Sunday, December 31, 2006

31st December 2006 --what a year it has been

What a year 2006 had been for Malaysia.....first we have the crooked bridge saga and then no bridge...then it all came out in the open...the former PM attacking the current PM....then we have we keris bearing melodrama at the UMNO GA with some delegates threatening to run amok and let the keris be bathe with blood (whose blood...I wonder), the we officers belonging to the Elite Police force arrested for blowing to bits and pieces a Mongolian model said to have an affair with a political analyst ...... and last but not least we have the Mufti of Perak (you should know what he has done.....no need to say more)..... SURELY WE LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMES

Can Malaysia survive this???? A Case of fiddling while Rome burns......our FDI is on a downward spiral...and 2007 seems to be a more difficult year economically than 2006.... our brain drain seems to have gained strength recently.....probably our National Average IQ had probably gone down a few notches.....

INTERESTING.....INTERESTING....

Friday, December 29, 2006

PBA --No room for racist appointment

Congratulations to Jaseni, the newly appointed CEO of PBA......It is a pity that his appointment should be marred in such controversy. He probably is the best candidate for the job, even though he is promoted above his seniors....but that should not be a problem because they are all nearing retirement age....

UMNO in Penang should take the blame...for playing the racial card....instead of highlighting the need for better and more effective management, they choose to play the race card....

Nevertheless, I believed Jaseni is a suitable candidate for the job, not because of his race but based on his services and performance at the PBA...He should be assess not by the "colour of his skin or his beliefs" but by the his charcter and quality of service he delivers....and so it should be....

It does not matter whether a cat is black or white...all cats should be judge by their ability to catch mices....

Thursday, December 28, 2006

Penang -Urban Revival or renewal possible??

After the repeal of the Rent Control Act...Penang or rather the city of Georgetown, the heart of Penang suffered a hole in it......many unable to pay the sudden increased in rent left for the outer suburbs...Bayan Bahru, Sungai Ara, Farlim...and even across the channel to Butterworth, Kulim, BM, SP.....

At night, many parts of Georgetown is like a ghost town, devoid of inhabitants....and there are attempts to revive parts of it...like Nagore Road....next to it will be the Swatow Lane Development......

Although places like Beach Street are still home for the Banks...but some Banks have relocated to Northam Road...like Citi Bank, Ban Hin Lee....

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

We are Malaysians....can we all sing this song???

Heard an Australian patriotic song……and wondered whether Malaysians can write such songs acceptable to all Malaysians and sing it …..descendants of settlers and indigenous people…..

We are one, but we are many
And from all the lands on earth we come
We share a dream and sing with one voice:
I am, you are, we are Australian

Can we say we are Malaysians? We are one but we are many?....Survey shows that we identify ourselves not as Malaysians but as Muslims, Chinese, Indians….although our passports say we are Malaysians when we go overseas but when we returned we are treated as the different races…..

Maybe we are not Malaysians……we are only Malaysian passport holders… a place to work and pay our taxes….thats all its so sad isn’t it……

And the Australian song goes…..

I came from the dream-time, from the dusty red soil plains
I am the ancient heart, the keeper of the flame.
I stood upon the rocky shore, I watched the tall ships come.
For forty thousand years I've been the first Australian
.

I came upon the prison ship, bowed down by iron chains.
I cleared the land, endured the lash and waited for the rains.
I'm a settler, I'm a farmer's wife on a dry and barren run
A convict then a free man, I became Australian.

What a shame…..can most Malaysians sing an analogous version of this song…????

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Back to Penang....reality the tearing down of Rifle Range Low Cost Houses

These low cost houses was built in the late 1950's and started to be occupied in 1959. I remembered because I used to live in the third house from the corner for two years 1959 & 1960. I remembered the time just before I went to kindergarten to just before I started primary school, we lived there i.e. before we moved down to jockey Road.....

The house have only two bedrooms....but one kitchen cum dinning room & a sitting room....nothing to shout at....

But look how well made it was...despite it being a low cost house built by the Municiple or City Council at that time....its remarkable...the structure, how sturdy they are...compared to the very highly priced houses we have today...built by peasants from indonesia, bangladesh & burma....

These houses were built to last...and by skilled tradesman....probably not much under counter money...contractors can really deliver good quality houses....throughout the entire 57 years of its existence...there were no complaints of shoddy workmanship...."cheating on building material" and the shennegians associated with government projects nowadays.... Bravo

We mourned the passing of an era....where good quality, integrity come from malaysia ...even in a low cost housing project....


12 Apostles --worth a revisit

Inlet - result of sea eroding the sandstone and dramatic collapse of the cliffs

Fantastic shoreline......water colour artists delight and paradise....


12 Apostles board.....

definitely worth another visit....

Monday, December 25, 2006

12 Apostles --Port Campbell NP



Fantastic coastline along the Great Ocean Road after Laver's Hill to Port Campbell.... The views with spectacular cliffs, foaming waves as its breaks... not to be missed......

Saturday, December 23, 2006

Great Otway National Park....Trees & Canopy walkways

The forests at the Great Otway is known as the Beech forests comprising trees of thre main species, the giant (world tallest trees) Mountain Ash or Eucalyptus regnans, Blackwood or black butt (Acacia melanxylon) and Beech or Nothafagus…..

Spectacular forests, very mystical….if you were living here a few centuries ago…you too will be drawn to worship the “spirits” or sipirituality that in this place…gives you a very pantheistic feel to it….

The walkway affords you the opportunity to rise to the canopy to the tree tops of the forest and enjoy breathtaking views...and sense the majesty of the forest at tree-top heights......

then, there is a tower that rise to 47 m and you look down to the forest floor below....




Friday, December 22, 2006

Building confidence

Our neighbour, Thailand bungled big-time....they changed their forex rules without any warning or hints and then flip flop within 24 hours when foreigners exited their stock market, wiping out Baht 700 billion of value (or RM70 billion)...

Great way to build confidence.....I do not know how they can recover from the mess they had dugged for themselves....

In almost an analagous way, Malaysian politician did it to Malaysia...but the damage are probably less damaging in the short term...but in the long term ..who is to know? But because it may long term effects...the politicians...particularly the leaders can ameliorate its deleterious effects.....

But they must start to act like Malaysian leaders....not leaders and champions of sectional interests.....no community will gain if Malaysia fails....

it is too early to tell....after 1969...many of our non-Malay brains left......at the time the Malaysian economy was at par or above that of Taiwan and South Korea.... but today they are twice or even three times the size of our economy...many attribute this to the loss of brains from the country.....i do not know...what the latest brain drain will pull the country even further back...

Sunshine coast--beaches

Rich suburbs at Maroochydore


Maroochydore beach....with photo taken from Loo with a View.

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Sunshine Coast ---the forest parks & green reserve



In adry and thirsty land, they appreciate green covers....that cools the day and gives shelter from the mid-day sun.....it refreshes the soul and body...a sanctuary for wildlife....corridors for them to cross over dangerous highways.....wildlife corridors allow animal to move along safely from fragmented reserves ....ensuring that animals do not get isolated and die without mating...mitigates against in-breeding when isolated animals are isolated....


Besides they enhances the environment...make suburbs look grand and property values appreciate...

Sunshine Coast---the forests


This the backyard forests of my sister's house located in the hills behind the beaches in the Sunshine coast. What is remarkable is that the people had not all bulldozed the forests to make way for more developments.

Despite the pressure there are still much of the original forests left.....although the pressure keeps on mounting everyday... as property prices soar..who can resists...there are 13 acres in the backyard..all of which are forested...

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Sunshine Coast...the hinterland



Queensland's coast may be one of the most spectacular coastlines in the world. Fringing the pacific Coast, it becomes the playground to many who vist its shores.

But further inland, fenced in by hills the coastal hinterlands lies hidden communities that once thrived in these parts. They provide the economic backdrop to the coastlands....here farmers grow their crops, raise cattle and sheep,; little lumber towns such as Eudlo and Ilkley placed five miles apart...the distanc for which the bullocks can pulled...sawmills processing wood bound for the towns in Queensland and New south Wales....

These towns and communities dot the hinterland of the Sunshine Coast waiting to be discovered...

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Sunshine Coast...a picture is worth a thousand words

Photos taken 2,000 ft above sea-level towards the west of Sunshine coast



Picture of Colum & Noosa taken from 25 km inland from a ridge about 2,000 feet high. Crystal clear view of the Pacific Ocean and the Sunshine Coast.

Monday, December 18, 2006

Malaysians losing faith in Malaysia

The Star on 16th December reported that the MCA President, his Deputy and most of the vice presidents of the MCA visited and paid respects to its founder Tun Sir Tan Cheng Lock. During the visit, he urged Chinese Malaysians to continue to believe in Malaysia and not lose faith. I wonder what prompted that……are Malaysians losing faith in their country???

The next day (17th December) New Straits Times reported that Migration agents are experiencing a sudden surge in enquiries to migrate. One agent reported that before 14th November (read before the UMNO General Assembly), he only received around 20 calls a day..but since then, prospective migrants are ringing non-stop. From the 14th to 19th November (read after the UMNO Assembly), they received a staggering 6,500 calls for Australia alone!!!!!...5,500 for NZ….4,000 for other countries….and 3,500 for other countries…. People are rushing to get out in droves!!!!!

WHY? WHY? WHY?
People are voting with their feet….many believed that there is no future for them in this country….Generally Chinese Malaysians love Malaysia, although their love is expressed in a different way….they are proud of its achievement….that is why only less than 50% of them renounced their citizenship even after decades overseas….Its a love that defies understanding. Maybe, many still believed in the promises of our founding fathers like Tungku Abdul Rahman and Tun Abdul Razak……promises made to secure the acceptance of non-Malays to a new independent Malaya/Malaysia….otherwise the British would have a good excuse to continue to rule a profitable colony for a longer period…maybe up to the 1970’s if they can…like Hong Kong which they retained and tried to keep beyond 1997.

But alas, maybe the Malay proverb rings true “Saperti kacang melupakan kulit”. Proverbs reflects the dominant traits of the culture from which it emerges…. So true that Tun Dr. Mahathir lamented to the Malays assembled at the UMNO General Assembly in 2002 (circa) through a “pantun” (poem), entitled “Melayu mudah lupa.”…..or Malays forgets easily….


How true and tragic for all and MALAYSIA!!!!!
Most non-malay Malaysians have a great sense of being rejected by Malaysia, their own country…..…despite their many and considerable contributions to the country…like Tun Dr. Mahatir once said, take away the non-malay contribution and Malaysia’s GDP would be like that of an African nation…..

Many feel that inspite of their contributions…they had been treated with contempt…most feel that the children of new arrivals from Indonesia are better treated than many of the children of non-malay Malaysians of many generations……


Good Riddance????
Those who migrate are not the young unlike the 1970’s and 80’s….these are most likely the middle aged….people from 35 onwards…people who owned houses…..

Good riddance??? We say??? Or should we reflect and think….or is it an indication of what is to come….Indians leaving Uganda during Idi Amin’s rule…..White South Africans leaving RSA…..Cubans, leaving Cuba after Castro took over…..No loss to the country….more homogeneity in Malaysia???

Can we afford an exodus of experienced and well-trained Malaysians? Australia, NZ or Canada just do not admit any Ah Chong or Samy….these ah Chongs or Samys are professionals or skilled tradesman….the kinds that a country need to leap-frog its GDP and economy to the next level….and these are lost to the country….they are not the ones which Malaysia admits by the hundreds of thousands through its back-door in Sabah…the unskilled labour from Indonesia and Sulu islands….

The sad thing is that many of the Ah Chongs and Samys will not be gainfully employed in their fields of expertise unless of course they are of world renowned….instead they will be in small businesses…maybe selling roti canai..or chow mien..or running post-offices…milk bars ..driving taxis…after the age of 40, it will be very difficult for anybody (migrant or native) to land a job………

New generation…new technologies…making your competitors obsolete
Most ah Chongs or Samys know the fate that awaits them, when they go…yet they do it..because they believe in the new country their children will stand a better chance…be on a level playing field… And their children are the ones that topped the VCE’s the HSC and SAMs in their respective states…going to choiced faculties to do courses they can never expect to get in their home countries….here they have a fighting chance…if they get their grades right.

Their host countries know this, they harvest the best brains, the relatively superior genotypes for their countries….within a generation the standards have gone up…. …”knowledge” economy…..blue ocean strategy….new products ….new technology.

Can Malaysia afford to lose talents and brains ?
Is not as if Malaysia has an abundance of talented and diligent people to spare. These people whether intelligent or not had demonstrated that they were relatively successful…ie. able to rise above despite handicaps….these are the ones that a country or an economy needs to face off the competition from a globalised world…those that have demonstrated their mettle….these are now lost to the country….like negative selection…the good ones or those above average ones leave and the country is left with more and more (in proportion) of the no-so good ones…while our poorer neighbours export their lesser talent, we export our better talents…

Malaysia burns its candles at both ends… and in the minds of many, unspoken thoughts is the question “Is there a future for Malaysia?” Quo vadis, Malaysia?

Saturday, December 16, 2006

Sunshine Coast - Queensland, Australia


Down under, australia.....beautiful and dry.... nothing like drinking beer to quench your thirst in a super cold bar on a hot summer's day of 40 degrees heat....

Gosh.....its mid-morning, Tuesday and the pub's half full already.....somebody has to work, mate....

Monday, December 04, 2006

Going to Australia for hols....

Tonite we are going to Australia....

it has been more than 10 years since we returned from Melbourne to Malaysia after 6 years as a migrant there, starting from december 1989....till middle 1995....

how time flies....i don't know how much have changed since we left australia.....their economy had been flying since the mid 1990's and had not halted yet....where as ours stumbled in the 1997 financial crisis and never fully recovered since then.

and now instead of focussing on how to expand the cake in an increasing flattening earth/market...we are wasting our time arguing on how to cut up the cake...as lim keng yaik so rightly commented in his inimitable ways....if we go on like this ...soon...we have only crumbles to cut....

Sunday, December 03, 2006

When the rooster comes home...

There is a law of sowing and reaping, which I believe in.....It is a natural law that no one is exempted....the law of cause and effect....it does not matter whether you believe it or not.....its the law of physics...just like the law of gravity.....It APPLIES TO YOU...Believer or non-Believer....

There is a cause and effect.....the effects can be seen....mat rempits, incest, "money for nothing and chicks for free" mentality so pervasive in Malaysia.....it is a disease infecting the majority of the majority's youths in this country....the free-rider mentality..rides like the Mat Rempits of this country....oblivious of the triple s bends just right infront.....when cranium hits the cold apshalt....and motion comes to a screeching halt, shattering brains.....

Young people seeing what their adults do or their leaders do...getting something for nothing.....they do emulate...thinking they too can get away with it...soon like the sting at the end of the scorpion's tail...they get bitten and drop dead....so did the Mat Rempit in Melaka

MALACCA: A Mat Rempit died when he fell from his motorcycle after grazing a car he and his group had pursued for several kilometres around midnight yesterday.The group was incensed by the driver of the car who had sounded the horn at them for riding recklessly and performing dangerous stunts along Jalan Pengkalan Rama. When they finally forced the car to a stop near the Century Mahkota Hotel in Bandar Hilir, they roughed up the driver and his passenger.They stole their handphones and damaged the car’s windscreen. The driver, known as Tan, 20, and his passenger suffered bruises on the face and body.

State police chief Datuk Ayub Yaakop said the dead motorcyclist had been identified as Mohd Syukri Minhat, 18, from Simpang Semabok. His pillion rider, Mohd Welldone Johari, 17, from Taman Bukit Katil, broke his left thumb. In a follow-up, police detained eight motorcyclists, including two students currently sitting for their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examination. The students have been released on police bail to enable them to sit for their papers tomorrow. Ayub said the incident started in Jalan Pengkalan Rama when the car driver honked at the motorcyclists.He said the group hurled stones at the car which proceeded towards Taman Melaka Raya. "The motorcyclists pursued the car and at the Jalan Bunga Raya junction, Syukri tried to force it to a stop but fell."

Ayub said while some of the motorcyclists sent Syukri and his pillion rider to hospital, the others continued to chase the car. The injured driver and passenger received outpatient treatment at the Mahkota Medical Centre.

NST 2nd Dec 2006

Lazy sunday penang afternoons...

Lazy sunday afternoons in penang are best spent underneath the shady casuarina trees along the quiet end of gurney drive near the northam road junction ......for those who do not know where northam road is...it is presently called jln Sultan Ahmad Shah...after the present Sultan of Pahang.....I often wonder why do they change names of roads and places.....to commemorate or to erase memories or to reconstruct history.....

after a sumptous lunch of rice and penang assam fish curry....you need the cooling sea breezes to help you digest away the food...why you snooze zzzzzzz on the public bench without a care in the world....watching ocean liners come in and out of Penang harbour.....

Friday, December 01, 2006

Hidden realities II

Like the rain that washes away the haze, which then exposes the badly scarred hills of Penang.....so does the recently concluded assembly of the UMNO. The fiery speeches, the unsheathed keris, the underlying hatred and anger that spews out so easily for whole Malaysia and indeed the world to see. This is Malaysia, the country that is so proud of its moderation....

I often wonder, if it is the non-Malay politicians that spew out such racist and intolerant venom...where would they be or if instead of 500 Muslims surrounding the Silibin church, there were 500 non-Muslims surrounding a mosque in which formerly non-Muslims were being converted to Islam...what would happen that day?

These are hidden realities...Malaysia is at peace....because the majority of the minority in its wisdom decides that empty rhetoric and rash actions does not advance its cause....instead diligence, creativity, pursuit of knowledge, pursuit of wealth and business in Malaysia and in the whole world is the path to true victory.....

Why fight irrational people....and start wars that does not achieve anything but hinder and obstruct success.....Malaysia is such a small place...and the world is my playground, my oyster, my market.....

Venture out to the world....be prepared and be equipped....and be ever ready to learn...be bold and take on the world and leave this swamp for the low life, while we pursue international success....

The hidden realities exposed....you have never been regarded as true citizens of Malaysia...just usurpers.....1st generation Indonesians or even from far ways places are regarded more Malaysian than you.....sad but true....accept this and moved on ....so don't delude yourself or believe the propaganda dished out to you by your so-called leaders....

They only say so....because they need you...like the sweet nothings and declarations of love and fidelity spoken in bed at the heat of night...soon to be forgotten when the urgings gone....whne the nightingale retreats and the morning sum breaks....

Hidden realities exposed.....