Goodbye 2010

It's the last day of 2010...

thanks to those who disliked me;
they made me a stronger person...

thanks to those who loved me;
they made my heart bigger...

thanks to those who were worried about me;
they let me know that they actually cared...

thanks to those who left me;
they made me realize that nothing lasts forever...

thanks to those who entered my life;
they made me who I am today...


Like birds, let us leave behind what we don't need to carry: Grudges, Sadness, Pain, Fear and Regrets.. Fly Light... Life is Beautiful...

For all my friends out there...Happy New Year 2011!

Happy New Year 2010

I wish Happy New Year 2011 to all readers.


Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending. - Maria Robinson



New beginning

I emerge from the shadows of the passing year,

drained , exhausted yet still standing here.

The darkness replaced with rays of hope,

new focus on life and the strength to cope.

Realign the things that caused this stress,

sweep out the failures , put new ideas to the test.

A new beginning, one step at a time,

out of the darkness, let the new day shine!

- by Paul Roberts

Road safety: Have patrol cars on highways

My letter in the New Straits Times today (the same letter also appears in The Star)

Road safety: Have patrol cars on highways
2010/12/23
A. HASHIM, Sungai Petani, Kedah

The authorities should play their part in reducing the country’s accident rate, such as Monday’s, which claimed 27 lives.



AFTER three major accidents involving buses in October and this month, I thought bus operators, drivers and the authorities would take serious note and put safety first.

But I was wrong.

Not only did the Cameron Highlands bus accident come too soon, it was also the deadliest in the country.

In three months, 51 people died in four bus accidents. I now have serious doubt whether this carnage will ever end.

The main reason for the high accident rate in the country is the attitude of the drivers and lack of enforcement on our roads, though mechanical failure, road condition and other factors also contribute to it.

The only "serious" traffic enforcement are roadblocks and saman ekor, which have not been effective at all. Roadblocks only catch small offences and cannot be done on highways, while speed traps are not a deterrent, especially when the government gives a discount on the fines.

I lived and travelled all over the United States for five years. Throughout this period, I did not encounter any roadblock. But on the highways, there would always be a patrol car or two ready to pull you over if you exceeded the speed limit or drove recklessly.

The presence of the patrol cars also deterred crimes and provided quick assistance when there was an accident or traffic jam. To prevent bribery and for other reasons, the patrol cars were equipped with a video recorder. Maybe we should follow their ways.

If the government is serious about tackling this issue, I suggest the following:

- Increase the fines for speeding and other major traffic offences and impose demerit points. The fines should be progressively higher for repeat offenders;

- Rather than spending money on speed cameras and related equipment and resources, put patrol cars on highways and major roads to catch the offenders red-handed;

- Do away with roadblocks unless there is a manhunt or serious security threat. Let patrol cars roam the roads round-the-clock and pull over suspicious vehicles. This will also deter Mat Rempit and other crimes on the road;

- Do not give any discount for traffic fine; instead, impose interest on late payment;

- Implement jail sentences for serious traffic offences like extreme speeding or driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs; and

- Increase inspection and monitoring of buses and their drivers.

The new year is just around the corner and it is time to make new resolutions. I hope that we have learnt our lesson and will do what it takes to make our roads safer.



Read more: Road safety: Have patrol cars on highways http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/23rd/Article/#ixzz18tSb7AxH

27 die in bus accident at Cameron Highlands - 20 Dec 2010 : Another tragedy in Malaysia

I thought there would be no more bus accidents before the year ends, after some tragic ones recently. Yet I was wrong. Not only that it came too soon- it's also the worst bus accident ever in Malaysia so far.

27 people have been confirmed dead following a bus accident at 11.30 this morning along Jalan Simpang Pulai - Kampung Raja.

The tour bus was coming down from Cameron Highlands when it lost control at a sharp bend. It reportedly hit the concrete divider before going into the opposite direction and overturned on a ditch. 22 people died on the spot, four died on the way to hospital, while another one died at the hospital. Three Malaysians are among the dead- the rest are Thai tourists. 11 people were injured.

List of Victims:

THE DEAD
--------

Malaysians:
1. Omar Shahidan, 48 (bus driver)
2. Soontorn Kian, 38 (tourist guide)

Thai nationals:
1. Nutthiya Inyim, 50 (female)
2. Poonporn Poolsaeng, 41 (male)
3. Sumruay Swatphet, 48 (male)
4. Puthnaree Akkrarachawwanont (female)
5. Pongthanest Akkrarachawwanont (male)
6. Sriwai Swatphet, 42 (female)
7. Prinya Prassakulchai, 48 (female)
8. Chutima Throukool, 25 (female)
9. Thitisak Pongtanarat, 51 (male)
10. Junpen Pongtanarat, 50 (female)
11. Phayong Kruanjili, 59 (male)
12. Ekachai Na Bangxang, 64 (male)
13. Mantana Phromduag, 51 (female)
14. Isariya Thiangtham, 25 (female)
15. Ampaiwan Thiangtham, 50 (female)
16. Maliwan Mekhmahaprom, 53 (female)
17. Natkritta Poolsaeng, six (female)
18. Weera Chuntanagon, 48 (male)
19. Pimontip Kodsa-at, 48 (female)
20. Pongsak Swatphet, 40 (male)
21. Malee Boonchun, 43 (female)
22. Phuwadit Thanasaktheenakum, 63 (male)
23. Tananthon Thanasaktheenakum, 63 (female)
24. Piyanon Klingchuay, 48 (female)
25. Uraiwan Laddaklom, 61 (female)

THE INJURED
-----------

Thai nationals:
1. Somchai Polanan, 63 (male)
2. Chirarot Bunthicinwiwatn, 43 (male)
3. Achara Wiwat, 36 (female)
4. Pramuaalrat Phimpahu, 44 (female)
5. Suchanchira Chaiaueai, 40 (female)
6. Thanvarat Poolsaeng, 36 (female)
7. Chucart Klungsuwan, 48 (male)
8. Rungnapa Klungsuwan, 53 (female)
9. Areena Songserm, 19 (female)
10. Darunee Songserm, 59 (female) - BERNAMA











Major bus accidents in Malaysia this year:

Dec 17: Four prison officers killed after a Prisons Department bus plunged into a ravine along the hilly and winding Tambunan-Kota Kinabalu trunk road.

Oct 29: Seven passengers, aged between 13 and 28, killed after their bus skidded and overturned at KM38 Genting Sempah, while enroute to Kuala Lumpur. It was later revealed the driver of the bus had no valid driving licence. (Refer my earlier entry)

Oct 10: Thirteen killed in bus crash along KM223 of the North-South Expressway (NSE), near the Simpang Ampat toll plaza. (Refer my earlier entry)

Will there be another one within the next 11 days???

The Virtual World

First we had virtual pets...now virtual girlfriends...what's next? Virtual family?
Virtual job?

Appy ever after: smartphone users find virtual girlfriend
AFP - Monday, December 13, 2010
File photo of a South Korean customer looking at the Apple iPhone 4 in Seoul. Lonesome South Koreans who have trouble finding true love can now get video calls from a beautiful and cute girlfriend -- if they download a smartphone application.
SEOUL (AFP) - – Lonesome South Koreans who have trouble finding true love can now get video calls from a beautiful and cute girlfriend -- if they download a smartphone application.

Nabix, a South Korean apps developer, launched one called "Honey, it's me!" on November 30 for iPhone users. It achieved 80,000 downloads a day during an initial free launch period.

There are a number of apps on the market that can make single men feel a little less lonesome, including a night time app that plays the sound of a female sleeping peacefully on the next pillow.

But the "Honey, it's me!" app appears to be the first to make video-calls from a virtual model. Mina, 22, video-calls smartphone users three to four times a day for some sweet talk.

Her messages range from "Are you still sleeping? Time for breakfast!" to "Good night, sweet dreams".

A Korean model posed for the video calls and recorded more than 100 comments to melt the hearts of single men.

"I've developed this application to console people for their loneliness," Kim Yoon-Kak, head of Nabix, told AFP.

Kim said usage had declined since the app went on sale for 1.99 dollars, but he planned to allow free downloads again from this week.

Early reaction to Mina has been enthusiastic. "It's a blessing for all single men," praised one of the users on Twitter.

"Mina called me while I was working overtime. This is just great," said another.

Nabix now plans new versions with more messages in English, Chinese and Japanese, both for free and with a charge for longer comments. An Android version will also be launched.

Malaysia an amazing wonder

The following is a foreigner's view on Malaysia published in The Star today. It is sad that many of us do not see it that way.

Wednesday December 1, 2010

Malaysia an amazing wonder

I AM a Romanian writer and due to some unexpected and favourable circumstances, I had the opportunity to visit your beautiful country last month.

I must confess that before leaving Romania, I still harboured those ridiculous European prejudices regarding Southeast Asia and, of course, I was prepared for the worst.

If not for the visit, I would not have been able to imagine that your country has such physical, social and infrastructural wonders that make an Eastern European like me envious.

I was more impressed with your country than any of the European countries I have visited. Your airport is comparable to most of the airports in the West, almost as large and efficient as the one in Amsterdam where I had to wait for several hours before taking the plane to Kuala Lumpur.

Your highways are simply unbelievable. Many European countries do not have such an excellent network connecting almost every corner of a country. Anyway, Romania can hardly boast of anything similar to yours.

I was amazed with the modern facilities in all your cities, the splendid architecture, iconic buildings like the Petronas Twin Towers and those in Putrajaya, the very clean streets with trees and greenery. For someone coming from Europe where in November the trees are bare of leaves and the fields are brown, it was something magnificent.

In my travels to the various cities, I was astonished to see steady and continuous development and growth while at the same time, everything was so peaceful.

But what’s most outstanding were the people. No matter of which race and religion, all of them share the same traits: open and extremely friendly.

They are very polite and always helpful. They seemed to get along well with each other in their social lives and working relationships. I did not see any unpleasant incident, unlike in so many other places where social segregation and disturbances are clearly visible.

Despite their differences, the people here appeared to me as genuine Malaysians. Happy is the country where people can live in harmony and understanding with their neighbours and not bother about colour, religion or ethnicity.

I noticed that the average income in Malaysia is similar to that of Romania and the ringgit is almost equal in value with our national currency, the leu. However, the food, fuel and cost of living are much cheaper than in Romania.

When my Malaysian friend complained that the petrol costs RM1.80 per litre, I laughed and told him that in Romania, it costs three times more. I was told that the same party has governed Malaysia for more than 50 years, so there is a political stability. I don’t know about your government policy and I am not interested in it, be it liberal, conservative or whatever.

But I saw the results and that is enough for me. A government that steadily follows its programmes and does everything possible to develop the country and bring prosperity to the people deserves my respect and admiration.

I have no idea what the unemployment rate in Malaysia is but having observed the fantastic rate of development and level of progress, I guess it must be low.

When I returned home, I told many people about what I saw in Malaysia and they were impressed. No one knew much about your country and a friend of mine who runs a travel agency knew even less. And she is quite interested to launch a programme to promote Malaysia as a tourist destination among Romanians.

I would be happy to learn that one day, more Romanians would select your country as a destination for their vacation.

LAURENTIU FAIGHEL,
Bucharest, Romania.

My Life Without You

Your name is like a scar on my heart,
that won't seem to heal.
It's as if my world's gone numb,
and happiness isn't real.

It's as if my soul's gone cold,
and dying is a temptation.
It's as if my life's no longer a part of me,
and living is not a sensation.

It's as if the seasons never change,
and everything is grey.
It's as if this pen I’m writing with,
knows I’m not okay.

It's as if the light that filled my room,
is replaced with danger and sadness.
It's as if my mind that used to be filled with hope,
is now only filled with madness.

Some may call this depression,
and some may call this the blues.
But what I simply call this,
is my life without you!

Kes jin selesai

Aku dah cakap...kisah jin Siti Balqis ini hanya satu pembohongan...Hari ini terbongkar segala-galanya...

Balqis ke rumah kenalan, bukan ghaib dilarikan jin
Oleh Hanneeyzah Bariah Baharin, Azman Mahmood, Haryanti Ahmad Rodzidan Mohammad Ishak
bhkt@bharian.com.my
2010/10/29
Norwaniza Ramli

Misteri konon disorokkan di Gunung Jerai terbongkar

KUALA TERENGGANU: Misteri kehilangan Siti Balqis Mohd Nor yang didakwa keluarganya disorok ‘Jin Islam' di Gunung Jerai, Kedah, sejak Ahad lalu, terungkai selepas gadis itu ditemui polis di rumah keluarga seorang kenalannya di Kampung Batu 18, Ulu Klawang, Kuala Klawang, Negeri Sembilan, pagi semalam. Siti Balqis sebenarnya keluar seorang diri dari rumahnya di Kampung Gong Nangka, Jertih dan menaiki bas ekspres ke Shah Alam pada jam 9 malam, sebelum ke Seremban dan meneruskan perjalanan menaiki teksi ke Kuala Klawang. Ketika di situ, Siti Balqis, 22, tinggal di rumah seorang sahabat pena perempuan yang dikenalinya menerusi laman berkenalan sebuah majalah remaja pada 2005, tetapi tidak pernah bertemu sebelum ini.

Ketua Polis Daerah Besut, Superintendan Kamaruddin Mohd Zakaria, berkata Siti Balqis juga sudah membeli tiket untuk pulang ke kampungnya esok.

“Dengan penemuan ini, polis menganggap kes ini selesai dan polis tidak akan mengambil tindakan terhadap mana-mana pihak,” katanya pada sidang media sebelum menyerahkan Siti Balqis kepada ibunya, Norizan Said, 47, di Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah Besut, di Kampung Raja di sini, semalam. Hadir sama sahabat penanya, Norwaniza Ramli, 19.

Kamaruddin berkata, polis mendapat maklumat mengenai gadis itu apabila bapa sahabat pena Siti Balqis menghubungi polis daerah Jelebu selepas terbaca berita kehilangan misteri gadis itu dalam akhbar ini.
Polis juga mendapat petunjuk gadis itu berada di Negeri Sembilan selepas semakan khidmat pesanan ringkas (SMS) yang dihantar kepada ibunya pada jam 5 pagi Isnin lalu mendapati pencawang terakhir ialah di Kuala Klawang.

Pada Isnin lalu, Norizan memberitahu menerima SMS daripada anaknya pada jam 5 pagi yang mendakwa berada di Gunung Jerai selepas dibawa jin berbulu lebat.

Sementara itu, Pemangku Ketua Jabatan Siasatan Jenayah negeri, Superintendan K Manoharan, berkata laporan Norizan di Balai Polis Jertih pada jam 1.30 pagi Isnin lalu, antara lain menyebut melihat anaknya menaiki kereta Perodua Kembara milik keluarga pada jam 8 malam.

"Berikutan laporan itu, kita menjalankan siasatan kes orang hilang dan meliputi semua aspek termasuk sama ada gadis berkenaan melarikan diri atau dilarikan," katanya sambil menambah kereta itu ditemui di Stesen Bas Jertih pada jam 1 tengah hari Isnin.

Norizan ketika ditemui terkejut dengan penemuan itu kerana sebelum ini anaknya menghantar SMS dan memberitahu berada di Gunung Jerai dan dibawa jin berbulu serta yakin anaknya berada di gunung berkenaan berdasarkan gerak hatinya.

Norwaniza pula berkata, dia selalu berutus surat dan menghubungi Siti Balqis tetapi hanya bertemu selepas kenalannya itu datang sendiri ke rumahnya Isnin lalu.

"Saya tidak menduga pertemuan ini rupanya dengan seorang gadis yang sering dilaporkan ghaib kerana sebelum ini Siti Balqis tidak pernah menceritakan kisahnya,” katanya.

Di KUALA KLAWANG, ibu Nurwaniza berkata gadis itu mengajaknya dan anaknya ke Seremban, Selasa lalu dan menggunakan wang sendiri membeli pelbagai makanan dan pakaian bernilai RM279, termasuk tiket bas untuk pulang ke Terengganu.

Ramlah Meon, 60, berkata beliau pelik melihat Siti Balqis kerap SMS dan apabila ditanya dimaklumkan ia di hantar kepada kawannya.

“Siti Balqis beritahu dia tinggal bersama ibu saudaranya selepas ibunya meninggal dunia dalam kemalangan November tahun lalu. Dia turut beritahu rumahnya besar dan ada tujuh bilik lengkap dengan pembantu rumah dan kolam renang," katanya.

Ramlah berkata, pembohongan Siti Balqis terbongkar apabila anggota polis dari Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah (IPD) Jelebu datang ke rumahnya, kelmarin, berikutan SMS diterima ibu Siti Balqis menggunakan nombor telefon yang didaftarkan atas nama Nurwaniza.

Beliau berkata, ketika menyelongkar beg pakaian Siti Balqis, mereka menemui lebih 20 kad sim yang masih aktif, sejumlah wang, beberapa kad ATM dan sebuah kotak kecil berisi 10 batu delima dalam kain kuning.

Ansari jatuh lagi!

Calun PKR untuk pilihanraya kecil Batu Sapi, Ansari Abdullah, jatuh ke laut untuk kali kedua bila jambatan kayu setinggi 3 meter di Kg Gas tiba-tiba runtuh hari ini.

Menteri Besar Selangor, Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, terselamat apabila beliau sempat masuk ke sebuah rumah di situ sebelum jambatan tersebut runtuh pada pukul 3 petang tadi.


Ansari sedang diangkat dari air oleh pembantu-pembantunya selepas jatuh ke laut di Kg Gas

Pada hari Rabu baru-baru ini, Ansari jatuh dari satu lagi jambatan kayu ketika berkempen di Pulau Batu Api.

Apa agaknya akan terjadi kepada PKR?

Yet another accident: Karak Crash 29 Oct 2010

Another terrible bus accident, the second one this month. What's happening?








Published in the Star: Friday October 29, 2010 MYT 9:24:00 PM
Updated: Friday October 29, 2010 MYT 11:02:25 PM
Karak bus crash: 7 killed, more than 20 injured (Updated)By RASHITHA A. HAMID, STEVEN CHIEW, M. KUMAR AND SHAUN HO


GENTING HIGHLANDS: Seven people were killed and more than 20 injured when the bus they were travelling in crashed at Genting Sempah along the East Coast Expressway.

The 7.51pm accident, just before the Karak tunnel, involved a group of 42 from the 4B Youth Movement, Kampung Siong, Kedah, said Federal Territory Fire and Rescue Department assistant director (operations) Azizan Ismail.

The dead are Muhammad Amirul Mohamad, 13, Muhamad Khairy Muhammad, 16, Mohd Firdaus Rosedi, 16, Mohamad Yussuf Akhif, 16, Mohd Ridzuan Husin, 17 and Mohd Fahmi Mustafa, 17.

Mohd Zaidi Mohd Sufian, 28, died on the way to Selayang Hospital.

“Two people were thrown from the bus,” Azizan told reporters when met at the scene Friday night.

It is learnt that the bus went out of control, hit the divider and toppled.

The driver and co-driver escaped with light injuries.

The group was on the way to Kuala Lumpur from Genting Highlands where they had spent the night.

All the dead were taken to Kuala Lumpur Hospital while the injured were taken to the Bentong, Selayang and Kuala Lumpur hospitals.

Lack of Common Sense

My letter in the New Straits Times
2010/10/25

Penang services: Lack of common sense

IF we take a close look at the many issues highlighted by the public, we will see that a majority of them can be avoided or resolved with common sense.

Too often, a lack of common sense gives rise to unnecessary problems or inconvenience to the public. I wish to illustrate this with some examples in Penang.

The new bus terminal in Butterworth, though temporary, is modern, well-organised and clean. It is also free of annoying touts, and I must commend the authorities for this.

However, one can't help but wonder about the illogical flow of buses that leads to congestion, though it is still manageable at the moment.

All buses, which come from one direction from the main road, enter the terminal at the far end. This brings them into a loop and when they leave the terminal at the near end, they meet with the oncoming buses waiting to turn at the other end.

The congestion is made worse by indiscriminate parking of vehicles around the area. Even a layman can tell you that reversing the flow would prevent the chaotic situation. I can't think of any reason why the flow was designed that way.

The bus terminal is connected to the ferry terminal and the train station only through escalators. Near the escalators, there is a sign that says: "Link to ferry and KTMB".
One can only conclude that all tourists are expected to know that KTMB is a train station.

Heavy usage of these escalators causes frequent breakdowns, and when that happens, we can see a large crowd of people from the ferry waiting their turn to get on the escalators.

As the escalators are the only link between the two terminals, repair or maintenance work on them is extremely difficult unless done in the middle of the night, which is not the case.

Ironically, there is an old staircase and escalators just metres away which used to connect to the old bus terminal. This provides an alternative way to the new bus terminal without much cost, but the old staircase and escalators are blocked and left unused for unknown reasons.

When you board the ferry, very often, you will be "greeted" by the sight of crew members standing or sitting on the bench staring at people, especially the women. Sometimes, they continue to sit on the bench even when passengers are looking for a seat. It is embarrassing to see this.

I save my comments on the toilets and the miserable condition on the ferry when it rains.

When you reach the island, it is a long walk to the bus terminal. The winding walkway is very taxing for commuters, what more senior citizens, the handicapped or those with heavy luggage.

The walkway can be shortened significantly if the authorities put a staircase or escalators at a certain point. The distance can be further reduced if it goes straight into the bus terminal instead of going around it.

The waiting area at the island's terminal has a small gate controlled by a worker. When there are too many people waiting for the ferry, the worker will forcibly close the gate against the oncoming crowd. It is a matter of time before a serious accident happens; a better control mechanism is badly needed.

Again, I reserve my comments on things like the silly Jangan membuang sampah /Do not throw rubbish signs, frequent ramp breakdowns and the erratic ferry schedule.

However, I need to mention that there is no notice to inform the public that a ferry fare is not required from the island. From time to time, you can see tourists asking around where to pay the fare, and it doesn't help when the crew members don't speak English.

I have been commuting daily from the mainland to Penang island for more than five years, but not once have I seen the bosses observing the situation, let alone taking a ride on the ferry.

If they were to do that, along with some common sense, a lot of things can be improved and the journey between the mainland and island would be a good, pleasant one, for which the public would be more than willing to pay a higher fare.

A. HASHIM,
Sungai Petani, Kedah

Read more: Penang services: Lack of common sense http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/22ferr/Article/#ixzz13NOZM8yn

Get rid of tough issues the simple way

My letter in The Star
Sunday October 24, 2010

Get rid of tough issues the simple way

MOST public issues can be avoided or resolved with mere common sense. I wish to illustrate this with a few examples in Penang.

The new bus terminal at Butterworth, though temporary, is modern, well organised and clean. It is currently free of annoying touts unlike the old terminal, and for this I must commend the authorities.

However, one cannot help wonder about the illogical movement of the buses. They enter the terminal from the main road at the far end instead of the nearer end. This brings them into a “loop”. And when the buses leave the terminal at the nearer end, they meet with the incoming buses.

The congestion is made worse by indiscriminate parking around the area. Merely reversing the flow would avoid the chaos.

The bus terminal is connected to the ferry terminal and the train station by a set of escalators. Near these, there is a sign that says “Link to ferry and KTMB”. One can only conclude that all tourists are expected to know that KTMB is a train station.

Heavy usage of these escalators causes frequent breakdowns, and as the escalators are the only link between the two terminals, repair or maintenance works are extremely difficult unless done in the middle of the night, which is not the case.

Ironically, there is an old staircase and another set of escalators just metres away that used to connect to the old bus terminal at the adjacent site. Utilising this would easily provide an alternative way to the new bus terminal without much cost, but the old staircase and escalators are blocked and left unused for unknown reasons.

Upon reaching the island, it then becomes a long walk to the bus terminal there. The long, winding walkway is taxing for the daily commuters, senior citizens, the handicapped or those with heavy luggage.

The walkway can actually be shortened significantly if the authorities set up a staircase or escalator at a spot that can cut through the winding pathway. It could be further reduced if this goes straight into the bus terminal, instead of going around it.

The waiting area at the island’s terminal has a small gate that is controlled by a worker. When there are too many people waiting for the ferry, the worker will forcibly close the gate to avoid an overload. It is a matter of time before a serious accident happens; a better control mechanism is needed.

Also, there is no sign to inform the public that no ferry fare is required when leaving the island. From time to time, tourists can be seen asking where to pay the fare, and it doesn’t help that the crew do not speak English.

A lot of things can be improved and the journey between the mainland and the Penang island could be a pleasant one, for which the public would be more than willing to pay a higher fare.

A. HASHIM,

Sungai Petani.

The djinns story: Think before you believe

Harian Metro on Oct 14 reported that the mystery surrounding Siti Balqis Mohd Nor’s frequent disappearances became stranger with claims that seven precious stones fell from the ceiling of her house in Jerteh, Terengganu.

The tabloid said Siti Balqis, 22, and her family were in the living room when they heard something falling from her bedroom at 1pm on Wednesday.

A ruby was then found on Siti Balqis’ bed, followed by several other stones.
It was reported that a ruby even fell from the ceiling in front of a TV3 cameraman, who was having a drink with the Misteri Nusantara film crew in the living room.

Siti Balqis’ mother Norizan Said, 47, said all the precious stones were now being kept in a special case immersed in zam zam water.


Norizan, Siti Balqis' mother, with the stones which allegedly fell from the ceiling.

Siti Balqis had been hogging headlines with claims that she was frequently “kidnapped” by djinns after performing her prayers.

Another local newspaper reported on Oct 15 that there was further attempt by the djinns to take her away through a window, but was foiled by a relative who saw her 'flying' and pulled her legs.

This story actually reminds me of other 'strange' stories before, such as the case of a Lebanese girl Hasnah Mohamed Meselmani. In 1996, her story was in the newspapers all over the world- she had baffled doctors by 'producing' razor-sharp tiny glass crystals from her eyes.

The religious authorities and scientists sought answers to the 'miracle'. The answer came within a few months; it was a fraud and the girl admitted it.

For this Siti Balqis' story, the easiest way to investigate it is to install a CCTV in her house.

Or we simply wait for a few months and see what happens.

Midnight Thought

Life is a journey. Sometimes it's a smooth ride. Sometimes you take the wrong turn. Sometimes someone hits you from the back...

Rest if you must, but don't quit.

Kisah jin semakin 'hangat'

Semalam, pengamal perubatan Islam yang dilantik Yayasan Islam Terengganu (YIT) merawat gadis ghaib, Siti Balqis Mohd Nor, 22, meminta keluarga itu tidak menggunakan khidmat bomoh lain untuk sementara waktu bagi memastikan proses rawatan dilaksanakan dengan berkesan.

Permintaan itu diutarakan tiga pengamal perubatan berkenaan semalam selepas mereka menangkap 12 lagi jin di rumah gadis itu di Kampung Gong Nangka, Apal, dekat sini, termasuk makhluk dipercayai ditinggalkan bomoh lain yang merawat gangguan misteri terbabit.

Berita hari ini pula menyebut, selepas gagal ‘mengghaibkan’ Siti Balqis Mohd Nor, 22, jin yang dikatakan mengawal gadis terbabit kini beralih mengganggu ketenteraman keluarganya di rumah mereka di Kampung Gong Nangka, dekat sini. Senja kelmarin, seberkas kunci rumah yang disimpan dalam beg tangan ibu Siti Balqis, Norizan Said, 47, dikatakan hilang sebelum ditemui diikat dalam kain berwarna merah di atas meja kecil di rumah itu kira-kira sejam kemudian.

Apa kata anda?

Another Horrific Accident in Malaysia: Rembau Crash Pictures 10 Oct 2010

REMBAU -Twelve people were killed and more than 40 others injured in a crash pile-up involving two buses, a van and three cars at Km223 of the North-South Highway near the Simpang Ampat toll plaza here Sunday. Three others succumbed to their injuries in hospital later Monday.

Police said in the 6.40pm tragedy, a bus heading towards Kuala Lumpur went out of control and flipped over to the southbound side of the highway, according to Bernama.

He said it then was involved in collisions with a van and two cars before slamming into the side of a National Welfare Department bus.

Here are some of the pictures (click on the picture to enlarge):






















What say you?

Lagi kisah jin...

12 lagi jin ditangkap, kali ini disumbat dalam botol. Ini menjadikan 21 jin ditangkap dalam masa 2 hari. Mungkin esok akan ada lagi bomoh-bomoh menangkap lebih banyak jin???

Aku cadangkan keluarga adik Siti Balqis dan pihak-pihak yang berminat memasang CCTV untuk mengetahui bagaimana dia boleh 'ghaib'. Aku pasti bila CCTV dipasang, Siti Balqis tidak akan ghaib lagi :)


Berita Harian 11/10/2010
Nasional

Tiga bomoh tangkap 12 lagi jin
Oleh Mohammad Ishak
bhkt@bharian.com.my
2010/10/11


JERTIH: Usaha tiga pengamal perubatan Islam daripada Yayasan Islam Terengganu (YIT) merawat gadis ghaib, Siti Balqis Mohd Nor, 22, malam kelmarin, dikatakan berjaya menangkap 12 lagi jin yang mengganggu gadis berkenaan, selepas dua bomoh yang enggan dikenali sebelum ini mendakwa berjaya menangkap sembilan jin.

Pada awalnya, usaha pasukan perubatan berkenaan dianggotai Pengelola Khidmat Masyarakat YIT, Hassan Yusof; penolongnya, Fauzi Malik dan Pengurus Khidmat Masyarakat, Wan Adi Rahman Wan Abd Rahman untuk merawat Siti Balqis seperti tidak kesampaian berikutan gadis itu didapati ghaib kira-kira setengah jam sebelum ketibaan pasukan perubatan itu ke rumah keluarganya di Kampung Gong Nangka, di sini, kira-kira jam 8 malam.

Ibu gadis berkenaan, Norizan Said, 47, berkata Siti Balqis tiba-tiba ghaib kira-kira jam 7.30 malam ketika mereka berkumpul menunggu ketibaan pasukan perubatan itu di rumah dan usaha mencarinya dilakukan di atas bumbung, dalam siling rumah, almari, rumah kosong, di bawah rumah dan di pokok manggis, tetapi gagal.

Berikutan itu, katanya, orang ramai termasuk pasukan perubatan berkenaan membaca surah Yasin beramai-ramai, sebelum Norizan menerima SMS daripada Siti Balqis jam 11.30 malam berbunyi ‘tolong dah jauh ni’ dan SMS kedua pada jam 12 tengah malam menyatakan ‘Umi cepat datang, kita dok (duduk) Bukit Keluang,’.

Selesai membaca surah Yasin, pasukan perubatan diketuai Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) Jabi, Ramlan Ali bergegas ke Bukit Keluang, kira-kira 15 kilometer dari rumah mangsa, tetapi gagal menemuinya di kawasan pelancongan terkenal itu.

Sebaliknya, Ramlan berkata, mereka terserempak dengan sembilan orang termasuk dua wanita yang kelihatan seperti sedang bertapa dalam gua berkenaan.
Katanya, ketika gerakan mencari Siti Balqis dijalankan, beliau dimaklumkan gadis itu ada di atas pokok rambutan di belakang rumah keluarganya kira-kira jam 1.30 pagi dan pasukan perubatan yang dihantar khas oleh kerajaan negeri itu kembali semula ke rumah untuk menjalankan proses rawatan mengikut kaedah Islam.

Pasukan perubatan itu memulakan usaha rawatan dan mendakwa berjaya mengeluarkan 12 jin yang kemudian dimasukkan ke dalam botol. Siti Balqis hanya sedarkan diri kira-kira jam 5 pagi tadi selepas menerima rawatan berkenaan.

Jin???

Bila terbaca berita dibawah, aku terdiam dan tertanya sendiri...Begitu mudahkah untuk menangkap, mengurung dan membuang jin? Kenapa masyarakat kita masih taksub dan percaya penipuan-penipuan sebegini? Anda fikirlah sendiri....

Berita Harian 10/10 /2010
Penduduk serbu rumah gadis ghaib rakam gambar jin






ORANG ramai mengambil gambar jin dan makhluk halus didakwa dimasukkan ke dalam tabung khas sebelum dihanyutkan ke laut oleh bomoh, malam tadi.JERTIH: Rumah gadis yang mengalami gangguan misteri yang menyebabkannya sering ghaib di Kampung Gong Nangka, Apal, dekat sini, diserbu ratusan penduduk selepas dua lelaki datang menawarkan diri merawat gadis itu mendakwa berjaya menangkap sembilan makhluk halus malam kelmarin.


Dalam kaedah rawatan tradisional jam 7.30 malam itu, dua lelaki menggunakan kaedah masing-masing bagi merawat Siti Balqis Mohd Nor, 22, yang ghaib ‘dilarikan’ makhluk ketika senja dan dinihari, sejak dua bulan lalu. Dua lelaki itu yang menawarkan khidmat percuma selepas membaca kisah itu di akhbar sejak Selasa lalu, berpecah dua ketika sesi rawatan dengan seorang daripadanya berada di dalam rumah mengerjakan solat dan seorang lagi di luar rumah menggunakan jampi. Kira-kira 15 minit selepas rawatan, seorang lelaki yang berada di luar rumah mendakwa melihat satu lembaga yang didakwanya dapat ditangkap.

Dia mendakwa dapat menangkap sembilan jin atau makhluk halus yang menyebabkan beratus-ratus penduduk menyerbu rumah gadis itu.

Selepas menangkap sembilan makhluk itu, bomoh itu memasukkannya ke dalam bekas khas bertutup bagi mengelak makhluk berkenaan terlepas.

Orang ramai yang menyaksikannya tidak melepaskan peluang untuk mengambil gambar dan video, kebanyakannya menggunakan telefon bimbit untuk dijadikan kenangan dan bahan bukti kejayaan bomoh berkenaan.
Usaha Berita Minggu mendapatkan komen dan mengambil gambar dua bomoh itu gagal kerana mereka tidak mahu menonjolkan diri sebaliknya memberitahu makhluk halus yang ditangkap, dihanyutkan ke laut.

Siti Balqis pula mengakui kini berasa lebih tenteram kerana dalam tempoh 48 jam lalu, beliau sudah tidak lagi ghaib.

“Saya harap usaha murni semua pihak yang menghulurkan bantuan akan membuahkan hasil dan membolehkan saya kembali menjalani kehidupan seperti biasa,” katanya.

Hadir sama, Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) Jabi, Ramlan Ali.

Ibunya, Norizan Said, 47, berkata, sejak kisah anaknya disiarkan, 17 bomoh menawarkan diri merawat Siti Balqis secara percuma tetapi kejadian malam tadi adalah kemuncaknya apabila bomoh berkenaan dapat menangkap makhluk yang sebelum ini didakwa menjadi punca anaknya ghaib.

Katanya, sejak kisah anaknya disiarkan media, keluarganya juga berasa lega kerana tidak perlu lagi menanggung perbelanjaan besar untuk mengupah bomoh sama ada berasaskan rawatan Islam atau kaedah tradisional kerana semuanya kini menawarkan khidmat merawat anaknya secara percuma.

Transferring ‘sex-drugs’ teacher is not a deterrent

The Star
Friday October 8, 2010

Transferring ‘sex-drugs’ teacher is not a deterrent


I AM astounded by your report “Sex-drugs teacher who sold stimulants transferred to another school” (The Star, Oct 7).

Johor Education Department director Sufaat Tumin said the disciplinary teacher was transferred to another secondary school and “further action against the teacher depends on the severity of the offence”.

I find it hard to believe that the teacher was only transferred and not suspended for his alleged misconduct. Such practice also has been true with other government servants implicated in other wrongdoings.

If the Government is serious about improving the performance and conduct of public servants, punitive action must be taken instead of just transferring them to other locations.

They should at least be suspended until an inquiry is completed, and should be dismissed if they are found guilty.

A transfer, either before or after the inquiry, is not a deterrent and does not reflect the government’s seriousness in geting rid of the bad apples.

A. HASHIM,
Sungai Petani.

Things You Should Know About Women

1. The most important thing for a woman is financial security.

2. Although this is so important, they still go out and buy expensive clothes and stuff.

3. Although they always buy expensive clothes, they never have something to wear.

4. Although they never have something to wear, they always dress beautifully.

5. Although they always dress beautifully, their clothes are always just “an old rag”.

6. Although their clothes are always “just an old rag”, they still expect you to compliment them.

7. Although they expect you to compliment them, when you do, they don’t believe you.

Midnight Thought

To err is human; to blame it on somebody else shows management potential.

How true this is! Some people are really good at pointing their fingers at others. Blaming other people can always make you appear good, but will it last? I do not think so. There are a lot of differences between someone with substance and someone with just empty talks. We only need to observe with a clear, objective and critical mind and we will see.

Someone may preach about a lot of things but to me, actions always speak louder than words.

The sad thing is that this kind of people manage to get their way and progress in their lives because they manage to hide their weaknesses by exposing the weaknesses of others. They are very good and deceiving and convincing others.

But like I said, their success will short-live. Truth will reveal itsef sooner or later.

What is Malaysia Day?

If you don't know it, don't feel bad. A lot of people especially the younger ones are with you.

Here is some info I found from Wikipedia.

Malaysia Day
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A national ceremony celebrates the formation of the Federation of Malaysia in 1963 in Singapore.Malaysia Day is held on September 16 every year to commemorate the establishment of the Malaysian federation on the same date in 1963. It marked the joining together of Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak, and Singapore to form Malaysia. The formation of the new federation was planned to occur on June 1, 1963, but was later postponed to August 31, 1963, in order to coincide with the sixth Hari Merdeka. Several issues related to the Indonesian and the Filipino objection to the formation of Malaysia delayed the declaration to September 16 of the same year. The postponement was also done to allow the United Nations team time to conduct referendums in North Borneo (now Sabah) and Sarawak regarding the two states participation in a new federation.[1]

The formation of Malaysia was made possible through the introduction of the Malaysia Bill to the Malayan Parliament on July 9, 1963, and consent from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on August 29, 1963.[1]

Prior to the formation of Malaysia, Singapore and North Borneo unilaterally declared independence from the United Kingdom on August 31, 1963, thus coinciding with the sixth anniversary of the Malayan independence.

Beginning year 2010, September 16 is a federal public holiday. It coincides with the birthday of the Yang di-Pertua of Sabah.[2]

An act beyond comprehension

If we take serious note of the news everyday, we would be shaking our heads in disbelief to hear the same stories over and over again. Carjacking when people left their car running unlocked for a few seconds, girls and women tricked into being drug mules, ladies conned of their money by some smooth-talking, loving ‘foreigner’, people parted with their money in some get-rich-quick and scratch-and-win schemes, women cheated, raped or molested by bomohs or mediums- these are among the common stories we come across very frequently.

But all these stories are nothing compared to the murders of Datuk Sosilawati and her companions. To say that the murders are brutal is an understatement. The murders are simply beyond imagination, spoiled the Hariraya mood of everybody, and the whole nation is still in shocked as more and more information surfaced.

What is happening to our society? Are we too trusting? Have people lost their humane nature and becoming animals? Are there any ways we can stop all these?

One thing we all know is that humans by nature are greedy. When greed meets carelessness or plain stupidity, a disaster will happen. And it is even worse when greed comes with violence.

I would suggest these types of news are highlighted more, in more effective ways. Maybe these stories should be highlighted in schools for the benefits of the children and their parents. Important issues like these should not be left aside. Let the children start thinking of all the possibilities for them to take precautions, and maybe communicate this with their parents as well, who might also be ignorant on the matters.

More awareness surely will help the people to be more alert. Responsible parents should always be alert themselves and teach their children to be the same. We should always remind ourselves that if something could happen to other people, it can happen to us.

I can confidently say that our society is such that parents and schools never encourage the children to keep abreast with current news. It’s time we did so.

Education Ministry making a costly blunder

This is my earlier letter which was published
by the Star on Friday March 26, 2010
Education Ministry making a costly blunder


The letters “Stress on grammar, not phonics” (The Star, March 24) and “Grammar matters more than phonetics” (The Star, March 25) really caught my attention. I wish to add a couple of points in support of their views.

I totally agree with both writers that the Education Ministry has obviously got its priority wrong again. Bringing in foreign teachers to teach Malaysians to “pronounce English words as spoken by native speakers” is an expensive mistake that will take us nowhere as far as improving our standard of English is concerned.

First of all, as mentioned by both the writers, it is the grammar that is the problem. While most Malaysians can pronounce the English words well enough to be understood, it is the grammar that leaves much to be desired.

The priority is thus to really focus on grammar, and the way it is taught needs to be revised for it to be effective.

Secondly, I have been wondering all these years why we never make use of the phonetics symbols, available in every good dictionary, to help us with the pronunciation.

Every English teacher must learn phonetics, and they can in turn teach students to learn the correct pronunciation themselves.

Sadly, I have never heard of phonetics symbols being taught in Malaysian schools. If the above cannot be done for some reason, there is even a better solution nowadays.

In this technological age, digital dictionaries always come with the recorded sound for each word, both in American and British pronunciations. Just click on the words and you can hear how they are pronounced immediately, any time you want! How expensive can a digital dictionary be?

Much has been said about the sad state of our education system, yet again we are seeing another costly blunder being developed by those responsible to salvage it. I will ask the same question that many have asked: What has happened to this country?

A. HASHIM,
Sungai Petani.

Education: Let’s set it right

My letter in NST 8 Sep 2010
Education: Let’s set it right


I REFER to the letter, “Education is not all about scoring As”(NST, Aug 4), from C. Arjun and the recent discussions on our education system.
For years, many have debated on the deteriorating quality of Malaysian education, but there has not been much change. Every time results of an examination are announced, the media is full of stories about the top scorer s.

As a result of the “A-Syndrome”, our children struggle with homework, extra classes and tuition at the expense of their childhood pleasures. Some survive and succeed.

Some fail and give up, drop out from school and join the bands of kaki lepak, mat rempit and drug users as they lose interest and hope in education. Some even commit suicide when the pressure gets too much.
What happens to those who endure the hardship and graduate from universities? The common complaint is about the difficulty they face landing decent jobs.

Not long ago, Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah acknowledged that our graduate unemployment rate was one of the highest at four per cent, and there seemed to be a “mis - match between our industry’s needs and the output from local univer sities”.

This comes as no surprise. I am not an expert on education, but having been in human resources management for more than 18 years, I have interviewed many fresh graduates. A majority lack soft skills. They are unable to express themselves, let alone present views or arguments when asked.
It is no secret that most multinationals prefer graduates from foreign universities as they are perceived to be more confident and h ave better interpersonal skills.

Therefore, we need to change the way we do things in school.

Children must be trained to speak their minds freely at every opportunity, thus exposing them to reasoning and communication skills and developing self-confidence.
For example, portfolio assignments should focus on topics that require students to provide their own input rather than just presenting a search-copy-paste-print- and-bind project. They could even be asked to present their portfolios before the class, allowing the teacher and other students to listen, ask questions and give their opinions.

A simple school trip could be organised in such a way to improve students’ observation and analytical skills. Follow-up discussions could be held, making it more worthwhile.

Quality education at primary and secondary levels should focus on comprehensive development of the child, with academic expectations balanced with games and informality, as opposed to the present system which suppresses self-reliance and motivation.

We need schools with invigorating, stimulating and inspiring classroom environments, where students will come to know themselves and love learning.

It is also important for policy makers to ensure that the purpose of the curriculum and activities is not lost in the implementation.

Other countries have examinations, but in the United Kingdom, for example, students are not evaluated on how many As they get, but on how they think and prog ress.
Tests and assessments are used mostly to diagnose needs and to target instructional resources where they can help the most, rather than to sort and screen.

Most exam questions do not ask for memorised facts. They ask for “how” and “why ” and the justification for the answers. And a big percentage of the grade comes from projects, not just exams.

Parents are called to meet the subject teachers every two to three months to discuss the students’ progress and to identify improvement needs. In Malaysia, parents meet only the class teachers and only after the exam results are out.

I was told that in Japan, Australia and some other developed countries, the students do not have homework because exercises are done in school during the last 20 minutes of the period after the teacher finishes the lesson.

They learn better that way because the lesson taught is still fresh in their minds and the teacher is still around to explain, thus making tuition classes almost unheard of. Look at the amount of homework our kids have every day, besides attending tuition classes.

Recent reports seem to point to Finland as having the best education system in the world. Perhaps Malaysia can send a team to benchmark the system and p r a c t i c e s.

We desperately need a metamorphosis of education to create a school environment that is fun and motivating, which promotes creativity, initiative, individuality and curiosity instead of the current one which relies on rote learning, fact-regurgitation and conformity in order to pass exams.

Unfortunately, the action taken so far to improve the quality of our education is akin to rearranging the deck chairs on the Ti t a n i c .

We must re-engineer our education ship to take us to the right destination in the sea of challenges; we don’t need a sophisticated ship that takes us to the wrong port. I hope the current discussions on our education system will finally put us back on the right course. It is insane to do the same things over and over again and expect different outcomes.

A. HASHIM Sungai Petani, Kedah

Bon Jovi - I'll be there for you with lyrics

Cerita daun ketum

Dua hari lepas aku terjumpa sorang kawan lama dari kampung yang sudah hampir 30 tahun aku tak jumpa. Sebab lama tak jumpa, kami berbual panjang, dan cerita yang aku dapat dari dia adalah sesuatu yang unik yang aku tak pernah dengar secara terperinci dari orang lain.

Kawan aku ni dari keluarga miskin. Selepas sekolah rendah, dia tak mampu meneruskan persekolahan dan hanya membuat kerja kampung, kais pagi makan pagi. Tapi kini dia adalah seorang yang boleh dikatakan kaya-raya, dengan rumah banglo besar dan 5 buah kereta. Di hari dia berjumpa aku, dia sebenarnya datang untuk melihat sebuah rumah untuk dibelikan untuk anaknya yang akan berkahwin tak lama lagi.

Yang menjadikan dia kaya ialah perniagaan daun ketum. Aku rasa aku tak perlu huraikan apa itu daun ketum sebab semua orang tahu. Tapi untuk yang belum tahu, pokok ketum memang banyak di Malaysia, terutama di utara semenanjung di kawasan berhampiran sawah padi. Di zaman dahulu, rebusan daun ketum digunakan oleh petani dan pekerja buruh untuk memberikan tenaga dan menghilangkan rasa letih.

Dipendekkan cerita, kawan aku ni dah agak lama mengusahakan tanaman ketum, dari satu ekar tanah sehingga sekarang 6 ekar. Dia tidak memproses daun ketum tersebut, tetapi cuma menjual daun dengan harga RM 45 hingga RM 60 sekilo. Di Malaysia, menananm dan menjual daun ketum belum lagi mejadi kesalahan, tidak seperti di Thailand yang mengharamkan terus penanaman pokok ketum. Pembeli-pembelinya yang memproses daun ketum untuk dijual. Permintaan untuk daun ketumnya memang tinggi hingga dari Thailand dan dia sekarang tidak dapat memenuhi semua permintaan dan bercadang untuk menambah ladang ketumnya. Purata pendapatan kawan aku sekarang ini sekurang-kurangnya RM9,000 setiap dua minggu. Memang menakjubkan bagi budak kampung yang belajar hanya setakat Darjah 6.

Salah seorang pembelinya pula memproses daun ketum dan menjual air daun ketum di satu pekan di utara tanah air. Harga jualan sebungkus air dau ketum telah meningkat dari RM 1 satu masa dulu hingga RM 2.50 sekarang kerana permintaan yang banyak. Pengusaha tersebut mampu menjual sehingga 1,000 bungkus sehari. Rebusan daun ketum dicampur dengan beberapa bahan merbahaya seperti ubat nyamuk dan sedikit racun tertentu untuk memberikan rasa 'high' kepada pengguna, terutama penagih dadah. Yang peliknya, dia terang-terang menjual air daun ketum tak jauh dari sebuah balai polis. Memproses dan menjual air daun ketum adalah menjadi kesalahan di Malaysia sekarang, tetapi dendanya hanya sekitar RM 2,000. Sehari perniagaan cukup untuk membayar denda tersebut.

Tetapi apa yang aku nak ceritakan di sini bukan pasal perniagaan daun ketum. Yang aku nak ceritakan ialah kata-kata kawan aku yang membuatkan aku berfikir panjang.

Kata kawan aku, dulu sebelum dia mengusahakan tanaman ketum, dia sering dihina kerana kemiskinan dan kebodohannya. Tidak ada seorang pun yang menghormatinya sebagai manusia. Dia pernah diludah bila cuba meminjam duit dari seseorang. Bermacam-macam maki hamun dan hinaan dia telah terima.

Tetapi bila dia sudah berjaya dengan perniagaan ketumnya dan menjadi kaya, serta merta dia jadi mulia. Kemana saja dia pergi, dia dipandang tinggi dan diberi layanan istimewa. Orang-orang yang pernah mencacinya dahulu kini datang untuk meminjam duit. Semuanya kerana duit. Katanya, masyarakat sekarang tidak lagi memandang budi pekerti atau kemuliaan akhlak. Tidak penting lagi salah atau betul. Yang penting hanya duit. Kerana duit, seseorang itu nampak mulia. Kerana duit, dia dihormati. Semua yang buruk padanya tiba-tiba menjadi baik.

Sepanjang perjalanan pulang, aku hanya memikirkan apa yang dia cakapkan. Memang ada betulnya. Zaman sekarang, duit adalah segala-galanya. Manusia tidak pentingkan lagi betul atau salah, baik atau buruk. Yang diburu adalah duit, dengan apa cara sekali pun. Yang haram boleh menjadi halal kerana duit.

Memang ini sesuatu yang menakutkan. Tetapi mampukah kita mengawal diri kita? Atau adakah kita juga akan menjadi seperti itu? Mampukah kita pastikan anak-anak kita tidak menjadi begitu?

How Come Asking Someone To Go Home Is A Racist Remark?

The article below is a view of a person which I got through an email from a friend.

How Come Asking Someone To Go Home Is A Racist Remark?


By Angelia Sinyang

The non-Malays went berserk when they heard how the Principal in Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra, Kulai, Johor insulted their children, by asking the Chinese to go back to China and the Indians of wearing dog-chains.

I am not a racist, though I admit that I started to doubt that now. I personally don’t agree with racist remarks from anybody especially coming from a teacher. But with the racist sentiment filling up the air uncontrollably, lately, I understand fully, how this teacher has come to this point.

A teacher wouldn’t be uttering such words without a good reason. Something must have triggered the words and I believe, she was provoked into saying it just like what the DAP and MCA is doing to the government, UMNO and the Malays lately.

We are already choking, and it looks like nothing could be said or done could purify the air for now.

I do believe that the ‘dog-chain’ thing is too much. The Principal should apologize on that and if action is to be taken, then be it.

But, I didn’t know that coming from China is something insulting. Asking someone to go home is not at all a racist remark.

Especially when the Chinese made it clear how proud they are to be Chinese from China. They look up upon Mao Tze Tung and all the great warriors of China and never share the same proudness towards our Hang Tuah, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Mat Kilau and other Malaysian heroes just because these Malaysian heroes are not of Chinese ethnic.

The Chinese despise Malaysia, Malays, our Kings, our language and everything, so why the hell don’t they go back to China? It is just natural for the Principle to tell their kids to go back to China, where their hearts and souls belong.

Only in Malaysia, we see people go crazy, stomping their feet, insisting that they are Malaysians but at the same time don’t want anything to do with Malaysia.

Only in Malaysia, we see people who insist that they are Malaysians but couldn’t even speak Bahasa Malaysia.

Only in Malaysia, we see people who want to be treated equally as the original settlers but cunningly try to re-write the Malaysian’s history and constitution.

Only in Malaysia, we see people who claim to be Malaysians but cannot even sing the National Anthem!

Only in Malaysia, we see people who fight for equality but insist on going to vernacular schools.

No other multi-racial country in the world would tolerate vernacular schools except Malaysia.

No other multi-racial country in the world would give equal privilege, rights or acknowledgment on the importance of other culture and language to be taught and nurtured among the youngsters.

Only in Malaysia we see minority own 81% of the economic cake and it is still ain’t enough.

Only Malaysian Chinese would ask for Namewee to be forgiven and look up upon the person and even set up a fan club.

And only Malaysia, would forgive someone like Namewee.

The fact that Malaysia has come this far and that the Malaysian Chinese have achieved so much doesn’t seem important anymore.

Of course there are few Chinese students who didn’t get scholarships despite being poor, but there are Malay and Bumiputra students with the same fate too. The problem lies in the implementation of the system, not the race. We have to stop looking at things from the race point of view.

In order to do that, maybe the Chinese first need to look at it from the non-Chinese point of view: what if you didn’t get promoted even when you have proven to be the best employee just because the Chinese management wants only Chinese to hold top posts?

Or you did not get the job even when the interviewer admitted that you are the best candidate, and tell you to your face that they can’t hire you because you are not a Chinese?

Only Malaysian Chinese can hire a new, dumb guy to become your boss, rather than promoting you to the post because the new, dumb guy is a Chinese and you’re not.

Only Malaysian Chinese who want to hold top posts in government sectors but will never ever open top posts for other races in the private sectors dominated by them.

Only in Malaysian Chinese we see a clear practice of double standard and bias when questioning about the positions and employment opportunities in government sectors as compared to private sectors.

Only in Malaysian Chinese, we see zero tolerance, total greed and unlimited hatred.

Only in Malaysian Chinese we see that greed, intolerance, hatred and double standards are acceptable values.

So, how do the Malaysian Chinese interpret equality, actually?

How do the Malaysian Chinese prove that they deserve to be treated as Bumiputras or even call themselves Malaysians?

Could I get a straight, simple answer to these simple questions?

How to Tell When Someone is Lying

Watching body language in addition to what is spoken might just save you from being a victim of fraud, or it could help you figure out when somebody’s being genuine. The police do this during an interrogation.

You have to learn the little facial and body expressions that can help you distinguish a lie from the truth. Here are some steps and tips to do so.

1. Learn to recognize deflections. Usually when people are lying, they will tell stories that are true but are deliberately aimed at not answering the question you asked. If a person responds to the question “Did you ever hit your wife?” with an answer such as “I love my wife, why would I do that?”, the suspect is technically telling a truth, but they are avoiding answering your original question, which usually means they’re lying.

2. Mind exaggerated details. See if they are telling you too much, like “My mom is living in France, isn’t it nice there? Don’t you like the Eiffel tower? It’s so clean there.” Too many details may tip you off to their desperation to get you to believe them.

3. We have illustrators, and manipulators. Illustrators are a sign of telling the truth, this is when you are using your hand gestures to talk. moving your hands while you are talking is a sign of telling the truth. We also have manipulators. These, are the opposite of illustrators. An example of a manipulator can be playing with your wrist-watch, your jewelry, pulling on your ear lobe, etc. People who behave this way tend to be hiding something. The last, commonly unknown sign of hiding something is reptile tissue, most people have a reptile tissue in their nose, and it itches when you’re hiding something. But, before you assume that the person is hiding something, please establish a base line.

4. Base Line: A base line is what someone acts like when they are not lying. You have to get a base line before you proceed with anything. Imagine you have a itch on your nose ever since you got out of bed. And someone thinks you are hiding something because you scratch your nose when answering a question…oops. What the person should have done is establish a baseline. To establish a baseline, you need to see the person when they aren’t lying. Try asking what their name is, and what they do for a living.

5. Look out for micro-expressions. Micro-expressions are split second facial expressions that flash on a person’s face for a less than a 25th of a second and reveal the person’s true emotion underneath their facade. Some people may be naturally sensitive to them, but almost anybody can easily train to be able to detect microexpressions. Put focus to the upper and lower eyelids, the corner of the eyes, the mouth and the muscles surrounding the mouth, the eyebrows and forehead.

6. Shaking hands… When you meet the person who you think is deceiving you, shake their hand. Take note of the temperature. When you are sure they are lying to you, pretend to be leaving and quickly grab their hand for a “Good-Bye” Handshake. If the temperature is colder, they are fearful.

7. Notice the person’s eye movements. Contrary to popular belief, a liar does not always avoid eye contact. Humans naturally break eye contact and look at non-moving objects to help them focus and remember. Liars may deliberately make eye contact to seem more sincere. You can usually tell if a person is remembering something or making something up based on their eye’s movements. When someone is remembering details, their eyes move to the right (your right). When someone is making something up, their eyes move to the left. It’s usually reversed for lefties. (although not always true.)

8. Be aware of their emotional responses
Timing and duration tends to be off when someone is lying. If you ask someone a question and they respond directly after the question, there is a chance that the person is lying. This can be because they have rehearsed the answer, or they’re already thinking about the answer just to get it over with and move forward. A delayed answer can be a sign of lying. To tell the truth takes 2 parts of your brain at most, however to lie takes 6 parts of your brain. If the person has a long story then you can ask them to tell it backwards. Liars have trouble telling stories backwards, because in their mind they have rehearsed it forwards, but not backwards. And, as with smiling, facial expressions of a poor liar will be limited to the mouth area.

Pay close attention to the person’s reaction to your questions. A liar will often feel uncomfortable and turn their head or body away, or even subconsciously put an object between the two of you. Also, while an innocent person would go on the offensive (usually responding with anger, which will usually be revealed in a microexpression directly after you say you don’t believe them), a guilty person will often go immediately on the defensive (usually by saying something to reassure their facts, such as deflections).

9. Listen for a subtle delay in responses to questions. An honest answer comes quickly from memory. Lies require a quick mental review of what they have told others to avoid inconsistency and to make up new details as needed. However, when people look up to remember things, it does not necessarily mean that they are lying.

10 .Be conscious of their usage of words. Verbal expression can give many clues as to whether a person is lying, such as:
Using/repeating your own exact words when answering a question
Not using contractions
Avoiding direct statements or answers (deflections)
Speaking excessively in an effort to convince
Speaking in a monotonous tone
Speaking in muddled sentences
Vocal pitch rising
Using classic qualifiers such as “I’m only going to say this once…”
Using humor and sarcasm to avoid the subject
Using Deflections (beating around the bush, not answering the question.)

11. Allow silence to enter the conversation.
If they’re lying, they will become uncomfortable if you stare at them for a while with a look of disbelief. If they’re telling the truth, they will usually become angry or just frustrated (lips pressed together, brows down, upper eyelid tensed and pulled down to glare).

12 .Change the subject quickly. While an innocent person would be confused by the sudden shift in the conversation and may try to return to the previous subject, a liar will be relieved and welcome the change. You may see the person become more relaxed and less defensive.

13. Watch his or her throat. A person may constantly be either trying to lubricate their throat when he/she lies by swallowing or clearing their throat to relieve the tension built up. A person’s voice can also be a good lie indicator; they may suddenly start talking faster or slower than normal, or their tension may result in a higher-pitched speaking tone. See baseline info

14 .Check the facts. If you have the means, check the validity of what the liar is saying. A skilled liar might give some reason why you shouldn’t talk to the person who could confirm or deny a story. Perhaps the liar will infer that the person is particularly favourable towards the liar, or that the person would have little time for you. These are probably lies themselves, so might be worthwhile overcoming your reluctance and to check with the person you’ve been warned against.

15. Judge the character. Most people tell the truth most of the time, and will cherish their reputation. Liars will ’sail close to the wind’ – they’ll artificially bolster their reputation so that they seem more credible or desirable than they actually are.
If you overhear a version of an anecdote that seems wrong, listen to those alarm bells – it might be a liar.
If someone takes the time out to ingratiate themselves with you out of the blue, it’s very flattering, but you have to ask, why are they doing that?
If John rubbishes or smears people more than normal, John is possibly putting in the groundwork so the audience are more receptive to John, and less receptive to the people who John has lied to – they’re discredited before they can say ‘John is a liar’.

Note -

Some people are extremely experienced or even professional liars. He or she has told their made up story so many times that they are actually believable, getting all their days, dates and times down perfectly! Sometimes, you may need to simply accept that you can’t catch every lie all the time.
If you do catch a lie, don’t reveal it to the liar; they will just adjust their story. Once you know one thing that is not true, you can use it to find more of the net of lies, and other nets of lies. Then decide which points you reveal and to whom.

Saman ekor not fair

Below is my Letter to Editor in the Star 11 Aug 2010. Another version also appeared in NST on the same date.

You can try my tips on how to avoid saman ekor, but don't blame me if you get caught hehe...

Also, for those who have a lot of saman ekor, if the saman ekor system is abolished because of my tips, maybe you should thank me and give 10% of the total amount of your fines to me... LOL

PLEASE SHARE THIS WITH ALL YOUR FB/EMAIL/OFFICE FRIENDS, USING THE SHARE/EMAIL BUTTONS AT THE END OF THE ENTRY.
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The Star, Wednesday August 11, 2010

Saman ekor not fair

I REFER to your report “Saman ekor blacklist decision after next week” (The Star, Aug 8). Many people have expressed their views on “saman ekor” and I am glad a high-level meeting involving relevant agencies will take place this week as announced. I wish to give some suggestions for consideration by the authorities.

It is obvious that issuing tonnes of saman ekor have not been an effective deterrent for many reasons. One of the reasons is that the real culprits can easily alter their plate numbers to escape the summonses, at the expense of innocent people.

Just for example, with just a piece of black tape, you can change E into F, B into P, U into J, 4 into 1 and 8 into 3. You can use a white tape if you want it the other way around or add 1 at the end, or simply stick wet, white tissue to the plate numbers to make them unreadable. Go as fast as you want on the highway, and take the tape or the tissue off when you exit, and you are on your way without any trouble.

It is also clear that most people perceive the blacklisting as unfair because they are unable to defend themselves but have to pay the fines anyway in order to renew the road tax. Going to court to challenge the summonses would be useless because they would be without the road tax for at least a few months before their cases are heard.

I suggest that instead of an outright blacklisting, car owners be allowed to renew their road tax, but be served with the summonses at JPJ, for which they must sign acceptance. This will give them time to dispute the summonses, failing which they have to settle them or risk being arrested and have their driving licences suspended.

As a deterrent for real offenders, I suggest higher fines and demerit points be imposed. The fines and demerit points should be progressively higher for repeat offenders.

Some countries like the US and UK even impose a few week’s jail sentences for extreme speeders and drunk drivers, and the errant drivers are banned from driving for a few years.

In Finland, where the fine for speeding is relative to the offender’s last known income, Jussi Salonoja of Helsinki was fined a record 170,000 euros in 2003 for driving 80km/h in 40 km/h zone.

I believe it is not the number of summonses issued that is important for the Government to fight traffic violations. Stiffer penalties on indisputable summonses should be the deterrent. It’s time we show the real offenders that we mean business.

A. HASHIM,
Sungai Petani.