I love a good historical fiction. Geography is not a matter. It can be England, Egypt, Greece, Rome, China, Tibet or Timbuktu, if it's a good blend of real historical figures with fictitious plots or storyline (closely linked to true historical events) or behind the scenes of the events. I'm a sucker for it if it fulfills that criteria.
Let's just say that this book fulfills all the above expectations and more.
I've read and heard a lot about the Last Empress. More often than not, in bad light. She's always that "Dragon Lady" who's nasty to her subjects, heartless on the account of how she manages the "love life" of the emperor, her "son" and her penchant for draining national resources on frivolous projects without a care.
This book however, gave me a totally different view of the Last Empress. Instead of "judging" her actions (as we mere mortals tend to do), the author managed to present possibilities that her various historically "evil" / poor decisions & actions may not be borne out of any malice! There are possibilities that she may be the victim of circumstances. The strong & resilient woman (at an age where women are seen as only good enough for breeding, mending & cooking) taking the blame for the fall of an ancient empire - regardless of the fact that the empire was already a very sick "dragon" by the time she came too power.
Historically, across the Globe, we're a race (& I mean the human race here) that tend to pass judgement & "assign" a scapegoat to any downfall. In this case, the person to take the blame & carry that "shame" for all eternity as part of records we call "history", just happens to conveniently be the Empress Orchid (Yehonala). No (or I should amend - to a lesser degree) blame was heaped on the emperor himself or the emperors before him (caveat: I must exclude Kang Xi & err... I can't remember the other great emperor; from the list), who did not have the foresight nor take the effort to keep up the ancient glory of China in comparison to the progress of the industrial revolution in the West.
This novel explores the various historical events including the infamous marble "entertainment boat" that was commisioned under the empress' name - and present a different view. The view of the empress herself. What if she did not commission that expensive & frivolous project? What if it was all an attempt of the court official's "smear" campaign to tarnish her name to hand-over the reins to the next of kin that they can better / easily manipulate? What if she's a victim - who's forced to take up the rein? What if the officials around her & court politics were so life threatening that she had to go along with some of the decisions put forth by some powerful ministers despite not being the best course of action? What if she truly wanted to bring in smart & fresh new blood as part of the advisory team within the ministries but were hampered by the traditional Manchu ministers who are unable to accept Hans among their midst? What if she very much wanted her son to take over the rein, but the rein was thrust back to her in pursuit of more "fun" endeavors like "accumulating" concubines?
Are we truly reading "history" and facts when we go through the various scribes of the period? It may very well be recorded based on the perception of the scribe / historian - not the actual dynamics behind that occured behind the scenes. If so, could we have "prosecuted" the Empress by our righteous judgement of her supposed actions?
Yea... amazing isn't it! I got all this from reading "fiction"! :)
Summary: I'm truly satisfied - both in entertainment & mental stimulation. Not for those who find history a bore & too tedious to recall the various characters that fleet through the various scenes. I must also warn that at times it's also very depressing (even for me, it got rather difficult to continue) - especially towards the end when losing is inevitable & just a matter of time.
I came across a quote once that "History is written by the victors". This piece of work indirectly demonstrated such possibility. She's in the losing team in this case - so are we reading records of the victor or hers? Points to Ponder.
Showing posts with label Miscellaneous Opinion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Miscellaneous Opinion. Show all posts
Thursday, 13 October 2011
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...
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
Friday, 11 December 2009
And They Wonder Why There's So Many Snatch Thieves Around.....
I was given the following statistic & was appaled by the was our resources are being distributed.... Take a look at the police force for example:
It's bad enough tht abt 38% of the total number of police belongs to the "management" group, we have another 33% in a section called "Internal Security"?!? and a further 7.44% in Special Branch who basically are also being used for the "Internal Security". We're then left with slightly less than 22% to manage traffic (logistics), get drugs off the street so tht our kids are safe from such vices, investigate death cases (**wink**) & of course the safety of the general public...
So, do we need to ask why crime is rising? Cut the economic crisis bullshit & sorry excuse tht "our statistics is actually not tht bad... Philippines / Thailand registers higher crime rates" (**rolls eyes**)...
Now I know how my tax monies are being spent... Not to protect me on the streets, in the car (yea... they've started to attack cars too)... but to protect the "government"; which is of course "for the general benefit of the people" to prevent "huru-hara" (sarcasm...)
It's bad enough tht abt 38% of the total number of police belongs to the "management" group, we have another 33% in a section called "Internal Security"?!? and a further 7.44% in Special Branch who basically are also being used for the "Internal Security". We're then left with slightly less than 22% to manage traffic (logistics), get drugs off the street so tht our kids are safe from such vices, investigate death cases (**wink**) & of course the safety of the general public...
So, do we need to ask why crime is rising? Cut the economic crisis bullshit & sorry excuse tht "our statistics is actually not tht bad... Philippines / Thailand registers higher crime rates" (**rolls eyes**)...
Now I know how my tax monies are being spent... Not to protect me on the streets, in the car (yea... they've started to attack cars too)... but to protect the "government"; which is of course "for the general benefit of the people" to prevent "huru-hara" (sarcasm...)
Wednesday, 28 October 2009
Proud to be a Penangite! :-)
Today I receive an interesting e-mail from a nice friend who remembered I was from Penang. The current government has done us (Malaysians) proud on an international scale! The article is as follows.
"Congratulation to all Penang People!!
While Pahang governed by Barisan Nasional for past 52 years is facing bankruptcy, Penang is praised by Global Anti-Corruption watchdog Transparency International for its anti corruptions efforts.
What makes Malaysia all of a sudden to be ranked on 47 out 180 countries?
Answer : The Malaysian People made the right choice by denying 2/3 majority enjoyed by Barisan Nasional all this years. Its a well check and balance by Pakatan on Barisan that led to this 47th position.
If Malaysians want to enjoy this, then you should know what to do in the next election!! Anyway congratulations to Pakatan led by DAP in Penang. In just 18 months CM Lim turned around Penang into corrupt free State. Shame on BN & ex-CM Dr Koh of Gerakan.
“RM 10 billion in losses from corruption per year is a huge sum and there must be greater commitment from the Federal government towards fighting corruption to ensure that 27 million Malaysians can benefit from this RM 10 billion dividend from successfully combating corruption.”
Global anti-corruption watchdog ranks Malaysia 47th least corrupt, praises Penang
By Lee Wei Lian
GEORGE TOWN, Sept 24 – Global corruption watchdog, Transparency International (TI), has ranked Malaysia as the 47th least corrupt nation in the world and commended the island state of Penang for its anti-corruption efforts.
Denmark, New Zealand and Sweden was listed by TI as the top three least corrupt countries as measured by the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), which ranks countries in terms of the degree to which businessmen and country analysts perceive corruption to exist among public officials and politicians. Singapore, Finland, Switzerland, Iceland, Netherlands, Australia and Canada rounded off the top least corrupt countries.
Malaysia came in 47th out of 180 countries in the index, tied with Hungary and Jordan.The CPI is part of TI’s Global Corruption Report (GCR) 2009 released yesterday.In its report on Malaysia, TI highlighted the Malaysian practice of the “revolving door” whereby individuals move from government to business, or business to politics, and back again, and estimated that corruption could cost Malaysia as much as RM10 billion a year.
“Significant government participation in the private sector and considerable business participation in politics means that the movement of gatekeepers to players and players to gatekeepers has a negative influence on the concept of checks and balances,” said TI. “The complexity of the relationships between politics and the public and private sectors means that corruption may take place with impunity. Until drastic action is taken to separate the cosy relationship between government, business and politics, the anti-corruption effort will remain no more than a token gesture,” said TI.
Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng says he is “humbled” by the recognition by TI and added that he was concerned over the fact that that corruption could cost Malaysia as much as RM10 billion a year – an amount equivalent to 1 or 2 per cent of GDP as pointed out by the GCR when it cited the findings of the special government business facilitation task force Pemudah and the World Bank.
Additional report contents that were of concern to Lim was Malaysia’s per capita spending of only RM5 on anti-corruption efforts and the fact that only about 10 per cent, or just 7,223 potential corruption cases, of the total 71,558 reported between 2000 and 2006 were investigated by the Anti Corruption Agency, the precursor of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, with a conviction rate of less than one percent. “The GCR 2009 concluded that this illustration of the Malaysian government’s inaction in the light of the serious corruption allegations, along with its seeming inability to catch the big fish instead focusing on the ‘small fry’, suggests that what anti-corruption efforts exist are mere tokens,” said Lim.
“RM 10 billion in losses from corruption per year is a huge sum and there must be greater commitment from the Federal government towards fighting corruption to ensure that 27 million Malaysians can benefit from this RM 10 billion dividend from successfully combating corruption.”
Lim also today announced that the state has managed to cut about RM36 million or 12 per cent of in operating expenditure this year due to its efforts to curb corruption.“Transparency International’s recognition of anti-corruption efforts by the Penang state government through CAT (Competency Accountability And Transparency) governance is backed up by savings of nearly 12 per cent of the 2008 Penang state budget of RM 36 million from operating expenditure. This RM 36 million savings has allowed the state government to carry out social programs and implement its people-oriented government,” said Lim.
TI said that the Penang state is the first Malaysian state government to implement the open tender system for government procurement and contracts. It also recognised the state government’s directive barring administrators and state executive councillors from making any new land applications and efforts to attract professionals to serve on various boards, such as the Penang State Appeals Board.
“On behalf of the Penang state government, we feel humbled by the recognition given by a world renowned body such as Transparency International and would redouble efforts to ensure the anti-corruption reforms are institutionalized and ensure more professionals are appointed to key bodies. Fighting corruption generates savings for the people,” said Lim. He added that the two local authorities in Penang are expected to save another RM34 million over three years from a “transparent” negotiation over the price of solid waste disposal that reduced the rates agreed to by the previous Barisan Nasional administration by a further 42.4 per cent.
Lim said that the savings would go towards the state government’s “3E” programme to:
“enable” the people with skills and knowledge so that they have an equal opportunity to create wealth,
“empower” them with fundamental rights and basic freedoms, and
“enrich” the people by sharing wealth and economic benefits."
Well, finally! My 1 vote made a difference. Hope the next step - making Penang as economically competitive as we were 10-20years ago, will materialize. Penang used to be the Silicone Valley of the East & we're neck-to-neck with Singapore. Lately we have dropped off the radar in both industry & tourism. If Penang can get back on its feet in this area, I'm sure many professionals (me included) would return to the beloved island!
Naturally I don't expect the current Penang government to perform miracles in less than 5 years before the next GE. However I hope we can see at least some small results by then. Actions & results are stronger than words. If the people can see the visible difference in governance, even with less campaigns / talks, small budget tht can't afford lighted & blinking campaign signboards, flags tht got shredded - the truth will persist.
I'll end with my favourite quote by Mahatma Gandhi "I may look despicable, but when the truth shines through me, I am invincible!"
"Congratulation to all Penang People!!
While Pahang governed by Barisan Nasional for past 52 years is facing bankruptcy, Penang is praised by Global Anti-Corruption watchdog Transparency International for its anti corruptions efforts.
What makes Malaysia all of a sudden to be ranked on 47 out 180 countries?
Answer : The Malaysian People made the right choice by denying 2/3 majority enjoyed by Barisan Nasional all this years. Its a well check and balance by Pakatan on Barisan that led to this 47th position.
If Malaysians want to enjoy this, then you should know what to do in the next election!! Anyway congratulations to Pakatan led by DAP in Penang. In just 18 months CM Lim turned around Penang into corrupt free State. Shame on BN & ex-CM Dr Koh of Gerakan.
“RM 10 billion in losses from corruption per year is a huge sum and there must be greater commitment from the Federal government towards fighting corruption to ensure that 27 million Malaysians can benefit from this RM 10 billion dividend from successfully combating corruption.”
Global anti-corruption watchdog ranks Malaysia 47th least corrupt, praises Penang
By Lee Wei Lian
GEORGE TOWN, Sept 24 – Global corruption watchdog, Transparency International (TI), has ranked Malaysia as the 47th least corrupt nation in the world and commended the island state of Penang for its anti-corruption efforts.
Denmark, New Zealand and Sweden was listed by TI as the top three least corrupt countries as measured by the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), which ranks countries in terms of the degree to which businessmen and country analysts perceive corruption to exist among public officials and politicians. Singapore, Finland, Switzerland, Iceland, Netherlands, Australia and Canada rounded off the top least corrupt countries.
Malaysia came in 47th out of 180 countries in the index, tied with Hungary and Jordan.The CPI is part of TI’s Global Corruption Report (GCR) 2009 released yesterday.In its report on Malaysia, TI highlighted the Malaysian practice of the “revolving door” whereby individuals move from government to business, or business to politics, and back again, and estimated that corruption could cost Malaysia as much as RM10 billion a year.
“Significant government participation in the private sector and considerable business participation in politics means that the movement of gatekeepers to players and players to gatekeepers has a negative influence on the concept of checks and balances,” said TI. “The complexity of the relationships between politics and the public and private sectors means that corruption may take place with impunity. Until drastic action is taken to separate the cosy relationship between government, business and politics, the anti-corruption effort will remain no more than a token gesture,” said TI.
Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng says he is “humbled” by the recognition by TI and added that he was concerned over the fact that that corruption could cost Malaysia as much as RM10 billion a year – an amount equivalent to 1 or 2 per cent of GDP as pointed out by the GCR when it cited the findings of the special government business facilitation task force Pemudah and the World Bank.
Additional report contents that were of concern to Lim was Malaysia’s per capita spending of only RM5 on anti-corruption efforts and the fact that only about 10 per cent, or just 7,223 potential corruption cases, of the total 71,558 reported between 2000 and 2006 were investigated by the Anti Corruption Agency, the precursor of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, with a conviction rate of less than one percent. “The GCR 2009 concluded that this illustration of the Malaysian government’s inaction in the light of the serious corruption allegations, along with its seeming inability to catch the big fish instead focusing on the ‘small fry’, suggests that what anti-corruption efforts exist are mere tokens,” said Lim.
“RM 10 billion in losses from corruption per year is a huge sum and there must be greater commitment from the Federal government towards fighting corruption to ensure that 27 million Malaysians can benefit from this RM 10 billion dividend from successfully combating corruption.”
Lim also today announced that the state has managed to cut about RM36 million or 12 per cent of in operating expenditure this year due to its efforts to curb corruption.“Transparency International’s recognition of anti-corruption efforts by the Penang state government through CAT (Competency Accountability And Transparency) governance is backed up by savings of nearly 12 per cent of the 2008 Penang state budget of RM 36 million from operating expenditure. This RM 36 million savings has allowed the state government to carry out social programs and implement its people-oriented government,” said Lim.
TI said that the Penang state is the first Malaysian state government to implement the open tender system for government procurement and contracts. It also recognised the state government’s directive barring administrators and state executive councillors from making any new land applications and efforts to attract professionals to serve on various boards, such as the Penang State Appeals Board.
“On behalf of the Penang state government, we feel humbled by the recognition given by a world renowned body such as Transparency International and would redouble efforts to ensure the anti-corruption reforms are institutionalized and ensure more professionals are appointed to key bodies. Fighting corruption generates savings for the people,” said Lim. He added that the two local authorities in Penang are expected to save another RM34 million over three years from a “transparent” negotiation over the price of solid waste disposal that reduced the rates agreed to by the previous Barisan Nasional administration by a further 42.4 per cent.
Lim said that the savings would go towards the state government’s “3E” programme to:
“enable” the people with skills and knowledge so that they have an equal opportunity to create wealth,
“empower” them with fundamental rights and basic freedoms, and
“enrich” the people by sharing wealth and economic benefits."
Well, finally! My 1 vote made a difference. Hope the next step - making Penang as economically competitive as we were 10-20years ago, will materialize. Penang used to be the Silicone Valley of the East & we're neck-to-neck with Singapore. Lately we have dropped off the radar in both industry & tourism. If Penang can get back on its feet in this area, I'm sure many professionals (me included) would return to the beloved island!
Naturally I don't expect the current Penang government to perform miracles in less than 5 years before the next GE. However I hope we can see at least some small results by then. Actions & results are stronger than words. If the people can see the visible difference in governance, even with less campaigns / talks, small budget tht can't afford lighted & blinking campaign signboards, flags tht got shredded - the truth will persist.
I'll end with my favourite quote by Mahatma Gandhi "I may look despicable, but when the truth shines through me, I am invincible!"
Wednesday, 9 September 2009
09-09-09...... Radio Day?
It's 09-09-09 today..... I have a feeling I'll be seeing 10-10-10 very very soon.... Time really flies....
Oh & also just found out from the radio tht 09-09 is also declared as Radio Day. I was just telling my colleagues, I'm not surprise if there's Sushi Day, PS (Playstation) Day, Handbag Day etc... Soon we'll run out of the 365 dates / year to allocate the days after something... or maybe it's already fully taken up with some double / triple overlap too.
Should I declare 10-10 as Fern's Day! On tht day, everyone should be wearing nothing else but Ferns! haha.... Ok obviously my work is making me a bit crazy right now. I'll stop before I write any more silly stuff... :-p
Oh & also just found out from the radio tht 09-09 is also declared as Radio Day. I was just telling my colleagues, I'm not surprise if there's Sushi Day, PS (Playstation) Day, Handbag Day etc... Soon we'll run out of the 365 dates / year to allocate the days after something... or maybe it's already fully taken up with some double / triple overlap too.
Should I declare 10-10 as Fern's Day! On tht day, everyone should be wearing nothing else but Ferns! haha.... Ok obviously my work is making me a bit crazy right now. I'll stop before I write any more silly stuff... :-p
Tuesday, 25 August 2009
Packed Like....
I'm referring to the packed condition of our commuter. I know I know I've ranted enough on this topic, but just want to add another comment.
I was trying to come up with a term to describe a condition that is worse than the term "packed like canned sardines". I came up with the following... For those who often / had the misfortune to take our public transport at rush hour, namely the train... take your pick :
Packed like....canned tuna???
Packed like....canned anchovies???
Packed like....vacuum-packed sausages???
Packed like....the rubbish on dump-sites compressed by bulldozers.... :-p
I can just imagine some minister / official saying "You already know it's rush hour, don't travel at tht time lar!" (which was exactly the phrase used for a major public transport "melt-down" during some festivities some time back)
Well buster.... unlike you, who can probably move freely without time constraint, we have fixed office hours to adhere to. Even if we staggered the time we leave office, the trains are still packed between 5 - 8pm! So what you want us to do? Leave at 4pm (only ministerial position has tht luxury)? 10pm where the zombies come out & play (& we die of starvation / become obese fr late dinners)?
Sigh... I know I know... why bother ranting... Their skulls are too thick to penetrate & their bums too precious tht it has not graced the seats of public transports in M'sia (oh wait a minute... u mean there's seats?!? Oh can't see them amidst the throng of ppl).... :-p
I was trying to come up with a term to describe a condition that is worse than the term "packed like canned sardines". I came up with the following... For those who often / had the misfortune to take our public transport at rush hour, namely the train... take your pick :
Packed like....canned tuna???
Packed like....canned anchovies???
Packed like....vacuum-packed sausages???
Packed like....the rubbish on dump-sites compressed by bulldozers.... :-p
I can just imagine some minister / official saying "You already know it's rush hour, don't travel at tht time lar!" (which was exactly the phrase used for a major public transport "melt-down" during some festivities some time back)
Well buster.... unlike you, who can probably move freely without time constraint, we have fixed office hours to adhere to. Even if we staggered the time we leave office, the trains are still packed between 5 - 8pm! So what you want us to do? Leave at 4pm (only ministerial position has tht luxury)? 10pm where the zombies come out & play (& we die of starvation / become obese fr late dinners)?
Sigh... I know I know... why bother ranting... Their skulls are too thick to penetrate & their bums too precious tht it has not graced the seats of public transports in M'sia (oh wait a minute... u mean there's seats?!? Oh can't see them amidst the throng of ppl).... :-p
Wednesday, 29 July 2009
Choose your boss not your job
As much as possible I try not to resort to plagiarism, but this article written by a coleague (I don't know him, but it's posted on the internal web blog) that is too good not to be shared. I won't copy the whole article but I'll just pick a few key phrases / points on this topic :
A good boss will usually rescue a bad job. Think about it - is it in the interests of the boss to leave you, multitalented you, languishing in something that is not fulfilling or value adding? No. In most cases, you can do a deal to fix it.
And a bad boss will usually destroy a good job. Who gives you a mandate? Who do you stress about all the time? Who writes your staff report? Who fixes you up with later moves? Yes...choose badly and you are in big trouble, my friend.
If I think through my career, probably the single biggest determinant of whether I was happy, productive, developing or duly rewarded was the boss at the time.
Oh tht is so... so.... true! I can't agree more! A lousy boss can be a nightmare to work with (or for...) even if the job is easy-peasy, the stress generated from & by these lousy bosses is enough to make you go bonkers..... I had an occasion when I was seriously contemplating resigning, not because I can't handle the work load, but more because I can't handle the boss.
There was another occasion where the workload was just inhuman! Working fr 7.30am - 12midnight / even 2-3am! Skipping meals & stress eating etc... Yet, because I had a really nice boss, it made the work still bearable.
What do you think?
A good boss will usually rescue a bad job. Think about it - is it in the interests of the boss to leave you, multitalented you, languishing in something that is not fulfilling or value adding? No. In most cases, you can do a deal to fix it.
And a bad boss will usually destroy a good job. Who gives you a mandate? Who do you stress about all the time? Who writes your staff report? Who fixes you up with later moves? Yes...choose badly and you are in big trouble, my friend.
If I think through my career, probably the single biggest determinant of whether I was happy, productive, developing or duly rewarded was the boss at the time.
Oh tht is so... so.... true! I can't agree more! A lousy boss can be a nightmare to work with (or for...) even if the job is easy-peasy, the stress generated from & by these lousy bosses is enough to make you go bonkers..... I had an occasion when I was seriously contemplating resigning, not because I can't handle the work load, but more because I can't handle the boss.
There was another occasion where the workload was just inhuman! Working fr 7.30am - 12midnight / even 2-3am! Skipping meals & stress eating etc... Yet, because I had a really nice boss, it made the work still bearable.
What do you think?
Tuesday, 14 July 2009
Formula For Success - Rise Early, Work Hard & Strike Oil!
I open my blog this morning with this quote (forgot the name of the "quoter") & recall the conversation I had yesterday with my boss.
In this age & time, there is no such thing as Rise Early & Work Hard to get to the top. It's all:
- Work Smart
- Work Hard only for the "right" people
- Have the gift of a gab that can charm birds from trees
- Polish / suck-up / feign interests during conversations that doesn't entirely got anything to do with you / your work - you know wht I mean... It's called "Network" by the "sucker up-per"
You might be wondering how did this "ranting" come about. Well, recently I was invited to a dinner involving all the "big shots" - VP, VP-1, Finance Mgrs etc. I was told this is to give us "exposure" & "chance to network" / "give a good impression for future job movements". In this supposedly "crucial" event I did :
1. Pretty well - I spoke to the first person I met during the dinner & went on explaining about wht I do currently & even wht I did in my past assignments in the refinery. What I learnt along the way. Though need to brush up on my reply to the infamous "Where you see yourself 10-years from now?" question.
2. Stumble - because when someone asks me "Wht are you doing?" I misunderstood him & told him the department I was attached to, without elaborating further.
3. Soar - or at least I thought I hit the right note with my discussion / contribution to the topic of Brazil's "disastrous" fuel price de-regulation & how Malaysia is unlikely to experience that mess / how M'sia is different in negotiations / treatment of de-regulation plans / the political background behind such plans etc. I also brought in my experience when I was based at the refinery to talk about the supply end.
4. Be a good listener - even if they're bragging abt their new "expensive" hse, their nice "expat pool" in S'pore (I called d pool by tht name cos' only expats can afford their own private pool in crowded / expensive S'pore), their horses tht they ship from UK to S'pore... roll-eyes... Like I said earlier most of us had to feign interest cos' most of us can't even imagine, let alone afford tht kind of lifestyle. Wht inteligent conversation can we contribute to this, but listen?
On an overall, I thought I did quite well.
Until I was later advised by my boss (because aparently she got feedback for my less than lustre "performance") that it's perceived as I'm a person who's too quiet, has no potential to move up the corp ladder & wonder why I was invited in tht dinner in the first place! My God! Just from my 1 lousy reply (refer to 2), I'm sentenced to Death Row! That was just harsh!
The guy who gave tht feedback to my boss (may I add tht it was done in front of the out-going & in-coming Finance Directors!!) was busy "sucking-up" to someone & fretting about the food quality of the dinner (cos' he's the organizer) tht he didn't even notice when I was conducting "inteligent" conversations (refer 1 & 3) & picked on the 1 freaking time I stumbled because he happen to be listening in.
In all fairness, my current boss was very nice. She didn't judge me / make me feel as if I was written-off. In fact she was sympathetic & empathize my situation (w/out even knowing abt 1 & 3). She just said, it's her responsibility then to ensure she develops me in this area. She even tried to console & tell me not to be de-motivated by all this. She's telling me this so tht I know & can work towards developing my networking skills.
I was really really thankful for that understanding. It's only after I left her room & the more I thought about it, the more angry / indignant I was with the "evaluation" I got fr tht guy. Bet he thought he was a saint tht didn't make ANY mistakes. Oh well.... at least this experience tells me that the Formula for Success is NOT brains / effort... It's our gab... (that also explains some of the lousy managers tht I can't figure out how they can climb so high - the power of suck-up!)
Bottomline. Agree I need to learn how to network properly BUT.... I will never ever stoop down to suck-up! Afterall, if you think about it... These ppl whom we're trying to "polish" are also employees... "Slave" to the company (albeit a highly paid 1), so there's nothing extra special to command tht respect (except those who earned it - like the dear Mike T. Then the conversations will be genuine - not suck-up materials).
In this age & time, there is no such thing as Rise Early & Work Hard to get to the top. It's all:
- Work Smart
- Work Hard only for the "right" people
- Have the gift of a gab that can charm birds from trees
- Polish / suck-up / feign interests during conversations that doesn't entirely got anything to do with you / your work - you know wht I mean... It's called "Network" by the "sucker up-per"
You might be wondering how did this "ranting" come about. Well, recently I was invited to a dinner involving all the "big shots" - VP, VP-1, Finance Mgrs etc. I was told this is to give us "exposure" & "chance to network" / "give a good impression for future job movements". In this supposedly "crucial" event I did :
1. Pretty well - I spoke to the first person I met during the dinner & went on explaining about wht I do currently & even wht I did in my past assignments in the refinery. What I learnt along the way. Though need to brush up on my reply to the infamous "Where you see yourself 10-years from now?" question.
2. Stumble - because when someone asks me "Wht are you doing?" I misunderstood him & told him the department I was attached to, without elaborating further.
3. Soar - or at least I thought I hit the right note with my discussion / contribution to the topic of Brazil's "disastrous" fuel price de-regulation & how Malaysia is unlikely to experience that mess / how M'sia is different in negotiations / treatment of de-regulation plans / the political background behind such plans etc. I also brought in my experience when I was based at the refinery to talk about the supply end.
4. Be a good listener - even if they're bragging abt their new "expensive" hse, their nice "expat pool" in S'pore (I called d pool by tht name cos' only expats can afford their own private pool in crowded / expensive S'pore), their horses tht they ship from UK to S'pore... roll-eyes... Like I said earlier most of us had to feign interest cos' most of us can't even imagine, let alone afford tht kind of lifestyle. Wht inteligent conversation can we contribute to this, but listen?
On an overall, I thought I did quite well.
Until I was later advised by my boss (because aparently she got feedback for my less than lustre "performance") that it's perceived as I'm a person who's too quiet, has no potential to move up the corp ladder & wonder why I was invited in tht dinner in the first place! My God! Just from my 1 lousy reply (refer to 2), I'm sentenced to Death Row! That was just harsh!
The guy who gave tht feedback to my boss (may I add tht it was done in front of the out-going & in-coming Finance Directors!!) was busy "sucking-up" to someone & fretting about the food quality of the dinner (cos' he's the organizer) tht he didn't even notice when I was conducting "inteligent" conversations (refer 1 & 3) & picked on the 1 freaking time I stumbled because he happen to be listening in.
In all fairness, my current boss was very nice. She didn't judge me / make me feel as if I was written-off. In fact she was sympathetic & empathize my situation (w/out even knowing abt 1 & 3). She just said, it's her responsibility then to ensure she develops me in this area. She even tried to console & tell me not to be de-motivated by all this. She's telling me this so tht I know & can work towards developing my networking skills.
I was really really thankful for that understanding. It's only after I left her room & the more I thought about it, the more angry / indignant I was with the "evaluation" I got fr tht guy. Bet he thought he was a saint tht didn't make ANY mistakes. Oh well.... at least this experience tells me that the Formula for Success is NOT brains / effort... It's our gab... (that also explains some of the lousy managers tht I can't figure out how they can climb so high - the power of suck-up!)
Bottomline. Agree I need to learn how to network properly BUT.... I will never ever stoop down to suck-up! Afterall, if you think about it... These ppl whom we're trying to "polish" are also employees... "Slave" to the company (albeit a highly paid 1), so there's nothing extra special to command tht respect (except those who earned it - like the dear Mike T. Then the conversations will be genuine - not suck-up materials).
Friday, 26 June 2009
The King of Pop Died!!!!
Unbelievable! The King of Pop Died! I mean the Legendary Michael Jackson! When I read it at 7am this morning, I thought it was an internet hoax (again.....)!
Like Ms. Storm said, she never expected to be able to see MJ die in our life-time.
I understand what she meant, cos' it's juzz beyond us to imagine tht a legend wud die (if at all), whatmore before us. Amazing tht he tried so hard / so many ways to remain youthful looking (like sleeping in a pure oxygen chamber - coffin like if u ask me), and yet died before actually turning old & wrinkly.
Call me sick lar... but am interested to know how he wants to be buried / cremated / hung over the clift of some Himalayan outcrop & left to "embalm" in the freezing weather / a huge musoleum with Terracotta figurines of Elizabeth Taylor (during her younger days) & his many "children".... I know... sorry... It was really nasty of me.... can't help it!
I used to like him a lot.... Beat It! Billy Jean! Thriller! etc... but post Blood on the Dance Floor..... errr.... let's just say his music & looks really veered off (actually looks wise, it veered off earlier... Still ok @ Thriller - dracula teeth & all). *I swear I'll be "visited" by him this evening if I continue on this "nasty" note.
Ms Storm also updated me tht Farah Fawcet died yesterday too... In her own words "what kind of crazy Thurs is tht huh?" Died of cancer after battling it for 2-years...
Wednesday, 17 June 2009
To LV or not to LV
The other day, my colleagues shared a gossip tht our team member bought an LV for his girlfriend (not even wife yet mind you.... girlfriend) tht costs RM4k! It was not even a handbag.... It was a purse & it's RM4k!!
Wahhhh!!!! No wonder LV can't go bankcrupt here! I remembered as I cross Bkt Bintang, I was commenting, how come this shop is still surviving.... got ppl buy meh so expensive? My question was answered by tht purchase.
Imagine, even avg income working class ppl like us are also buying LV, what more the really super rich ppl... So it sort of justified the continuous existence of LV in KL. Though, I think it can only survive in KL. Try putting it in Penang. The only customers they'll be seeing are the look-see-look-see variety.
Some asked whether as women I'm jealous tht I don't get such presents. However try as I may, I can't work up any jealousy... I'm happy with wht I have. I don't need an LV bag anyway. A nice bag in my favourite design is fine by me. A brandless calfskin handbag is also a luxury (minus an LV pricetag). Diamonds are even better (which I was so touched when hubby bought 2 in total since we got married). So wht is there to be jealous.
The only down side? Well, now whenever I'm undecided whether I should buy a Snowfly on 30% discount, nett at RM154... I find myself saying "Heck! What's RM154/pair of shoes (& comfy 1 too) when someone is splurging RM4k on a PURSE!". Thank goodness I only thought of tht after I left the shopping complex. If I thought of it right at the time I was window shopping... am just afraid I'll end up buying stuff from the boutiques at the Gardens (i.e. Banana Republic, Longchamp, Coach, Massimo Dutti etc)! It'll be a serious case of penny wise pound foolish when tht happens... There goes my dream bungalow home in Seremban 2 (but tht... is another story)...
Wahhhh!!!! No wonder LV can't go bankcrupt here! I remembered as I cross Bkt Bintang, I was commenting, how come this shop is still surviving.... got ppl buy meh so expensive? My question was answered by tht purchase.
Imagine, even avg income working class ppl like us are also buying LV, what more the really super rich ppl... So it sort of justified the continuous existence of LV in KL. Though, I think it can only survive in KL. Try putting it in Penang. The only customers they'll be seeing are the look-see-look-see variety.
Some asked whether as women I'm jealous tht I don't get such presents. However try as I may, I can't work up any jealousy... I'm happy with wht I have. I don't need an LV bag anyway. A nice bag in my favourite design is fine by me. A brandless calfskin handbag is also a luxury (minus an LV pricetag). Diamonds are even better (which I was so touched when hubby bought 2 in total since we got married). So wht is there to be jealous.
The only down side? Well, now whenever I'm undecided whether I should buy a Snowfly on 30% discount, nett at RM154... I find myself saying "Heck! What's RM154/pair of shoes (& comfy 1 too) when someone is splurging RM4k on a PURSE!". Thank goodness I only thought of tht after I left the shopping complex. If I thought of it right at the time I was window shopping... am just afraid I'll end up buying stuff from the boutiques at the Gardens (i.e. Banana Republic, Longchamp, Coach, Massimo Dutti etc)! It'll be a serious case of penny wise pound foolish when tht happens... There goes my dream bungalow home in Seremban 2 (but tht... is another story)...
Tuesday, 16 June 2009
Stuck in The Past at 30
Whenever people look at my CD collection or the songs tht I save in my MP3, the most common remark is - "Aiyo... You really stuck in the past lar"
But I can't help it.... I just love my
Whitney Houston
Celine Dion
Take That
Boyzone (I know.... Didie will say "Hah! Finally she admits Boyzone is good..." but... Didie u gotta understand... as much as I'm loyal to Take That, I'm selecting the best of several "evil" ppl call music nowadays)
Michael Bolton
Jerry Lee Lewis (I know... I know... some remarked with "huh? who?")
Dione Warwick (another "who?")
Boys II Men
and others seangkatan with them (i.e. I can accept new singers with the above type of music genre / style)
A friend tried to let me listen to Beyonce, Justin Timberlake (yuck! sorry Shree... didn't like your hearthrob), Bob Seger, Avril Lavigne, Jewel (I like....), Joss Stone & Juanes. Turned up with mixed feelings over it.... Liked some, hated some... oklar.... :-)
But I can't help it.... I just love my
Whitney Houston
Celine Dion
Take That
Boyzone (I know.... Didie will say "Hah! Finally she admits Boyzone is good..." but... Didie u gotta understand... as much as I'm loyal to Take That, I'm selecting the best of several "evil" ppl call music nowadays)
Michael Bolton
Jerry Lee Lewis (I know... I know... some remarked with "huh? who?")
Dione Warwick (another "who?")
Boys II Men
and others seangkatan with them (i.e. I can accept new singers with the above type of music genre / style)
A friend tried to let me listen to Beyonce, Justin Timberlake (yuck! sorry Shree... didn't like your hearthrob), Bob Seger, Avril Lavigne, Jewel (I like....), Joss Stone & Juanes. Turned up with mixed feelings over it.... Liked some, hated some... oklar.... :-)
Wednesday, 27 May 2009
KTMB - Best Operator?
Errr..... Am I the only one complaining about the komuter's services? Goodness! If the current service can earn the the best operator, I dare not imagine the worse alternative!
Granted, the timing has improved a lot. It's more punctual now / maybe they (the komuter management I mean) are clever enough not to display the timing at all. So you'll not know it's late. It's still far from being the best train operator though....
This evening for example witnesses the many areas tht needed improvement :
1) I missed 1 train because it's just too jammed pack with ppl
2) 2nd train came & I was practically "carried" into the train by the crowd of "over-eager" commuters. Can't blame them for their "Kiasu-ism" / lack of patience - if they miss this 1, tht would be another 20-30mins wait again. It's ok for someone who wants to go all the way to Seremban, but imagine waiting 20 + 20 + 20mins just to get to Midvalley; which is just 1 stop away?! And they wonder why the public prefers driving vs. public transport - isn't it obvious?
3) I saw a pregnant woman beside me & later cutting into my path of entry. She should be at least 6-mths pregnant & yet the ppl around her were not sensitive - probably from the fear of missing the train ride (ref to 2) - & the push continues... I was worried for her, so as much as possible I tried to be the shield to protect her, so tht she can enter without being crushed by the "mob".
4) I was holding on to a handle tht was installed on the side of the seat for standing passengers. When the train stopped at a particular station, there were a huge jostling as ppl tried to get out against the tide of ppl tht tried to cram in (they must have forgot their physics - for a certain mass to enter, the same quantity of mass needs to be dispersed... the infamous man in bath-tub will cause water equivalent to his mass to overflow... for 10ppl to get into a sardine packed train, 10ppl needs to get out! Jeezzz.....). Anyway, as a result, I was pushed against the seat with the handle rammed against my womb & practically turn my ovaries into crushed pulp! Worse, I can't even move to the seat tht was vacated right in front of me to reduce the pressure on my womb, because it was blocked by some kiasu intent on getting the seat. Hello!!! My poor ovaries needs a breather, just give me some space to ease the pressure first lar.... the kiasu can take the damn seat after tht lah!!! (Wonder what happens if the person is 2-3 mths pregnant! Tht poor babe would be "pushed" out prematurely)
I can continue, but why bother.... Best operator indeed... More trains plying the routes would help!
Granted, the timing has improved a lot. It's more punctual now / maybe they (the komuter management I mean) are clever enough not to display the timing at all. So you'll not know it's late. It's still far from being the best train operator though....
This evening for example witnesses the many areas tht needed improvement :
1) I missed 1 train because it's just too jammed pack with ppl
2) 2nd train came & I was practically "carried" into the train by the crowd of "over-eager" commuters. Can't blame them for their "Kiasu-ism" / lack of patience - if they miss this 1, tht would be another 20-30mins wait again. It's ok for someone who wants to go all the way to Seremban, but imagine waiting 20 + 20 + 20mins just to get to Midvalley; which is just 1 stop away?! And they wonder why the public prefers driving vs. public transport - isn't it obvious?
3) I saw a pregnant woman beside me & later cutting into my path of entry. She should be at least 6-mths pregnant & yet the ppl around her were not sensitive - probably from the fear of missing the train ride (ref to 2) - & the push continues... I was worried for her, so as much as possible I tried to be the shield to protect her, so tht she can enter without being crushed by the "mob".
4) I was holding on to a handle tht was installed on the side of the seat for standing passengers. When the train stopped at a particular station, there were a huge jostling as ppl tried to get out against the tide of ppl tht tried to cram in (they must have forgot their physics - for a certain mass to enter, the same quantity of mass needs to be dispersed... the infamous man in bath-tub will cause water equivalent to his mass to overflow... for 10ppl to get into a sardine packed train, 10ppl needs to get out! Jeezzz.....). Anyway, as a result, I was pushed against the seat with the handle rammed against my womb & practically turn my ovaries into crushed pulp! Worse, I can't even move to the seat tht was vacated right in front of me to reduce the pressure on my womb, because it was blocked by some kiasu intent on getting the seat. Hello!!! My poor ovaries needs a breather, just give me some space to ease the pressure first lar.... the kiasu can take the damn seat after tht lah!!! (Wonder what happens if the person is 2-3 mths pregnant! Tht poor babe would be "pushed" out prematurely)
I can continue, but why bother.... Best operator indeed... More trains plying the routes would help!
Thursday, 5 March 2009
Kevin Kern craze
A very nice, Single-&-Available, sweet guy friend / colleague (hint* hint* to my single gal friends out there!) forwarded me a Kevin Kern piano rendition titled "From The Day Forward". It's so soothing tht is just ebbs away my stresses. I even turned it on when I was in office & everyone around me was wondering if the company has started to play music over the PA system. Someone commented it is like hotel lobby music, but I love it anyway....
Am thinking of going out to get his album. Anyone knows if his album is any good / it's just a 1 song favourite & the rest are.... errr.... passable? Do tell if you know.
Dun mind if you have any other album to suggest too cos' now tht I drive, would be good to have some good music on for the ride to office & home. (Cos' if hubby drives, it'll alwiz be his choice of music 90% of the time :-p )
Am thinking of going out to get his album. Anyone knows if his album is any good / it's just a 1 song favourite & the rest are.... errr.... passable? Do tell if you know.
Dun mind if you have any other album to suggest too cos' now tht I drive, would be good to have some good music on for the ride to office & home. (Cos' if hubby drives, it'll alwiz be his choice of music 90% of the time :-p )
Monday, 23 February 2009
Legal Issue on Contract Law in Malaysia
Don't take my word for it because I also receive this info from someone else. However, if it is true, we can in fact take action for many poorly made 'Made In China' products (no offence. I admit there are many high quality Made in China products - I have a China branded DVD player tht lasted me for 6 years vs. a Sony tht lasted half of tht! But there are those tht were really poorly made).
This is something I like to share with you from one of my seminar recently. If you find this informative, pls circulate. It was conducted by A/P Catherine Tay on Legal issues in E-commerce.
One important thing on contract law with regards to any purchases: Notice that most of the time, the receipt/invoice you received from the merchant carries this exclusion clause or similarly worded statement: "Goods sold are not returnable" or "No refund once sold"
The thing that I have learnt from her is that : "As long as your goods is purchased for home use and not for business (ie.to be resold), the above exclusion clause is VOID. That means, as long as the good is defective, regardless of what is worded, you CAN get back all your money spent.
You do not have to accept a repair on the goods or an exchange. You CAN ask for a refund. AND you are LEGALLY right and entitled to. "What a relevation!! And most of the time the merchant will refuse to return you your money. Her advice? From her own experience (and no less than 7 and all successful!), she will threaten the merchant with four words: "SEE YOU IN COURT!" The court here refers to the Small Claims Tribunal Court. However, you don't have to tell them what court! All you have to pay is $10 admin fee and the loser (the merchant) will have to refund you the money PLUS the admin fee!
She shared this with us because she felt that even educated people are cowed by such unfair wordings (which include her jaded friends who are not lawyers).
Pls try not to let the merchant fleece you the next time you have a defective goods.
Wonder if I dare to say this or not... Nowadays, even when you tell people "See You In Court" they're not afraid... I had a remark once "If people can get away with murder, wht is this small matter - curi ayam (i.e. small) case lar...."
This is something I like to share with you from one of my seminar recently. If you find this informative, pls circulate. It was conducted by A/P Catherine Tay on Legal issues in E-commerce.
One important thing on contract law with regards to any purchases: Notice that most of the time, the receipt/invoice you received from the merchant carries this exclusion clause or similarly worded statement: "Goods sold are not returnable" or "No refund once sold"
The thing that I have learnt from her is that : "As long as your goods is purchased for home use and not for business (ie.to be resold), the above exclusion clause is VOID. That means, as long as the good is defective, regardless of what is worded, you CAN get back all your money spent.
You do not have to accept a repair on the goods or an exchange. You CAN ask for a refund. AND you are LEGALLY right and entitled to. "What a relevation!! And most of the time the merchant will refuse to return you your money. Her advice? From her own experience (and no less than 7 and all successful!), she will threaten the merchant with four words: "SEE YOU IN COURT!" The court here refers to the Small Claims Tribunal Court. However, you don't have to tell them what court! All you have to pay is $10 admin fee and the loser (the merchant) will have to refund you the money PLUS the admin fee!
She shared this with us because she felt that even educated people are cowed by such unfair wordings (which include her jaded friends who are not lawyers).
Pls try not to let the merchant fleece you the next time you have a defective goods.
Wonder if I dare to say this or not... Nowadays, even when you tell people "See You In Court" they're not afraid... I had a remark once "If people can get away with murder, wht is this small matter - curi ayam (i.e. small) case lar...."
Friday, 20 February 2009
Part II : Why Are There No Sitcoms on Accountants?!?
Auditor
From Uncyclopedia, the content-free encyclopedia.
Auditor, noun: an accountant with a grudge.
Contents
1 Life Cycle of an Auditor
2 Evolution of Auditors
3 Characteristics of Auditors
4 Auditors and Reproduction
5 Becoming an Auditor
1 Life Cycle of an Auditor
Auditors are a species of nomadic mammals, who came to Earth from the planet Debitor in the1960s. Auditors are paperivores, and hunt in packs, known as audit teams. Each audit team is part of a bigger tribe. There is much tribal rivalry and situations are subject to change as large tribesseek to exterminate one another, but at the time of going to press, the ruling tribe in the audit world was PWC (Pricks with Calculators).
An audit team typically changes its hunting ground every couple of weeks. Hunting grounds normally take the form of offices, but may also include factories, shops, schools and hyperspace. Any place of work is a potential source of nourishment to the paper-hungry auditor. All audit teams have a leader, who runs ahead of the pack in search of an audit trail. Should he find something suspicious, for example a file that has not been organized in alphabetical order, he will begin baying to attract the attention of the rest of the pack. Once the pack has a sniff of the scent, they are released upon the unsuspecting company, and tear around the offices of the internal accounts department, hunting out similar transgressions. When they find another offending item, they will let out a characteristic whoop of delight, and fall upon the filing cabinet, tearing the paperwork to shreds with their bare teeth in their eagerness to devour it.
Audit packs have their own dens, known as home offices. The pack visits the office on average once a month, in order to refuel on stationery. Auditors can survive several days and nights without water, sex or sunlight but are liable to fall seriously ill if deprived of paper clips and yellow post-its. These, along with Tippex, are considered special delicacies. Tippex is particularly high in nutrients,and swallowing a small bottle of correction fluid before breakfast is widely believed to have beneficial effects on an auditor's digestive system.
2 Evolution of Auditors
Among laypeople there is a common perception that auditors and accountants are the same thing. Until 4 January 1972, this may or may not have been true. Before this time accountants and auditorshad rested secure in the knowledge that debit was the side nearest the window. This is the firstcommandment of auditing, as given by Journalus Creditus and is believed by all auditors with adeep religious devotion. On this fateful day, however, Pricks with Calculators opened a brand spanking new den in the centre of London. Due to a tragic misunderstanding with the architect, a terrible mistake occurred; namely, that the building was constructed on a corner. The result was that the office now had windows on two walls. The accounting world was thrown into a dark and terrible confusion and a dreadful schism occurred. One group believed debit was the side nearest the window overlooking the high street, whilst the other could not be shaken from the conviction that it was the window overlooking the multi storey carpark. The matter was referred to an independent government committee, who eventually ruled that it was indeed the high street facing window. Those accountants who had believed in the multi-storey carpark were distraught and flew into a violent frenzy with much wailing and shredding of papers. They felt so embittered that they vowed never to perform any constructive book-keeping tasks again. Instead they swore to roam the earth in search of other people’s book-keeping mistakes, in an attempt to dull the pain of their own unforgivable error.
Initially they were content just to detail the errors in Audit Reports. The recession of the 1980s, however, meant times soon became lean and it was then that the custom of consuming erroneous paperwork was born.
3 Characteristics of Auditors
Whilst auditors come in both genders, males outnumber females in a ratio of 2:1. There is a good evolutional reason for this since the first thing a trainee auditor must master is the art of double entry. It is customary for large tribes of auditors such as Pricks With Calculators to send their new recruits on month-long residential courses to practice this useful skill. For obvious reasons of practicality, only one female auditor is required for every two men.
In general, the best time to spot an auditor is during the so-called Audit Season which runs from January to April. Auditors with their distinctive pin-stripe plumage will be present in large numbers in all major offices, factories and places of work. If you think you have seen an auditor, approach with caution. Avoid making eye contact, as this may be viewed as antagonistic. Should the auditor begin to behave aggressively towards you, asking what proportion of your contingent liabilities you consider probable, the best advice is to shout "Enron!" and run very fast in the opposite direction. This will make the auditor in question shrivel up and die.
4 Auditors and Reproduction
Stocktaking is a strange version of foreplay peculiar to auditors. The audit pack will arrive at an industrial site at 6am in the morning and demand to know how many widgets they have. The auditors will then spend many happy hours counting the widgets and comparing their results to the figures on the company stock system. The more unexpected discrepancies that they find, the more sexually aroused they become. If at the end of the day they conclude that the company has been overstating their widgets, they will spontaneously orgasm en masse and begin to practice their double-entry by way of celebration. It doesn’t have to be widgets; it could be grains of sand. So long as its something which there is absolutely no value in counting, it will do the trick.
5 Becoming an Auditor
In order to become an auditor, it is necessary to pass the initiation rites of the ICAEW. There is a common misconception amongst lay people that these initials stand for the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales. In fact, they represent the Institute of Calculator Addicts and Excel Worshippers. Trainee auditors spend many years at auditing colleges, where they study diverse subjects including BF (Better Filing), BM (Being Miserable) and FR (Finding Romance). In order to become officially qualified it is necessary to achieve a high pass in BF and BM combined with a bad fail in FR.
If reading this article has made you feel you would like to become an auditor, you are advised toseek immediate psychiatric help.
Retrieved from "http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/Auditor"
From Uncyclopedia, the content-free encyclopedia.
Auditor, noun: an accountant with a grudge.
Contents
1 Life Cycle of an Auditor
2 Evolution of Auditors
3 Characteristics of Auditors
4 Auditors and Reproduction
5 Becoming an Auditor
1 Life Cycle of an Auditor
Auditors are a species of nomadic mammals, who came to Earth from the planet Debitor in the1960s. Auditors are paperivores, and hunt in packs, known as audit teams. Each audit team is part of a bigger tribe. There is much tribal rivalry and situations are subject to change as large tribesseek to exterminate one another, but at the time of going to press, the ruling tribe in the audit world was PWC (Pricks with Calculators).
An audit team typically changes its hunting ground every couple of weeks. Hunting grounds normally take the form of offices, but may also include factories, shops, schools and hyperspace. Any place of work is a potential source of nourishment to the paper-hungry auditor. All audit teams have a leader, who runs ahead of the pack in search of an audit trail. Should he find something suspicious, for example a file that has not been organized in alphabetical order, he will begin baying to attract the attention of the rest of the pack. Once the pack has a sniff of the scent, they are released upon the unsuspecting company, and tear around the offices of the internal accounts department, hunting out similar transgressions. When they find another offending item, they will let out a characteristic whoop of delight, and fall upon the filing cabinet, tearing the paperwork to shreds with their bare teeth in their eagerness to devour it.
Audit packs have their own dens, known as home offices. The pack visits the office on average once a month, in order to refuel on stationery. Auditors can survive several days and nights without water, sex or sunlight but are liable to fall seriously ill if deprived of paper clips and yellow post-its. These, along with Tippex, are considered special delicacies. Tippex is particularly high in nutrients,and swallowing a small bottle of correction fluid before breakfast is widely believed to have beneficial effects on an auditor's digestive system.
2 Evolution of Auditors
Among laypeople there is a common perception that auditors and accountants are the same thing. Until 4 January 1972, this may or may not have been true. Before this time accountants and auditorshad rested secure in the knowledge that debit was the side nearest the window. This is the firstcommandment of auditing, as given by Journalus Creditus and is believed by all auditors with adeep religious devotion. On this fateful day, however, Pricks with Calculators opened a brand spanking new den in the centre of London. Due to a tragic misunderstanding with the architect, a terrible mistake occurred; namely, that the building was constructed on a corner. The result was that the office now had windows on two walls. The accounting world was thrown into a dark and terrible confusion and a dreadful schism occurred. One group believed debit was the side nearest the window overlooking the high street, whilst the other could not be shaken from the conviction that it was the window overlooking the multi storey carpark. The matter was referred to an independent government committee, who eventually ruled that it was indeed the high street facing window. Those accountants who had believed in the multi-storey carpark were distraught and flew into a violent frenzy with much wailing and shredding of papers. They felt so embittered that they vowed never to perform any constructive book-keeping tasks again. Instead they swore to roam the earth in search of other people’s book-keeping mistakes, in an attempt to dull the pain of their own unforgivable error.
Initially they were content just to detail the errors in Audit Reports. The recession of the 1980s, however, meant times soon became lean and it was then that the custom of consuming erroneous paperwork was born.
3 Characteristics of Auditors
Whilst auditors come in both genders, males outnumber females in a ratio of 2:1. There is a good evolutional reason for this since the first thing a trainee auditor must master is the art of double entry. It is customary for large tribes of auditors such as Pricks With Calculators to send their new recruits on month-long residential courses to practice this useful skill. For obvious reasons of practicality, only one female auditor is required for every two men.
In general, the best time to spot an auditor is during the so-called Audit Season which runs from January to April. Auditors with their distinctive pin-stripe plumage will be present in large numbers in all major offices, factories and places of work. If you think you have seen an auditor, approach with caution. Avoid making eye contact, as this may be viewed as antagonistic. Should the auditor begin to behave aggressively towards you, asking what proportion of your contingent liabilities you consider probable, the best advice is to shout "Enron!" and run very fast in the opposite direction. This will make the auditor in question shrivel up and die.
4 Auditors and Reproduction
Stocktaking is a strange version of foreplay peculiar to auditors. The audit pack will arrive at an industrial site at 6am in the morning and demand to know how many widgets they have. The auditors will then spend many happy hours counting the widgets and comparing their results to the figures on the company stock system. The more unexpected discrepancies that they find, the more sexually aroused they become. If at the end of the day they conclude that the company has been overstating their widgets, they will spontaneously orgasm en masse and begin to practice their double-entry by way of celebration. It doesn’t have to be widgets; it could be grains of sand. So long as its something which there is absolutely no value in counting, it will do the trick.
5 Becoming an Auditor
In order to become an auditor, it is necessary to pass the initiation rites of the ICAEW. There is a common misconception amongst lay people that these initials stand for the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales. In fact, they represent the Institute of Calculator Addicts and Excel Worshippers. Trainee auditors spend many years at auditing colleges, where they study diverse subjects including BF (Better Filing), BM (Being Miserable) and FR (Finding Romance). In order to become officially qualified it is necessary to achieve a high pass in BF and BM combined with a bad fail in FR.
If reading this article has made you feel you would like to become an auditor, you are advised toseek immediate psychiatric help.
Retrieved from "http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/Auditor"
Why Are There No Sitcoms on Accountants?!?
Outrage of all outrage! I have complaint & raved with Storm many an occassion that Accountants are really a bunch of sad fellows lar... We're even beaten by Housewives in the Sitcom race...
What am I ranting about? Well have you noticed that we've got sitcoms / serials on almost all the characters on earth, such as:
1. Friends
2. Lawyers
3. Police Officers / other types of law enforcers (FBI / CSI / CIA etc-etc)
4. Doctors
5. Housewives
6. Footballer's wives!?!?
7. Army wives
8. the Nanny!?!?
Even a Serial involving "NUMB3RS" are revolving around Mathematician.
Goes to show how low the status of an Accountant.... Yea... right below the Nanny / Footballer's wives! Everyone says accountants are boring... hey... look at Storm... Road Bully... Gangsta Mama...
Anyways, then I come across this article as a joke (be warned, it's going to be long....). On second thoughts, I think I'll post in a separate post. Then you can decide whether you want to read it or not.
p/s: Accountants / Finance professionals... It's a very sad definition indeed. Read at your own risk... :-p
What am I ranting about? Well have you noticed that we've got sitcoms / serials on almost all the characters on earth, such as:
1. Friends
2. Lawyers
3. Police Officers / other types of law enforcers (FBI / CSI / CIA etc-etc)
4. Doctors
5. Housewives
6. Footballer's wives!?!?
7. Army wives
8. the Nanny!?!?
Even a Serial involving "NUMB3RS" are revolving around Mathematician.
Goes to show how low the status of an Accountant.... Yea... right below the Nanny / Footballer's wives! Everyone says accountants are boring... hey... look at Storm... Road Bully... Gangsta Mama...
Anyways, then I come across this article as a joke (be warned, it's going to be long....). On second thoughts, I think I'll post in a separate post. Then you can decide whether you want to read it or not.
p/s: Accountants / Finance professionals... It's a very sad definition indeed. Read at your own risk... :-p
Thursday, 4 December 2008
"Royalty" treatment for Public "Servants"
It irks me every time when I have to move aside to give way when I heard a siren - thinking that someone might be critically ill / there's an emergency somewhere - only to find out that I'm giving way to some politician! What's worse, his / her outriders can be a mile long before he / she arrives.
As if their time is more precious than mine. Hello!.... I'm the tax payer here! They're my "employees" (ok.... I won't use "servants" I'm a kind employer), getting paid by "MY" tax contribution... What are they doing wasting my hard earned money! We pay our taxes to have police on the streets to keep our city safe! Not used to "clear the road" for an "employee" of the "Malaysian-Tax-Paying-Citizens"!
If they need to get to a meeting venue & KL is always jammed - then improve the traffic system! No wonder our politicians is always "disillusioned" that our road system is well and fine. They never need to sit in a jam for 2 hours just to get to a place that normally takes 15mins!
If the public transport is the way to go to reduce the number of cars on the road; hence reduce jam - try taking the commuter! It's jammed pack like sardines! If you can't enter the current 1, you'll have to wait for 18-20 freaking minutes! Add that waiting time with the travelling time - what's the difference to sitting in a jam? At least I get to reach right at my destination doorstep & not some train station that will require another wait for a feeder bus / taxi to bring me to the exact location I need to get to.
Why is this "Employer" feeling like a "Slave" to the "Employee"? Ever wonder if this could be the reason for the bad election results?
I wish someone among the "Employees" will just "Wake Up!" & stop the nonsense / energy spent making petty remarks / police reports / suing each other for some statement like :
"prison food is like dog food"
"Chinese can go back to China if they're not happy!"
"Chinese & Indians only 'tumpang' in Malaysia"
"having translated street names is not showing respect to the National Language"
Come on... There are more important tasks to do than squander it on non-public-benefiting activities (yea... the only benefit fr the squables are the laughs we get from the silly remarks thrown between many very mature adults)
Make me feel that whatever I pay in my tax is worth it, then you get my vote! Squander it, I'll give my votes too... Out....
So.... wonder if this article qualifies for an ISA (shakes head... then my vote will change to "What vote?!? This voter does not exist")
As if their time is more precious than mine. Hello!.... I'm the tax payer here! They're my "employees" (ok.... I won't use "servants" I'm a kind employer), getting paid by "MY" tax contribution... What are they doing wasting my hard earned money! We pay our taxes to have police on the streets to keep our city safe! Not used to "clear the road" for an "employee" of the "Malaysian-Tax-Paying-Citizens"!
If they need to get to a meeting venue & KL is always jammed - then improve the traffic system! No wonder our politicians is always "disillusioned" that our road system is well and fine. They never need to sit in a jam for 2 hours just to get to a place that normally takes 15mins!
If the public transport is the way to go to reduce the number of cars on the road; hence reduce jam - try taking the commuter! It's jammed pack like sardines! If you can't enter the current 1, you'll have to wait for 18-20 freaking minutes! Add that waiting time with the travelling time - what's the difference to sitting in a jam? At least I get to reach right at my destination doorstep & not some train station that will require another wait for a feeder bus / taxi to bring me to the exact location I need to get to.
Why is this "Employer" feeling like a "Slave" to the "Employee"? Ever wonder if this could be the reason for the bad election results?
I wish someone among the "Employees" will just "Wake Up!" & stop the nonsense / energy spent making petty remarks / police reports / suing each other for some statement like :
"prison food is like dog food"
"Chinese can go back to China if they're not happy!"
"Chinese & Indians only 'tumpang' in Malaysia"
"having translated street names is not showing respect to the National Language"
Come on... There are more important tasks to do than squander it on non-public-benefiting activities (yea... the only benefit fr the squables are the laughs we get from the silly remarks thrown between many very mature adults)
Make me feel that whatever I pay in my tax is worth it, then you get my vote! Squander it, I'll give my votes too... Out....
So.... wonder if this article qualifies for an ISA (shakes head... then my vote will change to "What vote?!? This voter does not exist")
Monday, 7 April 2008
Opppsss.... They Did It Again!
KTM did it again!!! I was at the Seremban station waiting for my train to KL Sentral this morning & guess what... 2 trains were cancelled (yet again...) & I finally board the train at 8am. Then, with 3 train loads of people crammed into 1 train, naturally there were no place to sit & normally if you have no place to sit at Seremban, you can expect to remain standing for the whole 1hr 15mins it takes to travel to KL. I was fortunate that there was 1 space after Nilai; but many were not as fortunate though.
Will need to remember to wear flats next time...
Jeezzz.....
Will need to remember to wear flats next time...
Jeezzz.....
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