Back on the saddle again

It's been awhile since my last post and in some instances, too much has happened; and in others, things never seem to change.

I can't bring myself to start commenting or blogging about the political situation in my beloved country. After all, what else can you say when you have lost total faith. A friend says and I echo, "I love this country, but I don't necessarily have to like the people who rules her." Aye!

So, I'll focus on life itself. How time flies and now, we are at the brink of yet another milestone. How often have I heard friends ruminating about what next for us. After all, we are Gen X babies and we are no longer the "in" generation. Many see that the best years have already passed them by. But have they?

I guess I don't blame "them". After all, in marketing, we are always trying to reach the younger audiences. We always try to remain relevant to the younger set. After all, no brands want to be considered an ageing brand. The younger audiences you reach, the more you can milk loyalty and transactions from them.

But marketers aren't the only one concerned with reaching younger audiences. How many columns have you read about youths in their 20s trying to make sense of life? What about jobs like journalism, news casting, etc. Again, it seems that the younger you are, the more opportunities are opened to you.

So I guess when my Gen X friends start looking at life in that manner, one can hardly blame them. But ... is this really all to life?

I find it difficult to accept. We are still hale and healthy. Many of us are, in our own ways, successful. Yes! We've experienced life but ... there's so much more to explore, so much more to live for. Yes, to some it may be about their kids ... but hey, you need time for yourself as well. We shouldn't stop living our dreams, just because we have to start fulfilling others' dreams.

After all, you only pass through this way but once. Why not make the most of it?

A Three-Ring Circus in Perak

I started naming this blog "'Dallas' in the Silver State", especially with the amount of drama in the last few days worthy of a popular soap opera. Then thought better of it. Perhaps "Too many cooks spoil the broth" is more apt. Then again, "The clowns are in Town" has a nice ring to it. Though this is no clowning matter, the whole fiasco is fast turning into a huge joke. After all, I'd rather laugh than cry in frustration.

But I finally settled for "A Three-Ring Circus in Perak". For the uninitiated, a three-ring circus is an idiom that means "a lot of noisy or confused activity".

Really! That's what this is all about.

Frankly, after reading through several blogs today, I can only conclude that the Perak fiasco should not be solely laid upon DAP/Uncle Lim's shoulders. PAS and PKR too should share some responsibility.

Consider the summary of events below - parts of which are taken from RPK's blog "Yellow card for the opposition" and the remainder from the Malaysiakini article, "PKR threatens to pull out of Perak state admin":-

1. As the DAP-PKR-PAS coalition could not come to an agreement as to who should be the new MB of Perak, three names (representing each party) were submitted to the Sultan of Perak. The three parties agreed to abide by the decision of the Sultan of Perak.

2. But before the Sultan could decide, PAS jumped the gun and announced that the MB will be from PAS in the hope that the 'early announcement' would leave DAP and PKR no more room for negotiations.

3. Then DAP decided to oppose the new Perak MB by boycotting the swearing-in of the new MB.

4. After much censure from both the public and the bloggers alike (although my cousin, Chris, believed the entire boycott was a political ploy - more on this in another blog), DAP decided to lift the boycott.

5. However, before the rakyat could heave a sigh of relief, PKR threatened to pull out from the Perak state administration on hearing that eight of the 10 executive council posts will go to DAP while the remaining two will go to other parties. PKR claimed that this agreement was made between PAS and DAP.

Now if this is not a three-ring circus, what would you call it?

Getting their act together

No wonder the Regent of Perak refused to swear-in the new MB today and had asked the three parties to go back to the drawing board to find a workable solution. Meanwhile, you can bet your bottom dollar (or Ringgit in this case) that BN is happily sitting back and giving enough rope to the coalition to hang themselves. And that's what will happen if DAP, PKR and PAS do not get their act together.

However, before things go any further, I believe DAP have to decide internally to what extent the individual state branch/representative is at liberty to make decisions on behalf of the party during negotiations. Case in point is the agreement made by DAP State Chairman, Ngeh, with his counterparts in PAS and PKR to present the three names to the Sultan and to accept the Sultan's decision; whilst DAP CEC claimed that they were only in agreement to hand in the two names from DAP and PKR.

I have no idea what transpired in these close door meetings between DAP, PKR and PAS, but could only speculate based on my experience in negotiations in the corporate world. It is necessary for the person involved in these high powered negotiations to be empowered to make final decisions in the event that the original proposal hit a snag/ stalemate. This is especially crucial when time is of the essence. Perhaps Ngeh faced such a situation and had to renegotiate. If the DAP CEC could not decentralised the decision making, then they should send someone from the CEC who is empowered to negotiate.

At PAS end, due to its party structure of decentralised decision making, some ground rules need to be set by PAS central leadership. Too much leeway given to the state branch leadership could cause PAS its credibility in the eyes of the rakyat and its coalition partners. Case in point the above "early announcement" made by the Perak rep and the statement made by the PAS central leadership to give a Kedah exco seat to DAP but none was given by PAS Kedah branch when it came to the crunch.

A little faith goes a long way but obviously DAP, PKR and PAS have not reached that stage in their alliance. Case in point of PKR's threat to pull out of the Perak state administration upon hearing the decision on the division of seats of the state exco. Instead of talking to the press, engagement and talks should have been made between the three parties to clear the air. Airing dirty laundry in public is not going to endear the coalition to the rakyat. In fact, it provides BN with new ammunition to attack the coalition!

Preventing BN its two thirds majority is the easy part and is only the beginning. The drama in the last few days are minor skirmishes at best. The war has yet to be fought. Does the coalition possess enough faith, passion and staying power to last the entire war? Or do they want to be relegated back to the position of backbenchers?

I confess my hopes have started to wan. Please prove me wrong!

Uncle Lim's Myopia

my·o·pi·a (n.) (source: American Heritage Dictionary)
- Lack of discernment or long-range perspective in thinking or planning

Originally I was going to blog about the Perak Dilemma, but since I heard about DAP's intention to boycott the new Perak MB's (Perak PAS secretary Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin) swearing-in, my anger and frustration know no bounds.

Is this the decision of the DAP CEC or is this the decision of Uncle Lim himself? And if it was indeed the DAP CEC that mooted this ridiculous boycott, I would have expected Lim Kit Siang, in his capacity of advisor, to talk the DAP CEC out of such a move.

What in the world was Uncle Lim thinking?

Firstly, it was agreed by all three parties of the DAP-PKR-PAS coalition to abide by the decision of the Regent of Perak.

“All parties within the coalition have jointly agreed on the submission of the three names for his decision. We would like to impress upon the people that all three parties have unanimously agreed to fully endorse whichever candidate is chosen,” state DAP chief Ngeh Koo Ham said at the Perak DAP headquarters. Read here for more.

To boycott the swearing-in now would call into question DAP's sincerity and credibility in the coalition. It would also reflect upon the rakyat that DAP's words are as fickle as BN's.

Secondly, does it matter who is the MB of Perak? After all, as Ngeh pointed out in the same article:

"The post of Mentri Besar is just to lead the state government and state executive council. Whatever decisions to be made will be done in full consultation with all three parties."

And since DAP will have more people sitting on the state exco, what is there to fear?

Thirdly, all eyes are on Perak now for if the coalition prove to be a success in Perak, then there is hope for the other Malay states. The uniquesness of Perak, unlike Selangor or Penang or Kedah/Kelantan for that matter, is that there is a huge population of both rural Malays and rural-semi urban non-Malays.

Whilst both groups live in harmony and tolerance, their thoughts and ideologies are polls apart. It is for the coalition to prove to the non-Malays that they have nothing to fear over PAS and to prove to the Malay population that they too have nothing to fear over DAP. There is a larger objective at stake here than the rights/needs of individual parties.

Instead of boycotting the swearing-in, I would have expected DAP (together with PKR and PAS) to hold ceramahs for the non-Malay population to explain and ease their fears over the choice of the MB.

Finally, the non-Malays have so long fought for meritocracy, this is the time to put our money where our mouth is. In all the articles that I read, Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin has been singled out as the most qualified person to take over the Perak MB's seat. And if meritocracy is to rule the day, why should he be denied the Perak MB's seat just because he is a PAS member and not a DAP or PKR member?

I have utmost respect for the Sultan and the Regent of Perak. I believe that they would have taken the rakyat's best interest at heart when making this decision.

So please Uncle Lim and fellow DAP assemblymen, do not disappoint the rakyat. Do not destroy our hopes just when it has just taken flight.

Do you really want to pass the state government back to BN?
Do you really want to provide BN with ammunition to shoot down the coalition?
Do you really want to destroy your chance at fulfilling the rakyat's mandate?

Think before you act for the repercussions could be dire. It would not only impact the governance of the state of Perak, it would also impact the governance of the other coalition states. But beyond that, it would also impact the rakyat's confidence and trust in you. The RAKYAT ... that is made up of Chinese, Indians, Malays and others ... who voted against the BN and brought to power the coalition.

Uncle Lim and fellow DAP assemblymen, please see the bigger picture!

Malaysia has voted ...

What do you live for?

What do you die for?

What do you fight for?

What do you stand for?

These were difficult questions asked in the movie, Lions for Lambs. These were the same difficult questions Malaysians asked themselves at the dawn of Malaysia's 12th General Elections.

To quote a statement from the same movie:
If you don't stand for something, you might fall for anything!


Truer words have never been spoken.

And on 8th of March 2008,
Malaysia voted for
CHANGE!

Malaysia voted
to STAND
for SOMETHING!

I never thought I would live to see this day! And I have never been prouder nor happier to be a Malaysian.

Was it only days before that I sat with a group of friends at a mamak stall; lamenting at the state of affairs in the country. We argued and debated over the importance to exercise our right to vote. Many felt the futility in doing so. After all, what can stop BN from achieving two thirds majority? And even if it was only a message the rakyat wish to send by denying BN two thirds majority, what would really change? What could the opposition really do?

Many believe things would remain the same or even take a turn for the worse after the elections. After all, did the rakyat not give BN over 90% majority vote just 4 years ago and pin our hopes on a new leadership to initiate change? But where did that get us? More obvious corruption, higher crime rate, rising prices, and the overuse of the racial card to make the errant rakyat tow the line. So much for "a government of the people, by the people, for the people, ..." And through it all, the rakyat felt frustrated, impotent and angry.

Despite the negative sentiments among the rakyat, despite the overwhelming need to send a strong message of our dissatisfaction with the government through the election, not many believe that BN could be denied the two thirds majority. After all, when it comes to the crunch, "better the devil you know than the devil you don't."

But on that fateful 8th March night, the results trickled in. One by one, the parliamentary and state seats started falling to the opposition.

It was unbelievable!
It was unprecedented!
It was bloody scary!
Yet it was exhilarating!

Here we were watching and living through the moments that will go down the annals of Malaysian politics. And it was because of the RAKYAT ~ the RAKYAT that had voted with ONE voice; irrespective of race, colour and creed.

In the final analysis, it was not so much of the rakyat voting for the Opposition. Rather it was the rakyat voting against the ruling party.

Whilst BN scrambles to understand what went wrong, they need not look far for the answers (if indeed they really want to know at all instead of living in a state of denial). All they need do is check out views and sentiments from bloggers and/or armchair political analysts. A few of the interesting analysis/write-ups can be found at the following links:
* Making sense of the political tsunami
* MCA drowns in ocean of disgust
* Election 2008 - the morning after (2)
* The Rakyat has spoken

For BN: A MATTER OF TRUST

I have only one thing more to add to these. TRUST! It was all a matter of trust.

Contradictory statements were made to different language newspapers to address different ethnic groups. But the ruling party forgot that we are a multiracial society who speaks, understands and reads multi languages.

Say one thing but do another. "Cakap tak serupa bikin."

Threats on one day. Promises on another.

Read this: Vote for a voice in the Government, says Abdullah

"Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi reminded the Chinese community that if they gave the DAP their votes, they will end up not having any representation in the Government."

"He said if the Chinese did not have representation in the Cabinet, their requests would not be heard."

And read this: Malaysia PM: Lessons to be learned

"And despite having fewer ethnic Indian and Chinese representatives in government, Abdullah reiterated his 2004 election promise to be the 'PM for all Malaysians'."

Yeah. Singing the same old song from 2004. A PM for all Malaysians but yet could threaten one ethnic group that their requests would not be heard if there is no representation of that ethnic group in the Cabinet.

Can the rakyat be blamed then for our lack of trust? Like in any marriage, once trust is broken, it takes ages and a lot of effort to mend. That is a huge and daunting task that the ruling party need to undertake. Regain the rakyat's trust.

For the Opposition: A matter of delivering on their promises

The dust are beginning to settle and reality is sinking in. For the Opposition who has been voted into office, beyond the euphoria, the work has only just begun.

It is time to make good on their promises. It is a delicate balance to manage between the voices of three parties and the needs of the various ethnic groups. The learning curve will be high and fast.

I don't envy their position.

The ruling party will be watching. And they will be brutal. Probably as brutal as the Opposition were about them.

The rakyat is watching. And we will be critical because with the Opposition lies the hope of a nation looking for change. With the Oppostion lies the hope of a nation looking for a stronger alternative party/ voice to provide checks and balances.

And with this election lies my fervent hope that the rakyat will stay strong and will not be drawn into racial debates. It is my hope that the rakyat will continue to act as one voice.

Power to the People.

"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people."

Good morning Malaysia! You fill me with hope.

Citizen of the World

After a 2-month plus hiatus, I have returned to the blogosphere. Guess I had better start blogging after the numerous complaints I received from friends & "fans" (hehe ... I wish) that my blog has not been updated in ages.

Where to start when so much has happened? The world moved on ... and so did I.

Guess one of the key things I experienced during all these years of travel either backpacking for pleasure or 5-star travelling for work, one common thing remains. More times than not, I have been mistaken to be a citizen of a country other than my own!

During the heydays (in the 90s) when I used to backpack alone, I have always been mistaken for a Japanese. I could rationalise away that perhaps because in those days, one rarely find Asian ladies backpacking on their own except for Japanese ladies. One of the most funny/exasperating experience was in Bali. I got "hit" on so many times by the local "toyboys" as they thought I was a rich Japanese lady looking for sex. (I was warned beforehand that it is quite the thing for Japanese women to look for sex in Bali.)

Then there was this trip to South Africa where almost every caucasian or African that I met would wish me "Konbanwa". My friend insisted that because of my "Japanese" appearance, we had probably been overcharged for a lot of things. Till today, I place the entire blame on the red bandanna that I wore during my trip. Perhaps that made me look a little like a Japanese lady. *shrugs*

But then, I had to view myself slightly differently when on a business trip in Tokyo, an old lady stopped my Japanese colleague by the roadside (we were walking and chatting while on our way to the train station) and asked him what nationality am I. She said that at first she thought I was Japanese until she overheard our conversation in English. It seemed that no Japanese spoke English the way I do. So, I was mistaken for a Japanese by a Japanese. Hmmm ...

During my backpacking trip in New Zealand in 1999, I met and travelled with a group of Europeans on this "hop-on, hop-off" bus service. Although we met a lot of Japanese backpackers throughout our journey, I never befriended any of them due to language breakdown. They spoke no word of English. Neither do I ( speak a word of Japanese). In any case, my travelling European companions commented that if they were to close their eyes and listen to me speak, they would think that they were speaking to a European. Moi? With a European accent? Huh?

Recently, during my trip to Sikkim, India last month, I had another weirder experience. Sikkim is a state of India but is unlike the India we expect. It is located at the northeast of India, bordering Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet. Majority of the population is made up of Sherpa, Lepcha and Gorkha. Most of the population looked more Tibetan than Indians. In any case, one morning while I was out and about the mountains taking photographs, I was stopped by a man speaking in Nepali (or Hindi). He was looking in my general direction and I thought he was talking to someone behind me. When I looked behind, there was no one.

I said, "Are you talking to me? I'm sorry, I don't understand you."

And his reply, "Oh! I am sorry. I thought that you are a Darjeeling girl."

Me, a Darjeeling girl? Huh?

Then, just last week, I was in Bangkok for a meeting. The folks at the hotel and at the night market all thought that I was Thai and spoke to me in Thai until I kindly corrected them.

Am I a citizen of the world or what?

Now, this final experience take the cake. Upon my arrival at KLIA from Bangkok, and as I was walking out of the arrival hall, one of the taxi touts started hassling me. The first word out of his mouth was, "Konnichiwa! Taxi?" What??!!

On my homeground, with my own people, I am still mistaken for a citizen of another country!

Go figure!

50 years of Merdeka but what have we really learned?

Did you notice the recent spate of endless speeches from politicians (and the powers that be) and the frequent propaganda on TV, radio and print about how Malaysians are a tolerant society that lives in peace and harmony? Have you ever wondered how much truth is there in these statements? Are we really living in peace, harmony and racial tolerance? Have you ever questioned the sincerity of these statements? Are the people making such statements merely paying lip service?

Some of you might be laughing now. Questions like these are tantamount to asking oneself, "Is my mother a woman?"

Here are some recent statements made by our politicians:

An excerpt on the "keris issue" as written by Farish A. Noor:

" Former UMNO leader Mohamad Rahmat was among the first off the starting post when he uttered the dreaded A-word: “Don’t test the Malays, they know ‘amok’”. Melaka delegate Hasnoor Sidang Hussein added more blood to the feast when he bluntly stated that “UMNO is willing to risk lives and bathe in blood in defence of race and religion”. UMNO Youth Exco member Azimi Daim added that “when tension rises, the blood of Malay warriors will run in our veins”. (Prompting the obvious question: What happens when there is no tension? Whose blood is running in their veins then?) But the first prize for grandstanding has to go to Perlis delegate Hashim Suboh who directed his question to UMNO leader Hishamuddin Onn: “Datuk Hisham has unsheathed his keris, waved his keris, kissed his keris. We want to ask Datuk Hisham: when is he going to use it?” ... "

An excerpt from International Herald Tribune:

" Malaysia's prime minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, said Wednesday that frayed relations between the country's religious and racial groups had reached a "worrying" level and warned that the government would not hesitate to crack down to preserve peace between them. ... "

Does the above reflect a society living in peace, harmony and racial tolerance? Have we considered that statements made by certain powers that be could incite discontent which could potentially lead to violence? But that is another matter altogether and not the subject of this post.

As we approach our 50th year of Independence, instead of progressing in terms of tolerating each other, we seem to have digressed.

Why does it seem so easy for me to have close Malay friends in my younger days?

Why are so many issues and topics so sensitive these days, unlike say 15-20 years back?

Why is it that as the country progress, the fabric of unity within our society seem to disintegrate?

And as I ponder these questions, a few statements I overheard in recent months came to mind.

Quote:

"I pay ridiculous amount in taxes and they dare question my loyalty to the country?"

"I did not say I dislike my country. In fact, I love my country. I just dislike the people who rules her."

"Why is every issue about race and religion these days?"

"Loving something doesn't mean I agree with all their policies."

"Shhh! Don't say that so loudly. Walls have ears and you might end up under ISA detention."

Unquote.

As long as the powers that be continues to be an ostrich, discontent will continue to simmer. Whether this will erupt into a full blown conflagration will depend on how far the spark is left to linger and nurtured.

I came across this post while surfing, and I believe this young man said it best here.

Quote:

"We are reaching our 50th year of independence. But ask yourself, how far have we progressed socially? Do people have genuine friends from other races nowadays? Do people feel safe when they live as a minority in certain areas? What do people tell you if you get into a car accident at a kampung area?

If given a choice, would people of different races make the conscious effort to get together, other than for the purpose of politics?"

Unquote.

Check out the Southpark video clip on that blog. It's hilarious (that is if you have a sense of humour where these matters are concerned). But the clip, funny as it is, has quite a huge dose of truth in it.

One radio station has been zealously advertising and encouraging the good citizens of Malaysia to purchase a unity band. I laughed when I heard this over the airwaves. Do we believe that wearing a unity band would make us more tolerant? more united?

Something happened the other night that gave me some hope, however.

I was out having supper with a couple of friends. We were having a fine time jesting and poking fun at things ... when suddenly I realised I said "something" that might be taken the wrong way by my Malay friend.

Looking sheepish, I apologised, "I'm sorry, sometimes I forget that you are a Malay."

He replied, "It's ok. Sometimes I forget that you are a Chinese too."

We looked at each other and just grinned at our silliness. Now, that came from the heart. Nothing more was said. But yet, a subtle acknowledgement of friendship was made beyond racial boundaries.

Now, if only we could replicate this brief moment in time, a million times over, perhaps then there would be hope.

Happy 50th Merdeka to all.

Badminton - more, more, tell/show me more

Fresh from the BWF championships last weekend, we were pretty inspired last night at our weekly badminton game (despite Malaysia suffering heavy losses at the BWF). It was a great night. I had some good double matches and a particularly tough single match. I have not played singles with any of these guys before but was dragged into a match yesterday. It was particularly tiring and by the ninth point, I was "punctured" ~ out of breath & out of energy. I was sending easy shots out and giving weak returns. I was also running less so my opponent took the opportunity and came from behind to finish off the game. All in all, we got a lot of exercise done and I thought my back would ache like crazy today BUT all's well thus far. It ain't too bad after all.

In any case, the purpose of this blog is not to yak so much but to post pictures of the Proton-BWF World Championship 2007. After all, a picture says a thousand words. For those who can't get enough of it, feast on ...


Lin Dan @ the semis - man of the match


Bao Chunlai - the struggling opponent


Our "senior citizens" - putting up a fight


The crowd came in droves to support our "senior citizens"


A moment of respite (or not) with Rexy


More advice - how much trouble are we really in?


KKK - one half of the dethroned pair


Sony - the "giant" killer


Sony & Lin Dan @ the finals. The "giant" killer tried hard. The "man of the match" denied him the victory.


Lady badminton attire - how far we have come ...


Men Doubles Finals - the Koreans played below par, the Indonesians didn't give an inch.

Proton-BWF World Championships 2007

Venue: Stadium Putra – Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur
Period: August 13 – 19

My excitement over the World Championships this time round was understandable. After all, this would be my first time watching so many seeded players “live” as me and a couple of friends bought tickets for the semis and the finals matches. Prior to this, my first and last “live” badminton tournament was at the Commonwealth Games at Bukit Jalil. But that was totally different. No badminton tournament is complete without the presence of China and Indonesia.

Most memorable moments:

1. Lin Dan in action.

It was pure pleasure watching Lin Dan in action. Although I was rooting for the underdogs i.e. Bao Chunlai and Sony Dwi Kuncoro on both days, nothing could take away Lin Dan’s supremacy in the game.

During the semis, I felt that he was toying with Bao. Twice he dived for Bao’s shots and both times, he made a huge production of sprawling on the ground. But we knew it was faked as his eyes were not even looking at the shuttle. Besides, he stayed so much longer on the ground, posing for the cameras.

He was more serious when playing against Sony since he knew what was at stake. Despite Sony’s comeback in the second set, Lin Dan was clearly in a class of his own. He was simply too fast for Sony. His movements were fast and economical compared to Sony. It’s amazing how fast Lin Dan could get behind a shuttle for seemingly impossible shots and sent it back with careful, precise placements. Many a time Sony was left struggling to keep up with Lin Dan’s shots.

The way I look at it, no player could possibly beat Lin Dan on his good day. As a friend put it, “Lin Dan is the ‘Roger Federer’ of badminton.”

2. Men’s doubles semi final match between Korea and Japan.

Two young doubles players with lots of energy and the single objective to “kill the shuttle” as fast as possible. The game was so fast with smashes upon smashes, drives upon drives. It was a really exhilarating watch. Do not blink or you will miss the next point.

3. Baseline jumping smashes.

Dang! Can these players jump?! The final men’s doubles game between Markis Kido - Hendra Setiawan (Indonesia) and Jung Jae-sung - Lee Yong-dae (Korea) was unforgettable. They might be short but boy! can they jump?! What’s more, they can jump and smash from the baseline! That was what was missing from Choong Tan Fook – Lee Wan Wah’s game. They simply couldn’t jump and kill the shuttle.

4. Random comment from a spectator.

“I was shouting ‘Malaysia Boleh’ the other day and guess what. This Indonesian interrupted me and said, ‘Ya, Malaysia Boleh. Tapi Indonesia Lebih Boleh!’”

Eh, eh … ya tak ya jugak!

Major gripes and disappointments:

1. No live telecast of crucial matches on FTA (free to air)TV.

No live telecast for the quarterfinal matches between Koo Kien Keat - Tan Boon Heong and Shuichi Sakamoto - Shintaro Ikeda (Japan); and between Wong Mew Choo and Xie Xingfang (China). There was no delayed telecast of these matches either nor for the matches between Choong Tan Fook – Lee Wan Wah and Fu Haifeng – Cai Yun (China); and between Lee Chong Wei and Sony Dwi Kuncoro (Indonesia).

For a country that’s crazy over badminton and has world ranking players (although that’s debatable after this tournament), this oversight is unforgivable. Not everyone has Astro you know. Besides, if NTV7 can air the Football Champions Youth Cup Highlights, other FTA could at least show the Proton-BWF World Championships highlights.

Besides, not to be disrespectful, but how many TV stations are needed to air the live telecast of the 50 year Merdeka celebration? We can talk to death about a nation’s unity but if one wants to see unity in action, go to a badminton game and you will see Malaysians of all races rooting for one team, the Malaysian team! Now, that’s true unity!

2. Pea brain tournament organiser.

We paid good money for “what we thought were” great seats for the finals. We expected to watch the matches at centre court but some “smart aleck” decided to hold the matches at the other end of the stadium! Thus, the seats went to waste as we had to go to the higher levels (cheaper tickets with free seating) but closer to the court to watch the matches. Blardy hell! One wonders why the matches can’t be held on the centre court!

3. Selfish mentality of KL drivers.

Haphazard parking on non legitimate parking areas i.e. road shoulders, pavements, etc. whilst legitimate parking were available but located slightly further away. For the life of me, I could not understand the mentality of “supposedly educated” people. When they get behind the wheel, whatever good upbringing and education they received fly out of the window. Most act like “selfish b*****ds”!

4. Dismal performances.

Rexy was right when he slammed our shuttlers for failing to reach the world championship finals. This was our best chance with home ground support. Not only did our players NOT reach the finals, our hopefuls namely Lee Chong Wei and the Koo-Tan partnership did not even reach the semis! To add insult to injury, Lee had the cheek to blame chief coach Yap Kim Hock for his own failure to deliver. What happened to maturity, professionalism and taking blame of one’s own mistakes?

And THAT is my take on the Proton-BWF World Championships. May there be more interesting tournaments in future and hopefully, we (Malaysia) make it to the finals.

Something gotta give soon!

I am ...
* mentally exhausted,
* physically drained,
* emotionally repressed.

My infrequent postings tell all.

Time ~ where has that all gone?

Work ~ how can something I enjoy turn into an endless nightmare?

Play ~ why does the thought of going out to workout or socialise fill me with reluctance?

Something gotta give soon!

Or I will go "crazy" ....

How does one deal with global managment that do not trust?

How does one deal with a management that insists on micro managing?

How does one deal with different bosses with different agendas? I feel like the proverbial "deer" that was caught in the middle of the fight between the elephants. (Gajah sama gajah berlawan, pelanduk mati di tengah-tengah!)

How does one deal with arrogant, a** s**kers whose main aim in life is to climb the corporate ladder by any means ~ fair and foul?

How does one deal with inconsiderate, jealous b****es/b******s whose sole purpose in life is to stab anyone and everyone in the back so that the said b****es/b******s will look good in the eyes of greater authority?

How does one deal with an environment where "fighting" internal battles is more exhausting than "fighting" competitors at the market place? Or perhaps there is just no time left to fight competitors after all the internal bickering.

How does one deal with endless processes and templates to be filled and ridiculous internal bureaucracy that is worthy of a GLC?

I am so tired. I feel like I am balancing on a very thin/ fine red line. Something gotta give soon!

Is there a light at the end of this tunnel? Or is this just my exhaustion speaking?

I am looking forward to the coming holidays. Perhaps I can put some perspective back into my life and the job I "used" to like.

Goodnight Malaysia whoever you are.

What messages are we conveying to the youths of today?

Bombarded by increasing commercialism and frivolity from the media and a progressively modern society that is more concern with the paper and $$$ chase, I have my fair share of concern over the younger/future generation. Witness blogs like Xiaxue, and reality shows like The Bachelor and The Swan. Note the popularity of Paris Hilton and her reality show, "The Simple Life". What messages are they leaving today's youths?

As if that's not enough, note the increasing number of slimming centres and plastic surgery clinics. Witness young girls who are stick thin and yet still go on diet. Listen to talks of plastic surgery for a nose or boob job as if that's an everyday occurance. It’s no wonder more and more kids grow up with a skewed view of the world.

I remember being approached by a college student in Sunway Pyramid more than a year back. She was doing a survey on what constitutes beauty and self confidence to a woman. As the survey progress, I realised that my answers to her questions were more personal than just a survey.

"Would you rather be pretty or smart?" "Is it easier to get ahead of life if you are pretty compared to being smart?" And so on and so forth.

I can't help but feel that she is trying to find her self worth. When the interview ended she commented, "Thank you. Just one last question and this has nothing to do with the survey. How do you get so confident and at ease with yourself?"

The sad thing is that there is absolutely nothing wrong with her. No, she is not gorgeous, but she is not ugly. She is neither stick thin, nor voluptuous. She is an average Jill who has a girl next door look. And she was struggling to find her self confidence and self worth amongst a society that is so preoccupied with external or physical beauty. It is tragic. What messages are we conveying to today's youths?

Perhaps Simple Plan sang it best in their song, "Crazy".

"Crazy"

Tell me what's wrong with society
When everywhere I look, I see
Young girls dying to be on TV
They won't stop till they've reached their dreams

Diet pills, surgery
Photoshopped pictures in magazines
Telling them how they should be
It doesn't make sense to me

(Is everybody going crazy?
Is anybody gonna save me?
Can anybody tell me what's going on?
Tell me what's going on?
If you open your eyes
You'll see that something is wrong) *

I guess things are not how they used to be
There's no more normal families
Parents act like enemies
Making kids feel like it's World War III

No one cares, no one's there
I guess we're all just too damn busy
And money's our first priority
It doesn't make sense to me

(Repeat * once)

Is everybody going crazy?
Is everybody going crazy?

Tell me what's wrong with society
When everywhere I look I see
Rich guys driving big SUVs
While kids are starving in the streets

No one cares
No one likes to share
I guess life's unfair

(Repeat * twice)


I don't envy growing up in today's world. The question is what can we do to help change that?

Goodbye 2006, Hello 2007

A Happy Belated 2007 to all. Yes, it’s been a month since I last blogged. Busy at work, busy travelling, busy holidaying … yes to all that. At times, there was so much I wanted to express. At others, the mind was a veritable desert.

The change of calendar year came and went without much fanfare. I was in Surabaya with a friend but instead of celebrating the occasion (as we originally planned); we almost slept through the event (or non event) due to exhaustion. We were woken up by the sound of fireworks, rushed out of the backpackers in time to observe the final few seconds of 2006 slipping away.

I have not had much time to reflect on 2006 nor was I driven to make any new resolutions for 2007 since then. I realise that I should not view a change in calendar year to reflect upon what had occurred but to review events in my life by the blocks of time I have invested in them.

“Does the end justify the means? Is the ROI (Return on Investment) worthy of the time, effort and emotional sacrifice? Have I been so focussed on the results that I have forgotten to enjoy the journey? Have I been swayed to take the easier path instead of standing state fast in my beliefs? Have I played it safe for too many years?”

These are but a few thoughts that have been running through my head. More and more I wonder if the path of independence was the right one to take. If I do not lean on me, can I trust someone else (divine presence excluded) to lean on or to champion my cause? If I change that, am I changing the core of “who I am”?

Stephen Covey spoke of the three stages in life; when we first came into the world, we were dependent. Then when we grew to adulthood, we wanted independence. But along the path of life, we will recognise that we need to live interdependently. Perhaps it is time to let go of that independence, throw caution to the wind, and welcome interdependence into my life. It’s a big step for me, and I am not sure I am ready for that.

Well, goodbye 2006 and helloooo 2007.

Shall We Dance?

I was convinced that the world was made up of two types of people ~ those who COULD dance and those who COULD NOT! I obviously fell into the latter group.

A couple of years back, a software vendor of American and Japanese mix invited me to learn the salsa at El Nino's. Having always wanted to learn latino dances but lacking male partners who were interested to do so, I foolishly said yes! But alas! Instead of getting into a beginner's class, we accidently went to an advanced class and were promptly shown how inept we were (or at least I was) at dancing. My partner at least had some rhythm since he was into swing dancing, whatever that is. (Must be an American thingy.) But me, having born with two left feet, had to brave out the entire situation even though I must have looked stiff and klutzy.

In the intervening years, I have kept away from latino dances. Once burnt, twice shy. There are some limitations in life even for me. :p

An old schoolmate of mine returned from US not too long after that, and lo and behold, she turned out to be one heck of a salsa dancer! (Must be an American thang!) Ever since her return, she has been bugging me to join her for salsa but I declined politely. I ain't never gonna embarrass myself again in a whole room of "professional" salsa dancers. EVER! (Yeah! Famous last words!)

As in everything in life, never say never. Last Monday, this same friend invited me to her birthday bash at Qba, the famous salsa dancing club in the city. I went but thought I could sit out the whole salsa thing and make a quick getaway if things got a bit sticky.

Unfortunately, I met this crazy, persistent Malay chap who wore down my resistance and dragged me down to the dance floor. Surprise! Surprise! It didn't turn out as difficult or as bad as I thought. He made it seemed much easier by repeating similar steps over and over again. He was also a pretty good and strong dancer as he led the steps and threw me into twists and twirls! He was up to all sorts of funny dancing steps and it was a hilarious affair. This time was so different from my previous experience where I felt so tense and stiff. Even the close body contact with a complete stranger did not faze me. He was clowning around so much that half the time, I felt like I could actually dance!

Weee ... the fact was I quite enjoyed myself on the dance floor in the end except for the burning sensation at my calf after a good few minutes on the dance floor where I thought the song would go on for all eternity! :P Eventually, I had to call it quits.

Blinking hell! Trekking or playing badminton or going for combat class is a lot easier and less strenuous than salsa dancing. But then, it doesn't seem like such a difficult thing to learn now.

Hmm, perhaps ... Salsa anyone? :)

My little misadventure in the Pearl of the Orient

I am beginning to believe that I have a dual personality. One is my "easy going, anything goes" personality and the other, my corporate persona! Before my recent adventure in Penang, I would have strenuously protested to any accusations of having a corporate persona whatsoever. But, the truth stared me in the eye whilst I was there ...

Last weekend, we had an event in Seberang Jaya. Due to the recent spate of travelling, I was tired of driving and took the flight to Penang instead. We left the airport at almost 7.00 pm. The taxi driver warned me that a trailer broke down at the bridge earlier at about 5.15 pm but he expected that the roads would have cleared by then. Unfortunately, he was so wrong! The wonderful road system in Malaysia is such that any breakdowns/ accidents would cause a massive jam in the vicinity which would take hours to disperse!

In any case, we decided to take the ferry across instead. So off to the ferry terminal we went ... and lo and behold! we got stuck in a long queue as everyone else had the same thought of avoiding the jam at the bridge.

One wonders why these people do not turn back and rest at home after witnessing such a massive jam. I would have done so if I am a Penangite! Unfortunately, I had no choice!

At that point, the taxi driver was hinting at me to get down the cab and get on the ferry as a passenger. I was extremely resistant to that thought due to 3 reasons:
1. I have already paid RM60.00 to be taken there.
2. I had 2 pieces of luggage and it would be a hassle.
3. I was a little wary as I am unfamiliar with the place. It was night, I was alone, and I wasn't sure if it was safe.

However, in hindsight, it was a very sound plan as I would have reached my destination much earlier.

In any case, I just kept quiet and waited. As the minutes dragged on, the taxi driver became more and more restless. He once again tried to convince me to take the ferry on my own. I remained adamant!

Finally, just as it was our turn to go up the ramp onto the ferry, the taxi broke down! The taxi driver tried to start the engine but to no avail. (Call me suspicious, but I think he was acting that part out.) In any case, I could hardly call his bluff!

Reluctantly, I got off the cab but managed to get back RM20.00 from the driver since he did not take me to my destination. Each step forward I walked in dread. I quickly called my sales staff to inform them that I was taking alternate transport to the place (just in case I get kidnapped or robbed).

I got on to the ferry and realised that there were many folks using the ferry to cross as well. As the ferry chugged along the Straits of Penang, my earlier trepidation slowly left me. My entire demeanour relaxed.

With the wind blowing in my hair, the far-off city lights blinking along the horizon and the noisy din on the ferry, I felt almost like a holiday-maker on one of my backpacking trips. It was then that I realised that this little adventure was no different from any of my numerous backpacking adventures overseas. In fact, I faced more dangers of the unknown when we were in Tanzania and South Africa! This little misadveture should have been a piece of cake for the likes of me. In fact, it was a piece of cake for me. I ended up at my destination by 9+pm with none the worse for wear.

Strange isn't it how our minds play tricks on us when we don on different personas ...

Is this a sign?

I received an email a few days back from Jobstreet. It seems an employer has read my resume through the Jobstreet database and requested for me to apply for a vacant position with the company. It was a nice surprise as I can't even remember the last time I updated my resume in Jobstreet.

I guess God works in mysterious ways. It was only last week that I was asking myself if I am getting too lackadaisical and unambitious. Now I am being prodded once again to do something about it.

Perhaps I will ride along this wave and see where it takes me.

Musings

Am I being too unambitious and lackadaisical? Have I fallen into the vicious cycle of contentment and inertia?

Recently, I came to know of an internal job opening within the company but with another business unit. The job however warrants the candidate to be based either in China or Vietnam. I couldn't be bothered and like any other email with regards to internal openings, I moved that one to the trash bin too.

Then yesterday, a colleague brought up the subject of this opening and encouraged me to apply. But I was resistant to the idea. The main issue is that I would have to relocate if I get the job. And then, there is also the fact that I only know a smattering of Mandarin. And the job is in another business and on a product that's not very exciting. Also .....

Dang! I'm doing it again. Giving a million and one excuses of why I should not go for it. Which brought me to this post tonight. Another colleague brought up the subject of this job today and when I offered the above reasons (and more) of why I cannot move, he shot down every excuse and made me think and question myself.

Why the inertia?

Granted, there are not a lot of pull factors for me to go. But upon reflection, there are not a lot of pull factors for me to stay on either. Yet, I am in no hurry to leave the company. Truth be told, I have had a few calls from friends asking me if I am interested in leaving my current company since they know of suitable positions that are available elsewhere. I have given them lukewarm responses all this while.

It dawned on me that since I joined this company three years back, I have been bombarded with so much office politics that I have grown an enormous fear of moving anywhere. After all, "better the devil you know than the devil you don't", right? And in my current job level, it is difficult to avoid office politics wherever I go. One has to be smart about this ~ either you learn to side step the politics or you dive into it full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes. Unfortunately, I am the type who tries to side step them but have gotten singe along the way.

But today I realised that I have, subconciously, allowed this fear to rule my head and my heart many times in the last few years. So much so that I sometimes feel suffocated having to toe the line over issues I can't agree with. While we have to be smart about playing our cards right, we have also to balance that with honouring our views and giving them a fair chance for discussion.

It's clearer to me now after articulating my thoughts in writing. Whether I apply for the said position is immaterial. The point is I need to straighten out my priorities and direction of where I want my career to go. Perhaps my destiny is not meant to be with this company. Perhaps my destiny is not meant to be in Malaysia. Hmm ... I would have to give this further thought.

Goodnight Malaysia wherever you are and thanks for "listening" in the wee hours of the night.

What happens when your male buddy becomes attach or gets married?

Or what happens when your male buddy is already attach or married?

The former means you know him before he got himself hitched or attached and the latter simply means you know him after he had done so.

Would the friendship just peter out and die?

I wish there is a guide book for this sort of situations. What are the Dos and Don’ts and how do we maintain peace in his household while we continue the friendship?

Buddy 1
I was having a nice Thai dinner with my male buddy when he received a call from his girlfriend who was residing in Australia. It seemed that she had waited for his call but the “dungu” fella forgot to call her. She threw a tantrum and threatened to break off when she found out that he was having a dinner for two with moi while she was patiently waiting by the phone for over an hour for his call. It wasn’t my fault as I was merely having dinner with my buddy (whom I knew before he got attached to her) but I was made to feel like the guilty party. Dang!

But thank god things worked out later and she is now his wife. She is now based in Chiengmai and he comes back to KL every now and then to visit his family. We do hang out but infrequently these days as I had to back off just in case the wife gets the wrong notion.

Buddy 2
The wife was my gym buddy and the husband, my squash and wine drinking buddy. Things were pretty cool until I found them arguing one day about whose turn it was to go out ~ gym or squash. Then she got pregnant and baby number two came along. I took up a new hobby i.e. mountain/ road biking which he was into as well. He then became my squash, biking and wine drinking buddy albeit irregularly. When I realised that some of those irregular times were infringing into his time to “jaga” his kids, I had to back off a lot more. These days my squash has deteriorated quite tremendously, my bike feels like a white elephant but the wine drinking part is still flourishing. However, I feel a lot easier (and safer to avoid misunderstandings) to text the wife for these get-together sessions.

Buddy 3
He was one of my best male buddies. And I had a shock discovery of him dating this girl during a dinner for three. (Sounds like ménage a trios NOT! :P) He said nothing but she was all over him, as if marking her territory. Boy! Needless to say it was an extremely uncomfortable dinner. I believe I could be scarred for life! :P Strangely enough, I had not realised then that I was a little possessive of the friendship.

So, I demanded the next day why I was not told beforehand and he answered that he didn’t know how to tell me and that it should not change our friendship. While agreeing that our friendship would not change, in my heart I knew I was telling a big fat lie. I tried really hard to keep things going but it is difficult when you don’t really know the girlfriend and the memory of those uncomfortable territory marking moments put you off further get-togethers. After awhile, the friendship died a natural death due to lack of nurturing. It’s a real pity.

So there! Stories of my three buddies; the second friendship is thriving, the first is surviving and the third is quite dead. I am still hunting for a guide to handle friendships with married or attach male buddies.

Any clues? Or is it a “Don’t go there!” territory?!

Migration

MIGRATION!

In recent years, that seems to be the buzz word. Everyone is talking about secondment or migration. And quite a few have done it too. A few friends have in fact garnered enough points to migrate over to Australia, a few others have left for secondment in UK/Australia. Others have married foreigners and live abroad.

And then there is me ~ someone who is totally happy and contented to stay on in Malaysia. There have never been enough push factors for me to leave nor pull factors in any country for me to move to. But Val would likely beg to differ as she thought I was in danger of moving over to Vancouver at one point in my life. Sure I wish to travel to this country and that country for a visit. But home is always Malaysia to me and home is where the heart is. Nothing beats the food, nothing beats the people, nothing beats all the idiosyncrasies one can find only here in Malaysia ~ the good, the bad and the ugly.

Strangely, despite this contentment, I am beginning to wonder if I am being too lackadaisical about the whole thing. We are no stranger to the issues facing the country. As years go by, more and more folks get disillusion with how things are run. I have always been the first to defend the country when conversations turn that direction (as they inevitably would) and I would also be among the first to point out to these folks that they do not know better because after all, they left the country but we stayed on to fight the battle.

Or did we? Did we stay to fight or did we stay because that's the easy way out? Did we just allow issues to drift until one day what little hope we have would peter out and die?

Do I sound disillusioned? Melancholic even? Perhaps a little. What we sometimes forget is that though we may suppress our voices, we can never suppress our thoughts. And fear feeds on suspicion and lack of transparency.

The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, some would say. You bet they are. But I have heard enough counter arguments to expect life NOT to be on a bed of roses.

Does this mean I would pack my bags and leave tomorrow? Certainly not. I am just voicing out my thoughts and concerns. I certainly hope that day would not come but ... I should not remain so lackadaisical. Leastwise, I should perhaps start thinking of options. Just in case ... and what ifs ...

Thinking Out Loud

Why is it that one has to work hard at conversations with some people and mere seconds seem to drag on for hours? And yet, for the one person that is off limits, one can have the most delightful conversation and hours seem like mere minutes.

Perhaps that is Fate’s practical joke.

How candid should you be when you blog?

The bare naked truth … how comfortable are you in baring your soul in your blogs?

I have always thought that my life is an open book and that I am the most open person around. There’s nothing to hide. What you see is pretty much what you get. And my friends know that from the onset (or so I assume).

Thus, it came as a surprise to me when I started blogging that indeed there are things I am not comfortable in revealing to all and sundry. There have been blogs that I have conducted self censorship and there are others that I had misgivings in posting them but decided to do so in the end.

The oddest thing is that my discomfort stems from exposing my vulnerability to folks who already know me. It’s like revealing the bare naked truth about your innermost thoughts. And sure enough, friends whom I never thought would read my blog would have read them and picked opportune moments (i.e. during lunch) to shock me with their knowledge of … well ... my innermost thoughts! (Thanks for the lunch tip on silent blog readers Tim. :p)

I have no qualms if the blogs were only read by total strangers who came across them, likely because there is no history between us and there is no “vulnerability” felt. That’s probably why chat rooms and forums are thriving communities especially to shy and timid folks, who could act out the alter egos and fantasies behind the web screen. Perhaps the anonymity gives them Dutch courage.

Back to blog candidness, I am still not totally convinced that total candidness is the way to go although in most times, I just tell myself to post it and to hell with the consequences. Thus far, I have not reached hell yet with the consequences. Hahahaha …

To bare or not to bare the bare naked truth? Now that’s the question. ; )

A sojourn to Kiasuland

It's natural for Malaysians to react negatively when conversations of our southern neighbour arises. The reasons for these negative reactions likely stem from their superior attitude, arrogance and selfishness. And of course, their "kiasu"ness. But that's a pretty harsh verdict to heap on an entire nation of people. Therefore, I would restate the above by saying that many, not all, have a tendency to be like that! :P

Personally, my dealings with them have been relatively pleasant but mostly, lacking in sincerity ~ notwithstanding all of the above. Interestingly enough, despite all these, I got along very well with one Singaporean friend. She is born and bred there although since graduation, she worked overseas for several years ~ a stint in China and another in Malaysia. I used to joke that her "stints" away from home have been character building ones and made her into the person she is today, muting all the negative traits without losing many of the positive traits of a Singaporean.

The other thing I do not like about Singapore is that I feel extremely suffocated in that concrete jungle. High rise buildings aplenty and very few "green" places available to get away from it all. Food is another issue as my first encounter many, many years ago, with the Singaporean sweet sauce wantan noodles there has scarred me for life. My memory of Singaporean food had always been that single plate of wantan noodles. *shivers*

However, a recent sojourn to Kiasuland has changed some of my less than flattering views of our southern neighbour. I was pleasantly surprised by their amateur theatre. It was pretty impressive and I had a ball of a time watching two plays at the cost of only Sgd 30. Over here, we have to pay at least RM50 for a play. Dollar to Ringgit comparison, it's far more worth watching the play in Singapore if I earned Singapore Dollars.

Next, the food. I thought I'd never live to see the day I'd say this. My friend took me to a fish head noodle soup hawker stall in Holland Village. It was delicious and far exceeded my expectations. Even the touristy Newton Circle offered some pretty good seafood dishes. And surprisingly enough, the cost of food in Singapore is much cheaper if I earned in Singapore Dollars.

Overall, the cost of living, other than the cost of condos, seems generally cheaper than in Malaysia. And even though Singaporeans pay a lot for their condos, the maintenance and services are a whole lot better. At the end of the day, the nett nett effect could be that we are better off purchasing a condo in Singapore!

What impressed me most on this trip is the national and public libraries! When the Singapore Government says they want to inculcate the reading habit, they go all out to ensure that the people gain easy access to the public libraries which are equipped with a wide variety of old and new books, CDs, VCDs and DVDs, which could be borrowed by members. Membership is cheap and easy to register. I think all it takes is a payment of Sgd 10 to be a member. Books, CDs, VCDs and DVDs are properly indexed and keyed into a central database that could be access via several computers in these libraries. And borrowers can borrow from one location and return at another as the entire computer system is linked between the national and public libraries. IMPRESSIVE!

I wonder if we could implement this in KL. Even as I say this, I also wonder if Malaysians have the honesty to return the borrowed books; seeing as how many refused to/ pretend to forget to repay the government study loans long after they have graduated and started working. The state of our libraries leaves much to be desired as well. I can't even remember the last time I walked into a public library. All I remembered was that many of the books in the public libraries were old and outdated.

As my soujourn to Singapore drew to a close, I can't help wondering that if I could start seeing Singapore in a better light now, perhaps my perspective of her people might eventually improve if I give them a chance.