what do you think?

i have always believed that dr.M's decisions (some really bonkers) were not straightforward; there was always a bigger goal he was trying to achieve. but because he hardly (if ever) shared his true intentions with the nation, many thought his policies and decisions were self-seeking or ludicrous. i don't deny there might be a few which were self-seeking, but at least he had the decency to have the nation's best interest at heart behind it all.

but this article ariticulates the whole shenanigans behind the recent mud-slinging between our higher ups quite well. i hope it's true for Dr.M's sake, which it probably is. but i wish it weren't cos it says a lot about who we're voting to represent us. aren't we the stupid ones. and from 'rumors' you hear all over, what IS so special about khairy that he can influence badawi to such an extent. !!!!!????!!!

> Not Worth The Paper It Is Written On
>
> By Raja Petra Kamarudin
>
> They say in legal circles that a verbal agreement is not worth the
> paper it is written on. Islam says, if a man breaks his word up to
> three times, then do not take him as a friend or comrade. Islamic
> scholar or ulamak Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, also currently Prime
> Minister of Malaysia, gave his word and he broke it more than three
> times. Abdullah, therefore, cannot be taken as a friend either in the
> western or Islamic perspective.
>
> And who did Abdullah give his word to? He gave it to previous Prime
> Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad -- and of course to all Malaysians
> in his 2004 Election Manifesto, which he has also broken. And what
> did he promise Dr Mahathir? Many things, amongst which are that the
> Scenic or `Crooked' Bridge would not be abandoned, the double
> tracking railway line would be pursued, and the national car, Proton,
> would be supported -- just to mention but three.
>
> After Dr Mahathir announced his resignation to a shocked Umno General
> Assembly in mid-2002, Abdullah and Dr Mahathir spent 15 months in
> countless conferences to discuss what the former should and would do
> when he finally takes over as Prime Minister in November 2003. Dr
> Mahathir went into great detail and explained at length why he did
> what he did in his 22 years as Malaysia's Prime Minister. Dr Mahathir
> had a reason for his many perceived lunatic moves. Even Abdullah, who
> was his deputy soon after Anwar Ibrahim's exit in September 1998,
> could not understand everything that Dr Mahathir did. Now he does.
>
> Abdullah sat there taking pages after pages of notes as Dr Mahathir
> gave him a 15-month crash course in Mahanomics (synonymous with
> Reaganomics). By the end of the 15-month training and orientation
> programme, Abdullah understood fully what was in the head of that
> strange animal called Mahathir. More importantly, Abdullah now saw
> the logic in Dr Mahathir's every move and agreed that, though
> sometimes somewhat devious, many of these moves were actually quite
> necessary in the pursuit of the bigger objective.
>
> Many of Dr Mahathir's moves would certainly appear loony to the
> uninitiated. They would appear even stranger when viewed in the
> backdrop of what was perceived as a failed plan. Dr Mahathir was a
> blunderer and the many disasters he left as a legacy to Abdullah in
> November 2003 laid testimony to this. But Abdullah knew they were no
> disasters. He did not know earlier of course. But 15 months of
> sitting in front of Dr Mahathir and taking notes as the Prime
> Minister imparted his innermost thoughts left Abdullah with no doubts
> that this old man knew what he was up to and these moves could only
> be labelled as brilliant.
>
> Take the Scenic or `Crooked' Bridge as one example. No one would
> disagree if we were to say that this is the most stupid idea yet to
> come out of Dr Mahathir's mind. Why build half a bridge? Why build
> such a silly looking bridge that would wind its way around because it
> had to join the Causeway halfway across the Straits of Johor or
> Tebrau Straits?
>
> If they built a full bridge, then the bridge could be built straight,
> lower and shorter at maybe almost the same cost as half a bridge. But
> now they are building half a bridge, so it has to be crooked and
> higher -- and the cost for half a bridge is not half the cost of a
> full, straight bridge. But they can't build a straight or full bridge
> because Singapore will not allow their half of the Causeway to be
> demolished and they are not interested in building the other half of
>
> the bridge on their side or within their territorial waters.
>
> Singapore could of course agree to join Malaysia in this bridge
> project and agree to the Causeway being demolished and a full,
> straight bridge be built to replace the Causeway. But Singapore
> wanted the bridge to be packaged with a lot of other goodies, all in
> Singapore's favour. These goodies would be like throwing in the
> supply of sand, allowing Singapore Air Force planes more flights over
> Malaysian air space, plus a re-look at the water agreement.
>
> Dr Mahathir did not agree to this. He would not package the bridge
> with all these other issues and he wanted each issue to be an issue
> by itself and to be negotiated separately and on its own merits. Dr
> Mahathir was no fool. He knew if he rejected Singapore's demand for a
> packaged deal, then Singapore would not agree to the bridge. Malaysia
> could go on with the bridge if it wanted, but it can only build a
> bridge on Malaysia's side, not on Singapore's side. Therefore it
> would have to be a silly-looking half-bridge that would need to be
> highly elevated and winding.
>
> That was exactly what Dr Mahathir wanted. He wanted Singapore to
> reject the full, straight bridge idea and stipulate that Malaysia can
> only build half a bridge if it still insisted on proceeding with the
> plan. Dr Mahathir did not want a full bridge. He wanted a half-
> bridge. A full bridge would mean it would have to be straight and
> therefore low. A half-bridge would force the bridge to curve and
> therefore it would have to be built highly elevated.
>
> What Dr Mahathir really wanted is the space beneath the bridge which
> a full bridge would not offer while a half-bridge would. And why did
> he want this space? He wanted it because he wanted large container
> ships and oil tankers to be able to sail under the bridge.
>
> The Straits of Melaka is one of the busiest sea lanes in the world.
> But ships plying the Straits cannot reach Johor Port unless they sail
> around Singapore. So they would rather stop at the Port of Singapore
> instead of coming to Johor. Even ships carrying goods bound for
> Malaysia would rather stop at Singapore for transhipment to Malaysia
> rather than sail to Malaysia. Once there is a highly elevated bridge,
> then the ships can bypass Singapore and come straight to Malaysia.
>
> In short, a highly elevated `crooked' bridge would boost the
> viability of Johor Port and pose a serious threat to the Port of
> Singapore. To be more dramatic, the bridge could actually kill the
> Port of Singapore and make Johor Port the new centre for imports to
> and exports from Malaysia -- plus for those Indonesian importers and
> exporters as well who currently would rather use Singapore than sail
> the extra distance around Singapore to come to Johor.
>
> That was what Dr Mahathir really wanted. He was not actually
> interested in the bridge. He was more interested in Malaysia
> overtaking Singapore in the port business. And the crooked, high,
> half-bridge would be able to achieve this. A straight, low, full
> bridge would not. Dr Mahathir very cleverly manoeuvred so that
> Singapore would disagree with the full bridge and would instead ask
> Malaysia to proceed with half a bridge. Once they said that, Dr
> Mahathir got them exactly where he wanted them. The half-bridge is
> Singapore's idea, not Dr Mahathir's, so Singapore cannot now turn
> around and say that they had been tricked and the bridge was merely a
> Red Herring and that the real motive was to outdo the Port of
> Singapore.
>
> Somehow, along the way, Malaysia's Foreign Minister packaged the
> supply of sand and more SAF flights over Malaysian air space in the
> bridge deal. Dr Mahathir never agreed to this. But Abdullah did for
> reasons known only to himself and his son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin.
> The sand would of course come from Johor and those individuals who
> will be awarded the contract to supply sand to Singapore are family
> members of those involved in the decision-making process at the very
> top echelons of power -- those walking in the corridors of power. The
> supply of sand is not a government effort but a private arrangement.
> What is even more perturbing to Dr Mahathir is that Singapore did not
>
> demand that the supply of sand be included in the deal. This idea
> came from Malaysia. It was Malaysia that proposed it, not Singapore
> that demanded it.
>
> When the Johor Menteri Besar found out about the supply of sand
> arrangement he was outraged. Dr Mahathir had banned the export of
> sand back in 1997 and Johor was quite happy with this as the sand was
> coming from Johor and it is the politicians and their cronies who are
> making hundreds of millions out of it. For the first time in his life
> this very polished man who always has a sweet smile for anyone he
> encounters lost his cool. He never raises his voice, especially to
> the Prime Minister. But that day he did and he told the Prime
> Minister that Umno Johor will strongly oppose any Johor sand being
> sold to Singapore. Even the palace got into the act and there was a
> danger of another Constitutional Crisis erupting.
>
> In short, there was a mutiny and Johor was in revolt. A crisis never
> before seen in Malaysian history was about to explode. This was a
> state-federal conflict in the making. Abdullah had blundered big
> time. He had agreed that the bridge would include the supply of sand
> to Singapore. Now Johor, the source of the sand, put its foot down
> and threatened to resist at whatever cost, and Johor can be as
> independent as Kelantan if it so wishes. They would also reveal the
> names of all those who stand to benefit from this supply of sand;
> family members of those at the very top of the Abdullah
> administration. If you think the Mahathir-Anwar crisis was exciting,
> the supply of sand to Singapore would dwarf this by far.
>
> Two days later, Abdullah announced that the bridge project would be
> aborted, after starting work on it (and incurring a liability of
> RM100 million). Three weeks before that, Parliament had reiterated
> the bridge project would go on and the Minister of Works himself
> assured Parliament that this would be so. But now it was off. They
> would not be proceeding with the bridge. They could not proceed with
> it. To proceed with it would mean they have to supply sand to
> Singapore. And this would create a massive crisis between the federal
> government and the Johor state government. The only way out of the
> supply of sand commitment would be to abort the bridge project. No
> bridge, no sand, and no federal government-Johor state government
> crisis, plain and simple.
>
> But it is out of the frying pan, into the fire. Without the bridge,
> there would be no way ships could sail to Johor Port through the
> Straits and the Port of Singapore would continue to dominate this
> region. Dr Mahathir's plan to build up Johor Port and challenge
> Singapore's dominance was thwarted. And it was thwarted by no other
> than his successor who had promised him that the bridge would go on.
> And it was thwarted because some greedy people in the decision-making
> team had tried to get rich quick through selling sand to Singapore by
> packaging the sand supply deal in the bridge proposal.
>
> Dr Mahathir was hopping mad. Abdullah had made a big booboo, and to
> get out of this booboo he cancelled the bridge project. Abdullah was
> trying to save his arse. But in doing so he sacrificed Malaysia.
> Johor Port would now have to remain as pathetic as it has always
> been. And the Port of Singapore would remain the big wheel of this
> region. Flushed down the toilet is Dr Mahathir's plan for overtaking
> Singapore. And, to make it worse, Abdullah had promised Dr Mahathir
> the bridge would go on. And he understood fully well why it must. And
> he realised that the bridge was for the good of Malaysia's commerce.
> But saving his arse was his first priority. Saving Johor Port has to
> come second.
>
> That is the story of the `Crooked' Bridge. There are many other
> stories such as about the double tracking railway line, the national
> car, and more. Suffice to say, the double tracking railway line had
> the same objective as the `Crooked' Bridge; in that Malaysia's
> commerce would improve and Singapore's dominance in the region would
> be given a serious challenge. But Abdullah aborted this as well.
>
> The double tracking railway line was actually the first move. Once
>
> the double tracking was done, then the high speed train was supposed
> to follow. Imagine the day when one could live in a cheaper town like
> Ipoh where property prices are half those in the big city, yet work
> in Kuala Lumpur -- and the time it takes to get to work from Ipoh
> would be faster than driving from Subang Jaya to Kuala Lumpur today.
> The small towns would boom and development would be spread out
> throughout the country instead of concentrated in a few key areas
> like it is today. But that too now remains just a dream.
>
> The MV Agusta matter is another issue. Dr Mahathir was going to use
> MV Agusta to develop a peoples' car (volks wagen) that could be
> marketed for as low as RM10,000, or less. MV Agusta had the
> technology to do this and the cost to buy MV Agusta, in spite of it
> debts, was still lower than embarking on this project doing your own
> R&D from scratch. R&D costs billions of Ringgit and to develop a car
> from scratch would not only cost more but would be time consuming as
> well. Even if you are prepared to pay the higher cost, the time would
> take too long. MV Agusta was a short cut and at a cheaper price on
> top of that.
>
> But MV Agusta was sold off for RM4 and Dr Mahathir's RM10,000
> peoples' car went down the toilet, just like all the others. In fact,
> the sale of MV Agusta itself raises other questions. How did they
> decide who to sell it to and do those in the decision-making process
> have an interest in the company that bought MV Agusta? (Which raises
> the issue of conflict of interest.) Dr Mahathir knows the real story,
> as he does about who those sand suppliers are, but he is not
> revealing all, at least not just yet.
>
> It is not that Abdullah is ignorant about all this. He knows the
> agenda behind the `Crooked' Bridge, double tracking railway line, MV
> Agusta, and much more. He knows that all these are mere catalysts for
> bigger things. And he agreed that these are necessary for the future
> of the country. Yet he dismantled them one by one just to make it
> appear like Dr Mahathir is stupid and that all his ideas are stupid.
> It is all about politics and of trying to undermine Dr Mahathir. And
> what better way to do this than to dismantle what Dr Mahathir started
> and give the impression that the previous Prime Minister was a nut
> case. So the country suffers. So what? That is the small picture. The
> big picture is: Dr Mahathir is embarrassed.
>
> The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is another thing that Dr Mahathir was
> and still is against. All those years he was prime minister he
> resisted the FTA. Then, late last year, Abdullah secretly signed the
> FTA with Japan whereby Japanese automobiles would have free access to
> the Malaysian market while Malaysian vegetables would have free
> access to the Japanese market. Malaysian vegetables? What vegetables
> do we have that we can export to Japan? We do not even grow enough
> for our own consumption and almost everything we eat needs to be
> supplemented with imports. Anyway, do the Japanese eat our
> vegetables? Abdullah might as well have signed an FTA with Canada
> whereby we export ice cubes to the Eskimos.
>
> The FTA Abdullah signed with Japan was so confidential that even the
> Cabinet did not know about it until Abdullah informed its members
> later, after it had been signed. The Cabinet members were shocked,
> but by then it was too late to do anything about it. And how is
> Proton going to survive once Japanese cars get free access to the
> Malaysian market when even Europe and the United States can't compete
> with them?
>
> Proton is a dead man walking. Its days are numbered and it will be
> just a matter of time when the national car folds. As the Malays
> would say: siap kain kapan (prepare the funeral shroud).
>
> Now the United States also wants the FTA with Malaysia signed and the
> US-Malaysia FTA would open all government contracts and procurement
> to US companies. That is the end of the New Economic Policy. The days
> of the Bumiputera businessmen are numbered. Malays will have to
> revert to becoming clerks and drivers again.
>
> Dr Mahathir is beginning to doubt whether Abdullah knows what he is
> doing. As far as Dr Mahathir is concerned, whatever he did, he did
>
> with the interest of the nation at heart. But Abdullah's moves, the
> way Dr Mahathir sees it, are moves of a traitor who does not care
> about the country's interest. Dr Mahathir is quite prepared to allow
> Abdullah to run this country the way he, as Prime Minister, sees fit.
> But Dr Mahathir will not remain silent and allow this state of
> affairs to continue if, as he put it, Malaysia's sovereignty is
> jeopardised. Dr Mahathir would rather take on Abdullah than allow the
> man to destroy this country. Not just Dr Mahathir, but many Umno
> veterans as well believe that power in the hands of Abdullah is like
> giving a flower to a monkey. Monkeys do not appreciate the beauty of
> flowers.

anger management

i never realised god took anger so seriously. haha

i've read those verses about anger and patience and self control, but it didn't sink in for long.

while i was doing my 'homework' for our recent marriage counselling session, i skipped all the parts where you had to read the bible and give your comments etc. it's just me doing last minute work during lunch at work, and not bringing my bible with me. but about half an hour before we were to go for the session, Ad gave me this really serious look and said 'i wish you took the time to read the verses and did those parts. they're really good'. hhmmm... shame on me.

so in the 30 quiet minutes (with the tv off) before we set off, i went through all the verses in our topic of managing conflict and anger etc. i didn't really expect anything. but surprisingly, i was really touched by those verses. some of which i've read many times. it really spoke to me.

it brought back flashes of all those times i've been rash and lost my temper and put my foot (actually the whole leg) in my mouth. saying sorry afterwards is so shallow and trivial. too blithe. like applying a bright pokemon kiddy plaster on a gunshot wound. or digging out a zit and expecting a flawless complexion the next day. imagine saying "i hate you" and moments later "i'm sorry i didn't mean it". it's trivialising the whole thing even when you apologize.

but when i read the bible verses listed in my book, something came over me. i realized there is honor and glory in overlooking an offense. it's really hard to do, especially when we are so disillusioned about all the daily grievances and offenses we encounter, some so frequent and common it's become the norm; a way of life. i am after all, living in KL, notoriously named one of the rudest cities in a recent survey (that had hackles rising - anyway i agree with the survey). it's second nature to lose your temper when driving.

in this 'survival of the fittest' cycle we're sucked in, to show grace and mercy is to be taken advantage of. if you don't stand up for yourself, you get stepped on all over. in this competitive environment we are living in, we always need to prove a point, to prove we're right, to defend ourselves. sometimes i don't even know why i want to. it's so tiring. it's normal to want retribution for a wrong done to you, to settle a score. then i read this:

"Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay", sys the Lord" - Rom 12:19

that made me feel protected and validated. there's someone watching over me. it's so much easier to let go then.

i never really believed all this i think. never really realised that there is honor in grace, and there is strength and wisdom in patience. now i'll just have to try it and see.

"A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense" - Prov 19:11

"Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city" - Prov 16:32

"In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold" - Eph 4:26,27

if you really think about these, really digest it, it's so hopeful. that's the only word i can think of.

________________________________

"Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge" - Prov 23:12

This is another one i liked. so much easier to eat the humble pie and take constructive criticism when the directive comes from god.

witness protection program

oooo...could it be? our government is actually stirred to suggest such a logical, commonly used practise to protect whistle blowers of corrupt practises? oooo.. looks like we are progressing after all. **phew. oh but get this, they need to get 'views' from others first. okaaay. they're always getting 'views' before implementing anything simple, logical and workable. but never when they want to build another school, hospital or praying facility along a mad, forever congested main road with no parking whatsoever so that all the patrons of said institutions have to block the already congested main road just to annoy other drivers like me who just want to get home after a long, horrible day at work.

don't they know we're all bitching about this? i guess not. they go home at 4. with drivers.

i didn't realise the ACA could only take action when letters and what not are signed by the complainant. who are they kidding? imagine a lawyer reporting that a judge is corrupt and taking bribes yadda yadda yadda. you think if he proudly signed his name on that letter he's still going to be able to come to work the next day? and do what? continue losing his cases? that's nice. teach him a bit of humility eh? you and i know he's going to be blacklisted before he sticks a stamp on that letter.

how bout the MD who's trying to get his company listed? if he's gonna complain that he's been asked to pay some 'commission' to speed up his approval for listing, you think he's ever gonna see his company listed on the stock exchange? hah. but i bet he won't be surprised if the tax department drops by for a friendly audit though.

we've had the DOE swarming all over the factory in the past few weeks. a disgruntled employee probably made a complaint to them. so they do their job and come to check us out. they don't find anything wrong, but just to show their bosses they're doing something, they write us up for not disposing of soiled cotton rags (used to clean up spilt paint or whatever) properly. so they 'suggest' we pay a 'licensed' company to sell us these cotton rags which we can legitimately soil, then pay them to wash and clean for us, then sell it back to us to soil again. three guesses who these legitimate, 'licensed' companies belong to. you say anything, they'll be all over the place summoning you for something inane again. and waste all of our 10 hours at work filing nonsensical paperwork for them. more likely creating more recycled paper for them.

are we living in a big conspiracy or what?

sunday nights

sunday nights are so painful..it's the feeling you get before going to the dentist, knowing you are subjecting yourself to pain but even worse, knowing you have no choice but to brave it. i hate sunday nights. it is so depressing. thinking of braving the mad selfish drivers on the road just to get yourself into the office where the pain continues. arghhh!!! i always wish i were a housewife on sundays. with no kids yet. otherwise i'd probably have to brave the mad selfish drivers to get the kiddies to school.

sigh.. you can tell i'm not an optimist. doom and gloom clouds me the moment the sun goes down. like how i feel the day after christmas. all the letting loose and not sneaking glances at my watch is over. the moment the sun goes down, i have to prepare mentally for the next day. the worst is setting the alarm for 7 am. after 2 blissful days of not bothering whether you wake up early or late. except on sundays of course when there's church. but at least getting up at 9am is so much friendlier than 7. and i have this horrid, annoying habit of waking up 10 minutes before my alarm rings every morning. like my brain has always been on-call for work. what is wrong with you, brain? don't you want that extra 10 minutes? my legs sure do! but when the weekend rolls by, the brain automatically knows no such thing.

i prefer a deep, comatose state when i sleep. no dreams (i hate those), no enlightening moments, no great ideas. no inkling at all that the alarm is going to ring. is that too much to ask?

i hate mondays. i am always a grumpy old bat on mondays.

BTS, STB... it's about time!

obviously home owners would prefer the now 'approved in theory' concept of Build Then Sell. yeah but before we jump for joy and relook at the property pages, keep in mind that this is malaysia after all. it'll probably take another decade before this 'theory' is put into practice.

i don't understand how come consumers hardly have any rights here. of course, you do... but only if you have a damn good lawyer behind you, and loads of spare cash to throw into the judiciary/legal system to you actually get a semblance of what is deemed your 'rights'. not to mention lots and lots of free time and perseverence before the whole system wears you down. especially where property is concerned.

imagine paying for something you don't even know will turn out right. i know of a few people who are saddled with a home loan for the next 20 years when their 'home' has been an abandoned project for a few years already. and would most probably continue to be. i mean... DUH. where is the justice. they can't do anything. the banks need to be paid back. who cares if they're forking out cash for a piece of useless paper? not unless the person is a son or daughter or niece of some high-up-there official is there a glimmer of hope.

so home buyers... just make sure when you buy a piece of property, that your neighbour is someone with clout. just for the preservation of your peace of mind haha...

re work

i have never understood why people go for company trips. call me anti-social and elitist. but i mean, you see them for 10, sometimes 12 hours every single day! to go on holiday with the same bunch? unless you really click. urgh... to me, it's just extending my fake, always politically correct self to my w'ends as well. thanks, but no thanks.

i work with a bunch of really good hearted people (most of them anyway), and i can deal with the shallow conversations we have, bitching about the same things bla bla bla. but to actually click with them on the same level? hhmm.. still wishful thinking. it's not just the fact that i can't spew out a few cantonese or hokkien words when i speak to them. the difference goes much deeper. there are too many differences; in culture, upbringing, exposure... i shock them too much. they are such simple, black-and white people.

i am this three headed alien in their midst. amusing, like a little freak show. even the politics here is different. it's more small minded and harmless. petty. silly. not even worth a nano second in the mad, rat race that is KL. and i've been in that mad rat race. it can be fun. if you're on the right side of the fence. adrenaline pumping. and the people are more interesting. fast, sharp, unforgiving. really good dress sense. keeps you on your toes. i still can't decide which i prefer.

retail therapy

so i followed my baby to singapore cos he had a seminar of sorts to attend. and i attended to my neglected need for retail therapy. i have beequite good for 2 months already. oh.. ok.. make that 1. anyway i was really looking fwd to this cos i've been stuck in work drudgery for ages already without getting out of the klang valley. ok ok, maybe for two months. but i need a change of scenery every so often. just to recharge and give me more motivation to work.

anyway we were stuck in a horrible jam on friday night. cos i was late leaving work so we didn't leave at my darling's appointed time. and let me tell you, he is REALLY particular about time and punctuality. and most of the time, i fall into his 'classic WL syndrome' because he claims that every time i leave the house, i will go back in at least one more time to get something i have forgotten. all this due to my lack of planning and foresight. i am chagrined to realise that this syndrome has indeed been proven true.

we arrived at 1.30am i think. after braving through the masses that were overspilling unto the causeway. so tiring.
anyway i woke up ready to do as much damage to my bank account as i'd mentally allowed myself to. it was a pathetic 3-hour attempt. three measly hours!!! and i gave up due to a lack of stamina. i can't believe it. i am no more the shopaholic i thought i was. i was mentally drained from the kaleidoscope of stuff i breazed through and by lunch time, i already had an overdose of materialism. Ad should be so relieved. anyway i was quite pleased with my trophies. only wish i had more strength. i actually wanted to shop for household stuff (yeah so practical) like linens and things, but i never made it that far.

it was quite a fun trip. i must now plan a second one... thailand perhaps? it's much cheaper there anyway...

nice or not?

weddings galore

i went for two wedding dinners in subang sheraton a week apart. it's a prelude to my own hahahaha. i now know the food really well. i can even skip the food tasting now.
the first was the wedding of a uni friend, and it was a sort of reunion of pals not seen since graduation. it's so sad
that we only meet up at weddings nowadays. well, better than nothing. as Ad said, the whole table was full of finance nerds. hhmpphh...

the hang out buddies in years past: adelyn, me, soo lin, ti jean, kat, andrew, li may, alina.

it was fun catching up with who's doing what and who's going where. actually, don't you think it's only fun when you yourself are actually doing something or going somewhere? otherwise yo're just on the outside looking in. reunions do that to people. sometimes i think you have to be really confident to show up, especially if it's been eons since the last reunion. everyone will be looking forward to see if you've changed or whatever.

my uni pals are a great bunch. i just wish i took more effort in spending more time with them in australia. friends you make in university are the epitome of acceptance. they've seen you grumpy, stressed, with bad hair days, full-of-zit days, seen you acting stupid and silly and making a fool of yourself. they've even seen you BEING full of yourself. and still... it's about living together and seeing each other almost everyday. sort of like family.. where all the quirks are out there, and they still talk to you! it's rare to find that in normal circumstances.

of course, it isn't the same trying to recapture what we had. life was so much simpler. it was just you and them in a foreign country. everyone fought their own battles of homesickness, insecurity, expectations and the need to want to really live it up. i mean, you're only there for two years!

now everyone is grown up, we've been pawns in the perenial game of commercialism for a few years already. we've had our idealism eroded bit by bit. our lives are now invaded by the necessary evils of work, car loans, housing loans etc. not to mention the joyful additions of significant others. losing touch with old friends becomes the norm of the 21st century urbanite now. how sad. i don't think we really understood that this would happen one day.
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claire's wedding to teik was quite a large affair. he's such a joker, always saying what everyone really thinks but doesn't dare say. it's quite refreshing being in the company of someone who just doesn't give a damn if he's offended your sensibilities with something honest. it doesn't even embarrass him to say such things. i do admire people with such an absence of guile.

my electricity bill is 144.49. how did it go from 60 one day, to 90, then to 144? i don't think my boring existence has changed dramatically over the last 3 yrs i've been living out. hhmm... it must be the endless hours of watching CSI or desperate housewives non-stop. well, it's either that or spend 12 bucks on a drink as the pre-requisite to any entertainment with friends these days.

i thought it would be cheaper to eat at a mamak one night. cos Ad 17.50. 17.50 for mamak food! what is my world coming to nowadays??? goodbye nice holidays and casual eating outings. hello maggi mee. how i wish our earning power increased at least marginally with the cost of living. i'm not even asking for a parallel increase. a little crawl would be nice.

thank you malaysian government for having such faith in us to work even harder to bring in the scrap of bacon (that can now only feed 2, not 4 previously). you must have such confidence in us to not only increase petrol prices by a hunk, but to continue your generosity by approving hikes in electricity and water too. ooo.. not to mention rumours of interest rate hikes by year end. oh joy! let's all celebrate!

and get what this (probably already rich) smart aleck had to say:

"...the slowdown in consumption growth, particularly from the private sector was not surprising in view of the petrol price hike in February and rising borrowing costs. (DUH!!!)

Noting that the central bank had held back on a further hike in the overnight policy rate (OPR), he said at the current pace of growth, the economy could well absorb a few more increases.

okaaaay.... bring it on!

of course, they always have this caveat to any increase...will not affect lower income groups. erm... you think?