Meeting God

It's Wesak Day and I was fixing the roof with my father this morning. Regardless of how much of sunblock I use before going up the roof, it didn't prevent me from getting a heatstroke. Perhaps I didn't have a proper breakfast and sufficient fluid. I went up there as soon as I woke up. Armed with a brush and started painting the old and rusty parts of the roof while my father applied the sealant and cemented the cracks and crevices.

The morning sun was punishing and unforgiving. There were moments where my body told me to stop but I pressed on until I finish my job. I keep telling myself to finish it quickly and I can rest later. Of course, perseverance pays and the job is done. I noticed my father was nowhere to be found. Must have gone down to have a drink. I lifted my head up and tried to stand up straight. (I've been squatting 45 degrees on the roof hanging on like a mountain goat). Suddenly a cloud of darkness attacked my sight and it felt like the noise effect from the television.

I tried to reach the ladder but I was too weak to climb down. I turned back and sat down. The sun continued to beam and shone forth to its full strength. I couldn't stand it anymore and tried to call for help. Nobody heard. Perhaps I was too weak and I sounded frail. I was at the edge of the roof, a few inches short of falling down. I lied down and felt numb all over my body. My head felt excruciatingly painful but I couldn't get up. My eyes were shutting slowly and my mind was blank.

I think I've slept for a while (or did I faint?). Someone or something was calling me to wake up. "Get up Robin, get up!" Was it my body's defence mechanism doing its job? I didn't respond. All of a sudden, I gathered enough energy to push myself up minding the roof's edge so as not to break my leg falling down. I kept telling myself to go down and have a drink. With this last ounce of strength, I climbed down, rushed into my house and quickly downed a few glasses (like I've always practised in clubs and it turned out useful!)

I was saved. Then I thought to myself about this divine intervention. I could only say thanks. Further, I'm always afraid of heights and it didn't occur to me when I was rushing down the ladder just now.

The roof's fixed and I'm grateful I came down in one piece. I'm grateful that I'm still able to have lunch with my family. I'm grateful that I'm still able to update my status in Facebook and of course tell you this story. Then I thought, my LLB exams were not so difficult after all. I just have to give my all and finish the job. There are so many things in life I haven't done. And the stress I'm imposing into myself was not necessary and it's a waste of time. Fearing what might happen didn't help much because the future afterall, is uncertain.

Thanks once again.

The Perils of Bolehsia

President Obama and Hilary Clinton, his secretary of state, were in the Oval Office discussing steps that needed to be taken to enhance the bilateral ties between the US and Bolehsia.

"Well, what do you think, Mr President?" asked Hilary.

"Well Bolehsia needs our help in trade, investment and technology transfer. Perhaps we should send a special envoy to help facilitate this. The question, Hilary, is who do we send? We have to take into account Bolehsia's special circumstances and its unique value system," said the President.

"Well Mr President as you know, Bolehsia ranks in the bottom quartile in terms of gender equality when compared to the rest of the world although two thirds of its college graduates are female. Also they have strict laws governing sex outside of marriage where Muslim women can be sentenced to syariah caning if caught. So I don't think we can send a woman", said Hilary.

"Hmm, that's a shame," said the President. "That rules out half of the possible potential candidates for the job. So it's a man then. What sort of man should we send to Bolehsia?"

"Well sir, we have to be mindful of their race and religious issues. They have an affirmative action policy that gives preference to the majority race in all aspects of society. So we need a man who understands, and to a certain extent, accepts racism", said Hilary.

"So what are you suggesting, Hilary, someone from the Ku Klux Klan?" said the agitated President.

"Well, sir, that may not be enough. The man should preferably also not be a Christian because Bolehsia has a major issue on the translation of the word God. They have a word for it that only they and other Muslims can use, according to them. Oh and also the guy better not be Jewish, they don't like Jews", said Hilary.

"Well can we send an atheist or an agnostic then?" asked the President.

"That's not clear Mr. President. Bolehsia's constitution allows one to practise one's religion but it does not say that if one can have no religion. In fact in recent court cases, a Muslim cannot effectively renounce his or her religion, though there is no express provision in their constitution to prohibit such a thing. What is clear though, Mr President, is that Bolehsia is homophobic and they have strict laws against sodomy and homosexuality. In fact, they have recently been raiding establishments where this apparently goes on," said Hilary.

"But how do they prove it, Hilary? I mean unless there are video tapes or they send some undercover officers in to participate, where is the evidence to convict these guys?" asked the President.

"Well Mr. President, although Bolehsia is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it has done little to implement it in its constitution. Although the principle 'beyond a reasonable doubt' is supposed to be the standard to convict an accused in Bolehsia, the public persecutors, oh sorry I meant to say prosecutors, will prosecute regardless, especially if it is a high profile case. You see, they believe that the judges will be partial to them irrespective of the actual evidence," said Hilary.

"So it looks like we have to send someone who is male, gender biased, homophobic, a member of the Klan who is not too Christian and who does not believe in human rights. Is that what you are telling me Hilary? With all those prerequisites I would be surprised if our guy had any brains at all!" exclaimed the President.

"Oh don't worry about that Mr President, you see, Bolehsia is a fairly corrupt country. All our guy needs to be good at is greasing palms, which works wonders out there. Anyway we can always find out what they are doing from the internet as they are useless at keeping secrets. Lately they exposed to the world that their aircraft engines went missing and that their new submarine can't dive," said Hilary laughing heartily.

"Also, sir", Hilary added "if our guy happens to be a paedophile, he might get away with it in Bolehsia. Apparently it is possible to legally marry a child below the age of sixteen if you are a Muslim over there".

"Honest to God, Hilary, I can't think of anyone who can fit all the requirements you have outlined above. I can't even think of someone who can meet a major part of it" said the President.

"George W. Bush," replied Hilary spontaneously. -- Writer and source unknown

To Indonesia With Love

My girlfriend asked me to deliver a parcel on behalf of her friend's Indonesian maid because the maid wasn't permitted to step out of the house. See the chain: Indonesia maid - My girlfriend - Me. I'm at the receiving end and the feminists have won the war. Remember Catharine Mackinnon's employer-employee, mortgagor-mortgagee and fuckor-fuckee theory, I ended up being on the 'ee' side. Ceh.

Nevertheless I agreed to do the job. Just to make sure and being suspicious of the neatly wrapped parcel, I decided to open it to ensure there's no harmful substance and subversive elements that would lead to our present government's demise. Patriotic.

It was tough opening it because of the multiple layer of tapes. As I cut open the last strip and opened the cover, emotion clouded my thoughts. There was a piece of towel, a pink top, a pink pyjamas, a pair of slippers, a retractable umbrella and some mini souvenirs that she probably got them from following her employer's family trip to Langkawi. You may think that these gifts are frivolous and petty, but to a mother who works overseas for a meagre amount of salary just to provide enough for her daughter, that's incredible.

I was thinking that many of us would usually take everything in our daily life for granted. At least we have things such as the above to assist our lives without any difficulty. Just ask from the parents. Simple.

I bought a piece of wrapping paper and asked the bookshop assistants to wrap the parcel. They saw the address and told me that they were from Surabaya, Indonesia. They were so happy that I help this maid to post the parcel and got praises from them. It actually felt so good to do a good deed. One of them told me that Indonesian of the Chinese descent were very beautiful and told me to get one for myself if I happen to visit there. If there's really a thing like Karma........haha. I won't hope for such things but I want to strike the Jackpot.

Her daughter must be very happy once she receives the parcel 2 weeks from now in Lampung Selatan, Indonesia.

Chit Chit and Sex Education

Student : My mum says I came from the butt. She said she had to push me out like pushing the shit out.

Me: (shocked) No la. Your mum lied. I tell you where you came from but don't tell your mum ok.

Student: Ok!

(Told him straight. No holds barred. Bird Bird is penis and the opposite is vagina. You come from the vagina! The butt is only for 'bang sai')

Student: Oh! My friends call that girl's part ''chit chit''. But teacher, chit chit so small how to fit me?

Me: (Ya Allah!) That's why your mum had to push you out like pushing the faeces out la.

It's time we Malaysian have proper sex education. I don't want my student to get the info from his friends or pornography which distorts his view against women or that his mother 'bang sai' him out. For the parents, teach your kids the right thing la... What's so hard? Sex only ma.

Malaysia Vs Singapore

I have a very educational tuition class with my student both for me and my 10-year-old student this afternoon. As I was teaching Science, the little boy was so fascinated and so curious about how things work that I digressed from the subject itself and taught him to think outside the box. Here goes:-

Me : Do you like science?

Student: Yes, it's so interesting and I can discover so many things in a short time. I want to
become a scientist!

Me : To become a scientist, you have to be good in mathematics too.

Student : Ei, how come? Isn't science a subject about animals and space? Need mathematics for
what?

Me : Science and mathematics are actually twin brothers. They complete each other. Do you
know Formula One?

Student : Yes. I love Ferrari!!

Me : Me too. There are also other great teams like McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull, Brawn etc. Do
you know that each car's engine capacity is fixed and they are only competing the driver's
skills and the body shape of the car?

Student : Is it to make it fairer?

Me : Yes. The engineers of each team will have to design a good shape for the car so that friction
that slows down the car is reduced. That's science. They also have to calculate how fast the
car will go and how much petrol is needed each lap precisely. That's mathematics. If they
design the wrong shape and calculate wrongly, the car will be very slow and the team will
lose. If the car goes too fast, it'll fly up like an aeroplane.

Student : Wah!! So geng!!

Me : When you grow older, you'll notice there are also many other occupations around. You can
be a biologist, chemist, engineer, doctor, mechanic, pharmacist, architect or lawyer. Teacher
will be a lawyer soon after I pass my final year exam.

Student (Both Eyes widened) : Wow! A lawyer!!

Me : Yeah, a lawyer.

Student : What do lawyers do?

Me: Make rules, punish bad people and protect the good ones.

Student: What is law? (Jurisprudential question!!!)

Me : (In a predicament. How do I explain law to a 10 year old kid?)
Law is like rules that you follow. It will happen to you especially when you've done
something wrong. If you play truant, the teacher will follow the rules and punish you.

Student : But everyone knows that already ma.

Me : That is law happening to you. If you want to know what other rules are, you have to read
the books. (Like evading the question only)

Student : Oh, I see.

Me : Back to photosynthesis. Other than oxygen and carbon dioxide to breathe, water to drink,
plants also need sunlight.

Student : I understand. Can we die if there's no sunlight?

Me : Yes, without heat and light from the sun, we will die frozen.

Student : How big is the sun?

Me : ( I draw the pic) It's 5000 times bigger than the Earth.

Student : How big is Malaysia?

Me: (Drew the map of Malaysia) Malaysia is just a small country.

Student: What's the largest country in the world? China?

Me : No, it's Russia, followed by Canada, then China and USA.

Student: I see. Is Singapore the smallest country in the world?

Me : No, it's the Vatican City. Some say Monaco.

Student : Why is Singapore better than us?

Me : (Stuck) How do you know Singapore is better than us? People tell you or you see it
yourself?

Student : I see it myself. I went to Singapore to visit my great grandma. Singapore is like the
future! Every building is made of glass and it's so nice. Very clean also.

Me: (Conceding) Yeah, this is because they value their human resource, who is its own citizens.
Singapore is also clever to attract a lot of brainy and smart people to work for them. When
smart people work with smart people, the country will prosper, develop and rich!

Student : Why Malaysia doesn't do the same?

Me : (Stuck again) Ok, I'll tell you the reality but don't ever argue this in your school. Your
teacher in school will say Malaysia is the best because it's free from natural disasters that
the Kwai Lo also want to come here to sunbathe.

Student : OK

Me : (Unfolding the truth, but not that much)Our country doesn't know how to appreciate
talents and countries like Singapore just scoop out our talented people at their whims.
Malaysia is a country with huge natural resources like timber, tin, sometimes gold, and oil,
and we're supposed to be rich. However, this country is run by monkeys and that's why
we're weak. Singapore was part of Malaysia in 1963 and got out in 1965 because we were
weak. Sabah and Sarawak are also separate countries that joined with us to become
Malaysia.

Student : Icic. So they can also get out of Malaysia?

Me: Yes, they can.

Student : If Singapore attacks Malaysia, will Malaysia lose?

Me: Yeah, because they have the backing of the USA. But even without USA we will still lose
because our helicopters can crash at anytime and fighter jets have no engines. How to fly?
Worse still, our submarine cannot dive and Singapore's ships can easily bombed the
submarine. They can also pay our soldiers money and ask them not to fight and let the Singapore soldiers conquer Malaysia. Just like your daddy pay money to the policeman so that he won't get a summon.

Student : Wah, like that also can ar. Ya, when my daddy wants to pay him RM30, the policeman asks for RM50. Very bad and greedy one. But aren't submarines supposed to go underwater?

Me: (Errrr......) Yes, some clowns mess up with the system and that's why it's floating.

Student : But last time people also attacked China. So China is also weak la?

Me: Yes, China's weak last time but she has learnt her lesson and started to develop after the
World War II. Now nobody dares to attack China because she's strong and everybody wants
to do business with China.

Student: Oh, I see.

Me: Ok, back to your work.


Sigh. Malaysia, I'm trying my best to protect you dear. Why are you constantly letting me down?

I would be very piss off if the 10 year old kid is a Singaporean asking ''Gor Gor, why is Singapore better than Malaysia?'' Again, I'm stuck!!!

How Corruption Affect Us?

Most Malaysians don’t think twice about the level of corruption in this country. Some even welcome it. How many times have you illegally parked your car or dashed through a red light and paid the policeman a bribe of RM50 or RM100 to save paying a RM300 fine if you are issued a summons?

And that is cheap, mind you. In the police lockup, we have to pay the policemen RM100 for a three-minute local phone call and RM10 for a stick of cigarette. So that comes to RM200 per packet. I paid RM200 for one night’s ‘protection’. For RM200 I was placed in a ‘special’ lockup where a detainee awaiting trial for murder took me under his wing so that the others could not get at me. He even threw in a cigarette as part of the ‘package’.

And it costs RM250,000 for a drug dealer to escape the gallows.

My wife, who in 2001 was detained overnight in the women’s section of the police lockup, the same night I was arrested, spoke to one Indonesian woman who was on her second drug dealing arrest. The first time she and her husband were arrested they had to pay RM500,000 for both of them to get released. They were trying to arrange another RM500,000 to get out of this second arrest. So that came to RM1 million for two arrests. Imagine how much they must be making dealing in drugs. More importantly, imagine how much the police are making each time they get arrested.

I spoke to many of my Chinese businessmen friends and they admitted that it is easier to do business when corruption is involved. This saves time since you can bypass the normal requirements and get your applications approved much faster by just bribing the government officers. Sometimes, when you are not ‘eligible’, you can become eligible by paying bribes. So bribes actually help when faced with certain obstacles -- and there are definitely many 'obstacles' when dealing with governments in third world countries like Malaysia.

When corruption does not affect you directly you are not too concerned about it. It is like crime. As long as the robbers do not break into your home to rob you and rape your wife or daughter then who bothers too much about the high level of crime? It is when it is you that is hit that you become outraged about the high crime rate and the low level of police enforcement and lack of effort to combat crime.

Is it not those who suffer or suffered from cancer, or have lost a loved one to cancer, who gets involved in anti-cancer movements or associations? How many of us who never had to face cancer would want to donate generously to the anti-cancer effort? We never bother about something that does not affect us. And the same goes for other things as well, such as corruption and whatnot.

But corruption does affect us, contrary to what many may be thinking. Sometimes it affects us directly. Most times, indirectly.

An average of ten people die each day on Malaysian roads. Many more are seriously injured or maimed, sometimes resulting in them no longer being able to work and earn a living. The main reason for this is that Malaysians do not know how to drive.

Now, let there not be any confusion over this statement. Malaysians may have a valid driving licence. But Malaysians do not know how to drive. Do you know that in some European countries you can exchange your Singapore driving licence for a driving licence of your host country? But they will not accept a Malaysian driving licence. Malaysian driving licences tak laku (have no value).

I know someone, now deceased, who had a driving licence but could not even reverse her car out of the driveway. How in heaven’s name did she pass her driving test and get a licence if she can’t even reverse her car? And for sure she can’t drive.

Well, she told me. The driving school has two schemes. One is the ‘guaranteed to pass your driving test’ scheme -- which means you will pass your driving test and get a driving licence even if you can’t drive. The other scheme involves you taking the driving test and passing it all on your own.

The trouble with this legitimate scheme, though, is that even if you know how to drive they will still fail you as ‘punishment’ for refusing to participate in the ‘guaranteed to pass’ scheme. So it is better to pay, even if you can drive, and especially if you can’t, to be assured off a driving licence.

So, about ten people a day die on Malaysian roads because most of them have a driving licence but do not know how to drive. And those who die could be you, a family member, an office colleague, or a close friend. In short, that person who died in the traffic accident could be someone you know or someone close to you.

Therefore, corruption does affect you when you lose someone because of corruption -- or if it is you who dies. If this person were forced to learn how to drive properly before being given a licence then maybe he or she would still be alive today. I have personally lost scores of friends and relatives due to traffic accidents over the last 50 years or so. Sometimes it is their fault. The sad part is when the accident is someone else’s fault and you are a victim of reckless or inconsiderate drivers who have absolutely no road sense whatsoever.

I have also lost people dear to me due to poor medical facilities. There are not enough hospital beds in the intensive care unit or not enough dialysis machines or whatever, which results in poor medical facilities. And these people had to die because of this.

It is not that Malaysia does not have enough money to improve its medical facilities. It is that Malaysia spends the money for the wrong reasons -- and spends too much on top of that because there are kickbacks and commissions involved in every project and procurement. So medical facilities take a back seat and many of us have lost friends, colleagues and relatives because they were denied prompt or proper medical treatment.

If the money had not been wasted and had instead been spent for the right purposes -- medical and education being the two most important -- then Malaysia would be a much better place. As it is, our medical and educational facilities are below the so-called first world infrastructure that we are so proud of.

We have the best weapons. We have fantastic bridges, buildings and roads. Heck, we even have submarines now. But we are extremely lacking when it comes to medical and educational facilities. And health and education are far more important than all those white elephants and monuments that swallow billions but bring no income to the country, as would most white elephants and monuments.

Cars cost a lot in Malaysia. That, again, is due to corruption. If the government allowed a free-for-all in the car industry then cars would cost much cheaper than they do now. But they can’t allow a free-for-all. They can’t because cronies of those who walk in the corridors of power are making a lot of money from the car import permits and whatnot. So Malaysians have to pay double what they should actually be paying for their cars. But their salaries are not double what they should be.

So you end up a slave of your car instead of the car being your slave. You work for your car when your car should instead be working for you. And because of the sorry state of public transport you have no choice but to own a car. You just can’t get around without a car like you can in so many other countries.

After paying for your car what do you have left at the end of the day? Most times, because of your car, you can’t afford a decent home. Malaysians are actually very poor. The cost of living is so high while the salaries are very low. And corruption keeps Malaysians poor.

So perish the thought if you thought corruption does not affect you. It does, in more ways than you realise. And only naïve people would believe that corruption does not personally affect them or is actually beneficial to business. Malaysians are paying a heavy price for corruption. And the worse thing is we do not even realise we are paying.

Malaysians pay billions in all forms of taxes. But a lot of this money does not come back to us. It gets flushed down the toilet. Billions are lost -- RM30 billion by some estimates. And this is our money. Imagine if we had to pay only RM0.30 for a litre of petrol or RM1.80 for a packet of cigarette or RM50,000 for a Honda Civic. Would you not have more money left in your pocket? Nowadays, your money is finished by the tenth day of the month and you have to wait another 20 days for your next paycheque.

Don’t even start talking about saving money for a rainy day. This is just not possible. Corruption has taken away all your money whereas considering how rich this country is we should not even be asked to pay taxes or, even if we are, it could be a very minimum level that hardly hurts us.

For decades, the opposition has been fighting for the government to set a fair minimum wage appropriate to the cost of living. But the government does not agree to the RM900 per month minimum wage proposal.

In fact, even RM900 is still too low. Countries like the UK have announced that the minimum wage will now be adjusted to about RM35 per hour. That is what some Malaysians earn in a day. Yet the price of cigarettes in the UK is almost the same as in Malaysia. And so goes for many other things as well -- while cars are half the price or less compared to Malaysia.

No, Malaysians are poor. You earn so much less and have to pay so much more. Then corruption takes away what little you have left. And Malaysians still believe that corruption does not affect them directly.

And that is why I am of the opinion that PAS is not focused. They should be addressing the core issues. And the core issue here is corruption and how it affects us. Banning beer or sexy singers from appearing on stage does not offer Malaysians a better life. Even if beer and sexy singers are banned Malaysians will still remain poor. And we will remain poor because our money is being plundered and our low salaries and high taxes do not allow us a decent life.

Prophet Muhammad declared war on riba’ (usury). Riba’ basically means making money from no effort of your own. And, according to Sheikh Imran Hossein, there are 80 levels of riba’, corruption being one of them (since corruption involves making money in a dishonest manner and from no effort of your own).

But PAS does not declare war on corruption. PAS declares war on beer and sexy women. PAS does not understand that corruption and poverty is the real enemy. Poverty enslaves us. Corruption makes us even poorer.

PAS should take up the Prophet’s real fight, the fight against corruption and poverty. And poverty is the breeding ground of corruption. When you are broke one week after receiving your salary you need to resort to corruption to survive.

By Raja Petra Kamarudin

Sure Or Not?

This took place in Charlotte, North Carolina
A lawyer purchased a box of very rare and expensive cigars, then insured them against, among other things, fire.
Within a month, having smoked his entire stockpile of these great cigars, the lawyer filed a claim against the insurance company..
In his claim, the lawyer stated the cigars were lost ' in a series of small fires. '
The insurance company refused to pay, citing the obvious reason, that the man had consumed the cigars in the normal fashion.
The lawyer sued and WON !

Delivering the ruling, the judge agreed with the insurance company that the claim was frivolous..
The judge stated nevertheless, that the lawyer held a policy from the company, in which it had warranted that the cigars were insurable, and
also guaranteed that it would insure them against fire, without defining what is considered to be unacceptable ' fire ' and was obligated to pay
the claim.
Rather than endure a lengthy and costly appeal process, the insurance company accepted the ruling and paid $15,000 to the lawyer for his
loss of the cigars that perished in the ' fires ' .

NOW FOR THE BEST PART...

After the lawyer cashed the check, the insurance company had him arrested on 24 counts of ARSON!!!
With his own insurance claim, and testimony from the previous case, being used against him, the lawyer was convicted of intentionally burning
his insured property and was sentenced to 24 months in jail and a $24,000 fine.

KFC Tipu Saya

This is what KFC advertised
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The reality
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Ghost at Neway 1Utama

Got freaked out by the pic I took last Sunday at Neway 1Utama. Beware. Be careful and watch your back. Someone might love to sing with you...

Chivas

Chivas... Makes your dog drunk

Obscene

I came across this business signboard at Plaza TTDI. Reminds me of Edison Chen *winks* .... I wonder what kind of food they sell inside, haha!!

It's a catchy name. I'm sure it brings big business:)

English to BM to English to BM

My first comeback Post.....is to slam those numbskull buggers;) hahahahha!!!!!!

I don't want to talk much and I shall let the picture do the talking.


See, even in the national language they can get it so wrong... If you can't see it, you're a victim of Acute Intelligence Deficiency Syndrome. Don't blame yourself: they've spoonfed us since primary.

Ignorantia lingua non excusat!!

The Voice of Reason

I've been going through a difficult week filled with mental torture and stress. My studies is one of them, and there's another cause for concern crept up not too long ago. Sigh!

I went to my auntie's house and as if God heard my prayers asking him to sort my mess out, without asking or telling my aunt, she told me a story. I sat there and listened for 1 hour or so, and my, my mind was slowly filled with gleams of hope and I felt peaceful. My auntie has been a staunch and faithful devotee of Buddhism. I'm a Buddhist too, but my spiritual knowledge is shallow. One lacking of experience and reason.

When you're filled with trouble, don't try to keep it to yourself if you cannot contain it. Seek help. Voice out to someone who's willing to listen. His/Her advice may not give you an instant solution to the problem you're facing, but in a long term, reflecting on what has been said, it'll be very beneficial to you.

It doesn't solve my problem at hand but it did indeed change my way of looking at things. In the end, I still have to pull myself up with my own effort but it is easier and less time consuming because someone is there to guide me.

The Gambling Problem

Let's go straight to the point. Gambling if not controlled will screw up your life. Whatever it is, or whatever you're doing, don't put your life into it. Please tell yourself that you don't want to end up like my friends here.

I have a friend, X, whose uncle is a compulsive gambler. Naturally they'll gamble whatever they have. It feels good when you win and you'll feel high if you lose. The problem only started, of course, when you start losing. You lose that RM100, you want to win it back. What's the next thing you'll do? Well, put another RM100. And if you lose that round again, you want to win back your RM200. What are you going to do again? RM200 on the table. You lose RM 400 in 3 minutes. It snowballs up to thousands if you're not careful and this could happen in mere 60 minutes of flipping cards.

Compared to womanizing,drug addiction, smoking, drinking, gambling can be the worst sin of them all. You womanize, you die of HIV at 30. You're addicted to heroin, congrats!! You don't live past 40. You smoke, congrats again. You'll suffer lung cancer and depends on whether God loves you or not, you won't live past 50. You binge drinking. Cirrhosis and you die at 60. All of which stated, you'll suffer the consequences alone. Ok, maybe I'm wrong on the womanizing part, most probably nothing will happen if you're careful and selective;) But with gambling, you die together with your family which I think it's a little bit too selfish.

First, the vultures will circle around you with the pretence of lending you some cash. You lose again. You borrow again. Again. Again. Then, when you feel hopeless and try to leave the gambling den, those 'bankers' will go after you for the money owed. What are you going to do? X's uncle borrow money from his relatives. Now, when it comes to borrowing money, it's a very fragile and delicate situation and if not handled properly, it might ruin relationships and cause chaos.

Certainly, the desperate won't think of all this. All he needs is money to cover his ass. But X's uncle is unrepentant. He gambled again and doesn't work anymore. The 2nd round of borrowing money from relatives occurred. So is the 3rd and the 4th time. He even have the courage to cheat his mother of her hard earned savings.

He neglected his wife and children. His children were thin like bamboo sticks and his wife looked dishevelled. A sorry sight of a family which was once belong comfortably to the middle class.

My second friend W, himself is a compulsive gambler. He would visit Genting Highlands every week and gambles his ass off. More often than not, he would come down centless and he would go senseless by going up again the following week, which I think is quite fuck up. I really mean centless because the bottom line for him is not to lose that RM5 in order to pay the toll on the way back and he will lose it as well. In the end, his companion has to pay on behalf of him.
Not a rosy story about Genting Highlands huh.

My friend is of my age. He's still young and dynamic. I hope he change his ways before it's too late. He still has a bright future ahead of him. I just hope that he doesn't end up like my uncle who's in desperation, defrauded my grandfather of his cashcow electrical shops and ended up owing somemore.

So friends, whether it's Poker, Blackjack, Roulette, or even the Toto Jackpot, please exercise your discretion and control the urge of putting in more money when you're losing. God doesn't make life simple for you by just gambling, which is associated with the Underworld. It's hard work that pays.

My New Canon Ixus 100IS

Just bought my new camera, Canon Ixus 100IS last Friday. Never had the opportunity to really play with it since I'm busy with revision. What a relief after having to save for a year and she's really a classic beauty:)

My predicament when buying is to choose the colours. The colour ranges from Black, Silver, Gold Red. My eyes were set on the Gold and the Red. It's good that I can have both but I can only choose one. At last I chose the Red one for being outstanding.

Bought it for RM1050 and bought an extra battery for RM 170. After 3 years of living without a camera since my Pentax camera broke down, I regain life with my new Ixus 100IS. Haha!! Click! Click! Like Edison Chen;-)

Don't Stop Learning

Remember when you were young, your heart was like an open book. You were very curious about things. You have the strong desire to know about something and everything. You were inquisitive. You would ask tons and tons of questions. What, how, where, when, which and the list goes on. You would also pester your parents or guardians to tell you the same story or the same thing over and over again just to make sure you get it right. Am I right?

But as time marches on, you get older, you are matured, you have bigger responsibilities, you have work and family commitments and you have your mother-in-law, you tend to give excuses not to learn anymore. You think you have learnt enough. You think you have the wisdom. If you think like that, you are terribly wrong.

In the context of the so called concept of life long learning, there exists 3 types of people. The 1^st one is the “Know it all” type. He or she knows the in and out of the company he’s working for, the ways to solve a problem and practically he seems to know everything. This type of person as the category suggests is someone that we all agree that he or she is intelligent. Or is he? Because this type of person is often complacent with his skills and because of the ego that blinded him, he doesn’t ask questions, he thought he knew everything and therefore he stops learning. His skills will one day become redundant. That’s why he’ll be the first one to get retrenched.

The 2^nd type is “The Dumb” type. I apologize for the crude categorization. This type of person is someone that in the Malay language calls, Diam Cangkul. Unlike the first type, this doesn’t ask question as well, not because he knew everything, it’s he doesn’t know anything at all. And yet, he doesn’t want to open his mouth and ask. This is the typical Malaysian behavior. When it is question time, nobody asks even though they don’t understand a thing the lecturer had taught. After that, they complain about the lecturer doesn’t know how to teach.

The 3^rd type is like me, the student type. Although sometimes I fall within the 2^nd type, that’s another story for another day. This student type possesses a skill that will even surpass the knowledge and skills of the 1^st type. The skill is he keeps learning every single day. He asks and seeks answer in every single question that he has in mind. He improves himself everyday because he believes that the day he has reached his fullest potential is the day he has not. Because he still has today. He can only become better and better day after day.

In trying times such as the current economic downturn, it is of utmost importance that we adopt the 3^rd personality and we keep on improving ourselves because our boss can ask us to leave anytime, such as the recent CIMB Bank case of asking their employees to go on a 6 month unpaid leave as their staff rejuvenation initiative. Just imagine you’re the person being laid off just because you don’t have a MBA qualification even though you’ve contributed tremendously for the past 20 years. Someone’s going to hungry. Or for business owners, you may lose a client who is very important to the survival of the company if your proposal is not competitively tendered or if the ideas are outdated.

I too, am scared of losing my student which he is the means of my extra pocket money. I prayed every single day that his parents don’t lose business so that I can continue teaching him. Rather than solely relying on God, I did my part. I try my best teach him. I gave him treats. I play games with him. I even teach him simple public speaking skills. Speaking of Toastmasters at the age of 11. And guess what, his marks jumped up tremendously. From a fail in the English Paper last year 48%, he got a B this March Test. 76%. Give me a round of applause;)

It is praises and approvals I get from his parents. They’re very happy. Hence if you improve yourself and people see the change of something that is affecting them changing into the better, they’ll be appreciative and you’ll keep your job and your client.

And when times change for the better and the economy becomes bullish, guess who your boss will promote or give a pay rise? Guess who the client will come to if they need a service? You already have the answer in your mind. Thus you’ll be successful in your life.

Of course we all know that things don’t come easy to us but if we are willing to take one step at a time, just one step, our improvements will be great after 365 days. Remember, inch by inch, it’s a …… cinch. Of course, during the learning and improvement process, give yourself some credit. Treat yourself a meal after every improvement that you have achieved. And if you can find one positive thing in your life that no one can argue with, go from there. Expand from there.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is only you yourself that can bring about improvements in your life if you don’t stop learning. Learn, know and improve on every single change in your profession, family and of course life so that you’ll become a more holistic person. Stop procrastinating and don’t stop learning because the only limits in your life are the limits you put on yourself.

Earth Hour 2009 - Switch it off!!

Do something for our beloved Earth this coming Saturday, 29th March 2009. It's a very little deed the Earth is asking from you. Kindly switch off your lights for 1 hour, at 8:30 p.m.

During that 60 minutes of darkness, gather with your family and friends and say a prayer. If you're not that pious, maybe you can have candlelight dinner or even make love. Mark this historic day with something memorable. Vote Earth!

Go Travel

Mum, let’s go for a trip this holiday. “Son, can’t you see I’m trying to finish my work here, go ask daddy” Pa, let’s go to Pulau Redang. “I don’t have money, wait till next year”. Fellow readers, doesn’t that sound familiar to you?

Yes, many a time when the holiday season is coming, we’ll try to make tons of excuses not to go for a trip citing excuses like family commitments, monetary problems, work commitments and of course the classic, no time.

So when are you going to go? Are you going to wait till your children all grown up? Are you going to wait until you are too frail to walk? How do you climb up the Great Wall of China then? Or worse still, what if you are stricken by illness that makes you unable to travel? Are you going to wait till you become a millionaire? While you are dreaming or working on it, I would say why not enjoy at the same time as the saying goes work hard, play hard?

Matta Fair has come and gone and my parents have come to realize that they aren’t getting any younger and me and my brothers are in our 20s. We’ve surveyed the entire Putra World Trade Centre and we’re going to China during the holidays. Hah, what a relief after years of constant bugging and persuading them to travel. Fuh!

You may be wondering, facing with so many problems at hand, how do I find time to travel? The answer is simple, plan ahead. Let’s tackle the biggest problem of all which is money. Here’s how I as a student who don’t have a constant flow of income do it. I save a meager amount of RM100 a month. That makes RM 1200 a year. Not only can I have fun in Pulau Redang, I can go to Bali or Bangkok too with that money. Of course, flying in AirAsia. And I’m saving up as a student. I’m sure as working individuals you can do better than me.

But Robin, my boss would kill me if I take leave for so long. I’ve got tons of work in the office. I can say that if you are under the employment with such boss, get another job and work for another boss who could show compassion. Whether you’re going for a holiday or not, your boss will still strangle you anyway. Why not just go? He’ll kill you sooner if he sees you being unproductive because of stress for working too long without a break.

Of course, even if you’re the high flyer of the company, if you leave the company today, you’ll be replaced in a matter of days. It’s a sad and cruel reality that we have to face. I would say, why not treat ourselves better?

Robin, my son has tuition classes, taekwondo, piano, swimming and ballet lessons and my schedule is packed because of chauffeuring him through and fro. I’ve got a 3 year old daughter to take care of. Simple, go with the entire family. Huh? Just stop his lessons for a week and go. It’s that simple. It won’t make any difference if he misses a week of lessons. In fact, it’s do him good. If he knew of such rewards, he’ll try harder to excel in whatever he is doing. For the workaholic husband, ladies, men are easy creatures with simple minds. Use your instincts to handle them.

As for your daughter who is still young and if you’re worried, leave her to your parents. It’s that simple.

Ladies and Gentlemen, life is too short to be worried about everything. While we are still alive, let us take off some time to pamper ourselves by travelling with your family and friends. And of course memories of the trip are something money can’t buy. For everything else, there’s MasterCard.

I’ve signed up for a package at Matta Fair and I’m going to Macau this June, what about you?

Unfairness

I received a mail from a friend lately asking me for advice on how to solve the following problem
Here goes:

'''''''' Dear Robin,

How are you recently? I'm not doing so great here. Have you been to the Matta Fair? I'm actually in a huge predicament here.

I've signed up for a package tour to Taiwan during the fair. Because of my measly budget, I decided on a free and easy package and I'll navigate my way throughout the country with my girlfriend. Unbeknown to me, my mum had signed up a package to tour Europe with my younger sister, my elder brother and his girlfriend.

The issue is : They are going there in mid May, which I'm having my medical anatomy exams. How fair is that without consulting me? How fair is that to me? They are going by tour, traveling in a commercial airline. All paid by my mum. I'm forking out my own hard earned money and having to settle with AirAsia.

Apparently my younger sis is having her holidays during that time and my bro and gf can apply for leave for a week. I'm finishing my exams on the 5th of June and I'll have my 3 months summer holidays. Why can't they wait?

I've been very piss off with the events that transpired. I confronted my mum and only later promised to pay for my expenses to Taiwan. Walau yeh, it looks like my feelings is a commodity that can be traded. What I want is fair treatment, that's all. I don't need you to pay for my anything as I' m already forking out my own money anyway.

I'm also very disappointed with my sis (note that she's 21 years old, should know how to think). I've been chauffeuring her up and down from her University without fail every single week which my bro is unwilling to do. Actually, whatever we both ask also, my bro is always unwilling to help. I'm been so supportive as a bro to her in everything, always making attempts to help her in every way. She didn't even voice out to wait for me to finish my exams. She's starting her semester in June. Come on man, just a few days off the beginning of a semester.

Similarly, my bro of course didn't voice out too because it's none of his business. I've always been the helpful one and 4 years ago, I lent him a few thousands to start up a business which he does half heartedly and of course it went bust. I didn't even pester him so much to pay me back and 4 years passed, he still owes me a substantial amount of debt. Mind you, I'm only a student working my ass off for the money and he squandered it. I didn't even ask him to pay any interest accrued. What a shameful behaviour. It's shameful because he did this to me as a younger bro and it's shameful because he's an engineer now and it's shameful that my mum hardly intervene.

Robin, you tell me what to do.........''''''''''''''''''''


I've already responded privately to this poor friend of mine. What's your 2 cents?

Matta Fair 2009

It's on!! Visit Matta Fair @ PWTC , I mistakenly went to KL Convention Centre yesterday (lack of reading) .
Date : 13/3/2009 till 15/3/2009

Go travel around. Don't wait till you're old. Don't wait till next year.

Life is short. Therefore enjoy!!

Select a place of interest. Work your ass out towards the goal!! It's motivating in the midst of the doldrums of life.

Going to Macau soon. What about you?

The Beatles

The Beatles was introduced to me by my father at the tender age of seven. Of course there were a lot of kiddy musicians who sang kiddy songs I like back then but The Beatles struck a chord in me and I loved them ever since the first time I listened to them.

Life for me as a young boy was a bit eccentric because my preference of music is a bit old fashioned. I like oldies. Besides The Beatles, I have been listening to various yesteryears’ artistes such as Bee Gees and The Carpenters. Listening to Karen Carpenter singing is really magical and I thought she’s beautiful. My parents thought I was stuck in the 60s or 70s and some say 50s because I adored Elvis Presley as well. Watching Elvis dancing is really hilarious. It’s like having spasms ;)

Back to The Beatles. This little big group was formed in 1960 in Liverpool, England and comprises of 4 members namely John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. Maybe it was their looks. Maybe it was luck. Maybe it’s the songs and their appeal to the rock n’ roll generation. Maybe the marketing technique worked. When these factors combined, Bang! You’ve got the most happening group in the world.

Not long after the formation, they had their number 1: Love Me Do. I believe many of you from that generation or maybe not from the generation are still singing this song whether it’s in your car or bathroom. My father for one still enjoys the song a lot.

With the collaboration of John and Paul as the group’s main songwriters, the success of reaching no.1 on the charts was repeated a lot of times, more than any musician whichever studio may produce. This is also due to the maverick management of the group by Brian Epstien. On one account, he confessed that he hired a lot of supporters, especially girls, during the early days of the Beatles to scream through the entire performance. Well, this technique worked and it created a new culture for the fans of any musical act. They scream like idiots all the way. The group has become more and more popular ever since.

However for any famous musician or musician who wants to be famous will tend to embroil themselves in controversies. During the visit to The Philippines, the nation’s first lady, Imelda Marcos invited them to a breakfast reception at the Residential Palace. It’s never their policy to accept any ‘official’ invitation. So, they declined. The whole Philippines erupted. They were forced out of the country and forced to return all profits made before they can board the plane home. On hindsight, I’m glad that they snubbed Mrs. Marcos after learning what Ferdinand Marcos did to his country.

And of course, any young man grappling with sudden fame will tend to boast. Forgive them. During an interview, John Lennon was of the opinion that Christianity was dying and The Beatles were more popular than Jesus. This comment resulted in a backlash throughout countries whose main religion is Christianity and the fans started burning their records.

I don’t know whether it was a marketing ploy or not. But these fans have to buy the records before they can burn them. I just know that they are regretting their actions now because a vintage vinyl record can sell for a lot of money now and even more if you have the whole set. I still have mine, my father didn’t burn it and I got to inherit it. But I do burn their albums. I burn them on CDs.

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s a sad that good things don’t last forever. The group was disbanded because of internal fighting and there’s no chance of revival at all since John was killed by a fanatic in 1980.

Maybe these events made the group even more fabulous. The fans just can’t get enough of them, including yours truly. But every now and then when I needed to create an upbeat mood, I turned on the computer, click on The Beatles and started singing… All you need is love, love … love is all you need.

Inspired

I listened back to one of Michael Jackson's best oldies. I can't help but inspired and touched by the works of it. We really need such spiritual uplift especially in these current trying times. Whether you're black, white, red, yellow, Buddhist, Roman Catholic, Anglican, Hindu, or Muslim, WE ARE PART OF GOD's GREAT BIG FAMILY. So, stop fighting and get along with each other because everyone is everyone's neighbour.

We are the World - Written by Michael Jackson & Lionel Richie

There comes a time when we heed a certain call (Lionel Richie)
When the world must come together as one (Lionel Richie & Stevie Wonder)
There are people dying (Stevie Wonder)
Oh, and it's time to lend a hand to life (Paul Simon)
The greatest gift of all (Paul Simon/Kenny Rogers)

We can't go on pretending day by day (Kenny Rogers)
That someone, somehow will soon make a change (James Ingram)
We're all a part of God's great big family (Tina Turner)
And the truth (Billy Joel)
You know love is all we need (Tina Turner/Billy Joel)

( CHORUS )
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day so let's start giving (Michael Jackson)
There's a choice we're making we're saving our own lives (Diana Ross)
It's true we'll make a better day just you and me (Michael Jackson/Diana Ross)

Well, send'em you your heart so they know that someone cares (Dionne Warwick)
And their lives will be stronger and free (Dionne Warwick/Willie Nelson)
As God has shown us by turning stone to bread (Willie Nelson)
And so we all must lend a helping hand (Al Jurreau)

( REPEAT CHORUS )
We are the world, we are the children (Bruce Springsteen)
We are the ones who make a brighter day so let's start giving (Kenny Loggins)
There's a choice we're making we're saving our own lives (Steve Perry from Journey)
It's true we'll make a better day just you and me (Daryl Hall)

When you're down and out there seems no hope at all (Michael Jackson)
But if you just believe there's no way we can fall (Huey from Huey Lewis and the News)
Well, well, well, let's realize that a change can only come (Cyndi Lauper)
When we (Kim Carnes)
stand together as one (Kim Carnes/Cyndi Lauper/Huey Lewis)

(REPEAT CHORUS AND FADE )

First Sight

Gone are the days,
Where loneliness suffocates the fragile soul,
Making a heart vulnerable,
The uncertainties down the winding road,

Summer comes when thee pass by,
Life sprinkles to those who thirst for it,
Dismiss your fear, your sorrow and your sadness,
Whoever loved thee, not loved at first sight.....


Happy Valentine's Day
Robin

Parliamentary Democracy

My 7th speech at Toastmaster. I still feel that there's room for improvement. Something missing. Hmm............

Here goes:

Unlike what the Western world trying to portray, Parliamentary Democracy was not established on the pillars and cornerstone of equality and justice for the betterment of the world at large but rather an institutionalized class struggle between the aristocrats and the capitalists i.e. between the rich and the rich. Rather than to be cynical with the idea that has somehow worked all this while, I would rather see it as a system of check and balance.

History has told us that the notion of democracy was born and characterized as violent and to the extreme where heads get chopped off whenever there’s dissent or disagreement. But overtime this bunch of so called noblemen decided that it was better to spend time making money by robbing and killing the less civilized and primitive people around the world while injecting their ideals along the way.

Thus we have it: Parliamentary Democracy in our very own country. It worked in England where competing class of people watched each other like eagles waiting to pounce on its prey if the other side indulges in any dishonest behavior. It soon created a dynamic and prosperous society as we see today as they have managed a balancing act between the parties.

On the other hand, the same idea of Parliamentary Democracy was introduced by our colonial masters and copied blindly without conditioning it to suit our nature of society. Democracy here was never a balancing act. It has become more of a one party rule and overtime become more vicious than our colonial masters. As they say, power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.

When such power is allowed to billow in such an uncontrolled manner, all hell will break lose. Of late, the living condition in our country is governed with fear and violence. Efforts to stifle dissent at the cost of the country’s economy and well being was used by the ruling party without any fear of political repercussion and extra judicial recourse as this they say are only means to an end like the Machiavellian Prince who would do anything for his political survival.

The end result as we can see today are innocent people who are trying to earn a decent and honest living became victims to the crime wave and bureaucratic incompetence and people who risk the wrath of the system are either jailed, incriminated or simply disappear.

Yet the people hesitate for a change because they are so inured and adjusted to seeing brutality and violence such as the recent murder of Kugan by our police force. Yet the people hesitate for a change because we are to the accustomed to the arrogance and condescending attitude of the ruling class. And yet the people hesitate for a change because of our very own laidback and ‘tidak apa’ attitude.

Ladies and gentlemen, the time has come and the winds of change are sweeping across the globe especially the recent victory of Obama as the 44^th President of the United States. We, the people must come forward and meet those threats that demand even greater effort, greater cooperation and understanding between us.

We must step up and tell the corrupted that we will not waver in our defence in fighting for our children and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and violence against the people, we can now say to them that our spirit is stronger. They will not outlast us and we will defeat them.

To fight back and to make our Parliamentary Democracy work, it does require the support of the people to do the balancing act. As such, dissent is very much vital to democracy and essential building block of a free society. Whether you are voting, rapping, demonstrating, signing a petition, you’re exercising free speech, which is part of democracy. You are expressing dissent which as Thomas Jefferson once said, is the highest form of patriotism.

Kechara Oasis - New Age Vegetarian Cuisine @ Jaya 1

One of my Chinese New year 2009 experience was having lunch at a newly open vegetarian restaurant i.e. Kechara Oasis at Jaya 1, Jalan University, Petaling Jaya. Finely hidden in the carpark area, (opposite Overseas Restaurant), this vegetarian fine dining restaurant boasts a variety of really delicious vegetarian cuisines. Yes, the ones which will get you to jump over the wall. Also, it's a vast difference in taste compared to the vegetarian rice we eat out there.

My family and I together with my mum's friend for many years had vege satay, curry prawn, assam fish, Vietnamese roll and the killer, Buddha jump over the wall. A very fulfilling lunch indeed. The price? I don't know since it's been paid for;)

The Kechara Oasis interior design is beautifully architectured by someone I suppose poured his/her heart out with the intent to impress the diners especially. Kechara Oasis is also managed by a team of very dedicated staff spearheaded by Irene.

Overall, I would come to this restaurant again while recommending it to my friend and family along the way because the food is delicious & reasonably priced (I found out the price later) and for the fact that the restaurant is actually contributing part of its earnings to charity, helping the poor around the world.

Tel: 03-7968 1818 (Irene)

The Magnificent Buddha

Water

Rinpoche

Meditating

Chai

Magic lamp

Fulfilled looks

Happy Chinese New Year 2009

A fun and joyous Chinese New Year!! A good kickstart for the 2009!! All the best!!

Yee Sang

Ready??

GO!!

Savaged!!

Cow Wine

At Pek's

At Kechara

MOOOOO!!!!

Happy New Year!!

Happy Chinese New Year!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO MY FAMILY & FRIENDS!!!!

As We MooOooVe FrOm 2008tO 2009..MaY You HavE No WorriEsAnD MoRe FuN..DuN Let StReSS TriP You OvErAnD SpEnD MoRe TiMe WitH FaMiLyAnD FriEnDs..HaVe A GreaT NeW YeaR..!!