I PASSED...

Last semester's (Semester 3 2007) exam results were just released...I was kind of nervous and jittery about my exam results. Due to the CNY fever that attacked me, many topics were not covered thoroughly. I took Managing Organisations for granted, thinking that part B of the exam would be case studies but unfortunately, USQ changed the format this round and gave us four essay questions. In the end, I just wrote what I could recall reading...

As mentioned in my previous post, my friends and I came out of the exam hall after MO exam hoping that we will pass. All we wanted was just a pass, not a credit or distinction...

My results were much better than expected. Thank God (And I'm extremely satisfied..)

Promotion Management: HD (High distinction)
Managing Organisations: A (Distinction)

Note: Semester 3 (November '07-February '08) is considered Summer semester@short semester so most of us take 2 subjects...

2 down, 6 more to go... Hope Semester 1 2008 will be as good as Semester 3 2007...

Acknowledgments: Many thanks to all those who contributed "directly" and "indirectly" to my success last semester. To me, myself and I- for a great job done; my brains and my hands- for not deceiving me on 6/2/2008 and 14/2/2008; Panic- for not attacking me when I opened the question paper; my Acer laptop- for enabling me to do assignments on you; TM Berhad- for providing the Internet connection to access all the needed information; my parents- for your moral and financial support; my father- for paying for the Internet at home and letting me use the printer in your office to print my Promotion Management assignment out; my sister- for helping me download Mozilla Firefox and suggesting that I used Firefox to access the USQ Study Desk since Internet Explorer did not allow me to upload my MO assignment for electronic submission; the Course Leaders at USQ: Mr Les Brown and Mr Gerard Betros- for the support you gave to us as external students; my lecturers at SCS: Mr Raymond Chai- for making the contents of Managing Organisations sound so interesting (not forgetting your dedication in not cancelling MO class on 24/12/2007 7pm-9pm), Ms Noresa (though you are in Swinburne now)- for the feedback you gave me on my assignment, Mr Alan Tan- for explaining what media was actually (which for some reason, I think it contributed to my perfect 10 for Promotion Mgmt assignment 1); my fellow course mates: Alester, Anastasia, Geraldine, Sherman, Dennis and all those who took Promotion Management and Managing Organisations last semester- at least I know that I wasn't the only one not being able to have the reunion lunch on CNY eve because of our Promotion Management exam in the afternoon and not being able to enjoy the CNY celebrations fully... hope all of you are satisfied with your results too...enjoy your last two days of holidays before another round of suffering, SCS- for letting me use the streamyx to do my online quiz (anyway, I paid for it in my fees so i deserve to use it), Sarawak Club- for the WiFi in the library so that I could check my results, and not forgetting God Almighty- for giving me the strength, wisdom, and health to pull through last semester.

Letter to Voters

Dear voters,

Though I have the locus standi to stand as an election candidate and to be a Member of Parliament since I have not lost my right to become one according to the law as stated in Article 48 of the Federal Constitution (With my basics in Financial Accounting 2, I am sure that I will not have any problem in submitting my Statement of Expenses for the election in which I am standing in as an election candidate within 33 days after the announcement of the election result. Praise God), it is with principle and honesty that I sincerely decline to stand as a candidate for P195 Bandar Kuching constituency or P196 Stampin constituency in this coming 12th General Elections and the other elections to come.

Firstly, I do not have any election manifesto unlike all my worthy opponents. I do not have the conscience to promise voter heaven and earth or promises I know that I am unable to fulfill.

If given the mandate by the people, I cannot promise that I will do my utmost best because to me, quality is a subjective issue. My best may not be good enough for some people. Besides that, if I do make any promises to the people during my election campaign, it is my strategy that I would not fulfill all my promises within the first 2 years of my term as a Member of Parliament because if I do so, people may forget my contributions by the next general election. Therefore, I would rather fulfill my promises within 5 years. But as age is catching up with me, I might forget my promises by the 4th year of my term as a Member of Parliament. Being an "I-who-do-no-wrong" person, I will not put the blame on my inefficiency or my irresponsibility for not being able to fulfill my promises. Instead, I will put the blame on our honourable Prime Minister for dissolving the Parliament so soon.

I know that I am unable to resolve the security issue because I am not as brave as Sultan Alauddin Riayat Syah (1477-1488) of Malacca who posed as plain-clothed police to nabbed robbers. In addition, our worthy Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for P195 Bandar Kuching parliamentary seat for this 12th General Election, Mr Sim Yaw Yen, has mentioned that problems cannot be resolved by just speaking out in Parliament. It takes the conscientious efforts of a responsible Member of Parliament to work within the BN Government to make all these happen. As such, if what Mr Sim said is right, I will not be able to resolve all these problems since I am not standing on a BN ticket.

The fear of castigation has prevented me from speaking out the issues that are close to my heart. I am not that self-sacrificing. I am afraid to be detained under the Internal Security Act or Official Secrets Act. I am not willing to be suspended from Parliament without pay for speaking out against something deemed as offensive.

I am scared to loose due to the spirit of "kiasuism" that is inside me. I am afraid to be condemned for my weaknesses (and my monthly menstrual flow). I am afraid of being scorned and abused in the sanctum of the Legislative Hall.

I do not have a proven track record. Furthermore, I do not have the dedication, patience, tolerance and the heart to serve all the 53,216 voters in the Bandar Kuching constituency or the 57,257 voters in the Stampin constituency for the next five years or so.

Therefore, I humbly appeal for an opportunity not to serve Bandar Kuching or Stampin.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely,

KJ

(a registered voter in P196 Stampin constituency)

Desperate to be heard

One of the reasons why I decided to blog is because I want my voice to be heard. My blog has became my major channel for expressing my views, thoughts, opinions and off course, my grievances [Though I don’t think I have achieved my objectives of blogging as I doubt my voice or the voices of the younger generation in general actually matter to those who were (or are going to be) in power and those current state assemblymen who aspire to be members of the House of Representatives too as part of their strategy to be able to fight for the peoples’ rights in the two August Houses [well, that is what they say, but to me, these people are just selfish and power-hungry. Take Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing, the incumbent for the Bintulu parliamentary seat, for example; did he need to be members of the State Legislative Assembly and House of Representatives to bring up the gangsterism problem that have been plaguing Sarawak?? The answer is no, he only brought it up in parliament and the next thing we knew, actions were taken].

Okay, I am thankful that I am able to air my opinions at home. The tradition that dictates that the elders knows best and hence, have the final say does not really appear at home. I can engage in debates about anything with my father anytime [though I often emerge as the loser... (Thanks sis for correcting me... I am really a loser..)].

Unfortunately, in the Malaysian education system which I went through since Primary 1 to Upper 6 in 2004, students were (and still are) merely taught to absorb facts and figures. When I was in Form 5, my Pendidikan Moral teacher even “forced” us to memorize definition of the moral values verbatim for the sake of passing the Moral paper in SPM. We were trained to be obedient followers since we were taught to meekly obey instructions and anyone who questioned decisions was branded as “no respect for the authorities”.

The higher authorities have failed to understand that youths today cannot accept explanations and excuses blindly as we are now more well-educated, mature and analytical in our thinking. I am sure that if our suggestions and opinions are taken into considerations, Malaysian youths would definitely be more sensitive and aware of the nation’s development issues.

I feel lucky because in College, the learning process was different. We were taught to think for ourselves. All my lecturers gave me the opportunity to give my two cents worth on the topic at hand. At diploma level, we were all encouraged to formulate our own opinions and express them. My Production Management lecturer even went to the extent of making it compulsory for everyone to express their opinions in hope of getting those quiet students to speak out. Some lecturers: my 3 marketing gurus in particular, became my mental sparring partner in business strategies, marketing techniques. and any topic that I wished to debate on. They taught me not to be ashamed to ask questions to seek clarifications. There should be a desire to know more to have a better understanding of the subject. Thus, I am thankful to all my lecturers for giving me the opportunity to interact with them, discussing and engaging in intellectual discourse without fear of being wrong. They taught me that it was okay to disagree in a civil manner. I took that to heart and since have always said to myself never to take anything at face value. My lecturers never mind me (or if they did, they never showed it physically, so I never cared) challenging ideas for the betterment of the idea itself, though sometimes I may decide to be mischievous and start challenging ideas for the sake of arguing! To them, I give my gratitude.

The fear of castigations through the various legislations eg: the University and University Colleges Act, Communications and Multimedia Act 1988 and Internal Security Act (ISA) have curbed me (and many Malaysians) from speaking out publicly. The omnipresence of cyber-patrollers has made me wary that I cannot express my views freely through my blog or any discussion boards. Blogger Nathaniel Tan was detained on 13th July, 2007 over an offence said to be committed under the Official Secrets Act (OSA). Therefore, I usually settle for those highly animated discussions with my family members.

Meanwhile, from today until 5pm on 8th March, 2008, we are sort of assured that our grievances would be listened to since the future of those aspiring MPs and assemblymen are now in our hands. So for those of you Malaysians, who are registered voters, please try your very best to head out on Saturday, 8th March 2008 to cast your votes. Exercise your rights and make a difference. If you do not exercise your rights, you are not standing up for what you believe in. This is because if you do not participate in the process of selecting who will legislate and administer the country on your behalf, you have given up your rights to criticize the manner on how they will subsequently govern you. So VOTE or KEEP QUIET. Even if you do not like any of the candidates in your constituency, just vote for the slightly better one. So good luck and happy voting on 8th March!!!

Want to LIVE LONGER, stay in SIBU....

Sarawak DAP chairman and Sarawak State Legislative Assemblyman for Bukit Assek, Yang Berhormat Wong Ho Leng, blogged on 19th February, 2008 that there are 326 voters over 100 years old in Sibu.

Hmmm..., maybe I should consider retiring in Sibu:

1.) Lower cost of living
2.) Long life

According to YB Wong, the oldest registered voter in Sibu on the electoral roll that would be used for the 12th General Election is 128 years old. Wow...., why didn't Malaysia enter his or her name into the Guinness Book of Records?? According to Wikipedia 2008, , The world's oldest man as declared by the Guinness Book of Records on 24th January, 2007, is Mr Tomoji Tanabe from Japan who was born in 1895 (113 years old) while the oldest person in the world since 13th August, 2007 is Ms Edna Parker from USA who was born on April 30, 1893 (114 years, 308 days as of 22 February, 2008). This qualifies our centenarian from Sibu to be the world's oldest person. So why didn't the relevant authorities in Malaysia apply to the Guinness Book of Records to have our 128 years old voter from Sibu declared as the world's oldest person??? After all, he or she does qualify. (If his name or her name is in the electoral roll, I presume that he or she should still be alive since the election commission has indicated that the Electoral Roll is clean). Where is the "Malaysia Boleh!" spirit??

L.U.R.

I am an LUR@ Local-U reject. Yes, my application to enter local university/ public university (hereinafter referred to as local u) was rejected in 2005. I appealed but got a course which I was not interested in. I did not pass my STPM with flying colours but I managed to secure a CGPA of (far) more than 2.00, which was the minimum entry requirement to enter local university at that time (I'm not sure about now but from what I read on the USM website here, I think it's still the same). I was active in extra co-curricular activities since Form 4 because I was told by my teachers back then that involvement in extra co-curricular activities would come in useful when applying for a place at local universities or scholarships. I was a school prefect since Form 4 until Upper 6 and assumed committee posts in the various clubs/societies that I joined. I took part in inter-school competitions and academic quizzes, hoping that this would give me a competitive advantage.

I withstood the hardship in Form 6. I overcame the "homework pile per day" and weekly tests that increased as STPM was drawing near. Nevertheless, after much perseverance, I passed my STPM with all principle passes (i am such a genius...hahaha) and when my Math teacher heard that I passed my Math with a credit, she said, "Oh, you ACTUALLY passed your math.."

Anyway, I applied for a place in local u immediately after the 2004 STPM results were released in March 2005. I made sure that my CGPA was way above the minimum entry requirements for my 8 preferred courses.

The local u application results were released in June 2005. I failed to secure a place any in local u despite my involvement in extra-co curricular activities. Some of my friends who obtained a much lesser CGPA than me and were less involved in co-curricular activities managed to obtain a place in the local universities. (By coincidence), they were all Bumiputras.

I cried when I found out that my application was denied. I studied so hard and was active in extra co-curricular activities just for the sake of getting a place in local u. I was depressed and cut of communications with the “outside world” for a few days. I refused to answer any phone calls, fearing that it would be one of my classmates calling me up, asking me what course and which u did I get. I did not reply any smses. My spirits were low and I felt inferior about myself. It was a really traumatizing period for me. However, I felt better when I found out one week later that another friend of mine, who was a head prefect, more active in extra co-curricular activities and got a better STPM result, failed to get a place in local university too. At least, I was not the only one.

Is it because of my stupidity that I was not able to secure a place in local university in my first attempt??? If the answer is yes, then why could my friend who got a worse result than me enter local u???

It was then I realised that there is no way that I can depend on the government for a living. Thank God, with the financial support of an education loan and my parents, I entered private college to further my education and am currently doing my twinning-degree with an Australian university.

Ever since then, I discouraged my juniors, especially the non-Bumis, from entering Form 6 unless they are absolutely sure that they will be able to secure a place in the course that they want in their local university of their choice since the avenue of affordable education to “deserving” non-Bumi students is limited even though the government is implementing the meritocracy system.

To deserving STPM students who failed in getting a course of your choice or a place in the local university, I feel for you because I, too, was a victim. I went through that traumatizing period. We studied so hard, just to hope to get a place to do a course of our interest. Like what former Batu Gajah MP Fong Po Kuan said, you (or rather, we) are not at fault. DO NOT EVER GIVE UP. Nobody can stop us from achieving our dreams..

To MP Fong Po Kuan, you are a symbol for democracy and justice. You have victoriously sailed through against all odds. After reading your blog, I realized that you have done so much not only for the Batu Gajah constituency in Perak, but also to Malaysia. You are an asset to DAP and the Malaysian public. Thank you for fighting for our rights in the Dewan Rakyat throughout your two terms as the MP for Batu Gajah. As much as I would like to see you contest in the Batu Gajah constituency again, I shall respect your decisions. May God bless you always….

Election Fever

My interest for politics was nurtured by my father who never failed to bring me to all those political party's "ceramah" ever since I was six years old. Back then, I did not understand what those speakers were saying or ranting about but I still enjoyed attending those speeches because to me, it meant "going out". I clearly remember those times when my father would bring me to the restaurant at Ban Hock Road, opposite the 7-storey KMC Flats to listen to those "ceramah"s. I began to understand the importance of exercising my rights as a voter at the age of 11, thanks to my father who was my interpreter. That is why I am currently suffering from the "pre-election fever".

Unfortunately, not many people I know share the same interest as me. A lot of my friends are not interested in the coming elections because to them, there is no point caring about the election since BN is definitely going to win. However, the core issue is not whether BN or the Opposition will win since we all know that BN will definitely be back in power again in most State Legislatures, and thus, will be our ruling coalition again. The few interesting issues to me are:

Will Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi score the same overwhelming victory like he did in the 2004 General Elections??

Can BN wrestle Kelantan from PAS after marginally loosing the state to PAS in the last GE?

Will DAP win Penang?

Will DAP's Tony Pua be able to capture the Petaling Jaya Utara parliamentary seat from MCA incumbent, Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun?

Will Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Ismail be able cling on to her Pematang Pauh seat?

Can DAP stalwart Lim KIt Siang retain his Ipoh Timor seat??

Where will DAP's Bukit Gelugor incumbent, Karpal Singh be fielded?? Bukit Gelugor or Bagan???

Will SUPP's Youth Chief, Alan Sim be able to wrestle back the Bandar Kuching parliamentary seat from DAP's incumbent Chong Chieng Jen, who beat SUPP's Wee Kok Tiong in a straight fight during the 2004 GE??

Meanwhile, before nomination day I am more interested in:

whether Jeff Ooi will be standing in Bukit Bendera or Jelutong?

whether BN will retain Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin as their candidiate for the Kinabatangan
constituency, where he won unopposed in the 11th GE??

whether Fong Po Kuan will change her mind and offer herself to be the DAP candidate for Batu Gajah??

Whether Dr Jeffrey Kitingan will take on his brother Datuk Seri Panglima Joseph Pairin Kitingan (president of Parti Bersatu Sabah) in Keningau??

Whether the Chinese-majority areas in Sarawak namely Bandar Kuching, Stampin, Sibu, Lanang, Miri, Bintulu and Sarikei will see a three-cornered fight between SUPP, DAP and PKR? (This looks inevitable since DAP has not shown any willingness to compromise with PKR)

Meanwhile, I will just wait and see....

May the best man wins....

PS: To those who are eligible to vote, Click here to check the electoral role to ascertain your polling centre and polling stream.
Let's exercise our rights as a Malaysian....

Are Sarawakians a bunch of law-abiding citizens??

According to the Sunday Star, 17 February 2008, p. N10, Polls fever yet to catch on in Sarawak since there are no election posters, no party flags, no crowds and no election fever despite the fact that Sarawak has the most parliamentary seats in Malaysia, 30 out of 222 seats. True enough, there are no election posters, no billboards and no party flags at the roads yet (except at the various political parties' headquarters or branches) but the reason for this is simple: Sarawak politicians are very law-abiding. They are simply adhering to the Election Commission ruling that parties contesting in the coming 12th General Election are only allowed to display their party flags and election banners from Nomination Day on 24th February, 2008 till Polling Day on 8th March, 2008.

While I consider Sarawak politicians to be law-abiding, I do not dare to say the same about Sarawakians in general. Everyday, there are robbery, theft, break-in and etc cases reported in the local newspapers. Just last week, my former school mate's metallic silver Perodua Kembara was stolen IN BROAD DAYLIGHT from the compound of Sibu Hospital while he was having classes. Thank goodness, it was found 5 days later in Bintangor. Nevertheless, let's support SUPP Youth's signature campaign drive to petition the police to have more police stations, more personnel and patrols, and most importantly, to be more proactive and efficient in carrying out their duties into combating crime.

Anyway, I think the reason why the election fever has not grip Sarawakians as hard as it has gripped our West Malaysian or Sabahan counterparts is because we Sarawakians are only electing our parliamenterians this round since our State Election, that was last held in May 2006, is not due until year 2010. Or is it only the State Election that fires us Sarawakians up to decide who to occupy our 71-seat State Legislative Assembly???

OF THE MILLION SHITS IN LIFE

I sometimes ask myself why am I in a club together with a bunch of "ever-so-busy" committee members. I set the meeting date and time 3 weeks before and only got a reply that one would not be able to attend the meeting 3 hours before the meeting is due to start. If the club did not have an ever-so-dedicated @ever-so-enthusiastic adviser, I am positively sure the club would be dead by now.

I know that I am extremely lucky to have such an "ever-so-dedicated" and "ever-so-understanding" adviser. I have learned a lot and received a lot of guidance from him ever since my "diploma days" until today. If it was not for him, I would not know that media is actually the “message carrier”. (And for that, I know that I have him to thank for being able to score a perfect 10 for my Promotion Management discussion activity since I expected a 9 actually). He has been playing a proactive role as an adviser and has been giving me endless support and freedom to lead. However, there are times when I feel stress “working under him” (like today) because his enthusiasm level is way beyond mine. He has high hopes for the club and I know that I am not able to live up to his expectations. I have pride. I do not wish to disappoint him because if I do, I would disappoint his predecessor who have entrusted me to lead the club. As such, in spite of my assignments and exams, I am willing to make some sacrifices for the sake of the club. Unfortunately, I am not able to decide for the whole committee and organize all the planned activities by myself. I am not a super woman. I may look as if I am problem-free but I do have my set of problems. I am not "academically-bright". I studied extremely hard for my diploma exams to achieve such results. Just because I remain silent, that does not mean that I am full-time student and therefore, have all the time in the world to waste since I am currently having my semester break. I am also working like the rest of the committee members. My parents are not exactly supportive of my involvement in club activities. They think that it is a total waste of time and energy. I do not free usage of the car. I have to reason out with them every time I take the car out to attend meetings.

After days of serious studying and much sacrifices made, my course mates and I sat for a dreadful Managing Organizations paper at 8:30am on Thursday and came out of the exam hall 2 hours later with the same opinion: we will all be happy if we actually passed. We are humble students. All we ask for is a pass, not a distinction. After that, we went to the CCE to get our enrollment form for next semester and was greeted with the words, “there will be no classes next sem for degree studies because there are not enough students. All of you will be doing self-study” from the admin lady. WTF??? I have been allocated 3 subjects: Consumer Behaviour, Market Research and Leadership and I am expected to teach myself for these 3 subjects.. Mother F%&*$#^…. If I do not take 3 subjects next sem, I would not be able to graduate by the end of this year. I do not want to go through another round of exam during CNY. I am old already. Most of my cousins who are the same age as me have graduated with their respective degree and have entered the corporate world. And KJ is left behind….. I have developed a repugnant attitude towards studying/ essay writing and now I wonder how is this going to do any help in the rest of my academic life... OH NO KJ, YOU ARE IN DEEP SHIT…

Yesterday morning, I was awoken by an sms from the "ever-so-dedicated" adviser at 8:35am, “instructing” me about what should I include in the agenda for the meeting (I intended to sleep in this morning since i am currently having my semester break and wanted to catch up on my beauty sleep). Oh shit, meeting is in 12 hours time and I have not prepared the agenda for his approval. That was not the only sms received. The ever-so-dedicated adviser sent me several smses today regarding his feedback. Unfortunately, due my stupidity and illiteracy, I misinterpreted his smses.

The meeting was a complete disaster. After 1 hour and 40 minutes of meeting, no issues were resolved. Every issue was postponed because my ever-so-loyal fellow committee member was so indecisive. She kept on saying, "up to you" when I asked for her comments. Even when I asked her something as mundane as do you think we should have another member's gathering say sometime in March or April, her reply was, "I don't know...". WTF, how am I suppose to make decisions for the whole club? She was too busy with her diploma assignment and lamenting that the college failed her on purpose, thus making her re-sit the paper again. When Mr Adviser arrived, she began complaining that she will be starting work on Monday and Mr Adviser was so proud that another of his “product” is entering the corporate world. Both of them spent 10 minutes exchanging “corporate world” notes and all I did was to yawn. In fact, I was yawning throughout the meeting. I was rolling my eyes and day dreaming when Mr Adviser was telling me about the stupid college’s programme for the whole year. I know that I was being rude but I was pissed off. My ever-so-loyal committee member kept on saying that she will be working full-time and may not have time to co-organize club activities. If you are so busy, just quit then. I guess you are not that loyal/diehard anymore.

I know that it is not right to stereotype people or "dialects" but being a stubborn ox, I “enjoy stereotyping” people and it is a mindset that I still intend to keep.

Meanwhile, I will wait until my exam results are released before deciding on whether I should go ahead taking 3 subjects or not. As long as I pass both papers, I will take 3 subjects but I will have to be more discipline and hardworking and most importantly, be MORE willing to make EXTRA sacrifices. But there again, it is always easier said than done…..

To all my degree mates, just enjoy our lives after exam first…. We are all in the same boat…..

12th General Election is coming

12th February, 2008: PM Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, "Parliament will not be dissolved tomorrow"

13th February, 2008: 11th Parliament (Dewan Rakyat to be more precise) dissolved

14th February, 2008: Announcement of nomination and polling date

24th February, 2008: Nomination day

24/2/2008-7/3/2008: Campaigning period (Don't be surprise if you see all the candidates being extremely friendly to you, wanting/dying to shake your hands at the coffee shop/ mamak stall)

8th March, 2008: 12th General Election. The use of transparent ballot boxes and indelible ink for the first time.

KJ will be eligible to vote this round. However, I do not know who to vote for yet. I do not want the honourable elected representative that I voted for to make off-colour, controversial, provoking, racist, and sexist statements that will offend many people. I hope all the upcoming elected representative will not show their disregard for the parliamentary decorum in the Dewan Rakyat. I hope they will all be civilized and cultured people. I truly agree with what Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said, "BN candidates must be morally clean". In fact, all elected representatives should be credible and morally clean to be in line with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's efforts of establishing integrity, accountability, justice, and "say no to corruption" in his administration. As a matter of fact, I truly admire Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek for his honesty. Not many people are prepared to be accountable for their wrongdoings. Therefore, in my point of view, Datuk Seri Dr. Chua's actions to own up, admitting to the scandal, not dodging the question, and bowing out gracefully by giving up all his MCA posts and resigning as the Health Minister and Member of Parliament for Labis, has set an unprecedented precedent for other leaders to follow.

To the "Barisan Alternative" parties, I know all of you want to help us, the general public, fight for our rights in the parliament, but I hope all of you would be able to negotiate with each other and compromise. I do not wish to see a three-corner fight in the constituency where I will be voting because if it actually happens (which i hope not), your staunch supporters would be in a dilemma on which party to support.

Anyway, check the Election Commission's website to see if you are eligible to vote.

Don't go, one sen

According to Bank Negara assistant governor, Lilian Leong, our Malaysian government has plans to phase out our one sen coins gradually, following the rounding system to bring payments to the nearest 5 sens which will take effect from 1st April, 2008. However, it is my fervent hope that the government would not withdraw the humble one sen as legal tender.

One may ask why do I disagree with our Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister, Datuk Shafie Apdal's opinion that the rounding system is something that would benefit consumers, businesses and the government. After all, how much is its monetary worth and how much is its purchasing power in today's terms?? However, I am looking from the economics point of view. Its repurcussions and implications would be far more serious than anyone in favour of this move could expect. A B3 size photocopy at Bormas will no longer cost RM0.03. As such, the photocopy price for a piece of A4 size will no longer cost RM0.05 at a proper photocopy shop.

When the 1 sen coin is withdrawn from circulation, the next lowest denomination will be the 5 sen coin. The 5 sen coin will then become our next lowest effective unit. This will lead to price increase by as much as 20% since businessmen would have to respond to the move by recouping their effective losses by 2 to 4 times in order to survive.

I know one reason why the government intends to withdraw the one sen coin from circulation is its high minting cost. If this is the main reason, then don't use copper to display the one sen value... But there again, there may be other reasons which I do not know and that is why I am still adamant to stick to belief that the move is not good for consumers in the long run.

The currency system of many highly-industrialized countries such as UK, US, Australia and Singapore still keep their unit value though some have implemented the rounding system. US still keeps its one cent coin and UK still keeps its penny/ half pence. Malaysia should not be complacent and continue comparing its Ringgit to Rupiahs and Pesos. Use the Singapore $ as a benchmark. Singapore does not have as much natural resources to exploit unlike Malaysia and yet, their Sing $ is stronger than our Ringgit. To sustain the buying power of the Ringgit to that of the Sing $, we cannot afford to withdraw our lowest denomination from circulation.

Malaysians cannot afford another round of price increase while we are still trying to get use the fact that we have to brace for higher fuel prices in future. The headlines of yesterday's (11 February, 2008) Borneo Post read: "S'wakians 5 times richer now". To me, this is crap. No doubt our per capita income has increased by 5 times over the past two decades but bear in mind that cost of living has also increased.

CNY celebrations so far...

Today marks the sixth day of Chinese New Year, an extremely important celebration for all the Chinese, regardless of whether you are a Christian or a Buddhist, atheist or theist.

A grueling 2-hour exam on CNY eve afternoon took a toll on my energy level and I was hoping to be able to catch a short nap before reunion dinner but I could not because more last-minute CNY chores greeted me as soon as I reached home. Anyway, my family and I went to Harbour View for our reunion dinner. After dinner, I had to perform my overdue task of helping my parents prepare the ang pows (usually I would get it done two to three days before CNY eve but thanks to exams, I could only get it done on CNY eve). As the clock struck 12 midnight, fireworks lit the skies and firecrackers explosions filled the air to welcome the Lunar New Year of the Rat. The competition of "who have the reddest driveway on the 1st day of CNY" begun and my neighbourhood smelled like gunpowder.

7th February 2008, Thursday: Spent the 1st day of CNY honing my waitressing skills of serving, washing, wiping, preparing drinks, heating up the buffet food, and faking my sweetest smile for the whole day. The Saving Grace: Angpows ... KJ LOVES ANGPOWS

8th February 2008, Friday: After 1 whole day of serving people, I finally had the opportunity to be served, though my sis and I had to serve people again at night (until she resorted to pretending to be deaf when mum ordered both of us to cut more chocolate cake or serve the guest.) Anyway, I enjoyed all the eating sessions and angpows. BTW, to Tony koko and Judy jiejie, your cheese cookies, cheese cakes, Allen's almond cookies, and Joanne's pineapple tarts ROCKS!!! My dining table was turned into a gambling table with relatives playing Russian Poker and "Cho Tai Ti". Didn't gamble because none of them wanted to play Black Jack... Too childish for them, I guess...

9th February 2008, Saturday: A day being served. Together with the Tan's entourage, we "demolished" the chocolate cheese cake, 1st and 2nd serving of keropok with the acar, and all the cookies at my maternal grand aunty's house because it was SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE. Can't help it, the Lee's entourage and Tan's entourage are professionals at helping themselves to what is on the table and making themselves at home (even if it is not their own homes).... My mum threw a slumber party for her sisters and cousins that night so we stayed up until 3a.m. the next day listening to to their various gossips, rantings and ravings.

10th February 2008, Sunday afternoon: Spent the fourth day of the Spring Festival by going window shopping at The Spring (How apt!) and contributing to Tan Sri Vincent Tan's wealth because I didn't want to have a drink at Kluang Station. I love the layout at MPH bookstore... They did the right thing by putting benches at the middle. Next time, I can just spend my time reading at MPH while waiting for my mum to finally decide which outfit to get....

11th February 2008, Monday: REVISION + family dinner

12th February 2008, Tuesday: 6th day of CNY... Back to work + blogging + burning the midnight oil

13th February 2008: Burning the midnight oil... More kerosene, please

14th February 2008: EXAM @ the necessary evil+ HOLIDAY + last CNY reunion dinner with relatives... Happy Valentine's Day, people

16th February, 2008: Holiday. Last batch of relatives going back... Adios, people and hope to see you guys soon. "One Road Smooth Wind"

21st February 2008, Thursday: Last day of CNY. The Chap Goh Mei dinner will be the last binge of the CNY celebrations. I am going to miss CNY...

22nd February 2008: End of the holiday stupor. Time to put our noses to the grindstones WITH A VENGEANCE.

The word: “家”

The word “家” (JIA) is very important to me. One thing, it is the Chinese middle name for my generation, be it male or female.

“家” in mandarin means home, family, and house. The word, “家” is a collectivism ideology. Thus, the Chinese concept of home overlaps with each other. However, the Western (as seen in the English language) concept of home is differs from the Chinese. To the westerners; the words “home”, “family”, and “house” are three separate words with distinct meaning.

My parents have worked (and are still working!!!) hard to instill the concept of “JIA” in me. The philosophy behind the concept of "JIA" is not superficial at all. We need to have natural bond which brings to the existence of a family. Most importantly, we have to nurture and strengthen such bond. There goes the saying, “Blood is thicker than water”. The Chinese concept of “JIA” preserves the idea of maintaining a strong bond among family members, being there for each other through good times and bad times (reminds us about the wedding vows!!).

In some western countries, "self" is more important that anything. Some married couples claim to uphold equality among gender thus separate the mutual obligations equally. In my point of view, this tolerance is pretty artificial.

My parents have been providing for my basic necessities ever since the day I was born until today (though I do not do not rely on them for pocket money since I am earning my spending money through giving tuitions now) without complaining. While my parents grew up in the aura of material depravity during their childhood days, they would not spare no expense to give both my sister and I what they missed during their own childhood. It is because of them that I am able to indulge in all those culinary paradises. My parents do not mind me tagging along with them until today. My dad never hesitated to work harder to finance my education. My parents have sacrificed so much for me. When I start earning real income, I will be more than willing to give a portion of my salary to my family.

I do ask myself; when I am financially independent; will the “self” concept intrude into my mind subconsciously, making me become a MORE selfish person? Will I still cherish the Chinese concept of “JIA”? Will I start (or continue –it’s up to you to decide which word applies) to demand more for myself and less of others? Will I be willing to sacrifice my most precious belonging for any of my family members? Will I prefer artificial happiness over natural happiness? I do not want to loose my oriental essence…. (But being Mandarin illiterate and not knowing how to use a pair of chopsticks correctly without crossing it, do I have any oriental essence to start off with???).

To everybody, have a happy and prosperous Chinese New Year. Here’s wishing you guys the best of the “Rat year” (and the years to come). Gong Xi Fa Cai. All the best in your undertakings, people. Till then, KJ.

To those “poor” Chinese who would have to forgo their annual Spring Festival or “Chun Jie” trip home due to the brutal winter storm that have resulted in cancellations of flights and train services in south-western, eastern and southern China, my heart goes out to you. I know it’s horrible not being able to spend the Lunar New Year with your “家”.

Point to ponder: However, should we blame it on Mother Nature for causing southern, central and east China to experience the biggest snowfall in the last 50 years or should we put the blame on our irresponsible actions in the past that have contributed to global warming??? Is global warming the cause of the draught in the northern part of Australia??? In the midst of their rapid industrialization efforts, many countries have become high emitters of gas pollutants into the atmosphere, thus causing the north and south poles to diminish. And most of these high emitters such as China, India and USA have yet to ratify the UN Convention on Global Warming. Who is to be blame for this?? The leaders of the country (for not ratifying the UN Convention) or the people (for voting in leaders that do not care about the environment). I SUPPORT AL GORE, KEVIN RUDD and PENNY WONG.... Congratulations guys, our future generation will definitely thank you for your efforts.

I WANT

Just like Sze Shyang, I want to go traveling too. To be more specific, I want to go for an international stay over. However, I do not know when I will have that opportunity to go again as it all boils down to the finance and time since I am not financially independent yet….

I do want to go Hong Kong and China @the new economic powerhouse whose GDP has been surging (I guess Napoleon Bonaparte, the great 18th century French Emperor and military leader, was right when he predicted “when China awakes, the whole world will shake”) again (but not now). I do want to go to Shanghai again. I miss the night view of the futuristic skyscrapers of the Pudong business district.

If I ever go to Shanghai again, I hope to be able to go window shopping (because I don't think I can afford to patronize any stores there) at the ‘Three on the Bund’ @ 外滩三号, which has been touted as one of the best places to see in the new China by Time magazine in 2005. Three on the Bund is actually a renovated 1916 building situated along the renowned Shanghai waterfront. Address: 3, Zhong Shan Dong Yi Road, Shanghai 200002, China. It houses four of the cosmopolitan city’s top eateries, art gallery, an Evian spa, an Armani flagship store and other stores such as Ann Demeulemeester, Bottega Veneta, Vivienne Tam, Yves Saint Laurent, and more.

I want to visit the Great Wall of China again.

I do want to go to United Kingdom. I do like to experience life in London despite what some people say about London being a gloomy place during winter because of the unpredictable weather along with the depressing temperature, thus depriving most Londoners from enjoying what we deem as the natural cause of joy…. I do want to see Stonehenge.

Taken from Wikipedia 2008

Stonehenge has been named as one of the new 7 Wonders of The World on 7^th July, 2007. It is located on Salisbury Plain, about three kilometres west of the town of Amesbury, Wiltshire, in Southern England (about 137 kilometres southwest of London). It is actually the ruins of a Megalithic monument that was built by men more than 4,000 years ago using earth, timber and stones. Why they decided to build Stonehenge remains a mystery, though there are theories ranging from religion to astronomy. I want to see the concentric rings of stones surrounding a horseshoe of upright stones and a solitary vertical stone with my own eyes. I want to see the Sarsen stones that form the outer ring and the bluestones that form the inner ring. The Sarsen stones were believed to be brought to the site from the Marlborough Downs, about 30 kilometres to the north of Stonehenge while the bluestones were believed to have come from the Preseli Mountains in southwest Wales, about 385 kilometres away from the site. I want to see the Trilithon Horseshoe too.

If I (ever) have a chance to go England, I want to go Lincolnshire. Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England that borders Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Rutland, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire, the East Riding of Yorkshire, and Northamptonshire. It is a town full of history dating back to the Roman and the medieval era. It is actually a city above a city because medieval era buildings were built onto the Roman buildings and structures. I want to visit Lincoln Cathedral which is one of the finest medieval buildings in Europe, and Lincoln Castle which was constructed by William the Conqueror in the 11th Century.

Lincolnshire Castle

Before I grow old, I want to go to Blarney in the south of Ireland, located 8km northwest from Cork, Republic of Ireland, to kiss the Blarney Stone, the legendary Stone of Eloquence, located at the top of the tower at Blarney Castle. According to legend, kissing the stone endows the kisser with the gift of gab.

Blarney Castle (Taken from Blarney Castle 2006)

In short, I WANT TO TRAVEL AROUND THE WORLD…. Meanwhile, I shall be contented with the view of Stonehenge as my desktop background.