Check the Slide.....

Of late, many had been picking the right moment to hit out at Perkasa chief, Datuk Ibrahim Ali and his team on the "white ang pow" fiasco and though, I believe it is no excuse for the veteran politician to squirm away from being the target of abuse for this lack of sensitivity, there was one glaring bigger picture which most people had completely overlooked during the fiasco. So, okay, the organisers ran out of red packets but it's no excuse to give white packets-lar. Easily, the situation could have been averted if the organisers could handed out just plain cash but that wouldn't have looked good ( MACC watching-mah!/meh? ) but to me, it is much better than the white ang pow-lar. The fiasco is like a balloon filled with cow dung and it hit the fan-lar! You should know what happened next! 

Anyway, we all have our own views on Datuk Ibrahim Ali and his motley crew of clowns [ believe me, I have harsher views about them than you'll ever know but I'll keep them to myself! Somehow, Kamunting packet rice serving doesn't sound too good nor suited my culinary taste either. Cannot pick on "tua liap lang"-mah! ] but that is not what I want to write about. I believe no matter what he did, he ain't gonna win the popularity contest lest win any vote of approval from anyone who is sane enough to know of what is going on. My concern, which is also highlighted by my colleague, Teo, was the embarrassing "hand-out " mentality of the people that were attending that function. My God, you should have seen how the Chinese community and some others pushing forward, elbowing their ways, pushing, shoving and even hands/legs/torso being manoeuvred/ wormed through all to reach out for the red packets. I was so embarrassed when I saw a video clip of what had happened. All this for a RM 10 or RM 20 ang pow packet?!!! It's unbelievable and really embarrassing.  Believe me, it is not just this function but of the many functions I have attended or had the opportunity to view on the tube, it is always the same scene. The hands swinging, the forceful stepping forward, the pushing, the legs cringing near, the twist and contorted contour of the bodies among the masses of bodies and the grabbings.  How have my own Chinese community stooped to such shallowness? This "hand-out" mentality had indeed crippled our community and not just the Chinese community. What had happened? Is it because there are free food and free money to take that every Tom, Dick and Harry including Jane, Helen and Suzi are willing to stoop to such shallowness just for a fistful of ringgit and embarrassment? Please, forgive me. I am not out to hit out at anybody but just to highlight what had become of our values in our community today. This is the reality and this is what has become of our society today. I tell you this, I blamed the community leaders and Chinese leaders for advocating such hand-out mentality! Call me fool or even a senile old man but pictures and videos don't lie.  

We are so stunted by such ways knowingly or unknowingly. Even political parties and leaders of our communities are doing such things.  We are so used to having "hand-out" that we "expect" to be given goodies. It really crippled us as a society. Our humanistic reaction nowadays are so governed by these hand-out mentality which is really the cause of doomed in our younger generations. Maybe, you may feel that I am out of place but I tell you, I am not. A couple of months ago, I spoke to my good friend, Vive about this and our conclusion was the same - this hand-out mentality had not only crippled our youths today but also our working yuppies today. Mind you, you and I may not be around for a long time but their generation will move on. Do we want to built a generation of people who expects hand-outs in life? Aren't each day is getting tighter and harder for us to earn a living decently in this country? Need I say more on this matter?

Honestly, I have never ever seen any hardworking individual let it be a Malay, Chinese, Indian or others who do not succeed in life when they work hard. Look , being successful is not about having lots money or status only. Some people can have both money and status and still permeates stinking aura in their personal character and ways of life. Many in our society are like that, yunno. Anyway, my combat is actually that this "hand-out mentality frame" had crippled our society a lot and the Chinese people is no exception. I believe with all my heart that the Chinese people are well-known for their hardworking attitude, alert and always very shrewd in the dealings. However, nowadays, it's like they "expect" to have things fall off the table and working hard is like a dirty word nowadays.It is surprising to see Chinese boys and girls failing in their exams, can't read or write ( YES! Don't look surprised! Go to some urban schools and you will see them at the last class,ok? ), can't speak a strand of English or BM properly, speak rudely with a great mixture of flowery dialect language or even just fall out from school at an early stage in life. They, mostly, come from broken homes while they have been indoctrinated that making money is their main priority in life.  Even in college, they don't work as hard as the other communities and being average is okay with them. Can't pass first semester ; change course midway through the course. Some even took the course but doesn't have a single idea of what the course is all about or just have no idea of what they want to be in the future. Look, these are some of the realities in life. I take a big dig at my own community because it affects our young people's lives today. I know because I talked to them, I hear their views, I see what they do and there is a rot that has become septic if we don't treat it.  I really suggest we take a good look at our young people's lives today. I have seen passionate teachers like Bee Ling ( the one person whom I marvelled a lot ! ) who would spend her time to really help out these boys and girls while giving them a sense of hope in themselves. I have heard many heart-wrenching stories from her. I really feel for her for what she is trying to do and at the same time, I marvelled at her strength to really educate our children today and make them realise the need to work hard & be successful in life. There are many Bee Lings out there and blessed you people for fighting this battle each day and for not giving up.  

The pampering, the mediocre performance and the "tidak apa" attitude has to go.  It is time we wake up and realise our need to rise up. I fear, one day, if we continue to slumber in this kind of attitude, our society will be the couch-potato of whimps and Jabba,the Hutt lookalikes!~ What do you think?

           

Shameful...

As I watched the video clips in regards to the ruckus made during a ABU-Hindraf  gathering in Shah Alam, I felt repulsive and totally disgusted with the entire episode. I see the ugly head of racism, disrespect, intolerance and the disruptive rape of our Malaysian society cord. I wonder if the leaders of our country or even our Royal Malaysian Police are aware or play a part on this or knowingly turned a blind eye to such acts of cowardice? I humbly asked our so-called leaders of this nation, do you see what millions had witnessed or are you part of the racist team to turn this country into a mess of bloodshed all over again? Do you want to see blood flowing like rivers on this land of ours before you react or do you plunged the knives  purposely to cause more blood flow in this country and bleed it to death? Would you like to have your sons and daughters blood flowing at every streets and at every corner of this beloved nation of ours before you stop such blatant abuse? You cannot expect the meek, the quiet or even the patient to sit quietly at the fence and see their families being bludgeoned to death, do you? Do you really expect the people of Malaysia to accept such behaviours at the gathering which tantamount to actual barbaric, a rape of our freedom in this country and also, the sowing of racial discord? Is there not enough evidence for you, Mr. PM and Mr. Home Ministry/Security Minister or even all the bloody dungus Cabinet Ministers in this country to do anything at all? Is "Let the RMP do their investigation" gonna work or are you expecting more deaths like Kugans or Teoh Beng Hocks or Sarbanis before you start reacting? Answer! That's my question to you! How many more have to be sacrificed and die tragically before you react? Each bloody day these blundering idiots push the line of tolerance to a level of cracking and no leaders lift a single finger to defuse the situation!  These cohorts of race haters and hooligans should be punished. I really shudder at the thought of what would happen had it been a Malay people gathering and the function crashers are Indian youths or Chinese youths? Mayhem is the word that will look like child's play when all hell break loose. The bottomline is : people like these; irrespective of race, color or creed , who are out to create such mayhem should be punished. Period!   

You bet, I am ANGRY. You bet, I am APPALLED. You bet, I smell a CONSPIRACY to create fear and de-stabilise the unity of the peace-loving people of Malaysia! I am really ANGRY that a small fraction of insensitive youths does this to a community of elderly people of various races and show so much of disrespect and humiliate a  particular community. I ask the community leaders, where are you when such things happened? You , the leaders of UMNO, MCA and MIC in the so-called BN fold shout aloud that the people should put their trust in you and for 50 years the people of Malaysia had put that trust in you; what do we get today? This particular happening in Shah Alam says it all so ever clearly. You have failed your mandate and you have failed the people of Malaysia! 

You, the leaders of BN, I charged you GUILTY in the sight of God of not only failure to protect the rights of the people of Malaysia but you daily rape, brutalised and even threatened our lives with you shadowy hands of abuse and corrupt practises. I am a CHRISTIAN and even that right of professing my own religion had been forcibly taken away from me subtly and accusation that we are converting this people and that people to create such a misunderstanding. Worse of all, you create fear in the people and so much mistrust; all for the sake of staying in power and further raping this land, our minds and our families lives! Playing the racial and religion trump cards is a convenient tool to stay in power. There is NEVER a real conscientious effort on the part of the government to built the communities. You divide and conquer the people just like our penjajah used to do. The only difference is you called it a government of the disguise in 1Malaysia!

My words may be harsh today but I am really DISGUSTED with these type of behaviours. Also, to the MCA head honcho, CSL, what have you got to say? Well, Mr.Leader of MIC, what have you got to say? So, the people/youths/old people/elderly still cannot and should not criticize the leaders of this country? Well, I've got news for you. You are also a contributor and part of the team that will see innocent blood being  shed because you did absolutely NOTHING  while in power! That's a fact! Digest the fact! It doesn't matter if the gathering was  a ABU-Hindraf gathering. Innocent lives are there. Are you blind to the colors of the skins or only the colors of the wallet? Or better still, this is not your fight. Look, it doesn't matter if there are Malays, Chinese or Indians at that gathering, they are MALAYSIANS for goodness heaven sake! Wake up! Please wake up! That's somebody's father, mother, sister, brother, uncle, aunty and so on.  In my book, your hands are equally bloodied and guilt of bloodshed  just like your predecessors  together with your MCA/MIC team. My grandfather was a strong supporter of MCA during his days; how wrong he has been all these years. How bloody wrong he has been! 

It is not about elections anymore as far as I am concerned. For me, it is about the decency of living, respect and waking up with my family safe each day. I pray to GOD that He would watch over this beloved nation of ours. Let's arise people; Malays, Chinese, Indians and the rest of the communities to pray for God's grace upon our lives today. Please, I plead, let all of our children have a future in this beloved nation of ours called Malaysia!

Chronicles of CNY days...

Call me a sentimental fool or even a "softie" if you want to but spending CNY celebrations with family can be quite an experience. I dunno, maybe I have mellowed a lot but not the "angin" side ( that's what my wife says! ). I felt really........ blessed, so blessed ( yup! that's the word! )  being able to have lunch, dinner and even spend time chatting with mom, brother, sister, mom-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, cousins, nephews, uncles, aunties and relatives. It is not everyday or every week that you get to meet up and catch up. Every one and everybody from every nook and corner of the world is back for CNY celebrations. It's always special occasions that you get to see everybody and that's special. I can only think of 3 occasions where one ( Chinese community ) could actually catch up which is CNY, weddings and morbidly, funerals! BTW, if you are not married, you will be constantly hounded/bombarded with the ultimate annoying/nut-wrenching question of "When are you getting married?" followed by the impetuous question of " Are you okay ar? Is something wrong with you?" To me, my answer is simple and curt, " Oh! I'll only be a burden and trouble to the girl's family and my family if I get married coz' I'll laze at home and be a bummer!" and as their eyes almost popped out and jaws dropped to the floor, I'll continue, " Also I have too many old relatives while my parents are old. So each time, they pass away, I have to be my family's representative. It is quite taxing -lor!" Usually, by this time, the questions stopped and they would move away from me as fast as possible! Smart, right?

For me, though we go through CNY every year, as usual, the wallet gets thinner each passing year ( bosses "complaining"/ making a big fuss of  not making enough/no profit for the year and every inconceivable excuses available! typical slavemaster mentality! Sheesh! ) , the expenses goes a little higher each year, the restaurants charged higher for food each freaking year, the mandarin oranges get more sour each time but the fact remained that the children's smile gets wider or get more blunt each year! However, over the recent years, the "disturbing" trend of opening the ang pow packet immediately after receipt can be quite a harrowing experience for the givers rather than the receivers. I remembered one smart-alec opened the ang pow and proclaimed loudly to every available pair of ears in a get-together function, " Aiiiiiyyaaaaah! Five ringgit only ! " Then I hear another exclaimed, " Aiyooo, you are better. I have two ringgit only! ". Gone are the days when the red packets are kept in pockets; only to be opened in the safe confine of the room! Nowadays, it's like a public proclamation of kiasu mentality! Oh! How I wished I could spank that kids' bottoms till it fluffed up like "fatt koew" and tell them it's okay to be spanked on CNY day!! Hey, kids, it's not a business day, ok? It's Chinese New Year;  for crying out loud! Be thankful-lar...

Jokes aside, CNY is a great day of celebration, seriously. This year, I really felt blessed though I feel tired at the end of the day. It's the dumb medicines anyway!  I was glad that I had the opportunity to meet up and spend some time with my friends, Ramesh & Indra from Taiping.  What a couple! Humble, down-to-earth and great friends. Yunno, each time , Ramesh and Indra are back in Melaka, they would give me a call. That's really thoughtful of them and I do hope to bring the family to spend a few days in Taiping and meet up with them someday. Then, there's meeting up with Kenneth Wong PL, our extended family. It is really nice to be able to meet up , speak to him and even get to hear of his plans for the new year.  He treated all of us a sumptuous and a costly dinner. Thank you so much, Kenneth. CNY also brings about the picture of  the physical growth of our family members and relatives. Some of my cousins and nephews have grown up; signalling the aging process for uncles like us! I guess, we can't beat the natural process, huh? Well, still blessed to be aging gracefully!

I took a picture with mom the other day. I really cherished that photo a lot as I looked into it daily. She's  been a great mom especially her Hainanese food fare, culinary skills and her cares for me all these years. We hugged each other as we took the photo that day. That was really special to me and it meant a lot to me. The one person I missed the most and missing from the photo was Dad. I really miss his quiet ways, his humor and his humble ways.  I must admit, I DO miss my dad quite a fair bit especially on days like this and that's why I've been under the weather for the past few days. I could never describe to you how I really miss my Dad. I miss eating sambal belacan with him - the simple fare in life. I also miss his favourite dish - salted vegetables with duck soup. ( he cooks it with such finesse that it would just blow your mind! ) Most of all, I miss being able to spend some time with him. He really meant a lot to me. He will always be a gem in my heart, always! Thanks for watching over me , Dad!~

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

To all my friends who would be celebrating Chinese New Year 2012,

My family and I wishes all of you,

"GONG XI FA CAI"

May this 2012 year be a great year to you and your family!

~ Drive safe & be blessed always ~

Fish....

Last night, I waited patiently for "Jamie's Fish Supper " program to go on the air but I only caught the program at about 1.00am this morning. I must say that it was again a truly interesting program and it is all about sustaining our fish stock in the ocean by choosing alternative fish for the more popular fish such as cod, haddock, tuna and salmon. It is insanely mind-boggling and outrageous to know that A LOT , and I mean, A LOT of fishes caught in the nets are thrown back DEAD to the sea. Some say it is a circle of life but this Englishman says it's depleting our fish stock of actually good quality fish. Yunno what, Jamie Oliver is just brilliant with his recipes and he makes things really simple for folks like us! Also,  I guess, he puts the money where his mouth is by cooking up some really nice fare with the use of lesser known fish type and I must say,  I have to agree with this Englishman's view. Rightly so, I am also of the opinion...nope! convinced... that much of our own fish stocks in our seas are also depleting fast and at an alarming rate. I have to say it is not just the fishermen who are guilty of this physical glut and rape of the sea fishes but the gluttony by the call of the ever blinding/blinking/bleeping dollars. I am also of the considered opinion that chefs themselves are equally guilty for their fish preferences and over-hype of certain high quality fishes that makes the fishing industry of catching such fishes such a lucrative business. Thus, discarding the alternative fish which are actually equally good quality fish. 

Ironically, earlier in the evening, I was watching " Swords: Life on the Line " and this is one terrific documentary on fishing captains, crew and vessels which hunts big game fish for a living. Though it is interesting enough to know that there are people out there who would practically gambled their lives away to earn a living on the dangerous horizons of the high seas but the pulling out of  huge swordfish and fantastically fat yellow fin tuna  to the deck is no laughing matter. It is A LOT of yellow fin tuna ( prized catch about US$1,000 plus a piece and probably cost a firtune in Japan! ), blue fin tuna and swordfish. It is ironic that people are talking about depleting fish stocks in the ocean while there are still people merticulously picking them out of the sea.  

Anyway, I am all for conservation of fishes in our seas today. I believe alternative fish and fish farming may be the answer. We should eat alternative fish rather than eating the same popular species which may deplete the stock further. I know it may sound a little bit queer but there are some fishes which are good alternative. Then there is fish farming and there has got to be a serious effort in ensuring enough supply not just like another NFC project fiasco. Read the AG Report and you will see how fish farming in Sabah can go awry and cynically wrong altogether! Hmmmmmnnnnn.....Malaysia memang boleh!

I also found the movement "Fish Fight" campaign which is the brainchild of famous chefs such as Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay, Heston Blumenthal, Hugh Fearnly-Whittingstall, Eric Lanlard and Gizzi Erskine are really conscious and worthy conservation efforts in ensuring fish stock conservation and conscientious efforts in making people understand the need for alternative fish usage. Well, the next time, you pick out a fish at the market, you'll know what to do, I hope! Have fun at the markets!~

Cockerel lesson...

Today, as I was early for my appointment at the outskirts of the town, I decided to do some reading of my file and get myself a cup of coffee at a nearby stall. The proprietor was a pleasant elderly lady who greeted me "Good morning, young man " in English and asked for my drink. I was like a jackass for a moment as she repeated  the greetings and repeated the same question followed by " Can I help you, young man? ". I just looked at her and stammered ; replied, " Kopi O kosong would do." She smiled and replied , " That would be good. Can I get you anything else?" I told her it would be good if she could bring me a tausah pau. I then went back to my file and within minutes the coffee appeared together with a nice looking tau sah pau ( sweet red bean paste bun ). I thanked her and I struck some small talk with her  and I came to know that she had learned the language by speaking to her customers and that her daughters had helped her. I complimented her that she spoke good English and I was impressed. It just goes to show that there is simply no barrier if you set your mind to learn a language or do a task. I learned an invaluable lesson when I looked at this elderly lady.  The sheer tenancy to learn a language, speak it well and overcoming the difficulties are applaudable effort! I guess, the phrase "learning never stop" rings true in every sense. What a great start to the morning!

Then, I saw a cockerel and two hens started to move into the coffee shop. Being at the outskirt of town, seeing chicken roaming in the coffeeshop is a welcome sight. The funny thing is that the cockerel walked toward the stainless steel steamer where the steaming buns were kept. At first , it circled the steamer, then it started to peck at the steamer. The pecking activity went on for a few minutes and it actually "disturbed" my concentration and I diverted my eye from the file to the cockerel. This pompous little cockerel ( they are not that big built in the village ) strutted and raised up it's chest while moving it's feathers to make it look bigger. I was wondering what the heck is the cockerel doing. Then I realised that the funny bird saw its reflection and started to strut its' stuff to the image at the stainless steel steamer. I almost choked on my coffee as I see it constantly darting and pecking at the reflection. Everytime the bird took a peck at the reflection, it would then re-coiled back and make its beak to go through some sharpening process on the hard concrete ground. Then it would start its assault all over again on the reflection.  It soon got tired and moved away but not before giving the reflection some dirty look!

I guess, as I reflected on what had happened, it just reminded me how we are like that at times. So insecure , pompous and paranoid at times. Heck! We are even afraid of our own reflection nowadays. I definitely took away some valuable lessons as I walked out of the shop hours ago. "Have a good day, now!" was what the elderly lady greeted me as I walked out of the shop. I turned back and smiled. She gave me the biggest smile ever and that really made a difference. Somehow the day seemed brighter despite the gloomy heavy dark clouds hovering over my head. Even if it rained, I would still be wearing this silly smile. A smile is just infectious. Don't you agree?  

Some day...some day...

The last few days had been frustrating days for me and the ultimate crunch to the nuts came from yesterday's incidents. I do not want to dwell on those unpleasant occasions but I'll go crazy if I don't some how release the pent-up anger all these time. Like I said many times, I have nothing against people who are rich & powerful in their finance or wherever their gains comes from or whatever position they are but I am against all form of bullying, belittling, character bashing and even throwing "little people" like me and many others like me under the moving truck/bus/trailer or even at a moving train. I am frustrated for being treated like some rug under people's feet or even the punching bag of some " office politics ". If that wasn't bad enough, making one the scapegoat or heaping blaming to the little people really gets me on nerves. The worst part of all is that little people like us will have to keep our mouth shut, swallow whatever integrity we have and hung our heads so low that even the nuts hanging between our legs seemed taller at that time! It is so damn frustrating that we just have to give in to such people. Maybe you could say that little people like us gave in to such things but I want to tell you this. These rich & powerful plus wicked people knows that little people like us would require our salary to feed our family and knowing very well that they are in such a position to do so, they milked us dry until our bones are grounded to dust! Yes, for little people like us, to speak up is pure suicidal. To point out mistake is like having your hanging item get stuck between the zippers while to voice out is like waiting for your coffin to be lowered into a simmering burning fire.

The rich, powerful and evil will always have the little people like us as toys to toy around and people like us would  just have to harden our knuckles and grit our teeth plus let it slide. I am proud to say that I come from the very school of hard knock but yesterday was like the last straw. If I do have my way, believe me, it only takes me minutes to turn over to the "new" leaf which is my old ways, I would have made the Spanish inquisition torture ways look like child's play and probably make them eat some of their nice front rows of teeth. Period! I was that mad yesterday and I just felt so ............helpless! I was torn between providing the meals for the family and letting my abuser/perpetrator a  taste/piece of what I am capable to do. Finding myself in trouble or landing in the 40 odd metal bars cell doesn't seemed to faze me at all. BUT somehow, in the midst of my anger, I just grit my teeth real hard ( I have a slightly chipped tooth now! ) and I just took some water to wash my face. I don't know whether my tears mixed with the water or it was just tears streaming down my face. It is that frustrating,boy. I hate to become a punching bag for others and I hate being made to look like a fool. I hate being made the scapegoat for some rich and powerful idiot games! Many times, I just give in because friends told me that I have to be patient, kind, loving and "that's how it is in the office" thingy. Well, I've got news for you - these people DO need to learn the lesson of not mistreating people because even the sleeping lion will roar occasionally and I am NO EXCEPTION! These people need to understand that there is a certain level of patience and integrity of a person is really worth fighting for. A man has no value and meaning in life if he has no integrity. My late father taught me this lesson and I thank him for teaching me this.    

Yesterday, my wife hugged me tight and I felt so indebted to her. I swallowed my anger and I took a good look at my wife and daughter while I thought of my son very much. I wish I don't have to go through this again and neither should they. Honestly, at that split moment, I thought of them and I doused off my fire of anger, went on my knees and let my soul be tormented by this sudden baptism of patience and love. It cooled me tremendously but I told my wife firmly that this will not change my stand in the office. She looked at me pleadingly with those soft hazel eyes which she knows will softened my anger. I only have this to say the people who are constantly out there to harass the little people in the office -  The bullying has to stop, clamouring for favours have to stop and throwing a fellow colleague under the bus is totally unacceptable. Own up your faults and don't let others become your scapegoat, you heartless idiots!

Who knows - the tables will be turned someday.....some day.......some day ...... 

Free...the fight just begun...

"DSAI is freed !" One of my colleague in the office broke the deafening morning silence of the day amidst our head and eyes glued to the monitor screen doing our intense work. I popped my head out of the cubicle area and smiled to my colleague and slumped back to my chair. So, DSAI is freed - finally... the drama. The joyful euphoria left a lasting expression into many people in my office the other day but there were also people who were virtually not interested at the news at all. Anyway, as I sipped my green tea concoction in my " have-not-washed-in-ages blue mug, the stinging question that goes through my mind was "What's next then?"

My analysis of the matter is that this is just an individual. OK! Before you put poison darts and let fly quadtrillion of knives, machetes, spears, metal balls or whatever sharp and pointed weapons to my ever -smart looking body of yesteryears, just stay with me for a while or at least , allow me to humour you.

As a person, I am very glad that the nonsensical and illogical saga is over for this man and his family. Look, like it or not, he is just a man like any of us who will be subjected to such abuse when you are in the the dirty world of politics. This saga had drained so much out of the poor man and his family - physically, mentally and socially. Honestly, I can never imagine what he and his family had to go through which is virtually a living hell for them, I guess.  I am primarily more concerned for his wife and family who had to endure all the slander, shame and humiliation all these years. It is just so embarrassing and so cruel to do that to a family. I really sympathised with this man and his family. The stress, strain and the days of uncertainty could have really drained the daylights out of them. I am glad that the family's strength and the One Above had kept them sane and durable during these difficult and hostile times. Sometimes, it is so ironic that the sly, the slanderers, the wicked, the evil-minded and even the nasty blokes gets away scott free these days. You kinda wanna ask God, " Why?" or "Yean?" ( in Tamil ). Like I always say, I will put it all in a box and ask God when I get there one day!

Now, my reservation is not on the man but what is important is this : Are there any more capable leaders like him? Why is it so important for him to be a PM if the opposition wins in the next election? Can't it be someone else for a change? My point is simply this - It is not the individual but the good ideals of having good governance of the country is of the utmost importance. OK, people say he is the unifying factor of all the opposition parties. Yup, I may have to agree with that but I can't see his fellow leaders having the same "brick skin and strength" he is having.  One man cannot help re-built this nation if the rest of his merry men are again racist, crooks, criminals and corrupt practitioners! There is a need for him to get his political house in order if there is any chance to sniff the colossal joy of winning or taste the bitter agony of defeat ultimately in the coming GE13. Winning is possible if everyone gets their political houses right with the right-minded leaders in the lead. All I am saying is that I have confidence in PR but I don't have confidence in PKR. To me, PKR looks shaky and almost a carbon copy of the present ruling people. With people coming in from the same old regime boat of corrupt practises into the party , I am really skeptical if these people are really out to tumble out the old geezers of corrupt regime or going for a trial ride on the tidal wave of change and then rape the country all over again! I guess, that's the worry of most fence seaters out there which roughly makes up of 40% of the general population, I would say. Afterall, frogs leap high and will sing when shown the bags, right? We have plenty of examples around already, don't we? All I am saying is there is a real need to screen the potential candidates for the next coming GE13 and DSAI has go to get it right.. Yeah, a few good men sounds interesting but not when it comes to governing the country, man! That's my bluntest opinion as far as I am concerned. There is a real need for men and women of substance and incorruptible characters to run this already disturbed country with great care and good governance. 

I pray that for the coming GE13, the potential candidates had better get into shape and stop being peddlers of words lest they will fall very flat on their faces, be it from the ruling party or the opposition. The days of flattery by big makan, the sour dosage of racial trump cards, fear tactics and even empty promises are grandly over as the voters are really scrutinising the potential candidates. It takes a real moron and nitwit to use these pre-historic tactics to win votes. Maybe, just maybe, it will work at the kampungs and the rural folks but not in the urban areas. I pray for good leaders to prevail. Ones that would be true Malaysian in every sense. We have had enough of racism, imbalance shift of fear tactics, arm-twisting policies, blundering policies that plunder the very wealth of this nation and the rape of the land.

Vote wisely, vote right and pray!~   

The name is Caitlyn....

Last night, I had a wonderful time cradling a small bundle of joy in my arms. I guess, I must say that after not having a baby in your arms for such a long time, I feel kinda awkward and started to have crazy ideas if I could still have the "kingsize cushion" for this little child to nestle in. The last time I become the human dunlopillo was to Ryan and Ashley, my lovely nephew and niece. Anyway, as I handled the baby and took over the carrying duties from Jessica's arms, I managed to get it into my "chicken wing -L position " and nestled that bundle of joy nicely in my arms. Wow! What a feeling! OK, before you have any ideas that I am gonna have any addition to the family, just wipe the smirk smile off your faces and understand that I may have the desire for it but certainly not the energy level for it! Way pass that enthusiasm to wake up in the middle of the night to feed the baby or even to rock the baby to sleep! No funny ideas eventhough I have had Thai oil and traditional massage which was expected to give me the booster of a lifetime but I tell you this, it makes me sleep better that's all and I am happy with that! So, no funny ideas,ok?
Coming back to the fragile baby, this is Caitlyn Louis. The latest addition to the Louis family!( Hooray! The nicest people in town! ) It is a real joy for me to be able to hold this girl lest carry her in the two bedded room as the mother, Abby, propped up and slumped on her bed. Poor lady had exhausted all her energy earlier in the morning from all the shouting, dramatic wailing, hair-pulling, strings of not-so-nice words, pulsating tai-chi pushing effort to get the baby to see the first light of the day - the operating theatre bright surgical light! Hahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.................. Seriously, Bless Abby for being the mother of the child for she had meticulously carried this baby for the past 9 months and it was no easy task with all the temptation of food, foul moods, cravings and all that. Then we have Dinesh, the father. I tell you, blessed the fathers for putting up for 9 months of undulating & swings of  mood, absorbing headaches and creamy deprivation of waking up nightmares on "sending mommy to hospital " drills!   Red-eyed ( from very lack of sleep or probably crying with joy or is it " Thank God , the ordeal of waiting and anticipation has ended! Hahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaa.......), blurry but still steady as the hair is in perfect place eventhough he had been up since 5.00am in the morning to get everything ready and send the wife and children to hospital and school respectively. Do not forget that he had to ensure everything was in order but obviously not being able to hide his joy of having the new addition into the family. That's one proud father, man. Cheers to you, Dinesh!
Then there's the proud big brother, Dave ( tired-looking, red-eyed, feverish but steady fella ) and the younger brother, Caleb ( fresh - ponteng from school-lar, energetic, grinning from ear to ear and playful ) in the room. What a great family who now has a newest  beauty joining them in the family.
I could see that the baby girl, Caitlyn was very much awake and eyes were like round marbles looking around probably thinking, " Who are all these strange-looking people making faces and doing monkey faces to me?". Oh!Boy, I was told that she was awake from 5.00pm and the clock at my hp reads 9.30pm. She made some baby sounds and was moving her tiny hands around. She then had her dose of milk before switching off to sleep easily. Boy! We were all so amazed how fast she fell asleep and compared it to the father-lar. We had  a good laugh together. What a bundle of joy indeed! Somehow, looking at this baby, it brings a lot of joy to me. So small, so fragile and so........precious little girl! 
Indeed, a beautiful life was introduced and thrusted into the world yesterday morning and the name is Caitlyn Louis!~  

Danke, 2011, Ole! 2012...

Several hours ago, I was at a bereavement sit-in for the sudden demise of a very respected elderly person of my church, Uncle Kok Kong Pow. I remembered that 14 months ago, my family and I had attended the sit-in for the demise of this elderly man's beloved wife, Anna Kok. I guess, this elderly man must have loved his wife a lot that God must have granted him the wish to re-join his wife in a far better place in heaven.

I guess, many of us would be glad to say that he is rightfully in a better place but for the living, having lost a dear person of the family is really a difficult time. I guess, we will never know how a grieving family feels until we see one of our loved ones lying in the coffin someday. I also presumed that as time goes by, they would come to grip with the fact that God has a plan for each and everyone. Well, everyone is quite morbid on the topic of death but the fact remains that we would all one day would have to die somehow. No one can go through the enigma of immortality because we are first and foremost a human being made up of flesh , blood and spirit. So, we might as well choose to die courageously, honorably and with distinct satisfaction - that's what my thoughts are at the moment. 

At the stroke of midnight, a blitzkrieg of sudden fancy flashing lights and deafening burst of booms screeched across the sky, lighting up the upper heavens playground ushering the new year 2012. It is indeed exciting to usher in the new year while it is also good to reflect on all things which had happened in our lives in the previous year. They say, "experiences enriched us and make us wiser." and I tend to agree with that. There are so many things I want to reflect and give thanks as I start the new year. I guess, there is no better way to start than to give all thanks to the Lord above for sustaining my life thus far. I will never know when He will pull the windplug outta my life but I am quite sure, He knows best. God had been my spiritual strength all this while and He has never ever failed me. There have been many circumstances in life in which I am practically pinned to the wall but He peeled me off the wall and brought me back to my original state. There had been many occasions when things seemed impossible and in a knotted mess. He made a way  and unknotted the situations for me and led me through to safety. I remembered the strength He endowed me during the horrific days of the floods. I was disillusioned, tired, pumped out, frustrated and almost to the brink of mental collapse but somehow, I comforted by His Hands over my heart. I couldn't explained where my energy came from and how I could manage to complete my work in the best manner I could. I really couldn't explained it and surprisingly, the people that I met were generally pleasant and good. If that's not God's favour and grace, I wouldn't have any answers to that. There are many times too, I felt like throwing in the towel  to just give up. Somehow, it is just a small still voice that continue to egg me on by telling me , "Another day, my child. Another day!". Oh! If only I could tell you how God had preserved my life! I could have easily kicked the bucket in May  ( a lot of you could be crying buckets by then and would have to spent some money on bouquet of flowers ( try not to pick the flowers from the neighbouring cemetry plot,ok?), I guess! Hahahahahahaaa..........) but some how, it was not to be. It was a great prompting and intervention from Him that saved my life!  I will always remember that prompting and can you imagine a mule like me going to see a doctor?! I guess, it's His mighty hands that made it happened or I must be doing something right in His eyes! Or worst, He hadn't finished "torturing" me  yet with more situations to come by! Hahahahaaaaaaaa....... Seriously, whatever He wants me to do, I will do because this life of mine belongs to Him and him alone. As a matter of fact, I owe this wretched life of mine to Him. So, thank you, God for continuing to pump in air to my lungs, aerated my blood vessels and keep my heart beating in steady rhythm of perfect harmony!
I am also thankful to my wife, SLing and my family who are my constant supporters. They have been through a lot for me and with me. I am ever so thankful to them for supporting me eventhough I can be a cow ( not the ones associated with our NFC scheme! ) and a donkey ( they say donkey meat can be tough! ) at times. There are things that I kept close to my heart and things that are dear to me as I speak fondly of the tremendous support I've had from my family. Suffice for me to thank you so much and I am really blessed with this family. There had been many instances, they have to put up with cranky and crabby old man's behaviour and almost neurotic behavioral patterns but Thank God ! They survived me! Hahahahahaaaaa.......... They are truly very loving towards me and I could never asked for anything more. The highest accolades I could humanly possibly give would be to my family for taking the trouble to understand , withstand and stand up for me in my light and my darkest hour in life. They stood by me - rain or shine, with or without umbrella , along side me . That I appreciate a lot.There are really no words to describe or be emotional about it when I speak fondly of my family. I pray that they would put up with me for another year and for years to come as I get more senile and less coherent in years to come! Hahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...........
Next comes, my dearly loved friends. I have so many to mention but none would compare to friends like Vive, Sathy, Errol, Jessica, Jason, Shirley, Dinesh, Abby, Lih Gin, Steven , Wan Sin, Teo CK and the list goes on. Old friends & new friends, you know who you are and you are really important in my life. It is difficult not to thank them because they play significant and very prominent roles in my life. If there is a secret to be told, I grew up in life with help of good friends. Yeah, family was there to provide and give support but friends helped me along my life and pulled me out of the rut whenever I landed myself in some dark sinister mischief or acidic test of life. There are just too many situations to even start and I just wanna thank everyone for investing in my life in whatever way you did. I truly appreciated the gesture and a special place in my heart is where those wonderful helpings are stored. No, these storage of good memories would not clogged my arteries for sure! There has been a tremendous influx of good helps from friends over the years and I truly appreciate that a lot. Sometimes, their calls in difficult times helped in maintaining sanity over a certain period of time and helped in coming back to focus on a lot of matters. I am comforted that good friends stood by my family in the hour of my need and helped my family a lot especially during my medical matters. Yunno, you can never imagine how relieved and how comforted I was to see the faces of my friends with my family during that time. I tell you the truth, had I kicked the bucket and sang looney tunes on harp that day, I would be comforted to know that I have great friends to help & guide my family even when I may be laid to rest in the 6'X4' plot of land. [ btw, I would  have liked that my body be thrown in the sea to be devoured by sharks minus all the important parts donated to the public who needs them, of course!! In that way, people who catch the sharks for their fins and eat the fins would have cholesterol , diabetes, heart problem and so on!! hahahahahahahhaaaa........ )  I am blessed too when I met up with some of my college mates and our lecturers in one of of get-together. I am so thankful to them for teaching me some finer pointers in life and I have not forgotten what they did for me - the experiences of travels, responsibilities and so on. Rightly so, this was one of the highlights in my life plus my very first time/epic/historical driving experience into KL ( I hate KL, I tell you! My views are still as intact as the ping pongs on me! hahahahahahaaaaaa....... ). Seriously, I am comforted that God had surrounded me with good friends and I am so blessed by them. So, thank you, my friends for taking the trouble to know me and for willingly or unwillingly investing in my life. I pray too that I have been a blessing to you and your family for the past year and for the years to come.
So, goodbye to 2011 and here's to 2012! We may not know what will be in store for us at the bend of the new year 2012 but one thing is for sure, we have to give our best and live our best. We will fail and fall many times as we trudged on in the ever -challenging times ahead of us but we know that we have 3 important forces ( God, family and friends ) behind us as we take that step of faith in a blind new year.  
Well, we've got 365 days to find out, isn't it? Let's explore and do our best. Shall we start?