At the stock markets, more often than not. I was asked about 1/2 hour ago (now it's 6.29pm) why I did not have any postings on the Bursa Malaysia in recent weeks, especially tracking the "bull run". I replied that I had written about the stock market in a general view some months back, cautioning "retail" players who get sucked in "late" into any market on a bull run, often left carrying the baby when the crash inevitably comes. It's not a question of IF, but a question of WHEN, the freefal follows the exuberant wave after wave of crests within a short p[eriod of a month or two.
When the stock market shows an exuberant run upwards beyong some 20% within a short period of just two months, it's mostly NOT SUSTAIABLE.
I'm recording the second day of the "freefall" that started yesterday when almost all the bourses worldwide experienced 3% tro 7% falls. From Yahoo! News as stated 15 minues ago from when I started this post, 6.29pm).
By HANS GREIMEL, Associated Press Writer 17 minutes ago
TOKYO - Chinese stocks bounced back Wednesday after their biggest decline in a decade, but stock markets in Asia and Europe fell for a second day amid investor jitters about possible slowdowns in the Chinese and U.S. economies.
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Shares in Japan, South Korea, Singapore, India, Australia and the Philippines all tumbled more than 2 percent after Wall Street suffered its worst day Tuesday since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
While several Asian markets trimmed big early losses by afternoon, nervous investors were still wary of whether the slump marks the beginning of a downward spiral or just a one-time jolt to cool overheating markets.
"We don't need to worry about a big reduction from here, but this correction could continue for the next couple months," said Shinichi Ichikawa, an equity strategist with Credit Suisse First Boston in Tokyo.
In China, the Shanghai Composite Index rose 3.9 percent Wednesday to close at 2,881.07, rebounding from its 8.8 percent plunge Tuesday — its biggest drop in a decade.
Bullish comments in the state-controlled media appeared to reassure jittery domestic investors, who account for virtually all trading. China will focus on ensuring financial stability and security, the official Xinhua News Agency cited Premier Wen Jiabao as saying in an essay due to be published in Thursday's issue of the Communist Party magazine Qiushi.
Authorities in China also denied rumors of a 20 percent capital gains tax on stock investments — speculation that had played a role in Tuesday's plunge.
Still, investors dumped stocks across much of Asia Wednesday, partly unnerved by the 3.3 percent drop overnight in the Dow Jones industrial average. Comments Monday from former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, who said a recession in the U.S. — a huge export market for Asian companies — was "possible" later this year, also unnerved investors.
Japan's Nikkei 225 stock index tumbled 515.80 points, or 2.85 percent, to 17,604.12, while Philippine stocks plunged 7.9 percent, their worst drop since 1997, at the height of the Asian financial crisis.
Australian stocks closed down 2.7 percent after falling as much as 3.5 percent, while Singapore's Straits Times Index was down 3 percent after sinking as much as 5.6 percent earlier.
In Europe, Britain's benchmark FTSE 100 Index was down 1 percent to 6,224.40 in morning trading, while France's CAC 40 Index lost 2.3 percent.
Many Asian markets were due for a correction after their recent spectacular performance, analysts said.
Benchmark indexes in China, Australia and Singapore had all hit records in February. Before this week's plunge, Malaysian stocks had gained 17 percent this year, while Philippine shares had climbed about 12 percent.
Wednesday's sell-off was a limited, knee-jerk response, said Kiichi Fujita, an equity strategist with Nomura Securities in Tokyo. "It's a bit of an overreaction," he said.
Other equity analysts said the market's volatility could trigger more selloffs, despite sound economic data.
"A lot of that exuberance about just buying anything at all cost just starts to evaporate if the market has big falls like this," said David Halliday, associate director at Macquarie Equities. "I think the important thing to note is that this hasn't been triggered by an economic, financial or political crisis."
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki echoed that sentiment, trying to quell concerns about the Tokyo market by stressing that overall fundamentals in Japan were still strong.
"On a broad perspective the corporate sector continues to perform well," Shiozaki said. "A long-term economic recovery is continuing."
On Wednesday, Australian Treasurer Peter Costello predicted the plunge in China's share market would trigger "volatility on equity markets for some time."
But his overall assessment of China's economy was positive, telling reporters the Asian giant would continue to grow, albeit "in fits and starts."
Some regional brokers said they saw an element of panic selling among retail investors but that more experienced investors were sitting it out. Other market players were on the look out for bargain hunters to emerge.
"If your target is gains by the end of 2007, this is a good chance to buy," said Credit Suisse's Ichikawa. "But if it's the end of March, I can't say that."
DESI: mGf at 2020freelunch had tracked the "happenings" pretty well about the record turnovers and bull run at Bursa Malaysia and some regional bourses. Pay her Blog a visit and leave advisory that I recommended her site. If you punt on her raedings, any gain is her and Desi's responsibility. If you lose, it's your own irresponsibilty.
Always, the consumers' dictum, Caveat Emptor, applies.:) Play the market if you have SURP{LUS SAVINGS. Otherwise, just treat Desi&Co to tehtarik and Bersembang-sembang politik cukup-lah!
A recent post on The Beatles (it attracted five comments from NSTman!) motivated conversationist DIN MERICAN and I to recall the flower power generation that saw its pollens sweep across national boundaries -- and a million flowers of various hues bloomed. We both broke into songs that were simple in lyrics yet so profound. Who could resist a world with no borders?
IMAGINE there's no countries It isn't hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion too Imagine all the people Living life in peace...
I told Din my fave is still Let IT Be, and mGf in between sips of coffee, and me of tehtarik (last night to celebrate return from Chinese New Year hiatus), we both broke into humming:
And when the night is cloudy, There is still a light that shines on me, Shine on until tomorrow, let it be. I wake up to the sound of music Mother Mary comes to me Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
Din might be Muslim, but does he hesitate in mentioning the name of a lady more associated with the Christian west?
I'm reading mGf Din's mind, his answer will be a resounding: No.
I think the present era ses too many quarters finding differences in petty issues that divide, rather than seeking the common, universal values that bind us all, members of the common Homo sapiens species... My Lament. When universal themes and values unite souls and spirits, we are indeed one human common face, Sans glances into colour, creed or race, nor gender and age.
Din and I believe that the 1960s was an era when we sought knowledge across physical boundaries. we read widely, deeply as in the tradition promoted by Francis Bacon"Reading markth a man". It was an exciting time of change and exchange -- ideads of enquiring minds, spwaning great minds spanning from the intellectual like Bertrand Russellof Britain to the musical iconic The Beatlesand Rabidranath Tagore of India, and Hamka (Haji Abdul Malik) of Indonesia, Yushio Nashima of Japan, and of course, Malaysian poet Prof Lloyd Fernando, united in promoting reflection of the human condition, and social justice, peace and love, spinning threads among youths across the whole wide world (quite contrarian in many ways to the present www... indeed!) as they prostesteth the Vietnam War, in unified refrain from the verses of Dylan's "Blowin' In The Wind":
How many roads must a man walk down Before you call him a man? How many seas must a white dove sail Before she sleeps in the sand? How many times must the cannon balls fly Before they're forever banned?
What has happened to the current Gen facing the same backdrop of the American-led adventurism into Iraq and Afghanistan -- now the all-powerful US President eyeing Iran -- no flowerig of their idealism into the same league as in the 60s? Where's the Voice of Youthful Zest to make a difference to the Quest for Peace on planet Earth?
Are we facing another Inconvenient Truth? -- that the fires of idealism of the present young Gen have been doused by the dominant Material Girl (hey, Madonna taking over Mary's place?) and Material Boy (nondescript Boy Bands each not much different from the next?), and Young Millionaire Gen, Eat, Drink and be Merry?
So now ENJOY a reminsiscent piece/peace by my soulmatey Guest Writer, DIN MERICAN, ruminating on:
The Lamentation of a 60s Generation
Men and women of my generation are considered “has beens. Our Prime Minister Badawi prefers young people who are trained in Cambridge, Oxford and some of the Ivy League universities in the US, forgetting that during my time we too had people from these institutions. From Cambridge we had Bank Negara Governor (the late)Tun Ismail Ali,(the late) Lord President Tun Suffian Hashim, Lim Kean Siew, and Tun Dr Lim Chong Yu and Malek Ali Merican. From Harvard came (the late) Pathmanaban and Ramon Navaratnam and from (the late) Zain Azraai of Pembroke College, Oxford, and Colin Abraham, just to name a few.
The young “smarties” located on the 4th Floor, Prime Minister’s Department in Putrajaya, and the GLCs (with the exception of few I know who are humble and respectful of their elders) may have knowledge, maybe some wisdom, but they are totally lacking in the understanding of the history of our country’s Independence, and an appreciation of our efforts to develop our economy and build a united Malaysian nation.
Some of them were not even born when the traumatic May 13, 1969 riots rocked the foundations of our country and shocked the rest of the world. Yet today, they are deciding on the fate of our nation, especially son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin (KJ) and his henchmen.
Why? Because Badawi cannot decide. Some say he sleeps on the job!! He trusts KJ absolutely and no one can convince him otherwise. He can only be cajoled with flattery and bodek. Others think Badawi is not in control.
As a result, we saw a resurgence of UMNO Malay nationalism (as symbolised by Hishamuddin’s keris rattling during the last UMNO General Assembly and racist speeches by UMNO delegates). Recently, we see the rise of reactionary Ulamaks (with exception of the new Mufti of Perlis) who cannot think beyond moral policing and chastity belts, and petty local politicians who join the religious bandwagon, like that idiotic father of Mat Skodeng in Terengganu.
In addition, during the last 3 years of his administration, we witnessed rampant corruption and abuse of power (the Zakaria Deros Port Klang Assemblyman, and Yusof Said, MP from Jasin, incidents) and serious breakdown in law and order with the rise of petty crimes, drug addiction and murder, and unemployment.
I never heard of “Mat Skodeng” and “Mat Rempit” before. Maybe this is Malaysia’s answer to globalisation. Put in this context, you can perhaps understand that why with the US side’s insistence on transparency, the FTA negotiations are stalled after the Kota Kinabalu round, and now in danger of breaking down.
Let us not forget history. Our young men and women should read Ooi Kee Beng’s biography of Tun Dr. Ismail Bin Abdul Rahman entitled “The Reluctant Politician” to know what he and other Malaysian leaders of his era went through for us.
UMNO of the Tunku, Tun Razak with Tun Dr. Ismail, Tun Hussein and Tun Dr. Mahathir eras is not the same as the UMNO of Islam Hadhari led by its imam, Badawi. UMNO of the 60s was a party of teachers and ordinary Malays. No longer today. Has time changed so much that we no longer must no longer to the idea of service and self respect?
Badawi’s UMNO is self serving and corrupt to the core. It is afflicted with virulent money politics and a culture of the fast buck and easy living.The party is badly in need of a massive shake-up, but I doubt that Badawi is the UMNO President who will do it. He is not of the “rock the boat” or “shake the duku-langsat tree” type.
Dr. Bakri Musaand I still think of our times, way back, for me at least, to the period of the Japan Occupation, post WWII British colonial rule, the Emergency (1948-1962), and the Independence movement. I remember what our parents then had to sacrifice, as unsung heroes and heroines, so that their children and future generations could have better Malaya/Malaysia (after 1963).
Our parents put a premium on education for the development of our intellectual capacity so that we could think critically and know the difference between right and wrong. They imbued in all of us the idea of service and sacrifice by their own example, that is, how to be men and women of integrity and honour.
Despite limited facilities like good school and public libraries (now known as resource centers) and textbooks,we did not do too badly. We developed good reading habits, interacted with each other (the Malays, Chinese, Indians and others) for exchange of simple ideas and dreams, and competed aggressively in sports. We did not have “Vision/Wawasan” Schools and the like.
Education is not just about number crunching (to be just technocrats and computer robots) and grades, but also and most importantly, it is about the development of the human mind and character. Read all the chapters which Dr. Bakri has generously put on his website. Ideally, lamandau, you should get hold of a copy of his education book.
It is sad that unlike the United States and Europe, we do not have a tradition of tapping the knowledge and collective experience of our elders. Our past administrators, corporate executives, academics and educators are put to pasture. Thus, graduates of MU of the 1960s (the PM forgot that he is one of them, but alas he was trained in Islamic Studies, hence his Islam Hadhari spin) and 1970s, on the other hand, have no value to him. On the contrary, intellectual capital, if it is carefully nurtured and systematically renewed, is never out of date.
Maybe, part of the reason is that Badawi is aware that his contemporaries know how really good he is intellectually. And for another, he likes sycophants and ahli bodeks (the curse of leaders), not people who have the courage to tell the truth to his face. Badawi is now a prisoner of the “sultan syndrome”(Read Dr. Bakri’s classic, “The Malay Dilemma Revisited”). Din Merican
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Plugging for Y&A johnleemK!
Go to http://www.infernalramblings.com -- NOW! -- and see what he has to say about Tony Pua's entry into Opposition politics via the DAP.
Desi gets 30% conMISSion from the infernal rambler's adSENse. My mind needs a make-over once a while. Freelunch -- whoever, whatever, and wherever you are! at the Stock market to be another millionaire before 35? -- art thou also available for a good rubbing in?
The soulmate departs after touching hands because one heart gets restless
the other heart bleeds so a person weeps miss patience waits
One door closes another is supposed to open what if it doesn't?
Can the soul left behind rest or can it now fly out of the window and try to reach that rainbow's end
where it's said, or sad, the earth never touches the sky
so the hands cannot touch again and the two souls cannot mate
10.07pm Feb 27, 2007
DESI: THis poem is dedicated to certain souls out in blogosphere who may have some affinity to Desi's vibrations and therefore can connect with my cyber touch. If you don't, it doesn't matter, just enjoy the rabliung if you can. Perhaps a few years down the line, God willing, you come back for a second reading and our wavelengths may overlap. Then you see the raibow, yet the earth does not reach the sky.
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union citizens are overwhelmingly happy with life -- and that's official.
A pan-European opinion poll conducted for the European Commission and published on Monday showed that 87 percent of EU citizens considered themselves happy, with a record 97 percent in Denmark.
Only in Bulgaria, which joined the bloc in January, did a majority of people (55 percent) say they were unhappy.
But the Eurobarometer survey on "European social reality," conducted between mid-November and mid-December, found far lower satisfaction levels with retirement and employment prospects.
And two-thirds of the 26,755 Europeans questioned think life will be more difficult for the next generation because of unemployment, the cost of living and uncertain pensions.
Citizens of Germany, Europe's biggest and most powerful economy, have the least confidence in the future of their pensions, with only 25 percent voicing confidence. Fewer than one-third of French, Poles and Hungarians trust their pensions.
On the other hand, nearly three-quarters of Danes feel their pension is safe, while two-thirds of Finns and Dutch agree.
Britain, Spain, Cyprus and Italy were in the middle with roughly half of respondents confident in their pensions.
Almost half of Europeans said they were dissatisfied with local job opportunities, and 41 percent said their work was too demanding and stressful. Stress levels were highest at about 70 percent in Lithuania, Greece and Romania and lowest at around 25 percent in the Netherlands and Finland.
The survey found low trust in national political institutions and high levels of political indifference across Europe.
While overwhelming majorities said health, family, friends, leisure and work were important to them, only 43 percent rated politics and 52 percent religion as counting in their lives.
Only local councils scored positive trust figures, while 73 percent of EU citizens distrusted political parties, 62 percent didn't trust their national government and 61 percent tended not to trust their national parliament.
Respondents were not asked whether they trusted the EU.
Most Europeans think their personal situation will either improve (41 percent) or stay the same (40 percent) in the next five years, with young people the most optimistic and over-55s the most gloomy.
Estonians are the EU's chief optimists, while Hungarians are by far the biggest pessimists.
The only Government department I feel comfortable to visit, for my own service or friends', is the General Hospital, commonly known as Hospital Besar, followed by the name of the town it is located in. Hence, when an outstation friend mentioned she was passing Hospital Tuanku Jaafar, I did not know it was the new Olde Hospital Besar she was referring to. Why new then Olde, you ask me? Solve that one yourself by travelling one hour south from Kuala Lumpur in March okay? On thy way to Singland to watch that Phantom.What Phantom? you ask again. Of the Opera-lah, you nit. Luckily I left out wit.
Why do I hold the HB in high esteem? All my three children were born in the general hospital, for one and chief reason. My peers preferred the privatye hospitals to welcome their next generation. Sexier I believe, also the wife could boast she could afford the few kilos.
Sext, because since the numbering system was introduced, they are as efficient as the banks, even better than some banks whose officers pretend ot to see the huge crowd just after a festive season. Of course, I know the doctors, nurses and other associated staff at government hospitals get relatively "low" salaries for the type of work and services rendered. So one BIG salute to a branch of true Khidmat Untuk Negara!
Desi's sometimes quite caustic, could have swallowed some soda when someone I offended placed the arsenic in the toothpast tube. No, I had not increased the premium in the Life policy yet. Come to think of it, I never had bought any. I envy some people buying million-dollar policies (yes, not just one!) -- aren't they opening themselves to risk to dying by murder most clean by the named but unfamed beneficiary/ries?
So whenever I was approached by insurance agents (at one time, one in three teachers was fronting as one; now the replaement is Amway or Cosway...) and my answer would always be stock: No'way. I enjoy savig the premiumn to something I would not enjoy myself for that dream vacation to -- yes, you guessed it! -- Norway.
I have a new dilemma -- I either LOST or miss-placed my car ownership card recently, and so could not have my road-tax renewed. I asked my Insurance agent to help me get a Replacement Card, but most insurance agents are like 007, useful only "under cover". Pay your premiums on time. Even if one day late and ytou're killed in an accident, you cannot file a claim from beyond the tomb. Grave.
So it's a case of DIY. The only time I had a DIY was wake up, brush my teeth, fry an omellette and toast some bread, open the jam jar. And fork the peanut butter out of the open jar mouth. If it was a new bottle, I would spend the next half-an-hour using the tin-opener to get at the nuts! The way some bottles are sealed you would think national trade secrets are stored inside!
So I first went to RTD in a buddy's car, was given a set of Borang, and advised I needed a police report. I next dutifully obtained a copy of the Lapuran Polis -- very efficient nowadays as I was in and out with RM2 copy in less than 20 minutes! -- and went back to the RTD> Th RTD officer looked at my Borang and attached documents as if she was coming across such a case for the first time, then turned to me and asked: Where is the Puspakom report?
I said I was advised by Polis "no need one". She turned to another officer seated nearby, exchanged some "un-understanable" banter, then she looked straight at me like a headmistress reprimanding a recalcitrant standard six pupil, said in a serious tone, pointing to a clause: Inspection by Puspakom (all the instructions are in Bahasa Malaysia, but the boxes next to each clause is to be ticked, which I believe it means "discretionary").
If the RTD has a "standard procedure" for such cases, it should spell it out properly by TICKING OFF ALL THE CLAUSES TO BE ASDHERED TO, and not make a complainant come back for seven trips to have 7 instructions to be followed.
So when any of my dear ER wants to meet up with Desi coming soon, please inform my secretary what James Bond vehicle arriveth at my door step by Furong River, or izit Sungai Ujong? Also depends on what's your Pick-Up Line?
Well, our Prime Minister has vowed he wanted to CUT DOWN ON RED-TAPE.I know he means well, but I don't know about his downlines. They don't work like Amway, Cosway, maybe No'way! Personally, God-fearing Pak Lah has to go trhough all the Borang at each Kementerian with his Ministers one by one by one by one by one ... how many ministries ah?
Being an Opposition supporter my 'hole life by inclination, insinuation and operation, I did not succumb to some of the signals I receive at government departments to smoothen or quicken the process. But I know many Malaysians are desperate enough to compromise. I agree with ex-PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad that indeed, corruption has moved from below the countr to above the table. I wonder who's the chief culprit?
Am I aloud to THINK ALLOWED? If yes, I blame it on the nation's CEO, past, present and future. Do they have a case to "sue" me? If yes, p[lease consider the preceding four lines as "being erased", okay!
As many of my ER know by now, I am also writing a leisure column for TheSundayPost based in Sarawak rotating with fellow Bloggers. I sent off the folowing piece for TODAY's PUBLICATION, but just note that when you write for a newspaper, your article is subject to EDITING by the Copy EDitor.
I am okay with this standard procedure.
But in a previous workplace some juniors had complained to me that when their copies had been subbed (sub-edited), the outcome was rendered poorer in quality. What I am not okay with is when there are sub-editors or copy editors who are not up to the task. The reporter submits a story written in good Englsih and it's re-written in a way even a well-read primary pupil would take offence to. I cite an example (an analogy so that the poor blighter would not be exposed unlike the Emperor at Putrajaya in his new clothes...)
Original:
The detainee heard other cellmates shout and scream for help. He could hear some prisoners groan above his cell.
Sub-edited:
The detainee heard other cellmates shouted and screamed for help. He could hear prisoners groaned above his cell.
NOTE: The example cited is NOT from any of the newspapers, online or print, I am now contributing to. But rest asured it is a True-life Case, not a pigment of my imagination, admittedly as vivid as my Sunday CON BF and endless cups of tehtarik I still can afford at this gleefool moment.
ANOTHER feature to remember is that when you contribute anarticle to any news medium, it is the PREROGATIVE of the Editor to edit (including drastically cutting down the length) the original to suit the style and other requisites of the particular medium. If any contributor finds this a constraint, he just has to bear with it, and adapt accordingly. Or as a last resort, ship out. Many writers of novels and essays can be stubborn to want their articles untouched except for language and typos, not its contents and length. I guess if thou art in the league of William Shakespeare or Salman Rushdie or Earnest Hemingway, or an UnearnestyHumminggay, you can have that privilege. It's still a privilege, never a right.
Now try to ENJOY my unedited Times and Chimes piece if you can. If you can't, it's not your loss, it's my regret.
Living dreams through the child
by Desiderata-YL Chong
In my first Times & Chimes article, I had shared that I would have traded the world to become a lawyer, instead of being caught in my present station as a journalist. I also noted the irony that a recent acquaintance who was a practising lawyer had wished to become a jornalist. I thought aloud how wonderful itf only we could have traded places.
A poet whose works I admire, Max Ehrmann, had in fact qualified as an attorney but earned his bread and butter mainly helping out the family meat-packing business. He later earned a name in history by pursuing his passion in writing. My favourite of his poems "Desiderata Of Happiness" starts with "Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, And remember what peace there may be in silence." And of course, my penname, "Desiderata", was derived from this most quoted poem, a sort of American peace anthem of the hippies era of the 1960s.
We all have our own individual dreams, and lucky are those who manage to carve out a career in adult life that is a culmination of their dream. For those who fail, often many adults try to live out their dreams through their next generation.
I plead guilty to the same offence. I tried my best, not too subtly, to persuade my three children to study law at university. I never failed to tune to TV channels showing the galmour and drama of court cases like LA Law and Ally McBeal. Those attractive, articulate men and women attired handsomely in immaculate black suits -- I had hoped would work some magic on my sons.
To say I was disappointed when the "little boy" (yes, parents always refer to the youngest thus as a sort of psychological hope that the child remains cute and innocent, yes, Forever Young!) opted to take up Economics and Finance at a local university is an under-statement two years ago. His brothers had graduated in Mass Communications and Information Technology and Business earlier. What could have been a blessing in disguise was I did not have any daughter -- for it could have turned out she might have overdosed on McBealism, and acquired actress Calista Flockhart's "Twiggy" look. What if she collapsed in walking up the stairs, and other parents could then accuse me of starving her. "Child abuse!". the pressman in me could visualise the news headline.
How many parents have not been guilty of pushing their children to study the Sciences although their kids might have been more inclined in the Arts? I have seen many parents forcing their sons who did not even study Biology in upper secondary school to pursue Medicine. A normal six-year course could turn into double the time taken to complete. And I believe the psychological burden would have taken a heavy toll on such young ones, permanently stuck like being a square peg in a round hole. Parental choice for ecstasy, a child's lifelong agony.
Another TV programme I enjoy is the "American Idol", especially the audition rounds. I am amazed at the fact how many delusionary adults there are out there trying to chase impossible dreams. I truly appreciate one of the judges, Siimon Cowell, who pulls no punches in his opinions of the contestants.
A recent press report quoted Cowell as lamenting that it was parents who had goaded on their tone-deaf children to audition.
"I'm presuming the paernts have heard them sing before they leave to go to American Idol," he said.
"they hear what we're hearing and they go 'Fantastic, you're going to win', so they're the ones who have been cruel this year."
Even as I watched these contestants leaving the room -- after singing in the wrong pitch and switching several keys in just one minute of singing! -- their parents waiting in the wings would console the weeping youth that the judges did not appreciate their talents. And the losers still swearing curses at Cowell and Randy and Paula Abdul! Parents living dreams through their child -- but both parties wearing rose-tinted glasses.
Back to me, so I landed up writing -- I proudly announce I deal in wordsmithry! -- for my three round meals and a weekend continental breakfast, and occasional family holiday, my "capitalist" indulgences. I deem myself mostly a socialist, the term I used to describe myself to tease my new-found friends. But now thinking back, it was the most natural occupation to be in, playing around with wordfs I mean. I had excelled in writing since the age of fourteen, penning short stories and essays for student magazines, earning enough to take my siblings for weekend "cheap matinees".
In the good, olde days, children spent time either in the library's corner, or playing outdoors, and I must admit I was spending more time on the former, devouring Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, and Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot, and at one time, I harboured hopes of becoming a golbe-trotting detective. Also gorging on Rider Haggard's and Robert Louis Stevenson's fantasy or true-life adventures of heroes, pirates and fortune hunters, and the inevitable beguiling beauty as the trophy-heroine.
But today, when my home computer breaks, I visit the Internet cafe, and I am sad to see so many teenagers glued to playing computer games. Even as I take leave after working four hours, they are still stuck to the PC screens, breaking out in laughter or victory cries after achieving some high scores beating "imaginary" foes. I wonder where they got their money from, and do their parents not worry they are wasting away their childhood and youth? And acquiring colourful language which during our days only the non-school-going country bumpkins would dare use. You know, those expletives in Hakka or Cantonese we would term as "expletives", including that four-letter "F" word.
How times have changed, and in my opinion, for the worse, and if there is prejudice on my part, please excuse my bias. In the past, we would rather go fishing and play Cowboys and Red Indians, or painting Uncle's fences on his farm, ala Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn. Contrast this close embrace with Mother Nature with modern day kids "lepakking" at the mall or Internet cafe -- give me the former activity any time!
I guess 21st century life brings along more and greater stresses to working parents, and many compensate for their absences from their children by giving them lots of pocket money. And a maid to do the home-caring. I even had a fishmonger friend whose son was caught playing truant from school spending some RM10 a day (a conservative guess) playing computer games with his classmates, then maybe adjourning to the adjourning cinetheque for a break.
Along with modern living come its conveniences and gadgets and very often, the currency to these gadgets and conveniences is Money. And the lack of money drives many to the edge. To steal, to borrow, and in the worst scenario -- to committing suicide. I urge parents to get to know their children better and know also the people they hang out with. Peer pressure is the shaping influence in a teenager's life, and remember that "Birds of a faether flock together" and I pray few parents find out too late they have lost their child to drug addiction through their own neglect and negligence, unwitting though it may be.
Another secret I would now confess to. My youngest boy, now 21, is blessed with musical talents, having studied piano and poicked up guitaring and singing on his own. At one stage, he expressed to me his aspiration to pursue a degree in Music. After a long pause, I advised him that his survival in this higly competitive world would be best served with a first professional qualification, and he could chase his musical dreams as a hobby. He relented, and even today I don't know if I had decided "rightly" to advise him thus.
To many involved in the field of entertainment, the greatest pressure is to always to perform well. Success does not come easy. For many aspiring singers and actresses, money or fame seems so elusive. For every one who reaches the peak of success, many would have fallen by the wayside, into oblivion.
Even after attaining success, the pressures of performing drive many to dabble with drugs, and there are many, even among Hollywood greats, who had succumbed. One of my idols, Elvis Presley, was a victim. "Ray" the movie also depicted vividly the tragedy of Ray Charles who became blind at a young age, but carved a successful career in singing. Who could resist singing along with his "I can't stop loving you"? But along the long adult nights of travelling and performing and away from home, women became a diversion, and drugs consumed him.
I hope my "musica" son would still follow his dream after getting his economics degree as I can empathise with his enjoyment of singing like all in my family. Finally I share with parents these verses from Elvis', dedicated to all as enjoying words in verse set to tune crosses all age barriers -- young, old and not-so-old:
Follow That Dream
Follow that dream, I gotta follow that dream Keep a-movin, move along, keep a moving I've got to follow that dream wherever that dream may lead I've got to follow that dream to find the love I need
So I end this piece with an advice to the children -- don't rush into adulthood prematurely. To the parents, I say "Let It Be" when the young ones wish to pursue their own dreams if that's their talent and God's gift they wish to hone. For each must follow his or her own destiny according to the calling. To school and collge students, learn to enjoy the outdoors flying kites and bicycling or fishing and travelling. Such times of abandon and carefree activity may not ever come again when the cares and challenges of adulthood arrive, often before you realise it and you're not quite prepared!
Dear young ones, when it's raining cats and dogs outside, though this is the Year of The Fire Boar, pick up a book by Charles Dickens, like "David Copperfield". I hope you are not thinking I am referring to that magician who could make a Boeing 747 disappear into thin air!
__________ Ends T&C article_______________
DESI: All writers need a good Editor. A second person reading one's copy can "detect" any obvious typos or lapses. From my unedited article, note the following:
"Siimon" was spelt in one instance with two "i"s.
The transposition of e and a in one word in "Birds of a faether flock together"
If you manage to spot any more "Howlers", please inform this Scribe. But you don't get a prize, mayhaps a price to pay for being such a dar'ing Boar!:)
It enables the scribe in me to empathise with people caught in difficult situations -- crossroa, dilemma, conundrum, tight corner, wahtever you call it -- without a viable solution in sight. So at that moment in time, we can only resort to waiting it out, just Let It Be!
Not too good a prospect to be left with, but Life does not leave you with options all the time. I don't know what faced Hobson so terribly historic that history honours him with a title to his name, I wonder if he had a choice? I wonder if the future someone powerful enough would recommend my name to be asociated with something more positive -- like Desi-YL's Option being a winning one!
Pre-CNY, I leisurely wandered thirsty into xpyred (I often say minus da d!) territory and I was satiated as mGf I have longed to eet in person was promoting All You Need is Love, sharing George's melancholic (my reading) rendition of "As My Guitar Gently Weeps", and Paul's "Hey, Jude" with its pretty singable karaoke refrain Nah, na, na, na. na. na. na Hey, Jude, Jude, Jude....fading with a temptation to go on forever.
Thanks Reduced and Recycled for the nostalgia bestowed @xpyred.textfiend.net...
When scribes begin to refer to the past as The Good Olde Days, or even when folks gather at CNY reunion dinners or Cowboy poker tables, we always talk in terms of halcyon days gone by. We could spontaneously pick up a partner to dance to Marianne Faithful's playful, abandoning and warm soothing chorus by the fireside Those Were The Days, yes!
Sister Cathy on Day six of CNY gifted Desi a copy of
THE BEATLES 10 YEARS THAT SHOOK THE WORLD
by MOJO with FOREWORD BY BRAIN WILSON
The four-year effort coordinated by Editor-in-Chief:Paul Trynka (Desi would pay an arm and two legs for that byline to replace Paul T!) quoted the EIC as saying:
"Looking from today's vantage point, over four decades on from when The Beatle came to the world's attention, we might think that the story is complete, that there's nothing more to be said. We'd be wrong. Eric Burdon , the gravel-voiced singer with The Animals, expressed it as well as anyone" "there is something beyond time about The Beatles, something fairy tale."
Brian Wilson in his Foreword said:
"Some of my favourite Beatles songs are Tell Me Why (I love Paul's bass line), Michelle, With A Little Help From My Friends and LET IT BE. Paul's version of The Long And Winding Road too, I absolutely love. All You Need Is Love is brilliant. And I love the hunourous horn arrangement that George Martin did. In some ways, the 1960s seem so long ago, but in others, I feel like we need that spirit more than ever."
I have going through some downtimes, which is inevitable if you live Life intensely -- as a writer is wont to! -- and if I don't have some gentle shoulders to lean on, I turn to the mop-haired foursome from Liverpool. Let's hear from you if you have any of their anthems to help thee get through your difficult moments or phases in this young, old or not that old, transient life on MothergoodEarth.
I rely on the faithful assurance and re-assurance of~~ Let It Be
Beatles - Let It Be Lyrics When I find myself in times of trouble Mother Mary comes to me Speaking words of wisdom, let it be. And in my hour of darkness She is standing right in front of me Speaking words of wisdom, let it be. Let it be, let it be.
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.
And when the broken hearted people Living in the world agree, There will be an answer, let it be. For though they may be parted there is Still a chance that they will see There will be an answer, let it be. Let it be, let it be. Yeah There will be an answer, let it be. Let it be, let it be, Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.
Let it be, let it be, Whisper words of wisdrom, let it be.
And when the night is cloudy, There is still a light that shines on me, Shine on until tomorrow, let it be. I wake up to the sound of music Mother Mary comes to me Speaking words of wisdom, let it be. Let it be, let it be. There will be an answer, let it be. Let it be, let it be, Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.
Anyone interested in politics would have read about 35-year-old enterpreneur TONY PUA's entry into Opposition politics fulltime, selling off all his shares in a successful Net business he built up which was eventually listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange. It was not a rainbow ride all the way as IT companies from 1-2 decades ago bumped into several rocky patches along the way, with many also fallin victim to winds of constant change.
At least he starts off on a strong footing -- an Asean scholar, with an Oxford true-blue education, now a millionaire after cashing out his stocks, Pua says his participation in politics is a way of "giving back to society", something he spells out very forthrigtly in his own blog, tonypua.blogspot.com.
I'm writing this piece based on an Opposition supporter's standpoint mainly, also via a writer-journalist's lenses, so this Post is clearly biaised though I try my best to remain as objective as possible. I assure whatever is written is writ without malice, maybe with some prejudice. I believe no writer on earth can remain perfectly neutral, so also Desi's no saint either.
Extracting from the Star, political writer Jocelyn Tan has this to say:
From cyber world to arena of politics
Self-made millionaire Tony Pua is cute, likeable and was only 28 when he hit the headlines as a trailblazer and success story in the new economy. Now, seven years later, he is putting it all aside for politics – more specifically, opposition politics.
TONY Pua literally sprinted out of the lift with his notebook computer and a newspaper tucked under his arm. The self-made Internet millionaire looked incredibly boyish for a 35-year-old and has all the exuberance reminiscent of those advertisements for energy drinks.
“Not so young anymore, actually,” he said, dipping his head to show the shock of greying hair around his crown.
The road to success has apparently not been without sleepless nights and tonnes of worrying.
Pua is a well-known name in the e-commerce business where he has earned a dizzying string of inscriptions –- dotcom success story, pioneer in e-business consulting and, perhaps the most satisfying of all, youngest founder-CEO to have listed a company in the Singapore Stock Exchange.
The Oxford University graduate is the founder of Cyber Village Sdn Bhd and until recently its CEO. Pua has sold his stake in the company and, after settling debts and commitments, is still left with a tidy sum of a couple of million ringgit.
But it is the reason for his divestment that has drawn the limelight onto Pua again.
The Netpreneur is leaving the business world for the arena of politics – opposition politics to be exact, and with the DAP.
I'm going in with my eyes wide open,” he said.
_______________________________
DESIDERATA:
To read the article in full, there is one copy hidden in Raja Petra's cyberhome. I don't need to take ty hand to guide thee there, do I?I'd respond if thou art a li'l true-blue riding hood, to keep the matrempit at bay. Or big, bad wolves of Kuala Lumpur. Come to Furong for R&R&R as NS capital which has no MR, only Haridas' piping hot tehtarik to welcome thee. And mayhaps Desi as Pipe Piper to lead thee ashtray! No Hamerlin, only Sungai Ujong.
From the onset, I must welcome Pua's decision to try to make changes to the system from outside, "not from within" --- the latter could have been his choice had Pak Lah delivered on his core promises from Nov 1, 2003. He had two landmark turning points to make a difference, but he blew them -- firstly, on assumping premiership after Dr Mahathir Mohamad reluctantly handed over UMNO's chieftaincy to him; secondly, in a Cabinet reshuffle, he worsened the situation by not making any "real" changes like droppping deadwood or members way-past their shelf-life. Under Pak Lah for three years, it was a lot of sound and fury, hardly "any change" for the better he trumpeted at in leading his BN cahoots into the biggest landslide electoral victory March 2004.
Well, Pua enters politics with a firm platform, being appointed Economic Adviser to DAP strongman Lim Kit Siang, and headhunted by his son,Sec-Gen Lim Guan Eng (Errata: Desi was informed by Pua that "A quick errata is that I'll be advisor to LGE, and not LKS", which to me might prove to be Pua's Achilles' heels. He starts off "beholden" to the two top men in the Rocket party, which many detracters have alleged form a dynastic trend, and whose leaders are deemed to remain forever happy to remain Opposition leaders.
Many past leaders of an independent mind like Goh Hock Guan, Fan Yew Teng, Sim Kwang Yang , (do you want Desi to continue? Better not, in case I be accused of stirring S*** even before Pua starts his battles) had spoken out, and the option finally was to exit. These are the principled lot -- others like Lee Lam Thye, Chin Nyok Soo, Tiger Lee and Khoo Seng Hock, Ooi Ean Kwong bargained themselves to comfortland either in MCA or Gerakan or the Establishment where perks and positions are plenty. Those who choose to remain to fight the battle (once DAP Youth leader Teng Chang Khim and Selangor ex-Chairman ONG something? and several Malacca DAP chiefs aligned with former DAP Sec-Gen Kerk Kim Hock would tell you it's difficult to wrestle with a dynastic team surounded with yes, ball-carriers quite akin to MCA's and Gerakan's). Go ask Saudara Lim Fui Ming, DAP State Assemblyman of Bahau under DAP who recently resigned from the party the reasons why he quit. He must have bumped into many "bodyguards" standing sentinel at the dynastic palace gates, my guess. Don't mind me, what do I know? Just a writer.
I'm summarising all this for the benefit of Pua's baptiism of fire because based on Pua's expressed statements of idealism and honest commitment to democratic struggle as an Oppositionist, I think he need to be aware of some of the "mines" in the battle field.
I have thought the youngish Part Keadilan Rakyat with fromer DPM Saudara Anwar Ibrahim soon assuming the leadership mantle from his beloved wife Wan Azizah would have been a better vehicle. But I am not elaborating here as I had propounded on this recommendation as the most viable vehicle for change -- if that's what Malaysians are aspiring for -- because Pua has made his decision. I respect him and wish Pua well.
Maybe five years down the bumpy road or realpolitik, PKR could be organising a Welcome Party for the by-then well initiated opposition party leader which many say is DAP's golden goose to celebrate the Year of the Foire Ball. Some say it's the Year of the Golden Pig. I am not arguing with the experts -- I am just one mousey writer.
UPDATEd @7.49PM:
Hi Desi,
Thanks for your support as well as advice rendered ;) Please know that they are appreciated.
A quick errata is that I'll be advisor to LGE, and not LKS.
Like my message left with Freelunch, without sounding like attempting to curry favour my new boss, I believe that LGE should be judged for what he is, and not what the media paints him to be.
Let's just say that I won't take up this position if not for the fact that I'm confident with his philosophy and leadership, and this decision wasn't made overnight. ;)
I'm not joining politics as a fresh grad, as many has done, and I certainly wouldn't see the need to be beholden to anybody to protect my position.
As for why not PKR, there's certainly a fair few reasons. There certainly score good points in certain aspects, but even insiders will agree that they have their internal set of problems as well. If we do meet up some day, I'll be more than happy to share over a drink ;)
Let's work towards a better Malaysia ;)
Tony P
By Tony P, at 5:28 PM
DESI:Thanks for responding, Pua; here's Wishing Your Political Journey as SUCCESSFUL as your Corporate's.
The hoRst of of allofhelen.blogspot.com asked Desi last night which genre of songs I fancy -- I told her it's C&W. I sang for her alone the openiing bars of Your Cheatin' Heart, and North to Alaska...("FL: Dun git jeles K!").
Cos I was born a countryside bumpkin and yes, a WOG --Westernised Oriented Gentleman. I believe the 3G Gen terms it differently -- Desi is a Banana Crocodile Dundee."Yellow on the outside, White on the inside." I think locals subs CD with Jinjang Joe, or am I Jinjang Jane?
Thre bloggers plus helen's SignificantOther met up somewhere in neutral c'untry at Sri Hartamas Shopping Centre. The BakGOODSteh owner was not a good hoRst, turned away the four half-loaded mouths, so we compromised on a Gary something restron, methinks it's not Cooper, Big or Mini
The other blogger is the infemes freeluncher who berated me for exposing her "polygamic" tendencies and keen supporter of Perlis' Menteri Besar's softsell recently as the State who welcomes EasyRider marriages. (But I defended by explaining that it's meant as a compliment -- she has the best of the games in life!)I also placated freelunch, who I earlier misjudged as a fellow mail -- not That I am gender-discriminatory! -- by offering her freedinner at almost 9.00pm after she chauffered me for two hours' touristy tour of her Kuala Lumpur SENsurrouns (actually I played dumb that I was mostly a Furongknight thoughi spent the better part of earning small bucks downtown Evil2RedRidingHoods koala lumpuh!
Now at the meal table, FL and Helen engaged in gos'sips ofo'er soft drinks while I exchanged Furong and Ipoh taels with Mr Helen. I even tried to impress tghe lad's spiaking Mandarin with an accent. Of course I outdid them with my inpeckable Sharkspeare's English ... Yes, sharks' fin soup was on my mind, but Helen forgot to order in advance. Will make it on the menu when we do a rendition downtown (I agreed to a Deja Woo before May ...) Ipoh. Must also order in advance White kopi and Helen's femes past&PRESENTries.
Okay. we mainly tallked politics, which I won't bore my esteemedreaders today as soon we'll welcome the True Year of The Fire Boar and we have 365 days to bore/gore Amore of each other. Typically, I overheard FL and Helen exchange juicy bits about Mills&Bones, and bytes about bloggers met and unmet, even trying to make out the "sex" (Translate: gender) of certain writHers. I was multi-tasking, chatting up Mr Helen and earsdropping on my fellow blogerr fe-mail BIG talk, and interrupted them so frequently that I chow-downed, or chowed-down, only half of my RM15.90 Pork Chop in Burning-Hot Claypot.
Helen was so bubbbbly that it was a champagne night indeed. Freelunch was, as usual, armed with her photogenic camera and when she focused in my directon: I told her in a lawyerly fashion that "If you do damage to my repute publishing any unflattering pix, you will soon receive my lawyer's letter. So if you're lucky, you may get an Albert Einstein frontal shot of Desi @2020freelunch.blogspot.com.
At about midnight as my six-star chaufeeur cruised this scribe back to Sombong Jaya about 30 minutes away, Helen sent a sweet MSM thus:
"Thanks 4 the dinner and great company. Waiting 4 the day I can return the honour. Night."
My handphone ran out of credit because these two bloggers cost me to make Maxis richer by some RM15 BIG bucks MS-ing and calling to keep in touch on our timings -- 8.00pm AP turned out to be 60 minutes later, not too bad considering almost CNY Eve and the day after V Day traffic jam.
Since I was buttered well,I replied this orning an=bout an hour ago to the mGf couple from halfway house enroute North To Alor Star:
"D mGf, d greATnurse was bubbbblyDo a DejA woooo byMAY when poetswax lyrical n Helen r PastPRESENTries in eeeeKPOH"
WISHING ALL MY READERS, Esteemed, Steamed or Dreamed, "A PROFGRESSIVE YEAR of the FIREBALL"
to light up your life, your partner's, your mates' and all who come into contact with YOU, Person of the Year 2006.
We progress from day to day week to week month to month and most of all WE PROGRESS WITH OUR FEET FIRMLY ON MALAYSIAN SOIL ACTING AS A FIREBALL TO EACH OTHER
in the Year of the Fire Boar!
P E A C E
P R O G R E S S
F I R E B O A R B A L L
On Chinoserie New Year's Eve, I add, May thy year be Hi ne'er sad.
"I prefer peace to prosperity I wanna a crowd of just me, matey and Amore matey Wishing thee a Progressive Nu'e Year Of the fireball! Here, hear! The pig is whistling sweet melody Come drink Hi n Lo with teh-See! " 1.40PM, Feb 17, 2007
When I downgraded Pak Lah's performance a few months ago from Passeable (Spellcheck, Freelunch:is there an "e"?)to Below Par, it was due to two main turning points.
Number 1. Despte the clear-cut miscreance, misconduct, and outright flouting of the law by a State Assemblyman Zakaria Mat Deros in the royal city of Port Klang, as UMNO President, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi failed to act against the offender, merely some verbal gymnastics handed out sandiwara via his God-lipped mouth and the megaphoine of the Selangor Menteri Besar Khir Toyo (who himself has several cases to answer, bt that's another storey for Citizen Nadeswaran to handle, for Desi's tired.) Number 2. The case that broke the camel's back for Desi -- the UMNO President dished out a bous of RM600milllion to be used up in double quick time via the 200-odd UMNO division chefs, each receiving RM3million as Christmas angpow. A clear-cut case of going against his call, as the coutry's PM, to fight Corruption as high priority. MONEY POLITICS is re-defined by UMNNOputras to be in the rarefied strata beyond the normal surveillance of Anti-Corruption Agency. In which case, derobed Mohd Isa Samad has a strong case to be reinstated to his throne as senior-most UMNO Vice-President. No, Desi does NOT get any 30% conMISSion fighting for that idiot; I'm just saying What's good for the goose is good for the gander.
But these past few weeks I have done a re-rating of Pak Lah, and I'm giving him back his Passeable grade. WHY?
I think he was able to "finally" dismiss his predecessor's, plus cronies', which count among the coterie several Bloggers too!) incessant attempts at derailment of the country's economic and socio-civil agendas. The last "nail" to the Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's surrender -- knowingly or unwitingly? -- is his much-publicised initiative -- the Congresss to Crimilase War. Culmination in the much lauded (by cronies and several prominent Bloggers included) War Cimes Commission and Tribunal. Lawyer P. Cumaraswamy gave a reeasoned rebuttal to the former PM's case, and I reproduce here only the core paragraphs featured in theSun, Feb 13, 2007, with Extract following:
Proposed war crimes tribunal a farce: Param
The proposed Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal is a farce and will make Malaysia an international laughing stock, Datuk Param Cumaraswamy said.
The former United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers noted that the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court to try war crimes and genocide was agreed to by UN member states in 1998 during Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's premiership.
"If he was genuinely concerned about justice to victims of war and bringing war criminals to trial, he should have got the government to sign the Statute then. He never bothered. The government to date is not a signatory to the Statute," Param said in a statement to theSun.
He was responding to reports last week that Mahathir had mooted the formation of a war crimes tribunal at a Perdana Global Peace Organisation conference in his capacity as Perdana Leadership Foundation chairman.
Mahathir had named US President George Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Australian premier John Howard as those who should be tried for war crimes, even if the accused are not present."
Note that Desi has in a Post dated Feb 3, 2007 titled "Din Merican on his Mnetor: DR MAHATHIR", and I reprise the relevant point:
++++Why should we impeach Tun Dr. Mahathir? On what grounds? He always sought parliamentary approval and those of his Cabinet colleagues for his proposals. We, as citizens and voters, too went along with him and kept him in office for 22 years. Most sought to curry his favour while others were indifferent, or did not dare to challenge his ideas. The minority who disagreed with him felt the heat of his high office. That is politics.(Desi: This is from Din Merican's thoughts...)
Desi thinks there is ONE case which warrants Dr Mahathir's "impeachment" -- that of the Sacking of Lord President Salleh Abas and several fellow senior judges in 1988. Recently, there has been calls, especially by the Bar Council, to "review" the Case, perhaps with the establishment of a Royal Commission to thoroughly examine the Case. I reiterate here the same call for the formation of such a Royal Commission. The panel which reviewed the Bank Bumiputra Finance debacle is a good example to emulate. PS: I remember a three-man panel was set up to report of the BMF incident in which one Malaysian paid with his life, and most Malaysians saluted the fantastic work done by the three EMINENT MALAYSIANS, I believe we still have many such Good Men in NegaraKu.
Now to the latest confession, which can come only from a God-fearing leader, and I give credit to Pak Lah as "heading in the right direction":
From malaysia-today.net,with the highlights being Desi's, but please read also my Post Yesterday, Compare&Contrast to see if some UMNOputras are sabotaging their chief's expressed agenda and efforts.
14/02: Study shows 85% of Bumi contracts are 'Ali Baba'
(Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said tonight a study by the Works Ministry last year shows that on the average 85.37 per cent of projects secured by Bumiputera contractors goes to the other communities.
Lamenting the outcome of the study, conducted by the ministry's Entrepreneur Development Division, the prime minister said this not only foiled the government's desire to empower Bumiputera contractors but also, in a wider context, undermined the more important Bumiputera agenda to ensure the country achieved progress and stability in the long term.
"They do not want to work; do not want to learn, and give little importance to the opportunities provided by the government," he said in his speech at a dinner of the Implementation Coordination Unit of the Prime Minister's Department, here.
The text of Abdullah's speech was read out by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
Abdullah said a community that lags behind must foster the realisation to change and learn to improve itself.
Abdullah said the subsidy assistance to the needy groups, whilst fulfilling the moral demands on the government, was insufficient for survival on a global level.
"This approach will only make us hope and wait for aid and subsidies. Such a mentality thrives among the people, including Bumiputera petty traders and contractors," he said.
Abdullah said the government, as a responsible one, realised that this was detrimental in terms of competition and would not empower the nation in the long term.
The prime minister said the government had to consider now how to facilitate the people who required assistance so that they could generate wealth exponentially and widely.
"Many people say that there is no shortcut to progress but I believe that is the old way of thinking. If we have to run and not walk, then we must be prepared to run.
"If we have to leap and not stride, then we must be prepared to leap provided we succeed and succeed fast," he said.
Referring to the government's move to make 2007 the year of implementation, he said that while some quarters doubted the capability of the administration he saw the government machinery being more than able to implement the programmes successfully.
He cited the implementation performance of 2006, the first year of the Ninth Malaysia Plan period, and said 90.2 per cent of the RM39.79 billion allocation had been expended.
Nevertheless, he promised that the government machinery would continue to be streamlined to ensure further improvement to the public service delivery system.
Commenting on the nation's volume of trade last year that touched RM1.069 trillion, Abdullah said it went to show that the country was moving in the right direction.
"To ensure that we do not deviate from our goal, we have to develop the sources of our strength in various spheres -- the public service delivery system, a vibrant and efficient private sector that can secure opportunities within and outside the country, and develop human capital particularly in terms of our capability and capacity," he said.
Abdullah also emphasised the importance of the Implementation Coordination Unit streamlining its strategies in monitoring the implementation of development projects to ensure that they were carried out according to plans and fulfilled the people's aspirations.
The unit should be the supervisor of all ministries and, to bring about such a situation, Abdullah said, civil service officers and staff should instil the God-fearing culture in their respective organisations.
The God-fearing culture will instil a sense of fear and caution in the government machinery, he added.
Abdullah said it was such a culture that would ensure government employees remained on the right path.
"In this extraordinary world, we want to be part of the extraordinary countries. Therefore we, as extraordinary leaders, need an extraordinary team like all of you to accomplish the tasks extraordinarily," he said.
DESI: I will still give Pak Lah the support when he is moving in the right direction, DOING THE RIGHT THING BY NEGARAKU.
I sincerely believe he's a God-fearing leader, and I take HIS WORD as a matter of trust, ala A MAN'S WORD IS HIS BOND.
I: S: A:men
that God bless his professed aims and objectives that they be realised. If not, God save Malaysians from their own folly. I just pray before the next decade is over, our masochistic tendencies have ameliorated.
The God-fearing culture will instil a sense of fear and caution in the government machinery, he added.
Abdullah said it was such a culture that would ensure government employees remained on the right path.
PS: I may even ungrade Pak Lah's performance to Good if he rises to three immediate challenges:
(1) To set up a Royal Enquiry into the Sacking of Salleh Abas and fellow judges in 1988; see if there is a case of actionale remedy against theses victims and the Perpetrator, former PM Mahathir.
(2) To refer Musa Aman's alleged corrupt acts (as documented by Raja Petra @malaysia-today.net) to the Anbti-Corruption Agency, pronto.
(3) To stop immediately such nonSENse as depicted in the following, to prevent the Bursa Malaysia being made a "laughing stock" in the world.
UMNO TO BUY INTO PECD TO OVERCOME MONEY CLAIMS PROBLEMS WITH GOVERNMNENT-LINKED PARTIES. We have enough of Bail-Outs in the 22 years before Nov 1, 2003. Can we stop the rot starting with these idiots at UMNO-PECD?
As I blogged Yesterday, from www.nst.com.my, the online edition of the New Straits Times:
"Umno set to surface in PECD.
THE United Malays National Organisation (Umno) is set to emerge as a substantial shareholder in construction firm PECD Bhd, a source said.
Umno will buy 25 per cent of PECD, a loss-making firm with a RM1.4 billion order book, a move that could help the company settle its disputes with government-related bodies."
Coincidently, JeffOoi also highlighted the above, and I had left my footprint at screenshots.com as tracked:
"jeff: I am concerned as more and more entrenchment of partisan politics with listed copanies will further erode foreigners' participation in the local bourse. The present "bullish mode" of Bursa Malaysia, even if anchored by foreign funds entry, may not be helped by such occurences of "political" linkages to smoothen any listed entity's problem resolution.
When I first read the news item, I shook my head. You mean to tell the whole wide world that UMNO's patronage, a listed Company would enjoy special preferential treatment? Isn't NEP bad enough. and now UMNO's admission to all and sundry that its patrticipation is a special ointment to oil government bureacracy and government-linked companies' bureaucrazy?
Posted by: desiderata | February 14, 2007 05:58 PM "
When Desi looked at this business news item this moUrning, he shook his head. THINKING ALLOWED, THINKING LOUDER THAN USUAL -- you mean to say with UMNO's entry into a listed company, any problems with the Government would be smoothened and solved promto? Are you telling the whole wide world -- yes, www! -- that's how Malaysian BIG business is done?
Okay, we know that UMNO is the BIG brother in Malaysian politics, but you wat to push this factor of its intrusion onto the business radar screens of international investors.
Okay, maybe the BIG business boys are trying to be as transparent and forthright as possible. Or maybe Malaysians have a weird SENse of humour. I hope The Prime Minister looked into Raja Petra's expose of Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman's shenanigans in his current visit to the once pristine state oft-forgotten by Federal leaders. Sarawak too -- who did not get any of that RM600million generous handout at the last UMNO GEneral Assembly because UMNO does not have any branches in Sarawak. Poor cousins indeed. IF I were a Sarawkian, I think I'm an orphan if that's how the allocation of Federal development funds are being parcelled out.
Maybe UMMNO should re-register itself as a Company instead of a political party? Then I think Desi will fill up a membership form. I think I'd like to be a guest at Sabah House -- or is there one or cashed out?
From www.nst.com.my, the online edition of the New Straits Times:
February 14 2007
Umno set to surface in PECD
THE United Malays National Organisation (Umno) is set to emerge as a substantial shareholder in construction firm PECD Bhd, a source said.
Umno will buy 25 per cent of PECD, a loss-making firm with a RM1.4 billion order book, a move that could help the company settle its disputes with government-related bodies.
"Umno will buy the shares from existing shareholders, and an announcement could be made as early as today," said the source.
The existing major shareholders of PECD include Tan Sri Mohd Razali Abdul Rahman, Nik Sufian Mohd Zain and Datuk Othman Hashim with a collective 32.18 per cent, its 2005 annual report showed.
Peremba PJ Holdings Sdn Bhd also holds another 26.11 per cent.
PECD shares closed 3 per cent down to 32.5 sen yesterday. A quarter of the company would cost some RM24.4 million based on the closing price.
PECD swung to a third-quarter net loss of RM34.4 million as at September 30 2006 versus a net profit of RM6.3 million in the same period a year earlier.
The loss was due mainly to slow progress of works from ongoing projects, reversal of profits recognised from certain completed projects and non-recognition of profits from its Sudan marine terminal project.
Umno is likely to lend support to PECD's effort to resolve differences with state oil and gas firm Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) and state-owned property developer Putrajaya Holdings (PJH).
PECD is claiming some US$200 million (RM700 million) in cost overruns for a project to build a marine terminal in Sudan. The project, to build oil storage tanks and fuel tanks among others, was awarded by a group of oil companies led by Petronas.
PECD is also claiming RM178 million from PJH after the latter issued a termination notice for PECD to stop work on a government quarters project in Putrajaya.
DESI: The highlights (THUS BOLDED) are Desi's, not done by the NST or at the instruction of UMNO or any Barisan Nasional component parties.
Beforer Desi takes his infamous leave for CNY cowboy poker sojourn at the KaraeOK Korral, he would like to instruct all obedient ER to surf over to malaysia-today.net and witness the unfolding of a scandalous massive rape in Sabah, in the brigt light of the day and we wonder what the Prime Minister and his Corruption-busters have to say.
I'll just serve thee the opening entree...
12/02: The Musa Aman silap mata Category: General Posted by: Raja Petra THE CORRIDORS OF POWER
Raja Petra Kamarudin
‘Silap mata’ translates literally to ‘error of the eye’ but would more accurately mean ‘sleight of hand’. According to the Thesaurus, ‘sleight of hand’ means ‘artful deception’ or ‘smoke and mirrors’. Only very clever people can be artful in their deception. Stupid people get caught. No doubt the hand is faster than the eye, but the hand must be very fast and skillful to be able to fool the eye. Nevertheless, there is another Malay saying: pandai-pandai tupai melompat, akhirnya jatuh ke tanah. Loosely translated, this means: however clever the squirrel may be at jumping from tree to tree, in the end it will still fall to earth.
When Desi in half-asleep mode turned to the news after being seduced by the HEADLINE, it was such a letdown.
I was expecting a dig into sych long sitters like Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Chandra Muzaffar, Lim Kit Siang and Lim Keng Yaik, and ah, Lee Lam Thye, and ah, the everlasting SM Idris,
No doubt the good dcotor stepped down after a 22-year reign as Prime Minister on Oct 30, 2003, but the impression the average Malaysian gets is that he's still helming the country. Judging by his high profile presence on the Malaysian stage...if you ask the Western journalists, he makes beter coffee -- Ooops, copy! Breakfast is sttealing on my mind! -- than present doe-eyed Sleeping Beauty replacement. Many funnies here would rather call him a Beast, to Desi that's just not fair. Maybe I left out a comma somewhere?
Chandra Muzaffar -- oh, yes, his throne was ALIRAN, so much so when one mentioned Aliran, it was equated to Chandara, and Chandra was Aliran. Is he going to perpetuate the crown at JUST? I think again it is just not fair.
Many call him "Uncle Kit", but to me observing politics of NegaraKu -- government and Opposition benches -- nobody represents the face of the Pembangkang as much as "Saudara Kit", the term of endearment from party cadres. Replace "Cadre" with DAP card-holders, for the former is a label quite easily aligned with the Communist Party, which can be fatal in NegaraKu. DEsi, a declared "Socialist" for six out of SE7EN days a week has been labelled a Commie too, but blardy hell, do I care? (THat's why Parti Socialist Rakyat Malaysia died an unmarked death -- it was so easy meat minced by UMNO and their putra and pouteri. Butt that's another storey for another die!)
As for the Gerakan chief, until coming June when he maekth way for young Koh Tsu Koon, you woud think he's indispensable to the Penang party. Like a former MCA president Dr Ling Liong Sik, all the "three LIN" clansmen (LIN is as should be in Mandarin script) at one time simultaneously were each heading a majority-Chinese party, leading many Chinese Malaysians to wander if the surname LIN was descended from royalty, or wooden subsitute from the Oak tree family, or Meranti, or whatever.
And where does Lee Lam Thye fit in? Well, he is numero uno as SOCIAL ACTIVIST, after breathing down the neck of Emperor taiko at DAP but knowing he's getting nowhere. Might as well try an Establishment alley, Yes/No/Not sure?
As for the last mentioned, do I need to tell YOU -- well-informed Person of the Year elected by Time, everlasting, perrenial as the Green, Green Grass of Home.
Okay, the throne is everlustingly his:
SM Idris is CAP, CAP is SM Idris.
To some of my Young&Articulate readers who I am proud to mentor: Now you have a hint as to why Malaysian politics and civil society is heading nowhere?
Because most of the kings and king-makers don't heed this advice:
Don’t sit too long on the throne
Don’t sit too long on the throne
DON'T SIT TOO LONG ON THE THRONE!
12 Feb 2007
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IPOH: Spending long periods reading the newspaper while sitting on the toilet seat in the morning could lead to piles, said a colorectal surgery consultant.
"Instead of doing what usually takes three minutes to complete, you are spending 15 minutes," said Dr M. Sarkunnathas of a private hospital here.
(DESI's interruptus cant!:Some sit on the throne like forever and a day...)
While the causes of haemorrhoids, or swelling near the anus commonly known as "piles", are uncertain, toilet habits might be a factor.
"Squatting is good for the knees but sitting on the toilet is good for (not developing) piles. You take your pick," he said during a recent talk to raise awareness of the medical condition.
However, sitting too long was harmful if one were engrossed with reading and forgot one’s mission in the toilet, he added.
According to statistics, one of every two people or half a population would have piles to a certain degree at some stage of their life.
There were no differences among races or gender.
Due to embarrassment, many would diagnose the problem and find the solution themselves, allowing the condition to worsen to the point of needing surgery.
In the worst-case scenario, bleeding from the anus — a symptom associated with piles — might spark a belief it is cancer.
Thanks to technological advances, specifically a "circular stapler" invented by Italian surgeon Dr Antonio Longo, surgery is now a 15-minute procedure, which allows a patient to be on the feet and sitting comfortably the next day.
Over a million people underwent the Longo stapled haemorrhoidectomy or procedure for prolapse and haemorrhoids since its introduction in 1998, including some 12,000 Malaysians.
The procedure, using a non-recyclable stapler and titanium staples, cuts a circumferential core of the rectal wall and immediately staples the wall, causing minimal pain and leaving no wounds.
"Early" is of course a subjective term. For a housewife used to greet the sunrise at 5.00am, waking up at 6.00am is "late". To a lazybummer like Desi used to late night 'rites, writes, writHings, waking up by 9.00am is "too early". In recent times, to scrimp on harder times, I combine BF with lunch, so starting with brunch at about 10.30-11.00am is just nice, "not too early".
"Don't set the alarm clock at 5.30AM for Desi," would be my refrain to the receptionist if I'm rooming at a downtown hotel on some lucky assignments paid for by the client. I prefer my appointment to start at 2.oopm -- I am a freelance journalist, remember? A dinner working appoitent would be heavenly, especially if the Other party also picks up the tabs. ("Tabs" I understand is slang for "bill" though I don't know its root word, or is it the short for tabulations? I'm THINKING ALOUD, something I do often nowadays since *JeffOoi's name is constantly flashed everyday.)
*If you have to ask who's Jeff, you'd better get out of hear! before I yell out: Get the hell out of here!See, Desi's not totally averse to swearing as I said Yesterday, when all my troubles...
Thank God for whoever invented the air-conditioner and the computer. My Olivetti lettera 32 is now a collectible, opening bid is 2million if there are any interested parties out dare. Moo_t, how art thee progressing in helping Desi get to that 20million?
Okay, Monday being a day of blues, I'm reacting with a C&W song which bewitched many YoungOnes, and I hope they do pause and ponder and not allow despair to overcome them. Seek out a best friend in times of trouble. Seek out a partner with soulmateship with thee. Seek out the chuirch, temple or masjid priest. If everyone fails thee, SEEK OUT THE BEFRIENDERS in the neighbourhood.
My Elusive Dreams
Artist: Skeeter Davis & Bobby Bare
----------------------------------------------
[ skeeter ] I followed you to Texas I followed you to Utah [ bobby ] We didn't find it there so we moved on [ skeeter ] I followed you to Alabam things look good in Birmingham [ bobby ] We didn't find it there so we moved on [ both ] I know you're tired of following my elusive dreams and schemes For they're only fleeting things my elusive dreams [ skeeter ] I had your child in Memphis you heard of work in Nashville [ bobby ] We didn't find it there so we moved on To a small farm in Nebraska to a gold mine in Alaska [ skeeter ] We didn't find it there so we moved on [ bobby ] Now we've left Alaska because there was no gold mine [ skeeter ] But this time only two of us moved on And now all we have is each other and a little mem'ry that we could to cling to [ bobby ] But still you won't let me go on alone [ both ] I know you're tired of following my elusive dreams and schemes For they're only fleeting things my elusive dreams For they're only fleeting things my elusive dreams
Yes, we all have our dreams -- Child, Young, Old and growing still. Life takes its toll on everyone -- age is no more a barrier, for 21st century life brings along more and greater stresses akong with its conveniences and gadgets because very often, the currency to these gadgets and conveniences is Money. And the lack of money drives many to the edge. Of course, to many in the field of entertainment, the other pressure in Fame. Success does not come easy. Yes, the goal in the far horizon -- money or fame --seems so elusive.
And maybe that's what South Korean actress-star JEONG DA-BIN was seeking too. Her elusive dreams. But at the tender age of 27, she just allowed depression to swarm all over her being, and she felt she had to seek a final resolution .... She couldn't fulfill her dreams. She just ended it -- by hanging herself last Saturday.
An AFP report quoting the police said that Jeong, 27, had been found dead, with a towel around her neck, in the bathroom of her boyfriend's apartment in Seoul, hsving sppsrently succumbed to a bout of depression over arecent shortage of work. Jeong, who also became a Korean pop culture star in Taiwan in 2005, acted in television dramas and movies.
Jeong's death , following that of pop singer YUNI, who was found hanged in her hiome in Incheon City on Jan 21, pending the relaese of her third album, has sparked concern in South Korea, which has the highest suicide rate of all Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) members.
The AFP report quoted NA SUN-YOUNG of Lifeline Korea, which provides a telephone counselling service aimed at preventing suicides, as saying: "I am worried that a wave of copycat suicides might follow among youths."
"Following the death of Yuni, I received many calls from young people who said they themselves were thinking about committing suicide.
"They were saying they had to die because even someone as beautiful as Yuni could not stand it and committed suicide,"Na said.
While Chinese New Year is just six days away, I hope this Post won't be a mood-spoiler.No doubt, this is sombre news to chew over, but the reality is that there are some lonely and depressed people out there who would not be able to celebrate,for reasons beyong their control. I'm pausing, and pondering, while we chase our own individual "Elusive Dreams", have we questioned ourselves: Are our dreams based on reality? Are we placing our priorities right?
IF the answer is "YES" to the above two questions, you'll be alright. God bless you. You are indeed lucky. If the truthful response is "No", then it's Time to make new Dreams. Make? you may ask. Yes, we make dreams just as we have a choice whether to wake up Early or Late to greet the sun each day. So also we make the kind of Dreams we wish to pursue. Know Thyself, that's wisdom in philosophers' teachings since the days of SOCRATES.My fave poet Max Ehrmann reiterates that credo too. I know many things. I write aboiut many things. But do I know myself? I have to think more about the last question myself.
I'm still pondering. This friend says she took two days copying the story down in longhand -- I'd better offer her a goblet of tehtarik, and a goblet of self-rub massage oil to restore her over-worked wrists to their original velvety state.
Desi meanhwile pauses and ponders: what's the message in Oscar Wilde's www story for me? Am I surrounded by water-rats or am I into much H2O this Year of the Golden Pig (Correction: reading today's papers late Sunday maketh me realise I have made a mistake -- not fatal-lah! -- it should read as Year of the Fire Boar! -- that I don't have to go after some rats for monies owed, minus interests notwithstanding, or sitting.
Now you see why I having been having
l-o-o-o-o-o-n-g
P A U S E S
recently.Pondering, wandering, wondering.
Whatever, I believe in SE7EN days' time, the Napoleons and Snowballs (ANIMAL FARM, rmmember? by George All's well!)that wander in my Serembanscape would bring me smiles that Oscar Wilde has been quietly throwing on my face. Or should it be "onto" my face? I leave exquite English to my readers, who I understand, are rising to the occasion of speaking Queen's Englsih again if Amber Chia can taeche thee as well as she does cha-cha-cha. Me? I do the rock&roll with Elvis, who -- whispering hear! -- was reportedly sighted in the neighbourhood of *Rasah New Village near the gravesides consoling a lot of midnight visitors praying for "Ang Kong zi". Poor Desi's translation:Prosperous 4-D numbers!YOU smoke Lucky Strike?
mGf moo-t,the Chinese sexpert, may give thee a better Chinoserie cultural idiom.
*Need direction dare at midnight, seek out Anak Merdeka, mGf in Furong, hyde-ing somewhere in the Maze.
MEANw'ile, (yes, a "combo" or compound-word, of mean and wile!:) ENJOYmei's two days' of labour of love to share with awe GOoD fRiends in blogosphere or square:
"The Devoted Friend",
written by Oscar Wilde.
I.
One morning the old Water-rat put his head out of his hole.
He had bright little eyes and a long black tail. The little yellow ducks were swimming about in the pond, and their mother, who was white with real red legs, as trying to teach them how to stand on their heads in the water.
“You will never be among the top people unless you can stand on your heads,” she kept saying to them; and every now and then she showed them how to do it. But the little ducks paid no attention to her. They were too young. It is a great advantage to be among the top people, but the little ducks were too young to know that.
“What bad children!” cried the old Water-rat.
“Not at all”, answered the Duck. “Everyone must make a beginning. Children need plenty of time to learn. Every parents know that.”
“Ah! I know nothing about the feelings of parents,” said the Water-rat; “I am not a family man. In fact, I have never been married, and I never want to be. Love is very good, in a way, but friendship is much higher. There is nothing in the world that is more beautiful than a devoted friendship.”
“And what, sir, is your idea of the duties of a devoted friend?” asked a Green Linnet. The little bird was sitting in a tree by the pond, and he had heard the Duck and the Water-rat talking.
“Yes, that is just what I want to know,” said the Duck. Then she swam away to the end of the pond, and stood upon her head, in order to give her children a good example.
“What a silly question!” cried the Water-rat. “I should expect my devoted friend to be devoted to me, of course.”
“And what would you do in return?” said the little bird, standing upon a silver branch, and moving his wings up and down.
“I don’t understand you,” answered the Water-rat.
“Let me tell you a story on the subject,” said the Linnet.
“Is the story about me?” asked the Water-rat. “If so, I will listen to it, for I like stories that are not really true.”
“It is not about you, but it has something to do with you,” answered the Linnet; and he flew down and, landing by the side of the pond, he told the story of The Devoted Friend. ***
“Once upon a time,” said the Linnet, “there was a pleasant little fellow named Hans. He never stole, and never told a lie.”
“Was he a high-class man?” asked the Water-rat.
“No,” answered the Linnet. “I don’t think he was high-class at all, but he had a kind heart, and a funny round smiling face. He lived in a little house all by himself and everyday he worked in his garden. In all the country-side there was no garden so lovely as his. Every kind of flower grew in it, month by month, one flower taking another flower’s place, so that there were always beautiful things to look at, and pleasant flowers to smell.
“Little Hans had a great many friends, but the most devoted friend of all was big Hugh the Miller. Indeed, he was so devoted to Hans that every time he passed his garden he wound lean over the wall into the garden. While doing so, he would pick several flowers, or fill his pockets with fruit if it was the right time of year.
“Real friends should share everything between them,” the Miller used to say. Then little Hans smiled in agreement, and felt very pleased to have a friend with such fine ideas.
“Sometimes, the neighbours thought the friendship a little strange. This was because the rich Miller never gave little Hans anything in return, though he had a hundred sacks of flour stored away in his windmill, and six fine brown cows, and fifty large white sheep. But Hans never troubled his head about these things. Nothing gave him greater pleasure than to listen to the Miller as he spoke about friendship. The Miller used to say wonderful things about the unselfishness of true friendship.”
“So little Hans worked away in his garden,” continued the Linnet. “During the spring, the summer, and the autumn he was very happy, but then the winter came. In the winter, when he had no fruit or flowers to bring to the market, he suffered a good deal from cold and hunger. He often had to go to bed without eating anything but a few pieces of dried fruit. In the winter, also, he was very lonely, as the Miller never came to see him then.
“There is no good in my going to see little Hans as long as the snow lasts,” the Miller used to say to his wife. “When people are in trouble they should be left alone. It is not right for visitors to come and take up their time. That at least is my idea about friendship, and I am sure I am right. So I shall wait till the spring comes, and then I shall pay little Hans a visit. He will be able to give a large basket of primroses (a yellow spring flower), and that will make him so happy.”
“You are certainly very thoughtful about others,” answered the wife, as she sat in her large warm chair by the big hot fire; “very thought indeed. It is very pleasant to hear you talk about friendship. The clergyman himself could not say such beautiful things as you do, though he does live in a fine big house, and wear a gold ring on his little finger.”
“But could we not ask little Hans up here?” said the Miller’s youngest son. “If poor Hans is in trouble I will give him half my breakfast, and show him my black and white cat.”
“What a silly boy you are!” cried the Miller. “What is the use of sending you to school?” you seem not to learn anything. Why, if little Hans came up here, and saw our warm fire, and our good breakfast, and all our red wine, he might start wanting such things for himself; and that is a most terrible thing in a man, and would make his nature unfriendly. I certainly will not allow Han’s nature to become unfriendly. I am his best friend, and I will always watch over him. Besides, if Hans came here, he might want to have some flour and pay for it later, and that I could not allow. Flour is one thing, and friendship is another. The two words are quite different, and they mean quite different things. Everybody can see that.”
“How well you talk!” said the Miller’s wife, taking up a large glass of warm beer. “Really I feel quite sleepy. It is just like being in church.”
“Lots of people act well,” answered the Miller; “but very few people talk well. So we can see that talking is much the more difficult thing of the two, and much the finer thing also.” Then he made a very serious face, and looked across the table at his little son. At that, the boy hung his head down, and grew quite red in the face, and began to cry into his tea. However, he was very young, so that was quite natural.”
*** “Is that the end of the story?” asked the Water-rat.
“Certainly not,” answered the Linnet. “That is the beginning.”
“Then you are quite behind the age,” said the Water-rat. “Every good storyteller nowadays starts with the end, and then goes on to the beginning, and finishes with the middle. That is the new method. I heard all about it the other day from a critic who was walking round the pond with a young man. He spoke of the matter at great length. He must have been right, for he looked very clever, and whenever the young man made any remark, he always answered “Nonsense!” But please go on with your story. I like the Miller very much indeed. I have all kinds of beautiful thoughts myself, so he and I are very much alike.”
II.
“Well,” said the Linnet, standing now on one leg and now on the other. “I shall continue the story. As soon as the winter was over, and the primroses began to open their pale yellow stars, the Miller spoke to his wife. “I shall go down and see little Hans,” he said.
“Why, what a good heart you have!” cried his Wife. “You are always thinking of others. And remember to take the big basket with you for the flowers.”
“So the Miller tried the sails of the windmill together, and went down the hill with the basket on his arm. When he arrived, Hans was working in his garden.
“Good morning, little Hans,” said the Miller.
“Good morning,” said Hans, looking up from his work, and smiling from ear to ear.
“And how have you been all the winter?” said the Miller.
“Well, really,” cried Hans. “It is very good of you to ask, very good indeed. I am afraid I had rather a hard time of it, but now the spring has come, and I am quite happy, and all my flowers are doing well.”
“We often talked of you during the winter, Hans,” said the Miller, “and wondered how you were getting on.”
“That was kind of you,” said Hans; “I was half afraid you had forgotten me.”
“Hans, I am surprised at you,” said the Miller; “Friendship never forgets. That is the wonderful thing about the full beauty of life. How lovely your primroses are looking, by the way!”
“They are certainly very lovely,” said Hans. “and I am very lucky to have so many. I am going to bring them into the market and sell them to the Mayor’s daughter, and buy back my wheelbarrow with the money.”
“Buy back your wheelbarrow? Have you sold it? What a very silly thing to do!”
“Well,” said Hans, “I had to sell it. You see, the winter was a very bad time for me, and I really had no money at all to buy bread with. So I first sold my Sunday coat, and then I sold my smallest chair, and then I sold my big pipe, and in the end I sold my wheelbarrow. But I am going to buy them all back again now.”
***
“Hans,” said the Miller, “I will give you my wheelbarrow. It is rather old; indeed, one side is gone, and there is something wrong with the wheel; but in spite of that I will give it to you. I know it is very kind of me. A great many people would think me very foolish of giving it away, but I am not like the rest of the world. I think that kindness is the most important part of friendship, and besides, I have got a new wheelbarrow for myself. Yes, you may set your mind at rest, I will give you my wheelbarrow.”
“Well, really, that is kind of you,” said little Hans, and his funny round face shone all over the pleasure. “I can make it as good as new, as I have a plank of wood in the house.”
“A plank of wood!” said the Miller; “why, that is just what I want for my mill-roof. There is a very large hole in the roof, and I must mend it. How lucky you mentioned your plank! It is quite wonderful how one good action always leads to another. I have given you my wheelbarrow, and now you are going to give me your plank. Of course, the wheelbarrow is worth far more than the plank, but true friendship never notices things like that. Please get the plank at once, and I will set to work on my roof this very day.”
“Certainly,” cried little Hans, and he ran into the house and pulled the plank out.
“It is not a very big plank,” said the Miller, looking at it. “After I have mended my roof there won’t be any left for you to use for the wheelbarrow; but of course, I can’t help that. And now, as I have given you my wheelbarrow, you will of course want to give me some flowers in return. Here is the basket, and make sure you fill it quite full.”
“Quite full?” said little Hans, rather sadly, for it was really a very big basket. If he filled it, he saw, he would have no flowers left for the market; and he very much wanted to have his Sunday coat back.
“Well, really!” answered the Miller. “As I have given you my wheelbarrow, it is surely not much to ask you for a few flowers. I may be wrong, but surely friendship, true friendship, is quite free from selfishness of any kind.”
“My dear friend, my best friend,” cried little Hans, “You are welcome to all the flowers in my garden. I would much rather have your good opinion than my Sunday coat, any day;” and he ran and picked all his pretty primroses, and filled the Miller’s basket.
“Goodbye, little Hans,” said the Miller, as he went up the hill with the plank on his shoulder, and the big basket in his hand.
“Goodbye,” said little Hans, and he began to dig away quite happily, he was so pleased about the wheelbarrow.
***
“The next day,” continued the Linnet, “Little Hans was nailing up some tall flowers against the front of the house, when he heard the Miller’s voice calling to him from the road. So he jumped down from the house, and ran down the garden, and looked over the wall.
“There was the Miller with a large sack of flour on his back.
“Dear little Hans,” said the Miller. “Would you mind carrying this sack of flour for me to market?”
“Oh, I am so sorry,” said Hans, “but I am really very busy today. I have got all these tall flowers to nail up, and all my other flowers to water, and all my grass to roll.”
“Well, really!” said the Miller, “I am going to give you my wheelbarrow, and now you refuse to go to market for you. That seems rather unfriendly.”
“Oh, don’t say that,” cried little Hans, “I never want to be unfriendly to you;” and he ran in for his hat, and walked tiredly off with the big sack on his shoulders.
“It was a very hot day, and the road was terribly hot and dray. Before Hans had walked for two hours he was so tired that he had to sit down and rest. However, he got up and went on again, and at last he reached the market. After he had waited there some time, he sold the sack of flour for a very good price, and then he returned home at once with the money.
“It has certainly been a hard day,” said little Hans to himself as he was going to bed; “but I helped the Miller, and I am glad of that, for he is my best friend. Besides, he is going to give me his wheelbarrow.”
III.
“Early the next morning,” the Linnet continued, “the Miller came down to get the money for his sack of flour, but little Hans was so tired that he was still in bed.
“Well, really!” said the Miller. “Still in bed! I am going to give you my wheelbarrow, which is very kind of me; and I think you should work harder because of it. I certainly don’t like it when my friends lie in their beds instead of working. You must not mind my speaking quite openly to you. Of course, I only speak openly because I am your friend. What is the good of friendship if one cannot speak openly? Anybody can say nice things and try to please, but a true friend always says unpleasant things, and does not mind giving pain. Indeed, if he is a really true friend he tries to give pain. To give pain is to do good.”
“I am very sorry,” said little Hans, trying to keep his eyes open and sitting up in bed, “I was so tired that I wanted to lie in bed for a little time, and listen to the birds singing. I always work better after hearing the birds sing, did you know that?”
“Well, I am glad of that,” said the Miller, laying his hand on little Hans’s shoulder, “for I want you to come and help me now. Come up to the mill as soon as you are dressed, and mend my roof for me.”
“Poor little Hans very much wanted to go and work in his garden, for he had not watered his flowers for two days; but he did not like to refuse the Miller, as he as such a good friend to him.
“I really am very busy today; does that sound very unfriendly?” he asked very quietly.
“Well, really!” answered the Miller. “It is not much to ask of you. Remember, I am going to give you my wheelbarrow; but of course if you refuse to help me, I will go and do the work myself.”
“Oh! I can’t allow that,” cried little Hans; and he jumped out of bed, and dressed himself, and went up to the Miller’s.
“He worked there all day long, till sunset, and at sunset the Miller came to see how he was getting on.
“Have you mended the hole in the roof yet, little Hans?” cried the Miller with a friendly laugh.
“It is quite mended,” answered little Hans, coming down from the roof.
“Ah!” said the Miller, “There is no work so delightful as the work one does for others.”
“I am certainly very lucky to hear you talk,” answered little Hans, sitting down on a stone. “I am very lucky indeed. But I am afraid I shall never have such beautiful ideas as you have.”
“Oh! Ideas will come to you,” said the Miller, “but you must work harder at it. At present you have only the practise of friendship; some day you will have the theory also.”
“Do you really think I shall?” asked little Hans.
“I have no doubt of it,” answered the Miller; “but now that you have mended the roof, you had better go home and rest. You must rest now, for I want you to drive my sheep to the mountain tomorrow.”
***
“Poor little Hans was afraid to say anything to this. Early the next morning the Miller brought his sheep round to the little house, and Hans started off with them to the mountain. It took him the whole day to get there and back; and when he returned he was so tired that he went off to sleep in his chair, and did not wake up till it was broad daylight.
“What a delightful time I shall have in my garden,” he said, and he went to work at once.
“But somehow he was never able to look after his flowers at all, for his friend the Miller was always coming round and sending him off the market or the mountain, or getting him to help the mill. Little Hans felt very worried about this at times. His flowers, he felt, would think he had forgotten them. However, he felt better when he remembered that the Miller was his best friend. “Besides,” little Hans used to say to himself, “he is going to give me his wheelbarrow, and that is an act of great kindness.”
“So little Hans worked away for the Miller, and the Miller said all kinds of beautiful things about friendship. Hans wrote these things down in a notebook. Then he used to read the notes at night, for he was very good at reading and learning.”
***
“Now it happened,” the Linnet continued, “that one evening little Hans was sitting by his fireside when a loud knock came at the door. It was a very wild night, and the wind was blowing and roaring terribly round the house. It was blowing and roaring so terribly that at first he thought the knock at the door was only the storm. But a second knock came, and then a third, louder than either of the others.
“It is some poor traveller,” said little Hans to himself, and he ran to the door.
“There stood the Miller with a lantern in one hand and a big stick in the other.
“Dear little Hans,” cried the Miller. “I am in great trouble. My little boy has fallen off a wall and hurt himself, and I am going for the Doctor. But the Doctor lives far away, and it is a very bad night. It would be much better, I think, if you went instead of me. After all, I am going to give you my wheelbarrow, and so it is only fair that you should do something for me in return.”
“Certainly,” cried little Hans. “I am very glad that you came, and I will start off at once. But you must let me have your lantern, as the night is so dark. I am afraid I might lose my way in the darkness, and leave the road by mistake.”
“I am very sorry,” answered the Miller, “but it is my new lantern. It would be a great loss to me if anything happened to it.”
“Well, never mind, I will do without it,” cried little Hans. He took down his thick winter coat, and his warm hat, and started off.
“What a terrible storm it was. The night was black. It was so black that little Hans could hardly see, and the wind was so strong that he could scarely stand. However, he never lost heart. After he had been walking for about three hours, he arrived at the Doctor’s house, and knocked at the door.
“Who is there?” cried the Doctor, putting his head out of his bedroom window.
“Little Hans, Doctor.”
“What do you want, little Hans?”
“The Miller’s son has fallen off a wall, and has hurt himself, and the Miller wants you to come at once.”
“All right!” said the Doctor; and he ordered his horse, and his coat and hat, and his lantern. Then he came downstairs, and rode off in the direction of the Miller’s house, little Hans walking tiredly behind him.”
***
“But the storm grew worse and worse, and the rain faster and faster, and little Hans could not see where he was going, or keep up with the horse. In the end he lost his way, and the road by mistake. He was now in a wild, open place which was very dangerous, as it was full of deep holes. And into one of these great holes, as full of water, little Hans fell. The next day, poor little Hans’s dead body was found by some men. They pulled the body out of the great hole full of water where it lay, and they carried it back to the little house.
“Everybody went to little Hans’s funeral, as they all loved him, and the Miller was the most important person there.
“As I was his best friend,” said the Miller. “It is only fair that I should have the best place.” So he walked ahead of all the other people in a long black coat, and every now and then he put a big pocket-handkerchief to his eyes.
“Little Hans is certainly a great loss to everyone,” said one of the men, when the funeral was over, and they were all sitting round the table, drinking hot wine and eating sweet cakes.
“A great loss to me at any rate,” answered the Miller. “Why, I was going to give him my wheelbarrow, and now I really don’t know what to do with it. It is very much in my way at home, and it is so old that I cannot even sell it. I will certainly take care not to give away anything again. One always suffers for being kind.”
***
“Well?” said the Water-rat, after a long silence.
“Well, that is the end,” said the Linnet.
“But what became of the Miller?” asked the Water-rat.
“Oh! I really don’t know,” replied the Linnet; “and I am sure that I don’t care.”
“Well, one thing is certain,” said the Water-rat; “you yourself never feel sorry for anyone.”
“I am afraid you don’t quite see the moral of the story,” remarked the Linnet.
“The what?” cried the Water-rat.
“The moral.”
“So the story has a moral?”
“Certainly,” said the Linnet.
“Well, really!” said the Water-rat, in a very angry manner. “You should have told me that before you began. Then I need not have listened to you. In fact, I should have said “Nonsense,” like the critic. However, I can say it now.”
So he shouted out “Nonsense” at the top of his voice, waved his black tail twice, and went back into his hole.
“And how do you like the Water-rat?” asked the Duck, who came swimming up some minutes afterwards. “He has a great many good points, but for my own part I have a mother’s feelings. When I see a man who is still not married, the tears come into my eyes.”
“I am rather afraid that I have made the Water-rat angry,” answered the Linnet. “The fact is, that I told him a story with a moral.”
“Ah! That is always a very dangerous thing to do,” said the Duck.
And I quite agree with her.
**********************************
Mei: I tend to be selective and stay with friends whose friendship is proven during hard times. I am gentle and polite, but I am brutally honest most of the time to some people who claim they are my friends: "Excuse me, I don't think you see me as a friend"; or, "I am afraid your perception of friendship is different from mine! Thus, I would prefer to be left on my own as i don't feel comfortable interacting with you as a friend."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
DEsi:
For most of my EsteemedReaders, and the occasional viositors sho stumble half-drubkj here from other Blogs where four letter words like F***, S+++. H*** are the norm in their limited vocab, not that Desi is totally averse to swearing, but do it with finesse-lah! so if you wanna educate yourself into swearing in Victorian HI-society, here's some witticism from Oscar himself.
More from "THE LITTLE BOOK of Famous Insults"
Edited by BETTY JO RAMSY with illustrations by FRITZ KREDEL
____________________________________ My copy (please don't steal IT!) is doggone-eared and was published by
TOPPAN COMPANY, LIMITED Tokyo, Japan PETER PAUPER PRESS, INC. New York, U.S.A.
____________________________________
"M. Zola is determined to show that, if he has not got genius, he can at least be dull."
"There are two ways of disliking poetry, one way is to dislike it, the other is to read Pope."
"(Bernard Shaw) hasn't an enemy in the world, and none of his friends like him."
"Mr. Hall Caine, it is true, aims at the grandi- ose, but then he writes at the top of his voice. He is so loud that one cannt hear what he says."
"Mr. James Payn is an adept in the art of con- cealing what is not worth finding."
"The first rule for a young playwright to fol- low is not to write like Henry Arthur Jones .... The second and third rules are the same."
"Mr. Henry James writes fiction as if it were a painful duty."
"George Moore wrote brilliant English until he discovered grammar." On George Moore: "He leads his readers to the latrine and locks them in."
___________________________________________
"If you can't enjoy wit, then toy it."
The lust one cometh from an Oscar imitator, YL Chong,
11.08AM, February 10, 200SE7EN your hamba-lest of thy handmadiens or maidservants.
mGf joepsc has a discerning quote I sighted at another mGf's blog nigh Catsville:
Extracts from:
Yan’s Corner - In Touch
Posted by Yan under Soul Tapestry:
1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
(Eccl. 3:1-8)
It has been a long silence in my blog. I have been through this “A Time for Everything”. Today, in a much better shape and spirit, I describe what I have been through, what I am still going through, and what I am to face for how long that I don’t know - a time for everything.
Yes, the menopausal time. It’s about body, soul and spirit! And how aptly the Searcher gave me insights today."
: :
"Never grow old, never grow old In the land where we’ll never grow old Never grow old, never grow old In the land where we’ll never grow old."
_____________ Ends extract ____________________
..Responses to “A Time for Everything”
ylchong Says: February 7th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
I also pause, now for men. I pause for myself, Wandering, wondering.
I also pause for some “fRiends”, I thought I had garduated to counting the Toes. No, I pause, crossed out some “R”, And I’m back to counting the F(I)ngers.
I pause often nowadays Cos humans are born human After all They slip, stumble and fall.
Guess I’d be still wondering wandering pausing for women, also for men after awe.
JOEPSC Says: February 8th, 2007 at 3:27 pm
I think it’ll do good to have a pause, all part of nature’s plan for man.
Albert Einstein said “He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.”
Earlier, I had writ:
I'm Tired
of all the sound and fury
especially the sound of Walk With Me We Will Walk and Talk To Me too
We will be angry We will be enraged we will show our righteous fury
At the underlings who do not perform
But let's give them another day
Now let's go back to
40
winks
Plus another 40 winks
just for olde times' sake
Or to live up to our claim to historical fame
Rip van Winkle is my name!
DESIDERATA: Cliche it may be, it's good to occasionally heed the advise: Take time to pause from the hustle-bustle of Life, to SMELL THE ROSES.
Raeding one MSM the past few days consecutively, the headlines have been telling us the Good News --- THE GOOD TIMES ARE BACK AGAIN! The stock market is on a bull run!
The trade volumn-value has passed the RM1 trillion mark in 2006!
Inflation will be less than 3.00 percent this year! The Government says so! ASLI also says so!
Desi pauses and reprises a message from Yesterday, bear with me, okay!:)
"IF whatever is published on the frontpage of the New Straits Times is true, proud Malaysians like me believe IT should signal "prosperous" times ahead for the Year of the Pig.
But trained as a newshound -- Doggone year's still hounding Desi! just eight more days, Doggie, ENJOY w'ile you can still lick IT! -- I sense that reality on the ground doesn't seem to reflect those data -- just as when ASLI's thinktank released its research findings on the Bumiputra equity stakes in the nation's wealth, many would contest such euphoria.
I rely on the feeling on the ground -- that's where the kopitiam and mamak stall economists -- and laymen like Desi -- gather and compare notes.
I also reprise the famous saying, rightly or wrongly attributed to Benjamin Disraeli or Mark Twain:"There are three kinds of lies -- Lies,, damn lies, and statistics."
Yes, ASLI top executives were swift in dissociating (NOT disassociating, I know it's not Sundae's Desiderata.English, but mind-bending can take place any day, Yes?) themselves from its thinktank head DR Lim Teck Ghee's findings recently that the Bumiputra equity stakes in the nation's wealth has far exceeded the 30% target, but it was most swift in endorsing the Government's projection that the inflation figures are hovering at 3%...
DO YOU GUYS BELIEVE IT?
Desi for one, DON'T!
WHY?
Go to the pertrol pump to top up your tank, the fuel price has gone up not less than four times the past two yaers, followed by a train of prices rising in almost all sectors as TRANSPORT is a key component in all factors of proc=uction of goods and services.
Your noodle at the pasar has gone up from RM2.00 to RM2.50 or a plate of nasi campur has gone up from RM3.50 to RM5.00, and of course, the tolled highway fees, especially on Plus hightways, and those in the Klang Valley have gone up by ..... YOU -- Time's Person Of The Year 2006! -- fill in the blanks)
Once the Rakyat has LOST confidence in the data and statistics given out by the Government and sycop[hantic so-called independent research houses, the country has to resort to their own sources of information.
So do you blame the Rakyat for believing in Raja Petra Kamaruddin's malaysia-today.net more than the MSM. Not that I believe all MT writes, but it's a source of insider information, like all those bigwigs of listed companies use to make a "killing" at the market.
In the curent "bull" run, "You poor retail investors, please Takke the profits NOW before a crash cometh!" -- Desi's 23sen worth of hardearned experienced advice. Give me 30% if it works out wella!
Rumours, especially about the stock market's listed companies' shenanigans! -- often proven to be true after awe! With the passage of TIME.
And TIME has honoured you people -- PERSON OF THE YEAR, 2007 too?
IF whatever is published on the frontpage of the New Straits Times is true and proud Malaysians like me believe IT should signal "prosperous" times ahead for the Year of the Pig.
But trained as a newshound -- Doggone year's still hounding Desi! just eight more days, Doggie, ENJOY w'ile you can still lick IT! -- I sense that reality on the ground doesn't seem to reflect those data -- just as when ASLI's thinktank released its research findings on the Bumiputra equity stakes in the nation's wealth, many would contest such euphoria.
I rely on the feeling on the ground -- that's where the kopitiam and mamak stall economists -- and laymen like Desi -- gather and compare notes.
I also reprise the famous saying, rightly or wrongly attributed to Benjamin Disraeli or Mark Twain:"There are three kinds of lies -- Lies,, damn lies, and statistics."
NOTE: China's foreign exchange reserves breached USD1,000,000,000,000 in October, 2006.:)
WHY does Desi put up that figure? Frankly I myself plead ignorance. And someyimes Miss Ignorance is also blissfully unaware. Got beauty, no brain. Now, after doing this national service scribing to pep everyone UP, can I go back, or Down Under, to forty winks again?
RM1,069,000,000,000 Malaysia's annual total trade breaks RM1 trillion mark for the first time 09 Feb 2007
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia took a giant leap as a trading nation when its trade registered a historically unprecedented volume: breaching RM1 trillion for 2006.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who also holds the finance portfolio, said Malaysia’s trade totalled RM1.069 trillion — a 10.5 per cent growth over the previous year.
This, he said, surpassed by 50 per cent the estimated seven per cent global growth projected by the World Trade Organisation for last year.
Exports expanded by 10.3 per cent to RM588.95 billion while imports grew by 10.7 per cent to RM480.49 billion.
In a statement issued by his office, the prime minister was exultant, saying: "It is an inspiring achievement.
"Although our country has faced numerous challenges, in particular the financial crisis in 1997 and a global economic downturn in 2001 and 2002, we have successfully coped with these upheavals and continued to perform well."
The facts:
• The highest ever trade surplus registered — RM108.46 billion — making it the 110th consecutive month of trade surplus since November 1997;
• Exports grew by 10.3 per cent to RM588.95 billion in all the major sectors — manufacturing, agriculture, minerals and fuel; and
• Imports grew by 10.7 per cent to RM480.49 billion, reflecting the demand by a strong manufacturing sector.
Abdullah said a breakdown of the figures showed that the trade profile had undergone significant changes in the last two decades.
• In 1987, more than half — or 53.4 per cent — of total trade came from commodities such as crude oil, timber, palm oil and rubber and manufactured goods accounted for 14 per cent of total exports.
One decade later — in 1997 — the profile changed again.
Commodities contributed only 17 per cent while manufacturing became the mainstay, contributing to 78.5 per cent of total trade.
"This reflects Malaysia’s industrial development and emphasises the strength of the manufacturing sector in enhancing the country’s exports," Abdullah said.
The other significant profile change has been in Malaysia’s trading partners, he said.
In 1987, Malaysia’s trade was largely confined to advanced economies such as Japan, the United States and Europe.
Ten years ago, while still maintaining the important trade ties with the advanced economies, Malaysia widened its portfolio to grow trade with Asean countries, West Asia and China.
It also expanded trade with developing economies in Latin America, South Asia and Eastern Europe.
The result — sustained trade growth — averaging 10.8 per cent on an annualised basis between 1997 and 2006.
The record trade growth comes on the back of increasingly positive economic data in recent months which, coupled with more business-friendly policies and development plans, has attracted foreign investors in droves to Malaysia.
The stock market has made a significant leap since the 1998 regional economic crisis with the benchmark Kuala Lumpur Composite Index (KLCI) closing at 1,245.36 points yesterday against 262.7 points on Jan 9, 1998.
Gross Domestic Product is estimated at RM277.2 billion last year against RM182.2 billion in 1998 while foreign direct investments reached RM17.88 billion in 2005 from RM13.06 billion in 1998.
Yesterday, Deutsche Bank head of equities research Teoh Su Yin briefed newsmen in Kuala Lumpur, saying although the KLCI has risen by some 27 per cent since November last year, the market still has room for expansion.
myGOoDfriends Howsy and Maverick have kept a watchdog record -- in gold colour summore! -- of the TIMES the Prime Minister has been urging his Under-lings and the public servants to WALK THE TALK. Go see it at howsy.blogspot.com
(Cut Red Tape, Walk The Talk, Work With Me...Haven't We Had Enough of These Already?
He wants to cut...")
and also link to maverickysm.blogspot.com.
Three years and three months into the premiership, Pak Lah has finally set up another TASK FORCE to speed things up, especially in the delivery systems. And take good care of the country's economy -- which is healthy, dead, or dying, depending on who's talking.
It can't be healthy IF it's dead or dying.
It can't be dead if it's healthy.
It may be dying then if it's not healthy or dead.
So Desi'll go for "dying" as the most plausible, independent view of our country's present state of affairs.The booming stock market in the past two weeks notwithstanding.
DOING A STRAW POLL, and you're likelyt to find:
Ask the pensioners. They can't cope with rising costs and inflation on stagnant take- home pensions.
Ask the unemployed/underemployed graduates. They can't get a decent job wth a decent pay. Many then opt to go overseas to try their luck.
Ask the employed graduates.They are being paid peanuts compared with Singapore's counterparts. Absolute salaries in the island republic are at least two times higher in comparable jobs, without the currency conversion, but note that one SG$ is worth 2.5 times the RM.
Ask the unemployed, the housewives and the rural and suburban children. They are left to "fend for themslves" -- SOON THE COUNTRY'S CRIME SCENE WILL BECOME MORE PROBLEMATIC, AND SOCIAL ILLS WILL JUMP.
ASK THE Ah Long: BUSINESS IS NEVER SO GOOD. BUT COLLECTION IS A BIG AND GROWING PROBLEM, SO WE HAVE TO RESORT TO VIOLENCE!
DEsi's advice to fellow Malaysians: Sit tight for five years and Let Pak Lah continue Talking. You are so masochistic you will still give hime 80% of the mandate by voting BN again come the next General Elections.
Meanwhie, look at that sole GEM among the appointees to the PM's latest initiative to move the quite immovable government machinery unless you oil it with the right type of grease, or izit currency?
The NST frontpage Delivery time: Task force to speed up reform, boost growth 08 Feb 2007
After months of expressing frustration at the lethargic pace of reforms, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi yesterday named a high-powered 23-member task force to promote faster reform in the delivery system.
THE TASK: Overhaul archaic procedures and unnecessary bureaucratic red-tape. THE OBJECTIVE: Enhance economic activity.
KUALA LUMPUR: A high-powered 23-member task force, handpicked from the public and private sectors, was set up yesterday to promote faster reform in the country’s delivery system and enhance economic activity.
After months of expressing frustration at the lethargic pace of reforms, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi yesterday named the task force — which reports directly to him — to facilitate business and overhaul archaic and unnecessary licensing and bureaucratic procedures.
The task force will be jointly headed by chief secretary to the government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan and, from the private sector, by Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers president, Datuk Yong Poh Kon.
The other members are 12 top civil servants from ministries engaged in dealing with businesses and the public, and nine leading private sector individuals.
: :
The task force will be called Pemudah, the Bahasa Malaysia acronym for Special Task Force To Facilitate Business.
: : :
DESIDERATA: My dear EsteemedReaders, why do I term CHUA TIA GUAN, Economic Survey Unit Head, ASSOCIATED CHINESE CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY OF MALYSIA, a GEM? KLUE: Thorn among the roses...
Let's wish him luck. He represents the common man, but methinks CHUA TIA GUAN's WILL BE A VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS.
THree years from now, they will consider setting upa Special Committeee to study the TASK FORCES established to date. Maybe Citizen Nades has got a list? OR brother Howsy and Mave, not YOU again! :):)
I'll take leave now and go checkif Rip van Winkle is ready for a joint CON BF with Desi!:)
I'M TIRED Verily, verily I say again I'm very tired:
of all the sound and fury
especially the sound of Walk With Me We Will Walk, and YOU can Talk To Me too
We will be angry We will be enraged we will show our righteous fury
At the underlings who do not perform Call up that Close-One-Eyed fellow Call up that Datuk Zakaria Give them sa shelling, Mr Deputy PM, Mr Menteri Besar, will you!
But also give them another chance-lah But let's give them another day to buck up But the buck stops near here
I'm reprising an item from Malaysia-Today run by Raja Petra Kamaruddin, and I like the spirit of the host's writing Without Fear Or Favour. I urge all Bloggers, and Commenters too, to emulate this example. Write in your own name or pseudonym linked to a persona with a webpage. Be proud of your ownership of your ideas -- your own intellectual property, Yes/No? Before I proceed to the former DPM's latest statement on his political moves, let me deal with an outstanding issue in Blogosphere I had "held in abeyance" for a few days.
It's "ABOUT US" in the relatively new "Walk Witn Us" weblog and I had visited them and commented there TWICE, and had thrown a challenge at the people beind this initiative. This weblog started as a direct response to the two defamation suits against JeffOoi of Screenshots and Ahiruddin Attan of Rockybru's.
Whe I logged onto to walkwithus.wordpress.com, I had expected to be acquainted with the NAMES OF PEOPLE behind the brave and bold act. ABOUT US? What about you?
When we wish to fight any battle, COME OUT IN THE OPEN. Don't be a guerilla, or terrorist. I believe Malaysia is still an infant democracy worth nursing, worth grooming, okay, WORTH FIGHTING FOR.
So, show your face and be responsible and accountable. WWU, You sound the clarion call to line up and join the forces. Yes, I would like to join you too, officially, but while I reveal my true identity Desiderata-YL Chong (aka Chong Yen Long), you hide behind the clouds of anonymity.
Can I completely trust you in your Anonymity? NO. I have had experienced several "AP" encounters -- Agent Provocateur -- visitors to my Blog, as well as detected at other Blogs, who subtly come into blogosphere to SUBVERT genuine discourse in democratic spirit. I reproduce your caution "Admittedly, we are gripped in a total state of fear, and no one can trust no one. You may not even want to trust us, which is perfectly sensible and understandable. But knowing this country, we simply can’t take chances.” AND I ACT IN FOLLOWING THE SPIRIT OF THY ADVICE.Hence, my challenge.
The challenge was thrown days ago, BUT TO DATE, NO RESPONSE HAS BEEN SIGHTED! And I reproduce my first Comment there, with a PS, as it is self-explanatory:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Two extracts at walkwithus.wordpress.com at its Maiden Post ABOUT US~~~~~~~~~~~~
ylchong Says: January 26th, 2007 at 2:42 am
Desi is reproducing his humble Comment made yesterday (Jan 23, 2007) at the said referred site because I truly feel this subject is of utmost concern to ALL BLOGGERS — veteran, few years old like Desi, newbies alike — and I stress that my views are just One Concerned Blogger’s, and there is enough room for diversity and divergence of opinions. As I posted earlier: “Blogger’s Realm as Diverse as Journalists’”
ylchong Says: Your comment is awaiting moderation. January 23rd, 2007 at 2:39 pm
Jeff Ooi and Ahiruddin Atan are actual persons who dare to reveal true IDs. Any initiative on their Cause also must reveal their true IDs, otherwise what standards are you following o=if not these TWO LEADERS?
You guys state as if we Bloggers in Malaysia are caught in a Cloak&Dagger situation, to wit:“Admittedly, we are gripped in a total state of fear, and no one can trust no one. You may not even want to trust us, which is perfectly sensible and understandable. But knowing this country, we simply can’t take chances.”
Take a look in the mirror, you already have planted the seeds of fear and suspicion where in the first instance, there was NONE with me as a blogger who was inspired by Jeff and I started blogging 1-3/4years ago with my ID fully revealed.
I throw back this challenge to you: Show true grit, otherwise, cease and desisit because you can not rise to the clalenge (dilemma) faced by the owners of Screenshots (Jeff) and RockyBru.
PS: I’m RE-sending this (with original copy, typos and all!) as my first one did NOT appear since first posting. Hope I’m lucky second time around.~~ Desi
ylchong Says: February 3rd, 2007 at 6:06 am PPS:
I wil join the walk officially if the Movers behind this initiative today declare their identities. DELETE this paragraph-lah: “This blogsite is set up by a group of Malaysians, scattered locally and globally, who are gravely concerned with the current state of affairs in Malaysia. However, due to occupational hazards and our job security, we have to remain anonymous to the public, but we will keep a small circle of selected bloggers informed of who we are, and what we do. This is our strategic option at the moment. Admittedly, we are gripped in a total state of fear, and no one can trust no one. You may not even want to trust us, which is perfectly sensible and understandable. But knowing this country, we simply can’t take chances.” from above Post as my Challenge! as we also follow Raja Petra Kamaruddin’s credo, “Writing without Fear or Favour”!
PPS added: 2.06pm Ferb3, 2007
___________Ends two expracts of my Comments at "WalkWithUs"_____________
Okay, back to Anwar. Before you read the item, let me decalre: I AM A SUPPORTER OF Parti Keadilan Malaysia. Nothing to be shy about. How about "ABOUT US" in WalkWithUs, coy and cowardly as handmaidens of some cloak-and-dagger operations? You advised me, and I reprise again: ""Admittedly, we are gripped in a total state of fear, and no one can trust no one. You may not even want to trust us, which is perfectly sensible and understandable. But knowing this country, we simply can’t take chances.”~~~~~~~ And I'm doing JUST that, not trusting you fellows unless, and until, you reveal your true identities! ~~ Desi @chongyl2000@yahoo.com ; HP? 012-0702285. ____________________________________________
07/02: Malaysia's Anwar rules out rejoining ruling party Category: General Posted by: Raja Petra
(Bloomberg) -- Anwar Ibrahim, a former Malaysian deputy premier planning a return to politics, ruled out rejoining the party he was once poised to lead, even as some analysts say that's his only viable route to power.
Anwar, the heir to former premier Mahathir Mohamad until the 1997 Asian financial crisis, said he plans to challenge the ruling United Malays National Organization rather than join the party from which he was ousted the following year.
"I am committed to a reform agenda, UMNO is not,'' he said in an interview from Bangkok today. "Why does one insist that I should rejoin UMNO purely for political expediency.''
Malaysia's Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who led a coalition of parties to victory in 2004, must call an election by early 2009. Anwar, who turns 60 this year, has insufficient public support to mount a challenge, according to political analyst Mohamed Mustafa Ishak.
"Deep down in his heart, he knows full well that given the situation of the opposition, they are not at all ready to give a formidable fight,'' said Ishak, a professor of politics at Universiti Utara Malaysia in the northern state of Kedah.
Anwar said he'll stand for a seat with his People's Justice Party, as part of what he called a "coalition of opposition.''
Anwar, who was finance minister between 1991 and 1998, is an adviser to the People's Justice Party. It is currently led by his wife and holds the seat of Permatang Pauh in Penang, western Malaysia. Alternative Leader
Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad recruited Anwar for UMNO in 1982 and groomed him to take over until the Asian financial crisis. Anwar, who called for reform then, was dismissed by his boss and imprisoned for almost six years on corruption and sodomy charges.
Malaysia's Federal Court, the highest court of appeal, quashed the sodomy conviction in 2004, although it upheld the corruption charge, which means Anwar cannot run for public office until 2008. Anwar has called the corruption and sodomy charges a conspiracy to destroy his political career.
Anwar, who described his relations with Abdullah as "cordial,'' declined to say whether his goal is to become Malaysia's prime minister.
"Whether we are going to make it, or win or not, whether we are going to contest, or anyone to be chosen as an alternative prime minister, that is not the issue at hand for the present,'' he said in the interview.
Some analysts aren't convinced. Anwar's return may yet see him stand for his wife's seat at the next election and switch to UMNO during the following five-year parliament, said Terence Chong, a fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore.
"He'll try and find his way back to UMNO,'' Chong said. "If you're an Anwar supporter within UMNO, you're going to hold your cards close to your chest.''
DESI: That "Chong" quoted in the Bloomberg story is NOT related to YLChong!
Start off with the most dear to you, can I presume, my deer? If wronly assumed, I pray for thy forgetfulness, and my own forgiftnurse, no fear. Amen. (PAUSE, thinking of awe the femail readers who follow my blockhead 'rites...) Ah-wo'men.
Tuesday's Child is full of grace But one-none-too-shy TwistedHeels says she's not fool Desi replies: 'tis Gracefool of thee telling in my face I like it, forthright and frank, just as ranking Amore than han Princess Grace, though God bless her soul She's looking down as us mortals from H'aven smiling Unlike my dies, nowadays Girls are so bold. Lol and B'hold!
~~ DEsion inspiration statistically impoosibly short time twist 11.38am-11.41am Feb 6, 2007
Local1:
Lies, damned lies, and statistics From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This well-known saying is part of a phrase attributed to Benjamin Disraeli and popularized in the U.S. by Mark Twain:
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies, and statistics." The semi-ironic statement refers to the persuasive power of numbers, and succinctly describes how even accurate statistics can be used to bolster inaccurate arguments.
Recent research indicates that neither Disraeli nor Twain actually coined the phrase. DEsi: Amore later, okay!***
From the New Straits Times, frontpage:
State of the economy: How healthy is it really?
THE STATISTICS SHOW IT'S STRONGER THAN EVER...
>> P4/5 Economy now and more resilient than ever By Adeline Paul Raj and Rupa Damodaran
Malaysian firms marching into foreign markets
Surprise, success stories of GLCs
EPF declares 5.15 per cent dividend
DESI: I won't reproduce the stories as I believe you should not scrimp (Is that the right word in your vocab, Mr Scrooge) on RM1.20. Forego one kopi or tehtarik -- like Teh=See! -- and you'd be healtheir for it! Your brain cells too. I speak from XXperience, as I'm no doc. Dog-gone year is almost gonna. Woof, woof. Reminds me of Secret Se&en, but why am I rambling. Digression is good for thy soul, Drs Desi says.
And what is "Drs" you may ask? OKay I tell you -- One famous Datuk Bandar had a Masters which entitles him a "Drs" but he conveniently droped the "ass", and hey, presto, he was quoted as a Dr for a decade or so. If ++Mark Twain was alive, he would have whispered. "What an "ass" the city major maketh of his major in masterly education." But that's atributed to YL Chong, for I am not the late Mark's tw'in... Oh, no, or he might sue me for raising his status to above six feet under-the-ground! "Suing, my dear American mGf, is now a favourite Malaysian passe time. No wonder the lawyers are all half-broke. Don't fix it yet!"
++By the way, Mark Twain also said this about AGE: "Age is a matter of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."
Okay, back to the NST frontpage, I reprise one statistic only and pose a question, can?
KLCI Index
9/1/98 262.7pts >>> YESTERDAY 1,225.73pts
QUESTION: Why pick 9/1/98 as base for comparison when the local bourse fell to its lowest level? Why not pick Nov 1, 2003 -- The day Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi took over from Dr Mahathir Mohamad as Prime Minister?
I now rest my case. Actually, mainly to rest my tired arms and fingers. I need to conserve the energy to count my Fingers for that number of fRiends, rising and falling likie ta stock market. But my range is small: 1 to 10 only. Maybe 11 to 20 when I graduate to counting the toes.
Oh, I forgot ~~ can I quote a second statistic?
EPF declares 5.15% dividend
QUESTION: In the good years, I rmember EPF was declaring 6.5% to 7.5%, Yes/No? I appeal to my older EsteemedReaders (Esteemed here doesn't refer to you being "more in age", I accord the same respect to Young and Old Articulates!) to tell me on this point, can?
If the memory recall is correct, then my sext Q: So what's the big deal of this latest dividend of 5.15%?? NOTE: (I normally advise my readers NOT to put two ? marks like this ??, but I make an exception because...) To be frank as TwistedHeels, my logic this mourn is also twisted, although my heels are healed. In fact, I just told a lie 'cos in the first place, my heels were not twisted. So how can a Drs become a Dr?
Local2:
I seldom blog on Business stories in my Comentaries, but this one is serious. Digressing alittle, the Government has begun shutting citizens and the Opposition leaders up by using the official Secrets Act. As a result, NegaruKu relies on news on the grapevine -- yes, RUMOURS. Rumour has it that Malaysia thrives, even prospers on rumour-mongering, so much so INNOCENT, and NO-SO-INOCENT, parties are caught in its WEB. www is what? Wild Wild West in Desi's cowboy days, and aweOfHelen was a Cowgal. Who played RedIndianaJones here? Housey, Anak Merdeka and Mave, I hear?
From NST again,
Kurnia victim of smear campaign, says MD
February 6 2007
KURNIA Asia Bhd, Malaysia largest general insurer, says it is the victim of an "organised" smear campaign that claims the firm is in trouble.
Its managing director and chief executive officer Datuk Loh Heong Chow has denied the allegations and it has filed reports with the authorities, including the police.
In recent weeks, certain parties had been distributing flyers and sending anonymous short text messages (SMS), telling Kurnia's agents, customers and the public to cancel their existing policies with the insurer.
"We have lodged police reports regarding this matter and we have also reported the matter to the relevant authorities such as Bank Negara Malaysia which is the regulator of the industry and the General Insurance Association of Malaysia (PIAM)," Loh said.
The company came to know of the campaign about two or three weeks ago when its agents received the SMS and flyers.
The contents in the flyer and the SMS claimed that Kurnia was facing "problems" and warned that failure to terminate would lead to unsuccessful insurance claims.
Kurnia has lodged four separate police reports in Ipoh, Kuantan, Kota Baru and Kuala Terengganu.
Loh said he had been told the police are currently investigating the matter.
However, he added that the smear campaign had no direct impact on Kurnia's business. "Its business as usual," said Loh.
Kurnia is Malaysia's and South-East Asia's largest general insurer with premiums exceeding RM1 billion.
Loh said Kurnia is in a strong financial position with an asset base of RM2 billion.
He urged the public to ignore such messages and flyers and said Kurnia's policyholders should call its 24-hour Kurnia Auto Assist hotline should they encounter any problems.
Kurnia will start a series of advertisements soon to provide the public with better information on the company as well as to reassure its 3.5 million policyholders.
DESIDERATA: I won't comment anything but advise my ER: Please refrain from spreading rumours. If you are bold, do a Raja Petra Kamaruddin, post them up in a Blog, and be answerable and accountable. OtherVice, Cease and Desist. I'm beginning to sound like a Lawyer, but that's Maverick's terrotry. My forte is in writHing, just as one Freeluncher, who adred to cover "Crimilising WAr" while I advocated "Crimilising Sex" and Mave took Desi seriously.
Hey, what's this life IF, full of care, We have not time to stand and stare. TO watch preety lasses go by, And say: HI! and with a sigh Come into my chamber, if you dare!
NB: Lest someone wanna take Desi to court fro Plagiarism Which is becoming a pasttime in Malaysian folklorism That four lines above are influenced by WH DAVIES who was authoring too much Leisure under the swaying coconut tree And Rumour has it he was thinking about Gravity how come poets say: Til rivers flow upstream and lovers can cease to dream? (Challenging Einstein's, NO, it's Newton's, yeled THeels, laws of Gravity, so gravely, gravelly. Bravely.
Foreign1:
On his first job as a newspaper reporter, Mark Twain was told by his editor never to state anything as fact thathe couldn't verify by per- sonal knowledge. Twain hen went out to cover a small-town social event and tunred in the following story: "A woman giving the name of Mrs. James Jones, who is reported to be one of the society leaders of the city, is said to have given what purported to be a party yesterday to a number of alleged ladies. The hostess claims to be the wife of a reputed at- torney."
PS:Don't take me to court for 2Plagiarism, I need the measly reporter's pay to get my daily hi and low. But if you ask Desi what source to quote the above Twainism, I must submit it's from author unkwoen, perhaps a Desi-Puaper?
It's from Page 19, THE LITTLE BOOK OF FAMOUS INSULTS, TOPPAN/PETER PAUPER TIE 1084
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan looking at the weapons and jewellery seized yesterday from the suspects of Saturday's goldsmith shop heist at Subang Parade which resulted in the death of two guards and one of the robbers. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi commended the police on their quick action in nabbing the gang, suspected of being responsible for several robberies and murders in the Klang Valley. ***Full Story (DESI: Go pay ***RM1.20 for a copy, sacrifice the Kopi or tehtarik for some education. I know some of you preach a boycott, or girlcott, but it's FREE CHOICE that Desi believes in and promotes. Don't embrace me if you disagree. Or miss-agree. Hey, Malaysia is steal a Free World. BLOGGERS MAY UNITE, BUT NOT AT THE ALTAR OF ANARCHY.
If you don't understand what Desi's talking, go read my Poem on "The Face of a Tiger". Lost in the forest of words at Desi's Place; maybe at Blake's?
PUTRAJAYA: The government has put in place mechanisms to avoid delays in project completion and ensure cost effectiveness. Referring to the New Sunday Times report yesterday on cost overruns in projects due to the incompetence of contractors and consultants, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohd Effendi Norwawi said the mechanisms would ensure only competent contractors were given government jobs.
DESI: This Minister should listen to the next guy, whom I had covered as MSM journalist a decade (?) ago when he was head of a Malay Chamber or branch of a Malay Chamber of Trade and Industry.
SALUTE2:
Yes, NST Page 6, last call:
Consultants ‘the cause of project delays’05 Feb 2007 KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Malay Businessmen and Industrialists’ Association today blamed consultants for delays and cost overruns in government projects.
Its president, Datuk Moehamad Izat Emir, claimed these consultants applied "suspicious standards" and favoured suppliers with whom they "are in cahoots with".
"These people are not incompetent. They are just plain corrupt," he said.
However, he did admit that there were cases of new contractors with no experience or funds being awarded contracts.
Referring to a New Sunday Times report on errant contractors and cost overruns yesterday, Moehamad Izat said: "I applaud the government for highlighting this. I hope that the errant ones take this as a warning by the government."
Meanwhile, the Master Builders Association of Malaysia said unqualified contractors sometimes won contracts.
"These people are giving the entire profession a bad name," its president Patrick Wong said.
Malay Contractors’ Association president Senator Datuk Roslan Awang Chik said out of the 38,000 Class F contractors, 18,000 were genuine.
He said there were already mechanisms implemented to detect the non-performing contractors who still accepted tenders.
"There has been a study conducted and, hopefully, we will try to reduce the number to less than 25,000 contractors by 2009."
DESIDERATA:
Giving credit where credit is due, the FIRST SALUTE is accorded to the IGP Tan Sri Musa Hassan, and his crimebusters, especially Federal CID Chief.
A Downer is given -- how I wsih I did not have to! -- the Minister for sounding like old old record, Same old sad refrain heard from decades ago from ex-PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad's regime.
SECOND SALUTE, given to someone who had also operated as a businessman plus corporate leader of his Association of brothers and sisters in trade and industry, harking back to again Dr Mahathir's regime, sharing a HOME TRUTH. Syabas to Datuk Moehamad Izat Emir for speaking out. Thinking Allowed. Speaking Aloud.
While recent generations have grown up with the version which in which "Wednesday's child is full of woe" an early incarnation of this rhyme appeared in a multi-part fictional story in a chapter appearing in Harper's Weekly on September 17th, 1887. In that version "Friday's child is full of woe." In addition to Wednesday's and Friday's children's +++role reversal, the fates of Thursday's and Saturday's children was also exchanged and Sunday's child is "happy and wise" instead of "blithe and good":
Monday's child is fair of face.
Tuesday's child is full of grace.
Wednesday's child is loving and giving.
Thursday's child works hard for a living,
Friday's child is full of woe.
Saturday's child has far to go.
But the child that is born on Sabbath-day
Is bonny and happy and wise and gay.
Trivia
This poem was recited on Snow White, starring Kristin Kreuk, to describe the new names of the dwarves.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia.
DESI: You ask: How many? My fave number, of course, SE7EN.
You then ask: Have you patented this SE7EN as my trademark? My staed to disappoint you: Someone else arrived at the starting lne before You and Desi!
You further have the cheek to ask: WHO? I further have the gall to answer: No, that's NOT the singer or band, that's western. Another one, Asian.
Next don't aRseK anymore, just NOTE that I also play +++role reversal with several of my Y&A here. I'm mentee to them being Mentor!
DESI in serious mode from now onwards, which is a very, verily, short time:
I woke up this morning wondering: What child am I? Do we really suffer the fate befitting the day on which we were fortunately/unluckily born/e?
My feeling generally I'm a Wednesday's Child. My hope for Salvation is that Wikipedia tells me today (YES, i only found out topday!) that sometimes, Wednesday's Child trades places with FRiday's child. Did Matt Monro influence such feelings?He who delivered the theme song in Quiller's Memorandum. Who can name me the star or starlet opposite Michael Caine? Or is Desi so faulty in memory recall it was not Mike?
Dear ER: You tell me two things today, as we are all fine of face today, for 24~~~~~~~
(1) What day's Child are you?
(2) From your life's experience to date, without influence from Desi's writes, do you feel generally the day you were born on matches the specific characteristic spelt out to you in the Nursery Rhyme?
(3) If you don't want to confess in public, being so shy like "PrimeDae's Childe", then Email chongyl2000@yahoo.com.I'll tell you your real fortune, provided you append that cheque!
My purpose for today's Post is to state, with no hesitation, that my late Mum (May Her Soul Rest In Peace) is a combination of a Monday's Child and Friday's Child. While "late" literally means she has moved on from this GoodEarth, I have used "is" because I know for sure she's Somewhere, out there, with a perennial half-smile, on a face full of brightness and cheer, with heart of gold shining through the clouds of grey and shades of darkness, on me and all my loved ones and friends, wherever we are.
When I receive my showers of blessing and safety every day, I know I'll be fine. I pray, you too
JUST IN PASSING:
Two similar faces who come close to fulfill similar desiderata of fineness of face cometh to my mind:
(1) The Prime Minister's late wife, Datin Seri Endon Mahmood, May her Soul Rest In Peace.
(2) Sdri Wan Azizah, PKR President, wife of Sdr Anwar Ibrahim, the Prime Miister-to-be-or-not-to-be.
"I pray: MAY GOD GIFT NEGARAKU WITH MORE and MORE SUCH EXQUISITE PERSONALITIES.~~ Amen."
By now, my dear EsteemedReaders roaming like deer on Blogosphere which is presently in a state of fever and fight and flight -- NOT fear! mGf for Truth shall prevail! -- for more than just a month would have sometimes been caught in bewilderment by some of my writes.
Puns and fun-Ds
I enjoy puan and pun, BUT NOT TUAN dan TUN. I enjoy humour, yes, also rumour, especially about someone's affairs, not my brother's infernal ramblings It's nt that I don't enjoy johnleemk's rites, I'm not one indulging in spikes and spites, It's that rumour about him caught wityh a blonde in the library He says there is no basis to the rumour, ah, the humour, he enjoys to the contrary.
THrogh writHings I'm tryoiing to reach that spiritedestination I need 20million but I don't see the funD* coming this generation So I cutltivate some Y&A Mentees They become slaves to mentor at Desi's.
_________________________________________________
Dear ER, If you don't understand half of what is writ precedent to this line It's okay, it's fien by Desi, as I often re-assure, the fault is entirely mine. I have to live up to my nama sometimes, erring-man ways, also Desiderata, So I make a slip hear and dare, yes, ma'am your slip is showing, An my fly is Ooops, frying and we have to Mind Our Manners, no erotica!
Having pout you in the mood for a Sundae distraction, Sunday Inter:Lude today -- not to die for -- is doing some Standbby Comedy with mGf Rajan, who by the way is my 4A* mAn PR mAnAgAr, the otrher three I've publicised, are all femail, yes, the 3A*. No need to mention, otherVice, the Inland Revenue may chase after them for wearing damn'd short miniskirts, also not declaring their incomes from PR outcomes. Sext, the Religious Department may kum-A-calling, so they wrote the IR a blank cheque which I just handed them each. Like the fly, it hops, skips and jumps! Usebale in Down Under, where the dears and antelope and kangaroos pray.
As I was saying, at CON BF this happy morn' when life was on top os bot us, Rajan says:
Rajan: Chong, we should have escaped during our younger daes to UK or US or even Timbuktu, just the two of us. We could have been millionaires by now instaed of jest having RM5 continental clone BF!
(CYL: that's short for shortie Chong Yen Long, or YL Chong, which I have been using my 'hole rofessional life, lest someone accuse me of not Blogging with a real name. Sext, which is a Compoung-word from next and sex, WHY do I sued it? Frankly, I dunno! Ask Rajan, onow shorted to R, to save energies.)
CYL: In Malaysia, when I write using DDC and crack some jokes, by the time the audience catches the first one, I would be into the third wan o'lady!
R: Yes, I dunno, I was telling my opub kaksi the same thing about that Harold Wilson's Irish one, although we wer in Seremban's The Goal pub, where a famous (or notorious) killing took place, and I was telling one hella of joke, but it's like the Bee Gees' number~~
THe Reporter was interviewing outgoing PM Wilson: "What was your greatest acheuvement for the past deacde off helming the Labour government, Sir?"
Wilson, full of wile and guile, answered wryly with a dry gin&tonic whisping his tongue: "England won the World Cup in 1966!"
I was watching TV live then in a Britsih pub (I was an illegal there then): The pub roarred with laughter even before the Cup was pronounced and everyone had already ordered a second, or third, or fourth, beer!
But here, at the Goal, I repeated the Joke, and all the funnies around me looked at me: Hey, what's the punchline? I was close to committing another murder with a right punch, followed by a mortal blow from the left. I suddenly I am a leftist, and I left the blardy pub for this AP with you, Chong.
(NOTE: R calls me Chong, not Desi because he does NOT blog because most times he thinks too vividly for his own good, and all his CONfessions would be writ down and held against him in court. He once used to call me "Mr Chong" until I lambasted him I'm basically 6/7 a Socialist, for on the Se7enth Day (my fave number, remember?), I am Capitalistic and enjoy R&R&R. Why three Rs and not the usual two, you aks? I asred R and he said: The third one stands for Rise (after all is done at the end of the day, we must look forward to that optimistic RIP, Rise If possible.)
CYL: Yes, Rajan, we would die as paupers if we do standUP comedy in Malaysia. Had we both stolen on mv ASsLI and sallied across the SE7EN seas (fave number, remember!), today I could have been up in the Hollywood billboards smiling down: US10,000 per person Final Act by Desiderata with his Final Erring APpearance. And YOU, Rajan, on billboards in LOndonderry smirking from ballboards: PoundSterling10,000 per person Semi-Final Act by DesperateDan Raja from Malaysia, FareTheeWellConsort.
R: What semi-fina;-lah?
CYL: If the collection is not good, at least you have fallout position! Me, I'm dead cetrtain, it's a fool-house. Knowing Yankees, their IQs are always rightUP dare. They know a Gem when they see one. With these stiff-UPper-lips, I don't know, they don't take kindly to some Easteren King though you adopted that DesperateDan preix as safetry net. Raja reminds them of Idi Amin, you know, who had a train of Whites holding him carriage-like in revenge for the Apartheid indulgences in the Dark CONtinent?
R: Yes, when I reire back to Malaysia with my millions, I must drop DesperateDan but retain Raja. There will be minions at mmy back and collar with my sackfools of British pounders.
CYL: Yeah, friend, Sidar has brough us the CON BF, you have a tennner, ah?
R: I forgot to bring my purse todie-lah!
CYL: I only have RM1,000 notes ~~plus US1,000 dollars which some kind Nigers gave me in KL in exchange for my RM1,000 lust month~~which I haven't surrendered to Bank Negara. Can we ask Sidar to record on Buku555, ah?
Sisdar, with broad s-mile-s, one to the left, one to the right: It's okay-lah, you guys come every Sunday, I'll record for next weakend when you're strogner," she's a darling who could read both our minds, Rajan's and mine.
So before I say farewell from a Comedic reharsal w'le sitting down at Furong MengKee hawker centre, let's depart with our last shot!
R: Hey, I enjoy tokking cock with you-lah, *YB!
*YB can stand for YangBerhormat, OR YangBerbodek, OR YangBertokkok)
CYL: AS LONG as we don't tokhen, kay! Cock and Hen Making the Eggs, and we can't count thsoe egss before we ourselces are hatched. See you, **Chow!
**means Eat Up what's left on the plate. OR See you again, not too soon. "Too soon" means you are in a state of Idleness, or IdolNurse, which are both bad. An idle mind is a Devil's workshp, and Idol worshipping nurses is Rajan's and Des's forts, not YOURS.
I know, YOU have been voted by Time as PERSON OF THE YEAR, but the sefl life is past by one month and 4 days. And 4 in Kantonis is pronouced Sei, whoich means ... FADE-OFF with Belles chiming and Plus-Litrak tolling.
PS: I cheeredUP one fellow Blogger who says every time CNY draws nigh, she gets the flu/ I tried to get that bug Flewing off out of the window by singing her a Julie Andrews' unforgetable number: which contains a LONG word, vis:
from mGf: Wikipedia running nose~~~~~~~
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (IPA pronunciation: [ˌsu.pəˌkæ.lɪˌfɹæ.dʒəl.ɪs.tɪkˌɛk.spi.æ.lɪˈdəʊ.ʃəs]) is a song and a long word from the movie and musical Mary Poppins.
The song describes using the word as a miraculous way to talk oneself out of difficult situations, and even as a way to change one's mood. The song appears in the film's animated sequence where Mary Poppins is harangued by reporters after winning a horse race and responds to one claiming there are not words to describe her feelings of the moment. Mary disagrees with that and begins the song about one word she can use. Ever since, the word is used as an adjective referring to "absolutely stunningly fantastic".
In the West End and Broadway versions, every one runs out of conversations and Mary and the kids head to Mrs. Corry's shop, where you can buy them. Jane and Michael pick out some letters and spell a few words. Bert and Mrs. Corry use the letters to make up some words (which Jane doubts the existence of). Mary says you could use some letters more than one time and makes the longest word of all.
The word itself has obscure origins, pertaining as to when it was first used. According to Robert B. Sherman, co-writer of the song, the word was mostly created out of double-talk. The roots of the word are fairly clear, as Richard Lederer wrote in his book Crazy English: super- "above," cali- "beauty," fragilistic- "delicate," expiali- "to atone," and docious- "educable," the sum meaning roughly "Atoning for extreme and delicate beauty while still being highly educable." This is the perfect word for Mary Poppins to use, being that she thinks of herself as incredibly beautiful but also extremely intelligent.
According to the song, "you can say it backwards, which is dociousaliexpilisticfragicalirupus". In a good way Mary Poppins star Julie Andrews says it was her husband at the time, Tony Walton, who devised the backwards version of the word that is heard near the end of the song, Dociousaliexpilisticfragicalirupus (although, strictly speaking, only each individual root is reversed, rather than the order of each letter, with the exception of "rupus" which is somewhat reversed, misspelled, and mispronounced). The musical version says it with all the letters reversed instead.
Contents [hide] 1 Unsuccessful legal action 2 In popular culture
[edit] Unsuccessful legal action In 1965 the song was the subject of an unsuccessful lawsuit by two song writers against the makers of the Disney film. They alleged that it was a copyright infringement of a 1951 song of theirs - Supercalafajalistickespeealadojus. The suit failed because affidavits were produced to the effect that "variants of the word were known to and used by them many years prior to 1949." and because no copyright was registered with the Registrar of Copyrights in Washington D.C.
[edit] In popular culture It was ranked #36 in the American Film Institute's list of the 100 Greatest Songs in Movie History in 2004.
The Sun headline.The headline "Super Caley go Ballistic, Celtic are Atrocious" was used by The Sun newspaper in 2000 following a famous upset in the Scottish Cup and was votedpun of the year for the year 2000 on The Big Breakfast. [1]
Wising All mGf a "dociousaliexpilisticfragicalirupus" . wickedend remaining...
Can we awe sing with one voice: Daisy, Dasy, give me your answer do I'm half-crzay, all for the love of YOU!
Dear EsteemedReaders, for contextual understanding of this Post, please re-read Feb 1's "Threading a Few Bloggers' Homes" at Desi's homey place, can?
It all started at www.bakrimusa.com with some hard-hitting comments from "malaysia is no future" and "Anon",the latter throwing a challenge to Dr Bakri Musa and his regular Fellow Writer DIN MERICAN to answer his charge that they were sycophantic supporters of Dr Mahathir Mohamad and had a "blind spot" when it came to seeing the former prime minister's faults and failings. I admit guilt in adding some cili padi to the findings, and had echo-ed Anon's challenge.
I thank Sdr Bakri and Din in advance for enabling a heart-to-heart discussion into which this kaypohchic Scribe here had lent his 3sen's worth. But we all ended up downing endless goblets of tehtarik, laced with Miss Sunthi.I don't know about Miss ..SENic..
Next change: we await Bakri's response.
Din Merican Says:
January 30th, 2007 at 1:38 am
"Anon, ylchong and others,
I refer to Anon’s hard hitting comments on Tun Dr. Mahathir, who is a mentor and a role model to men and women of my generation.
I do not deny that I have a lot of admiration for his intellect, guts, vision and political skills. At the same time, I am not blind to his policy failures. Like the rest of us, he is not perfect.
In my opinion, however, Tun Dr. Mahathir did things that he thought was good for our country. He was a very active Prime Minister who set very high standards for himself. He was also an excellent crisis and time manager with great work ethics. In my eyes, he is a Malay sifu.
On the domestic front, Tun Dr. Mahathir successfully turned around the economy after the 1997-1998 East Asia by introducing selective capitals. His actions checked the slide of the Malaysian ringgit and stabilised the macroeconomy.
His decision to impose capital controls in September 1998 was controversial, but over time, he won praise from the IMF and the World Bank,monetary experts and academics for doing so. He got the economy going again and restored investor and public confidence so that by 1999/2000, the Malaysian economy rebounded strongly.
Malaysia would not be what it is today in terms of development, especially modern infrastructure, if he did not make bold decisions. He never wavered. Over 22 years, he transformed the Malaysian economy from a colonial agricultural backwater into a modern export driven one.
*Tun Dr. Mahathir brought the internet and inter-connectivity into our homes, offices and cafes so that today we can do business efficiently and exchange views and ideas in real time. **His achievements in the area of foreign policy and international relations, especially in promoting South-South cooperation and ASEAN, and projecting our image abroad would be difficult to emulate. On the world stage, he stood firmly in support of our national interest and those of the Third World countries. He was particularly critical of the unilateralist policies of the Neo-Con led Bush Administration. In evaluating him, it is easy for us to overlook the role he played on the international stage.
+++Tun Dr. Mahathir set a clear agenda (Vision 2020) for a united and caring Malaysia, but he failed miserably to change the mindset of the Malays to embrace Islamic modernity. Regretably, he allowed his Deputy Anwar Ibrahim a free hand to outwit PAS in the Islamisation game.
Anwar was at that time an admirer of Ayatollah Khomeini’s 1979 Iran Revolution and had dreams of making Malaysia the new “Andalusia” of the Islamic World (See Ziauddin Sardar’s “In Search of Paradise”). This turned out to be a serious error of judgement, which he was to repeat with his choice of Badawi to succeed him in 2003. But no one dared to challenge him on both occasions. A few might have done so, but they might have been ridiculed or marginalized.
He was tough on his detractors and those who sought to disrupt public order. His human rights record was not good and that led him to be labeled an authoritarian leader or “dictator” by some. Did he grow arrogant? Yes, in some ways since he must have succumbed to persistent bodekism of his people.
++++Why should we impeach Tun Dr. Mahathir? On what grounds? He always sought parliamentary approval and those of his Cabinet colleagues for his proposals. We, as citizens and voters, too went along with him and kept him in office for 22 years. Most sought to curry his favour while others were indifferent, or did not dare to challenge his ideas. The minority who disagreed with him felt the heat of his high office. That is politics.
Those who wish to understand his politics and socio-economic programmes should read Khoo Boo Teik’s ” The Paradoxes of Mahathirism” (Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press, 1995). Dr. Khoo made a fairly balanced assessment of the Tun.
As for Tun Dr. Mahathir and upon looking back, this much I can say: “He did what he had to do, he saw them through without exception and he did them his way”. For that, I thank him for his hard work, dedication and for his convictions.
Let us not be diverted from the present. Prime Minister Badawi is in the 4th year of his administration. So far we have nothing but talk only. He has yet to show me at least what he can do. I am waiting for the day when I can say “Thank You” to Prime Minister Badawi for doing what he had to do.
For the time being, I have yet to be convinced if he is up to the job. I will rejoice if he proves that I am wrong for taking very skeptical view of his administration.
DESIDERATA: The highlights (THUS BOLDED) are Desi's. Mainly to also say that Desiderata endorses these two points marked * and ** highlighted i.e. I share similar opinions as expressed by mGf Sdr Din Merican.
However, indulge me in rebutting two of Sdr Din's points, marked +++ and ++++.
(1) +++Tun Dr. Mahathir set a clear agenda (Vision 2020) for a united and caring Malaysia, but he failed miserably to change the mindset of the Malays to embrace Islamic modernity. Regretably, he allowed his Deputy Anwar Ibrahim a free hand to outwit PAS in the Islamisation game.
Desi believes that Dr Mahathir's Vision 2020 mainly incorporated the key features or beliefs he expounded in his book "The Malay Dilemma" which was banned by then Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman. And I contest many of the presumptions the former MP for Kubang Pasu (Aside: Dr Mahathir LOST in this seat in the 1969 General Elections) made in drawing up the socaled "clear agenda" of Vision 2020. But this forum is not for discoursing this topic in deail; suffice to add that the greatest drawback was the New Economic Policy, later extended after 20 yaers of its initial shelf-life for fixed periods under "guises" that the main target of attaining 30% of Bumiputra equity stakes in national wealth had not been achieved. It is now a fatally flawed "never-ending NEP" for which Dr Mahathir has the major part to answer. I believe the answer is found partially in the phrase I extract from Din's statement that "...but he failed miserably to change the mindset of the Malays to embrace Islamic modernity."
On the assertion "Regretably, he allowed his Deputy Anwar Ibrahim a free hand to outwit PAS in the Islamisation game." I would then ask of Din: A Prime Minister must hold overall responsibility for all his subordinates' actions, including his Deputy (Anwar Ibrahim), Yes?
Scape-goating one's deputy once too often reflects an "irresponsible" person, what more a national leader! -- is this also among the failings that many of Dr Mahathir's mentees inherited?
(2) ++++Why should we impeach Tun Dr. Mahathir? On what grounds? He always sought parliamentary approval and those of his Cabinet colleagues for his proposals. We, as citizens and voters, too went along with him and kept him in office for 22 years. Most sought to curry his favour while others were indifferent, or did not dare to challenge his ideas. The minority who disagreed with him felt the heat of his high office. That is politics.
Desi thinks there is ONE case which warrants Dr Mahathir's "impeachment" -- that of the Sacking of Lord President Salleh Abas and several fellow senior judges in 1988. Recently, there has been calls, especially by the Bar Council, to "review" the Case, perhaps with the establishment of a Royal Commission to thoroughly examine the Case. I reiterate here the same call for the formation of such a Royal Commission. The panel which reviewed the Bank Bumiputra Finance debacle is a good example to emulate.
PS: I remember a three-man panel was set up to report of the BMF incident in which one Malaysian paid with his life, and most Malaysians saluted the fantastic work done by the three EMINENT MALAYSIANS, I believe we still have many such Good Men in NegaraKu. Otherwise, why should Desi, maybe I guess fellow Malaysians -- Bakri and Din -- want to continue writing?
A friend based overseas alerted me to a recent BBC news report (Jan 24, 2007) to share with Malaysians. It's pertinent to those who keep on harping on the National Economic Policy as never-ending to ponder over this: THE COMPETITION DOES NOT COME FROM WITHIN ONE'S COUNTRY, IT IS FROM NEIGHBOURS LIKE CHINA AND CHINAand other prowling tigers.Or dragons -- and they don't come in the still of the night. They come marching in in broad daylight, but our people just choose to close both eyes -- Okay, close one eye!
IT's not only China, which has been featured in a few economic updates here (written by PY CHIN) that has awakened from a long slumber, and since last October, has boasted the highest foreign reserrves in its national coffers -- more than USD1TRILLION!
Now you see another Asian tiger roaring loudly in Information Techonoloy -- India. It has got its right manpower and resources to attract US biggies in IT to locate their operations there, or outsourcing its operations and services there.
Is Malaysia prepared for such competition? With an Abundance of Rip van Winkles around, I am in doubt. Wake me from my deep freeze of doubting Thomasy, and I'll give thee Teh-See!
Multinationals lead India's IT revolution By Steve Schifferes Economics reporter, BBC News, Bangalore
India's software and outsourcing industries are growing fast
When 13-year old Taylor, who lives in Modesto, California, wants help with her homework, she no longer goes and asks her mother for help.
Instead she goes to her computer and gets on the internet, where she dials up an e-tutoring service, TutorVista, based in Bangalore, India, for help with her maths and English.
"My daughter is literally at the top of every single one of her classes and she has never done that before," says her single-parent mother, Denise Robison.
Denise pays $2.50(£1.26) per hour for the service, a fraction of the $40 per hour charged by US online tutoring services or the $100 an hour charged for face-to-face tutoring.
The Internet IT services revolution
Denise's experience is just one small example of the IT services revolution that is sweeping the world of business, and is changing the face of India.
In the past, economists thought that only goods could be traded across borders, while most services could not be imported and therefore were not subject to the same pressures from international competition.
The IT sector has a definite potential for contributing to broad-based growth and broader economic objectives
Professor Nirvikar Singh, University of California, Santa Cruz
But the internet has changed all that, and now the fastest-growing portion of international trade is trade in services.
And it is big companies, not private individuals, who are making the most of the lower cost of many internationally traded services.
They have found that it is cheaper to outsource many white collar tasks - such as accounting, IT support, and payrolls - to locations overseas.
See who is moving to India
The global leader in the provision of these services, known as business process outsourcing (BPO), is India, which exports $25bn per year worth of these services, a figure that is expected to rise to $60bn by 2010. Advantage India
There are many reasons why India has become the centre of the global IT services industry.
We believe that India is the hub for the world where the ICT sector is concerned
Wim Elfrink, Chief Globalisation Officer, Cisco Systems
It has a highly educated workforce, with two million college graduates a year, all of whom speak English.
It has excellent international data communications links, and good internet access in the major cities.
And the wages of its professional IT workers average one-quarter to one-tenth of the wages of equivalent posts in Europe or US.
Infosys' IT campus in Mysore can train 10,000 workers
But the Indian IT services industry only began to develop when the government opened the country to the forces of globalisation, ending regulation at home and lowering barriers to foreign investment, in the early 1990s.
The government deliberately targeted the export-oriented IT services sector for growth, giving it special subsidies. Multinationals rush in
Foreign multinationals flooded into India, eager to take advantage of the cheap professional labour and the opening up of one of the world's biggest markets.
Shopping mallls have proliferated in Bangalore, India's IT capital
The first US multinational company to enter India was Texas Instruments, back in 1988.
At first they faced considerable obstacles in getting data sent back to their head office in the US.
The Indian Ministry of Communications refused to allow them to set up their own private satellite dish unless a government official was present in the control room of the company's satellite data transmission centre at all times, according to the company's first Indian managing director, Srini Rajam.
But within a decade all such barriers were swept aside, as the cost of data transmission plunged due to the creation of trans-oceanic fibre optical cable networks.
Now more than 500 major international companies have IT operations in Bangalore alone.
Among the household names are Hewlett-Packard, Dell, IBM, and Accenture.
A faster chip
For Intel's John McClure, the company has no choice but to be India.
Office space in central Bangalore is dominated by foreign multinationals
Intel's Indian development centre played a key role in the company's strategy to develop new chips for computers which will be compatible with Microsoft's new Vista operating system, which will begin rolling out in January.
Mr McClure told the BBC that Intel's new R&D centre ramped up quickly in order to lead in designing Intel's new dual core Centrino chip for laptops.
Microsoft itself has established one of its three global fundamental research centres in Bangalore - the other two are in China and at Microsoft's HQ in the US.
The fact that so many hi-tech companies have located in India can bring broader advantages.
"The IT sector has a definite potential for contributing to broad-based growth and broader economic objectives," says Professor Nirvikar Singh, University of California, Santa Cruz.
World hub
It is clear that it is no longer cheap labour that is attracting these companies.
In December, Cisco Systems, announced a $1.1bn investment in Bangalore, creating 6,000 jobs.
It will be run by its new chief globalisation officer, Wim Elfrink.
Companies like Cisco see being in India as vital to spotting the next generation of products and services that the company should be making.
"We believe that India is the hub for the world where the ICT sector is concerned," said Mr Elfrink.
Since Desi endorsed Optimism as a Desideratum (Desired feaure) for success as a Writer or/and Leader, he as incoming GEIC of the Nude Crooked Times will practise the virtue. Yes, cliche it may be, there is nothing like Leadership by Example. The Young&Articluates today are no more like in our parents' times (Though we are presumptious speaking on their behalf, but that's just this scribe's premise, not YOURS, so you won't be flamed.) -- "Just follow my instructions, don't question. You may speak, but it won't be heard,": something along such diplomatic lines.
Now, what the hell is this Desi talking about? Mr and Miss Patience is also Virtuous, okay! My style of writing includes the perennial rhetorical questiion, but some NaSTy readers still would respond to Desi although minus the tehtarik offer. To wits1, first I recall from:
Tuesday, January 30, 2007 The NUDE CROOKED TIMES Returns
"The Frontpage reads: Gov't sacks education minister S-G & D-G, promises reform to correct depressing state of affairs
Seremban, Tuesday: Just a month into taking over the reins of government, the Cabinet at its fourth meeting yesterday sacked the Secretary-General and Director-General of the Education Ministry for the many failures to check the decline in eduacation standards, especially that of the English standard.
The newly-appointed Education Minister of the Alternative Aces Action FRont noted the dismal failure of the many adhoc measures to overhaul the school system as well as the consistently falling standards of the local universities, chiefly in producing the bulk of graduates who could not write a 100-word letter in simple English.
The Education Minister pulled out an old copy of a Malaysain daily dated 30 January 2007 to cite two examples of(1) the ad hoc measures taken by the former Government contributing to the present state of affairs;(2) Malaysian students today replacing Korean and Thai students having chalked up the honours of graduates with poor English language skills at Australian universities.
The Nude Crooked Times would refrain from paraphrasing the reports referred to by the Honourable Education Minsiter, just reproducing the gist of the issue in question:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Year One pupils to get 18 English lessons a week, instead of the present eight, under a pilot project with emphasis on getting pupils to understandand be more comfortable with the English language Mathematics and Scienceclasses will be effectively turned into English lessons. __________________________________________________________
To wits2, now happily read from one of your fave dailies, The Star, page N25 (that's alos another presumed thought of Desi, so don't prostest!):
PETALING JAYA: The National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) disagrees with the Education Ministry’s intention to increase the number of English sessions for Year One pupils.
Its secretary-general Lok Yim Pheng said the union was not consulted on the matter at all. “We do not agree with this at all. How will our pupils learn Science or Mathematics if their lessons are turned into English classes?” she said.
Lok said the children should not be turned into guinea pigs under the pilot project. It was reported on Tuesday that Year One pupils would get 18 lessons on English a week, instead of the present eight.
Education Ministry director-general Datuk Dr Ahamad Sipon had said a pilot project would be carried out in 50 schools.
He said the one-year project to be called Early Literacy Through English programme or ELiTE, would see the Mathematics and Science lessons, of which there are seven and three periods a week respectively, effectively turned into English lessons.
Dr Ahamad said the ministry had selected schools in rural areas, particularly those with poor results in the English language, as it wanted to give pupils a stronger grasp of the language.
DESIDERATA: Through the decades, every and each new DG at the Ministry would introduce some adhoc initiatives -- Communicative English, Nuffield Science,Bahasa Baku,et cetera, ad nauseum...(PLease note that the last two are NOT among the initiatives!) but years later, anything that had been working ship shape was mostly turned upside down. Year 6 pupils could NOT master the three Rs of Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic. Form 5 or 6th Form students cannot write a decent 150-word or 300-word Essay in English. University graduates have to be re-trained -- too many square pegs to fit the round holes.
You know Who or What is the CHIEF CULPRIT? (Who, What are two of the five Ws and one H in basic Reporting skills to follow. If you're planning a career in Journalism, contact Desi and I'll give you aMore tutorials. No, freelunch is NOT included!:)
The Education leaders with their EXPERIMENTS using the ppupils and students as GUINEA PIGS. NOT my word -- it's from the horse's mouth of NUTP Secretary-General. BRAVO, Miss Lok Yim Pheng!
"I hope Malaysia springs forth more thinking citizens like thee It replenishes the spring of Optimism and Hope in Desi And many of my EsteemedReaders too That they don't drown in a cesspool of woe."
Yes, this morning I'm OPTIMISTIC there is some hope for NegaraKu yet.
Now just THINKING ALLOWED, THINKING ALOUD before I depart:
Okay, add another W: the Why? Implementing these adhoc projects. PILOT project -- How much does it cost? That's the answer about the Motivation. And of course, maybe an omission in my Optimism today, did the money mainly flow into implementing the Pilot project? After millions have been thrown down the drain -- I Think Yes, 90% went into the implementation of the projects. We must have faith in our politicians who set good examples in leadership to the civil service, Yes!
OR could it be syphoned off into certain mighty deep pockets? One bold ER from Ipoh whispered into Desi's ears: Remember that 90% of the Computer laboratories could not be used after the contract monies had been speedily paid?
"DEsi, you've got such short memory!" said Whispering Hope full of awe, Raising Helen.
Oh, I forgopt to reproduce a piece of good advice, another Desideratum for Good Leadership under new regime in 2017, the cover-date for the reprised NCT which announced those two news-making sackings:
*The old culture of "fostering sycophancy" shall be replaced by one of "in pursuit of excellence" in all fields of Malaysian endeavour, the Minister stressed.
I'm glad "American Idol" aired Sherman Pore's audition. Just when I was starting to think the show's execs have no heart, they showed that even they can be touched by love.
Sherman Pore, the 64-year-old man who helped his "lady," as he called her, keep her spirits up through a battle with cancer by petitioning to get on the show, sang "You Belong To Me" and it brought Paula to tears. And for the first time, I didn't even feel the need to mock her for it, because I understood.
He told the story about her battle with cancer, and how his petition had helped smooth her passing. Ironically enough, she died only two days before the audition. So, without offering sympathy, which Sherman said he didn't want, the judges allowed him to sing.
Watching Sherman sing that song, it was like you could almost imagine that he was seeing his lady in front of him as he sang it. Seeing how heartbroken he was, it made me think about whether love like that even exists anymore, and about how lucky Sherman was to have had it.
posted by Eileen Fredes at 9:56 PM on Jan 31, 2007
desiderata said...
thanks eileen for posting this. this morning, I saw the short clip over Yahoo! News video, it was indeed a wise and exceptional audition waiver to allow 64-year-old Pore's TRIBUTE to his wife. I was like Paula, moved to tears.
PS: Can I reprise your post, Eileen, at Desi's Plcae? (My blog is (N)on-profit, strictly with NO ADs!:)
February 2, 2007 4:12 AM
A SALUTE TO SHERMAN PORE, an exceptional guy who earned an exceptional audition HE DID IT FOR THE love OF HIS WIFE:)
You Belong To Me Patti Page Lyrics |
See the pyramids along the Nile. Watch the sunrise from a tropic isle. Just remember, darling, all the while You belong to me.
See the marketplace in old Algiers. Send me photographs and souvenirs. Just remember when a dream appears You belong to me.
I'll be so alone without you. Maybe you'll be lonesome, too. And blue. Fly the ocean in a silver plane. See the jungle when it's wet with rain. Just remember till you're home again You belong to me.
Q: What do you think of problems faced by Muslims around the world, particularly in Malaysia?A: Of course, many of them are enraged by the policy of the West, particularly the United States under this administration of Bush. It is very difficult for them to see a just resolution of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians; we see this unending battle in Afghanistan and continuing occupation of Iraq. This has caused a lot of anxiety among Muslims.But we have to deal with this and that, notwithstanding our disagreements with some of the foreign policy prescribed by the U.S. We must remain in a moderate voice and promote understanding. Q: The restrictions on you will be officially lifted in 2008; are you optimistic? A: I will always be an optimist. Otherwise, I would not have survived in jail.
DESIDERATA: I start Friday's morning at 12.05AM, yes, five minutes past midnight Thursday, so that I can beat everyone at PPS as the first to ping on this Day of Gifting and Li'ving.
I start off with A* Challenge is:
Q: Who is the Subject answering the two questions posed to him/her?
KLUE: Blogger 2020freelunch cannot play this gAme:)
Prize: First three right answerers will get a goblet each of tehtarik, Au, Ag and Pt, IF YOU CAN TRACK Desi DOWNTOWN FURONG THROUGH THE MAZE!:(
My parting gift is to remind that trait the subject has in plenty: OPTIMISM, should be emulated by all. In awe. Et Al.
I am with him all the way, especially as a writer, I believe without this desideratum, one can't carve a succesful career in scribing, so minus Optimism, what's there to go on?
"Dear ER, mGf -- Chow, join Desi at supper?"No, 2020freelunch is not included.
with a nigh-Common Rebuttal by lazy, but humble-lah, (hamba) servant serving a few goblets of tehtarik to lace thy unique brain with some tonic or arSENic.
Thread1:
Salute1 to a Commenter Anon @www.bakrimusa.com making a challenge to the host and a regular fellow guest writer Din Merican in Bakri's Post titled: “Little Limp Napoleons and Mighty Ming Emperors” and I threaded to two Comments, one by an ANON responding to this, whose piece was pretty long but eye-opening and worth your trouble to traverse there to read in full, as I serve thee some extracts.
Firstly, Bakri's few opening paras:
" Little Limp Napoleons and Mighty Ming Emperors
If Prime Minister Abdullah cannot handle the Little Limp Napoleons in the bloated Malaysian bureaucracy, there is little assurance that he could deal with the Mighty Ming Emperors of the competitive world.
We had a preview of this in the bungled negotiations over the proposed crooked bridge to replace the causeway. That was an embarrassingly graphic demonstration of the administration’s ineptness. If that was Abdullah’s performance in dealing with representatives of only a Little Ming Emperor, imagine if the adversary had been the big Ming Emperor!
In the negotiations with Singapore over the proposed bridge, Abdullah nearly gave away the store after being indulged with effusive flatteries. Malaysia is currently deliberating a Free Trade Agreement with America; that treaty will have major social, economic, and foreign policy implications. If the recent experience with Singapore is any indicator, I reckon that with only a brief visit to the White House, minus a state dinner, would be enough for America to secure whatever it wants from Malaysia."
"The citizens of Bolehland ended the year 2006 in high spirits. Even though things did not quite work out for the work-with-me Prime Minister (PM), the government of the day took us to great heights in various ways.We were also kept high-minded by former PM Dr Mahathir (Dr M), who instead of riding off into the sunset, got on his high horse and refused to come down from it - even after his manhood had been questioned.Dr M felt it was high time to highlight to the PM that the latter had sold the country, stooped before his neighbours, stopped listening to ‘My Way’, stabbed him in the back and scrapped his pet projects……….He was not interfering, merely asking Pak Lah to step down, that is all.It was difficult to differentiate between the annual haze and Dr M’s high-end smokescreen. ..."
: : :
"Sharing Pak Lah’s prize for hypocrisy was Dr M who complained that he had been denied the right to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, and that he was a victim of a police state - a legacy which he had so proudly left behind.He even very humbly claimed that he never had anyone arrested under the ISA for political reasons and blamed the mass arrests of Operation Lalang in 1988 on the police. A highly-incensed Lim Kit Siang reminded Dr M, who was also the then Home Minister and Justice Minister, that he was the ‘mastermind’ of the 1987 dragnet.He complained that the mainstream press had spurned him and spiked his statements. He even alleged the existence of spin doctors. Dr M was given a taste of his own medicine. : : "It was also a year when the chickens came home to roost. Ani Arope, ex-chief of Tenaga, enlightened us on the role Dr M played in the higher electricity rates we are paying for. Anwar highlighted Dr M’s contribution to Bolehland RM30 billion loss as a result of forex speculations.One-time corporate high-flyer Tajuddin Ramli disclosed details in a court document regarding his “national service” duty to Dr M. Former High Court judge Syed Ahmad and former Lord President Salleh Abbas provided more disturbing information on the 1988 judicial crisis and other scandals in the judiciary which still stink to high heaven.The Pricewaterhouse Cooper Report on the Mismanagement of Proton Holdings (1996 - 2005), which The Edge had called “Proton’s Can of Worms”, provided a revealing glimpse into the worsening saga faced by the auto industry in Bolehland and exposed how the citizens had been taken for a ride.
: : : "Alas, 2006 was a year when Pak Lah and his half-past-six-government functioned at half throttle, displaying half-measures against corruption and half-hearted efforts in the public service delivery system, and often indifferent to how the other half lives.It was also a year when we had to endure sky-high prices (resulting in high cost of living), high and scandalous wastage of government funds, high destruction to the environment (which resulted in a big flood in Shah Alam in early 2006 and another at the end of the year in Johor), high death tolls of 6000 a year on our roads, etc. The citizens of Bolehland were paying the high price of believing in the tell-me-the-truth government led by Pak Lah. There is, however, a high probability that they will still vote in the BN government in the next general elections in spite of all the ‘high points’ of 2006, being as absent-minded as they usually are! "
Thirdly, Anon wrote, and I reproduced his comment in full:
anon Says: January 29th, 2007 at 8:27 pm "Well written piece with great commentary by “Malaysia is no future”. The question remains: QUO VADIS, Malaysia!! Vested interests are very entrenched everywhere in business, civil service, and GLCs in particular (exempt PETRONAS) and at the grassroots level. If not, why did Tun Dr. Mahathir attack Badawi, his anointed successor!! Tun Dr. Mahathir has no right to comment because he had destroyed institutions, including the judiciary, and weakened UMNO by “killing off” smart leaders like Tunku Razaleigh, Tun Musa Hitam, Anwar Ibrahim and others, leaving behind a huge leadership mess in UMNO. He did that in order to stay in power. To his political credit, he was successful for he ruled like a dictator after removing people who could stand up to him intellectually and in politics. Look at the main thoroughfare in Putrajaya. It reminds me of Hitler’s dream for Berlin, which, as we all know from history, was a disaster. Cyberjaya is too a serious state of disrepair and parts of Putrajaya are badly maintained. For all these, Tun Dr, Mahathir should be impeached or taken to court for abuse of power. Even our education system is a a huge mess. Just in case we forget, who introduced money politics and KKN (Korupsi, Kronynisme, Nepotisme) in Malaysia? Who started this Islamisation programme, if not Mahathir. Corruption is now a budaya in our country. I wonder what people like PaK Din Merican and California-based Dr. M Bakri Musa have to say about this. I feel when it comes to Mahathir, both these critics of the Badawi Government have a blind spot. Both Badawi and Najib are mediocre. It is true, but we can confidently say that Mahathir had a big hand in their rise to power today. Mahathir is the supremo of the “blowing out the candles of others” syndrome. But in an attempt to protect his legacy, Mahathir is screwed up. What he has done in the last 22 years is being systematically dismantled and replaced by the father of Islam Hadhari. So it is no wonder we as a nation are in the dumps and hopes of getting out of it are slim. No political will or just plain incompetence now?
"Bravo to (Anon) for an articulate summary of Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his successor Pak Lah, focuing on their weaknesses mainly. Wrt:” Tun Dr. Mahathir has no right to comment because he had destroyed institutions, including the judiciary, and weakened UMNO by “killing off” smart leaders like Tunku Razaleigh, Tun Musa Hitam, Anwar Ibrahim and others, leaving behind a huge leadership mess in UMNO. He did that in order to stay in power. To his political credit, he was successful for he ruled like a dictator after removing people who could stand up to him intellectually and in politics. ” I would say Dr Mahathir should not be dismissed from such a forum or discourse. He should answer the charges. I would add that not only DR Mahathir destroyed all the four Estates. He turned the Executive (fFrst Estate) into a Dictatorship, lessened in magnitude by anointed successor no doubt, but the inherited “supreme power” vested in the PM’s office largely remains; Dr M also disembowelled the Legislature (Second Estate), enhanced by Pak Lah’s massive 90% mandare so it has become equally weakened and has become sycophantic to the PM chiefly;and as mentioned by“anon Says: January 29th, 2007 at 8:27 pm “, Dr M also dstryed the Judiciary (Third Estate). My reading after three years is that Pak Lah has slighly improved the Judiciary, but it’s early days yet to be positive it will be across-the-borad progress or merely cosmetic and selective. Whatever semblance of the Fourth Estate that existed was a compliant, sycophantic Press (mainstream) with some online alternatives starting to bloom as New Kids On The Blog! On this last field, Pak Lah’s performance is premature to find a Verdict. Even if the Fourth Estate rises to a freer performance, I believe it’s driven not by Executive wishes but forced on the arrival of the infant “Fifth Estate” represneted by Internet-enabled citizen-journalism and blogging. JUst an aside. The outcome of the current defamation suits by NSTP plus associates against two Bloggers would have a landmark impact on Malaysian Blogsworld future direction. To be fair, I must accord to ex-PM Dr Mahathir his contributions to putting Malaysia on the world map. He performed superbly in his first 10-12 years. My judgment is that it was in the second half of his helming the ship called NegaraKu was mis-directed by “over-staying his welcome” as the country’s CEO, compounded by his children’s involvement in “BIG” businessness. The writers’ reference to “K,K and K” is relevant, but I won;t dwell long in this field lest I be seeen as promoting the clarion calls of ex-DPM Anwar and his Reformasi movement. Cronysim, Corruption and Nepotism” remians well entrenched thanks to Dr M’s 22 years’ moulding and cast-ironing, yes? I have also written aboutr the next point, and benefited through (later) discussion with Sdr Din Merican, wrt Anon’s next point I had also thrown at the two “gentlemen”. Gentlemen because Din still bought me kopi and nasi kandar while I traded with my terhtarik. I look forward to –ditto– with Sdr Bakri, but California is still ….s-miles away:) “I wonder what people like PaK Din Merican and California-based Dr. M Bakri Musa have to say about this. I feel when it comes to Mahathir, both these critics of the Badawi Government have a blind spot.” I echo Anon’s Q in Hi-desibels so that Bakri would still buy Desi grapefruit when I visit with a HelLo- and Behold, and we can continue our banter in Bazk Malay!:) I know Din will still belanja Nasi Kari Ikan Kepala Tenggeri or Kepala Ikan Yu!:) PS: I will engage you (Anon) Amore if you ID yopurself, preferably with A* link to your webpage if you are a fellow Blogger?
Thread2:
Salute2 to hoRst @www.xpyred.textfiend.net in his post I'm reprising in full:
pm badawi says bloggers spread lies I can’t help but feel that the whole national media is being geared toward a full scale war on prevailing opinion. The latest salvo comes from this Sunday’s edition of the New Straits Times with a supposedly exclusive interview with PM Badawi. When the NST says “exclusive interview”, they make it sound like they stumbled upon PM Badawi during the WEF summit and dragooned him into speaking with them, don’t you think. Quite like happenstance. I looked through the write up in the online version of the interview, and saw a picture showing Hishammudin Aun with other NST stalwarts. Wait a second, isn’t EnHishammudin one of the plaintiffs in a suit against Jeff Ooi and Rocky? So what is he and his fellow NST top brass doing when they ask questions like this: Q: But do you think the criticism against you has gone overboard? If previously there were people who disagreed with certain matters the leaders did, the government did, today there seems to be more integrated efforts from a particular group to discredit you. This is most evident in cyberspace. Why is this happening? A: Seems that these people are captivated by these tools, the SMS, electronic media. They feel they are free, they cannot be disturbed and they can say whatever they wish to say. They do it (post comments) anonymously. This sort of freedom had made them resort to such action (of spreading lies and making unfounded allegations). Even bloggers or those who maintain websites use this opportunity to create stories. Lies after lies are being told. To them, everything is not right, everything is not good. If I allow myself to be distracted by all this, I will not be able to do any work. That is what they want, that I not focus on my work. My focus now is to ensure the 9MP is successful and I am confident that the nation is on the right track and is moving forward. The economy is expected to grow. I feel more energised to fulfil Malaysians’ ambitions. I don’t know. Fighting his case in the media via PM Badawi? I’m not sure. I’m sure its purely speculative at this juncture, and Hishammudin certainly didn’t say those things above. It’s just funny that’s all. I mean, what does it mean when the Editor-in-Chief allows comments from the PM which discuss, if tangentially, “lies” spread by bloggers in general (and the defendants in particular)? Maybe nothing at all. In any case, I wonder if bloggers do report lies. See, the way I see it, bloggers comment on news articles in the mainstream media. They then speculate but don’t assert. Sure, bloggers ask rhetorical questions like: “Is the government paranoid?” or “Is PM Badaw failing the people?” Parties are free to puncture holes in bloated speculations with truth, of course. But truth is a valuable resource in Malaysia… especially when everything from arrangements with toll concessionaires and water deals are shrouded with blanket imprimaturs from a Cabinet which classifies these issues “official secrets”. I’m not saying the government or its representatives tells lies. I’m saying that some people might interpret classifying everything as “secret” as avoiding the responsibility to tell the truth - they don’t need to lie, if they’re so inclined, you see? Talking about secrets, why are arrangements with toll concessionaires secret? How do details of such arrangements constitute, if revealed, a threat to national security? I’m not saying that “secret” details are potentially damaging to people in the government, of course - I’m just saying that obscurity leads to speculation and speculation cannot be controlled. The very fact that speculation cannot be controlled should, logically, influence a non-tyrannical, democratic and just government to champion transparency. Especially where it concerns money leaking out of the collective wallets of the rakyat. As I was saying, truth is a valuable resource, but hard to find in Malaysia. There are white lies, grey lies, multi-coloured lies, etc., but no stark truth. Maybe PM Badawi should do the following: De-classify documents pertaining to toll arrangements, etc. Allow public discussion, not merely in the official media, of matters arising from details of such agreements. Reveal details of the 880 projects completed under the 9MP, including allowing the independent audit of the RM 35 billion spent. In the meantime, I’ll not be holding my breath for any of the above to happen.No Tags
#ylchongwrote: xpyre minus d d: Hope you indulge me lots today as I just traversed fromhttp://www.bakrimusa.com/and I added my 3sen worth’s to an ANON commenter’s two main points: Holding ex-PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad accountable for 22 years reign during which he destroyed, disembowelled all the four Estates — Executive, Legislature, Judiciary and Media/Press. I comented birefly on the infant Fifth Estate involving Bloggers. The “more relevant” point was Anon’s challenge to Bakri and a regular Guest Writer Din Merican for their “sycophantic” support for Dr Mahathir in their writes, which I too echoed and called on the two to reply/rebut. Similarly this point of “Sycophancy” in news treatment by the MSM, esp UMNO-controlled The New Straits Times, and several of the former GEICs and senior Editors from NSTP have taken to Blogging (one is now involved in one of the two defamation suits). The test again I would ask of these ex-NSTP-turned-Bollgers is: Are they not equally, if not more, guilty of propagating the news in their MSM heydays just akin to present “being geared toward a full scale war on prevailing opinion”.I have voiced my opinions strongly in Bakri’s blog, so I won’t bore repeatiung similar views on your current “mainstream” media review ~~ Times remain almost the same, it’s chganging of the casts…. PS: APologise for slight Digression/aggresion, my bad habit even as a Guest! To show Repentance, I would like to render assitance to help thee in starting an Onion…I do the peeling, OK!:)January 30th, 2007, at 1:47 pm#
Thread3:
Salute3 to the hoRst @jelas.info who wrote, only initial paras reproduced here:
"Tun Dr. Mahathir wants to set up a war crimes tribunal? This looks like some of the least credible collection of “judges” ever. Justice cannot come from the unjust, and TDM - the man who singlehandedly destroyed Malaysia’s judiciary - cannot possibly be expected to place justice above personal politics. If Saddam was tried in a kangaroo court whose outcome was always known, do we think that George Bush and Tony Blair stand any chance of being found innocent (a fundamental aspect of true justice) by this so called Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Commission? Don’t make me laugh..."
LazyDesi's comment C&P3: Feb 1st, 2007 at 8:49 pm Nat, borrowing thy words: EVERYTHING IN THIS LIFE ON the good earth is “… about credibility, objectivity, and a true sense of justice; without which we are left with a situation in which the unjust attempt desperately to outkangaroo one another while the truth rots alone in some sad corner…” “If you really want people like George Bush or Tony Blair to go down in history as war criminals, get some people with cleaner slates to do the judging. Don’t get the guy who manufactuared finding Anwar Ibrahim guilty of sodomy to lead the way.” I have said it many times at other forums — the ex-PM who destroyed or disembowelled all the Four EStates of NegaraKu, what locus standi does he and his cahoots stand on to preach Peace, Justice and Transparency?I say Amen: God save us from more of these self-serving souls.
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DESIDERATA: Somehow in blogosphere many writers forget the past and its lessons. Maybe as a journalist by training, I fall back too much into the past to put into perspective the present happenings and those reporting on the current goings-on. I see patterns of old guard/prder versus the new guard/order defining the divides, and I also make my stand after considering the past and present with a view to improving things for a better future NegaraKu. Sadly, I detect much displays of sycophancy, and more subtly, the protection and perpetuation of "old interests" -- but who is Desi to judge? I note the goings-on and try to alert my ESteemedReaders to see beyond the surface. Yes, there is much more than meets the eye, I have intimated to readers like allofhelen.blogspot.com who reluctantly stepped into Desi's cyber home at the beginning, but like curiosity cat not from Catsville, has come back for aMore, and I thank her for staying the course to see theorugh the mists and maze and haze. Hopefully to find some starlinght in the darkness of the Malaysian night. If now, blame this knight for not riding in with a shining armour on a white horse with a laser beam-light, will try harder, my promise with not a Brownie's honour. Scout, be it boy or girl, never mind as Desi preaches promoting a Malaysain society transcending Colour, Race and Creed, regardless of gender and age.
