only time will tell.

Malaysian Chinese Association

I have just read the latest updates from Malaysiakini that Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting will not defend his post as the President of MCA, a very important party in the coalition of Barisan Nasional.

An immediate thought that came to my mind is Perak MCA chief Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan taking over from his younger brother, Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting. However, one cannot put aside the recent rumour in a Chinese daily that Datuk Ong Tee Keat might be the one who will lead MCA and takeover from Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting.

There were many sides that voiced their dissatisfaction when Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting handed over the Ministry of Housing and Local Government to his elder brother, Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan. If Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting hands over MCA to his brother Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan this time, I believe MCA might split.

Nevertheless, I foresee a fight this time not between Team A and Team B. Perhaps it will be Team Ong vs Team Chua where Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan and Datuk Ong Tee Keat could team up against Datuk Seri Chua Jui Meng and Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek.

Will MCA split up again this time? Tun Dr Mahathir engineered a peace plan when the Team A vs Team B fight had a devastating impact to the stability of MCA, Barisan Nasional and the Chinese community.

I wonder what Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi will prescribe to MCA if indeed the party splits this time in the coming party elections. Let us wait and see what the 2 Ongs and 2 Chuas will say about their political future. They are expected to respond to Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting's announcement very soon.

The Great Hop !

Today, A Piece of My Mind will highlight the "adventures" of former Datuk Keramat YB, Mr Lim Boo Chang. I would love to tell the complete story of Mr Lim. But it is not at all necessary because you can read his blog here and his profile here.

Well, at least allow me to briefly say why I think he is an opportunist and a great hopper. If we all remember, he was once under the "multi-racial" Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia. Due to differences with the state and national leadership of Gerakan, he left Tun Dr Lim Keng Yaik's ship and crossed over to MCA.

At that point, there was a crisis in Barisan Nasional. Questions were being raised if MCA should take over the Chief Minister-ship of Penang because MCA suddenly had more Assemblymens than Gerakan.

The national leadership of Barisan Nasional held firm that Penang's CM-ship will be held by a Gerakan leader because of the "pact" between Gerakan and BN. For those who have forgotten, Gerakan used to be the Opposition and had great power and influence in Penang.

The objectives of Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu, Prof Syed Hussein Alatas and Tan Sri Dr Tan Chee Khoon in setting up Gerakan and leading it to a multi racial party are no longer practised today. Perhaps the leadership of Gerakan still practise the multi racial approach.

But the image they are portraying to us are not showing any of that at all. Take for instance the resignation of Rhina Bhar - former Perak Gerakan Wanita chief. She claimed that it was for the sake of unity in the party. However, many are viewing this as an act of protest against the leadership of Gerakan who seem to have a racial bias.

There was once a great hoo-haa about a merger between MCA and Gerakan. Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia cannot blame us if we view Gerakan as another Chinese-based party in this generation.

Let me move back to the Great Hopper first and I will elaborate more later on why I think Gerakan is a powerful weapon for Barisan Nasional to fight Pakatan Rakyat and the battleground is in Penang.

Now, Lim Boo Chang went on to MCA and he was given a comfortable and powerful office. He was appointed as MCA Penang's Deputy Secretary cum Legal Bureau Chairman.

Our "good friend" here then suddenly rose to stardom class when he indirectly supports DAP's motion on the PORR project. If I am not mistaken, former YB Tan Cheng Liang was part of this too. So Mr Lim got caught and whipped by BN with suspension soon after.

Both of them had massive support from their constituents and their indefinite suspension was reduced to approximately 10 months. In 2004, he was moved to a Parliamentary seat which he lost and he did not contest in the recent March 2008 General Elections.

On the 15th of June 2008, he joined Parti Keadilan Rakyat. Gerakan became the Titanic and sank in Penang. MCA's performance in March 2008 began to show leaks in their ship. He is a Penangite. We then should ask ourselves. Why didn't he join DAP? DAP trashed Gerakan 100% in Penang, you know?

I think people should personally ask him. However, if you ask me, I would say that Mr Lim could be invited by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and not the leadership of DAP. Moreover, at the moment, the only multi racial party in the recent tsunami that waved in a "Star Cruise" called Pakatan Rakyat is Parti Keadilan Rakyat.

Mr Lim might be more interested in joining national politics rather than just sitting in Penang with DAP. He might need to join the queue to be somebody inside DAP and what more to say to have hopes to hold office in the Penang Government. Joining PKR and rubbing shoulders with Anwar might give him a better gold mine.

The reasons why he joins PKR, DAP, PSM, etc etc is not a problem and not my concern at all. It is his pattern of crossovers that rings the alarm among voters. I question his loyalty to the party he is a member of. From Gerakan to MCA to PKR, where is your loyalty to the party?

Or was there a reason for you to hop around like a frog, rabbit, kangaroo? Perhaps Mr Lim came across some disturbing information about the party which he crossed over to. Nevertheless, whatever the reasons are, it appears that Mr Lim's loyalty to any political party does not seem genuine at all.

Pardon me for being confrontational and picking on Mr Lim. But I am merely opening up a discussion and review with my readers. You are indeed interesting, Mr Lim Boo Chang.


From Gerakan,

to MCA,

and now PKR?

All right. Let me move on to Gerakan. In Barisan Nasional, among all the component parties, I dare say that Gerakan has the elements of multi racial politics.

UMNO-MCA-MIC are all race based that come together and form the strong Parti Perikatan which is now known as Barisan Nasional. Datuk M Kayveas might come to me and say PPP is also a multi racial party. But the influences of PPP are not as extensive as Gerakan.

Penang is where the tsunami started and where the war is won or lost. Note that I used the word war and not battle. The sentiments in Penang spread all over East Malaysia and will heavily influence the outcome of vote swings. Be it Malays or non Malays, we all pay a lot of attention to Penang.

This little state is very interesting. Penang houses a very diversed and multi racial population. Politicans go in and out of Penang very often to give speeches and goodies. Anwar Ibrahim, Khairy Jamaluddin, Pak Lah, the darkhorses of DAP, powerhouses of MCA and the warriors of Gerakan.

General assemblies of BN can never avoid the affairs of Penang. UMNO, MCA and Gerakan have always tabled motions on Penang. Once a while, MIC will chip in too. DAP needless to say will have the words Penang in their mouth even when they sleep. Now, we have Anwar Ibrahim joining in the carnival in Penang too.

If Anwar steps into Penang, BN should know that there is a reason why. Penangite Malays and non Malays actually hold alot of influence in vote swings nationwide. Whatever news come out from Penang, it will spread like fire. DAP and Anwar successfully stabbed BN in Penang. We all saw how the tsunami started off in Penang where I believe the Malays and non Malays voted for the DAP and PAS.

The effects and ripples then spilled over to Kedah, Perak, Selangor and Wilayah Persekutuan KL. Now, if BN wants to be stronger again in the next General Election, the battle in Penang will decide the winner of the war.

Not in Selangor, not in Perak, not in Kelantan and not in Kedah. So what if BN wins Selangor? So what if BN wins Kelantan? It doesnt really matter at all. Winning in Penang will see BN snatching back what was lost in Parliamentary level and other states as well.

The only party that can help BN to stand back up and throw away the crutches they are using now is Gerakan. PGRM will have to go all out from today till the next GE. They will need to make their presence felt among the public of Penang and show to the Penangites why Gerakan is their future.

The Supreme Council of BN should give official orders to Gerakan. "Give us Penang back, Gerakan". These words, I believe, will boost the members of Gerakan and they will go marching out to the streets, markets, shops and houses of Penangites from today till the next GE to show their unity and show to the people their future - Gerakan.

Also, I expect Gerakan to rise to stardom very soon. Yes of course they are already in the news with people like Datuk Lee Kah Choon and Datuk Dr Tan Kee Kwong boarding the "Star Cruise" in Penang and Selangor. These two put Gerakan in the news for the wrong reasons. But we shall see one day where Gerakan will rise to be a very prominent party to challenge the Opposition.

In fact, Gerakan is the most powerful weapon now to put a halt and challenge the rise of Anwar Ibrahim's loosely held Pakatan Rakyat.

Gerakan will be the Great Hopper in BN.

Websites To Visit

For shop-a-holics, I have a friend who sent me this link a month ago. It is a website which alerts all shoppers about upcoming sales from many various departmental stores, boutiques, power brands etc in Malaysia. Update yourself here.

I have tried out The Loaf once only when I was in KL in February. I was browsing through some food blogs two days ago and I came across this webpage that promotes The Loaf "U hu! hu!"Cheesecakes. Read it here and go give it a try!

One of my readers' blog commented about a recent Time article of influential people. Guess who is on the list? Hint hint : A Malaysian. Find it out yourself here.

Someone ran a "check" on KJ's website and found out something special. An error at KJ's website programming language. It was interesting to me and I am amazed how this guy found out about it. So, here we have the silly loophole. Check it out here.

For those in Australia and are interested in pampering their pets, I came across this website that is worth checking out. It seems like they pack treats and food for dogs and cats with natural and organic ingredient. Take a look here.

There is a website that provides a salary survey, comparison of wages between peers in a similar job position and industry etc. Perhaps this is useful only in the United States. But I guess there is no harm checking out on it. I checked some reviews and they say you will get an estimate of what other people, in the same position or industry as you, are earning. Hmm. Cure your curiosity here.

MSU vs SMU ?

Singapore Management University is a very famous institution in Singapore. It is little known among Malaysians though.

I remember hearing from a buddy of mine that when he was in Hong Kong, he met two SMU graduates who works at the Hong Kong Exchange as a floor trader. According to my Singaporean friend, SMU is very popular among Singaporeans these days.

Yes, NTU and NUS are the best in the region but SMU is not far off too. SMU graduates are in demand globally and the quality of their graduates are of high qualities and productivities.

Now, given the successful model of SMU which is located at Orchard Road, Malaysia surely has to respond right? The Malaysia - Singapore feud will never end. We fight over sovereign rights, island, contracts, labour, water, sand, education, governance and the list goes on and on!

I arrived on 22nd June 2008 at 3am in KLIA. After going past immigration and collection of baggage, we headed off to Holiday Villa Subang Jaya. Parents booked a room there for a night on 21st June. We arrived at around 4.30am, 22nd June, Monday morning. They were tired and went off to bed. I took a shower, went online while eating buns, drinking gallons of water and flipping through the complimentary NST.

I came across an advertisement of MSU. Management and Science University. Hmm. Is that an answer to SMU? Perhaps not. I am beginning to be worried about the growing amount of colleges, university colleges and universities in Malaysia. Do we need so many higher education institutions? It is the quality and not the quantity that matters.

The Government of Australia pumps in fundings to the Australian National University. The researches and quality of education there have rocketed ANU into the 16th place in the world rankings for university institutions. Malaysia should perhaps follow suit and give complete support to University Malaya!

Malaysian Hospitality

Allow me to critically evaluate Malaysia Airlines flight MH 122 Sydney – KLIA flight on 21st June 2008.

Let me share with you my MAS trips for my Australia – KLIA travel. Please note that I have always flown MAS in my holiday trips overseas except when I do not have control over my airline choices. For your information, I have flown with Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines and if I am not mistaken, Thai Airways too.

February 2006 : KLIA – Sydney (MAS)

June 2006 : Sydney – KLIA (MAS)
July 2006 : KLIA – Sydney (MAS)
November 2006 : Melbourne – KLIA (MAS)

February 2007 : KLIA – Melbourne (MAS)
June 2007 : Melbourne – KLIA (MAS)
July 2007 : KLIA – Sydney (MAS)
November 2007 : Sydney – KLIA (MAS)

January 2008 : KLIA – Melbourne (MAS)
February 2008 : Melbourne – KLIA (MAS)
March 2008 : KLIA – Sydney (MAS)
June 2008 : Sydney – KLIA (MAS)

I will be flying home to Australia with MAS in July also. There is a possibility I will be flying with MAS again in November and December. It will be another 4 more MAS trips for me most probably this year for the Australia – Malaysia route.

Now. On 21st of June 2008, I booked a Virgin Blue flight to fly from Canberra to Sydney. Upon arrival at around 11am, I had to wait for a bus to go from the domestic terminal to the international terminal.

They are not linked in any way except train, busses and cabs. When I reached the MAS check in row, there was only one staff working there. I checked the time and it was around 11.30 – 11.40 am.

There were more staff around 12pm onwards. When it was my turn next to check in, I was given a sheet of paper by a very senior looking staff who walks around like a chief there. She handed me the paper and advised me to read it.

I read it and was shocked to see that there will be a delay. I quickly browse for the time of departure expected and wasn’t interested in the reasons yet. There wasn’t any time stated there.

I read the letter and was shocked to read about some mechanical issues with the plane. Suddenly, I heard a lady calling me for check in. I took my luggage there and handed to her my documents. I asked for the estimated time of departure.

She said “8pm”. I thought I heard wrongly and I said “sorry, come again?”. She repeated the words “8pm”. I immediately glanced at my watch and it says about 12 plus noon.

MAS was kind enough to give us a AUD 20 meal voucher, which of course if you had read my blog entries, I spent it all on Starbucks. I had plenty of time to spare that day.

Thankfully I had my laptop and my MSN mobile on my 3 handset. I have to thank my pals in Australia, NZ and Fleur for keeping me company the whole day. Haha. I even called my mom and sis many times that day.

Sigh. So anyway, I waited till 7pm because that was the stated boarding time. Nope. I did not board at 7pm. In fact, the plane wasn’t even at the gate! The plane arrived at the gate at approximately 7.30pm.

Ground staff announced that loading was being carried out and it will be around 8pm for us to board.The MAS staff arrived at 8pm sadly and they had to announce again that we will be boarding in 15 minutes. So, we went onboard at around 8.15pm. And we left Sydney Airport at around 8.45pm.

With such a delay, and us passengers being tired and dirty, we needed comfort. And Malaysia Airlines should be praised for their new marketing that MH is not just a code but Malaysian Hospitality. That flight MH 122 wasn’t up to the mark. I did not feel any Malaysian Hospitality.

In fact, I believe it is the worst Malaysia Airlines flight out of all the above for the Australia – Malaysia route. For instance, when we were about to land in KLIA and were told to stow our seats, some of course did not. All the MH 122 and MH 123 flights I have gone on board, the crew will politely go on rounds to remind the passengers and guide them to push their seats back up.

In this MH 122 flight, there was a air steward who went past the rows in front of me and said “please lift your seats upright”. After saying that, he just used force to push the seat back up!! Right after he said those words!! He did not even allow time for the passengers to lift it up.

And even worst, he did not press the button at the armrest to ease the gear for lifting the seat up. He basically puts his hand at the back of the seat and pushed it up with all his might!

Is that what you call a polite, humble and friendly 5 star crew? He spoiled the MAS image that night I believe. The many crews I have flown with under MAS, the acts of this steward were not acceptable. Other crew members that I have seen, they handled cases like this way better. They will give a smile to the passenger concerned and guide him or her to lift it upright again.

Generally, there were not enough smiles and mannerism from all the members of the crew throughout the flight. MAS must not forget we boarded the plane after a 8 hour delay! Imagine how tired and unhappy we all were on that day!

We were delayed and treated without any “MH”. I hope Malaysia Airlines will be strong in maintaining their policy of Malaysian Hospitality.

Or else, MAS will enter into a 5 star “hospital” soon when customers begin to boycott them and demand that the KL-Australia route to be lifted from being monopolized by MAS as a full fare airline.

I hope Datuk Idris Jala can look into this matter. More and more of my friends are opting for SIA already. Are we to enrich SIA or MAS? The choice is yours, MAS and Government of Malaysia.

Personally, I do not wish to see a repeat of that incident. The other flights of MH 122 and MH 123 were fantastic, especially my January 2008 trip back to Australia via MH 123 (KLIA – Melbourne). I will still opt for MAS, no doubt. However, MAS will lose its reputation fast if their crew are not in line with the MH policy set by the upper management.

Perhaps attitude towards passengers are different and we are discriminated with classes of travel. MAS must not forget that the Economy Class sits the largest contributor to their flight revenues.

And their votes count more than the other classes. I hope MAS will also ensure that discrimination of classes on passengers do not exist and the same degree of mannerism is applied for all passengers in all flights, in line with the Malaysian Hospitality strategy.

Thank you!

Note : The double chocolate muffin in Starbucks wasn't that good.

Note : The Thai Chicken Curry Muffin is very nice though. I don't know why they served me with tomato sauce but .... generally it was worth my money :) The almond croissant was superb but I didnt take a picture of it. Try it if you are in Starbucks!

A Special Mention

When I was staying in my aunt's house in Castlemaine, Victoria (about 1-2 hours away from Melbourne), we had a great time admiring my aunt's cats.

Actually, Aunty Chi Ling and Uncle Charles have two cats and a dog. One of their cats was brought in from Singapore. Aunty Chi Ling stayed in Singapore last time when she worked under SIA as an airhostess. That cat is very very fat, rarely moves around and only stays in aunty's room.

Another one lives in the hall and she is like a Princess. However, her sleeping method made all of us impressed. Haha. I shall show you the pictures of her sleeping style.

I wonder if there are any interesting pets who have amazing stories like this? Do share with me and I will be glad to blog for you here to share with my readers.

I have also included some pictures of me in a fruit farm near Castlemaine. I did not previously upload these pictures because it was all in the camera and mom took it home to Malaysia. I only had some pictures that I have saved from her camera mid way through the trip.

So here ! The fruits look better in real life though. Hmm.

Anything + Whatever = 2 x ?

I have finally found some time to start my blogging here in APOMM. Really busy ever since I landed on Sunday. Haha. Well, I do blog at my personal one every day to mark down my daily movements and activities.

Sorta like a diary for me so that one day I can look back at what I have done in my many years of life. But blogging here is very different. A Piece of My Mind will remain professional with reviews on interesting subject matters, political comments and analysis of everything that is worth our time.

Before I proceed further, thank you to Bakaq for letting me know 2 - 3 weeks ago about the rumoured meeting of Nasharuddin and a UMNO leader about PAS - UMNO relationships and the future of the two party. I believe it was Najib? Anyway, thank you. I appreciate it and your articles are interesting. Blog readers can visit Penarik Beca to read about his ideas and news.

Let me start my blogging time with something light. The topic of discussion here is Anything and Whatever. It is an interesting concept by a Singaporean firm, Out of the Box Pte Ltd. I am sure many are unaware of this drink.

Personally, the words "anything" and "whatever" brings about memories of my sweet days. Haha. I hope the drinks are as good although I got no idea what flavors I have bought !!

Now, seriously. The equation of my blog title holds. According to the "Law of Out of the Box Pte Ltd", created by me actually, haha,

ANYTHING + WHATEVER = 2 x ?

s.t.

ANYTHING = CARBONATED DRINK,
WHATEVER = NON - CARBONATED, DRINK
? = CONFUSION (or curiosity)

Now, I have blogged about it before but none of my readers responded to it. Haha. So I decided to check it out myself when mom wanted to go to Jusco to get some grocery. I bought 4 cans, 2 Anything and 2 Whatever. Each can costs RM 1.60 . Kinda expensive.

Anything and Whatever drinks are so unique that you wont know the flavour till you open the can. Each Anything and Whatever drink has their own line of flavor. Some rumours went on saying that we can actually identify the flavor by looking at the ingredients.

I am currently having a Anything can in front of me. The ingredients section says Carbonated Water, Sugar, Permitted Flavouring, Permitted Colouring, Preservative. The segmented information has something written there as Apple, Cola, Orange and Root Beer. I think this tells me the Anything drinks have these 4 flavours but you wont know which one you are getting. Absolutely no hint of what I am about to drink !!

Okay let us move on to Whatever. According to the ingredients section, the contents are Water, Sugar, Fruit Juice Concentrate, Tea Extract, Ascorbic Acid, Permitted Flavouring. At the segemented section, there are information written as Ice Lemon Tea, Apple Tea, Jasmine Green Tea, White Grape Tea, Peach Tea and Chrysanthemum Tea. Here, I believe the 6 flavours belong to the Whatever production line. Again, I got no idea what is inside this can of drink !!

Interesting ... I am confused. Haha. Nevertheless, I will drink it soon and give you a review of the 4 cans I have at home now.

Okay lets see. I am thirsty now and I shall open a can of Anything..... I got some ice in my cup. And when I took a sip just now .... aww ... it is apple. Haha. It doesnt taste too good. But one thing I can be sure. It is not that sweet. Hmm. Perhaps some health conscious people who loves carbonated drinks can consider this.

I will try the can of Whatever I have in front of me over dinner later.

My Wishes for Tan Sri Eric Chia and Family

It is of great sadness for me to read that Tan Sri Eric Chia has passed away this morning at 9am in Sungai Petani. According to reports, he had difficulty in breathing and died in the hospital.

(Note : Latest news reports - Tan Sri Eric Chia had a heart attack at his hotel, Park Avenue, in Sg Petani)

My wishes and thoughts are with the late Tan Sri Eric Chia and family. I remember Tan Sri Eric Chia responding angrily to reporters when asked "How do you feel about this?" with reference to his court case over the Perwaja Steel multi million scandal.

He said something like," Look at me now. Do you think I look happy !!?"

It was something like that. The court case ended with an acquittal in favour of Tan Sri Eric Chia. The Perwaja Steel issue is discussed and analysed in Professor KS Jomo's book - M Way : Mahathir's Economic Legacy - which I read with interest two years ago.

I had the greatest sympathy for this man when I heard him saying after the case that he lost his family because of the court case and they cant bear the shame. I do not have insights or connections to his family. As such, I do not have news about him and his family.

However, I hope his family, over time, have returned to him. Nevertheless, if they have not, I hope Tan Sri Eric Chia is given a proper and deserving funeral - befitting a Tan Sri, a businessman and once a prominent figure of Malaysia.

Again, condolences wishes to the late Tan Sri Eric Chia's family.



Note : I have arrived safely but unhappily at 3am Malaysia time on 22nd June at KLIA. I have blogged about it in my personal blog. But I shall raise it officially later when I have the time for my readers here in APOMM with reference to flight MH 122 Sydney - KL that was scheduled to fly on 21st June at 2.20 pm Australian time but was delayed to 9pm.

I have received my copy of The King Never Smiles (from mom - she went to Kinokuniya KLCC to get it for me - thanks Mom !) and I am reading it whenever I am free. I had some worrying family matters to handle upon arrival in Malaysia but things are getting better again. Will try to blog more about some matters I came across, read about, and thought about at a later date.

Thank you.


Sincerely,
Wei Liang

My Plane?!

Oops.Calculated wrongly.I am scheduled to arrive at 1am MAS time.But my Plane is still not here.I hope it really departs at 8pm Aussie time.I'm already dead bored here!Photo taken using my mobile.Sigh thankfully I have MSN mobile.Otherwise,I'll be bored to death already!

An Apology of 6hrs

Yes.I'm sitting here in Sydney Airport for 6hrs.Argh.I was suppose to arrive at 9pm.Now I'm taking off at 8pm.Crap.No I dont have internet access here.No free wireless in this airport either.I'm blogging from my phone.BLOGGER function on Sony K770i.Sigh.I'm seriously bored.I'm scheduled to arrive in KLIA at 3am MAS time.Parents are picking me up.They booked a room at Holiday Villa.Oh boy.I'm gonna be real sleepy when I arrive.I dont sleep in flights.Sigh.

Flight Delay till 8pm

I waited 40min for my turn to check in.n was informed tat there's a delay.Initially they handed out flyers without tellin the departure time.Then,at the counter,I was told it'll be 8pm.Damn.I was scheduled to fly at 220pm.Anyway,passengers were given meal voucher of AUD 20,which I immediately spent on Starbucks.Venti Frappucino Mocha Java Chip,Thai Curry Chicken Pie,Almond Croissant,Double Chocolate Chip Muffin which totals up to AUD19.30.Sigh.Keep me entertained on my MSN pals!

A Serious SD By RPK

Now, I am sure those of you who follow Malaysiakini.com and BigDogDotCom will know about this SD by RPK.

No no. SD is not a sexual disease. It is a Statutory Declaration. Yes, RPK the man who owns and runs Malaysia-Today.net has signed a Statutory Declaration at the Kuala Lumpur High Court.

I dont know if I should use the word "allegations" by RPK or "statement" by RPK. I am no lawyer and I dont know anything much about law.

I do know that signing a Statutory Declaration in a High Court is not a funny matter. It is indeed very serious. These are declarations and provision of statements to the High Court when the mentioned case is ongoing at the Shah Alam High Court.

This case is none other than the Altantuya murder trial.

I got a copy saved from Malaysiakini.com of the Statutory Declaration by RPK. BigDogDotCom has published it as well. I shall publish it here for my readers to discuss about this Statutory Declaration. I am doing it without permission in the first place. If required to remove it, I will be glad to do so.

This can mean two things. If the claims of RPK are true, then the Altantuya trial case will be facing a fresh case. And the Prosecutors will again face a smack in their face in terms of credibility and ratings. Either that or RPK will surely be in jail if his claims are all wild allegations.

Hmm. Read more here.

Talks of Dream

Now, let me start off on a lighter mood. I just texted a friend of mine. She is away from home now and she has a pet in Facebook called Lucas. Haha. Fed it for her over the past few days and I disturbed her saying her pet tiger Lucas bit my hand.

She replied saying that I woke her up from a nice dream where there were cute guys wooing her! I guess I should say ... "sorry" ? Haha.

Had another funny conversation with Adeline, my housemate here. She has French classes every Monday and Wednesday and they sell really nice croissants. So, Adeline will buy some back for us. My usual order is 4 pieces. Ham and cheese croissants. AUD 3 each but it is worth every cent I pay. Really delicious.

So yesterday she asked us how many we all want this time. I told her, "For tonight, dont get me any croissants. Just pack home a French chic for me".

Adeline replied "Okay okay. I will pack a French egg for you. You can hatch it into a chic (chick actually) yourself".

Damn. Hahahaha. Oh well, it might not sound funny here but it was really funny when we conversed.

I must be day dreaming alot huh ! And this blog entry is with regards to "dreams". All right. Now let us get serious.

I came across a website about Rice Cartels. The title of the article - Is Rice Cartel A Pipe Dream? - caught my attention. We all know that Asia is endowed with Rice. However, major consumers are also Asians. Will it be economically beneficial if we had rice cartels? It will only hurt Asian consumers. These consumers can include the rice grain producing country itself.

To compare it with the OPEC, a rice cartel doesnt seem like a possible movement. OPEC has consumers globally. Every continent in the world consumes high level of petrol, oil and gas. Look at the hungry Dragon of China.

Fuel energy, coal and hydro energy are considered scarce there. These energy sources cannot support the needs and appetite of China sufficiently.

Hmm. Rice cartels. It is the first time I heard of such a thing and seems like it is being considered. Read more here.

What Is There To Say?

Motion of no confidence was tabled against PM Samak and his Cabinet lineup in Bangkok. And supporters of PAD will be laying siege to the Government House to oust PM Samak from the hot seat of PM of Thailand.

The Thailand chaotic political landscape continues. It is made worse with the Commerce Industry of Thailand approving price hikes for 60 consumer products. The economies in South East Asia will be heading towards recession soon. Earnings inequality will widen between the rich and the poor, perhaps the West and Asia, and there will be an increasing percentage of poverty levels in parts of the world.

I do not know why so many events are happening in Thailand. Rallies happen frequently these days against PM Samak's party. If that is what PAD wants, I believe PPP can also charter in millions of Thais from other cities to show their power and support for PPP.

I hope peace is restored in Thailand. Perhaps the monarchy should issue a statement to calm His Majesty's subjects and call for peace. Without stability, the matters in hand will only get worst. Otherwise, the fortune teller's prediction of a dark July 2nd will be inevitable !

In Malaysia, we have SAPP headed by a former CM of Sabah Datuk Yong Teck Lee declaring that his party's two MPs who won under a BN ticket will table a no confidence motion against PM Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Now, two sides of this. Firstly, Tun Dr Mahathir and several quarters in UMNO have called for a no confidence vote against Pak Lah, be it in Parliament or via EGMs. The ends are met here and the objective of sending a message to Pak Lah is clear here.

However, it is not via UMNO but via SAPP. Wait a minute. The difference here is that SAPP is not doing in under the umbrella of BN.

News reports are flowing in that Datuk Yong Teck Lee met Anwar in Hong Kong do discuss about politics. This is actually a trick from SAPP.

SAPP could have left BN right away. But no. They want BN to sack them. So technically they did not betray BN. But BN betrayed them and sacked them. Playing tricks, DSAI eh? Datuk Yong? You have already betrayed BN long before yesterday by meeting up with DSAI. Why stay in BN still?

Datuk Yong, the people of Sabah are not blind, stupid or dumb. They have ears, eyes and brains. The election was held in March 2008. The people voted for the candidates of MPs from BARISAN NASIONAL. Allow me to repeat. BARISAN NASIONAL.

If they quit BN, the people will surely ask them to vacate their seats. They will feel "obliged" to do so to allow a by election. However, if they are sacked from BN, technically they are still ethical and they need not vacate their seats. They did not abandon the party but the party abandoned them. So that is the card you want to play, SAPP?

I call upon the Supreme Council of Barisan Nasional not to sack SAPP from the party. If you have the appropriate Constitutional rights, which I am not sure about, attempt to sack Datuk Yong Teck Lee.

He is leading the news. I have never heard any grouses from the two SAPP MPs. The funny thing is SAPP deputy president raised a point that this wasn't discussed beforehand with the Supreme Council of SAPP. I hope Datuk Raymond Tan can reveal more to us.

Datuk Yong, if you are unhappy, or SAPP is unhappy, tell the Barisan Nasional Supreme Council face to face what you are unhappy with. SAPP can hold a General Assembly and gather every member together to draft a referendum. Hand this referendum to the Barisan Nasional Supreme Council and I am very sure they will look into it.

What nonsense are you saying that BN is no longer in Sabah, Sabah is not getting this or that? This is utterly preposterous !

It is like telling me "oh that phone is lousy" but not telling me the details like "why it is lousy". Stop the nonsense. If you are unhappy, just leave BN. And the two MPs of SAPP in Sabah who won under a Barisan Nasional ticket, please vacate your seat and allow for a by election.

You can stand again under Pakatan Rakyat if you want and if the regulations permit you to do so. If you are unhappy with Pak Lah, there is no need to go to Hong Kong just to rub shoulders with Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

If I am unhappy with my cousins, I talk to them straight and work within my family to discuss and sort out the problems. I do not go out to my cousins' enemies and tell them "please send this guy to hell for me".

No. I believe the Supreme Council of Barisan Nasional are willing to meet up with SAPP boss Datuk Yong Teck Lee and the other two MPs from SAPP.

Embarassing. Pakatan Rakyat should respect the people's choices. Fishing MPs away just like that does not help the country in anyway. Your actions are merely causing political instability which will affect businesses and investments in Malaysia.

If the rakyat is unhappy, they can go to their MPs. The MPs are elected representatives. They are WAKIL RAKYAT. They serve the rakyat and not the rakyat who serve them. If the rakyat of Sabah is unhappy, they can come up to their MPs. And the Sabahan MPs can form a bloc and have a meeting with Pak Lah, the Barisan Nasional Supreme Council, the Parliament of Malaysia or perhaps the DYMM Yang diPertuan Agong Malaysia to discuss about "The Sabah Dilemma".

If only 5 people come knocking at your office and tell you, "aiya this Barisan Nasional no good already, you should join the Opposition", is that a good indicator? No. Please resign from your seat if you intend to crossover. Otherwise, in the name of democracy and the people's choice and vote, you have committed a great sin and it will be a disgraceful act !


Updated 4.48pm
I am in no way saying that I support BN and Pak Lah and I am in no way slamming SAPP for tabling a motion of no confidence for Pak Lah. Neither am I saying that the rakyat loves every inch of Barisan Nasional. I am merely unhappy with the ethics of some of the Barisan Nasional MPs and their methods of conveying a message to the leadership of Barisan Nasional, especially by colluding with an Opposition leader.

YB (uhuuhuhuh) Goh Responds

Haha. Amzar. Laa ... sampai panggil aku ni YB uhuhuh Goh? Batuk pi jumpa lah doktor. Haha. Tapi jumpa doktor kat Jepun tu susah juga.

When I was in Japan, I fell sick and had bad cough. I needed to take certain cough syrup each time I have cough and I was allergic to an antibiotic group. They had to search for a English speaking doctor. It was more like they had to find someone who understands and can attempt to communicate in English.

Thankfully, there was one at the hospital. Haha. And man, I was at the centre of attention. So many doctors and nurses were around me that time. I told the doctor about my cough and my allergy. He had to search the dictionary of Medicine, and online to identify what I was talking. Haha.

Language barrier is a problem huh? I was always mistaken to be a Japanese. Perhaps due to my looks like a Chinese. Whenever I put on my Japanese school uniform, people will speak to me like I am Japanese. Although I was quite okay in terms of speaking and understanding Japanese at that time, but still, I wasn't fluent. It was like chickens talking to ducks. Haha.

Oh well. Anyway, I was surprised to read that people close to Amzar are slamming him and questioning him about what he wrote on his blog previously.

That is really wrong. First of all, Amzar has his rights to blog whatever he wants. That blog entry was written at his private blog and not the political one. Secondly, he has his opinions and can speak out what he feels is right and what he feels is wrong. Finally, there is no need to attack him because only if you do so, it will only prove to us that what Amzar said is right.

Reading your entries lately, made me think of my dearest. Sigh. I missed her so much and I really cannot hide it. I was advised to let her be and who knows if she will regret it or not. Tsk tsk. The greatest episode of my life.

Anyway, back to your story Bro, there is no need to come up with another explanation. People can believe what they want, and can live the life they want, and they can always voice out to you what they feel. I can understand that you are defending your opinions. I stand by your views.

In the short run, many things will not be clear. Human behaviour is very unique. We look for short term gains when we are young because we cannot identify the steady state that is necessary in life. We make rash and irrational decisions at times.

That can also explain the existence of the learning curve. Learning curves exist not only in Economics but characterization of human behaviour against time. At some point in time, people will realise what they have been doing is wrong. And that will only occur in the long run.

In my life, I went through a lot of experiences. Riding the tide, I can only say that I have one regret. I have not treated my mom like the way she deserves it.

When I was young, I was not respectful and appreciative of my mom's contributions and sacrifices for my life. I have not appreciated my mom as much as I want to right now. I shall make things right again, mom :)

A confession from Wei Liang. Haha. Rarely seen in APOMM. Some parts of my personal life deserves to be made public :)

Okay Bro Amzar. Haha. I mention your name and your blog a couple of times lately because you have been blogging juicy stuff ! Tapi janganlah panggil saya ni YB (uhuhuhu) Goh ...

YB (uhuhuhu) Goh. If one day I really become a YB for whichever seat (I have a preference for Ipoh Timur or Ipoh Barat - because I am a Ipoh kid, or Subang - due to sentimental factors), I hope my constituents can call me - brother, adik, boy. A little bit informal please when you meet me. Hmm.

Just got a message. My buddies are returning home in July ! And there's this hero from Russia telling me he is arriving home tonight without telling his parents. He wants to give his parents a surprise. Lee Tjen Jhung, your mom will be shocked !! Haha ... I am sure your sis Debbie will scold you for playing such things. He is in Dubai now for transit. Damn. I want to go home too :(

Wooohoo. I will be having a personal lawyer soon. Qi Wen graduates from Uni Reading in July with a Law Degree.

Hm. All my loyal readers seem to be very quiet at my blog. Semua ni datang baca dan terus menghilang. Ish. Komen la sikit !

Haha, Li Chen. I cant remember when was the last time you visited my blog oi ! Hope you liked the cheesecake :) Lol, just as I was typing this, received a message from you on MSN.

Hijaz, mana kamu menghilang ni ?? Datuk Wee kat NZ pun datang jenguk, kutuk aku dan hilangkan diri. Ish.

Sedih. I am lonely and bored and stressed here... ish ... MGH = mahu go home (according to CY)

July 2nd - Tragedy in Bangkok ?

Anyone read Bangkokpost.com lately? There's a news report about Thaksin's believe in astrology. He made a comment recently but he was rebutted by a famous Thai fortune teller who said that July 2nd will be a dark period for Bangkok.

Thaksin blamed the alignment of planets for the current economic and political dilemma in Thailand. The fortune teller argued and said that July 2nd is the scariest day for the past 30 years. Er ... whatever that means, I wont take my chances.

Thaksin even ordered the first plane to land at Suvarnabhumi airport at 9.19am. An advice given by a seer that the time is an auspicious one.

Read it here.

Leaflet from My Life, Thoughts from My Mind

Allow me to remind the MCA MPs what MCA means to Barisan Nasional and what your position as an MCA member means.

As a candidate for MCA and as an MP that won under the Barisan Nasional machinery, you owe Barisan Nasional a great deal. The voters always vote based on individual and party. Try running as an independent, would you have won?

If you had contested under DAP, PAS or PKR, would you have won? Sorry, Pakatan Rakyat did not exist back then. And it doesnt seem to exist right now as clearly as we would all like to see. And yes, the Opposition contested with support only from their own party platform.

I do not know if you would have won under DAP or PKR ( since it is impossible for PAS to allow the MCA MPs to contest under them given that they are Chinese ). But one reality is for sure. You contested under MCA and Barisan Nasional.

MCA members at each constituency and the Barisan Nasional machinery helped you day and night to campaign and coordinate pre GE affairs. Having won under MCA and Barisan Nasional, and if any of you had the intention to jump ship to PKR, I think the MCA members and BN workers as well as the voters should be permitted to spit on your face.

A winner of an election did not obtain the success individually. You had a great team who worked day and night for you to win votes after votes. If any MCA MPs jump ship just like that, it will disgust me a lot. As I said to the Sabahan MPs before, I guess I will say it to SAPP MPs and MCA MPs.

Datuk Yong Teck Lee will hold a press conference today but I am not sure whether they will quit BN or not. Until then, let us all assume they stay in BN.

And my remarks are for all those who intend to jump ship. Please do not jump ship. The voters voted an individual with the consideration of the party they represented in March 2008. So if you plan to crossover to any other party outside Barisan Nasional, please resign from your seat as MP or State Assemblyman.

Do not betray the voters' trust and choice. It is unclear whether voters voted you because you are a great individual or did the voters voted for you because you are a BN member. As such, due to the uncertainty, please allow for a by election.

You can run against BN in the by election. And we shall see the results. That way, you will not be betraying the voters and you can keep your reputation. Otherwise, tsk tsk. You are bloody unethical !!

Allow me to also remind my readers of a piece of history in Malaysian politics. When UMNO was declared illegal, Dr Mahathir held on to the post of PM because he had the confidence of the majority of MPs in Parliament and the Yang diPertuan Agong. However, the ruling coalition was Barisan Nasional and they needed a leader for the party in the absence of UMNO.

MCA took over the BN leadership. MCA kept the spirit of Barisan Nasional unity together and did not exploit the political advantage in their hands at that time. The leaders of MCA held true to the struggles of their founding fathers and maintained unity for the sake of Malaysians and for the future.

I hope the current MCA members will not forget about this chapter. Unity is important and loyalty to party is even more important.

UMNO must also not forget that Barisan Nasional is not all about UMNO but it is a coalition of many parties that formed the strong Barisan Nasional since Independence Day. If we all forget about Barisan Nasional and only focus on UMNO, MCA and MIC, how different are we from the Opposition?

The Opposition is now singing the tune of Pakatan Rakyat. But I am very sure DAP and PAS cannot sleep on the same bed. PAS shelved its Islamic state agenda for some time, only to bring it up now. I have no objections to declare Malaysia as a Islamic nation because our official religion is indeed Islam. Anyway, I sincerely suggest Datuk Husam Musa and Nasharuddin to come up to take over the leadership of PAS. I believe these two can lead PAS better.

Hudud laws are not necessarily needed in every place. Laws are just laws. Constitution and the legislation of Malaysia can be drafted such that we have a better place where peace, harmony, prosperity and zero crime exists. The end result is more important than the means to it. I shall not touch on sensitive issues like this much. But you all get what I mean.

As for DAP, if a Malaysian Malaysia is indeed what you fight for, then walk the talk. Start with the National Conventions of DAP or press conferences. Speak in Bahasa Malaysia. In Thailand, they practise a Thais Thailand. The Chinese who migrated there adopted the locals style and lived like true Thais. They speak, eat, sleep and work like the Thais.

Look at Japan. People migrate there and speak Japanese. In Malaysia, our Government permits a multi racial culture, education and lifestyle.

If Malaysian Malaysia is indeed what DAP is fighting for and what the many quarters of professionals in Malaysia are supporting, then start speaking in Bahasa Malaysia in your official functions.

Do not come arguing with me about the importance of English. I know it better than you and I have even went through a debate on this, at the National Debates final in Sarawak. Look at the Thais, the Vietnamese, the Russians, the Japanese, the Koreans. They speak their own language. Look at Indonesia, the largest Muslim population market that speaks Bahasa Indonesia, a language closely related to Bahasa Malaysia.

The politicians in Malaysia are heading no where, to be honest. They are fighting for something that they wont even practise themselves. However, the fight by some of them for reform and better quality of life should be given full credits.

CM Lim Guan Eng seems to be bothering a lot about national politics. I hope he keeps it minimal and focus on Penang. Leave the national matters to YB Lim Kit Siang, your dad.

I just read from Agendadaily.com that Cheras UMNO chief and the Wanita UMNO head there have patched up. Hmm. They used to be very bitter rivals at one point in time with Datuk Syed Ali attacking Datuk Faridah fiercely. What happened and what made them patched up? Follow it at Agendadaily.com.

Oh well. I need to have some online-ing session now. Have been using Google Talk lately. Quite a good software. Email alerts come in right away upon receiving a new email.

I will be home very soon. Drop me a message or email and I will arrange with all of you who wants to meet up. I cant guarantee my allocation of time, but I will try my very best.

Lessons from Wei Liang

First of all, when I reach home soon, I will surely fry you up, Sis. Secondly, my dear cousins who are reading this blog, you will also be in the frying pan !!

And finally, my mom will surely hear my lecture of not hiding things from me in future because I deserve to know what actually happened at home !!!

Damn it. Sigh. I do not like people who hide things from me, especially when it concerns people dear and close to me. I am the type who likes the truth and I like to know everything.

Telling me "we dont want you to worry" is not something I will accept. Ish. Thankfully everything is okay now. And yes, telling me "he is all okay now" really drives me nuts.

So yes. My dear readers, in future if you are closely linked to me whether politically, friendship, relationship or whatever "ships" in the English vocabulary book, never ever hide anything from me and dont tell me stories.

Hmm. When there is something happening, and you want to convey to me, I will only want to hear about the main issue and the current state of it. After hearing these two, preferably in two sentences only, then only I want to hear the details and what happened.

I am one who believes that if we have a problem, I need to know the current condition or state of it. Because certain problems require immediate decision making and any time wasted will be too costly for all of us. I know some details are necessary to make informed decision making, but at times we all need to be swift too.

Haha. There. I said it. My style of communication. A little impatient eh? Oh well. I better get back to my notes.

Before that, just read Amzar's entry here . As I said, pal, lessons in life are always expensive. And human behaviour is characterized as unique such that we wont learn until it happens :) Keep it up pal. Had a great chat with you yesterday. Haha.


*Updated at 1.33pm*

Read this online just now. Najib dulu dan sekarang. Someone posted it up at the forum of MYKMU.net and it caught my attention. Was kinda funny though. Check it out here.

Bangkok - The Battleground

In 2004, the Thai Rak Thai backed candidate won only 16% of the votes in the Bangkok Governor elections. The race was won by Apirak Kosayothin, who garnered 40% of the votes. He was backed by the then Democratic Party.

Soon, Bangkok will see another Governor-ship elections. The PPP has challenged the PAD to use that as an indicator of the people's choice and feedback of the current happenings in Thailand, especially Bangkok.

With so many things happening, especially the highlights of the new censorship policy and the B 2million snack box issue, I am a little bit worried about PAD and the army. Demonstrations after demonstrations. What is becoming of Bangkok?

PAD has repeatedly called for the interference of the army. Some said that the army has kissed and made up with the ruling PPP heavily influenced by Thaksin Shinawatra.

Bangkok is not the only part of Thailand. We have Thais elsewhere in other cities. The election results showed that Thais want the PPP and the policies that will come with it. However, I do not really agree with the new censorship matter. Seems like a wrong time and might trigger more matters.

PPP might not be able to win the Bangkok Governor-ship race. The elites have always voiced their unhappiness with Thaksin and whichever party he is linked with. Hmm.

But I am a little surprised with PPP's challenge. Perhaps the citizens of Bangkok are angry that the demonstrations disrupt their lives?

I call upon the Thai Government to look into the farmers' request for help as well. Do not argue with me that subsidies and cheap loans will cause disequilibrium in the economy. Tell that to the EU and the US first.

The wrestle for power in Bangkok will be a good one to watch. The PPP is sick and tired of PAD. The PAD is angry and is using the people's feelings and threats of control from the army to keep PPP on their toes. PPP will surely go all out to win Bangkok to have peaceful nights and sleeps.

Keep an eye on Thailand. Something is cooking there, eh PM Samak? Haha :)

Qin Shi Huang

I have the greatest respect for the Emperors of China. Their legend, legacy and history are interesting and leaves us fascinated even till today.

There are many documentaries, dramas, movies, books and scholarly studies on the history of China, the Warring States Period, etc.

I came across a documentary by Modern Marvels, the Great Wall of China. I wont talk much about the Great Wall of China but will share a piece of information about Qin Shi Huang.

Anyway, the Great Wall of China is not really visible from space. Read it from a factual website. Only two man made structures are visible from space : The Pyramids of Giza and the Hoover Dam.

Got it from here. Dont ask me about the credibility of this information. Haha. Correct me if I am wrong here.

Okay back to the Modern Marvels documentary. According to the video clip, Qin Shi Huang was not a true royal blood.

His father was a merchant. This merchant once seeked an audience with the Prince of Qin. The Prince of Qin liked the merchant's concubine. So this merchant gave his wife away to the Prince of Qin. The Prince did not know that she was already pregnant with Qin Shi Huang.

Hmm. It was a shocking information to me. I always thought that Qin Shi Huang was truely royal blood. Any historians want to share with me about Qin Shi Huang's history? Haha.

I attended Australian Economy lectures in my first year in ANU. My lecturer once gave a class on world economy. We discussed about China at that time because PM Wen Jiabao was about to make a historic visit to Australia at that time.

He told us that the richest country in the world was China in the past. If I am not mistaken, it was the Tang Dynasty. China lost it all during their bloody wars. And now, the population of China is rapidly developing.

Hmm. Dr Alan Martina of ANU. A very amazing Economic History lecturer :)

Okay. Amzar says I am blogging a lot these days. Haha. Well, I just want to share knowledge and information with everyone who reads my blogs.

"Intellectual conversations" make us better every moment, eh pals? Haha. Enough for now. Gotta run out to get some stuff.

Politics in Facebook

Politics in Facebook? Hmm. Came across Kelab Penyokong UMNO's

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=11214944403

Go check out the pictures there. They are critical of crossovers and PKR. Haha. It is funny though. The pictures are comical like Sheih's posters.

Politics of Malaysia in Facebook. Tsk tsk. Pakatan Rakyat, Barisan Nasional, Malaysians against Oil Price Hike, etc etc. Multiple groups, clubs, fan pages etc.

Haha. Seems like the cyber war is very strong in websites, blogs, and now networking sites. What is next?

How is everyone doing? Havent heard from many of you. All busy with exams, holidays? Ish ish. Wei Liang is having Lack of Attention Disorder. Haha.

I posted this picture at my friends' Facebook Super Wall. Received it from Aimran (who has this so called nickname comeonmsia).

Kelakar gila. I feel bad for the guy who posed. Or perhaps he is happy with it. But yeah. Haha. It is funny. I am willing to remove the picture if the person in that picture feels offended.

It is just for laughs. And he is funny here :)

Dilemma in Thailand, Crisis in Malaysia

The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) in Thailand leads the Opposition block in the Parliament of Thailand. The party is said to be closely linked to the Generals that ousted Thaksin from his post as PM in 2006.

In BangkokPost, protests were appearing in Thailand and familiar faces in PAD called upon the Generals to interfere in the political crisis.

Does that mean another coup? I hope Abhisit Vejjajiva can come out and resolve the tension and show to the people of Thailand that they are not a military party but a democratic one as clearly stated in its name, the People's Alliance for Democracy.

Stop the executives of PAD who are planning with the Generals for another coup. Enough is enough in Thailand. We have seen too many coups there.

Respect the monarchy and the constitution of Thailand. Generals are not above the law and they are not above the King of Siam. You should all act within your powers and respect the people's choices.

Anyway, if any of you read the interview transcripts with PM Hun Sen of Cambodia, you will find a lot of things there. Just a part caught my attention and PM Hun Sen's words are serious. Allow me to quote unquote the words of the PM of Cambodia :

First of all, I should reitierate that in Cambodia and Thailand, if any person is to be toppled, that person will be charged with corruption. Cambodia has only two stories. If anyone wants to be opposed, then that person will be charged with corruption and border irregularities. It is not unusual.

This sounds like a worrying thing in South East Asia especially Thailand and Cambodia. Politics in these two countries are not easy as the people face massive poverty issues where the current state of economy consists of inflationary pressure.

It is indeed interesting for me to diverge away from Malaysian politics for now into Thailand's and Cambodia's. I have no comments on the Datuk Ian Chin matter. I believe Matthias Chang's challenge to Datuk Ian Chin will be enough for now. Read it at http://bigdogdotcom.wordpress.com .

And we shall hear the story from Tun one day.

Do not take the story just like that. But Malaysians will always be Malaysians. In Tun's words, the world loves conspiracies.

We now have the Pakatan Rakyat hammering BN for the oil increase and organizing mega demonstrations right in the heart of KL. Pakatan Rakyat is using the people's frustration and exploiting the situation well to topple the Government of Malaysa.

Erm. I personally do not want to see Malaysia turning herself into a country that lives on demonstrations. We want Malaysia to be peaceful and democratic. Use the proper channels. I do not mind demonstrations but there has to be limits. Freedom when given, will always be abused to a certain extent.

I have always loved to see some degree of Opposition in Malaysia to provide for check and support. However, if you live your life by exploiting the other party's matters and play it to your side, then how long will you last?

Did the people vote for Pakatan Rakyat because they love their policies or did they vote Pakatan Rakyat just because they were angry with Barisan Nasional?

Pakatan Rakyat sounds so "nice". On the voting cards, were they any Pakatan Rakyat logos? No. They were all individual parties - DAP, PKR and PAS versus Barisan Nasional.

The question thrown at the Opposition still remains. Are you all really sleeping on the same bed and using the same pillow? Or is it just a temporary united front to buy the hearts of the people?

Show us what you got, Pakatan Rakyat. And not show us what BN is doing to all of us. If I vote you into the Federal Government just because I dont like BN, how long do you think you can last, Pakatan Rakyat? The people will soon question - what is Pakatan Rakyat offering? Why did I vote for Pakatan Rakyat? Was it because they had great policies and leaders or was it because we were angry with BN?

If it was the latter, then Pakatan Rakyat will not sit in Putrajaya for long.

Wah wah. Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said he will reverse the pricing levels of petrol in Malaysia back to the old one. How is that possible, Datuk Seri?

You found money? I know Tun always claim that we have enough money in the country. Even Tun comes out saying that a gradual reduction of subsidies would be better. And I read somewhere of a proposal that a schedule of petrol pricing should have been created with fixed dates of price changes. In other words, the Government should have set several dates over a period of time and implement gradual reduction of petrol subsidy.

That sounds like a good proposal and whoever came up with that idea should have been appointed as an advisor to the PM of Malaysia with a Ministerial status.

Anyway, I am very interested to hear the rationale and budgeting of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. How do you plan to do that? Or are you just singing the tunes of the people?

Come up in public and tell us how you plan to reverse the pricing of petrol. Pak Lah says it is inevitable given the world price of oil per barrel. Datuk Seri Anwar says Pakatan Rakyat will reverse it if they have the Federal Government in their hands soon.

Hmm. And the crossover of MPs from BN will continue as scheduled? Eh Datuk Seri Anwar, why wait till September? Did any fortune teller say that it is best for MPs to crossover in September? I am curious. Why September and not now? July? August?

Dilemma in Thailand, Crisis in Malaysia.

Words from Hun Sen, News of Thaksin

Hun Sen, the leader in Cambodia, has held the post of Prime Minister of Cambodia for 23 years and breaks the record of Tun Dr Mahathir's 22 years.

A recent article in Cambodia Information Centre on 11th June 2008 showed interview transcripts of PM Hun Sen with The Mekong Times Editor in Chief, Neth Pheaktra.

Read the words from the man himself, PM Hun Sen of Cambodia, here.

Elsewhere in Thailand, the panel of lawyers for Thaksin Shinawatra denied involvement in the recent report of a B 2million "snack box". It was reported that a snack box was left for a Supreme Court judge with B 2million hidden in it.

Assuming RM 10 buys 100 baht. B 2million will carry the value of RM 200,000. Hmm. Sounds like a big sum to me. Thaksin has not said a word but his lawyers have come out to deny involvement in that.

Rationally, is there a need to do so? According to Bangkok Post, Thaksin's lawyer said that the Supreme Court has so far given a fair trial to the Shinawatra family. Hmm.

Thaksin made the mistake of his life when he sold Shin Corp to Temasek. Firstly, Shin Corp controls telecommunications and selling a national security asset to a foreign entity is really not advisable. However, as far as I remembered, Thaksin transferred all his shares to his kids and wife when he became PM to avoid conflict of interest.

Is Thaksin directly responsible for this? Hmm. Indirectly, perhaps - via his family.

I find it a little complicated. He was a businessman and a billionaire when he was voted into the office. The people knew clearly of his background. So, why are the handful of elites hammering Thaksin over his riches? If his family should not hold shares too, then get a buyer for his shares.

Temasek offered to buy and it was a pure business dealing. However, I personally do not agree selling a national security asset to a foreign entity. Thailand's investment arm should have taken over the shares, although that will create problems and accusations that Thaksin is enriching hinself.

A billionaire politician is never easy at all, huh? Conflicts of interest happen everywhere and accusations, wild rumours and speculations fly and spark every day, whether or not they are true.

Secondly, Thaksin's family sold Shin Corp to Temasek tax free. He was not taxed for his sale. And according to reports, he did that under the laws of Thailand. Should he be blamed for that or should the Parliament of Thailand be blamed for overlooking the loophole?

Thaksin is no lawyer. He is just a businessman. And his tax free sale must have been managed under the supervision of a team of lawyers and financiers. If his lawyers managed to find a loophole, would he not want to avoid paying taxes?

Hey. Ask yourself. Are you happy paying taxes? I am sure many businessmen in Malaysia will always try to evade taxes. Not only businessmen, perhaps Government servants and the private sectors too. They will always try to slot this and that in to reduce taxes. Some might declare lower income too.

I recall talking to Jimmy a few days back about tax evasion. The term "tax evasion" should be changed to "tax minimization". It sounds better. Haha.

So should all of us be jailed too? No. We only blame the lack of enforcement and loopholes in our taxation regulation.

From my viewpoint, Thailand had a great time under the CEO style management of Thaksin Shinawatra. They deserve to have another Thaksin. The farmers, the youths and the poor in Thailand needs Thaksin's policies and Government.

Otherwise, I wonder what will happen to Thailand. Recently, the farmers are already lining up outside Government linked banks to ask for soft loans. The poor Thais up North are already feeling the pinch of rising costs of living. Thaksonomics is needed in Thailand.

I hope PM Samak in Thailand will not forget that the seat he has today is because of the people. Thai Rak Thai's spirit remains in all Thais. The People Power Party will need to hold true to their promises, policies, motto and objectives. Hand in hand, live with the people.

Mmm. Asia is interesting.