杜评委，您好

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Temperature: 27 c

Last Friday (27th June), despite the heavy downpour, the bilingual speech competition went on smoothly. As I have said before, I was one of the judges and performers.

I doubt I would have this kind of experience in Malaysia. The contestants are qualified lawyer or notary public. Yet, they all addressed me as “杜评委” or “杜老师”. Of course I was not comfortable with my newly given title.

Initially, I was scheduled to give my comments, but due to time constraint, the organizer had to cut off some of the programs to let everyone goes home early. So, I was not given the chance to give my “two Renminbi” worth of comment. Nevertheless, I still had the chance to satisfy my itchy backside of performing on stage. Further, I was rewarded with nominal cash payment as a token of appreciation. 主任 said he will visit me at my office one of these days to personally thank me for my contribution.

Please click here to see the video footage. Here are some of the photos taken on that day.

主任 and me

Oh... Not again!

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Temperature: 27 c


I was not shocked by the news that Anwar is again being accused of sodomizing his aide. I belong to the “Reformasi” era; therefore, the allegation that Anwar is a sodomite is not really news to me. I have heard that more than a thousand times, literally.

Though such an allegation may magnify how pathetic and uncreative the BN government is, I wouldn't quickly conclude that it is not a brilliant tactic engineered at this stage. It at least shifted some of the public attentions from “C4, Mongolian case and statutory declaration” to “whether Anwar is a sodomite”.

Our DPM is badly bruised by the Mongolian case, particularly, the statutory declaration made by Raja Petra. He was placed in a very difficult position. It was so difficult that he could not even lodge a police report himself but had to seek the AG's assistance to do it on his and his wife's behalf. Personally, I am perplexed as to why the “victim” did not go to the police. If what our DPM did is acceptable, next time, if your house is burglared, please ask your neighbor to lodge a police report on your behalf, and if the police refuses to entertain your neighbor's complaint, ask the police why the AG could make a police report on behalf of our DPM.

“To sue Raja Petra or not to sue Raja Petra”, that is a question currently lingering in our DPM’s mind. If a reasonable man is maliciously defamed by someone, the reaction we would expect from that reasonable man is filing a civil suit in the courts of law to ask for damages and, more importantly, to clear his name.

However, one must know that the defendant’s best defense in a defamation suit is the TRUTH. I can defame you by saying that you kissed someone’s ass (literally), and you can sue me for calling you an ass-kisser. However, if I can prove, on a balance of probability, that you in fact have kissed someone’s ass, you would have no case against me. So, before you take any civil action against me, please think carefully whether you have actually kissed someone’s ass before; if yes, do I have the evidence, and assuming I have the evidence, do you want you want me to disclose such evidence to the public?

That is why our DPM is in a tricky position right now. The only thing he did till to date was merely denying. He said Raja Petra’s allegations are lies, fabrications and garbage. But, is a mere denial enough to brush off Raja Petra’s allegations? Our DPM’s press statement versus Raja Petra’s sworn statement: which one carries more weight?

“Denial” is aptly defined by Wikipedia as follows:

Denial (also called abnegation) is a defense mechanism postulated by Sigmund Freud, in which a person is faced with a fact that is too uncomfortable to accept and rejects it instead, insisting that it is not true despite what may be overwhelming evidence.

Obviously, the people would expect the DPM to seek civil remedy against Raja Petra. I think Raja Petra would also have expected a civil suit forthcoming. But, our DPM’s inaction casts more doubts on his denial to his involvement in the Mongolian case. Why didn’t he sue Raja Petra for defamation? I don’t know. But the only logical answer seems to be: he doesn’t want the TRUTH to be used as Raja Petra’s defense. He is afraid of the TRUTH.

Nevertheless, can he safely distant himself from, and cut off all the links between him and, the Mongolian case? C4 was used to blow up the Mongolian lady and he is the defense minister. If he really has nothing to do with the use of C4, I could only draw 2 conclusions:

1. He slept on his job to the extent that C4 was smuggled out and used without his knowledge. If this is the case, he should resign due to dereliction of duty;

2. C4 is not securely kept in the military base and can be used without the express authorization of the defense minister. If this is the case, our DPM should also resign.

Our DPM is a cornered rat. He could not bear the heat anymore. When you corner a rat and it cannot escape your intentions, the rat will do what its basic instinct commands... attack you.

Now a police report has been lodged against Anwar (by the way, it appears that the accuser is linked to the DPM, read here), what should Anwar do?

Unlike the DPM, who took a few days before coming out with a denial, Anwar immediately denies such allegation, and ironically uses the same words used by the DPM: the allegation is a “complete fabrication”.

Now, the DPM is haunted by the Mongolian soul, while Anwar is haunted by the reminiscence of his 1998 ordeal. Both have adverse allegations hurled against them. Both have denied such allegations. We will have the privilege to sit back, relax, and see how these 2 veteran politicians react to such allegations subsequently. Oh, this show is promising!

Will the DPM sue Raja Petra? Will Anwar sue his accuser? In my opinion, if both have nothing to hide and are as clean as they claim, they should immediately initiate a civil suit respectively.

But what if they are not clean and have something to hide? (Indeed, I just learned that Anwar is currently hiding in the Turkish Embassy in KL)

Update at 4pm 30 June: Anwar Ibrahim files a suit at KL High Court civil registry against former aide for allegedly lodging false and malicious report. Najib has yet to sue Raja Petra. What the hell is he waiting for? Now we know who is afraid of the TRUTH.

You bakar apa tu? Kertas Undi??!!

Weather: Cloudy
Temperature: 23 c

I was shocked by the news I read this morning. Based on the recent events that are happening in Malaysia, it appears that Malaysia is no longer governed by simple logic and common sense. The chaotic state Malaysia is current in means that anything is possible, regardless of how stupid or dangerous it could be.

Before I write about the news I read, I will first deal with how elections were conducted when I was in high school.

Every year, Hin Hua hostel will have an election to select its Hostel Committee. On the election day, all hostel members gathered at the hall to cast their votes. Each member was given a ballot paper on which the member would write the name of the candidates he/she wanted to vote for. 3 scrutineers would be appointed by the teachers among the hostel members to ensure the transparency of the vote counting process. One of the scrutineers had to make certain that all the distributed ballot papers were accounted for. After the result of the election was announced, the ballot papers would be kept by the teacher for at least 2 weeks. In case someone wanted to challenge the result of the election within that 2-week period, a recount could be undertaken.

Though we were just high school students and were merely electing our Hostel Committee, we fully understood the need for a fair and transparent election, and that every ballot paper must be properly accounted for, to avoid any unnecessary allegation of fraud or misconduct.

Unfortunately, it seems that these simple principles of fairness and transparency are inapplicable when we elect our “honorable” Members of Parliament.

Bernama reported that “EC Need Not Investigate Why Postal Votes Not Returned”. I could not believe my eyes.

“The Election Commission (EC) need not carry out an investigation to find out why some postal votes were not returned and where they were kept. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said that under the existing law, the EC was only responsible for the postal votes that were returned before 5pm.”

Now you know why I said it appears that Malaysia is no longer governed by simple logic and common sense. Our general election is treated like a circus by our moronic leaders with their “main-main” attitude. Election is a very important and serious process in a democratic society. Despite the fact that 72,058 postal votes had not been returned in the last general election, our minister who has the cheek to tell us that “for postal votes that were not returned before 5 pm, they were no longer under the jurisdiction of the EC”.

Just when you think that missing the 72,058 postal votes is bad enough, it seems that we have more morons in the EC, please read this:


State EC rapped for open burning of ballot papers

PORT DICKSON: The state Election Commission has been rebuked for open burning of ballot papers from the March 8 general election at a landfill in Sua Betong near here on May 14.

State Department of Environment director Rahani Hussin said the commission should have obtained permission from the DOE before going ahead with the open burning of the ballot papers.

Teluk Kemang MP Datuk Kamarul Baharin Abas had lodged a complaint with the DOE on May 15 stating that the commission had conducted open burning of ballot papers for the Telok Kemang parliamentary and Chuah, Lukut, Port Dickson, Linggi and Bagan Pinang state seats. Kamarul said this was against the law.

Port Dickson assemblyman M. Ravi, who was also present, said he had advised the officers not to proceed with the open burning.

"In fact, the guard on duty at the dumpsite had also told the officers that they were not allowed to burn the ballot papers there but they ignored him. This is blatant abuse of power,” he added.
Rahani in a letter to Kamarul said his complaint was legitimate.

She said the DOE gave special approval to those who wished to conduct open burning provided that this was carried out in a controlled manner and was not done during dry weather or on hazy days.

"We have notified the commission that if they wish to burn ballot papers openly, they must write to us first and adhere to all the rules.

"Also, they are not allowed to conduct open burning within 30km of the KL International Airport,” said Rahani.

“We have proposed that they destroy the ballot papers by burning them in incinerators,” Rahani said.

State Election Commission director Abd Latif Baba confirmed receiving a letter from the DOE on the open burning of ballots.

“We will abide by the DOE’s instructions from now on.”

The Star


Adui! I am sure there are more than 1001 methods to get rid of the ballot papers; but our moronic EC officers used the traditional kampung method. Further, they did it somewhere near our international airport!

You still believe we will have a fair and clean election?

Honeymoon is OVER

Weather: Cloudy

Temperature: 22 c


I hate to write this article, and this article is written with great reluctance. However, in the name of fairness and in the spirit of democracy, I have to voice my comments on this Pakatan Rakyat state.

This morning, I read the news about more than 100 unhappy PKR members failed to meet their de facto leader. Apparently, they were unhappy over their failure to be appointed local councilors.

Selangor state's 288 new local councilors will be from non-governmental organizations and professionals, with the rest from PKR, DAP and PAS. More than four-fifths of the 288 councilors have either a diploma or a degree, and are professionals such as doctors, lawyers, accountants, environmentalists and academicians.

This appears to be a good development towards the right direction. Under the previous administration, even a former gatekeeper could be appointed as local councilor. Not only that, the son and daughter-in-law of the former gatekeeper were also appointed as local councilors.

So, why are these PKR members unhappy?

Oh, according to this unhappy group, many party members had been sidelined as the Menteri Besar had chosen professionals over them.

Shit! After kicking out the previous corrupted, inefficient, and arrogant administration, and witnessing the new alternative getting into power, we are back to square one. The members of this newly elected government want to be “rewarded”. They want to be appointed as local councilors not because they think they are qualified to serve but because they have “braved water cannon and beatings and have been loyal to PKR for years”.

Now we see their true colors. I honestly thought they were different from the Umno buggers. I honestly thought we will be able to breathe some fresh air after the recent general election, which saw our former Menteri Besar “demoted” to an opposition leader. But now, I can only smell the same old soup with different cook.

Pakatan Rakyat, please buck up! Honeymoon is over, and the people are watching.

BN subsidies

Weather: Cloudy
Temperature: 26 c


I received an email on the following illustration of BN-style “subsidies”. I find it very interesting and think that it is worthwhile to reproduce it here for the benefit of my readers.

I do not know who wrote this, and I am not an economist. Therefore, I would not be able to tell whether the illustration makes any sense: you will have to judge it for yourself and I welcome discussion on this topic.

*****************************

讓我說個農場的故事﹐讓你知道什麼是國陣說的"津貼"。。。

在一個農場裡﹐每天可以生產10粒蘋果。農場裡有5個工人和1個場主﹐總共6個人。他們每天一人吃一粒蘋果﹐就足夠維持農場裡的運作﹐所以還有剩下4粒蘋果。

場主把這4粒蘋果賣了﹐一粒RM10。結果賺了RM40。場主把這RM40拿來提昇農場裡的所有設施﹐設備﹐但是一天最多也需要RM25罷了。多出的RM10就拿來發給5個工人﹐每人有RM2。還有RM5拿來當作自己的盈利。

日子這樣下去﹐這個農場就變得很先進而且工人的住宿和環境都是一流的。5個工人也存了一筆錢。

但是不久這個好場主去世了﹐來了個新場主。新場主說﹕"我們要提昇農場素質﹐要有一流的思維。現在你們吃的蘋果﹐需要給RM1.00。但是你想想﹐這是很便宜的﹐你去外面買蘋果一粒要RM10叻﹗"

工人沒辦法﹐就繼續做工和每天給 RM1.00來吃他們以前每天吃的免費蘋果。結果他們現在每天只得到RM1.00。

現在﹐新場主還是把多餘的4粒蘋果拿去賣﹐賺了RM40﹐還是像從前一樣﹐RM25拿來提昇設施﹐RM10就拿來發給5個工人﹐RM5拿來當作自己的盈利﹐再來﹐現在那5粒蘋果他賣給工人﹐賺了RM5.00。現在他共有每天RM10.00盈利。

不久﹐蘋果售價突然大漲了一倍﹐外面售價RM20一粒。現在新場主還是把多餘的4粒蘋果拿去賣﹐大賺了 RM80。農場的設施提昇工程現在換了是新場主的朋友承包。新場主的朋友說﹐蘋果售價大漲﹐設施提昇工程的費用也要漲價了﹐變成RM50。其實真正費用才RM30﹐新場主把多出來的RM20和他的朋友平分。

現在新場主有﹐RM10 (和他的朋友平分的提昇工程費)
RM20 的盈利(RM80-RM50-RM10=RM20)
RM5 的賣蘋果給自己員工賺的錢。
總共是RM35.00。

比起以前的RM10﹐新場主多賺了RM25.00﹗

哇﹗﹗﹗暴利叻﹐蘋果售價突然大漲﹐農場賺多了RM25.00。但是工人還是每天只賺取RM1.00。

但是﹐貪心的新場主卻招來5位員工﹐對他們說﹐"你們看看﹐蘋果現在的市場售價是RM20一粒﹐但是你們卻用RM1.00來買一粒蘋果﹐你看你們多幸運﹗"我就辛苦了﹐我需要津貼你們每人RM19.00﹐總共 RM95.00來給你們蘋果吃啊﹐你看農場的津貼負擔多麼的重﹗農場真的很辛苦了﹐再這樣下去﹐農場會破產﹐倒閉。現在我賣你們每粒蘋果RM1.50吧﹐我辛苦一點來津貼RM18.50。"

那麼現在新場主的暴利又增加了﹐RM20 + RM10 + RM7.50 = RM37.50。又賺多了RM2.50。這RM2.50是從哪裡賺來的﹖就是從自己工人的口袋賺來的。

現在我問你們﹐比起當蘋果還沒暴漲前和暴漲後﹐農場主變辛苦了還是變有錢了﹖之前﹐RM10.00﹐之後﹐RM37.50。這麼簡單﹐你不是看不明白吧﹖

場主說津貼很辛苦﹐有嗎﹖他有從他自己口袋拿出那個他所謂的RM95的蘋果津貼嗎﹖農場有因為津貼而破產嗎﹖他現在比起之前賺多了3.75倍﹗會破產嗎﹖

所以說﹐別被主流媒體的"津貼論"騙去了。國陣成員說國家會破產﹐你相信了嗎﹖國陣政府從以前一直以來都沒有從口袋裡拿出"津貼"來給我們。

說520億汽油津貼﹐哪裡來的﹖這筆錢從來都沒有出現過﹗現在國陣政府起油價﹐其實就是伸手進我們的口袋來搶我們的錢。你認命嗎﹖你就這樣站著給它伸手進你的口袋拿走你的錢嗎﹖

China fuel hike

Weather: Cloudy
Temperature: 26 c

Engtee called me this morning to complain that she had problem getting into the subway train as the crowd in the subway station has suddenly swelled. Instantly, I knew the reason for the swelling crowd – petrol hike!

China has recently announced that with effect from 20 June, the petrol price will be increased by more than 15%. The electricity tariff will also be increased by less than 5% in July. The increases represent the largest single increase in fuel prices in China in a decade. The announcement helped push crude oil prices down by more than US$4 a barrel as international investors expected the move to ease Chinese demand.

Want to know how much are gasoline and diesel sold in China? Here you go:

Diesel: RMB 6.03 per liter (RM2.83)
Unleaded 97: RMB 6.42 per liter (RM3.08)
Unleaded 98: RMB 7.00 per liter (RM3.29)

Now you see? The Chinese pays much more than the Malaysian. No! No! No! If you think that the Chinese are loaded and therefore they do not feel the pain, you are dead wrong. Take Shanghai, one of the richest cities in China, for example. The average salary of the people in Shanghai city is merely RMB 2,892 per month (RM1,360). But, not all of them own a car. The majority of Shanghainese use public transport (and some, who previously drove a car, have switched to public transport recently. That was why Engtee had problem getting into the subway train this morning).

Pak Lah was right after all! Despite the recent “unconscionable” fuel hike, Malaysians still enjoy cheaper energy, if compared to some other countries. We should be grateful. So, please do not demo, protest etc. Instead, we should kiss the BN poster 3 times a day to show our appreciation. Listen to the government: Change your lifestyle!

Sell your buggy (also known as Iswara) and drive a 850 cc toy car (also known as Kancil). Stop drinking teh tarik (good for your health and wallet). Get up early to walk to your office (however, if you plan to walk back to home at night, please reserve some money for medical expenses, just in case you are mugged by some illegal foreigners).

.

How to measure one's personal growth and improvement?

Weather: Rain

Temperature: 25 c

They said, you are a learner until the day you die.

Since I left my university and started my career, it was very hard to tell whether I was improving and learning.

When I was in school, it was easy to judge if I was improving and growing. For example, 2 months ago, I could only do “Exercise 2 A” of my mathematic workbook; 2 months later, I had advanced to “Exercise 3 C”. Obviously, I had improved.

Further, I could also tell whether I was improving and growing by looking at my result card. Last semester, I got 85 for Biology and this semester I scored 90 – another clear sign of improvement.

However, I was not given a “result card” once I finished my academic studies and stepped into the real work. Unlike schools, there is no well-tested “learning program” in the real world; I would have to figure how to learn things in the real world.

I can’t really tell with reasonable precision how much have I improved since I started my legal practice 5 years ago. One thing for sure: I am no longer the rookie who had problem addressing the judges. I had 2 extraordinary masters – one sent from heaven and the other one from hell. Both had been very generous in sharing their knowledge and had taught me about the legal practice from different perspectives. They opened up my eyes and made me realize that legal practice is not all about citing the relevant laws and authorities in the courts, but also includes making sure that we are paid by the clients for our services, so that our firm’s employees could get their salaries.

And, I am still learning.

I still remember when I started my work in Shanghai, I almost cried and wanted to throw in the towel and go home. I was asked to prepare a memo for a multi-national company, and was given a few precedents to follow. I did not know what to do and was so afraid to ask. My colleagues expected me to know what to do, but I had no knowledge on the subject matter. To rub salt into the wound, the deadline was “close of business” that day. I only had a few hours to figure out what to do, and do it. In the end, I survived the ordeal and somehow managed to pull it through. But the pressure was tremendous and unforgettable. I wanted to call my wife and tell her that if she does not like Shanghai, we can book the next flight to return to Malaysia. Amazingly, she fell in love with Shanghai. From that day onwards, I knew I have to work like a hamster running the wheel.

Time flies. A few months have passed by since then. But, am I improving and learning? I wasn’t sure until one evening I stopped and observed the work scattered on my desk. Oh gosh! I had 2 memos, 1 contract, 2 checklists and a dozen of emails waiting for me to complete, and I went home at around 12 midnight that day. A few months ago, I wanted to go back to Malaysia because I could not handle 1 simple memo. I wanted to go back because I thought working beyond 8pm was both sinful and crazy. Certainly, I have grown up.

Shanghai has toughened me up. I am not sure if that is a good thing. If I had stayed in Malaysia, I would definitely have an easy and enjoyable life (of course, until the recent "unconscionable" fuel hike that ruined everything). Well, life is fair: you win some, you lose some.

My ex-boss sent me this picture after he knew about my status in Shanghai

Bosses should be on high alert

Weather: Rain
Temperature: 28 c (it's hot!)

Sorry for harping on the issues of fuel hike and inflation, but these issues seems to be the topics which are widely discussed in Malaysia now, be it in the political arena or coffee shops. Therefore, my today’s article is still centered on the recent “unconscionable” fuel hike and its radioactive impacts.

During this difficult time, human’s survival instinct will tell us to make more money. If you are earning x amount of money a month and that x amount of money is insufficient to cover all your necessary expenses, there are 2 things you have to do: 开源 and 节流 (increase income and cut down expenses). But these 2 things are easier said than done.

Cutting down expenses is definitely easier than increasing income. If you drank 2 teh tarik a day, now you can only drink one. If you enjoyed watching movies in the cinema, now you have to buy pirated DVDs with funny subtitles. If you smoked, now you will have to quit. But there are other expenses that you can’t simply cut, for example, your baby’s diapers, your children’s education, your health insurance premium, your car loan, your housing loan etc.

How to increase one’s income? Take the cue from our civil servants – get a part-time job. But not everyone enjoys working for 2 bosses – 1 boss is already a pain in the a**, imagine having 2.

A good friend of mine sought my advice recently. He secretly went for an interview (using the common trick of applying for personal leave or medical leave) and secured a better offer. He wanted my opinion – should he cross over?

Under usual circumstances, I would have advised him to stay loyal to his current boss. I would have talked him out of that idea. I personally dislike rolling stones. If he is happy with his current working environment and the present job provides him with ample learning opportunities, why risk everything just because of a mere few hundreds increase in salary? Further, I personally know his current boss, who is also my good friend. Do you think I will backstab my good friend by advising his best employee to jump ship?

But now, Malaysians are not living in “usual circumstances”. When a Malaysian needs to think twice before having a teh tarik at a nearby mamak store, something is definitely and seriously wrong. Malaysians are living in difficult time, and every sen counts. If by switching job, he could earn more and work less, should I not ask him to leave his current job ASAP? Yes, as an employee, his must be loyal to his employer; but doesn’t he owe a duty of care to his family and himself too? If he could spend more money on and more time with his family, is he not duty-bound to look for greener pastures?

In the end, I did not give him my view. I stayed neutral. I just told him, if he really wants to move, he should serve a notice ASAP; otherwise, please erase that thought and move on.

This brings me back to the title of this article. As far as an employee is concerned, the fastest and most direct way to increase one’s salary is looking for a new job. Say, if your salary is increased by RM200 each time you change your boss, your salary will be RM1,000 more if you change your job 5 times.

For the above reason, bosses should be on high alert: the next time one of your employees applies for sick leave or personal leave, he/she might be going for interview at your competitors’ office. If that happens, there is really not much a boss could do: match the offer given by the competitor or let the employee go. Both choices are painful and the boss needs to pick one which inflicts less pain.

You can’t really blame the employees for jumping ship during this difficult situation. Even a BN component party has just announced that it will support a vote of no confidence against our PM. No one would want to bet on a losing horse. When it is time to make a move, it is time to make a move. There is no room for hesitations.

父亲节快乐

Weather: Cloudy/Rain

Temperature: 25 c

Written by Engtee

愿祝天下的父亲，“父亲节快乐”。爸，你是我心目中最伟大的父亲。不求丝毫回报只求儿女健康快乐就是他一生最大的安慰。

爸，我好想当您的面前亲口的对你说“爸爸，我爱你”您的伟大是笔墨难以表达。我愿永远成为你的女儿，是开心是骄傲是温暖的。

回忆起六年的中学生涯的那段日子，不论是雨天还是严酷的热天，不论手上的工作有多忙碌，您每天都准时的接送儿女上下课。从来没有一句怨言。而我们却让您担心失望。

记得十二月三十日结婚当天我哭了。我的泪水是感激的。不论是金钱或精神都给了我很大的支柱。若没有父母细心的安排，无怨无悔的付出，我的婚礼不会那样如期顺利的进行。是你们给了我这一切一切。你们的爱是伟大的。

原以为结婚之后的我可以减轻父母对我的担心，可是事实并非如此。家里的一切大大小小的事情只要摇一摇电话爸爸就会马上出现。我还记得有一次车抛锚了，他把车子让给我，自己却乘搭巴士回家。我深信这不可能是一般父母所能做到的。

一波未平一波又起，家里进贼了。我并没第一时间接到通知，家人害怕独自在外头的我担心了所以隐瞒了真相。 为了防止故事的重演，他决定加强一些防范措施。就这样，他每天奔波劳碌的为这工程而懊恼。带着一身的疲惫，看着他汗流侠背的背影真叫人心痛。爸，让您辛苦受委屈了。

工作了几年的我们，辛辛苦苦省吃俭用的，最终有了一些些的储蓄。可是父母却没有希望得到任何回报。相反地，却希望这些血汗钱能够储蓄起来为自己的将来计划一番。

爸，您有多少梦想但因我们而没有实现？不管家中经济状况如何，总是给我们买最好的。 而我们却没有想过您为了照顾我们而做过多少牺牲？

爸爸，您真的很伟大。

Miss you all!

Tips on Saving Costs

Weather: Rain
Temperature: 25 c

Against the background of the recent “unconscionable” fuel hike, many Malaysians are seriously and creatively thinking of ways to cut down their expenses. Here are some of the methods you can use to save money to survive this difficult moment:

l If you can eat in, don’t eat out

l If you can sms, don’t call

l If you can call, don’t meet in person (as this may incur traveling expenses)

l If you have to meet in person, ask him/her to come to your place instead

l If you have to go out to meet him/her, park your car at the nearest LRT station and use LRT

l If you use LRT, eat the foods sold by the hawkers at the LRT station (that way, you don’t have to eat at a restaurant after the meeting, save further cost)

This morning, my good friend Harley shared with me an interesting fact which I find it worthwhile to write about it here.

According to Harley, previously he needed RM30 to fill up his mother’s 850 cc Kancil; after the fuel hike, he needs RM42 – an increase of RM12. His mother has to fill up her Kancil every week; which means in a year, she has to spend an extra of RM624 (RM12 x 52 weeks).

With the government's rebate of RM625 (please go to the post office early to avoid the long queue), her mother will be able to withstand the hike.

Moral of the story: SELL YOUR 1300 cc ISWARA AND BUY A 850 cc KANCIL!

Oh, just imagine if all Malaysians drive Kancil, how “third world” we will look? If a 1300 cc Iswara is a buggy in the eyes of the Americans, what is a 850 cc Kancil? A toy car? No joke, Malaysians drive toy car to work!

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What is wrong with this Country？

Weather: Rain

Temperature: 23 c

I read about this, this and this in today’s The Star Online, and was deeply disturbed by the current state of affair in Malaysia.

The civil servants are given green light to undertake part-time job? Are you serious? Since when they are doing their full time job anyway? Even without a part-time job, they are notoriously known to have packed their bags and refused to render any services after 3.30pm. Now they have a part-time job waiting for them, I could only imagine what kind of quality we could expect from our civil service.

Before Fuel Hike:
“Cik, boleh tolong saya semak borang ini?”

“Yeoh… kenapa tak datang awal sikit? Dah hampir pukul lima ni. Lain kali jangan datang lewat sangat.”

After Fuel Hike:
“Cik, boleh tolong saya semak borang ini?”

“Sorry. Ku kena balik awal. Ku nak pergi buat part-time job ku. Sana start pukul lima setengah, so kena pergi sekarang. Mu datang lagi esok.”

“It's impossible for anyone to make ends meet even with a RM3,000-monthly salary” some people complained. While RM3,000 a month seems to be a “decent” salary, which is usually earned by the white collars, many white collars are finding it hard to continue with their existing lifestyle with their current salary. One-third of their RM3,000 salary will be used to settle their car loan for the purchase of a car the value of which is depreciating on a daily basis. For the newly married couples, who just bought their house, another one-third to half of their salary will be used to settle their housing loan. The balance sum is for petrol, entertainment, saving etc. In other words, even though you are earning RM3,000 a month in Malaysia, your disposable income may be less than RM1,000.

But what can you do with that RM1,000?

I heard that the price of steels, cement and other building materials have increased significantly. I feel sorry for those who are planning to purchase a house. The increase will eventually be absorbed by the end users.

I was told that now you need more than RM100 to fill up a 1300 cc Proton Iswara. Hello?! A 1300 cc car is supposed to help us saving fuel! But, now this so called fuel-efficient car is eating up the wallets. My brother told me (and also confirmed by my American colleague) that in the USA, vehicles which are less than 2000 cc are not considered as “cars” – they belong to the same category as the “buggies” used in the golf courses.

Going by the Americans’ standards, many Malaysians are bleeding their wallets in order to drive a buggy, which is only used in the golf courses in the USA. No wonder my American colleague always sees us as “third world”. I don't blame him. I will not blame him either if he thinks we still live on trees. Putting ourselves in their shoes, imagine how would we see a country whose people spend half of their salaries in purchasing and maintaining a bicycle?

Mmm... do they play snooker in third world countries?

Speaker of Selangor State Assembly

Weather: Cloudy

Temperature: 23 c

When I went back to Malaysia recently, I had this rare opportunity and honor to meet with the Speaker of Selangor State Assembly at his official office.

Before I went to Malaysia, I sent an email to YB Teng informing him that I will be back to Malaysia and whether it would be possible for me to meet and have a brief chat with him. If he answered “NO”, I would understand and wouldn’t blame him for his is now a Speaker of the state assembly and therefore has every excuse in the political world to refuse seeing someone like me. But, being a humble gentleman as he has always been, I was invited to visit him at his official office.

Initially, knowing that he is presumably a busy man, I only asked for 10 to 15 minutes of his time. However, I enjoyed our conversation so much to the extent that we spent almost more than 1 hour talking about so many issues. Obviously I learned a lot from my conversation with the Speaker. After all, it is not every day that you have the chance to chat with the Speaker!

Life is indeed full of surprises and promises. When I came to China last year’s August, YB Teng was still an opposition leader who was suspended from entering into the state assembly. Now, he is the Speaker of the state assembly and the former Menteri Besar is “demoted” to the position of an opposition leader. What comes around goes around.

The people of Selangor should really feel fortunate to have such a Speaker who has the interest of the state and the people in his heart. I have met with a few politicians before and I can tell that YB Teng is genuine and sincere.

I can’t remember how and when did I know this gentleman. 君子之交淡如水. Our friendship took off without us realizing it.

子曰：圣人，吾不得而见之矣；得见君子者，斯可矣。《论语 • 述而篇》

One of my Dreams

Weather: Cloudy

Temperature: 27 c

I remember the first few days of my study in HELP College, my classmates loved to ask each other this typical question: Why do you want to read law?

The most common answer was: Because I want to make a lot of money. (How naïve we were! I can’t see how making RM 2,000 a month falls into the category of “making a lot of money”. Fantasy is always better than reality.)

The most disgraceful answer was: Because I want to uphold justice. (Wasn’t that crappy? Upholding justice? How? By preparing the same old sale and purchase agreement again and again? Or issuing letter of demands to loan defaulters day in day out?)

The most pitiful answer was: Because my parents want me to become a lawyer. (Yeah, understandably, a lot of parents do want their children to become a lawyer. But, unfortunately, not everyone has the stomach for legal practice.)

The strangest answer was: Because my mathematic is not good. (What?! Are you telling me that you want to read the law books which are as thick as the phone books, just because you can’t count 1 to 10? Why not join the army? Or join politics? Why lawyer?)

My reason for doing law was a mixture of the above 3 answers (except that my mathematic was good). I was encouraged by my father to do law (he got me convinced that lawyers are not the smartest guys in the world, and he was right). I wanted to make big bucks (how can I be blamed? The lawyers in the Hong Kong series drive big cars and stay in big houses). Further, I also wanted to uphold justice. It was during the “reformasi” time and young kids like me believed that Anwar was victimized and brought to court on trumped-up charges. Anwar must be freed!

I told my classmates that I wanted to specialize in criminal law (ironically, the only criminal cases I have handled so far were defending a convicted dog-abuser and alleged prostitutes). I wanted to join the Anwar’s defence team to defend Anwar. My friends reminded me that by the time I am called to the Bar, Anwar’s case would have been closed. It was too late.

I then half jokingly said, “then I will defend Mahathir.” What?! Defending Mahathir? My friends of course laughed at me. Firstly, you need to charge Mahathir for some criminal offenses before you could defend Mahathir. Will Mahathir ever be charged in a court of law? On what charges? At that time, it was very difficult to imagine Mahathir being brought into a court with handcuff on. So my dream of defending Mahathir was more difficult than landing on the moon.

10 years has passed since I dreamed of defending Mahathir. Things have definitely changed. A once opposition leader who was barred from entering into the state assembly hall is now the Speaker of the state assembly hall. Who would have imagined that?

The March 8 political tsunami has not died down. There are more indications that the full impact of the tsunami has not been felt – more interesting things are coming. Last year, we have Lingam tape fiasco; now a high court judge openly said that judges were sent to “boot camp”. Looking at the events as they unfold, do you think there will be a day when my dream could come true? Stay tuned.

We are definitely living in exciting times.


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Me and the recent fuel hike

Weather: Rain

Temperature: 26 c

Some of my friends were of the view that I was lucky to have escaped the impact of the recent fuel hike in Malaysia. According to them, I should not have complaint because I am not living in Malaysia now. While I could nearly smell the burnt in my Malaysian brethrens’ wallet and feel the pain inflicted upon them, with respect, I disagree with their view.

Yes, short term wise, I will not feel the immediate impact of the fuel hike. But, in the long run, I am also a victim of this unfortunate event. I am not an economist; therefore I will analyze things from a lay man’s perspective.

Say, one day, I bring back from China RM100; if a glass of teh tarik is sold at RM1 at that time, I would have the ability to buy 100 glasses of teh tarik. But now, with the fuel hike, I don’t think teh tarik will be sold at RM1 anymore. It may be increased to RM1.40 per glass (40% increase inline with the fuel hike). Now, my same RM100 could only buy me 71 glasses of teh tarik. In other words, when a glass of teh tarik is increased by merely 40 sen, my RM100 becomes 29 glasses of teh tarik less valuable.

I am talking about teh tarik only. What about rice, bread, electricity and other essential items which we could not live without? It means that I will have to work longer and save more in China before I am “allowed” to go back to Malaysia for retirement.

Talking about retirement, assuming I have enough money to retire, will I be able to retire peacefully?

Together with the price increase, crime rate is also expected to increase. I am going back for “retirement”, not for “excitement”. I don’t want to sleep at night with my mind wondering if a burglar is coming down from my roof. I don’t want to get worried every time my wife comes home 10 minutes late thinking that she might have been robbed, mugged, or even r*ped (touch wood touch wood!). My worries are not without basis. Since I started working in Klang, I have stayed in 2 places: one in Jalan Meru and the other in Kampung Jawa. Both these 2 places were broken in by burglars. So, my current record of house being broken in is 100%! And almost all my Malaysian friends can tell me at least one experience about car theft, burglary, snatch thief, robbery etc. Do you think I can call that a retirement?

Now you see my point? I am a victim of this fuel hike too.

Sorry, maybe I should make it clearer: I am a victim of this incompetent government too!

Good Evening, Ladies and Gentlemen...

Weather: Rain

Temperature: 28 c

The Justice Department will be organizing a bilingual speech competition some time end of this month. The competition is targeted at the legal firms with the aim of encouraging the use of English language.

I was approached by my office manager few weeks ago. The Justice Department wanted a bilingual speaker to be on the panel of judges, and asked our firm to provide one. My office manager immediately thought of me. I happily accepted the challenge without hesitation. Later, when the Justice Department found out that I could play guitar (I do not know where they got this information), they insisted that I perform a few songs. This, I also happily accepted. Anyway, I was looking for a small stage for me to satisfy my itchy backside of performing on stage. The opportunity just materialized.

To show the sincerity of the Justice Department, last Friday, 3 officials came to my office to pay me a visit. They called it a 礼貌拜会 (or a polite visit). I was there alone in the meeting room, faced with 3 Chinese officials. They asked me what made me wanted to work in Shanghai, and I fluently told them 10 things I love about China. I noticed that they wanted to be polite and said something good about Malaysia too, but unfortunately, they knew nothing about Malaysia apparently. One younger official tried, “光良的歌很好听”.

Today, I was invited to the Justice Department office to join a preliminary “screening process”. The Justice Department received 15 application forms so far but they do not have time for 15 contestants. So, they organize this “screening process” to filter out those which are obviously “hopeless”. I have the honor of selecting the right candidates for the contest. This is something which I have never done before – I doubt I will have this opportunity in Malaysia.

I heard 15 contestants delivering their speeches in Chinese and English. I made (or pretended to make) notes about their performance. After all the 15 gave their speeches, I was invited to give some comments (or 指教指教). What do I know about giving speech? I am not a good orator. But since this is China, and everything is possible in China, I have to say something (and say it professionally). I guess the officials and the 15 contestants were very impressed with my comments. After I finished my 3 minutes of bull-shitting, the Justice Department 主任 even told everyone: 这就是专业. I was speechless. Maybe I was good, or maybe what a professional does is bull-shitting. I don’t know.

The speech competition will take place on the 27th of June. I will be one of the judges, and performers too. I did not expect all these when I came to Shanghai. This is literally putting my talents (whatever they may be) into good use. Ooh, I love Shanghai!

Harnniann, the idea is not to pocket the ball; but to pretend you know how to pocket it!


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10% allowance cut

Weather: Rain

Temperature: 27 c

We should be proud of our Malaysian government. Why? Because our government is going to lead by example: they will “change” their lifestyle. How refreshing.

How? Well, our PM just announced that one of the cost-cutting measures implemented by the government is to cut the monthly entertainment allowances of the top government officials by 10 percent.

Wow! Big thing! The fuel price was increased by 41 % and our government’s official’s monthly entertainment allowances are cut only by 10%! They are really leading by example. If our top government officials are role models of our society, we should also follow suit and cut our monthly entertainment costs by 10% only. But, will that really help? Let’s see.

If you usually spent RM100 per month on entertainment (this will include movie tickets, occasional teh tarik, etc), now you should spend only RM90. In one year time, you will be able to save RM120! Wow! RM120 is really a big sum! Meaning, after 1 full year of cost-cutting, you will save enough to pump 1 full tank of petrol for your Proton WAJA. [UPDATE: My friend Harley just confirmed that after the fuel hike, RM120 is insiffucient to pump 1 full tank of petrol for a Proton Waja. Thanks Harley.]

Now you know why we should always follow the footsteps of our top ranking government officials? They are our leaders, how could they be wrong? Yeah, yeah!

In case you are wondering how much do our ministers currently get for their entertainment allowance a month:

Prime minister RM18,865;
Deputy prime minister RM15,015;
Minister RM12,320;
Deputy minister RM6,000.

Hello?! The prime minister’s one month entertainment allowance is more than my one month salary! Initially, I thought the RM18k was for 1 year, but I was wrong: it was only for a month!

What a bunch of morons! (Sorry, I will not mince my words from now on. After the unimaginable fuel hike, my tolerance for this present establishment has reached a boiling point.)

Engtee: Can I order this?

Harnniann: No! We have a 10% cut! Remember?