29 May 2008

Ligo California Golden Seedless Raisins


I grew up eating LOADS of this…

Ligo California Golden Seedless Raisins

It was one of those few permitted treats that was available at home,

Thanks to dad who made it a point to buy the pack of 6 each time we went grocery shopping since I would not settle for any generic brands including the one in the red box- what’s that brand again??? SunMaid???

But I somehow stopped eating it when I was about 12.
I don’t remember why,
maybe I got sick of it…..

Then 2 weeks ago, I went grocery shopping at Boulevard Hypermarket with my parents,

It somehow caught my attention; it brought back memories of my childhood days…..…..

And found myself eating it again while doing my revision for my CB Quiz 5,

after a decade or so…..

I do not know what made me buy it…what made me willing to pay RM1 for it??

4Ps??? (product, price, place, promotion)
Shelf-space positioning?
Situational influences: Antecedent state (features of an individual that are not lasting, eg: momentary moods)??
Experiential shopper?
Impulse buying?
The schematic memory (what the consumer thinks of or feel when the brand is mentioned) of it???
Episodic memory (memory of a series of events in which a person participated eg: personal memories that often elicit imagery and feelings)???

I don’t know…..

But all I know, it was my childhood bliss…..

Pure Joy...
SATISFACTION...
Childhood paradise...
miss those days
Apparently, I only liked the Yellow ones

Note: My box of raisins got demoted to the floor to give way to my laptop. That is why the background is white/ grey. I'm sitting on the floor in the sitting room with my books on the floor, notes on the table, file on the chair....

Okay, time to get myself together and start studying my ass off...

Part of my Consumer Behaviour Module 9 notes
created by KJ (copyright 2008)
- in time for my quiz tonight..

Leadership Quiz 3 next week
Exam's in 2 weeks time...
MR is killing me...
Got to stock up on my Ligo California Golden Seedless Raisins this weekend before I start on my MR revision spree...

Till then....
best wishes

here, have a Ligo California Golden Seedless Raisin...
-
-
-
-
Oooops, can't let you try one.

It's finished.
I just finished it up....


Sorry, but i will remember to let you try a raisin when i stock my supply of Ligo California Golden Seedless Raisins up so you wouldn't call me a stingy or kiam siap person... :)

26 May 2008

BENAR: Walk for Media Freedom

Prelude: Okay, I'm alive. I survived the stampede of my MR assignment 2 (Praise God), leaving me too fatigue to start my preparation for my quiz this Friday. Ah, I shall start my revision tomorrow.. Got to relax first. Many thanks to my partner-in-crime: Alester for the usage of your printer, paper and etc; my trusty Acer laptop for enabling me to do my assignments on you; my old but reliable Proton for being my source of transportation to get me to SCS and back; Yee Chee for letting me leave the orientation right after I have said a few words about the Club on Saturday; my MR lecturer at SCS: Ms Sharifah, for pitying us and letting us continue on with our assignment during tutorial sessions; Mr. Alan for letting me leave the club matters aside until I was done with my assignment and have recuperated from it (which I do not when will that be. BTW, sorry for being kinda inattentive during the second last class and last class of CB. MR assignment 2 ate my brain cells up and I'm in the process of getting my brain cells back but in vain attempt); Dad for just being there; and not forgetting, to all my MR course mates, SCS's Head of Academic: Ms Grace, SCS's PR manager: Mr. Joseph, Keith, and Dilys for your words of encouragement....May God bless all of you.. (No thanks to the two club committee who ironically had something on at the same time and the same day despite the fact that I informed both of you two weeks before hand. To make things worst, you had the guts to inform you that you weren't free 4 days before.. WTF!! Hmmm, I wonder what was your thing???)


For further info, visit this site.

BENAR is a civil society initiative established to address the state of journalism in our beloved country and restore Truth in Reporting. They will be organizing a walk for us Malaysians on Sunday, 1st June 2008, at Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur at 9am, to show our desire for Media Freedom.

There will be NO PUBLIC GATHERING as participants are being asked to arrive on their own and show their respect to the National Flag at Dataran Merdeka before proceeding to the National Press Club which is just around the corner. Those who wish to do so are invited to wear something yellow as a reflection that this is a People’s Activity. Key note address will be delivered by Law Minister, YB Datuk Zaid Ibrahim.

For more information, feel free to visit the BENAR site here.

Media freedom is for the general public too, not only for media or the press.

So JOIN THE WALK.

Towards a BETTER Malaysia.

Thank you.

Posted by the ethnocentric KJ,
who unfortunately can't join the walk despite the fact that it's going to be a long weekend for Sarawakians (Happy Gawai, people!!) as she is across the South China Sea. No doubt AirAsia and MAS are offering cheap fares but she still can't go either because she's got to prepare for her Leadership quiz due on the 8th June followed by her exams in mid-June.
PS: When will there be a Walk for Media Freedom in Kuching??

22 May 2008

MR assignment 2 BLUEs

To anyone who traverse the territories of my land here on blogspot.com., thank you for trespassing dropping by....

In case I do not survive the stampede of MR assignment 2 that will be due on 26th May 2008 (5pm AEST), this will be my last post ever. thousand apologies for all that I have done wrong... thank you. (condolence messages and wreaths are most welcome -Touch Wood-) Oh yeah, I'm sure I can do with some monetary donations too as the inflation rate in Malaysia has risen to 3.0% for the month of April and world oil price has reached $133.17 per barrel this morning!!! So thanks in advance!!!

My loathe love for SPSS and *heart*red the Uni for giving me such an interesting and mind-rotting question for MR assignment 2 is beyond description. I *heart* MR assignment.

But like what our BN government said during our 12th GE, "we are moving on the right track. Vote Barisan Nasional." Therefore, I shall say, "My MR assignment 2 is moving on the right track. Vote STUDIES for peace, security and stability." (Sorry, can't vote BN at the moment. Tun Dr M and co's exodus from UMNO is leaving me in doubts. Anyway, there's no elections.) Hmm, vote Father of Consumerism (consumerism=movement to protect consumers) @Ralph Nader and Matt Gonzalez as President and VP of USA. But I can't. I'm not a superdelegate in USA. Oh fine, I shall go back to Malaysia, back to my home sweet home,
and Vote for MR Assignment 2. Aye?!!!

**KJ tunes her mind to
MR mode**.

Back to serious work.
-in vain attempt. MR and CB just ate her remaining brain cells up.-


15 May 2008

Happy Teachers' Day and Happy Lecturers' Day (16 May)

I had the inspiration to compose this after reading a heart-warming story here. It touched my heart somehow.............Don't worry, I'm not going to write some mushy thank you message or what because I'm not an "apple polisher" (If you want me to polish the teacher's apples, I will just buy him/her a can of Brasso, some cotton wool and maybe a few Washington Reds or Granny Smiths so that he/she can polish his/her own apples until kawkaw- as shiny as he/she wants too [provided Brasso works on apples!]), neither am I going to composed a poem on how I was a 'sorely deprived and abandoned kid who grew up in the back alleys of Timbuktu with apes, sewage rats, cockroaches and stray anjing jalans before I ran and swam across borders until I reached an island called Borneo in the continent of Asia. It was in a city called Cat in Hornbill Earth state, one of the states in Borneo, where I met a God-sent angelic human being couple: my parents who accepted me for who I am: my ape-like looks and uncivilised behaviour as I am a bipedal primate belonging to the mammalian species homosapien in the family Hominidae@the great apes, and was raised by animals during my childhood days. My Malaysian parents sponsored my plastic surgery, liposuction sessions and a couple of botox injections to make me look more like a human being. After I looked more normal, they sent me to a place called school, NOT zoo, where I met several other God-sent angels called "teachers" who enlightened me on the journey to knowledge. If it wasn't for these God-sent angels called teachers, I would not be able to read, write, count, and speak proper human languages i.e. English and BM until today...' -creative writing: 10.5/10 .neh, I'm just doing my teachers justice... trying to be noble mah...KJ has changed for the better, you see. She has regretted for despising her teachers and lecturers and she's now repenting.

In appreciation of every teachers and lecturers' tireless effort and dedication given to enrich my otherwise empty mind, I would like to say THANK YOU for you have all made a difference in my life (and in others too). I may not say THANK YOU always. But, whenever I say it, I mean it. Thank You for all the things you have done for me (and us in general). -and I mean it.

To my wonderful teachers and lecturer(s) who have taught me or is currently educating me:

When I'm baffled by the process of cold fusion,
You are the source to clear my confusion.
You are one of the reasons for my past (and hopefully coming) success,
because you made sure what i know was proper justifications, and applications of theories, not just guess.
The help i needed to stand tall,
the spirit that says you gave your all,
For you taught me with patience and dedication,
not merely out of employment.
So on 16th of May
,
i'd like to say,
Happy Lecturer's Day.
To (all) my wonderful and super
creatures lecturer(s)
-A lame poem composed by KJ
in the midst of editing her Leadership essay..

From this day on, I am not going to lament that I'm broke because I had to buy you something... The gift is just a gesture of appreciation, but I know that your dedication is worth far more than this lame poem, words and money spent....BTW, A million apologies for those times when I was inattentive and for contributing to noise pollution in class.

"Teachers affect eternity; they can never tell where their influence stops," -Henry Adam-

13 May 2008

Teachers....

11th May, 2008 (2nd Sunday in May): Mother's Day- "Happy Mother's Day, mummy."
15th June, 2008 (3rd Sunday in June): Father's Day- "Happy Father's Day, papa"
16th May, 2008: Teacher's Day -Truthfully speaking, I never bothered to remember this date. After all, somebody is bound to remind me when the time comes. In kindergarten and primary school, we had to make teacher's day card during art class a few days before (yes, I made a total of 9 teacher's day cards but all of it ended up in the dustbin without fail every year because nobody, including myself, appreciated my talent in modern art. Well, all my art teachers gave me nothing above a C for my cards. Wait a minute, maybe the C meant creative!!). In secondary school, the head prefect would remind us about it and this meant event planning and event management. When I entered college, a message board would be put up at the lobby for students to pen messages to the lecturers. Then this year, the good ol' president of the Student Council emailed all the club presidents to instruct us to buy a gift for our respective club advisors. And when I read the email, the first word that came out from my mouth was "SH_T, I'm going to be a more bankrupt person this month." I just treated my Miracle of Being, Obliging to the extreme, Tenderness of loving, Heart of gold, Educator of my discipline and manners, Recklessness of giving, mummy to a meal on Sunday and I need to save up to treat my Faithful, Altruistic, Trusting, Humble, Ever-so-loving, Righteous, Supportive and beloved daddy something on daddy's day.

And now, I have to spend money to buy something for the club advisor for Teacher's Day. Teachers? What are they? Who are they? What did they do? Oh yeah, because of teachers, I developed a love-hate relationship with studies!!! Hey, at least there are still some elements of love in it. (The element of love to pass that subject and be one step nearer to achieving my goal!!).

But I have to accept the fact that it’s the time of the year again when we celebrate one of the greatest entities of our nation: teachers/ lecturers/ educators. The teaching profession: the noble profession; and to quote my Physics tuition teacher when I was in Form 4 and Form 5, Mr Khoo, "the profession that creates other profession." Throughout my years of education that I had in different schools, I was under the wings of many teachers; some who were very dedicated, while others sadly, were non-committal. Why were they uncommitted? Perhaps they are part of the out-group according to the leader-member exchange theory?? Perhaps they had too many students like me who had rudimentary knowledge in that particular subject?? Perhaps their upper echelons did not practice the four subfields of humanistics perspectives: human relations movement, human resources perspective, behavioural science approach or management science?? Or like what Millika Vasugi stated in page E7 of the Sunday Star (11th May 2008), perhaps it is not always possible to be passionate about every aspect of their teaching duties? Perhaps they were not given the subject of their choice? Perhaps, they were tired (and I so happen to be the victim of their aftermath). Nevertheless, I have to admit that I reciprocated their resentment accordingly....

Anyway, the "hell" of this semester (which has not ended yet) has made me more creative so I shall not let my creativity go to waste. Thus, I shall compose a poem dedicated to all the teachers and lecturers who have taught me patiently (even when your words always bounced off my auditory canal for some unknown reason, thus failed to enter my memory), sacrificed their time for my well-being, and believed that I would make the grade.

Lecturers and teachers are creatures of mythical wonder,
With powers of knowledge so great, they can break hearts asunder,
They make us learn and understand theories like crazy,
so that we will be prepared mentally,
for this wonderful contraception,
Exams, tests, quizzes or assignments, it may be called, to punish deception.

"Good morning, (or whatever time of the day it is)" is their usual phrase,
whether a gentleman or lady with a smiling face,
But behind those mask, i somehow know,
that the passion to teach and share lurks, and will always grow.

These creatures are always so patient, even in stress,
they never give less than their very best,
They are wise and share from their heart,
not just lessons from books, but worldly advice they impart.

But there is something we, students, should be aware,
especially when we get a little (??) noisy and inattentive,
I know it's students' nature, the behaviour called mischief,
but some of these wonderful creatures just don't care,
they may scream and prance like a furious roan,
as if we are deaf and have no minds of our own,
So when this happens, please beware!
They can strip you your dignity, even your hair.
But after doing it, they do feel miserable and terrible too,
So to all students, don't act like a fool...

They know everything, these wonderful creatures,
from economics, management and marketing theories,
But one thing we do know is that these creatures are known,
For their service to the society and dedication they have shown.
THANK YOU, TEACHERS... THANK YOU, LECTURERS...

OMG, in retrospect, it all sounds very lame. Since assignments have fragmented my thinking patterns, this post will be greatly-fragmented as well. I shall dedicate a better post to all my wonderful creatures teachers/ lecturers/ educators/ tutors on Thursday in appreciation of their patience and dedication. Note: I am posting it on Thursday instead of the actual day because being a humble person that I am, I do not want to steal the limelight away from the others on Friday!!!!


Market Research assignment 2 calls...

My perception about AirAsia has changed.....

As I was moderating the comments left on my blog just now, I realized that Tony Fernandes left a comment on my post: Healthy Competition is Good. **WooT** Okay, I do not know whether it is really Dato' Tony Fernandes or just somebody who is using his name. But I shall assume that it is really Dato' Tony Fernandes, as in the CEO of AirAsia Berhad. (Thank you, Dato' Tony Fernandes for highlighting several issues out to me. I truly appreciate it as it made me realised that I have been looking at things from a one-sided perspective, thus giving a rather bias judgment on certain issues at times). I know I praised his arch-rival in that post but it is in my personal opinion that Datuk Seri Idris Jala is a transformational who managed to bring MAS out of its abysmal position (and this opinion still remains until today.)

I have used AirAsia countless times because of its cheaper fares and I have experienced numerous postpurchase dissonance in the process because of the the airline’s deep-seated inability to keep to its schedules. At one point of time, I surmised that flight delays due to the late arrival of the aircraft is central feature of AirAsia’s business operating plan!! However, I shall not lament on flight delays or cancellation due to bad weather because it is something inevitable. Nevertheless, despite all my unpleasant experience, I continued using AirAsia but it is out of repeat purchase behaviour because the airfare was much cheaper as compared to MAS and of course, the number of flights a day that they offer for the Kuching-KL sector: 10 flights a day as compared to MAS's 7. Note: until today, I will choose the one that offers the cheapest price. I do not have brand loyalty when it comes to airlines.

However, my past experience with AirAsia's service isn't my main point here. It is their down-to-earth leader that I shall talk about. I have heard from many people that they met Dato' Tony Fernandes at KLIA while checking-in and how humble was he to approach them first, chat with them and even agreed to take a picture with them. Then Peter Tan commended Dato' Tony Fernandes's quick response to meet with the members of Barrier-Free Environment and Accessible Transport Group (BEAT) personally to discuss the ways to resolve issues faced by disabled persons wanting to book seats to fly with AirAsia, immediately after the protest by the members of BEAT. However, after today, the fact that he commented on my post that did not favour AirAsia that much, I have to say that Dato' Tony Fernandes has proven himself to be a down-to-earth person. I mean, who am I? I am not actually a nobody. I am only one of the 27.17million people in Malaysia. I am not an opinion leader to anybody about airlines. I am not a frequent flyer of any airlines. I do not even have active income (my salary from my tuition is considered my pocket money). But the fact that my opinion actually mattered to the CEO of AirAsia (if it was really him) has changed my opinion about AirAsia:-
AirAsia: the number 1 budget airline in Asia.
AirAsia: the company that I used for most of my assignments during my diploma days because the website was (and still is) user friendly, availability of information and they had this section called Student FAQ which was very helpful.
AirAsia: The market leader in zero-fares.
AirAsia: Its low fares are more to a strategy since it is in line with the mission of the airline, and its tagline “Now Everyone Can Fly”.
AirAsia: The company with a CEO that takes the problems faced by physically challenged people seriously and addressed it immediately.
AirAsia: The company with a down-to-earth CEO.
and as mentioned by the lecturer just now during CB lecture, AirAsia: the sponsor for Manchester United, Formula One's Williams team and professional referees in English soccer.

Tony Fernandes (as in the one who commented on my blog) commented that AirAsia has not been given more routes to Singapore and have to compete against FireFly that is operating in Subang. True enough, Subang is much nearer as compared to Sepang, so some people might end up using FireFly even though it is more expensive than AirAsia. AirAsia currently has two daily flight frequencies between the lucrative KL-Singapore route (because it is allowed only two) while MAS has five flights. To say whether this is actually unfair, I don't know. After all,
like what Datuk Seri Idris Jala said, Malaysia has open sky agreements with the US, United Arab Emirates, New Zealand, Taiwan and Scandinavian countries so AirAsia is actually free to fly to any of these destinations with no limitations on frequency.

Nevertheless, my stand regarding the zero air fare competition shall remain....

MAS is offering FREE Seats.
AirAsia is offering SubZero FREE Seats.
FireFly is now showing their FREE Seats is lower than Subzero.

*Surcharges such as fuel, insurance and administration fees are non-refundable.
Healthy and FAIR competition is GOOD
not only for consumers, but also for Malaysia's tourism industry
(though travel agents might really not welcome it with wide open arms because the incentive to sales agents and other ticket handling costs are minimized since tickets can only be booked online!!!).

Therefore, the winner of the MAS-AirAsia price war is us, the CONSUMERS
(as long as the interests of the consumers are taken care of, and most importantly, safety and efficiency are not compromised.)
So on behalf of all the consumers, I would like to thank Datuk Seri Idris Jala for being the first full-service airline to offer zero fares (source) and to Dato' Tony Fernandes for coming up with creative strategies when responding to competition (and for commenting on my blog).

May the Malaysian aviation industry be FULLY liberalised before the Asean open skies policy fully opens on 1st January 2009....

Towards a BETTER Malaysia.....

09 May 2008

Reality hits in...

Just when I thought things were going smoothly as planned, reality check puts me back in the front seat of life.

Reality hits in. To think of it, I have got one essay due next week, one assignment due on the 26th, CB Online Quiz 4 opening next week so I must get it completed by the 23rd, CB Online Quiz 5 opening on the 30th and Leadership quiz 3 due end of this month.... **GAH**..Academic stuff aside, I received an email from the president of SCS Student Council saying that I've got to prepare the Student Council I&E statement and promote the YEC during the orientation for the new bunch of babies intake on the afternoon of 24th May...**pukes**...Unfortunately, my preparation for my quizzes and MR assignment have been put to halt due to my Leadership essay..... (and reality hits in that my essay is 40% completed as of today but it has surpassed the word limit by a grand four-figure amount and reality hits in that the list of references is not enough!!!). Preparation for those non-academic matters????????????????????????

Last night (and just now, as well), as I was trying to continue on my Leadership essay, an unpleasant message appeared in my mind: "There are no more ideas inside the brains. Please insert some more ideas into KJ's brains." So I tried to insert some ideas into my brains, but another message appeared: "KJ's brains have encountered a problem and needs to be closed."

So I decided to go online to read some blogs. My first stop was YB Wong Ho Leng's blog that presents a daily summary of Sarawak's DUN meeting. On most days of the sitting, the meeting convened around 5-10 minutes later because there are insufficient number of assemblymen in the Hall for a quorum. This left me wondering, how do you expect us to keep time when our leaders do not keep time even?? But anyway, reality hits in that I'm leaving in a society where the practice of the polychronic-time culture is a norm. Wait a minute, this website says that polychronic people are easily distracted and subjected to interruptions... ***Reality hits into KJ's head that that is why she chucked her essay aside again. She is just NOT DISCIPLINE at all***

After that, I went to YB Lim Kit Siang's blog for some political updates and spent around 20 minutes enjoying 2 YouTube footage on our YB Lim's debate on why the DAP MP for Kota Melaka, Sim Tong Him, and two DAP assemblymen, Goh Leong Sin (Kesidang) and Lim Jak Wong (Bachang), in Malacca last week were arrested by the police. I also watched the footage about the world's richest unemployed that was uploaded today..Then I stumbled upon Din Merican's blog that contained 3 YouTubes videos of our fiery and articulate Ipoh Timur MP raising the issue about RPK's arrest when it was his turn to hold the floor in the debate on the royal address. He took two hours to deliver his speech, which was of course filled with endless interjections, clarifications, demands for rebuttals mostly from BN backbenchers. (Thank you YB Lim for raising all those issues up in the dewan Rakyat. You are really the people's eyes, ears and mouth in the Dewan Rakyat.) Reality hits in that I must agree with Azmi Anshar's write-up about our DAP stalwart.

How I wish that I am the world's richest unemployed. How I wish I am one of the advisers to the Prime Minister of Malaysia...Read this to find out how much
Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, the adviser on women and social development affairs, and Tan Sri Dr Abdul Hamid Othman, the adviser on religious matters earn per month. It makes Tun Dr. Mahathir's salary as the adviser to Petronas look little... A big thank you to the PKR's Member of Parliament for Kulim Bandar Baru, YB Zulkifli Noordin, for posting the questions, and to our Prime Minister for his written reply...By the way Datuk Seri Prime Minister, is there any vacancy for me as an adviser to you???

The DAP MP for Taiping cum assemblymen for Pantai Remis, YB Nga Kor Ming, is a great orator too. It reminds me of a Malaysian version of Barrack Obama. All praise to the other MPs too, be it from the Barisan Nasional or the Opposition side. Most of them speak very well with beautiful Bahasa Malaysia....***reality hits into KJ's head that she has to improve her command of the BM language*** Unfortunately, the act of the Independent MP for Pasir Mas, Datuk Ibrahim Ali, apologising to the physically challenged BUT NOT to YB Karpal Singh has irked me. ***Reality hits into KJ's head that not ALL Member of Parliaments in Malaysia are professional to differentiate between work and play...***

After that, I visited several other social-political blogs for more updates about Raja Petra Kamarudin, only to feel happy that he has finally agreed to post bail and has been released. Life must have been tough for his family members too. This posting on Susan Loone's blog touched my heart. Though I'm across the South China Sea, I stand with solidarity with everyone who participated in the RPK's candle vigil at the Sungai Buloh prison and Dataran Merdeka for the past two nights.

Then I stumbled upon the DAP MP for Rasah, YB Loke Siew Fook's blog and I was shocked when I read this. (Thank you, YB Loke for posting this)

Total undergraduates in local universities (2007) : 382,997
Bumiputra - 79.7%
Chinese - 12%
Indian - 3.2%
International - 3.7%
Is this a real reflection the meritocracy system??? Why is the Indian admission to local universities 3.2% while the admission of International students 3.7%??? *KJ gasps in horror* Aren't Indians Malaysians too??? ***Reality hits into KJ's head that this is MALAYsia***. Anyway, I strongly agree with the Barisan Nasional MP for Alor Gajah, Datuk Seri Dr Fong Chan Onn's proposal that the government should adopt a single entry system into local universities. (Excellent proposal, Datuk Seri Dr Fong. Keep it up.)

Okay, I feel that there are some space in my brains now so I shall take advantage of this rare opportunity to continue on with my never-seem-to-finish essay. Hope it's not another false alarm.

Have a great weekend, people...

Leadership essay beckons... this calls for concentration.

Reality hits into KJ's empty head that she has to concentrate.

and reality hits into KJ's head that it is already Saturday morning....

07 May 2008

...and what do we get for speaking our minds out???

We celebrated World Press Freedom Day on 3rd May, 2008. Yesterday, we were greeted with the news that Raja Petra Kamarudin, the editor of Malaysia Today, has been charged under Section 4(1)(c) of the Sedition Act 1948 for his post here. Businessman Syed Akbar Ali was also charged under the same act for posting a comment on Raja Petra Kamarudin's site on 5th June, 2007.

Though some quarters aren't happy with his bravado,
I got to respect RPK's rectifying actions. He has the guts to post allegations(??) against high-ranking officials. He is a victim of sadistic victimization. This is a political outrage to all bloggers....

This left me wondering...
-where is our freedom of speech as provided by Article 10 of the Federal Constitution??
- With regards to the Malaysian Bar Council statement that the use of the Sedition Act shows a severe encroachment on the fundamental freedoms as stated in the Federal Constitution, do these opressive legislations still have a place in a democratic country like Malaysia??


, left me hoping...

- that the Government of my beloved democratic country, Malaysia, would one day, repeal
the Official Secrets Act 1972, Sedition Act 1948, Internal Security Act 1960, other opressive legislations and not forgetting, detention without trial.

, and left me wanting......
- to leave in a peaceful and multi-racial country where criminals are given a fair trial, and innocent people do not have to live in fear of being charged for expressing their thoughts and opinions.

But is there such a country in this world today?
I do not know because I am not well-versed in International Politics and Law.

But what I know is that this articulate man who spoke without fear or favour, but with proof, has chose to stay behind bars instead of posting the RM5000 bail to prove his point while pending the trial on his case on 6th October, 2008.

Like all brave bloggers, he is a man of words..He stood up for what was right.....

Nevertheless, I believe that ONE DAY, truth will prevail and justice will be done....

And we shall never be vilified, subdued, or subjugated by threats of intimidation.

Towards a BETTER Malaysia.

Side note- Taken from Malaysia Today: The Center for Independent Journalism (CIJ) and the Civil Society Initiative for Parliamentary Reform (CSI-Parliament) have prepared 4 documents supporting the Private Member’s Bill on Freedom of Information in Parliament. These documents are available for you to read here. There is also a petition calling for a Malaysian Freedom of Information Act. Please support the petition by signing it. Link here to find out more...Thank you.

Update on 8/5/2008: RPK has agreed to post bail.

Healthy Competition is GOOD

I had the inspiration to blog about this after reading Keith’s blog and after hearing Datuk Seri Idris Jala's message each time I sign out from Hotmail…(Credit given to the author of The Journals.blogspot.com -hope it's enough to save me from any charges pressed against me by the author!!)

Our national carrier, Malaysia Airlines (and its wholly-owned subsidiary, FireFly), had just launched its newest promotion: Everyday Low Fares.

1,000,000 free seats.
Fly from KL to Kuching (one way): RM0*
Book only at
www.malaysiaairlines.com
Book early. Book online. No refunds. Fly 5-star!
Booking period: 5-19 May, 2008.
Travel period: 10 June, 2008-14 December, 2008.
*The above Economy Class fares EXCLUDE YSQ charges (fuel surcharge, administrative fee and airport tax), insurance levy and etc. Fares not available during peak periods. T&C apply…..

Your eyes are not deceiving you. This is not taken from an AirAsia advertisement. It (the words, I mean) is taken from the Malaysia Airlines (hereinafter referred to as MAS) advertisement in the 6th May, 2008 copy of Borneo Post, page 5. YES, our once-ailing national carrier, MAS, is now offering 1,000,000 free seats which includes the usage of the aerobridge, meal and etc. Remember that MAS does not charge any check-in baggage fee. It's AirAsia which charges the baggage fee of RM3 per bag (for online check-in) and RM5 per bag (for airport check-in). So you DO NOT have to pay any check-in baggage fee (that is if your check-in luggages do not exceed 20kg!)

Gone were those days when they could charge premium ticket prices, yet render poor service to customers and still survive. Gone were the days when they didn’t really have to improve their service even if it is under performing relative to other airlines.

Okay, to give MAS some credit: I redeemed MAS had played an important role in contributing to Malaysia’s economic and social integration. The company is currently operating the "loss-making" Rural Air Service (RAS) within Sabah and Sarawak through MasWings. I think this is indeed essential for social and economic development. MasWings took over this route from Fly Asian Xpress which gave it up after operating for around a year or so.

Credit goes to Datuk Seri Idris Jala, the revolutionary Managing Director and CEO of Malaysia Airline System Bhd, who took over the ailing airline on December, 2005 and later implemented the Business Turnaround Plan on 27th February, 2006. The plan was aimed at cutting losses from RM1.7 billion (full year) to RM620 million in 2006, achieve a profit of RM50 million in 2007 and a record profit of RM500 million in 2008.
[I know some people will say that MAS is copying AirAsia's strategy of selling those seats that would otherwise remain empty and etc. So to be fair, I shall say that in reference to this case of MAS' low-fare offer, AirAsia is the market leader and MAS is the market follower. Anyway, there's no rule saying that one can't become a market follower, right??]

Then on 27th February, 2008, it was reported that Malaysia Airline System Bhd confirmed its turnaround with a record net profit of RM851 million for the financial year ended 31st December, 2007.

And again, credit is given to that Sarawak interior-born Datuk Seri Idris Jala, for MAS' turnaround– all based on accountability, transparency, hard work and thrift... An example of a transformational leader.

….Gone were the bleak days when Malaysia Airline System (MAS) reported an abysmal loss of over RM1.3 billion while other airlines reported strong profits.

Yesterday, we were greeted with the news that AirAsia would come out with two new initiatives:
> AirAsia will pay the difference to any of his passengers if they can find any MAS airfare that is lower than the cheapest offered by AirAsia.

> A sub-Zero Fare campaign. Quoting Dato’ Tony Fernandes, “As for the sub-Zero Fare, which will be launched in the next few days, it will be cheaper than zero.”.

*WOoooooOT*
Healthy competition is GOooooOD……

I strongly welcome it AS A CONSUMER. (but not IF I am another airline operator in Malaysia!!!).

Time for stimulus generalisation and stimulus discrimination???

.......Gone were the days when our Malaysian aviation industry was monopolized by one airline only.

And to give credit when credit is due, here's a THANK YOU to the CEO of AirAsia Berhad, Dato’ Tony Fernandes, for bringing AirAsia into operations....

However, I do not know whether this is a one-off marketing tactic for both airlines.... I hope it's a strategy instead. Anyway, Datuk Seri idris Jala has said that MAS is still making money from charging low fares. and Like what Sen Ze said, regular advertisements in mass media that advertise unbelievably low ticket prices is a great way to generate word-of-mouth publicity.

May Malaysia Airlines: the symbol of our national sovereignty, and AirAsia: the No.1 budget airline in Asia, be preserved without sacrificing efficiency.

02 May 2008

Stubbornness to the extreme

When I was small, I remembered my mum wringing her hands in exasperation at me, saying "why are you so stubborn. Do you know that you are even more stubborn than a donkey??". Despite the numerous punishments that I received from my parents as a result of my wrongdoings caused by my stubbornness, I am still as stubborn as ever. I guess operant learning did not work on me!!
Before Online Quiz 3 opened, my lecturer was drowning into our saturated minds that we should be extremely well-prepared before attempting the quiz. Do not rush to attempt it and if possible, work with your course mates….
Being a stubborn person (as usual), I defied his advice (well, sort-off). I attempted the quiz one day after it opened (one week before the due date) since I felt that I was well-prepared for it. I decided to do it while the things I had revised for the past 2 days were still fresh in my head. I regretted my actions while on my first attempt. The questions were so hard and the answers were so close to each other. Halfway through my first attempt, the connection lagged for some reason. The page took two minutes or so to open and the timer was still running while waiting for it to open. I panicked. I
felt the chills and tingling sensation flowing through my veins. Nevertheless, I remained vigilant and prayed fervently to be able to complete it.

I do not work together with my course mates when attempting my quizzes. My reason is simple. My course mates usually attempt the quiz one day before it closes or on the day itself. This is thing I dare not do since I have this phobia that the website would be jammed since everyone’s also rushing to complete the quiz. Who knows, Streamyx may decide to take a break, thus slow down the connection…..or maybe in one part of the Earth, an earthquake might just strike and cause the internet connection to be affected, similar to what happened on 28th December, 2006 when an undersea earthquake off the coast of Taiwan measuring 7.2 on the Ritcher Scale struck and hit a lot of underground cables, thus disrupted most internet communications. Touch Wood.

I’m glad that my first wave of assignment and quizzes are over. I did not do badly for any. Probably my worst one is Leadership but it’s still a pass!!! I have (finally) completed my CB assignment 2. Woke up at 7:40am this morning to go to dad’s office to print it out. So I’m just praying fervently that I have complied with the requirements. I need to start my Leadership essay soon. It's due in 2 weeks time. Maybe I shall start my research tonight. I hope to finish it by next week so I can concentrate fully on MR assignment 2. Anyway, with a bit discipline, I’m sure I can get the essay done. NOTE TO SELF: Cut down your online hours.

Back to my Online Quiz 3, I’m glad I did not screw it up. I managed to get a full score for my second attempt…**WOOT** Surprisingly, I did quite well for the quiz I thought I had screwed up (Thank God we are given two attempts and Thank God I did well in both attempts!!)..….Hmm, maybe I should consider taking up UIU’s Bachelor in Psychology after completing my degree programme… Imagine getting a postgraduate degree in Psychology from Upper Iowa University. Imagine going to UIU’s Fayette campus. AaaaaaH, breathless thrill of freedom.... Free to speak, free to express my opinions, free to..... *KJ slaps herself *

By the way, can anyone tell me what is so great about the donuts at Big Apple Donuts and Coffee??? I do not find anything spectacular about their donuts. Last Saturday (26/4/2008), I stepped foot into Big Apple Donuts and Coffee at tHe Spring for the first time ever since it opened, only to leave as a dissatisfied customer. Actually it wasn’t my idea to go there since feedbacks from friends have told me that J. Co donuts win pants down. Mum was attracted by the bunting outside the shop which said something like “free donut for every cup of coffee or tea” so I found myself lining up for 20 minutes just to purchase 1 cup of coffee and 3 cups of tea, while dad was sitting resolute on the chair watching everyone queuing up and mum and sis went shopping at God-knows-where. (Being the youngest in the family, it seems like it is an ascribed role that I will be the one queuing up to place the order on behalf of my family at any self-service eateries.) Okay, back to my story. I had to endure the over 20 minutes queue since the cashier refused to entertain my order earlier on even though she was quite free since her next customer was still deciding which flavours to get. Well, Fair enough since everyone’s queuing up too. When it was finally my turn, the cashier charged me RM46 for 4 cups of drinks. Actually, I didn’t realize that there was a mistake in the calculations since I was fuming after queuing up for what-seems-like-hours, hence was not thinking rationally. I finally realized that there was something wrong after Dad knocked some sense into my head. I went up to the cashier and demanded to see the receipt as she said earlier on it was their policy that they keep the receipt. When I saw the receipt, I was shocked to see that I was billed an additional RM22 for a dozen donuts, which I did not even order in the first place.

Me: Miss, I think there is a mistake. I did not purchase a dozen donuts.
Cashier: Yes, you did. I saw you lining up.
Me: What has lining up got to do with this??
Cashier: Usually, people line up to buy our donuts.
Me: HELLO, I lined up because earlier on, you asked me to line up despite the fact that I told you that I just want a cup of coffee and 3 cups of tea.
Cashier: But I remembered handing your donuts to you.
Me: Since when?? And for your information, there are no donuts with me except for the 4 FOC original donuts that came with the drinks. If you don’t believe, go check my seat if you want..(Pointing to my place). See, you see any of your Big Apple plastic bag or box over there?????
Cashier: Are you sure you didn’t buy 12 donuts???
Me: I swear that I did not buy your donuts… and did you see me passing any Big Apple plastic bag to anyone or leaving your outlet???
Cashier:
Like that ah, or you line up and choose 12 donuts lor…
Me:
I do not want your donuts, okay… Just return RM22 back to me….
Cashier:
You take 12 donuts is the same as me returning you back RM22.
Me:
How many times must I tell you, I do not want your donuts. I want my money back….

In the end, the cashier unwillingly returned RM22 back to me without apologizing to me….This unfortunate incident was enough to make me dissatisfied, thus experiencing postpurchase dissonance. Being a stubborn person, I don’t think I will line up to buy their donuts anytime around- many thanks to the idiotic cashier at Big Apple Donuts and Coffee at tHe Spring who attempted to rip siphon RM22 out of my Dad's pockets. Anyway, I'm not really into sweet stuff (though I will never resist J. Co donuts!!!!).

Is it just me or what that I find Big Apple donuts too sweet???? I personally think that Big Apple donuts are nothing to shout about…

-Sorry for digressing -