Ginger's Cup of Tea

Come and Gone

2009-07-27T23:28:00.004+08:00

I haven't been updating this blog for quite some time now. Not that there's nothing to write. In fact, so many things has happened to our country, our world that is beyond my own comprehension.

Probably the saddest news in recent times is not Michael Jackson's demise, but Yasmin Ahmad. I haven't watched her movies before but I loved her commercials. She touched Malaysians with her Petronas ads and I am so sad she's now gone.

May you rest in peace.

Full of exotic animals....and meat

2009-01-14T00:30:00.002+08:00

Check this out on The Star. Looks like we are in the spotlight again... for the wrong reasons!

Malaysia now a global hub ... for wildlife smuggling!

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is ranked among the top 10 illegal wildlife smuggling hubs in the world, specialising in transporting pangolins, birds and clouded monitor lizards.

The wildlife is smuggled out of the country via air through the Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Penang International Airport, and via sea through Johor, said South-East Asia regional director of wildlife trade monitoring network Traffic, Azrina Abdullah.

She said Malaysia is a transit and harvest hub for the illegal wildlife trade.

“We are among the top 10 smuggling hubs together with Manila (the Philippines), Medan (Indonesia), Singapore and the United States.

"Hanoi (Vietnam) is also catching up,” she said after attending a lecture by Bryan Christy, the author of The Lizard King: The True Crimes and Passion of the World’s Greatest Reptile Smugglers at the Academy of Sciences Malaysia on Tuesday.

Our wildlife....exploited!!!

Sigh.

Gay Dad

2008-09-25T20:26:00.002+08:00

Something's not quite right here.

I'm still trying to figure out how one person can be a homosexual and still be a dad. It's it lesbians, perhaps it could still make sense because biologically a woman can give birth. But a couple who are men?

I guess some questions will always be left unanswered.

We're Screwed!

2008-07-03T22:34:00.003+08:00

That's it!

When we are hoping things will become better after the election, our country is now hit be sodomy charges, resurrected murder cases, some so-called submarine deal, higher fuel cost, higher crime rate, higher inflation rate, low confidence in the government, lots of back-stabbing, denial and sleeping around!

Just the perfect recipe for another soap opera.

Takers, anyone?

Illiterate or Ignorant?

2008-06-28T14:53:00.004+08:00

I'm so pissed off today!

Was queuing up at at the express lane in one of the Hypermarts around town. It stated there the queue is meant for '10 items or less'.

In front of me was a middle-age fellow with a cart that had clearly more than 10 items! I think he had around 15 packs of cat food among other items. When the cashier told him it's more than 10 items, he just acted ignorant or perhaps didn't understand what '10 items' mean. He claimed that the cat food was all the same!

So 15 packets of the same cat food = 1 item?

That's ridiculous!

I'm also peeved that the cashier actually let him go away by checking out his items! I know he hesitated but so disappointed he still check out the items anyway.

Boo to the ugly Malaysians!

Malaysian Roads

2008-06-02T23:50:00.006+08:00

There are many interesting sights and sounds while driving in Malaysia, so much so it is like a movie.

Mystery - You have many accidents which make passerby stop, stare and scratch their heads how did it happen.

Foreign Language - You have those who do not know how to read road signs.

Action - Then there's the 'masuk longkang' cases, which seems to be very common in Malaysia.

Horror - Don't be surprised if you see vehicles on fire.

Comedy - Last but not least, if you need a good laugh, just check out the things the cars carry around.

Photo source from The Star Thumbnails.

Boy or Girl?

2008-04-17T13:13:00.003+08:00

My condolences to the 11 year old victim who was killed in a bus crash along Kuala Terengganu-Kota Baru road yesterday.

However, I wished the press will make up their mind on the gender of the victim.

Here's what's being reported in The Star

Here's what's being reported in the New Straits Times

Confused? Well, I am.

Some people have all the luck

2008-03-23T20:53:00.002+08:00

Just out from People magazine :

How can someone look so good after giving birth to twins? Is it being photoshopped?

Life is so unfair. Sniff.

Some people just can't take it

2008-03-11T19:49:00.003+08:00

News extract this morning from The Star :

Zakaria Deros of 'istana infamy' dies
KLANG: Former Port Klang assemblyman Datuk Zakaria Md Deros died after suffering a heart attack early Tuesday morning.
The controversial 62-year-old politician was dropped from the Selangor Barisan Nasional line-up for the general election.
He was replaced by his daughter-in-law Roselinda Abdul Jamil as the candidate for the seat, which she did not win.
Also a former Klang municipal councillor, Zakaria hogged headlines last year when he had a run-in with the law for not submitting building plans for a mansion that was described as a virtual “istana” (palace) by his critics.
He was also found to have not paid the assessment for another property for 12 years, while his family was caught operating an illegal satay restaurant on government reserve land.
Due to these controversies, Zakaria gave in to mounting pressure and withdrew from being a municipal councillor.
His mansion has 21 bathrooms and 16 bedrooms, including 11 that are occupied by each of his children, as well as a VIP room, three living rooms, a dining hall and a prayer room.
The house also has a swimming pool, several gazebos, an orchard, a two-hole golf lawn, an office, a storeroom, two rooms for maids as well as a wet kitchen and a dry kitchen.
He is expected to be buried in Malacca.

Zakaria's probably too worked up ever since he found out that the Opposition has taken over Selangor after 8 March election results. That poor guy didn't even have much time to enjoy his time in his lavish home now.

With all due respect, good riddance to bad rubbish.

May you find peace in your Palace of the 'other world'.

Click here to visit Zakaria's 'Palace'

Some people never learn

2008-03-10T23:21:00.003+08:00

This article came out in The Star newspaper today :

Annuar blames outstation voters who voted for PAS instead

KOTA BARU: Datuk Seri Annuar Musa said the political tidal wave which hit Kelantan originated from the west coast states.
The Kelantan Barisan Nasional chief described its sixth consecutive loss in the general election since 1990 as a humiliation which was brought on by a tsunami-like wave from the west coast.
He blamed outstation voters who were presumed to be Barisan supporters, but voted for PAS instead.
“This was evident in the voter turnout of over 80% (highest in Malaysia). They came from states which fell such as Kedah, Penang, Selangor and Perak. They brought the virus here and infected us; thus we suffered a stunning loss,” Annuar told a press conference.
He suspects that they were influenced by the Opposition where they lived and worked and when they returned to Kelantan, they decided to vote for PAS while also convincing their family, friends and relatives to do so too.

Looks like this guy is a real sore loser. When will they ever learn not to play the blame game when the whole country is already pissed off with people like you???

Government for the People

2008-03-09T18:56:00.003+08:00

Results are in. It clearly shows the sentiment of the Malaysians.

Time for a government for the people.

Time for CHANGE.

Winds of Change

2008-03-08T22:52:00.001+08:00

Election results are slowly trickling in.

Do i sense a wind of change this time around?

What will tomorrow be?

Namdaemun is falling down

2008-02-11T23:19:00.000+08:00

It's really sad to read that Korea's No. 1 historic national treasure Namdaemun was burnt down last night.

News extract from Chosun Ilbo

The 600-year-old gate was designated the no.1 national treasure in December 1962. The biggest remaining castle gate, construction began in the area where Mt. Namsan met the southern castle wall in 1395, after the Chosun dynasty moved the capital to Seoul. It was completed in 1398.

The gate was repaired in 1447. According to historical documents found during repair work in the early 1960s, the gate underwent another massive restoration in 1479. There was also large-scale repair work from 1961 to 1963 of damage inflicted during the Korean War. Since then, only minor repairs have been carried out. Sunday night’s tragedy was the first fire at Sungnyemun in 600 years.

I haven't been to Korea, but had seen enough pictures of it to know that this is an iconic landmark in Korea. How sad! Hopefully they are able to find some leads and catch the arsonist!

Here is a photo of Namdaumun before it got burnt down.

Stupid Jam!

2007-12-11T09:33:00.000+08:00

This morning 6:30 a.m I headed down to KL and there were already two roadblocks - one near the Shell Station around Seksyen 16, the other right in front of the entrance to Jalan Parlimen.

By the time I headed back to PJ using the same route, there was a MASSIVE traffic jam on the other side of the lane because of the roadblock at the Jalan Parlimen intersection.

Hello...It may be Selangor State holiday because of the Sultan's birthday, but KL folks are still working! Who's clever idea was it to have a roadblock today, now causing everyone to be stuck in a traffic jam? LDP also jam, NKVE also jam...no wonder my friends are cursing away!

Haven't heard of any rally, or maybe it is because of our Prime Minister's words this morning?

“If the choice is between public safety and public freedom, I do not hesitate to say here that public safety will always win. "
"I will not sacrifice my sense of accountability to the greater public, especially in the face of police intelligence about planned fighting or other violent intent. "
“We must never ever take our peace for granted. We must continue to be responsible to each other.”
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

Sigh...

Senseless Roadblocks

2007-11-24T23:58:00.000+08:00

Ya ya, there will be a supposed rally tomorrow, but must the Police set up all the roadblocks now and cause so much unnecessary traffic jam?

I had to attend a friend's wedding in KL, and was almost late because of these roadblocks.

So many blunders since BERSIH rally, so now they wanted to keep things safe. BUT not a stupid roadblock few days ahead of the Hindraf rally!!!

I'm pretty sure the Government has better ways to take charge of this situation!

BAH!

Disillusioned

2007-10-29T23:05:00.000+08:00

Been feeling disillusioned lately.

It feels like the country's administration is in a mess. Politicians focusing on the wrong issues, making stupid remarks, in constant denial, embraced corruption like it's their second skin.

As a developing nation, are we moving forward? It feels like we are moving backward instead.

What does the first angkasawan mean to me? Nothing. It doesn't prove anything if the mentality of our leaders does not change.

Dear leaders, please wake up now. Your behaviour is just ruining the nation.

We are Malaysians

2007-08-31T23:37:00.000+08:00

Couple of days ago, my office decided to have a National Costume theme in conjunction with the upcoming 50th Merdeka day celebrations.

I wore a kebaya, while my other colleagues wore cheongsams, baju kurungs and saris.

During lunch time at the pantry area, a colleague from another team came up to me and my teammate who was wearing a sari. He was wearing a traditional mandarin collared top.

Guy : "How come you all not wearing Chinese costumes?"

Me : "Huh? Why must I wear a cheongsam?"

Guy : "You all are Chinese! Why should you be wearing national costumes from other races?"

Colleague in sari : "But this has nothing to do with Chinese or not. We are Malaysians! This is celebrating Independence Day!"

Guy : "You all betray the Chinese race! Our heritage becoming extinct because of people like you!"

He then started calling us names like Siti and Minachee.

Honestly I was stumped. I'm not sure if he's just kidding but he seems so sound very passionate about this topic and kept nagging us about it.

As we kept on debating, one of the senior managers came by the pantry to grab some water. She was wearing a traditional Chinese samfu top.

She is a Malay.

Immediately the guy colleague kept quiet. We looked at him and quietly told him to ask if the Malay senior manager is betraying her kind by NOT wearing a baju kurung. He just shrugged and left.

It struck me that till today there are still people with that mindset, even though they are well educated. My dream is that one day we will call ourselves Malaysians and not segregated by race. So what if you are Malay, Chinese or Indian? We are Malaysians!

Selamat Hari Merdeka.

Slutty Celebrity Fitness

2007-07-29T15:25:00.000+08:00

This just doesn't look right.

Is that how one promotes a gym? Have Amber Chia don sexy lingerie and Daisy Dukes working out with dumbbells?

And why is the "Enter" button located directly in between her legs?

Tsk tsk - That's how low Celebrity Fitness would go to promote their gym.

Inconsiderate Malaysian driver!

2007-06-24T14:02:00.000+08:00

I'm so pissed off with what I saw today - A young Malaysian driver actually parking at the disabled person's parking lot!

This happened at the Curve parking lot when I was heading towards my car. I saw - with my very own eyes - a young chap in a red Proton Iswara removing the signage that state "This lot is reserved for the disabled " and just zoom in to park at that spot! He could have waited for my parking lot, but no...he just walked off.

I stared at him, hoping to instill some guilt in him, but alas, that person just pretended nothing happened. I wished I jotted down his car plate number or even took a photo of him, but it's already too late.

So what does it tell of our society if the young people already behaving like that this? How disappointing! Hopefully he's just one of the minority, but again - one of them is already bad enough.

Sigh.

Underwater Taxi

2007-06-13T21:21:00.000+08:00

While KL folks faced the wrath of the flash floods in the city centre and its aftermatch, this poor taxi driver was left wondering what actually happened.

This took place on Sunday when the taxi driver entered a condominium in Puchong Perdana to pick up a passenger. Due to the heavy rain, he could not see clearly and ended up driving into a pathway meant for joggers around the swimming pool.

When he reached a dead-end, he tried to make a U-turn but ended up driving into the swimming pool, probably mistaken it for a blue coloured path.

Thank goodness the taxi driver is all right, but looks like he needs a new taxi. Maybe he may never go near a swimming pool in the near future, after what happened.

photos source : Sin Chew Jit Poh

The Leak has gone South

2007-05-27T22:43:00.001+08:00

No surprise here, another 'bocor' news - this time it is the Johor library.

The Star reported that the recently-built library is still closed to public due to leaks in various locations. One of the suspected reasons of the leak could be due to the unique dome-shaped ceiling.

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/6/2/nation/17917551&sec=nation

Someone didn't do their job right? Perhaps it is the same contractor used for the recent Government refurbishments/buildings.

This is what we call : Ada Gaya, Tak Ada Mutu

Leak no leak?

2007-05-25T11:40:00.000+08:00

Leaking pipes. Burst pipes. All have been part and parcel of Malaysian life as far as I can remember.

However, there's been lots of hoo-hah about leaks recently :

1) 11 April 2007 - The Immigration Department was flooded because of a burst pipe.

2) 28 April 2007 - The ceiling of the multipurpose hall of the Entrepreneurial and Cooperative Development Ministry collapsed, which was said to have been caused by a leaking pipe.

3) 9 May 2007 - Certain sections of the Parliament were soaking wet after a heavy downpour due to leakage from the ceiling. The focus then shifted to the offensive Jasin and Kinabatangan MPs' remarks about the Batu Gajah's MP's "monthly leak"and subsequently how 'sorry' they look when they issued their apology with a very pissed-off looking YB Sharizat.

4) 23 May 2007 - The cafeteria of the brand new Jalan Duta court complex was flooded on 23 May 2007 due to a faulty burst pipe. At least this time it wasn't a leak.

If this leakage continues to happen, not only the Government will suffer unnecessary leakage of funds, we the rakyat will feel the pinch too.

I'm going to cross my fingers that the SMART tunnel won't be the next casualty of this 'leaking' saga.

Cuti-Cuti Malaysia

2007-04-22T19:48:00.000+08:00

Haven't you feel that Malaysia have so many long holidays in recent months?

In 1st Jan 2007, Malaysians celebrated both New Year's Day and Hari Raya Haji. This means we get one extra Holiday in Lieu (i.e. 2nd Jan is a holiday too)

Then there was a very long holiday during Chinese New Year in February 07.

1st May will be both Labour Day and Wesak Day. Again, we get 2nd May off. Many people were planning to take 30th April off as it is a Monday, so they could enjoy a longer break.

Just announced : Some companies declared 26th April (Thursday) off in respect to the Agong (King's) installation. So I'm expecting more people to take both Friday and Monday off. Essentially we are getting another week off!

So many public holidays! No wonder other countries envy us because we work less than them. Although the pay is another thing la. This is one benefit of working in Malaysia!

Attack of Donkey Kong

2007-04-16T23:58:00.000+08:00

Came across this interesting article online.

Some students from the UCSC Engineering faculty did a giant artwork of Donkey Kong across 4 storeys using nothing but POST-IT NOTES.

Check it out here.

It's really innovative, not to mention nostalgic - Donkey Kong rules!

Money = Power

2007-03-23T21:52:00.000+08:00

Recently, the Star newspaper reported that Malaysia has gone up in corruption ranking. In a grading system with zero as the best possible score and 10 as the worst, Malaysia was ranked seventh with a score of 6.25.

Link

As far as I can remember, corruption has been part and parcel of Malaysian life. While there are some who would be willing to be ethical and refuse to bribe officials, others would just quietly provide some "duit kopi" to keep the officials happy. Their mentality? Well, it's a win-win situation. The guilty party gets away with the offence for a nominal fee, while the officials get some side income to provide for their family.

Probably that's the problem with the civil servants. They are just not being paid enough. However, before I will agree that the government should raise their wages, I also question their working culture. Say, if a government official has been receiving bribes because he doesn't have enough money for the family, what makes me think by raising the wages of the government official doesn't warrant that he will not take bribes? It's probably becoming a hard habit to break, and they would probably just spend more and more using the 'dirty money'.

Makes you wonder if bribing and corruption is all so wrong, why is it still so rampant in a developing country like Malaysia? My guess is this : Power. If you have money, you can get power. Not necessarily directly buying you power, but more of through contributions to the society.

This is not just limited to Malaysia. If you read worldwide news, there are so many countries with corruption problem. Singapore - one a squeaky clean country - now has more corruption cases than ever. Even the United States, so many scandals happen in companies because of corruption. That's probably why the phrase "dirty politics" come into place.

What becomes worrying is that corruption is so rampant in our lives that it becomes "A way of life". Or has already become like that? We pay people to do favour for us. It gives us some sort of power that you can get away from the law, or buy you a prestigious title, or some sort of deal.

I am probably off-topic, but who cares? Are you going to pay me money to change this?

Things that make you feel icky

2007-02-28T01:08:00.000+08:00

It's official.

South Korea's top transgender singer Harisu will tie the knot with her four-year younger boyfriend Mickey Jung in May 2007.

Harisu was born as a male named Lee Kyung-yup in 1975, but went through gender reassignment surgery in Japan in 1998. In 2002, the Inchon District Court gave Harisu legally recognition as a female. She changed her name to Lee Kyung-eun.

As for kids, they openly mentioned they plan to start a family by adopting a baby.

Source : The Korea Times, Soompi

If you think about it, Harisu was once a man, now became a woman, and married a man, and if two of them really becomes one....well, she is legally a female, but she was a he...this is really icky!!!

I don't know. It's just hard to explain. I know fans are all happy for them. As much I wanna be happy for Harisu, I just.....can't. It's just too wierd.

Anyway, congratulations to Harisu and Mickey.

Chinese New Year

2007-02-22T08:04:00.000+08:00

When you see more policeman hiding at road junctions trying to saman you, you know Chinese New Year is coming.

When you see newpaper publishing about banning and imposing fine on those who were caught with fireworks, you know Chinese New Year is coming.

When you see prices of foodstuff hitting the roof, you know Chinese New Year is coming.

When you hear of words of caution while in the market due to syndicates of pickpockets, you know Chinese New Year is coming.

When you see places decorated with nice red lanterns along the streets, you know Chinese New Year is coming.

When you see many illegal stalls popping up selling Chinese New Year goods, you know Chinese New Year is coming.

When you see Chinese people don't give a damn about any regulation because it is the biggest festival ever, you know Chinese New Year is HERE.

GONG XI FA CAI!!

VMY 2007 Suggestions

2007-02-11T16:09:00.000+08:00

It's Visit Malaysia Year 2007!!!

What to promote? KL Twin Towers? Malacca? Feringgi Beach? Eye on Malaysia?

Been there, done that.

Here are my suggestions what really should be promoted. After all I believe it's all uniquely Malaysia!!

1) Peranakan culture
2) Makan Makan day tours (barf bags optional)
3) Bak Kut Teh
4) Cameron Highlands
5) The Malaysian Trunk/Coastal Road experience
6) Fruit Dusun Rendavouz (must include Durian, Rambutan, Mangosteen and mosquitoes)
7) Midnight Mat Rempit Watch (just kidding!!!)

I need to go to PARIS to pick up my French Poodle

2007-02-01T09:01:00.000+08:00

Have anyone checked out the Malaysian Airlines (MAS) Travel Fair campaign recently?

I like the tagline of "PICK ANY EXCUSE TO TRAVEL"

Some of the "excuses" are really lame and funny!!!

I need to support our local money changers

The waterfalls in Switzerland have more water

I left my belt in Bangkok

I like the sound of the world Buenos Aires

I need to expand my Friendster Database

I heard Walmart got sale

My Australian uncle's friend's neighbour's cousin's son's birthday

There's free flow of coffee on aeroplanes.

My favourite :

Doughnuts in America are bigger

Kudos to MAS for such an entertaining advertisement!

Visit Malaysia Year - Massage Adverts

2007-01-27T10:29:00.000+08:00

The headlines of Sin Chew Jit Poh newspapers yesterday screamed "Minister Apologises for Sex Advertisements in Visit Malaysia Tourist Pages"

I don't recall the English newspapers having this headline.

I've seen this type of advertisements in Gold Coast before. They go by "Escort Services" or "Traditional Massages". In the Malaysian Tourists Pages case, the advertisements offer massage services "24-hours" and "as and when you needed it". Some of these adverts even had their handphone number and website.

I don't believe this is the first time the adverts appeared in such Yellow Pages or Tourist Pages, but I suspect someone must have complained (especially this is VMY 2007) which lead to the minister's apologies.

Why the English newpapers did not have this news? Perhaps to deter the bad publicity from those tourists reading those papers. Or perhaps they were featured in some small column which I may have missed out.

I wonder if they will do a massive recall and reprint those Tourist Pages?

Korean Singer Commits Suicide

2007-01-23T21:02:00.000+08:00

South Korean pop singer Unee was reported to had committed suicide yesterday.

It's such an irony in the most tragic sense.

She was the person featured in Malaysian papers as the murdered Mongolian model Altantuya. The photos were later confirmed as Unee's and not Altantuya's.

According to the papers, Unee had suffered from depression. However, her suicide left many bewildered, as she was to released her new album next month.

Rest in Peace.

Visit Malaysia Year 2007

2007-01-14T16:28:00.000+08:00

It's Visit Malaysia Year 2007!!!

What do we have to offer? The Eye on Malaysia? Petronas Twin Towers?

Or perhaps the Johor Floods and various tourist mishaps in Sabah? The death count is already close to ten in Sabah alone this month.

It's a year that will put Malaysia to the test, whether are we really a mature society in the foreigners' eyes.

Good luck for the rest of 2007.

Cold Turkey

2006-12-28T23:18:00.000+08:00

When Taiwan's earthquake damaged two undersea data transmission cables, it disrupted telecommunications and internet across many parts of Asia.

Email accounts, Instant Messengers, Blogs - all those things many people take for granted - becomes unavailable to all, resulting in many people having Cold Turkey symptoms.

While many people complained they can't indulge in their pasttimes, some even became depressed. One blogger who was interviewed, said he blogs every 5 minutes. Is he crazy? He blogs or he chats, I wonder.

I pity those people who uses their email account or Messenger to transact in business. Can't imagine how much business loss during that period of time.

If one becomes Cold Turkey because of Business, that's justified. You are talking about $$$$$$$

But those suffering from Cold Turkey becoz you can't BLOG or CHAT or PLAY GAMES, I have one advice for you - GO GET A LIFE!!!

The Greedy Python

2006-12-24T00:55:00.000+08:00

This piece of news was actually Number One in National Geographic's Top Ten Photos of 2006.

Photo : National Geographic

If you can't quite figured out what is this photo about, it's an extremely greedy python that swallowed a pregnant ewe, and was just too full to even move after consuming its meal. This reptile had to be removed from a roadway by fire-fighters.

This took place in Kampung Jabor sometime in September 2006.

More can be read below :

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/09/060915-python-ewe.html

Getting a taste of their own Medicine

2006-12-18T20:35:00.000+08:00

I laughed when I saw the headlines on The Star papers recently.

100 Mat Rempit forced to push bikes for 8km

In summary, more than 100 Mat Rempits in Alor Star were rounded up by the police, and instead of using police trucks to transport their vehicles to the police station, their keys were confiscated and made to push their vehicles all the way to the police station.

I applaud the action taken by the Alor Star police. Many times the wrong doers just take things for granted. By forcing them to push their bikes, it is in a way embarassing, or memalukan, coz they are seen by the public doing something so stupid.

This type of punishment had been tried and tested, and seemed to work well in many communities, due to the fact that everyone also "want to have face". If you are caught doing something stupid and made to parade around like a clown, jatuh muka. How to show yourself in front of your friends and family?

Hopefully these people will learn their lesson. I don't think it's really a harsh punishment, but if you have 'face', it's a lot to risk. Funny some people are willing to risk their lives, but not their 'face'.

How NOT to break up with your girlfriend

2006-12-01T22:20:00.000+08:00

Interesting news from Korea.

Link

Summary
Lee has been dating Park since 2004. Park very recently confessed she was three months pregnant and she refused to abort the baby. Unknown to Park, Lee has been dating another lady since two months ago. Lee, shocked with the news, decided that the best way to get rid of Park is to hire a killer to get rid of her.

However, the hired killer took pity on Park, called her up and told her the story. Together they plotted how to get Lee to believe that Park has been killed. It worked.

After getting an abortion, Park reported the incident to the police. The police issued an arrest warrant for Lee and is in pursuit of the hired killer, who is still on the run.

Sounds like a movie plot eh?

Till Death Do Us Apart

2006-11-15T00:19:00.000+08:00

Link

In another historic first in Malaysia, a centenarian named Sudar Marto had gotten married. He was 105, she was 22.

According to Sudar, "If you believe in fate and true love, whatever you are destined for will become a reality."

The article (dated 12 Nov) also mentioned that Sudar has a 69 year old bedridden wife, six sons, 19 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren, and if his young 2nd wife is fated to have children, who is to stop them?

Wouldn't it just be very geli to think you are marrying someone so old? Come to think about it, even the age gap between him and his first wife is quite big.

"The age difference is not a problem as it is the state of mind that matters," explained Ely, the new bride.

Yeah, and they say that Love is blind.

Bangsa Malaysia

2006-11-10T11:43:00.000+08:00

There's this big talk about "Bangsa Malaysia" again.

One netizen observed that Malaysia is unique where people place their race first rather than nationality.

Would I support being a Bangsa Malaysia? I would, with one condition - do away with the bumiputra privilege. How can we be known as Bangsa Malaysia when a certain group of people still has special rights? It is just not fair. The concept of Bangsa Malaysia should be of equality and unity for all people in Malaysia.

Malaysia will turn 50 next year. It's time we grow up and move on.

Saving Face

2006-10-29T14:50:00.000+08:00

I came across an article in The Star last week. It was a commentary written by an USM professor on the falling standards of UM ( i can't locate the article anymore). UM is in hot water now after latest assessments shows that not only it fell in terms of worldwide rankings, UKM now ranks higher than them.

The author noticed there was a letter addressed to another Malay daily talks about 'saving face' or 'jaga maruah'. The letter suggested that Malaysia do not look into world rankings, but instead focus on Asian rankings. And after some 'rationalisation', the rankings should exclude Australia and New Zealand, coz they are not really Asian countries, and soon after more 'rationalisation' Malaysia ain't too bad coz we are just behind Singapore and Thailand. The author did condemn that letter, but again without the article, I can't recall the exact wordings that I can quote from.

That aside, it seems that if we can't accept the cold, hard facts, we should just rationalise ourselves to get out of that embarrassing situation to 'save face'. How can the country ever grow up if there are million more people with the same mentality??? Some people, or countries just accepts the facts, and then work hard to proof the world that they are wrong. Like Korea during the financial crisis. They accepted IMF's help, and learning from their mistakes, they are triving now. They also have a 'face' to take care of, but they have no choice but to swallow their pride then. Now the Koreans can stand proud over the various acheivements that put Korea back on track. Will Malaysia ever learn from their mistakes? I hope so, and they better be quick about it.

Side topic - The mysterious dissapearance of Zakaria has been solved. He has been found holidaying in Alor Gajah instead of preparing to explain himself to the Sultan of Selangor. Right after that has been captured by our 'paparazzi', he was ordered to meet the Sultan immediately. Talk about no face. Where got face now? People want to give you face but you don't want, so now lagi no face.

Singapore's Problems

2006-10-24T11:38:00.000+08:00

Link 1

Link 2

Looks like Singapore is having their own set of problems too.

It's an interesting read compared to Malaysian problems, coz they are dealing with society related issues that are not so prominent in Malaysia (yet).

We are all so screwed

Malaysia's Midlife Crisis

2006-10-23T07:36:00.000+08:00

The recent news in Malaysian papers seemed to only talk about a lot of things Malaysians grew up and take for granted such as Bumiputra equity, palatial mansions built without permits, mak rempits, inter-racial/religious tolerance etc etc.

Malaysian is growing up, thanks to globalisation and the ease of information available. People are now more open-minded and outspoken. If all politicians think that the rakyet can still close one eye and live on their lives, they are dead-wrong.

The Bumiputra equity issue, although the study is questionable, even the Governments response raised more eyebrows than shut the lips of the rakyat. I bet even when they have the proof, will it ease the tension caused?

Those huge mansions built in Klang by V.I.Ps - yeah, even though it is built without a permit, my question is that do this people really earn so much? How come Klang isn't all that properly developed when that fella can afford to built his house so big? And by thinking settling a fine of RM24,000 will shut the people up? I bet the renovation costs is few times more than the fine. One minister said it's all around the district if they look enough. So what does that tell you, are the people in authority doing their job???

Mak Rempit - Nuff said. Althought confiscating their bikes would do some good, but the police force better come in hundreds, or even use tear gases, judging from how brutal those people might be.

Lastly - How sad and unexpected that, after 49 years of independance, someone could actually delared that having joint festivals with other races or religions as 'blasphemous' or that he can't wish his Hindu colleugues "Happy Deepavali". Older Malaysians already encountered this through the 1969 riots. We are no longer back in 1969. There have been so many mixed-marraiges, the person making that judgement obviously didn't use much of his head or heart. I remember back in 2005 a Malay salesboy wished me "Merry Christmas" even though he is a Muslim, and I may not celebrate Christmas. In 2004, we went on tour to Europe. There was a group of Middle-age to elderly Malays in our tour. They also went visiting the churches, with full respect.

We need to look outside the box. Even if the rakyat does that, the politicians must also be receptive of the changes. Or else, one day, all these may become the downfall of Malaysia.

Hazy, Hazy Nite

2006-10-05T21:01:00.000+08:00

The Haze is back! And it's badder than ever!

Foggy nights may be mysterious and sometimes romantic, but hazy nights are just plain lousy.

Visibility is already quite bad, and you can smell the smoke in the air. Even the rain can't help now, unless it rains on those hotspots.

Darn you people who cause forest fires! Darn those peats! Darn those inconsidete neighbours!

Siti vs Mawi - Who Wins?

2006-08-30T23:57:00.000+08:00

Probably the highlight of the year 2006 has to be Siti Nurhaliza's wedding, as well as the face-off between ex-lovers Mawi and Ina.

The ratings were in : Siti 6.3 million ; Mawi 4.7 million.

Mind you this is in terms of viewership, and not how much they are getting paid from the television channels.

Suddenly I got a flashback : Alien vs Predetor (AVP) and its tagline : It doesn't matter who wins. We all lose.

Haha.

Maybe Malaysians should have more of this. It makes people more united. The aunties and makciks on the streets can all discuss about the wedding, and the sobfest. People from all walks of life can relate to both topics. You can freely voice out your opinion without being accused a racist. Suddenly, this is muhibbah once again.

So when will Round 2 be? Maybe Siti's pregnancy vs Mawi's wedding? We shall see one day.

How un-Malaysian are You?

2006-08-25T22:20:00.000+08:00

Following my very patriotic posting, here's another quiz from Kenny Sia - How un-Malaysian are you?

...and presenting my results!!

Congratulations Ginger, you are 47% not Malaysian.

That means you're as Malaysian as...

Michelle Yeoh!

How Un-Malaysian Are You?

How Malaysian are You?

2006-08-24T21:43:00.000+08:00

In conjunction with the upcoming Merdeka celebrations, The Star came up with this funny quiz - How Malaysian are you?

http://allmalaysia.info/merdeka49/quiz.asp

I took it and i scored a measly 25 over 45. So does it mean I should live somewhere else? Or do I belong to a dying breed of Malaysians?

Anyhow, with Merdeka Day just around the corner, Selamat Hari Merdeka, Malaysia! And please be like good wine, I hope you will have a better generation of Malaysians as you grow older.

Malaysian Stupidity Award 2006

2006-08-10T20:15:00.000+08:00

We've read so much about stupid thieves and robbers elsewhere in the world, but seems like this case also proves that 'Malaysia Boleh!!'

Below extract is from The Star online site

Thursday August 10, 2006

BUKIT MERTAJAM: The three men came well prepared with a fishing net and rope to rob the bank in Jalan Anson.

But the bungling would-be robbers netted a cheque deposit machine instead of a cash dispensing machine.

After they managed to pull the machine out and finding it was not an ATM, the men left it outside the bank.

They had arrived at the bank in a lorry and a pick-up truck at 3am.

First they threw the net over a machine they thought was a cash dispensing ATM located on the first floor and tied one end of the rope to the net and the other end to the two vehicles.

They then pulled the machine off its floor mountings, through a glass wall and down a flight of stairs onto the ground floor.

The crashing sounds alerted the security guard, who shouted at the robbers.
Seberang Prai Tengah CID chief Deputy Supt Chor Ah Sing said the robbers fled before the police arrived.

There was an earlier case whereby the robbers also took off with the ATM machine, only to find that the machine was empty. At least they got their target right.

Those jokers must be reeling from their huge bumbling mistake now. Haha.

Of Datuks, Datins and Divorce

2006-07-27T23:15:00.000+08:00

Some Datuks here are a lucky bunch of people. They can get themselves pretty celebrity wives and say they are fated to be together.

We have one case of Normala Shamsuddin, who by the way is a divorcee, but she doesn't mind being a Datin anyways. They got married within a short period of time after his wife passed away.

Next up is Siti Nurhaliza, who the entire nation is watching her every move for her upcoming wedding ceremony with Datuk K. By the way, Datuk K just completed his divorce proceedings with his ex-wife.

And they make it look like it's a normal thing to do. What's going on?????

I guess this is the other benefit of being a 'Datuk'......

World War III - Who cares?

2006-07-18T21:10:00.000+08:00

Recently, there have been so many headlines that got me very worried.

First was North Korea and its missile testing. Next was Israel's bombing on Lebenon. With all these threats, and no one could stop them, will this trigger WW III? Or has it already started?

Malaysia has been very engrossed with the Spore-Malaysia bridge saga, and perhaps Siti Nurhaliza's speculative wedding with Datuk K. I wondered how many Malaysians would be worried about what's going on around them. Perhaps being so complacent in nature, many wouldn't give a damn.

Anyhow, let's hope this will all end soon, and not lead to another World War ><.

Peace.

You call this a City?

2006-06-26T07:12:00.000+08:00

Petaling Jaya is officially now a city. That's probably the biggest joke ever.

So many areas such as DJ, DU, SS2 all still need so much improvement. Crime rate is increasing, potholes still there, traffic has worsen, the surroundings are still filthy. Many residents have complained about MPPJ, and so many other issues like increased assessment rates, missing accounts etc etc.

Makes you wonder what happened somewhere in between the application and the approval.

Maybe they judged it based on the roundabout near MPPJ Civic Hall. You have to give credit that is one of the nicer little areas around Petaling Jaya.

Funny thing now that it's no longer MPPJ but MBPJ, so now an additional stroke is added to each of the first 'P'. Now that's what I call ingenious!!!

But one positive note that came out from all this is that there is now a re-establishment of Rukun Tetangga, or Residents Association. Though not everyone joins the RA, but you can trust there will be concerned residents who will take part, and be vocal about their needs. The council needs to realise they can't ignore the residents anymore. They need to be accountable for their actions now. I hope the RA will continue to be active and vocal till the day MPPJ realise it needs to do something for the people.

Although I no longer live in Petaling Jaya - my home for 15 years - There is still a place in my heart and memory. I also feel there's much improvement that could be done by the council.

POWER TO THE PEOPLE OF PETALING JAYA!!!

What's wrong with Kongsi Raya?

2006-06-18T22:03:00.000+08:00

Something is seriously wrong with this country.

We have so many critical issues to solve, like increased crime rate, sugar shortage, unsolved murders, increased electricity rates, etc etc......and the next thing you read in the papers is the concern that Kongsi Raya is regarded as blasphemous and should be discouraged.

The concern here now is that they do not want to pair a Muslim celebration with a non-Muslim one, for fear that it could affect one's faith. So they are saying we can still visit, but do not regard the celebration together.

I just don't understand it. Malaysia has been practising this for so long, and everyone as far as I know has no concerns whatsoever. How much distinction are they going to go all out to differentiate the Muslims and non-Muslims? How then do Chinese or Indian muslims celebrate then? Chinese New Year is nothing more than a cultural/ethnical celebration and not a religious one.

So are they implying that the Muslim faith has deteriorated was due to Kongsi Raya? It reminded me of one incident when I was shopping during Christmas time, and the Malay sales guy actually wished me 'Merry Christmas'!! My Malay collegue also sends me Chinese New Year greeting cards. They also attended CNY celebrations held by our manager. So now, will they be considered lost and confused? Will they be considered blasphemous from an Islamic point of view? If so, then our Prime Minister would be in trouble, for he was the first PM to sent a Christmas card to all the Christian churches in Malaysia.

Malaysia has been a multi-racial country, and we have practised tolerence and social harmony. We are proud of having so many festivals which can be participated by everyone, and it is a symbol of unity. So why break up this unity and cause more unnecessary tension?

And I still think we have more serious issues to tackle rather than ruffling more feathers internally.

World Cup 2006 - The World's Game

2006-06-13T23:56:00.000+08:00

I'm pretty sure this will be the most widely written blog topic for the month - WORLD CUP 2006.

Everyone has to at least talk about it, whether you know what you talking or not. At least you can put in who you support, and start trashing on the other teams.

Even if you don't support any team, or heck know nuts about football, it's really fun to watch the match with a whole bunch of friends or strangers, choose your team for that match, and experience the adrenaline rush for 90 minutes, even you are not the players.

Heck American Idol, Olympics, French Open, F1 - Football is truly the World's event. All things are in a standstill because of World Cup. Even our local politics took a backseat because of World Cup. Heck if Dr M wants explanation on why the Govt scrap the scenic bridge and the AP issue. Wait till the World Cup is over.

Like one of the commercials on Astro. Football makes you feel like family. What more true can it be?

Ginger's cup of tea

2006-06-11T22:04:00.000+08:00

When i was a kid, I used to dislike celery, parsley and ginger. Now, I love parsley, can tolerate celery, but I still don't like ginger.

One day, I ordered a glass of teh tarik (pulled tea) from the mamak. They ended up serving me teh tarik halia (ginger tea) instead. I took a sip, and.......it wasn't too bad. So from then i drink ginger tea (both the english and malaysian version), indulge in ginger-wine chicken, nibbled on ginger preserve, but i stil avoid the actual stuff.

Ginger is used extensive as a spice to enhance the culinery experience, whether steamed fish, gingerbread, soup, and of course - tea. Ginger is also useful if you bruise yourself. Just grab a piece of young ginger, and rub it over the bruised area. It will go away in a few days (based on personal experience)

Teh Tarik is a popular drink in Malaysia (official drink perhaps??), many interesting conversations takes place over a cup of teh tarik. Origin is unknown, although it could originate from India, since it's the signature for all mamaks (usually operated by Indian Muslims)

I guess my mundane life needs some 'spice' to it - hence this would be my occasional cup of tea.