A trip to the rubber estate

Made a short trip back to Segamat yesterday and had a closer look at the rubber estate...

Farewell JB, Hello KL!

The previous weekend was my last in JB. It also marked the end of a 13-year affair with YTL. I first got acquainted with YTL Power back in '97 when I first got my scholarship. I first stepped into a YTL power station back in '98 for industrial training. I joined YTL Paka as a staff in 2001. And I got transferred to Pasir Gudang in 2002.

It was mixed feelings saying good bye to YTL Pasir Gudang after more than 8 years there. The place and its people have provided me a much cherished memory. It was an experience of warmth, friendship, teamwork, camaraderie, spirit of excellence and many more which are indescribable by words. The people of YTL is what made us distinctive from the rest! It's not easy saying good bye after sharing so much for so many years.

Nevertheless, people do move on and I guess it was also a long overdue move. So, although there was sadness, there were also feelings of excitement & anxiety. Excited to return back to home, anxious to start a new life and looking forward to a new job. I don't really know if things will pan out well after this, after so many years of rather comfortable and complacent environment. Nevertheless, nothing ventured nothing gained.

So it's time to start a new life. The beginning of better things to come (I hope). As for the memories and wonderful experience in JB, I would always cherish and remember. It was ironic that in my early years in JB, I used to complain about the place (with some other friends who shared the same thoughts). But after so many years, I've grown to call JB home, admitting I'm already a Johorean and generally liking the place. Good bye to my fellow colleagues, friends and KLite still in JB!

At the moment, my to-do list while I'm back in KL are as follows:

• Report to work at the new company on 1 Oct.
• Start renovating and preparing my new home.
• Catching up with long lost KL friends, ex-classmates etc.
• Putting up with those bloody traffic jams and chaotic parking.
• Leading a more healthy lifestyle (going to gym at my condo, cycling again, jogging at Lake Gardens??)
• Looking forward to a host of new activities that KL has to offer (more IEM talks, theater shows at KLPAC?, ....)

鄧麗君 ~~ 漫步人生路

在你身边路虽远
末疲倦
伴你漫行
一段接一段
越过高峰
另一峰却又见
目标推远
让理想永远在前面
......

路纵崎岖

亦不怕受磨练

愿一生中

苦痛快乐也体验

愉快悲哀

在身边转又转

风中赏雪

雾里赏花

快乐回旋

母用计较

快欣赏身边

美丽每一天

还愿确信

美景良辰在脚边

愿将欢笑声

盖掩苦痛那一面

悲也好喜也好

每天找到新发现

让疾风吹呀吹

尽管给我俩考验

小雨点

放心洒

早已决心向着前

Happy Malaysia Day!

Happy Malaysia Day! May we all reject extremism, racism and stupidity. Instead, all Malaysians should (or rather shall) embrace unity, equality and basic common sense! Happy Malaysia Day and may the spirit of 1957 & 1963 live on!

As the clip says, we are different but same same! We should always cherish the diversity and uniqueness of the Malaysian society. Malaysia belongs to all Malaysians and not any particular group. We will not be what we are today without the contributions of each and everyone of us.

Lobang Korek

An old song by a Malay singer called Hang Mokhtar:

Lobang (lobang) korek (korek)

Sudah tampal, kontraktor nanti korek

Hari-hari tampal korek

Sudah tampal, esok ada korek

Papan (papan) tanda (tanda) hari-hari ada tengah jalan

Pandu kereta hati tak senang

Salah pandu kita masuk lobang

Highway banyak, tol pun banyak

Pergi airport tiga kali mahu bayar

Kadang-kadang susah juga

Highway juga selalu banyak kereta

Lobang (lobang) korek (korek)

Jalan siap nanti kontraktor korek

Sampai bila mahu korek

Hari-hari ada tampal korek

Highway banyak, tol pun banyak

Pergi airport tiga kali mahu bayar

Kadang-kadang susah juga

Highway juga selalu banyak kereta

Lobang (lobang) korek (korek)

Jalan siap nanti kontraktor korek

Sampai bila mahu korek

Hari-hari ada tampal korek

Sampai bila mahu korek

Hari-hari ada tampal korek.

Selamat Hari Raya!

سلامت هاري راي عيدالفطري! ايد مبارك! معاف ظاهير دان باطين!

Wishing all Muslims: Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Maaf Zahir & Batin! Have a wonderful holiday weekend and drive safely!

Zee Avi - Bitter Heart

Sun rays come down as seen when they hit the ground,
Children spinning around till they fall down down down.
I wait for you: it's been two hours now,
You're still somewhere in town,
Your dinners getting cold.
I rest my case you are always this late,
And you know how much I hate waiting around 'round 'round,
Bitter heart, bitter heart tries to keep it all inside,
Bitter heart, bitter heart shadows will help you try to hide,
Bitter heart, my bitter heart is gettin' just a little fragile,
Bitter heart, bitter heart of mine.
And then you come and tell me the same reason as you did yesterday,
So tell me whats her name.
Doo doo da dum, doo doo da dum, doo doo doo doo doo doo da da dum dum, da da da da dum, da da da da dum, da da da da dum.
Bitter heart, bitter heart tries to keep it all inside
Bitter heart, bitter heart shadows will help you try to hide,
Bitter heart, my bitter heart is just getting a little fragile,
Bitter heart, bitter heart of mine, of mine, of mine, of mine, of mine, of mine.

Insensitive or over-sensitive?

Read in the papers today that a TV3 Hari Raya advertisement was pulled off the air due to a Malay pakcik resembling Santa Claus riding a sleigh up in the sky! Is TV3 being insensitive or just some people being oversensitive? Well... I am definitely not the person to decide (though I have my own thoughts) since some will sure say I haven't the credentials to open my mouth. Perhaps other Malaysians can see the ad for themselves and decide.

Anyway, here's the lyrics of the ad:

Syawal menjelma,
Memutik detik riang,
Doa dan ampun
maaf di pinta.

Lebaran Ini,
Memberi sinar-suci,
Ramadhan,
Penuh kemuliaan,

Kegembiraan, Ketenangan, Kesabaran Menanti Lebaran

Kita teguhi keimanan,
Di Syawal ini,

Sinar Lebaran,
Di hiasi berwarna - warni,

Selamat - Selamat Hari Raya
Selamat - Selamat Hari Raya.

and the lyrics in Jawi:

شوال منجيلم، مموتيق دتيق رينڬ، دعا دان امڤون معاف د ڤينتا. ليبرن اين، ممبري سينر-سوچي، رمضان، ڤنوه كمولياان، كڬمبيراان، كتنڠن، كصبرن مننتي ليبرن كيت تڬوهي كايمانن، د شوال اين، سينر ليبرن، د هياسي برورنا - ورني، سلامت - سلامت هاري راي سلامت - سلامت هاري راي.

And then there is this Cina fella called Namewee whose favorite past time is to rap and swear, and in general gets the wrath of all "sensitive" Malaysians. Personally, I don't fully disagree with his video contents but seriously this guy needs an attitude adjustment. To me, it's really padan muka for him if he gets into trouble. Nevertheless, aside from the vulgar words I don't find anything too offensive with his latest video. It's just another expression of anger towards a allegedly racist principal.

Malaysians free to travel....

The Henley visa restriction index shows Malaysia ranks 13th in the world for its citizen's freedom of travel (i.e. no visa restriction when visiting other countries)... In other words, in terms of easy access to other countries without visa restriction, Malaysians rank 13th in the world. Top apparently is UK (but hey, they have access to almost all Commonwealth countries!)

Here is a snapshot of the index taken from its web site...

Rank		Score	Rank		Score
1	United Kingdom	166	13	Malaysia	151
2	Denmark	164	14	Liechtenstein	147
3	Sweden	163	15	Malta	146
4	Finland	162	19	Hong Kong	140
4	Luxembourg	162	25	Israel	133
5	France	161	28	Brazil	130
5	Germany	161	31	St. Kitts and Nevis	121
5	Italy	161	47	South Africa	88
5	Netherlands	161	48	Montenegro	86
6	Belgium	160	49	Russian Federation	83
6	Japan	160	51	Dominica	80
6	Spain	160	65	United Arab Emirates	64
7	Ireland	159	69	Thailand	60
7	Norway	159	71	India	57
7	United States	159	74	Bosnia and Herzegowina	53
8	Austria	158	77	India	50
8	Portugal	158	84	Egypt	43
9	Australia	157	84	Vietnam	43
9	Canada	157	88	Nepal	38
9	New Zealand	157	88	China	38
10	Switzerland	156	90	Pakistan	36
11	Singapore	155	92	Iran	34
12	Greece	153	94	Lebanon	32
13	Iceland	151	98	Afghanistan	26
13	South Korea	151

Happy Merdeka!

Wishing all Malaysians, no matter where you are, a very Happy Merdeka! May the original spirit of Tunku in 1957 be revived... May the real spirit of 1Malaysia be upheld, where all Malaysians live in a peaceful, prosperous and fair nation without any persecution and discrimination.

Selamat Hari Merdeka! 国庆日快乐! !اليوم الوطني سعيد ハッピーナショナルデー! 해피 건국 기념일! Chúc mừng Ngày Quốc khánh!

Beyond - 海闊天空

今天我　寒夜裡看雪飄過
懷著冷卻了的心窩漂遠方
風雨裏追趕
霧裡分不清影蹤
天空海闊你與我
可會變（誰沒在變）

多少次　迎著冷眼與嘲笑
從沒有放棄過心中的理想
一剎那恍惚
若有所失的感覺
不知不覺已變淡
心裡愛（誰明白我）

原諒我這一生不羈放縱愛自由
也會怕有一天會跌倒
背棄了理想　誰人都可以
那會怕有一天只你共我

仍然自由自我
永遠高唱我歌走遍千里

Last One Standing

Am a bit late with catching up on TVB series. Actually, I only watch them ad-hoc... now-and-then. But the latest I've watched (which is actually quite an old series) was "Last One Standing" or "與敵同行". The show really surprised me with its originality... it's not those typical TVB series. I must say it is quite impressive with a marvelous plot and unexpected twist. The show keeps you guessing on what's coming next and this is something TVB seldom do nowadays. The plot is pretty unpredictable, thus the element of surprise!

Of course, the cast is great. Roger Kwok did a great villainous job! The ending somehow was a bit crappy (that's what I normally feel with almost all TVB shows). But at least, this one is a unique show worth watching. My only regrets is not knowing the name of the 2 background musics that play whenever Roger Kwok turns bad! Anyone can help me there?

Safety at Work Place

Some pictures at the construction site of NY's Empire State Building:

Aren't we glad we are not working in the 1930s?

来来回回 (Back and forth)

有相聚　有分离　还是始终喜欢你
明月清风总给我希望　分开终于依然一起
我等待　我希冀　如像初春的天气
无论天青天阴洒雨洒雾　心感觉也会很美
*来来回回仍念记　从前曾陪伴你
浮浮沉沉怀缅　多么似旧影戏
犹犹疑疑来读你　留下红唇日记
原来从前曾为我　不多讲爱你便生气
若我知　假设若我知　才几声爱你导致别离
在那天讲一千句　我一生也爱着你
在这天　准我在这天　弥补表爱意没有限期
为你讲　讲千亿句　一生一世也爱你
有相近　有分歧　还是始终痴恋你
明白必须讲心里说话　否则不可能一起
我等待着我希冀　还像初春的天气
而无论天青抑天阴洒雨洒雾　只想再碰着你　REPEAT *

Quite in the mood for old Cantonese songs. Must be the "Save Cantonese" campaign in Guangdong & Hong Kong having an effect on me!!! Anyway, happened to tune in to 8TV Chinese serials today. It was showing 家好月圓 with Jacky Cheung's 來來回回 playing in the background. That was when the young 官家仔 was bidding farewell to 于素秋 at the ferry terminal. The song suddenly turned on my nostalgia of old Chinese songs again... they just don't make songs like they used to. And Mandarin is definitely killing off Cantonese songs....

Actually Mandarin has become so overwhelming nowadays that kids are no longer speaking Cantonese, which is really a pity. And I find my Cantonese also rusting from lack of use, what more with me being in JB where the lingua franca of the Chinese community happens to be Mandarin. I've gotten so used to Mandarin that sometimes I'm ordering in Mandarin even when in KL. Damn... can't let Mandarin take over my tongue! In fact, it's not even my mother tongue... Mandarin is the mother tongue of the Beijing-ers, not the southerners! It shot to fame and became the common language of China during a "referendum" in 1911 where Mandarin beat Cantonese by only 1 vote to become the national language of China!

Tengku Razaleigh 2010 - "Malaysian Youth & Intellectually Informed Acti...

This was a speech by Tengku Razaleigh at the Malaysia Student Leaders Summit (MSLS) recently. Something, that we all Malaysians should really think about for the sake of our future. His views may not sit well with some of our present leaders, as he said "History, and the 8 o’clock news, are written by the victors." And neither are these necessarily my views, but I think what he said makes sense and Malaysians should hear him out on this and decide on their own!

"Politicians are not your parents. They are your servants. You don’t need a government slogan coined by a foreign PR agency to wrap your project in. You just go ahead and do it."

Of Tunku, he mentioned... "Here was a man at ease with himself, made it a policy goal that Malaysia be “a happy country”. He loved sport and encouraged sporting achievement among Malaysians. He was owner of many a fine race horse. He called a press conference with his stewards when his horse won at the Melbourne Cup. He had nothing to hide because his great integrity in service was clear to all. Now we have religious and moral hypocrites who cheat, lie and steal in office but , who propagate an ideologically shackled education system for all Malaysians while they send their own kids to elite academies in the West."

"When we were at ease with who we were and didn’t need slogans to do our best together, we did well. When race and money entered our game, we declined. The same applies to our political and economic life"

"Without a doubt, Malaysia is slipping. Billions have been looted from this country, and billions more are being siphoned out as our entire political structure crumbles. Yet we are gathered here in comfort, in a country that still seems to ‘work.’ Most of the time. This is due less to good management than to the extraordinary wealth of this country. You were born into a country of immense resources both natural and cultural and social. We have been wearing down this advantage with mismanagement and corruption. With lies, tall tales and theft. We have a political class unwilling or unable to address the central issue of the day because they have grown fat and comfortable with a system built on lies and theft. It is easy to fall into the lull caused by the combination of whatever wealth has not been plundered and removed and political class that lives in a bubble of sycophancy."

"Overcome the urge to have our hopes for the future endorsed by the Prime Minister. He will have retired, and I’ll be long gone when your future arrives. The shape of your future is being determined now."

"Resist the temptation to say “in line with” when we do something. Your projects, believe it or not, don’t have to be in line with any government campaign for them to be meaningful. You don’t need to polish anyone’s apple. Just get on with what you plan to do."

"Do not put a lid on certain issues as “sensitive” because someone said they are. Or it is against the Social Contract. Or it is “politicisation”. You don’t need to have your conversation delimited by the hyper-sensitive among us. Sensitivity is often a club people use to hit each other with. Reasoned discussion of contentious issues builds understanding and trust. Test this idea."

"It’s not “uber-liberal” to ask for an end to having politics, economic policy, education policy and everything and the kitchen sink determined by race. It’s called growing up. Go look up “liberal” in a dictionary."

"Don’t let the politicians you have invited here talk down to you. Don’t let them tell you how bright and “exuberant” you are, that you are the future of the nation, etc. If you close your eyes and flow with their flattery you have safely joined the caravan, a caravan taking the nation down a sink hole. If they tell you the future is in your hands kindly request that they hand that future over first. Ask them how come the youngest member of our cabinet is 45. Our Merdeka cabinet had an average age below thirty. That was 50-over years ago. You’re not the first generation to be bright. Mine wasn’t too stupid. But you could be the first generation of students and young graduates in fifty years to push this nation through a major transformation. And it is a transformation we need desperately."

"You will be told that much is expected of you, much has been given to you, and so forth. This is all true. Actually much has also been stolen from you. Over the last twenty five years, much of the immense wealth generated by our productive people and our vast resources has been looted. This was supposed to have been your patrimony. The uncomplicated sense of belonging fully, wholeheartedly, unreservedly, to this country, in all it diversity, that has been taken from you."

"Today we are no longer as united as we were then. We are also less free. I don’t think this is a coincidence. It takes free people to have the psychological strength to overcome the confines of a racialised worldview. It takes free people to overcome those politicians bent on hanging on to power gained by racialising every feature of our life including our football teams."

"It is time to realise the dream of Dato’ Onn and the spirit of the Alliance, of Tunku Abdul Rahman. That dream was one of unity and a single Malaysian people. They went as far as they could with it in their time. Instead of taking on the torch we have reversed course. The next step for us as a country is to move beyond the infancy of race-based parties to a non-racial party system. Our race-based party system is the key political reason why we are a sick country, declining before our own eyes, with money fleeing and people telling their children not to come home after their studies."

光輝歲月(Glory Days)

钟声响起归家的讯号
在他生命里彷佛带点唏嘘
黑色剪给他的意义
是一生奉献肤色斗争中
年月把拥有变做失去
疲倦的双眼带着期望
今天只有残留的躯壳
迎接光辉岁月
风雨中抱紧自由
一生经过彷徨的挣扎
自信可改变未来
问谁又能做到
可否不分肤色的界限
愿这土地里不分你我高低
缤纷色彩闪出的美丽
是因它没有分开每种色彩
年月把拥有变做失去
疲倦的双眼带着期望
今天只有残留的躯壳
迎接光辉岁月
风雨中抱紧自由
一生经过彷徨的挣扎
自信可改变未来
问谁又能做到
今天只有残留的躯壳
迎接光辉岁月
风雨中抱紧自由
一生经过彷徨的挣扎
自信可改变未来
问谁又能做到
今天只有残留的躯壳
迎接光辉岁月
风雨中抱紧自由
一生经过彷徨的挣扎
自信可改变未来
问谁又能做到

This is a very old Cantonese song (80's or 90's?) and is still an all-time favorite... evergreen. It's a call for mankind to stop racial discrimination and acknowledge that all are equal regardless of the color of skin or background. While the days of slavery and Apartheid are long gone, racial discrimination still exists in virtually all countries (unless the country is mono-ethnic). And this is still true even in country that prides itself as a model nation in handling multi-ethnic society. I believe, somehow men are inherently racist not because they are bad. It's more of a social upbringing and cultural familiarity. But when it becomes a systematic means of discrimination and sidelining others (worse still... becomes entrenched) then it becomes a moral issue and an impediment to progress.

Kumar Drag Queen

This is really funny... but please be forewarned that the videos are 18SX and contain politically-sensitive connotations.

Your Mother' Tongue

Learning the mother tongue is hell for most Singaporeans and for some of us in KL too! I was virtually forced to learn Mandarin which has never been my favorite language. In school, I have always wondered what the hell Mandarin was for... those days, China was still wading in mud. The Malaysian government speaks Malay, the business circle uses English, KLites speak Cantonese and city folks attend SRK, not SRJK!

It was not until I went to university where I actually spoke Mandarin coz there were simply too much of my course-mates from Mandarin-speaking community. Apparently, aside from KL, Ipoh & Penang, the rest of Malaysia speaks Mandarin. So I had no choice but to 讲华语。And when I ended up in JB, thank God I had some knowledge of Mandarin. Everyone speaks it and the Chinese hawker stalls here do not have English or Malay wordings! All in all, I must be grateful that somehow I was forced to pick it up. In today's world, knowing Mandarin is definitely and advantage. And now, China is no longer wading in mud, it is swimming in gold!

Govt to continue explaining 1Malaysia concept: DPM

Govt to continue explaining 1Malaysia concept: DPM

There goes the DPM opening his big mouth again. The one who needs some explaining on the true meaning of 1Malaysia, is the DPM himself.

The magical word

This was a classical description of the word which I have read many many years back. Apparently, George Carlin, a famous stand-up comedy was the first to describe the word in this manner. And now, an Indian 'professor' put a new twist to it! Well... this Indian fella is not really a professor but is a "spiritual atheist" (whatever that means), goes by the name Osho.

The Wave Song (With Lyric and Sing along) - MrBrown Show Production

Funny song on the Singapore floods.... first floods in 50 years, but 3 in a month!

Ooooooooh woooooooh hohoho
Ooooooooh woooooooh hohoho
Blame your mother, blame your father
Blame the season, blame the maker
See the waters, down in Orchard
Lucky Plaza, basement flooded
We have a big longkang
Our drains should be Number One
But when the freak rain come
In the end we still lan lan

So we say

When I eat horfun,
I saw the rain come I call PUB,
they never call me back
I think they damn slack
I think they damn slack
I think they damn slack
I think they damn

When I drink Horlick,
I saw the rain come I call PUB,
they never call me back
My car in void deck
I can't find my cat
My underwear wet
And there it goes

Ooooooooh woooooooh hohoho
Ooooooooh woooooooh hohoho
Say it's garbage, say it's blockage
Say it's bad luck, that drain got stuck
PM say don't, unrealistic Singapore can't, be zero flood

Time to buy sampan
Don't park in Basement One
And when the freak rain come
Why this song so Cheena one ?
So we say When I eat horfun,
I saw the rain come I call PUB,
they never call me back
I think they damn slack
I think they damn slack
I think they damn slack
I think they damn

When I eat chee cheong fun,
I saw the rain come I call PUB,
they never call me back
My car in void deck
I can't find my cat
My underwear wet
And there it goes
Ooooooooh woooooooh hohoho . . .

Fringe Season 2 Preview

The much awaited Fringe Season 2 is finally showing on TV. Catch it now on NTV7 Sundays at 8.30pm.

E-Census

New word invented by the Statistics Department? Eccess???Just did the E-Census... wuz a breeze. Except that occassionaly the form changes to BM and I had to again click on the "English" link. Otherwise it was quite easy and I get to print out the filled up form.

Initially was a bit irked, whent the enumerator replied that he'll do the e-census and all I need to provide him was my name. What a sham... all this 'tidak apa' attitude is making the whole census exercise a half-baked one. Nevertheless I insisted on doing it myself and he provided me the ID for logging in. Completed it within few minutes. First time I did a banci. Maybe 10 years ago it was done by my parents lah when I was still in KL. But now I'm doing it on my own.

Paul's take on the next general elections

As a friend of mine remarked, "Even Paul knows the right choice... why can't Malaysians?" Well... we should really consider getting Paul's real expert advice! Not that Pakatan is much better but BN definitely deserves a bigger kick for it is getting arrogant again. They still haven't learnt their lesson yet.

Slogan... only slogan

As expected, no response yet from MBJB regarding the opened manhole on the road near my apartment. It's already more than 1 week since I've reported the incident via their 'E-Aduan' website. Proof that nothing has changed in the government... as hopeless as ever. "Rakyat Didahulukan, Pencapaian Diutamakan" is just plain slogan... We know who are the one "didahulukan" and what is "diutamankan". Unfortunately, it were not and still are not the "rakyat" and "pencapaian".

Olivia Ong's "You and Me"

Taking a trip down memory lane
Things have changed One thing remains
That they will always have each other
And even though those days have gone
They know here is where they belong
Theres some kinda magic in the air

Feel the warmth
That only summer breezes can bring
Sweet little notes of spring begin
Nothing to fear

Taking one step at a time
Walking hand in hand
1 2 3 4
Cheek to cheek
And theyre learning How to do that dance
Let this love be forever more they say
I wish for this, to be true for you and me

Holding her close he leading the way
Out at the park Enjoying the Day
And you can tell theyll be ok
Feel the warmth
That only summer breezes can bring
Sweet little notes of spring begin
Nothing to fear

Taking one step at a time
Walking hand in hand
1 2 3 4
Cheek to cheek
And theyre learning How to do that dance
Let this love be forever more they say
I wish for this, to be true for you and me

Taking one step at a time
Walking hand in hand
1 2 3 4
Cheek to cheek
And theyre learning How to do that dance
Let this love be forever more they say
I wish for this, to be true for you and me
To be true for you and me
To be true for you and me
You and me
You and me

MBJB E-Aduan

I have just lodged a complaint on MBJB's web site regarding a gaping manhole on the road near my apartment. The manhole has been left open for more than a week and is really a hazard to road users. The complaint web site is actually quite okay and seems professional enough. But what really matters is: I wonder how long does it take MBJB to solve the problem? I wonder if anyone is picking up on this complaint? Rakyat didahulukan, pencapaian diutamakan? Let's see... I'll definitely update on this issue.

And I didn't really expect my Taman is under MBJB. Thought it was all the while under MPJBT until I checked it out today. In other words, I am a city folk!

While we are on the subject of municipality, Pasir Gudang is scheduled to be officially proclaimed a municipality tomorrow - Majlis Perbandaran Pasir Gudang. This is after years (almost 30??) of being runned by a so-called private local authority. Actually I don't see the difference between the private and government local authority. And to celebrate the grand proclamation, they are lighting up the trees... They are busy installing flood lights (blue, red, green.... you know what I mean) illuminating the trees. Never mind the roads, the trees are more important. It seems that the leaves can't see its trunks at night. Never mind that some stretch of the Pasir Gudang Highway is so dark that it's just waiting for disaster to happen.... or rather how many accidents have already occured on the highway all these years!

I'm sure the ridiculous Menara Aqabah would also be lighted up for the grand proclamation. Yes that bloody tower in town to ensure continuous glut in the office space supply in an industrial town. Actually, I was wondering what 'Aqabah' means. Did a google on it and turned up Aqabah = Ugliest! I hope this is just a mistake in translation! Imagine Menara Aqabah = Ugliest Tower!

The KL MRT route in the future?

Got this from transit.org.my. Click for the details. If only this becomes a reality...
Meanwhile, for Johoreans: Don't expect an LRT or monorail line anytime soon in JB. According to the Iskandar Malaysia people, they have done a research and found that the existing JB population does not make constructing an LRT line an economical feat. Instead, they will spend money on improving the bus system. So, don't believe those new property launches with a "Proposed LRT" line on its map! But I guess most Johoreans would know it - the "Proposed LRT" line has been on the map for more than 10 years!

Random crap

Life can be full of craps. Craps from TV and craps from the work place.

Random crap from Mr. Siao Season 2 on tactics to subdue your enemies:

美人計 : No people's chicken
苦肉計 : The meat that tastes bitter

Random crap from K.C. Toh:

包山包海 : Cover mountain, cover sea
已经七七八八，还有二二三三 : Already seven seven eight eight, still got two two three three
有眼不识泰山 : Got eye don't know Tarzan

Random crap from S.K. Yap:

没见过大蛇哦屎 : Haven't seen a big snake shit
你估我唔知道你老母係女人? : You think I dunno your mother is a woman?
二五仔 : Two five boy
******** : Throw your mother's old shoes

Random crap from M. Wong:

唔飄唔賭終需幫趁藥材舗 : Don't fool around, don't gamble, end up visiting the medical hall
天有天公，地有地主公，够月拿人工: (Don't know how to translate this)

出国逛逛，把钱花光，为国争光 : Go out jalan-jalan, spend all the money, for the sake of the country

享受人生，不要人在天堂，钱在银行: Enjoy life, don't end up the heaven with all your money still in the bank

* Pardon some of my Chinese words which may not be correct. That's the closest in pronunciation that I could insert in view of my limited vocab.

Pudu Gaol

The old Pudu Jail in KL will soon be demolished. A chunk of KL's history and heritage is being broken down to pieces.

Why employees leave organizations?

This article was written by Azim Premji, CEO of Wipro.

Every company faces the problem of people leaving the company for better pay or profile.

Early this year, Mark, a senior software designer, got an offer from a prestigious international firm to work in its China operations developing specialized software. He was thrilled by the offer. He had heard a lot about the CEO. The salary was great. The company had all the right systems in place employee-friendly human resources (HR) policies, a spanking new office, and the very best technology, even a canteen that served superb food.

Twice Mark was sent abroad for training. "My learning curve is the sharpest it's ever been," he said soon after he joined.

Last week, less than eight months after he joined, Mark walked out of the job.

Why did this talented employee leave ?

Arun quit for the same reason that drives many good people away.

The answer lies in one of the largest studies undertaken by the Gallup Organization. The study surveyed over a million employees and 80,000 managers and was published in a book called "First Break All The Rules". It came up with this surprising finding:

If you're losing good people, look to their immediate boss. Immediate boss is the reason people stay and thrive in an organization. And he's the reason why people leave. When people leave they take knowledge, experience and contacts with them, straight to the competition.

"People leave managers not companies," write the authors Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman.

Mostly manager drives people away?

HR experts say that of all the abuses, employees find humiliation the most intolerable. The first time, an employee may not leave, but a thought has been planted. The second time, that thought gets strengthened. The third time, he looks for another job.

When people cannot retort openly in anger, they do so by passive aggression. By digging their heels in and slowing down. By doing only what they are told to do and no more. By omitting to give the boss crucial information. Dev says: "If you work for a jerk, you basically want to get him into trouble. You don't have your heart and soul in the job."

Different managers can stress out employees in different ways - by being too controlling, too suspicious, too pushy, too critical, but they forget that workers are not fixed assets, they are free agents. When this goes on too long, an employee will quit - often over a trivial issue.

Talented men leave. Dead wood doesn't.

Jack Welch of GE once said. A company's value lies "between the ears of its employees".

MRT Plan for KL

I note with excitation and reservations over the proposed RM30b MRT system for KL. It's high time KL has a proper rail network. But knowing Malaysia, I am not convinced until I actually see the trains running! I still remember, when I was in primary 1, my teacher showed us a picture of a monorail running smack in front of Sultan Abdul Samad Building in KL. That was actually an artist image of a proposed rail system for KL. That was in 1986. KL didn't have its rail line running until the late 90's when the STAR LRT came about. So, you see, it takes 10 years to turn a proposal into reality in Malaysia.

Not too long ago, the PM announced the LRT extensions. I wonder what came out of it? Are the tenders already out? When will work start? When will the trains run? That was only a RM7b project. Now a RM30b project is up for grabs. The idea of a wider rail network is actually not something new. Back in 2007, someone proposed a more extensive rail network:

The proposal looks quite similar to what is being bandied about now. Lets see what comes out of it in the end.

First world country flooded

Flood in Malaysia is a common thing. But flood in Singapore is something new. Yes, they have the occassional flash floods (barely above the ankles) that made to prime time news as if it was a major catastrophe. Yes, Beach Road and areas around canals get flooded occassionally, causing severe losses to flowers and grasses. But a flooded Orchard Road with shopping complexes inundated with storm water? An Orchard Road that has become Orchard River? That's something new.

I happen to be at Marina Barrage couple of months back where PUB was talking about that grand project which will resolve many flooding issues during high tide & storm. Unfortunately, all the grand plans and mega engineering could not defeat mother nature's fury. A freak storm assisted by clogged drains (are we really not talking about JB??) cause one of the worst floods in Singapore in years. Given that Singapore's news hardly have any news, this would surely be much talked about in their news & talk shows for some time.

And while we are at it, I wonder when the next big flood will hit JB. Both JB and Singapore had more or less the same storm that faithful day. Surprised, JB survived unscathed given our horrible drainage. Or maybe the worst has yet to come. I better not talk to soon, seems like there's been quite a lot of freak storm lately in JB too, blowing off roofs and uprooting trees. Think one happened couple of days back causing hours of horrendous jam on Pasir Gudang Highway. Yeah... the world's climate is definitely going crazy.

With the lifting of subsidies...

As our caring government starts removing the subsidies, we better get used to the prices of everything rising. Be it sugar, flour, cooking oil, petrol, diesel, electricity, gas, toll, bus ticket... everything will increase in price.

Rui En in "With You" (我在你左右）

Some pics of Rui En in Mediacorp's series "With You", which has just concluded its last episode tonight. In line with my earlier post on the series "Ghost Adventures", this Singaporean series is also about contact with the other dimension.

The show's story line is quite different from the typical Chinese series and there are some elements of surprise turn of events, which I quite like. Furthermore, Rui En is in the show. Haven't seen her acting for some time.

Ghost Adventures

Catch this interesting show on NTV7 every week. (Not mistaken, it's on Sunday nights). These guys visit places famous for hauntings and lock themselves in for the night. Armed with only night-vision cameras and voice recorders, they taunt the "ghosts" in hope of finding proof of their existence. A nice show to watch on a cold night with lights off!

New plans for Segget River?

Johor Baru losing its appeal (The Star)

I first heard of the "re-opening" of Segget River a few weeks back from a friend who happened to have attended a briefing by IRDA on the JB city renewal plan. This horrible, stinky, rat-infested river (or I thought it was a monsoon drain) has been an eyesore for years, smack in the middle of the city. Some JB old-timers claimed that the river was once clean and clear. In fact, they could actually swim in it and during high tide fishes wade in. However, after decades of pollution, the river has ended up becoming nothing more than a big drain. No thanks to the hawkers dumping their garbage into it, the river became the symbol of JB aroma.

Instead of cleaning up, the city council decided to sweep things under the carpet (favorite Malaysian strategy). Few years back, they spent millions to cover up Segget River. So you don't smell the stink and the rats can have a home with shade. Thereafter, everyone seems to have forgotten the river exists. That is until the above news came out that IRDA intends to open up the "drain covers", clean up the river and promote boating and recreational activities along Segget River. Some sort of a Venice in JB. I hope they have a comprehensive long-term plan for this for the river is so dead it may take more than 10 years to clean up. Meanwhile, the aroma of JB will be back for us to reminisce the smell of the city before the Segget Cover-Up.

Segget in early years

Segget now (the drain is covered)

Organized Crime