In a recent survey of more than 3,000 scientists in the US, 97 percent of climatologists believed that humans play a role in climate change. However, only 47 percent of petroleum geologists and 64 percent of meteorologists believe humans contributed to climate change. It figures. Petroleum geologists look at things on a geologic timescale and are probably biased to the oil and gas industry, while meteorologists study short-term weather and not long-term climate.
Al Gore is pushing the US to do more to combat climate change. He says the US needs to join international talks on a climate change treaty. He says we will soon reach a point of irreversible damage to the climate if we don't do anything now. It might already be too late anyway. The global climate is going bonkers just like the financial system.
I just drove to Ipoh and back for the CNY celebration and burned over 30 litres of petrol for the return trip. I haven't calculated how many kilos of carbon dioxide I generated. Oh well, family time takes precedence over saving the planet, no? Besides, our dependence on fossil fuels is simply all-pervasive. What do you expect me to do? Cycle to Ipoh?
Don't buy any property near sea level unless you want a waterfront. Imagine, places like Penang, Klang, Melaka, Johor Baru, Kota Baru and even Shah Alam could be underwater if the sea level rises.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Ecownomics 201
SOCIALISM : You have 2 cows, so you give one to your neighbour.
COMMUNISM : You have 2 cows. The State takes both and gives you
some milk.
FASCISM : You have 2 cows. The State takes both and sells you
some milk.
NAZISM : You have 2 cows. The State takes both and shoots you.
TRADITIONAL CAPITALISM : You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull. Your herd multiplies, and the economy grows. You sell them and retire on the income.
AN AMERICAN CORPORATION : You have two cows. You sell one, and force the other to produce the milk of four cows. Later, you hire a consultant to analyse why the cow has dropped dead.
ENRON VENTURE CAPITALISM : You have two cows. You sell three of them to your publicly listed company, using letters of credit opened by your brother-in-law at the bank, then execute a debt/equity swap with an associated general offer so that you get all four cows back, with a tax exemption for five cows. The milk rights of the six cows are transferred via an intermediary to a Cayman Island Company secretly owned by the majority shareholder who sells the rights to all seven cows back to your listed company. The annual report says the company owns eight cows, with an option on one more. Sell one cow to buy a new president of the United States, leaving you with nine cows. No balance sheet provided with the release. The public buys your bull.
A FRENCH CORPORATION : You have two cows. You go on strike, organise a riot, and block the roads, because you want three cows.
A JAPANESE CORPORATION : You have two cows. You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk. You then create a clever cow cartoon image called 'Cowkimon' and market it worldwide.
A GERMAN CORPORATION : You have two cows. You re-engineer them so they live for 100 years, eat once a month, and milk themselves.
AN ITALIAN CORPORATION : You have two cows, but you don't know where they are. You decide to have lunch.
A RUSSIAN CORPORATION : You have two cows. You count them and learn you have five cows. You count them again and learn you have 42 cows. You count them again and learn you have 2 cows. You stop counting cows because you're sobering up and open another bottle of vodka.
A SWISS CORPORATION : You have 5,000 cows. None of them belong to you. You charge the owners for storing them.
A CHINA CORPORATION : You have two cows. You have 300 people milking them. You claim that you have full employment, and high bovine productivity, and arrest the newsman who reported the real situation.
A BRITISH CORPORATION : You have two cows. Both are mad.
I received this forwarded in my email sometime ago. Consume at your own risk.
COMMUNISM : You have 2 cows. The State takes both and gives you
some milk.
FASCISM : You have 2 cows. The State takes both and sells you
some milk.
NAZISM : You have 2 cows. The State takes both and shoots you.
TRADITIONAL CAPITALISM : You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull. Your herd multiplies, and the economy grows. You sell them and retire on the income.
AN AMERICAN CORPORATION : You have two cows. You sell one, and force the other to produce the milk of four cows. Later, you hire a consultant to analyse why the cow has dropped dead.
ENRON VENTURE CAPITALISM : You have two cows. You sell three of them to your publicly listed company, using letters of credit opened by your brother-in-law at the bank, then execute a debt/equity swap with an associated general offer so that you get all four cows back, with a tax exemption for five cows. The milk rights of the six cows are transferred via an intermediary to a Cayman Island Company secretly owned by the majority shareholder who sells the rights to all seven cows back to your listed company. The annual report says the company owns eight cows, with an option on one more. Sell one cow to buy a new president of the United States, leaving you with nine cows. No balance sheet provided with the release. The public buys your bull.
A FRENCH CORPORATION : You have two cows. You go on strike, organise a riot, and block the roads, because you want three cows.
A JAPANESE CORPORATION : You have two cows. You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk. You then create a clever cow cartoon image called 'Cowkimon' and market it worldwide.
A GERMAN CORPORATION : You have two cows. You re-engineer them so they live for 100 years, eat once a month, and milk themselves.
AN ITALIAN CORPORATION : You have two cows, but you don't know where they are. You decide to have lunch.
A RUSSIAN CORPORATION : You have two cows. You count them and learn you have five cows. You count them again and learn you have 42 cows. You count them again and learn you have 2 cows. You stop counting cows because you're sobering up and open another bottle of vodka.
A SWISS CORPORATION : You have 5,000 cows. None of them belong to you. You charge the owners for storing them.
A CHINA CORPORATION : You have two cows. You have 300 people milking them. You claim that you have full employment, and high bovine productivity, and arrest the newsman who reported the real situation.
A BRITISH CORPORATION : You have two cows. Both are mad.
I received this forwarded in my email sometime ago. Consume at your own risk.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
GXFC
Happy 牛 (Niu) Year!
May you be beefed up in the year ahead as we moove into a new era of challenges and opportunities.
Avoid ox-orbitant expenditures unless you're spending on other people.
Please respect one another, and try not to bulldoze your way ahead just to milk your profits.
I will not be cowed by your ox-ymoronic bovine intentions.
Put your trust in God and not in bullish markets. The golden cow is just a parad-ox.
May you be beefed up in the year ahead as we moove into a new era of challenges and opportunities.
Avoid ox-orbitant expenditures unless you're spending on other people.
Please respect one another, and try not to bulldoze your way ahead just to milk your profits.
I will not be cowed by your ox-ymoronic bovine intentions.
Put your trust in God and not in bullish markets. The golden cow is just a parad-ox.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
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.
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.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Boycott yourself
There have been calls by certain quarters to boycott American and Israeli products in protest of their duplicity and complicity in perpetrating the crisis in Gaza. But I'm wondering how to boycott. Should we throw out our Dell and HP laptops? Rip out our Intel chips? Uninstall Microsoft Windows? Throw away Sunkist oranges? Stop using Pantene shampoo? Resist Pringles potato chips? Lose the iPod? Cut up our Citibank credit cards? Resign from FedEx? Just don't buy Nike? Sell off our Chevrolets? Not fly United? Not love McDonald's? Dump Motorola phones? Stop drinking Coke? Don't watch CNN? Avoid Hollywood movies? Flush away Starbucks? Withdraw from Facebook?
An iPhone is designed in America, made in China, most probably using Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese components.
In this globalized world, I wonder who is boycotting who.
An iPhone is designed in America, made in China, most probably using Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese components.
In this globalized world, I wonder who is boycotting who.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Money for nothing
And I thought corruption was bad in Malaysia...
One of the things about the now-global economic crisis that befuddles me is that the experts don't seem to know how the crisis happened or "didn't see it coming", and they don't know and can't say who is responsible for the mess. Thus far, I have not heard of anyone being prosecuted for causing this financial disaster.
How could it have "just happened"? Who authorized all those sub-prime loans? Who came up with those "creative" investment instruments? Who fudged the accounts and the numbers? What were the regulators doing for the past years? Why were banks allowed to lend money they didn't have, to people who couldn't repay, for property and investments that were not worth the money?
Is Wall Street operating as the world's biggest casino? If you think about it, the US dollar is nothing but paper and promises of IOU. Scary huh? Is there any free market that is free from human greed? I am stumped by the fact that money can just disappear like that... vanish into thin air. Poof! Which means that all the wealth is merely on paper. Wealth destruction can happen just as wealth creation can.
Proverbs 23:4-5 says, "Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle."
And 1 Timothy 6:9-11 says, "People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness."
A very high calling indeed.
Well, today I saw this piece of news that the former Nasdaq chairman Bernard Madoff has been arrested for an investment scam that could amount to losses of as much as $50 billion (that's $50,000,000,000!!!). That's a stupendous amount of money. At least he confessed.
There is hope. :)
One of the things about the now-global economic crisis that befuddles me is that the experts don't seem to know how the crisis happened or "didn't see it coming", and they don't know and can't say who is responsible for the mess. Thus far, I have not heard of anyone being prosecuted for causing this financial disaster.
How could it have "just happened"? Who authorized all those sub-prime loans? Who came up with those "creative" investment instruments? Who fudged the accounts and the numbers? What were the regulators doing for the past years? Why were banks allowed to lend money they didn't have, to people who couldn't repay, for property and investments that were not worth the money?
Is Wall Street operating as the world's biggest casino? If you think about it, the US dollar is nothing but paper and promises of IOU. Scary huh? Is there any free market that is free from human greed? I am stumped by the fact that money can just disappear like that... vanish into thin air. Poof! Which means that all the wealth is merely on paper. Wealth destruction can happen just as wealth creation can.
Proverbs 23:4-5 says, "Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle."
And 1 Timothy 6:9-11 says, "People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness."
A very high calling indeed.
Well, today I saw this piece of news that the former Nasdaq chairman Bernard Madoff has been arrested for an investment scam that could amount to losses of as much as $50 billion (that's $50,000,000,000!!!). That's a stupendous amount of money. At least he confessed.
There is hope. :)
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Light FM?
I was gonna choose this song to sing in church last Sunday, but Uncle YKK beat me to it... oh well... God works in mysterious ways :)
This is one of my favourite songs.
Go Light Your World
Chris Rice
There is a candle in every soul
Some brightly burning, some dark and cold
There is a Spirit who brings a fire
Ignites a candle and makes His home
So carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the helpless, confused and torn
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world
Take your candle, and go light your world
Frustrated brother, see how he's tried to
Light his own candle some other way
See now your sister, she's been robbed and lied to
Still holds a candle without a flame
So carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the lonely, the tired and worn
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world
Take your candle, and go light your world
Cause we are a family whose hearts are blazing
So let's raise our candles and light up the sky
Praying to our Father, in the name of Jesus
Make us a beacon in darkest times
So carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the helpless, deceived and poor
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world
Carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the helpless, confused and torn
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world
Take your candle, and go light your world
Take your candle, and go light your world
This is one of my favourite songs.
Go Light Your World
Chris Rice
There is a candle in every soul
Some brightly burning, some dark and cold
There is a Spirit who brings a fire
Ignites a candle and makes His home
So carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the helpless, confused and torn
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world
Take your candle, and go light your world
Frustrated brother, see how he's tried to
Light his own candle some other way
See now your sister, she's been robbed and lied to
Still holds a candle without a flame
So carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the lonely, the tired and worn
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world
Take your candle, and go light your world
Cause we are a family whose hearts are blazing
So let's raise our candles and light up the sky
Praying to our Father, in the name of Jesus
Make us a beacon in darkest times
So carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the helpless, deceived and poor
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world
Carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the helpless, confused and torn
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world
Take your candle, and go light your world
Take your candle, and go light your world
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Go Large
Yes! It's happening!
No, not at Selfridges, but at KLPac.
Presented in partnership with Focus on the Family Malaysia, and supported by KLPac, Empowerment, Domino's Pizza, POS AD Group and LiteFM.
Dates:
6-16 November 2008
Times:
Thu-Sat 8:30 pm / Sat-Sun 3:00 pm / Mon-Wed no show
Venue:
Pentas 2, The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPac), Sentul Park,
Jln Strachan (off Jln Ipoh), Kuala Lumpur
Tickets:
RM30 adults / RM20 students, senior citizens and disabled
Available from KLPac Box Office (03) 4047 9000
or Actors Studio @ BSC (03) 2094 0400
Websites:
http://www.klpac.com/Welcome.asp?c=whatsontheatreview&theatreID=262&theatrecatID=5
http://www.footstoolplayers.com/current.htm
Pictures adapted from photofunia.com
Dates:
6-16 November 2008
Times:
Thu-Sat 8:30 pm / Sat-Sun 3:00 pm / Mon-Wed no show
Venue:
Pentas 2, The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPac), Sentul Park,
Jln Strachan (off Jln Ipoh), Kuala Lumpur
Tickets:
RM30 adults / RM20 students, senior citizens and disabled
Available from KLPac Box Office (03) 4047 9000
or Actors Studio @ BSC (03) 2094 0400
Websites:
http://www.klpac.com/Welcome.
http://www.footstoolplayers.
Pictures adapted from photofunia.com
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Deep water faith in the shallow end
I drove down to Johor Bahru over the weekend for a good friend's wedding. To accompany me on my climate-unfriendly solo trip, I popped into the player the Casting Crowns CD "The Altar and the Door". The song "Somewhere in the Middle" seemed to grab me with one of its lines -- deep water faith in the shallow end. It kinda struck a chord within me. How can I say my faith is deep when I'm only playing in the shallow end? I gotta go deep man.
Anyway, I listened to this CD all the way to JB, and all the way back. Yea, I was too lazy to change CDs and it was raining all the way, so I had to pay extra attention to the road and not fiddle with CDs. Well, I really liked the songs, so I was fine listening to it 10 times. :)
Somewhere in the Middle
Somewhere between the hot and the cold
Somewhere between the new and the old
Somewhere between who I am and who I used to be
Somewhere in the middle, You'll find me
Somewhere between the wrong and the right
Somewhere between the darkness and the light
Somewhere between who I was and who You're making me
Somewhere in the middle, You'll find me
Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control
Fearless warriors in a picket fence, reckless abandon wrapped in common sense
Deep water faith in the shallow end and we are caught in the middle
With eyes wide open to the differences, the God we want and the God who is
But will we trade our dreams for His or are we caught in the middle
Are we caught in the middle
Somewhere between my heart and my hands
Somewhere between my faith and my plans
Somewhere between the safety of the boat and the crashing waves
Somewhere between a whisper and a roar
Somewhere between the altar and the door
Somewhere between contented peace and always wanting more
Somewhere in the middle You'll find me
Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control
Fearless warriors in a picket fence, reckless abandon wrapped in common sense
Deep water faith in the shallow end and we are caught in the middle
With eyes wide open to the differences, the God we want and the God who is
But will we trade our dreams for His or are we caught in the middle
Lord, I feel You in this place and I know You're by my side
Loving me even on these nights when I'm caught in the middle,
caught in the middle
Anyway, I listened to this CD all the way to JB, and all the way back. Yea, I was too lazy to change CDs and it was raining all the way, so I had to pay extra attention to the road and not fiddle with CDs. Well, I really liked the songs, so I was fine listening to it 10 times. :)
Somewhere in the Middle
Somewhere between the hot and the cold
Somewhere between the new and the old
Somewhere between who I am and who I used to be
Somewhere in the middle, You'll find me
Somewhere between the wrong and the right
Somewhere between the darkness and the light
Somewhere between who I was and who You're making me
Somewhere in the middle, You'll find me
Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control
Fearless warriors in a picket fence, reckless abandon wrapped in common sense
Deep water faith in the shallow end and we are caught in the middle
With eyes wide open to the differences, the God we want and the God who is
But will we trade our dreams for His or are we caught in the middle
Are we caught in the middle
Somewhere between my heart and my hands
Somewhere between my faith and my plans
Somewhere between the safety of the boat and the crashing waves
Somewhere between a whisper and a roar
Somewhere between the altar and the door
Somewhere between contented peace and always wanting more
Somewhere in the middle You'll find me
Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control
Fearless warriors in a picket fence, reckless abandon wrapped in common sense
Deep water faith in the shallow end and we are caught in the middle
With eyes wide open to the differences, the God we want and the God who is
But will we trade our dreams for His or are we caught in the middle
Lord, I feel You in this place and I know You're by my side
Loving me even on these nights when I'm caught in the middle,
caught in the middle
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
FunnyMoney
In the wake of the recent crisis rocking the US financial system, the government has decided to redesign the dollar bill as a gentle reminder to all...
My dream exchange rate:
RM1.00 = USD4.00
RM1.00 = USD4.00
Monday, September 22, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
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?
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?
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
The old song says that “love is a many-splendoured thing”, but reality tells us that “love” can be bittersweet.
Through the medium of live theatre, touring theatre company Footstool Players explores the themes of love, courtship, marriage and family relationships in their new production Crazy Little Thing Called Love.
The play is a collection of sketches, a mix of comedy and drama, but all thought-provoking in some way in highlighting issues pertaining to relationships. There’s innocence, idealism, joy, humour, reassurance, hope, regret, heartbreak, sorrow, and more – everything that comes with that “crazy little thing called love”!
You’ll laugh, you’ll weep. But most importantly, you’ll also think – and perhaps also discover.
The play runs for approximately 120 minutes, excluding a 15-minute intermission, and is suitable for ages 10 to 100!
******
Come and watch me perform! Haha. Yea, right. I'll be one of the men-in-black scurrying around to move stage props in the darkness between scenes. I got roped in as a special forces replacement agent as the company is short of stagehands (the stage manager will be going overseas for a few days). But I'll be "performing" only in the debut show on 6th September and the following night.
I've had the privilege of sitting in and watching the past two rehearsals, and I must say that the production is very good. They practice really hard. Imagine rehearsals from 5PM to midnight. So, go watch CLTCL. They'll be touring a number of churches in September and October, and performing at KLPac in early November.
P/s. Try to spot me in the poster above. :)
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