Diabetes ‘time bomb'

Yes, this is what I would like to see our Health Minister spend more of his time on; healthcare and related issues. Foot and mouth disease, yes. Bigfoot in the mouth, no.

The Star, 19 May 2006: Diabetes ‘time bomb

SUNGAI SIPUT: Diabetes and end stage renal failure will soon become a big health problem in Malaysia if people fail to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said, currently, 8% of Malaysians are suffering from diabetes, and some 11,500 from end stage renal failure.

“Malaysians will have to start changing their lifestyle if they want to avoid becoming victims of diabetes and kidney problems later,” he said, adding that by 2050, 12% of Malaysians would suffer from diabetes while in 2010, 25,000 from kidney failure.

It had become a challenge for the ministry to lower the number of people suffering from diabetes and kidney failure, Dr Chua told reporters at Sungai Siput Hospital yesterday where he launched a haemodialysis unit.

“The ministry will focus on campaigns to promote a healthy lifestyle under the Ninth Malaysia Plan and instil the importance of maintaining good health,” Dr Chua said, adding that Malaysians made up the highest number of kidney failure patients among Asean countries.

Full report in The Star, 19 May 2006.

Two Monks

Two monks on a pilgrimage came to the ford of a river. There they saw a girl dressed in all her finery, obviously not knowing what to do since the river was high and she did not want to spoil her clothes. Without more ado, one of the monks took her on his back, carried her across and put her down on dry ground on the other side.

Then the monks continued on thier way. But the other monk after an hour started complaining, "Surely it is not right to touch a woman; it is against the commants to have close contact with women. How could you go against the rules of monks?"

The monk who had carried the girl walked along silently, but finally he remarked, "I set her down by the river an hour ago, why are you still carrying her?"

~ Irmgard Schloegl, The Wisdom of Zen Masters

IPCMC Ante Upped

I remember telling a fellow but more famous blogger that I did not think the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) will ever see the light of the day. I even went to the extent of suggesting the possibility of some files shown and everyone will just back off quietly, tails between the legs.

Recent events appear to lend credence to my feelings. Although I am still hoping against hope to be wrong, the IPCMC might have died a stillborn.

Worse, the ante has just been upped.

May The Force Be With You

Imagination is the most powerful force in the Universe.

--Albert Einstein 1879-1955

Knowing that you have working with you a force, which never yet has failed in anything it has undertaken, you can go ahead in the confident knowledge that it will not fail in your case, either.

--Robert Collier 1885-1950

What this power is I cannot say. All I know is that it exists.

--Alexander Graham Bell 1847-1922

To believe in the things you can see and touch is no belief at all. But to believe in the unseen is a triumph.

--Abraham Lincoln 1809 - 1865

Watch your thoughts when you are handling your money, because your money is attached through your mind to the one source of all substance and all money. When you think of your money which is visible, as something that is directly attached to an invisible source that is giving or withholding according to your thought, you have the key to all riches and the reason for all lack.

--Charles Fillmore 1854-1948

When you really desire something, all the universe conspires in helping you to realize this dream.

Paulo Coelho in The Alchemist

Bookfest 2006

At the press conference during the launch of Bookfest, which is being held at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre; Women, Family and Community Development parliamentary secretary Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun was quoted as saying:

“The National Library Survey in 1996 revealed that Malaysian's read about two books a year, compared to two pages a year back in the 1980s.”

Shocking? Not at all. Not to me, at least. Because I know from personal experience that many people just do not like to read the books. Why, I do not know. But I do know and agree that a person who can read but does not read is no better off than a person who cannot read at all.

Tell you what is more shocking to me. That the YB has to rely on a 10 year old statistics in an event as important as this Bookfest. Doesn't that say something about the government's seriousness in promoting a reading habit with the rakyat when no effort is made to measure the results of the previous campaigns?

Ah ... and the objective of BookFest, by the way, is to enhance the importance of learning and to encourage a consistent reading habit, in line with the Government efforts and emphasis on lifelong learning.

Talking Cock

They just talk cock only lah.

Never mind whether they needed the UMNO Supreme Council to approve the latest electricity tariff hike or not but at the rate they are spinning, someone is going to end up with a twisted cock.

Thanks Patrick Teoh for saving me the energy to tokkok with them.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Drug Linked to Cancers

What would you do if the prescription drug you are taking to treat a disease could be connected with an increased risk of infection and malignancies because the drug interferes with the immune system, which is critical for fighting infection and the body's normal function in surveying itself for cancerous cells?

From Ivanhoe Newswire;
Rheumatoid Arthritis Drug Linked to Cancers

A new analysis of previous studies shows rheumatoid arthritis drugs known as TNF- (tumor necrosis factor) blocking antibodies may increase the risk of cancer and infectious diseases.

"This study shows a strong association between treatment with TNF-blocking antibodies and the development of serious infections, such as pneumonia, and cancers," says Eric Matteson, M.D., from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. "It's a very serious issue. TNF-blocking antibodies are effective for treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and related conditions, but patients and health care providers must know that there is an increased risk for these complications and be alert for them."

Investigators studied 3,493 patients who received TNF-blocking antibodies and 1,512 patients who received placebos. Researchers found those treated with TNF-blocking antibodies had about three-times the risk of developing cancer than those given a placebo and about two-times the risk of serious infection. Cancers were much more common in those patients treated with high doses of TNF-blocking antibodies.

Dr. Matteson says TNF-blocking antibodies might be connected with an increased risk of infection and malignancies because the drugs interfere with the immune system, which is critical for fighting infection and the body's normal function in
surveying itself for cancerous cells.

According to researchers, the risk patients undertake when receiving TNF-blocking antibody treatment is "moderate."

In addition, researchers say rheumatoid arthritis patients are already at twice the risk of serious infections and taking TNF-blocking antibodies increases the risk.

Dr. Matteson strongly encourages patients who are prescribed TNF-blocking antibodies for rheumatoid arthritis to be especially alert to symptoms of infection, to get their vaccinations, and to undergo cancer screening appropriate for their age and gender.

Lead investigator, Tim Bongartz, M.D., also from the Mayo Clinic, cautions this study is not a final overall risk-benefit analysis for TNF-blocking antibodies.

"Even though we detected an increase in malignancies and serious infections, it does not mean that overall the risks outweigh the benefits for patients," he says.

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.

Source: The Journal of the American Medical Association, 2006;295:2275-2285

The Human Side of the Force

Lately in the news for the wrong reasons, this time the cops must be commended for doing something different. Bravo to Subang Jaya OCPD ACP Mohd Fuad Talib for your display of the human side of the force.

Via The Sun: Cops saddened by Ho Ping's death

PETALING JAYA: The death of seven-year-old Ho Ping, who was kidnapped and murdered last week, has touched many hearts, including that of crime busters.

At his funeral in SS1 Kampung Tunku yesterday, several police personnel turned up to offer their condolences to Ho Ping's parents.

Subang Jaya police chief ACP Mohd Fuad Talib brought a bouquet consisting of two large sunflowers with a furry teddy bear perched on it. The gift spoke volumes about how he felt.

"I am saddened to see this innocent young boy's life snatched in such a way. It is so tragic. I had to come to pay my last respects," he said.

"Our men at the Subang Jaya police headquarters had worked relentlessly to ensure the boy was rescued but we were really broken on hearing that he was killed just hours after his abduction. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family."

When Ho Ping's remains arrived in a hearse at 2.30pm, Fuad handed the bouquet to the boy's father, Ho Chan Nan.

His eyes welling with tears, Ho, a 58-year-old vegetable farm owner, bowed humbly to Fuad before taking the bouquet and placing it on his son's coffin. He later expressed his gratitude and commended the police for their efforts.

After prayers, Ho Ping's remains were cremated.

Hong Mei Yap, 50, broke down on seeing her youngest son's coffin being pushed into the incinerator.

Ho, who spoke to the media for the first time, said: "It was like what you see in the movies. May it be English, Chinese or Indian (movies), you only see these things happening in movies. Maybe that's where they learn how to do such cruel things ... at the movies."

Ho Ping's elder brother, Kian Qiao, 24, said he was not shocked over what had
happened as he described the suspect, who is in police custody, as a loafer who was often broke.

Kian Qiao said that on the day of the incident, he saw a man pick up Ho Ping and drive off from their family-owned restaurant near their house in Subang Jaya.

Fuad said a Chinese woman, believed to be the suspect's mistress, was arrested in Kulim early yesterday. She is the third suspect to be arrested after the male suspect and another female Chinese national.

The 33-year-old woman was found wandering near a petrol station by policemen.

Police investigations show the woman was with the male suspect when Ho Ping's drugged body was packed into a suitcase and thrown into Sungai Setiawan in Manjung Perak.

Increase in electricity tariff

The inevitable has happened. Via Bernama, 24 May 2006.

Lim Announces A 12 Pct Average Increase In Electricity Tariff.

PUTRAJAYA, June 24 (Bernama) -- Minister of Energy, Water and Communications, Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik Wednesday announced a 12 percent average increase in electricity tariff effective June 1, 2006.

Follow Your River

Are you immersed in your "river of interest" or simply watching your life from the shore ... afraid to get your feet wet?

There are two distinct kinds of successful people. There are what I call the river people and the goal people. Let's take a good look at the river people. River people are those fortunate people who find themselves born to perform a special task. Mozart and da Vinci were river people. There are thousands of river people living today. They're the people who know from childhood what they want to do with their lives.

River people seem born to spend their lives in pursuit of their interest. And they throw themselves into their rivers 100 percent, busying themselves with whatever it happens to be. They don't tend to think about the idea of success or the making of money; they simply spend their lives doing the best they can in their river of interest. And they're often responsible for some of the largest achievements and institutions on earth.

We all know the stories of Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison. The businesses that have grown from their inventions encircle the globe and are among the largest on the planet. Einstein was such a person, of course, but there are thousands of them that we never hear of. They are people who would be perfectly content in their fields of interest with only a modest maintenance diet and a roof over their heads. Their work is everything. But because they usually render a very valuable service in the performance of their work, be it in the arts or sports or commerce, they're usually well rewarded for their efforts, though they may struggle for years before recognition and success come to them.

Dr. Abraham Maslow talked about such people. He said, "One could say a good match is like the perfect love affair or friendship in which it seems that people belong to each other and were meant for each other. In the best instances, the person and his job fit together and belong together perfectly, like a key in a lock, or perhaps resonate together like a sung note which sits in a sympathetic resonance, a particular string on a piano keyboard." And Maslow said, "Simply as a matter of the strategy and tactics of living well and fully, and of choosing one's life instead of having it determined for us, this is a help."

It's so easy to forget ultimate in the rush and hurry of daily life, especially for young people. So often, we're merely responders, so to speak, simply reacting to stimuli, to rewards and punishments, to emergencies, to pains and fears, to demands of other people, to superficialities. It takes a specific, conscious effort, at least at first, to turn one's attention to intrinsic things and values. Perhaps seeking actual physical aloneness. Perhaps exposing one's self to great music, to good people, to natural beauty, and so forth. Only after practice do these strategies become easy and automatic so that one can be living totally immersed in his or her river.

I believe that each of us, because of the way our genetic heritage is stacked, has an area of great interest. And it's that area that we should explore with the patience and assiduity of a paleontologist on an important dig where it's a region of great potential. Somewhere within it, we can find that avenue of interest that so perfectly matches our natural abilities, we'll be able to make our greatest contribution and spend our lives in work we love.

If we can find our river of interest, we need only throw ourselves into it, fully committed, and there spend our days learning and growing and finding new emerging fields of interest within its boundaries.

Follow Your River by Earl Nightingale appears in the latest issue of AdvantEdge

Shopping

We decided to have our dinner at the Summit Complex today because Kah Chern wanted to visit the Popular Bookshop. This has somehow become our two children's weekly requests. MPH or Popular Bookshop, they are still thoughtful enough give us parents that option to decide. Which is superfine with us.

So after dinner and a quick walk-about in the bookshop, my other half decided to drop by The Reject Shop to redeem the RM100 cash voucher that she has been carrying the past 6 months. As she walked through the aisles, the three of us dutifully followed. To cut a long story short ... some 20 minutes later, we walked passed another family. We ignored them until the husband grumpily said out aloud to the wife in Hokkien, "I think I will take the children outside and wait for you. If I follow you, I sure die one." LOL.

My wife must have been amused. She looked at me and smiled. I looked at her and smiled. When the other family was out of earshot, I said, "See how lucky you are?"

I hope she understood and will allow me to sip my favourite coffee at Starbucks while she shops until she drops, the next time she decides to go shopping.

What kind of father are you?

What kind of father are we? A super-achiever or the time bomb? The passive or absent father? Or even the compassionate/ mentoring father? From Reuters, the following story "How Daddy affects your job" should be of interest because what we are can make our children. And you better believe it.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Successes or failures of employees in the workplace can be traced to what kind of father they had, a psychologist argues in a new book.

In "The Father Factor," Stephan Poulter lists five styles of fathers -- super-achieving, time bomb, passive, absent and compassionate/mentor -- who have powerful influences on the careers of their sons and daughters.

Children of the "time-bomb" father, for example, who explodes in anger at his family, learn how to read people and their moods. Those intuitive abilities make them good at such jobs as personnel managers or negotiators, he writes.

But those same children may have trouble feeling safe and developing trust, said Poulter, a clinical psychologist who also works with adolescents in Los Angeles area schools.

"I've seen more people hit their heads on what they call a glass ceiling or a cement wall in their careers, and it's what I call the father factor," Poulter said in an interview. "What role did your father have in your life? It's this unknown variable which has this huge impact because we're all sons and daughters."

Styles of fathering can affect whether their children get along with others at work, have an entreprenurial spirit, worry too much about their career, burn out or become the boss, Poulter writes.

Even absent fathers affect how their children work, he writes, by instilling feelings of rejection and abandonment.

Those children may be overachievers, becoming the person their father never was, or develop such anger towards supervisors or authority figures that they work best when they are self-employed, he writes.

"A lot of people say, 'I never knew my dad,'" he said. But, he added: "You knew the myth, you knew your mother's hatred, you knew your anger, you knew your dad was a loser. Trust me, you knew your dad.

"The father's influence in the workplace is really one of the best-kept secrets," he said. Poulter co-authored an earlier book on mothers and daughters called "Mending the Broken Bough."

"The Father Factor" is set for release next month by Prometheus Books.

Looking at the influence of fathers fits with other recent research on workplace behaviour, said William Pollack, a psychology professor and director of the Centers for Men and Young Men at McLean Hospital, part of Harvard Medical School.

"There's been a good deal of research to show not only that our family-life experience and our experience with our parents affects our personality, but it affects our corporate personality, both as leaders and followers," said Pollack, author of "Real Boys."

"There's also good research to show that for men and women, the way they identify with their father and their father's role may well affect how they interact as a manager or leader in the workplace."

Poulter, by the way, describes his own father as the absent type. After this book, he said, "my dad won't even talk to me."

BuzzLife

Buzz me, buzz off, buzzlife or buzz whatever, what's in a name? That which we call a buzz by any other name would sound as sweet. Wasn't that what Julieta said to Raimondo in William Shakespeare's Raimondo and Julieta?

Believe you me, this lady is a buzzer. She has had me buzzed since the very day I got to know her.

If you are already feeling buzzed and wishes to know what I am buzzing about, why don't you drop by BuzzLife. While there, remember to keep your nose and ears open. She smells and sounds just as sweet as the buzz rose.

Not a guard's duty 'to stop burglaries'

If it is not a guard's duty 'to stop burglaries', then whose would it be? I cannot help but wonder what the police has got to say on Consumer Claims Tribunal president Hussain Mohamed Dewa's judgement in the case of Chuah Chong Huat @ Harith Daniel?

Via the NST, 16 May 2006, KUALA LUMPUR: Security guards employed by managements of condominiums need not go out of their way to stop burglaries.

While they are required to provide the minimum service of alerting the police in such an eventuality, the onus is on owners to ensure security at their units.

Consumer Claims Tribunal president Hussain Mohamed Dewa said residents of condominiums should not expect security guards to act on their own volition when they see a robbery in progress.

"They are only there to do the bare minimum in calling the police. But it is not the responsibility of a security guard to stop the act from being committed by risking his life.

"He said this in the case of Chuah Chong Huat @ Harith Daniel, 30, who filed a case against condominium management, Sin Heap Lee Property Sdn Bhd, for RM25,000 in damages for a burglary at his unit."I would like to throw a question to the floor. Can security guards prevent criminal acts? Anybody, please answer," Hussain asked.

He said Chuah should have had his household items insured against such an incident.

"You should have insured the belongings in your condominium. As I see it, the management has provided what it is expected to do which is to alert the police," he said.

Hussain said he had given the case much thought and decided that the management did not owe Chuah a single sen as it had fulfilled its responsibility.

The home of Chuah, a freelance photographer who lives with his wife Shamim Absoor Khan, 29, at the Forest Green Condominium in Bandar Sungai Long, Kajang, was broken into on Feb 24 resulting in losses amounting to RM49,000.

"This is a huge sum (Chuah’s claim for damages) and I cannot understand why the management has to fork out the money when it is you (Chuah) who had to look after your belongings," Hussain said.

Multitasking

Multitasking ...

Happy Mothers' Day

It takes a Mother's Love
to make a house a home,
A place to be remembered,
no matter where we roam.

It takes a Mother's Patience,
to bring a child up right,
And her Courage and her Cheerfulness
to make a dark day bright.

It takes a Mother's Thoughtfulness
to mend the heart's deep "hurts,"
And her Skill and her Endurance
to mend little socks and shirts.

It takes a Mother's Kindness
to forgive us when we err,
To sympathize in trouble
and bow her head in prayer.

It takes a Mother's Wisdom
to recognize our needs
And to give us reassurance
by her loving words and deeds.

It takes a Mother's Endless Faith,
her Confidence and Trust
To guide us through the pitfalls
of selfishness and lust.

And that is why in all this world
there could not be another
Who could fulfil God's purpose
as completely as a MOTHER!

A lovely and poignant poem by Helen Steiner Rice.

Happy Mothers' Day!

Abundant Blessings

Every so often something very special comes along which we like to share with everyone. This is one such occasion.

Wishing you abundant blessings.

The two sons of the drunken father

This story was revealed by Dr. Hans Selye, internationally renowned Canadian physician and scientist and it has been told and retold countless times;

Two young boys were raised by an alcoholic father. As they grew older, they moved away from that broken home, each going his own way in the world.

Several years later, they happened to be interviewed separately by a psychologist who was analyzing the effects of drunkenness on children in broken homes. His research revealed that the two men were strikingly different from each other.

One was a clean-living teetotaler; the other, a hopeless drunk like his father. The psychologist asked each of them why he developed the way he did, and each gave an identical answer,

"What else would you expect when you have a father like mine?"

This story demonstrates a cardinal rule implicit in human behavior. According to R. H. Schuller, "It is not what happens to you in life that makes the difference. It is how you react to each circumstance you encounter that determines the result. Every human being in the same situation has the possibilities of choosing how he will react — either positively or negatively."

BN Politics

Never let your emotions interfere with what you know must be done. Poor Shahrir.

Would you vote for the monkey?

All of them offers the most stupidest excuses, including our future PM. Thought Pak Lah, when he returns, would have something more reasonable to say but boy, was I so wrong and disappointed.

BN Principle Not To Support Opposition Motions Stays, Says Abdullah. That only serves to show how spineless the backbenchers are!

Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department goes further to confirm that in his Sunday Interview with this:

"Q: Will there be a day when BN backbenchers will be able to vote according to their conscience and not according to the party line?

A: I don’t think so. We are in Parliament because of our party. People in Padang Rengas voted for the Barisan Nasional, not for Nazri."

Now, did he mean that even if the BN puts a monkey as a candidate in Padang Rengas, the monkey will still be voted in? Perhaps this should be so, judging from the curent states of affairs affecting us all.

Who has this YB just insulted? Himself or his voters?

The Given Light

A story is told of the Given Light ...

Once upon a time a man had heard, that in a foreign place, far away, there was a holy flame burning. So he got up and left his home to find the holy flame and bring some of its light back home to his house. He thought: 'When I have this light, then I will have happiness and life and all the people I love will have it too.'

He travelled far, far away and finally found the holy flame, with which he lit his light. On his way back he had only one worry: 'That his light could go out.'

On his way home he met someone who was freezing and didn't have any fire and who begged him to give him some of his fire. The man with the light hesitated for a moment. Wasn't his light too precious, too holy to be given away for something ordinary like that? Despite these doubts, he decided to give some of his light to the one who was freezing in the darkness.

The man continued his journey home and when he had almost reached his house a terrible thunderstorm started. He tried to protect his light from the rain and the storm, but at the end his light went out.

To return the long way back to the place where the holy flame was burning was impossible, he wouldn't have had enough strength to go back this far - but he was strong enough to return to the human being whom he had helped on his way home.

... and with his light he could light his own again.

Author unknown,
but greatly appreciated.

New electricity tariff next month?

It now appears inevitable that the government may allow national power firm Tenaga Nasional Bhd to raise electricity tariffs from next month, Energy Minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik said on May 4.

"It's coming very, very soon," Lim said. "It's unavoidable. The tariff has to be restructured. By next month, it should be OK."

Lim said he would present the paper to the cabinet in two weeks, and if the proposed tariff increase is approved, consumers will have to start paying the new tariffs from next month.

Brace yourself for the after spiralling effect, will you?

Tell the Truth!

I don't know what exactly Voluntary Administration means but my common sense tells me it isn't good news when a company has to resort to this mechanism to restructure its operations.

Appointing a Voluntary Administrator, I understand from Chartered Accountants & Management Consultants Horwath, only requires a resolution of directors where a company is insolvent or likely to become so. Nicols + Brien Business Recovery Online also offers some insights on what this mechanism is all about.

I debated on whether or not to blog on this the past few days because I have been taught to never speak ill of a competitor. Oh yeah ... I do get carried away sometimes in some cases where extreme misrepresentations have been blatant.

Pardon me for breaking the rule once again because I feel that the public has to know that a certain MLM company which has been in operation in Malaysia for close to 10 years has opted for voluntary administration since 2 May 2006.

Tell the truth to let your prospects know what they are going into. Don't sucker them into losing their money and put the inductry into a deeper integrity crisis.

Caveat emptor, it is called.

Petrol

The Golden Rotten Years

Of what good it is to live to a ripe old age to end up spending our golden years rotten? Personally, I wouldn't want to live to 69 to not be able to recognise my children and my children's children; to not be able to walk or eat on my own. That would be torture. That would be hell. And certainly, that wouldn't be living a life if I still have any left at all!

Datuk Prof Dr Tan Hui Meng, president of the Malaysian Society of Andrology and the Study of the Aging Male says that Malaysian men are living longer but they will spend their last 14 years battling ill health. The golden rotten years, if I may.

"It is payback time for abusing the body and leading an unhealthy lifestyle. The result is that when men should be enjoying their most productive years, they suffer from diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart attacks and strokes."

Via the NST 2 May 2006; The rotten years - Men living longer but spend latter years sick

An Irish Maths Test

This is one good joke I received in the mail today.

An Irishman wants a job, but the foreman won't hire him until he passes a little math test. Here is your first question, the foreman said. "Without using numbers, represent the number 9." "Without numbers?" The Irishman says, "Dat is easy." And proceeds to draw three trees.

"What's this?" the boss asks? "Ave you got no brain? Tree and tree and tree make nine," says the Irishman. "Fair enough," says the boss. "Here's your second question. Use the same rules, but this time the number is 99." The Irishman stares into space for a while, then picks up the picture that he has just drawn and makes a smudge on each tree. "Ere you go."

The boss scratches his head and says, "How on earth do you get that to represent 99?" "Each of da trees is dirty now. So, it's dirty tree, and dirty tree, and dirty tree. Dat is 99." The boss is getting worried that he's going to actually have to hire this Irishman, so he says, "All right, last question. Same rules again, but represent the number 100." The Irishman stares into space some more, then he picks up the picture again and makes a little mark at the base of each tree and says, "Ere you go. One hundred."

The boss looks at the attempt. "You must be nuts if you think that represents a hundred!" The Irishman leans forward and points to the marks at the base of each tree and says, "A little dog come along and crap by each tree. So now you got dirty tree and a turd, dirty tree and a turd, and dirty tree and a turd, which makes one hundred." "So, when I start?"

Lessons from the Pencil

Coutesy of Screenshots, life lessons from the humble pencil maker.

"The pencil maker told his pencils five important lessons.

1st, everything you do will always leave a mark. That's the legacy you wishes to leave behind when you're gone.

2nd, you can always correct your mistakes. That's your life long learning experiences. John Maxwell calls this Failing Forward.

3rd, what is important is what is inside you. That's your philosophy and your true self.

4th, in life you will undergo painful sharpenings which will make you a better pencil. Like the wisemen say, no pain no gain. What are you prepared to give up in order to go up?

5th, to be the best pencil you can you must allow yourself to be guided by the hand that holds you. Never, never think you know it all. Let the wisdom of mentorship guide you through your life journey.

RED BOOK - Know Your Rights

The RED BOOK, an easy-to-understand booklet, was developed by a group of lawyers who are concerned with police abuse of power following the nude squat incident, and the findings of the royal commission investigating the incident. Available in four languages - Malay, English, Chinese and Tamil, it received overwhelming public demand.

If you haven't got your copy, you may download it from the Malaysian Bar Council's website.

Labour Day Blues

Happy Labour Day!