Collin Ng's Blog

S'pore has the cleanest govt citizens can buy

2012-01-27T09:55:00.008+08:00

This article by Blomberg appears in Straits Times on 27 Jan 2012.

Blomberg Editorial

Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong isn't often taken publicly to task. But when you make $3.1 million a year to run a country, people tend to expect results. When they don't get them, the aggrieved masses turn to that lowest-of-common-denominator gripes: Hey, how much are we paying this guy?

Lots compared with, say, Mr Barack Obama, who as US president gets US$400,000 (S$500,000) a year. Mr Lee's compensation will fall 36 per cent, and that of Singapore's president will drop 51 per cent to $1.54 million. The cuts were based on the recommendations of an advisory committee formed three weeks after last May's election, when opposition party candidates made hay with the pay issue - and the ruling People's Action Party won with the narrowest margin since independence in 1965.

Such still-fat pay cheques may give pause. Yet let's applaud Singapore for what it's trying to achieve by paying top salaries to leaders and ministers: attracting the best and brightest to public service and reducing the temptation to engage in graft. Done properly, such initiatives can make governments more efficient and economies more vibrant. Transparency International has ranked Singapore among the world's top five least-corrupt governments since 2001, and according to Worldwide Governance Indicators, an index supported by the World Bank, it has also been among the best governed.

Since the 1997 Asian crisis, the region's other governments have had a mixed record in holding public servants to account, making growth more efficient, and creating the institutions - independent judiciaries, central banks and media as well as freer watchdog groups - needed to clean up political and economic systems. One way for Asian countries, home to a big share of the world's households living on US$2 a day, to boost their economies is to increase the pay of their civil servants.

Take Cambodia, which ranked at the bottom of a recent regional Transparency International corruption survey. Its government workers pad their paltry, sporadic pay by demanding bribes for everything from birth certificates to school grades. One oft-cited International Monetary Fund working paper argues that paying civil servants make less than half what a garment worker makes.

In China, corruption is the common link between state-owned banks doling out billions of dollars to cronies; land grabs by local government officials; and the negligence that killed 40 people in a high-speed rail crash last July. If Beijing paid higher salaries, it might reduce the incidence of graft and rent-seeking that aggravates the lopsidedness of China's development. Its Gini coefficient, an income-distribution gauge, has climbed to almost 0.5 from less than 0.3 a quarter-century ago.

Japan should consider fattening public pay cheques, too. Although Japan's best and brightest are still drawn by the prestige of a government career, over the past two decades the differential between private and public salaries has grown. Ministerial slush funds help make up the difference, and in recent years, numerous scandals have arisen involving bureaucrats using such money for limousines, louche excursions and golf-club memberships.

More fundamentally, Japan's economic model encourages dangerous collusion between the public and private sectors. The root of the problem is amakudari, or "descent from heaven". It's the main gravy train for public servants; when they retire, ministers and bureaucrats get cushy jobs in industries they oversaw while in government. The incentive is to look out for your future employer, not taxpayers.

Japan's nuclear crisis, for example, was made worse by power-industry regulators focused on their post-government careers, not Japan's 126 million people. Pledges by Japan's ruling Democratic Party of Japan to abolish amakudari have gone unfulfilled. But for the sake of its citizens' welfare, Japan needs to end the practice, perhaps in return for better salaries and pensions.

Of course, throwing money at corruption won't make it go away. If it did, countries such as Kenya, which pays its members of Parliament handsomely - more than US$13,000 a month - would be paragons of virtue instead of cellar-dwellers in Transparency International's annual Corruption Perceptions Index. Decent salaries are just one incentive that can tilt the cost-benefit analyses of potential bribe-takers towards probity: More important than reducing the potential financial benefits of corruption is increasing the probability of detection and meaningful punishment.

Singapore isn't exactly a hotbed of anti-corruption muckraking. According to the 2010 US State Department Human Rights Report, journalists in Singapore practise "self-censorship", the level of public debate is "moderate", and opposition parties face "formidable obstacles". Yet the city-state does have an aggressive Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau; professional courts; a ramrod political will inculcated by its first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew (father of Lee Hsien Loong); and a ruthless, relentless emphasis on efficiency and results.

Not every country can follow that recipe, especially those with larger, more diverse populations. Still, countries like Cambodia can start by auditing its public services to get a sense of how bad corruption really is - something it will have to do in any case to comply with the United Nations Convention Against Corruption. Civil society groups can help greatly in that process: We think the United Nations would be wise to let them take part in the process it has created to review a country's anti-corruption efforts.

Japan could benefit greatly from an independent watchdog agency to investigate corruption; and given its global influence, we also don't understand why it is one of only 35 countries yet to ratify UN convention. And even if the huge internal challenges of fighting corruption in China risk tampering with the prerogatives of Communist Party control, the government could crack down on the pervasive bribe-mongering of Chinese companies overseas, which presents a huge global challenge.

There's an old saying in Asia that the real money is in government. Not the pay cheques, but the kickbacks. Isn't it possible that a big more capitalism at the highest levels of public service will make capitalism itself more efficient and equitable? We think Singapore proves it can.

Bloomberg

Saudi: no cash from emerging economies until given more clout

2012-01-25T10:09:00.004+08:00

Personal note: It seems that the poorer nations are required to help to bail out the richer and bigger nations than the other way around. The recent financial crisis started in the West and now, accusing fingers are pointed to the East for their own doing (the West), sigh. What logic is that? Read on...

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By Andrew Torchia
Reuters
Mon, Jan 23 2012

RIYADH (Reuters) – Big emerging economies such as China, India and Saudi Arabia will not aid the West in its financial crisis unless they are given more influence in running the global economy, a senior figure from Saudi Arabia’s ruling establishment said on Monday.

“The financial crisis and great recession were born in the West, developed in the West yet hit hard throughout the world,” former Saudi intelligence chief Prince Turki al-Faisal said in a speech to a business conference in Riyadh.

He said this showed the need to give emerging economies more representation and more authority in global bodies such as the Group of 20 nations, a forum of the world’s major industrialized countries, and the Financial Stability Board (FSB), which discusses regulation of banks and financial markets.

So far, however, organizations such as the FSB “have yet to take these new realities into consideration,” while the G20 is making little headway in coordinating economic policymaking around the world, he said.

Big emerging economies’ lack of influence in international bodies reduces their willingness to contribute money to fight the global crisis, the prince warned.

The International Monetary Fund is seeking to more than double its war chest by raising $600 billion in new resources to help countries deal with the fallout of the euro zone’s sovereign debt crisis.

“What we can be certain of is that large developing nations will not agree to provide additional funds without a greater say in the IMF, and this applies to all global economic governance organizations,” Prince Turki said.

The prince, who chairs the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, a major think tank, no longer holds government office but is still seen as influential, and his position outside government may give him room to speak more frankly in public than current Saudi officials.

He is a former ambassador to the United States and Britain.

ECHOES OF CHINESE CRITICISM

His speech criticized Western governments for “leveraging up” their economies over the past six decades and letting their financial sectors spiral out of control, saying the United States and the European Union would continue to struggle with debt problems for five or 10 years.

Much of his criticism echoed comments by officials in China, another emerging economy that is being asked to help fight the global financial crisis.

Oman’s central bank governor told Reuters last week that his country was prepared to increase its contribution to the IMF.

In general, however, officials in the Gulf’s rich oil exporters have indicated they are in no rush to contribute funds to bail out the West, and expect Europe first to do more to resolve its debt crisis.

Prince Turki noted that the Saudi central bank’s holdings of roughly $360 billion in foreign securities, most of them in the form of U.S. Treasuries, helped to underpin the value of the U.S. dollar and the stability of the global economy.

He said his country would continue to play a stabilizing role but added that because it faced its own challenges, including the need to create jobs for a young population and cope with political strains across the Arab world, it would need in the future to focus more of its resources domestically and within the Middle East.

The Arab Monetary Fund, a regional body which lends to governments, and Saudi development funds such as the Islamic Development Bank need to be strengthened to help the Middle East develop economically, he said.

“We will continue to support our neighbors where we are able, including financially, but now we also face new exigencies of our own,” Turki said.

(Editing by Susan Fenton)
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Lo-Hei Ride

2012-01-20T10:46:00.010+08:00

It was to be our usual Tuesday ride on 17 Jan followed by an early lo-hei dinner for 8 die-hard GP Riders cyclists, namely Tomas, Peter, Arthur, Steve, Ernest, Leow, Donald and me. At about 7 pm, we rolled off from Aranda Club to the coastal road enroute Changi Village. Depending on our fitness and form, we do either 2 or 3 laps around the coastal road. The crème-de-la-crème of the group, Tomas, Arthur and Donald managed 2 and a half laps in pulsating pace while the rest including me completed in 2 laps at leisure pace.

Call it, Enter The Dragon or perhaps a tad early now…Bunny still calls the shot with some days left but this lo-hei dinner which was initiated by our captain, Tomas was nothing but everything we were looking forward to after our gruelling ride. Still smelling sweat, we immediately settled down at Airfield Restaurant in Changi Village. In between order, I even made the waitress to guarantee we will ‘huat’ (发) after taking their yu sheng and that we will only pay them after we have ‘huat’. She can only give me a giggle and promised me nothing. That burly male waiter who overheard our conversation was already on alert if we ever harboured any thought of skipping payment after our hearty meal later. Phew…nobody took us seriously and when the yu sheng was finally placed on our table, we just can’t wait to toss as high as possible and shout ourselves hoarse for the sake of prosperity like any typical Chinese who aspire to strike rich ala the ‘lo-hei’ way.

Our conversation continued during dinner with each of us taking a swipe at each other. And by the way, we had a new member with us whom we scooped up during the ride. His name is Gavin and very quickly, he was rubbing shoulders with us like buddies. This befits our GP Riders’ motto – Ride With Us! We welcome anyone to our fold, young or old.

Where we last left off, we went on to bestow a moniker to each other based on the somewhat distorted ‘Journey To The West’ characters. Steve, being the oldest and plausibly wisest member of the group by virtue of his flock of white hair is respectfully named ‘The Monk’ (和尚) and he still gets to keep his mane though. The mischievous ‘Monkey God’ (孙悟空) prized accolade went to Ernest but, is he the mischievous one? He looks the goody-goody sort of guy. And Leow, the youngest one in our group – he is named Ne Zha (哪吒) for his smaller built and boyish look which he graciously accepted. I earn the ‘Ox King’ (牛魔王) title, thanks but no thanks to my bruising three free falls in a day not too long ago, a dubious record yet to be broken and hopefully, never. The only lady in our group, Poh Kuan who missed the ride with us on last moment was the ‘Spidey Spirit’ (蜘蛛精) but we decided to up her status to ‘Goddess of Mercy’ (观音菩萨), a show of our gratitude to her for always making available that heavenly-send 100 Plus for us at end of every ride. ‘The-Man’ went to our undisputed number one rider, Arthur. Don’t ask why ‘The-Man’ moniker which has no relation to ‘Journey To The West’ but for now, he is ‘The-Man’. Only Peter and Tomas have yet to be named but soon, I believe they'll earn their badges too. But ‘Piggy’ (猪八戒) remains unclaimed, who deserves that accolade? No prize for the right answer.

Enough noise was made, lo-hei was done, we had our fills with savoury mee goreng & Hokkien mee and bottles of beer & cans of 100 plus were downed and we were ready to roll off to Aranda Club before calling it a day. When we finally reached Aranda Club, true to belief ‘Goddess of Mercy’ greeted us with a big bottle of 100 plus…so sweet of her. When we ride next, it will be the year of the Dragon. Gong Xi Fa Cai to all!

The Untold Love Story of Aung San Suu Kyi

2012-01-19T13:48:00.006+08:00

Michael Aris, Aung San Suu Kyi and their first son Alexander, in 1973 Photo: ARIS FAMILY COLLECTION/GETTY IMAGES

Personal Note: In Singapore, some of our politicians like to play to rhetoric tone, of willingness to sacrifice one's big salary to work for the people and much to my disgust, the minister's pay still remains a big debating subject, despite much efforts taken by the ruling party to meet varied expectations of the masses.

This noble lady, Aung San Suu Kyi whose sacrifices for her own country, Burma easily put our very own politicians to shame. Salary was never the topic, choosing between country and family was...and she chose the former.

I am proud to post her touching story by Rebecca Frayn, a writer and film-maker, 'The Lady’ which debuts on December 3, 2011.

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Aung San Suu Kyi, whose story is told in a new film, went from devoted Oxford housewife to champion of Burmese democracy - but not without great personal sacrifice.

When I began to research a screenplay about Aung San Suu Kyi four years ago, I wasn’t expecting to uncover one of the great love stories of our time. Yet what emerged was a tale so romantic – and yet so heartbreaking – it sounded more like a pitch for a Hollywood weepie: an exquisitely beautiful but reserved girl from the East meets a handsome and passionate young man from the West.

For Michael Aris the story is a coup de foudre, and he eventually proposes to Suu amid the snow-capped mountains of Bhutan, where he has been employed as tutor to its royal family. For the next 16 years, she becomes his devoted wife and a mother-of-two, until quite by chance she gets caught up in politics on a short trip to Burma, and never comes home. Tragically, after 10 years of campaigning to try to keep his wife safe, Michael dies of cancer without ever being allowed to say goodbye.

I also discovered that the reason no one was aware of this story was because Dr Michael Aris had gone to great lengths to keep Suu’s family out of the public eye. It is only because their sons are now adults – and Michael is dead – that their friends and family feel the time has come to speak openly, and with great pride, about the unsung role he played.

The daughter of a great Burmese hero, General Aung San, who was assassinated when she was only two, Suu was raised with a strong sense of her father’s unfinished legacy. In 1964 she was sent by her diplomat mother to study Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Oxford, where her guardian, Lord Gore-Booth, introduced her to Michael. He was studying history at Durham but had always had a passion for Bhutan – and in Suu he found the romantic embodiment of his great love for the East. But when she accepted his proposal, she struck a deal: if her country should ever need her, she would have to go. And Michael readily agreed.

For the next 16 years, Suu Kyi was to sublimate her extraordinary strength of character and become the perfect housewife. When their two sons, Alexander and Kim, were born she became a doting mother too, noted for her punctiliously well-organised children’s parties and exquisite cooking. Much to the despair of her more feminist friends, she even insisted on ironing her husband’s socks and cleaning the house herself.

Then one quiet evening in 1988, when her sons were 12 and 14, as she and Michael sat reading in Oxford, they were interrupted by a phone call to say Suu’s mother had had a stroke.

She at once flew to Rangoon for what she thought would be a matter of weeks, only to find a city in turmoil. A series of violent confrontations with the military had brought the country to a standstill, and when she moved into Rangoon Hospital to care for her mother, she found the wards crowded with injured and dying students. Since public meetings were forbidden, the hospital had become the centre-point of a leaderless revolution, and word that the great General’s daughter had arrived spread like wildfire.

When a delegation of academics asked Suu to head a movement for democracy, she tentatively agreed, thinking that once an election had been held she would be free to return to Oxford again. Only two months earlier she had been a devoted housewife; now she found herself spearheading a mass uprising against a barbaric regime.

In England, Michael could only anxiously monitor the news as Suu toured Burma, her popularity soaring, while the military harassed her every step and arrested and tortured many of her party members. He was haunted by the fear that she might be assassinated like her father. And when in 1989 she was placed under house arrest, his only comfort was that it at least might help keep her safe.

Michael now reciprocated all those years Suu had devoted to him with a remarkable selflessness of his own, embarking on a high-level campaign to establish her as an international icon that the military would never dare harm. But he was careful to keep his work inconspicuous, because once she emerged as the leader of a new democracy movement, the military seized upon the fact that she was married to a foreigner as a basis for a series of savage – and often sexually crude – slanders in the Burmese press.

For the next five years, as her boys were growing into young men, Suu was to remain under house arrest and kept in isolation. She sustained herself by learning how to meditate, reading widely on Buddhism and studying the writings of Mandela and Gandhi. Michael was allowed only two visits during that period. Yet this was a very particular kind of imprisonment, since at any time Suu could have asked to be driven to the airport and flown back to her family.

But neither of them ever contemplated her doing such a thing. In fact, as a historian, even as Michael agonised and continued to pressurise politicians behind the scenes, he was aware she was part of history in the making. He kept on display the book she had been reading when she received the phone call summoning her to Burma. He decorated the walls with the certificates of the many prizes she had by now won, including the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize. And above his bed he hung a huge photograph of her.

Inevitably, during the long periods when no communication was possible, he would fear Suu might be dead, and it was only the odd report from passers-by who heard the sound of her piano-playing drifting from the house that brought him peace of mind. But when the south-east Asian humidity eventually destroyed the piano, even this fragile reassurance was lost to him.

Then, in 1995, Michael quite unexpectedly received a phone call from Suu. She was ringing from the British embassy, she said. She was free again! Michael and the boys were granted visas and flew to Burma. When Suu saw Kim, her younger son, she was astonished to see he had grown into a young man. She admitted she might have passed him in the street. But Suu had become a fully politicised woman whose years of isolation had given her a hardened resolve, and she was determined to remain in her country, even if the cost was further separation from her family.

The journalist Fergal Keane, who has met Suu several times, describes her as having a core of steel. It was the sheer resilience of her moral courage that filled me with awe as I wrote my screenplay for The Lady. The first question many women ask when they hear Suu’s story is how she could have left her children. Kim has said simply: “She did what she had to do.” Suu Kyi herself refuses to be drawn on the subject, though she has conceded that her darkest hours were when “I feared the boys might be needing me”.

That 1995 visit was the last time Michael and Suu were ever allowed to see one another. Three years later, he learnt he had terminal cancer. He called Suu to break the bad news and immediately applied for a visa so that he could say goodbye in person. When his application was rejected, he made over 30 more as his strength rapidly dwindled. A number of eminent figures – among them the Pope and President Clinton – wrote letters of appeal, but all in vain. Finally, a military official came to see Suu. Of course she could say goodbye, he said, but to do so she would have to return to Oxford.

The implicit choice that had haunted her throughout those 10 years of marital separation had now become an explicit ultimatum: your country or your family. She was distraught. If she left Burma, they both knew it would mean permanent exile – that everything they had jointly fought for would have been for nothing. Suu would call Michael from the British embassy when she could, and he was adamant that she was not even to consider it.

When I met Michael’s twin brother, Anthony, he told me something he said he had never told anyone before. He said that once Suu realised she would never see Michael again, she put on a dress of his favourite colour, tied a rose in her hair, and went to the British embassy, where she recorded a farewell film for him in which she told him that his love for her had been her mainstay. The film was smuggled out, only to arrive two days after Michael died.

For many years, as Burma’s human rights record deteriorated, it seemed the Aris family’s great self-sacrifice might have been in vain. Yet in recent weeks the military have finally announced their desire for political change. And Suu’s 22-year vigil means she is uniquely positioned to facilitate such a transition – if and when it comes – exactly as Mandela did so successfully for South Africa.

As they always believed it would, Suu and Michael’s dream of democracy may yet become a reality.
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Guan Eng says national debt ‘dangerous’, potentially disastrous

2012-01-12T10:22:00.003+08:00

Is our own government a responsible one? If we spend the way our neighbour is spending with borrowed money, we should be raising red flag too. Are we not? If we are not like our neighbour, why are we still complaining, anything from A to Z? Remember, we don't have oil and gas that shoot out from the ground.

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By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal

The Malaysian Insider
Jan 11, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 11 — Massive borrowing and irresponsible spending by the Barisan Nasional (BN) government will result in Malaysia becoming a fully indebted nation before the end of the decade, Lim Guan Eng said today.

The Penang chief minister said that Putrajaya’s debt to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio has increased yearly from 53.1 per cent in 2010 to 53.8 per cent last year and is expected to hit 54.8 per cent this year.

“This is extremely dangerous, and even more disastrous when coupled with statistics from Bank Negara’s Annual Report 2010, which revealed that Malaysia’s household debt at the end of 2010 was RM581 billion, or 76 per cent of GDP, thus giving us the dubious honour of having the second-highest level of household debt in Asia, after South Korea.

“In absolute terms, federal government debt rose by 71 per cent in four years to RM456 billion at (the) end (of) 2011 from RM266 billion at end (of) 2007,” said Lim in a statement today.

The DAP secretary-general said by following the same expansion rate, national debt would be a projected RM780 million by 2016 and RM1.3 trillion by 2020.

Lim’s remarks are in response to a statement by Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER) distinguished fellow Mohd Ariff Abdul Kareem, who warned that federal government revenue was growing too slowly to keep up with its borrowings which hit 53.1 per cent of GDP in 2010.

Mohd Ariff told The Malaysian Insider recently that Malaysia’s national debt will hit 100 per cent of the GDP by 2019 should Putrajaya continue to borrow more than it earns. He said while the current size of government debt relative to GDP was not troubling, the pace of its growth in recent years was cause for concern.

Debt-to-GDP ratio jumped from 41.4 per cent in 2008 to 53.1 per cent in 2010 while government debt grew 14.6 per cent in 2008 and 18.3 per cent in 2009, far outpacing the country’s GDP growth, Ariff had said.

Lim added that a stagnation in salaries, coupled with increased prices for basic commodities such as sugar, eggs, and bread, will further result in Malaysians becoming even more debt-laden.

The Bagan MP said that MIER’s projections that Malaysia could end up becoming bankrupt by 2019 showed the need for new federal government, one that should be led by Pakatan Rakyat (PR).

He said that PR has successfully “managed” finances in states such as Penang.

“Penang managed to reduce (its) state debt from RM630 million in March 8, 2008 to only RM30 million as at end of October 2011. This represents a debt reduction of 95 per cent, or RM600 million, which is the highest debt reduction of any state in Malaysia’s history.

“Clearly, Malaysians who wish to have a better life for themselves and their future generations must make a choice between a government that is spendthrift and that borrows irresponsibly without being able to make the pie grow bigger, or a government that is prudent and transparent that will put the concerns of the rakyat first,” Lim added.
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Extravagant Hopes of 2008 Haunt Obama in 2012

2012-01-03T15:33:00.004+08:00

This article is taken from a source.

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By E.J. Dionne, Jr.

Four years ago this week, a young and inspirational senator who promised to turn history’s page swept the Iowa caucuses and began his irresistible rise to the White House.

Barack Obama was unlike any candidate the country had seen before. More than a mere politician, he became a cultural icon, “the biggest celebrity in the world,” as a John McCain ad accurately if mischievously described him. He was the object of near adoration among the young, launching what often felt like a religious revival. Artists poured out musical compositions devoted to his victory in a rich variety of forms, from reggae and hip-hop to the Celtic folk song. (My personal favorite: “There’s no one as Irish as Barack O’Bama.”) Electoral contests rarely hold out the possibility of making all things new, but Obama’s supporters in large numbers fervently believed that 2008 was exactly such a campaign.

As the attention of the politically minded has focused on the rather more down-to-earth contests in Iowa and New Hampshire that will help determine which Republican will face Obama in November, let us ponder what the coming year will bring for someone who must now seek re-election as a mere mortal.

Obama’s largest problem is not the daunting list of difficulties that have left the country understandably dispirited: the continuing sluggishness of the economy, the broken political culture of Washington, the anxiety over the prospects of America’s future power and prosperity.

On each of these matters, Obama has plausible answers and, judging by improvements in his poll ratings since September, he has made headway in getting the country to accept them.

Most Americans still believe that Obama inherited rather than caused the economic turmoil. Barring another crisis in Europe, there is a decent chance of somewhat better times by Election Day. Obama’s fall offensive against Republicans in Congress has paid dividends. Voters seem inclined to blame Washington’s dysfunction on the GOP, not on a president they still rather like. Most also think Obama’s foreign policy has put the nation on a steadier course. To the extent that bellicosity from the Republicans—notably from Mitt Romney—portends a return to George W. Bush’s foreign policy, Obama will enjoy an advantage. Ron Paul’s strength in Iowa and New Hampshire suggests that there are even Republicans who are exhausted with foreign military adventures.

For all these reasons, Democrats are far more bullish on the president’s re-election chances than they were even a few months ago, and, for what it’s worth, I put the odds in his favor. Yet the threat that should most concern Obama may not be any of the particulars that usually decide elections but rather the inevitable clash between the extravagant hopes of 2008 and the messy reality of 2012.

In traveling around Iowa and New Hampshire over the last few weeks, I have been struck by the number of Democrats and independents who still more or less want Obama to win and deeply fear the consequences of a government dominated by Republicans. But having made this clear, they then bring up the ways in which they cannot summon the emotions on Obama’s behalf this year that they felt the first time around.

Some point to disappointment over his failure to confront the Republicans early enough and hard enough. How, they ask, could Obama possibly have expected cooperation from conservatives? Others are frustrated that he couldn’t bring Washington together, as he said he would. Still others point to real Obama achievements, including the stimulus and especially the health care law, and ask why he was unable to sell their merits to a majority of the electorate. And then there are those who wonder why the malefactors of finance have faced so little accountability.

Few of these voters would ever support a Republican, and most will turn out dutifully for Obama again. But a president who won election with only 52.9 percent of the vote does not have a lot of margin. He needs to worry not just about issues but also about the spirit and morale of his supporters. In their jaunty song on Obama’s behalf four years ago, the alternative reggae band Michael Franti & Spearhead promised a country that would “soar through the sky like an eagle” and saw Obama as “seeking finds of a new light.”

These are not the standards of normal politics. Can voters who supported someone as a transcendent figure re-elect him as a normal, if resilient, political leader? This is Obama’s challenge.

E.J. Dionne’s e-mail address is ejdionne(at)washpost.com.

© 2011, Washington Post Writers Group
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Summary of My 2011

2011-12-31T22:06:00.006+08:00

It's the last day of 2011 and a countdown party was to start at Glady's place but cancelled due to the untimely passing of her beloved mother. How is 2011 to me? If I have to give a rating, I would rate 6 out of 10 at most.

Work-wise, it has been just too mundane...nothing to shout about, really. Finance is manageable while stock & share investment has been rather lacklustre throughout the entire year For my achievements in 2011, I would say earning ACTA qualification is an added credence to my resume that probably set the trainer path for me in the near future and on the outdoor frontier, it would be the completion of two full marathons, Sundown and Stanchart and the second consecutive climb to Mt Kinabalu.

Going into 2012, a dragon year but global economy has expected to be weak. I will hit the half century mark in Feb and I have to carefully weigh my options, whether to stay put or venture out. While trying to stay positive, I am looking forward to the new year with some plans already put in place. It will still be a challenging year but life still goes on, for better or worse. I am ready for 2012, are you?

Lee Kuan Yew: At 85 The Fire Still Burns

2011-12-12T08:44:00.004+08:00

Note from Collin Ng:
It is claimed this article is written by a nephew of Dr Mahathir, Ahmad Mustapha. It is copied the way I have received it by email from a source.

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Singapore 's Minister Mentor, Lee Kuan Yew, who was Singapore 's founding father, has always been very direct in his comments. This was the man who outsmarted the communists in Singapore (with the innocent help of Malaya then and the willing help of the British) and who later outwitted the British and outpaced Malaysia in all spheres.

Singapore practices corrupt-free meritocracy and Malaysia affirmative action.
The former attracted all the best brains and the latter chased out all the brains.
The Singapore cabinet consists of dedicated and intelligent technocrats whereas Malaysia has one of the most unwieldy cabinets. Not only that, brain-wise it was below par not even good for the kampong.

With that kind of composition, one that is very brainy, naturally Singapore, with no natural resources could outstrip Malaysia in every aspect of development. Malaysia, on the other hand, was too much preoccupied with its Malayness and the illusory 'Ketuanan Melayu' and was also more interested in useless mega iconic development rather than real social and economic development.

Whenever Kuan Yew utters anything that deemed to be a slight on Malaysia, voices were raised admonishing him. Malaysia would never dare to face reality. That Singapore had shown that it could survive was a slap on those who believed that Singapore would fold up once it left Malaysia. Therefore it was natural that these doomsayers would try to rationalise their utterances to be in their favour to combat on whatever Kuan Yew commented. Its political jealousy.

Singapore achieved its development status without any fanfare. But here in Malaysia , a development that was deceptive was proclaimed as having achieved development status. It was trumpeted as an achievement that befits first world status. This was self delusion. Malaysians are led to believe into a make believe world, a dream world. The leaders who themselves tend to believe in their own fabricated world did not realise the people were not taken in by this kind of illusion.

Lee Kuan Yew believed in calling a spade a spade. I was there in Singapore when the People's Action Party won the elections in 1959. He was forthright in his briefing to party members as to what was expected of them and what Singapore would face in the future.

Ideologically, I did not agree with him. We in the University of Malaya Socialist Club had a different interpretation of socialist reconstruction. But he was a pragmatist and wanted to bring development and welfare to the Singaporeans.
Well! He succeeded.

Malaysia was so much embroiled in racial politics and due to the fear of losing political power, all actions taken by the main party in power was never targeted towards bringing wealth to all. Wealth was distributed to the chosen few only. They were the cronies and the backers of the party leadership to perpetuate their own selfish ends.

Seeing the efficiency and the progress achieved by Singapore caused the Malaysian leadership to suffer from an inferiority complex. That Malaysia should suffer from this complex was of its own making.

In a recent interview, Kuan Yew said that Malaysia could have done better if only it treated its minority Chinese and Indian population fairly. Instead they were completely marginalised and many of the best brains left the country in drove.
He added that Singapore was a standing indictment to what Malaysia could have done differently. He just hit the nail right there on the head.

Malaysia recently celebrated its 50th year of independence with a bagful of uncertainties. The racial divide has become more acute. The number of Malay graduates unemployed is on the increase. And this aspect can be very explosive. But sad to see that no positive actions have been taken to address these social ills.

Various excuses were given by Malaysian leaders why Singapore had far outstripped Malaysia in all aspects of social and economic advancement. Singapore was small, they rationalised and therefore easy to manage. Singapore was not a state but merely an island.

There was one other aspect that Malaysia practices and that is to politicise all aspects of life. All government organs and machinery were 'UMNO-ised'. This was to ensure that the party will remain in power. Thus there was this misconception by the instruments of government as to what national interest is and what UMNO vested interest is. UMNO vested interest only benefited a few and not the whole nation. But due to the UMNO-isation of the various instruments of government, the country under the present administration had equated UMNO vested interest as being that of national interest. Thus development became an avenue of making money and not for the benefit of the people.

The fight against corruption took a back seat. Transparency was put on hold. And the instruments of government took it to be of national interest to cater to the vested interest of UMNO. Enforcement of various enactments and laws was selective. Thus a 'palace' in Kelang, APs cronies and close-one-eye umno MPs could exist without proper procedure.

Corruption infested all govt departments, the worse is the police and lately even in the judiciary. Singapore did not politicise its instruments of government.
If ever politicisation took place, it is guided by national interest. To be efficient and to be the best in the region was of paramount importance. Thus all the elements like corruption, lackadaisical attitude towards work and other black elements, which would retard such an aim, were eliminated.

Singapore naturally had placed the right priority in its pursuit to achieve what is best for its people. This is the major difference between these two independent countries.

Malaysia in its various attempts to cover up its failures embarked on several diversions. It wanted its citizens to be proud that the country had the tallest twin-tower in the world, although the structure was designed and built by foreigners. It’s now a white-elephant wasting away. It achieved in sending a man into space at an exorbitant price. For what purpose? These are what the Malays of old would say "menang sorak" (hollow victories).

It should be realised that administering a country can be likened to managing a corporate entity. If the management is efficient and dedicated and know what they are doing, the company will prosper.

The reverse will be if the management is poor and bad. The company will go bust.
There are five countries around this region. There is Malaysia , and then Indonesia.
To the east there is the Philippines and then there is that small enclave called the Sultanate of Brunei. All these four countries have abundance of natural resources but none can lay claim to have used all these resources to benefit the people.
Poverty was rampant and independence had not brought in any significant benefits to the people. But tiny Singapore without any resources at all managed to bring development to its citizens. It has one of the best public MRT transport systems and airlines in the world and it is a very clean city state. Their universities, health care, ports are among the best in the world.

It is impossible to compare what Singapore has achieved to what all these four countries had so far achieved. It was actually poor management and corruption, and nothing more. Everything is done for the vested interest of the few. Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines and the Sultanate of Brunei need good management teams. They would not be able to do this on their own steam. I would advise that they call on Kuan Yew to show them what good governance is.

Why look East to Japan when it is just next door across the causeway.
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SCMS 2011 Pictures

2011-12-06T14:14:00.000+08:00

Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore 2011 (SCMS)

2011-12-04T14:24:00.005+08:00

It is my second 42km marathon this year, following the last Sundown Marathon which I clocked 4 hrs 32 mins and I hoped to clock 4 hrs 15 mins - a personal target I set for myself. One week before the race, I cut down on long distance running with Chua to give enough rest to my legs.

The race this morning was tough but fortunately for us, the weather was pretty cool and no sign of rain threatening. As expected, the adrenalin rush in me will keep me awake throughout the night. I set my alarm at 3.00am, 2 hours to the flag off at 5.00am and since MRT is running 24/7, I should arrive well ahead of flag-off time. To my little surprise, I managed to catch few hours of sleep but I was already up and running at 2.30 am. Before 3am, I was already walking to Aljunied station on my way to Orchard fully geared.

I was among the early birds and by my reckoning it should be around 3.30am (didn't have my watch on - intentional) Slowly as the clock continued to tick, more and more runners were streaming in. This year 20,000 runners registered for the full marathon, more than the 10km and 21km category. While waiting at the start point, I was hoping to catch my buddy Chua but no luck. I didn't have my mobile phone with me, again it was intentional so that I can run as light as possible. We were to be flagged off near the Mandarin Orchard and exactly 5.00am, off we went.

I aimed to maintain 6 mins per km pace, if I hoped to clock under 4 hrs 15 mins. I was striding consistently, coping well. Best of all, I kept the pacers, the 4 hrs, 4 hrs 15 mins, 4 hrs 30 mins, 4 hrs 45 mins and 5 hrs all the way behind. In fact in the first 10km, the 3 hrs 30 mins pacers were within my sight. I was pacing well within the 6 mins/km target. The first 10km took us from Orchard to New Bridge Road and into the business district. From there, we ran past F1 pit and to Fort Road. From Fort Road, we then headed to East Coast Park and all the way to East Coast Lagoon. At the first East Coast Park, I saw a lone African runner who was way ahead of the rest of the pack. He was already heading back the opposite direction to the city. He was more than 10km in front of me, covered near 30km at that juncture and I had then covered about 15km. Like the rest, we clapped as he strode past. A group of African runners were trying to catch up with him. Then further down, I saw our first local runner, an Indian. Finally, Mok, our local champion was with a group of runners who was trailing behind. Not surprising, he was nursing injury for few months and surely, he lost some of his fitness. It was still pitched dark at East Coast Park. I was glad that I was still pacing well, never stopped.

The U-turn near East Coast is the 21km mark and I cleared that hurdle without trouble. However, some few kilometres later, I started to feel fatigue of sorts. I slowed my pace and then I felt hunger, gosh! I was losing energy but there was no pain in my legs after more than 20km run. I started to walk a short distance to sustain the loss of energy from the hunger. I yearned for banana or energy gel but the water point along the East Coast stretch provided just mineral water and 100plus. Some 24 km into the race, the 4 hrs pacers overtook me but it was to be expected. I didn't attempt to keep pace with them, simply let them drift further and further from me. I started to adopt walk and run strategy, hoping to conserve some energy to the last part. After I ran past former Big Splash, I caught sight of Clarence on the opposite side. I shouted at him and he merely acknowledged less his jovial self, gave him a thumbs-up. From the look of it, I knew he was struggling. Hey, who wasn't...I was also trying to sustain the fatigue in my body and legs.

Some 30km into the race, the 4 hrs 30 mins pacers ran past me. I knew I will not be able to achieve my personal best time of 4 hrs 15 mins and under. I just have to keep going, telling myself to finish the race no matter what. Frankly, the last 10 km was the toughest when fatigue got the better of me. My legs wanted to run but my mind told me to walk. I managed to grab a banana after 30km mark at the water point but still couldn't finish the whole banana.

When one of the marhsals shouted 7km more, I was already aching all over. I wondered whether I could muster enough energy to run the last 7km and as much as I would like to, I had to switch from walking to running and back. This slowed down my pace considerably and at some 36km mark, the 4 hrs 45 mins pacers strode past me. I had 3 km more to the finish, just tag along to them I told to myself. But suddenly, my right calf pulled a cramp and I had to stop. After some stretching, I resumed my run and walk but the pacers had by then moved ahead and ahead of me.

We had to run up the Benjamin Sheares and a sign indicated this is a 'Heartbreak Bridge' because it is upslope for a good 800 metres. At that juncture, we joined the rest of the 21km runners and it was frustrating overtaking them. The bridge was packed with runners, I had to move from side to side just to overtake them (damn, they were walking as if it was a stroll in the park). It was frustrating. And near the F1 pit, 10km runners were linked to us. It was not enjoyable running the final 2km stretch from F1 to City Hall, chock-a-block with rest of the runners from other categories. I lost the inspiration to push the final 2 km, frustration got the better of me. Finally, at the final turn to City Hall, I just ran less the usual 'boost' I reserved for the final 100 metres. The clocked showed 4 hours 50 mins plus when I ran past it. Personal best was not achieved but I am glad that I have completed my 4th marathon in 3 years.

North East Run 2011 Pasir Ris - Punggol on 20.11.2011

2011-11-20T12:33:00.007+08:00

This North East Run which was organised by North East Community Development Council was scheduled this morning at Pasir Ris Park and we had registered for the 14km event. Winnie was supposed to run, however she did not feel confident enough as she has not been training regularly. With her not running, I will be pacing Dora and CK who will be running the year end Stanchart half marathon.

On last Friday, I had a 28.5km run with Chua and I know better not to push too much but pacing Dora should suffice. In fact, we had a bet. If she runs under 1 hr 30 mins, she wins and beyond, I win. The stake - lunch. Based on her current performance, I am confident that she can clock under 1 hr 25 mins and I am likely (glad too) to lose this lunch bet to her.

This morning, I picked her up at Ang Mo Kio station at 6.15am where she took the first train from her house at Admiralty. We then headed to Pasir Ris to pick up CK who was already waiting at the kiosk near his home. We arrived at Pasir Ris park well before 7am. To my surprise, traffic was not heavy and there were ample parking lots nearby too. At that instance, my gut feel told me not many runners were expected for this event. The men's event was to flag-off at 7am and we advised CK to run with the men while I will pace Dora in the women's event which was to be flagged off at 7.15am. While waiting, I met Alan Cheong who was competing in the men's 14km run. We had a quick exchange and wished each other well before he moved further ahead. At a glance, there were probably lesser than one hundred runners in the women's category. DPM Teo Chee Hien was the guest-of-honour who flagged off both the men's and women's runners.

At 7.20am, we were finally flagged off. It was a cool morning but rain in the early morning made the ground muddy and shoggy. The route around the Pasir Ris park is about 7 km and we had to make 2 loops around the park. As there were not many runners, the run was quite a breeze. We were passing many women runners in front and at some point, some of the men too. Dora was running her normal pace but I can hear her heavy breathing. Typical of her, she did not want any water in the first station. We were running some 2 km by then. Some parts were undulating and we had to avoid pool of water along the route. Otherwise, the route was mostly even and hard.

About 7km into the run, another batch of 7km non-competitive runners were flagged off at about 8am. We ran into them and had to manoveur around the runners in order to push ahead. I can sense Dora's frustation whose run momentum was disrupted trying to pace in front of them. At some point, we had to run on wet grass patch. We managed to move ahead of many of these non-competitve runners. The weather was getting a little warmer by then. Dora kept looking at her watch. When we ran past the 10km mark, she looked at her watch and said, "shit or alamak I am not sure, 59 secs." I knew she meant it was just under 1 hour and that we had 4 km to go and wondered whether we could touch home under 1 hour 25 mins. With 4km left and we just clocked under 1 hour at 10km mark, barring any unforseeable we should be able to achieve our target. I just told her to ignore her watch and concentrate in the run. Her pace was steady in the first 10km but slowed somewhat in the last 4km. In the last 2km, I moved ahead for her to tag on me. I kept looking back to make sure she was within sight. When we reached the 1ast 100 metres, I rooted her to make a final dash. She did despite the agony she was in and we touched home together. There was no timing shown but by our reckoning, we had come under 1 hour 25 mins and I have lost the bet. CK was already waiting for us at the finishing and his timing was not that far from us either. Both CK and Dora are ready for the year end marathon after this trial run. I had a great run with CK and Dora this morning.

Malaysians Getting Ripped Off

2011-11-14T14:56:00.003+08:00

To an average worker, is life better off in Singapore or Malaysia? Hear this from one Malaysian.

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By Mimi Chih

When Tunku Abdul Rahman decided to expel Singapore from the Federation of Malaya leading to the Independence of Singapore on August 9, 1965, the world did not expect this tiny island Republic with a population of 1.8 million then to stand tall as one of the original Four Asian Tigers, along with Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan 46 years later. Well, this Lion City has certainly ventured forth roaring all the way with a lion heart.

How does one measure the success of a country? To the people, it is reflected in their overall standard of living. Not every country is lucky enough to have a team of intelligent people whose passionate objectives drive them to make their country a better place to live – for everyone. Singapore is one such country. Today this island republic has one of the highest standard of living in South East Asia.

Which Malaysian could imagine that some 46 years after the split, Singapore’s exchange rate to the ringgit would hit a dizzying rate of RM2.41 (Nov 11, 2011)? August 1972 was the last time that the SGD (Singapore Dollar) was almost on par with the (RM) ringgit at SGD100:RM100.10. For an average wage earner in the Lion City making SGD2500 a month, going for a 10 days holiday to the US or Australia or Europe once a year is a relatively small matter.

What happened to Malaysia? In 1965 when Singapore was expelled, Malaysia had everything that the island republic glaringly lacked – ample land, a plethora of natural resources, an operating government, and 9.3 million people.

Unfortunately, in the 46 years that has come to past, Malaysia has been bogged down by a number of issues which are clearly distracting the government from doing what it is supposed to be doing.

The ruling government (UMNO) in Malaysia is debating whether education in English would be significantly beneficial to the rakyat, the opposition PAS’ vehement stance in wanting to forcibly implement the hudud laws and banning Elton John from performing in Malaysia because of his sexual orientation, and the Obedient Wives Club’s proposition that Muslim women should be obedient and strive to approach sex with their hubbies not just on a physical level but on the higher spiritual realm.

There are also questions posed to DAP’s national chairman Karpal Singh by MCA’s leader Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek whether a non-Muslim should first convert to Islam if they wanted to be deputy prime minister should Pakatan become the ruling government. These are just a handful of endless annoying issues which UMNO has had to deal with on a daily basis.

In 2011 Singapore’s population stands at 5.18 million (63% are Singaporean citizens while 37% are permanent residents). Malaysia’s population as at July 2011 is 28.73 million. Without getting into advanced mathematical calculations, one would deduce that economies of scale would be more achievable in the country that has 28.73 million people versus 5.18 million. This is not the case.

The cost of living is relative to the ability to earn. Lets establish the value of currency in terms of the wage rate (Malaysia does not have a Minimum Wage rate yet). In Singapore the average general worker such as a merchandiser in a supermarket /department store or the cashier serving you at Mc Donald’s earns SGD5.50 – 6.00 per hour. In Malaysia similar positions start at RM4 – 6 per hour.

But take a look at how much things cost in Malaysia. A kopi si peng costs SGD0.90 to SGD1.20 in clean kopi shops/food courts in Singapore while it costs RM1.80 to RM2.00 in Malaysia. A Chinese roasted duck costs SGD18-25 each . In Malaysia, at the market rate of RM48 per bird, eating roasted duck is a luxury.

As my niece, a 2 year Sunway College graduate with an Accounting degree and ACCA cert is fond of saying, “A person earning peanuts (SGD peanuts, OK) in Singapore can still afford to buy Peter Pan Honey Roasted Peanut Butter imported from the US. A Malaysian earning peanuts in Malaysia can’t even afford to smell any peanut butter.” She adds, “SGD10 in Singapore goes a lot further than RM10 in Malaysia!”

Needless to say, Malaysia has already lost her to the Lion City – talk about brain drain. More than 13 young Accounting graduates from her circle of friends have eagerly taken the same path.

How is it that the cost of so many basic foods and day to day consumable items end up being so much more expensive in Malaysia? Malaysian politicians need to start talking in a meaningful language to the people. For a start, they can talk in terms of bringing down the cost of foods and consumables in Malaysia while striving for a decent standard. The rakyat will surely want to listen to the party that can talk sense about making their RM10 go further than at its current limpy and lethargic rate. It would be nice for average income earning Malaysians to be able to afford US made Peter Pan Honey Roasted Peanut Butter.

Forget the hudud laws for now. Being obedient wives is interesting…. but it’s not an urgent matter. Lets not fret on this issue. Why must a capable non-muslim candidate convert to Muslim to be the Deputy Prime Minister? Would converting to Muslim make the candidate a better Deputy Prime Minister? Finally, do let Elton John dazzle the Malaysians for just one nite – he is not a terrorist. He is truly an accomplished, world class musician and entertainer.
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Why Malaysia is not a member of the Asia Tigers Club of Singapore, Hong Kong, S. Korea and Taipei

2011-11-10T11:39:00.002+08:00

Personal note: Why are we, Singapore constantly praised by foreigners while our very own people continue to discredit the good works of our government? Read this article by one opposition member in Malaysia.

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By Dr Chen Man Hin, DAP life advisor

Can PM transform Malaysia to become a high income nation in 2016. When he cannot improve the economy to join the Asia tigers club of Singapore, Hong Kong, S. Korea and Taipei?

When became PM in 2009, Najib announced his proposals to transform the economy with his Economic Transformation Program (ETP) by injection of tens of billion ringgits promised largely by government related companies. His predecessor Tun Mahathir also injected billions but the economy scarcely moved and the FDIs did not come in.

But money is not the primary mover of the economy. More importantly it is manpower.

Since 1970, the NEP has been a negative factor to drive the economy. With the NEP the GDP of Malaysia began to fall far behind those of Singapore, Hong Kong, S. Korea and Taiwan. Even now, the NEP has been a major factor in chasing away hundreds of thousands of our skilled manpower overseas, and this has affected the economy. While the four tigers leaped ahead to high income economies, while Malaysia stagnated.

Even today, the NEP continues to disappoint the young men and women who continue to emigrate overseas to seek better opportunities. Statistics show a million of young Malaysians are now overseas, with half of them in Singapore. Largely because of their skills, the Singapore economy has rocketed upwards, and its per capita income is now the highest in Asia.

Because of the NEP, our youths are not properly educated. Science and Maths are the foundation stones to train our youths in schools and universities to be engineers, scientists and research workers to propel our society into the IT era. Proficiency in English is the key to Science and Maths. And yet the ministry is not keen to keep PPSMI policy to teach our students to be conversant with English.

It is the basic thing to do, to use English to teach science and maths in schools and universities, so that the country can be an IT economy, which translates to a high income economy.

The World Bank has produced a paper criticising the NEP as the cause for the deterioration of academic standards of Malaysian universities. It is a sad thing to report that world renowned ranking organisations have not ranked our universities as world class like National University of Singapore and Hong Kong University. As a matter of fact, not one university in Malaysia is ranked as world class.

So much for PM Najib boast that our country will be 1 Malaysia.
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S'pore's Success: An Observer's Take

2011-10-30T09:46:00.005+08:00

Penned by David Mason, a former partner of Price Waterhouse and is now running his own consultancy in business communications in the United Kingdom.

His article first appeared in the Business Times on 25 Oct, Tuesday and also in the Straits Time on 27 Oct, Thursday.

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I've been coming to Singapore for the last 48 years, which makes me feel ancient. Mind you, the first visit in 1963 was merely a one-day stopover on a ship back to the United Kingdom.

We berthed at what is now the container terminal and I bought my first transistor radio at what is now Raffles Place, from a small shop which was near Change Alley. We could not afford Robinsons on other side of the park.

Immediately, I can hear young Singaporeans saying: "Huh?"

Singapore has changed dramatically. I came to live here in 1979 and stayed until 1997. Since then, I have worked here on and off every year and have had the opportunity to see the place change and grow.

Modern Singapore is a success story. From a swampy island, beset with mosquitoes, whose only claim to success was its geographical location and its huge harbour, it has become one of the world's leading cities.

You all know the statistics, because you are brought upon on them. Shipping, oil refining, transport hub, banking centre, high-tech R&D, regional centre in every way. Singapore is a success.

Yet this is fragile.

The world is truly global economically and Singapore exists only because of economics. The current outlook for the global economy is scary, to say the least, so Singapore must take stock.

You have had the same governing party since Independence and, if I have learnt one thing from them, it is that the nation requires stability. Without it, you are lost. I'll avoid the arguments about democracy because I'd like you to let me in next time I come to Changi.

But the message is very clear- do not throw away what your forefathers fought so hard to establish.

The modern Singapore shocks - in the nicest sense. Our first home was in Upper Thomson, with kampungs on three sides. The night soil tanker visited every morning and woke me up, to get to work in a non-aircon bus.

Being an ang moh (Caucasian) and not used to the weather, I used to leave wet marks under my shoes by the time we got to Ocean Building. Now you have the most modern of buildings, an advanced transport system (okay, it gets crowded, but the aircon works) and fairly full employment.

You are also known as a place of enjoyment for the well-heeled, and some of the now live here. You have casinos, Formula One racing, the best zoo in the world, arguably the world's best food and an amazing number of foreigners.

Which is where this starts to get serious.

Singapore started and sustained itself through the incredible efforts of its people. The Government was tough and restrictive, but for a good reason - to establish and prosper as a nation.

Discipline was key to this and I know - I had my hair cut in 1979, but I didn't really mind. I had the privilege of working with several of the "Old Guard" and admired their ethic. Singapore prospered and built so much of its current infrastructure because of it.

The Housing Board estates are the best public housing in the world. Don't believe it? Try another country.

Jurong has just one unbelievable for its size. The CBD has to be close to the best in the world for businesses.

But there is a problem. Years ago, if a taxi driver even mentioned political dissent, we would both look around to see who was listening.

Today, I hear dissent from many Singaporeans. The last General Election is testatment to a growing sense of unease among the population. The haves and the have-nots are getting further apart and the discipline is fading.

There is much dissent about the apparent unchecked immigration from Asian sources, despite the agreed need for it on macro-economic grounds.

What worries me as a sympathetic observer is not the development and the immigration - I can only applaud it. It is the lack of knowledge and sensitivity of the younger generation of Singaporeans.

Singapore was fought for and won as a globally important nation by the mid 1980s. Its younger management have been born since then and display two general problems. the first is that "it has always been like this, so it will continue" - an awful sense of birthright and complacency. The second is a lack of understanding of how the country was born in the first place.

Asians have a tradition of respect for their elders. Singaporeans are in danger of losing it. If you do so, you put your nation at risk.
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Four Nations, Four Lessons

2011-10-24T09:43:00.001+08:00

This is taken from Malaysia politician, YB Lim Kit Siang's blog post, http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2011/10/23/four-nations-four-lessons/ by this gentleman, Gregory Mankiw.

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By N. GREGORY MANKIW
The New York Times
October 22, 2011

AS the economy languishes, politicians and pundits are debating what to do next. When we look around the world, it’s hard to find positive role models. But as we search for answers, it is useful to keep in mind those fates that we would like to avoid.

The recent economic histories of four nations are noteworthy: France, Greece, Japan and Zimbabwe. Each illustrates a kind of policy mistake that could, if we are not careful, presage the future of the United States economy. Think of them as the four horsemen of the economic apocalypse.

Let’s start with Zimbabwe. If there were an award for the world’s worst economic policy, it might well have won it several times over the past decade. In particular, in 2008 and 2009, it experienced truly spectacular hyperinflation. Prices rose so fast that the central bank eventually printed 100 trillion-dollar notes for people to carry. The nation has since abandoned using its own currency, but you can still buy one of those notes as a novelty item for about $5 (American, that is).

Some may find it hard to imagine that the United States would ever go down this route. But reckless money creation is apparently a concern of Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, who is seeking the Republican nomination for president. He suggested in August that it would be “almost treasonous” if Ben S. Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve, were to print too much money before the election. Mr. Perry is not alone in his concerns. Many on the right fear that the Fed’s recent policies aimed at fighting high unemployment will mainly serve to ignite excessive inflation.

Mr. Bernanke, however, is less worried about the United States turning into Zimbabwe than he is about it turning into Japan.

Those old enough to remember the 1980s will recall that Japan used to be an up-and-coming economic superpower. Many people then worried (too much, in my view) that Japan’s rapid growth was a threat to prosperity in the United States, in much the same way that many people worry today (too much, in my view) about rapid growth in China.

The concerns about Japanese hegemony came to a quick end after bubbles in the real estate and stock markets burst in the early 1990s. Since then, Japan has struggled to regain its footing. Critics of the Bank of Japan say it has been too focused on quelling phantom inflationary threats and insufficiently concerned about restoring robust economic growth.

One of those critics was Mr. Bernanke, before he became Fed chairman. Watching Japanese timidity and failures has surely made him more willing to experiment with unconventional forms of monetary policy in the aftermath of our own financial crisis.

The economists in the Obama administration are also well aware of the Japanese experience. That is one reason they are pushing for more stimulus spending to prop up the aggregate demand for goods and services.

Yet this fiscal policy comes with its own risks. The more we rely on deficit spending to keep the economy afloat, the more we risk the kind of sovereign debt crisis we have witnessed in Greece over the past year. The Standard & Poor’s downgrade of United States debt over the summer is a portent of what could lie ahead. In the long run, we have to pay our debts — or face dire consequences.

To be sure, the bond market doesn’t seem particularly worried about the solvency of the federal government. It is still willing to lend to the United States at low rates of interest. But the same thing was true of Greece four years ago. Once the bond market starts changing its mind, the verdict can be swift, and can lead to a vicious circle of rising interest rates, increasing debt service and budget deficits, and falling confidence.

Bond markets are now giving the United States the benefit of the doubt, partly because other nations look even riskier, and partly in the belief that we will, in time, get our fiscal house in order. The big political question is how.

The nation faces a fundamental decision about priorities. To maintain current levels of taxation, we will need to substantially reduce spending on the social safety net, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and the new health care program sometimes called Obamacare. Alternatively, we can preserve the current social safety net and raise taxes substantially to pay for it. Or we may choose a combination of spending cuts and tax increases. This brings us to the last of our cautionary tales: France.

Here are two facts about the French economy. First, gross domestic product per capita in France is 29 percent less than it is in the United States, in large part because the French work many fewer hours over their lifetimes than Americans do. Second, the French are taxed more than Americans. In 2009, taxes were 24 percent of G.D.P. in the United States but 42 percent in France.

Economists debate whether higher taxation in France and other European nations is the cause of the reduced work effort and incomes there. Perhaps it is something else entirely — a certain joie de vivre that escapes the nose-to-the-grindstone American culture.

We may soon be running a natural experiment to find out. If American policy makers don’t rein in entitlement spending over the next several decades, they will have little choice but to raise taxes close to European levels. We can then see whether the next generation of Americans spends less time at work earning a living and more time sipping espresso in outdoor cafes.

N. Gregory Mankiw is a professor of economics at Harvard. He is advising Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, in the campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.
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OCBC Cycle Malaysia 2011, 16 Oct 2011

2011-10-23T10:54:00.009+08:00

This was my second cycling event this year, experienced my first with OCBC in Singapore earlier this year and following suit, its Malaysia edition. I enjoyed the Singapore edition and was certainly keen to partake in the Malaysia one which was a first by OCBC. I managed to convince my running mate, Chua to join me though Chua is not as avid as me when it comes to cycling.

The event was scheduled on 16 Oct, Sunday. We planned to be in KL one day prior; to check out the venue and to collect our kits, among others. I had booked DoubleTree by Hilton, the official hotel of the event but to our dismay, it was 'official in name' as not much of publicity could be found at the hotel premises, save for a lone pull-out banner displayed at one corner of the lift lobby. It is a nice and comfy hotel, no doubt.

I picked up Chua at his place in Bukit Panjang before 7am on Saturday as we had to cross the Woodlands causeway before 8am if we wanted to avoid the heavy jam later. We managed to place our two roadies with two front wheels taken out inside the car. After crossing the Woodlands causeway, we headed to Taman Sentosa to patronise the famous Ah Koon 'Bak Kut Tei' stall but we were too early, it was still not opened yet. We settled for a quickie one at a coffeeshop nearby.

Chua is familiar with the place, directed me to the shortest route leading to the highway and soon we were on the way to KL. Enroute and at Chua's recommendation, we stopped over at Tangkak to have mee hoon beef soup at a popular stall. No wrong, the beef soup is simply fantastic. Knowing the rouge traffic cops on the highway especially on the weekends, I kept to the 110km/hr speed limit throughout unless overtaking. We reached KL around 12 noon but took us a while looking for our hotel which is along Tun Razak and Ampang Road. Traffic in KL was smooth sailing being a Saturday, phew!

After we did our check-in, we were off to Avenue K to pick up our kits. We planned to take a short LRT ride from our hotel to Avenue K, just one stop away according to the map shown. A nice Caucasian man advised us to walk pointing to the right direction as it is definitely faster than taking LRT. Thanks to him, he was right, indeed. I even joked to Chua who is a Malaysian but have to rely on an 'ang moh' to show us the right way.

Admittedly,I was expecting throngs of people from participants to visitors at the mall but I was somewhat disappointed to see not so much of a fanfare there. There were few booths selling related cycling wares & apparels, it took a glance to see all. Prior to that, I had received an email from the event organisers that some 1,000 French-made cycling shorts and jerseys will be sold but almost everything was not available. I cannot pick up a ladies cycling pants for Dora as there was no L size left, of any brands. However, I only managed to pick up an OCBC Malaysia edition cycling pants for RM90 for myself.

After picking up our kits, Chua and I went separate way. He was meeting his brother & sister and later his old friends for dinner while I headed to Chooi Nee's work place to pass her some of her things.

It always happens to me before and again, I suffered insomnia. I fought very hard to go to sleep despite retiring to bed early. I was kept awake, sleeping intermittently. We woke up by 4.45am and by 5am, we were already down at the concierge to pick up our bikes. We met a couple from Singapore and they later joined us cycling to the start venue at Dataran Merdeka which is about 5km away.

Soon, we met more cyclists along Ampang Road and we then formed a convoy. I was in front and a car just sped past. It made a abrupt stop some 100 metres in front and then, turned a full 180 degree circle. I can smell the burnt of tyres. It then turned back and sped off, damn...bunch of drunken fellas and if they had escaped this time, they won't be lucky next time and may God bless them.

We arrived at Dataran Merdeka before 5.30am, some one hour to the flag-off at 6.30am. It was still pitched dark and Chua and I just hang around. A short while later, we could hear the MC trying to make his announcement but most of time, I couldn't hear what he said. The sound system was too soft and also the MC was just too boring. Bikes of different made and brands, mostly roadies, some foldies and some mountain bikes were streaming in.

We were at the start line, somewhere in the mid section and by 6.30am, we were not flagged off yet. It was only around 6.45am when the first horn sounded. We moved out batch by batch and by the time we were flagged off, it was around 7am by my reckoning (I didn't really check the time and I didn't have my watch with me either). Chua was just behind me, he was quiet throughout and when we sped off, we simply could not stick together. I later learnt he was very nervous on seeing so many cyclists. We had to watch out for other cyclists and be safe. Anyway, we had chosen a waiting spot after we have finished the race.

After the first turn, we headed to Kenny Heights and this is the toughest route I soon learnt. It is quite a steep slope which we had to ascend for quite a distance. I know I am not good when it comes to steep slope. Speed was reduced to lesser than 20km, dropping to 12km (at last 2 laps) but on the downhill, I can hit beyond 50km. Already on the first lap, I saw a casualty who was sitting by the side of the road and head bloodied.

We had to do five laps (each lap was about 10.5km) for a total of 52km in all. We cycled into the heart of KL. The first two laps were generally alright where traffic was kept at bay. I was doing about 30km on average, had to slow down at each turn and from time to time, watch out for charging cyclists from behind. Chua was nowhere in sight, he was either in front or behind. On the third lap, some cars and motorcylists were allowed in. It was a tight space and we really had to cycle with great care, knowing too well the notorious traffic in KL.

On my fourth lap, I had to stop for traffic to pass. Some impatient cyclists shouted at the traffic policemen to allow us through but to no avail, we had to wait for a good few minutes. Again, on my fifth and last lap which I had accelerated faster than the last four laps, we were stopped at the traffic junction. This time, longer than expected. In the last two stops, I reckon more than 5 minutes were wasted.

While I was heading to the finishing line, about 30 metres away and just in front of me, I saw one cyclist who just fell without anyone crashing on him and it was face down on him. Boy, it must be a bad fall for him. I cannot stop as more cyclists were zooming home on the final stretch, just shouted so that the medics could hear me.

After dismounting from the bike, I headed to the exit as directed by the organising personnel. A finishing medal was placed on me (actually, I cheekyly asked the lady to hang on me instead of passing to me). Another surprise awaits...more medals were left on two tables were left unattended and some were seen helping themselves to more medals. If there were not medals to be given out, this is likely the cause.

A short while later, Chua emerged. He was just some 20 or 30 seconds behind me, great effort by him. We later chanced upon the same couple and together, we cycled back to our hotel. The whole organisation was not perfectly executed, probably it was the first time for OCBC organisers. I can understand and accept some lapses but the biggest letdown is to allow cars and motorcyclists in and this is where cyclist safety is compromised. If the venue in the heart of KL is not ideal for such event, it is better to change to another place where traffic is manageable or not have it at all - this is my take.

On the same day, we checked out and drove back. Again, while enroute, we detoured to Tangkak for our beef mee hoon soup and I think this is the highlight of our trip, not the cycling. For the experience, yes but to cycle next year, a likely no.

Stemming the Malaysian exodus

2011-10-13T11:40:00.003+08:00

Taken from the blog of Malaysian veteran politician, YB Lim Kit Siang, an article written by a Douglas Tan from The Malaysian Insider.

Many Singaporeans, especially the Gen Y are grumbling about living in Singapore, the high cost, lack of freedom, among others but alot more Malaysians are eager to seek lives outside, read on.

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— Douglas Tan
The Malaysian Insider
Oct 12, 2011

OCT 12 — Recently, YB Teresa Kok asked me, “Why are Malaysians so keen to leave this country? Life overseas is not necessarily easier!” I agree that life overseas is not necessarily so. In fact, my cousins living in Hong Kong, Singapore and London tell me regularly that they miss the food and that everything is much cheaper at home (except cars). They complain about the weather, high cost of living and their long working hours. Despite this, when the possibility of coming back home is raised, they give me a smile and a shake of their head.

Is living in Malaysia really so bad? What is it that other countries have that we don’t? YB Lim Kit Siang posted on his blog in December 2009 that more than 630 Malaysians migrate overseas everyday, and that number is increasing year on year.

This is a worrying statistic and the brain drain issue is one that the current government acknowledges is a problem. However, the best they can come up with to make Malaysians come back are tax breaks, and tax-free vehicles. From day one, it has become apparent these ‘perks’ would simply not work.

This government has a habit of tackling problems by providing quick fixes. The 2012 Budget should really be called the ‘quick-fix’ budget as RM232 billion is mindlessly spent, with unrealistic economic growth forecasts to back it up.

Yes, 60 per cent of households would receive a RM500 relief and we thank the government for it. What then? RM500 does not combat rising costs, or inflation. How far can RM500 bring us nowadays? Not very far. In no time at all, that RM500 has become a distant memory and we are back to square one.

The Kedai 1 Malaysia initiative was put in place by the government to sell cheap products subsidised by the government, and more are to be opened across the nation. Shop owners are now screaming in displeasure as they cannot possibly compete. If the government is intent on handing out subsidies, subsidise the shops which are already operating! Another poorly planned quick fix that provides no long-term solution.

Where is the long-term economic plan? Where is the investment in our children’s future? Fixing school buildings is an excellent initiative, but the real problem lies in the fabric of the education system.

Our children are taught to be robots, to regurgitate material and not to question their teachers. Many scoff at the lowering of standards in the ongoing PMR exams, and an Additional Mathematics SPM paper was allegedly leaked to tuition centres. Is all this in the name of grades, just to make the Education Ministry look good? How can this system prepare our children to be competent, effective members of society? The biggest losers in all of this are our nation’s children.

A friend over dinner told me earnestly that he was preparing to leave the country for the sake of his children. As disheartening as it was to hear, he proceeded to tell me why.

His vision for his children was for them to grow up in a society in which they would not be discriminated against. Although racism is also prevalent in other countries, in Malaysia, racism is institutionalised and sanctioned by the Barisan Nasional government.

Furthermore, corruption is rampant throughout all levels of government. The payment of corruption money in cases of obtaining building or business licenses is so prevalent, that many businesses have included such a payment in their expense budgets. How can this continue be the case?

These issues are all correlated, and opportunities continue to be stifled. Talented people leave because Malaysia appears to have no appreciation for their abilities. Nepotism and favouritism are practised on the basis of the “Lu tolong gua, Gua tolong lu” principle rather than getting the best person for the job.

Our English standards have been lowered in order to record more exam passes, but quality is sacrificed as a result. If even masters degree holders from local universities are unable to speak proper English, how can we then become a globally competitive nation?

After this Budget, more and more people are convinced that this BN government cares only about staying in power and not for the long-term development of the nation. The exodus of talented individuals will continue unless necessary reforms are put in place.

On a recent trip to the United States, on our stopover in Hong Kong, a fellow passenger remarked that they could finally talk about issues of Malaysia as they dared not voice out their displeasures at home. Recalling so many holding up their fingers to their lips to shush their friends from bringing up national issues, it is obvious that many feel we are living under oppression.

Finally, one of my old schoolmates residing in Australia told me that he wanted to come home to take care of his parents. “But the biggest thing stopping me from coming home now is the government”. A change in government may not automatically bring Malaysians home, but what it would do is provide hope for the future of our nation, and hope for our future generations.

Change is needed, and change has to happen now.
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Trip To Pelepah Falls, Kota Tinggih

2011-10-09T10:51:00.011+08:00

It was my first outing organised by YMCA but for sure, won't be my last with them after this enjoyable trip. We've found good new company, especially the senior citizens among us.

The trip was scheduled on 8 Oct, Saturday and the 6 of us, Dora, CK, Kiat Sing, Kany, Yan Ping and me had arranged to meet at Woodlands station by 0645 hrs to take a Johor bound TIBS bus over to Singapore Woodlands check-point where we were supposed to link up with the rest. Unfortunately, we later learnt from Kiat Sing that Kany and Yan Ping had taken ill thus had to give this trip a miss. We arrived at Singapore check-point before 0700 hrs, early for us as the meet up was scheduled at 0730 hrs. While waiting, we witnessed an accident. A Malaysia registered combi was making a reverse which rammed into another Malaysia registered combi. Not a major accident, the rear of one dented the front of the other. Quickly, Dora took down the number plates of the two combis (cannot remember the number now) and asked whether anyone of us wanted to buy 4-D. All 4 of us placed S$10 each to try our luck (but later in the evening on our way back home, there was no news from Dora's father who bought on our behalf did not call and we knew our bet had gone up into smoke...haiz!).

The organiser, Sze Haw finally turned up with the rest and we took SBS bus 160 to cross over to the Johor side where our coach was waiting for us. I was pleasantly surprised they had arranged a luxurious super vip 26-seater coach for us - I was actually expecting a combi. We waited a little longer for another person, a Czek who missed his bus and was trying to find his way to the immigration. When he turned up, he sat across the aisle from me and then made a brief introduction of himself. Peter is a professor from NUS, been to Singapore just 5 days ago. One final count there were 22 of us including the organisers from YMCA.

We had our breakfast in Ulu Tiram and after that, we made one more final stop to shop for the much sought after 'kampong adidas' shoes since it was going to be a wet wet trail throughout. With our arrival, the shop was kept busy by us. After trying some, I bought a pair at RM6.50, really worth the money. More than 10 pairs were bought from our group.

We finally arrived at Kota Tinggih Waterfall and it was just before 1100 hrs. The guide, Azhahari and his 3 younger assistants were already waiting for us. After a brief introduction, we were ready to make our way to the fall. We slowly made our way, the 4 of us, Dora, CK and Kiat Sing stick close to each other. We had to trek on water and the 'kampong adidas' was a god-send to me. The weather looked fine, we couldn't have asked for more. It was easy walking as the initial part was mostly flat. Gracie, another organiser from YMCA told us there are altogether 7 waterfalls along the way and it should take 2 hours to reach, barring any unforseeable.

When we reached our first rest point and then someone pointed to a leech that landed on the foot of our veteran guide, Azahari who does not look panicky at all. Dora could have freaked out at the mere sight of a leech but she was surprising quiet, perhaps she was trying to conceal her fear for leeches from the others. A nice elderly gentleman in our group, Muthu came over and volunteered to solve this 'leechy' saga (without being asked in the first place). He asked our guide whether he had any leech repellant of sorts to take the leech out to which our guide said he had none. He (Muthu) then said saliva should the problem as there is alkaline in the saliva which will 'loosen' the grip of the leech or something to that effect. As he was about to 'gamely' spit his saliva on the guide's foot, he politely asked, "May I...?". With an amused look on his face, the guide stopped him in time and then, using his fingers, just yanked out the leech in our presence. He even gave put the leech in his mouth claiming leeches can be a delicacy in the wilderness. We had a good laugh (I still can't stop laughing the good gesture of Muthu and his leech wisdom in the midst of typing this, my apology Muthu my friend).

That joke aside, Muthu is really a gentleman throughout the trek. He was always looking out for people whenever there was a break in between, signalling us to the right direction. There were these two ladies, Irene and Agnes and Muthu was always there to help them out. Irene by the way is 60 year-old and ever so sporty and best of all she does not look 60 at all. And Muthu, he is 66 years old and he is a retired teacher. Little wonder why he is always so helpful. These are senior citizens and they are still enjoying the outdoor events as much as we do. How can I say I am old at 49 when both Muthu and Irene are still going strong, going into their 60.

Though it was not a long trek but some parts can be quite treacherous. As we were trekking along the waterfall, walking alone can be one challenging chore too. The rocks are slippery and any wrong step may land hard on the bum. Kiat Sing had a hard knock on the head as she missed seeing a big rock above her. I even heard the sound from the back - that was really a hard knock, ouch! I also had a hard knock on the left side of my lower back while hastily making my way down. I thought with the rope I was gripping on should hold steady for me but I was wrong. We had to be careful while inching our walk through. There are few steep slopes along the way and we have to muscle our way up using ropes. Kiat Sing was determined to make it all the way up but knowing her already, she is afraid of height. I then volunteered to carry her backpack so that she can conserve more energy for the climb. For that, she bought me ice cream later

What's the reward for us? The water gushing down from the fall is simply magnificent, a sight behold. I swam to the waterfall and sat under the gushing water from above to have a good massage on my head and my back. Kiat Sing joined in later but CK and Dora decided to keep dry. Soon, more joined us. I have always love waterfall, going under the gushing water and get beaten up or simply soak in the cool water. When the weather darkened and rain starting to drop, we knew we had to leave the place fast. Getting down the same way we did on the way up was more challenging. Everyone waited for each other before moving on, the guide and his assistants were simply superb. I had a good conversation with Muthu on the way down, a real jovial guy to be with. I know I am bad - I made fun of his hair (he is bald just like me) saying the water gushing on his head may well have pulled out whatever little he has now but he was a good sport indeed. For posterity, we took picture with our botak heads joined like Siamese twins during our firefly ride.

We found good company especially with Rose, Agnes & Irene (the 3 friends who came together) and Muthu during dinner. We chatted as if there is no tomorrow and joked like good old friends. During the firefly boat tour, we, the senior citizen group were the noisest and we had to be reminded again and again to remain quiet so as not to 'scare off the flyflies'. The Gen Y group seated at another table was mostly reserved. It was certainly one of the better outings I had and new friends are made. Thanks all for the wonderful time and I look forward to more with YMCA.

An Internship Experience: Sara Lau

2011-10-02T20:20:00.002+08:00

With permission from Malaysia opposition MP, YB Tony Pua, this article by Sara Lau was taken from his blog.

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Sara Lau is a lawyer who has recently graduated from Reading and will be completing her bar in London. She interned with me in August and below are her thoughts.

“You are young, talented, hardworking and determined – where do you want to go after you graduate?”

I have always thought myself optimistic about my country. When people asked me whether I wanted to stay or leave after my studies, I always answered that I wanted to be a lawyer in Malaysia – to work for my community and my country. When my peers told me that their parents told them to run, I was judgmental of them. To me, they were quitters. Maybe Malaysia was not in a good economic place at the moment, but I was so sure in my heart that this will come to pass. On closer inspection, I realised it was not just because of the returns and low wages in Malaysia that was making them run...

I called myself an optimist, but maybe I was just ignorant. Like so many of us, maybe I wanted to close my eyes to the bigotry and pretend that everything was as it should be. But there came a point when I could not answer my friends’ retort on why there was a withholding and vandalism of bibles; why the Government was so pressed against a campaign calling for free and fair elections; why Valentine’s Day cannot be a joyous ocassion back home! I was cornered when they asked – Why should we put up with this partiality? They were hurt. They were discontented and they were just tired of fighting back. I called myself an optimist, but maybe I was just in denial.

I was jaded by the time I came back because suddenly I didn't know the answer. I knew of all these political instabilities, racial insecurities, economic urgencies.... Yet the government remained idle at the height of needing to prove itself. I never called myself a Party supporter because what was logic in my mind was that it did not matter what the government did, and why it did. What mattered was that the people were well taken care of, not taken advantage of, had its civil liberties and were happy. But second chances prove futile when the Government kept letting me down. I remember asking my friend Jian Wei, why didn't they take a stand and do something? He jolted me when he said... "Don't you see? They have already taken their stand."

And then, I needed to find the alternative. Were there people as perplexed as I was? Most want to save themselves before they can't, but this land is mine to inherit! I needed to find people who were geared up as I, who could remind me why I wanted to fight when I am giving up. I needed to find out if I was alone, wanting to return and work because I was needed, because I know I still counted as a number at the very least. I still wanted to be that number for Malaysia.

We hear of our counterparts and peers, tired, wearied, disheartened saying that hope is lost. That while they were young and had alternatives, had to find a place to build themselves, their homes, their families away from injustice, unfairness and discrimination. This was logical - why return to a lover who doesn't love you back? But Malaysia wasn't just a lover, this wasn't just a two person relationship - it was a cause bigger than myself and while I have one life to give, I wanted to make it count. So, likewise disheartened, but contrariwise eager, I wanted to see if the Opposition proved any better than the Government.

My stint with DAP was only a month long. The reason I came into it was because I thought it was not enough to know alternative policies. I wanted to see if their actions corresponded with the news. I wanted to be a judge in my own right and to find out if the Opposition was a risk worth taking. I have always been one to play safe, but these were desperate times to me.

One mistake I had made coming into it was my expectation: unwittingly I had thought my internship would be likened to a classroom where information I wanted came almost automatically. I was wrong. Tony was not the kind to spoon feed - when I wanted information on something, he only provided it if I had done my homework. He wasn't the kind who sat you down, event after event, asking you "Did you understand?", "Do you know what's happening?", "What conclusions can we draw from this?" like a teacher would; instead he allowed you in on the face of conflict there and then, expected you to draw your own inferences and naturally allowed you to draw personal stands and opinions. Looking back, I realise that when I was frustrated about not satisfying my deep hunger for knowledge, I had gotten it all wrong. This stint was about instigating mature observations, not manipulating naivete. And in that sense, he gave me what I asked for in the beginning - a platform to ponder.

Only a 4 week internship, my tasks were varied. Needless to say the high points of the internship revolved around press conferences because it was exciting and in the face of current political happenings, but also because it satisfied a curiosity. Coming from these events to reading mainstream media and then comparing it to online media revealed me to disparities, and unwittingly, the truth (or lies) of Government action. Perhaps the most memorable press conference was at Jalan Sultan where the Opposition pledged support to protecting the area from the MRT land grab fiasco. As a layperson exposed to interactions between politician and politician, public and politician, I saw how the once untouchable arena of politics became unbelievably humanised before my eyes.

Another event that had been incredibly eye-opening was the various voter registration campaigns held almost every week and weekend. Together with Ee May, who is Tony's new assistant, I went to as many drives as I could to volunteer my service. Again, being revealed to the process of voter registration and some conflicts that are embedded in it (such as people being registered as other voters, citizens being denied voting rights because of a lack of religion, disparities in the system regarding voters' information) showed me that there were fundamental flaws within the system that needed to be addressed. More frustrating was also the fact that many young people did not bother to get registered as voters at all, even with our team cajoling and persuading them to! However, seeing Ee May who was relentless in her quest to recruit new voters, I realised that I was not alone: that there were many Malaysians, young and old, fighting for a better Malaysia while they could and before they tired.

This was again proven to me in the focal point of my internship - organising the DAP Selangor English Speaking Fundraising Dinner. The dinner saw an 1000 strong audience, but behind the scenes, I knew that there had been a long waiting list of Malaysians who were very keen to support the dinner and to donate as much funds as they could afford. As I personally managed the bookings, I had multiple conversations with multiple people of all backgrounds, echoing the same sentiments: that they all wanted a better Malaysia. That they had not given up. That they were willing to run the race. That they all loved their home and want to be counted in the numbers. But most importantly – they all spoke with a sense of belonging for Malaysia. As a young Malaysian, jaded by unimpressive returns in her home country, this was enough to remind me, my country was worth my investment, my time, my effort.

I do not know what I had expected to gain from this DAP internship, but what I got was incredibly personal. It was not about politicking or support. It was about self-discovery about my Malaysian identity, about what I can do for my country and about how this will always, always be where my heart belongs. Everyone is looking for a better Malaysia in their lifetime, but now I know it is equally important to run the relay race and pass the baton until that better Malaysia comes to pass.
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Yellow Ribbon Prison Run

2011-09-18T11:39:00.016+08:00

It was my first participation but this Yellow Ribbon Prison run event was the third consecutive year on 18 Sep, Sunday. As I missed the registration last year, I therefore registered early for the 10km competitive run - These offenders should be given second chance in lives.

On last Friday, I had a long evening run with Chua, Dora and CK. Chua and I covered some 18km, slowly building up for the year end Stanchart Marathon. Yesterday (Saturday), one day before the prison run, I decided to skip long cycling and gym activities so that I can get ready, physically & mentally for the run this morning. Though it is a 10km event (my usual practice run is more than 10km each time), I can't help feeling the adrenalin rush inside me.

As expected, I was fighting hard to go to sleep which was quite frustrating. I kept waking up, having intermittent sleep until the alarm sounded off at 5.30am. Before 6am, I was already out of my house. I didn't drive as the starting and finishing were not in the same location. We were to flag off near Changi Village, along Loyang Avenue and ended up at Changi Prison. I planned to take a train to Singapore Expo and then hopped on to the shuttle bus arranged by the organisers. When I arrived at Aljunied station around 6am, it was still early and the first train was scheduled to leave at 6.30am only. I then decided to take bus service no.2 which was to take me all the way to Changi Village instead but it was a long 1-hr ride. I was still early as the flag-off was scheduled at 7.45am.

I was early, arrived at the start line at about 7am. Slowly, I made my way up to the start line. The two comperes, Mark Richmond and Maggie from Gold 90.5FM were ranting away on the mike, keeping us entertained. The vip party arrived around 7.30am, led by Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, MG Chan Chun Sing. At exactly 7.45am, the horn was sounded and off we went. Mark Richmond reported on the air that some 9,000 runners had registered in this run.

I positioned myself not too far back but avoided the front row for obvious reason. The sun had just risen and I can feel the morning heat at that hour already, sigh! I simply hate the morning heat but do I have a choice? I kept to my usual pace, knowing I needed 5km to warm up my engine. I was hoping to come under 50 mins (my last registered 10km was in 2008 Stanchart where I clocked 53.34 mins), better still, under 45 mins a bold target for myself.

Running along the main road of Loyang Avenue and after 2km, we turned into Loyang Way, the site which houses the Selarang barrack. We ran past old historical building, Changi Chapel & Museum and Johore Battery, among others. The morning heat slowly built up and it made breathing heavier and heavier. The route is quite challenging, very undulating in most part but it was a scenic sight I must admit - alot of greenery along the way.

I had wanted to accelerate my pace after 5km mark but my legs felt heavy. It must be the lactic acid from last Friday long run. I then decided to keep to normal pace. In my typical fashion, I downed a cup of isotonic drink and then poured a cup of plain water over my head at every water station. Turning into the prison premises at 8km, I opened my pace a little knowing the end is near. It was a long 2km inside the confine of the high prison wall. I gave high-5 to some student supporters when passing them, an acknowledgement to thank them for their vociferous cheering.

When I saw the time flashing 52 mins plus from about 100 metres, I didn't muster all my energy to zoom home like I used to do. I just kept to usual pace and the clock was flashing 53 mins 15 seconds or something when I ran past the finishing line. By my reckoning, I should have clocked a net time of 53 mins and under. Well, I didn't meet my personal target of 50 mins & under but I am not disappointed either. This run was for the prison cause, that is key.

Walking out of the prison to catch a bus back, I saw Carolyn from our last Mount Kinabalu expedition who called out to me. She was participating in the 6km fun run and she was on her final leg to the finish, we acknowledged each other and then, parted way.

It was a well organised event, I like the goodie bag and the medal. Thanks to the organiser for a superb event and barring any unforseeable, I should be back next year.

Gunung Belumut Climb

2011-09-04T14:09:00.005+08:00

Our meet-up group led by Kwan and SP organised a climb to Gunung Belumut in Kluang on 28 August, Sunday for some 23 of us with one dropping out at last minute. As it was an early morning departure at 7am at Woodlands MRT, we (Anna, CK and I) had arranged to spend a night at Dora's place in Woodlands to save all the hassle of rushing from our home. Also, we were expected to stay up late to watch the 'LIVE' telecast of the PE result on Saturday evening till dawn.

Everyone turned up on time as Kwan kept reminding all that he was prepared to wait till 7.15am for the last person only. I had fish fillet at Macs for breakfast, so too for Anna, CK and Dora who ordered their own share. When we arrived at the Woodlands immigration, Anna felt faint. She said something in her breakfast could have caused her that. At the Johor immigration, we waited for quite a while for her while she rushed to the toilet. Dora kept her company throughout while we waited in the combi. Finally she turned up, looking quite pale and we asked whether she wanted to drop out if she really can't. She decided she will follow the group and then make the decision, whether or not to scale the summit upon our arrival.

It took more than 2 hours to reach Kluang town and the narrow path leading to the ranger office. Gunung Belumut, standing at 1,010 metres (3,314 ft) should not be that tough for any average climber and should take 5 to 6 hours to reach the summit and another 3 to 4 hours to get down.

The place looked so deserted. There was no other vehicle except ours and not a single soul in sight. Even the ranger office remained closed. We were told that we need to engage a mountain guide and not a single guide was around either. This is very peculiar on a Sunday where, typically local crowd should be expected.
We realised it was the tail end of fasting month thus no Muslims will do the climb and also, it happened to be the last day of the Chinese ghost month and obviously, no local Chinese except for us hailing from Singapore. We practically own the whole mountain and have to trek without a mountain guide.

After briefing by Kwan and SP (both have scaled Gunung Belumut on few occasions), we moved off at about 10am. We were told we have to turn back by 3pm if we cannot reach the summit. SP took the lead while Kwan will be the last man. I was staying in the middle, keeping Anna company just in case. She felt better thus decided to join the climb.

It was quite a fairly easy climb from the start but it gets steeper and steeper on the way up. It looks daunting looking up as it seems to have no ending to it. Some paths are misleading and it can lead to nowhere if not careful. As we did not have a mountain guide, we have to look for markers or evidence such as litters left behind by others to assure us that we were not lost. I did not drink much though I bought a small bottle of mineral water and one 1.5 litre of 100plus. I learnt to sip on the mineral water but I saw some who almost finished their water.

Anna, despite her earlier condition did not show any sign of fatigue while CK and Dora kept together. I was either in front or behind them. Before reaching the summit of Gunung Belumut, we have to pass by a 'false summit'. It was another half an hour or less of walking, we finally reached the summit. All of us made it to the summit well before 3pm - hooray. We took turn climbing up the huge boulder, named the 'Crown Rock' for picture taking.

At 3pm, we had to get down. I decided to go down on own and at own pace, knowing Anna and rest should not have problem getting down. I was moving down very fast, almost like running down the slope and grabbing the tree or branch for stability. I was way way ahead of the rest of the group. We were the only mountaineers in this mountain and I was the only one in front...quite eerie, actually! While looking for path at some point, I heard a roar from a distance. I paused for a while and the first thing that sprung to mind, "was it a tiger?". I decided I better not take any chance, picked up a piece of wood for self defence. I knew if attacked, that piece of wood could not do much help either. But it gave me some comfort, at least. I kept looking back in case a lurking tiger charged from behind. I was moving quite fast but stayed very alert.

Finally, I reached the base at 4.40pm. The two drivers were waiting for us. I recounted what happened to the drivers and one told me that there is a tiger in the mountain. I washed up myself and waited for the rest. The second group arrived at 5.30pm followed by the rest. Anna sufferred cramps on the way down and she was helped by Kwan and Richard. They arrived at 6.30pm. Everyone was safe. We reached home late in the evening.

Singapore Presidential Election 2011 - Indulging You with a Piece of My Private Mind

2011-08-19T10:42:00.002+08:00

This article is written by a friend of mine and I am pleased to post it on my blog.

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As the Presidential Election Campaign of Singapore is underway, I would like to share my knowledge on what someone needs to know as they prepare to go to cast their vote.

First and foremost, one must recognise that this is not a run to elect a set of policies that a certain political party professes or practices as against the other. The President should be non-parisan, we are not voting for People’s Action Party (PAP), which is the ruling party, or the “Oppositions”. So please get this right before you proceed and please get over the 2011 GE fever because PAP has won the majority vote and shall be the ruling party for the next 5 years. If you are unhappy about their policies and their performance in the next five years, you will get your chance to vote again in five years’ time. If you think that you want a greater representation to come from PAP, you have your chance too in five years’ time.

If you have finally got over party issue-related sentiments and entanglements deep inside you, we shall proceed to the next important thing which is to understand the system that we have and the role of the President in our system. Unlike the American system, Singapore follows the British system of the Constitution.

The Constitution is made up of the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary. Ideally, each of these is meant to be separate and independent for the system to function with sufficient checks and balances based on the idea of separation of powers. One can think of how it was once important to separate the church from the state so as to prevent absolute power from corrupting. In practice, the Legislature and the Executive branch is often fused resulting in the fact that ideal form of separation of power is hardly to be found. The Legislature of Singapore is made up of the President and the Parliament, they are the ones who pass bills; and the Executive of Singapore is made up of the President and the Cabinet, who carry out the policies formulated. And obviously the two is hardly mutually exclusive.

Let us now turn our attention to the Executive branch of the Constitution, or the Government of Singapore, which is made up of the President and the Cabinet which is headed by the Prime Minister. Within the Executive, the President is to act as a check and balance of the Cabinet. However, his ability to exercise his power is often limited by the constituted law. So in reality, the real decision-making power of our Government lies in the hand of the Prime Minister. The role of the President does not however ceased to be important as the need to provide checks and balances is still necessary and relevant, no matter how minimal his authority is.

The Cabinet consisting of fourteen different Ministries works and deliver the policies formulated. It is headed by the Prime Minister, who is none other than Mr. Lee Hsien Long. He has just given his speech on the National Day, addressing policy issues of great concerns to the Singaporean, such as Immigration, Health Care and Housing Cost. All Singaporean looks towards the future with great anticipation of the materialization of these initiatives. To ease your concerns and anxieties about not having any infrastructure to represent your interest, do note that the Government of Singapore has never ceased to work with the fourteen Ministries each working according to the debates in the Parliament. The Parliament now has, with the watershed election of 2011, six Members of Parliament (MP) from the Opposition Party out of the eighty-seven Members of Parliament, excluding the three Non-constituency MPs who do not have full rights in the Parliament.

Having gathered some information of how our Constitution works, we need to acknowledge that the role of the President is primarily that of checks and balances. In 1973, the Presidential Council was changed to Presidential Council for Minority Rights, highlighting the need to safeguards the interests of racial, linguistic and religious minority. And we have in the evidence of past Presidents seen that a delicate balance was created by the choice of a President belonging to a minority group. In this 2011 Presidential Election, such choice is absent as all four contesting candidates belong to the Chinese race. As Singapore has evolved way beyond our racial tensions of the past and the effectiveness of our educational policies such as English as the first language is highly successful, we are quite comfortable to say that our electorate is matured enough to recognize that minorities’ interests are effectively represented. I would say a campaign based on a vision to create racial harmony is superficial and patronizing as real dividing factions exist now perhaps between the locally born and the migrating foreign talents that have increased significantly with policies passed and executed.

So, in choosing our President, geared towards the aim of effective checks and balances, what should we take note of? While we do not have a system of the American where the President is the head of the Executive, balanced by the Congress that is the Legislature, together with the Judiciary in the form of the Supreme Court; neither do we have a Multi-Party Parliament or even the Two-Parties- System like in Japan. We need to understand that Singapore has a history of a One-Party Dominant system since 1965 which is still true until now. Checks and balances have been minimal and even with our watershed election of 2011, the six MP of the opposition can easily be voted out on policies matters that seek to represent alternative concerns. Thus the need to decipher who among the four contesting candidates could provide these checks and balances against this domineering trend is at hand.

All four candidates have worked for the Executive branch of our Government in one way or another, of which three has strong association with the ruling party of Singapore since 1965, the PAP. Some has worked for decades representing the party, and among them Dr Tony Tan has been the Deputy Prime Minister from 1995 to 2005 for ten years. He was the right hand man of the head of the cabinet then. This is not a contest to see who among the four candidates is more capable as it is evident that all four men qualify with flying colours which is why they qualify for the contest and we should not doubt the council that qualify them. It is no doubt that they are all intelligent individuals who love Singapore too. With regards to personal mistakes and corporate errors, these are just colours to spice up the gossip column of the campaign. And do not be distracted by false concerns that are already addressed by the cabinet such as economic growth and fear of recession. We have our new Deputy Prime Minister, also our Minister of Finance and Minister of Manpower, Tharman Shanmugaratnam in place in our Government to take care of that. Be reminded that in March 2011, Tharman was selected Chairman of the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC), the policy steering committee of the IMF, making him the first Asian elected for this post in history. So do not buy a marketing strategy created upon your fear that is sufficiently addressed by another creditable governmental agent in place. As for Tan Kin Lian who professed to work for the people, do not dismiss the fact that our Union, which he worked for, has never been totally independent of our Government, made up by a One-Party Dominant system. And having recently departed from the agency, one should question if the decision-making mechanism acquired and socialised during his 20 over years of such vocation would leave him sufficiently independent to check upon the system that has moulded him. And all the same goes for the other two high profile ex-PAP members. Can the umbilical cord from the party be realistically severed?

Once again, let me reiterate that all four candidates are capable, intelligent and patriotic. Regardless of where your political interest lies, we need to acknowledge that we have in place a One-Party Dominant system. The question here is not whether this party is what you identify with? One can identify with the party and its policy makers and embrace the results of the government, but that does not eliminate the need for one to realise that checks and balances is absolutely necessary in our system. Even if your allegiance lies with the party, checks and balances are essential to prevent the system from degeneration. If you love Singapore and would want Singapore Government to be a better one, exercise your thoughts logically, putting aside your personal preference for the candidates you have in mind, filter the promises given and test it with facts rather that emotions. And cast your vote wisely. For too long, Singaporean has lived a life attesting to their fear that is close to a myth. The myth has been busted this 2011GE. We are moving towards a matured Government and I’m proud of the electoral, which now understand what the system needs despite having our ruling party that has delivered great results since it has first began. It is my personal wish too to see that it continues to deliver great results in the face of rising challenges of this post-modern international economy and political arena, but notwithstanding the need to serve our people with diligence, being true to their needs, in the form of sufficient checking mechanisms which is absolutely essential. This is not a TV Idol Reality Show. Remember to put aside your emotion. Exercise therefore, a rational vote.

This is a precious piece of my private mind that I’m indulging you because I love Singapore, truly.

Quek Kiat Sing (Political Science Honors Graduate, NUS)
Unquote

Round Island Cycling With Rock & Roll on 8 Aug

2011-08-09T16:34:00.001+08:00

Doctored 709 photo — who’s responsible?

2011-07-19T10:46:00.002+08:00

This article was taken from this source, http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2011/07/18/doctored-709-photo-whos-responsible/

All top journalists as well as management personnel in New Sunday Times and Berita Minggu responsible for the photographic falsification of a PAS Unit Amal volunteer as a violent 709 protestor armed with knife when he was holding a Malaysian flag and not throwing rocks at police should step out and own up.

It is a violation of all the basic tenets of journalism of truth, fair play and responsibility for New Straits Times through the New Sunday Times and Berita Minggua to commit such a blatant and flagrant breach of journalistic ethics – a base and lowly act of irresponsibility not only to the profession of journalism but also a great disservice to the plural Malaysian nation-building.

The Malay daily Berita Minggu had on July 10 front-paged the picture of a heavily-built man in a white T-shirt with a black cloth wrapped around his face.

The man, shrouded in smoke, was depicted hurling an object with his left hand while in his right was what appeared to be a knife handle.

The caption read: “Seorang perusuh membawa pisau dalam perhimpunan haram” (A rioter brings a knife to illegal rally) and another subheadline read: “Perusuh guna senjata, batu, lawan polis” (Rioters use weapons, rocks to fight police).

The same image was also featured on New Sunday Times’ front page with the title: “Peaceful?”.

The person concerned, Abdul Razak Endut, has surfaced to rebut and expose what must be one of the most irresponsible and despicable case of journalistic chicanery in the history of Malaysian journalism.

A PAS Unit Amal volunteer, Abdul Razak denied he had a knife and that he was in fact holding a Malaysian flag and he was not throwing rocks at police.

Abdul Razak said: “When the FRU fired tear gas, I saw the wind blowing towards the demonstrators… I picked up the canister and tossed it to a grass field with the hope that the demonstrators would be safe.”

Abdul Razak explained that earlier, he had joined others in forming a human shield to prevent police advances on demonstrators.

“However, that did not happen. Instead, the Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) brought in water cannons and fired on us. What should I do to stop the FRU truck? I asked for a (Malaysian) flag from a fellow demonstrator, he gave it to me and I held it against the FRU’s water cannon barrage.

“I had hoped… these people behind are Malaysians, your people, why are you doing this?” he said in an emotional voice in a PAS ceramah over the weekend.

What has the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein got to say for this blatant and flagrant violation of journalistic ethics to serve the political agenda of UMNO and Barisan Nasional?

Last Tuesday, the Home Ministry hauled up top editors of three Chinese newspapers as the Barisan Nasional Government was irked by their coverage of the 709 rally as allegedly favourable to the Bersih 2.0 organisers.

The Chinese newspapers covered the 709 factually, truthfully and responsibly unlike New Sunday Times, Berita Minggu and Mingguan Malaysia which either doctored photographs or reports or carried tendentious and biased one-sided account of the 709 rally.

It was been reported that the Home Ministry is following up with “show cause” letters to the three Chinese newspapers.

Has the Home Ministry “hauled up” New Sunday Times and Berita Minggu for their “doctored” false photograph on the front page of “a violent protestor” at the 709 rally? Has the Home Ministry hauled up Utusan Malaysia for its daily staple of lies and falsehoods to poison and undermine inter-racial and inter-religious harmony in Malaysia? Will show-cause letters follow suit?

Are all printed news media required to publish doctored photographs and print biased reports turning them as “lies-paper” rather than newspapers under Najib’s 1Malaysia’s Transformation Programme?

Ride for Rations 2011 - Malacca to Singapore

2011-07-17T16:21:00.010+08:00

This 'Ride for Rations 2011' was organised by the Sunlove volunteer organisation in Marsiling which supports the needy families, a fund raising project. There were some 60 cyclists in this event, and among our kakis, we had Kevin, Chua, Corinna, Hooi Yen, Clarence and me. We were to cycle from Malacca via Batu Pahat to Singapore over 2 days covering some 230 km.

We were scheduled to leave by 26-seater express coach to Malacca on 8 July, Friday first. I took half day leave, went home at noon to take my bike and then cycled to Lavendar where the two coaches were on standby for us. Chua had to cycle from his home in Bukit Panjang and Kevin did likewise, from his home in Holland area.

The coaches were scheduled to leave at 3pm. We were there at about 2.30pm. We had to take out the front wheel of our bike, then loaded it to the back. Some wrapped their 'championship' bikes with wrappers to prevent being scratched but I didn't. Kevin's bike is the easiest, a folder which he just placed in the cargo compartment underneath. Kevin, Corrina and I were assigned coach A and Chua was assigned coach B, together with Clarence.

Our coach had 17 of us with our bikes loaded onboard, there were still some vacant seats left. It was a comfortable ride, I must say. On the coach, we met two gregarious brothers, Tomas and Pete and we had good conversation with them throughout the journey.

We arrived to Malacca in the evening, slight delay along the way due to roadblock setup by police, apparently looking out for 'Bersih' supporters heading to KL for the weekend rally. But it was breeze passing through the roadblock, no police was onsight to conduct any formal check though roadblock was set up that caused part of traffic to a snarl on the highway...funny lor.

Our accommodation was at Emperor Hotel and immediately after our arrival, we re-assembled our bikes and placed in a reserved function room. Kevin and I bunked together whereas Chua had to share with someone we don't know. Corinna and Hooi Yen shared a room and big Clarence shared with someone. On the same evening, we (Corinna, Hooi Yen, Kevin, Chua, Clarence and I) roamed the street for local food and ended up taking a good mix of each at different places. Fried oyster, KL hokkien mee and some local stuff in one back alley but the food was superb. We then walked to Jonker Street which has a pasar malam; ate Penang laksa and downed with gula-melaka favoured chendol. Feeling contented, we finally walked back to the hotel to prepare for a long day tomorrow.

After breakfast, everyone was all ready before 8.30am. Checked-out, placed our bags in one support car and we were ready to hit the road. A short briefing was made by Manjit Singh, the organiser and we were finally flagged off at about 8.30am.

We cycled through the town centre to the direction of Batu Pahat, our next destination. It was a nice morning and we moved in one single file. I was with my group but slowly lost sight of them. I was cycling at an average speed of 25km/hr and about an hour of cycling, I slowed down for my kakis to catch up. Still, couldn't see them but the two brothers, Tomas and Pete caught up with me. I then decided to draft them. Both of them are experienced riders. At our first water point, I finally caught up with Chua and Clarence. We were already in Muar, Chua's hometown and we decided to make a surprise call at his mother's place. We first visited his cousin's place, said a quick hello and left. Just a short distance ahead, we dropped by his mother's place but she was not in. His third brother and family were in. It was again, another quick 'hi and bye' as we needed to catch up with the rest who were ahead of us. At about 60km mark in midday, it was our lunch stop. We had by then covered some 60km, another 40km to Batu Pahat.

After lunch, I decided to draft the two brothers to gauge my cycling level. Chua who was in his mountain bike was expected to be slower but I must salute him for trying to catch up with the road bikes and he was not too far behind, though. There was no water supply after lunch and it was getting hotter and hotter. I was with Pete and Tomas and suddenly, we heard a loud burst. It was Pete's bike and his second consecutive time (such bad luck for him). We spent a close one hour trying to fix up his tyre. And finally, we were off again.

By 3pm, we arrived at Batu Pahat town. We gathered at a bike shop, for Pete to change a new tyre and to wait for the rest to marry up with us. One by one, they arrived. Hooi Yen, Corinna, Clarence, Chua and finally Kevin. We then cycled a short distance to our hotel, Crystal Inn. The road condition from Malacca to Batu Pahat is excellent and most of the journey, we cycled on the motorcycle lane. It is mostly flat except for crossing of some bridges.

A dinner was arranged by the organisers for all of us but we still wanted very badly to take the local food first. After a short rest, we gathered at 5.30pm. The six of us then walked a good 20 mins to a hawker centre led by Chua, despite already covered more 100km of cycling. Another good feast for us, again we ordered a good mix of each. Wan tan mee, pork leg fried mee hoon, otak-otak and few more local delicacies, we just gobbled down the food. We walked back another 20 mins to the hotel and still had the dinner hosted by the organisers. It was carbo-loading, no doubt.

The following morning was to start very early for all of us, at 7.30am to be exact as we had to cover some 130 km all the way to Marsiling, our final destination. We had breakfast at 5.45am and by 7.30am we were already hitting the road. We were forewarned that the road condition will not be as good as Malacca to Batu Pahat. Indeed, it was undulating and was really testing our leg muscle. I had to vigorously engage my gear. I stayed close to Tomas and Pete, drafting them throughout. Clarence did join briefly and at some stage, he was leading us but eventually, he just faded away. Corinna and Hooi Yen were drafting with a group of female cyclists and they surged ahead of us when we stopped for tea tarik. The ladies decided not to stop for tea tarek, haiz. Chua was left mostly on own but not too far behind. Only Kevin was way way behind the rest of us. The terrain was tougher than first day, because the distance covered was longer and it was undulating. At 90km, we stopped for lunch. We were already in Kulai. We were among the fastest ones to have arrived and the organisers then decided to group us together. We were planning 2 or 3 groups to move in group, for safety measures as there was no police esort assigned for us. We had to move on own and in a single file. Chua, despite his slower mountain bike decided to join the first group. All 17 of us had to move out first led by iron-man Mano and the sweeper role was given to another seasoned cyclist, Andrew.

It was heavy traffic from Kulai all the way to Johor Bahru. We had to stop many times for the those at the back to catch up. A single file was maintained but it was not easy, we had to stay alert due to the heavy traffic along the way. I was just behind Corinna and twice, I almost bumped into her when she suddenly jammed brake. It was a domino effect when a person in front braked abruptly, it just followed through. We just had to be careful, can't afford a fall on the busy road.

By my reckoning, it took us more than an hour moving from Kulai to the immigration. So far, so good for all of us. We made a finally check before pushing all the way to the immigration. It was smooth and traffic heading to Singapore was not heavy, surprising and it was around 3 pm. The Berish rally in KL did turn away many Singaporeans visiting JB, fortunately for us.

After we cleared the Johor immigration and all of us made sure everyone had cleared before moving. We were going up the slope in one single line on the motorcylce lane. Corrina who was just in front of me suddenly fell from her bike. It was a hard landing for her. Clarence who was in front of her cycled back while I move ahead. She sat on the ground for a good few seconds, the impact was too painful for her. She could stand up on own but complained some pain in her neck. We had to cycle a short distance to the Singapore immigration and then another 1km or so to Blk 3 in Marsiling Road. She told us that she was distracted by Clarence's bum, that bum of his became the butt of joke later when we gathered.

At about 2.10pm, we finally arrived at Blk 3 in Marsiling Road but Sunlove home is still not opened yet. We were well ahead of our schedule. Finally, we had the time to attend to Corinna's wound. The wounds on her shoulder, arm and leg were superficial but it was the neck that hurt most, she couldn't turn her neck. Other than that, she looked alright. Her friend, Vivian drove over to pick her up while we waited for the rest of the cyclists to arrive. To my surprise, she was given 5 days MC, can you imagine that?

I had arranged for my brother to bring his lorry to bring us back at 5.30pm and we didn't stay back for dinner organised by the organisers, simply too tired for us. We just wanted to head home. It was a good outing, challenging and for a good charitable cause. I went home feeling truly satisfied that I have achieved another feat, a ride from Malacca to Singapore over 130km. Hip, hip, hip, hooray (3x)!

GE Women 10K 2011

2011-07-03T14:50:00.008+08:00

The biggest run event for women in Asia, numbering some 12,000 runners and this honour goes to the Great Eastern 10km 2011 which commenced this morning (3 July). Save for last year, this is Winnie third participation in the 10km event.

I offered to pick her up at her place in Clementi at 0615 hrs. We were on the highway on the way to Suntec, where the flag-off was to take-place at 0730 hrs and she received a call from her maid that she left her running shoes at home. We were not too far away and we were able to turn back quickly. Her shoes were then handed to her and off we go back. Again, on the highway, she remembered she left her chip on the table and one more time, we had to turn back to her place for the chip. This time, we made sure everything that was supposed to be brought for the run, was brought along before driving off. Boy, what a start before the run but we were still not too late for the run - it was a little over 0700 hrs.

Driving all the way from AYE and then, exited to Keppel Road to the direction of Suntec. It was smooth traffic at that hour. We then decided to park at Esplanade which is near to the flag-off venue at Suntec. It was nearing 0730 hrs and by the time we reached the venue, it was seconds to the flag-off. Winnie's friend, Charmaine who was to join her at the start-off was also late. She had to turn back to pick up her mobile phone but really, do you need to bring along the mobile phone for the run, I just wondered? I won't, for sure but hey, it's personal and to each, his or her own.

After the flag-off, I made a stroll to the finish line near the Padang. I was waiting with the rest of the supporters, mostly men I must say. Found a nice spot to watch the runners making final dash to the finish and of course, standing by my camera to take shots of Winnie later.

From a distance, I can see the first runner making her way to the finish and guess what, it was just under 32 mins. This young lady from Kenya was making her final few strides and she ran so that I could not even get my camera in time to take some good shots of her. But I blamed that compere who blocked my view momentarily, sigh! She came in under 34 mins and I must say, it is a super-duper fast time unmatched by many local male runners.

As the clock on the top of the finishing line was ticking away and when it showed 1 hr 5 mins, I still couldn't catch a glimpse of Winnie from afar. Then, 1 hr 10 mins passed...Winnie must be reaching any moment I said to myself. And yes, I saw her and quickly, readied my camera while she inched closer. Click, click and another click, I should have taken three quick shots of her. When I checked later, I only managed to take two pictures but only one is more visible. Well, it was better than none at all. The gun time showed 1 hr 13 mins 30 secs when she ran under but her net time be under 1 hr 12 mins. Not a very good time by her standard but there is still room for improvement. She has another chance to improve on it in the Shape Run which is happening in the next 2 weeks.

Nonetheless, I congratulate her for the good effort as completing the race is everything. We later joined her friend, Charmaine for breakfast in Holland V after the run. Good job, ladies!

Bike Rental Shop @ East Coast Park

2011-07-02T22:28:00.004+08:00

This morning (Sat, 2 July) I arranged to do cycling with some friends, all 5 of us at East Coast. I have my own bike but all my friends had to rent one at East Coast. We were supposed to cycle from East Coast to Changi Village and back. After getting the bikes, we set-off at about 8.30am to Changi Village. After cycling for 2km, one of our friends had a flat tyre. Just a short distance away, there is this bike shop called 'Our Family Corner' and we went over to ask to use their air pump. We approached this sullen-looking middle-aged Chinese man who happened to man the shop. We sought his help for an air pump. He flatly refused our request pointing to a notice pasted at their shop which I didn't want to read it. He said air pump is only available for use on weekdays only and chargeable at S$1. I said it is fine, we will pay S$1 to use the air pump but he said it is only for rental on weekdays only, period. I was amused, why weekdays and not weekends and further, his shop then was not busy either. He simply stood there, looking deadspan and just refused to let us use the air pump, not even to rent out. We may not have rented the bikes from them in the first place but we could have purchased drinks and other items from them or we could have felt appreciated for their kind gesture and rent bikes from them in future.

This bike shop is certainly doing themselves a disservice, inviting irks from would-be customers and other cyclists who may seek assistance for the same reason. They simply do not understand extending such service to those who need help could earn them new customers and referrals. We were prepared to pay for the use of the air pump, which by the way, is always available in any bike shop or petrol kiosk but this particular bike shop stands out like a sore thumb.

Granted no other choice, I had to push the bike some 2km back to change to a new bike and then cycled 'like hell' to re-join the main group.

This bike shop, 'Our Family Corner' is located along the stretch just after East Coast hawker centre to the direction of Changi Village, nearest to carpark E2. It is the only one bike shop along that stretch, not diffcult to find.

We should boycott this shop, they do not deserve to provide bike rental services of sorts along East Coast to members of the public.

9 Things That Will Disappear In Our Lifetime

2011-06-13T17:06:00.001+08:00

Chanced upon this article when it was circulated to me by a friend. At first, I didn't take much notice of it but when I read it a few days later I find it makes sense in this fast changing world. A good article but I have no inkling who was the author, bravo!

Quote
Whether these changes are good or bad depends in part on how we adapt to them. But, ready or not, here they come.

1. The Post Office
Get ready to imagine a world without the post office. They are so deeply in financial trouble that there is probably no way to sustain it long term. Email, Fed Ex, and UPS have just about wiped out the minimum revenue needed to keep the post office alive. Most of your mail every day is junk mail and bills.

2. The Cheque
Britain is already laying the groundwork to do away with cheque by 2018. It costs the financial system billions of dollars a year to process cheques. Plastic cards and online transactions will lead to the eventual demise of the cheque. This plays right into the death of the post office. If you never paid your bills by mail and never received them by mail, the post office would absolutely go out of business.

3. The Newspaper
The younger generation simply doesn't read the newspaper. They certainly don't subscribe to a daily delivered print edition. That may go the way of the milkman and the laundry man. As for reading the paper online, get ready to pay for it. The rise in mobile Internet devices and e-readers has caused all the newspaper and magazine publishers to form an alliance. They have met with Apple, Amazon, and the major cell phone companies to develop a model for paid subscription services.

4. The Book
You say you will never give up the physical book that you hold in your hand and turn the literal pages. I said the same thing about downloading music from iTunes. I wanted my hard copy CD. But I quickly changed my mind when I discovered that I could get albums for half the price without ever leaving home to get the latest music. The same thing will happen with books. You can browse a bookstore online and even read a preview chapter before you buy. And the price is less than half that of a real book. And think of the convenience! Once you start flicking your fingers on the screen instead of the book, you find that you are lost in the story, can't wait to see what happens next, and you forget that you're holding a gadget instead of a book.

5. The Land Line Telephone
Unless you have a large family and make a lot of local calls, you don't need it anymore. Most people keep it simply because they've always had it. But you are paying double charges for that extra service. All the cell phone companies will let you call customers using the same cell provider for no charge against your minutes

6. Music
This is one of the saddest parts of the change story. The music industry is dying a slow death. Not just because of illegal downloading. It's the lack of innovative new music being given a chance to get to the people who would like to hear it. Greed and corruption is the problem. The record labels and the radio conglomerates are simply self-destructing. Over 40% of the music purchased today is "catalogue items," meaning traditional music that the public is familiar with. Older established artists. This is also true on the live concert circuit. To explore this fascinating and disturbing topic further, check out the book, "Appetite for Self-Destruction" by Steve Knopper, and the video documentary, "Before the Music Dies."

7. Television
Revenues to the networks are down dramatically. Not just because of the economy. People are watching TV and movies streamed from their computers. And they're playing games and doing lots of other things that take up the time that used to be spent watching TV. Prime time shows have degenerated down to lower than the lowest common denominator. Cable rates are skyrocketing and commercials run about every 4 minutes and 30 seconds. I say good riddance to most of it. It's time for the cable companies to be put out of our misery. Let the people choose what they want to watch online and through Netflix.

8. The "Things" That You Own
Many of the very possessions that we used to own are still in our lives, but we may not actually own them in the future. They may simply reside in "the cloud." Today your computer has a hard drive and you store your pictures, music, movies, and documents. Your software is on a CD or DVD, and you can always re-install it if need be. But all of that is changing. Apple, Microsoft, and Google are all finishing up their latest "cloud services." That means that when you turn on a computer, the Internet will be built into the operating system. So, Windows, Google, and the Mac OS will be tied straight into the Internet. If you click an icon, it will open something in the Internet cloud. If you save something, it will be saved to the cloud. And you may pay a monthly subscription fee to the cloud provider. In this virtual world, you can access your music or your books, or your whatever from any laptop or handheld device. That's the good news. But, will you actually own any of this "stuff" or will it all be able to disappear at any moment in a big "Poof?" Will most of the things in our lives be disposable and whimsical? It makes you want to run to the closet and pull out that photo album, grab a book from the shelf, or open up a CD case and pull out the insert.

9. Privacy
If there ever was a concept that we can look back on nostalgically, it would be privacy. That's gone. It's been gone for a long time anyway. There are cameras on the street, in most of the buildings, and even built into your computer and cell phone. But you can be sure that 24/7, "They" know who you are and where you are, right down to the GPS coordinates, and the Google Street View. If you buy something, your habit is put into a zillion profiles, and your ads will change to reflect those habits. "They" will try to get you to buy something else. Again and again.

All we will have left that can't be changed are "Memories".

And then probably Alzheimers will take that away from you too !
Unquote

Sundown Marathon 2011

2011-05-29T10:37:00.011+08:00

This will be my only full marathon for this year, the Sundown Marathon 2011 which I first participated in the 21km event last year. Chua and I have been preparing for this marathon since last year, doing our twice-weekly run from HarbourFront to Keppel Bay Club and for me, I combined the training with cycling and trekking. All these activities did help immensely in our endurance run where it matters most.

On the morning of 28 May, I even arranged to do leisure cycling with two friends covering 40km and after that, went to Paya Lebar Airport for an airshow. By the time I reached home, it was around 4pm and admittedly, I was 'dead' tired. The run was slotted at 10pm and my heart was pounding with excitement at every passing minute.

At about 8pm, Chua arrived at my house to pick me up. At about the same time, Dora messaged me to update that she just clocked 1 hr 1 mins plus in her 10km, which was her first 10km. Wow, not bad a time and possibly, she could finish under 1 hour once the actual result is out in the next few days. CK was a little behind her, understand he suffered cramps which slowed him down considerably.

Chock-a-block traffic along Changi Coast Road leading to Singapore Exhibition Centre, the start/finish point. At slightly over 9pm, we finally arrived which gave us ample time to prepare/warm up - phew!

This year, it was better organised than the previous year, at least most runners can make it on time for the race and also, the ultra-marathon event (100km) will start about a month later which should provide much logistical relief to the organisers.

The 42km event attracted 11,000 runners this year. Excitement filled the air when all the runners lined up at the start line. Before the flag-off, I turned to my run buddy, Chua and wished him luck and he did likewise. Finally, we were flagged off at slightly over 10pm. We had to run more than 3km from the start line to the main road and then, all the way to East Coast Park.

Chua and I were together for the first 5 km and slowly, I surged ahead of him. I was maintaining a steady pace, defintely not faster than my usual pace knowing I will soon run out of energy at some point. Around 10km, I saw this amazing runner with one arm. Before passing him, I went up to him and said, "Go, go, go...!" which he duly acknowledged.

At about 18km mark, I was surprised I ran past the 4-hr pacer. I realised I had clocked under 2 hours in the first 21km. Nearing the 21km u-turn point, Chua finally caught up with me. We had a quick chat, he told me he just vomitted from drinking too much of isotonic drink. I told I too had some pain in my stomach from drinking too much of 100plus but I had no choice, need to replenish my energy. But he was more charged up after the throw up. He opened his pace and started to surge in front of me. I decided I should slow down in the next 21km, our half way mark as I feared I might sustain cramps which may put paid to my run.

After the 25km mark, I stopped to walk for a while though I still can continue running. It was short walk before I resumed the run. It was basically the same routine for me throughout, stopped for a short walk and then started to run again. This was to ensure I don't suffer leg cramps. The last 21km was the hardest part, as energy started to sap away.

At East Coast Park, there were some supporters cheering us on which was certainly a morale-booster to me and the other runners too. I tried to give thumb-up to the supporters at each point, acknowledging their supports. Thanks all the supporters, strangers you may be to me but runners certainly need cheering up to forge ahead.

At the last 10km mark, the 4hrs 30 mins pacer ran past me. At that point, I said to myself that the 5-hr pacer must not past me if I wanted to come under 5 hrs. So I decided to push harder in the remaining 10km but it was tough as my legs were getting weaker and weaker.

At the final turn to the finishing, still more than 3km left and I decided to open up my pace - heck care any cramps now. I was really charged up, knowing the end is near. It was a run of my life in the last 3km, I must say. No one ran past me, in fact I was overtaking many runners in front of me. I was pleasantly surprised that I still packed so much energy in my last 3km, running like a 'pro'.

Nearing the finishing line, I looked up and saw it was around 4hr 30min plus, surprise...surprise. I made a final dash, gave two peace signs to acknowledge the crowd for their cheering on.

After collecting my finisher tee and medal, I saw Chua who finished slightly more than 4 mins ahead of me. Boy, he was in top top form.

After a short rest, we walked back to the car and home is where we wanted to go. A well deserved rest for us.

Thanks to organisers of Sundown for another memorable event. I should be back to lower my mark.

I Hope That One Day I Can Return

2011-05-26T08:35:00.002+08:00

Note from author of the blog: This article is taken from The Malaysian Insider which is written by one John Malachi, representing his personal view of his own country.

Quote
John Malachi
The Malaysian Insider
May 25, 2011

MAY 25 — I am a Malaysian living abroad. I graduated as a doctor in Australia and went back to Malaysia in the early 1990s. From the first day I started working in Malaysia until the day I left, I have worked all the 15 and a half years of my time in Malaysia in public hospitals, not a single day in private practice.

In the mean time I got married and have two beautiful children. I went through the system, however unfair it was, being posted to hospitals that no one wanted to go to, and being sent on a merry-go-round around the country with two kids and a wife in tow.

I have had many opportunities to leave the public health sector to go into private practice – I was even offered a consultant specialist job in Singapore, but I hung on to the government hospitals, willingly foregoing better opportunity and financial rewards.
The reason that I went back to Malaysia? Well, in spite of the warts and all, it is still my country; where I grew up, where my parents live, and where my grandparents lived and died. In spite of all the corruption and cronyism, it is still where my roots are, and where I want my children to grow up and to acquire the identity of being Malaysians.

Yes, I know about the religious bigotry and the racist policies, but it is still the land that has given birth to me and where I thought I could contribute a little in return. I don’t have the eloquence to be a politician, the courage to be in the opposition, or the brains to constructively criticise and shape public opinion to move the country to a better future.

But just like my grandfather who spent his life as a hard manual labourer who helped build the railway from Gemas to Kota Baru, I thought the little skill that I have as a doctor would do some good to some people somewhere. That was why I stayed back.

But why then did I leave? Well, there comes a time when you have to look into your children’s eyes and tell them that you have to sacrifice their better future because you love your country. There comes a time when you have to tell them that you don’t have enough money to educate them because you want to do your bit for the less fortunate in the country. There comes a time when you have to tell your children that they have to grow up and get used to the discrimination — in spite of all that the family has done for generations — just because of their skin colour.

The only problem is, I couldn’t bring myself to look into their innocent eyes and tell them that.

My family and friends have been gracious; they have been glad that we could leave, and none of them called us traitors. But I do feel like a traitor inside me. And as I write this in tears tonight, I hope that one day I can return — return to continue to do what I was doing before I left
Unquote

Why I work and stay overseas

2011-05-25T10:09:00.002+08:00

Note from the author of this blog:
This is taken from The Malaysian Insider written by Alex Yap.

Quote

By Alex Yap
The Malaysian Insider
May 24, 2011

MAY 24 — Rather than harping on race issue, I am writing as a Malaysian not as a Chinese Malaysian. My point is to get the new graduates in Malaysia to see the bigger picture, and hopefully my article can help them get a direction in their career.

I am now working overseas in China (not because I am Chinese but because China has lots of jobs now due to the booming market).
I worked in Malaysia for more than 10 years in the retail market working for Chinese bosses (Singaporean/Malaysian), Indian bosses and handled brands like YSL and Hugo Boss and I have climbed to the level of GM in Malaysia. I have worked overseas under Singaporean/US bosses for more than six years now and been posted to the Solomon Islands, Vietnam and Cambodia and now China.

The reasons why I work overseas:

1. The money/currency

In overseas postings even if you work for Malaysian bosses/companies you can expect to be paid more than in Malaysia. Currently I am paid in US$ and British pounds. Thus, if you convert to ringgit, my salary can easily reach more than RM20,000 per month. That’s a lot of money in Malaysia. In Malaysia, I discovered some GMs are only earning RM8,000-10,000 a month. With inflation and cost of living in KL so high what is RM10,000 per month if you have a family to feed, house and car and other debts? Is it really enough?

2. The work

Overseas you will find that you are really treated well for your talent, skill, hard work and performance. There is no ceiling really when it comes to salaries… some expats from Singapore are earning on the average S$$30,000 (RM72,000) per month. If you are good, headhunters (international standards) will come looking for you

3. The exposure

You will meet people of different cultures and become more confident, open minded, etc. Now I do not have to look for jobs, I can rely on my network of foreign contacts. You will also look at things differently. Malaysia really is a tiny country and its economy is small. The Malaysian GDP per capita is more than 20 times lower than Singapore’s.

4. The culture

I am sad to say my years working in Malaysia I have encountered all sorts of unethical behaviour among Malaysian bosses and employees. They seem to be very concerned about people’s sexuality. I have encountered GMs who are actually mistresses of the bosses, etc.

6. The system and delivery of businesses are not efficient in Malaysia

The roads, the public sector services. Thus, it’s really frustrating working in Malaysia. Small issues or non-issues will always come up e.g. lost mail, cheques, slow Internet, poor service, poor or non-delivery of services paid. All are rent seekers and businesses do not really create values. Corruption is the norm.

7. Race and religious issues also will come in the picture and taint all business dealings.

People or businessmen will always use race and religion to justify business failures. Non-Bumi and Bumiputeras are always clashing with each other in business dealings. Performance and fair competition are not well regarded.

8. Tidak apa attitude/apathy

Now, Bumis and non-Bumis are hoping for God, the government or bomohs to help them in everything including businesses and careers.

The fighting spirit is gone.

9. NEPThis has caused Malaysians and Malaysia more harm than good (even to the Bumis). The country is no longer competitive.

10. Security

I do not see any future in Malaysia for anyone… it is a time bomb waiting to go off anytime. The country is not working.

I did not write this to condemn anyone, it is just my honest opinion about why I prefer to work and live overseas. This world does really belong to the fittest. Nobody will help you if you don’t help yourself.

Unquote

Mount Kinabalu Via Ferrata, Walk the Torq

2011-04-30T10:32:00.000+08:00

Cycle & Seafood Indulgence, Bintan April 2011

2011-04-07T23:47:00.000+08:00

Japan hails the heroic 'Fukushima 50'

2011-03-18T17:53:00.002+08:00

By Chris Hogg
BBC News, Tokyo
17 March 2011

In Japanese disaster films they like heroes who sacrifice everything for the greater good - stoic, determined, refusing to back down in the face of adversity or even certain death.

These are the qualities the country admires.

Now the newspapers here have a new band of heroes to lionise - the workers, emergency services personnel and the scientists battling to save the Fukushima nuclear plant, their fellow citizens and themselves.

We know little about them, except for the few whose relatives have spoken to the Japanese media.

One woman told the papers her father, who had worked for an electric company for 40 years, had volunteered to help.

He was due to retire in September.

"The future of the nuclear plant depends on how we resolve this crisis," he was reported to have told his daughter. "I feel it's my mission to help."

The small group of workers who stayed at the site as the conditions worsened were dubbed "The Fukushima 50" - although now it is thought there are maybe twice that many working there.

Rick Hallard, who worked in the British nuclear industry for more than 30 years, says the pressure on them will be immense, but that they will probably not feel it until it is over.

"They'll be focusing on the key risks and threats," he says. "They will have a very clear idea of what their priorities are."

'Life on the line'

On Wednesday the government raised the legal limit of radiation they could be exposed to from 100 to 250 millisieverts.

That is more than 12 times the legal dose for workers dealing with radiation under British law.

But you would need to be exposed to a dose probably twice that maximum before you would expect to see the so-called "early effects" people associate with radiation sickness, like a lowering of white blood cells.

You would need a level of exposure in the region of 1,000 millisieverts before you might feel nauseous or feel ill.

The "late effects" of exposure to radiation may not occur for many years. It can increase the likelihood you will develop cancer, but this is only an increased possibility, not a certainty.

The person in charge of the operation will likely be some distance from the reactors, Mr Hallard says.

"You need to be remote from the event to enable you to think," he says, "so that you don't miss things or react too quickly."

"It's important to take the pressure off the person in charge."

The workers might be faceless heroes for the moment, but their bravery has won them the admiration of many Japanese.

"They are sacrificing themselves for the Japanese people," says Fukuda Kensuke, a white collar worker in Tokyo. "I feel really grateful to those who continue to work there."

"They're putting their life on the line," agrees Maeda Akihiro. "If that place explodes, it's the end for all of us, so all I can do is send them encouragement."

The Japanese Self Defence pilots who have been flying the helicopters used to "water-bomb" the plant on Thursday, to try to help cool the fuel rods, have been restricted to missions lasting less than 40 minutes at a time, to try to restrict their exposure to radiation.

The Japanese Prime Minister, Naoto Kan, has paid tribute to all those involved in the efforts to stabilise conditions at the nuclear plant, describing how they are "making their best effort without even thinking twice about the danger".

When this crisis is over, some of the stories of individual heroism will start to emerge. Several of those battling to cool the fuel rods have been injured.

It must be hardest for their families, who sit and wait at home, not knowing what dangers their loved ones are facing, what damage they might have suffered and what problems might result in the years ahead.

"I didn't want him to go," one man's wife told a Japanese paper. "But he's been working in the nuclear industry since he was 18 and he's confident it's safe."

OCBC Cycle Singapore 2011 - 6 March

2011-03-06T16:48:00.010+08:00

This is OCBC third consecutive year organising the nationwide cycling event and my first, which took place this morning. I had signed up for The Super Challenge (60km) but at last hour, the organiser emailed to inform that I am only good for The Nissan Challenge (40km), sigh. No reason was given, I reckon it must be due to lack of my official record being my first time participation this year.

My own cheap Raleigh bike is not meant for speed, it is an out-and-out 21-speed mountain bike and I will be greatly disadvantaged if pitted against the sleek road bikers. I decided to do some upgrading one week before the main event, changed the tyres to road type which will greatly reduce resistance during pedalling and upgraded to 24-speed - I am ready to tear the track.

My event was scheduled at 7.15am. I had arranged to reach George's place who was also taking the same event as me at around 6.30am and we will cycle to the start point at F1 building together. It was a short ride from his place in Crawford. Many riders were seen cycling to the start point.

George and I had different agendas, he preferred to cycle on his own leisure & pace but I was gunning for my personal best so that I can qualify for 60km next year. As I had a red tag, I can start at the mid point while George's orange tag can only start at the back of the row. We parted way from that point.

Due to high turn-out, some 10,000 cyclists in varied categories, the flag-off was to begin in waves starting at 7.15am. At the start-line, I can see mostly, if not all were using the road bikes and everyone looked quite 'pro' to them too. (Sheepishly) Mine is an improved version of mountain bike in bid to match their speed. It took a while for me to finally take-off from the start line.

From onset, it was a quick acceleration and I told myself to focus on maintaining the speed through out, if at all. But not long later, it was chock-a-block when the stretch along Geylang narrowed to one lane. We practically had to push our bikes along, some were heard complaining. Luckily, it was just a short stretch when the road was widened leading all the way to ECP. Everyone was pushing hard, many with sleek road bikes passed me but I did pass some too. I was on 6-gear during cruise control and went into 7-gear when I decided to pass some. When we hit ECP, one section was closed and that stretch was at least 5 km ride on the highway. Everyone was speeding, trying to past one another. I saw a first casualty, likely clashed with another cyclist. This man was sitting on the side of the road aided by the volunteers.

Near to the sailing club, we made an U-turn (20km mark) and heading back to the direction we came from. We had to cycle along the East Coast track, speed was compromised due to the narrower path. Constantly, we had to watch out for the members of the public as the track can be accessed by anyone. I was maintaining my speed, constantly on 6-gear and sometimes, 7-gear. I can feel the strain on my knees but reminded told myself to ignore it and push on.

Almost at every turn, I can see someone grimacing on the ground. Some could have sped too fast at the turn thus colliding with others. However, it is heartening to notice many cyclists having the presence of mind to signal to those at the back warning them to slow down at each turn. When someone shouted "right", immediately the slower one in front would move to the left for that faster cyclist to ride past. The code of ettiqutte by most cyclists is laudable, I must say. I did the same too.

With 5 km left to the finish, I tried to accelerate as fast as I could. But tried I did, my mountain bike just could not match those on road bikes for speed. I was cycling as hard as I could and I was grinning away when I saw the finishing line just ahead. I gave peace sign when I zoomed home, hopefully a photograher could take a good snap of me. There was no timing shown but I reckon I should come in around 1 hour and half, averaging 30km/hour. I hope my official time when released in the next few days can qualify me for entry to 60km. I stayed back, waited for an hour for George to finish before cycling back together. My legs did not ache but my buttock was, it must be the same for many. I should know now what is pain in the butt, ouch!

It was a good cycling experience for me, I truly enjoyed it.

IIT - Indian Institute of Technology - World's Best Educational Institut...

2011-03-03T17:47:00.000+08:00

This institution in India is rated the best in the world, watch it to believe it.

The Price of Malaysia’s Racism

2011-02-21T10:05:00.002+08:00

This is taken from a source, http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2011/02/08/the-price-of-malaysias-racism/ and the writer, John Malott was the US Ambassador to Malaysia, 1995-1998.

Quote
Slower growth and a drain of talented citizens are only the beginning.

By JOHN R. MALOTT
The Wall Street Journal
Feb 8, 2011

OPINION

Malaysia’s national tourism agency promotes the country as “a bubbling, bustling melting pot of races and religions where Malays, Indians, Chinese and many other ethnic groups live together in peace and harmony.” Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak echoed this view when he announced his government’s theme, One Malaysia. “What makes Malaysia unique,” Mr. Najib said, “is the diversity of our peoples. One Malaysia’s goal is to preserve and enhance this unity in diversity, which has always been our strength and remains our best hope for the future.”

If Mr. Najib is serious about achieving that goal, a long look in the mirror might be in order first. Despite the government’s new catchphrase, racial and religious tensions are higher today than when Mr. Najib took office in 2009. Indeed, they are worse than at any time since 1969, when at least 200 people died in racial clashes between the majority Malay and minority Chinese communities. The recent deterioration is due to the troubling fact that the country’s leadership is tolerating, and in some cases provoking, ethnic factionalism through words and actions.
For instance, when the Catholic archbishop of Kuala Lumpur invited the prime minister for a Christmas Day open house last December, Hardev Kaur, an aide to Mr. Najib, said Christian crosses would have to be removed. There could be no carols or prayers, so as not to offend the prime minister, who is Muslim. Ms. Kaur later insisted that she “had made it clear that it was a request and not an instruction,” as if any Malaysian could say no to a request from the prime minister’s office.

Similar examples of insensitivity abound. In September 2009, Minister of Home Affairs Hishammuddin Onn met with protesters who had carried the decapitated head of a cow, a sacred animal in the Hindu religion, to an Indian temple. Mr. Hishammuddin then held a press conference defending their actions. Two months later, Defense Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told Parliament that one reason Malaysia’s armed forces are overwhelmingly Malay is that other ethnic groups have a “low spirit of patriotism.” Under public pressure, he later apologized.

The leading Malay language newspaper, Utusan Melayu, prints what opposition leader Lim Kit Siang calls a daily staple of falsehoods that stoke racial hatred. Utusan, which is owned by Mr. Najib’s political party, has claimed that the opposition would make Malaysia a colony of China and abolish the Malay monarchy. It regularly attacks Chinese Malaysian politicians, and even suggested that one of them, parliamentarian Teresa Kok, should be killed.

This steady erosion of tolerance is more than a political challenge. It’s an economic problem as well.

Once one of the developing world’s stars, Malaysia’s economy has underperformed for the past decade. To meet its much-vaunted goal of becoming a developed nation by 2020, Malaysia needs to grow by 8% per year during this decade. That level of growth will require major private investment from both domestic and foreign sources, upgraded human skills, and significant economic reform. Worsening racial and religious tensions stand in the way.

Almost 500,000 Malaysians left the country between 2007 and 2009, more than doubling the number of Malaysian professionals who live overseas. It appears that most were skilled ethnic Chinese and Indian Malaysians, tired of being treated as second-class citizens in their own country and denied the opportunity to compete on a level playing field, whether in education, business, or government. Many of these emigrants, as well as the many Malaysian students who study overseas and never return (again, most of whom are ethnic Chinese and Indian), have the business, engineering, and scientific skills that Malaysia needs for its future. They also have the cultural and linguistic savvy to enhance Malaysia’s economic ties with Asia’s two biggest growing markets, China and India.

Of course, one could argue that discrimination isn’t new for these Chinese and Indians. Malaysia’s affirmative action policies for its Malay majority—which give them preference in everything from stock allocation to housing discounts—have been in place for decades. So what is driving the ethnic minorities away now?

First, these minorities increasingly feel that they have lost a voice in their own government. The Chinese and Indian political parties in the ruling coalition are supposed to protect the interests of their communities, but over the past few years, they have been neutered. They stand largely silent in the face of the growing racial insults hurled by their Malay political partners. Today over 90% of the civil service, police, military, university lecturers, and overseas diplomatic staff are Malay. Even TalentCorp, the government agency created in 2010 that is supposed to encourage overseas Malaysians to return home, is headed by a Malay, with an all-Malay Board of Trustees.

Second, economic reform and adjustments to the government’s affirmative action policies are on hold. Although Mr. Najib held out the hope of change a year ago with his New Economic Model, which promised an “inclusive” affirmative action policy that would be, in Mr. Najib’s words, “market friendly, merit-based, transparent and needs-based,” he has failed to follow through. This is because of opposition from right-wing militant Malay groups such as Perkasa, which believe that a move towards meritocracy and transparency threatens what they call “Malay rights.”

But stalling reform will mean a further loss in competitiveness and slower growth. It also means that the cronyism and no-bid contracts that favor the well-connected will continue. All this sends a discouraging signal to many young Malaysians that no matter how hard they study or work, they will have a hard time getting ahead.

Mr. Najib may not actually believe much of the rhetoric emanating from his party and his government’s officers, but he tolerates it because he needs to shore up his Malay base. It’s politically convenient at a time when his party faces its most serious opposition challenge in recent memory—and especially when the opposition is challenging the government on ethnic policy and its economic consequences. One young opposition leader, parliamentarian Nurul Izzah Anwar, the daughter of former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, has proposed a national debate on what she called the alternative visions of Malaysia’s future—whether it should be a Malay nation or a Malaysian nation. For that, she earned the wrath of Perkasa; the government suggested her remark was “seditious.”

Malaysia’s government might find it politically expedient to stir the racial and religious pot, but its opportunism comes with an economic price tag. Its citizens will continue to vote with their feet and take their money and talents with them. And foreign investors, concerned about racial instability and the absence of meaningful economic reform, will continue to look elsewhere to do business.

Mr. Malott was the U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia, 1995-1998.
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Singapore-Malaysia Economies: Size Doesn't Matter

2011-02-20T19:26:00.009+08:00

This article was written by a person, Pan Xing Cai which appeared in our Straits Times sometime late last year. It first appeared in Nanyang Siang Pau, a Malaysian Chinese newspaper too.

By Pang Xing Cai

As the year draws to a close, we look back on two major occurences that have taken place this year:
After three decades of reform and opening up, China has outshone Japan, a country that is 4 per cent the size of the former, to become the second largest economy in the world - thus proving what many have forecast before.
Singapore, "sacked" in 1965 by Malaysia, a country 520 times its size, is set to surpass the latter economically after 45 years of hard work, thus refuting the prediction that the 21st century belongs to continental-sized countries.

Singapore's economic miracle is not only an insult but also a terrible blow to Malaysia. Despite being smaller in size than New York City, the only nation in South-east Asia devoid of natural resources, and with a population one-fifth that of Malaysia, Singapore's economy has grown 189-fold since independence on Aug 9, 1965, with its per capital income rising from US$512 in 1965 to US$36,537 (S$47,830) last year.

Malaysia, by contrast, had a gross domestic product per capita of US$6,975 last year, up from US$335 in 1965.

Singapore's GDP was expected to grow by 15 per cent this year to US$210 billion, its fastest growth rate since independence, while Malaysia's economy was predicted to grow by only 7 per cent to US$205 billion.

The city-state, once considered a 'poor little market in a dark corner of Asia", is now ranked by the World Bank as one of the easiest places to do business, has the world's second busiest container port, and boasts the highest proportion of millionaire households.

Then Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew cried during a televised interview on the day Singapore was driven out of Malaysia, but he vowed to make a success of Singapore.

Another minister said, "Once a Singapore aircraft takes off, it will infringe onto our airsapce but we will not shoot it down."

If these ministers are still around, they will have mixed feelings.

With Singapore's economy poised to overtake Malaysia's, former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, who ruled the country for 22 years, attributed it to "Malaysia's social restructuring policy and its equitable distribution of wealth between the races".

Dr Lee Hock Guan, a senior fellow at Singapore's Institute of Southeast Asian Studies said incisively: "Malaysia was struck by the curse of resource-rich countries: It didn't optimise its human capital."

Singapore leaders have remarked that the city-state has recruited many foreigners to fill the top of its population pyramid, while their neighbour (obviously referring to Malaysia) brought in foreigners to fill the bottom of the pyramid.

By offering scholarships to 61 independent Chinese schools in Malaysia, Singapore has recruited a large number of bright students who did well in the Unified Examination (UE).

Yet, the Malaysian government has refused to recognise the UE certificate and continues to discriminate against talents (on the basis of race).

Malaysia Ambassador to the United States Jamaluddin Jarjis revealed that 200,000 Malaysians have opted to become citizens of America but continued to send money home annually, amounting to an estimated US$2 billion or 10 per cent of their income.

A nation's or an enterprise's assets are its talent, not its natural resources. How can Malaysia not be surpassed by Singapore, which cherishes talent. Let's see if Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's Economic Transformation Programme can turn the country around.

My Birthday on 12 Feb

2011-02-13T21:26:00.004+08:00

It was my birthday on 12 Feb and 1 year short of half century mark, I am 49 exactly to that day. I've always remind myself, age is a just number and as long as I stay fit & healthy, I will run, I will chase as long as my lung capacity still permits me.

No intention to organise any special event to celebrate my grand old age (sheepishly, I admit I have posted my date of birth on my FB profile which can be viewed by many of my friends), some pleasant arrangements by some friends running up to my birthday certainly have brightened my day.

First, it was Tim Chua whom I get to know through his then girlfriend, Maxine and now his wife emailed me to 'chop' me for a birthday lunch on 10 Feb, Thursday. We had a good chat on some business matters at NUSS Guildhouse in Suntec as well as a good lunch. There was no cake though.

The following day, Dora arranged to have lunch with me though she didn't say she was buying lunch for my birthday. She kept mum, so did I. We had a good economical Thai meal in Macpherson Road. Again, there was no cake.

On the same evening, Rickson, Mandy and Gladys arranged to have a dinner with me at Peng Catering in Hougang. I insisted that I buy dinner. I was supposed to watch Chingay Parade, had to sacrifice the two tickets since it was a good gesture from them to celebrate my birthday. The dinner was sumptuous, we ate to our hearts' content. Mandy ordered the smallest cake she could find, good fit for just 4 persons. Thereafter, we had a good chat, just gossiping before calling it a day.

On my birthday, 12 Feb, I had a cycling event organised by Anna and I had to help her with some logistical arrangements. I kind of knew my cycling kakis, Anna, CK, Esther and of course, Dora should know my birthday which was shown on my FB profile but I didn't expect them to arrange any special for me. The cycling expedition started in the morning at about 1000 hours setting off at Khatib stadium and heading to Woodlands before making a U-turn back. There were some 20 of us. It was a hot morning and we finally arrived back at Khatib stadium at about 1330 hours.

Dora suggested we head to Thomson for our late lunch. Boy, I was feeling very hungry, I can eat a goat as I did not take any breakfast in the morning. After bidding farewell to the rest of them, Esther, Anna, Dora, CK and I headed to Thomson. My hunch told me they were probably going to buy me lunch but I just went along. None of them wished me "happy birthday", even Dora though I knew she was aware it was my birthday. I should smell a rat but I didn't, actually. We had a good lunch at a hawker centre, all 4 of us groped down our spagetti swiftly and washed it down with ice cold sugarcane juice. Anna thanked us for helping out in the cycling event insisted to pay for lunch. I didn't reject her kind offer since it was my birthday, let her buy then. The girls were fighting to pay, faint! After the lunch, I thought nothing about it and was ready to head home. Dora and Esther wanted to buy some pastries to bring home, we then followed them to a nearby cakeshop. Again, I was still like blur a 'sotong' when the indication was so clear the moment we stepped into the cakeshop. I even hastened them to pick up their pastries so that we can head home. Dora then placed a box in front of me and I even remarked (rather naively) whether she was sharing the pastries with Esther. They did not say anything. I was still kept in the dark - that blur I was at that juncture. When the box was opened, only then I realised they had ordered a chocolate cake for us. Yes, Anna's birthday was just one day after me. It was double surprise for me, first the birthday cake which I did not expect from them and then, Anna's birthday is just back-to-back mine. Birthday song was sang to both of us and we, Anna & I shared the joy of cutting the cake together. Thanks Esther, CK and Dora for the cake shared between Anna and me. This little surprise had certainly made my day.

I ended my birthay going to SAFRA Mt Faber gym with George in the evening. Fond memories to give with.

Conviction Versus Consensus Politicians

2011-02-13T11:38:00.002+08:00

This article, titled " Conviction verus Consensus politicans" was written by one of Singapore's well known novelist, Catherine Lim following MM Lee's recent remarks asking Muslims here to exercise flexibilty or sorts on Islam teachings. This article appeared in S.T. on 12 Feb 2011.

By Catherine Lim

Conviction versus Consensus politicians

PRIME Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s reassurance of the Muslim community, upset by what they perceived to be disparaging remarks of them made by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, was exactly as expected. It was calm, reassuring and generous in its praise of the community’s efforts in working with people of other races and religions to achieve an integrated and harmonious Singapore. There was nevertheless an almost surreal quality about the event, with a respectful, filial son having to dissociate his views from his father’s.

Indeed, the surreality might have provoked some to speculate that the Prime Minister’s statement was part of a shrewd strategy, in keeping with the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) hard-headed realism, to assign to MM Lee the task of delivering unpalatable but necessary truths.

But this is speculation that even the most determined conspiracy theorist will have to abandon. First, the Prime Minister’s statement was in part a response to a blunt question posed by a Malay-Muslim professional organisation: Did MM’s view that Muslims were the hardest community to integrate into society reflect the Government’s view?

Second, anyone who understands MM Lee’s personality would know that a man of such strong convictions, forthright style and unshakeable self-confidence would find subterfuge of any kind both unnecessary and contemptible.

Mr Lee Kuan Yew – in being able to freely speak his mind on a whole range of controversial issues that other ministers would handle with utmost care, in provoking strong reactions both at home and abroad that the other leaders later scramble to appease – plays a unique role in Singapore politics.

While the Prime Minister and his colleagues can afford to disregard the controversy created by MM’s strong convictions on such issues as graduate mothers producing superior offspring or homosexuals holding public office, they cannot afford to ignore his statements about a sensitive subject like religion. Hence – especially with a general election looming – they had to undertake an exercise in damage control on this issue, and project a consensus that was as far removed from MM’s view as was consistent with the high respect accorded him.

This special feature of the dynamics of politics in Singapore may be summarised in terms of the tension that can arise between the ‘Conviction Politician’ that MM is and the ‘Consensus Politicians’ that the rest of the PAP leaders have to be. The differences between these two kinds of politicians can be seen in the following areas:

Style: MM does not feel any need to soften his style in deference to people’s feelings, while the other PAP leaders have been making great efforts, over the years, to get rid of the old image of high-handedness, inflexibility and intolerance. They constantly speak of a people-oriented approach, of the ‘light’ touch in dealing with thorny issues.

Attitude towards the opposition: MM has freely expressed his contempt of some members of the opposition, speaking of them in demeaning terms that the other PAP leaders would not risk using for fear of provoking a backlash, especially on the Internet.

General election expectations: MM does not feel the need to adjust to the expectations of a changing electorate, being completely confident that Singaporeans will continue to vote in the PAP resoundingly. He believes the PAP will be voted out of power only if it became corrupt and incompetent – which it will not, so long as it follows the principles of honest and efficient leadership embodied in his model of governance.

The Prime Minister and his colleagues, on the other hand, are anxiously aware of the pitfalls of not meeting the expectations of a younger and more sophisticated electorate, energised with a growing confidence in its power to bring about change.

What does the present situation bode for a post-Lee Kuan Yew era? It is clear that once such a massive force is gone, the situation will be radically changed. MM Lee will probably be Singapore’s last Conviction Politician for three reasons.

First, the conditions that allowed him to be a Conviction Politician in the first place – the revolutionary Singapore of more than half a century ago – have passed into history and can never be replicated.

Second, it is unlikely that any PAP leader after MM Lee will be able to match him in the scale and brilliance of his achievements. Hence no future leader will enjoy the degree of respect, goodwill and gratitude that he elicits, resulting in people readily overlooking whatever flaws of personality or style he might be perceived to have.

Third, as Singapore becomes more connected to an increasingly complex globalised world and its leaders face daunting, unexpected challenges, they will have no choice but to sacrifice individual convictions for team consensus, in order to project an image of unity, stability and strength, both to their own people and the rest of the world. The ‘Conviction Politician’ in the mould of Mr Lee Kuan Yew will become an unaffordable luxury, an anomaly and an anachronism.

There will be three camps of thought among Singaporeans in the post-MM era, each strongly differentiated from the other: Those who would welcome the departure of a political giant who had grown too powerful to allow Singapore politics to come into its own; those who would regret that his legacy was diminished insofar as he did not become the benign, inspirational, retired statesman like, say, Nelson Mandela; and those who would bemoan the passing of a unique man who, in showing conviction in the purest sense of the word, exemplified real leadership.

Dr M's Rebuttal To MM Lee Hard Truths

2011-02-10T22:49:00.003+08:00

It is to be expected of Dr M and in his usual style & fashion, he has just launched his rebuttal to Hard Truths by MM Lee in attempt to 'right any wrong' made of him. We can choose to agree or disagree with either one but it is always interesting to watch both great men engaging in verbal sparring.

Perhaps, I am biased because I am a Singaporean, my one vote goes to MM Lee and nothing to Dr M for now.

The following is taken from Dr M's blog, titled 'Hard Truths'.
Quote
1. A new book on Lee Kuan Yew has appeared with the title "Lee Kuan Yew - Hard Truths To Keep Singapore Going." It is a collection of 16 interviews with Lee Kuan Yew by Singapore journalists.

2. What is the hard truth which will keep Singapore going? It is, according to Lee Kuan Yew the vulnerability of Singapore. Without saying so in so many words, Lee Kuan Yew believes that the island's neighbours would war against it if it has no military capacity to defend itself. The United Nations would not help Singapore in the event of such an attack.

3. Even America would not defend Singapore despite the Security Framework Agreement. America went to the aid of Kuwait because of oil, but Singapore's problem is water.

4. Kuan Yew blamed me for stopping sand supply from Malaysia. I was quoted as saying, "Even at their present size they are trouble, you let them grow some more they will be more trouble." Rhetorically he then asked the journalist present, "We've got friendly neighbours? Grow up."

5. I may have said that, though I cannot remember. But is that an indication that we intend to invade Singapore?

6. Singapore had been taking large quantities of sand from the sea-bed east of Johore and also in the Strait of Malacca. As a result the coast has been eroded in places. Taking one billion cubic meters more of sand in these seas would cause serious erosion.

7. In addition the fish-breeding ground will be destroyed and this will affect Malaysian fishermen.

8. As to the trouble caused by Singapore; in the 22 years of my premiership I was not able to resolve any of the problems with Singapore. These are the Central Provident Fund, the railway land, the operation of the Malayan Railway in Singapore and the water price. Additionally the reclamation in the Tebrau Strait was affecting the deep water shipping lane for ships to and from Pasir Gudang Port. The only problem solved was the unilateral decision of Malaysia to give up the naval base in Woodlands after Singapore kept raising the lease payments. Malaysia did not ask for even a single cent as compensation for the facilities it has installed at the base.

9. As for Singapore's military planes flying over Malaysian air space, Malaysia had the right to disallow such flights for many reasons. Singapore would certainly not like to have Malaysian military planes flying over Singapore.

10. When we wanted to build a bridge to replace the congested causeway Singapore was not forthcoming.

11. All this while Malaysia had been supplying raw water at 3 sen per thousand gallons. Even to Melaka, Johore is paid 30 cent per thousand gallons. Negotiations to raised the price of water failed repeatedly. The first agreement will end this year. We will continue to supply raw water at 3 sen per thousand gallons until 2061 under the second agreement.

12. Yes, we buy treated water at a subsidised price of 50 cent per thousand gallons. We are willing to forego the supply and treat our water ourselves.

13. It was Malaysia which suggested that both countries submit claims to Pulau Batu Puteh to the international court. The court decided that the rock belongs to Singapore even though it is nearer Malaysia. But two other rocks further from Malaysia but nearer Singapore were awarded to Malaysia.

14. Malaysia's willingness to go to the International Court is hardly in keeping with a country which harbours the intention to invade Singapore.

15. Kuan Yew cried when Singapore left Malaysia. We thought that it was the separation which had saddened him. But now he tells us that it was because "I left behind tens of thousands of people who had joined our rallies". Kuan Yew might remember that despite the huge crowds attending the PAP rallies, the party won only one seat.

16. The PAP supporters immediately formed the DAP to fight the cause promoted by the PAP after the separation. The DAP is alive and well today in Malaysia. In fact it now rules Penang state.

17. But the rump UMNO left in Singapore could not survive in the hostile atmosphere created by the PAP Government. For that matter no other political party has been allowed to function properly in Singapore.

18. Kuan Yew claims all these opposition people are duds and must not be allowed to rule Singapore or even to be in the opposition. This is a frank admission that he determines who should represent the people of Singapore, not the people themselves as in a democracy. If there is any more proof needed that Singapore is a totalitarian state, this admission by Kuan Yew confirms it.

19. Now Kuan Yew is urging Muslims not to hold to the teachings of Islam too strictly. Most Muslims are in breach in their practice of Islam. But it is not for others to tell the Muslims that they should renege on their practice of Islam to facilitate integration in Singapore. In Malaysia we try to live with our differences. Our integration is not perfect because we are sensitive to the sensitivities of our people. We do not ask people to forsake their religious practices so we can integrate.

20. Malaysia has no intention to attack Singapore even if it is militarily weak. Even in my time there was no such intention. In fact we wanted to continue to supply Singapore with water, but at a fair price. I don't think my successors harbour any intention to do harm to Singapore. These are the hard truths. Competition in trade and shipping does not mean war, or a threat of war.

21. But one thing is certain: if Singapore treats Malaysia and Indonesia as its enemies then you must expect them to prepare for their defence. Even if it may not lead to war there will be tension and there will be an arms race. And much money will be wasted.

22. It would be far better if Mr Lee, the Minister Mentor of Singapore stop thinking about being vulnerable and that its neighbours harbour the intention to invade it. As with Pulau Batu Puteh, Sipadan and Ligitan our preference is for negotiation, arbitration or an international court's decision.

23. Remember Malaysia gave up Singapore peacefully. We did not try to use force to keep Singapore or to suppress its people.

Unquote

Race; Racism

2011-02-04T10:22:00.027+08:00

I was chatting with an 'ang moh' friend in a recent company's CNY dinner gathering and somehow somewhere along the line, we talked about the race issue. It was largely boring or disinterest to many of my colleagues at the table, judging from their nonchalant expressions and I found myself (a lone figure, perhaps for speaking too much) defending my position when this friend asked whether policies in Singapore, as a Chinese majority favour the Chinese over other minority races.

For ease of argument, rather to score point for me, I have to cite Malaysia or aptly so, Dr Mahathir to put forth my case. Almost immediately, I was asked by this learned 'ang moh' friend who, by the way speaks fluent bahasa Melayu/Indon to define racism when I said many of Dr M's policies during his tenureship as PM of Malaysia were (still are) race based and he, Dr M is a racist, period. Without giving much thought (I should have) and off I shot and I said, something to that extent, "Racism is favouring the majority race thus subjecting the minority races to many disadvantages." I tried to be diplomatic in my delivery, I swear I did. One typical example in Malaysia is the bumi policies which simply put me off. I would have gone on further but feared boring the rest of the diners at the table. I would like to raise the bar further with this; how would a Chinese or Indian student in Malaysia who scores more As than a Malay student in exam be denied govt scholarship which normally will go to the latter due to the quota scheme? We have read too much of such unfairness in Malaysia, year in & year out and yet, nothing much is done over the years despite promises by the embattled government.

If Singapore favours the Chinese race more by virtue of its sheer population size and in bid 'to cement the position of the Chinese', we will go downhill fast. As a Chinese race here, I have never felt a tinge of favourism lavished by our government to help only the Chinese to grow, to prosper at the expense of the minority. I could not pursue to study in Uni as my academic result sucks to the core. By my own merit, I failed and I accepted it wholeheartedly. I tried to be my own boss some years ago and I failed even more miserably. I did not have any handout or enjoy any adverse advantage from my government to save my business then. Because I am a Chinese and rightly so, my government should help me. Right, wrong??? Alas, there is no such policy like the bumi-policy in Malaysia that I could tap on, none at all. Do I blame my government for the lack of such policy, which otherwise could possibly have saved me from the brink of collapse? This is a meritocracy society and if one who has it to go far in study, at workplace, in business, it is because that individual has worked harder than his peer and also the X factor plays a vital role too. Luck is another though. I blame no one, certainly not my government. This only inspires me to work harder the next time when another opportunity arises. To survive on handouts from government only makes me lazier and not wanting to continue to try, knowing too well, I will be taken care of but on nation coffer, that is.

This is not a political message advocated by me and it is never my intention to praise the ruling party of the day. I am a Singaporean, this is an accident nation which should not be there in the first place and was not expected to survive on own for long but we did. Ours is a multi-racial society and if this nation largely favours one race, Singapore will be gone for good. Therefore, I want to categorically say I am a Singaporean first, then come my Chinese race.

I hope my ang moh friend is reading this passage of mine and I look forward to his comments (for or not).

What do I look for in interviewing and recruiting

2011-01-11T09:55:00.002+08:00

This article, http://www.tonyfernandesblog.com/main.php/2011/01/04/what-do-i-look-for-in-interviewing-and-r was taken from a post by AirAsia most famous personality, Datuk Tony Fernandes and it is my greatest pleasure to share the insights of this great entrepreneur with friends and others.

Quote
Many asked me to write about this, so here goes.

I'm not really the most conventional person in conducting interviews but I have been blessed with getting good people.

What do I look for?

1) The hunger in their eyes -- the look that says they're determined to go out and prove to everyone that the world has missed them, and made a mistake doing so.

2) Looking at their present job. If they are bored, then that's what I want. Someone who's raring to go.

3) People who believe in themselves. Believe in meritocracy.

4) Team players with little politics (not always easy to find).

5) Humility. I hate people who are into how large their office is going to be, or "what car do I get?" And, of course, "what's my title?" Being humble and proving one's own ability is the key. Then everything else follows.

6) The ability to adapt to change and move from department to department (much like Holland's total football concept). And innovators: People who dare to take risks and change the norm.

7) Adding extra value to the organization. In whichever way and whichever area. Musician, artist, sportsperson, etc. I like all rounders.

8) Doers rather than talkers.

9) And last on my list: academic credentials.

That's it. Good luck for all those dreamers. Remember, always be postive. Life is much more fun that way. And live your dreams. You only live once so go out there and do whatever you want. You only have one life - make the most of it.
Unquote

Appalling Writing Standard of a University Lecturer

2011-01-10T13:22:00.004+08:00

The comment below was extracted from one of many Dr Mahathir's replies to a post on his blog (http://chedet.co.cc/chedetblog/2011/01/adverts.html). The content of his post is not the highlight here, this particular reply from a seasoned university lecturer in one of Malaysia's prestigious universities (as proclaimed by him) is. Ask any of our primary school students, many can easily string proper sentences than this lecturer. I have only one word for it, gosh!

Quote
DearTun,

Ever since you became the prime Minister I have always admire you and will always encourage my students at the universiteis that i have taught for almost 30 years (4 in all ) an I am now lecturing at Utp the prestigous university of the nation. Sad to say that the building is not been maintained especially the seminar rooms . Once a room that house some electrical things was flooded and no one noticed. I came to know when the room next to THE ONEi i was using could not function . After reports and more reports for nearly 1 month then came the maintenance. NeXt the contractors. This again delayed the whole process. I HOPE PEOPLE UP THERE SHOULD PRACTICE THE MANAGEMENT BY WALKING AROUND AND NOT JUST THE CHANCELLORY AREA.sORRY FOR SUCH TRIVIAL ISSUES BUT YOUR BLOG DISCUSSES EVERYTHING FROM ADVERT TO HIGHLY IMPORTANT THINGS. iT IS A REAL AVENUE FOR THE OLD AND YOUNG TO EXCHANGE IDEAS AND NOT BAD MOUTHING OTHERS. sTAY HEALTHY ANDMAY ALLAH BLESS YOU.
GAJAHS
Unquote

Dr Mahathir's Crooked Bridge Plan Continues...

2011-01-04T12:52:00.002+08:00

The crooked bridge, as long as it is not materialised continues to bother Dr Mahathir even while holidaying in Mumbai. Below is the latest posting on his blog by the great man himself, http://chedet.co.cc/chedetblog/2011/01/mumbai-bridge.html and it is my (dis)pleasure to post his rather 'stinking' article (titled: Mumbai Bridge) in another of his futile attempt to stoke sentiments on both sides.

Quote
1. I spent my annual holiday in India. After three days in Delhi I flew to Mumbai. The population of the city is 20 million spread over seven islands linked by bridges to each other and to the mainland.

2. From my window in the Taj Lands End Hotel I can see a bridge across the sea to the City Centre.

3. The bridge is curved forming a half circle from end to end. The centre part is cable-stayed with two supporting pylons. The rest, both the eastern and the western ends are supported by concrete pillars.

4. The haze is bad but the whole curved bridge can be clearly seen in the evening.

5. I wonder whether the Mumbaians protested about being curved and not straight.
Unquote

Good Bye to 2010

2010-12-31T12:18:00.002+08:00

What a year, 2010 the year of the roaring Tiger...I couldn't have asked for more, really. Achieved few firsts in this year, the Medoc Marathon in September in France (minus that unpleasant incident in Paris), the scaling of Mt Kinabalu in September and last but not the least, the 100km LTAW event in December. Of course, there were some disappointments too. The failed business venture, only managed to survive for 6months...sigh, among the few!

Hmm, what will year 2011 bring? I don't hope for too much but there are few personal goals in the pipeline. Among others, to cover under 5 hours in Adidas Sundown 42km marathon in May after missing that in last Medoc run and to walk 200km to Malacca for a charity cause. As for career development in my next phase, I will get certification as a trainer of sorts and ACTA, I must work hard to achieve too.

Good bye 2010 and welcome 2011!

Let's Take A Walk (LTAW) - 100km Power Walk

2010-12-26T16:50:00.020+08:00

What's the difference between running a full 42km marathon and a 100km walk, which one is actually tougher? I experienced both recently. Most runners will hit the wall at 30km mark (for some even earlier) and at that point cramps around the calves and thighs will start to build up. Much as I would like to run, I had to pull to a complete halt to stretch my muscle for it to loosen up, to apply ointment, whatever it took to relieve the pain and cramps, period. I had to walk, then ran some distance and then stopped to stretch and repeat the whole process again & again to the finishing. The last 10km was always torturous to the point of no return and this is marathon as far as I am concerned.

Walk could be a piece of cake, but to walk 100km, it is not a piece of cake no more. The 100km LTAW event on 18 Dec was by far the longest walk I had ever attempted in my entire 48 years, another first for me if I could complete the route, i.e. Our adventurous group, HTTB sent two teams to participate in this LTAW event, a charity walk event in their 3rd consecutive year. Proceeds this year are pledged to the Boys' Town cause.

The 50km team was led by SP and the 100km team where I was part of it was led by Eric. We had 6 members for each team and the rule requires minimum 3 members of the team to complete the whole journey, failing which, the team will have to join other team to make up the minimum number. Nonetheless, it was a non-competitive event and I believe everyone was in for an experience, to test one's endurance level.

The 100km event started at 8am near Tampines Station whereas, the 50km was scheduled 13 hours later at 9pm at Turf Club. I was up early, 6.30am and was already at Aljunied train station before 7am heading to Tampines. Slowly all my 5 team members made their way to the flag-off venue, Angela, Susa, Ashok, Kwan and Eric and we were raring to go. In this 100km power walk, I was told there some 150 participants but the fall-out rate could be as high as 60%, that gruelling if it did not damper our spirit. Before the flag-off, all of us gathered on the open ground, did our warm-up exercise together. And at 8.15am, we were finally flagged-off. Kwan had 2 friends and Eric had 1 friend who joined us in the walk, all 9 of us then walked together.

In all there were 10 checkpoints along the way, average 10km at each point and the finishing was at Liang Court, some 24 hours later. We had to report as a complete team at each check point to earn a sticker to be placed on our bib. Therefore, anyone walked faster still have to wait for the rest before the team can move out. Hey, this was a team event and team spirit must remain strong, if we were to last to the end. Alas, it was not to be when true colour of one member in our team showed as we progressed further.

We walked along Bedok Reservoir Road, past Kaki Bukit to the direction of Hougang Mall. The first 10km was a breeze for all, we were in high spirit. Along the way, we made friends with other teams, walked with them and joked with them. Piece of cake, we got our stickers at CP 1 at Hougang Mall. Shortly later, we moved out to CP 2 at Yio Chu Kang Stadium. We walked along the long stretch of Yio Chu Kang Road. We had covered 10km and another 10km to CP 2, no sweat lah! When we reached Yio Chu Kang Stadium, SP and Kiat Sing who brought along her nephew were waiting for us. SP was so nice to buy us 'chee cheong fun' and I gobbled all down swiftly. It was around 11am, we were still 'fresh' and energetic.

After a short breather at CP 2, we bid farewell to our supporters and off we go again. We had to walk along Sembawang Road to Chong Pang and to the PCN to CP 3 at the northeastern tip in Sembawang, the water plant. Along Chong Pang, there was a heavy downpour, otherwise the weather was excellent the whole morning. The rain stopped when we reached CP 3 but we were drenched. We took longer rest, to dry our shoes, socks and clothes. We had covered more than 30km at that juncture. It was already way past lunch time but we didn't have our lunch yet and nobody in our group requested for lunch break either, funny.

CP 4 was at Republic Poly in Woodlands. Susa was holding well despite the left knee problem, so too for Ashok who did not actually train much with us prior to this. I asked Eric, our team leader whether we were on schedule at each checkpoint so far and boy, we were actually ahead of our schedule. Going at this rate, we should complete before 9.30am on Sunday morning. Our pace was quite fast and consistent, around 5km an hour and we were among the early groups to clock in.

Before arriving at CP 4, TS and supporters were supposed to meet us for dinner at Admiralty MRT station. We were supposed to arrive at Admiralty station by 6pm and half an hour before our arrival, I made a call to TS to pre-empt him. Dora who was also about to leave to meet her 50km team at Causeway Point for dinner before heading to Turf City for their 50km flag-off, decided to wait for us at the Admiralty station too. Esther joined us shortly. I took a quick bite at Mac's as I was too hungry, having missed lunch earlier. TS and Esther walked with us to CP 4 at Republic Poly. We had finished almost half of our journey, evidently fatigue began to take a toll on some of us.

Our next CP was at Turf Club, also the start-off venue of the 50km walkers. We were walking along the fringe near the causeway where Johor was just opposite us and we cut into Marsiling estate to the direction of Turf Club in Kranji. As usual, Kwan, Angela and I were in the front but we shot past Turf Club, only to turn back when we realised our mistake. Each step forward was 'precious' to us, we tried not to walk the wrong way (if we could) as we needed to conserve as much energy to last the distance. Hooray, we had reached our half way mark, 50km! But Asok decided not to push on, he had exceeded his own mark with this distance - kudos to him.

CP 6 was at Rail Mall, a punishing 15km away. It was getting dark, by my reckoning (didn't check my watch though), it should be past 7pm. Much to my delight again, we were ahead of our schedule. TS and Esther left us at Turf Club - thanks to their support for walking with us.

We were walking along the Kranji Industrial area and I realised Susa was nowhere to be seen. She was lagging way behind. I signalled to Kwan (Eric and Angela were already way ahead) that I will wait for Susa to catch up. Kwan and Eric's friend (she joined us at Turf City) waited too. Finally, I saw Susa and we walked together. She was fighting pain in her left knee and at one point, she remarked to me (with some tinge of sadness in her voice though) that she might not be able to complete and most probably will drop out at Rail Mall, CP 6. We had scheduled to take a break at Bukit Panjang Shopping Plaza where some supporters including my running mate, Chua and his family were waiting for us. When we reached Bukit Panjang Shopping Plaza, it was easily over 60km. Chua bought some paus and isotonic drinks for us. A while later, the 50km team led by SP arrived too. One of SP's supporters bought isotonic can drinks too. Suddenly, there was an oversupply of drinks and food from our kind-hearted supporters. We took longer rest. Before I moved off, I gave each of Chua's kids a big bearhug. Susa decided to listen to her body not to press further, she dropped out at Bukit Panjang. I gave her a hug (would have hoped she could press on, sad) to bid her farewell.

When we reached Rail Mall at around midnight, Siti, Kiat Sing and Yosuke were waiting for us. They too readied a package comprising isotonic drinks and food for each of us too. It was so heartwarming to receive tremendous supports from them, only to inspire us to push on. Two had dropped off, there were four of us in the team now and more so, we should finish. We had covered more than 70km by now. Blisters had already seeped in, damn. To worsen matter, both my ankles started to ache too. Sign of old age, sigh!

CP 7 was at Trade Hub, Mac's. We walked past Bukit Batok and to the PCN. Every step taken was quite painful but still bearable. At Trade Hub, it started drizzling. After a short rest, we put on our raincoats and when I was about to move off, I saw Marcus, Dora's son with his two cousins. I told him his mother will be arriving shortly and then moved on with the team. Eric's car was parked near Buona Vista station and we were scheduled to arrive at the station to get some refreshment from his car and then, to take some rest. We walked along the PCN to the direction of Ulu Pandan and Clementi. Around 3am, we arrived at Buona Vista station. Surprise, surprise, Siew Hoon and her friend turned up at that hour too. She brought along paus, coffee and even toothbrushes for us. I told her no one was likely to eat, we were simply too tired & sleepy but the coffee was certainly a 'go-send' to me. She had not fully settled down, Angela decided to move on. At that point, I felt it was rude of Angela to insist to move on when Siew Hoon and her friend took all the trouble to bring us water and food at 3am, should we be more appreciative? I was simply put off by Angela's behaviour, to say the least. Eric, always the obliging chap decided that we should move on though we were ahead of our schedule. I knew Eric needed longer rest to recuperate but...for the team's sake, he acceded to her demand.

CP 8 was at Kent Ridge Park, up on the hill top. We reached in good time and I even joked to the volunteers to consider having that CP 8 at the foot of the hill instead of on the highest point, as if we were not 'punished' enough. We didn't rest much, registered our team and off, we left. Siew Hoon and friend were walking with us too. I was chatting, joking with Siew Hoon most time whereas Eric was behind us, quietly throughout. At Hort Park, I turned back and realised Eric was way behind. He wanted us to move first while he will take a short nap. Kwan and Angela were already way infront. He told me he needed sleep, even for that precious 5 mins. As we lied on the ground to catch few winks but I jumped up, deciding not to do so fearing we will doze off completely. I kept waking up Eric and finally, he decided to move on too. I knew he was fighting real hard to stay awake, poor Eric. Siew Hoon and friend were with us, to pep up our spirit too.

CP 9 was at Tiong Bahru Plaza and it was first light when we reached there. The volunteers told us we were the first 100km team to arrive, much to our surprise. Kwan and Angela had arrived earlier, they were having their breakfast at Starbuck by the time we arrived. I skipped breakfast, was on high spirit to finish the last 10km and very quickly, we moved on. My legs, especially the ankles were aching like hell and my back too, from carrying the backpack. Our pace were fast in the 5km but slowed somewhat at the last 5km. It was a long long last 10km as if never ending. We walked past Liang Court but we had to move further to Singapore Flyer, another 5km and then made a U-turn back. We pushed and pushed, everyone was quiet and not talking much to each other knowing the end was near. Finally, we reached CP 10 at Liang Court clocking some 24 hours 30 mins. We had arrived one hour ahead of our own schedule, it was 8.30am on Sunday morning. Tired I was but I was gleeing with satisfaction knowing I have achieved another first. Hip, hip, hip...hooray! (3x)

Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore 2010

2010-12-09T23:11:00.004+08:00

Indeed, it was a race like no other. Since 2007, I have been participating in the annual Stanchart Marathon event, from 10km to 21km to 42km and if any, it is my report card of sorts detailing my entire year performance. This year is no exception.

As I had already participated in the full marathon in September in France this year (only intended to run full marathon in a year), I’d decided to run the half marathon in this year Stanchart Marathon with a personal target to clock a sub 2 hours time. In August last year, I clocked 2 hrs 15 mins plus in my first 21km event in SAFRA Half Marathon and in May this year, I barely missed the 2 hours mark by a little over a minute in the Adidas Sundown event. It was that close for me and it only fueled me to train harder, with a vengeance to slash it down in this year end Stanchart Half Marathon.

Prior to the 21km half marathon which was scheduled on 5 Dec, Sunday, I have been training regularly with my buddy, Long Chua (who also completed his 4th 42km Stanchart marathon, kudos to him for his perseverance). I was also very much involved in other outdoor activities, such as cycling, trekking and long distance walking with my adventurous groups. All these different training of sorts did help me in one way or another to improve my stamina and endurance level.

Winnie was supposed to run this 21km event for the first time too but with some tinge of regret, she had decided to give it another miss due to her lack of regular training and also the persistent flu that did not seem to go away. Disappointed to say the least but we must always listen to our body. I fully supported her decision not to run this 21km at the last hour, as there’s always another chance to do so when she is fitter and raring to go. Fret not, Winnie..you will have realize your half marathon dream and beyond!

Typically of me, I was unusually quiet the day before the race. If I said I was not stressed up, I lied. The thought of not able to run my best race did rattle me somewhat. Later in the afternoon, Dora called, initiating a dinner with C.K., Anna & Esther and I agreed to join them to de-stress, perhaps. It was a sumptuous seafood dinner at a famous coffeeshop stall in Toa Payoh, recommended by Anna. After dinner, both C.K. and I left for home as we had the 21km to contend with the following morning. An early sleep was vital. The gals continued on their own at Anna’s place; understand they chatted till the wee hours of the morning…guys’ issues, gals’ issues & what not.

I got up at 0445 hrs. Brushed up, put on my running attire with the number tag on done the night before and I was already out of my house by 0500 hrs – that kiasu of me. I drove to HarbourFront, the flagged-off venue for our event. The flag-off was scheduled at 0630 hrs but by 0530 hrs, I already at the bridge warming up and looking out for familiar faces. By chance I met one of our SANL members, Jeannie who was one of the early birds too. I had a quick chat with her, conveyed my best wishes and then, I proceeded ahead to the start-line.

Minister Vivian Balakrishnan was the guest-of-honour who was to flag the runners off at exactly 0630 hrs. As the minute was ticking away, throngs of runners slowly made their way to the start-line. There were 15,000 runners registered for the 21km half marathon and on whole, 60,000 runners registered for varied events in Stanchart Marathon, an Asia record I understand. At exactly 0630 hrs, we were flagged-off in three waves. I was in the first wave.

It was still pitch dark running to the direction of Sentosa island. About 2km into the race, I felt quite ‘high tide’ and not wanting to wash much time, I made a dash to the nearest bush to relieve myself. I felt better and lighter after the pee (sheepishly). Around 3km mark, I heaved a sigh of relief when I past the 2-hour pacers and I told myself that I must ensure to stay ahead of the 2-hour pacers if I intended to clock a sub 2 hours timing. I ran a faster than usual pace. My only fear was I could burn off fast if I kept that fast pace for the first 10km. However, the thought of the 2-hour pacers overtaking me anytime soon, somewhat fueled me to keep to a fast pace. With trepidation, I was looking forward to the run through Universal Studio. At 6km mark, I arrived at Universal Studio. The attraction staff and cartoon characters like Shrek and company were on hand to cheer us on. My adrenalin was pumped up and while running, I gave a high-five to the supporters and the cartoon characters including Shrek, of course. This was by far, the best part of the run; runners are always motivated when there are many supporters to root them on – never always seen in Singapore. This time, the organizers got it right.

As each km had past, I was yearning for the 100plus isotonic drinks (a ritual for me in such long race) and finally at the 10km mark, 100plus drinks were offered…phew! I grabbed one and downed it swiftly, heavenly man. At that point, we were out of Sentosa island and inched up the expressway to the direction of Pasir Panjang. I had to push harder going up the highway and my many trekking at Bukit Timah and most recently, Mt Kinabalu really did me a big favour. I was able to run the incline without my problem while many simply ran out of steam. When I was about to make a U-run to the direction of Singapore Flyer at some point, I can still see the 1 hr 45 mins pacer on the opposite side and not far behind me, the 2-hour pacers. I was smacked behind them and by my ‘guesstimation’, I should be more than 500 metres behind the 1 hr 45 mins pacers and lesser than 200 ahead of the 2 hours pacers. If I kept to that, my sub 2 hours target should remain intact. Admittedly, I was confident at that juncture (reckoned it was around 12km mark and still another 9km more to go). .

It was getting brighter by then and sun was already up. It was a long 7km run along the expressway from HarbourFront all the way to the turn at MBS. I began to feel tired, slowed somewhat and some fitter runners began to overtake me. I was conserving my last remaining energy (if it still lasts) for the last 5km to the finish at Padang. When I reached Singapore Flyer, it was already the 18km mark, another 3km left. I decided to open my strides, caught up some runners along the way. I was on cruise control.

After the turn at Esplanade, it was the last 1km to the finish and the 2-hours pacers were never in sight. Barring any major unforeseeable, I knew the sub 2-hour time was within my grab. Finally at the turn to the Padang with about 150 metres to the finishing, I stretched my strides to the fullest, took off my cap and started to wave to the cheering crowd like a winner. I then made the final dash and the big clock above showed 1 hour 56 mins plus and ticking. It was a race like never before, my best 21km race which I will relish for the longest time to come. For the record, my chip finish was 1 hour 56 mins 12 seconds, finishing in 237th position out of 11,274 runners, among the top 2%.

This Standard Chartered Half Marathon has ended on a high note for me and now, the bar has been raised and the target is set on the full marathon in May next year, the Adidas Sundown. 5 hours and under is my target.

I Too Know What I Am Fighting For

2010-11-14T13:20:00.014+08:00

Note from me: Some years ago, I remember SM Goh who was then the PM, raised the much talked about topic asking Singaporeans, "Are you a quitter or stayer?". Many former Singaporeans called it quit for a myriad of reasons, I fully respect their decision. Is Singapore really that bad for them to uproot and seek greener pasture elsewhere? Our lack of 'so-called' freedom of speech or fearful to speak one's mind, painted by some very 'liberal-minded' western media gave wrong impression that Singaporeans living in this little red dot are largely restricted, sigh. Fortunately, it is not true at all. While many Singaporeans are still battling hard within themselves; to stay or quit?. Perhaps, this article below, which was written by a non-Singaporean may have changed the mindset of some quitters-to-be after reading what she has to say.

Her name is Zhong Heng, a first-year 19-year-old student at Nanyang Technological University and her article first appeared in Lianhe Zaobao and later, Straits Times which was picked up by me. As a Singaporean, I am proud of her for defending our Singapore in her capacity as a non-Singaporean but soon, she will be one of us, I am sure.

Quote
I recently read an article in Chinese language daily Lianhe Zaobao entitled I now What I Am Fighting For, written in response to comments made by a Nanyang Technological University student who said he did not know what he was defending. What the writer said resonates deeply with me, and I want to echo his views: "If I too know what I am fighting for."

I am a 19-year-old Taiwanese. My ancestral home town is in Shandong, China. I was born in America, spent my childhood in South Africa and now I am studying in Singapore.

For the sake of the future of three children, my parents moved the family from one country to another. My father said we had to seek the best place to settle in, while my mother said she was like Chinese philosopher Mencius' mother, who moved house thrice with Mencius before being satisfied that the environment was good for her son.

My parents are educators. They are not rich or powerful, but have a wider world view and more guts than others. Wherever we migrated to, they started with nothing and had to put in a lot of hard work.

We had relatives in all the places we lived in, except for Singapore. But we never lived more than three years in any country, until we moved here, where we have been residing for the past 13 years. We have sunk our roots here.

I was only seven when I first came to Singapore. When I began Primary 1, my parents taught me to fight to survive. This place was more competitive than other countries, we had no friends or relatives and we were new, so I had to reply on myself.

But fight? That sounds militant, but it is not. My first principle of war was to make friends and integrate, while the second was to strive to be better than others and earn their respect.

To win friendship, I was humble. I willingly took the initiative to give of myself, and to show sincere care for others. To earn respect, I was more hard-working than others. I studied hard and got good grades.

My six years in primary school were enriching and happy, as I did many things that others considered insignificant and did not want to do. I lived near the school, so I volunteered to be a traffic warden: Every day before sunrise, I was the first in school, collecting my equipment for the job. After school, I stayed behind to help the teachers tidy the classroom and do other stuff.

I never had tuition, only supplementary lessons in school. And I often got home late because I was helping my classmates out: keeping them company as they waited for family members who were late in picking them up, helping them locate lost items, taking part in group projects, taking care of my juniors in school.

Besides these trivial services, I also actively participated in all sorts of inter-school competitions: speech, art, athletics. All these efforts were to win glory, in the hope that my family, classmates and school would be proud of me.

Later, I made it to Raffles Girls' Secondary School (RGS) after topping my school in the Primary School Leaving Examination. My mother attributed my good results not to tuition or my intelligence, but to the love I gave my school and my efforts to integrate, as well as my joy in learning.

One example proves her point. I remember the day I went back to my primary school to receive my commendation. I met a teacher at the staff room door. I asked her sincerely: "May I get you just one more coffee or tea?" She smiled as she embraced me.

Over the years, every time I had passed her window, she would ask me to get her a coffee or tea from the canteen. After a few times, I did consider avoiding that window. But I quickly realised that I was more privileged than others to have the opportunity to render my teacher a service, which was great. So I did it willingly.

Over time, this teacher and I got into the habit of holding conversations through the window, and I unexpectedly gained from her teaching, which felt good.

Over 13 years, I have made many friends and never once been ostracised. I never think in terms of old or new immigrants. I feel I have become part of this place, and that this is my home.

But as I grow older, I often ask myself who I really am: Chinese, Taiwanese, American or Singaporean? After graduating from RGS, I suddenly craved a sense of belonging. I gave up the chance to study at Raffles Junior College and went to high school in the United States, to experience being an "American". I thought I would have to study for two years, but I graduated earlier than expected, as what I had learnt in four years at RGS went far beyond US high school standards.

When I joined the high school, the school realised that I was up to standard in all the subjects and I had to study only two - American history and physical education. (Singapore's physical education system is good too, but they did not accept my PE grade from Singapore as the system there is different}.

So I had an easy time, with plenty of free time to get my driver's licence - in the US, one can get a licence and drive at 16. I also worked part-time at a relative's company, typing documents and reports and doing filing work for US$5 (S$6.50) an hour, the minimum wage. I worked three hours every day after school, and eight hours on weekends and during vacation. The pay was a little low, but it was a month's pocket money. Compared to the rest of American society then, mired in the sub-prime crisis, with so many people bankrupt and out of a job, I was doing quite well.

I never thought that my US stint would allow me to witness the country's biggest economic crisis and the many social problems that resulted. A young teacher whom I admired lost his job due to the financial crisis faced by the California government (Teachers lose their jobs too!); an elementary school near where I lived had to cancel its music classes; and the state government had to cut the number of scholarships, and bursaries, so many people were unable togo on to university.

But the crisis did not affect my relative much, as he had business dealings with China. That is why he was happy to have me working for him, as my English was better than his other employees', and I could speak, read and write Chinese too. His own children spoke only simple Mandarin and could hardly read the language. This was his biggest worry.

After my stint in the US, I no longer had any illusions about the country. Once I got my high school certificate, I returned to Singapore, happy that I could still choose.

Perhaps I was affected by the US economic storm, but I was still a bit hesitant as to whether to return to Taiwan or go to China - so I applied to universities in both Singapore and Taiwan. In the meantime, I took the opportunity to vist Taiwan and South Africa, where I had spend my childhood.

I had been too young to know much of these places before, but on this trip, while the natural landscape in both places was stunning and I was moved by their unique ethnic features, South Africa's serious problem with law and order and Taiwan's chaotic politics left me shocked and disappointed. I had a sudden thought: When I have the means, I will go back and help African children who do not go to school, and change Taiwan's chaotic politics.

The strength to dream big probably stemmed from my 10 years of education in Singapore. Even I was surprised that living in such a small country would give me such a broad perspective of the world.

When I received admission letters from both Nanyang Technological University and National Taiwan University, I decided to stay in Singapore and continue to arm myself and face challenges. Here, I can see my future clearly, hone my skills with peace of mind and realise my dreams.

Before, I could not decide on my birth, place of origin or migrant journey. But now I have grown up and can decide on my own future. Of course, I will not forget where I came from. One day, I may seek my roots. But I cherish even more my present life and this country that groomed me. For this, I am very grateful to my parents for making the right choice.

Unlike 13 years ago, I no longer fight alone. All around me are more and more comrades around my age from different countries, of different nationalities and ethnic groups. Our aim is the same: to shine on the international stage. We never ask what we are fighting for, as it is clearly for ourselves, our families and the country we live in. As for the issue of old and new immigrants, who cares?

If I want to make Singapore proud of me one day, would you be so calculating as to ask me where I come from?
Unquote

Water Agreements

2010-11-10T13:54:00.002+08:00

Note from me: The water agreements have always been used by politicians from our neighbouring country during Dr Mahathir tenure ship as the 4th PM to threaten SIN to rev up sentiments when there were disagreement of sorts. Singapore has already moved on, and now, we are the leader in the treatment of re-cycled water. For as long as Dr M lives, we will not see the end of this water saga despite the first agreement expiring in 2011, sad.

Taken from the blog of Dr Mahathir (http://chedet.co.cc/chedetblog/2010/11/water-agreements.html)

1. Next year, 2011, one of the agreements to supply up to 86 million gallons of water per day (mgd) from Johore to Singapore at 3 sen per 1,000 gallons will end.

2. I understand Johore is still buying treated water from Singapore for 50 sen per 1,000 gallons. The amount purchased should not exceed 12 per cent of the raw water bought by Singapore.

3. The agreement also stipulates that the price of raw water and treated water can be renegotiated and changed if both parties agree. Should the raw water price be revised upwards Singapore would be entitled to revise the price of treated water.

4. If, for example, under the current agreement the water price is increased to 6 sen per 1,000 gallons, i.e. 100 per cent, Singapore can insist on the same percentage price increase by 100 per cent i.e. from 50 sen per 1,000 gallons to one Ringgit per thousand gallons.

5. If both sides agree on this quantum of price increase, Singapore would actually earn more from selling treated water to Johor than Malaysia would earn from selling raw water to Singapore.

6. Almost 10 years ago Johor was allocated sufficient money to build its own treatment plant so as not to buy treated water from Singapore. I am told that for reasons unknown, despite building its own treatment plant Johore is still buying treated water from Singapore.

7. Johore sells raw water to Melaka at 30 sen per 1,000 gallons. It seems that Johore is less generous towards Melaka than it is towards a foreign country. The wisdom of this escapes me.

8. Whatever, in 2011, a new agreement to supply Singapore with raw water from Johore may have to be made, I think that despite Singapore's desalination plant, despite Newater, and new reservoirs, Singapore would still need raw water from Johore. We should be willing to supply the people of Singapore with raw water.

9. The question is whether we should sell at 3 sen per 1,000 gallons and buy at 50 sen per 1,000 gallons of treated water as before or we should extract better terms.

10. Malaysian negotiators are unduly generous and we often provide ourselves with no exit clause. I will not cite the cases.

11. The public, the Johore people in particular, should be assured that we don't make agreements which are indefensible this time.

Scaling The Summit of Mount Kinabalu

2010-11-07T16:14:00.019+08:00

My last visit to Sabah was some 15 years ago, then it was a working trip and climbing Mt Kinabalu was certainly never my agenda. This trip with SANL led by T.S. comprised 10 of us with an equal gender distribution of 5 guys and 5 gals.

The highlights of this adventurous trip included scaling the summit of SEA's highest peak, Mt Kinabalu at 4,095.2m, attempting the Via Ferrata at more than 3,000m and roughing out the grade 4 Padas River on a water dinghy.

With trepidation, we left on 28 Oct by Jetstar and on arrival at KK airport, our guide, Andrew from Amazing Borneo was already waiting for us at the airport. It was around 1300 hrs and we were first taken to Wisma Merdeka for our lunch. During my last stay in KK 'umpteen' years ago, Wisma Merdeka used to be my regular haunt being located just next to the hotel where I used to put up, the Hyatt. I cannot recognise the shops in the mall now. We had our lunch in this foodcourt styled in typical fashion back home. After lunch, we were ferried to Zen Garden, our hotel accommodation which is located some 1,500m in the national park region. The journey took some 2 hours to reach. We were given 5 rooms for the 10 of us, both Chua and I shared a room. Dinner was served at the hotel. A quick briefing by Andrew was made during our dinner to better prepare us for the climb the following morning.

We got up by 0630hrs, had our breakfast at 0700hrs and by 0730hrs, we were raring to leave for the national park office to do the registration process first and then to commence the climb. When we arrived at the national park office, we were introduced to our two assgined mountain guides and the sole porter. We were all in awe when we learnt that our assigned porter turned up to be a lady hailing from the tough Dusun tribe. She can carry a maximum load of 30 kgs up and 50 kgs down which made us guys 'malu'. I didn't let her carry my load, both Chua and Alan too while the rest simply off-loaded bulk of their load to her including lunch-boxes - faint man. They charge RM4 per kilo per way for the porterage service. By my reckoning, my own load should be lesser than 10 kgs, Chua's load should be more because he brought more clothing along.

After registration at the national park, we were transferred to Timpohon Gate which is already standing some 1,866m above sea level. I didn't see my watch but it should be around 8.30pm when we commenced our climb. It was an easy ascend, there are man-made steps along the initial part of the climb. We can hear the gushing noise of a waterfall nearby, the Carson Waterfall to be exact. We were taking it very easy, everyone was in a relaxed mood and moving in a group. Rain came shortly after, sigh and we had to take out our poncho or raincoats. The weather had been unpredictable, given it is a start of monsoon period. One moment it was sunny and the very next, it can pour without warning. Fortunately, the downpour was not heavy throughout the climb. I was moving up quite fast, breaking away from the slower ones. Only Alan, T.S., Chua and later, Zhangting and Siti managed to re-group with me at Layang Layang rest point at 2,702m. We had our packet lunch comprising two sandwiches, a hard-boiled egg and a chicken drumstick. I didn't take the drumstick, the oily stuff simply put me off but Chua had mine instead.

After lunch at Layang Layang, I broke-off with the rest as I wanted to arrive at Pendant Hut (3,270m) to take a longer rest & to acclimatise. I took a breather at some point, waited for a while hoping to re-group with Chua, T.S and Alan who should be moving faster than the rest. There were no sign of them after 15 mins of waiting, I decided to move on. The path was mostly rocky, quite easy to climb albeit slippery somewhat due to formation of algae from the intermittent rain. Fortunately, the vegetation did help to shield us from the rain.

I can feel my muscle straining but I ignored it and kept going. After climbing for more than 1 hour, I can see a hut from a distance and I knew I am quite near to our rest station at Pendant Hut. As I neared, I saw a sign pointing to Laba Rata and not long after, another sign pointing to Pendant Hut which was to be our accommodation for the night. I kept to the direction of Pendant Hut, it was not difficult to follow as it has been a single trail from start to end. Finally, I saw a long single row of wooden steps leading all the way to Pendant Hut. I took one step at a time, paused at some point to take a breather and finally, I was at the entrance of Pendant Hut. It was 1215hrs when I looked at my watch. Nothing to fuss, it was a small resting place good for a night and the view up the summit was simply awesome. As I arrived first, I took the chance to 'chop' the whole room of 8 for our group so that we don't mix with other groups. But for the couple, Katherine and Long they had to bunk-in with others in another room. It is dormitory-style living, everyone has to share one big room.

Via Ferrata briefing for all of us must be done by 4pm and those arriving past that time will have to miss it. Chua, T.S., Te and Alan arrived around 2pm. Not long later, Siti, Te and Zhangting arrived too. We were still waiting for Anne and the couple, Kat & Long. Anne arrived after 3pm but she immediately declared she won't be scaling the summit nor doing the Via Ferrata - "wasn't it a waste of money", I wondered to myself. We were still waiting for Long and Kat to arrive, hoping they will make it before 4pm deadline for the briefing. At 3.30pm, there was no sign of them though our mountain guide who was with them reported back they should be arriving by that time. At 3.45pm, still no sign. We kept our fingers crossed. Finally, at exactly 4pm, we saw the two of them slowly inching up the wooden steps. We went out to welcome them, rooting them on. They were totally exhausted but were certainly happy & relieved to have arrived just on the dot. The right side of Long's pants was sliced wide-open, exposing a large part of his 'sexy' leg. It torn off as he did a full stretch we were told but sheepishly, he admitted he is fat. Spurred on by Siti, I took a quick shot of his torn pants with 'evil' intention to post it on FB for everyone viewing when back.

We had our dinner at Laba Rata and the food dished out by them simply blew me away. At such high altitude of 3,270m, I cannot imagine they can still cook such sumptuous buffet spread for us. After a hearty dinner, we headed back to Pendant Hut for an early night. By 7pm, I was already on my bed in hope to rest well for the final assault to the summit. I was fighting hard to sleep but I was kept wide awake by Te's snoring just below me and Alan too, on my left. It was like a symphony choir that kept me awake the whole night. I tossed left, tossed right, counted sheeps but just couldn't sleep at all. At 1pm, I got up, brushed my teeth, dressed up and ready to move out. Everyone was awake by then. After breakfast, everyone except Anne was ready at 2pm for the final ascent. It was still pitch dark, each of us had our head-torch on. I had two layers of shirt, a tight fitting attire and a loose shirt and a sweater outside to fight the cold at the summit. To protect my hands, I first put on the surgical gloves and then the normal gloves. Our two mountain guides made a final count, 9 out of 10 of us with one opting out were ready and then led us all out. It was dark, the head torches were visible as more and more climbers made their way up. I was feeling quite charged-up though I didn't manage to catch a wink the whole night. I made my way past many. Before reaching Sayat Sayat at 3,668m, which was the final check-point, I began to feel uneasy. The breakfast meal that I took early was stuck somewhere near my chest, the 'buttering' feeling made me feel like I am going to throw out anytime soon. As if it was not bad enough, I needed to go toilet to 'bomb' big time. I knew the dreadful mountain sickness was beginning to take a toll on me, slowly but surely. Trying my best to ignore it, I pressed on. When I reached Sayat Sayat check-point, fortunately there is a toilet nearby. I made a dash for it, it was like a big stone had just been lifted off me. For that moment, I felt reprisal of sorts but only just. The uneasiness feeling continued to bother me as I inched higher and higher. The air was getting thinner, breathing was getting heavier and heavier. I had to walk few steps, stopped a while to catch a breather. I felt like vomiting as the mountain sickness had already kicked-in. It was still dark, by my reckoning it should be near 0500hrs. I took the chance to wait for the rest to catch up. Chua appeared not long after followed by Alan, T.S. and Te. I was already feeling sick but decided to push for the summit with them. A mountain guide told us it will take another 1 hour and a half before we could reach the summit. Each step seemed like eternity, slow and punishing on my body.

We could see the summit, the torches were clearly visible on the summit. The entire path leading to the summit was rocky, there was no vegetation to shield from element and some parts were steep too. Sometimes, we had to go on four. Only Alan was with me, we had broken off from the rest. I was feeling weaker and weaker due to the mountain sickness fatigue. I took longer rest each time and Alan stayed around, keeping pace with me. Finally we reached the summit. By then, Chua, T.S. and Te were already waiting and they will happily posing and taking pictures. I was feeling nausea, simply threw myself on the ground. Admittedly, it was a spectacular sight from the top despite my battered shape. A group of Taiwanese simply gathered at the summit, refusing to leave and we had to wait for our turn. It was very cold, I was shivering inside me. The two layers of clothes plus the sweater outside were not enough to protect me from the cold. After the Taiwanese group had left, we managed to move just underneath the summit, rolled out our nicely prepared banner for a group picture. All 5 of us, Chua, T.S., Alan, Te and I made it to the summit - much to our delight. Alas, Siti who was hit by mountain sickness waited somewhere below and Zhang Ting was further down at Sayat Sayat. As we had to re-group by 8am at Sayat Sayat for Via Ferrata, Siti and Zhang Ting had to give the summit a miss. Kat and Long, both suffered badly from mountain sickness had already made a detour back to Pendant Hut.

I felt much better as we descend to Sayat Sayat for our next event, Via Ferrata. After a good short rest at Sayat Sayat, we started our Via Ferrata event led by our instructor, a seasoned no-nonsense chap who insisted that we followed every of his instruction. Te began to feel jittery of the Via Ferrata decided to opt out instead. Thus, only the 6 of us instead of 7 to attempt the Via Ferrata. We were to move as a group in a single file, tied together. I was the leader, the first person to move off followed by Zhang Ting, Alan, Chua, Siti and T.S. in that order. Our instructor was the last person who watched us closely from behind. This was another exhilarating experience, imagine doing Via Ferrata at more than 3,000m. Though we were hanging high up, it was perfectly safe while we inched our way around the cliff. In all, it took us 2 hours to complete the whole circuit. We were told the slowest on record took some 8 hours. The completion of the climb and Via Ferrata in one go will soon earn us two certificates - I felt most satisfied.

The following day was the water rafting event at Padas river. Due to the constant downpour, the river was rated 4 which posed another big challenge for novices like us. We had another eventful day at Padas river and more pictures were taken. My only grouse was the short distance covered, sigh.

Both Chua and I stayed for 2 more nights after the rest had departed on 1 Nov. I took the chance to catch up with some old friends, Ronny, Tan and Maggie. During the additional days, we went island hopping and also did an exploration cruise on Klias river. I truly enjoyed this expedition with the group and have already confirmed my second Mount Kinabalu trip with another group of enthusiastic friends in April next year.

Footages from Marathon du Médoc 2010

2010-10-21T23:52:00.000+08:00

Ipoh born, Cambridge educated, Malaysia’s loss, Singapore’s gain

2010-10-20T17:13:00.004+08:00

The sorry state of Malaysia's bumi policy continues. Such a rare talent, would have been nurtured properly in his own country but he is going to work in SIN after having earned a rare first class in Cambridge. Read on...

Written By Mariam Mokhtar

He did his parents proud, his teachers are equally elated, his birthplace is euphoric to claim he is one of them, and his country would have been ecstatic.

His name is Tan Zhongshan and he was born in Ipoh. He chose to read law at university because he said, “Being in the legal line gives you a chance to make changes that have a far-reaching effect.”

In June, Tan received a first–class honours in Bachelor of Arts (Law) at Queen’s College, Cambridge, one of the world’s topmost universities. Cambridge, England’s second oldest university, usually contends with Oxford for first place in the UK university league tables.

Tan excelled as the top student in his final-year law examinations, but he also won the “Slaughter and May” prize, awarded by the Law Faculty for the student with the best overall performance.

In addition, he managed to bag the Norton Rose Prize for Commercial Law, the Clifford Chance Prize for European Union Law and the Herbert Smith Prize for Conflict of Laws.

Tan distinguished himself and was a source of help to his fellow students, according to his tutor and the dean of Queen’s college, Dr. Martin Dixon.

Dr. Dixon said, ““He is probably the best Malaysian student I have seen in the last 10 years. He is the most able, dedicated and one of the most likeable students I have taught in more than 20 years at Cambridge. He works really hard, has great insight and intuition. He is a problem-solver, listens well and learns.”

However, the 23-year-old Tan shrugged off his accomplishments which he said was due to “consistent work and a detailed understanding of the subjects.”

Tan, who plays classical guitar, was modest about his success, “It was a pleasant surprise as it is hard to predict the end results.”

Sadly, this brilliant, young Malaysian will not be working in Malaysia.

Tan, who has been in Singapore since August, expects to complete his Bar examinations by the end of 2011 and said, “I will also join the Singapore Legal Service in January”.

After completing his A-levels at the Temasek Junior College, the Singapore Ministry of Education awarded him an Asean scholarship.

Tan will not be the first nor last Malaysian who we let slip through our fingers.

It makes many ordinary Malaysians quietly fill with rage that the policies of our government reward the mediocre or the ‘can-do’ types and ignore the best and the brightest. When will this madness end?

Our judiciary was one of the best in the region, but today, it is not fit for purpose.

Sadly, we have clowns and fools to dictate how our courts are run. The best comedy act was played out recently in the Teoh Beng Hock trial when Thai pathologist Pornthip Rojanasunand was cross-examined by presumably the best of the attorney general’s bunch of merry-men.

If that is how Malaysian lawmakers prefer to project their image to the world, then they really need their heads examined.

We are haemorrhaging our best talent to countries that receive them with open arms. Record numbers of Malaysians are leaving – doctors, surgeons, nurses, lawyers, accountants, lecturers, engineers, quantity surveyors. We are experiencing the biggest exodus in our 53-year history.

It is estimated that there are over 1 million Malaysians living and working abroad, many of whom are highly qualified personnel.

If the government thinks that it is only the non-Malays who are leaving then they are wrong. If Malays are also leaving in large numbers then it should be obvious (which it is presumably to the ordinary man in the street but not to our government) that preferential treatment for Malays is not a major pull nor conducive to the normal thinking person.

What other countries do is to offer Malaysians opportunities – something which is not available, to the majority of Malaysians, of whichever racial origin. Our government fails to realise that people need to feel appreciated and thrive in conditions which stimulate personal development.

Government interference in the things that affect the personal lives of its citizens is what has kept many overseas Malaysians away. At the end of the day, most people value the things that have to do with their quality of life (not just for themselves but especially for their families), the laws, bureaucracy and tax.

Apart from having the best brains, those who left are probably the more assertive ones, the highly ambitious people who would have made good mentors, able and strong leaders. Their absence from our system only weakens us, as a nation.

Will these people return if the ISA is around? No. These people would probably find living in Malaysia under such conditions, like treading on eggshells.

How about corruption, nepotism, cronyism, lack of transparency, limited civil service and educational opportunities, questionable performance-based promotion, lack of freedom of worship, expression and speech, unfair preferential housing, fear for their personal safety and lack of open tenders for government contracts?

These are some of the things that are due for immediate review, but only if Najib is serious about reversing the brain-drain and only if he wants to improve Malaysia’s economy and reputation.

At a time when the country needs to tighten its belt and take effective measures to build a quality nation based on its human capital, Najib seems to build pointless monuments in mega-projects. Why not channel the funds and invest in its best resource – its people?

Malaysia is now paying the price for its crippling policies which our government feels unable, incapable or fearful of changing.

Najib recently warned us about the dangers of not embracing change. He is right. And we are all for it.

Forget about directing Talent Corporation to search for these ‘overseas’ Malaysians. If Najib refuses to make the all-important changes in the country, they will not be swayed.

So when will he legislate for change?

And one last thing: We congratulate Ipoh-born Tan Zhongshan on his outstanding achievements and wish him a bright future.

Racist or Not, Made Your Own Judgment On Dr Mahathir

2010-10-07T23:04:00.005+08:00

Taken from a source which is written by a Haris Ibrahim

Quote
Dear Mahathir

Malaysianinsider reports that you had "defended the social contract, the so-called unwritten agreement between the Malays and the non-Malays during independence, by affirming that without the agreement, Malaysia would not have been formed".
They quoted you : "If there was no social contract, the terms and conditions of allowing citizenship to non-Malays would have not taken place. One million outsiderswere given citizenships at the time."

Now, this quote from you got me curious. Let me tell you why.

I conferred with my aunt, who confirmed that my maternal great grandfather, Eliathamby, of whom I've written previously in a posting entitled "The land that my forefathers helped build", would have left Ceylon and arrived in what is now West Malaysia, around 1870. He died well before the conclusion of that social contract that you spoke of, so my great grandfather would not have come within those 'one million outsiders' who acquired citizenship at the time of independence in 1957.
My maternal grandfather, Vellupillay T. Williams, never lived to see the formation of Malaya so he, too, did not make up the'one million outsiders'.

Enough of my family tree. Let's look at yours.
I got this from a blog, Malaysiana :
Perhaps, the most famous Malayalee to land in George Town was Iskandar Kutty, a merchant who married a Johor-Riau wife Siti Hawa Iskandar. They became the proud parents of Alor Star's top public school Sultan Abdul Hamid College 's founder-principal and Kedah's royal educator Datuk Mohamad Iskandar.
Mohamad was the school teacher of Tunku Abdul Rahman.
He and his wife Datin Wan Tempawan Wan Hanafi from the Kedah Bendahara's (Prime Minister's) clan, were the proud parents of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia's Father of Modernisation and fourth Prime Minister.

And this from Malaysia Today :
Born in December 20, 1925, Dr Mahathir hailed from the state of Kedah, at the capital of Alor Star, whose father was a school teacher. His father was Indian who migrated from Kerala, who married a malay lady and sold banana fritters during the second world war. His early education was through vernacular school and at the Sultan Abdul Hamid College in the city.

My question, then, Doc, firstly, is whether your father was amongst the 'one million outsiders'?
And when did you become 'Malay', Doc?
When did you move from being a son of an Indian who migrated from Kerala to a Malay?
Not that I care, but when?

Speaking of Malay, do you remember your "Malay Dilemma", Doc?
Do you remember what you said about the problem of inbreeding amongst the Malay community, and that whole business of genes? Back then, who had heard of this thing called DNA?

Who had ever imagined that science would one day make it possible for all of us to trace our genealogy?
Guess what, Doc?
It seems, based on all this new DNA scientific knowledge, that there's no such thing as a Malay race.
It would seem that you've gone from being a son of an Indian who migrated from Kerala to a 'does not exist'.

Just like that!
My cyber buddy, Michael Chick, has written extensively on this matter, in a three-parter in Malaysiakini. HERE, HERE, and HERE.
See what Michael writes in his final part : "The people Malaysians call 'Malay', are actually only a tiny sub-component of the much larger Austronesian group. And all Austronesians are the end-product of extensive inter-breeding between the Taiwanese and Dravidic Indians. All this has finally been irrefutably proven by independent DNA testings from world-class faculties".

I've never been very good at all these sciences, Doc, but if you're any better, and you think Michael's cocked-up big time in his conclusions, why don't you take him on?

Damn, I digress.

So when and how did you become Malay, Doc? Because of the definition of 'Malay' in the Federal Constitution, Doc? Article 160 (2)? That right? So, right up until the last moments before Tunku's declaration of independence, you were the son of an Indian who migrated from Kerala, and moments later you were magically transformed into a Malay? And is not the definition of Malay in Article 160(2) stated to be for the limited purpose where the word 'Malay' appears in the Constitution?

But really, Doc, I don't give a toss whether you hold yourself out as Malay or the son of an Indian who migrated from Kerala.Whatever turns you on.

What pisses me off is this Bumi-non Bumi crap. November 19th, last year, The Star reported on Najib's balik kampung to Makassar in South Sulawesi . You can read the report HERE. Courtesy of The Star, Najib is reported to have said : "I feel like I am returning to my roots," and, when asked to comment on the possibility that some people might view the fact that he had roots here in a negative light, Najib said: "I am not apologetic about it. This is my family history and I am proud of it." According to the report, Najib said he was the direct descendant of Bugis royalty who migrated to Pahang in the 18th century.
Well, at least this Malaysian is not ashamed of his roots!

Now, you know that aunt I mentioned earlier? You know her. Aunty Rasammah.

I googled her name yesterday and this is what is written of her in Wikipedia.
"Rasammah Bhupalan, also known as Rasammah Naomi Navarednam or Mrs F.R. Bhupalan is a renowned Malaysian freedom fighter and social activist. Born in 1927, she has championed causes such as the anti-drug abuse movement, women's rights, education and social justice causes. Rasammah was one of the earliest women involved in the fight for Malaysian (then Malaya ) independence. She joined the Rani of Jhansi Regiment, the women's wing of the Indian National Army, to fight the British. She served in Burma during World War II.

As founder president of the Women Teacher's Union , she fought for equal pay for women teachers and tried to bring disparate teachers' unions under an umbrella.
The former school principal was the first Asian representative of the World Confederation of Organisations of the Teaching Profession for two successive terms. She was also very active in the National Council of Women's Organisation (NCWO) and Pemadam.

She was a teacher in the Methodist Boys' School, Kuala Lumpur from 1959 to 1964 and was the principal of the Methodist Girls School , Kuala Lumpur for 13 years from 1970 until she retired in 1982. On 11th November 2007, Mrs.Bhupalan was one of the few veteran teachers who were invited to attend MBSSKL's 110th Anniversary Celebration Dinner. The dinner was specially organized to honour all the former and current teachers of the school".

Quite frankly, I think the write-up in Wikipedia does little justice to all that Aunty Rasammah has done for this country. But that is another matter.

More importantly, Doc, why are you, the son of an Indian who migrated from Kerala, and Najib, the descendant of Bugis who migrated from Sulawesi , became bumiputra, whilst Aunty Rasammah is not?

IT IS WELL KNOWN THAT MAHATHIR IS A RACIST AND A DISCIPLE OF NAZISM. READ HIS BLOG AND YOU WOULD BE REAFFIRMED.

WHILE RETIRED FORMER US PRESIDENT CLINTON IS DOING NOBLE SERVICES AROUND THE GLOBE, MAHATHIR IS BUSY INFUSING IN HIS BLOG WITH WORDS OF ANGER, RACISM (HE IS AN AVID PROPONENT OF "MALAY SUPREMACY" WHICH HE COINED, I BELIEVE) AND NEGATIVE VIBES.

NOTHING IN HIS BLOG CONTAINS WISDOM NOR NOBLE IDEOLOGY THAT WOULD CONTRIBUTE TO HELPING THE POOR; NOR IN HELPING TO FOSTER A STRONGER BOND AMONG THE RACES IN MALAYSIA.

IS HE A GREAT LEADER? YOUR VERDICT IS AS GOOD AS MINE.
Unquote

Pink Ribbon Walk and Run 2010

2010-10-03T19:33:00.003+08:00

This year's Pink Ribbon Walk and Run on 2 Oct, Saturday was my second in consecutive time. The difference is last year men can only participate in the walk event and for the first time this year, the organisers viewed supports from the men should be encouraged too, thus the run category was opened to the men. The walk and run event was held in the same venue as last year at the former Big Splash along East Coast and the distance, 5km for both run and walk respectively.

The flag-off was scheduled at 8am for the competitive run and 8.45am for the walk. In bid to go green, I decided to cycle instead of driving, left my house at 7am which took me less than half hour to reach the venue. I was warmed up enough by the time I reached, parked my mountain bike near the guard post and then proceeded to place my haversack at the left baggage tent. It was still early, some 20 mins before the flag-off. I slowly made by way to the start-line and hoping to catch some familiar faces but no luck.

This being a Pink Ribbon event, ladies typically should form the majority and by my reckoning, some 70% come from the fairer gender. There were no more than 1,500 runners in the competitive run event. The guest-of-honour Grace Fu and some VIPs were up on the rostrum 10 mins before flag-off at 8am ready to blow the horn. At exactly 8am we were flagged-off to the applause of the crowd.

To my liking, the weather was fine, wasn't humid - fortunately. I was moving in a steady pace, not wanting to accelerate though it was only 5km. As it is not possible to completely close the entire running path in East Coast, we had to watch out for joggers from the opposite side and even cyclists too. The route took us from former Big Splash to the direction of East Coast Lagoon. Before reaching the chalets, we made a U-turn (2.5km mark) back. At that point, I decided to accelerate a little, past some runners who had earlier started ahead of me. The route has been a familiar site to me thus I know where exactly I should accelerate and finish on the high. The finishing was near with 100 metres or so and in my typical fashion, I accelerated faster and faster. I looked up and saw the clock showing 23 mins plus before touching the tape. By my standard, it was a good time. I gave a 'first' sign to the crowd, raised my cap in acknowledgement and walked to the finish tent for my drink and wet issue. No medal was given to all finishers though top 3 finishers walked away with good prizes. I didn't bother to find out for I knew I was not the top 3 finishers. I should be happy if I finish among the top 5%.

I spent some time walking around, had a cup of milo and hot milk and found a good spot to catch a breather. After retrieving my haversack, I took my bicycle and cycled home. That was how I spent my Saturday morning but in my little way, I felt tinge of satisfaction supporting the Pink Ribbon cause. This run is dedicated to all the cancer survivors - kudos!

Dr Mahathir's Futile Rebuttal To MM Lee's Take On Racial Issues

2010-09-17T17:52:00.005+08:00

Clash of the titans of the old guards between the 'supposedly retired for good' Dr M and our dear MM Lee. Credits to the both of them for their contributions to their respective countries as PM. MM Lee was recently interviewed by New York Times to speak on race relations between the two countries which garnered international audience, whereas Dr M's futile rebuttal of sorts could only attract some domestic listeners. Dr M, if he still remains effective (that is), should seek New York Times for a slot to be interviewed too. Below is another nonsensical article of his taken from his blog. Give it to this old fella for his unwavering spirit in trying to match up with MM Lee on the international arena and let outsiders, not Singaporeans or Malaysians form their own judgment.

Quote
1. Mr Lee Kwan Yew, the Minister Mentor of Singapore is three years my senior. That means he and I practically grew up in the same period of time. That also means that I have been able to watch the progress of Mr Lee, and in fact to interact with him on various occasions.

2. His assertion in his interview with the New York Times that "Race relations (would be) better if Singapore (had) not (been) "turfed out" (of Malaysia) is worth studying. Is it true or is it fantasy?

3. Before Singapore joined the Peninsular, Sabah and Sarawak to form Malaysia, there was less racial politics in the Federation of Malaysia. In 1955 the Malays who made up 80 per cent of the citizens gave a large number of their constituencies to the few Chinese and Indian citizens and ensured they won with strong Malay support. As a result the Alliance won 51 of the 52 seats contested.

4. The Tunku then rewarded this willingness of the Chinese and Indian citizens to support the coalition concept by giving them one million unconditional citizenship. This reduced Malay majority to 60 per cent.

5. In the 1959 elections the Alliance of UMNO, MCA and MIC won easily though Kelantan was lost. PAS with only Malays as members was rejected. Racialism even when implied failed.

6. In 1963 Singapore became a part of Malaysia. Despite having promised that the PAP will not participate in Peninsular, Sabah and Sarawak politics, Kwan Yew reneged and the PAP tried to displace the MCA in the Alliance by appealing to Chinese sentiments in the Peninsular. Of course the slogan was "Malaysian Malaysia" which implied that the Chinese were not having equal rights with the Malays. If this appeal to Chinese sentiments against the Malays was not racial, I do not know what is racial.

7. But the Peninsular Chinese favoured working with the Malays in UMNO. They totally rejected PAP in 1964.

8. Following the Malaysian Malaysia campaign a few UMNO leaders tried to rouse Singapore Malay sentiments. There were demonstrations in Singapore where before there were none. Kwan Yew accused Jaafar Albar for instigating the Singapore Malays. Although I never went to Singapore, nor met the Malays there, I was labelled a Malay-ultra by Kwan Yew himself.

9. By 1965 racism had taken hold and the Tunku was forced to end Singapore's membership of Malaysia. But the seed of Chinese racialism had been sown, so that even after the PAP left, the "Malaysian Malaysia" war cry was picked up by the DAP, an offspring of the PAP.

10. With the background of Singapore's activities in Malaysia in the short three years of its membership, can we really believe that if it had not been "turfed out" race relations would be better in Malaysia?

11. But proof of what would have happened was shown by the politics leading up to the 1969 Election. The MCA began to criticise the Sino/Malay cooperation especially on so-called special rights and demanded for a Chinese University. UMNO then began to clamour for a greater share of the economy of the country. The UMNO/MCA conflict resulted in the Alliance faring very badly in the 1969 Elections.

12. DAP and Gerakan, a new party largely made up of MCA dissidents made gains. The Alliance were shocked and rattled.

13. Then the Gerakan and DAP held their victory parade near the Malay settlement of Kampung Baru, hurling racist insults at the Malays. The result was the 13th May race riots.

14. Till today the racist slogan "Malaysian Malaysia" is the war-cry of the DAP. Racism in Malaysia is clearly the result of Singapore's membership of the country for just three years. Can we really believe that if Singapore had not been "turfed out" Malaysia would have no racial problem.

15. While Kwan Yew talks about his belief that all ethnic communities should free themselves from the shackles of racial segregation in order to promote fairness and equality among the races, he also said that "once we are by ourselves (out of Malaysia) the Chinese become the majority".

16. Singapore's population is made up of 75 per cent Chinese and they own 95 per cent of the economy. It is therefore not a truly multi-racial country but a Chinese country with minority racial groups who are additionally much poorer.

17. In Singapore dissent is not allowed, People who contest against the PAP would be hauled up in court for libel and if they win elections would not be allowed to take their places in Parliament. Whereas in Malaysia opposition parties invariably win seats in Parliament and even set up State Governments (today five out of the 13 States are ruled by the opposition parties) the PAP in Singapore has to appoint PAP members to represent the opposition.

18. Whether the PAP admits it or not, the party has always been led and dominated by ethnic Chinese and have won elections principally because of Chinese votes. The others are not even icing on the cake.

19. If Singapore is a part of Malaysia the PAP can certainly reproduce the Singapore kind of non-racial politics because together with the Malaysian Chinese, the PAP will ethnically dominate and control Malaysian politics. No dissent would be allowed and certainly no one would dare say anything about who really runs the country.

20. Amnesia is permissible but trying to claim that it is because Singapore had been "turfed out" for the present racist politics in Malaysia is simply not supported by facts of history.

21. Lee Kwan Yew and I saw the same things and know the reasons why.
Unquote

Marathon Du Medoc 2010, France

2010-09-12T20:58:00.011+08:00

This year was the 26th edition of Medoc Marathon, a proud tradition of the southern French which is second to the Paris Marathon in term of international popularity and participation level in France. Held on 11 Sep, Sunday in this wine growing town called Pauillac, which is about two hours ride from the historical city, Bordeaux where my accommodation is located.

Capped at no more than 8,000 runners, all participants practically had to fight hard for a place based on first-come-first-served only. Over in Singapore, this year our Stanchart Marathon boosts of some 60,000 runners in varied categories, an Asia record but in this Medoc event, quality stuff counts much. Almost every runner dressed to the occasion - the theme this year was 'Comic Hero', though many were not in sync with the given theme but really, who bothered much. I'd never witnessed an event like this in Singapore, so much alive and the supports from the ground, simply blew me away. For the record, this Medoc event actually attracted some 37 nationalities from around the globe excluding the French runners, of course. Our highly paid STB personnel should learn a lesson or two from them on how to internationalise our big-name marathons, the likes of Stanchart Marathon & Adidas Sundown Marathon luring the foreign runners and to cultivate/motivate local supports to the fullest. This is much more healthier and wholesome than relying on capital intensive IRs to bring in gaming tourists to our shore, rightly or wrongly. Without doubt, it will inspire more Singaporeans to appreciate sports.

From our little red dot, we had six participants (me & Yaw Heng included) and we are proud to say Singapore is the only country hailing from Southeast Asia. However, I lament I did not get to meet any of our Singaporean counterparts though I did chance upon some oriental faces along the way. Japanese runners form the bulk from Asia, some 165 of them to say the least.

I have to say it is indeed my greatest honour to be running this Medoc event, my second 42km marathon where I did my first at last year's Stanchart run. All this was only made possible with sponsorship by France Tourist Office in Singapore and AirFrance, the latter for the air passage. Thanks once again, to my sponsors for their kind generosity.

On the day of event, I got up early at 0545hrs and by 0630hrs, Yaw Heng and I were waiting at a designated pick-up point near our hotel for the 2-hour coach ride to Pauillac. We had runners hailing from the U.S.A., Canada, U.K., Mexico and Japan taking the same coach with us - a motley group of people indeed.

We arrived at about 0830 hrs in Pauillac. It was a sunny morning to start off and the morning weather was cool, something we can never get to experience in our humid Singapore. Everyone was getting ready with their own costumes and raring to go. I put on my 'self-made' Flintstone tee while Yaw Heng drew out his 'Lao Fu Zi' costume. I then put on the water-based tattooes, two Singapore flags on both sides of my face (patriotic, right?) and the logos of AirFrance and France Tourism on both my arms (to thank my sponsors). Yaw Heng had a Singapore flag on one side of his face and a Malaysia flag on the other (He is a PR, having best of both world). I saw one participant in his Flintstone costume and gestured to him which he responded with a thumbs-up. In fact, there were quite a number decked in Flintstone costumes. Hordes of participants arrived and we slowly made our way to the start-off point.

The announcer was simply energetic though I couldn't understand a word of French utterred out. We swayed with the music, danced & clapped in unison and at 0930hrs sharp, we were finally flagged-off - the race had begun. Though it was sunny, the weather was still cool much to my delight.

For the first 10km, we were running on tared road or gravel path but it was generally flat. I was doing fine, keeping pace with many front runners. At almost every turn, there were some supporters rooting us on. The clock showed 59mins plus at 11km mark which was a fast pace for me, considering it was a 42km run. I must say I was pleasantly pleased with the timing thus far, hoping to clock under 5 hours if I can maintain this pace to the end. However, I felt muscle strain on one my legs at about 15km mark which I normally do not encounter in my training and past long events. Disregarding it, I pressed on but moved on slower pace. We ran past long stretch of vineyard, there no shade to shield from the sorching sun which was getting fiercer and fiercer as the clock ticked on. There were no toilets anywhere around, we had to relieve in the vineyard or by the bushes and ladies too - modesty seemed to be secondary. As we moved further, the path was mostly undulating and that was the challenging part when our legs began to tire down. At some point, we had to run through a stretch of sandy path too. The supports from the residents were simply amazing. They were rooting us on, calling up our names (I had my name on my tag) which was certainly morale booster for me. Save for the vineyard, at every corner we can find residents offering us an assortment of items from water, wine, food, fruits, medical assistance and even live band.

The clocked showed 3 hrs 15 mins at 30km mark and by then I wondered to myself, "I had to finish at least 1 hr 30 mins in the last 12 km in order to come under 5 hrs which was own my personal target." Heart willing but my own body did not seem to want me to fight on. The cramp on both calves and thighs was building up fast. I had to stop, did some stretching and then walked & ran intermittently. At one stop, I had to sought the assistance of the medical helper who massaged on my legs which did help greatly.

Admittedly, the last 12km was indeed punishing for every 1km seemed like eternity when both my legs were aching like hell. Under that condition, there was no difference between running or walking, I had to straggle between running and walking. Many runners shot past me, even some much older men and women. At some point, an old lady who had an Alsatian dog in tow got past me too. Somehow, I managed to overtake her again and from there on, I did not see her in front of me anymore, phew!

The sun whether it is in Singapore or France is equally torturing. Imagine running under the sorching sun for 4 to 5 hours and for some, 6 hours or longer, without shade in the entire journey, I can feel I was being roasted alive.

Slowly but surely, I inched past 39km, then 40km and then 41km. I decided to quicken my pace in the last 1km despite the severe pain in my legs. Just ahead, I saw the grand stands holding the crowd at the finish line and I mustered my last and raced down the last 100 metres to the applause of the crowd. The clock showed 5 hours 9 mins 40 seconds when I ran underneath it and by my reckoning, my net finish should be 5 hours 7 mins plus. Though I couldn't clock under 5 hours in this event (well, will live another day to achieve my personal best in the near future, this is my target) but on whole, I enjoyed this event thoroughly.

Admittedly, none of our event in Singapore can come even near to that. Fantastic is the word to describe the occasion. To the organisers of Medoc Marathon, kudos to you guys for the great job.

Dr M's Beloved NEP, doomed to fail from start?

2010-08-27T22:35:00.006+08:00

When he was PM and now in his retirement, Dr M has never failed to live up to his notoriety with his 'bashing' of SIN whenever he feels like revving up Malay sentiments in his own country. He is a racist, no doubt about it.

Here, allow me to post an article written by a Lu Pin Qiang whom I reckon is a Malaysian. It first appeared in the Sin Chew Jit Poh, a Malaysian newspaper recently.

Quote
Written by Lu Pin Qiang

I believe many people would agree if one said Singapore's Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew was one of the most successful politicians in recent times. I believe, too, that no one would object if one said his methods of governance were worth studying.

Speaking at a dinner held recently to mark the Republic's National Day, he said: "If one day, our communities become divisive and hostile towards one another; if they are not united and the bonds of national cohesion are weakened, the country will go downhill."

MM Lee attributed Singapore's "improbable success" to four factors.

First, having leaders of integrity who have the trust of the people to build a strong foundation for nation-building.

Second, having a meritocracy, where people can attain their goals based on merit and not connections, nepotism or corruption, regardless of their backgrounds.

Third, having a level playing field for all, with nobody given special attention or discriminated against by national policies.

Fourth, using English, the most common language in the world, as the working language of Singapore. This has enabled the country to avoid marginalising minority races and to become the commercial, industrial, financial and communications hub it is today.

These remarks from MM Lee should absolutely be studied and reflected upon by all countries.

No doubt, the conditions in Malaysia are different from those in Singapore. But just think: Malaysia has plenty of natural resources and wide tracts of land, yet why is it no match for "tiny" Singapore? Whether it is the economy, international fame or the credibility of its government and trying to catch up.

How did it turn out this way? Singapore carried out nation-building. So did Malaysia. Singapore has joined the league of First World countries; Malaysia is still a Third World country. At bottom, there is only one answer to the question. That is, the two countries chose different paths right from the start.

The path Malaysia chose was not based on any of the aforementioned four factors which MM Lee cited for Singapore's success. Given the political scandals and corruption controversies that have occurred in Malaysia over the years, can the country really have an upright and trustworthy leadership?

Does it have meritocracy? Under the New Economic Policy (NEP), are Malaysians living in an environment where policies favour some and discriminate against others? Has Malaysia avoided marginalising minority races?

After we have answered the above questions, Malaysians should be able to reflect on why they are what they are today. Do Malaysians continue to pin their hopes on NEP or the National Economic Model? Are they going to stick to the same path?

It is time to change course!
Unquote

Is Dr M A Racist?

2010-08-25T12:29:00.007+08:00

In Dr M's latest posting on his blog, http://chedet.co.cc/chedetblog/2010/08/is-meritocracy-racist.html, he again pulled in our MM Lee for special mention, which is of course not unusual of him. To strike a salient point, I copied a comment posted by one of his blind followers who himself (or so he claimed here) was a MARA scholar, a beneficial of Dr M's loop-sided NEP. For a scholar like Milsha to have written such a 'great masterpiece' in English language, i.e., greatly spells the sorry state of NEP in the bolehland. Read on for a good laugh...

Quote
Posted By Milshah (one of Dr M's blind followers who must have worshipped him like GOD)

Assalamualaikum Tun and Selamat Berpuasa,

Is meritocracy racist? It is racist when it is being used as an excuse for one race to become dominant over all the other races. For example, Singapore supposedly practice meritocracy. But we can see the economy, the military, the government and everything under the Singapore Sun is being controlled by only 1 race, the Chinese. The Malays Singapore is being sidelined to extent they have no role to in the nation building in Singapore. Of course no one talks about this, so long as meritocracy is being devotely practiced. On the other hand, Malaysia has NEP, but we can see the cabinet ministers are multiracial, we see the corporate leaders are multiracial, even our military and police force is multiracial. Most of the top 10 most richest Malaysian are non-Malays. So who is being more racist? Singapore or Malaysia?

We talk about Singapore because that is what some (or most?) Malaysian Chinese want Malaysia to be. Practicing "meritocracy" but opening the possibility of everything being controlled by 1 race. As Tun mention, maybe meritocracy is being used as an excuse to control everything by 1 race, as happened in Singapore.

There are some successful Malays. Some of them has become successful lawyers, owning the big or large law firms, some of them has become successful bankers and corporate leaders. I am sad that some of these Malays support meritocracy without fully understanding the implications to the country. They only look at themselves, once successful, suddenly meritocracy is the name of the game. Ironically, these successful Malays only called for meritocracy when they are at the top of their game. When they first started out in the corporate world or when they first wanted to enter university, there was no mention of meritocracy. The government, in the quest to create a successful Malays to balance the economic inequity among the races, has helped them become what they are today. They are burning the bridge that they used to become successful so that future generation Malays may not use the same bridge. If this is not selfish (some would say treacherous), I do not know what is.

I am a Malay and had benefited from the NEP, being a Mara scholar. Therefore, I feel duty bound to help my fellow Malays who are still struggling to become successful in their own country. The makcik, pakcik from the kampung. They are proud I am one of the successful Malays as most malay youths in the kampungs are still drug addicts. The Malays has still a long way to go to become successful. I would have hoped the succesful lawyers, bankers and corporate leader to look at their fellow malays in the kampungs before talking about meritocracy. Remember your roots. How you become as you are now.

1Malaysia can still be a reality. The problem is the inequity among the races. Most houses, banglos, mansions in the city belong to the Chinese. Most businesses belong to the Chinese. Even the in the private sector, even though the chairman is Malay, the middle management and front liners are mostly Chinese. The Malays are at the exact opposite. So how do we balance this imbalance? Either make the Chinese poorer to match the Malays, or help the Malays increase their livelihood to match the Chinese. Tun Razak know about this and that was how the NEP was formed. Instead of taking what the Chinese own, he chose to increase the livelihood of the Malays so that hopefully, it will match the Chinese and balance the equation.

Once that is done, once everyone is on equal footing, only then can 1Malaysia be a reality.
Unquote

Two Disabled Singaporeans To Run In Beijing Marathon

2010-08-16T09:21:00.003+08:00

Extracted from Channel News Asia report, I am deeply humbled by these two Singaporeans in their resolute to run a full marathon despite one without an arm and the other a leg. Please find their inspiring story below.

Quoted
SINGAPORE : Running a marathon remains a dream for many, but two disabled Singaporeans will live their dreams in the Beijing marathon this October.

Even though MD Shariff Abdullah runs with a prosthetic limb, while Adam Khamis runs without his right arm, they are able to compete against their able—bodied counterparts.

This was the result of determination and training.

31—year—old Khamis lost his right arm in a traffic accident seven years ago.

"I used to be an outgoing person. I was into bodybuilding, train five to six times in a week, and I used to be into soccer, rock—climbing... So when your life turns 180 degrees, things started to slow down. To get back on my feet — to start running — it took me a few years," said Khamis.

Today, he runs because he wants to raise awareness for disability sports.

Khamis said: "After my accident, I was not introduced to all this. So I thought maybe I have to do my part, to tell people that there’s such a thing as disability sports, where disabled athletes try to achieve their dreams.

"We’re different physically, but we are still able to do something, to achieve something in life."

Sharing his passion for running is 44—year—old Shariff, who was born without a left foot.

Two years ago, his doctor advised him to amputate five inches of the stump when he felt pain in the area.

Shariff said: "After my leg was amputated in 2008, I decided to run marathons because this is one of my dreams. I was inspired by this guy — Oscar Pistorius — he’s a world double—amputee runner. And from there I saw him, if he can do it, why not me. As a Singaporean, I can do it.

Both Khamis and Shariff will be heading to Beijing this October.

Their trip will be funded by the North East Special Talent Fund, which is set up to encourage those with disabilities to pursue their dreams.

"I want amputees in Singapore to come and join in disabled sports. Focus on yourself, believe in yourself, and it’s not over until you win — this is what you have to believe," said Shariff.

And Shariff already has his next goal set — he’s aiming for Mount Everest in 2015. — CNA /ls
Unquoted

Trekking at Bukit Timah on 8 Aug

2010-08-09T17:03:00.004+08:00

Save for my army training years ago, I cannot remember I ever did a hike in Bukit Timah. This one led by seasoned trekker, SP, had attracted a motley of some 30 of us.

I was thinking of parking my car near the Malayan Dairy Farm and from there, I should be able to make my way to the visitor's centre where all of us were to gather. But I should count my lucky star when I decided to change that decision at last hour, took up SP's advice to park at Beauty World mall as waiting time for a free carpark lot could take half an hour or so. I would have gotten lost myself if I decided to drive to Malayan Dairy Farm side, totally two different sides altogether.

Requested Hwee who was to take a bus from her home in Woodlands to wait for me near Beauty World, and she will guide me to the visitor's centre. It was my first time to the visitor's centre, could have lost my way if I had gone alone - for sure.

The trek was to start at 0830 hrs and we had arrived around that time, SP was already waiting for us. It was my first time meeting SP though I have read about him and his many trekking trips on website and FB.

I reckon we started around 0845 hrs and before setting-off, SP gave us a short briefing on the route and the expected distance & completion time. The entire distance should take around 8 km and if all goes well, we should be back by 1230 hrs. We will start off from the visitor's centre, head into the trail around Bukit Timah which will take us to the Singapore Quarry.

I was among the last, was chatting with Meiti when we set-up. Meiti and another friend who came late had yet to move on. When the group moved into the trail from the tared road, I almost lost them as there were two paths. Meiti and her friend by then had already join me. Quickly I called Hwee on her handphone to estabish their location and after getting assurance from her that we were on the right path, we quickened our pace to catch up. Again, Meiti received a call from another friend who had just arrived and quick instructions were given to her friend to try to meet up with us.

About 1 km later, SP made the first stop for the rest of us to catch up. By then, Meiti and her two friends managed to join the rest of the group but they were really panting away.

For me, this was an easy trail though at some point, we had to do some ascending. Again, I was the more chatty one and quickly, made friends with some in the group. Hwee was mostly among the front of the pack and I didn't get to chit-chat with her along the way.

The sight that fascinated me most is the Singapore Quarry. This reminds me of little Guilin, simply beautiful. We took our group pictures before heading back.

By the time, we reached visitor's centre it was around 1230 hrs. Some of us had our lunch in the hawker centre at Beauty World and we had good time sharing our experiences and getting to know each other better. I truly enjoyed this trekking and the company was great.

The Malays in Singapore – No Crutch Mentality

2010-08-05T11:04:00.001+08:00

Allow me to post this speech by Berita Harian Singapore editor Guntor Sadali, at the Berita Harian Singapore Achiever of the Year Awards ceremony on July 28, 2010

It is a fact known to all that Malays in Singapore are a minority.

However this minority is quite different from other minorities in the world.

Similarly, to some, Singapore is just a red dot in this vast Asian region.

But it is no ordinary red dot.

It is a grave mistake to equate size with ability, just as it is wrong to assume that being small and in the minority is to be weak and insignificant.

The recent World Cup proved this. While Spain may be the world champion, it was minnow Switzerland that became the only country in the tournament that was able to defeat Spain.

Forty-five years have passed since Singapore left Malaysia, yet every now and then we still hear non-complimentary comments from across the Causeway about the Malay community here.
The latest came from former Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who casually reminded Malaysian Malays not to become like Singaporean Malays.

He did not make it clear what he actually meant, but the comment was made in the context of the possibility of Malaysian Malays losing their power in Malaysia.

Again he did not specify what type of power, but it could safely be interpreted as political power.

Now, what could have happened to the Malays here in the last four decades?

What could have driven Dr Mahathir to voice his concern and to caution the Malaysian Malays?

I wonder.

The Malay community in Singapore, of course, know what has become of us here.

First and foremost, we have become a completely different community from what we were 45 years ago.

We have developed our own identity and philosophy of life that are distinct from our relatives across the Causeway.

We may wear the same clothes, eat the same food, speak the same language and practise the same culture.

However, the similarities end there.

We are now a society that upholds the philosophy of wanting to stand on our own feet, or what is known in Malay as ‘berdikari’ or ‘berdiri atas kaki sendiri’.

We do not believe in being spoon-fed or being too dependent on government help.

In other words, we do not have a crutch mentality.We firmly believe that a community with such a crutch mentality will soon become a “two M” community – the first ‘M’ stands for ‘manja’ (spoilt), and the second for ‘malas’ (lazy).

We definitely do not want to be labelled as a pampered and lazy community.

That is why our Malay community here constantly work hard to raise funds to build our own mosques, madrasahs and other buildings in expensive and land-scarce Singapore.

Over the years we have raised millions of dollars to become proud owners of these buildings.

Through our own efforts and with the help of other organisations, we have also helped the needy not only financially, but also in equipping them with new skills so that they can earn their living.

For Dr Mahathir, however, all that we have done and achieved so far are not good enough.

He takes a negative view of our changed attitudes and different mindset, and has therefore cautioned Malaysian Malays not to be like us.

What about power? For Malays in Singapore, power is not about wielding the keris.

For us, knowledge is power. In fact we believe that knowledge is THE real power.

The constant emphasis by the community on the importance of education and acquiring knowledge has led to the formation of institutions such as Mendaki, Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP), the Prophet Mohamad Birthday Memorial Scholarship Board (LBKM) and many others.

These self-help organisations not only provide financial help to needy students, but also strive to nuture our students to their full potential.

At the same time, these organisations help to tackle various social ills faced by the community.

Again, we do these all on our own. Malay children here attend the same schools as other Singaporeans with a shared aim – to obtain a holistic education and, of course, achieve good examination results.

Yes, it is tough. Like all other children, our Malay students have no choice but to work hard.

It is a reality of life in Singapore that we have come to accept – that there is certainly no short cut to success.

We do not believe in getting any special treatment, because it would only reduce the value of our achievements and lower our dignity.

The meritocratic system that we practise here is, without doubt, a tough system but it helps us to push ourselves and prevent us from becoming ‘manja’ and ‘malas’.

Still, Dr Mahathir and some Malay leaders across the Causeway do not like the way we do things here and have therefore warned Malaysian Malays not to be like us.

On our part, there is certainly no turning back.

Meritocracy has proven to be a good and fair system.

It pushes us to work hard and makes us proud of our achievements.

We can see how it has benefited us by looking at the growing number of doctors, lawyers, magistrates, engineers, corporate leaders and other professionals among us.

It is the successes and achievements of some of these people that Berita Harian wants to highlight and celebrate when we launched this Achiever Award 12 years ago.

Tonight, we have another role model to present to our community.

So, the question is: Shouldn’t our friends and relatives across the Causeway be like us – Malays in Singapore?

It is definitely not for us to suggest or decide.

And we too have no intention of asking our own community if we would like to be like them either, because we have already chosen our very own path for the future.

We, the Malays in Singapore, should be proud of our achievements, because we have attained them through hard work.

It is true that what we have achieved so far may not be the best, and that we are still lagging behind the other races.

There are large pockets in our community facing various social problems.

We have achieved so much, and yet there is still a long way to go. But we should not despair.

We can do a lot more on our own if the community stay united and cohesive.

In critical issues, we should speak with one voice.

We need to help and strengthen each other while at the same time reach out to the other communities in multi-racial, multi-religious Singapore. A successful and prosperous Singapore can only mean a successful and prosperous Malay community.

Can we do it? Well, to borrow US President Barack Obama’s campaign slogan, “ Yes, we can”.

Shape Run 2010

2010-07-25T12:31:00.003+08:00

It's Shape Run 2010 this morning and there were no rooms for guys, for it was an all ladies affair only.

Winnie had registered the 10km event and she was lucky this time to have booked early for this spot, being one of the hottest run events for ladies here. Again, due to her tight work schedule, she did not do enough training prior to this event. She only managed to sneak one run on treadmills, covering some 5km this week, sigh.

As I had no event this morning, I volunteered to pick her at her place and sent her to the venue. Got up this morning at 5am and left my house at about 5.15am for Winnie's place. I gave her a morning call before setting off, targeted to reach her place before 5.45am. Well, she came out of her house a little over 6am.

The flag-off was scheduled at 7am at Nicoll Highway just behind Golden Mile Complex. We reached the basement car park of Golden Mile Complex at about 6.30am and proceeded to move on foot to the start point by following the throngs of female runners. I understand there were some 8,000 runners this morning.

Helped her with the number bib and after that, she did some warming up. When done, queued for the toilet which took quite a while. It was nearing 7am by then, she proceeded to the start line and almost immediately, the two MCs, a lady & a guy announced the arrival of guest-of-honour, Mr Teo Ser Luck who was to flag-off the runners. Off they went to the applause of the spectators, mostly guys who could only watch. I had this adrenalin rush to run but hey, this was an all-ladies event.

Had an hour to kill before bulk of the runners including Winnie would make the final dash to the tape, I made a slow walk to the hawker centre opposite Golden Mile Complex for my regular morning cuppa, my tea. But when I walked back to the finishing line, I missed the first runner and no prizes for the right answer, it was Vivian Tang who hit the tape first. I managed to hear the announcers congratulating the second runner who finished around 40 minutes, reckon Vivian Tang should have come under 40 mins. More and more runners were making their final dash to the finish. Finally, I saw Winnie at the turn before the straight dash to the finish. Quickly, I took out my handphone from my pocket to catch a shot of her running. The time board above showed her gun finish at 1 hr 7 mins and taking out 2 mins, her chip finish should be around 1 hr 5 mins.

The weather was fine throughout, helped with early start at 7am though it was reported heavy downpour expected. I can hear people talking about the good weather this morning.

While it was not a bad race from start to finish but the queue for runner kits could have been better organised. The organisers should have arranged for all finishers walk into one queue to pick up their runner kits instead of carving out another area for collection of the runner kits. It was confusing to say the least, there more many queues but no signs directing people correctly. This was probably the only blemish for this event, other than that, it was a good event. To Winnie, congratulation for the completion of this race and in the next event, GE Run, aim for under one hour. You can do it, challenge yourself for personal satisfaction. Hooray!

Weird Wedding

2010-07-20T17:39:00.001+08:00

Captured this news article which I find interesting, read on...

This Indian man, Selva Kumar married a 10-year old female dog named Selvi to atone for stoning to death two dogs he found engaging in mating when he was teenager. "After that my legs and hands got paralyzed and I lost hearing in one ear", Kumar said. The groom also said that he would take care of it until its death.

I wonder, who is the lucky one? The man or the dog?

A Meaningful Morning

2010-07-18T17:42:00.003+08:00

Initiated by Chao Loy of Apex Club, a lunch gathering for some 400 old folks at Tse Toh Aum Buddhist Temple in Sin Ming was arranged today and as many volunteers were required. Both Winnie and Irene agreed to join me.

Winnie had to work this morning, thus at about 0930 hrs I arranged to pick up Irene at her house first and then, drove over to HarbourFront to pick up Winnie before heading to Telok Blangah Crescent, one of the pick-up venues for the old folks. We arrived slightly early at Blk 5 but Nicole, the assigned co-ordinator called to inform that the pick-up venue had been changed to the Community Centre, not too far away from Blk 5. While walking to the CC, we witnessed a brawl at the coffeeshop. A fat man who was bloodied on the face, was seen gesturing & shouting at someone and bystanders were simply watching the fracas. We were walking on the opposite of the road to the direction of the CC. What an ugly morning unfolding before us, couldn't some people just exercise restrain instead of coming to blows? Sigh!

Finally, we met up with Nicole and some volunteers at the CC. Many elderly folks were already waiting for the coach. We realised the coach capacity will be filled to the brink, there were no enough seats for us. I then told Winnie & Irene that I'll walk back to the carpark to pick up my car while they stayed back to assist the embarkation of the old folks. On my walk back, I saw policemen talking to someone at the coffeeshop and that fat man, now calmer was seated at one side waiting to take his statement I suppose.

I was not too sure of the direction, therefore took the route I am more familiar with though it was a longer distance. When we arrived, the coach had also just arrived. It was drizzling, Winnie and Irene dropped off first with the umbrellas to help with the disembarkation while I find parking.

I saw Chao Loy who was busy arranging the table setting and I had quick word with him. Everyone went into auto-gear with chores. There were no specified instructions who was to do what but simply, 'see-what and do-what lor'. Winnie and Irene were preparing the Chinese tea, I went to help them out. We had to wait for more groups from other pick-up venues before lunch can be served.

Finally, lunch was ready to be served. The kitchen was packed with eager volunteers who can't wait to bring out the dishes to the old folks. I had a big tray which can contain 5 different dishes for one table, once ready to be taken out, I simply carried it on my shoulder - remembrance of my student days when I part-timed as banquet waiter on weekends...hehe! Man, I enjoyed it. I went back to the kitchen, filled up another 5 dishes and I think I repeated the drill for 3 or 4 times. Everyone was helping out, either at the kitchen or serving at the tables. Very quickly, all the dishes despatched were out. By the way, it was a vegetarian meal. We had our fills too, quickly tucking in the simple but savoury veggies meal.

After lunch, we had to get ready to escort the old folks back to the coaches, area by area. Again, no specified instructions on 'who was to do what', it was an automatic drills for all. Still drizzling, we needed as many umbrellas to cover the old folks from the elements. Some carried the goodies to the coaches, some escorted & held on to those weaker old folks on wheelchairs or clutches, some held the umbrellas to keep them dry while some cleaned up the area. Winnie was doing the escorting, helping out the folks and I did likewise while Irene was cleaning up the area.

By 1400 hrs or about, we had despatched all the old folks and the area was also cleaned up. Satisfied with our feat, we were ready to leave too and bid good-bye to Chao Loy and rest of the volunteers. What a fulfilling day for us, truly meaningful task and I felt fantastic. Thanks too to Winnie and Irene for their hep.

Laughter, The Best Medicine of The Day

2010-07-14T12:44:00.001+08:00

Husband Store, A store that sells new husbands has opened in New York City , where a woman may go to choose a husband. Among the instructions at the entrance is a description of how the store operates:

You may visit this store ONLY ONCE! There are six floors and the value of the products increase as the shopper ascends the flights. The shopper may choose any item from a particular floor, or may choose to go up to the next floor, but you cannot go back down except to exit the building!

So, a woman goes to the Husband Store to find a husband. On the first floor the sign on the door reads:

Floor 1 - These men Have Jobs
She is intrigued, but continues to the second floor, where the sign reads:

Floor 2 - These men Have Jobs and Love Kids.
'That's nice,' she thinks, 'but I want more.'

So she continues upward. The third floor sign reads:

Floor 3 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, and are Extremely Good Looking.

'Wow, ' she thinks, but feels compelled to keep going.

She goes to the fourth floor and the sign reads:

Floor 4 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, are Drop-dead Good Looking and Help With Housework.

'Oh, mercy me!' she exclaims, 'I can hardly stand it!'

Still, she goes to the fifth floor and the sign reads:

Floor 5 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, are Drop-dead Gorgeous, Help with Housework, and Have a Strong Romantic Streak.

She is so tempted to stay, but she goes to the sixth floor, where the sign reads:

Floor 6 - You are visitor 31,456,012 to this floor. There are no men on this floor. This floor exists solely as proof that women are impossible to please. Thank you for shopping at the Husband Store.

PLEASE NOTE:
To avoid gender bias charges, the store's owner opened a New Wives store just across the street.

The first floor has wives that love sex.

The second floor has wives that love sex and have money and like beer.

The third, fourth, fifth and sixth floors have never been visited.
Men are much easier to please and obviously are faster shoppers!

Race Against Cancer - 4 July 2010

2010-07-04T14:13:00.007+08:00

I am honoured to play a part in this race when Nazlin from Singapore Cancer Society invited me to be one of their charity athletes during their preparation stage. This was my second participation in their annual event for the cancer cause, the last time was in 2008 with Winnie but I gave 2009 a miss, no particular reasons.

Set my alarm at 0615 hrs before retiring to bed after watching the thrashing of Argentina by the mighty Germans, 4 nothing to be exact and it was already near midnight. Around 0200 hrs, I was waken up by an sms from Mark Soh but I couldn't open my eyes fully to read his text. Ignoring the sms, I continued my sleep. At about 0500 hrs I think, a sharp pain on the left leg shook me up from my bed. It was a bad cramp, the pain was unbearable and I had to stay down for it to subside. One minute or so later, the pain finally relented and I continued my sleep. From that moment on, I was actually, half awake and half asleep till the alarm struck exactly at 0615 hrs.

Left my house at 0700 hrs and it looked like any moment rain will come. I arrived at Pasir Ris, managed to find a carpark lot in one of the blocks nearby Pasir Ris Park. It was about 0720 hrs, so I should have some 30 mins before the flagged-off. The walk to the start-point at Pasir Ris took slightly over 5 mins and though it was around 0730 hrs, it was still dark. Many runners were making their way to the same direction where I was heading. Did some warm-up, as usual while looking out for familiar faces. From our SANL group, I know Carmen and Yan Ming had signed-up and I was hoping to spot them in the crowd, no luck though. I made my way to the start-point, waited with the rest for the arrival of the VVIP, Dy PM Teo Chee Hean. Winnie was supposed to join but what a pity, she had to forfeit due to last minute pressing matter to attend to. The day before, I had a tiring outing with another adventurous group doing 50km cycling from Changi Point down to East Coast and then looped over to Siglap, Bedok Reservoir, Tampines, Pasir Ris and finally back to Changi Point. Hwee was with me on this cycling trip and we had an enjoyable outing with the group I must say. In the evening, I went out with my some of my Mt Ophir group to celebrate Shu's posting to Taiwan till about 2200 hrs. And this morning, the 7.5 km run. I was quite tired, actually...mind and body. Also, the pain in the my left calf did not go away completely, sigh.

Finally, DPM Teo appeared with his entourage. The flagged-off was scheduled to be at 0750 hrs but the VIP and his entourage arrived at about 0810 hrs. The weather was still gloomy and I was hoping they flag us off before the rain really poured on us. I checked my watch, it was about 0810 hrs when we were flagged-off. There were at least 5,000 runners in the 7.5 km competitive run. The cemented path is not wide for over-taking, thus I had to overtake some on the wet glass path. I started off on quicker pace to overtake as many runners infront of me or be held behind, due to the narrow path. About 3 km into the run, I slowed down to maintain my normal pace and to preserve some energy for the last leg, for the last burst. Just ahead of me, I saw a father and son running together. The boy should be around 10 years of age or probably younger but boy, he was running like a pro. It took me a while to overtake them. I was thinking, this boy could probably be our national runner in the future. He has potentials, lots of potentials. At the 4 km mark, anyone who overtook me must be a fitter runner and also, somehow I was too tired mentally & physically to try to overtake them. I just pressed on. My legs were tired, cannot surmount the extra power to quicken the pace. Before the 5 km mark (the final turn to the finishing), there was this young Malay boy who looks a little older than 10 years of age (taller than that Chinese boy whom I overtook earlier), he just shot past me. He had good long stride, opening up his pace slowly and steady. Before long, I lost sight of him after he strode past me.

Past the 6 km marker, then the 7 m marker and finally, only 500 metres to the finish. My legs were still tired and I can sense the finishing in front. Few runners shot past me but I still couldn't muster my reserve energy to speed up the last few hundred metres. When I reached the finishing, I looked at my watch and it showed a little over 0840 hrs. I should have clocked between 35 to 40 mins in this 7.5 km event.

At the finishing, I saw the Caucasian photographer who took my pictures for the promotion collaterals. He recognised me, gave me a smile which I returned the smile too. Also, I saw Fiona, the event organiser from Hive-locity who was busy taking down notes. I walked up to her to have a quick chat with her. I asked her whether she is keen to organise a run event in Batam and she expressed interest.

Though it didn't rain, the ground was very soggy at the finishing venue and hardly anyone was gathering around the stage and tents. I managed to catch up with Nazlin who was busy arranging the silat performance. I rested for a while, didn't stay to watch the performance and prize giving and finally, I made my way to the carpark. Another event, another day for me. Though tired, I felt satisfied as this was a worthy cause for cancer.

Blood Donation

2010-06-20T16:57:00.006+08:00

Today (Sunday) I planned to have it easy with my weekend routine, mopping & cleaning the house and ironing my laundry. While I was reading my Sunday Times, Hwee smsed saying blood bank is running low on blood supply due to World Cup fever and asked whether I wanted to donate my blood. I thought she said to donate on coming Wednesday but no, she was actually on the train to do her once-and-only weekend work-out at Novena and she changed her mind to donate blood instead.

I agreed to join her and arranged to pick her up at Novena Square. We arrived at Blood Bank in Outram around 1030 hrs and there were already many people waiting to donate their blood. We did our registration, given the forms to fill up and waited to be called up by doctor. The registration staff said my last donation was way back in 1999 and the record still showed my old place at Hougang. She updated my record and gave a donor card for future visit.

Gosh, it was that long that I last pledged my precious blood. I vividly remember sometime in 2001 or 2002, I was giving my blood platelete then responding to one sms request from a mother whose child was in urgent need for type B blood platelete. When I reached the ward, I was informed by the nurse that the child has passed away for quite some time but the mother simply could not get over the fact, continued to send out smses. Anyway, I decided to do the platelete donation and I did it on few occasions.

Though there were many people at the blood bank, being a typical Sunday but we did not have to wait very long for our turn. I went in first, directed to an empty seat by a nurse and Hwee followed less than 5 minutes later. We were directly opposite each other. A nurse came over to me, asked which side I wanted to draw out my blood and I pointed my right arm. While wrapping my right arm, she said I have big muscles (of course lah, all the gym workouts should count something, right?) but I sheepishly replied, "No lah, just fats." Hwee took a quick smile and then, she said, "Let's see who'll finish first." to which I replied, "Want bet?". Our bet was for lunch only.

I didn't even have time to really settle down and the signal flashed indicating I am done. The timer showed 4 mins 22 seconds. Hwee was still not done yet as she started a little later than me. Moments later, her signal flashed and her time was 4 mins 29 seconds. She lost by 7 seconds, what a close call. None of us talked about the lunch bet and happily we strolled to the cafeteria for light refreshment. The last time, I remember I was given a cup of milo and some biscuits but this time, we were spoilt for choice. We can have egg tart, bread or pau and green bean soup to go with our cuppa.

After our blood donation, I dropped her home first before heading back to do my household chores.

Dr Mahathir Barking Up The Wrong Tree Again

2010-06-15T22:32:00.009+08:00

It is disheartening to learn that still revered Dr Mahathir taking another swipe at Malay Singaporeans in his sinister attempt to rev up racial sentiments in his own country. Tun, what is so wrong for Singapore to adopt meritocracy for all races? By the same breadth, what is so right that his bumi-policies did benefit just one race at the expense of rest of the races in his own beloved Malaysia? Just because Chinese is the majority race in Singapore, the minority has to 'kow-tow' to the majority, so claimed by him.

If he is admitting that the position of the Malays in Malaysia is in deep crisis and precarious, does he need to draw comparison to the Malays in Singapore to strike a salient point. For once, why can't he admit that his failed bumi-policies only benefit a privileged few; those who have initimate connections to the ruling party and thus, largely neglected the majority of the Malays in Malaysia? And just because Singapore does not have such lop-sided bumi-policies for her own Malay race, our Malays have to resort to 'kow-towing'? What craps, Dr M...are you out of your mind or what? Your failed policies have nothing to do with the Malays in Singapore. The Malays here study and work as hard as the Chinese, the Indians and other races and they compete fairly to give themselves a better life here, period. They certainly need no 'spoon-feeding' from our government to have a headstart, merit is the order of the day that applies to all Singaporeans.

I have no doubt to believe he is genuinely concerned for his own race in his own country and he has certainly contributed alot as the 4th PM of Malaysia. However downplaying Singapore which has nothing to do with his own failed bumi-polices is certainly uncalled for. Tun, please keep your own backyard clean, just mind your own business and shut up, will you?

Adidas Sundown Marathon 2010

2010-05-30T16:34:00.003+08:00

It was my first participation in Adidas Sundown 21km Half Marathon 2010 on 29 May, Saturday. The race venue was at Changi Exhibition Hall running along the long stretch of Changi Coastal Road.

I was more mentally and physically prepared than Chua, who was to replace Winnie in this event. Especially the last two weeks before the run, Chua had to shuttle between Singapore and his hometown, Muar to handle some family matters. It was indeed energy sapping for him this time around.

Our race was scheduled at 2100 hrs and at 1900 hrs, Chua drove over to my place to pick me up. I had my early dinner at 1730 hrs and Chua had to drive back from Muar, only to arrive in the afternoon, missing some sleep and dinner to run this race with me.

The only access to Changi Exhibition Hall was via Loyang Road as the road from ECP was closed for the race. The usually quiet Changi Point was jam-packed with vehicles heading to the direction of the start-off point.

We arrived early, at about 2000 hrs. Took our time checking up the place and warming up. I donned my newly bought Body Science tight top and shorts, had tried twice during practice and found it to be useful. Not cheap though - it cost me more than S$200and it gonna be good.

Those participating in the 84km Ultra-Marathon had been flagged-off at 1900 hrs while our event attracted some 6,000 runners to be flagged-off at 2100 hrs. Finally, we were flagged-off. We were somewhere in the middle section and overtaking was made quite difficult too. Almost immediately, I lost Chua among the runners. At the 3km mark, stream of runners who arrived later were still heading to the start-point. I saw Pauline who was also participating in the 21km event, shouted & waved at her. Boy, she was among the late comers heading to the start point when we had already covered more than 3km.

The weather was fine and the lane was broad, I had no problems overtaking many runners. For the first 10km, I maintained a steady pace. At the half way mark where we made a U-turn back, I saw Chua who was not too far behind me. He caught up with me and briefly, we were running together. When I felt I was still doing well, I decided to hasten up my pace. I was surprised that my pace was still steady despite already covered 15 km. At about 19 km mark, I glanced at my wrist watch which indicated 2250 hrs. I told myself, I must really open up more if I wished to go under 2 hours. I had to finish by 2300 hrs if I wanted to go under 2 hours. Some runners including few ladies overtook me in the last 2 km but I did overtake some too. At that point, taking every 1 km seemed to be an arduous affair but I pressed on. About 200 metres to the finish, the adrenaline rush in me propelled me to really sprint all the way and I even overtook a Caucasian runner who was about 50 metres in front of me. There were people cheering me on, I was even more fired up. I gave a thumbs-up when I touched the finishing line. The time showed 2 hours 2 mins plus when I crossed over and deducting 1 min from the gun time, I should come under 2 hours 1 min plus I think. A little disappointed that I couldn't go under 2 hours and that goes my bet to George, loser pays for coffee but I was more than satisfied with my performance. I had sliced off some 13 minutes from last year Safra run. Chua did not do badly either, given he was not in tip-top condition and he came in about 1 minute later.

After the run, both of us went for frog porridge supper in Geylang. We deserved this sumptuous supper.

Hairpin Turn

2010-05-12T12:48:00.003+08:00

I am simply blown away by the superb driving skill of these drivers in this video clip that even F1 drivers could not marshal that kind of maneuvering skill at sharp turn. Just wonder, has there been any fatal accident before? Simply unbelievable.

Run For Humaneity

2010-05-02T15:41:00.008+08:00

By sheer turnout, 'Run For Humaneity' does not match Stanchart or Adidas Sundown but its sole purpose quickly triggered me to sign-up when I chanced upon it. 'Run for Humaneity' is an initiative of Mark Philpott, President of Humaneity Group.

This is a fund raising project to support a school for the under-privileged children in Cambodia where runners pledged S$100 each to the coffer. The 10km run was scheduled this morning at Incontro, Riverside Quay.

Arrived at the venue around 0700hrs, met one of the organisers, Amy and Jonathan who also volunteered his service. I did not recognise Jonathan until after the race though he was at the registration counter calling out for me, paiseh!

There were around 50 odd runners and as this was an ang moh initiated run, there were quite a few fit ang moh runners at one glance. The ladies were flagged-off first at 0800hrs and the guys, 5 or 10 minutes later.

At 0800hrs, the weather was alright. The 10km run was to take us along the riverside from Robertson Quay to Esplanade to Boat Quay, a 5km circuit which we must run twice to complete the full 10 km run. The first 5km was fine, thanks to the weather. There were about 20 runners in the male category, and immediately after the flagged-off by Mark, front of the pack already contained 6 ang mohs and 1 Chinese runner with me trailing behind. Admittedly, my first 5km pace was quicker than my usual as I tried to pursue the front pack. I huffed & puffed and managed to pass one ang moh and one Chinese runner before the end of 5km circuit and also, some female runners who were flagged earlier.

The second round was tougher as the weather had by then, began to show its true form. I decided to slow my pace and maintained my 5th position. While gliding through, no one overtook me, phew!. The organisers and their team of volunteers were marvellous, they were cheering us along. As I dashed past the finishing line, they were there to make sure everyone of us hit the finishing tape in championship style and indeed, everyone is a winner.

The run aside, it is nice to be introduced to Mike, Teck Leong and Andy at the event. We were already discussing about meeting up for cycling and run. We exchanged our cards, to fix up for run and cycling in future and I certainly look forward to rough it out with these guys.

Thumbs up for this run, I truly enjoyed it.

To The Summit of Gunung Ledang - Southeast Asia

2010-04-28T19:56:00.000+08:00

To The Summit of Gunung Ledang - Southeast Asia

To The Summit of Gunung Ledang

2010-04-27T22:44:00.004+08:00

For sometime, my buddy George had been bugging me to organize a hiking trip to Mount Ophir, the English name for Gunung Ledang which borders between Muar and Malacca. Finally, a chance was presented when one member from my adventure group initiated a two nights hiking trip to Gunung Ledang.

This expedition, organized by Joo Heng was confirmed on 2 April. It was a motley group of 23 of us and save for two friends, George and Alan whom I invited, I met the rest for the first time. Talking about gender inequality, there were 15 women and only 8 men in this trekking. This evidently shows the fairer gender’s quest for adventure stuff has far surpassed the male species. As this is not a stroll in the park, it requires one to be physically fit to reach the peak which stands at 4,187 ft or 1,276m high. For many of us in the group, it was our first climb up a mountain that high.

Met the team leader, Joo Heng at the designated waiting point just outside Popular Bookstore at Jurong East MRT Station on 2 April at about 1545 hrs and shortly later, George and Alan arrived. After making sure everyone was accounted for, the coach departed at about 1630 hrs. We hardly had time to introduce to each other.

The journey took us some three and a half hour and at about 2000 hrs, we finally arrived at Gudung Ledang Resort which will accommodate us for two nights. My stomach was already calling and it was right to the restaurant for a sumptuous dinner first. Joining us at our table, we had Shu, Aish, Sajith and Liyah. We made a formal introduction to each other. Even though we had all met for the first time, I started to crack some jokes to get us going. Very soon, I had a ball of a time teasing George, who as usual, reacted a tad slow to my sporadic responses and no thanks to me; he actually became the butt of our jokes at our table.

After our dinner, we then proceeded to the meeting room for a briefing on the climb by the resort owner, Mr Tey, a local boy who has climbed Gudang Ledang umpteen times since he was 12. We were told the original route which is longer and more treacherous has been ordered closed by the authority since sometime last year. It was due to few recent fatalities from flooding which took some lives. The new route covers short distance and less treacherous but still requires some fitness and endurance to reach the summit. Mr Tey told us that on average, we should take six hours to reach the summit and another four hours to descend.

At the meeting, we were all issued our dry ration comprising some biscuits, breads, chocolates and two bottled mineral water which was meant for our lunch during the climb. We can choose to carry more food or water on our own and it is mandatory to fill up a declaration form listing down all the food & drink items we carry with us for the climb. We have to bring back every single used packaging, paper and balance food items to be inspected by the rangers upon our return. This is to ensure the mountain is litter-free as much as possible. On this, I am confident every single one of us will comply wholeheartedly.

The following morning, we got up at 0600 hrs and had our early breakfast at 0630 hrs. By 0700 hrs, we were assembled at the hotel lobby for the transport to bring us to the start point. While waiting, a Japanese guest at the resort, Sumito was introduced by Mr Teh to join us in this trekking. From the look of it, Sumito was properly dressed as a mountaineer and he was also very well equipped and he carried the biggest haversack in the group that can contain 1 week of ration. Everyone was seemingly excited especially my buddy, George who was more concerned he could not match the fitness of some ladies in our group. Indeed some of the ladies in our group were fitter than many of the guys. Before heading off, we did one final count. Yes, 24 of us including our Japanese friend were eager to move off.

We had a bumpy ride from the resort to the start point, took some 15 minutes to reach but everyone was in high spirit. When we arrived at the starting point, some of us started to do some stretching exercise on our own. After the briefing by one of the national park staff and at about 0800 hrs, we were finally given the green light to ascend led by our guide, Faizal and his assistant. There were other groups from the schools joining us too.

There will be three rest points along the way, CP1 comprising of steps, CP2 which is called Trail Lagenda and at CP3 which is the midpoint at about 2,100 ft high will be the final rest station for those who would like to opt out before the push up the summit.

From the start of the climb, I tried to stay in the middle of the pack in order to try to keep a look out for the slower climbers behind. It was not a difficult climb to CP1, mostly steps. We continued to CP2 where we took a breather and for some photo taking too. After CP2 and heading to CP3, I noticed some did struggle somewhat and they started to trail way behind the front pack. I decided to quicken my pace. When I reached CP3, our team leader Joo Heng and some fitter members who had arrived earlier, started to move on. I decided to a short rest for the rest to catch up. George, Alan and some joined me at CP3. The two ladies, Liyah and Peng Lim who were panting heavily decided to opt out and our guides were called to assist them to the base. By then, I decided to continue with some of them leaving the guides to handle the situation. .

As there was a group comprising mostly students ahead of us, we had to follow them behind. I tried to past some of them on the side by quickening my pace and each time, I past the kids, I tried to give them encouragement which they acknowledged. The weather had been fine. Finally, I managed to meet up with Joo Heng and the rest at the resting point. I told him two from our group had opted out. Before we moved on again, we realized we did not have our guide with us and all this while after CP3, we were just following the guides from the other groups.

About 20 minutes later, George, Alan and some members managed regroup with us but before they could take a short breather, Joo Heng, together with the two fittest ladies in the group, Ming and Pauline decided to press on without our guide by following the trail. The other student groups went on another trail. We consulted one of their guides who told us the trail can still lead us to the summit, we felt assured then. I decided to follow the front pack while George and those who just arrived will rest first before ascending.

By my reckoning, we had been climbing for about three hours but I felt it wasn’t that difficult the climb. I had brought along some painkillers to sooth pain to my joints but to my relief, I was managing well up until that juncture. Pauline and Ming led the way up followed by Joo Heng and me. They were pressing ahead with very good pace and admittedly, I had hard time catching up with these two ladies.

Finally, we reached the final assault to the summit. The path up comprises of huge rocks with long step ladders placed on the steep parts and at some points there are ropes on the side for climbers to hold on. It looked daunting enough, certainly not for the faint-hearted. I decided to move up first while Pauline and Ming followed close behind. The step ladders and ropes did come in handy to ease the climb up.

I thought I had reached the summit but recalling the pictures which were shown to us during the briefing, the image did not seem to tally the actual. As we did not have our guide with us and there was no prominent path or marking of sorts that could lead me to the top at that point, I could only rely on my own instinct. As I moved further in, I saw a gap on this huge and slippery rock which seemed to be the final assault to the summit. Ming who had already joined me by then also shared the same opinion with me. With urging from Ming, I then decided to make my move. I had to use all four, hands and legs to steady myself and slowly but surely, maneuver my way up. At that juncture, I told myself this final push to the summit really tested one’s gut for any misstep could send one rolling all the way down. After clearing that last part, I saw two persons relaxing at the highest point, a young lady and an elderly gentleman, likely a father and daughter team donning army fatigue. The elderly man sported a long flowing white beard with a weather-beaten face and he looks like one of the ‘heavenly guards’ in our Chinese mystical story. The cheerful young lady greeted me with a “Welcome to the summit”. I can then confirm I was the first to have reached the summit. Ming arrived shortly after, taking the same challenging path I took and we waited for the rest to join us.

Not long later, we heard voices looming behind us. We finally saw the rest of them, one by one they arrived but they came from a different direction. Gosh, there was another easier route to the summit with step ladders and ropes readily available for climbers. Alas, without a guide, the gutsy Ming and I took the untested route based on instinct.

While at the summit, we took many pictures. Playfully, I did a condor pose perched atop the stone monument while Ming mimicked ala ‘er-mei’ kungfu pose. It was a funny sight to witness but I really enjoyed it. For first timer like me, the top of the world feeling was euphoria I must say. It was breezy on top but the weather was quite cloudy thus most part of the scenic view was blanketed away, sigh. We had reached the summit before 12 noon, taking only 4 hours which was way ahead of the average 6 hours.

We waited for about an hour for the last person to arrive before making descent. Before moving out, we realised three and not two from our group had opted out at CP3. It was Jonathan who had joined the two ladies, Peng Lim and Liyah to the base. But Jonathan’s unassuming petite girlfriend, Yvonne made it to the summit by sheer determination – kudos to her.

Another 4 hours to hit the base but descent should be less strenuous, so I had assumed. We moved out at about 1330. Again, girl-power duo, Pauline and Ming were leading the pack but this time leaving nothing to chance, we made sure we had our guide to lead the way for us. The last time, he was busy arranging to send the three members who had opted out to base and by the time he was ready to play catch up, he found himself stuck way behind the big student groups in front of him. The path down was quite steep and rocky, we had to use the ladders and ropes which took up some time and at the same time, there were still more people climbing up too. It had to be one-way traffic for either side; if one is going down, the other below had to wait before climbing up.

To bolster confidence of those still making their way up, I assured them it will take only 10 minutes more to reach to the top. However, another 10 minutes had past, I continued to make the same assurance, deliberately though but Tricia felt it was not right to paint a false scenario, stopped me from there. She immediately cut it, changing it to 20 minutes instead. Nonetheless, we had fun taking swipes at each other on the way down. What really inspired me most was when I saw a middle-aged woman seemingly recovering from stroke making the assault to the summit with her family members. To cap it off, she was not even dressed up in any proper climbing attire, simply donning her dress and slowly limping up, one step at a time. It was awe-inspiring and we simply clapped to give her encouragement.

We were still moving in a group keeping a steady pace and we didn’t take any good rest for a good one hour or so. Our guide, Faizal decided to halt for a break to rest our limbs and quench our thirst. At the point, our dainty Aish complained of pain in both her knees. There was no way out, she had to make her way down. Her room mate, Shu decided to let Aish had her trusted walking stick to lessen further strain to her knees and on seeing that, I decided to carry Aish’s haversack playing my part as man in the group. Under that circumstance, Aish had to stick close to the guide who was ever so attentive to her from the start of our climb. As the only Malay in our group and with her pleasant personality, our guide, Faizal conversed comfortably with her in his own lingo. He was certainly the hero to the damsel rescue. I am not sure any spark will develop after this climb but it was fun teasing them as one couple then.

The cloud was getting darker and rain was looming large for sure. The front pack moved swiftly and the drift apart beginning to show. I was moving quite fast too. I looked at my watch which indicated 3.10 pm then and thunder could be heard. At that hour, the entire forest looked like last light. I couldn’t find George, Alan and the rest who were behind me. Only Tricia and Sajith were just ahead of me but very quickly too, I past the two of them. Only Pauline, Ming and three others were in front of me. The place was getting darker and darker as each minute ticked away and the thunderous sound seemed not too far away from us. Shu was just ahead of me, she was moving very fast almost like running. A short while later, it poured and poured heavily too. I decided not to bring out my raincoat from my backpack, chose to get drenched instead. Shu hesitated for a while but decided to wear her rain coat when the rain was at its fiercest.

It was raining heavily which clouded visibility and the ground was rendered soft and slippery. I was behind Shu but behind me, there was no one at – there was a big gap between the front pack and the rest of the group. The descent seemed like eternity, we had been walking and battling the elements for hours but never seemed to have reached our destination.

Pauline and Ming were way ahead of us; only Shu, Shawn and the two sisters were with me but just in front of us were the students. Then without any warning, one girl in the student group fainted and she had to be physically carried by her friends. We wouldn’t move ahead of them due to the torrential rain and everything slowed to a crawl.

When we reached CP2, Shu told me she felt bad leaving the main group behind and I too shared that sentiment. What if someone slipped or fainted and that he or she needed help? Shouldn’t we be there to help out too? Further, the rain did not seem to relent any moment now, making descend even more treacherous. We decided climb back up to re-join the breakaway group. As we climbed, we shouted out for them. But the noise of the heavy pour simply overwhelmed our shouting. We had climbed for 30 minutes and suddenly from a distance, I saw a moving light ahead. We were glad to learn it was our Japanese friend, Sumito. He told us the rest of group was behind and everyone should be sound and safe. He waited with us for some 15 minutes under the rain before we saw the rest of them moving down. We felt assured everyone was okay but only Aish who injured her knees was still trailing behind. The guide was with her throughout, so she should be okay. We then moved down together as a group. One interesting sight caught me amused, it was Francis who was using an umbrella instead of wearing a raincoat to keep dry. This was no small feat for him, imagine he had to use one hand to hold on to the rope at some point and another to hold the umbrella. I couldn’t be bothered in such situation, I prefer to get myself drenched.

We finally reached the base at about 1800 hrs which took us more than 4 hours made difficult by the heavy downpour. The transport was on standby to take us to the resort but some of us decided to wait for Aish and her saviour, our guide. It was about an hour of waiting and we finally saw our Aish being led by our guide, Faizal slowly making their way down the steps. Both resorted to improvise the black trash bags as rain coats and as they made their way towards us, we clapped loudly. They really looked like a couple on a stroll under the rain and I can see Faizal really grinning away. During the descent, he had gladly offered to piggy-ride our Aish when pain really got into her but she steadfastly refused that kind gesture; such gusty lady she really was.

Upon returning to the resort, we had a real sumptuous dinner and each of us sharing our experiences in between meal. After our dinner, I was too tired for anything, only wanted to hit the sack early. But my friend, George who shared the room with Alan and me, still packed some reserve energy later joined some of them in card games to while away the long evening.

The following morning, we had another great outing at the waterfall near the resort before heading home. After this one adventurous outing, everyone seemed to talk and joke like real old buddies. Without a doubt, it was a wonderful and memorable trekking trip to Gudang Ledang for me and I look forward to another trekking soon.

The Story of Peng Shuilin

2010-04-12T22:29:00.003+08:00

This story was taken from a source, and I thought this is an inspirational story for us to learn more about lives.

People often complain about what they don't have or wish they had more, looked better etc. PENG Shuilin is 78cms high. He was born in Hunan Province, China.

In 1995, in Shenzhen, a freight truck sliced his body in half. Peng Shuilin, 37, spent nearly two years in hospital in Shenzhen, southern China,undergoing operations to re-route nearly every major organ or system inside his body. Peng kept exercising his arms, building up strength, washing his face and brushing his teeth.

He survived against all odds. Now Peng Shulin has astounded doctors by learning to walk again after a decade.

Considering Peng's plight, doctors at the China Rehabilitation Research Centre in Beijing devised an ingenious way to allow him to walk on his own, creating a sophisticated egg cup-like casing to hold his body, with two bionic legs attached.

It took careful consideration, skilled meaasurement and technical expertize.
Peng has been walking the corridors of Beijing Rehabilitation Centre with the aid of his specially adapted legs and a resized walking frame.

RGO is a recipicating gait orthosis, attached to a prosthetic socket bucket.
There is a cable attached to both legs so when one goes forward, the other goes backwards. Rock to the side, add a bit of a twist and the leg without the weight on it advances, while the other one stays still, giving a highly inefficent way of ambulation. Oh so satisfying to 'walk' again after ten years with half a body!

Hospital vice-president Lin Liu said: "We've just given him a checkup; he is fitter than most men his age." Peng Shuilin has opened his own bargain supermarket called the Half Man-Half Price Store. The inspirational 37-year-old has become a businessman and is used as a role model for other amputees. At just 2ft 7ins tall, he moves around in a wheelchair giving lectures on recovery from disability.
His attitude is amazing, he doesn't complain. "He had good care, but his secret is cheerfulness. Nothing ever gets him down."

BBQ Gathering @ Changi

2010-03-28T15:29:00.003+08:00

The two persons who worked hard for this bbq gathering with my TMIS course mates were Afni and Sai, I am happy playing the supporting cast. Days before completion of our course in Feb this year, it was Afni who initiated the bbq gathering for us all. The original venue was supposed to be at Downtown East but the chalets were fully booked. With Alan's help, we managed to confirm a chalet at Changi on 20 March.

All 24 of us chipped in S$30 each except for one party spoiler and the consolidated sum should give us a sumptuous bbq makanan. In our planning, we (Afni, Sai & I) decided that everyone of us should 'win an award' for best in their category which will then be announced on the day of the gathering. Who are the judges then? Ahem, the three of us lor...and we started to crack our heads to identify the category best fit to each individual. What would be the award? Again, budget was a constraint as the food and accommodation took a big chunk from there. We finally settled for a nice photo frame with a nice class photo inserted in. The name of the individual who is named best in his or her category will be nicely mentioned...cool, right?

Actually, the hardest part for us during the planning stage was to roll out 24 categories (for 24 of us in the class), it was more tedious than doing our assessments...hehehe. After a hard decision (I now know who hard the judges in American or Singapore Idol have to name their finalists), we reached our verdict...phew!

Allow me to present, Mr 'Ah Beng' award, Ms 'Ah Lian' award, Ms 'Colourful' award, Mr 'Debater' award, Ms 'Mina' award, Mr 'Handsome Sotong' award, Ms 'Pretty Sotong' award (one could have guessed 'Handsome & Pretty Sotong' should be a couple, alas it was not to be), Ms 'Hysterical' award and the list goes on. I landed a 'Disturbia' award for always disturing the class, not bad I should say. However, the one award I like best is 'Mao Mao' (毛毛) award which went to someone who did not attend the bbq, unfortunately. Least one would have assumed he is quite a hairy chap but the exact is the opposite I'm afraid to say. Nonetheless, the awards were part of the fun at the gathering, to create laughter that liven up the atmosphere and we did.

I enjoyed the gathering though most of us did not spend a night at the chalet, only Afni, Sai & few others did. One last parting note, this bbq gathering would not have been possible without Afni & Sai and I would like to thank them for the great job done. Those who paid but did not turn up, you did miss the fun and with or without your present, we simply had our fun. Looking forward to another gathering some months down.