Power and The Right to the Last Rites

Malaysiakini LETTERS: The right to the last rites
Ramdas Tikamdas Dec 30, 05 6:41pm

In this country, even the right to the last rites has become embroiled inthe dynamics of power. Power is another name for the law, for ultimately thelaw - both civil and divine - is enacted by those in power ... Full letter here.

Ramdas nailed it! Alas, power is indeed the name of the game. It's nothing else but that. Power can be compared to a great river; while within bounds it is both beautiful and useful. But when it overflows its bounds, it becomes destructive.

It has reached an 'unhealthy' level for us all. Sucks, doesn't it? Even Dr. Mahathir Mohamad acknowledged it during the Q&A session after giving a talk on Current Issues in Malaysian Politics recently. He was quoted as saying, “I believe that the country should have a strong government but not too strong. A two-thirds majority like I enjoyed when I was prime minister is sufficient but a 90% majority is too strong."

Historian Lord Acton (1834-1902) issued the same epic warning almost a century ago when he said "political power is the most serious threat to liberty, that power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

And before him, it was Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) who said, "Nearly all men can withstand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."

So apa macam now? Got the bola-bola to do what needs to be done? You and you?

No Giza, got pizza!

The Malaysian Pharaohs who calls themselves the Malaysian Peace Mission wants to scale the Great Pyramid of Giza and cover it with a giant national flag and those of the 57 members of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

This expedition, scheduled to be held from May 15 to 27, is estimated to cost close to RM200K with fundings by the Selangor Government, Youth and Sports Ministry, Ex-Servicemen’s Affairs Corporation (Perhebat). Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak officiated the launch of the expedition Tuesday.

In an immediate response, the chairman of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, the body responsible for the Giza site, said in Cairo that he would not allow the pyramid to be draped. “This cannot take place,” said chairman Zahi Hawass. “Nobody is allowed to do this.”

Whoever's brilliant idea it was, no Giza but a pizza on the face of the DPM! What an embarrassment!

The Cautious Man

A poem dedicated to those bland safe people.

There was a very cautious man
Who never laughed or played.
He never risked, he never tried,
He never sang or prayed.
And when he one day passed away,
His insurance was denied.
For since he never really lived,
They claimed he never really died.

Author unknown, but greatly appreciated.

Seasons of crime?

A spate of break-ins reported in nearby USJ 2 over the weekend. Too bad that the festive seasons are no longer what they used to be - be jolly and be happy. Now, it is so common to be fearful, especially if you have to leave your homes empty when you balik kampung.

Fast becoming seasons of crime?

If Networking Is A Game, How Do You Know When You've Won?

In order to effectively answer this question, it might be agood idea to first define the three major elements of thequestion; "Networking", "Game" and "Won."

The reason is that since all of us come from our own world view or paradigm and with our own personal definitions of each term, an answer without definition might lead us to agree or disagree without knowing exactly why.

So....

Networking (Burg's definition): "The cultivating of mutually beneficial, give and take, win/win relationships." By its very definition, this means there can be no losers.

Game: One dictionary definition says, "An activity providing entertainment or amusement; a pastime." Like a professional athlete who loves their sport like the game it is, but still approaches it as a business, the same might go for you. Hopefully, you're having fun while you work; you enjoy the challenge, the learning, and the people with whom you work.

And, while you don't necessarily like everything about the game of Networking, you at least - as Jim Rohn says - "Appreciate the opportunity." In other words, while certain aspects of Networking, such as mingling, follow-up, and occasionally going outside your comfort zone in order to introduce yourself to someone aren't neccessarily things you always like, you appreciate the opportunity to network with others, to cultivate the relationships that will eventually benefit you both.

Won (Win): According to Webster's, "To succeed or prevail in an effort. To triumph, to be victorious.

But, if you prevail or triumph, does that mean someone else has to lose? Well, since, by the very definition of Networking there cannot be a loser, the answer is no.

Then, over whom do you triumph?

If you must triumph over someone, perhaps it is yourself. It's getting past your fears and reaching out in order to sow the seeds of a new win/win relationship; to cultivate that relationship, and even to do the things necessary to reap from that relationship, and then being able to duplicate those results by helping others.

But, back to the original question, how do you know when you've won?

If Networking is a game, you know you've won if....

You feel really good about the relationships you're cultivating.

The people with whom you are cultivating these relationships feel really good about the relationship you're cultivating.

You find your prospect list getting bigger and bigger, with more qualified prospects. You are adding wealth, prosperity and happiness to the lives ofothers.

You're getting to present your products and/or services to more people than ever before.

You've reached a higher achievement level within your company (salesperson of the month?).

You're on your way to reaching a higher achievement level within your company.

People seem to gravitate toward you in ways they previously did not.

Your check is getting bigger and bigger.

Are the above happening in your life and business? Is successon the outside beginning to manifest? If so, it's a direct result of your personal growth on the inside.

And, if you're continually growing on the inside....then you KNOW you've won the game!


Bob Burg

Merry Christmas

A blessed Christmas to one and all.

Foot-and-mouth disease

For a Ba Kut Teh lover like me to read this piece of news is worrying.

First, Selangor has declared Kuala Langat a foot-and-mouth disease affected district, which means that the 274,211 pigs there cannot be removed. On how the disease had spread to the area, State executive councillor Datuk Tang See Hang said some farmers might have brought in infected pigs from other districts.

From which district? Shit, these people knows not what they are supposed to know!

Stop the interference

Stop the interference and leave Idris Jala alone to do his work. And you guys just follow through with the only sensible thing that you have spoken this week.

Blog Confession

If you have a habit of making confessions on your blogs - I have come across quite a number, with some of 5 stars rating - this should be of interest;

TAVARES, Fla. - An 18-year-old passenger who caused a fatal crash by pulling on the steering wheel pleaded guilty to DUI manslaughter after prosecutors discovered a confession on his online blog.

Blake Ranking wrote "I did it" on his blurty.com journal three days after the October 2004 crash that caused a friend's death and left another seriously injured. He had previously told investigators he remembered nothing of the crash and little of its aftermath. Full story ...

Sometimes, some things are better left unsaid. ;-)

Jangan di sangka tiada ada buaya ...

Orchipalar is up to something here. Something up his sleeves or something down his pants, I dunno. This you gotta find out from him. Or perhaps, another of his cock and bull story?

Heck, who cares anymore ... if they don't?

A genuine mistake or a deception?

It can be very stressful living in USJ, my good friend Robert never fails to remind us. Facing the daily horrendous traffic is one thing but so very often the residents have to stand up against the local council to protest against developments and projects at the wrong places.

The latest being a padang located in USJ 11/3. Apparently, MPSJ has sent out letters to residents of the affected surrounding area notifying them of a proposed 14-storey service apartment in their vicinity. I cannot determine how many residents received the letters but I was forwarded a copy on Monday. The letter, dated 7 December 2005, gives the residents 21 days to raise any objections they may have. If you are a resident, please take note and do what needs to be done. If you are not sure, follow the lead here. Full letter in pdf format here.


Now, a few interesting points to take note of:

1. The letter is addressed to "To whom it may concerned."
2. The letter was not delivered via registered post.
3. A resident claimed that he received only a photocopy.
4. The proposed project is to be at a padang at USJ 11/3 when there isn't any there. The closest padang is at USJ 11/3K. There is also another one at the southern end of USJ 11/3, at USJ 11/5 to be more precise. See map below. So where exactly is the location of this proposed development? A genuine mistake or a deception? Smells very fishy and conniving here.

A Tale of Two Toilets

This public toilet (picture left) was reportedly built in mid-2004 at the pasar malam site in Jalan SS13/1 by the richest local council in Malaysia, at a cost of RM90,000!

It caused an outrage in my neighbourhood and was a front page story in usjdotcomdotmy, a favourite community website.

I have to admit that I have forgotten about it, as many others had. Memang, we all mudah lupa. Very short memories, we have.

Until I was pointed to this blog entry in the Great Expectations. A beautifully designed and yet well maintained public toilet in the famous Taiping Lake Gardens. Easily voted one of the BEST public toilet in Malaysia! See picture below.

I bet it costs less than RM90,000 to build.

THE ANT PHILOSOPHY by Jim Rohn

Jim Rohn who is an excellent motivational speaker, offers his ant philosophy for success:

1. Ants never give up.
2. Ants plan for winter all summer.
3. Ants look forward to summer all winter.
4. When ants gather food for the winter, they gather all they can.

THE ANT PHILOSOPHY by Jim Rohn

Over the years I've been teaching children about a simple but powerful concept - the ant philosophy. I think everybody should study ants. They have an amazing four-part philosophy, and here is the first part: ants never quit. That's a good philosophy. If they're headed somewhere and you try to stop them; they'll look for another way. They'll climb over, they'll climb under, they'll climb around. They keep looking for another way. What a neat philosophy, to never quit looking for a way to get where you're supposed to go.

Second, ants think winter all summer. That's an important perspective. You can't be so naive as to think summer will last forever. So ants are gathering in their winter food in the middle of summer.

An ancient story says, "Don't build your house on the sand in the summer." Why do we need that advice? Because it is important to be realistic. In the summer, you've got to think storm. You've got to think rocks as you enjoy the sand and sun. Think ahead.

The third part of the ant philosophy is that ants think summer all winter. That is so important. During the winter, ants remind themselves, "This won't last long; we'll soon be out of here." And the first warm day, the ants are out. If it turns cold again, they'll dive back down, but then they come out the first warm day. They can't wait to get out.

And here's the last part of the ant philosophy. How much will an ant gather during the summer to prepare for the winter? All that he possibly can. What an incredible philosophy, the "all-that-you-possibly-can" philosophy.

Wow, what a great seminar to attend - the ant seminar. Never give up, look ahead, stay positive and do all you can.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn

More on The Ant & its Philosophy by Swamy Sukhabodhananda

Jessie Chung

If the saga of Jessie Chung is still of interest to you, just hop onto QuackBuster for a continuation of his latest entries:

1. A reply by Jessie's dentist friend, Dr. Rebecca Tiew.
2. Rebuttals Of Late.
3. In defence of Lafayette University

Warning on four ayurvedic medicines

Star Online: Friday December 16, 2005
Warning on four ayurvedic medicines

SINGAPORE health officials warned the public on Wednesday against consuming four Indian traditional medicines after tests showed they contain excessive amounts of lead and mercury.

The four, also known as ayurvedic medicines, were identified as Annai Aravindh Herbals Rheuma-7 Capsules, Himalaya Diabecon Tablets, Laurel's Diabecs Capsules and Goodcare Diabet Guard Granules.

Read full report here.

Take care because the consumption of excessive amounts of heavy metals such as lead and mercury poses serious health risks as they can accumulate in vital body organs. Symptoms of lead and mercury poisoning include abdominal pain, vomiting, bloody diarrhoea, kidney damage and impairment of the nerves and mental function.

Another Cock n Bull!

A little nudge here and a little nudge there by both Mack and I, our good friend Orchipalar has finally gotten fedup of these two buggers! To shut us up, he has started his own blog. He calls it A Cock n Bull Stories Telling Adventure by a Rookie Malaysian Blogger.

Orchi-san has proven himself to be very vocal insofar as local community issues are concerned. And he can be a loose cannon too. So you fellas better watch out!

Welcome on board, my friend.

Their Dumb Game

What a dumb game they are playing.

Berita Harian: Kit Siang, Teresa patut kena tindakan

KUALA LUMPUR: Pihak berkuasa diminta mengambil tindakan terhadap ketua pembangkang, Lim Kit Siang dan Ahli Parlimen Seputeh, Teresa Kok kerana mengelirukan Parlimen, orang ramai, kerajaan Malaysia dan Republik China berhubung kes tahanan wanita yang diarah melakukan ketuk ketampi dalam keadaan berbogel. Full report here.

Bernama: Senators Call For Action Against Teresa Kok

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 15 (Bernama) -- Several senators Thursday called for action to be taken against Seputeh Member of Parliament Teresa Kok for causing a public uproar by showing a video clip of a naked woman doing ear squats while in police custody. Full report here and here.

Instead of trying the blame game to cover their posteriors due to obvious reasons, they should all take heed of this suggestion by Teresa Kok.

I urge these UMNO politicians to learn to be sensible and emulate Minister of Women, Family and Community Development Dato’ Seri Sharizat Abdul Jalil where she said “The central issue in the investigation of a woman detainee by the
authorities must be her dignity and integrity and not her nationality or race. This issue should be given proper attention and consideration irrespective of skin colour, religion or nationality of the detainee.” She also said, "The dignity of the detainee should be protected and respected in whatever kind of case and situation."

OK, OK ... I can understand that however right she may be, Teresa is still from the opposition! How about taking this advice from Abraham Lincoln then?

"It's better to remain silent and let others think you're a fool, than
to speak up to remove all doubts."

Really, no one needs to know!

Jessie Chung and her credentials

QuackBuster's latest entry is his theory on how Jessie acquired her certificates, diplomas and degrees, based on all the information he has to date. Until she comes clean, this is QB's best assumptions (and likely accurate assumptions):

Pre-1985
Advanced certificate in English Language(Stamford College, Singapore)
Sunny Hill Secondary School, Malaysia
Chung Hwa Middle School No.1, Malaysia
Chung Hwa Primary School No.3, Malaysia
Pei-De Kindergarden, Malaysia

1985 - 1986
SSHGD (Dominion College) Toronto, Canada
SSGD (The Great Lakes College of Toronto) Toronto, Canada

Read QuackBuster's full entry here.

The 'Chinese' girl is now Malay!

The 'Chinese' girl is now Malay!

Conspiracy and cover up? Why would they want to cover-up the race of the victim? One reason, please?

Unfortunately, some forumers in this community think so, even after a Malay woman came forward and told the 5-member independent commission that she is the woman featured in the MMS clip. This reaction is somehow not unexpected because the media has been all over this furore the past two weeks and it has all along being a 'Chinese girl'. A discussion is ongoing here. Anyway, that was yesterday's news.

Today, the Malay woman was positively identified by lawyer Sankara Nair who is representing four out of five Chinese women nationals who had complained about police abuse earlier.

"Sankara was then asked to come forward to have a clearer view of her face. The lawyer then told the commissioners he was satisfied that the woman in the court and the one in the clip were the same person."

I hope with this positive identification, my fellow forumers will now focus on the bigger issue on hand, i.e. a fellow human being subjected to humiliation and embarrassment.

Meanwhile, this old fox has a plausible explanation on why the nationality of the woman was witheld when it was supposedly known to the police much earlier. Or to give the police the benefit of the doubt, it might not have been believed had they come clean earlier.

By the way, has anyone heard anything from the ulamas and muftis? What have they got to say, I wonder.

8-year old guarantor

How in the hell did an 8-year old boy end up becoming a guarantor to a car loan, purportedly signed 4 years ago when he was still in his diapers and drinking milk?

"How could my son have stood guarantor for a loan in 2001 when he was four years old?" asked the handphone dealer in a Press conference organised by MCA Public Affairs and Complaints Department head Datuk Michael Chong. How said the bank manager showed details in a computer which contained his son’s particulars and a signature. "My son is a Standard Two pupil and cannot even sign his own name," said How, adding he suspected someone had obtained his son’s particulars from a savings account he had opened at the same bank in 2001.

“The only way that Desmune’s details could have been leaked out is through a children’s savings account I opened for him at the bank four years ago,” he added.

You are here

It's easy to know where you are ... it's determining where to go that's the challenge.

The Boomerang

Whether you realize it or not, you're throwing the boomerang today. As you may know, a boomerang is an angular club you toss away from you that eventually returns to you. In the game of life, you throw the boomerang daily, in the form of actions and behaviors that you send out into the world, and that return to you at some later date -- often multiplied on the rebound.

You've probably heard this principle stated in different ways, including "What goes around comes around." Or the Biblical phrases "Give and it shall be given unto you" and "As you sow, so shall you reap."

But how does this principle apply to your day-to-day life? Simply put, if you treat others with love and respect, you will find that others will generally love and respect you. If you serve others, you will likely be served. Of course, this "law" also applies to negative behaviors. If you are critical and judgmental, don't be surprised when you are criticized and judged.

By the way, you don't always receive precisely what you send out. For example, you might steal money from others and rather than having money stolen from you in return, you could wind up in jail. But whatever the specific response, negative consequences always follow dishonest, unscrupulous actions, whereas positive results flow from fair and honorable efforts.

Before we continue, let's clear up some misconceptions about the boomerang principle. Many people don't believe in it because they fail to view it with a long-term perspective. In fact, the return for your actions is seldom immediate. There is often a long delay between your actions and the rebounding consequences.

So, if you feel that you are living a "good life" -- that you are helping others, being loyal to your friends, creative in business, and loving to your family -- and that you have yet to receive any great reward, don't despair. First of all, you might be overlooking the blessings that already exist in your life. Or, you may consider what Ralph Waldo Emerson believed about delayed rewards -- that your good deeds are earning compound interest in the "universal bank," building up value over time, and that, one day, you will receive handsome dividends. It is in this fashion that the universe rewards persistent people who diligently plod away at their ultimate goal ... and then (suddenly, it seems) attain outrageous success!

People also have trouble with the boomerang principle because they look for the return to come from the same person to whom they gave something. It doesn't usually work that way. You'll never know where the return will be coming from -- or when it will arrive -- but it always comes.

Perhaps the most useful way to observe this principle in action is to look at it "in reverse." In other words, focus on what is coming to you in life -- that will tell you what you have been sending out.

Thus, if you aren't receiving something that you want (e.g., friendship, love or honesty), consider the possibility that you have been withholding these things from those around you. What you withhold from others will be withheld from you. When you start giving these things, you will activate the flow back to yourself.

It's really quite simple: send it out and receive it back. So, if you want to receive love ... give love. If you want people to appreciate you ... show your appreciation for others. And, if you want others to help you, then lend a helping hand yourself.

You have the power to create the life you want. It all depends on how you throw the boomerang!
-- Jeff Keller© Attitude is Everything, Inc.

Jessie Chung again ah?

Would you believe it if someone tells you that there is a cure for cancer, brain tumour and hepatitis? I wouldn't. The last time some direct selling fella did, I walked away. A fellow forumer of usjdotcomdotmy who goes by the nick of qbuster wouldn't either.

Because of this allegedly misleading insinuation that appeared in Jessie's Chung's company website - the Natural Health Farm, qbuster's blood is boiling. These claims are dangerous, he reasons.

qbuster had earlier questioned Jessie's string academic credentials. He still does. Strangely, the list appeared to have grown longer!

qbuster, who claims to be a scientific researcher and an academic, is not taking these matters lightly. He has gone on a crusade and has started blogging about it in the QUACK BUSTER.

His issue, and the raison d'erte of this blog, is false credentials and public misrepresentation. Very interesting entries, I assure you.

Human Rights Day

10 December 2005 is Human Rights Day. This year's theme is "Torture and Global Efforts to Combat It"

From Kofi Annan, United Nations Secretary-General, "Let us be clear: torture can never be an instrument to fight terror, for torture is an instrument of terror. [...]Today, on Human Rights Day, let us recommit ourselves to the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and let us rededicate ourselves to wiping the scourge of torture from the face of the earth."

Full text of His Excellency's Human Rights Day message here.

Big testes, small brains!

If you wish to know how big a brain you have, a real look between your legs may provide some clues because scientists have found there really may be a direct relationship between the male brain and his private parts! Just as women have suspected all along, huh?

The scientists, led by Dr. Scott Pitnick, suggested that the findings could be explained by an expensive tissue' theory - as both brain cells and sperm require significant amounts of energy to produce. Writing in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Letters, they said: "Because relatively large brains are metabolically costly to develop and maintain, changes in brain size may be accompanied by compensatory changes in other expensive tissues."

In the case of brains and testes "these are metabolically expensive organs that energetically trade-off against one another," say the researchers.

Sorry guys, the scientists said it and they may have finally proved that men cannot have both big brains and big testicles.

Despite these findings, the intelligent males should not despair because it is not really the size of the wand but the stroke of the magic that counts, if you know what I mean. And if this could be of any consolation at all! ;-)

Big brains mean 'tiny testicles'
Big brain means small testes, finds bat study

The Secret

Don't ask me what The Secret is. I don't know. I received an email that promised it would be revealed in a worldwide television event on Sunday, January 8, 2006.

The email went on to declare that when The Secret is revealed to the world, you will come to understand the enormity of what you did for your life. And you will experience first-hand the power and magic of The Secret, in ways you can't even imagine now.

I followed the link, watched the trailer and my curiousity was piqued. By the way, you will need to have a keen sense to uncover the clue in the trailer!

And I thought it's well worth putting this date on my calender. You might too.

STOP this Tsunami!

Bernama: "The government Tuesday advised the Malaysian public not to believe any Short Messaging Services (SMS) being circulated which warned them on the possibility of tsunami occurrences this month or January. Deputy Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Kong Cho Ha said they should not believe such information unless it was from the government agencies such as the ministry itself and the Meteorological Department."

This is the cause of the tsunami in the system! If you receive such nonsense, please discard and do not forward. It doesn't serve any other purpose except to add on to the congestion of bandwidth.

The email make reference to meteorologist Dr Smith Dharmasaroja who did warn that the epicentre of future quakes could shift northwards, north of the Andaman and Nicobar islands. If that happens, it will have a more direct route down to the Strait of Malacca, swamping Singapore and Malaysia. Somehow, some smart but sick idiot distorted the report that carried this warning.















See the insertion of dates in the hoax email being circulated.

Dumberer and Dumberer

In Beijing, Home Minister Azmi Khalid said his government would await a formal inquiry into the alleged humiliation of a Chinese woman at the hands of Malaysian police before deciding if it needed to apologize for the incident.

What's wrong with offering an apology and do some damage control? Pak Lah has apologised, hasn't he? Or is Azmi suggesting that Pak Lah's apology is not laku?

In the Parliament, Hamim Samuri (BN-Ledang) urged the independent panel investigating the incident to also proble those who deliberately tarnish the nation's reputation.

Excuse me, but isn't that what the independent panel has been commissioned to do? Investigate the actions of the people behind this fiasco?

Also in the Parliament, Hamim Samuri said, "I've watched the clip. I think the voice in the clip was modified totarnish the image of Malaysia as a Muslim country," he said.

This one, I have to tabik and reserve comment because he CAN THINK!

In Pasir Mas, BARISAN Nasional's candidate Hanafi Mamat has been declared winner of the Pengkalan Pasir by-election. He beat Pas candidate Hanifa Ahmad with a 129 majority. A recount of votes will be held tomorrow.

This one confuses me. Shouldn't the declaration come after the recount?

Update 7/12 - Malaysian minister apologizes for crimes

Paradoxical Commandments of Leadership

Wrongly attributed by many to John Maxwell, The Paradoxical Commandments were actually written by Kent Keith when he was 19 and a sophomore at Harvard College. They form part of the second chapter of his book, The Silent Revolution: Dynamic Leadership in the Student Council, published by Harvard Student Agencies in 1968.

1. People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered. Love them anyway.
2. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway.
3. If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.
4. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
5. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway.
6. The biggest men with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men with the smallest minds. Think big anyway.
7. People favor underdogs, but follow only top dogs. Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
8. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.
9. People really need help but may attack you if you do help them. Help people anyway.
10. Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.

Butt Prints in the Sand

This is a slightly different version of an amazing poem called Footprints in the Sand, the origin of which can be traced here.

One night I had a wondrous dream,
One set of footprints there was seen,
The footprints of my precious Lord,
But mine were not along the shore.

But then some stranger's print appeared,
And I asked the Lord, What have we here?
Those prints are large and round and neat,
But Lord, they are too big for my feet.

My child, he said in sombre tones,
For miles I carried you alone.
I challenged you to walk in faith,
But you refused and made me wait.

You disobeyed, you would not grow,
The walk of faith, you would not know,
So I got tired, I got fed up,
And there I dropped you on your butt.

Because in life, there comes a time,
When one must fight and one must climb,
When one must rise and take a stand,
Or leave their butt prints in the sand.

- Author unknown, but greatly appreciated -

Vietnam Beef Noodle Soup

Jimmy Choo shows how to prepare Vietnam Beef Noodle Soup in Wok the F*ck. This is a step by step flash animation. Enjoy.

New Year Present

The Selangor State Government has announced that all anak Selangor will be entitled to a New Year present, come 2006. Click here to open yours. Happy New Year!

Should we thank them?

Protection Money or Security?

USJ is being swamped with strangers knocking on doors asking residents to subscribe to their security services.

Three months ago, a group of young boys were in USJ 18 for that purpose. They were chased away and the police called. They returned again last week and were at my gate with an Indian man. Told them not to bother because our Neighbourhood Watch committee is in the process of negotiating with some companies. Now, it has been more than 2 months since that decision was taken. Will the person who is sitting on it, please move your butts?

On other fronts, I am aware that some residents in other parts of USJ are individually subscribing to this security service. Here and here and in some instances, this appear more like paying protection money! Not that I am against this arrangement (minus the arm-twisting part, of course) but I strongly feel that this has to be a residents' initiative, especially the part on the collection of monies. Not them. Above all else, the residents have to be in control on the security coordination, as well as on hiring and firing.

If approached, my suggestion is to please stay out and not pay anything but REPORT to the police if no resident is coordinating this effort, because we do not know who we are dealing with. Unless, you do not mind these people taking control of your neighbourhood.

What is Sodium Chloride?

Fans of Radio 4 will remember Yasmin Yusuf for her Big Breakfast shows. She would play games of quizes with her listeners in between her music. And this one, with a lady listener, I will never forget.

Yasmin: What is the common name for sodium chloride?

Lady: Ah ... can give clue ah?

Yasmin: Well .... OK, the clue is "it is something you sprinkle on your husband's eggs every morning." Now, hurry up, you have 20 seconds to go!

Lady: Err ....

Yasmin: Come on, your time is almost up.

Lady: Errr ... errr ... is it talcum powder?