Stuff

Here's something interesting about how we're impacting our world.

Watch this video.

Kegersangan kata

The blogospheric pressure has been dropping lately. It has been getting harder and harder to crank up the creative cranial juices to churn out a decent blog post. The juices are drying up. This is partly due to the fact that one of my favourite topics, i.e. politix, has been getting too predictable. It's the same old story -- BN big boys using their financial and political big sticks to whack the Opposition, the judiciary, Parliament, royalty and the media into docile submission. And we the people quietly watch, because we're afraid to rock the boat. Hello, the boat is leaking. It's time to make some noise. If you are not making any noise, at least pray lah. Yea, I need to do more of both. There are really exciting events waiting to unfold.

Hmmm, what can I say about the ekonomi? I'm just glad they didn't privatize Bank Negara. It just boggles my mind that the folks who should know what they are doing are now telling us that they didn't foresee this global economic mess. My heart goes out to President Obama and his team as they try to fix the terminal illness of corporate America. Perhaps it's not corporate America that started the problem. It's plain old human nature.

What if I talked about another favourite topic -- diving. But I'm afraid I don't have enough time to start and finish a proper story. I haven't even started writing about my Sipadan dive trip in May last year, and it's already the end of March this year. Oh well, since I'm on it, I would just like to say that Sipadan is still easily one of the best dive sites in the world. It's one of those places where I would (gladly) wake up at 5AM to go diving, and do six dives a day. Oh yea, last year I finally saw the legendary school of barracudas at Barracuda Point. On my first trip to Sipadan in 2005 I dived at Barracuda Point four times but didn't see a single barracuda. So, seeing the barracudas swim by in the hundreds was truly a sight to behold. Too bad they didn't swim around us in their signature vortex formation. Perhaps next time? Haha. And I'm still waiting to see the nudibranch vortex that our one-screw-loose divemaster was raving about. ;P

OK, another diving story. I was at the Pulau Sembilan group of islands two weeks ago. I got a nice sunburn despite staying (or, trying to stay) in the shade. The diving was OK lah. Visibility was terrible, but we saw seahorses and one frogfish. Some of us thought we felt a whale shark swim by, but the viz was too poor for us to see clearly. Haha. But the food on board the Kaleebso was superb. The only thing I don't like about the live aboard dive boat is the waste management. It cuts my heart to even think about how they disposed of our sewage and garbage, so I shall not talk about it. Oh man, and to think that I was one of the sources of the problem.

I think that's enough for now. Till the next post, I bid thee farewell. Drink lots of water and eat fruits.

One for the count

There are two kinds of BN politicians.

The corrupt, and the incompetent.


There are three kinds of people in this world.

Those who can count, and those who can't.

Eco-Assembly

I read with incredulity that the Perak state assembly Speaker V. Sivakumar convened a state assembly meeting under a rain tree (Samanea saman) in the state secretariat car park. Whatever the outcome of this current debacle, I must say that today's meeting will go down in modern history as the most eco-friendly state assembly meeting ever. Outdoor, under a tree, natural lighting, natural ventilation.

Hmmm, perhaps they should do that once in a while for Parliament sessions too. Conserve energy. And even if it rains it won't make much difference.

OK, I must remember to take a picture with that tree the next time I visit Ipoh.

Perak Boleh!

Maximum returns

I do not understand why Umno has to send someone all the way to London to seek the advice of a Queen's Counsel on the Perak political quagmire when there are so many lawyers back home in KL. But since they're already asking the QC, I thought it would make cents if they also threw in a few other questions just to maximize the returns on their consultation time. Questions like, What was the original intention and spirit of the ISA, since it was the British who started the idea of preventive detention? Should the ISA be used against Communist insurgents only, or against anyone in general? Where have all the Communist insurgents gone?

Political Signs 101

The nation of Israel:

a. is still the chosen people of God (God still has special plans for them).

b. has been replaced by the Church in the New Covenant.

c. is public enemy #1 of the Arabs and Palestinians.

d. is just another country on Earth.


This is not a trick question. Your answer will determine how you respond to the present crisis in Gaza and many other events in the Middle East throughout history.

Undilah Obama

Obama for President :)

Photos from barackobama.com/photos

Click here to see Barack Obama's position on issues

Guilty until proven innocent

Sorry folks, another political post.

I just read with incredulity the news about the police explaining the recent ISA arrests of the eminent blogger RPK, MP Teresa Kok and Sin Chew journalist Tan Hoon Cheng. The way I read it, the police are saying that these three are guilty until evidence can be found to prove that they are innocent. What the??!!!

And I'm ever bemused by the excuse given that May 13 could happen again. I quote the Deputy IGP who warned that "racial and religious unrest can be triggered over small matters and escalate into situations that are damaging and irreversible." That's right. That's why they should be going after UMNO lackeys instead of Members of Parliament and journalists.

Remember the advertisements for Sensodyne toothpaste? The scene with the lightning bolts zapping the poor fella's sensitive teeth as he ate ice cream? The toothpaste was formulated to cure sensitive teeth. Yeah, Malaysians need a good dose of it. There's still too much sensitivity going around even after 51 years of independence. For goodness' sake, how are we going to live in this globalized world if we're so hypersensitive? Every little knock seems to bruise. And it's an excuse exploited by BN politicians to divide and rule the country.

Malaysia is on a downward spiral. It's time to wake up. Don't be mesmerized by the melodious tunes played on the deck of the Titanic as she started sinking. No amount of sweet music could save her.

My prayer now is for the downfall of BN, especially UMNO. It would be good for BN to sit on the Opposition bench for a while. Give Pakatan Rakyat and Anwar a chance. Who knows? Maybe the same katak BN politicians will hop over to Pakatan... uh, which would not be good either, but what have we got to lose?

How rich are you?

I got this forwarded in my email. I don't know how accurate it is, but it's an interesting exercise. Try it. You might actually be richer than you think. So count your blessings.

Gajah vs pelanduk

There is a Malay saying that goes something like "gajah sama gajah bertempur, pelanduk mati di tengah" which, translated, means "when elephants fight, the mousedeer that is caught in the middle gets killed."

The way I see it, the present unfolding drama that is gripping the nation is a four-cornered fight between four big elephants:

1. PM/SIL
2. PM wannabe #1/Najib
3. PM wannabe #2/Anwar
4. PM wannabe #4/Ex-PM/Mahathir

And, ladies and gentlemen, we are the mousedeer.

But mousedeer are known to be smart, as portrayed in Malay folklore. Even Parameswara was impressed.

So, still got hope la. :)


*I refer to pelanduk and kancil both as mousedeer, though some people might argue that the two are not the same.

Up up and away

I was amazed at the long queues of cars radiating from every petrol station that I passed by this evening. Obviously the drivers were rushing to fill up their tanks while the petrol price still remained at RM1.92 per litre. In true Malaysian fashion, the news/rumours of the price increase of petrol was spread via email and sms since early afternoon. It later transpired that the PM had made an announcement in the evening that the petrol price would increase to RM2.70 at midnight. That's a 40% jump.

What I don't understand is why people would go through all the hassle just to save a few bucks. I mean, it looked like some of those drivers would have to wait at least half an hour before they could even enter the petrol station. My tank was 90% full so I didn't bother to top up the last 10% just to save a few Ringgit.

I figured that even if I filled up a tankful of petrol, I would save about RM30, and just for this one time only. From tomorrow onwards every full tank of petrol would cost me at least RM100. It would be a slightly different story if I were a truck driver with a 200 litre tank. But still, I would save only this one time.

I really don't mind paying market prices for petrol. Let it be RM4.00 per litre. If it's market price, it could go up, and it could go down. What I have a problem with is paying an artificially inflated price for my car, just because the entire auto industry in Malaysia is subsidizing Proton. I don't have any personal vendetta against Proton but I do have objections to our gomen's policies.

In Thailand the petrol is more expensive, but the cars are relatively cheaper. That means that consumers have a real choice of vehicle ownership and usage. It's good, because people can afford to buy a car and not feel bad if they don't use it everyday. Lower cost of ownership, higher cost of operation. That's OK, because then it encourages the use of public transport during weekday commuter rush hours, but still leaves the car owner the choice to drive during off-peak hours.

In Malaysia cars are ridiculously expensive, and public transport is inadequate, so the car owner feels compelled to maximize the utility of their car. In the past, the subsidized petrol offset the high price of car ownership. High cost of ownership, low cost of operation. But now with the fuel subsidies being gradually lifted, we are hit on both sides. High cost of ownership, and high cost of operation. It sucks. Here I am paying RM80,000 for a Toyota Vios when it should only cost RM60,000. And now the petrol price is going up to match market rates. On top of that, the public transport is still unsatisfactory.

My bottomline is: If the government wants to remove the petrol subsidies, it should also remove the Proton and local auto industry subsidies. If the government wants to help the lower income group, it should tax the expensive cars and subsidize the public transport, motorbikes and small cars regardless of the make or model, i.e. not only Proton.

I blame Dr Mahathir for much of this mess. Firstly, his grandiose vision of industrialization has led us up this dead end road called Proton. Secondly, his handpicked successor seems to be unable or unwilling to tackle the root problems of the economy. And don't forget that it was under Dr M and Dr Ling Liong Sik that KL's Light Rail Transit system was established -- a system consisting of three different companies operating totally different and mutually incompatible hardware, separate ticketing and train stations that do not integrate. So you can see now why we're stuck, since these disparate LRT systems are literally cast in concrete.

The Malaysian economy is riddled with systemic inefficiencies. Many of these stem from abuses and misuses of the NEP. Which means that overcoming our handicaps will be doubly or triply difficult. Not impossible, just more difficult. Don't we all love challenges? We also take heart in the fact that there is no perfect economic system on Earth, since we humans are inherently imperfect. Since I am part of the problem, I should then be part of the solution. Forget about saving a few Ringgit worth of petrol tonight. Look at the bigger picture.

It's time to party

I've been hearing a lot about "How to Vote" or "How to Choose Your MP" in the run-up to the coming general elections on 8 March.

My stand is that we have no choice but to vote based on the party, not the candidate. This is the unfortunate state of affairs in Malaysian politics. The system is like that. There is no room for independent voice in the parties. MPs are all subservient to their party leaders. They are nominated by party leaders, not by the people. So if you want your MP to speak out against the establishment, it has to be an Opposition MP. Forget about open debates a la US Presidential election campaigns. This is not Obama vs Clinton. This is BN vs Opposition.

Even if you vote a "good guy" into the BN, he/she still has to follow the party stand. So, if you like BN, then vote for a BN candidate. But if you don't like BN, then vote for an Opposition candidate. (But please don't do a sissy thing such as casting a spoilt vote.) I do not believe there's any hope for a "good guy" to make a change from within BN -- just look at people like Loh Seng Kok or Shahrir Abd Samad or Bernard Dompok or K Devamany. They speak out a little bit too much and *Wham!* they get clobbered back into their little pigeonhole. They are totally constrained by the system.

Sure, some of you will say that the Malaysian way is to resolve issues quietly and behind closed doors. But I also know that a lot of corruption and monkey business goes on behind closed doors.

Another major problem with the Malaysian political system is that too many voters judge an MP's performance based on minor and trivial matters like fixing broken street lights or clearing clogged drains. For goodness' sake, that is the job of a municipal councillor, not a Member of Parliament. This problem is compounded because some MPs or state assemblymen are also appointed as municipal councillors.

But I certainly expect an MP to operate at a higher level, not bogged down by local issues. An MP should be debating national and international issues like global warming, or human rights, or religious freedom, or education policy, or foreign investment, or global competitiveness, or free trade, or oil prices, etc. Instead, the MPs spend their time picking up litter, cutting ribbons, giving boring speeches and toeing the line. Sure, they "serve the people", but this is not the type of service I'm looking for.

The Malaysian political system is not perfect. In fact, it kinda sucks. So until such time as the system changes, voting a parliamentary candidate based on his "performance" will not make much difference. It's time to vote the party.