RELEGATED...AGAIN!!!


Well, it's happened again.

Will we fair better in League one? Will we ever see the premiership again?

As Metallica said, "SAD BUT TRUE!!"

At least they can count on 1 Malaysian fan who'll still follow his team as the Saints go marching on!!!!

THE 11TH HOUR

Watched this documentary last night and it had quite an impact on me.

It had all the usual, " How humans are screwing up this planets' resources, how it is just unsustainable and how we drastically need to change the way we do things."

The only difference was that it showed how dependant we are to all these consumer products. How we are unable to move without vehicles, have food without grocery stores or just have fun without man made gadgets!!!

A lot of the blame seems to be going to the Oil & Gas giants like ExxonMobil, Shell, etc, etc, who have recorded a profit of USD 33 Billion last year.

Although I do agree that this is an absurd sum of money, shouldn't we also see that their products ensure we have fuel for the cars we drives and the planes we travel on???

I strongly feel that the entertainment industry is far worst. We pay million or even billions to subsidize entertainers with their extravagant lifestyles. what is their contribution actually worth???

Footballers, NBA & NFL stars, actors and actresses, SEGA, PLAYSTATION, XBOX, etc, etc. What amount of our income goes to stuff like this?????

Our world is slowly becoming unreal.

Humans shed tears for the likes of Liverpool and Man U but barely blink at death tolls of a major disaster. (Unless it's football related!!)

We play futsal on artificial grass under floodlights.....Why????? Toooo hot la in the day time!!! Too busy working to make money la!!!

I do agree that I too spend a considerable time of my day to "make ends meet" but are my "ends" too far from reality???? Do I really need to renovate my house??? Do I really need another car????

Well, the answer for me as of yesterday is NO!!

Me and Mary, for the benefit of Maya and her generation, are going to start to do things different from today. This is our plan and hopefully, it will be adopted by my buddies too!!

1. Reduce the use of lights, fan and AC.

2. Use my balcony to plant food. (My mom used to do this in our garden in Klang so I don't see why I can't do it.) Plants that can be grown are chillies, herbs, brinjals, tomatoes, etc, etc.

3. Spend more time together with my family and friends without TV and other gadgets.

4. Play outdoors more. (I do play tennis and my diving does get me outdoors too.)

5. Eat organic and buy products that are from sustainable sourses. (Fish, furniture, etc.)

6. Get my condo to have recycling facilities for plastics, metal and glass products.

7. STOP SPENDING MONEY ON LUXURIES!! (Yup! I'll just keep the beemer as the one and only luxury item!! But it's already 9 years old so I doubt it's a luxury item any more!! Hehehe!!)

Well, that's all I can do for now but I'll be looking into other means of reducing my "Carbon footprint" on this planet and will keep you guys updated.

"SAVE THE TREES, SAVE THE WORLD!!!"

DADDY FOR A YEAR NOW!!!

Maya turned 1 on the 25th of March and it just made me want to look back to see how far I’ve come from the crazy sailor boy to being a responsible “grown up” daddy.

My artsy “bachelor pad” is now a multi colored theme park where you can just name a color and I’m sure I have it strewn across my living room floor in the form of a ball, block, etc, etc.!! My chairs and tables have “fenders” (Like the rubbers tires around a tug boat!!) for collision protection and my plain, light purple, velvet sofa has so many food stains that it now resembles some exotic animal!! Gone are the cool table top decor....replaced by stuff that is either chewable, washable or throwable!! I do occasionally get to see my IKEA carpet...or glimpes of it when the toys are put away......

That my living room, version 2009.

What about my bedroom, version 2009??? Well, it depends….Is it the room that used to be my bedroom or the “spare” room that I’m in now so that my snoring doesn’t wake up Maya???? Yup…just like Southampton…I got relegated too!!! Hahahaha!!

The TV, version 2009??? Channels available have drastically reduced to channels beginning with 6xx. Honestly, I find POCOYO and THE YOUNG EINSTEINS pretty entertaining!!

My precious Beemer also now comes with a 2009 baby upgraded version. Baby seat with all boot space taken up by the pram. The 2009 version also comes with rattling accessories (multi colored, of course) and massively annoying, nursery rymes emitting, electronic devices!!

So…a full year of a constantly changing baby, constantly changing schedules and constantly changing lifestyle….opps...almost forgot....and constantly changing nappies!!!!

The reward…..

That SMILE!!!

My little "nutcase" (That's what I call her as she is usually hysterically happy to see me when I get home everyday!!) and all that she gets up to!!

I believe this parenthood thinggi is gonna be a great ride!!!

TAKING RESPONSIBILITY

I was fortunate enough to be sent for free training by MISC/PETRONAS recently and I just wanted to share something pretty simple yet facinating.

The presenter made this statement about how people have varying reactions to taking on responsibility for their failed actions. These reactions fall into 4 categories in declining levels of conviction:


1. To Quit.

(Example: My job screwed up so I quit!!)

2. To Deny.

(Example: Who said my job's screwed up? it's fine.)

3. To Blame.

(Example: My job screwed up because of that other fella la!!!)

4. To Justify.

(Example: My job screwed up because of the economy la....it was sure to happen!!)

You can see this phenomenon in the newspapers with our politicians all the time.

It was also interesting when I actually looked at some of my friends and realised that most of the time, their actions fall into these 4 categories too.

When it comes to girlfriends, job satisfaction, salary or even life as a whole, they either QUIT, DENY, BLAME or JUSTIFY but seldom actually take responsibility.

The faults are blamed on God, the heavens and stars, fung sui, other people, fate, work commitments, money or lack of it, etc, etc but rarely do they say, "Hey, that was my fault so I'm gonna do something about it to fix the problem!!".

This post is just for you guys to think about the next time you have to explain a mistake or failure. Try not to rely on the 4 categories above and see if you can make a difference by your own actions!!

Let me know if it works!! Hehe!!

...SAINTS GO MARCHING ON!!!

We won 2 in a row!!!! hurray!!!!

Yeah..yeah..we're not in the big leagues but a win is a win, right???

Ipswich on Tuesday so let's see if we can make it 3!!

FEELING SAD n SICK

This is how I felt this morning after a chat with my wife on the current political situation in Malaysia.
She is a foreigner and it’s so hard to explain our sad and sick politicians.

What am I talking about? Well…..

1. The UMNO youth demonstrations with racist comments, shown live on Bernama TV.

Yup. They had signs “INI TANAH MELAYU, BUKAN TANAH SINGH!!” (THIS IS MALAY LAND NOT FOR THE SIKHS!!) in full view. Not even discrete!! She was asking me why the ISA was not used on these guys as it was inciting racial hatred.

2. Police reports made against Karpal Singh by UMNO youth all over Malaysia.

I remember trying to make a report about an accident in Klang at the PJ police station and the cop said I couldn’t. I had to report it in Klang. She wanted to know how these guys can make reports about something in Perak in another state?

3. MP in Kedah states his reason for quitting is that he and his family have been threatened by BN.

Police report? Protection from the police? No….he disappears. “If an MP can’t trust our police force for protection, what about us normal folk?” she asked.

4. UMNO Youth leaders say “By any means necessary”. Murder, Bloodshed, Genocide????

She asked me how far they would go. I’m afraid to answer. Really.

5. Police officers charged with murder have their faces covered ALL the time.

Since they’re handcuffed, I guess their police buddies helped them bundle up? I recall the police not allowing defendants in other cases to cover their faces. (Although most try sooooo hard with their T shirt, newspapers, etc.) “Even if they’re found guilty, what if they are secretly released and are back it the police force? Will anyone know, since nobody know what they look like?” she asked again.




She was comparing our current situation to that of countries in Africa....only good thing here is that we've got oil, so money and jobs are ok...for now.

As I was left with no answers, it really made me sad to think how far we've come socially and economically only to have daft politicians send us back to the racial riffs of the 60's.

If this is the path that our political scene is taking us, I’m really getting worried for the safety of my family and friends.

Will all my vocal friends disappear too?? Will supporting a certain party be considered treason?

Will the "Truly Asia" slogan means we become like other Asian countries like Cambodia, Burma, Laos and Phillipines with incapable and corrupt leaders?

MALAY or ENGLISH??????

I’ve been hearing this issue of Maths and Science being taught in English and it’s getting pretty tiring.

I really don’t get these education ministry fellas…

Let me break it down in my usual point form on what the problem is and how to tackle it:

The problem

1. Level of proficiency in English in Malaysia is on the decline.
2. Children in rural areas don’t speak English at all.
3. Lack of teachers who speak good English.

The solution

1. GET BETTER ENGLISH TEACHERS!!
2. TEACH ENGLISH MORE OFTEN!!!!

I mean, why mess about with Maths, Science and other subjects. Just put in more hours per week for English lessons.

During my backpacking days, I’ve met so many backpackers in India, China and Indonesia who were teaching English as part of some volunteer program. Get these guys over here la!!!

Leave the primary schools subjects in Malay while concentrating in making the kids really good at English as a subject on it's own and when they get to secondary school, teach the technical subjects (Maths, Science, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, etc.) in English.

Then we’ll finally get somewhere!!

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE - THE MOVIE

I watched this movie over the weekend and was truly impressed.

The cinematography (correct ah my spelling????) was superb, great storyline and very "indian" in it's coincidences!!

The visuals of the slums of Mumbai was as real as I remembered them when I was there years ago. The background of the begging children and their operations were so real that I actually had trouble sleeping that night.

It had all the ingrediences of a great Hindi movie (Love story, fights, drama, vulgar language..in Hindi, of course) and I guess bagging a couple at the Golden Globe Awards didn't hurt.

Do get your hands on this movie. It's worth your time. (And the "DVD 9" is pretty good, if you know what I mean!! hehehehe!!)

SO COLD IN IRELAND

The land of Guinness and leprechauns…at a nice and chill 3 degrees Celcius!!

That’s where I spent Xmas and welcomed 2009.

It began with a rather uncomfortable 13 hour flight to London followed by the usual mess of having to transit through Heathrow Airport. The fear of being deported for being mistaken for a Tamil Tiger or an Islamic terrorist was always on my mind. I made a conscious effort not to say words such as Bomb, Terrorist, Jihad, Islam, etc.
Having cleared immigration, I was off to Dublin via BMI. (British Midlands Airlines) A short uneventful flight and we landed in Dublin shortly after an hour of being in the air.
It was great to see Mary and Maya at the airport. There was my bundle of joy, wrapped in a huge bundle of clothes. It was freezing cold!!! We left the air port and headed into the midlands. ABBEYLEIX, COUNTY LAOIS…HERE I COME!!!

The following 2 weeks was a thrilling ride through the culinary delights of Irish Cooking. I can honestly say, I would have easily consumed an entire pig during my stay over there. The pig came in various forms, everyday. Ham, Bacon, sausages, rashers, white pudding, black pudding (Can’t say what it’s made of…eh hemm), roast, etc, etc.

My favorite was Mary's mom's signature dish....BACON n CABBAGE with an onion sauce.

And I, being from Malaysia, a beautiful muslim country, LOVED all the piggy stuff!!! HELL, YEAH!!! The only HALAL food I had over the 2 weeks must have been the “Thosai” that I made for everyone with my mom’s famous Onion Chutney!!

Next on my Irish Food Safari were potatoes. The Irish consume potatoes the way we, over here, have rice. Loads of rice here, Loads of potatoes there.

They came in one form. Mashed.

And for one night only, by special Xmas request, they came baked!!

Now don’t get me wrong, just like the pork, I loved the mashed potatoes but after a week or so, I needed my chilli!! My Malaysian Indian “powers” were fading fast without chilli. I didn’t care if it was Thai Chilli, Indian Chilli or even the English CURRY. I needed some spicy fire!!

My chance came when I was asked to make some Hainanese Chicken Rice at Una’s. Chicken with dark soya sauce, rice cooked with chicken fat….but wait…drum rolls please…fresh CHIILLI, ginger and garlic dip!!!
I made some power chilli that, as Mary said, “Would put hair on a WOMAN’s chest!!!!”

Hehehehehehe!!! My batteries we recharged.

It was time for desserts. YUMMY!!!

Loads of homemade cake, puddings, biscuits, pies, etc. Mary's mom outdid herself with an awesome Xmas fruit ice cream pudding. Just when I thought desserts couldn't get any better, Mary made a "Jamie Oliver" Birthday cake for me.

2 chocolate sponges with rasberry and cream and topped with molten chocolate!!!!

Finally I was ready for the most important part of the holiday celebrations.

The drinking.

Now you’ll have to understand that the Irish don’t have many exportable natural resources so GUINNESS, BAILEY’S and JAMESON’S are pretty important economic commodities. I did my fair share in contributing to that part of their economic sector over the duration of my 2 weeks stay.
The pubs were old and cold. The drinks were smooth and my holiday was getting smoother.

So there you have it….good company, good food and great drink. Good Thanni and great Pandi!! (Tamil for drink and pig!! hehehe!!)

What more can you ask for from a holiday?

Overall, it was a fantastic, rejuvenating and much needed break before I take on the challenges of 2009.

A truly Malaysian word

What would you consider a truly Malaysian word??

Nothing vulgar but just a plain English word that when used in a Malaysian context means something else.

Well???

Any guesses???

My truly Malaysian word is......

SIMPLY

I've elaborated the use of the word in my Conversation between my wife (Irish) and me:



Nanda: My buddy is coming over in a few minutes.


Mary: Why?


Nanda: SIMPLY


Mary: Huh??? Simply what?


Nanda: Simply la..


Hehehehehe!!!!

DEVIL'S PLACE BY BRIAN GOMEZ




The launch was great fun and the free flow of beer was an unexpected bonus!! Thanks, Brian!!

My buddy, Marlin and his band, FISH, played a couple of songs and so did Brian's band.

Premo was there too.

Got my copy at the launch and read it over the weekend. I honestly think this is the best book I've read this year. (And I do read quite a bit!!)

It beats John Grisham's THE APPEAL and even Khalid Housini's A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS. (THE KITE RUNNER was last year!! That one is difficult to beat!! Hehe!!)

YUP!! Devil's Place moves like a Quentin Tarantino movie (But Malaysian content la..!!) and is filled with large amounts of humour!!

If you liked PULP FICTION and RESERVOIR DOGS, you'll love this book!!

I even had to leave the room a few times for fear of waking Maya with my laughs!!

For example, the police calling the cab company for info and getting the unmistakable response of, "TAXI COMING IN 10 MINUTES, YOU GO DOWN NOW!!" was just one of the few "Uncontrollable laugher" moments.

I also won a free copy at the launch and that's going off to Ireland as a gift to Mary's niece.

Brian Gomez can say his book is even read in Ireland!!!

www.thefloatingturd.blogspot.com

A friend of mine introduced this site to me a couple of days ago.

The posts are absolutely hilarious. Is this guy a stand-up comedian or what?

The author/blogger is Brian Gomez........anyone heard of him???.... I haven't.

Well, do check it out if you need some laughs during a stressful day!!!

He's launching his first book this Friday in Hartamas so I'm going to this thinggi just to see who this guy is!!
Hey, If the review in the Malay mail is as good as it sounds, having an autographed copy of this book may be a good thing!!

A buddy of mine is also in the band that's playing that night!!

The place? It's at Bojangles...i think...

Late 30’s… here I come!!!

December 31st 2009 approaches. I’ll turn 36. What does this mean?...well…

This is what it means to me.

That nagging pain in the left shoulder and that creaking sound in the right knee, well, they are here to stay!!! So is the palpitation of my heart, the reflux of my esophagus and my blurring vision after a hard day.
Where the hell did all of these come from? Why is this happening to me?

Hmmmm…..

Could it be the “Annai's nasi lemak kambings” at 3am at Darus after Broadwalk?

Could it be the excessive drinking during my “sailor” years?

Was it the unlimited “duty free” cigarettes?

No la.....surely it's the.......POLLUTION AND CLIMATE CHANGE LA!!!! HAIYO!!! HEHEHE!!

The truth is, from the age of 19 to 31, my body took the constant beating. But maybe the fresh salty sea air, during those long sea passages, kept the ailments away.

Now, as 36 looms around the corner, the “malfunctions” are coming fast and furious!!

How do we handle this is today? PILLS!!

My “fixes” come from a multi-vitamin called Revicon, 2 glucosamine tablets, 1 B & C Vitamin tablet and my powerful CELEBREX tablet to fix my joints. (When you need more than a single glass of water to “down” your pills, you know something ain't right.)

My New Year and birthday resolution……to eat and drink healthy.

Since I’ll be in Ireland at that time, I guess it means ONLY eating LEAN PORK and drinking ONLY good quality GUINNESS and JAMESON!!!!!

HAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Nite of Glitter at the Royal Commonwealth Society

Mary and I attended this Deepavali gathering last Saturday and it was a blast!! We were invited by my colleague, Capt. Rahim, whose father-in-law was the Chairman of the organization. We had the “MISC” table with a couple of other colleagues including Siva, our Indian Expat who brought along his Dad!!

This is what his dad had to say about the night:

“I am delighted! I had been around many countries, only to note that Malaysia is THE best country in maintaining harmony and respect people of all races. During the “Nite of Glitter”, I never felt out of place and thanks for all who treated me and my son as one of their family members. I am also happy to express confidently that my son and his family’s stay in Malaysia is pleasant only because of the good hearts of Malaysians like you all. Thanking you all once again for all kind supports. Best regards, Sankaran”

Yup!! It was truly amazing. Everyone, regardless of what race or colour, was partying to “Bangra” and Indian music. We were even singing along to “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai”!!

Like someone on our table highlighted, “To bring all the races together……all we need is a great party with lots of booze!!!!” The booze at this club was duty free too due to some old British regulation from long ago.

That day, we all ate and drank together and did not care about what another “Malaysian buddy” was eating or drinking. We became…..Malaysia…Truly Asia!!!

That is exactly what my Indian Expat's dad saw that night.

Hopefully one day, a similar mood is created all over Malaysia for all occasions!!!

Until then…..RCS (Royal Commonwealth Society) anyone? Hehehehe!!

DUH??...WHAT??....MALAYSIA'S "CHAR KUEY TEOW" POLITICS

Malaysian politics is really looking totally #@$%@#!!!!

I really just don’t get it any more and looking at the blogs, it’s become more of a joke!!

Let me just put it all in my usual format:

1. Najib is the new UMNO boss – HUH? 191 divisions say he’s the best? What? How?...uh duh…???

2. Deputy bosses – Khir Toyo? Isn’t he being investigated based on all the info the new Selangor MB has dished out?
Muhammad Muhammad Taib? Didn’t he have a million bucks in a suitcase in Australia??

3. Razak Baginda acquitted – HUH? And the motive for the cops? Duh…???

4. The REVAMPING of the NEP – huh? Does anyone know what any of the politicians are talking about on this one??

5. Helicopters? Submarines? – 1.604...huh? 1.6....Huh? MAYBE 1.7 bILLION???

6. Tomboys and YOGA – what’s next…MTV? Hey….maybe TV? Radio? Does the Taliban come to mind?? Huh?? HUH???

It’s really happening, isn’t it?

Even the foreign press has given up reporting this stuff. I guess it’s just too dumb to even logically report!!!!

Suddenly all the talk of my buddies heading off to Canada, US, Australia, etc. doesn’t sound too bad after all………

JOHN LENNON - DECLASSIFIED

This was an interesting documentary on the History channel yesterday and the entire scene played out to roughly what is happening in Malaysia today to certain bloggers. Only this was in the USA and happended 30 years ago to a prominent and influential musician.

John Lennon said, " We (The Beatles) are more popular than Jesus." And the sparks began to fly!!! The FBI opened a file on him!!

He then goes on to criticize the Nixon Administration for the Vietnam War and rallies great support based on his massive fan base. The FBI files get thicker!!!

The various efforts by the goverment to shut him up are very similar to what our goverment is doing right here and now too. Even the way peaceful protest were violently broken up had uncanny resembelances to BBC and Al Jazeera footages shot in our capital city some months ago.

So, is it going to take us 30 years to get our civil rights in order too?? And until then I guess we have to just "IMAGINE"...................

MY FIRST 3 STUDENTS

Andrew Chin, Alix Chan and Jan Muir. They were great!!

I was a little nervous at first. Here were 3 people trusting me with their lives....."better do it right Nanda", I kept saying to myself. As we went along, their confidence grew and their confidence in me grew as well. I taught them the PADI way and of course added the Nanda way which they loved.

As usual, decending was the first problem we encountered. How to dive if you can get underwater la????? Haiyo!!! hehehehe!! Taught them how to exhale, relax, etc.

Once that was settled, then it was all about buoyancy control. Up and Down they went...and as a good instructor....so did I. We did the PADI buoyancy exercises over and over until they got them right. As Jan said, "You really must have patience to do this, Nanda!!!". Well, my honest feeling was that there is only one way to do things.....THE RIGHT WAY!!

At the end of the course, I achieved what I wanted:

1. All 3 of them knew what it meant to have good buoyancy and how it helps divers stay off the coral. The fact that they truly appreciate it was worth all the effort.

2. They knew that safety should NEVER be overlooked. Things that they should check for themselves and buddy checks were emphasised.

3. They saw the beauty of the underwater world and all it had to offer.

4. They enjoyed the after diving chats about anything and everything!!! (And the beers too!!!)

5. They ALL want to dive more!!!

It was a great close to the Malaysian East Coast dive season and I'm looking forward to 2009 when, I guess, my scuba instructing will take off at a larger scale.

Maya will be a year old and it will be time for the whole family to become beach bums again!!!! (Mary really misses the islands too!!!!)

The beach we left behind......sigh!!

INTEGRATION BASED EDUCATION

As usual, I would like to look at this from a rather "cold" context. (As otherwise, it tends to get rather heated!!) I'll leave the politics out of this one and stick to education.

Just like mixing chemicals, we can only know the outcome when we know the details of the individuals components and what makes them tick. So in a similar fashion, I would like to look at the 3 major races in Malaysia, what their likes and dislikes are, then look at common likes and dislikes with the other communities and finally, how do we put it all together and have a dynamic, progressive mix without explosions and bad reactions to move to a MALAYSIAN IDENTITY.

Hope you join me for the ride and feel free to add anything I may have overlooked. Please do NOT take this exercise as stereotyping a particular race or racial profiling but more of a "general" view and perception to better understand integration.

Let us begin with:

THE MALAYS

This is a society which is very much rooted to religion and "adat" or culture that forms their basis of everyday life. Respect is of primary important. Obedience is another strong trait. A community that has had it "easy" (You can read the "Malay Dilemma - Tun Dr M" to better understand this.) for a long long time. A community that is rather contented with what GOD and government provides and the drive to strive for more is lacking considerably.

Likes:

1. The Malay language. - The majority would consider speaking anything else among Malays as rude.2. Islamic rules/law. - Obeying the rules of the Quran/Hadith is mandatory to most.
3. Food. - HALAL it is. Large variety and the more of it, the better.
4. Socialising. - The community enjoys large occasions with song and dance, i.e. Kenduri, Open house, etc.
5. Malay humour and entertainment. - A slap-stick, 3 stooges type of humour combined with the likes of Akademi Fantasia gives rise to entertainment that's vastly different from what the rest of the world enjoys. The reason I've listed this seperately is that the other communities seem to sometimes have problems with this brand of humour and entertainment.

Dislikes:

1. Other languages. - Although this may be changing, (Can't really verify) finding Malays that speak Tamil, Chinese or any other language or dialect that helps them understand other communities is rare. (English is taught in school and is mandatory so I won't bother with that.)
2. Demanding jobs. - Only a small number of Malays are willing to push to their full potential and become high achievers.
3. Non muslim values. - Consumption of Pork and alcohol by the other communities is a primary dislike. The dog is another "islamic" issue that is disliked. Education on other religions are frown upon.
4. Obeying simple traffic laws. - Use of helmets, obeying traffic lights, etc.

THE CHINESE

This a community that throughout history has been through the worst and survived. They have weathered the most demanding rulers, torture and hardship before they got to our shores. This community stops at nothing to get what they want. Money is GOD or almost GOD in their culture. Their business sense is sharp and sometimes perceived as ruthless.

Likes:

1. Money. - This is their main driver. Enough said.

2. Education. - They strongly believe that this is the key to success. The uneducated will strive to educate the next generation.

3. Chinese culture and language. - Since they have a long history of civilisation behind them, pride of their origins run strong and deep.

4. Food. - Their food is very much a part of their culture and history. (i.e. The wedding tea-ceremony, funeral dinners, food for the ancestors and ghost, etc.)

5. Socialising. - Involves large amount of food and drink. (Of the non-halal kind.) The Kareoke culture (And the women that go with it) is also largely their thing in Malaysia although it is catching on with the rest.

6. Gambling. - Luck is also traditionally a chinese phenomenon.

Dislikes:

1. Other races. - Sad truth but a community that is so proud of who they are and what they have achieved, tend to be this way and this has been true throughout history with most strong communities.

2. Losing. - This can be physical or just the "losing face" aspect of it.

3. Unproductiveness. - Relaxing, holidays, sitting back and watching a sunset, etc, etc, all fall under this category. ("This time can be spent making more money!!" is the general sentiment.) The "Bumiputra" status is also considered here for them.

4. Social etiquette. - They can't really be bothered with talking softly, eating quietly, not making a mess at dinner, etc. (Can be quite unnerving to the non-Chinese.)

5. Obeying simple traffic laws.

THE INDIANS

This community arrived in large numbers during the British era. Mostly uneducated and unskillled labourers, brought into the country to work the plantations. Predominantly from South India, they were Tamil speaking and highly rooted to the caste systems from their homeland. Today, they are the most backward community in Malaysia in terms of economics and education. (Although they seem to be the largest "English as 1st language" speaking community.)

Likes:

1. Tamil entertainment. - Songs, movies, Sun TV, etc, etc, take a major share of their time.

2. Tamil language. - The passion for this language is sometimes mind blowing.

3. Food. - South Indian food has become part and parcel of Malaysian life.4. Religion - They are extremely passionate Hindus, Christians and muslims. But as studies have shown that the belief in religion is inversely preportionate to education, this therefore could be the reason.
5. Socialising & Drink - Vast majority of pubs, bars, etc thrive on Indian customers.

Dislikes:

1. Poverty. - They don't like being poor but find it hard to get out of this.

2. Malay "bumiputra" status. - Strong feeling of "being left behind and nobody cares". (2nd class citizen feeling.)

3. Being associated with crime. - Indian have been branded thugs and gangsters.

4. Obeying simple traffic laws.

And there you have it!!! The things in common:

1. FOOD

2. SOCIALISING

3. DISREGARD FOR TRAFFIC LAWS

We love to eat and drink and we love socialising .And we're ALL horrible drivers!!! We don't have a common language we all love to use, don't feel the same way about education, don't feel we are equal human beings and generally get along but don't really like each other for deep rooted reasons such as religious differences, social status and just a lot of history of "bad blood".

So...what do we do now?????

Well, let me give a few suggestions based on the above:

1. The Malays need to relax a little on this non-halal issue and we'll be able to enjoy a Malaysian food experience and be able to socialize as a group of Malaysians better.

2. The Chinese and Indians need to lose this "country of origin" identity and absorb the Malaysian Identity.

3. Think of GOD but please please do what is GOOD. (This includes obeying traffic laws!!!!)

4. Forget the "sensitivity" issue and ask cross cultural questions. (Why Hindus got so many gods? Why Muslims don't eat pork? Why Chinese burn massive things at funerals?? etc, etc)

5. Give and take respect. But do demand it when it fails to come.


As I've said before, this is just my innocent view on my friends around me and how we can once again become what were back in the old days.

Feel free to comment.

BABY MAKES THREE

Kind of just realized that I haven’t really written much about what’s going on in my life recently. What’s it like having a 6 month old little girl? How has it changed me?

I guess I’ll need to go back in time a little. To the time when it was just Mary and me. The times when we would be heading home from work and say, “Ahh….let’s swing by to Backyard for a pint”…and like the KITT car from Knight Rider, my car would make the GPS auto correction and get us to a cold pint of GUINNESS!!! No worries about what time we get home, in fact, no real worries at all. We would sleep in on weekends and only be up in time for lunch. (Which was also conveniently provided at mummy’s in Klang!!!) We’d go out for dinner and movies, meet some friends and hang out. Hell, we even threw some really cool parties at the renowned, BALCONY of Menara Duta!!

When Maya came along, the changes that came with her were “fast and furious” to say the least. She became the center of my world and everything revolved around her. Pool?? Backyard?? Diving?? They all became a distant memory.

The initial 3 months were the toughest. As new parents, we followed the books, some parental advice, tips from friends and for most of the time, gut feeling.

My parents were with us for the first month ONLY. Yup!! After that, it was Mary all on her own with Maya until I got home from work. Now how did she handle a crying baby, making lunch, doing the laundry and cleaning the house? I REALLY DON’T KNOW…But she did a great job!!

My duties on the other hand was, get home, make dinner, clean up and take care of Maya while Mary has a shower and some much needed rest.

All sound good and fine???????....NOT!!!

Think about it…..Mary is breast feeding so she’s on call 24 – 7. She is exhausted by the time I get home and can’t wait to handover our little “bundle of joy” to me. But I’m working the whole day and am equally exhausted!!
Opps….did I say “equally”???.....hehehehehe!!! No way did Mary agree on that one!!! After many heated “discussions” and some months in re-negotiations, the breakthrough deal was done!! We had a maid come in twice a week to assist Mary.
We also had the assistance of a “life saving” baby tool known as the BABY MONITOR. (They can make huge statues of this and I’ll pray to it!!! Hehehehehe!!) Gone were the days of sitting by her bed and the constant checking if we were in another room. This device was GOOD... or you could even say GOD………

Maid, Baby monitor, baby food, baby diapers, baby stuff, etc, etc, all becomes......baby financing!!! And boy or boy did it take some financing!! 2 sentences used to scare me when Mary said them....."WE NEED TO GET..." and "WE NEED TO BUY..."


And as some people would say that a baby brings good luck, I got promoted and got a raise too!!!

Now that we had figured out our time, our help, our surveillance system and our finances, we had to only figure out one last thing.

OUR BABY!!!

Is she crying because she is:
- Hungry?
- Tired?
- Sleepy?
- Wet?
- Poo Pood? (Or full of S@#T??)
- Teething?
- Wants to play?

This guessing game is SOOOOOOO much fun…really…especially when you get it right and the reward is that the crying stops!!! Hehehehe!! But honestly, she is a great baby and in all my life, I’ve never rushed home the way I do now.
An innocent and pure smile or laughter from her can light up my darkest days.

So for the guys at the party recently who asked the question, “Dude, what’s it like being married with a kid???”

IT IS GREAT!!

CRIME IN THE KLANG VALLEY

It is now at shocking levels!!!

I was at a party last week and a friend was telling us his unfortunate encounter. He was car-jacked at 2am while walking to his car after some late night supper in Klang.

The story then gets worse.

They bashed him on the head and threw him in his car and kept hitting him while they drove off. They took his IC and drove to that address. As it was his old address, they demanded to know where he lived. (Again, by bashing him heavily.) Once they identified his home, they drove him to an isolated “pondok/shed” and tied him up there and went into “breaking and entering” mode.

The remaining part of this ordeal comes from his brother, who was also at the party, who was in bed at home that fateful day.

They broke in and immediately established that any resistant will be trouble for the brother which they already had locked up in a shed somewhere. They also had “parangs/large knifes” and used this to ensure that everyone followed their plan. It was a miracle that the entire family escaped with only minor injuries but they lost 2 cars and anything of value in the house.

Now….why is crime getting to these levels in our own backyard????

1. The official police response: “Biasa/normal” occurrence!! Can you imagine????

2. The official police response: The police force is “demoralized” to do anything as the task of getting rid of criminals/gangsters in Klang was a mammoth one.

3. The gangsters are protected by corrupt politicians and a corrupt police force.

4. The corrupt judiciary or lets just say the ability to manipulate the judiciary to ensure these criminals/gangsters can get away from being prosecuted.

5 . The police force is NOT “demoralized” to conduct road block and speed traps at silly locations and for ridiculous reasons.

6. The police force is NOT “demoralized” to question bloggers for hours on end or to arrest them.

7. The media is terrified to report the truth as follows:
- Indian politician control the Indian gangsters/criminals.
- As long as the victims are also Indians, the police can’t be bothered.
- The Malaysian police force is corrupt at even the highest levels.


Where is all this heading????

Many of my buddies have left the country already. Why?

As they said, “It's better to be alive in some racist country rather than dead in this one!!!”

But like so many other TRUE DIE HARD MALAYSIANS, I am NOT gonna let the country I love go down like this.

We need to stand up and fight this!!