NavsThoughts

2004-05-16T08:38:00.000-07:00

Am back... and this time, 3rd time that it is, i'll be making every effort to jot something down more regularly... :)

So whats happened in the last few months that i've gone into hibernation.... well, for starters, am back home in KL after my "lil" stint in Chi-town (thats Chicago). I've also finalized a job change and am back in University!!! Not bad huh? All within the first half of this year! :)

Well, change is good... no? :D.. We'll soon find out....

2003-10-22T15:58:00.000-07:00

Hola!! Yeah yeah... its been ages since i last blogged... what to do... kena cari makan mahhh... :)

Anyways, now that I am back... shall try me best to keep posting!

Lets see, since my last entry, the Iraqi situation can be described as "murky" at best (although they did manage to get Saddam sons), a judicial enquiry into the death of a scientist that may be linked to No10 in UK is proceeding, Slavko got married, Dinesh engaged, went on a "round the globe trip in 60 days" thingy, and of course Dr M's rantings goes global!

On the sports front, the start of the English Premiership League and Malaysia's abosolute collapse in the Hockey Asia Cup formed the main "headlines". M.Schumacher managed to create history winning the F1 for the 6th time and the Cubs... ohh dear.. the loveable Cubbies actually made it to the playoffs!!!! But as luck may have it, leading 3-1, they somehow managed to miss out on the World Series to the Marlins... looks like the curse is real... maybe they should let a goat in the next time they play... :)

2003-06-23T14:54:00.000-07:00

If there was an award for "knee-jerk" reaction as a Nation, we sure would win hands down the world over. From the flooding at the Capitol to the Canny Ong case, it just exemplifies the lack luster attitude where until something goes wrong, we just sit back and imagine we have a perfect fool proof system!
True, most misgivings can't be foreseen but things as basic as irrigation and drainage in our capitol is definitely something to be not just fixed for 2003 but taken care and improved over the years! I would think the Datuk Bandar should have done taken responsibility and stepped down.
It took a gruesome murder to bring to light the pathetic state most car parks in KL are in. Its more perplexing when you hear the number of rape and robbery cases that has been going on all the while!! Only now we have steps being taken to ensure round the clock surveillance.
We need to be more pro-active than reactive. We need Maintenance. We need to put safety apparatus in place before someone is hurt or killed. Precaution is safer than cure.

2003-06-23T14:52:00.001-07:00

Whaaaammmmmm baaaaammmmmmmmm!!! Convoy hit! Dead bodies all over... Task Force 20 gleaming with pride.... but did they get their target... Saddam or any of his two sons?? No freggin idea! DNA tests are underway to confirm it. This would make it the third time (3rd time lucky perhaps??) the US launched an air attack on Saddam. The reported convoy attack shows that the US is becoming increasingly desperate, and determined, in its search for Saddam Hussein. It badly needs a success right now. American soldiers are being killed. No weapons of mass destruction have been found. Iraq is recovering only slowly.

2003-06-23T14:52:00.000-07:00

Wonder why everyone is making a big deal over Dr M's parting speech. It is his PARTING speech right? I'd be more interested in what Pak Lah has to say and his version on how to take Malaysia forward. He may have a peaceful transition but he certainly has his hands full. Mahathir may have the distinction of putting Malaysia on the map through shrewd Industrialization policies (albeit via questionable methods) and building a nation with "First World" infrastructure. However, the next PM has a golden opportunity to go one better and actually implement "First World" culture (from education to economic policies) thus lifting us, as a Nation, to a higher living standard and better quality of life. Hope this is not lost on the lot in power. Only by cultivating a "First World" culture (in terms of policies and laws), can we look forward to developing a "First World" mentality.

2003-06-23T14:51:00.000-07:00

So Becks has moved! That too to Real Madrid!! Wishing him all the best and thanks for the wonderful crosses and spot kicks. Now, what's next? More entertaining football from the EPL of course! Can't wait for the next season to start. :D

2003-06-23T14:50:00.000-07:00

Many things have come to pass over the last few days.

Remember the big hungama about MPAJ? Well, as it turns out, we only have the removal of the council enforcement officer based on a technicality (i.e. failure to disclose his bankruptcy status). Wonder where all the corruption charges that what hogging the media went?? It would seem, in Ampang at least, the mountains roared only to bring forth a tiny weenie mouse! I find Rais's statement that the councils "credibility" has been reinstated as both a joke and an insult.

"Our understanding of democracy is quite shallow. We think: 'Ah, we have the right to exercise our vote. You want my vote, give me something.' They do not say: 'If you want my vote, govern the country well. Develop this country and help it to progress.' They do not care. Even if the country does not progress, so long as they can get something for their personal gain, they are willing to give their support. The Malays' perception of democracy is different from that of the people in developed countries, where the people want to see a government that is able to keep its promises to develop the country, strengthen the country and see to its progress. When we say compete, it means that to compete, we will usually have to work harder. But for the Malays, when we say compete, they concede defeat. This is a tidak apa lah (nonchalant) attitude. They do not want to work hard." - Dr Mahathir Mohd.
So the good Dr has diagnosed the problem. What do we do about it? What dooooooooo we do??? Hmm... maybe "will we do anything about it" is a more appropriate question.

2003-06-16T16:12:00.000-07:00

My take on the current political situation in Malaysia. For as long as we the Rakyat, hold on to the "tidak apalah", "dont shake the boat" and "it wont happen to me" attitude, injustice and blatant corruption will continues to plague this Nation. Its high time we stood up and demanded justice, transparency and equality. Sadly, Malaysians are not open to such "reformasi". What this country needs is a generation thats brave enough to break the shackles of yester-years dating back to the Colonial era. We need a leader, a leader strong enough to call a spade, spade and take this nation forward. We need someone in the likings of Onn Jaafar.. a man who back in the 50's envisioned a united bangsa malaysia. Sadly he was way ahead of his time. Nevertheless, even the leaders prior to 1970 were more ethical, dignified, courageous and held a vision to lead a nation.

To borrow from Martin L King, I have a dream, a dream that the sons of Ah Kau, Muthu and Kamal will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream that one day our dear Malaysia, currently sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that one day our Nation will transform into a situation where little boys and girls will be able to join hands be them of Malay, Chinese or Indian heritage and walk together as sisters and brothers under the Malaysian flag. I could go on and on and on... but ye get the picture... :)

2003-06-16T16:09:00.000-07:00

What a mess we have back our shores. MPAJ, I bet, is just the tip of the iceberg. Would it be impractical to setup a Royal Commission to look into ALL local councils? About time we demand accountability. Lest we forget, it is still the Govt. "of the people, by the people, for the people" right?

Dr M has made public his fear of a power struggle for the DPM post when he steps down. Despite his quick act to play it down, it was certainly not something Pak Lah could've done with. Lets see how this plays out. MCA has a "honorary life President" in none other than Dr Ling!!! These jokers are certainly in a league of their own! LOL!!!

2003-06-16T16:02:00.000-07:00

Now I get it!!! Mapquest does not have an Arabic or Hebrew site!! Bet ya that'll be GWBs excuse. Lets face it, the so called "road map to peace" was bound to fail from Day 1. A bunch of hawks who lied (and continue to do so) to , ohh lets see... the whole freggin world (!!)... to invade and occupy a sovereign country, is now expected to come up with a peace plan???? Helloooo???
Now with Iran saying "no" to tougher nuclear checks, wonder what the Bush-bhoys are gonna do about it, other than support the protests going on over there that is. Lets see, most of his buddies will still be in good shape financially with the Iraqi operations... so, yeah, Mr Ayatollah and his hunchos do have sometime on their hands... for now that is.

An interesting development is US request for Indian troops to be deployed in Iraq. Wonder how that came about?!

According to a BBC poll. nearly 2/3's of folks polled in 11 countries world-wide have an unfavorable opinion of the US. really now?? me wonder why???

2003-06-16T15:52:00.000-07:00

This is proving to be a summer for the book-lovers... from Hillary to Harry! Maybe everyone is getting bored of the Net perhaps? Probably not.... by looking at the order numbers Amazon and Borders are raking in, does give the impression lots of folks are going back to the reading habbit, which I feel is awesome. Personally, am looking out for James Patterson's latest... which should've been out by now... hmmmmm... now, where's me credit card....

Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.

2003-06-05T13:50:00.000-07:00

Hola folks! Been away for sometime.... it's been Spring afterall!!! But back I am to bore ye poor souls with my ravings and banter.
A quick recap of all that's been.

Personally, Easter was a blast. Was at Washington (DC not State) and had mummy's cooking!!!! Yup, for 2 weeks plus played "guide de touriste" to Mumze and Pops. It was nice to have home cooked meals waiting at home for a change ... especially in this weather. Good thing is, my fridge is still stocked with supplies... :))
Have hit the golf range and course again!! Its good to be back although I doubt the fairways appreciate my awkward shots! :) Was under Tornado Warning twice last month. Apart from strong winds and heavy rains nothing much came of it. Whilst a colleague was busy getting comfy in the closet for safety, I was busy plotting the storms path on a map and getting me camera all set... even went out looking to get a good look at the twister and of course a couple of pics to show the grand kids one day. Alas, it was not meant to be. But it was an experience indeed...

Current affairs, the US is still "searching for the reason they went to war after the war is over". Basically, no WMD have been uncovered and Saddam with half his top brass are missing. Intelligence used to promote the war is under the spotlight with investigations by Congress and Parliament in US and UK respectively. Apparently, when Mr. Powell was rehearsing the case for war to the UN with some officials, he became so frustrated by the dubious intelligence about Saddam that he tossed several pages in the air and declared: "I'm not reading this. This is $%&*#." First America has no intelligence (ref 9/11). Then it has $%&*# intelligence. You don't say! An american President misleading his people?? Ohh well, they did find two possible mobile laboratories and with pomp and joy, Bush declared "we've found them"! In all this, our man from TX went on to promote his "roadmap for peace in the Mid-East". Good idea innit, so when anyone gets lost or sidetracked, the can rely on mapquest to get them back.
SARS has been declared contained in most of the early bird cities although Toronto (relapse), Beijing and Taipei are very much under wraps. Good to note S'pore managed to get its act together... as most of the SE Asian nations. Ohh, and the Pope is off to his 100th foreign trip.

On the Local front, we have an over-zealous Datuk Bandar (Mayor) who feels holding hands warrants a fine for "indecent behaviour"!!! Way to go Ipoh! What next? Not allowed to travel in the same car???
We've been seeing allot of changes and revelations from MCA, MAS, Airod, S'gor MB, ISA detainees to even the way mamak stall operates in future. Looks like someone upstairs aint too pleased and does look like some "house cleaning" is taking shape. I do hope they go about setting things straight in a just and legal manner and not try to create a mess like the illegal VCD operations.

It is nice to be in on the creation of something, see it being used, then walk away and smile at it

2003-04-14T15:47:00.000-07:00

heyyyyy...!!! Had a brilliant weekend!!! Keyword: Coyote Ugly.... :)))

We're up in the 80s today! Yup... mercury hit 28 degrees Celsius! And guess what, we're having "fire weather advisory" in place! Mind you, it was only a week ago, yes, just 7 days ago when we were having "winter weather advisory"!!!!! And they weren't kidding either... witnessed a mini-bush fire out in the plains after lunch... thankfully the cops and fire fighters were quick at hand to ensure it stayed "mini".

Joined the Libertyville Sports club. It has one of the best driving range to date that I've been to! A wee bit ex but with it... thoroughly enjoyed my outing... although the same can't be said about he shots I was hitting... but we're still in early days... have the whole of Spring and Summer to work on it... :)) Great to be back on the greens!

Was at Mass y'day, it being Palm Sunday and thus the start of Holy Week.

Ohh yeah... the invasion of Iraq is almost over. They've moved so fast, we hear the new iraqi currency is also out. Not sure if thats what drove Baghdadi's run run amok and loot. Wonder whats with the desire for chairs??? Every looter never left a shop/house/museum/school/office without one. No WMD found todate but they did uncover Saddam's love shack? Bet ya Bush is dying with envy now! LOL!!!

2003-04-11T15:39:00.000-07:00

Golf season is now official! Yipee kayaee!!

Had an odd day at the office... everyone around me was extremely busy while i had next to nothing to do.. wasn't exactly sure what they were up to cause i have never seen them like this before. It was nice to just relax and observe folks going about their business though... it's indeed an amazing sight. Do remember the lad who kept getting calls from his wife and boss... at one stage he forgot to whom he was talking to and ended up "sweet talking" his boss... :D lol

The office Admin was sporting this oversized BlackHawk jersy... with a huge.. and i mean, HUGE logo of an Indian Chief.. turns out she forgot her laundry and resorted to wearing her son's clothes! Bet she was screaming TGIF this morning... which reminds me, need to collect quarters...

Got me tickets to Washington sorted! Yup... plannin to par-tay in da capitol for a bit... and meet Georgy and Rummy on the side. So heads up DC, here I come!!!

It is better to light a candle than curse at the darkness... :)

2003-04-10T15:36:00.000-07:00

"The game is over." Iraq's ambassador to the UN.

Excellent weather is here again!!! We're up in the 60s and it feels soooooooooooooooooooooooo gooooood!!

Had a lil fright this morning. As the doors of the lift were closing, some joker stuck a hand in to stop it from closing. Joe was a tad late though. But it was a scary moment... like something straight out of a horror flick.

Went through the pics I took the other day.... not too bad but it could've been better! Btw, point to note, always turn the date option off!!! Can't wait for the colours of Spring to kick in.

Someone asked me how come I never comment on the clubs and comedy bars I frequent... good point! Shall do that from... well, next week onwards...... only on the shows that is... everything else would most def have to be censored. Don't blame me... am just following rules laid down by our beloved Information Ministry... :))

We all knew the outcome.. although many didn't expect it to end quite as fast. Baghdad is now plague with instability while the war goes on up north. Hope the situation is brought under control soon. Skippy Regiment is still missing though!!! Wonder if Akhmed the Camel and Skippy are out par-tay-ing in the desert.

What happened to the "feared" Republican Guard divisions?? Weren't there suppose to be 5 of it?? No bodies, destroyed equipments, mass surrenders, etc that would normally signal he demise of such a force? Talking of missing elements, the odds of WMD "surfacing" is now 4-1 in the coffee room.... any takers?

Yikes! Now we're told SARS may be here to stay!!! Can't we get our bomoh's, ayurvedic and chinese traditional lads to have a go at it then? Ya never know... stranger things have happened...

2003-04-08T14:48:00.000-07:00

Everyone who has ever taken a shower has had an idea. It's the person who gets out of the shower, dries off, and does something about it that makes a difference. :)

Hola!! Took a break and decided to actually do something worthwhile at the office, hence moi absence for a few days. The Yanks and Pommies are still bombing Baghdad.. actually they're already in the city.. btw, has anyone seen the Skippy Regiment? Must've gone missing in the desert. U know what amazes me in this war - Iraqs Information Minister's outrageous claims. Is this guy serious or what??? Even with Marines dancing in the background he'd claim "the invading infidels are bathing in their blood and being defeated"!! Wonder which hole they dug him out from?

SARS is still a major concern and now more countries are joining this sad "coalition of the unfortunate". Now we hear it could be spread by cockroaches - guess we'll have arm ourselfs with Bygon!

Ohh hold on..... Man U 4 Scousers 0?? How I wished to have seem this match live! It took time, but about time footballs greatest wrong was put right! Wonder whats L'pools excuse is this time?? They ALWAYS have excuses! Blimy... whats this coming through the wires.... Real Madrid have suckered Utd at the Bernabeu! What a waste to a good run in the CL!

So someone has finally got the guts to say Tamil schools should be shutdown. About time! We should close ALL vernacular schools and adopt either the British GCSE/A'Levels or the French Baccalaureate system... whichever... anything is better than our current education system! All this talk about cultural heritage is hogwash... the country is more polarized today than ever! About time we standardized everything with no preference to any race. Jaffar Onn got it spot on when he said "Biar mati adat, jangan mati anak!!!" When will people realize the needs of a Nation far outweighs the needs of a single race!

Just a thought, since the main gripe amongst many is that vernacular schools are needed to maintain their cultural heritage, are they implying that the Indians and Chinese in UK, France, Canada and US are not as good a Indian or Chinese as they are? Remember Darwin's theory.... you either adapt with your environment, or you become insignificant and perish.. the choice is yours... tres simple! :)

2003-04-02T16:12:00.000-08:00

Creativity is allowing oneself to make mistakes, Art is knowing which ones to keep - Scott Adams

Started on my new paper this afternoon... not too bad.. a single page for an entire afternoon's effort!! Isn't it strange how easy idea's form but when it comes to transforming them to words, its another ball game all togather! Usually its not this bad... think the lack of caffine has had an effect.

WHO issued a travel advisory to China and HK due to SARS. First time it has done so. The Health ministry seems to have realised their folly and admitted we do have some suspected SARS case afterall.
Hmm... on the whole, apart from the Yanks pushing for Baghdad, its been pretty quiet today.

About time ing-ger-land put in a good performance! However it took the youngest chap on the field lead the way. Ohh well, lets just enjoy the moment! Good one lads!!!

2003-04-01T14:40:00.000-08:00

Freedom is not worth having if it does not connote freedom to err. It passes my comprehension how human beings, be they ever so experienced and able, can delight in depriving other human beings of that precious right

What a gorgeous day it is today! We're up in the 70's, birds are chirping, ducks qwaking and the air has the aroma of freshness... Aloha Spring!!!! Just hope it lasts...

Was at the Federal building downtown for my "date" with INS this morning. It turned out better than expected... There was the Anti-War protestors at the front entrance.... but they were well organised and extremely friendly... didn't have to step over anyone to get into the building as many had suggested I might have to. The interview itself took less than half the time compared to the previous occassion... it did look like they finally got a grip of what needs to be done - finally!!!!

Lets see, whats been happening lately, reports of civilians being killed in Iraq (duhhhhh!!!), on going battle in the media and on the battlefields thats inching closer to Baghdad, an American Airlines quarantined at San Jose Airport due to SARS and finally, some American's have come to realise that free trade may not be as good as its made out to be. Just another day....

Right after the Health Ministry annouced Malaysia SARS free, now we hear the Govt. order the press to keep a lid on any SARS-related death!
Just curious, if the disease could spread from China/HK to far ends of the planet i.e. to UK, Canada and the US, whats the chances of it not spreading to Malaysia, with both S'pore and Thailand reporting confirmed cases? Get real chaps, with thousands of commuters travelling between S'pore and JB daily, it'll be short of a miracle if no cases are reported.

Apple announced its pulling the plug on its iMac's.... hmmmm, hope they've got something to replace it... working on a Mac is an experiance indeed!! :)

2003-03-29T16:31:00.000-08:00

Hola! We're at the end of March, yet a dusting of snow the heavens bestowed onto us.... better snow flakes then missiles I guess!

Was following the news on FOX, NBC, CNN, MSNBC, C-SPAN and ABC. A common theme I noticed, was if the news is coming from the Pentagon or US Administration, its reported "as a matter of fact" but if it's from any other source i.e. Al-Jazeera, Iraqi TV, Reuters or even BBC, it's "claims", "alleged" or "unconfirmed" reports. Wasn't it the Pentagon who informed the world Umm Qasr was taken no less than 9 times!! Also, the number of "interviews" with POW family and Iraqi families living here has been on the rise... with some screening video footage of executions by Saddam's regime... aren't we close to playing up local sentiment to gain support? Its fine by me, but don't take a cheap shot at Al Jazeera for doing exactly the same thing.

The Basra uprising appear to be incorrect. Here's an account by a Reuters reporter who managed to get into the city. And the push for Baghdad goes on.

The anti-war demonstration in KL went bad with tear gas being fired and a few arrested... not sure why though. Check this out, Suhakam is "now ready to help provide education in human rights values for the police force". So, they finally admit our men in blue lack these values??

When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.

2003-03-28T15:42:00.000-08:00

Just a thought, if email had been around before the telephone was invented, would people have said, "Hey, forget email! With this new telephone invention I can actually talk to people!" :)

What a lousy day it has been... horrid weather coupled with a painstakingly slow day at the office. Looking at the outlook for the weekend, suggests a trip to Barnes & Noble is in order.

Now we're hearing a different story from the frontlines. It should've been expected after all but its not everyday you hear a Marine being let down by his Govt! Maybe the additional 120,000 troops would help boost troops morale.

Notice how quick the media pundits are already analyzing what the US needs to do to "get back on track". Here's a couple by Gordon and Kristof.

"We're getting more truth out of Baghdad than the Pentagon at the moment. Not because Baghdad is putting out pure and morally correct information but because they're less savvy about it" - BBC chiefs... just think all journalist, embedded or otherwise, need to be more patient and not let the moment get to them... i know, easier said than done..

We knew it would happen... just not this fast! Tension between the Brits and Yanks on how best to manage Umm Qasr's port. This may sound minor but it just underlines what many in UK fear.

While the Iraqi's are busy being bombed, KL seems rather concerned... about their Proton contract that is! Wish Suhakam is more serious looking into local issue's before going "global". How about cleaning our backyard first before venturing elsewhere lads?

I really hope they get this SARS thingy sorted... with S'pore taking steps to quarantine more than 1,500 one would hope our health joe's don't turn this into another dengue fiasco.

2003-03-27T15:57:00.000-08:00

Was hoping to have a stint at the driving range this morning but the weather Gods decided we had had too much sunshine... well, 3 days of sunshine in Spring is unheard of in this parts of the globe... Thought since I'm up, a sumptuous b'fast would be a good change. Imagine the shock I had in finding my pots and pan missing!! Despite a mini "search and rescue operation", no pots turned up! Great start to the day! At least things in the office weren't all that bleak... till the guy in the next cubicle decided it was time for his dinner... the last time I heard anyone slurp that loud was back in Tokyo, where I was told its customary to do so. Yeeeeeeesshhhhh!!!

Seems UMNO Youth is one reliable group... they never fail to "entertain" us! Theres never a dull moment where these guys are concerned... :) And just when you thought the Indian IT issue was over and done with, we have good 'ol Zainal to pour scorn over it. Maybe Cox & Kings should've waited a wee bit longer....

Ahh yes... pool time!!!

2003-03-27T13:18:00.000-08:00

The "first casualty of war is truth", so the saying goes. There's a new term making rounds, "fog of war", to illustrate the blurred lines created between fact and propaganda daily. Btw, here's a clear indication of what's to come the longer this war goes on.

The first real battle in this war is set to take place anytime now... hoping the allied force's will over run the Republican Guards fast and swift. Not that I approve of the war, but the faster it is done with, the sooner the war ends. Mark Bowden suggests the outcome of the battle for Baghdad will depend largely on how the people of Baghdad react.

Apart from supplying Saddam with arms and chemical agents in the 80's, the American's also presented him with the "Key to Detroit".

Hmmmmmm..... not to be undermined by her cousins "american taliban", the Brits can now boast of their very own "brittish fedayeen"! Apparently he speaks with an Mancunian accent... wonder if he's a ManU fan?

Baghdad hasn't been taken but guess what, there's already talk of exporting Iraqi oil!! Lets see, in Bush's speech to the nation, the first thing he said of the war, "..to secure our nations resource...", the first message to the Iraqi's ppl: "...don't burn your oil wells...", and the first "military objective": "..secure the oil fields in the South...". This War is not about Oil.. yeah right!

In all this, the Indians and Pakistani missile test was hardly mentioned and dear me, US actions broke WTO rules... u see a pattern?

2003-03-26T16:39:00.000-08:00

The denouncement of Iraqi's violating the Geneva Convention by the US is a classic tale of the pot calling the kettle black! First its the POW case, now Iraq TV was taken out. The justification - it is part of Saddam's "command and control".... but many in the press disagree. On the POW coverage, here's something worth mentioning - Guantanamo and Afghanistan! Depleted Uranium... now which army is using that again??? It'll do history justice in calling this the "War of Double Standards".

Btw, NYSE can't handle too many journalist apparently, so it kicked out the Al-Jazeera's crew. Coincidence?

While there's talk of high risks in taking Baghdad, others beg to differ. Apparently the city is not well suited for urban warfare. And if you're interested to know if the allied forces are winning, Thomas Friedman has suggested a scorecard you could use to keep tabs.

Last night, ABC reported that 2 Abrams tank and a Bradley's fighting vehicle were taken out by the Iraqi's. It marks the first time the formidable tank been destroyed in combat. Can't seem to find any links of this on the Net as yet. Hmmmmmmmmm

So, how is the war going? Here's two versions, A and B, both seem a good read.

2003-03-26T13:24:00.000-08:00

Heres something fresh on the home front. A recent survey found many Malaysians only pay lip-service when it comes to the environment. According to this Star article, while 90% of Malaysians say the environment tops their list of concerns, only 30% make any effort to conserve it!

Face it, many Malaysians are inhibited with the "tidak apa" and "don't shake the boat" attitude as long as their "little comforts in life" are not in jeopardy. It's plain to see everywhere from our workplace to politics to the mamak stalls. Think it was Franklin who said "They that can give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty or safety".

Am not sure if I should laugh or be worried at the conclusion drawn here. Gezzzz.. wonder if the Indian IT workers feel much better?

2003-03-26T12:53:00.000-08:00

"Decapitate" literally means to "cut the head off" to many of us, however in the US, its commonly used as "to remove summarily from office". Whatever context it is used it, its seems more like a politically correct was to say "assassinate". Its like a mafia-hit... Godfather in his plush mansion orders the "whacking", his thugs on the streets (read battleships at the Persian Gulf), uses his sniper rifle (read tomahawk missiles) to carry out the order. Sounds like someone in the White House has been watching one too many episodes of Sopranos. Is there no honour left in the military? So much for the land of the brave. Wonder what McArthur and Patton would've said of this cowardice act.

2003-03-26T09:18:00.000-08:00

"The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his." General George Patton.

Into Day 8 of the war in Iraq and one wonders, with the above well etched in the minds of the hundreds of thousands of troops, why the sudden shock hearing news of casualties from the battlefields on the American shores.

Maybe some of them need to be reminded that they brought this war onto the Iraqi's. Any decent patriot would defend his country againts any form of intrusion - no matter how its disguised as.