Selamat Hari Raya

Salah silap harap dapat diampun & have an enjoyable Raya

Dari saya & the whole family

Atama ga itai desu

Banyak pening ini kepala. Yesterday was an off day, tapi seperti biasa terpaksa dtg ke office since Nissan "suddenly" changed their export plans and wanted yours truly to plan their cars for this October. To be precise this Sunday. So terpaksa lah call Tokyo, Indonesia and the people of Tan Chong in Jalan Ipoh and co-ordinate everything in such short notice. I'm such a nice guy. Resulting in me kena tuang my Japanese class, which last nite I consider amatlah penting since they were doing revision plus besok 1st paper start.

Strike a pose people!!!

Oh! how i love the military

Anyway last month pi tengok international tattoo kat stadium merdeka. Dulu when i was small my dad would take me to see the tattoo (everytime they had it) so it was kind of like a father & son thing. So when i had my own kid i decided to do the same, like some kind of ritual (biasa ler anak military). Looking at my daughter enjoying the show just reminded her of me when i was her age. Muat the whole family

50,000km/2 years free maintenance

leather seats not included

10% downpayment with optional rims

Posing with the new car

While i was growing up i had my own "battles" with my old man, biasa ler rebellious. questionedevery he said, now i know why. One thing is how screwed i was, he always stood by me depan tabir and sebalik. So boys and girls out there, jagalah mak bapak kita we dont know how long they'll be there for us.

Latest baju raya

3 Stooges in "camo"

On a lighter note, just nak ucapkan to all those that read or just jenguk this blog "Hari Raya omedeto gozaimasu"

p/s JIMY long time no see, was good to see you.When can i expect a card???

Adios

Anata wa Nihongo o wakarimasu ka

Hajimemashite. Watashi wa Acob desu. Dozo yoroshuki

Finals in 2 days, kena brush up skit.Mid term barely made it.


Lama tak update benda ni, busy with a lot of stuff...travelling, classes (finals in 2 days time) as usual kena burn the midnite oil. Bulan puasa ni less golf and less talking plus a few other things. pics of my trip to Bangkok...more pleasure than business...ahahaha

had to take these pics ...dont ask why

For me, business trips are meetings and port visits/tours, and to be frank i see the same thing.I've been to almost all the major ports from the west till the far east Its the same old thing. cranes and containers, cant they make it more interesting?

cars, crane, vessel

cars, vessel no crane

Japanese loves Kaizen and Kaizen loves the Japs. I get enough talk on Kaizen from my wife.

Guy in yellow "penghulu patpong"

Bangkok skyline

I'll be in Bangkok (again) after Raya, this time more business than pleasure (thats what they always say)...so until next time

sayonara. mata ashita

Bagi ler masuk

I bloody hell don't understand Malaysian drivers. Dah bagi signal nak masuk lane jangan ler tetiba nak laju. Why in the first place did you give space for me to masuk. Dah 2 hari macam ni, and they still have the nerve to honk you and show you the finger.

Ituler dia driver malaysia, berani nak show finger and honk but when we slow down ie car side by side you suddenly accelerate nak lari..now where do you put your balls? I dont want to sound like a road bully but itulah driver malaysia, jauh telor ada dah face to face balls suddenly gone.

Damn i'm pissed off, I guess this is how they treat courteous drivers, bagi signal and all..give way..dont drive macam org giler...and yet you still get treated like this..better naik public transport camni.

Sayonara

Today is Mochizuki san, final day in the office and will be returning back to Tokyo on the 3rd of August. He came to my room and wished me luck for the future.

Very nice fellow and was willing to learn our culture plus he was a very good golfing partner. Loved to crack jokes during our rounds of golf.

It's going to be very boring for him when he reports back to HQ, gone are the driver, the golf membership, afternoon golf and the occasional "teh tarik" sessions.

Anyway Mochizuki san, sayonara and thanks for everything.

Mochizuki,"dazed", assistant

Penat

Been living in a suitcase these couple of weeks, traveling here and there. At first it was kind of fun but after a while became quite boring and mundane.

Still dont know when i'm going to move house since my other half also is frequent traveler. Anyhow both of us have agreed to move before puasa. I doubt i'm going to do much physical activities during that period.

Nothing much to write or complain about cause i'm just too tired.........

Have you ever...........

The scenario...you're at the gas station to fill up the car. While paying at the counter you notice a familiar face, someone you haven't met for almost 10 years. Your not quite sure if that person is someone you're supposed to know. Those years must have aged the person, but at the back of you're head you're certain you went to school with them. Well that's happened to me often, especially when i "balik kampung". Me being me, always shuns from approaching these long lost faces..segan or just plain ignorant just dont know.

I got news that the ITNMB results just came out. Surprisingly i got a distinction, bawah sikit dari cemerlang. The thing that suprised me was i didn't really study for the exam, plus i "tuang" alot of classes. When i first took the course, I always regarded translation as a "kacang" thing, well i was wrong, It's bloody hard. The instructors said there are alot of translators in the market but to find with substance is quite hard to find. Well I hope i can be one of them, especially with the good results i got..eheheh no harm in "angkat bakul sendiri" rite.

Next month, I'll be heading of to UITM to study Japanese for the next 3 months, thats only the 1st semester. I've got 5 more to go. At first didn't give much thought of taking the language but since the companies paying for it well why not, at least its going to benefit me in the long run.

On the subject of translation, me and my team have been doing a lot of pro bono stuff (free worklah) but only till end of the year. Anyway a friend of mine wanted me to translate some stuff, so i asked her to email it. Was I surprised that it was a proposal for an aquaculture project. Dude if you're reading this, this one aint free..........

Till next time

What laahhhh!!!

I'm the type of person who buys a car and doesnt even bother taking caring of it. I've had the car for 4 years now and has been a "humble" servant during this period. Anyway I've been having a few "mishaps" with my trustee steed.

1. The gear box problem, had to a car for 2 weeks. Nasib baik my wife's staff was willing to rent one. Guess good increment for the bloke. Thanks to Stevie G for picking me up for golf during that period. Had to fork out almost 6k, couldnt afford a brand new one would have set me back by the 27k. Might as well get myself a new car.

2. On the day I had to fly off to Japan, car skidded and hit the curb of the road. Real axle gave way and set me of my 3k. Good thing by the time i cam back the car was ready to drive.

There you have it within the space of 1 month and 30 days i managed to "loose" almost 10k. I remember the service advisor telling me that some people may have just put the car on sale. The only reason I'm not doing it is cause its such an economical car, even more economical than the kancil plus with the cost of moving house its just not part of the budget.

I dont wash the car very often usually every 3 months, so last sunday after a round of gold i decided to get it washed. Imagine the junk i find..there should be a hazardous material sign in my car...theres old socks, biscuits, golf balls, a putter, candy and a bunch of other stuff. I sometimes dont understand myself, the company pays someone to wash my car but i'm still to darn lazy to put the car in the car wash bay...what laaaahhhhh!!!!!

To all you suckers out there

Nak kaya kena kerja keras, I doubt Bill gates or Donald Trump or even Syed Bukhary earned their 1st million investing in these scams.

Well done SC Malaysia.....

Access to sites cut in crackdown on Internet scams

KUALA LUMPUR: The authorities have started a crackdown on cyber scams, blocking access to six illegal investment websites and raiding the offices of an Internet firm in the Klang Valley.

In a press statement released yesterday, the Securities Commission said the six websites were www.abbfund.com or www.abfund.us, www.cfdventure.com, www.swedenfund.com, www.uebond.com, www.esuissefund.com or www.efmf.com.pa and www.ecashfinance.com.

“SC will continue to work with Bank Negara, the Malaysian Communications Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and CyberSecurity Malaysia to track, identify and block access to websites promoting investment scams.

“It will take all measures to fight illegal investment activities, including taking enforcement action against operators and agents of illegal investment websites,” the statement said.

In the next few months, more scam websites will be blocked. The SC has identified some 60 websites that are involved in illegal cyber investments.

Bank Negara and the SC have begun joint operations with the police in tracking down such illegal e-investment activities.

On Monday, a raid was conducted on several AB Fund offices in the Klang Valley for suspected illegal deposit-taking and investment activities.

It was learnt that documents, equipment and servers were among the items confiscated from the premises, while statements were also taken from its employees.

An illegal deposit-taking operator can be jailed up to 10 years or fined RM10mil, or both, the statement said.

Recently, thousands of Malaysians were believed to have lost several million ringgit in an “investment” scheme known as buy-e-barrel, which closed down abruptly.

The scheme offered daily interest of between 2% and 3% for an investment of between US$100 (RM345) and US$2,000 (RM6,900).

Last year, two Datuks and six others were placed under remand to aid in investigations into a get-rich-quick scheme that allegedly promised “huge returns for a minimum investment”.

The alleged scam, known as SwissCash or Swiss Mutual Fund, claimed that investors’ funds were channelled to business activities ranging from oil exploration to shipping and agriculture in the Caribbean.

Investors were required to pay a registration fee of US$30 (RM103.50) to join the scheme, which allegedly offered huge returns for a minimum investment of US$100 .

The public are advised to refer to the SC’s Frequently Asked Questions: “Do Not Invest in Illegal Internet Investment Schemes” available at www.sc.com.my.

Investors who are still participating in such illegal investment schemes via the Internet have been reminded to withdraw their investments and terminate their accounts immediately as they would not be able to access their accounts once the websites are blocked.

Make your judgement

It is for the public to judge whether the performance of civil servants will rise in tandem with their pay increase, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan said.

He said the public would be able to e-mail their judgment directly to him at sidek@pmo.gov.my and he promised to read them.

“I may not reply to each one. I will however forward the e-mails to my officers and the related ministries and departments for follow-up action,”

He said the public, as the main customers of the Government’s services, should exercise their rights in demanding better work quality and more productivity from civil servants.

“In fact, we have been improving all the time and implementing various measures to enhance our performance and delivery system,” he said.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

Pay rise = ?????

Big Pay Rise

Up 7.5% to 35 %: Civil servants nationwide cheered as the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced a pay increase and the doubling of cost of living allowances. Abdullah said the pay rise could be given because of the economic growth of 5.6%, the effect of fuel prices, positive trends of Bursa Malaysia and improved tax collection.

> Salaries to increase between 7.5% for senior management and 35% for category two support staff;

> 100% increase in cost of living allowance (Cola);

> Police and army personnel to get additional 20% on the increase; and

> Pensions will be adjusted accordingly.

On a personal note its already time for an adjustment, but at the above rate will productivity increase? Improved service? I doubt it. It remains to be seen whether things will change. No offence to government servants but i dont see much of them doing anything. I remember the PM saying after the last election, the government works for the people not the other way round. I still dont see that.

The thing that is lingering in my head rite now is when can i expect to see a increase in oil prices? I have feeling it might be after the elections. make the government servants happy vote for the ruling party and increase prices later on....hope i'm wrong.

Back to the old routine

I'm back from my trip. All business and just one day for my self. Reached Narita in the morning and straight headed to the office. The Japanese are a bunch of workaholics is all i can say. I've never sat through a meeting for 5 hours straight. I didn't even get a chance to go the the little boys room. Night time was entertainment time, and they really do know how to entertain. Anyway they still couldn't grasp the reason why we muslim's cant eat pork..it seems they just love to the damn thing. for 3 days all i ate was just sushi..sushi and more sushi. Dont get me wrong i love sushi, but too much of it made my taste buds feel kind of different.




On Friday, after lunch (sorry no Friday prayers), one of the managers kind of felt sorry for me and offered to show me some tourist attractions. Since he had only 2 and a half hours plus i was quite "blur" on where to go, I told him to take me anywhere just so i can buy some souvenirs so i can take home. So he took me to this place called Asakusa Temple in Tokyo, the place was full of tourist. Back home, I dealt a lot with this particular manager. since he didn't get the chance to get me a gift, he asked me to choose anything but more than 3,000 Yen?? Being the nice person I am , i declined but eventually gave in. At least jimat sikit duit.

Saturday was all to myself.......so many things but yet so little time

Off to the land of the rising sun

I'm off to Tokyo...unfortunately for work. Heard golf stuff are quite cheap over there.

Rumah dah siap..kereta bila pulak?

These past 2 weeks have been rather up and down experience. The house that my wife (she's the one with the money) bought finally siap, surprisingly CF also dah dapat. The only thing is the developer asked us to pay interest amounting to RM4k plus. Being the person i am (i dont like paying for things which i know i'm not supposed to pay), i found out its for the interest due to the late disbursement by the bank to the developer.

After making some phone calls and some "internal" arguing the developer asked us to write an "appeal" letter. I dont know why we need to " appeal" since it wasnt us who made the late payments, but being the nice person I am a copy of this "appeal" was also faxed to the bank,lawyer and Ong Ka Tings kementrian for that added effect. I'm not quite sure when I'm going to move into the new place, but most probably after I come back from Japan which will be in the middle of May. My wife has been "spoon feeding" me with all these brochures and catalouges of kitchen cabinets and all related matters. I prefer not to commit to anything, "padah dikemudian hari".

Called up Honda just now, asking about the status of my car. "Gear box baru ok, tapi gear can only go sampai 5 jer". "So mana lagi 2 gear?" I asked. Their answer..."still checking cik, anything kita call" I hope i can get my car by this Friday...starting to "miss" it

Investment through Net forbidden

KUALA TERENGGANU: The National Fatwa Council has ruled that any form of share investment through the Internet that promises a steady profit is haram (forbidden) because of the elements of riba (interest) and gharar (chance).

In passing the fatwa (edict) yesterday, council chairman Prof Datuk Dr Abdul Shukor Husin advised Muslims who dabbled in shares on the Internet, such as the Swiss Cash Mutual Fund, to withdraw their money.

There were many alternative investments based on Islamic principles, which they could participate in, he said after chairing the 77th National Fawta Council meeting here yesterday.

Majlis Fatwa haram pameran hantu, pelaburan internet

Oleh Baharom Bakar

KUALA TERENGGANU: Majlis Fatwa Kebangsaan semalam memutuskan sebarang pelaburan melalui internet yang menjamin keuntungan secara tetap serta pameran jin, hantu dan keranda adalah haram.

Pengerusinya, Prof Datuk Dr Abdul Shukor Husin, berkata skim pelaburan seumpama itu, seperti yang ditawarkan Swiss Cash Mutual Fund, didapati mengandungi unsur riba.

Beliau berkata, berdasarkan rujukan beberapa ayat al-Quran, majlis itu mendapati pelaburan yang menjamin keuntungan secara tetap tidak dibenarkan.

"Kita menasihatkan umat Islam yang membuat pelaburan melalui internet supaya menghentikannya serta-merta.

“Masih banyak skim pelaburan berlandaskan Islam yang disediakan kerajaan, boleh disertai umat Islam,” katanya pada sidang media selepas mempengerusikan muzakarah ke-77 majlis itu di sini. Muzakarah tiga hari bermula Selasa lalu itu disertai semua mufti.

Skim pelaburan itu menjadi isu selepas Pejabat Mufti Perlis memutuskannya haram dan Johor serta Terengganu pula meminta Majlis Fatwa Kebangsaan mengkaji dan mengeluarkan fatwa mengenainya.

-Nuff said-

Taking it one day at a time

This month hasn't been quite my month. Basically its been down hill all the way, with the car out of commission (till this day i'm still in the dark of the status) my life has gone topsy turvy.

The service advisor in Honda, said its the gear box but from what i know and asking a lot of people they say its quite hard to believe the cause is the gear box. They say if its the gear box then the car wont be able to move when you shift the car into gear. My car can move but it'll stutter when you accelerate, I dont know i'm not an expert, but it'll cost me RM27k if i want a brand new one. If it boils down to this i guess i'm going to sell it off and just get me a kancil. Even a 2nd hand/recond gear box is going to set me back by RM5k. Anyway Honda is trying their level best in getting me a new gear box FOC, since the problem was their fault?? Dont ask me how but the service advisor gave a lengthy explanation. As far as i'm concerned i'm not going to pay for a new one.

Its quite hard when you dont have any wheels, right now i have to hang out at my parents place. Which my wife isnt quite comfortable with. I guess its the daughter in law and mother in law thing, while the son as usual gets caught in the middle. I've gone through that phase before and know how to wriggle my way out of those tight spots. Golf has to take a back seat for this moment unless someone is willing to pick me up (thanks Haizal for last weeks game). So far my daily regime is spent in my room. Theres nothing much to do, but my daughter loves it...guess she gets extra time to hang out with her Tok Bah and Tok Mak.

Come to think of it time doesnt fly that fast when you dont have a car........

What a day

2 am...woke up with a tightness in my stomach. Went to the toilet and felt like throwing up. Shrug it off, maybe indigestion.

4am...Lost count of how many times i went to the loo, had to be diarrhea judging from my waste and the times i had to wake up from bed.

430am...1st hand view of what i ate during dinner. the whole toilet was splattered with my puke. The wife come running cause the sound of me throwing up was kind of creepy. Spent the next few hours sleeping next to the toilet.

830am...wife woke me up. "Its time" she said. Time for what? My stomach and ass felt so sore. We drove to the clinic.

9am...reached the clinic, Doctor took a good look at me and said "kena cucuk ni". Do what you have to do just take a way the pain. After the jab felt like a million bucks, no make it a few thousand. Doctor gave the usual prep talk about the food you can take and the do's and dont's.

11am...reached home, after having breakfast.too tired and dehydrated to do anything. decided to hit the sack.

Intermission.......

430pm...woke up with a headache and felt so hungry.

530pm...time to pick up my daughter. half way towards my destination "check engine" light was blinking and my car seem to have no acceleration. stopped the car at the curb. Immediately called Honda. Their opinion is that there maybe a problem with the engine or maybe something minor. anyway it has to be checked since Saturday is a holiday i have to send it on Monday.

Still needed a car to pick up my daughter, nasib baik ada member who lives on the same block.
At the end of the day, my mind was doing the maths...i'll be broke by the 1st week of April..hmmmm

Battery fully charged

Just came back from 2 days of holiday. I'm the type that doesn't like to take holidays, but I've been working my butt of for these past few months and i bloody well deserve this break.

So what did i do for these 2 days? simple "Golf", pure bliss and uninterrupted time on the golf course. Well the 1st day I had to play with a client of mine, and didn't quite enjoy it cause:

1. Very slow player, i do mean really slow. we were like 6 hours on the course and tak habis-habis
main. To finish 18 holes in 6 hours is considered really bad. I was cursing my self , I didn't know
he was this bad. I'm not saying I'm good but come one to finish 18 holes in 6 hours?????

2. The weather was toooooo hot, i felt the sun's ray burning through my cap. Damn it!!!

The second day was more like it, pure ultimate bliss...played with my regular golfing buddies. Didn't do quite bad except for the 1st and 2nd hole, I did a "double par" for those 2 holes. The rest were double and triple bogeys and 1 birdie (whoppeee).

Back to reality, yesterday the aircond in my car felt a little warm, was it the hot weather? or just a case of needing to refill the gas aircond in the car? Unfortunately it was neither both, the damn compressor stopped functioning, so when i drive its gonna be cold 1 minit and hot another minit (just like our weather). Anyway went to the local kedai "pomen cina" near the house they said its gonna cost me between RM900 to RM2000, to repair tapi kan.......it doesnt guarantee it'll solve your problem (bloody hell). The mechanic "thinks" its the compressor, it might be something else. What the fcuk man!!!. I'm not quite sure I'm gonna fork out my money for something even the fcuking mechanic isn't sure of, I might as well get myself a set of brand new clubs.

Found out that the "abang-abang" who sell nasik lemak (bloody good) near my house are working in UEM. So it was kind of "nice" to catch up on the going on of the company. It seems things haven't changed much (since they still have to do some side income). The best part is they play golf. Yahooooooooo

Sign of the times...

Got this in the mail.....

Oh how we have evolved....

You say this and he says that....

First and foremost, I am not a racist. I have friends of many races and do visit them during their celebrations. Even when i play golf my flight is sometimes multi racial. I think this issue has been brought up so many times till i've lost track. All I can say is there will always be disgruntled feeling between bumi's and non bumi's. Looking at it, its normal for a non bumi owned company to give preferance to their non bumi staff, and vice versa. I've seen companies that employ only 1 bumi staff, itupun as their tea lady or receptionist. The same goes for a bumi owned company. Usually their finance people will be non bumi.

Let me give you an example. I used to work in the port. The port was (and still is) owned by a non bumi (the only port in the country). I joined as a Management Trainee, the batch consisted of 12 guys. 1 Chinese, 3 malays, 1 mamak and the rest Indians) all were qualified. Had degrees and working experience. In 2 years time the Indians were promoted to Managers, while the rest of us had to go to the process of climbing up the ranks the old fashioned way, naik exec then senior exec then Asst Manager only then Manager. I felt this was bloody unfair, but what can you do? you confront them and that bthey would say they would recieve the same treatment if they had worked in a bumi company.

I'm not saying that if we bumi's work in bumi company we would get special treatment, thats a misconception. I've suffered working in a bumi company and I have enjoyed working in achinese company. Or is it because we as bumi's have the right to get a fair deal? Then how do we solve this issue? Is it even solvable? Sometimes I dread what kind of future my kids are going to have.

He says this...

Umno Youth slams Fong over neglect of Bumi grads

01 Mar 2007

---

SHAH ALAM: Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Dr Fong Chan Onn was lambasted yesterday for neglecting unemployed Bumiputera graduates.

Umno Youth Public Complaints Bureau chairman Datuk Subahan Kamal said many graduates had resorted to driving taxis as they could not find employment in the private sector.

He said the ministry had to assume responsibility for their plight.

"We have highlighted the matter to the ministry before but officials have chosen to sweep the problem under the carpet," he told reporters after highlighting allegations of discrimination against Bumiputera employees by Giant Hypermarket in Shah Alam.

He said the ministry should enforce a 30 per cent quota for Bumiputeras at all levels in the private sector and ensure that locals were given preference over foreigners.

Workers at the hypermarket complained that foreigners were being favoured over locals and that locals received lower wages.

They had also claimed that there were few opportunities for career advancement in the company.

The letter, sent to the Prime Minister’s Department, also alleged there were no Bumiputeras in top management positions in the company.

Giant Retail (M) Sdn Bhd chief operating officer Datuk John Coyle, who had earlier met Subahan over the matter, told reporters that 80 per cent of staff in the company were Bumiputeras.

He said there were 123 Bumiputeras in lower and middle management with three in top management positions.

Coyle said the company had to resort to foreigners for menial jobs.

However, the company was committed to increasing the number of Bumiputeras at managerial level.

Coyle added that 80 per cent of Giant’s customers were Bumiputeras and there was no discrimination against them.

"We have always preferred Bumiputeras over foreigners."

Subahan said his meeting with Coyle was fruitful and that some of the complaints raised by staff were unfounded.


And he says that.....

Bumi grads not left out, says Fong

02 Mar 2007

---

PUTRAJAYA: The Human Resources Minister has defended his efforts to help jobless Bumiputera graduates, and described criticism from Umno Youth as "unfair".

He said most of the students enrolled in retraining schemes are Bumiputeras. And Bumiputera youth also receive the highest number of retraining loans given out by the ministry’s Skills Development Fund.

Minister Datuk Seri Dr Fong Chan Onn said the ministry had done its "level best" to help unemployed graduates through retraining schemes, industrial training institutes and by offering loans.

"We don’t distinguish between Bumiputeras and others, but it so happens that the vast majority of those who take up our retraining programmes and loans are Malays," he said.

Fong said that about 50,000 people have attended retraining programmes in information technology, English proficiency and other skills since 2001, and 96 per cent were Malays.

Some 500,000 youths had received loans from the Skills Development Fund, of which 95 per cent were Malays. And more than 90 per cent of applicants to the industrial training institutes each year are Malays.

"At our job fairs, the interviews we organise for job-seekers are largely attended by Malays," Fong added.

"The criticism is unfair, but I will ask my officers to hold a dialogue with Umno Youth to see what exactly they are unhappy about."

He was responding to comments by Umno Youth Public Complaints Bureau chairman Datuk Subahan Kamal, who said the ministry was not doing enough to help jobless Bumiputera graduates find jobs in the private sector.

On Subahan’s call that the ministry impose a 30 per cent quota for Malays at all levels in the private sector, Fong said setting quotas did not come under the ministry’s purview.

"It’s not our responsibility to impose quotas," he said, adding that although there was no policy on Bumiputera employment in the private sector, the vast majority of workers in places like hypermarkets were Bumiputera youths.

Did I? or Didn't I?

I knew someone would call me 'bout that score of 42. Anyway I see golf as a game of luck plus skill (for someone like me have to practice hard...dulu je lah).

How i got that score that day was just pure luck plus i knew the course since i used to play it almost every week. Its a tough course, its a walking course. Theres no luxury of sitting in a buggy. I can say it builds your endurance. First time i went there, I only played 9 holes cause of the heat and carrying my golf bag, they ran out of trolly's. Lost 6 balls and carded a score of almost 90. I wont complain cause thats where i first learned how to play. My second trip was on the 2nd week, lost almost 20 balls my score didn't change, but i was able to finish all 18 holes. I would be there almost every week, playing with a bunch of people i didn't know. getting tips here and there, some were good, some were bad. through all of that got to know a bunch of good friends.

Swing when you're winning

I guess the people i played with that day, were either having a bad day or they decided to me "peluang" since they usually "wallap" me everyweek.Thanks Capt Nasir and Tuan Anwar, hope this "continues" . Plus i think the cleveland wedge and the callaway 5 wood played a role too..eheheh. So to you people out there, kalau nak rasa main course yg very memenatkan then head on out to ILSAS Golf Course in Uniten, either you're gonna love it or your gonna hate it. Usually its the later. To StevieG, just because i carded a 42 dont think i already "terrer" i screwed badly during the 2nd nine.

Weapon of mass destruction 1

Weapon of mass destruction 2

Who's teeing off after this?

Healthy food and the chastity belt

Bahaya makanan segera -- 200 jenis produk digemari jadi punca pelbagai penyakit

Oleh: S. ANAND KUMAR dan NURUL ANUAR KARI

KUALA LUMPUR 20Feb.– Percayakah anda bahawa terdapat sekurangkurangnya 200 jenis makanan segera yang amat digemari rakyat negara ini menjadi punca pelbagai penyakit kritikal penduduk Malaysia.

Mereka terdedah kepada makanan itu yang mengandungi kandungan lemak trans-fats, gula, garam dan bahan kimia yang tinggi. Ia juga dikategorikan sebagai ‘sampah’ dan mengancam kesihatan terutama kanak-kanak.

Penyakit-penyakit yang dicetuskan oleh makanan ini adalah kegemukan, diabetes, jantung dan kanser.

Apa itu makanan segera? Laman web Wikipedia merujuk makanan segera sebagai makanan yang dimasak terlebih dahulu dalam jumlah yang besar dan cuma perlu dipanaskan semula mengikut kehendak pembeli.

Ia biasanya tidak berkhasiat dan pendedahan mengenai keburukannya mengatasi kebaikan.

Dalam konteks Malaysia, ia bukan lagi datangnya dari restoran-restoran makanan segera yang lazim dikenali, tapi merangkumi makanan sejuk beku yang dipercayai mengandungi bahan pengawet yang berbahaya.

Menurut Persatuan Pengguna Pulau Pinang (CAP), antara makanan dan minuman segera yang dikategorikan sebagai tidak berkhasiat ialah mi segera, minuman bergas, gula-gula, burger dan coklat.

Makanan terbabit merupakan penyumbang kepada penyakit seperti sakit jantung, kencing manis, darah tinggi dan buah pinggang yang dihidapi kira-kira tiga juta penduduk negara ini.

Malah, dua juta rakyat negara ini iaitu 8.5 peratus daripada 26 juta penduduk, didapati menghidap penyakit diabetes, yang kebanyakannya berpunca daripada makanan.

CAP dalam kajiannya turut mendapati hampir keseluruhan murid-murid sekolah menjadi sasaran kepada makanan segera dan terdedah kepada gejala penyakit kritikal itu sejak di usia muda.

Presiden CAP, S. M. Mohamed Idris berkata, kandungan gula berlebihan dan pewarna tiruan merupakan antara ‘racun’ yang tersembunyi dalam makan segera.

Sementara itu, Pakar Perunding Perubatan Hospital Pakar Shah Alam, Dr. Zulkarnain Ahmad Hamidy berkata, pengambilan makanan segera yang berlebihan dan malas bersenam akan menyumbang kepada obesiti yang menjadi punca segala penyakit termasuk darah tinggi, masalah jantung, kencing manis dan kegagalan buah pinggang.

Katanya, kebanyakan menu makanan segera mengandungi kadar karbohidrat yang tinggi tanpa vitamin atau zat berfaedah terutama untuk kanak-kanak yang sedang membesar.

Beliau menjelaskan, kalori yang memasuki badan sukar untuk dibuang dan ini akan membawa kepada masalah kesihatan seperti kegemukan dan masalah jantung.

Menurutnya, sejumlah besar kalori dalam makanan segera tidak diperlukan dan akan mengganggu sistem metabolisme badan, seterusnya dikumpul menjadi lemak.

‘‘Oleh itu, amalan untuk mengekang pengambilan makanan segera perlu dimulakan dengan pendidikan golongan muda tentang pemakanan seimbang dari bangku sekolah lagi,’’ katanya.

Ibu bapa katanya, perlu menghentikan segera amalan ‘membesarkan’ anak-anak dengan makanan segera yang sememangnya diketahui mengandungi jumlah kalori yang tinggi.

Zulkarnain berkata, anak-anak tidak memahami baik buruk makanan segera tetapi tetap memilihnya disebabkan mentaliti yang diterap oleh ibu bapa masing-masing.

Pada masa yang sama, kajian CAP juga mendapati kanak-kanak yang gemar memakan makanan segera kurang aktif berbanding rakan sebaya mereka yang mengamalkan pemakanan sihat.

‘‘CAP mendefinisikan makanan segera sebagai ‘sampah’ kerana ia tidak berkhasiat dan boleh mendatangkan mudarat jika diambil dalam kuantiti yang banyak.

‘‘Pada kebiasaannya kanak-kanak yang mengambil makanan segera akan cepat kenyang dan tidak berselera terhadap makanan lain seperti nasi, sayur dan buah-buahan,’’ kata Mohamed Idris.

My take on this....hmmm...Well dont tell me they only knew about this???After consuming thousands of Big Macs, Maggi Mee etc the government had the brains to declare/"admit" its unhealthy. Dont tell me, after all this time, diaorg baru research and found out about "200 jenis produk digemari jadi punca pelbagai penyakit"?

Venetian chastity belt on display in the Doge's palace. (Claimed to be 16th–17th century.)

What is a chastity belt?

A chastity belt is a locking item of clothing designed to prevent sexual intercourse and possibly masturbation. The purpose may also be to protect the wearer from rape or temptation. Devices have been created for males and females. The use of such devices against the wearer's will would now be considered abusive in most western societies.

The term "Chastity belt" is also used metaphorically in modern English to mean an overly protective device or practice. The term carries a derisive connotation and may also imply that the subject is antiquated, or is cumbersome, or provides unnecessary protection, or provides ineffective protection.

Tokoh agama, Datuk Abu Hassan Din Al-Hafiz baru-baru ini mencadangkan pemakaian cawat besi perlu dihidupkan kembali kerana wanita zaman kini banyak terdedah kepada jenayah rogol yang semakin berleluasa. Pada pendapat saya, cadangan ini:
	Wajar dikaji, diteliti dengan lebih serius.
	Terpulang kepada individu untuk memakainya.
	Peti besi boleh dibuka, inikan pula cawat besi.
	Tidak lagi praktikal, ketinggalan zaman.
	Perlukan hukuman lebih keras terhadap perogol.

Your 2 cents???

Time to find out

To those who read my blog, i did mention about internet investment "scams". Got a call from my ex staff, asking me bout whether i made enough money or not. For me it was kind of funny, there were times when you were kind of short especially like right now. The house dah siap, just waiting for the CF, and i have tons of stuff to buy. Anyway, i wasnt that desperate. I told my friend, thanks and that was the end of our conversation.

The next day, my old secretary called me up asking about the same thing. Similar concept but under a different name. Said her husband joined and has been reaping the rewards. Like I said, its quite hard for me to believe such things, call me old fashion but i still believe in hard work.

To cut a long story short, during this Chinese New Year Holidays. An old school buddy/golfing buddy confessed that he also is participating in a similar scheme. It kind of made me laugh, when thinking back this is the same friend who "mati-mati" said he would rather put his money in ASB. Dude, I know you're gonna read this, but dont worry I'm joining the band wagon, but i'm joining for the sake of couriosity. Maybe after 100 days, I'll dump it into your scheme.

Since playing golf, i would spend most of my days off playing. Funny thing with golf is you can hit the longest drive and hit those irons flawlessly on the driving range. But everything goes downhill on the course. Like today, i carded a 42 on the 1st nine , but everything hancur when i played the 2nd nine. I even malu to declare my score today. On the way back, analysed what went wrong, refered back to those golf magazines guess i have to head back to the range.

Will i be rich in 100 days?

Calling one, calling all! Defend your right to free speech!

This is the official statement of Bloggers United. This statement is jointly drafted by Susan Loone and Sheih of Kickdefella. All those who believe in justice and right to free speech, please sign on and put this up in your blogs. Spread it around; let it grow far and wide. The fight is on! See also Susan Loone.

BLOGGERS UNITED CONDEMN ACTION AGAINST ROCKY & JEFF & DEMAND LEVEL PLAYING FIELD in ALL ACTION AGAINST BLOGGERS

We, Malaysian bloggers, we, who believe in justice and right to free speech, we, who endorse the Bloggers United movement, unanimously condemn the action taken by media conglomerate NST against bloggers Rocky Bru and Jeff Ooi. The action by the newspaper against the duo is an action against all bloggers who believe in their right to free speech, freedom of expression and justice.

The recent event may seem like a grave development in the path of bloggers, but it can never and must never impede or stop us from defending our right to speak, to express, to write and to tell the truth, to be the watchdog, eyes and ears of the people, or simply to share our view, and give fair comment on any subject which involves and affects us as humans, as rightful citizens of this country.

The recent event may very well give the government owned media the opportunity to dictate the so-called ‘truth” but such actions only prove that bloggers must unite, continue to uphold the right to free speech and freedom of expression, fight for justice, even if it is not our own, be more alert, committed to the cause of free speech, relentless and persistence in the face of such persecution like the one which had befallen on the two of us.

What YOU do to any of US, is what YOU do to ALL.

As responsible bloggers, we demand and claim our space on the blogosphere for free and fair comment, where important national issues and prominent personalities are discussed.

Although it may seem as if the NSTP defamation suits will have a chilling effect on freedom of bloggers, as litigation can be expensive and may jeorpadise a blogger’s economic position, we will not be cowed or silenced by those who have no regard for free speech.

If you find our post offensive, you may refute us with correct facts and figures and fair comment, in the spirit of free speech.

The first two cases will have grave impact not only on the internet, but country as a whole as the country celebrates VMY2007. The healthy, mature and democratic growth for free speech and expression in our midst is at stake. The reputation of the nation as it strives to promote our multimedia supercorridor and love for IT will be a national joke for all the world to feast on.

We demand for a level playing field in all action meted out to bloggers and in particular in the defamation proceedings particularly in terms of financial resources and capabilities, and secondly, that the legal rights of bloggers et al are properly protected in keeping with the imperatives of an information society and knowledge economy which Malaysia aspires to become.

For further information, please contact blogger susan loone at susanloone@gmail.com and sheih at kickdefella@yahoo.com

Dont you hate it when......

Dont you hate it when....

1. You plan to wake up early for a change, come to work a little bit early. instead you find the roads are unusually jammed pack bumper to bumper type of jam.

2. You reach the office the office very late, and the boss questioning your punctuality. Funny thing he's never questioned you plus the company practices "flexi hours".

3. You want to use your 3G card to check up on some emails, but you cant use them cause the telco company didn't inform you that they've barred your phone. Plus the boss is asking why you're not replying those emails on time.

4. You're craving for the "nasik ayam" looks very inviting. but when you take that 1st bite "nasik tak masak plak, mentah"

5. You want to fill your car with petrol, you have only rm2 in your pocket so you're thinking of swiping your credit card, but the damn machine is offline. Minyak dah pratically empty.

6. Your day is practically screwed, so you thought of going to the driving range to hit some balls (biasa ler tomorow ada game). The funny thing is you just cant hit those balls perfectly. dah ubah stance, ubah iron, ubah everything but the damn golf balls aint flying.

7. You come home frustrated, angry and very tired. Then your wife tells you "sorry bang, tak sempat nak masak tadi" arrggghhhhhh

8. Dont you hate it when you dont know what to write...............................

Dont hate you're self too much :)

Time to move on

I had a a lot of resentment when I left the old company. I was frustrated, disillusioned and basically lost hope in everything especially with the management. Besides than trying to achieve something) that is merapu, the whole management was acting like watching your daily dose of "samarinda" and "drama minggu ini". So before I left, I kind of promised myself that if they didn't
achieve their target, the management would get a personal email from me. I just wanted to remind them about their promises. Some promised to resign if they didnt achieve it, but i doubt that since their still employed there. I guess they gave the same old lame excuse and the story goes on and on.

I guess its time for me to move on, what's said has already been done. Theres nothing more to prove. Lets work towards the future.

Adios

Easy money? Happy birthday to me!

I have always believed in hard work, and being rewarded because of it. I was taught there is no shortcut to be succesful. I look at the list of millionaires and billionaires and have read their auto-bio's and the one thing i can deduce is it all boils down to hard work. Even Donald trumps talks about it in his reality show "the apprentice". "There is no short cut for success" he says.

Where am i heading with all of this? Well I've got something that really bugs me. I have a friend who i consider a very close friend. We went to school together and our family would spend holidays together. I consider my friend to be very "bijak". He did well in his SPM, went to the states I can say good tertiary education. But the thing that bugs me is that he is a sucker for all these get rich schemes. He admits to loosing thousands of ringgit, but he continues to "invest" in these "schemes".

Now dia duk promote this "swiss cash" thingy. "Nanti lah" i would say, everytime dia suruh masuk this scheme. "Tak susah cob, kau invest USD300 and kau dapat 300% after 13months" he would say. I didnt take economics during my student days, but I have always wondered business apa yg boleh bagi returns banyak camtu?, even ASB pun tak banyak camtu. Pelik...pelik. So i asked around, most of the people i asked have heard of it. Usually a friend of a friend ada masuk and that they have gotten a return in their investments. "Ada nampak duit tu?" i ask. "ohhh its in e-points, then you convert it and they tt into your account." I did ask my good friend about his returns, his answer? "Dah. Skang ni aku reinvest duit tu. 6 tahun lagi aku millionair ler". Good for him if it materialises. Rezeki dia, but i still believe in good ole fashioned hard work. According to him even Tun Musa Hitam and Dato' Zeti (the BNM Governer) join.
I heard that another good friend of mine has joined. He "invested" RM1,000.

If they do strike it rich because of these scams, hats of to you. Rezeki korang. Someone told me, these internet scams are mostly fly by night operators. One day their there the next day the site may not even exist. If you have a lot of disposable income cuba ler, but if you're a person like me tak payah ler. I have "nasihatkan" my friend but biasalah sapa nak tolak easy money even if you dont know the outcome of that investment. Dari segi agama halal ke duit yg diaorg dapat? I'm not very religously pandai but there are a lot of factors to look at.

So far if you search "swissh cash" kat lam google, all of them say its a scam, but i wonder dont these people know or their eyes dah dikaburi ngan easy money?

On a lighter note, I'm 1 year older. I've reached the not so ripe age of 32. How does a 32 year old guy spend his birthday. Well I'm gonna be on the golf course in the morning, lunch with the family and spending some time alone, to ponder what i'm going to do till my 33rd birthday comes along.

Happy Birthday to me

Happy New Year 2007 & Looking at the past

Selamat Tahun Baru, Happy New Year.

Another new year and bunch of new resolutions. My new resolution for this year is to stop making new resolutions. Why? cause for the previous years i've never been able to do all those
resolutions. why bother rite. The only thing i'm going to concentrate is be more merry and take things a little bit easy.

So lets look at what i achieved in 2006.

1. I got a new job
Ive always wanted to work in a MN company, for a change i dont need to report to a local plus
the country manager reports to me..ahahah..thats nice.
Finally dapat rasa 5 months bonus, eventhough it was prorated. Hopefully next year they'll give the same amount.

2. Bought a house
Well the house is 90% complete, and i guess it SHOULD be ready latest by this march.

3. Hmmm sorry there is no number 3.

Things I'm looking forward to in 2007

1. Increament in April. They say its between 8%-10%
2. No more "shanking" when i play golf. Less "angkat kepala" when trying to make my swing
3. Nilai Spring or SSG? Hmmmm
4. Addition to the family?Hmmm that one have to ask the wife
5. No more fuel increase (very unlikely)
6. Travel more (So far 1 country per month till March 07)

I guess it stops at no.6, but overall i want to have a happy 2007.

Heres to 2007