After a humid week, Melbourne had a nice cool Friday with lots of rain. I spent the whole of yesterday cleaning up around the house.

Today’s the first day of the year of the tigger. Weather’s  still hottish (26 deg today and sitting on me deck with a tallish Glenfiddich and the dog , I feel like dozing off at this moment. Havent had that type of Sunday arvo for a long time now.

Greece threatens, together with the rest of the PIGS (with Ireland, not Italy), to give world economy no rest. Figures of the western economies’ debts attempt to pry the pennies of the ang mohs’ eyes. All those years of great schools, great healthcare, smooth silky infrastructure, cushy pension and all such dreamy promises are coming home to roost.

Australia remains beholden to Kevin Rudd’s lies and spins. Abbott is proving a bit of a pain, not least to Kevin. Good on you, Tony. For all his unpolished and unmedia-savvy yesteryear cliches, Tony Abbott remains an honest western gun slinger who takes good aim at Kevin the Sheriff who promises much but will likely roll over when the bandits do show up.

In Malaysia, the members of the judiciary should all be wearing sunnies and holding walking stick by now, such are their self gratifying nonsense. Ditto the whole of the Malaysian civil administration and executive at large. The Prime Minister should have been investigated and charged for murder instead of being allowed to continue dragging the country through a sickening circus.

Me, I am stuck in a rut. With work mounting and motivation not, I am finding it harder not to be sickened by a never ending work pressure dryness. You know – you walk around fatigued and enjoying little of the daily proceedings, doing stuff only because it is my job and it needs to be done.

Year of the tigger? a bit of a pooh pooh for now…

There I was in a fish-bowl like meeting room on a late Monday morning. 5 blokes and a lady. 4 Caucasians, 1 central Asian and 2 Asians. Air-conditioning whirring away as we look at a document handed out at the start of the meeting.

The discussion picked up and the subject matter (reinsurance) soon proved too inappropriate for a Monday morning. The convenor was on to it and tried hard to hurry things up.

Every now and then a quiet moment creeps in while everyone ponders over a point, and the whirring of the air-conditioner takes over.

It is during one of those moments I allow myself to reflect a little. My sentiments seesaw between gratitude and restlessness. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to be involved (regardless of the significance of such involvement) in corporate business proceedings in Melbourne. My gratitude however, is constantly peppered with thoughts of wanting to do something with a more direct impact on lives.

The creeping desire to do something different is making me just a touch restless. The whirring of the air conditioning unit however, has reminded me that I am indeed at a seesawing state, because Mondayitis notwithstanding, I actually still do enjoy the work I do.

I was a bit crooked yesterday so I stayed home. Turned out the league cup semis was on. I had lost track of when that game would be played, after the initial postponement due to the cold snap which hit Britain and Europe/US over the Christmas and New Year period. So I got myself a cuppa and settled down to watch the game.

The first half was a bit of an anti climax. The derby was meant to be a full blooded encounter with a Wembley slot at stake. It’s a game being played against the context of a poor cousin recently finding wealth and wanting to make itself count against the richer, better supported and more successful neighbour. So it was expected to be a no holds barred approach.

When the second hald started one senses more life is going to kick in and soon. Boy did it kick in. What a match it turned out to be. Game of 2 halves? Absolutely! Rooney was phenomenal, sitter missed in the 73rd minute notwithstanding. On Sky Sports, the camera had Rooney doing the cartwheel and it pulled away, with his backward run towards the far corner fading away and Van de Sar coming into focus, raising his fist and celebrating along.  Gold.

You know – the problem is the government and police are so bereft of credibility that I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking this too could have been orchestrated by either or both of them.

Throw a pig head into a mosque and it will be like throwing jet fuel into a burning heap. Out of the eruption declare an emergency and throw various leaders into detention under ISA.

Alternatively, demonstrate a composed reaction on the part of government and police as the below story seems to suggest. This way it would appear to chalk up huge mileage for both of them. Cynical? Like I said, they are so bereft of credibility one can be forgiven for thinking along these lines.

I also cant help but notice that when mosques are under attack, the IGP can direct extra patrols but when churches are under attack, all sorts of disclaimers re shortages of personnel are raised.

Also, they claim no compromise re peace and security but allow the Shah Alam cow head incident to proceed in broad daylight and the perpetrators get to sit next to Hishamuddin in a press conference.

Smart Malaysians who can must seriously consider forsaking whatever lifestyles they have there and leave. Bite the bullet for the initial period and they can get to enjoy an alternative lifestyle eventually.

—–Original Message—–

From:

Sent: Wednesday, 27 January 2010 4:43 PM

To: Teh, Ian

Subject: Hmmm

XXXX YYYY was just sharing with me her concern of how delicate the situation can be in M’sia and mentioned that all it takes is for something like this to happen for things to erupt !

Updated: Wednesday January 27, 2010 MYT 1:18:05 PM IGP warns Malaysians not to stoke racial tension

KUALA LUMPUR: Unknown persons threw two pig heads into the compound of two mosques in the district prompting Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan warning the culprits not to stoke racial tension.

He said police will investigate the incidents in Taman Dato Harun and Taman Sentosa thoroughly and bring those responsible to book.

“We will meet with heads of all religious groups in the district to seek their assistance to cool things down.

“I have directed that extra patrols be conducted at places of worship throughout the country.

“We will not compromise as far as peace and security is concerned and will do everything within our means to ensure no untoward incident happens,” he said while appealing for information regarding the two incidents.

Musa added that they have not ruled out the possibility that people were hired to carry out the acts.

Petaling Jaya Selatan Umno division chairman Raja Datuk Hanipuddin Raja Nong Chik urged residents to be calm and not to take the law in their hands and let the police conduct its investigation.

He had also condemned the conduct of the culprits responsible for the incident.

Lately a senior Malaysian politician (Husni, the Second Finance Minister) made a remark labelling emigrants as traitors. This as usual, in the words of the fat plonk swigging champion of the Old Bailey, is unmitigated poppycock.

The reality is that Malaysians live in a country run not by the best brains but by the “correct” colour and creed. If you get someone to do a job not because he is the best person (best qualified) for the job it is a no brainer that the job would not be done in an optimum manner. This is systemic in Malaysia. Healthcare, education, construction, administration, banking and finance, commerce, legal system and law and order – everything you think of, the people tasked with the relevant responsibilities are there mostly on the basis of their skin colour or religion. Is it any wonder that given enough time, you will have crap delivery? That, my dear Husni, is why we left the country. It is a country already in the advanced state of disintegrating and headed for even worse retrogression, simply because the “kera” has the “bunga”. Get rid of the racism and bigotry and in maybe 1-2 generations you can maybe turn things around. Maintain status quo and I can almost guarantee you will continue to see mass migration and certain failure.

On the balance of probabilities, anyone who is able to would leave. You stay only if you are still making unholy amounts of money, trapped by inertia, have to care for elderly parents or dependent relatives or otherwise have some altruistic (unfounded, in my mind) reasons such as converting the country. All others should logically leave. Maybe that is the thing – this is often an emotionally laden matter and logic gives way. Not that it is a bad or wrong thing – many of our life decisions are determined by our hearts, not our brains.

Whatever the cause, it is perhaps just a touch – infinitesimally – defensible. Traitor? Husni you buffon, I hope (and believe) you were really speaking to Malays, not Malaysians in general. So I should have reacted the way I convinced myself numerous times to react, which is to ignore you and other like you. Go away.

Reaping the fruits of seeds sown by him – that’s what the present Government of Malaysia is doing. Mahathir is the source of most problems in Malaysia today. Get rid of the structures and systems, and you have all rubbish crawling out. Well done, Mahathir.

Work wise that is.

We came back from just under a week on the road to Adelaide and back and Tress started work last Friday. I started yesterday and it dawned on me that the next proper break we’ll have is Easter – some 2 +months away!

Just finished vacuumed a rather untidy ouse after returning from a holiday to SA, and settled down to watch Ponting get his 5th double ton… Well done, Punter.

• Copenhagen came and went, with many concerned about apocalyptic consequences of climate change and global warming.
• Current cold snaps in Europe, US and China suggest climate change is well and truly upon us. (Oh yes, the hot Aussie summer apparently is also proof of this.)
• Iranians protest on the streets of Tehran and a regime inching towards nuclear weapon manufacturing capabilities is under threat of instability. The dangers of an unruly nuclear nation looms.
• Renewed terrorist threat from an Al Qaeda off shoot in Yemen is causing recall of national emissaries and closure of embassies and high commissions.
• Return of terrorist threat in US, with Obama saying US security systems have failed.
• Nexus One the Google phone (“GPhone”?) arrives.  
• Most serious of all, 2010 it is World Cup year, with the FIFA World Cup up for grabs in the African continent for the first time in its long and glorious history.

 Meanwhile in Malaysia…

 Can use Allah or not ah? You angry if I use ah?

Eh? Where are the jet engines leh?

With the current crop of idiots sitting inPutrajaya, Malaysia will continue to stew in its own muck.

Home Ministry to allow protests against ‘Allah’ ruling

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal PUTRAJAYA, Jan 6- The Home Ministry will allow a public demonstration against the “Allah” ruling, planned by Muslim groups this Friday at the Kampung Baru mosque here, to proceed and will only take action if “things get out of hand.” Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein Onn (pic) told a press conference here at a post-Cabinet meeting that the developments will be monitored and that action will only be taken if the need arises. “There is a balance that needs to be addressed. We (the Home Ministry) have faced this situation before. Right now, if you do not allow the protest, it will cause a lot of emotional reaction. But if you also allow it, it might turn into a security threat,” explained Hishammuddin.

The Home Minister asserted that the core issue was the issue of safety of the country, and that the group had already been advised against the protest. “Everyone’s been appealing to them. No one, from the government to the opposition, wants this whole thing to get out of hand. “As long as it does not affect national security, we will not stop it yet. We plan to get closer to the would-be demonstrators and try to talk to them first.” When asked whether the crisis surrounding the use of the word “Allah” by the Catholic church through its Herald publication had been discussed in today’s Cabinet meeting, Hishammuddin said that it had been brought up, but the Cabinet has decided to leave the matter to the Court of Appeal. “Right now, the stay of execution has been granted … this is the normal process in line with the appeal we have filed. As the issue is right now being discussed in court, the Cabinet leaves it to the court to decide,” he said. The Home Minister added that sensitive issues pertaining to race and religion needed to be handled with wisdom and intelligence, and that only leaders with no “ulterior motives” could ensure that the right decisions be made on the matter. “Don’t play around with the issue of race and religion. These have always been sensitive issues that can threaten the harmonious balance of the country. Only an honest leadership will put the country’s interest above his own.” The High Court on Dec 31 allowed the Catholic publication Herald to use the word “Allah” in its weekly publication. This move has resulted in an uproar among some Muslims in the country, with some threatening to take their dissatisfaction to the streets this Friday. The Home Ministry had filed for an appeal against the High Court’s decision on Monday, and for a stay of execution of the ruling. Today, the High Court granted the stay. Judge Datuk Lau Bee Lan made the decision in chambers after both lawyers for the government and the church came to a consensus to freeze the decision of the case to be settled in the Court of Appeal.

Always good to see a dog fight – if we’re going to lose this one, at least we go down fighting.

Go Mr Cricket and Siddle…