I got this little story today, which is great. I have to re-learn this.

My work has become a little overwhelming, and it is making me tired. I had recently started to complain a bit more and lost my enthusiasm. The edge has gone. I have started thinking about whether a new job is the answer.

We have also started on a soft hunt for a new house. It started when we realised we couldn’t hold events like a church board or committee meeting in our home without preventing kiddo from doing some other things. We thought we could use a home with more separated space.

We also toyed with the idea of swapping one of our cars for an SUV. No particular reason other than that we had always thought about having an SUV, never got around to it and that it would be fun. Our cars both run very well, and are in excellent condition. Both are under 5 years old. We have no reason to think about changing either of them.

Being contented, being grateful and happy with what is – this is a challenge. This little story could be a big kick up my back side.

It goes like so…

According to legend, a young man while roaming the desert came across a spring of delicious crystal-clear water. The water was so sweet he filled his leather canteen so he could bring some back to a tribal elder who had been his teacher. After a four-day journey he presented the water to the old man who took a deep drink, smiled warmly and thanked his student lavishly for the sweet water. The young man returned to his village with a happy heart.

Later, the teacher let another student taste the water. He spat it out, saying it was awful. It apparently had become stale because of the old leather container. The student challenged his teacher: “Master, the water was foul. Why did you pretend to like it?”

The teacher replied, “You only tasted the water. I tasted the gift. The water was simply the container for an act of living-kindness and nothing could be sweeter.”

Self-motivation without gratitude is impossible. Our energy is “sapped” when our entire focus is on what’s wrong instead of what is right with our lives. One of our greatest challenges is to live and love in spite of pain and disappointment…to find gratitude in the midst of it all.

Reflect for a moment on this beautiful quote from Melody Beattie:

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.

 

Wacthing the Villa v Chelski match now to see how Lamps and the boys react to Gus’ reign, especially against the ascent of O’Neill’s charge. Still 0-0 for now…

The Incredible Sulk just scored, I must say it was stamped with class – of both Lamps and le Sulk

          When the story of Elizabeth Wong’s misfortune broke, I was a little angry. While I don’t always agree with her views, she at least appears to be genuine in her beliefs and convictions and appears to fight hard for them. What happened to her was despicable.

          Whatever the nature of the origin, BN has obviously tried to take advantage of the shameful act by her ex-boyfriend. Why, I wouldn’t be the least surprised if BN actually initiated the whole thing. Idiotic comparisons to prior but totally different incidents were made and there were mindless calls for her to resign. The whole episode is of course, pitiful. Pitiful for her but also on the political situation in Malaysia.

          What is equally bad however, is the sheer disrespect for personal privacy in cyberspace. I thought of a little experiment and decided to put up an entry with some words designed to catch voyeurs which I suspect would scour around once the story broke. True enough, suddenly my private journal became a lightning rod. Within a about an hour I had over a couple of thousand visits. The obvious search words all had to do with Elizabeth and her misfortune.

          I bet many of those who made the search were otherwise normal and respectable persons. I don’t pretend to be blameless and I would have no problems owning up to having seen nude picture many times. These however, are people who have chosen to pose nude and have decided to make some money that way.

          Elizabeth is an innocent person who knew nothing about her photos being taken, let alone circulated. So to those of you mongrels out there looking for her photos, I hope you just think for a moment, show some restrain and respect and behave like a decent fellow. Leave this poor woman alone in so far as this is concerned. If someone should send you these photos, please just delete them. Don’t look at them. Don’t especially forward them. You’d be going everyone a favour. Especially yourself.

If you came to this page because you were searching for Elizabeth Wong’s nude photos then shame on you. Just because someone (presumably her ex boy friend) is so bereft of mores that he secretly takes and then circulates nude photos of his girlfriend Elizabeth Wong, it doesn’t mean you too have to stoop at that level.

Elizabeth Wong appears to have been a hard worker for a better Malaysia. To have her nude photos circulated in such a manner speaks so badly of both the person who took those photos as well as parties who encouraged the circulation. Can politics in Malaysia go anywhere lower? Can it sink anymore? When would it hit rock bottom?

No, not my age. It’s the bloody temperature here in Melb. It is now 42 deg. Max of 44 today.

Scorcher.

I have said, numerous times, that Anwar Ibrahim is wrong to embark on his 16 September (or whatever other date) plans. The issue isn’t the date, or his failure to deliver on his claims but one of principles.

It is of course, wrong to try and form a government that way. When the electorate makes a choice, it is a choice of both the person and the party. In fact under circumstances such as those during the March 08 elections, that choice must have been for the party including the coalition that party belongs to. When you use external factors to bend or negate that choice, it is wrong, pure and simple.

It doesn’t matter what the motivating factors were or are. The accounts relayed to me suggest there may be cogent and (allegedly) moral reasons which drove Anwar on. It was said the BN was corrupt and would not have won government had they not been corrupt. Well then the proper action would have been to level corruption charges, not to mess things up even more by trying to persuade elected representatives to switch political allegiance.

It does not matter it would have been to form a government most people in Malaysia would have preferred.

Of course, now the shoe is on the other foot, the pebble is especially annoying. There are now loud complaints of violation of democratic principles. Seriously? So Anwar’s exact same modus operandi was kosher but not Najib Razak’s?

Najib Razak’s orchestration of bringing down the PKR Perak State Government is calloused, despicable and is a slap on the face of Malaysians, especially the people of Perak. It is dirty and it is a practice which Malaysians have to demand must cease.

By the same token, Malaysians should also condemn Anwar Ibrahim’s attempts to ascend to power by means other than through the voting booth.

Najib is wrong, as he has been in so many instances. The fact that he used money and that there were suggestions of illegal manufacturing of corruption offences doesn’t elevate Anwar’s earlier attempt to be acceptable practice. Anwar was wrong too. As he has been in many instances.

It is time Malaysia grows up and do things properly.

Anwar is purportedly organising a rally outside the home of the Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) with an expected 100,000 turnout. What is he going to say – that BN was corrupt and therefore wrong? It would be a bit rich wouldn’t it? If you don’t do the right thing, you wouldn’t have the moral conviction to speak loudly. Simple as that.

Of course, I hope the Sultan wouldn’t just go down the straight path of saying well the BN has the number, they can form the government. I hope he will look at the wider issue of the will of the people, and let the people have the say on the whole thing.

New residents

Over the recent holiday period we met a number of families who recently moved to Melbourne. All are new migrants. The early days are always filled with fears and concerns about financial and networking stability. It can be a difficult period.

This is especially true given the current financial woes. Avenues and options to earn a living are much more restricted as a result. Of course, this round of economic (financial) problems is a worldwide phenomenon so the only disadvantage for these new migrants is one more associated with being less entrenched in the workforce or business community.

God is merciful and gracious and He will provide for His children. It is often our demands that cause problems. Our demands stop us from trusting Him for His providence.

 

Rotting administration

Whatever the disadvantage, one has to weigh up such a disadvantage against the spectre of living in a country governed by a corrupt and lawless administration. That is what Malaysia has long headed towards and has well and truly arrived, warts and all.

We now have another statutory declaration in a country where the way to state a fact to catch the eye is to swear one and have it published on the internet.

Fauzi Muda is a state assemblyman in the Malaysian state of Perak. He is part of the ruling coalition of the state government known as Pakatan Rakyat. He is from the party of Anwar Ibrahim, Party Keadilan Rakyat (People’s Justice Party). Fauzi Muda has sworn a statutory declaration. In this declaration, he made a severe allegation against Najib Razak, the heir apparent to the role of Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Najib Razak appears to be swimming in a cesspool which is increasingly deeper and more toxic. Cleaning the Aegean stable would not, I think, be on his to-do list. Heck, he is has probably crapped the country up even more. He has been surrounded with the stench of murder, creaming off defence contracts and now corruption and blatant money politics.

Offering a political opponent RM50 million to switch parties is corrupt, dishonest, immoral and so low snakes wouldn’t crawl under it. He even suggested to that victim of his offer, that he should keep some (if not the bulk) of the spoils. Can you imagine the extent of unholy wealth UMNO has amassed, to be able to offer that kind of money to a relative minnow of state politics? The stakes may be high in the form of government of an important state but it is still a huge fortune by anyone’s standards. Can you imagine the personal and family fortunes of the leaders of UMNO after all these years, if RM50 million is offered in such a nonchalant manner?

With such fortunes, it is probably small wonder these politicians don’t give a toss about the financial woes hitting the world, which I’m sure Malaysians are not immune to. After all, Malaysia is a huge trading nation and given the severe troubles of key trading partners like US, EU and China, surely Malaysia is just as severely affected. You wouldn’t hear of it however because politicians and decision makers have insulated themselves with fruits of years and years of massive corruption.

To me therefore, Fauzi Muda’s statutory declaration on Najib Razak’s RM50 million dirty money speaks not only of the context of the pathetic state of moral bankruptcy and lawlessness that is Najib Razak, but also about his attitude towards ordinary Malaysians and the fate they are suffering or are about to suffer with the worsening global financial crisis. He doesn’t care about Malaysians. He cares only about power and his own interests. He would stoop to any level to protect his own interests and cares not at all for ordinary Malaysians. Malaysians must do what they can to ensure this pathetic specimen does not become Prime Minister.

 

Way out

To the Malaysians who are fed-up with the inability to stop corrupt and despicable specimens like Najib Razak from becoming Prime Minister, why not give this sunburnt country a go? The dry southland may be harsh but it is fair dinkum dinky-di country. To my friends and relatives who wish to take this route, you have an open invitation to temporary accommodation. You know what to do. Many have already opted for this. You can too.

 

Last week was a wretched week for many, here in Melbourne. It was extremely hot through the week, with 3 days of over 40 deg temperatures. The fourth was just a shade below 40.

On Thursday night the church Board felt it needed to meet so there we were in a non-air conditioned meeting room, sweating it out. I had driven in to work that day, partly to ensure I would be able to attend this meeting in time. Connex, the venerable provider of commuter train service in Melbourne, stepped up its core competencies by ensuring the service fell into utter chaos. Thousands of trips were cancelled and many would just hang around on the platforms not knowing when their train was going to show up. I thought if I was going to make that Board meeting I had to drive in. It also ensured our poor car stayed out of that scorching heat, even if it was just for the day.

I went back to braving the train on Friday. Getting in to work wasn’t a problem. While the journey back home was more problematic, God nevertheless gave me a break – my train left Flinders at about 6.40pm and a few minutes later, power failure in large parts of Melbourne meant no trains could leave Flinders and it stayed that way for the next couple of hours. I escaped the sweltering chaos of Melbourne by the skin of my teeth and I would have been very poorly had I got caught in the mayhem.

We went to Sofia’s that night to cool off with a couple of salad dishes, before heading home to catch the tennis. It was the semi finals between the 2 Spaniards and what a match it turned out to be. Kiddo stayed up to the end but Tress and I went to sleep before the end of the third set.

There was just one more day of very hot weather.

On Sat we did the usual things. I sent my work clothes to the dry cleaner’s and then Tress and I went to get some groceries. There was to be follow-up Board meeting that afternoon, followed with a dinner for Board members at Alex’s home. I didn’t think the dinner was a good idea as Alex had just returned from Malaysia after a long holiday. He came back on Wed and arrived smack in the middle of the heat wave and would probably take a while to recover. To host a dinner so soon after was a big ask so I couldn’t understand why it was planned that way.

Anyway, the dinner went ahead and Tress and I got the stuff we wanted to cook (a roasted rack of pork ribs). We got home and marinated the meat, and I did my usual house cleaning. We got a new Dyson vacuum cleaner recently and I gave it a good go. It turned out to be cleaner than our older unit (a Nilfisk) but it took some getting used to. I went to the Board meet in the arvo (at Lynda’s, God bless her… great air conditioning in her home) and that finished just after 5.30. We left Alex’s just after 10pm.

Back home, “Misery” (with Kathy Bates and James Caan) was just coming on so we all settled and watched it. I didn’t finish the movie though – wanted to get up early to catch the United – Everton game. Kiddo enjoyed it, and I was pleased, because it isn’t always possible to get her to enjoy anything of my vintage.

I was up just after 4.30am the Sunday morning. United won courtesy of a Ronaldo penalty and held off Everton through a somewhat boring 2^nd half. We now lead, for a while, by 5 points. Very nice.

After the game – just after 6am – I went out to give the garden a good soak. The heat and drought had been really damaging. Our plants seemed lethargic, wilting and near their end.  After an hour battling with our very old garden hose to try and keep our plants alive, I went back in to start cooking. There was to be a Chinese New Year lunch in church.

After lunch we got home, and headed out again shortly after, to get new garden hose, along with some other items. Back home, I put up the hose rack, pottered around a little bit (including dragging Kiddo and Tress out into the heat to watch some outrageously colourful rosellas in our backyard) before cooking, again.

Auntie Swee Har, U Shu, David and Charmayne came to dinner on Sunday night. They made some “yee sang” and we did a couple of dishes. It was good to have a meal and talk again. After dinner we sat down to enjoy the Nadal-Federer final. They left after the second set and after the third set, we all went to bed. Kiddo has started Year 10.

Syed Hamid Albar’s less than intelligent statements seem to be par for the course lately. His latest bark is a complaint really, the gripe being Malaysians are treating criminals as heroes on the one hand and demonising the police on the other.

He is of course, wrong on both counts.

No one is treating the late Kugan Ananthan as a hero. He was a suspect in various alleged car theft offences. I’d quicker look at Kugan as someone who needs to “go forth and stop sinning”, having first given him a “hair dryer treatment”. He is no hero. Few would have treated him as one and few are now seeing him as one. I cannot understand what this stupid minister was thinking when he suggested Malaysians were treating him as one. In any case, that is not the point.

The reason so many have rallied to the cause of his family and to the cause of past victims who suffered the same treatment as Kugan Ananthan, is they (we) are all fed-up with the Malaysian police. They are supposed to be law-enforcement personnel. Instead, they have no respect for the law and routinely breaks it. In fact they are the ones most often seen as breakers of the law.

The Malaysian police, like much of the machineries of administration and government in Malaysia, have been deteriorating for a long time.

Like many Malaysians, I too have had the misfortune of having to deal with them. When we become victims of crime, when we lose our identification cards, when we get into a motor accident, we dread the prospect, even the thought, of trotting up to the police station.

One gets pushed around a lot in the police station. The processes are often long and tedious and police are almost without exception, rough, unfriendly, rude and even hostile. At every turn the officer or personnel you have to deal with wants something from you. If no money if offered and you don’t have any connections, woes betide you. Very often one has to take a whole day off to either report loss of an IC or report a motor accident, no matter how minor. The idea is to make it as troublesome and painful as possible, and force you to “settle” the matter with on the spot bribes to the personnel at hand.

Everyone has a war story to tell. Many of these stories demonstrate the blatant corruption of the police. Many police would openly tell someone, over the counter at the police station, to make an illegal payment – a bribe.

When you need the police however, they would not show. When you report a theft, burglary or robbery, be assured the police would not turn up in time to provide them with a chance of apprehending the culprits. They would ensure they turn up long after the perpetrators have left the scene of the crime.

Every year, I would report illegal lighting of firecrackers. The police would turn up long after you called, and only after you have called numerous times. When they finally show up, instead of going to those houses where the offences have clearly been committed, they go straight to my house. How does coming to my house help solve the situation? Go to those houses where the smoke was still dancing around and they would have everything they need to investigate and even prosecute the offence. But that is not the idea. Someone up in their chain of command has taken big bribes to allow illegal contraband fireworks and firecrackers to be sold openly everywhere. Prosecuting consumers would dry up demand which would in turn dry up the bribes. That is not in the interest of the police.

The police is not a modern law enforcement agency. It is a modern version of the enforcer – the heavies – for the local mafia. That is evident if you examine the close relationships between the highest police personnel in the country have and known underworld characters. I know some of these characters myself and I cannot get used to the fact that they have close relationships with (past) IGP, deputy IGP and heads of police. That was when I was in Malaysia. From what I have heard, things haven’t changed. Police continue to have close relationships with underworld figures in KL, JB and such other places.

The fact that you continue to see foreign sex workers in large numbers, suggest there is close cooperation between law enforcement agencies and the underworld which run these prostitution rings. As in other illegal ventures.

We used to have an illegal Indonesian maid. We didn’t know she was illegal. She had what looked like a valid passport and what looked like valid work permit. We should have smelled a rat when the employment agency was housed in the local UMNO office in Port Klang somewhere. We went to this agency because we were promised a quick processing time. Alas, the haste was highly unholy. Obviously local politicians worked well with law enforcement agencies including customs officers, to procure these maids illegally. The losers were the maids and of course, employers like yours truly.

Malaysia is a joke. Yes, it was a haven for those wanting to make money by the truckloads and quickly. To do that however, you’d have to commit myriads of irregularities. Bribery is a cost of business in Malaysia which every businessman takes into account. It is the consumer who pays in the end. Ordinary Joe Blogs in Malaysia. Someone I used to be.

Kugan Ananthan’s death is the ugly culmination of the police doing as they pleased – including enriching themselves and protecting others in government or public service who also take bribes. When the people rally to the the family of Kugan Ananthan and want to attend the funeral, it is to tell the police to stop being so dirty. It is not to make a criminal a hero. As for demonizing the police, that doesn’t require any input from anyone. The police is already demonised. By itself.