The definition of a cheat is pretty easy to figure out. If you have an affair with someone other than your lover, you can be called a cheat. If you copy answers from another person during an exam, you can also be called a cheat. In sports, if you try to win or get an advantage by disregarding the rules you are cheating but in computer games this definition become hard to follow. Taking advantage or lying to your fellow game players does not automatically mean you are cheating. Cheating in a computer game is defined by the game and the people who are playing it.A lot of computer games come with a “cheat code”. This is usually to help a person get started and makes the game a little easier. They are usually designed for a single player. If you use these cheat codes you are cheating technically but it doesn’t mean you have an advantage. The most common occurrence of cheating is when there are multiplayer and mass multiplayer games through the internet. In this instance, the players are not known to each other so they don’t have the restrictive influence of being seen by their opponents. There are two main areas of cheating in computer games. You can change your settings through the use of exploits, bugs and external software or cheesing. If you alter your computer settings, the layout of the computer’s hardware or the computer game to fit your gaming style you are cheating in a sense and this can be alright. But if you went even further and changed the brightness or the color of the screen in order to see better in shadow areas it becomes questionable. Exploits are termed as errors in the game itself that give an advantage to one person or another. If someone deliberately uses those it a game, it could be considered cheating but it also could add to the excitement of the game. There are software programs you can purchase that modify a program that runs computer game. This is a more serious form of cheating. Other software programs study the status of the game through the computer’s RAM Another form of cheating is called cheesing. This is when the players do things that cannot happen in real life or are not allowed in real life. The most common of game cheats these days find ways to change the game’s software. Even if the game developers try to encrypt or protect the files, there are software programs that will be able to change the game’s code without changing the main program. Cheats of this kind may be detected using programs that are installed on a server. Preventing computer game cheaters is not easy. There are a lot of grey areas to agree on and consider before you term someone a cheat.
About The Author
Beverly Kane is a staff writer at http://www.gamesenthusiast.com and is an occasional contributor to several other websites, including http://www.theshoppinggazette.com.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Wal-Mart Helping the Little Man
Although it caused quite a stir when the idea was first spoken of, the plan for Wal-Mart to offer generic prescriptions for $4 each has faded from the limelight. A perfect time to approach the topic again. Mainly, how does this sort of price slashing benefit the American mega-corp? And, how do the ripples of this venture effect the rest of the pond? To tackle the first question is very easy. Why would such a seemingly profit hungry corporation suddenly drastically slash the prices on medications? Because they expect to make a great deal of net revenue doing it. While viewed by many as a selfless act, the Wal-Mart drug plan is not intended to run at any kind of loss. Not a single statement Wal-Mart has made says anything about that, in fact, they readily admit they expect and want to profit from this program. Because Wal-Mart can buy enormous quantities of product, the price for doing so is extremely low per unit. However, instead of making the kinds of profits that turn the heads of any suspicious consumer, they will do so at a much lower profit margin per unit. And that is where the magic is. They will make less money in each sale, but the idea is that low prices attract large numbers of people. In doing this they increase overall profit by simply driving up the volume of sales. There is no happy, selfless, or saintly motivation here, only the raising of the bottom line in a way that only very large and economically powerful corporations can do. However, for every action there is a reaction. In an article by David Harsanyi of the Denver post, Dr. Jeffrey Zax, an economics professor at the University of Colorado ay Boulder, was quoted as saying this. I don’t see any downside to it. I think it’s a terrific idea. It’s hard to imagine what downside there could be. … The only change will be that others will try and meet these prices.” But, of course, there is a downside. Most private pharmacists have no way of matching these kinds of prices. It has long been the same argument against Wal-Mart that they drive anything smaller than them out of business. This is certainly a consequence worth noting. There is another very human consequence to note. People in America have long carried the heavy load of the insurance industry and its less than helpful attitude about helping people. Now we not only carry the weight, but suffer from it in very real ways. We are a country that does not take preventive measures in health care, we only react to illness and injury that poses a great threat to us. We suffer many ills because we cannot afford to treat them before they stop us. Four dollar prescriptions can make a very real difference in this climate. A family formerly faced with the choice of food or medicine will be able to afford limited health care much more easily. This certainly does not cure the problem of the system, but at least it staunches the bleeding. We must weigh in our minds and hearts if the price of losing small pharmacies is equitable in terms of gains in affordable medicine. This could be a rare example in modern times of dedicated work toward raising profits is working to also help people live better. Not only that, but it has been done without mandate by the federal government. This may be a very small change, possibly ambivalent, step in the right direction. But in a nation where many people cannot afford insurance for health care at all, even troubled baby steps are better than digging deeper trenches.
About The Author
Chris Schaffer graduated with his BA in psychology from Mesa State College in 2006. He is the founder of the Sustainable Democracy website and movement. View their website at: http://www.SustainableDemocracy.org
About The Author
Chris Schaffer graduated with his BA in psychology from Mesa State College in 2006. He is the founder of the Sustainable Democracy website and movement. View their website at: http://www.SustainableDemocracy.org
Free Internet Games - Finding The Games Lovers Paradise
These days, playing games has been taken to a whole new level. With new websites offering free games coming online every day, the games lovers are spoilt for choice. Online gaming is fast replacing traditional forms of teen entertainment and more so as internet access becomes increasingly easy to acquire and afford. Fast, and understandably bursting into popularity, it is addictive, cheap and most importantly FREE. Playing free internet games is popular right across the world and across all ages. Games lovers who have access to the internet anywhere in the world are bound to find their own paradise. Hardly does age play a factor, as there are assorted games to cater for all age groups. It is not uncommon to find people in Britain, Bangladesh, Israel playing the same game on the same website! As a result of this explosion of popularity, there are many platforms offering many kinds of free online games with no need to for downloading. As a result, gaming lovers have many possibilities available to them. Some focus on a specific genre such as adventure, action, strategy, board, or card games while others diversify and offer a broad range of free games encompassing all the categories above. Furthermore, there are some gaming websites that are geared to offering a wide range of games in almost every genre. One such platform is www.Arcadekitty.com which offers free games in categories such as strategy, adventure, rpg, strategy, puzzles just to name a few. It is more like a one stop shop for games only they are free. The advantages of free online games is that you can do it whenever you can spare a few minutes or during your coffee break for instance. Some of these games are educational or brainteasers, others are for pure fun. Free online strategy games, such as Sudoku, for instance test your brain intellect without needing a pen nor paper. Free online adventure games are the easiest to come by. Role Playing Games allows the gamer to impersonate a desired character while visitors can also pick an online partner to play multiplayer games enhancing the very social nature of gaming. Some platforms offer a system of rating which further enhances the experience of new visitors who visit later. Additionally, specific comments can be left on games on some websites. Favourite games can be bookmarked or sent to friends or placed on social network profiles such as Myspace. Taking advantage of this social environment, some websites offer free chat so game players can hang out and chat, making new friends and meeting people from all over the world. Once again Gamerevolt.com is one such platform. Their chatroom allows visitors to create their own private rooms where they can invite their friends or new people they have met for a casual chat. Others add more social enhancing content such as forums, downloads and games cheat to their visitors. This includes X box game cheats Ps 2 game cheats Game boy cheats and cheats for other platforms. Playing free games is definitely exciting as teens often find themselves in groups visiting cybercafes and enjoying new online games they discover together. Factoring in the fact that, the average cybercafe charges up to $1.00 an hour, this is certainly cheaper than clubbing. On the whole, online gaming is an explosive and social environment and set to expand futher in the future.
About The Author
Jake Jenkins A Games Enthusiast And Programmer http://www.gamerevolt.com/category/Strategy/1.html - Strategy games http://www.gamerevolt.com/category/Arcade/1.html - Free Online Arcade http://www.gamerevolt.com
About The Author
Jake Jenkins A Games Enthusiast And Programmer http://www.gamerevolt.com/category/Strategy/1.html - Strategy games http://www.gamerevolt.com/category/Arcade/1.html - Free Online Arcade http://www.gamerevolt.com
How To Remove Spyware For Good!
Spyware and adware often slows your computer down or you begin to notice that you are seeing pop-ups every time you use your computer. You also discover that someone has access to your identifying information such as IDS, passwords, credit card information, or even that suddenly your homepage has changed, which is known as hijacking. It is important that you know how to remove spyware, what to do if hijacked and what tools you can use to get rid of spyware. How to remove spyware The first method of combating spyware or adware is asking people you know questions like where can I find free spyware software or where can I find free adware removal websites. If your friends or family members cannot help you in this area, you should turn to search engines to help find the answers. One excellent program for removing spyware is Spy Sweeper. Spy Sweeper allows you to keep your computer safe from spyware even while downloading things such as videos, music, or pictures and surfing the internet. This program delivers the highest form of computer protection available today by removing spyware programs that have infected your computer, as well as blocking any from ever entering again. Why do we need anti-spyware protection? Without anti-spyware protection, your computer is vulnerable every time you surf the web. Any time you access the internet, without some form of protection, like Spy Sweeper on your computer, you are putting yourself at risk for infection. Spyware is extremely malicious and can significantly slow down the processes of your computer, your internet performance or the very worst scenario might be completely rendering your computer useless. When wanting to learn how to remove spyware and why we need anti-spyware, Spy Sweeper is a great place to start. Not everyone who uses a computer can detect which type of download might be infected; Spy Sweeper can do that for you. It will always provide you with protection thanks to their Smart Shields, which keep the emerging and known threats at bay while using the internet. This program has the capabilities of detecting, removing and blocking more than 140,000 variants of spyware, greater than any other anti-spyware program available on the market. Where can I get the latest free spyware removal software? Your favorite search engine is a very valuable tool when it comes to searching for anti-spyware programs. There are many available. However, you will want to be careful of which one you choose to download. While many will advertise removal, in reality, they may actually install the spyware. So be sure to get recommendations from people you trust. Some great programs include Spy Sweeper, Microsoft Defender, Spybot and Ad-Aware.
About The Author
Jason Frovich New forms of malicious Spyware and Adware are constantly created and in order to protect your computer from infestations you must choose a high-quality program and keep it updated. http://Supportcave.com offer all this and more.
About The Author
Jason Frovich New forms of malicious Spyware and Adware are constantly created and in order to protect your computer from infestations you must choose a high-quality program and keep it updated. http://Supportcave.com offer all this and more.
Online Pogo Game Cheat
Kids love to play new games and everyday they keep on demanding new game. Now you don’t have to search more for new games. Internet is the best solution for everything now parents can give dozens of new games to their kids without paying anything. Anyone who has played computer games probably familiar with electronic Arts. Number of online sites offers a program which will allow you to get online pogo game cheats. This program will give players an edge in the games they play. Many online games sites has tool which covers a wide variety of games. This site includes Chess, Checkers, FreeCell, and Spades. Online Pogo game cheat is the tool that will help you to be a master and better player. In order to become a winner the online pogo game cheat will electronically show you the types of moves you need to make in a variety of different games. Because technology is constantly advancing, you will need to upgrade your software often. Online pogo game cheat are becoming more and more popular everyday as the demand of it is growing day by day. Online Pogo Games Cheat is a collection of Electronic Arts games adapted for online play and popular games from other developers. Popular Pogo game titles include: bingo, bridge, pool, spades, Poppit, chess, slots, and more. The online games include a chat feature to talk with other players and receive messages from Pogo. New player can enjoy this game without anyone helps. Online game website has all the info about playing so even if you are a new to any game with the help of all the info provided you can enjoy your playing. Also find all the latest info about the pogo cheat game. Before downloading this software make sure that your computer is not infected nor have any virus, it will help you to get download software without any virus. Start downloading today pogo game cheats to enjoy and have fun in your game.
About The Author
Anna Josephs is a freelance editor having experience of many years in writing articles and news releases on various topics related to health, automobile and social issues. Currently, she is working on http://www.benzer3.com/. To get more details on Online Pogo Game Cheat, please visit http://game.benzer3.com/pogo-game.html . Please feel free to write feedback on this article. Anna Josephs can be contacted at annajosephs@gmail.com
About The Author
Anna Josephs is a freelance editor having experience of many years in writing articles and news releases on various topics related to health, automobile and social issues. Currently, she is working on http://www.benzer3.com/. To get more details on Online Pogo Game Cheat, please visit http://game.benzer3.com/pogo-game.html . Please feel free to write feedback on this article. Anna Josephs can be contacted at annajosephs@gmail.com
Golf Shot Control...a Fantasy?
I'm often asked about how to get "control" of emotions when on the course. Along with this is the desire by many golfers to want "control" of their swing and where the ball will end up. These misguided desires are probably the biggest destroyers of confidence and a fluid swing. Instead of wanting "control," the golfer would be better served to think of wanting such positive mental attitudes as: "release" and "carefree" and "loose." Just the word "control" itself tightens up your muscles when you think or say it. I've heard golfers say that they have trouble with their emotions on the course and yet, at the office, they are able to remain cool, calm and collected in order to do their job well. Let's look at a typical business negotiation and compare it to being on the course with regard to the meaning of "control." Many high-performing business types are absolute masters of making a deal happen because they feel in control, and yet, they go out on the course and end up throwing clubs soon after. It doesn't have to be like that. Feeling like you have "control" or not is completely all in your mind. For instance, In a business negotiation, any number of things could happen that are completely out of your control such as: 1. The client could get an emergency phone call at any moment taking him out of your meeting, 2. He could have a heart attack or stroke right there in the meeting 3. He could be in a bad mood from some unsettling business or personal news before the meeting that makes it all but impossible for him to focus on your pitch/idea. 4. He could have some sort of prejudice against you (race, age, etc.) before you even begin negotiations 5.He has some sort of psychological problem that overrides logic and reasoning at times. These issues and more easily could be in play and you have absolutely no control of these kinds of things. Any one of these for the other person can derail any successful business outcome before you even have a chance. Even with all of that, most businesspeople would agree with you that they feel they still have a great deal of control, which is why they can be successful. And that is a good thing! Now, let's compare to golf, where, you control everything! You swing the clubs, you are in control of your own mind, you choose everything about how you decide to play the game. The only thing you don't ultimately control in playing golf is the weather and course conditions but even there, you can observe them and make adjustments for them. So, objectively, you really have MORE control in golf than you do in a business negotiation setting because golf is usually played as an individual sport. You depend on nobody but yourself. In the final analysis, I know what you mean when you say it feels like the golfer is not in control of his shots because I've been there. However, it's all in how you look at it, your internal representation (an NLP term) of the situation. If you look at your golf game with the idea that you feel you have no control over the situation, then you don't. And it will be even more difficult to succeed just as it would be if a businessperson had that same thought going into negotiations. Starting to get the picture now? Even successful business people don't succeed in closing every sale or in getting everything they want out of a deal. But, they sure go in thinking that THEY CAN! That's the same way of thinking we have to have with regard to control in our golf game. Yes we stumble and fail (plenty!) , but, if we BELIEVE we have as much control over golf as we do in business, then we will succeed at golf even more than we have in businesss! Everything is relative and it all starts with how we represent a situation in our brain that is most influencing in an outcome. And if we know in advance that getting angry and frustrated will hinder our achieving our golf goal (just like it would in a business deal), then we can use that same skill we put to use in business to help us achieve that outcome. It's really no different except in how we think about it. Perfectionism is not a bad thing either in my opinion. The desire to want to be perfect, to perform flawlessly is a driving force toward achievement and is useful. However, it's the EXPECTATIONS that get us into trouble. Strive for perfection, but be glad for everything is the secret to emotional control and success on the course.
About The Author
Craig Sigl is a Certified Trainer and Master of Hypnotherapy, Time Line techniques and NLP. He plays golf to a 5 handicap using the methods that he teaches to others all over the world. Visit http://www.break80golf.com for a free ebook on the mental game and articles by Golf Legends and Gurus.
About The Author
Craig Sigl is a Certified Trainer and Master of Hypnotherapy, Time Line techniques and NLP. He plays golf to a 5 handicap using the methods that he teaches to others all over the world. Visit http://www.break80golf.com for a free ebook on the mental game and articles by Golf Legends and Gurus.
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Pulp Fiction
This is a rare motion picture that doesn’t belong to any movie genre; it has a little bit of everything. Action, drama, comedy and etc, but the main plot in this movie, was the elements to deal with pop culture (in 1994). Personally, I think it takes a real movie fanatic to appreciate this film, if you are one of those who prefer main stream movies which were custom made to guarantee a box office hit, this movie is certainly not for you.
Pulp Fiction clocks in 2 and a half hour, and not a single minute is wasted on material that isn’t building up the storyline. The movie was divided in 4 chapters, related characters and storylines. Every scene was skillfully thought out and nicely presented to the audience. No doubt the dialogues are the driving force of this film. Many audiences/critics interprets the dialogue as unnecessary segments, me myself thinks that it was an essential elements to build up the storyline and the character. The characters depth as not as detailed as Reservoir Dogs (Tarantino, 1992), which is a good thing. Quentin Tarantino was subtle in the way he introduces on speeches, the dialogue was like a every normal days conversation between people, it seems pointless and most of the time not relevant to the story, but as the scene goes on, it’s slowly became strikingly true and purposeful. The outcome for the meaningless chit chat was obvious, that is all the characters evolve on screen, and eventually choose their path (to different endings).
Of course we have to give some credits to (almost) all the actors. The casting was great, John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Amanda Plummer, Ving Rhames, Tim Roth and the most intense character among all, Samuel L. Jackson. I left out Bruce Willis because I don’t think his role/acting/character’s storyline was that great. I mean, he was huge back then (Die Hard, 1988) but his performance in this file was quite er.. normal. Up against the 2 heavyweights Like Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson, he doesn’t stand a chance. Samuel L. Jackson’s character (Jules Winnfiled) is my favorite. The way that he argues about foot massage, eating pork and believes in God’s revelation that leads him to the rejection of a violent gangster life. (Instead of dying in a toilet like Vincent)
The thing I like this movie the most, is that the director didn’t treat the audience like idiots (most other directors do, especially in big budget movies). Tarantino’s excellence lies on tuning the audience’s interest on the movie’s storyline yet have different judgments on the (characters) ending (or beginning, is hard to define in this movie). Another great element in Pulp Fiction is the music, this is by far the best movie OST I ever heard, and all the tracks fit right on with the movie (especially Chuck Berry’s You can ever tell in Jack Rabbit Slims Twist contest).
Personally I think Pulp Fiction is Tarantino’s best movie yet, I like Kill Bill Vol.2 (not so much for vol.1), Reservoir Dogs was a little bit long winded, don’t really like Jackie Brown. Tarantino’s script and directing style were revolutionary and elevates Pulp Fiction above so many other classic movies(even after 10 years). If you are expecting for something different, have no problem with violent, drugs, homosexuality, and don’t mind non-chronically arranged screen play, you will love Pulp Fiction. This is the kind of movie that you have to (can) watch it over and over again, and appreciate it like a fine wine. Pulp Fiction has all the great elements for a good movie, all the subtleties and plot twists are incredibly fantastic. My opinion? Truly a historical classic in many ways.
This is a rare motion picture that doesn’t belong to any movie genre; it has a little bit of everything. Action, drama, comedy and etc, but the main plot in this movie, was the elements to deal with pop culture (in 1994). Personally, I think it takes a real movie fanatic to appreciate this film, if you are one of those who prefer main stream movies which were custom made to guarantee a box office hit, this movie is certainly not for you.
Pulp Fiction clocks in 2 and a half hour, and not a single minute is wasted on material that isn’t building up the storyline. The movie was divided in 4 chapters, related characters and storylines. Every scene was skillfully thought out and nicely presented to the audience. No doubt the dialogues are the driving force of this film. Many audiences/critics interprets the dialogue as unnecessary segments, me myself thinks that it was an essential elements to build up the storyline and the character. The characters depth as not as detailed as Reservoir Dogs (Tarantino, 1992), which is a good thing. Quentin Tarantino was subtle in the way he introduces on speeches, the dialogue was like a every normal days conversation between people, it seems pointless and most of the time not relevant to the story, but as the scene goes on, it’s slowly became strikingly true and purposeful. The outcome for the meaningless chit chat was obvious, that is all the characters evolve on screen, and eventually choose their path (to different endings).
Of course we have to give some credits to (almost) all the actors. The casting was great, John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Amanda Plummer, Ving Rhames, Tim Roth and the most intense character among all, Samuel L. Jackson. I left out Bruce Willis because I don’t think his role/acting/character’s storyline was that great. I mean, he was huge back then (Die Hard, 1988) but his performance in this file was quite er.. normal. Up against the 2 heavyweights Like Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson, he doesn’t stand a chance. Samuel L. Jackson’s character (Jules Winnfiled) is my favorite. The way that he argues about foot massage, eating pork and believes in God’s revelation that leads him to the rejection of a violent gangster life. (Instead of dying in a toilet like Vincent)
The thing I like this movie the most, is that the director didn’t treat the audience like idiots (most other directors do, especially in big budget movies). Tarantino’s excellence lies on tuning the audience’s interest on the movie’s storyline yet have different judgments on the (characters) ending (or beginning, is hard to define in this movie). Another great element in Pulp Fiction is the music, this is by far the best movie OST I ever heard, and all the tracks fit right on with the movie (especially Chuck Berry’s You can ever tell in Jack Rabbit Slims Twist contest).
Personally I think Pulp Fiction is Tarantino’s best movie yet, I like Kill Bill Vol.2 (not so much for vol.1), Reservoir Dogs was a little bit long winded, don’t really like Jackie Brown. Tarantino’s script and directing style were revolutionary and elevates Pulp Fiction above so many other classic movies(even after 10 years). If you are expecting for something different, have no problem with violent, drugs, homosexuality, and don’t mind non-chronically arranged screen play, you will love Pulp Fiction. This is the kind of movie that you have to (can) watch it over and over again, and appreciate it like a fine wine. Pulp Fiction has all the great elements for a good movie, all the subtleties and plot twists are incredibly fantastic. My opinion? Truly a historical classic in many ways.
Stupid comments on U.S. Presidential Election
These are some of the comments that I read in ScreenShots
(2.15pm) Bush just bagged Ohio state for a total of 269 electoral votes. Just short of 1 to win the Presidency. Popular votes 52% for George W Bush vs 48% for John "Flip-Flog" Kerry. :---))Posted by: wander at November 3, 2004 02:17 PM
With 2% of votes remaining in Ohio St., Bush still leads 51% vs 48% in that state, it's a foregone conclusion. "Nanyang Siang Pau" already reported that Bush bagged 269 electoral votes with only 1 to go at 2.30pm. Better luck next time, John "flop-flop" Kerry. :)Posted by: wander at November 3, 2004 04:54 PM
The last time I checked on CNN, Yahoo!, Google News, even The Age, George W. Bush is still not the president of the United States. Hell, even www.Nanyang.com didn’t say anything about Bush winning the election (not like I would believe what I read on that crappy newspaper website anyway). If George W. Bush won Ohio State as early as 14.15pm Malaysian time and had a total of 269 EV in hand, the election would have been long over. But the truth is, the democrats are still holding on to their slight chances of winning this close race. ABC, CBS and CNN still decline to call Ohio as it was labeled as "Too close to call". There are too many outstanding ballots which remain to be counted and a huge error margin which allows Kerry to overturn the result.
Seriously people, don’t go around and spread the unconfirmed news because you are only making a fool of yourself (just like the awful Malaysian Chinese newspaper agency). God I hate stupid people, just wait for a few more days then you might be able to enjoy Bush's victory, so please shut the hell up for now and wait for the OFFICIAL results.
Read this
These are some of the comments that I read in ScreenShots
(2.15pm) Bush just bagged Ohio state for a total of 269 electoral votes. Just short of 1 to win the Presidency. Popular votes 52% for George W Bush vs 48% for John "Flip-Flog" Kerry. :---))Posted by: wander at November 3, 2004 02:17 PM
With 2% of votes remaining in Ohio St., Bush still leads 51% vs 48% in that state, it's a foregone conclusion. "Nanyang Siang Pau" already reported that Bush bagged 269 electoral votes with only 1 to go at 2.30pm. Better luck next time, John "flop-flop" Kerry. :)Posted by: wander at November 3, 2004 04:54 PM
The last time I checked on CNN, Yahoo!, Google News, even The Age, George W. Bush is still not the president of the United States. Hell, even www.Nanyang.com didn’t say anything about Bush winning the election (not like I would believe what I read on that crappy newspaper website anyway). If George W. Bush won Ohio State as early as 14.15pm Malaysian time and had a total of 269 EV in hand, the election would have been long over. But the truth is, the democrats are still holding on to their slight chances of winning this close race. ABC, CBS and CNN still decline to call Ohio as it was labeled as "Too close to call". There are too many outstanding ballots which remain to be counted and a huge error margin which allows Kerry to overturn the result.
Seriously people, don’t go around and spread the unconfirmed news because you are only making a fool of yourself (just like the awful Malaysian Chinese newspaper agency). God I hate stupid people, just wait for a few more days then you might be able to enjoy Bush's victory, so please shut the hell up for now and wait for the OFFICIAL results.
Read this
I started talking about Team America: World Police since the 10th of August and putting in high expectations for this movie. Being a huge South Park fan, I like Matt and Trey’s twisted humor and their sarcasm. A few years ago, I thought moving South Park to the cinema screen was a big mistake, but they managed to pull it off, as "South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut" was one of the funniest stuff I have ever watched. As far as I am concerned, Team America is the most anticipated movie of the year. I was looking for practically every piece of information there was about the movie, including all the interviews of Matt and Trey on Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien and other talk shows. Finally, I managed to watch this movie about 4 days ago, and it proved one of my favorite theories right - "If you expect too much from a certain thing, it will surely go wrong." Team America was quite a huge disappointment, at least for me.
As usual, Matt and Trey were making fun of current global issues, this time the war with terrorists. The storyline was rather simple. Team America is a special unit, designed to fight the terrorists and their weapons of mass destruction. The main villain is the North Korean Dictator, Kim Jong Il, who wanted to take over the world because he was ronery (lonely in Engrish). Other scoundrels are from the Film Actors Guild (F.A.G. - you know what that means), which were formed by Matt and Trey’s list of idiotic celebrities. Team America wanted to save the world by using George Bush’s "Drop the bomb first, ask question later" method, whereas the F.A.G. was trying to solve the conflict by using peace talks and a more diplomatic approach.
Most people were surprised to find out that this movie favored the Republican’s political view. Some were disappointed, some were excited. Over all, most of the right wing supporters were relieved that a Hollywood production are on their side, especially after the controversial Fahrenheit 9/11. I guess Matt and Trey were just pissed off with the Hollywood actors who got involved with politics and voiced out their support to Democrats. The message of the movie was clear, “Actors need to shut the hell up and act better in their movies”.
The comedy part of the movie was normal, there were some funny parts, and I like most of the songs (especially “I am Ronery” and “Pearl Habour Sucks”). But it is just not Cartman’s type of funny that you will think about it over and over again and laugh like an idiot. Some of the jokes are just toilet humour, very much the same as Trey’s “Orgazmo” in 1997. However, the visual parts of this movie was superb. Just incase you didn’t know, this is a string-puppet show, just like the 80’s Thunderbird series. All the marionette stuff looks super real, even the facial expressions on the puppets. The entire movie was non-computer generated and all the explosion scenes were real. They even hired Bill Pope (Cinematographer for the Matrix series) to direct the action scenes. Anyhow, the first half of the movie was rather boring and there aren’t any classic quotes or funny lines.
It breaks my heart to say this, but Matt and Trey finally fucked up. Team America was way overrated and created too much hype before the actual release. Well I guess we should just put our hopes on the second half of South Park season 8.
As usual, Matt and Trey were making fun of current global issues, this time the war with terrorists. The storyline was rather simple. Team America is a special unit, designed to fight the terrorists and their weapons of mass destruction. The main villain is the North Korean Dictator, Kim Jong Il, who wanted to take over the world because he was ronery (lonely in Engrish). Other scoundrels are from the Film Actors Guild (F.A.G. - you know what that means), which were formed by Matt and Trey’s list of idiotic celebrities. Team America wanted to save the world by using George Bush’s "Drop the bomb first, ask question later" method, whereas the F.A.G. was trying to solve the conflict by using peace talks and a more diplomatic approach.
Most people were surprised to find out that this movie favored the Republican’s political view. Some were disappointed, some were excited. Over all, most of the right wing supporters were relieved that a Hollywood production are on their side, especially after the controversial Fahrenheit 9/11. I guess Matt and Trey were just pissed off with the Hollywood actors who got involved with politics and voiced out their support to Democrats. The message of the movie was clear, “Actors need to shut the hell up and act better in their movies”.
The comedy part of the movie was normal, there were some funny parts, and I like most of the songs (especially “I am Ronery” and “Pearl Habour Sucks”). But it is just not Cartman’s type of funny that you will think about it over and over again and laugh like an idiot. Some of the jokes are just toilet humour, very much the same as Trey’s “Orgazmo” in 1997. However, the visual parts of this movie was superb. Just incase you didn’t know, this is a string-puppet show, just like the 80’s Thunderbird series. All the marionette stuff looks super real, even the facial expressions on the puppets. The entire movie was non-computer generated and all the explosion scenes were real. They even hired Bill Pope (Cinematographer for the Matrix series) to direct the action scenes. Anyhow, the first half of the movie was rather boring and there aren’t any classic quotes or funny lines.
It breaks my heart to say this, but Matt and Trey finally fucked up. Team America was way overrated and created too much hype before the actual release. Well I guess we should just put our hopes on the second half of South Park season 8.
Men and Shopping
I like shopping, that's a quite a rare thing for a straight man. I don’t mind walking around the shopping mall with nothing particular in mind, just looking around and checking out stuff to see if there’s anything I like or worth buying. But I really have a problem with shopping with girls, because it is such a long and painful process for a girl to choose a shirt, try different sizes, different colours, compare prices, try again, compare discounted price, try again, and finally pay.
Most men, including myself, have a very short shopping time span. We see, we try, and we buy. That’s all there is to it. But girls are different; they walk into a shop, choose 4 items of clothing (or whatever the maximum number is), go into the fitting room, and put it on one by one, walk out from the fitting room and ask their boy friend/female friend the same questions over and over again. “Do you like it?” “Does it match my shoe?” “Do you think it’s too low?” and the ultimate must-ask-question, “Do I look fat in this?” After the Q&A section, they will check the price, and put back those which are too expensive. If you check the price tag before going into the fitting room, wouldn’t it save lots of OUR time? The answer I got from girls was “Even if I can’t afford it doesn’t mean I can’t try it”, that is something I can never understand, just like I can’t understand how women are able to put hot boiling wax on their legs, but are still scared of spiders.
However, being a person with lots of patience, and lots of training from dating shopping freaks, I kind of got used to waiting, and pretending to be interested in what the girls are trying on in the fitting rooms. I learnt that there are a few taboo words that you can’t say while commenting on the stuff that she’s wearing. “Fat” is a big no no, others like “I thought you have something similar to this” or “I don’t think this colour suits you” are equally bad. Seriously guys, if you wanna see her taking off those clothes in front of you then you better be extra careful on the words you use. “Not bad”, “Nice” or “I like that one better” will make your life much easier.
I noticed that half of the ladies’ designers boutiques don’t even have a place for men. I mean if you go to those teen brands like Topshop or Mambo, at least they provide entertainment for the guys like Playstation2 or foosball, some even provide big screen plasma T.Vs with music videos to keep the guys occupied. But if you walk into higher price ranged shops like Salvatore Ferragamo or Burberry, the only place for men is the empty corner of the shop (near the store room), or in front of the counter if you are paying the bill. I went shopping with Steph yesterday at Melbourne Bourke Street’s Myer, and it was such a bad shopping place for men. They have the entire guy’s stuff in one building and the girls stuff across the road at the other building. So we browsed through the men’s section within 40 minutes (including the time for Steph to buy some sports wear at the sports section), and then went into the female department. While Steph was enjoying her time looking around, I sat in a corner where all the other husbands/boyfriends were waiting (in the shoe section – where women sit to try on shoes). It was like a gathering place for all the male customers and you can see that everyone’s facial expression is like “let’s get the fuck out from here”. Hire some strippers and put some poles there for goodness sake. Lucky for me Steph was pretty quick.
My personal finest shopping experience with girls was at Oroton’s boutique last year. While EJ was looking around and trying out stuff, I was sitting on their comfy couch, enjoying their treats of champagne and snacks, and the sales girl brought me men’s magazines and constantly asked me if I needed anything. Well, the reason for them to treat me as a VIP was because EJ bought a hand bag with a 4 digit price tag and they thought I paid for it (as if). I guess only rich people are able to enjoy comfortable shopping.
I like shopping, that's a quite a rare thing for a straight man. I don’t mind walking around the shopping mall with nothing particular in mind, just looking around and checking out stuff to see if there’s anything I like or worth buying. But I really have a problem with shopping with girls, because it is such a long and painful process for a girl to choose a shirt, try different sizes, different colours, compare prices, try again, compare discounted price, try again, and finally pay.
Most men, including myself, have a very short shopping time span. We see, we try, and we buy. That’s all there is to it. But girls are different; they walk into a shop, choose 4 items of clothing (or whatever the maximum number is), go into the fitting room, and put it on one by one, walk out from the fitting room and ask their boy friend/female friend the same questions over and over again. “Do you like it?” “Does it match my shoe?” “Do you think it’s too low?” and the ultimate must-ask-question, “Do I look fat in this?” After the Q&A section, they will check the price, and put back those which are too expensive. If you check the price tag before going into the fitting room, wouldn’t it save lots of OUR time? The answer I got from girls was “Even if I can’t afford it doesn’t mean I can’t try it”, that is something I can never understand, just like I can’t understand how women are able to put hot boiling wax on their legs, but are still scared of spiders.
However, being a person with lots of patience, and lots of training from dating shopping freaks, I kind of got used to waiting, and pretending to be interested in what the girls are trying on in the fitting rooms. I learnt that there are a few taboo words that you can’t say while commenting on the stuff that she’s wearing. “Fat” is a big no no, others like “I thought you have something similar to this” or “I don’t think this colour suits you” are equally bad. Seriously guys, if you wanna see her taking off those clothes in front of you then you better be extra careful on the words you use. “Not bad”, “Nice” or “I like that one better” will make your life much easier.
I noticed that half of the ladies’ designers boutiques don’t even have a place for men. I mean if you go to those teen brands like Topshop or Mambo, at least they provide entertainment for the guys like Playstation2 or foosball, some even provide big screen plasma T.Vs with music videos to keep the guys occupied. But if you walk into higher price ranged shops like Salvatore Ferragamo or Burberry, the only place for men is the empty corner of the shop (near the store room), or in front of the counter if you are paying the bill. I went shopping with Steph yesterday at Melbourne Bourke Street’s Myer, and it was such a bad shopping place for men. They have the entire guy’s stuff in one building and the girls stuff across the road at the other building. So we browsed through the men’s section within 40 minutes (including the time for Steph to buy some sports wear at the sports section), and then went into the female department. While Steph was enjoying her time looking around, I sat in a corner where all the other husbands/boyfriends were waiting (in the shoe section – where women sit to try on shoes). It was like a gathering place for all the male customers and you can see that everyone’s facial expression is like “let’s get the fuck out from here”. Hire some strippers and put some poles there for goodness sake. Lucky for me Steph was pretty quick.
My personal finest shopping experience with girls was at Oroton’s boutique last year. While EJ was looking around and trying out stuff, I was sitting on their comfy couch, enjoying their treats of champagne and snacks, and the sales girl brought me men’s magazines and constantly asked me if I needed anything. Well, the reason for them to treat me as a VIP was because EJ bought a hand bag with a 4 digit price tag and they thought I paid for it (as if). I guess only rich people are able to enjoy comfortable shopping.
Men and Shopping
I like shopping, that's a quite a rare thing for a straight man. I don’t mind walking around the shopping mall with nothing particular in mind, just looking around and checking out stuff to see if there’s anything I like or worth buying. But I really have a problem with shopping with girls, because it is such a long and painful process for a girl to choose a shirt, try different sizes, different colours, compare prices, try again, compare discounted price, try again, and finally pay.
Most men, including myself, have a very short shopping time span. We see, we try, and we buy. That’s all there is to it. But girls are different; they walk into a shop, choose 4 items of clothing (or whatever the maximum number is), go into the fitting room, and put it on one by one, walk out from the fitting room and ask their boy friend/female friend the same questions over and over again. “Do you like it?” “Does it match my shoe?” “Do you think it’s too low?” and the ultimate must-ask-question, “Do I look fat in this?” After the Q&A section, they will check the price, and put back those which are too expensive. If you check the price tag before going into the fitting room, wouldn’t it save lots of OUR time? The answer I got from girls was “Even if I can’t afford it doesn’t mean I can’t try it”, that is something I can never understand, just like I can’t understand how women are able to put hot boiling wax on their legs, but are still scared of spiders.
However, being a person with lots of patience, and lots of training from dating shopping freaks, I kind of got used to waiting, and pretending to be interested in what the girls are trying on in the fitting rooms. I learnt that there are a few taboo words that you can’t say while commenting on the stuff that she’s wearing. “Fat” is a big no no, others like “I thought you have something similar to this” or “I don’t think this colour suits you” are equally bad. Seriously guys, if you wanna see her taking off those clothes in front of you then you better be extra careful on the words you use. “Not bad”, “Nice” or “I like that one better” will make your life much easier.
I noticed that half of the ladies’ designers boutiques don’t even have a place for men. I mean if you go to those teen brands like Topshop or Mambo, at least they provide entertainment for the guys like Playstation2 or foosball, some even provide big screen plasma T.Vs with music videos to keep the guys occupied. But if you walk into higher price ranged shops like Salvatore Ferragamo or Burberry, the only place for men is the empty corner of the shop (near the store room), or in front of the counter if you are paying the bill. I went shopping with Steph yesterday at Melbourne Bourke Street’s Myer, and it was such a bad shopping place for men. They have the entire guy’s stuff in one building and the girls stuff across the road at the other building. So we browsed through the men’s section within 40 minutes (including the time for Steph to buy some sports wear at the sports section), and then went into the female department. While Steph was enjoying her time looking around, I sat in a corner where all the other husbands/boyfriends were waiting (in the shoe section – where women sit to try on shoes). It was like a gathering place for all the male customers and you can see that everyone’s facial expression is like “let’s get the fuck out from here”. Hire some strippers and put some poles there for goodness sake. Lucky for me Steph was pretty quick.
My personal finest shopping experience with girls was at Oroton’s boutique last year. While EJ was looking around and trying out stuff, I was sitting on their comfy couch, enjoying their treats of champagne and snacks, and the sales girl brought me men’s magazines and constantly asked me if I needed anything. Well, the reason for them to treat me as a VIP was because EJ bought a hand bag with a 4 digit price tag and they thought I paid for it (as if). I guess only rich people are able to enjoy comfortable shopping.
I like shopping, that's a quite a rare thing for a straight man. I don’t mind walking around the shopping mall with nothing particular in mind, just looking around and checking out stuff to see if there’s anything I like or worth buying. But I really have a problem with shopping with girls, because it is such a long and painful process for a girl to choose a shirt, try different sizes, different colours, compare prices, try again, compare discounted price, try again, and finally pay.
Most men, including myself, have a very short shopping time span. We see, we try, and we buy. That’s all there is to it. But girls are different; they walk into a shop, choose 4 items of clothing (or whatever the maximum number is), go into the fitting room, and put it on one by one, walk out from the fitting room and ask their boy friend/female friend the same questions over and over again. “Do you like it?” “Does it match my shoe?” “Do you think it’s too low?” and the ultimate must-ask-question, “Do I look fat in this?” After the Q&A section, they will check the price, and put back those which are too expensive. If you check the price tag before going into the fitting room, wouldn’t it save lots of OUR time? The answer I got from girls was “Even if I can’t afford it doesn’t mean I can’t try it”, that is something I can never understand, just like I can’t understand how women are able to put hot boiling wax on their legs, but are still scared of spiders.
However, being a person with lots of patience, and lots of training from dating shopping freaks, I kind of got used to waiting, and pretending to be interested in what the girls are trying on in the fitting rooms. I learnt that there are a few taboo words that you can’t say while commenting on the stuff that she’s wearing. “Fat” is a big no no, others like “I thought you have something similar to this” or “I don’t think this colour suits you” are equally bad. Seriously guys, if you wanna see her taking off those clothes in front of you then you better be extra careful on the words you use. “Not bad”, “Nice” or “I like that one better” will make your life much easier.
I noticed that half of the ladies’ designers boutiques don’t even have a place for men. I mean if you go to those teen brands like Topshop or Mambo, at least they provide entertainment for the guys like Playstation2 or foosball, some even provide big screen plasma T.Vs with music videos to keep the guys occupied. But if you walk into higher price ranged shops like Salvatore Ferragamo or Burberry, the only place for men is the empty corner of the shop (near the store room), or in front of the counter if you are paying the bill. I went shopping with Steph yesterday at Melbourne Bourke Street’s Myer, and it was such a bad shopping place for men. They have the entire guy’s stuff in one building and the girls stuff across the road at the other building. So we browsed through the men’s section within 40 minutes (including the time for Steph to buy some sports wear at the sports section), and then went into the female department. While Steph was enjoying her time looking around, I sat in a corner where all the other husbands/boyfriends were waiting (in the shoe section – where women sit to try on shoes). It was like a gathering place for all the male customers and you can see that everyone’s facial expression is like “let’s get the fuck out from here”. Hire some strippers and put some poles there for goodness sake. Lucky for me Steph was pretty quick.
My personal finest shopping experience with girls was at Oroton’s boutique last year. While EJ was looking around and trying out stuff, I was sitting on their comfy couch, enjoying their treats of champagne and snacks, and the sales girl brought me men’s magazines and constantly asked me if I needed anything. Well, the reason for them to treat me as a VIP was because EJ bought a hand bag with a 4 digit price tag and they thought I paid for it (as if). I guess only rich people are able to enjoy comfortable shopping.
"Anwar" is free!
Read BolehTalk's "Terima Kasih from Anwar"
I know most of you guys don't really care about him, but it is indeed good news for the internet community. I received an email from Mr. X yesterday telling me that "Anwar" is free and will not face any charges from the authorities. The man has apologized for his carelessness and insensitivity, and expressed his gratitude to the public for being able to forgive what he did.
It is sad to see that everybody supported Jeff Ooi but nobody gives a damn about “Anwar”, clearly he is just a victim who was at the wrong place at the wrong time (well maybe doing the wrong thing) and was involved in the clash between ScreenShots.com and Jalan Riong. I understand that some of you guys hated him for discriminating against your religion, but clearly his statement was merely attacking the current government instead of the religion itself. According to Mr. X, some Chinese readers even said that “Why help him, let the Malays fight the Malays”, what kind of childish thinking is that? What kind of freedom of speech are we looking for?
Anyway, the case is closed now and I am glad that the whole thing is over. Congrats to “Anwar” and bravo to Mr. X for doing what the other hypocrites didn’t do, by helping “Anwar” getting through all these troubles. Bulan Ramadhan is indeed a holy month of tolerance, love and forgiveness.
Read BolehTalk's "Terima Kasih from Anwar"
I know most of you guys don't really care about him, but it is indeed good news for the internet community. I received an email from Mr. X yesterday telling me that "Anwar" is free and will not face any charges from the authorities. The man has apologized for his carelessness and insensitivity, and expressed his gratitude to the public for being able to forgive what he did.
It is sad to see that everybody supported Jeff Ooi but nobody gives a damn about “Anwar”, clearly he is just a victim who was at the wrong place at the wrong time (well maybe doing the wrong thing) and was involved in the clash between ScreenShots.com and Jalan Riong. I understand that some of you guys hated him for discriminating against your religion, but clearly his statement was merely attacking the current government instead of the religion itself. According to Mr. X, some Chinese readers even said that “Why help him, let the Malays fight the Malays”, what kind of childish thinking is that? What kind of freedom of speech are we looking for?
Anyway, the case is closed now and I am glad that the whole thing is over. Congrats to “Anwar” and bravo to Mr. X for doing what the other hypocrites didn’t do, by helping “Anwar” getting through all these troubles. Bulan Ramadhan is indeed a holy month of tolerance, love and forgiveness.
A few South Park Quotes
Cartman : It's really easy to write a Christian song. Just take a regular love song, and replace the world "Darling" or "Baby" with the word "Jesus".
Cartman: It's a man's obligation to stick his boneration in a women's separation; this sort of penetration will increase the population of the younger generation.
Terrance: I have good news and bad news for you. The good news is that you're perfectly healthy. The bad news is that you have cancer.
Chef: Don't do drugs kids. There is a time and place for everything. It's called college.
Doctor: "Vaginitis occurs when a person stop eating meat and become a vegetarian. Those sores on his skin were actually small vaginas. If we hadn't stop it in time, Stan would have eventually become one big giant pussy.
Cartman: Hippies.They're everywhere. They wanna save the earth, but all they do is smoke pot and smell bad.
Mr. Garrison: Who was in charge of the feminist movement of the early '60's?Cartman: A bunch of fat old skanks on their periods.Mr. Garrison: Right. But who was the fattest, oldest skank on her period?
Mr. Garrison: No, that's wrong, Cartman. But don't worry. There are no stupid answers, just stupid peopl
Cartman : It's really easy to write a Christian song. Just take a regular love song, and replace the world "Darling" or "Baby" with the word "Jesus".
Cartman: It's a man's obligation to stick his boneration in a women's separation; this sort of penetration will increase the population of the younger generation.
Terrance: I have good news and bad news for you. The good news is that you're perfectly healthy. The bad news is that you have cancer.
Chef: Don't do drugs kids. There is a time and place for everything. It's called college.
Doctor: "Vaginitis occurs when a person stop eating meat and become a vegetarian. Those sores on his skin were actually small vaginas. If we hadn't stop it in time, Stan would have eventually become one big giant pussy.
Cartman: Hippies.They're everywhere. They wanna save the earth, but all they do is smoke pot and smell bad.
Mr. Garrison: Who was in charge of the feminist movement of the early '60's?Cartman: A bunch of fat old skanks on their periods.Mr. Garrison: Right. But who was the fattest, oldest skank on her period?
Mr. Garrison: No, that's wrong, Cartman. But don't worry. There are no stupid answers, just stupid peopl
Malaysian Education System
Another exam question leaking incident made it to the headlines, and made me re-evaluate the Malaysian education system. If my memory serves me right, back in my secondary school days, some of my friends had some "last minute exam tips" from their tutors a few hours before the exam. Other cases were such as the science laboratory practical exams where the school teachers checked the equipment and items that they had to prepare, and predicted the exam question. These cases are not new issues to most of the students but somehow the society only started to show their concern after the major incident concerning the UPSR question that happened a few months ago. The government seems to be aware of the situation and implemented a stricter system, including heavy fines and punishments to those who leaked the exam questions. Is that the best solution for this matter? Checking on the Malaysian education department is like opening a can of worms, question leaking is just a small fragment of the whole issue. Plagiarism, exam cheatings, bad teaching material, and other bad things do exist in the nation education’s system, but the situation is so awful that most people just gave up hope in it.
The root of them problem is that we are using the wrong teaching methods. Have a look at the primary or secondary school exam papers; you will understand that students are not required to think, but rather to memorize the whole textbook in order to get a good grade. Example:
Textbook: Timothy delivered the letters by using a carExam question: How did Timothy deliver the letters?
If the question was “Why did Timothy deliver the letters by using car, is there any other better way?” that would encourage the student to think, and question leaking wouldn’t be an issue because the student can only find the answer from their brain. And this kind of problem exists in science subjects such as mathematics and physics, which is bad because what the student learnt, is not useful knowledge, but rather just a line of meaningless sentence. How do you expect the younger generation to contribute to society if all they manage to do is to memorize others’ solutions and not being creative? Perhaps this is why plagiarism is so common among Malaysian students in foreign universities because they don’t have the ability to produce their own answer, and using the solution of others’ seems like a perfect option. I have seen so many Malaysian students (including myself) struggle in colleges or university because of the totally different system. Instead of looking for the answer in notes or textbooks, we have to come up with our own solution; instead of waiting for the lecturer or tutor to tell us what to read, we have to look for the suitable material ourselves. I don’t know what the situation in Malaysian local universities is, but I have been to one of my friend’s class in TARC (Tunku Abdul Rahman College) and it was just like a secondary school teacher teaching bunch of kids.
The education system is not the only thing to blame. Our society plays a critical role in giving bad edification to the younger ones as well. We seem to accept our country’s neighbor’s kiasu-ism and make it as competitive as possible for the kids. I don’t know about you guys, but I do not want to spend my childhood and teenage years on endless tuition, ridiculous amounts of homework and extra activities such as piano lessons (unless I am interested in it). Parents nowadays just want their kids to do everything, and their children suffer through a life of boring routines, without getting much knowledge out of it. Most of my friends who took piano or ballet lesson in the past told me that they did it only because the parents wanted them to do it, just so they can show off in front of their adult friends. Go to any Chinese school open day you will meet some parents who are only interested in your kids’ school results.
Most of the children who grew up in this environment end up to be an indecisive person, and tend to be very dependant on their parents. You can see that most of the Malaysian students who went overseas for studies started complaining about their daily life. A lot of them who can’t take care of themselves, have no idea what they are doing, and are unable to make up their minds. The same situation goes to the younger ones back in Malaysia. What is the most common thing to do during the holidays? Spend a day in the shopping mall. What is the common thing to do at night? Having a drink at the “Mamak”. I am not saying that you can’t relax after so much school work, but if your kids’ hobby is to walk around aimlessly in the shopping mall then you really have a problem. I don’t blame teenagers for behaving this way because seriously, what is there to do? I know a lot of teenagers love to play snooker, skate board, or play music instruments (these are the popular activities among K.L boys). Sadly, the snooker centres in Malaysia are filled with gangsters and cigarette smells, and they closed down the only skate park so the only place to show off your tricks is in the back alleys. The government does not encourage rock and roll or jazz music because it is a symbol of western culture invasion. Parents don’t support all these sorts of activities because school work is “larger than life”. How many major national exams are there from primary school till the end of high school? 5? 6?
The effects of the bad education system have already taken place in our society. Most of us are unable to think or make a decision for ourselves that we just blindly follow what others say or do. Don’t believe me? How many times that you have been in a situation where 4 people are in a car and can’t decide where to go for lunch? “Anything la” seems to be the most common answer when you give a Malaysian a choice. Worst of all, we believe everything we read and listen to and never show our doubts on those news. Call me paranoid but I’d rather spend more time looking at things from a different angle and come up with my own opinion. Changing the education system is not something we can do, but if you have kids, you might want to listen to what they have to say and encourage them to be creative.
Another exam question leaking incident made it to the headlines, and made me re-evaluate the Malaysian education system. If my memory serves me right, back in my secondary school days, some of my friends had some "last minute exam tips" from their tutors a few hours before the exam. Other cases were such as the science laboratory practical exams where the school teachers checked the equipment and items that they had to prepare, and predicted the exam question. These cases are not new issues to most of the students but somehow the society only started to show their concern after the major incident concerning the UPSR question that happened a few months ago. The government seems to be aware of the situation and implemented a stricter system, including heavy fines and punishments to those who leaked the exam questions. Is that the best solution for this matter? Checking on the Malaysian education department is like opening a can of worms, question leaking is just a small fragment of the whole issue. Plagiarism, exam cheatings, bad teaching material, and other bad things do exist in the nation education’s system, but the situation is so awful that most people just gave up hope in it.
The root of them problem is that we are using the wrong teaching methods. Have a look at the primary or secondary school exam papers; you will understand that students are not required to think, but rather to memorize the whole textbook in order to get a good grade. Example:
Textbook: Timothy delivered the letters by using a carExam question: How did Timothy deliver the letters?
If the question was “Why did Timothy deliver the letters by using car, is there any other better way?” that would encourage the student to think, and question leaking wouldn’t be an issue because the student can only find the answer from their brain. And this kind of problem exists in science subjects such as mathematics and physics, which is bad because what the student learnt, is not useful knowledge, but rather just a line of meaningless sentence. How do you expect the younger generation to contribute to society if all they manage to do is to memorize others’ solutions and not being creative? Perhaps this is why plagiarism is so common among Malaysian students in foreign universities because they don’t have the ability to produce their own answer, and using the solution of others’ seems like a perfect option. I have seen so many Malaysian students (including myself) struggle in colleges or university because of the totally different system. Instead of looking for the answer in notes or textbooks, we have to come up with our own solution; instead of waiting for the lecturer or tutor to tell us what to read, we have to look for the suitable material ourselves. I don’t know what the situation in Malaysian local universities is, but I have been to one of my friend’s class in TARC (Tunku Abdul Rahman College) and it was just like a secondary school teacher teaching bunch of kids.
The education system is not the only thing to blame. Our society plays a critical role in giving bad edification to the younger ones as well. We seem to accept our country’s neighbor’s kiasu-ism and make it as competitive as possible for the kids. I don’t know about you guys, but I do not want to spend my childhood and teenage years on endless tuition, ridiculous amounts of homework and extra activities such as piano lessons (unless I am interested in it). Parents nowadays just want their kids to do everything, and their children suffer through a life of boring routines, without getting much knowledge out of it. Most of my friends who took piano or ballet lesson in the past told me that they did it only because the parents wanted them to do it, just so they can show off in front of their adult friends. Go to any Chinese school open day you will meet some parents who are only interested in your kids’ school results.
Most of the children who grew up in this environment end up to be an indecisive person, and tend to be very dependant on their parents. You can see that most of the Malaysian students who went overseas for studies started complaining about their daily life. A lot of them who can’t take care of themselves, have no idea what they are doing, and are unable to make up their minds. The same situation goes to the younger ones back in Malaysia. What is the most common thing to do during the holidays? Spend a day in the shopping mall. What is the common thing to do at night? Having a drink at the “Mamak”. I am not saying that you can’t relax after so much school work, but if your kids’ hobby is to walk around aimlessly in the shopping mall then you really have a problem. I don’t blame teenagers for behaving this way because seriously, what is there to do? I know a lot of teenagers love to play snooker, skate board, or play music instruments (these are the popular activities among K.L boys). Sadly, the snooker centres in Malaysia are filled with gangsters and cigarette smells, and they closed down the only skate park so the only place to show off your tricks is in the back alleys. The government does not encourage rock and roll or jazz music because it is a symbol of western culture invasion. Parents don’t support all these sorts of activities because school work is “larger than life”. How many major national exams are there from primary school till the end of high school? 5? 6?
The effects of the bad education system have already taken place in our society. Most of us are unable to think or make a decision for ourselves that we just blindly follow what others say or do. Don’t believe me? How many times that you have been in a situation where 4 people are in a car and can’t decide where to go for lunch? “Anything la” seems to be the most common answer when you give a Malaysian a choice. Worst of all, we believe everything we read and listen to and never show our doubts on those news. Call me paranoid but I’d rather spend more time looking at things from a different angle and come up with my own opinion. Changing the education system is not something we can do, but if you have kids, you might want to listen to what they have to say and encourage them to be creative.
Malaysian Whining Attitude
Another post related to someone else's entry. Just read this article from Jordan's Malaysia's Two Solitudes, and I really do think all the Malaysians, especially the younger generation, should have a look at it. Jordan Macvay is a "Mat Salleh" Muslim from Rawang, Selangor, and a lecturer in International Islamic University Malaysia (updates: wrong, manager of a small language school, read comments). Jordan's article is one of the more reasonable and rational entries on the subject of Malaysia's racial issues.
One thing I do notice about the Malaysians (including myself), is that we love to whine. Nothing seems to be good enough for us, we moan about every single thing. In normal circumstances, complaining is not a bad thing, because criticizing does produce improvement. Not in our Malaysian’s case though. Just as Jordan said, we do not compromise each other; we bitch and nag, seldom provide any suggestion or action to develop the situation, yet we hope for a better tomorrow. Sadly, that culture is rooted in our younger generation as well. As an international student in Australia, I have seen far too many Malaysian students (here in Melbourne) nitpicking on every single thing whenever they encounter a problem. It amazes me how they (we) can find a scapegoat or a party to blame for each dilemma. The Malays will be condemning the food (non-halal), and the Chinese become all argumentative on financial issues (university’s fees, high currency etc). Sometimes I wonder why these people (no offence, especially those exchange students from Malaysia local university) came abroad to study in Australia if they dislike everything and anything here. I understand that there are problems such as hard to get along with Aussies because of the cultural differences, or café/restaurants normally close early (unlike the 24-7 systems in Malaysia), but I guess those are not the reasons to lock yourself up in your room eating instant food everyday. Yet the best solution you can come up with is bitching about how miserable your life is in a cyber chat room. I have seen people, who live with these troubles, and yet still enjoy their life in Melbourne (both Malays and Chinese).
Back to Malaysia’s local scene, I left Malaysia at end of 2002, and I was studying in Monash, Sunway. I went to Chinese primary and secondary school, but did my sixth form years in a Malay High School. Chinese primary school was a nightmare; you worked your ass off and get canned like 100 times a day, no playing after class because of tuitions and home work, all these just to get into the top class in a top school. The parents and teacher weren’t helping at all, they constantly reminded us how limited our chances were, and if we didn’t work hard, we were going to end up with nothing. The Chinese school’s system (both primary and secondary) were designed to make the student understand that if they are not within the top 20%, they are just losers (which is why we have the best class and worst class bullshits). In these situations, many of my secondary Chinese school friends (especially those from working class family) have strong discriminations against Malays with the idea that they are ripping off our chances. Then I went on to a Malay High School for my Form Six (I was in science stream), most of the Malay student actually hated us (the Chinese) for 2 reasons. First is the jealousy on how we performed much better in Mathematical or calculation subjects, and secondly is how we Chinese performed better and looked at them like bunch of losers. Then STPM is over and we all got our results. I got offered for a course that wasn’t my first choice (Bachelor of Science, and I wanted Bachelor of Computer science) in University Putra Malaysia, which I then rejected it and decided to further my studies in Monash University. Some of my other friends who didn’t have the luxury to enroll in a private education institution (because of the expensive fees) had no choice but to take the offer in local university, with or without their originally intended course. I don’t blame them for bitching about their difficulties and how unfair their situation is, but from time to time, I do question myself, are Malaysian Chinese really browbeaten? Well sure there can be much more enhancement for our citizen’s right, but at least we are in a much better situation than the Indonesian Chinese, at least we are still maintaining our own culture, speaking our own language and passing down our heritage to the younger generation.
Maybe you might think I am not the right person to comment on this issue because my daddy and mummy have the cash, but I guess sometimes we do have to look at ourselves before pointing fingers at others. Most importantly, suggest on something constructive. Comments and criticisms are for the purpose of improvement, rather than just for the sake of whining.
Another post related to someone else's entry. Just read this article from Jordan's Malaysia's Two Solitudes, and I really do think all the Malaysians, especially the younger generation, should have a look at it. Jordan Macvay is a "Mat Salleh" Muslim from Rawang, Selangor, and a lecturer in International Islamic University Malaysia (updates: wrong, manager of a small language school, read comments). Jordan's article is one of the more reasonable and rational entries on the subject of Malaysia's racial issues.
One thing I do notice about the Malaysians (including myself), is that we love to whine. Nothing seems to be good enough for us, we moan about every single thing. In normal circumstances, complaining is not a bad thing, because criticizing does produce improvement. Not in our Malaysian’s case though. Just as Jordan said, we do not compromise each other; we bitch and nag, seldom provide any suggestion or action to develop the situation, yet we hope for a better tomorrow. Sadly, that culture is rooted in our younger generation as well. As an international student in Australia, I have seen far too many Malaysian students (here in Melbourne) nitpicking on every single thing whenever they encounter a problem. It amazes me how they (we) can find a scapegoat or a party to blame for each dilemma. The Malays will be condemning the food (non-halal), and the Chinese become all argumentative on financial issues (university’s fees, high currency etc). Sometimes I wonder why these people (no offence, especially those exchange students from Malaysia local university) came abroad to study in Australia if they dislike everything and anything here. I understand that there are problems such as hard to get along with Aussies because of the cultural differences, or café/restaurants normally close early (unlike the 24-7 systems in Malaysia), but I guess those are not the reasons to lock yourself up in your room eating instant food everyday. Yet the best solution you can come up with is bitching about how miserable your life is in a cyber chat room. I have seen people, who live with these troubles, and yet still enjoy their life in Melbourne (both Malays and Chinese).
Back to Malaysia’s local scene, I left Malaysia at end of 2002, and I was studying in Monash, Sunway. I went to Chinese primary and secondary school, but did my sixth form years in a Malay High School. Chinese primary school was a nightmare; you worked your ass off and get canned like 100 times a day, no playing after class because of tuitions and home work, all these just to get into the top class in a top school. The parents and teacher weren’t helping at all, they constantly reminded us how limited our chances were, and if we didn’t work hard, we were going to end up with nothing. The Chinese school’s system (both primary and secondary) were designed to make the student understand that if they are not within the top 20%, they are just losers (which is why we have the best class and worst class bullshits). In these situations, many of my secondary Chinese school friends (especially those from working class family) have strong discriminations against Malays with the idea that they are ripping off our chances. Then I went on to a Malay High School for my Form Six (I was in science stream), most of the Malay student actually hated us (the Chinese) for 2 reasons. First is the jealousy on how we performed much better in Mathematical or calculation subjects, and secondly is how we Chinese performed better and looked at them like bunch of losers. Then STPM is over and we all got our results. I got offered for a course that wasn’t my first choice (Bachelor of Science, and I wanted Bachelor of Computer science) in University Putra Malaysia, which I then rejected it and decided to further my studies in Monash University. Some of my other friends who didn’t have the luxury to enroll in a private education institution (because of the expensive fees) had no choice but to take the offer in local university, with or without their originally intended course. I don’t blame them for bitching about their difficulties and how unfair their situation is, but from time to time, I do question myself, are Malaysian Chinese really browbeaten? Well sure there can be much more enhancement for our citizen’s right, but at least we are in a much better situation than the Indonesian Chinese, at least we are still maintaining our own culture, speaking our own language and passing down our heritage to the younger generation.
Maybe you might think I am not the right person to comment on this issue because my daddy and mummy have the cash, but I guess sometimes we do have to look at ourselves before pointing fingers at others. Most importantly, suggest on something constructive. Comments and criticisms are for the purpose of improvement, rather than just for the sake of whining.
Why should I go back to Malaysia? Part 2
I didn't expect the vast readers' response from the first post, and it is hard to write a reply for each and everyone, so I might as well post up another entry to clear up a few points, as well as linking some related articles.
First of all, I wanted to stay back overseas, but I am not encouraging all Malaysians to do the same, and running propagandas about Malaysia sucks. I said it before and I will say it again, it's a personal preference. I have seen so many people give up their PR status and go back to Malaysia because of various reasons. Like many of you have said, Malaysia is where you call home. Unlike some of my friends, I have enjoyed (and still am) my time here in Melbourne. I can get used to the life and weather here, and I didn’t (or haven’t) felt mistreated or discriminated.
Secondly, according to Tomatoinc, "the primary reason given by the 'emigrators' is that foreign countries provide them with equal opportunities in education, employment and chances to get rich.", and from my first post it seems like I agree with that proclamation. However, I really do think that people do not want to work in Malaysia not because they don’t earn enough, but rather because they feel mistreated, or not appreciated by the government. I wrote an entry about "The agony of Malaysian athlete" quite sometime ago, and mentioned that the Malaysian government does not give a damn about a person until he/she becomes successful or famous. When a country doesn’t provide help and support to those who need it, why would those people want to go back and contribute to the society? The post in Hustler’s diaries says it all.
My STPM results were pretty average, 2 Bs and 2 Cs for the science stream. UM rejected my application for the course of computer science, but they offered me Environmental Science in UNIMAS. I was one of those lucky ones who can afford to spend my parents’ money to study overseas. Some of my other friends who scored 3 As and 1 B didn’t get the course they wanted as well, but do not have the luxury of rejecting it to study in a private college. Another friend of mine scored 4 As but failed to receive any offer for a Medical course from any local university. But then he received an overseas scholarship and went abroad. I met him when I was back in Malaysia last Chinese New Year, and asked him if he was coming back to Malaysia. He said “to work for these [censored], are you kidding me?” There are a lot more similar stories from all the middle class Malaysian Chinese and Indians, so many of them that we give up questioning our rights of being a Malaysian.
There are many more issues that made me decide to stay back in Australia, like my future kids, culture, society’s attitude and etc. But let's just say I prefer to stay in this OZ land and ignore my "duty" back in Malaysia because I feel no obligations towards it. As for other overseas students, make your own decision, because no one else should decide your future other than yourself.
Related Links:Tomatoinc - Why do oversea students don't go back to Malaysia?Hustler Diaries - Is Discrimination approved by GOD?
I didn't expect the vast readers' response from the first post, and it is hard to write a reply for each and everyone, so I might as well post up another entry to clear up a few points, as well as linking some related articles.
First of all, I wanted to stay back overseas, but I am not encouraging all Malaysians to do the same, and running propagandas about Malaysia sucks. I said it before and I will say it again, it's a personal preference. I have seen so many people give up their PR status and go back to Malaysia because of various reasons. Like many of you have said, Malaysia is where you call home. Unlike some of my friends, I have enjoyed (and still am) my time here in Melbourne. I can get used to the life and weather here, and I didn’t (or haven’t) felt mistreated or discriminated.
Secondly, according to Tomatoinc, "the primary reason given by the 'emigrators' is that foreign countries provide them with equal opportunities in education, employment and chances to get rich.", and from my first post it seems like I agree with that proclamation. However, I really do think that people do not want to work in Malaysia not because they don’t earn enough, but rather because they feel mistreated, or not appreciated by the government. I wrote an entry about "The agony of Malaysian athlete" quite sometime ago, and mentioned that the Malaysian government does not give a damn about a person until he/she becomes successful or famous. When a country doesn’t provide help and support to those who need it, why would those people want to go back and contribute to the society? The post in Hustler’s diaries says it all.
My STPM results were pretty average, 2 Bs and 2 Cs for the science stream. UM rejected my application for the course of computer science, but they offered me Environmental Science in UNIMAS. I was one of those lucky ones who can afford to spend my parents’ money to study overseas. Some of my other friends who scored 3 As and 1 B didn’t get the course they wanted as well, but do not have the luxury of rejecting it to study in a private college. Another friend of mine scored 4 As but failed to receive any offer for a Medical course from any local university. But then he received an overseas scholarship and went abroad. I met him when I was back in Malaysia last Chinese New Year, and asked him if he was coming back to Malaysia. He said “to work for these [censored], are you kidding me?” There are a lot more similar stories from all the middle class Malaysian Chinese and Indians, so many of them that we give up questioning our rights of being a Malaysian.
There are many more issues that made me decide to stay back in Australia, like my future kids, culture, society’s attitude and etc. But let's just say I prefer to stay in this OZ land and ignore my "duty" back in Malaysia because I feel no obligations towards it. As for other overseas students, make your own decision, because no one else should decide your future other than yourself.
Related Links:Tomatoinc - Why do oversea students don't go back to Malaysia?Hustler Diaries - Is Discrimination approved by GOD?
Why should I go back to Malaysia?
UPDATED 7th November 2004: I just realized that the article of "Malay rights” is no longer available at that website". Perhaps the author was embarrassed for what he had wrote, or finally understood that the Bumiputra rights are actually damaging the Malay society. Anyhow, I managed to download the article from Google’s cache; you can get it here, and here. As for the author, if you think that nobody should read your work, or feel guilty for what you’ve wrote, please let me know.
Like every other Malaysian student in an overseas university approaching their graduation day, I will have to choose between returning to Malaysia or staying back to apply for an Australian PR (permanent resident). In order to pick the right path and avoid any regrets for the rest of my life, I have been thinking about my future and the consequences of my decision, whichever it is.
What will happen if I go back to Malaysia? After years of pampering myself with the efficient, excellent Australian public services, am I ready to see the face of a Malaysian government office employee? Can I handle the sluggishness of the people working in the public service offices? Just the thought of the long queues in the post office and Immigration office gives me the shivers. What about the traffic on the road? I haven’t been driving much in Australia, but will it be possible for me to get used to the Malaysian traffic jams and vicious motorcyclists? How can I ever forget the roundabout from Hell located in SS15 (in front of Metropolitan College)? Taking public transport is not an option for me in Malaysia, because I refuse to pay money for a service that I know is going to frustrate me. However, these are just some minor issues. Do I really want to go back to a country where the majority of society refuses to create a better living environment? Being a Chinese, I am considered a non-Bumiputra (non Malay) back in Malaysia. That means I have to work twice as hard to compete with my fellow countrymen because I am not the same race as them. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate my Malay friends, but those so called Bumiputra rights have got to go. Instead of helping our Malay friends become more competitive and bridging their financial gap with other races, it actually became crutches for them, making them fragile and unable to survive without these protections. Unfortunately, the majority of Malays refuse to admit that they are weak, and continue to demand for their rights to be maintained forever. Such stupid opinions can be found here.
I understand that staying back in Australia with a PR status will somehow make me a second class citizen in this land of down under. But at least I will have a decent shot at life, or becoming rich. There are no policies such as a certain percentage of housing development must be sold to Australian white citizens (with a discount), or a basket of government mutual funds which are only available to the white Aussies. True, I might face some racists who refuse to accept me as a resident in their country, but most of the strangers I have met are friendly people, who think and act rationally.
There aren’t any major corruption problems and the government policies are designed to help poorer people, instead of certain races only. Each individual is given the freedom of speech to express themselves, and there isn’t any censorship on the media. The people are mature enough to watch a sex scene on the movie screen and not use it as an excuse to commit a sex crime. Don’t start on the “we have a different culture” topic; just admit that you refuse to grow up. It is true that it will be easier for me to get a job back in Malaysia because of my overseas university degree, but do I really want to work my ass off for that little bit of money (average starting pay for a I.T graduate is RM 1,800 to 2k)? I saw an advertisement from an I.T company the other day looking for a Computer Systems manager with a starting pay of RM 1,500. Who in their right mind would want to take a job like that? During my days of being an intern at the Malaysian International Data Corporation (IDC), I noticed that most of the employees liked to stay back in the office till late hours, not for the reason of avoiding the traffic jams, but to show how hardworking they are. The next morning when you walk into the office, they will be like “Oh I am so tired, been staying in the office whole night to finish this document”, but the fact is they were just surfing on the internet and didn’t get anything done at all.
In fact, the only reason for me to go back to Malaysia is my parents. Being the youngest child, I feel like I have the obligation to take care of them in the future (or perhaps bring them over to Australia, if they can get used to the life here). Well, there are other things such as good food, pirated DVDs, having a drink at a Mamak, or settling my speeding ticket with the traffic police who stop me to avoid the trouble of going to the nearest police station (for those who are not from Malaysia, you can bribe the Malaysian traffic police with as low as RM 20, equivalent to $8 aussie dollar.).
Despite the financial comforts that I can get from my parents (like getting a free car and an apartment to stay in K.L), I have decided stay back in Melbourne, Australia. Accuse me for being unpatriotic, but I do prefer a place with a better living and working environment.
UPDATED 7th November 2004: I just realized that the article of "Malay rights” is no longer available at that website". Perhaps the author was embarrassed for what he had wrote, or finally understood that the Bumiputra rights are actually damaging the Malay society. Anyhow, I managed to download the article from Google’s cache; you can get it here, and here. As for the author, if you think that nobody should read your work, or feel guilty for what you’ve wrote, please let me know.
Like every other Malaysian student in an overseas university approaching their graduation day, I will have to choose between returning to Malaysia or staying back to apply for an Australian PR (permanent resident). In order to pick the right path and avoid any regrets for the rest of my life, I have been thinking about my future and the consequences of my decision, whichever it is.
What will happen if I go back to Malaysia? After years of pampering myself with the efficient, excellent Australian public services, am I ready to see the face of a Malaysian government office employee? Can I handle the sluggishness of the people working in the public service offices? Just the thought of the long queues in the post office and Immigration office gives me the shivers. What about the traffic on the road? I haven’t been driving much in Australia, but will it be possible for me to get used to the Malaysian traffic jams and vicious motorcyclists? How can I ever forget the roundabout from Hell located in SS15 (in front of Metropolitan College)? Taking public transport is not an option for me in Malaysia, because I refuse to pay money for a service that I know is going to frustrate me. However, these are just some minor issues. Do I really want to go back to a country where the majority of society refuses to create a better living environment? Being a Chinese, I am considered a non-Bumiputra (non Malay) back in Malaysia. That means I have to work twice as hard to compete with my fellow countrymen because I am not the same race as them. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate my Malay friends, but those so called Bumiputra rights have got to go. Instead of helping our Malay friends become more competitive and bridging their financial gap with other races, it actually became crutches for them, making them fragile and unable to survive without these protections. Unfortunately, the majority of Malays refuse to admit that they are weak, and continue to demand for their rights to be maintained forever. Such stupid opinions can be found here.
I understand that staying back in Australia with a PR status will somehow make me a second class citizen in this land of down under. But at least I will have a decent shot at life, or becoming rich. There are no policies such as a certain percentage of housing development must be sold to Australian white citizens (with a discount), or a basket of government mutual funds which are only available to the white Aussies. True, I might face some racists who refuse to accept me as a resident in their country, but most of the strangers I have met are friendly people, who think and act rationally.
There aren’t any major corruption problems and the government policies are designed to help poorer people, instead of certain races only. Each individual is given the freedom of speech to express themselves, and there isn’t any censorship on the media. The people are mature enough to watch a sex scene on the movie screen and not use it as an excuse to commit a sex crime. Don’t start on the “we have a different culture” topic; just admit that you refuse to grow up. It is true that it will be easier for me to get a job back in Malaysia because of my overseas university degree, but do I really want to work my ass off for that little bit of money (average starting pay for a I.T graduate is RM 1,800 to 2k)? I saw an advertisement from an I.T company the other day looking for a Computer Systems manager with a starting pay of RM 1,500. Who in their right mind would want to take a job like that? During my days of being an intern at the Malaysian International Data Corporation (IDC), I noticed that most of the employees liked to stay back in the office till late hours, not for the reason of avoiding the traffic jams, but to show how hardworking they are. The next morning when you walk into the office, they will be like “Oh I am so tired, been staying in the office whole night to finish this document”, but the fact is they were just surfing on the internet and didn’t get anything done at all.
In fact, the only reason for me to go back to Malaysia is my parents. Being the youngest child, I feel like I have the obligation to take care of them in the future (or perhaps bring them over to Australia, if they can get used to the life here). Well, there are other things such as good food, pirated DVDs, having a drink at a Mamak, or settling my speeding ticket with the traffic police who stop me to avoid the trouble of going to the nearest police station (for those who are not from Malaysia, you can bribe the Malaysian traffic police with as low as RM 20, equivalent to $8 aussie dollar.).
Despite the financial comforts that I can get from my parents (like getting a free car and an apartment to stay in K.L), I have decided stay back in Melbourne, Australia. Accuse me for being unpatriotic, but I do prefer a place with a better living and working environment.
Buy your kids a future, buy Malaysian's?
Ever since I was a kid I always I had the misconception that most of the things I was using were made in Malaysia. Recently, I did some research, and to my surprise most of the familiar brands were NOT Malaysian at all. Turns out, there is only one Malaysian product that I know off, Proton the national car.
MILO (drink): Nestlé’s MILO. Milo has been produced at Nestlé's plant in Smithtown, New South Wales, Australia since its original conception in 1934. It was created that year, after heavy research led by Thomas Mayne. The name derives from the famous Greek athlete Milo of Croton, after his legendary strength. [read more]
BATA (school shoes): Bata Shoes is the world's largest shoe company. It is also the world's largest family-owned company. It is currently headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. The Bata Shoe Company was founded in 1894 in ZlÃn in what is today the Czech Republic but was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire [read more]
LADYBIRD (kid’s clothes):A brand owned by the Woolworth Group. The trading partnership between the original firm Adolf Pasold & Son and Woolworths began in 1934 when the Pasolds family bought the Ladybird brand from Kinger Manufacturing Co in 1938 and it was later bought by Coats Viyella, and then bought by Woolworth. [read more]
NESCAFE (coffee):A combination of 2 words Nestle and Café, obviously not from Malaysia. The beginnings of Nescafé can be traced all the way back to 1930, when the Brazilian government first approached Nestlé. [read more]
DARLIE A.K.A DARKIE (toothpaste)Hong Kong's Hazel & Hawley Chemical Co. would probably still be hawking Darkie toothpaste had the company not been acquired by Colgate. Colgate bought the company in 1985, and then ditched the logo and changed the product's name from Darkie to Darlie after US civil rights groups protested. [read more]
AYAM BRAND (food and beverage)Part of the Denis Frères group, a trading and industrial company established 135 years ago with subsidiaries, affiliate and correspondents across Asia and the Pacific region. [read more]
As I was comparing the products available in Australia and Malaysia's super/hyper markets, I realised that Aussies love their own products. There was this really good slogan, "Buy your kids a job, buy Australia's". So, if we want to buy Malaysia a future, shouldn't we know more about Malaysian brands? Does anyone know which brand is from Malaysia, at all? Tell me!
Ever since I was a kid I always I had the misconception that most of the things I was using were made in Malaysia. Recently, I did some research, and to my surprise most of the familiar brands were NOT Malaysian at all. Turns out, there is only one Malaysian product that I know off, Proton the national car.
MILO (drink): Nestlé’s MILO. Milo has been produced at Nestlé's plant in Smithtown, New South Wales, Australia since its original conception in 1934. It was created that year, after heavy research led by Thomas Mayne. The name derives from the famous Greek athlete Milo of Croton, after his legendary strength. [read more]
BATA (school shoes): Bata Shoes is the world's largest shoe company. It is also the world's largest family-owned company. It is currently headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. The Bata Shoe Company was founded in 1894 in ZlÃn in what is today the Czech Republic but was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire [read more]
LADYBIRD (kid’s clothes):A brand owned by the Woolworth Group. The trading partnership between the original firm Adolf Pasold & Son and Woolworths began in 1934 when the Pasolds family bought the Ladybird brand from Kinger Manufacturing Co in 1938 and it was later bought by Coats Viyella, and then bought by Woolworth. [read more]
NESCAFE (coffee):A combination of 2 words Nestle and Café, obviously not from Malaysia. The beginnings of Nescafé can be traced all the way back to 1930, when the Brazilian government first approached Nestlé. [read more]
DARLIE A.K.A DARKIE (toothpaste)Hong Kong's Hazel & Hawley Chemical Co. would probably still be hawking Darkie toothpaste had the company not been acquired by Colgate. Colgate bought the company in 1985, and then ditched the logo and changed the product's name from Darkie to Darlie after US civil rights groups protested. [read more]
AYAM BRAND (food and beverage)Part of the Denis Frères group, a trading and industrial company established 135 years ago with subsidiaries, affiliate and correspondents across Asia and the Pacific region. [read more]
As I was comparing the products available in Australia and Malaysia's super/hyper markets, I realised that Aussies love their own products. There was this really good slogan, "Buy your kids a job, buy Australia's". So, if we want to buy Malaysia a future, shouldn't we know more about Malaysian brands? Does anyone know which brand is from Malaysia, at all? Tell me!
How to Bribe a Traffic Police (Malaysia)
Disclaimer: The owner of this blog has never bribed any police, nor does he encourage the crime of bribing. Please do not contact the owner of this blog for any consulting on crime activity.
If you have been driving in Malaysia, chances are you have been through the process of bribing a traffic policeman. However, there are cases where you have had a miscommunication with Mr. Traffic Police, and the whole situation became a disaster. Then you ended up paying a 300 dollar fine, or worse, going to jail. But don't worry; this entry will give you a better understanding on "How to Bribe a Traffic Police"
Now imagine you are driving on the road, and a traffic police appears out of no where, and instructs you to stop at the road side. Once you stop, the first thing you do is to remove all the big notes in your wallet, hide it in your socks or underwear or somewhere out of sight. This will prevent the traffic police from asking for a bigger bribe.
As the policeman approaches your car window, give him a big smile and greet him like an old friend. Remember, the conversation part is very important; any mistake here will lead to a disastrous ending. Here is a typical discourse between a driver and a traffic Police.
Mr. Police: Ada I.C dan license? Speed limit 60 km/h tau? Kenapa pandu cepat sangat? You datang dari mana ni?(Do you have a driving license and Identity card? Do you know that the speed limit is 60 km/h? Why did you drive so fast? Where did you come from?)
Driver: (Hand over your I.C and license, and then answer his questions. If you’re very sure that you didn’t exceed the speed limit, ask for evidence, end of story.)
Mr. Police: Okay I tulis you saman ya, exceed speed limit, agak-agak 300 ringgit, bolehkah?(I will write you a speeding ticket, the fine is around 300 Malaysian ringgit, is it okay?)
Okay here is your chance, make sure you do it right.
Driver: Boleh bayar kat sini?(Can I pay the ticket here?)
Now check the look on the traffic police’s face. If he smiles, then you are through, if he has a serious face, then stop fucking around and take the ticket.
Mr Police: Macam mana nak settle?(How do you want to do it?)
This is a time to negotiate the price, and it all depends on how much you have in your wallet, remember the instruction of keeping the big notes out of sight?
Driver: Tak ada banyak lah 20 puluh boleh?(I don’t have much, is 20 ringgit okay?)
Mr. Police: Ini kalau bayar kat balai nak 300 ratus tau? 20 puluh mana boleh?(If you pay this at the police station, it will cost you 300 ringgit, 20 ringgit is too little)
Driver: (show the wallet to the police) Memang tak ada lah bang, hanya ada 20 puluh(I really don’t have much, only 20 ringgit)
Mr. Police: Boleh lah. (Gives the driving license back), letak bawah itu license.(Deal. Put it underneath your license.)
Now it’s the time to give him the money, and you have to fold it right. Follow the instruction in the pictures.
The size of a Malaysian driving license and a 10 ringgit note.
Fold the 10 ringgit note into half.
Fold the 10 ringgit note into another half, and put it at the back of the identity card.
Driver: (hand over the license and the money). Terima Kasih (take back the license).(Thank you).
Of course sometimes it depends on different scenarios. Like drinking and driving will surely cost you more than a 100 ringgit. If you are a beginner driver (P plate) you’ll have to pay more. The important thing is, don’t try to act snobby. Make sure you play your cards right and pay your cash accordingly, then you will be able to avoid a 300 ringgit bill, and the traffic police will be happy with his extra earning, a win-win situation.
Disclaimer: The owner of this blog has never bribed any police, nor does he encourage the crime of bribing. Please do not contact the owner of this blog for any consulting on crime activity.
If you have been driving in Malaysia, chances are you have been through the process of bribing a traffic policeman. However, there are cases where you have had a miscommunication with Mr. Traffic Police, and the whole situation became a disaster. Then you ended up paying a 300 dollar fine, or worse, going to jail. But don't worry; this entry will give you a better understanding on "How to Bribe a Traffic Police"
Now imagine you are driving on the road, and a traffic police appears out of no where, and instructs you to stop at the road side. Once you stop, the first thing you do is to remove all the big notes in your wallet, hide it in your socks or underwear or somewhere out of sight. This will prevent the traffic police from asking for a bigger bribe.
As the policeman approaches your car window, give him a big smile and greet him like an old friend. Remember, the conversation part is very important; any mistake here will lead to a disastrous ending. Here is a typical discourse between a driver and a traffic Police.
Mr. Police: Ada I.C dan license? Speed limit 60 km/h tau? Kenapa pandu cepat sangat? You datang dari mana ni?(Do you have a driving license and Identity card? Do you know that the speed limit is 60 km/h? Why did you drive so fast? Where did you come from?)
Driver: (Hand over your I.C and license, and then answer his questions. If you’re very sure that you didn’t exceed the speed limit, ask for evidence, end of story.)
Mr. Police: Okay I tulis you saman ya, exceed speed limit, agak-agak 300 ringgit, bolehkah?(I will write you a speeding ticket, the fine is around 300 Malaysian ringgit, is it okay?)
Okay here is your chance, make sure you do it right.
Driver: Boleh bayar kat sini?(Can I pay the ticket here?)
Now check the look on the traffic police’s face. If he smiles, then you are through, if he has a serious face, then stop fucking around and take the ticket.
Mr Police: Macam mana nak settle?(How do you want to do it?)
This is a time to negotiate the price, and it all depends on how much you have in your wallet, remember the instruction of keeping the big notes out of sight?
Driver: Tak ada banyak lah 20 puluh boleh?(I don’t have much, is 20 ringgit okay?)
Mr. Police: Ini kalau bayar kat balai nak 300 ratus tau? 20 puluh mana boleh?(If you pay this at the police station, it will cost you 300 ringgit, 20 ringgit is too little)
Driver: (show the wallet to the police) Memang tak ada lah bang, hanya ada 20 puluh(I really don’t have much, only 20 ringgit)
Mr. Police: Boleh lah. (Gives the driving license back), letak bawah itu license.(Deal. Put it underneath your license.)
Now it’s the time to give him the money, and you have to fold it right. Follow the instruction in the pictures.
The size of a Malaysian driving license and a 10 ringgit note.
Fold the 10 ringgit note into half.
Fold the 10 ringgit note into another half, and put it at the back of the identity card.
Driver: (hand over the license and the money). Terima Kasih (take back the license).(Thank you).
Of course sometimes it depends on different scenarios. Like drinking and driving will surely cost you more than a 100 ringgit. If you are a beginner driver (P plate) you’ll have to pay more. The important thing is, don’t try to act snobby. Make sure you play your cards right and pay your cash accordingly, then you will be able to avoid a 300 ringgit bill, and the traffic police will be happy with his extra earning, a win-win situation.
Doing Business in Malaysia
Malaysia is a unique country; it has its own beautiful culture and wonderful people who will welcome any foreigners. If you are going to travel to this astonishing country for a business trip, here are a few tips to help you in dealing with the local business partners.
[All advice was taken from Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental and Industrial Associations website]
Making Appointments:Although punctuality is not always a priority in Malaysia, you should still arrive on time for appointments. Even if you know you are going to be kept waiting, make an effort to arrive on time. Moreover, making a Malaysian executive wait can result in "loss of face," which has negative consequences in this culture.
The majority of Malaysian businesspeople are Chinese; you can expect them to be punctual. Most government officials, however, are ethnic Malays who have more of a relaxed attitude toward time. Although business travellers are expected to be on time, ethnic Malay may not necessarily do the same. The Indian minority's perspective on time is similar to that of the Malays. Nevertheless, the Indian professionals you may encounter will expect punctuality.
Business Dress Code:Standard business attire for women includes dresses and light-coloured, long-sleeved blouses and skirts. Stockings and business suits are reserved for very formal offices. Pantsuits or slacks may be inappropriate in some Malaysian offices. Women must be sensitive to Muslim and Hindu beliefs, and, consequently, wear blouses that cover at least their upper arms. Skirts should be knee-length or longer. In Malaysia, clothing styles for businesswomen tend to be frilly and ornamental.
Conversations:The Good:- your Malaysian host's family and heritage- business- sports, especially soccer- plans for the future- success of the group or organization- praising the local cuisine
The Bad:- criticizing any aspect of Malaysian culture- comparing life in Malaysia to life in the West- politics- bureaucracy- ethnic relations in Malaysia and in general- religion- sex/roles of the sexes
Gifts:The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency has exceptionally strict laws against bribery. Moreover, giving a gift that seems too generous may be interpreted as a bribe and could get you in trouble with the authorities. Gifts are usually reserved for friends. Before giving a gift of any kind, you must first establish a personal relationship with the recipient. Otherwise, the gift may very well be perceived as a bribe.
If you are a man and feel that it is necessary to give a gift to a female colleague, be aware that in this culture, personal gifts from a man to a woman can be misinterpreted as having a romantic intent. Malaysian business protocol requires that a man should explain that his wife sent the perfume, scarf, or similar gift item.
It is Chinese custom to decline a gift three times before accepting; this ritual prevents the recipient from appearing too acquisitive. In the face of these protestations, continue to insist. Once your gift is finally accepted say that you are pleased that the recipient has done so. When you receive a gift, you will be expected to go through the same routine.
EntertainmentYou should think of business entertaining in Malaysia as a kind of test. Your Malay hosts will be monitoring you closely; they will do business with you only if they are confident that you want to establish a personal relationship with them.
The development of a business relationship often centres on food. Therefore, for the sake of politeness, sample everything that is offered--even if you find it unappealing. Expect to be served some hot and spicy dishes.
Public Conduct:With the exception of handshakes, there is no public contact between the sexes in Malaysia. Hugging and kissing--even between husbands and wives--is forbidden in public.
Western women are likely to encounter few problems conducting business in Malaysia
Malaysia is a unique country; it has its own beautiful culture and wonderful people who will welcome any foreigners. If you are going to travel to this astonishing country for a business trip, here are a few tips to help you in dealing with the local business partners.
[All advice was taken from Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental and Industrial Associations website]
Making Appointments:Although punctuality is not always a priority in Malaysia, you should still arrive on time for appointments. Even if you know you are going to be kept waiting, make an effort to arrive on time. Moreover, making a Malaysian executive wait can result in "loss of face," which has negative consequences in this culture.
The majority of Malaysian businesspeople are Chinese; you can expect them to be punctual. Most government officials, however, are ethnic Malays who have more of a relaxed attitude toward time. Although business travellers are expected to be on time, ethnic Malay may not necessarily do the same. The Indian minority's perspective on time is similar to that of the Malays. Nevertheless, the Indian professionals you may encounter will expect punctuality.
Business Dress Code:Standard business attire for women includes dresses and light-coloured, long-sleeved blouses and skirts. Stockings and business suits are reserved for very formal offices. Pantsuits or slacks may be inappropriate in some Malaysian offices. Women must be sensitive to Muslim and Hindu beliefs, and, consequently, wear blouses that cover at least their upper arms. Skirts should be knee-length or longer. In Malaysia, clothing styles for businesswomen tend to be frilly and ornamental.
Conversations:The Good:- your Malaysian host's family and heritage- business- sports, especially soccer- plans for the future- success of the group or organization- praising the local cuisine
The Bad:- criticizing any aspect of Malaysian culture- comparing life in Malaysia to life in the West- politics- bureaucracy- ethnic relations in Malaysia and in general- religion- sex/roles of the sexes
Gifts:The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency has exceptionally strict laws against bribery. Moreover, giving a gift that seems too generous may be interpreted as a bribe and could get you in trouble with the authorities. Gifts are usually reserved for friends. Before giving a gift of any kind, you must first establish a personal relationship with the recipient. Otherwise, the gift may very well be perceived as a bribe.
If you are a man and feel that it is necessary to give a gift to a female colleague, be aware that in this culture, personal gifts from a man to a woman can be misinterpreted as having a romantic intent. Malaysian business protocol requires that a man should explain that his wife sent the perfume, scarf, or similar gift item.
It is Chinese custom to decline a gift three times before accepting; this ritual prevents the recipient from appearing too acquisitive. In the face of these protestations, continue to insist. Once your gift is finally accepted say that you are pleased that the recipient has done so. When you receive a gift, you will be expected to go through the same routine.
EntertainmentYou should think of business entertaining in Malaysia as a kind of test. Your Malay hosts will be monitoring you closely; they will do business with you only if they are confident that you want to establish a personal relationship with them.
The development of a business relationship often centres on food. Therefore, for the sake of politeness, sample everything that is offered--even if you find it unappealing. Expect to be served some hot and spicy dishes.
Public Conduct:With the exception of handshakes, there is no public contact between the sexes in Malaysia. Hugging and kissing--even between husbands and wives--is forbidden in public.
Western women are likely to encounter few problems conducting business in Malaysia
I Hate My Malaysian Colleagues
Due to some contracted jobs in South East Asia, there are quite a few Malaysians who are working in my current company. We work in the same team and handle clients who speak different languages. As we share the same nationality, there shouldn't be any problems getting along with these guys, right? Hell no. it was friggin hard to work with my fellow Malaysians.
I am not sure if it's because of the way we were brought up in the Malaysian society or other psychological bullshit, but it seems like most Malaysians cannot function as a team. There is always something to complain about, something to bitch about and someone to put the blame on. Most Malaysians don't really understand the meaning of the word "effort", all they try to do is to get something out of nothing. Another thing that I can’t stand about these guys is that they whinge like no tomorrow. Everyday I step into the office, and all I ever hear is bitching, bitching, and more bitching. For fucks sake, shut your mouth and get something done, then maybe you won’t be complaining about why you didn’t get promoted or receive a pay rise. I mean, if only they could understand that:
The lady project manager got promoted not because she was sleeping with the boss, but because she worked her ass off for the company.
The other Aussie colleagues never invite you for a drink after work not because you can’t speak proper English, but because they know you are a whiner.
The other colleagues always leave early not because they are lazy, but because they work efficiently and manage to finish their work within normal working hours (what is the point of staying in the office till late, but all you do is surf the web?).
The company has to stop you from eating at the working stations not because they are strict, but because they know you will never clean up the place
The company has to block MSN Messenger in the proxy server (just for our team!), not because they are jerks, but because you have been chatting the whole day (not to mention getting worms / spy ware and all sort of problems).
The company didn’t give you a pay rise not because of your skin color, but because you never really did perform well.
….and the list goes on.
The one thing that I absolutely hate about these Malaysian colleagues, is that when you criticize them, they take it very personally, and they hold a grudge against you until the day they die. Whenever they have a complaint or disagreement with whomever, they can never bring it up to the table. All they do is bitch about it behind people’s back, and whine about how the management team is dysfunctional.
This situation actually worries me. I mean, at the moment I am working in Australia, and by the time this contract finishes I can tell those Malaysian colleagues to fuck off, and hang out in a much more enjoyable working environment. But I do plan to go back to Malaysia and work there permanently. What if all my colleagues act the same way as these assholes? How can I ever survive in that kind of situation?
Due to some contracted jobs in South East Asia, there are quite a few Malaysians who are working in my current company. We work in the same team and handle clients who speak different languages. As we share the same nationality, there shouldn't be any problems getting along with these guys, right? Hell no. it was friggin hard to work with my fellow Malaysians.
I am not sure if it's because of the way we were brought up in the Malaysian society or other psychological bullshit, but it seems like most Malaysians cannot function as a team. There is always something to complain about, something to bitch about and someone to put the blame on. Most Malaysians don't really understand the meaning of the word "effort", all they try to do is to get something out of nothing. Another thing that I can’t stand about these guys is that they whinge like no tomorrow. Everyday I step into the office, and all I ever hear is bitching, bitching, and more bitching. For fucks sake, shut your mouth and get something done, then maybe you won’t be complaining about why you didn’t get promoted or receive a pay rise. I mean, if only they could understand that:
The lady project manager got promoted not because she was sleeping with the boss, but because she worked her ass off for the company.
The other Aussie colleagues never invite you for a drink after work not because you can’t speak proper English, but because they know you are a whiner.
The other colleagues always leave early not because they are lazy, but because they work efficiently and manage to finish their work within normal working hours (what is the point of staying in the office till late, but all you do is surf the web?).
The company has to stop you from eating at the working stations not because they are strict, but because they know you will never clean up the place
The company has to block MSN Messenger in the proxy server (just for our team!), not because they are jerks, but because you have been chatting the whole day (not to mention getting worms / spy ware and all sort of problems).
The company didn’t give you a pay rise not because of your skin color, but because you never really did perform well.
….and the list goes on.
The one thing that I absolutely hate about these Malaysian colleagues, is that when you criticize them, they take it very personally, and they hold a grudge against you until the day they die. Whenever they have a complaint or disagreement with whomever, they can never bring it up to the table. All they do is bitch about it behind people’s back, and whine about how the management team is dysfunctional.
This situation actually worries me. I mean, at the moment I am working in Australia, and by the time this contract finishes I can tell those Malaysian colleagues to fuck off, and hang out in a much more enjoyable working environment. But I do plan to go back to Malaysia and work there permanently. What if all my colleagues act the same way as these assholes? How can I ever survive in that kind of situation?
Classic Old Arcade Games
Do you have fond memories of hours wiled away in the local Arcade parlor, putting in thousand and thousand of coins just not beat a Fighter shooting game or discover a secret fighter? Well I have, when I was young I used to save up all my coins and sneak in to the dark, smoky, filthy arcade (which is full of middle age guys gambling their way through the horse racing game). Anyhow, if only I’ve known about MAME earlier.
M.A.M.E (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) is an emulator (derrr) for arcade game. The emulator itself are perfectly legal, however the emulator itself are useless, you will need the ROMS files for each different game or BIOS (like winamp, legal but useless without the mp3 files). Well, ROMS files are the illegal part, which mean it is not legal for an individual to have ROM images that aren't either legitimately bought or from a game they own. Okay we all know that one.
Get a copy of mame32 here (Mame32_Binary.exe). There is the other version of MAME (mame084.zip), but I suggest you use mame32 because of the easy Windows graphic user interface. Double click on the setup file it will prompt you for the location to unpack the file, do it. (Please, look for a location that can be easily found).Now you need some ROMs, there are a few legal ones in www.mame.net, or try the following sites:
www.oldgames.co.uk – my favourite, you will have to register as a member (free), get the access password from the forum, and then login to their MAME direcoty (ftp or http) to get the ROMS.
www.mamerom.net – easier, but the site went down quite often.
Do a search in Google or Yahoo for other site; let me know if you found a good one. Now, after you get the ROMs, put it in the roms folder (which is quite obvious isn’t it).
Now go to the Mame32 folder, look for Mame32.exe (make a shortcut and put it on your desktop will be a good idea), run it.
All the games titles are there, but the little black square means that you do not have the ROMS. Highlights the AVAILABLE on the left side, you will see all the ROMs that you currently have. In the future, after you put in some new ROMs in the folder, click F5 to refresh the list. If any of the games are not working, go to FILE -> AUDIT ALL GAMES, do run through then you will get some information there. The common problems are either the corrupted ROMs or you do not have the BIOS. What is BIOS? Is too hard to explain, download the file, put in the roms folder, that’s all you need to know. These are the few main ones:
Cpzn1.zip, Cpzn2.zip, Cvs.zip, Konamigv.zip, Konamigx.zip, Neogeo.zip, Psarc.zip
If you encounter any problems or missing BIOS, leave a comment or contact me through email.
Personally i don't like to run the game in fullscreen, go to PROPERTIES -> DISPLAY and check on RUN IN A WINDOW. A gamepad or joystick would be nice. To enable it, PROPERTIES -> CONTROLLERS, and check the box of ENABLE JOYSTICK, this includes LightGuns as well. (for games like Time Crisis or Virtual Cop) Run the game, press TAB on your keyboard, then change the default control buttons.
Finally, the specifications. I am running on an Intel P4 1.8 GHz, 512MB DDR, mobile ATI 7500 32 Mb, 20 GB Toshiba laptop HDD. The performance is good enough for the old games, but not quite for the new ones. (Street Fighter EX2, Soul Calibur and etc) I'll recommend an ATI 9500 graphics cards and get as much RAM as possible for the latest titles. Of course if you are only interested in those old classic games (like me), such high end PC components are not needed.
It has always been my childhood dream to own an arcade machine, and it is very possible to do it with MAME. Try this link, which brings you a guide of making your own arcade cabinet at home. The other option will be buying an arcade control keyboard (1 joystick plus 6 control buttons + 2 additional buttons). I am not sure if you can get it in Malaysia, but in Australia a decent arcade joystick's price range around AUD $180 - $200Enjoy your game!
Do you have fond memories of hours wiled away in the local Arcade parlor, putting in thousand and thousand of coins just not beat a Fighter shooting game or discover a secret fighter? Well I have, when I was young I used to save up all my coins and sneak in to the dark, smoky, filthy arcade (which is full of middle age guys gambling their way through the horse racing game). Anyhow, if only I’ve known about MAME earlier.
M.A.M.E (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) is an emulator (derrr) for arcade game. The emulator itself are perfectly legal, however the emulator itself are useless, you will need the ROMS files for each different game or BIOS (like winamp, legal but useless without the mp3 files). Well, ROMS files are the illegal part, which mean it is not legal for an individual to have ROM images that aren't either legitimately bought or from a game they own. Okay we all know that one.
Get a copy of mame32 here (Mame32_Binary.exe). There is the other version of MAME (mame084.zip), but I suggest you use mame32 because of the easy Windows graphic user interface. Double click on the setup file it will prompt you for the location to unpack the file, do it. (Please, look for a location that can be easily found).Now you need some ROMs, there are a few legal ones in www.mame.net, or try the following sites:
www.oldgames.co.uk – my favourite, you will have to register as a member (free), get the access password from the forum, and then login to their MAME direcoty (ftp or http) to get the ROMS.
www.mamerom.net – easier, but the site went down quite often.
Do a search in Google or Yahoo for other site; let me know if you found a good one. Now, after you get the ROMs, put it in the roms folder (which is quite obvious isn’t it).
Now go to the Mame32 folder, look for Mame32.exe (make a shortcut and put it on your desktop will be a good idea), run it.
All the games titles are there, but the little black square means that you do not have the ROMS. Highlights the AVAILABLE on the left side, you will see all the ROMs that you currently have. In the future, after you put in some new ROMs in the folder, click F5 to refresh the list. If any of the games are not working, go to FILE -> AUDIT ALL GAMES, do run through then you will get some information there. The common problems are either the corrupted ROMs or you do not have the BIOS. What is BIOS? Is too hard to explain, download the file, put in the roms folder, that’s all you need to know. These are the few main ones:
Cpzn1.zip, Cpzn2.zip, Cvs.zip, Konamigv.zip, Konamigx.zip, Neogeo.zip, Psarc.zip
If you encounter any problems or missing BIOS, leave a comment or contact me through email.
Personally i don't like to run the game in fullscreen, go to PROPERTIES -> DISPLAY and check on RUN IN A WINDOW. A gamepad or joystick would be nice. To enable it, PROPERTIES -> CONTROLLERS, and check the box of ENABLE JOYSTICK, this includes LightGuns as well. (for games like Time Crisis or Virtual Cop) Run the game, press TAB on your keyboard, then change the default control buttons.
Finally, the specifications. I am running on an Intel P4 1.8 GHz, 512MB DDR, mobile ATI 7500 32 Mb, 20 GB Toshiba laptop HDD. The performance is good enough for the old games, but not quite for the new ones. (Street Fighter EX2, Soul Calibur and etc) I'll recommend an ATI 9500 graphics cards and get as much RAM as possible for the latest titles. Of course if you are only interested in those old classic games (like me), such high end PC components are not needed.
It has always been my childhood dream to own an arcade machine, and it is very possible to do it with MAME. Try this link, which brings you a guide of making your own arcade cabinet at home. The other option will be buying an arcade control keyboard (1 joystick plus 6 control buttons + 2 additional buttons). I am not sure if you can get it in Malaysia, but in Australia a decent arcade joystick's price range around AUD $180 - $200Enjoy your game!
Classic Old Arcade Games
Do you have fond memories of hours wiled away in the local Arcade parlor, putting in thousand and thousand of coins just not beat a Fighter shooting game or discover a secret fighter? Well I have, when I was young I used to save up all my coins and sneak in to the dark, smoky, filthy arcade (which is full of middle age guys gambling their way through the horse racing game). Anyhow, if only I’ve known about MAME earlier.
M.A.M.E (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) is an emulator (derrr) for arcade game. The emulator itself are perfectly legal, however the emulator itself are useless, you will need the ROMS files for each different game or BIOS (like winamp, legal but useless without the mp3 files). Well, ROMS files are the illegal part, which mean it is not legal for an individual to have ROM images that aren't either legitimately bought or from a game they own. Okay we all know that one.
Get a copy of mame32 here (Mame32_Binary.exe). There is the other version of MAME (mame084.zip), but I suggest you use mame32 because of the easy Windows graphic user interface. Double click on the setup file it will prompt you for the location to unpack the file, do it. (Please, look for a location that can be easily found).Now you need some ROMs, there are a few legal ones in www.mame.net, or try the following sites:
www.oldgames.co.uk – my favourite, you will have to register as a member (free), get the access password from the forum, and then login to their MAME direcoty (ftp or http) to get the ROMS.
www.mamerom.net – easier, but the site went down quite often.
Do a search in Google or Yahoo for other site; let me know if you found a good one. Now, after you get the ROMs, put it in the roms folder (which is quite obvious isn’t it).
Now go to the Mame32 folder, look for Mame32.exe (make a shortcut and put it on your desktop will be a good idea), run it.
All the games titles are there, but the little black square means that you do not have the ROMS. Highlights the AVAILABLE on the left side, you will see all the ROMs that you currently have. In the future, after you put in some new ROMs in the folder, click F5 to refresh the list. If any of the games are not working, go to FILE -> AUDIT ALL GAMES, do run through then you will get some information there. The common problems are either the corrupted ROMs or you do not have the BIOS. What is BIOS? Is too hard to explain, download the file, put in the roms folder, that’s all you need to know. These are the few main ones:
Cpzn1.zip, Cpzn2.zip, Cvs.zip, Konamigv.zip, Konamigx.zip, Neogeo.zip, Psarc.zip
If you encounter any problems or missing BIOS, leave a comment or contact me through email.
Personally i don't like to run the game in fullscreen, go to PROPERTIES -> DISPLAY and check on RUN IN A WINDOW. A gamepad or joystick would be nice. To enable it, PROPERTIES -> CONTROLLERS, and check the box of ENABLE JOYSTICK, this includes LightGuns as well. (for games like Time Crisis or Virtual Cop) Run the game, press TAB on your keyboard, then change the default control buttons.
Finally, the specifications. I am running on an Intel P4 1.8 GHz, 512MB DDR, mobile ATI 7500 32 Mb, 20 GB Toshiba laptop HDD. The performance is good enough for the old games, but not quite for the new ones. (Street Fighter EX2, Soul Calibur and etc) I'll recommend an ATI 9500 graphics cards and get as much RAM as possible for the latest titles. Of course if you are only interested in those old classic games (like me), such high end PC components are not needed.
It has always been my childhood dream to own an arcade machine, and it is very possible to do it with MAME. Try this link, which brings you a guide of making your own arcade cabinet at home. The other option will be buying an arcade control keyboard (1 joystick plus 6 control buttons + 2 additional buttons). I am not sure if you can get it in Malaysia, but in Australia a decent arcade joystick's price range around AUD $180 - $200Enjoy your game!
Do you have fond memories of hours wiled away in the local Arcade parlor, putting in thousand and thousand of coins just not beat a Fighter shooting game or discover a secret fighter? Well I have, when I was young I used to save up all my coins and sneak in to the dark, smoky, filthy arcade (which is full of middle age guys gambling their way through the horse racing game). Anyhow, if only I’ve known about MAME earlier.
M.A.M.E (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) is an emulator (derrr) for arcade game. The emulator itself are perfectly legal, however the emulator itself are useless, you will need the ROMS files for each different game or BIOS (like winamp, legal but useless without the mp3 files). Well, ROMS files are the illegal part, which mean it is not legal for an individual to have ROM images that aren't either legitimately bought or from a game they own. Okay we all know that one.
Get a copy of mame32 here (Mame32_Binary.exe). There is the other version of MAME (mame084.zip), but I suggest you use mame32 because of the easy Windows graphic user interface. Double click on the setup file it will prompt you for the location to unpack the file, do it. (Please, look for a location that can be easily found).Now you need some ROMs, there are a few legal ones in www.mame.net, or try the following sites:
www.oldgames.co.uk – my favourite, you will have to register as a member (free), get the access password from the forum, and then login to their MAME direcoty (ftp or http) to get the ROMS.
www.mamerom.net – easier, but the site went down quite often.
Do a search in Google or Yahoo for other site; let me know if you found a good one. Now, after you get the ROMs, put it in the roms folder (which is quite obvious isn’t it).
Now go to the Mame32 folder, look for Mame32.exe (make a shortcut and put it on your desktop will be a good idea), run it.
All the games titles are there, but the little black square means that you do not have the ROMS. Highlights the AVAILABLE on the left side, you will see all the ROMs that you currently have. In the future, after you put in some new ROMs in the folder, click F5 to refresh the list. If any of the games are not working, go to FILE -> AUDIT ALL GAMES, do run through then you will get some information there. The common problems are either the corrupted ROMs or you do not have the BIOS. What is BIOS? Is too hard to explain, download the file, put in the roms folder, that’s all you need to know. These are the few main ones:
Cpzn1.zip, Cpzn2.zip, Cvs.zip, Konamigv.zip, Konamigx.zip, Neogeo.zip, Psarc.zip
If you encounter any problems or missing BIOS, leave a comment or contact me through email.
Personally i don't like to run the game in fullscreen, go to PROPERTIES -> DISPLAY and check on RUN IN A WINDOW. A gamepad or joystick would be nice. To enable it, PROPERTIES -> CONTROLLERS, and check the box of ENABLE JOYSTICK, this includes LightGuns as well. (for games like Time Crisis or Virtual Cop) Run the game, press TAB on your keyboard, then change the default control buttons.
Finally, the specifications. I am running on an Intel P4 1.8 GHz, 512MB DDR, mobile ATI 7500 32 Mb, 20 GB Toshiba laptop HDD. The performance is good enough for the old games, but not quite for the new ones. (Street Fighter EX2, Soul Calibur and etc) I'll recommend an ATI 9500 graphics cards and get as much RAM as possible for the latest titles. Of course if you are only interested in those old classic games (like me), such high end PC components are not needed.
It has always been my childhood dream to own an arcade machine, and it is very possible to do it with MAME. Try this link, which brings you a guide of making your own arcade cabinet at home. The other option will be buying an arcade control keyboard (1 joystick plus 6 control buttons + 2 additional buttons). I am not sure if you can get it in Malaysia, but in Australia a decent arcade joystick's price range around AUD $180 - $200Enjoy your game!
Bit Torrent
I think I have a little time for a short one, so I shall introduce Bit Torrent to you.
Bit Torrent can be defined as the new generation of file sharing programs. Well let’s imagine this, you are distributing a file, the size is 5 GB. There are 10 users waiting to get the file. In normal circumstances, 10 people will connect to you, squeeze out every single possible bit of bandwidth from you and get your file. In total, you transferred 5 x 10 = 50 GB of data. Well, now with Bit Torrent, the procedure will change. All these 10 people connected to you, and begin downloading small chunks. Since not everyone has the same pieces of the chunks, as soon as some of those 10 people get a few of these chunks, they begin sending what they have to the others. So while people are downloading they are also helping to distribute the file to more users, which mean you do not transfer as much as 50 GB of data. The general idea is to tap the unutilized upload capacity of the person downloading from the distributor. Don’t understand? Forget it, is not important at all, just follow the instructions, and you should be fine.
First, download a BT client. I am using Bit Tornado. If you want something different, get it here. Download, install, bla bla bla. Don’t worry, no cracking no hacking, BT is a freeware. (make some donation if you want to)
Now, look for a site which provide BT link. My favorite is SUPRnova.org. There’s a few other like TvTorrents or DownloadAnime (for anime fan).
From there, click the link, the client will pop up and ask you where do you want to save the file, and from then on should be easy. Just remember that when you are downloading the file, you are also sharing it (that means others are downloading from you as well). DO a search in Yahoo or Google for other BT link sites. Leave a comment if you have any question.
Needless to say, most of the stuff that you can download from the BT links are ILLEGAL (mp3, T.V episode, movies, ISO, and etc). Copyright issue bla bla bla, you know the story. Happy downloading.
I think I have a little time for a short one, so I shall introduce Bit Torrent to you.
Bit Torrent can be defined as the new generation of file sharing programs. Well let’s imagine this, you are distributing a file, the size is 5 GB. There are 10 users waiting to get the file. In normal circumstances, 10 people will connect to you, squeeze out every single possible bit of bandwidth from you and get your file. In total, you transferred 5 x 10 = 50 GB of data. Well, now with Bit Torrent, the procedure will change. All these 10 people connected to you, and begin downloading small chunks. Since not everyone has the same pieces of the chunks, as soon as some of those 10 people get a few of these chunks, they begin sending what they have to the others. So while people are downloading they are also helping to distribute the file to more users, which mean you do not transfer as much as 50 GB of data. The general idea is to tap the unutilized upload capacity of the person downloading from the distributor. Don’t understand? Forget it, is not important at all, just follow the instructions, and you should be fine.
First, download a BT client. I am using Bit Tornado. If you want something different, get it here. Download, install, bla bla bla. Don’t worry, no cracking no hacking, BT is a freeware. (make some donation if you want to)
Now, look for a site which provide BT link. My favorite is SUPRnova.org. There’s a few other like TvTorrents or DownloadAnime (for anime fan).
From there, click the link, the client will pop up and ask you where do you want to save the file, and from then on should be easy. Just remember that when you are downloading the file, you are also sharing it (that means others are downloading from you as well). DO a search in Yahoo or Google for other BT link sites. Leave a comment if you have any question.
Needless to say, most of the stuff that you can download from the BT links are ILLEGAL (mp3, T.V episode, movies, ISO, and etc). Copyright issue bla bla bla, you know the story. Happy downloading.
Vote or Die
Alot of people are searching for the lyrics and the .wav file for this song, so here it is. South Park made a P.Diddy's spoof music video for his "Vote or Die" campaign, and it's funny as hell. If you are using Internet Explorer then you will hear the song playing right now (background music for this page), or else just download it and play it on winamp (taken from South Park Studios).
Vote or die motherfuckerMotherfucker vote or dieRock the voter or else I’m gonna stab a knife through your eye
Democracy is founded on one simple ruleGet out there and vote or I’ll motherfucing kill you
I like it when you vote bitchShake them titties when you vote bitchI’ll shove my jimmy through your mouth roofNow get your big ass in the voting booth
I said vote bitch or I’ll fucking kill you
Vote or die motherfuckerMotherfucker vote or dieCan’t run from a 38 go ahead and try.
Let your Opinions be heardYou’ve gotta make a choiceCause after I slit your throatYou won’t have a voice
Vote or DieVote or Die
Download the song - Votedie.wav (4.0 Mb)
Alot of people are searching for the lyrics and the .wav file for this song, so here it is. South Park made a P.Diddy's spoof music video for his "Vote or Die" campaign, and it's funny as hell. If you are using Internet Explorer then you will hear the song playing right now (background music for this page), or else just download it and play it on winamp (taken from South Park Studios).
Vote or die motherfuckerMotherfucker vote or dieRock the voter or else I’m gonna stab a knife through your eye
Democracy is founded on one simple ruleGet out there and vote or I’ll motherfucing kill you
I like it when you vote bitchShake them titties when you vote bitchI’ll shove my jimmy through your mouth roofNow get your big ass in the voting booth
I said vote bitch or I’ll fucking kill you
Vote or die motherfuckerMotherfucker vote or dieCan’t run from a 38 go ahead and try.
Let your Opinions be heardYou’ve gotta make a choiceCause after I slit your throatYou won’t have a voice
Vote or DieVote or Die
Download the song - Votedie.wav (4.0 Mb)
Disgraceful Customer Service at MAS
I swear Malaysia Airlines has the worst customer service ever, or that I have ever encountered, for that matter. Never have I ever spoken to someone who is so incompetent and dumb to the extent that they jeopardize the image of the company/client that they work for. Only one thing did not surprise me – it was another dumbass Malay. I am sorry, I am not prejudiced but time and again, the actions of a stupid Malay will prove me right.
Here's how it all started. I received an e-mail from Malaysia Airlines yesterday advertising an air fare promotion that they were having. RM988 for a round-trip ticket from KL to Melbourne. Like wow! I got all excited, thought maybe I could go home for a holiday or maybe my Mom could come visit. So I got my Mom to call up MAS to see if the offer was valid if you were to fly the sectors the other way round (MELB-KL-MELB). She tried both MAS and her travel agent but they said there was no such offer, not even under the MITM fair that they were having right now. So I concluded that maybe it was an online promotion only.
So I called the MAS 24-hour call centre back in Malaysia about an hour ago hoping to find out more about this offer and clarify some of the details in the ad as shown below:Link to MAS Online Offers
I got the call centre after being put on hold or awhile, and they said that it was an internet promotion so I had to speak with the internet promotions department, whereby they duly patched me through. And I was put on hold again, naturally. So all I did was to ask some real simple questions – straightforward and to the point. This is what I asked the Malay lady who answered my call, and what she answered:
Is there currently an online offer for tickets to Melbourne at RM988 only? Yes, we are having a MITM fair now. If you're booking online you have to search for the tickets. If they have it then they have it, if they don't means they’re not available anymore.
The next bit was after clarifying that we were talking about the same online offer, not MITM.
Is the offer valid if you fly from Melbourne to KL, then back to Melbourne again? No, only for sectors flying from KL-MELB. (After putting me on hold)
That’s fine, she answered my question.
Is the departure date only on the 24 June 2005?No, it’s from 1 August – 18 August, and 27 August – blah blah (can’t remember the date. This was after putting me on hold for freaking ages! I would say almost 10 minutes.)
So the tickets are on sale from 17 June – 24 June 2005, right?No Miss, today is the last day. Until 12 midnight only. It ends in half an hour.
Then why in the world did you guys advertise on the website that it is on sale from 17 June to 24 June 05???That is just an advertisement. (And something about customers having to find out for themselves if they want to know anything else.)
What the hell is wrong with these people??? Just an advertisement?! Do they know that it is FRAUD to lie in an advertisement? It is misrepresentation of information and deceitful. So was that customer services officer trying to say that MAS’s intent is to deceive the general public and their customers by displaying advertisements on their websites (and also through e-mail) which give the wrong information? As you can see, most of the things that she has told me are completely and utterly different from what is written in the ad.
How can MAS hire these kinds of people to represent their company? It is such an embarrassment to them and degrading to their image. I must say I am a little surprised that there isn’t a much higher standard of service at a company as established and large as theirs, especially one that is operating in a service industry where competition is so intense. For that, I sure hope Singapore Airlines does a lot better than them, and somehow I think they do.
I regret not getting the name of the lady who served me. Cause I am so going to make a formal complaint tomorrow. So help me God, I will speak to the supervisor or manager of that department. I don’t care if I have to spend another 30 minutes on an international phone call back to KL. Fyi, the call earlier took over 20 minutes just to get a few simple questions answered. These people obviously don’t know their stuff. I mean like, all they’re doing is internet promotions. Is it so difficult to get all the details of your online offers together and read through them just in case a customer needs some information? Wouldn’t that be better than making each person who calls wait 10 minutes just to get one question answered? And to top it off, after stating that I (and their customers) would appreciate it if they got their stuff together and clarified the details of their offers, that bitch hung up on me without saying anything save for an insincere ‘I am sorry about the mix up’ or something like that. I can’t believe I said thank you to her! I so take that back.
I can now firmly conclude that Malaysia Airlines has the worst online booking system, supported by an even worse customer service team/call centre (especially their internet promotions division), have Incompetent staff with a capital 'I', and extremely poor response time. And most importantly, their advertisements are LIES! Even if what was printed on the ad is true, the customer service lady has definitely convinced me their nothing but lies, lies, lies, and more LIES!
Posted by at June 20, 2005 02:45 AM
Here's how it all started. I received an e-mail from Malaysia Airlines yesterday advertising an air fare promotion that they were having. RM988 for a round-trip ticket from KL to Melbourne. Like wow! I got all excited, thought maybe I could go home for a holiday or maybe my Mom could come visit. So I got my Mom to call up MAS to see if the offer was valid if you were to fly the sectors the other way round (MELB-KL-MELB). She tried both MAS and her travel agent but they said there was no such offer, not even under the MITM fair that they were having right now. So I concluded that maybe it was an online promotion only.
So I called the MAS 24-hour call centre back in Malaysia about an hour ago hoping to find out more about this offer and clarify some of the details in the ad as shown below:Link to MAS Online Offers
I got the call centre after being put on hold or awhile, and they said that it was an internet promotion so I had to speak with the internet promotions department, whereby they duly patched me through. And I was put on hold again, naturally. So all I did was to ask some real simple questions – straightforward and to the point. This is what I asked the Malay lady who answered my call, and what she answered:
Is there currently an online offer for tickets to Melbourne at RM988 only? Yes, we are having a MITM fair now. If you're booking online you have to search for the tickets. If they have it then they have it, if they don't means they’re not available anymore.
The next bit was after clarifying that we were talking about the same online offer, not MITM.
Is the offer valid if you fly from Melbourne to KL, then back to Melbourne again? No, only for sectors flying from KL-MELB. (After putting me on hold)
That’s fine, she answered my question.
Is the departure date only on the 24 June 2005?No, it’s from 1 August – 18 August, and 27 August – blah blah (can’t remember the date. This was after putting me on hold for freaking ages! I would say almost 10 minutes.)
So the tickets are on sale from 17 June – 24 June 2005, right?No Miss, today is the last day. Until 12 midnight only. It ends in half an hour.
Then why in the world did you guys advertise on the website that it is on sale from 17 June to 24 June 05???That is just an advertisement. (And something about customers having to find out for themselves if they want to know anything else.)
What the hell is wrong with these people??? Just an advertisement?! Do they know that it is FRAUD to lie in an advertisement? It is misrepresentation of information and deceitful. So was that customer services officer trying to say that MAS’s intent is to deceive the general public and their customers by displaying advertisements on their websites (and also through e-mail) which give the wrong information? As you can see, most of the things that she has told me are completely and utterly different from what is written in the ad.
How can MAS hire these kinds of people to represent their company? It is such an embarrassment to them and degrading to their image. I must say I am a little surprised that there isn’t a much higher standard of service at a company as established and large as theirs, especially one that is operating in a service industry where competition is so intense. For that, I sure hope Singapore Airlines does a lot better than them, and somehow I think they do.
I regret not getting the name of the lady who served me. Cause I am so going to make a formal complaint tomorrow. So help me God, I will speak to the supervisor or manager of that department. I don’t care if I have to spend another 30 minutes on an international phone call back to KL. Fyi, the call earlier took over 20 minutes just to get a few simple questions answered. These people obviously don’t know their stuff. I mean like, all they’re doing is internet promotions. Is it so difficult to get all the details of your online offers together and read through them just in case a customer needs some information? Wouldn’t that be better than making each person who calls wait 10 minutes just to get one question answered? And to top it off, after stating that I (and their customers) would appreciate it if they got their stuff together and clarified the details of their offers, that bitch hung up on me without saying anything save for an insincere ‘I am sorry about the mix up’ or something like that. I can’t believe I said thank you to her! I so take that back.
I can now firmly conclude that Malaysia Airlines has the worst online booking system, supported by an even worse customer service team/call centre (especially their internet promotions division), have Incompetent staff with a capital 'I', and extremely poor response time. And most importantly, their advertisements are LIES! Even if what was printed on the ad is true, the customer service lady has definitely convinced me their nothing but lies, lies, lies, and more LIES!
Posted by at June 20, 2005 02:45 AM
The agony of Malaysian Athlete
“If you want your association to secure strong support and funding, you have to do what you are supposed to do as an athlete. “We must not be defeatists,” she said. “We are also from Asia. If the Indonesians and Thais can win Olympic gold medals, there is no reason why we can't. We are of the same physical size and take the same food.” “If you do well, you will make the country feel proud of you. If you do badly, it reflects on the country's good name,” she said, adding that they should also win for former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. “Tun Mahathir wanted to build the best and most modern sports stadiums because he saw sport as a means of uniting the rakyat.” -www.thestar.com.my 29th July 2004-
These are the words from Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Azalina Othman Said, at the flag-handling over ceremony for the Malaysian athletes (participants in the Athens 2004 Olympics). Seriously, what was she thinking? giving out such speech to the people who actually put in endless efforts and time, just to represent our country in the world class event?
If you are a Malaysian, having an exceptional performance in sports doesn’t guarantee a good career. Support and funding of the government are limited, and is no easy task to look for sponsors from the private sector. That may be the reason why every Malaysian sportsman/woman are having such a hard time on deciding turning full time professional, or just live on as a working class. Malaysian government didn’t attempt to discover any young talent either, judging from the lack of investment in sports school. In fact, the only available sports school (that I know off), is the one in Bukit Jalil (which doesn’t even have a fully functional website). Sports event among local universities or higher education centre are worse, they don’t even have the committee/association to organize some sort of events or whatsoever.
In such situation, is no surprise that Malaysia is lacking of young talented sports celebrity. Parents (especially Chinese) normally discourage their children to participate in sports, no matter how gifted they are. That is comprehensible, seeing the difference of salary between athletes and white collar class. Notice that most of the outstanding Malaysian Athletes comes from a wealthy (or at least medium class) background, which have the financial status to go through all the training and event registration fees. (Including the air ticket or accommodation for international events)
The media isn’t helping much as well. Coverage for the newspaper sports section are always reserved with foreign sports events (EPL, NBA and etc), we seldom read any reports or news for our own country’s sportsman. The critics are always on “Malaysian players can’t perform well”, or “Malaysian players lack motivations”, while there were no sign of support or encouragement from the public. Yet when one of the Malaysian athletes win a major event, all of the sudden everyone seems to focus on his/her life for being success, and everybody wants a piece of him/her achievement. Yes, Malaysian government does not contribute, but eagerly waiting for someone’s victory just so we can brag about it. Same theory applies for local artist/performer. When jazz artists request for supports or funding, no one gives a damn, or some even say “We do not encourage western music”, but when Guy Sebastian won the Australian Idol, we were so proud of him because he was born in Malaysia. What kind of sorry ass shit is that?
Is hard enough to gain support from your family and society, now the government is threatening on funding cut? If an athletes do badly in sports event, that will reflects his/her country’s good name? What the hell are you trying to say, minister? These athletes who is going to represent our country in the Olympics worked their asses off to qualify the events, is that how we reward them? Personally I don’t think they will be worrying about their physical size or the food they eat, more like they are tormenting on what the public’s responds will be if they do not present well in the Olympics. Thanks to the stupidity of our Youth and Sports minister, their spirits must have been “greatly” lifted up and will definitely put in their best to make their country (which is not quite supportive) proud. Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad build the modern stadium because he sense the obligate to build it, Malaysian needs it, because we are lack of facilities to train and to produce quality athletes.
Our society always complains about talented people leaving the country, not being patriotic and such. Maybe we should put ourself in their shoes and try to understand the situation. Being proud to be a Malaysian is one thing, taking the risk of failing all by yourself is a different story. Who would want to stay in a country that ignores the talented, tight-fisted on giving out support, but take the credits from those who achieved victory?
“If you want your association to secure strong support and funding, you have to do what you are supposed to do as an athlete. “We must not be defeatists,” she said. “We are also from Asia. If the Indonesians and Thais can win Olympic gold medals, there is no reason why we can't. We are of the same physical size and take the same food.” “If you do well, you will make the country feel proud of you. If you do badly, it reflects on the country's good name,” she said, adding that they should also win for former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. “Tun Mahathir wanted to build the best and most modern sports stadiums because he saw sport as a means of uniting the rakyat.” -www.thestar.com.my 29th July 2004-
These are the words from Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Azalina Othman Said, at the flag-handling over ceremony for the Malaysian athletes (participants in the Athens 2004 Olympics). Seriously, what was she thinking? giving out such speech to the people who actually put in endless efforts and time, just to represent our country in the world class event?
If you are a Malaysian, having an exceptional performance in sports doesn’t guarantee a good career. Support and funding of the government are limited, and is no easy task to look for sponsors from the private sector. That may be the reason why every Malaysian sportsman/woman are having such a hard time on deciding turning full time professional, or just live on as a working class. Malaysian government didn’t attempt to discover any young talent either, judging from the lack of investment in sports school. In fact, the only available sports school (that I know off), is the one in Bukit Jalil (which doesn’t even have a fully functional website). Sports event among local universities or higher education centre are worse, they don’t even have the committee/association to organize some sort of events or whatsoever.
In such situation, is no surprise that Malaysia is lacking of young talented sports celebrity. Parents (especially Chinese) normally discourage their children to participate in sports, no matter how gifted they are. That is comprehensible, seeing the difference of salary between athletes and white collar class. Notice that most of the outstanding Malaysian Athletes comes from a wealthy (or at least medium class) background, which have the financial status to go through all the training and event registration fees. (Including the air ticket or accommodation for international events)
The media isn’t helping much as well. Coverage for the newspaper sports section are always reserved with foreign sports events (EPL, NBA and etc), we seldom read any reports or news for our own country’s sportsman. The critics are always on “Malaysian players can’t perform well”, or “Malaysian players lack motivations”, while there were no sign of support or encouragement from the public. Yet when one of the Malaysian athletes win a major event, all of the sudden everyone seems to focus on his/her life for being success, and everybody wants a piece of him/her achievement. Yes, Malaysian government does not contribute, but eagerly waiting for someone’s victory just so we can brag about it. Same theory applies for local artist/performer. When jazz artists request for supports or funding, no one gives a damn, or some even say “We do not encourage western music”, but when Guy Sebastian won the Australian Idol, we were so proud of him because he was born in Malaysia. What kind of sorry ass shit is that?
Is hard enough to gain support from your family and society, now the government is threatening on funding cut? If an athletes do badly in sports event, that will reflects his/her country’s good name? What the hell are you trying to say, minister? These athletes who is going to represent our country in the Olympics worked their asses off to qualify the events, is that how we reward them? Personally I don’t think they will be worrying about their physical size or the food they eat, more like they are tormenting on what the public’s responds will be if they do not present well in the Olympics. Thanks to the stupidity of our Youth and Sports minister, their spirits must have been “greatly” lifted up and will definitely put in their best to make their country (which is not quite supportive) proud. Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad build the modern stadium because he sense the obligate to build it, Malaysian needs it, because we are lack of facilities to train and to produce quality athletes.
Our society always complains about talented people leaving the country, not being patriotic and such. Maybe we should put ourself in their shoes and try to understand the situation. Being proud to be a Malaysian is one thing, taking the risk of failing all by yourself is a different story. Who would want to stay in a country that ignores the talented, tight-fisted on giving out support, but take the credits from those who achieved victory?
A CLEVER METHOD OF SNATCHING YOUR THINGS
Subject: I was robbed at Petaling Street on Tuesday eveningI was at a souvenir shop at Jalan H.S.Lee, Petaling Street on Tuesday evening 5Oct 2006.A young Indian lady told me that there's a stain on my pants.(The young Indian is around 20-25 yrs old, long hair, about 160cm tall, her skin is quite fair, she's wearing t-shirt & jeans and she's speaking very fluent English.)I turned back and checked and found out that there's a red stain looked like paint on my pants.So, this lady helped me to clear the stain from my pants. After that, I continue looking for soft toy in the shop.Then, the lady asked me whether I want to clean the stain. I rejected her offer and told her that I'm going back home and I can clean it at home.After that, she told me that she was a teacher at a famous tuition center in KL just opposite the shop and she's waiting for her brother.She wanted to go to toilet to wash her hands (Her hand was dirtied when helping me to wipe away the stain) and she invited me to go to the toilet with her.So, I followed her to the toilet to clean the stain on my pants.She brought me to the ladies at the 1st floor of the tuition center. I took off my bag and put it on the basin so that I can clean the stain on my pants.While I was cleaning, she took my bag and ran away.Everything was just happened in 3 minutes. I was so shock when I found out my bag and the lady was gone.The young Indian lady left her things in the toilet and ran away with my bag.I searched through her belongings and found a lipstick in the envelope she left.Then, I realized that she's the one who put the red lipstick stain on my pants and pretended to help me.I went to the tuition center together with the police officer for investigation on the next day.I was able to recognize the young Indian lady from the CCTV record. The security head of the tuition center told me that I am the 2nd victim.5 months ago, the same young Indian lady did the same case using same method at the same place to 1 of the student in the tuition center.During the investigation, I was told that to print out the young Indian lady's photo from the CCTV costs RM150.The tuition center wanted me to bear the printing cost because I'm neither a staff nor a student there. I refused to bear the cost because I am the victim.I asked the police officer whether the police force can bear the cost because it's an evidence.Guess what the police officer told me…He told me not to put too much hope that they will be able to catch the thief, 70%-80% that they will not be able to catch the thief.Sigh…With all the evidence provided (the CCTV record, the thief's belongings, and her finger print was printed on the envelope she left), the police officer told me not to put too much hope that they will be able to catch the thief.I was so disappointed.So, I decided to share my experience to everyone of you. Hopefully you will not be the next victim because the thief is still free out there.This is her 2nd successful case, so there will be 3rd time and so on until she's caught.The police officer told me that such cases always happen at Bukit Bintang and Low Yat Plaza area.So, pls be careful when you are at that area and trust no one.Just ignore and walk away when a stranger tells you that your clothes is dirty.Pls share my experience to your friends and family especially ladies.Hopefully your friends and family will not be the next victim.
posted by aman @ 11:51 AM 0 comments links to this post
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Altantuya's baby 'not related to analyst'
KUALA LUMPUR: The political analyst is not the father of Altantuya Shaariibuu’s 16-month-old baby boy.Honorary consul of Mongolia in Malaysia Datuk Syed Abdul Rahman Alhabshi said this in response to reports in several newspapers yesterday."Altantuya has a son. But the child is not related to the analyst," Syed said at his office in Sunway Damansara yesterday.He also refuted reports that Altantuya’s family would be sending documents to show that the deceased had married the analyst."I asked the family to send me proof of her relationship with the analyst," he said."They have faxed us details of her trip from Kuala Lumpur to Shanghai in March last year, which was paid for by the analyst at a travel agency here. "They have also sent recent pictures of Altantuya but there is no marriage certificate coming." He also denied telling the media that Altantuya’s parents would be coming here with her baby for DNA testing to ascertain whether the baby is the analyst’s son. "They will be coming for DNA tests here to ascertain if the remains found in Puncak Alam are that of Altantuya."
posted by aman @ 2:57 PM 0 comments links to this post
Friday, November 10, 2006
Top political analyst arrested! Explosive end to affair that turned sour
KUALA LUMPUR: The country was abuzz yesterday after a prominent political analyst was arrested in connection with the abduction and brutal murder of a Mongolian woman.The New Straits Times understands that Attantuya Shariibu @ Aminah allegedly demanded US$500,000 (RM1.85 million) as payment after he signalled the end of their affair. She claimed that she had given birth to his child and threatened to go public if her demand was not met. After checking and finding her claim to be false, he lodged a police report last month. What happened next is a bit murky but three police personnel — including two from the Special Action Squad — have been arrested and are likely to be charged with murder. It is believed that she was shot execution-style somewhere in Puncak Alam before her body was placed over some explosives and detonated.Using a battery of metal detectors, sniffer dogs and post- blast investigation equipment, police personnel examined a shallow grave and surrounding areas for nearly eight hours. They found a handful of bone fragments.Aminah’s case came to light after Aminah’s sister lodged a missing person’s report on Oct 21. In it, she identified the political analyst as a suspect. Bit by bit, the police dug and managed to put together a mosaic of what took place.They learnt that she and the analyst — who runs a think- tank — were introduced to each other at a party abroad a few years ago. They struck up a relationship and had been seeing each other off and on abroad. Several months ago, the analyst told her that he wanted to end the relationship. Early last month, Aminah, her sister and cousin turned up in Kuala Lumpur. She hired a private investigator to obtain as much information about the analyst. She also bombarded him with SMSes.She attempted to visit him at his office and home in Damansara but was prevented by security staff. The analyst also engaged the services of a security consultant to make sure that she did not continue to harass him.On Oct 19, she showed up outside his home and created a ruckus.Her sister said that Aminah did not return to their hotel in Chinatown and lodged a police report two days later.Top-notch investigators were yesterday interrogating those in custody to fill some important blanks in the case, namely how the police personnel got involved. The analyst, in his 40s, is expected to be produced before a magistrate today.Meanwhile, the Prime Minister’s Office yesterday clarified that the member of the Special Action Squad detained in connection with the murder was not part of the Prime Minister’s permanent personal security team. A spokesman told Bernama that the police personnel was only a member of a team whose duties include providing security on a rotational basis to Malaysian VIPs when they travel overseas.
posted by aman @ 8:55 AM 0 comments links to this post
The saga of the Johor Bigfoot may not have ended.
Loud noises and the breaking of branches at a rubber plantation in Kampung Batu 4, about three kilometres from the Kota Tinggi waterfall on Monday night, have fuelled interest again in the creature.Workers at a kongsi checked the area at dawn and found large footprints on the ground.State Wildlife Department director Ab Razak Majid said the prints were that of a young renegade bull elephant, but Tenggara Parliament Youth Consensus Council chairman Marozan Ahmad felt otherwise."Based on the size and shape of the footprints, droppings and remains of banana plants, we are sure that an elephant had intruded into the plantation," Razak said."It would be difficult to track it down as it would have moved to another location in the jungle by now."Marozan had ventured into the secondary jungle behind the kongsi with a group of youths to investigate the source of the disturbance."We found large footprints measuring about 45cm long. The pair of footprints had a stride of about a metre apart. This indicates that a large bi-pedal creature had moved around here. There are twigs and leaves broken off from trees from a height of more than two metres." Marozan hoped the authorities and researchers would investigate the footprints. "A group of experts should track into the interior of the jungle. The Bigfoot would be a positive development for the district as it will attract experts and scientists here," he said.
posted by aman @ 8:47 AM 0 comments links to this post
Thursday, June 29, 2006
School in Malaysia
posted by aman @ 10:07 AM 4 comments links to this post
Thursday, May 25, 2006
RM3000
Let's to do some calculations here. In Malaysia the average family income is RM3000 (Father works, mother doesnt). I understand there are a lot of families whose income don't reach RM3000, but, to make things simple, lets take RM3000 as the figure. ok la right?Okay, let's start rolling with a family which has Papa, Mama, 1 daughter and 1 son. ngam ngam..Calculation starts...Electricity and water bil RM100 (no aircond, no home theatre, no water heater k?)Telekom and Handphone bil RM100 (cannot make a lot of calls one you know? NO Streamyx also)Meal for the whole happy family RM775 (3 meals on RM25/day, RM25 for 4 persons????)Papa makan/teh tarik during working hours RM155 (RM5/day, RM5 can eat what?)Car repayment RM400 (a proton saga aeroback, 7 years repayment)Petrol RM300 (Living in City, Jam) Go to work, bring son to school, only can afford one car running.Insurance RM650, (kids, wife and myself).House repayment RM750 (Low cost housing repayment for 30 years, retired still have to work to pay house!)Tuition RM80 (got that cheap meh?? No, I don't think so)Older children pocket money @ school RM20 (RM1/day, eat bread??)School fees RM30 (enough ah??)School books and etc etc. RM100 (always got extra to pay in school)Younger children milk powder RM50 (cannot have the DHA, BHA, PHA one, expensive)Miscellaneous RM100 (shampoo, rice, sauce, toilet paper)oh wait!!! I have to stop here, so... No Astro, no movie @ cinema, no DVD, no CD, no online, cannot KFC, cannot Mc Donald, cannot go Park walk during weekend(petrol expensive), no chit chat on phone with grandparents, and etc...Let's use a calculator to total up... WALAO EI.. Shit! RM3610 already.. EPF belum potong, income tax lagi,........ oledi --- RM610... How tosurvive laa tuan-tuan dan puan-puan sekalian??? Our Deputy Prime Minister ask us to change lifestyle? How to change? Don't eat? Don't work? Don't send children to school and study? Besides that, I believe in Malaysiapopulation, there are millions of Rakyat Malaysia which still don't earn RM3000/month!!!What is this? Ini lah Malaysia Boleh.. Sorry.. it should be MalaysiansBoleh, because we're still alive and kicking!!Our politicians must be mad!!!!!!
posted by aman @ 11:32 AM 8 comments links to this post
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Coca Cola
I found this very interesting. So, are you a fan of Coke? If yes, then this might interest you!Infos, facts and fictions or maybe myths….all related to Coca Cola.1. The color of Coca Cola was originally green!*2. Coca Cola was originated by a pharmacist (Doctor John Pembert) as a drug to cure depression.3. Coca Cola once being made from cocaine and also had alcohol in it.4. Coca Cola was originally made form Coca-leaves (cocaine-plant) and Cola-nuts (which grow in Africa).5. When coke commercialized, the cocaine and alcohol where left out and the original recipe was replaced by the “7X”-formula.6. Coke can be used to relieve the sting from Jelly Fish.7. Coke also can be used to relieve hiccups.8. Coke can be used as tanning lotion.9. Coke can be used to make a new photo look antique. Just soak in it!10. Coke also can be used to remove gum from gum coated hair.11. The Navy uses Coke to help preserve it’s submarines.12. If you put a can of diet Coca Cola and a can of regular Coca Cola in a swimming pool….. the can of regular Coke will sink, but the can of Diet Coke will float!13. Coke can be used to clean ancient bronze coins.14. Coke is a perfect grout cleaner for tile floors.15. Coke can remove fishy smell from clothes.16. Coke can be used to remove oil stains from concrete driveways or garages.17. Coke can also be used to remove stains from carpet. (Even permanent marker stain)18. Coke can makes your lawn grass greener.19. Coke can ease cold symptoms. (Add with some fresh ginger)20. Uncarbonated cake can heel nauseated.21. Coke can power up your accumulator (storage battery)22. Coke can also remove blood stains.23. Coke can get rid of rats!24. Coke can clean/remove corrosion (rusting).25. Coke is used to clean toilet bowl.
posted by aman @ 8:02 AM 0 comments links to this post
Thursday, April 20, 2006
When 30 cents went a long way
Raja Petra KamarudinNot that I am trying to brag, but I could be considered a rich kid in my primary school days in the late 1950s and early 1960s. I received pocket money of 20 cents a day whereas most of the other kids would get only 10 cents or less. I would cycle from my home in Bukit Kuda (near Bukit Raja in Kelang -- so named because, before WWII, our family used to own the land around there; whereas Bukit Kuda got its name because of the horses on the hill of course) to Meru, so the 20 cents was necessary as a cold drink cost 5 cents and I needed another 5 cents for my mee goreng . That gave me a balance of 10 cents to splurge on pineapples, which Meru was famous for. A whole pineapple cost 5 cents. The surplus 5 cents I would use to play tikam-tikam , a sort of gambling game where you pulled a piece of paper off a board and you won various prizes depending on what was written on the paper -- sometimes it would be a toy gun, plastic car, and such rubbish.I first ?hit the road? in 1966, exactly 40 years ago. I was then 16, so I could legally own a motorcycle licence. I could not obtain a car licence until I was 18 though. By then my pocket money had increased to 10 dollars a week (maybe worth 100 ringgit today), but it would never last the week as I was on the road most of my waking hours. (You must be joking if you think I spent my free time studying for my exams).My first bike was a 90cc Yahama, which I later upgraded to a 100cc Twin when the 90cc got too battered up because of the many crashes I endured. In those days, this would set you back about 1,000 dollars, 10% of what you would have to pay today. Also, in those days, Malaysia had not gone metric yet, so we still calculated everything in gallons, miles, miles per gallon, and miles per hour. Petrol was 1 dollar a gallon or roughly 23 cents a litre. With 10 dollars, I could ride my bike all the way to Penang on Saturday morning and be back in Kuala Lumpur by Sunday evening in time for school the next day. I of course could not afford to pay for hotel rooms so our motorcycle gang would sleep on the stone benches along Gurney Drive, which was then ?Millionaires Row?.Penang was famous for its ?grass? or ganja , which was sold openly along Penang Street and, in the 1960s, not yet considered a ?drug? -- and therefore not a serious crime. Even policemen traded in ganja at one dollar a role that could last a whole day and could be shared by half a dozen guys and gals (it was safer buying ganja from policemen, if you know what I mean, as they did not arrest their customers). In fact, ganja was not any stronger than a Camel or Lucky Strike cigarette so the mind boggles as to why ganja is now banned while Camel and Lucky Strike are still legal. But bringing ganja across to the mainland was a crime though (we did not have the required APs), so we had to be contented with enjoying it on the Island rather than risk getting caught by Customs. Well, Penang was a free port then and it was certainly ?free? in many aspects.My first job in 1970 was an apprenticeship with Volkswagen. My salary was 105 dollars a month, a lot of money in those days for a 20-year old. We must remember that the purchasing power of money then was ten times what it is today, so 105 dollars is equivalent to RM1,000 or so today. Suddenly I was flush with money. The fact I lived with my parents in Jalan Riong, Bangsar, helped as I did not have to put any money aside for rental or food, though I still had to pay for my lunch in the workshop canteen. The second year, my salary increased to 120 dollars. It would have been 140 for the third year and 160 for the final year, after which I would receive more than 300 dollars if I passed my apprenticeship exam. But I left in the second year because I refused to wash the cars that had been submerged in the flood. My supervisor had given me a toothbrush with which to clean the cars. I retaliated by hosing down the cars instead and got water in the engine while the inside of the car became a swimming pool (Volkswagens can float on water, in case you did not know). My supervisor flipped and sacked me on the spot. I walked out waving and smiling to the cheers of the entire workshop that hated the Indian supervisor they dubbed ?Black Hitler? (very racial, I must admit, but it was a German company).I was in fact ?overqualified? as an apprentice. Apprenticeships are for form three failures, those who did not qualify to go to form four, whereas I had an MCE qualification (then called GCE O-level). I could have gone to England do my A-level but my father thought sending me to England would be disastrous considering my ?wild? lifestyle. He preferred me closer to home where he could keep a watch on me, not that he was very successful at doing so.In those days, with an MCE qualification, you could get employment as a trainee officer with a bank or as a probationary inspector in the police force at more than 300 dollars salary a month (what would be RM3,000 plus today). After three years, when you passed your internal exam, you could become a confirmed bank officer or police inspector at maybe twice the salary. But none of this interested me. I was only interested in motorcycling around Malaysia and sleeping under the open sky beside the sea.That was life in Malaysia 40 years ago. All you needed was 300 or 400 dollars a month to get by. I got married earning that much money and even owned a car at the same time, which was cheaper than owning a wife. A 100cc motorcycle cost 1,000 dollars. Since I was ?rich?, I of course had a big bike, a 650cc Yamaha, which cost an ?exorbitant? 3,000 dollars, a ?ridiculous? price to pay for a mere motorcycle (you could buy a Volkswagen for twice that). Just before I got married I sold the Yamaha to buy my first car, a used (second-hand) Holden Torona. I traded that in for a Mitsubishi 1600 after I crashed my Holden on the Federal Highway and landed on the other side of the road (luckily it was a Holden and not a Proton, if not I would not be around today to write this article). The brand new Mitsubishi cost less than 10,000 dollars, amongst the most expensive car in its class.When my business saw success, I bought my first Mercedes Benz. It was a used or second-hand 240D (diesel) which cost me 30,000 dollars. I needed a diesel because I was travelling a lot and was clocking about 100,000 miles a year. I would drive to Johor in the afternoon, have a dinner meeting in Mersing, leave for KL around midnight, attend a meeting the next morning, leave KL that same afternoon, and be back in Kuala Terengganu in time for dinner. I was then in my 20s so I did not need much sleep.When Malaysia experienced a diesel shortage to crisis proportions in the late 1970s, I sold the 240D for the same price that I paid for it, 30,000 dollars, and bought a new Mercedes Benz 200 petrol for 37,000 dollars. Later, I traded that in for a BMW 728i, which cost me 85,000 dollars. I used that for awhile after which I traded it in for a Mercedes Benz 380 SE at the insistence of Cycle and Carriage, my partner in our new business venture (their German engineer had refused to step into my BMW when I fetched him at the airport). This cost me 125,000 dollars, the price of a Japanese car today. But that was over 20 years ago.And why, you may ask, am I telling you all this? Well, this is just to demonstrate the purchasing power of money then compared to today. What most of you are earning today is ten times what I earned then. But what I earned then went a long way. Today, even with your higher education and ten times higher income, you can hardly make ends meet, let alone enjoy the perks I did then. And don?t forget, today, you need to spend RM400,000 to get an overseas university education to earn what we earned then with a mere form five qualification. With a university education, we could earn a starting salary of RM8,000 to RM10,000 in today?s money value. But there was no motivation to go to university when we could save two years in form six and three years university, a total of five years, and in five years our salary would be equivalent to a university graduate just starting out (but passing some internal exams would be required first).Has the 30 sen increase in fuel prices upset you? Well, don?t get too upset. Even if they did not increase the price of petrol, or decided to reduce it again, you would still not be any richer. Today, if you earn less than RM3,000 a month, you are still poor even if the price of petrol did not increase. You can?t buy a motorcycle for less than RM1,000 or a good quality and fast car for less than RM10,000. You cannot own a Mercedes Benz for RM40,000 or a top end BMW 7 series for RM100,000. You cannot fill up your tank and drive to Penang or Johor and back for RM40. You cannot buy a single-storey house in Subang or Bangsar for RM20,000 or a two-storey home for RM45,000. If you send your kids to England, you need RM400,000 over three years and RM1 million if they decide to do medicine. Coke no longer cost 20 cents, nor does a cup of tea or coffee. A trip to the supermarket to fill up your cart would set you back RM400, more than a month?s salary in the old days.Okay, forget about comparing Malaysia then to Malaysia today. Let us compare Malaysia today to UK today.My sons live in Manchester -- been there more than four years now. They earn UK £5 an hour. If they work 8 hours, that would be £40 per day -- they work more hours than that though, sometimes 10 or 12 hours, so they make more than £40 per day. With this salary, they pay their cost through college and since they share a two-room apartment at £320 a month (which they pay weekly at £80) their living cost is quite manageable. In a month, each of my sons takes home more than £1,000, sometimes even up to £1,200.Forget about converting all this to ringgit. Let us just calculate everything based on £1 equals RM1. This is because that same job that earns you £1,200 in Manchester will earn you RM1,200 in Malaysia. So we have to look at it on the basis of one-to-one. If you earn RM1,200 per month in Malaysia, can you rent a two-room apartment in the city for RM320? Will you be able to spend RM20 (£20) for a cart-full of groceries like in Manchester, or will it be RM400 (£400) like in Malaysia? Can you buy a used car for RM200-RM400 (£200-£400) in Malaysia like you can in Manchester?Yes, our problem extends to more than just the price of petrol going up 30 sen. The ringgit that you earn does not go very far in Malaysia, even if the petrol price did not increase. The cost of living in Malaysia is very high even though the quality of life is low. That is the crux of the issue. I would rather earn £2,000 in UK than RM2,000 in Malaysia. £2,000 in UK goes very, very far. In Malaysia, RM2,000 can hardly carry you through half the month.Still want to protest and demonstrate against the 30 sen increase in petrol prices? Don?t waste your time. You should instead protest the low wages. The so-called ?poverty level? that the government has come out with is utter bullshit. The government is misleading us as to what really represents poverty. If they redraw the poverty line, then most Malaysians can be considered poor. In reality, 'poverty level' is more like RM1,200. Short of that, you just can't manage, especially if you have a wife and kids.Do you want to know something the government has not told us? Bank Negara has come out with its calculation that if you retired at age 55 or 56, you will need a savings of RM2 million-RM3 million to enjoy your retirement comfortably. If not, you will still need to work. This is of course assuming you will live for another 15-20 years before you die and that you will live a modest live, not one of luxury. Yes, that?s right, RM2 million-RM3 million or RM120,000 a year if you live to age 73 or so, the average lifespan of a male Malaysian. That comes to about RM10,000 per month. But you can only play with your grandchildren and tend to your garden. If you jet-set or take sea cruises, then you will be broke within three or four years.Now, how much do we get when we retire? RM300,000? In two or three years you will be broke and will need to go find a job. This is more frightening than the 30 sen increase in petrol prices. And I bet what you are earning today hardly lasts the month -- so for sure you are not saving anything for retirement day. Well, let?s hope you get a heart attack and die before age 56. This would save you the agony of facing your old age with no money in your pocket.
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