The Bad Got Transferred

I'm wondering about this practise of transferring people with a case to another place. A dubious cop gets transferred to another station. A dubious teacher/headmaster/headmistress gets transferred to another school. An equally dubious government servant got transferred to another department. Why do we accept this practise?



1) They've made a mess here, let them make a mess somewhere else.

2) They've made a mess here, they can't make a mess somewhere else because they're not familiar with the ground.



Probably the rationale is in 2) but why the organization receiving this bad apple did not question it. Why do they deserve a cop or teacher/headmaster/headmistress, employee of a questionable character? Why do they have to live with such character among their untainted midst? Or probably it's an honor to be receiving this bad apple so they can prove to be able to turn him/her over.



This is really a big mystery to me.



The way I see it, these bad apples will take it out on innocent victims like the student and the public. They're angry they get caught. They're angry they got transferred. They're angry they can't do what they've done before. But on a positive note, probably some of these bad apples got a jolt they've been found out and will be afraid to do it again.



Unless it's something like this case where a superior uses his/her position to transfer someone for personal reason. Then all I can say, it's her lose and someone else's gain.

Tolerance Level – Low! Very Very Low!

What do you do if your tolerance level to someone is extremely low?



a) Try to have minimal contact with them.

b) Tell them what you think.

c) Be nice in front of them but bi*ch about them behind their back.

d) Punish yourself for not being a positive and nice person.

e) ...Put your own action here...



My answer is a).



Sometimes someone can irritate me without having to put much effort. Their incessant comments on how the world screwed up just because the world don’t take advice from him, Mr. Know-All; ceaseless stories of their past glories; expecting people to suit their rules; and to top it all, unhygienic bad habit in public places. Aiiyyaaahhh… so old already also don’t know doing that in public is totally unacceptable. Did you see anyone else doing it?



I’m sure none of you can imagine what bad habit I’m talking about. This is really a very rare bad habit. I can assure you, you’re such a lucky person not to know him.



Being in the same room with the person is enough to put me on high blood pressure. I was forced to be in the company of the person in question yesterday. Really cannot tahan… *grit teeth*. I would have to be in the company of the person again the day after tomorrow if I’ve not find a way not to. Lucky for me, I found the perfect excuse. *sigh a big relief*



I don’t care if people want to say I’m not a positive and nice person for not having a higher tolerance level to the said person. I’m only human after all. I realized I’m the one with problem because I can’t accept someone the way he is. But I’ve known people who got really impatient and showed their displeasure to him only after a short while. I believe he has no idea why people are being so hostile and must have think those person have some attitude problem. So to compare my reaction with reactions from other people, I think I fared better.



Since I know my emotion can’t handle him, his talks, his bad habit, I better avoid him as much as I can. We can’t expect people to change for us. And there are some things we really can’t take.



Solution: Avoid each other.

End of the Road

"At times you may feel it's the end of the world. Just remember that what the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly."

--Martha Beck, author and life coach--

Tourist Center or Souvenir Shop?

On my first trip to Morib last Sunday, found the so called Tourist Center located strategically near the beach. What does a tourist center do? I assume they must have capable staff to entertain queries about tourism in Selangor if not the whole Malaysia. They must also have some brochures to be given away or sell if giving it out for free is deemed too expensive for the government.

I went in hoping to get more information on places I can go for my photography outing. When asked for brochures, the two ladies make constipated faces while pointing to a corner with their mouth and then saying, "errr... takder lah!" What I saw was so disappointing. The place shouldn't be named Tourist Center!. Just name it a souvenir shop lah. They have lots of souvenirs. I didn't even take a good look on what kind of souvenirs they're selling. So disturbed I was that a Tourist Center don't have anything helpful to tourist.

Windows of KKB

Can anyone translate what's written on the windows?


A very old building.

Considering the oldest building in Fraser's Hill was built on 1919, this is definitely not the oldest building here.

Kalau pergi Kuala Kubu,
Tulis nama atas batu,
Saban hari ku menanti waktu,
Pulanglah segera kepadaku...

The place was made famous in the song sang by Allahyarham Sudirman Hj. Arshad. Anyone remember the song title? I'm not sure if I got the lyrics right but it sounds something like that. Kuala Kubu Baru is a beautiful town, with many old government and shop buildings, beautiful scenery, very clean and well-kept. I've gone to KKB several times for official matter but have never taken the time to explore the town until last Saturday. Many of the old shops are still standing and looking very strong. You can cover the whole town in less than half day on foot actually. Walking here is very relaxing, crossing the street is a breeze, and many of the cars are driven at 40-50 kmph. For those who have walked in Rawang and tried crossing the street, you can really feel the huge difference. Enjoy some of my amateur photos of KKB town.

There's no traffic light in the town center. No need for one.	On a clear day, the background of this town must be very picturesque.	An old shop building.
The beautiful winding road.	Many big shady trees.	The modern looking post office.

Updated 21/06/2005: The song is titled Joget Kenangan Manis

I Steal This

Today is a tiring but fulfilling day, cruising along the west coast along the beach, from Bagan Lalang to unplanned Batu Laut stop, to Morib and Tanjung Harapan in Port Klang.







Among my treasured photo is this, a friendly baby when we’re having our brunch in Bagan Lalang. He turned to look at us almost all the time when the parents were eating and making cute faces and smiling back when we make not so cute faces to him. Unfortunately I didn’t dare take many photos lest the parents will scowl or scold us. Couldn’t get the picture of him smiling but this is cute too. Look at his chubby cheek. Pinch! Pinch! Pinch!



Note: I’ll put up other photos later. Maybe 2-3 days later (if not more) since the coming weekdays will be a hectic one. Sigh!

Rebirth - A New Friend

Yesterday, 22nd May 2004 (3rd Rabiul Akhir), is a special occasion to many of us. A beloved friend has decided to become a Muslim. May Allah bless her. She has always been a nice person. We're taking the same course in the university and since there are not that many of us from the same batch taking the course (due to university quota, not for lack of the course popularity), we're quite close to each other. Often, she'll ask whether we have prayed. She doesn't want to be keeping us from performing our obligation when chit chatting or having discussion with her.



About 4 p.m. at ABIM Ampang, she said her syahadah after listening to some explanation and advice from the Ustaz. The Ustaz is a funny man. He joked about my friend bringing the whole 'kampong' to the ceremony. Maybe it's not often so many people attended the ceremony for a single person in the past. There are some of her university friends, her friends during her course in INTAN, and her colleagues in the attendance. The ceremony then gets very emotional when about 30 friends from the many groups in her life, were requested to say something by the Ustaz, to welcome, motivate and encourage her.



I'm glad she's keeping her Chinese name and don't even have to add Abdullah. I've always been against changing name when one becomes a Muslim. There are millions of Muslims all over the world with Chinese, African, Filipino, American names. Why does Malaysian have to change their name to Arabic or Malay sounding name when they convert. It confuses the non-Muslims into thinking that changing names is a requirement to become a Muslim. It's not. Even during the Prophet time, he only suggested the change when people have names with a bad meaning.

Emi,



Lots of hugs to you. You'll always have my support, any kind at any time. You've had the strength and courage to convert, may you have the strength and courage to face the future. It may get a bit bumpy sometimes, but that's life and all your friends are behind you. Sometimes, those who are born Muslim like me, take our faith for granted. While for some, it takes a lot of soul searching and guidance from Allah to see the light. It's quite an experience for me to witness this special moment in your life. Thank you for inviting me and welcome back to Islam.

Flying With Chicken Wings

Mom can be funny sometimes. We always buy a whole chicken at the market. Chicken wing is one of my favorite chicken parts. Since no one at home seems to like it, I can have all the chicken wings available in every chicken meal prepared. But recently mom said if only she can do something with the chicken wings. It’s not good for me. I never seem to stay at home on weekend, probably due to too many chicken wings she said. Hahaha... in other words, "bontot tak lekat kat rumah". Well what do you expect? I've spend most of my weekdays at home (refer here), I need to get out and rejuvenate.

From My Inbox: 10 Ways To Marry The Wrong Person

With the divorce rate over 50%, too many are apparently making a serious mistake in deciding whom to spend the rest of their life with. To avoid becoming a "statistic," try to internalize 10 insights.



1. You pick the wrong person because you expect him/her to change after you're married. The classic mistake! NEVER MARRY POTENTIAL!! The Golden Rule is, if you can't be happy with the person the way he or she is now, don't get married. As a colleague of mine so wisely put it, "You actually can expect people to change after their married...for the worst!" So when it comes to the other person's spirituality, character, personal hygiene, communication skills, and personal habits, make sure you can live with these as they are now.



2. You pick the wrong person because you focus more on chemistry than on character. Chemistry ignites the fire, but good character keeps it burning. Beware of the "I'm in love" syndrome. "I'm in love" often means, "I'm in lust." Attraction is there, but have you carefully checked out this person's character? Here are four characteristics to definitely check for:



Humility: Does this person believe that "doing the right thing" is more important than personal comfort?

Kindness: Does this person enjoy giving pleasure to other people? How does s/he treat people s/he doesn't have to be nice to? Does s/he do volunteer work? Give to charity?

Responsibility: Can I depend on this person to do what s/he says s/he's going to do?

Happiness: Does this person like himself? Does s/he enjoy life? Is s/he emotionally stable?



Ask yourself: Do I want to be more like this person? Do I want to have a child with this person? Would I like my child to turn out like him or her?



3. You choose the wrong person because you do not share a common life goal and priorities. There are three basic ways we connect with another person:



a) Chemistry and compatibility

b) share common interests

c) share common life goal.



Make sure you share a deeper level of connection that sharing life goals provide. After marriage, the two of you will either grow together or grow apart. To avoid growing apart, you must figure out what you're living for while you are single-and then find someone who has come to the same conclusion as you. This is the true definition of a soul mate. A soul mate is a goal mate....two people who ultimately share the same understanding of life's purpose and therefore share the same priorities, values and goals.



4. You pick the wrong person because you do not have deeper emotional connection. To evaluate whether you have a deeper emotional connection or not, ask:



Do I respect and admire this person?



This does not mean, "Am I impressed by this person?" We are impressed by a Mercedes. We do not respect someone because they own a Mercedes. Yes, you should be impressed by qualities of creativity, loyalty, determination, etc but do you actually respect and admire this person who possesses these qualities? Also ask:



"Do I trust this person?" This also means, "Is he/she emotionally stable? Do I feel I can rely on him/her?



5. You pick the wrong person because you choose someone with whom you don't feel emotionally safe. Ask yourself the following questions:



Do I feel calm, peaceful and relaxed with this person? Can I fully be myself and express myself with this person? Does this person make me feel good about myself? Do you have a really close friend who does make you feel this way? Make sure the person you marry makes you feel the same way! Are you afraid of this person in any way?



You should not feel you need to monitor what you say because you are afraid of how the other person will view it. If you're afraid to express your feelings and opinions openly, there's a problem with the relationship. Another aspect of feeling safe is that you don't feel the other person is trying to control you. Controlling behaviors are a sign of an abusive person. Be on the look out for someone who is always trying to change you. There is a big difference between "controlling" and "making suggestions." A suggestion is made for your benefit; a control statement is made for their benefit.



6. You pick the wrong person because you don't put everything on the table. Anything that bothers you about the relationship must be brought up for discussion. Bringing up the uncomfortable stuff is the only way to evaluate how well the two of you communicate, negotiate, and work together. Over the course of a lifetime, difficulties will inevitably arise. You need to know now, before making a commitment:



Can you resolve your differences and find compromises that work for both of you?



Never be afraid to let the person know what bothers you. This is also a way for you to test how vulnerable you can be with this person. If you can't be vulnerable, you can't be intimate. The two go hand in hand.



7. You pick the wrong person because you use the relationship to escape from personal problems and unhappiness. If you are unhappy and single, you'll probably be unhappy and married, too. Marriage does not fix personal, psychological and emotional problems. If anything, marriage will exacerbate them. If you are not happy with yourself and your life, take responsibility to fix it now while you are single. You'll feel better and your future spouse will thank you.



8. You choose the wrong person because you get involved sexually too quickly. This can be a big problem because it often precludes a fully honest exploration of important issues. Sexual involvement tends to cloud one's mind. And a clouded mind is not inclined to make good decisions. It is not necessary to "test drive" in order to find out if a couple are sexually compatible. If you do your homework and make sure you are intellectually and emotionally compatible, you don't have to worry about sexual compatibility. Of all the studies on divorce, sexual incompatibility is never cited as a main reason why people divorce.



9. You pick the wrong person because the man doesn't understand what a woman needs most. Men and women have unique emotional needs and more often than not, it is the man who just doesn't get it. The unique need of a woman is to be loved. -To feel that she is the most important person in her husband's life. The husband needs to give her consistent, quality attention. Sexual intimacy is always on the woman's terms. Men are goal oriented especially when it comes to this area. As a wise woman once pointed out, "Men have two speeds: on and off." Women are experience oriented. When a man is able to switch gears and become more experience-oriented, he Will discover what makes his wife very happy. When the man forgets about his own needs and focuses on giving his wife pleasure, amazing things will happen.



10. You pick the wrong person because he/she is involved in a triangle. To be "triangulated" means a person is emotionally dependent on someone or something else while trying to develop another relationship. A person who hasn't separated from his or her parents is a classic example of triangulation. People can also be triangulated with things as well, such as work, drugs, Internet, hobbies, sports or money. Be careful that you and your partner are free of triangles. The person caught in a triangle cannot be fully emotionally available to you. You'll not be their number one priority. And that's not basis for a marriage.



Ability is what you're capable of doing.............

Motivation determines what you do...................

Attitude determines how well you do it!

The Art of Forwarding Email

For those who used Outlook Express or anything similar as your main email program, have you ever had to open emails after emails like this to get to the main content of the forwarded email sent by your friends and colleagues? I'm not sure how it is if you're using web mail, but I just want to comment what a painful experience that can be. The only reason I'm taking the trouble to open emails after emails is because it's forwarded by a friend, with the assumption it must be something interesting that your friend think you must see it too. If the sender is not anyone close to me, I'd just delete the email after opening 2-3 layers of the same email. I am not going to let my self sit through the process of opening layers upon layers of email from a stranger, while gritting my teeth wondering when I will reach the main email content. Every time I click 'Open', I'll be praying and hoping that this will be the last one, and my shoulders will dropped in disappointment when there's more email to open.



All it takes is for the sender to do one or two steps before clicking the 'Forward' button. If the email is displayed as inline text, take the trouble to delete the top portion and the bottom portion of the email that has got nothing to do whatsoever to the content of the email you want to forward. If the emails are sent as attachments where you have to open layers upon layers of email before getting to the main content, click 'Forward' at the main email content instead of from the e-mail’s main page that you receive. Otherwise, you'll add another layer when your friend opens up the email. This will then propagate until one people either just delete the email without reading it or take the trouble to 'clean' up the email before forwarding it to his/her friends. If you have so many >>>> signs in the email you received, try cleaning it up with Email Stripper, a small but useful program that can clean all those >>>> signs for you with a click of a button.



Please try the above steps. You want your friends to enjoy the email you forward to them. Not grit their teeth while trying to get to the content of the email you think they should see. This will also reduce the size of the email. You will not clog your friend's mailbox, and also fewer loads on the internet traffic.

Five Weeks Teacher

I was once a teacher for five weeks during one of my university's long semester break. I had to take over a standard five class because their teacher was on maternity leave. That school happened to be my primary school and also my mother's, a small sub-urban school where each standard only has one class then. But during my stint as the replacement teacher, the school's much bigger with a new three storey block. I was the first student to score 5A's in Penilaian Examination in the school history. So can anyone imagine the welcome I get on my first day as a teacher?



The headmistress at that time was transferred to the school after I've left the school. She knew me by reputation and also because my younger brothers were also schooling there. On my first day, she introduces me during assembly, singing praises until I don't know where I can hide my face. The first to get 5As, the first to go to a boarding school and now studying in a reputable local university, everyone must follow her example, blablabla... Aiyyooo... so 'segan' lah.



Some of the teachers who taught me years ago also have to call me teacher. It feels funny in the beginning. The first time I teach in class with about 40 rowdy students, they told me I speak too softly. But after several days practising my vocal chords at high decibel, I can compete with the teacher teaching next door and the pupils voices with no problem. Can you imagine when you're trying to teach and the class next door is having a read aloud session. The teacher reads a line and the pupils follow all at once.



Besides being the class teacher for standard five, I also have to teach other classes. I still remember a standard one pupil where I teach Art has a case of hero worship towards me. She always offers to carry my books to the teacher's room or to my other classes. Though I really appreciate her gesture, I don't have the heart to let such a little girl to carry that much weight. She looks so dejected when I decline that I have to let her carry something.



I was also lucky because my 5 weeks as a replacement teacher includes teacher's day so I received many handmade teacher's day cards, flowers and notes from my pupils. I still keep some of them in a shoe box somewhere. And one very proud moment was when I became one of the teachers accompanying the pupils to a choir competition and our school got first place. There's no description of how proud I felt when asking them to line up to get back to the school bus and all the other teachers from other schools are looking at the whole winning group.



Those five weeks teach me a lot about teaching profession. The teacher's job did not end after school hour ends. There are many preparations to do and they have to supervise the co-curriculum activities. I have to do a lot of preparation too considering I don't have any teaching experience and was not trained as a teacher. When I was a pupil in primary school, there's some replacement teacher who didn't do anything but tells the class to do their own work. And I didn't intend to be that kind of replacement teacher. All in all, its a really worth while experience to have.



HAPPY TEACHERS DAY!

Sharing

When we share the laughter, There's twice the fun; When we share success, We surpass what we've done. When we share problems, There's half the pain; When we share tears, A rainbow follows rain. When we share dreams, They become more real; When we share secrets, It's our hearts we reveal. If we share a smile, Then our love shows; If we share a hug, Then our love grows. If we share with someone On whom we depend, That person becomes Family or friend. And what draws us closer And makes us all care, Is not what we have, But the things that we share. -Annonymous-

I'm Right, You're Wrong

When people have taken this stance, you're at a dead end. How do you tell him or her otherwise? How do you make him or her see things from a different perspective? How do you make them apologize for what they do because despite them thinking they're right, what they have done is actually unacceptable behavior under normal circumstances and under what is socially and publicly acceptable and unacceptable behavior?



Should they be left with their ignorance? Should we accept that these people have some kind of social disability? I’m perplexed when faced with such people. They left you wondering whether they really have problem understanding basic social principles or is it because they’ve made a mistake (who doesn’t?), but are too egotistical to admit them.



I’m sure we have faced this too often in our life. We have the know-all minister, the know-all boss, the know-all parents, the know-all teacher, the know-all friend, etc. I guess, it won’t be too difficult to just let them be in their own private world if what they do did not affect us in any way. But what if their decisions affect our life? We then have to fight tooth and nail to make them see what we’re faced with. How it will affect us for the rest of our lives. But then again, some still choose not to fight, not to do anything and accept it as fate.



I think that is the saddest part. And some people will say, if they don’t fight for it, they don’t want it enough. That is of course one way to look at things but some people don’t think they have a choice. Just like an adult elephant conditioned not to break away from a small chain because that chain has been used to tie them when they’re just a little baby elephant.

Unappreciative Unappreciated Endeavor

I, of all people, should know what it feels like to be unappreciated for our voluntary effort. We may do it out of our own free will, but some feedback every now and then (good or bad), will do wonders to our motivation. We don't ask for monetary reward or 'datukship' for the hard work. What we need is just some comments, any remarks to give us a sense of direction. Whether what we're doing is on the right track, or we may need to do little changes to improve things, etc. It is after all, hoped to be beneficial to everyone in our target group. But to face a complete silence is very deafening.



Thus, I feel the bloggers being put under the 'elite' limelight (the backbone behind PPS) by some person(s) shouldn't feel slighted in any way with comments on PPS. Any response, feedback, comments is better than none at all. Take it as a sincere comment for wanting to improve PPS for the better. Though 'better' can be very subjective to different people but is it not the intention that counts. While I'm deafened by the very loud silence in one of my forced voluntary undertakings, may PPS become the staple of Malaysian bloggers just like it becomes mine.

Comment Functions in Bloggers

Did I just noticed this or has it been around for quite some time? With Bloggers new look, I noticed 'Comment' tab and has tried incorporating blogger's comment function in my blog.



Now I have two comments link. Will probably phased one out one of these days but for now, I'll see what bloggers comments can do. Not that I have that many comments that is.

Magnificient Cat

What a magnificient looking cat...

Difficult World

From what we heard or read in the newspaper, it seems like this is a difficult world to live in. A world where you have to look at everyone and everything in suspicion.



When you hear your neighbor's kids crying, now you'll wonder are they just being punished for being naughty or just kids trying to get their parents attention or they're abused by their parents or guardian.



Mothers can't even leave their own children under the care of the children's birth father (their husband or ex husband) or grandfather, what more if it is step-father, relatives or neighbors for fear they'll get sexually abused.



Fathers, grandfathers, male relatives get very uncomfortable when cases of children being sexually abused by family members are highlighted in the news. Now, their wife, daughters or daughter-in-law will think twice about leaving the children under their care.



It takes longer to get to go out with your new girlfriend because you're still a stranger by any standard and if they know what is good for them, they better be careful before agreeing to go out with strangers.



You're taking risk when getting into a cab. You can get raped or robbed if you're unlucky. You're taking risk when trying to assist strangers who looked like they're trying to ask for some direction. They might take out some weapon and ask you to hand over all your valuables or follow them somewhere. Crying out for help might not help you in any way.



You can be a victim of snatch theft, getting abducted or kidnapped every time you're stepping out from your house. You can be a victim of burglary when you stayed at home.



You may suddenly being pursued by the infamous "along" because your spouse or children decided to take some debt without ever informing you. You may suddenly owe hundreds of thousands to the bank because your IC got lost once.



Sigh! The list can go on and on but I'll stop now before making myself depressed. This is indeed a very difficult world to live in. This is not the world I want to live in but this is the world that has been created by our very own doings.



We have to make the best of what we have which makes me realize how photography can be a good way of escapism. I can choose to capture the world at its best; a moment in time, freeze permanently.

Let's Just Be Friends

This is just ramblings on one of my life's experience. I hate it when a man says, "let's just be friends" when what he meant was "I'm going to make my assessment whether you can be my potential girlfriend or life partner". The worst part is when they've made their decision (and it's a NO), they'll just vanish without a trace. That's how you knew actually what they meant by 'being friends'. If any of your male friends has ever said that and is still around, they're your friend. But if they disappear without a trace after some time, most probably they've actually assessed and rejected you as a potential life partner/girlfriend.



In dramas, you'll hear this kind of dialogs when one of the parties is hinting to have a more serious relationship and the other party is not ready for any commitment. In this case, I'm referring to those stating up front when they want to befriend you, with great stress on the word 'friend' as if that will give them the license to dump you anytime they see fit. Except, you don't dump a friend do you? These guys will insist you go out with them and say, "Come on lah... it's just a friendly outing. We're friends, what's wrong in going out with a friend". (Warning: These people I'm mentioning are not a total stranger. If a stranger said that to you, my advice is to run away as fast as you can. Don't ever think those rape cases mentioned in the news will not happen to us.)



My messages to these people:-



Firstly, please don't abuse the word 'friend'. I really value that word and very often I'll take that word at face value. Friend means someone who'll stick with us through thick and thin, admittedly at a varying degree depending on how close we are with that friend. Vanishing without a trace however, did not fall under that idea of friendship to me. My Collins 2 in 1 English Dictionary and Thesaurus (my trusted companion all through university life until now) defined friend as 'one well known to another and regarded with affection and loyalty'.



Secondly, that man is assuming the woman will get hysterical and crying buckets of water tears when he told her "we shouldn't continue seeing each other anymore". That's apparently why he chose the safest route i.e. vanish into thin air, instead of dealing with the hysterics and tears. For all he knew, she has never even thought of him as anything more than friend, or has already put him in her potential husband reject list before he told her to just be friends. The only reason she just smile or agree to his suggestions of being just friends is because she didn't mind being friends and nothing more than that at all.



This has happened to me several times in my journey through life but it's not a great lost actually. You don't need this kind of 'friend' around. At first, it baffles me but immediately I get my "aha!" moment and don't know whether to laugh incredulously at their immaturity or slap my forehead in amazement that such people exist. Next time someone said that to me, I'll just roll my eyes and leave them gaping waiting for my answer.



And some of my friends have weirder experience. They are just being friendly to a classmate or colleague, as friendly as you can be to classmates or colleagues that will never be anything to you if they're not in the same class or office, when suddenly they received a tearful note asking "why you went out with another guy, how could you break my heart like this, how could you do this to our relationship, etc.". And these guys have the gall to announce to their friends they have break up with so and so. Hello... when do you ever have a relationship in the first place??



That makes me wonder how weird some people can be and what a distorted social understanding they have. Probably they crave for some drama in their life that they exaggerate things and then going through life believing in the things they exaggerated in the first place. Or they genuinely don't understand how things really work. That when someone lends you their notes when you asked from them does not mean you're in a relationship. Even writing that down sounds incredulous. Can someone literally be like "katak bawah tempurung" in this borderless world? Well, maybe it is not that borderless a few years back, but still.

My Sunflower

Finally, my very own sunflower photo.

Samy and Transportation System

Samy Vellu said he'll be in politics for 10 more years in the news tonight. This prompts me to write about our transportation system since Samy reminds me of highways, roads, tolls and our public transport.



Jam is expected as part of our daily life now. A car pool campaign not long ago has failed. Among the reason probably finding the match of people from a certain area to go to the same office area, and you can't expect everyone going back at the same time with different job responsibilities. And what if someone from the group wants to do some grocery shopping after work and some don't. The hyper markets are not allowed to open for 24 hours no matter how convenient that can be for the public. I thought customer is king and businesses are supposed to address customer's needs but probably not in Malaysia. But I've digress. So there is no choice other than to have your own transport.



The call to use public transport also failed due to obvious reason of unreliability. The lack of integration among the many public transports has been a pain to many but since the ministers don't use them, people just have to bear with it. Just look at the commitment to build more roads and the commitment to improve our public transport. If the millions put on new roads and highways are put to improve our public transportation instead, we'll probably have a first class public transportation system by now.



And then we have our joy and pride, our very much protected national car that will churn out more and more cars on the road. The hire purchase interest rate to own your very own 4 wheels is quite affordable to many. Probably one day our road will become like a slow train of cars moving at 20 kmph because there are so many cars there will not be any room to move faster than that. But then again, maybe not. The price of petroleum is going up and it'll continue to go up since we still have the lowest petroleum price in the region. Isn't that the reason given to us every time there is a price increase?



All this makes me realized one thing; I don't know the long term plan of the country's transportation system. Is there any? What is the mission statement and goals of Samy's ministry? Or will it just be reactive approaches as it has always seemed to me.