Gong Xi Fa Cai

Wishing all of you a very Happy Lunar New Year. GONG XI FA CAI!

May the years ahead bring you great health and abundance.

Look Out for this Kancil

A resident of USJ 5 sent me an sms informing me that this Kancil has been making rounds picking on children.

A few months prior, three students were similarly robbed at the playground in USJ 18/1. The bastards - two Indians and one Malay, accosted them with a parang while they were resting after their Friday prayers. They lost three handphones and some cash.

Be on alert.

Betrayal

Cat meat kebab and ratball soup

Watch what you eat and eeeek!

Reuters reports that Shanghai street vendors are using the meat from stray cats to supplement mutton to make kebabs ... puke ... while AP reports that some soup vendors were using rat to make meatballs for their broth.

Time to change diet.

Just Don't Get Caught Focusing

If you haven't listed out your goals for the year, why not? If you have, do you want to learn the secret to achieve them?

The experts say ... just stay focussed! That's right, stay focussed. In plain language, it means KEEP YOUR EYES ON YOUR GOALS!

If only ... ah, never mind. Now that focusing has taken a new dimension, keeping track of goals sure would be much more pleasurable.

It's Not Persoanl, YB

When PC Yeoh spoke with YB Dr. Kow Cheong Wei on this, he sounded visibly upset and asked why are we getting personal.

We aren't, YB. Give me a few days to gather and verify some information and just stay tuned to this channel.

Size Ngam-Ngam

I suppose this is the only size that fits his mouth! Just in case, the YB doesn't read, we have a bigger problem at hand lah.

The Star: ‘Bigfoot’ could lure tourists to Johor

MUAR: Like the mysterious Loch Ness monster which attracted people to a lake in Scotland, Johor should also exploit tales of a Bigfoot-like creature.

Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek, former Johor Tourism Committee chairman, said the tales of the creature could draw tourists to the state.

Such mysterious tales could create interest among the locals and foreigners, he said, adding that thousands visited the Loch Ness hoping to see the monster.

“Such stories can really create interest and there are many who like to look for such a creature,” he said at the Muar MCA annual dinner on Friday.

Of Perempuan Sundal and Bola-less

The axe fell. There was obviously some choppings. Did it also, by accident or by design, cut off some bola-bola too?

Then, how come, other than Malaysiakini and Utusan Malaysia, the other media is silent on this piece of news which implicates the police again?

Has it got to be Teresa Kok all the time before any action is taken?

Forget New Year's Resolutions - They Don't Work

“You can forget about making New Year’s Resolutions if you’re hoping for a successful outcome. Most aren’t worth the paper they’re written on,” says Vic Johnson, a leading goal setting and motivation expert.

Most New Year’s Resolutions have gone by the wayside before January is over and most won’t even be remembered six months later. And the reason is pretty simple. Most are made in response to something negative; a habit or situation that the person wants to change or end. And therein lies the problem – it’s hard to develop momentum from a negative response. It is always easier to move toward something than away from something.

Consider one of the most adopted goals — weight loss. No one can get excited about losing weight – it requires deprivation. It’s a negative response to concerns about appearance, health, etc. The results of weight loss New Year’s Resolutions demonstrate their weakness. A 1998 survey sponsored by Gardenburger found that more than three-fourths of all women between the ages of 25 and 54 make diet and weight-loss plans each year. Nearly nine of 10 respondents reported only occasional or no success, while almost half lost little or actually gained weight instead.

“The people who succeed at losing weight and maintaining the loss have usually been motivated by a dream much bigger and more positive than just losing weight,” explains Johnson. “They see themselves living a healthy lifestyle. They begin to act and think like people who are in good physical shape. There’s more of a radical change in a person’s thinking and actions than you see with most resolutions. It wouldn’t be possible to effect and sustain such a radical change unless the person is motivated by a big dream that is positive in nature.”

Another popular aim is to quit smoking. Johnson himself was a three-pack-a-day smoker until he celebrated a smoke-free New Year’s twelve years ago. “For over twenty years I had tried to quit many times using every tool and technique I’d hear about. But as long as I was trying to quit, I couldn’t break the grip. Instead, I developed a dream to become a non-smoker. I fell in love with the idea of breathing clean air instead of smoky air, of my body and clothes smelling nice instead of smoky. I thought about how wonderful it would be to taste food again. I decided to start acting and thinking like a non-smoker, and when the thinking took hold I simply quit smoking. In all the years since, I’ve never wanted another cigarette, never even thought about wanting one.”

According to Johnson, the best goal to set is one that calls for the individual to create a plan for their life based on a set of personal dreams. “Most people are in a free-fall through life, careening from one crisis to the next. If you were going to build a new house and you had this idea for a fabulous master bedroom suite, you wouldn’t rush out and start building the master bedroom. You’d have a complete plan before you started. When you approach resolutions and goals in the same manner, you end up with a much better chance of achieving success.”

Create a Life on Purpose

What will you do in 2006 to put yourself in a position to make more money?

What will you do in 2006 to develop better relationships with those who are important to you?

What will you do in 2006 to live the life you've been dreaming about?

According to Purdue University, and most experts, it’s not only important to have written goals, but you must have a plan to reach your goals. Goals 2006 is the complete program to help you "create a life on purpose."

Will 2006 be just another ho-hum year that started with good intentions? Or will it be YOUR Year! Your year to get your weight under control...start that business you've been talking about...get out of debt for good.

Are you tired of being stuck in the same gear? Go see why one program graduate, Dennis Rudinsky of Australia said, "I finally learned to set goals. And not only did I learn how, I also learned why."

(c) 2004-2006 Vic Johnson

How do you explain this?

I have no reason to doubt this blog entry by YvonneFoong. But please look at the picture closely and tell me what you see in between the subject and the white car. A bodyless apparition?

Has JKP Zon 7 become an extension of ADUN's office?

The Jawatankuasa Penduduk (JKP) was established in February 2001 to help MPSJ bridge the gap between the local council and the rate payers, i.e. to be a more effective channel of communitation. The committee members are appointed "diatas perakuan wakil rakyat dan penduduk setempat. Mereka terdiri dari pemimpin-peminpin masyarakat, belia dan lain-lain orang yang difikirkan sesuai didalam sesuatu kawasan."

Whether the JKP has fulfilled its objective since its establishment is debatable. I am not entering into any discussions on this. My interest is JKP Zon 7 (from USJ 16-USJ28), in which area I reside.

A few months back, a container cabin was erected in USJ 17, near to Restoran Sri Melor Daun Pisang. This cabin, fully sponsored by MPSJ at a cost of RM20K (according to earlier press reports) is meant to be used solely for JKP Zon 7's administration.

But what is this?


Since when did the JKP become an extension of the ADUN's office?

I could not get through to MPSJ to verify so I am not sure if MPSJ is aware of this. (Update 3 Jan 2006, 11.30am: MPSJ isn't aware)

I spoke with YB Dr. Kow and he clarified his intention to utilise the office space to meet up with his constituent once a month. Which is fine since the space would be vacant most of the time and surely a compromise can be worked out through proper procedures. I also applaud this which I think is commendable too because it is time he operates a service centre to tend to his constituents' needs and problems. We, however, need to consider the ramifications that may arise.

Now, why do I make an issue out of this? Because there appears to be a unilateral agenda in some matters concerning the running this JKP. In this instance, until the signboard was erected, no one knew of the intention. Not the committee members. And not even the Chairman!

We do have a hijacker(s) within the committee.

More on this and how the allocation of fund is spent later.

Happy New Year

Here's wishing everyone a very Happy New Year. I intend to make 2006 my best year ever and I wish the same for you.

For all the sms greetings, thanks a million and from Harry Khor, I reproduce his greeting below:

Peace in ur HEART!
Health in ur BODY!
Wealth in ur LIFE!
Joy in ur HOME!
May u always be blessed with these priceless treasures.
Happy 2006