It may be an old article but certainly timeless...Tuesday, 11 October 2011
Mid Week Rambles II - continued
As I drove home the other day after posting the Mid Week Rambles II, I discovered that there are several more to be added to the list:
11) Why does the fast lane tend to be the slowest to move?
12) Why does a motorcyclist need to occupy the middle of the road when they're already "invading" the entire stretch in between cars making it impossible to change lanes (refer to the earlier comment in II)?
13) Why do people slow down to look at what they thought was an "accident" only to discover it's a car / lorry that has broken down so speed off disappointed, but in the process had caused / left behind a 5km crawl behind him / her?
14) Why do we have people who drive at 1st lane speed but occupying the fast lane, causing the 1st & 2nd lane to move faster than the 3rd lane (I may have answered #11 :-p)?
15) Why do I get the stink eye / "royal salute" finger / a kick at my boot when I have given ample signal that I'd want to turn & the only inconvenience to the motorcyclist was the fact that he / she had to slow down?
16) Imagine coming out of a junction to a main road where the crawl started even before the junction, am I supposed to drive opposite direction to get to the back of the line so as not to cut que? That's ridiculous right? Yet I get the same stink eye / "royal salute" / much blinding flashing of headlights, but this time from car owners. "Pardon me, I don't intend to cut que, but I really was coming out from that junction over there!"
It's things like this that makes me want to work from home more often...
11) Why does the fast lane tend to be the slowest to move?
12) Why does a motorcyclist need to occupy the middle of the road when they're already "invading" the entire stretch in between cars making it impossible to change lanes (refer to the earlier comment in II)?
13) Why do people slow down to look at what they thought was an "accident" only to discover it's a car / lorry that has broken down so speed off disappointed, but in the process had caused / left behind a 5km crawl behind him / her?
14) Why do we have people who drive at 1st lane speed but occupying the fast lane, causing the 1st & 2nd lane to move faster than the 3rd lane (I may have answered #11 :-p)?
15) Why do I get the stink eye / "royal salute" finger / a kick at my boot when I have given ample signal that I'd want to turn & the only inconvenience to the motorcyclist was the fact that he / she had to slow down?
16) Imagine coming out of a junction to a main road where the crawl started even before the junction, am I supposed to drive opposite direction to get to the back of the line so as not to cut que? That's ridiculous right? Yet I get the same stink eye / "royal salute" / much blinding flashing of headlights, but this time from car owners. "Pardon me, I don't intend to cut que, but I really was coming out from that junction over there!"
It's things like this that makes me want to work from home more often...
Wednesday, 5 October 2011
Mid Week Rambles II
I was just thinking to myself this morning that I really need to post some comments on road etiquette in Malaysia (or KL specifically) but never got around to doing it. What better time to do it if not now while I'm waiting for the cumbersome processes do its work.
Some of my observations of KL's roads & its many users:
1) notice tht when it's gridlock jam, the emergency lanes just disappears?
2) the jam escalates to a standstill because people jump que via the emergency lane
3) when faced with a 3-lane road where 1-lane is to turn out (& is jam packed at the moment) while the other 2-lanes are to continue straight (with no traffic beyond the fork), all 3 lanes will be on gridlock because motorists use the 2nd & 3rd lane to jump que into the 1-lane. So despite having dual carriageway to handle the massive traffic flow, it's still of no use because it's being exploited by the inconsiderate few (or rather, many...).
4) the motorcycles are not on the inner lanes but in between cars of a 2-3 carriageway & there were a constant stream of them that despite putting on corner lights, you'll still get honked. So in the end you're confined to the lane that you got yourself in until you come to the junction that you absolutely need to turn. Then how? Turn very slowly & risk getting honked by the motorcyclists + the cars behind you + the cars at the junction where you want to turn in to.
5) you'll need to watch out for the safety of the motorcyclist. Their safety is YOUR responsibility, not theirs. If the motorcyclist suddenly swerve out of a junction into your path, it's YOUR responsibility to slam on the emergency brakes & risk getting hit by the car behind you. If the motorcyclist overtakes dangerously close to your car, it's YOUR responsibility to swerve as well to avoid them (but at the risk of driving into the car on the lane next to you).
6) Yet, if a motorcyclist were to fall near you within 50m radius - BEWARE! the blame will be on you. Despite stopping in time, the fingers will immediately point to the car nearest to the fallen motorcyclist because it's always assumed that the big motorist always "bully" the smaller motorist. Err... Who's the bigger bully here (refer to 5)?
7) Despite having Puspakom checking our lorries & trucks & buses, we still hear a lot of traffic reports over the radio that announced "a stalled trailer is currently obstructing traffic on xyz road" / "if you're coming from abc, pls be aware that there's a stalled bus on your right lane....". I'm not accusing / claiming anything... I'm just stating the obvious. If someone "tasted" the heat / spice, well it must have came from somewhere... **wink**
8) When a motorist spots a traffic police, the speed will suddenly reduce from 180km/hr to 18km/hr; resulting in a massive crawl 10km away at the back. Why bother slowing down in front of him. If indeed it's a speed trap, slowing down will not change the result - you're still getting that ticket... (or... **wink** I didn't say anything...)
9) Potholes the size of a sinkhole! How can the road ever qualify being a KL road if there aren't any! My suspension suffers
10) Heaven forbid if there's a night market nearby! Double & triple park is legal, as long as there's still 1-lane left for the motorist to move... it's fine to continue encroaching the main roads.
Well, I've finally got all of the road frustrations off my chest... night night...
psst... & I finally get to finish work & leave! Hurrah!
Now to face the dreaded traffic I listed earlier.... sigh...
Some of my observations of KL's roads & its many users:
1) notice tht when it's gridlock jam, the emergency lanes just disappears?
2) the jam escalates to a standstill because people jump que via the emergency lane
3) when faced with a 3-lane road where 1-lane is to turn out (& is jam packed at the moment) while the other 2-lanes are to continue straight (with no traffic beyond the fork), all 3 lanes will be on gridlock because motorists use the 2nd & 3rd lane to jump que into the 1-lane. So despite having dual carriageway to handle the massive traffic flow, it's still of no use because it's being exploited by the inconsiderate few (or rather, many...).
4) the motorcycles are not on the inner lanes but in between cars of a 2-3 carriageway & there were a constant stream of them that despite putting on corner lights, you'll still get honked. So in the end you're confined to the lane that you got yourself in until you come to the junction that you absolutely need to turn. Then how? Turn very slowly & risk getting honked by the motorcyclists + the cars behind you + the cars at the junction where you want to turn in to.
5) you'll need to watch out for the safety of the motorcyclist. Their safety is YOUR responsibility, not theirs. If the motorcyclist suddenly swerve out of a junction into your path, it's YOUR responsibility to slam on the emergency brakes & risk getting hit by the car behind you. If the motorcyclist overtakes dangerously close to your car, it's YOUR responsibility to swerve as well to avoid them (but at the risk of driving into the car on the lane next to you).
6) Yet, if a motorcyclist were to fall near you within 50m radius - BEWARE! the blame will be on you. Despite stopping in time, the fingers will immediately point to the car nearest to the fallen motorcyclist because it's always assumed that the big motorist always "bully" the smaller motorist. Err... Who's the bigger bully here (refer to 5)?
7) Despite having Puspakom checking our lorries & trucks & buses, we still hear a lot of traffic reports over the radio that announced "a stalled trailer is currently obstructing traffic on xyz road" / "if you're coming from abc, pls be aware that there's a stalled bus on your right lane....". I'm not accusing / claiming anything... I'm just stating the obvious. If someone "tasted" the heat / spice, well it must have came from somewhere... **wink**
8) When a motorist spots a traffic police, the speed will suddenly reduce from 180km/hr to 18km/hr; resulting in a massive crawl 10km away at the back. Why bother slowing down in front of him. If indeed it's a speed trap, slowing down will not change the result - you're still getting that ticket... (or... **wink** I didn't say anything...)
9) Potholes the size of a sinkhole! How can the road ever qualify being a KL road if there aren't any! My suspension suffers
10) Heaven forbid if there's a night market nearby! Double & triple park is legal, as long as there's still 1-lane left for the motorist to move... it's fine to continue encroaching the main roads.
Well, I've finally got all of the road frustrations off my chest... night night...
psst... & I finally get to finish work & leave! Hurrah!
Now to face the dreaded traffic I listed earlier.... sigh...
Squeeze it!
Oh Gosh! This is just too funny not to be shared (not to mention a good de-stresser from work... hmm... there's still 3 people around me... what's wrong with these people!)
Mid Week Rambles
It's one of those days when you thought things are going surprisingly smooth & that maybe... just maybe, you can go home early... and suddenly... WHAM... "disaster" strikes and you need to go on a frenzy to tie everything up before the day ends. Dateline is today (be it now / 12midnight, it doesn't matter - but today)
That day is today.
It's past 6pm and I'm still waiting for one person down the chain to get something completed before I can activate the next action to be completed by another person at the other end of the chain... At this rate, am not sure when I can get home! *sigh*
Strange that a few years back I wouldn't have complained & worked till midnight if I have to. The baby really changed me. Now I'm not sure if I can get back to my old self of putting all in for work & dateline...
But hey... I'm still doing it now, so I guess it's a given. The difference is the willingness (& the amount of grumbling at the background... :-p)
That day is today.
It's past 6pm and I'm still waiting for one person down the chain to get something completed before I can activate the next action to be completed by another person at the other end of the chain... At this rate, am not sure when I can get home! *sigh*
Strange that a few years back I wouldn't have complained & worked till midnight if I have to. The baby really changed me. Now I'm not sure if I can get back to my old self of putting all in for work & dateline...
But hey... I'm still doing it now, so I guess it's a given. The difference is the willingness (& the amount of grumbling at the background... :-p)
Monday, 5 September 2011
Shortest speech by CEO of Coca-Cola
I'm sure this has been circulated in the web quite extensively, but I though it's good to have a constant reminder - & what better way than to immortalize it in my blog... :-)
At the same time, I received another quote on value:
"An economist is someone who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing" - Oscar Wilde -
I'm an economist - so what does that make me?
Friday, 2 September 2011
Satire - When China's President visits USA
I received this really funny comic satire on US's debt situation. It's actually quite bad considering it could be us next! Malaysia's debt is so high that my son will be working till old age & yet will not be able to pay that debt the government seem to be putting us in. Why should it matter to them when their children are already PRs of other countries. Sigh...
There's more. Check out at : http://www.fropki.com/obama-vt43507.html
Wise words from the Dalai Lama
A question was posed to Dalai Lama:
"What is the thing about humanity that surprises you the most?"
His answer was as follows:
"Man" - Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money.
Then he sacrifices his money to recuperate his health.
And then he is so anxious about the future that he doesn't enjoy the present,
And as a result he doesn't live in the present or the future.
And he lives as if he's never going to die, and then he dies having never really lived.”
有人向达赖喇嘛提出问题：关于人性，最让您感到惊讶的是什么？他回答：人类，为了赚钱，他牺牲健康。为了修复身体，他牺牲钱财。然后，因担心未来，他无法享受现在。就这样，他无法活在当下。活着时，他忘了生命是短暂的。死时，他才发现他未曾好好地活着。
"What is the thing about humanity that surprises you the most?"
His answer was as follows:
"Man" - Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money.
Then he sacrifices his money to recuperate his health.
And then he is so anxious about the future that he doesn't enjoy the present,
And as a result he doesn't live in the present or the future.
And he lives as if he's never going to die, and then he dies having never really lived.”
有人向达赖喇嘛提出问题：关于人性，最让您感到惊讶的是什么？他回答：人类，为了赚钱，他牺牲健康。为了修复身体，他牺牲钱财。然后，因担心未来，他无法享受现在。就这样，他无法活在当下。活着时，他忘了生命是短暂的。死时，他才发现他未曾好好地活着。
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