Village Idiot

My Member of Parliament behaving just like a village idiot? How I know? Ask Mack.

If there is one advise I can offer him, it will be this - Disassociate yourself from this BIG IDIOT and spend more time with your constituents this part of town.

YB, you are still hardly seen and felt.

"Masih dalam siasatan"

"Masih dalam siasatan, encik." That was the response I got when I called MPSJ yesterday to follow up on the complaint (Rujukan 0776/03/2006) I made on 16 March 2006! All the street lights along Jalan USJ 18/2B are not working again after the thunderstorm the previous evening.

The last time it happened, it took MPSJ almost two months to act. Even so, it had to take alot of noises including a letter to the press. How long are they going to take this time?

BTW, if I heard correctly, the contractor has not been appointed YET! One more reason for the low score of below 58.5% in the performance survey announced by the MB.

WTF is happening to this ISO accredited local council?

Old Edwardians' Website

The OE website was officially launched 15 March 2006. Fellow Tiger Lye Hock blogs about this event. A thousand apologies from yours truly.

Underwater State

This developed state is being hit by a series of thunder storms and floods. Has someone angered the Divine One?

First it was Shah Alam, then Subang Jaya. Now Selayang and Puchong. Picture from Malay Mail.

At the rate this is going, Selangor will very soon become an underwater state! ;-(

Who keeps the law ... (1)

Who keeps the law when the breakers are the enforcers themselves?


Photo posted by Jason Robson in Thumbnails, The Star, Saturday 18 March 2006. This entry was captioned, WALKING THE TALK with a byline "A bright yellow ticket is what this MPSJ enforcement unit 4WD ended up with for being parked right in front of a 'no parking' sign."

Bravo, what a good show of example!

Am I tired?

Have you asked yourself lately, "Am I tired?" If the answer is yes, you may have a good reason for it, as this humorous story illustrates:

Somewhere in the world there is a country with a population of two hundred twenty million. Eighty-four million are over sixty years of age, which leaves 136 million to do the work. People under twenty years of age total ninety-five million, which leaves forty-one million to do the work.

There are twenty-two million employed by the government, which leaves nineteen million to do the work. Four million are in the Armed Forces, which leaves fifteen million to do the work. Deduct 14,800,000, the number in state and city offices, and that leaves 200,000 to do the work. There are 188,000 in hospitals and insane asylums, so that leaves 12,000 to do the work.

It is of interest to note that in this country 11,998 people are in jail, so that leaves just two people to carry the load. That's you and me - and brother, I'm getting tired of doing everything myself!

Unless you want to carry the whole load yourself, you need to be developing leaders.

The above is excerpted from John Maxwell's Developing Leaders Around You.

Look Up!

I recently ran across this. Although the author is unknown to me, it is still something to think about. As you read this does it resonate with you? Are you flapping your wings so hard, hitting your head against the wall and going nowhere? Read on. Your answer, your resolution, your breakthrough is sooooo simple!

Buzzard

If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8 feet and is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of 10 to 12 feet. Without space to run, as is its habit, it will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.

Bat

The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkably nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.

Bumblebee

A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.

People

In many ways, there are lots of people like the buzzard, the bat, and the bumblebee. They are struggling about with all their problems and frustrations, not ever realizing that all they have to do is look up.

Wow! Do you remember the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result! Look around, look up … get outside your box. Get outside your comfort zone. Only YOU are blocking your success. You won’t find your solution staying right where you are. You have to move. What does it take to move? Change. Change your point of view. Change what you are doing. Change how you are thinking. Your breakthrough is yours for the taking! So take it!

You are what you believe. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!

From Lisa Leguenec via Goals 2006 Monthly eTips

A GET-RICH-QUICK scheme?

I am a strong proponent of multi-level marketing (MLM). If done right, I believe it can be a source for a second stream of income for The New Professionals, which is also the title of a book by Dr. Charles King.

But if treated as a GET-RICH-QUICK scheme, it brings disrepute to the industry, as demonstrated in the disturbing story (via The Star, 13 March 2006) below.

"Troubled by greedy daughter - A GET-RICH-QUICK scheme that lured a 20-year-old girl to invest an initial RM2,000 has got her mother worried, China Press reported.

Known only as Tan, the woman told the daily that her daughter, a college student in Kuala Lumpur, paid the money to join a direct sales company as a member.

She said her daughter was then told by company agents that if she invested another RM30,000, she could easily get RM60,000 in six months.

“My daughter asked me for RM15,000 and said her boyfriend would help raise the other RM15,000,” she told the daily.

She refused to give the money and her nightmare began when her daughter vowed to borrow it from friends.

Her daughter, added Tan, had slackened in her studies after listening to “success stories” of direct sales agents earning large sums."

We all know who this report refers to so no prizes for the correct answer.

Incidently, I met a student of one of the local colleges in Subang Jaya last week. He was about to invest his parents' hard-earned RM30K into the same business. He sought my advise. I explained the business plan to him but he was too hyped-up to really take in anything. I suppose he belongs to the group that will have to learn their lessons the other way.

For those who are comtemplating the industry but are still unsure, there are two educational flash movies you will want to watch first. One is called "How the Wealthy Get that Way" which is about 10 minutes long and the other is called "Brilliant Compensation" which is about 25 minutes long. No hype and no promotions. Purely educational on how to understand and evaluate a MLM business. Just go to this site and look for the links at the left side.

Then send me an email raymond@nwatch.net.my if you wish to know more about the company I represent.

PETRONAS Rated No. 1!

A new report by Management & Excellence S.A., the prestigious research and rating company in the areas of ethics, sustainability, corporate governance, transparency and corporate social responsibility, "rates" PETRONAS No. 1 among 15 of the major worldwide oil companies in the WORLD'S MOST SUSTAINABLE AND ETHICAL OIL COMPANIES 2006!

Yes, you read it right. No. 1 from the BOTTOM!

Care to guess how the spin will be like the next couple of days?

No To Link

It does appear that the fight, if there ever was any in the first place, has fizzled out. Save one lone voice?

A USJ3A Resident via The Star: No To Link.

Sometime ago, residents of USJ had protested against the proposed flyover link which was supposed to connect Subang Hi-Tech Industrial Park in Batu Tiga to USJ, Subang. After more than six months of waiting, its fate is finally known.

Despite all the concrete concerns raised by residents directly affected by the link, neither the local authorities nor the state government were bothered to listen to us. It appears that the proposed link is more important than the lives of thousands of residents.

Can I ask why the flyover should be built? Often, in such a case, no concrete reasons are offered to citizens by the local authorities. Despite all the trouble taken by the various community groups to brainstorm on its issues, their efforts are put to waste.

Had this development already been decided from the very beginning? If so, what is the point of having public hearings? Is it merely a show to satisfy Local Agenda 21?

One cannot deny that the proposed development will bring more harm than good.

More traffic will enter the already congested Jalan Tujuan, concerns over school children’s safety as a school directly fronts the main road leading to this flyover, and noise and dust pollution. And there are gas pipelines intersecting the road leading to this flyover.

Perhaps the most feasible solution would be to install I-beam gantries to prevent heavy vehicles accessing the flyover. But then again, such structures can easily be removed at the stroke of a pen. Hardly anyone from our Government bothers to take note of the rakyat’s concerns despite our many attempts to inform them.

Wouldn’t the construction of this flyover defeat the purpose of upgrading road works in Jalan Tujuan, which was primarily done to ease traffic congestion within USJ/Subang? Why waste taxpayers money?

USJ/Subang is already blessed with many access roads. Why build a flyover access which will end in a bottleneck – a tunnel at Batu Tiga? How will it help reduce traffic woes within USJ, Subang?

I strongly urge the local authorities to work together with residents. We are not against development or change, as long as it brings real benefit to all.

USJ3A Resident

No one is talking. Not the USJRA. Not the Action Committee. Not even the residents themselves.

The USJRA which spearheaded this campaign needs to be reminded that "No COMMUNICATION is still COMMUNICATION." You need come forth and show that you are still relevant.

Be careful what you think about

"You become what you think about. And if you do not think, you become nothing."

Truly a Catch-22 by the great Earl Nightingale. Scary, no?

Blooper Reel

The recent increase in fuel prices does appear to be a replay of recent year, set to haunt us for the years to come?

Goodbye, my dear brother

My eldest brother, Teong Seng didn't make it. Aged 51, he succumbed to his illness in Changi General Hospital at 5.10pm on 1 March 2006.

His cremated remains now sits in a beautiful columbarium that overlooks a lake in Taiping's Prestavest Memorial Park.

"I am the resurrection and the life.

He who believes in me will still live, even if he dies."

John 11:25

I have no doubt that during his short stay in this world, God was watching over him. God sent 4 angels into his life. Four angels who made a difference to him. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, to all of you.

Wong Yoke Peng, his good and dear friend of 30 over years. She cared and tended to him much more than we, the family members could ever do. I feel so ashamed.

Crescentia was his tutor for his evening classes. Through her, Cyril (her husband) also came into Teong Seng's life. This lovely couple offered him love and friendship during this lonely period of his life.

During the last two years of his life, he went through and suffered alot. He was in and out of the hospital so often and to the extent that he lost faith in medical doctors until he met Dr. Yoon, who restored his faith and later brought him into Christianity.

To all of you, you have me and my family's sincere and heartfelt thanks and appreciation. God will bless you for your kindness.

Teong Seng's memory will live on, with and in us, his family members and friends.

This has to be the proudest moment of his life; to receive his Singapore Citizenship Certificate from his MP Mr. Goh Choon Kang on 5 October 2001.

May God Bless his soul for all eternity.