Cakap Tak Serupa Bikin

Thoughts for today

2009-11-24T06:33:00.000+08:00

A man is not at his best when he is a slave to some habit

If you control your thoughts, you can control your actions.

***

In the long run, men hit only what they aim at.

Therefore, they had better aim at something high.

-- Henry David Thoreau

***

Every man serves a useful purpose: A miser, for example, makes a wonderful ancestor.

-- Laurence J. Peter

Sunday: A day of rest

2009-11-22T16:15:00.003+08:00

Sunday is defined as a rest day. I had my rest day today. It had been restless weeks over the past few months.

I had not been blogging as much lately except for some jokes and fun stuff. Over the last few years I enjoyed blogging during my free time (even times when I am not). The brain always have something to tell and this blog was the space where I could write my thoughts. But I had not being able to do so over the last few months. The cognitive faculty could not function to churn out something to write that I used to. It's not burned out; it's not conked; it's just not motivated to write.

Maybe, the trills are gone; maybe, politics are not worth writing as its so predictable. There's also so many sites we can read all those socio-political stuffs we are anxious to read and find out. There are so many of them around: Malaysiakini, Malaysia-Today, Free Malaysia Today, and so many politicians from the political divides are bloggers.

We also have pseudo-politicians and we have also observed those who used to write critically on system dysfunctions, who now becomes converts - converting to accepting the old system of ideologies - most of whom are known to have received a second chance to helm significant roles that are rewarding, financially, benefiting from the current system administration.

So, I think I would rather write jokes, stories and junks. And I can spent more time reading books.

Story: Husband & Wife

2009-11-21T20:01:00.000+08:00

" Dad, I was away for a week. Yesterday I sent a fax to my wife I'd be home that night, and when I got into my room I found my wife in another man's arms.

" Why, Dad ? Tell me why!"

Dad kept silent for a few minutes, then coolly said,

"Maybe, son, she didn't get the fax."

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

A husband compliant to his mother-in-law:

"When we were first married, I would come home from the office, my wife would bring my slippers and our cute little dog would run around barking.

Now after ten years it's all different, I come home, the dog brings the slippers and my wife runs around barking."

"Why complain?" said the mother-in-law. "You're still getting the same service!"

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

A wife, one evening, drew her husband's attention to the couple next door and said,

"Do you see that couple? How devoted they are? He kisses her every time they meet. Why don't you do that?"

"I would love to." Replied the husband. "But I don't know her well enough."

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

From his death bed, the husband called his wife and said, "One month after I die I want you to marry Mohd."

"Mohd? But he is your enemy?"

"Yes, I know that ! I've suffered all these years so let him suffer now."

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

In a divorce court a woman told the judge: "Your honor, I want to divorce my husband."

"But why ?" asked the judge.

She replied, "Because he is not faithful to me."

The judge asked, "How do you know?"

She replied, "My lord, all my children do not resembles him."

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

Computer-literate Parliamentarians

2009-11-18T22:52:00.004+08:00

Budget debate in Parliament.

See what the Law-makers were doing during the debate?

Do our MPs play Solitaire during parliamentary sessions?

No? Malaysian MPs are better? Or did they spent most of their time shouting at each other, make sexiest remarks and pour racial slurs ... and ultimately voted YES to any Bills without reading them? Maybe; and maybe not!

The Parables of 3 Beggars

2009-11-14T18:44:00.000+08:00

There was a good-natured millionaire in the town.

Three beggars thought of approaching him for help.

The first man went to the millionaire and said: "O Lord! I want five rupees. Please give me."

The millionaire was taken aback at this man's impudence. "What! You demand five rupees from me as though I owe you the money! How dare you? How can I afford to give five rupees to a single beggar? Here, take these two rupees and get away," he said.

The man went away with the two rupees.

The next beggar went to the millionaire and said: "Oh Lord! I have not taken a square meal for the past ten days. Please help me."

"How much do you want?" asked the millionaire.

"Whatever you give me, Maharaj," replied the beggar.

"Here, take this ten rupee note. You can have nice food for at least three days." The beggar walked away with the ten rupee note.

The third beggar came. "Oh Lord, I have heard about your noble qualities. Therefore, I have come to see you. Men of such charitable disposition are verily the manifestations of God on earth," he said.

"Please sit down," said the millionaire. "You appear to be tired. Please take this food," he said, and offered food to the beggar.

"Now please tell me what I can do for you."

"Oh Lord," replied the beggar; "I merely came to meet such a noble personage that you are. You have given me this rich food already. What more need I get from you? You have already shown extraordinary kindness towards me. May God bless you!"

But the millionaire, struck by the beggar's spirit, begged of the beggar to remain with him, built a decent house for him in his own compound, and looked after him for the rest of his life.

Humanity have three are three classes of beggars, with three different desires. There is the greedy man full of vanity, full of arrogance, full of desires. He demands the objects of enjoyment.

The first is the greedy man full of vanity, full of arrogance, full of desires. He demands the objects of enjoyment. He was granted the desired object but would soon have to beg again.

The second class asked for relief from the sufferings. To him he was granted much more relief.

The third type merely prays to the Lord. The Lord is highly pleased with his spirit of renunciation, of his lack of desire. Therefore, he was granted over and above the others.

***

Story: Microsoft Car Operating System

2009-11-13T19:39:00.000+08:00

Bill's company made software to run a car.

Bill was taking a test ride of the car. Suddenly a truck came from opposite side.

Bill pressed ctrl+b to apply brakes.

A pop-up window appeared asking, "Are you sure you really want to stop?"

Before Bill could enter "Yes", there was a crash and the car caught fire.

In panic Bill forgot the password to open the door.

He started shouting "F1! F1!" but there was no computer professional present there to understand his screams.

Then he tried to come out through the car window-pane.

A message appeared on the screen, "An illegal function is performed.

All the window-panes of the car will be closed." Poor Bill died.

Messengers of death took away his soul and said to him, "You have never ever performed any good deeds in your life. You always stole the code from others. We are going to send you to hell."

Bill pleaded, "I am ready to go to hell but do provide me a computer, please."

Messengers of death smiled inwardly and permitted him a computer, but with no Alt, Ctrl and Delete keys on the keyboard.

Story: Horse named Jenny

2009-11-11T00:02:00.000+08:00

A man was sitting reading his papers when his wife hit him on the head with a frying pan.

'What was that for?' the man asked.

The wife replied 'That was for the piece of paper with the name Jenny on it that I found in your pants pocket'.

The man then said 'When I was at the races last week Jenny was the name of the horse I bet on'

The wife apologized and went on with the housework.

Three days later the man is watching TV when his wife bashes him on the head with an even bigger frying pan, knocking him unconscious.

Upon re-gaining consciousness the man asked why she had hit again.

Wife replied. 'Your horse phoned'

***

Story by: "Too-Much-Coffee"
***

BayiSingh is back

2009-11-07T19:52:00.004+08:00

On 29th Oct., BayiSingh left a message at my cbox: "Mave, I went for a complex knee operation and it will take about a year to fully recover. That's why I am so low profile these days."

Bayi was conspicuously absent and incommunicado for a period. It was good to hear from him after a long absence. I felt better after I read his message and was pleased to know that he had his knee operation done successfully.

Actually, 28th was my birthday and I thought Bayi had forgotten about it. He didn't. Yesterday, a car salesman delivered me his present for my birthday ... it is

a 200E!

A great gift from a good old friend. Thanks, Bayi. It was truly generous of you.

Today, I received a sms from my son, William Singh. There was no message; it was a picture enclosed:

William bought himself a 325i.

It was a machine he had dream of for some time and he had waited patiently for this day. He has rewarded himself something he wanted badly.

Well, he earned it and paid for it. Thus, he has every right to owned it.

He has worked extremely hard for the last eleven months and had earned his own financial freedom - the freedom to buy things he wanted, the freedom to live his life in comfort and the freedom to pamper himself using his hard-earned money.

The year 2009 was extremely kind to both of us. We had a bumper year. I hope we will work as hard as we had in the following years ahead. We need to do better than we had.

As the year come to a close, we had many friends and associates to thank for. We need to express our heartfelt thanks and appreciations for giving us their enormous support and assistance and making the year, a fantastic and fruitful year. We will continue to work as hard as we had and will continue our journey of life to contribute and share the joy and success with all our friends and associates.

Story: First Class Manager

2009-11-05T18:20:00.000+08:00

A First Class Manager (FCM) is going thru' a forest one evening when his car breaks down. He looks around and finds a lone house. He knocks the door which is opened by a stunning woman.

FCM: Can I spend the night at your place?

Woman: Well. I live alone.

FCM: I'm an honourable man, a FCM.

Woman: I got only one bed.

FCM: No problem. I'm an honourable man, a FCM.

Woman: I go to bed naked.

FCM: No problem. I'm an honourable man, a FCM.

Woman: Be my guest, FCM.

Next morning while leaving, FCM finds the woman busy with her poultry.

FCM: Good birds you got there.

Woman: Yeah.

FCM: How many cocks and how many hens?

Woman: Two hundred hens, one cock..

FCM: But I can see over a dozen cocks around.

Woman: Only one cock over there. The others are first class managers.

*****

Source: Unknown

***

Traffic Jam? See this!

2009-11-04T06:44:00.002+08:00

Story: Sleeping through a storm

2009-11-04T00:01:00.000+08:00

Years ago, a farmer owned land along the Atlantic sea coast.

He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic . They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic , wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops.

As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals.

Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer. "Are you a good farm hand?" the farmer asked him. "Well, I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man.

Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, Hired him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work.

Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand's sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled, "Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!"

The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, "No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows."

Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm.

To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down.

Nothing could blow away. The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew.

******

Moral of the story:

When you're prepared, spiritually, mentally, and physically, you have nothing to fear. Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life?

******

Picture Quiz

2009-11-01T00:01:00.000+08:00

If you are the driver of the train, and

suddenly you saw a girl on the rail track like this:

- What would be your first reaction?

***

If you are a shoe-polisher and this is your customer:

Are you sure you will be able to do a proper job?

***

Quiz: Who would you marry?

2009-10-30T20:23:00.000+08:00

How guys select the girl they want to marry?

A man is dating three women and wants to decide which to marry.

He decides to give them a test. He gives each woman a present of $5,000 and watches to see what they do with the money.

The first does a total makeover. She goes to a fancy beauty salon, gets her hair done, purchases new make-up and buys several new outfits, and dresses up very nicely for the man.

She tells him that she has done this to be more attractive for him because she loves him so much.

The man is impressed.

The second goes shopping to buy the man gifts.

She gets him a new set of STRONG golf clubs, some new gizmos for his computer, and some expensive clothes.As she presents these gifts, she tells him that she has spent all the money on him because she loves him so much.

Again, the man is impressed.

The third invests the money in the stock market.

She earns several times the $5,000. She gives him back his $5000 and reinvests the remainder in a joint account.

She tells him that she wants to save for their future because she loves him so much.

Obviously, the man was impressed.

The man thought for a long time about what each woman had done with the money.

If you are that guy, which of the three girl would you marry?

-
-
-

He married ......

-
-
-

the most beautiful one!!!!!!

Men are Men.... Obviously!!! :)

Malaysia Boleh?

2009-10-29T21:08:00.001+08:00

A leader should know how to manage failure

(Former President of India APJ Abdul Kalam at Wharton India Economic forum, Philadelphia , March 22, 2008)

Question: Could you give an example, from your own experience, of how leaders should manage failure?

Kalam:

Let me tell you about my experience. In 1973 I became the project director of India ’s satellite launch vehicle program, commonly called the SLV-3. Our goal was to put India ’s 'Rohini' satellite into orbit by 1980. I was given funds and human resources -- but was told clearly that by 1980 we had to launch the satellite into space. Thousands of people worked together in scientific and technical teams towards that goal.

By 1979 -- I think the month was August -- we thought we were ready. As the project director, I went to the control center for the launch. At four minutes before the satellite launch, the computer began to go through the checklist of items that needed to be checked. One minute later, the computer program put the launch on hold; the display showed that some control components were not in order. My experts -- I had four or five of them with me -- told me not to worry; they had done their calculations and there was enough reserve fuel. So I bypassed the computer, switched to manual mode, and launched the rocket. In the first stage, everything worked fine. In the second stage, a problem developed. Instead of the satellite going into orbit, the whole rocket system plunged into the Bay of Bengal . It was a big failure.

That day, the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization, Prof. Satish D hawan, had called a press conference. The launch was at 7:00 am, and the press conference -- where journalists from around the world were present -- was at 7:45 am at ISRO's satellite launch range in Sriharikota [in Andhra Pradesh in southern India ]. Prof. Dhawan, the leader of the organization, conducted the press conference himself. He took responsibility for the failure -- he said that the team had worked very hard, but that it needed more technological support. He assured the media that in another year, the team would definitely succeed. Now, I was the project director, and it was my failure, but instead, he took responsibility for the failure as chairman of the organization.

The next year, in July 1980, we tried again to launch the satellite -- and this time we succeeded. The whole nation was jubilant. Again, there was a press conference. Prof. Dhawan called me aside and told me, 'You conduct the press conference today.'

I learned a very important lesson that day. When failure occurred, the leader of the organization owned that failure. When success came, he gave it to his team.

The best management lesson I have learned did not come to me from reading a book; it came from that experience.

***

Story by: BayiSingh

***

Lessons for Today: Bullshit to the Top

2009-10-27T20:50:00.000+08:00

A turkey was chatting with a bull. "I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree," sighed the turkey,"but I haven't got the energy."

"Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?" replied the bull.

They're packed with nutrients."

The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree.

The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch.

Finally after a fourth night, the turkey was proudly perched at the top of the tree. He was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree.

Moral of the story

BullShit might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there.

***

Lessons for Today: Cow Dung Fate

2009-10-25T21:01:00.000+08:00

A little bird was flying south for the Winter.It was so cold the bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field. While he was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on him. As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to realize how warm he was.

The dung was actually thawing him out! He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy.

A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate.

Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him.

Morals of this story

(1) Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy.

(2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend.

(3) And when you're in deep shit, it's best to keep your mouth shut!

Today's Thought

2009-10-22T20:16:00.002+08:00

Most of the limitations you think you have are the ones you have decided on.

They are often entirely self-imposed.

You might think, 'I can't do this, I can't do that, I would never do that, my parents could never do that, I never played baseball, I never climbed a mountain,

I never, never, never'...

and, sure enough, you discover you can't, you're unable, you're incapable,

and then,

You blame fate, luck, the government, the others, god;

everything and everyone else, except YOURSELF!

***

Story: Pride of a Father

2009-10-20T19:39:00.003+08:00

Four friends, who hadn’t seen each other in 30 years, were reunited at a pub. After several drinks, one of them had to go to the rest room.

The three who remained talked about their kids.

The first guy said, “My son is my pride and joy. He started working at a successful company at the bottom of the barrel. He studied Economics and Business Administration and soon began to climb the corporate ladder and now he’s the president of the company. He became so rich that he gave his best friend a top of the line Mercedes for his birthday.”

The second guy said, “Damn, that’s terrific! My son is also my pride and joy. He started working for a big airline. He then went to flight school to become a pilot. Eventually he became a partner in the company, where he owns the majority of its assets. He’s so rich that he gave his best friend a brand new jet for his birthday.”

The third man said: “Well, that’s terrific! My son studied in the best universities and became an engineer. Then he started his own construction company and is now a multimillionaire. He also gave away something very nice and expensive to his best friend for his birthday: A 30,000 square foot mansion.”

The three friends were congratulating each other just as the fourth returned from the rest-room and asked: “What are all the congratulations for?”

One of the three said: “We were talking about the pride we feel for the successes of our sons….What about your son?”

The fourth man replied: “My son is gay and makes a living dancing as a stripper at a nightclub.”

The three friends said: “What a shame… what a disappointment.”

The fourth man replied: “No, I’m not ashamed. He’s my son and I love him. And he’s lucky, too. His birthday just passed the other day and he received a beautiful 30,000 square foot mansion, a brand new jet and a top of the line Mercedes from his three boyfriends.”

********************
Story from: Desiderata YL Chong

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

Barack Obama: Audacity of Hope (Part 2)

2009-10-19T23:07:00.002+08:00

OBAMA: The Audacity of Hope

"One thing I've discovered as I get older is that you have to do what is satisfying to you. In fact that's one of the advantages of old age, that you've finally learned what matters to you. It is hard to know that at twenty-seven. And the problem is that nobody else can answer that question for you. You can only figure it out on your own."

"I am getting to an age where I have a sense of what satisfies me, and although I am perhaps more tolerant of compromise, I know that my satisfaction is not to be found in the glare of television cameras or the applause of the crowd. Instead, it seems to come more often now from knowing that in some demonstrable way I've been able to help people live their lives with some measure of dignity.

"Benjamin Franklin once wrote to his mother explaining why he had devoted so much of his time to public service: 'I would rather have it said, He lived usefully, than, He died rich.'

That's what satisfies me now - being useful to my family and the people who put me where I am, leaving behind a legacy that will make our children's lives more hopeful than our own."

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

When I read those passages from Obama's book, I thought I was the man myself. Ya, I now feel that way too. Age had caught up with me and youth had passed me by. I now need to do what really satisfies me, not just doing things just to earn some money. There are two fundamental things that is far more important to life - values and ideals.

In Obama's words: "If I am wiser, it is mainly because I have traveled a little further down the path I have chosen for myself, and have gotten a glimpse of where it may lead, for good and for ill."

Ya, I think I am far wiser than I was before. The journey of my life had been rough and painstaking. I had toiled for decades, achieving nothing, except for the last few years where I was greatly blessed. Today, I had some success to savour and feel good. God willing I hope to continue with what I am doing for another few years where I can contribute back to the society - to do thing that are useful to my family and the people who helps to put me where I am now, and most of all, to those who needs my help and assistance. I hope to be able to leave behind some kind of legacy that will make my children's lives more hopeful than my own.

Life, afterall, is about achieving something satisfying.

This too is my Audacity of Hope!

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

Learning from Barack Obama

2009-10-18T16:25:00.006+08:00

BARACK OBAMA The Audacity of Hope

"We have a stake in one another, and that what binds us together is greater than what drives us apart, and that if enough people believe in the truth of that proposition and act on it, then we might not solve every problem, but we can get something meaningful done."

_______________________________________________________

When I decided to run for the United States Senate (Senate seat for Illinois in 2004), I wasn't so sure of myself. I had preserved my independence, my good name, and my marriage, all of which, statistically speaking, had been placed at risk the moment I set foot in the state capital.

But the years had also taken their toll. Some of it was just a function of my getting older; each successive year will make you more intimately acquainted with all of your flaws - the blind spots, the recurring habits of thought that will almost certainly worsen with time, as surely as the hitch in your walk turns to pain in your hip. In me, one of those flaws had proven to be a chronic restlessness; an inability to appreciate, no matter how well things were going, those blessings that were right there in front of me. It's a flaw that is endemic to modern life and one that is nowhere more evident than in the field of politics. Whether politics actually encourages the trait or simply attracts those who possess it is unclear.

Someone once said that: "Every man is trying to either live up to his father's expectation or make up for his father's mistakes."

I suppose that may explain my particular malady as well as anything else.

In any event, it was a consequence of that relentlessness that I decided to challenge a sitting Democratic incumbent for his congressional seat in the 2000 election cycle.

It was an ill-considered race, and I lost badly - the sort of drubbing that awakens you to the fact that:

"Life is not Obliged to Work Out as you'd Planned."

A year and a half later, the scars of that loss sufficiently healed, I had lunch with a media consultant who had been encouraging me for some time to run for statewide office. As it happened, the lunch was scheduled for late September 2001.

"You realize, don't you, that the political dynamics have changed," he said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

We both looked down at the newspaper. There, on the front page, was Osama bin Laden.

"Hell of a thing, isn't it?" he said, shaking his head.

"Really bad luck. You can't change your name of course. Voters are suspicious of that kind of thing. Maybe if you were at the start of your career, you know, you could use a nickname or something. But now ..." His voice trailed off and he shrugged apologetically before signaling the waiter to bring us the check.

I suspected he was right, and that realization ate away at me. For the first time in my career, I began to experience the envy of seeing younger politicians succeed where I had failed.

The pleasure of politics began to pale against the meaner tasks of the jobs: the begging for money, the long drives home and clipped phone conversation with a wife who had stuck by me so far but was pretty fed up with raising our children alone and was beginning to question my priorities.

I began to harbor doubts about the path I had chosen. I began to feel, after years of commitment to a particular dream, after years of waiting, to realize that it's gone just about as far as talent or fortune will take me. The dream will not happen, and I now faces the choice of accepting this fact like a grown-up and moving on to more sensible pursuits, or refusing the truth and ending up bitter, quarrelsome, and slightly pathetic.

Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Despair - I'm not sure I went through all the stages prescribed by the experts. At some point, though, I arrived at acceptance - of my limits, and, in a way, my mortality. I refocused on my work in the state senate and took satisfaction from the reforms and initiatives that my position afforded. I spent more time at home, and watched my daughters grow, and properly cherished my wife, and thought about my long-term financial obligations. I exercised, and read novels, and came to appreciate how the earth rotated around the sun and the seasons came and went without any particular exertions on my part.

And it was this acceptance that allowed me to come up with the thoroughly cockeyed idea of running for the Illinois Senate seat in 2004.

An up-or-out strategy was how I described it to my wife, one last shot to test out my ideas before I settled into a calmer, more stable, and better-paying existence. And she - perhaps more out of pity than conviction - agreed to this one last race, though she also suggested that given the orderly life she preferred for our family, I shouldn't necessarily count on her vote.

I let her take comfort in the long odds against me.

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

In 2000, Barack Obama was unsuccessful in his bid for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

On March 2004, Barack Obama won the Democratic primary election to become the States Senator of Illinois.

On February 2007, Barack Obama began his run for the US Presidency. He later beats Hillary Clinton for the Democratic Party presidential primaries.

In the 2008 United States General Election, he defeated Republican nominee John McCain.

On January 20, 2009, Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States.

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

Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is the 44th and current president of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office, as well as the first president born in Hawaii.

Obama previously served as the junior United States Senator from Illinois from January 2005 until he resigned after his election to the presidency in November 2008.

Obama served three terms in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004. Following an unsuccessful bid for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000, Obama ran for United States Senate in 2004. His victory in the March 2004 Democratic primary election for the United States Senator from Illinois brought him to national attention. His prime-time televised keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in July 2004 made him a rising star nationally in the Democratic Party. He comfortably won election to the U.S. Senate in November 2004.

He began his run for the presidency in February 2007. After a close campaign in the 2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries against Hillary Clinton, he won his party's nomination. In the 2008 general election, he defeated Republican nominee John McCain and was inaugurated as president on January 20, 2009. On October 9, 2009, Obama was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.[4]

Ku Li: I tell you a Story

2009-10-18T12:21:00.002+08:00

Let me tell you a story:

I grew up in Kota Bharu. My father was fond of Western cuisine and had a Hainanese cook who prepared the dishes he enjoyed.

One day, while the cook was feeding the tigers in our home, a piece of meat got stuck in between the bars of the cage. – I should explain that we had a mini zoo in our home. My father was fond of animals and we shared a home with tigers, a bear, crocodiles and other creatures in the compound. The animals were very fond of my father. The tigers would come up to him to have their backs stroked. The bear would accompany him on his walks around the garden. The crocodiles made their escape in one of Kota Bharu’s annual floods, which I always remember as a happy time because of the water sports it made possible. My father sent us out to look for them. What he expected us to do when we found them I am not sure.

To return to my story, one day the cook was feeding the tigers, and a piece of meat got stuck between the bars of the cage. The cook tried to dislodge it. As he did so, he failed to notice the tiger. The tiger swatted his hand. Within twenty four hours, our poor cook was dead from the infection caused by the wound.

Our family was in grief. He was dear to us all. He had no known relatives. So my father took it upon himself to arrange a full Chinese funeral for the cook, complete with a brass band and procession, and invited all the cook’s friends. We children followed in respect as the process wove its way through the town.

The picture that our current politics paints of us is devoid of wonder, and therefore of possibility.

Our politics has become an enemy of our sense of wonder. Instead it has sown doubt, uncertainty and fear. These are disabling emotions. It is not by accident that authoritarian regimes everywhere begin their subjugation of people by cutting them off from their past. Systematically, they replace the richly textured memories of a community that make people independent, inquisitive and open with prefabricated tales that weaken them into subjugation through fear and anxiety. They destroy the markers of memory, the checks and balances of tradition and institution, and replace them with a manufactured set of images all pointing to a centralized power.

In that wonder we shall recover what it is we love about being who we are, who we are amongst, and we shall more fiercely defend not just our own, but each others’ freedoms.

A Constitution of Consensus

One place for us to begin this process together is our Federal Constitution.

The Constitution is the ultimate safeguard of our fundamental liberties. These are liberties which cannot be taken away.

The truth is that our Constitution was built by a deliberately consultative process aimed at achieving consensus.

The question of whether the Federation should be an islamic state, for example, was considered and rejected by the Rulers and by the representatives of the people. Had we wanted to be ruled by syariah, the option was on the shelf, so to speak, and could easily have been taken, because prior to this the states were ruled by the Sultans according to syariah law. The fact that we have a constitution governed by common law is not an accident nor an external imposition. We chose to found our nation on a secular constitution after consultation and deliberation.

What we should be uneasy about is not so much ethnic discord, which is often manufactured for political ends and has little basis in the daily experience of our citizens, but the subversion of our Constitution. Such subversion is only possible if we forget that this Constitution belongs to us, protects us all, and underwrites our nationhood and we fail to defend it.

The political framework of this country cries out for reform. But reform is not about the blind embrace of the new. That would be to fly from disorder to confusion. Our path to reform must come from a recovery of the “old” living spirit of Constitutionalism, and the “old” values of freedom and justice, and the “old” memories each of us carries in themselves of what is good about our nation.

National reform must begin with reform of our party system. This is because one of the chief reasons this nation is sick is that we have a diseased party system. A diagnosis of the disease of the party system finds that the parties are sick because they have strayed from from the Constitutional principles that govern them (they are subject to the Societies Act). In doing so they have become undemocratic. In becoming undemocratic they have lost legitimacy. In losing legitimacy they have lost public support and the ability to rejuvenate themselves. The cure, surely is for them to conform themselves again to constitutional principles.

I have warned that Umno, like any other political party that has been in power for so long, must reform, or it will be tossed out by the people.

It is not just Umno that needs to reform. The entire political system needs to change, to be in greater conformity with our Constitution and in the spirit of the Rukun Negara, which says from these diverse elements of our population, we are dedicated to the achievement of a united nation in which loyalty and dedication to the nation shall over-ride all other loyalties.’”

We should not expect our political parties to reform of their own accord. Leaders who owe their position to undemocratic rules and practices are the last people to accept reform. The people must demand it.

Today, in 2009, an African American man is President of the United States. He has just won the Nobel Peace Prize. In 46 years, and well within my lifetime, how far things have come. Had you told me in 1962, after that incident, that a black man would be president in my life time, I would not have believed you. This change did not happen without struggle.

If the authorities do what is unjust, ride roughshod over constitutional rights and deny the sovereignty of the rakyat and the primacy of our constitution, we rest secure in the knowledge that history shows us that the just cause, defended stoutly, persistently and peacefully, will prevail. And sooner than we might expect.

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EXTRACTED FROM: Razaleigh.com

Keynote speech on the launch of the book, Multi-ethnic Malaysia

UCSI University, Cheras, October 16, 2009

READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE HERE: Constitution of Consensus

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Todays News in Picture

2009-10-18T08:57:00.003+08:00

Source: NST, October 18, 2009, page 21, OPINION

Caption: Umno delegates react to Datuk Seri Najib Razak's speech

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Happy Deepavali

2009-10-17T08:00:00.004+08:00

To all my Hindu friends & enemies,

"Happy Deepavali"

&

May God bless you and all of your family members.

To my Muslim & Chinese friends,

Let's go celebrate and rejoice together.

To myself,

Shit, I still got to work today!

Story of a Dentist

2009-10-16T01:04:00.000+08:00

My name is ALICE , and I was sitting in the waiting room for my first appointment with a new dentist.

I noticed his DDS Diploma on the wall, which bore his full name. Suddenly, I remembered a tall, handsome, dark-haired boy with the same name had been in my High School class some 30-odd years ago.

Could he be the same guy that I had a secret crush on, way back then?

Upon seeing him, however, I quickly discarded any such thought.

This balding, gray-haired man with deeply-lined face was way way too old to be my classmate.

After he examined my teeth, I asked if him if he had attended Anderson High School.

"Yes, Yes, I Did. I'm a Andersonian," He gleamed with pride.

"When did you graduate?" I asked.

He answered, "IN 1970. Why did you ask?"

"You were in my class!", I exclaimed.

He looked at me closely.

Then, that ugly, old, bald, wrinkled faced, fat-arsed, grayed-haired, decrepit, son-of-a-bitch asked,

"WHAT DID YOU TEACH???

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Story related by: Stanley

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KHAIRY: 'civilisational confidence' – we fear not our own shadow."

2009-10-14T19:15:00.006+08:00

I got a shock today!

I slapped myself twice and use eye-MO to clean my eyes.

It's unbelievable and cannot come from one man and from an institution.

Khairy's new philosophical doctrine:

"Fulfilling the vision for our community's advancement would require the confidence to accept competition based on our own on merit and abilities. This is the meaning of 'civilisational confidence' – we fear not our own shadow."

That's damn profound! This must what was taught at Oxford and Cambridge. How did it took him so many years to deliver this theme?

He was absolutely right: the new doctrine of - "civilisational confidence" vs the old doctrine of "delusional supremacy".

There is so much intellectuality and wisdom in his speech today at the Umno Youth General assembly.

According to Khairy's new profound philosophy, "the Malays must get rid of their “siege mentality” and take on the mantle of true leadership, one which includes all the races of Malaysia while not neglecting the plight of the Malays."

Khairy asked the Malays to make the leap to a political struggle based on “civilisational confidence” and help the Prime Minister achieve his 1Malaysia vision.

Definition of Civilisational Confidence

In Khairy's own dictionary, he explained that: “Civilisational Confidence" means as Malays, we are confident of our own ability to move forward, setting out a vision for success without being afraid of our own shadow. This is our generation’s challenge.

In Khairy's own words, "for too long, Malays and Umno have been caught in a mindset that is negative and overly defensive. We feel as though we are constantly under siege, and all our efforts appear to be channeled towards protecting the Malay special position.

“I urge Malays, beginning with the youth, to get out of this siege mentality,” he said.

Khairy noted that Article 153 of the Federal Constitution guarantees the special position of Malays and bumiputras, and stripping it would require the approval of two-thirds of Parliament as well consent from the Council of Rulers.

“But consider this: Article 153 in itself does not guarantee progress and development for the Malays. Constitutional provisions do not make us ‘special’ or extraordinary, it is the performance and achievements of Malays that will determine if we are,” he said.

“Umno and the Malays as a whole must move away from a defensive setting, where we assume that our rights are under threat, to a people equipped with our own civilisational confidence – carving a vision of progress for the future.

“This is the new Malay dilemma, the generational question of our time which must be addressed: Are we going to defend symbols for their sake, or are we bold and courageous enough to accept the reality that there needs to be a change in both vision and mechanisms to see Malays forge ahead? I believe the answer lies in the latter,” he said.

“Guided by the spirit of 1Malaysia, Umno Youth has to abide by a new mission that will be the foundation of our contemporary struggle.

“This is our new mission: To win the support of all Malaysians, and not just the Malays. In our words, agenda and strategy, Umno Youth must operate based on this new mission – giving hope to all Malaysian regardless of race, religion and background,” he said.

“We are now at a crossroads of our cause, where we can choose to remain on the same path with the same style and methods. We can continue with the chest-thumping rhetoric, warning other races never to challenge this or that.

“This option is easy, and may promise a measure of popularity within the party, but we must ask ourselves, is this what Malaysians – Malays included – really want from Umno?

“For the 21st century Umno Youth, the courageous choice is to position ourselves as the pioneers of national unity through the spirit of 1Malaysia,” he said.

“Umno and Umno Youth will always fight for the Malays – protecting the status of Islam, the Malay rulers and the Malay language. These are the core elements of Umno’s struggle that will never dissipate from our agenda.

‘However, we must pursue these things based on two principles: Justice and compassion, especially when dealing with other races. This compass will underline our national agenda that is grounded not in the narrow concept of Malay dominance, but on the concept of Malay leadership – magnanimous as well as both just and compassionate,” he said.

He said that Islam has always guided Umno, and that there should be nothing strange in Malays also fighting for Malaysians as a whole.

“In fact, when we respect the beliefs of others, they too will better respect ours. Allah SWT commands in Surah Al An’am, verse 108: And insult not those who worship besides Allah, lest they insult Allah wrongfully without knowledge,” he said.

“Some may wonder if we should fight for other communities if they question our position as Malays.

“It is here that out leadership credentials will be tested. As the group of people given the responsibility and privilege to lead, Malays cannot simply follow the common beat – that would not be leadership.

“Instead, as leaders, Malays must rise above and go the extra mile. Only then will we have the ability to lead and be acknowledged as leaders who have wider recognition. This is another example of Malay leadership that I spoke of – a leadership that is just and compassionate, and accepted by all,” he said.

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I nearly reproduce his whole text speech culled from The Star news reported today.

Was it a profound discovery or was it his philosophical dictates? Or, was it dictated by 1Malaysia man?

Whatever it is, it was a scary speech. This new doctrine posed a new problematical political journey to a new unknown destination and much will be clearer in the year ahead as time will tell - the truth

How long can this new political philosophy last? We are so used to the discrimination, the suppression and threats; for over the decades we have developed the body and spirit to withstand the onslaught and survived the mental torture and kept our sanity. But now, we would have to breakdown our mental barriers and defenses in order to embrace this newly propounded "love and compassion", more so, as it now comes from one that we shivered to think of.

We now "received" love and compassion - we need to cry out loud; we need to go to churches and temples to offer our thanksgiving for the new extraordinary blessings and extraordinary love and compassion. It's so "cruelly kind" and "cruelly compassionate". We all must cry out loud and shout "hallelujah" .... thank you so much Mr. Khairy, for the love and compassion. Could you and would you remain steadfast to this principles which you had emphatically espoused today? It's hard to believe, but we will try to believe it is true and truthful.

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READ THE NEWS AT THE LINKS BELOW:

The Star: Get rid of siege mentality, Khairy urges Malays

Malaysiakini: Khairy issues bold call to Umno Youth

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NB: It will be far more scarier if Utusan Malaysia and the Awang Selamat also speaks the same tune. We will faint and die of heart attack.

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