And in the animal kingdom...

.... mothers love their babies to a fault too.

This is a story of the past 3 weeks plus. And it all began with this.... a nest with 2 eggs. On 14th February, much to our pleasant surprise we discovered these 2 eggs in the forgotten basket that my colleague and I hung outside the computer lab.

The eggs were tiny... not the regular chicken egg size that we are all so used to. They looked so pristine, white. The shell looked soft. It 'hardened' over the next two days.

I had my doubts whether the eggs were a mistake. I felt the mother bird had picked the wrong place to lay her eggs. The basket hung from the metal grille. We put it there for students to throw in the announcements they wanted to make last year. After a couple of months, the announcement papers became a trickle as students warmed up to email as a means of getting the information to us. And so, the basket was left there, forgotten mostly. Once or twice, my friend and I talked about removing it, but basically, we just left it there. Then, came the 2 eggs, all so cute and pretty, yet quite exposed to all the elements and dangers of sorts.

The thing with the possibility of tiny lives is, they have this great ability to tug at your heart strings. We watched with apprehension if the mother bird would come back. She did, much to our relief. And this started our daily routine of checking on the eggs every morning. The first thing I would do every morning is to see if the eggs were there. They were! Every morning until the eggs hatched, the mother bird would be sitting on them. Both my friend and I arrive early every morning.


This time of the year is terribly hot and I began to worry for the mother bird and her eggs. So, one day before going back, together with the kids, we plucked some small branches with leaves all still attached and tried to create some shade for the mother bird. I was worried that it might be scared of me. Much to my surprise, she just 'glared' (am not sure whether she actually did cos you can't really tell what the birds are thinking through their eyes) at me. Her eyes never left me and I made sure I stood within her sight as we tried to rearrange the leaves. The mother bird was always there whenever I came out.


It was though she realised that there were many dangers around and she was guarding her precious eggs. I did not see her away from her eggs. I guess maybe she did all her food hunting while we were not around.

This went on for days. My friend and I talked about bringing food for her. I even left her some bread crumbs but she didn't seem to like it cos they were left uneaten for a few days.

I was thinking that the eggs might not hatch at all until end of last week. The mother was not around but in the tiny nest, there were these 2 littlest birds I had ever seen. Their fur (it didn't look like feathers yet) had this tangled look. It's as though they had just recently emerged from the egg shells. We put more leaves around the basket. The sun was rather merciless and the heat, quite unbearable.

Baby birds grow fast. Within the last few days, they have doubled in size. And today, after I walked past the school pavilion, the worker who cleans the lab every week called out to me and told me they birds will leave soon.

I hurried back to the lab.

And this greeted me. Perched at the edge of the basket, was this grown baby bird. It was flapping its wings. I thought it was going to fly but on closer look, I realised it was not quite ready yet. I approached it. It didn't move. But I could see that it was clinging on for dear life to the basket. I patted its head... and said a goodbye to him. It could he a her. Its siblings was still sitting in the nest, contented not to try anything today. Tomorrow, (or day after), both might probably make their maiden flights and take to the sky. I hope they will be successful and don't falter. There are cats around, always looking for a meal. And this bird would make a good one if it does not take flight. The mother bird was no where around. My girl tells me she has seen how the mommy bird feeds her babies. They eat from her beak.

It's been an amazing experience. Two, three hundred people walk past the birds every school day.
The door to the lab often slam shut with a very loud bang in this windy weather. Any one of the kids could have developed itchy finger and did something to the birds. Yet, none of those stood in the way of the journey of the eggs to these two birds.

If one takes a look at the actual location of the basket that plays host to the nest and its two precious content, the fact that they made it this far is an amazing thing. And for us who have had the opportunity to share these past weeks with the mother bird, it has been a humbling time too. The birds have provided us opportunities for lessons of sorts with students. They have also consolidated a couple of things in me too. 

The mother bird never wavered in her 'love' for her brood. She stayed on, even though, it must have been a very scary time for her, seeing all the two-legged creatures walking past, peering and talking on top of their voices. 

Even in the animal kingdom, the love of a mother for the young takes on a sacrificial dimension, and what more is this reminder too of how, ever so often, our mothers would go through great lengths for their children. The food that they set aside for their children, the comfort that they choose to do without so that their children are more comfortable, the things that they don't get for themselves so that their children can have some of the little luxuries in life, the clothes they iron so that the kids look neat and cared for.... the list goes on. That is perhaps the greatest reminder these past few weeks has been for me. Every single time, I took a peek into the nest, and see the mother bird, I see a bird willing to die because of her babies. She gave all she had, even though she knew that her babies will grow up and leave the nest. 

It's been a while since I visited this blog... Life has been quite rushed and hurried. There so many things to do and so little time every day. So many things to see to, so many students to deal with sometimes and my own one too. But this just needs to be written, so that I can be reminded of the things that my mom used to do for me.

Update 1: One of the babies tried to fly today. It managed to fly all the way upstairs before running out of gas. The workers watched over it, mindful that there is a cat prowling around. Finally one of them picked it up and put it back into the basket. I wonder too whether we should have done that.... But it's nice to see the two little flers safe and sound still.

Update 2: The nest was empty this morning. We thought the birds had left. But when we got upstairs Mother and one baby was perched on the signboard. The second and weaker bird was nestled close to its Mother. The grown baby was snuggling up to its mother. Both were facing the rising sun. To those who do not know they probably just pay a perfunctory glance, and think nothing of them.  I supposed both knew that it was time to go their own ways. And yet the mother gave all, knowing that there was nothing in it for her....

Throughout the remaining day, I took many peeks at the basket. It was decidedly quiet. The nest is empty. Its occupants have flown....

This has been a lesson of many sorts. Of selfless giving and greater sacrifices... and LIFE. That's life. 

When I Grow Up

I want to be a doctor, lawyer, engineer. When I was a kid, there was this 001 Card at school which had this column for ambition. My first recollection of being asked was in Std 2. And everyone (me included)would put down the choices above, policeman (woman), teacher being some of the other choices. Kids.... small world, limited contact, and everyone chose almost the same ambitions but in different order.

Then sophistication crept in and these became more vogue - investment banker, stock analyst, venture capitalist, consultant (this or that).... and all kinds of engineering subdivisions, software engineers... scopes which did not exist when I went to university. And we thought that was sophisticated enough....

I read somewhere that we should train our kids to think of possibilities, of jobs not in existence yet cos the job specs will continue to evolve.

After all would anyone of us imagine the existence of this other realm too where old traditional occupations take new forms. It may seems a little unconventional now but in time, they will be. After all, if one watches a slew of sci-fi stuff, what may seem an overdrive of imagination is actually a peek into the future... provided the world does not come to an end; either through divine intervention or man's folly. For me, I think the more vivid (in my mind) of those sci-fi shows were Space 1999 and Lost in Space... .. Well, there is no Moon Base Alpha yet but we do have an ISS orbiting up there now.

I would never have imagined 20 years ago, jobs which didn't feel like real jobs, i.e. earning money via 'play' would come mainstream and overtake the traditional ones in terms of income generation. Jobs like video (online) game tester, or game farmer where they play and earn money by selling passwords for the different levels that they've done. We'd have labelled such people bums!

But dig this? Vice goes online too. Professional pimping gone online... and gambling too. Now, they don't need to go to Genting or Singapore. Even Vegas comes to them. And gambling takes on other guises too... with many saying that it's a legitimate way of earning money. Illegal betting and lotteries still take place in those hidden away corners but there are slowly gaining a sophistication that comes with the internet. Want a game of poker that plays real money?? Well it's just a few keyboard punches away. And the hope of winning big is stoked in ways unimaginable before.

Online gaming is another area. Micro transactions occur where players once drawn in and get hooked will pay to purchase items for their farms or whatever virtual game they are playing. I play Fragger occasionally... A gem whe you throw grenades through a series of puzzles to blow up your enemies... For a couple of bucks you can buy a solution. That's micro transaction.... it makes money out of impatience for a solution to a level. But lots of people bite. We are a generation of quick fixes, remember? Billions of dollars exchange hands this way! I wonder if a major disaster were to strike and all these people whose skills seem to be farming in the digital world, running digital restaurants, basically just running digital worlds... will they have the enough real skills to survive? I mean, actually survive and not just survive digitally. Generation Y, Z... sophisticated gens they are, but to get their hands dirty or to even slaughter a real chicken??

Then also this... some claim that playing games like Starcraft helps them be millionaires. Read this article about Charlie Cheever who says playing Starcraft helped him learn what he really needed to know about being successful. But the lessons he said he learned from playing the game... I think you learn it doing other things too. It's not an exclusive thingy. There should be lots of millionaires from among the Starcraft gamers going by what he says but reality check will probably show us that most gamers are basically just end users!

So, when I grow up...... who knows what a kid today might be doing? He will be doing one of those jobs that does not exist today.

The Most Exciting Job Now..

...for me I think it has to be journalist. The world is so connected now... and there are so many things happening everywhere at one go; natural disasters and political upheavals, the latter gripping many of our imaginations.

Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, Yemen.... I never imagined that I would see such 'excitement' coming from that region. When I think of North Africa and Middle East, 2 words come to mind immediately - oppression and oil. Oil - everyone knows they are rich because they sit on a huge pile of black gold. And it has made them rich. I've never been there and my little knowledge is gleaned from the books I read and common sense. I think it's tough for the weaker sex there generally. Libya is not too bad where opportunities for women are concerned though. No rights, no identity... So if there is no oppression people will not be rising up to kick up all these long-staying leaders. Gaddafi has been in power 42 years!!!! That's almost like a monarchy.

I know see the wisdom of the old practice... a person sitting too long in the same office/position... power gets into the head. Pride and arrogance seep in. Complacency becomes a shadow.... China is worried. One party, one system; ideal for corruption to thrive... now they have the budding of their own Jasmine Revolution... (how's that for domino effect. Back in the 50s and 60s, they were afraid of the domino effect of communism spreading throughout Asia).

So to be a journalist, I guess would be the most exciting job for now. In Egypt a Google exec started a FB group which got the 'revolution' going. Imagine! The newspeople did a good job of getting info out. The dangers they faced and the possibility of losing their lives. I guess in such times, balanced and fair journalism is every regime's nightmare. Al-Jazeera is one such media institutions. Can't say much for our own mainstream media though....

I read with interest a Chinese school in Pahang turning down free Utusan paper. A friend of mine told me about the free papers given to Chinese schools a couple of days ago... Anyone with a fair sense of mind would agree with the Utusan paper is thrash. It eschews everything right, fair and balanced that is supposed to be the mainstay of good journalism. That's our Malaysian media.... mouthpieces for the masters they serve. I thought journalist are not supposed to serve any masters.

Anyway, I salute all those journalists who put their lives in harm's way to get a story. I salute their bravery and also their effort to make the world a better place.

I Have A Debt of RM14 000!!

That's what the Auditor General's report said. Every Malaysian has a hutang of RM14000, since the country has a debt of RM362.39 billion. It seems to our hutang negara is still on the rise. So if there are 5 people in one household, the hutang for that household stands at RM90000.

My parents taught us never to hutang. Growing up, I don't remember my dad ever mentioning that we had debts to pay... not that we were rich, mind you. Money was always tight. Ours was a single income family. Dad was only a primary school teacher but he worked real hard to support us. His normal day would start at 6.30 a.m. and end at 10.00 p.m. with short lunch and dinner breaks; 6 days a week. So, if anyone ever tells me that the Chinese are all rich... my parents definitely got missed out!! Tuition was how he put us through university.... lots and lots of hard work! No hutang, except for those unavoidable major items like the house and car.

If we could not afford something we want, we would not buy it. Our parents instilled in us not to hutang as far as possible. And for as long as I can remember, I've always done that. Now I am told that I have a debt of RM14 000! Malaysia is a rich country... yet the Auditor General Report stated that many states are not very well managed.

But one state shone!!! Penang!!! I am proud of Lim Guan Eng and his team. Been sick of all the 'demi bangsa dan agama' thingy. And very often, the non-Malays are made to feel as though we have no pegangan.... Turns out, what matters is the integrity (the real one and not the laungan kosong) and not the pegangan agama thing, definitely not the bangsa thing either cos doesn't matter if you are red or white or yellow or even green; if you are greedy, you'll dip your hands into the coffer and bawa all the harta into your own coffers even to the coffin if possible I should think. Thankfully, all of us gotta die some day. I am proud of Lim Guan Eng not because he shares the same ethnicity as me. I am proud of him because he practices good governance for everyone.

And apparently Terengganu with all that oil sitting underneath its seas are seeing its money doing the disappearing act. The poverty level there remains bad.

So, what's wrong with our country. Rising debts, setiap rakyat dikelilingi hutang RM14000! And we're still going to spend even more to build that 100-storey building. What wawasan does it envision? PM already said 1Malaysia comes with unequal citizenship. And then our Defense Ministry bought this AV8 Armoured Vehicle which cost more than RM30 million a piece. Some industry watchers say we can get better ones at a third that price! Remember once upon a time the Sukhoi fighters???? We spent mega bucks on them too!!!

My little brain tells me that if we keep piling up the debts, we'll become bankrupt. Recently there were news that the Kuala Nerang rep (BN) was declared a bankrupt in a High Court proceeding on Oct 15th cos he did not pay his loan. Now if we have reps with such kind of reputation, is it no wonder that our finances are badly managed???

RM14000.... I've worked hard, tried my hardest to steer clear of unwarranted debts. Now I am being told that I have that hutang. What has our gahmen been doing???

BTW, Kedah and Kelantan didn't do too badly in their collection of revenues too... 8)

Hoard, hoard and hoard...

I think it takes it takes a lot not to be a hoarder. It's still Raya break and apart from the SUPA Camp and a foray to Penang on the day the bridge caught fire, I've been doing lots and lots of clearing. But the empty and neat space makes up for the tiredness... and the lack of blogging. The mind has gone on holiday too!!! Working holiday... LOL!

It's amazing how much things one accumulates over the years. And how the things you hoard slowly take over the space in your life. And before you know it, you've no space in your heart to give away.... yup! Attachments to objects literally grow and the roots grow deep, even with 'junk'.

I must have thrown and given out a few gunny sacks of stuff.... toys, books, papers, clothes, pots and pans.... etc, etc.

We're all hoarders. Things that we get, we develop affinity, even though we don't use them at all sometimes. Then there are things which we use but then after a while lose their usefulness. We simpan them also. So, the piles continue to grow, the empty spaces in the cupboards filled up. I think space becomes a commodity as the years pass and they spill onto the corners. Dust gathers... yet still we hoard.

Most of us have this 'beh-kam' feeling of throwing things away. We store away telling ourselves that someday we might need them. And then before we know it, we'd have forgotten about them..... until you do a spring cleaning and find them.

Yet there are some who keep because the things hold sentimental values. They become keepsakes and sometimes even family heirlooms. They hold value to us because of the people (or places???) behind them.

But sometimes we hoard because we are lazy to make a decision to throw... indecision is very much a part of many of us. We don't throw cos sometimes in throwing things we're reminded of our wastefulness or that we've been spendthrifts; there's this little voice of conscience still bugging us... by hoarding we appease our guilt feelings.

I am going to try to throw or give away anything that I don't see or use for 6 months. I'd like less clutter. Filled cupboard with things not used only become roach playground or silverfish to have a field day building tunnels. Some things will be of better use given away. Keep them 10 years and you actually deprive someone its use for 10 years.

Hoarding.... it's a penyakit that many of us are afflicted with.

Water.. Clean Water

A week ago, my filter 'jammed' up and had to be taken away for 'servicing'. It's been so long that I actually took a look at 'unfiltered' water. And to my surprise, the water which came out from the pipe actually looked yellowish to my naked eye. Water used to look cleaner from my last memory.

We've been building more water treatment plants. Yet the water that comes out of it seems to look muddy. My ex-neighbour used to tell me that she sometimes found pieces of mud in her washing machine.

And there is also rampant fixing of pumps to increase the water pressure into their houses. Years ago, when I complained to JKR, the guy they sent told us to fix one too, despite it being against the law. So, people continue to flout the law since enforcement seems to be very inconsistent and as a result our water pressure is low. Recently, it has become worse...

Water. We privatise them. Privatization = Better Service (???) Doesn't feel like it. Service is supposed to get better.

Bells and Whistles...

I'm struck by how much Malaysians pay for our set of wheels and still fall short of a good deal. With Son driving, we didn't feel safe letting him behind our wheels. I remember my bro when he had just learned how to drive.. one evening dad took him out for a spin. It was quite late in the evening when the the car 'limped' home with a damaged front end. Bro had 'crashed' Dad's car.... So, we got our boy his own set of wheels while I 'downgraded' (that's what my friend says) mine.

Am going to miss my former comfy set of wheels. It was with a little heavy heart that I let it go for something smaller. Back to the bells and whistles. In Malaysia the gahmen taxes us 'left and right' for imported cars. So when I recently got my new locally assembled wheels, it was amusing to find the convenience of bluetooth connectivity in a car which cost way cheaper than its predecessor. The imported car dealers have had to trimmed down so much on the pluses just to make their cars more attractive in terms of pricing. We've had Proton for so many years... yet till today, it still needs the big bro to give them unfair advantage.... so while my 'local car' had all the bells and whistles, my non-local car came with the basics... how we're shortchanged for quality.

Then, I was at Pizza Hut again recently too and I notice that compared to the early days of Pizza Hut's presence in our country, their service has deteriorated. Quality generally too... though their pizzas still taste the same. We may have a winning franchise but of late, many people I know have been complaining about their quality.

A couple of months back, I went to Pizza Hut at another location and their tables were sticky, the salad bar near empty, no credit card payment unless you go downstairs where they do the take-out orders, slow service.... Well, the one I went recently had waitresses made up like models but with service equals Turtleville pace. Here we've a franchise which would be a bells and whistles kinda treat to many but we seem to be lacking in attitude to keep it at that level. The service just makes you think twice about going back there!

Bells and whistles from both ends... but in the end, we the people still are shortchanged by our leaders' shortsightedness and coming up short on so many ends. Flip-flopping as we go along but filling their own pockets... take a read about the Sarawak Chief Minister's empire as an eye opener... if I had the sort of money he has, bells and whistles of every form and shape, here I come. 8)

How much does it cost to get a driving license?

I didn't realize that the cost of driving license has become so exorbitantly high these days. Over the news recently, I heard that they are incorporating another new module which will further drive up the cost. But they say it'll produce better drivers. I wonder... cos our road fatalities statistics don't seem to be getting less....

Son just went through the whole rigmarole... and here's the breakdown.

1. Kursus KPP and Ujian Komputer - RM129
2. 6 hours of Theory and Practical - RM 230
3. L - RM34
4. Renewal of L (delayed his exam because of NS) - RM32
5. 8 hours of driving - RM200
6. Another 2 hours refresher's cos of NS - RM50
7. QTI & JPJ Test - RM131
8. Retake of JPJ Test (he flunked his bukit) - RM63
9. P Stickers (new drivers must be labeled) - RM5
10. License - RM35

A grand total of RM909 to get his license... that can be a month's salary or more for many average Malaysians. I am told that it's even more expensive in KL; somewhere in the region of RM1500. And mind you, the cost is set to increase again.

During my time, getting a license was way cheaper. But the problem back then was you keep flunking unless you are willing to pay extra (coffee money, we call it)... I had to go many times for my motorbike and car license.... a total of 5 times, I think! 8( Either way, we are twisted into parting with our $$$.

Like everything else that is inflated, getting a license has seen a bigger inflationary rise I think. So, my boy better appreciate our generosity with him.... that is not inclusive of the car, the fuel he's going to burn, the maintenance of the car which we'll be forking out, plus and plus and plus....... he's got a spoon going into his mouth all the time and he doesn't seem to realize it.

Postage Going Up...

Come July, domestic postage rates will be going up 100%. Pos Malaysia says they need the increase. But like every monopoly in Bolehland, you've to listen to their reasons with many pinches of salt.

Personal snail mail is on its way to the grave. Letter writing is probably a dying art anyway. A new way of communicating and lingo has sprouted via MSN, FB, Skype, etc.... But parcel and courier services are picking up. Thanks to the internet, online shopping probably makes up for the lost business in the ordinary man's snail mail.

So are Pos Malaysia's days numbered? I was reading the BM version (here) and the English version (here).

Excerpt from mStar Online
Pengarah Urusan/Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Kumpulannya, Datuk Syed Faisal Albar berkata, kenaikan itu akan memberikan dana tambahan bagi Pos Malaysia menyediakan perkhidmatan yang lebih berkualiti, setara dengan amalan terbaik antarabangsa.

"Penstrukturan semula gaji posmen dan kerani kaunter akan dilakukan serentak dengan kenaikan harga setem pos domestik," kata Syed Faisal.

Excerpt From mStar Online
He assured the public that Pos Malaysia would continue to seek ways to improve efficiency and enhance its standard of service and reliability.

And this is another report regarding their P & L for 2009. They actually made profit after a loss in 2008. But in March this year, Pos Malaysia reported that they had failed to meet their revenue KPI by 4%... they are still making profit. Is this the reason for the increase? Most people think the increase is okay. But the ripple effect should be felt soon enough.

Pos Malaysia is a privatised monopoly and also a GLC. So when rates are raised despite a profit, one can't help but wonder whether it is justifiable to pass the buck of salary costs to the public? Where did the profit go?

Anyway, this is not the first time they've increased postal rates. Read this 2005 account from Aliran. Our postal rates are low, but 100% increase?

And this.... I took this one afternoon at the Main Post Office in Alor Setar. So much for world class efficiency. This was a post box inside the Main Post Office that had its door left opened with its contents spilling out. Unsuspecting people who slid their letters in from the outside did not realize that their letters were swishing onto the floor right to the waiting area where I was sitting.

I stared at one of the envelopes at my feet before deciding that I'd better let the people there know that letters were starting to get under our chairs! This is where things got funny. I had to go to great lengths to explain to the girl that the mailbox (which was less than 10 meters away) had its door opened and letters were strewn all over. She didn't understand. In exasperation, I told her to just follow me. She did so very hesitantly, as though it wasn't her job and she was just doing me a favour. *roll eyes*

And guess what? When I finally showed her, she just stood there not knowing what to do. She should have just pushed the letters back into the mailbox and shut the door. Instead, after a momentary wax-doll performance, she walked to her counter and told another guy. The guy and came back and pushed the letters in, closed the door. The lock had actually been pried out and there was a gaping hole. They didn't do anything about securing the door properly. Anyone could just go over and take any letter they want. No wonder letters never get to their destinations sometimes.

Well, I supposed maybe that's why they need to raise the postage... so that they can get their act together and be world class.

Earth Hour-ed....

Earth Hour 2010 in Malaysia came and went... I passed a couple of places in town on my way home at 8.45 p.m. and saw 2 establishments with their lights off. Didn't see many of the other outlets or homes answering the call of Earth Hour. The impression that one gets is that the awareness level is not that high where we are. Maybe people do know but they're just not bothered.

It creates awareness, no doubt. But I wonder how much of it will translate to action. Power generated needs to be used... so regardless of whether you switch on or off, that power that is generated would have used the necessary resources. What is needed is the willpower to do good for the environment... which actually means doing good to ourselves in the long run. And that has to come from the governments and industries.

Unfortunately, that is not so. How many of us use LED torch lights? LED torch lights are very energy efficient. Over the last couple of years, we noticed that the LED torch lights actually use less batteries. We could go almost 1 1/2 years on one single change of batteries. The normal bulb torch lights needs a battery change every 2-3 months. But surprisingly battery companies don't promote such kinds of torch lights very much... well, at least not in Malaysia. Batteries don't sell well on LED lights.. I guess it boils down to the profit... just as in forests are worth more dead than alive. The number of trees being felled in water catchment areas is worrying...

Another point... our national cars. Our national cars are not fuel efficient. A 1300cc Kembara for example has a similar (or perhaps higher) fuel consumption than some of the imported models with 2000cc. Yet the gahmen slaps high taxes on such imported cars in the name of protecting our local industries. Proton has been around for 20 over years. Yet its cars do not seem to have achieved that sort of standards. Protection hasn't pushed our 'local' car makers to strive for better quality.... the environment has to bear the pummeling as a result.

So, Earth Hour... it's good that awareness is created. But I wonder whether it's just a media blitzkrieg for its 'hip-ness'... continuous education to create awareness, government commitment, taxes and tariff at the right places for the right reasons, responsible industries; these are what's needed... I believe the technology is available to help conserve our resources but such technologies will spell less profit for many industries.... and because of that our environment is sacrificed. Oh well! I guess one day the Earth might just retaliate and give us a huge dose of our greed and irresponsibility... the signs are all there already.

As for me, I'll try to reduce the use of my air-cons by setting the timers to switch off earlier, change the way I drive so that I don't burn so much fuel, plan my errands, recycle the stuffs that are recyclable around the house, teach my children (and my students) not to be so wasteful... still my lifestyle contributes to the degradation or Mother Nature.

Do Our Students Measure Up?

For the next 6 weeks, no school but this school related post was written earlier... 8)

Been teaching for almost 2 decades.. and I seriously feel that there is deterioration of standards from then till now. We are more technologically advanced, yet we don't seem any better from the generation of yester years. Maybe it's because I've been teaching in the mediocre day schools for the most part of my career but my observation also tells me that it's closer to the actual situation.

We get avalanche of A(s) but students with no better problem solving abilities. Sports is also dead in many schools. Actually I find most of our students disinterested in the matters beyond their small little cocoons.

Schools are generally equipped with computer labs, powered by wi-fi etc, etc... but we seem to be drifting no where. Softwares are available to aid with the teaching but we hardly seem able to arouse much curiosity or inquisitiveness. By the time students get to secondary school, they're are generally more inclined to go for rote learning - regurgitation being the mode of spewing out what is in their brain. Or worse still, no learning! And these while away their years (till F5) at school. They become our nightmares! You need a few in each class and they disrupt the whole learning process. Exactly like the old Malay proverb; kerana nila setitik, rosak susu sebelanga. Whatever happened to the 'for the greater good' concept?

So, when you get news that a former top SPM student (Nur Amalina with 17As) flunked her 2nd year medical study in a UK university, you wonder why. Failing is not to be totally unexpected as there are always reasons beyond our control. But when many other JPA scholars also seem to struggle to pass in their respective courses in unis all over, then something is grossly wrong. Jaguh kampung... I'm reminded of that!

Today it is an accepted notion that many of our local grads simply do not measure up when it comes down to performance. Majority seem more like robots who need input, be told what to do than have that independence and drive that used to be the taken for granted before.

Decades of crutches, years of compromising quality for quantity and race - this is where we have gotten ourselves. On the surface we look good. But go beyond, the tell-tale signs of cracks are beginning to appear.

We seem successful on the outside. The recent release of the UPSR results - so many straight A(s). Successful kids aren't they all??? I wonder... Amalina was a very successful kid. Today I am reminded of this verse from Proverbs... "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." Success as what we understand may come at the price of the way they should go....

When Pets Go Halal

Read this piece of news and was baffled by it. Do cats really kick a fuss whether the food they eat is halal or not? This opens up a new whole line of thought.

So if a cat's owner is Hindu, then halal would mean not eating anything with beef in it. And if we say cats must eat halal food then does it mean that any animals who don't eat halal food cannot be consumed, be it Hindu or Muslim or anyone of any faith with halal (kosher) requirements.That would put chickens out of the picture too as they have a penchant of wondering everywhere and eating stuff from the ground which means they are exposed to impurities which might be haram.... I dunno, but my imagination is working over time.

Then does it also mean that the air we breathe, which is recycled in the sense that it goes into the lungs of the haram or non-kosher animals is also haram? So do we need to filter the air we breathe then? ... or don't breathe at all? Or the water that we drink for that matter? Earth's resources is limited and is recycled. The water that we drink comes mainly from the river and you would not want to imagine what has touched it, drank it and even gone into it; cos you know water dilutes stuff, and all kinds of 'stuff' gets diluted into it.... LOL!

Halal, kosher, haram... when we carry it too far, it can sound and seem absurd.

Cats, after all does not have the ability to profess faith. If anything, I give this guy who came up with the halal food for cat credit for his ingenuity for trying to corner a market for himself! Brilliant! By the way, there's this company in Alor Setar who has tried to make exclusive his photostat services by advertising it as an Islamic Photosating Center. Our politicians play the same game, can't really fault the orang bawahan for doing the same. All the way from up to the bottom, the same hypocrisy is noted.

Oooops Silap.....Sorry, I mean Ops Sikap

Ops Sikap or what some beginning to call Ops Silap has just ended. This round's Ops Sikap registered 261 deaths....over a period of 2 weeks. We've had so many Ops Sikap... practically every major festive season that I can't really recall when it was first introduced. But one thing has remained constant.. the number of deaths don't really seem to come down. Of course there are some who say it has, going by the increase in the number of vehicles on the road during these seasons.

These senseless deaths don't seem to be abating. And yes! Ooops Silap is a more appropriate name. Where have we gone silap (wrong)? We keep having these campaigns - be more considerate, wear your seat belts, etc. etc but we failed to enforce the law at other times. I drive to school every morning and along the way, I'd see students riding motorcycles without their helmets; sometimes going at breakneck speed. And when they arrived at the school gate without their helmets... nobody says anything.

Then there are those students as young as First Formers who ride motorcycles to school. The police should be making sweeps in schools - but nah! They're too busy with candle light vigils, 'illegal' gatherings to make sure these kids don't sprout 'wings' and become Mat Rempits later. Neither does the school take action on these kids... cos we want the kids to come to school; even if they are under aged and come on motorbikes. Parents close an eye to kids who ride without license. Some parents even encourage it. So what gives?

Then the issuing of license. Some say license can be bought. It's kopitiam talk that paying duit kopi for license is common. So, these half baked drivers are released onto the roads. Plus because some form of buying their way in is involved here, these people have a certain attitude. They think it's possible to buy your way out of anything.

And the long breaks... Raya, CNY come along. The gahmen can even announce extra hols for it. I mean it's good for families to get together and all that. But bending so much seems to imply that well, if it's for a 'good' thing, then it's okay to bend the rules.. even if in bending the rules you create a lot of not so good things... So, if you give it to the Raya people, you'd soon be bound to the CNY people... get everyone on board so that no criticism flies around. Sama-sama in the boat. The roads get congested with all these travels for a longer period.

The the police... they seem to become less visible now. Maybe they monitor it via cameras now... I dunno. But no presence, the compliance to traffic laws also goes down. It's like a classroom. No teacher, the noisier it becomes. Police presence must be felt.

So, Ops Sikap or Silap.. which ever way you want to call it. We've been doing this upteen years and still, there are many senseless deaths, mainly the pedestrians and the bikers. To which, a good public transportation system, not just connecting the cities but within every city, would also play a vital role in discouraging the use of their own mode of transport.... Ops Sikap, I wonder when he authorities will realize that it doesn't actually do much good.

The Week That Was

Well... this is one week which have somewhat been pleasant despite some things. Made our way to Chennai Curry House in SP again in less than a week. The Lohs were crazy enough to drive down and back again.. Son and I were merely the penumpangs. And yup! The food is still nice. Must try the vegetarian briyani... really very nice. I ta-pau some of the 'outside' food for Other Half. Nancy ta-pau the vegetarian briyani. And yes also... food ordered in the pricier area is nicer... This time we made friends with the owner who is as Indian and Chinese as one can get...

It's one week of adrenaline highs from all the activities - swimming, gym, squash and the latest, tennis. That is apart from the badminton that I still regularly play. There are days when I'd drop by the club for 40 minutes at the gym, before going to the market. Then in the evening I'd take Daughter for a swim... Yay! She's finally able to actually swim, though not very well yet. She's got a funny way of swimming.. She squeals when she is underwater. I would swim alongside her and the squeals would resonate through the water. It was kinda funny. Sometimes squash preceded the swim. Have never played so much squash in one week. 8)

And tennis... I'm still good enough only to hit the wall. But I kinda enjoy hitting the wall in a way cos I find it fun learning another new skill. Tennis strokes are different from badminton. From the swing to the way one locks the wrist in the swing. I guess I'm a sucker for new challenges...

So with all the 'false' highs provided by the adrenaline push, the days passed quite quickly. It's a dread going back to school. With all the recent congregation of people from all over recently, there is also this fear of H1N1 recurring. WHO stated that 1/4 of the mortality cases have no underlying problems. This flu can still be rather dangerous. I went to ASTRO to pay my bills and they were still taking temperature. Not many place are on the watch out now. TNB has stopped doing that. That's so like us... once the perceived danger is over, we let our guards down.

And there was yesterday (Friday) evening when Ling, Ning, Siah and I tugged and pulled at my bamboo plants in a pot. It serves as my filter for the fish pond. And the roots have gotten so dense that the water no longer gets filtered. We trimmed the roots, got splattered with 'dunno-what' microorganisms from the fish 'muck', almost gave up but finally triumphed in pulling the few smallish green bamboo plants out fromt he pot. You can never underestimate the strength of the small plants. When clustered together, they're really, really strong. I think we made a hillarious sight! There we were... two tugging the plants and two hanging on to the pot (as though for dear life).... and it was Ning's last day in Alor Setar.

Anyway, volleyball season is starting soon... I dunno whether I still want to play. All the sun and shine... getting sunburnt and all that! And what's remaining fo the term will be a busy one too.... hence my dislike for year ends...

And oh ya! Everyone should read Kenny Sia's take on our PM's Open House. I had a good laugh over it... maybe there were really those who went to see the PM but I think most of us are suckers for anything free... free food included even if it's only canteen standard. ROFL!

RON95 and Minyak Naik Lagi..

The much anticipated RON95 finally made its appearance on 1st Sept... with a 5 sen increase to the harga minyak. So, now instead of retailing at RM1.75, it's now RM1.80. I managed to pump one tank last week when it was made available in Shell.

It was supposed to replace the RON97 back in May but due to some reasons, the release was delayed. Probably the world price had something to do with it... Anyway, this was the hadiah Hari Merdeka to Malaysians...

Anyway, there isn't much noise regarding this round of increase. Probably cos most are not aware of it. Plus the fact that the 'price increase' actually is no increase from the price that we've been used to which was at RM1.80 for RON97 earlier. Not many people actually notice the change... in Shell they now use the yellow nozzle for RON95. The other nozzle (I think it's green) is for RON97 (now a premium grade) which sudah naik harga to RM2.05 .......so the gahmen probably picked a good time to increase it...

So will prices of goods go up?? The last time the petrol price went up, everything went up... then when the petrol price came down.. didn't hear of prices coming down. What goes up in this case stays up.... LOL!

Electric cars should be the way to go... but I was told that the Toyota Prius (and I've been eyeing that) is priced like a Camry. Want to go green must pay more some more? In countries like the US and Japan, I think they give a rebate to encourage people to go green! It doesn't pay to go green here.. No! It doesn't have to pay to go green... but at least don't tax any more than necessary-lah.

Aiyo! I think maybe I'll go for something cheaper and use what is saved for the petrol then. I'm not asking for the car to be priced really cheap but just because of our Proton, not only do we pay more for cars but it also exacts a toll on the environment, cos hybrid cars become really expensive. A Nissan Latio, with the same capacity as Prius is RM80K cheaper! Sheeesh! This is another reason why I don't want to get another Proton....

Maybe I go diesel..... been drooling over Mitsubishi Pajero Sports. Ha! Ha!

Update (5/09/09): Found this article on MT and it was informative.. this RON95, RON97 thingy. The lack of understanding often makes us victims of our own kebodohan.

Lepak... The New Way!

I'm not much your conventional lepak (yup this word is in Urban Dictionary..LOL!) fan. But of late, I must admit that I do participate in some form of lepak... the digital kind. I've become one of those people who can't do without a Net connection. Conversations with friends far and near is a norm now. It's not your regular lepak-ing over a cup of coffee at a kopitiam or one of the joints in town but thru the cables and wires... sometimes even thru the waves in the air. But it's not a 100% lepak in the sense cos it's mostly done in-between tasks. Of course, I think research is underway into how this new lepak culture is eating into productivity time. And multi-tasking is no good for us, I read recently. Aiyo!

I used talk with friends mostly over Skype but somehow since FaceBook became the flavour of the moment... I've also jumped onto that bandwagon. It has found me many old friends. I'm ecstatic to be able to reconnect with friends near and far. Interaction with my kids' friends has also taken on this dimension. I now have 'conversations' with them via FB, online and offline.

Interactions between the adults and kids used to take place when they go to each other's house or at church... for those who don't have the latter, the interaction was kinda limited. These days.. I even know what they have for lunch before their parents do!

As for me, it's usually lepak cum some other task. We drop notes here and there, exchange info of the latest gossip, tag each other, throw our thoughts, share our hobbies and exploits, ooh and aah over the littlest of things, laugh over jokes.. And my horizon just keeps expanding... I think my mom and dad will probably not comprehend all these.

Yet... in all these, I see the good for the old, for my parents' generation. This form of communication is actually rather liberating in the sense that you can reach out and be reached at whims. They could be so in touch with their children and grandchildren... distance not a problem.

And being social creatures as well as having a lot of time on our hands and also sometimes not much to do, I think this cyber lepak-ing is good for many groups of people. The fun part is the interaction continues even after you have signed off... cos you can pick it up from where you left.

So this new way of lepak.. it actually has it many good points. But like the 2 sides of a coin, there are also the cons we have to look at. But with some discipline I'd say there are many plus points. For parents.. get on, try it out.. it'll also help you understand your children's worlds. For the older gen, it's great to stay connected after the line dancing, tai-chis, kopitiam sessions.... or in the dead of the night, when you sometimes find the need to 'talk', the lines are opened, channels running.... it keeps the mind active too... perhaps we may need bigger screens for our failing eyesights, and more comfy chairs but it's well worth it. Everyone needs to lepak every now and then.

Up, up and away??

Brace yourself... more hikes coming our way. For days now the papers have been using these phrases a lot... the tariffs may rise. Numbing us down first before firing the salvos. Using psychology to soften the 'anger' that will arise from the rise. When the fuel prices were way up high the other time, the tariffs went up too.. when fuel prices went down... did the tariffs go down? Anyway, if the hike materializes, brace yourself for more hikes.

Meantime, TNB employees benefits have been skyrocketing. It went up by more than 80%! And the CFO had a 100% salary increase. Who pays? The people. We are at the mercy of Tenaga. And Tenaga says there are at the mercies of the IPPs... but as a consumer, I only know this... I paid, then paid more and seems like I may pay more again.

The gahmen is probably testing the waters now... see people's reactions. Fishing for reaction... if silence, then probably they'll increase. If people protest too much, then maybe this exercise will also benefit them in the sense they become the knight in the shining armour for the people.... BTW, Khazanah has a big say in Tenaga I think... so Tenaga technically also belongs to the gahmen. Aiyo! The small pawns in the chess game always kena... when the economy is good... life is slightly better for us but hugely better for those with connections.... when the economy sputters and coughs and life becomes a struggle for your average Fikri, Mullen, Daris and Raju, it's still hugely better for those well-connected flers. Either way, we are screwed!

With the MACC fiasco, one does get kinda despondent. The mockery that has been made and displayed. Stooping so low, taking the people for idiots.... now, more than ever there is a need for the winds of change to blow. Now, more than ever too, we've to watch out for those in power bent on staying in power... desperate people do desperate things....

Footnote (23/07/09): The Cabinet decided to act sensible and not raise the tariffs til end of the year. They've decided play knight in the shining armour. What with the Teoh Beng Hock issue... Royal Commission to be set up. But going by the last 2 Commissions, findings may not stop the exoneration of the guilty ones... and today's paper on the profit of TNB.. it went up 3 times! Still, they want to perah the people's money.... Incidentally, end of the year... watch out of toll rates increase!

Of Karaoke and Weddings...

Wedding dinners are not something I enjoy. At my age, I rarely go... cos most of my friends' kids are not quite at the marriageable age yet. But once in a while I'd get invited to one. Dinners should actually be a nice affair... a time to meet up with some old friends, good food, conversations... but the last one is a bit difficult these days with all the loud blaring music!

Weddings and karaoke... I guess in many of us, there is a singer wannabe. Karaoke sessions found its way to wedding dinners some time back. Guess these two go hand in hand... The singer wannabe needs an audience.....have their moment in the limelight, so to say. So, in come the wedding dinners. Guests come... and are stuck there for the next 2 hours. So, some smart alec must have came up with this idea to entertain them with live performances... and karaoke soon became a must in most wedding dinners.

But if you are one who go for wedding dinners, you'd probably notice by now how loud the music and singing are. The whole room would reverberate with the music. Your ear drums really take a beating... If you are unfortunate to end up sitting in front or near where the speakers are, you'd better get ready for some damage to them. Either that or get ready with some ear plugs. Conversations become an effort cos you have to scream on top of the music... and there is no way Man can beat machine on this!

So, after a couple of minutes of futility, you'd rather sit back quietly and look at the food idiotically. It beats having to scream your vocal box broken. Ear drum dah pun broken in the first place! LOL! Dinner at weddings hence, become rather boring... cos we can't have conversations with our friends. It becomes a place made up of a cacophony of noises... the ones that I'd rather do without.

Karaoke... it's really popular with many. Some people make it a point to sing at every wedding dinner they attend. And they dress elaborately for the stage show. Guess it provides that sort of fix they need to show off their singing talent! So wedding dinners will continue to be a ready stage for these singer wannabes... not that it's bad at all! But I wish they'd tone it down a bit... Then dinner and conversations can continue while the singer wannabees carry on with their show...

Competition Is Good...

Ever since we have new players in the broadband scene, we notice that service is now better from TM. I supposed they are beginning to feel the heat... Streamyx used to be the fastest broadband cos there was none for to compete. Telekom had the monopoly. Celcom, Maxis, Wi-Max and now I hear there's another one coming second half of the year.

Competition is good. Now if you've problem with your Streamyx connection, service is prompt. Goes to show that a little competition puts everyone on their toes and consumers benefit in the end.

Unlike our 'national' ciplak car who has always been getting Big Bro's help to continue to sell. How not to be the village king when the village chief introduce all sorts of measures to make sure that the villagers cannot afford other cars. The latest being the higher interest rate for non-national cars; at a time when interest rates are already so low, car hire purchase rates are bucking the trend.

I could go on... fair competition in other sectors; education being one of them. Too many morally questionable practices.... but enough has already been said.

Malaysian Toilet Mentality and Malaysian Politics

Toilet mentality and politicians.... There is more in common than meets the eye. I'm sure all of us use the public toilets. And I'm also sure that many will say that our public toilets are showing some improvement in the sense that they are now better maintained. But toilet users' mentality still have a long way to go.

I was stuck in Sunway Carnival Convention Centre in Seberang Jaya for two days cos my boy had to go for his pre-selection test. So, one of the places which I had to frequent was the toilet. Public toilets are usually places I'd avoid. Anyway, boy! Did I learn a lot about our public toilet users' mentality in 2 days!

Our public toilets are still smelly.... for some reason, public toilet users have a poor sense of aim and as a result, the toilets smell. Another thing is our public toilet users seem to have poor eyesights. They cannot see the rubbish chutes, even those placed right in the toilets, cos tissue papers are still strewn everywhere. Toilet cleaners do a wonderful job. They have all this blowers to keep the floor dry after they wash it... but still, our public toilets are never dry.... because our toilet mentality hasn't evolved from its basic primal form.

Public toilet users seem to enjoy playing with water cos you see water everywhere. Next, our public toilet users have a penchant for squatting on toilet bowls... as a result you see scratch marks and cuts on the toilet seats. And because of that, sometimes when they have a big deposit to make, especially the rush type which comes out in spurts, the floor and everything in the toilet get soiled.... aargh!!! And that makes me wonder what sort of mentality such users have. I feel sorry for the toilet maintenance crew who has to clean up after these 'homosapiens' who behave worse than animals.

You see, I think many of these public toilet users have this mentality that they will only use the public toilet once... so they don't care about cleanliness and maintenance... to make sure that others who come after them get to use the toilets in their pristine condition. They think only of themselves, of their convenience, their own comfort... everything that reflects me, me and more me punya mentality....

Our politicians are also like that. Many of them come into office... they grab, grab and grab what they can... cos they think they're there only for a limited time. They don't care whether they leave behind a good legacy, do the right things so that the generations to come will continue to enjoy our resources. Malaysian public toilet mentality... Malaysian politicians.... they definitely have something in common... me, me and me; don't care two hoots about those who come after them. Lesson from the public toilets...