HAPPY NEW YEAR 2008

Happy New Year 2008 to all whoever visited my blog. I admit my posting's graph is going down at the moment. I hope it will go up in 2008.

To my favourite bloggers akula, azwan, cosmic gurl, dnas, da winged acrophobic, jules, kuzza, uba and redhead (.... and I am sure the list will grow in 2008 and beyond), I wish you guys all the best 2008 could offer.

The same wish goes to whoever visited my blog.

THE DOOMED FLIGHT BA 149

Have you ever heard the doomed flight BA 149?

I bet you have never heard of it.

Well it was a flight from Heathrow bound to Kuala Lumpur, refuelling in Kuwait City on the night of Saddam's invasion of Kuwait.

This is a chilling story of the victims of a covert MI6 mission that used British Airways flight 149 on the night of the start of the first Gulf War on August 1st 1990. It was a mission that then went badly wrong, delivering 367 civilian passengers into the hands of Saddam’s Republican Guard. In a traumatic and long-lasting ordeal, they were taken hostage and dispersed to allied targets in Kuwait and Iraq as part of Saddam’s human shield. An attendant was raped by Iraqi soldiers. BBC had reported it as an ill-executed covert MI6 mission at the start of the first Gulf War, The Secret of British Airways Flight 149, has been broadcast on BBC2

BA 149 was secretly used at the 11th hour by an MI6 operation to get a covert unit of former Special Forces men and Intelligence Officers into Kuwait for the purpose of gathering intelligence ahead of Saddam’s looming invasion of Kuwait.

No-one would ever have known of the mission had the plane completed its re-fuelling and departed. But there was a major miscalculation. Saddam’s tanks had crossed into Kuwait earlier than predicted on the morning of August 2nd and met little opposition. As they sped towards Kuwait City BA 149 was still three hours away from landing. But while other flights were diverted from Kuwait City International Airport, BA 149 was not. It was a race against time - a gamble with the fate of 367 passengers and 18 crew at stake - a gamble that MI6 seemingly were prepared to take to get their secret unit into Kuwait.

Me and the Malaysian Passengers

Malaysia was not an enemy to Iraq and due to that fact all Malaysian passengers were handed to the Malaysian Embassy in Kuwait and they were then transported to the Malaysian Embassy in Baghdad. To cope with the big number of refugees, the Malaysian Embassy in Baghdad requested all Malaysians in Baghdad to house some of Malaysian passengers of Flight BA 149. As for me, some of the female passengers stayed in my house before arrangement made to send them out of Iraq.

As a bachelor that time and I was pampered by the ladies during that short period. Twenty of them stayed in my house ranging from 4 years old girl to 65 years old grandma. My house were cleaned, the marble floors were so shiny, no dust, the curtains cleaned and I had hot and good food everyday when I returned home from work. It was heaven. They even wore my clothes because they were handed 'sehelai sepinggang' to me. A chinese girl student wore my 'kain pelikat' everyday.

After one week all my 'dayangs' had to leave. The Malaysian Embassy had arranged busses to trasport all stranded Malaysians to Amman, Jordan and a chartered flight flew them home to KL. They cried before they leave. They gave me presents which I kept in good condition. A paper weight from a student is still on my work desk today. The grandma asked me to visit her in the UK.

When they left I felt so lonely. My house back to its usual mess and no more hot food waiting for me when I returned home from work.

God, I missed them.

WHATEVER HAPPENS TO OUR STOCK MARKET?

My Ms. Pretty remiser texted me a few days ago.
"Our msian gov is not helping our mkt wt the announcement of proton".

I replied.
"The present leadership memang tak market friendly pun. So many market unfriendly issues. How are you?"

She texted back.
"Our leaders r very dumb. They r just not thinkin bout msian welfare. Cakap aje byk. Im ok., just angry wth d govt thats all"

Well.... I can smell it that the people in the market are becoming more and more restless. They want to see some market friendly moves. Issues of failure to get Proton's foreign partner, Bersih Rally, Hindraf Rally, VK Lingam saga, wasting money on Angkasawan and so many more are damaging our reputation and our market.

Our government's damage control failure is hurting the market. Just admit it.

I am pulling my money from the market, at a lost, as for now. Cash is King, but stock market is not. At least for now.

OF A KELANTANESE, A SRI LANKAN, A MOROCCAN, A MALAYSIAN WHO NEVER LEFT UK AND CHEF WAN

It had just been reported to me yesterday that Chef Wan is in London for some TV show and interviews with a few magazines. And of course a few non-profit organizations will seize this opportunity to haul him for some cooking demonstration in the pretext of charity drive.

One confusion yesterday will definitely made his day. The organizer, a Kelantanese lady requested for a transport for Chef Wan from his rented apartment to the location. The request was made to a Sri Lankan supervisor who is in charge of transport arrangements.

Her request sound like this "Karunanithi please send a driver to pick the CEH".

The Sri Lankan then called the drivers room and a driver "Mohammed please go to this address, go to apartment 24 and collect a CHEAR".

The driver then asked "How many chairs". The supervisor said "Only one". The driver responded "I need a messenger to come with me because there is no parking at that address. I cannot leave the car. The messenger can go up the apartment a collect the chair"

The supervisor said "Bring Mat Salleh then". Mat Salleh is a Malaysian, born in the the UK and cannot speak even a word in Bahasa.

So both of them left for the address. When they arrived Mat Salleh went into the building, passing Chef Wan who was standing there and rang the apartment.

"I lived here" said Chef Wan. "Oh hello" said Mat Salleh, "I am here to collect the chair".

"It the chef, not a chair" said Chef Wan, "and I am the Chef". "No" said Mat Salleh, "I suppose to collect a chair".

By now Chef Wan had heated up. Not only they were late, now they want to carry him as a chair to the car.

Mat Salleh called the Sri Lankan supervisor informing that there was no chair there, but an angry-looking guy who kept on repeating that he is the chef. The supervisor then called the lady Kelantanese organizer for clarification only to find out that it was actually a chef to be picked up, not a chair.

On his way to the location, Chef Wan grumbled in his usual Cik Kiah style while both the Moroccan and Malaysian just kept silence.

He will probably tell this tale in one of his show later, I guarantee......

THE MALAYSIAN CURRENCY CRISIS, HOW AND WHY IT HAPPENED - A SUGGESTED READING

Well,well. Do you think that I am going to suggest a newly published book to read? Maybe later, but this time I would like to suggest you to read The Malaysian Currency Crisis by the former Malaysian PM.

For those who have not read this book, I suggest you to go and get one. It explains what is the Asian Currency Crisis 1997-1998 all about and how wrong the decisions made by the former DPM cum Finance Minister which almost brought us to total collapse.

Ironically I haven't heard a single refute from the former DPM nor his famous threat to bring the former PM to court on the issues raised in the book. Or probably there were that missed my attention. Or there were none to bring the whole truth from his viewpoint.

I finished reading the Malaysian Currency Crisis in one day (it is a small thin book anyway). I had read this book afew times over and over again.

I had also read Anwar Ibrahim's Asian Renaissance. I read up to 6 pages, closed the book and kept it in my bookshelf until today. Never open it again.

The self-proclaimed Renaissance Man just couldn't come close to the stature of the Grand Old Man or a Statesman to be exact.

... AND HERE IT IS, ANOTHER SUB-PRIME CRISIS

Right after the rattle of sub-prime mortgage crisis seems to subside, another sub-prime menace is already here, waiting for us in the horizon. This time a much bigger sub-prime crisis, the credit cards debts estimated at US$915 billions. We will have to accept it now that the US is heavily indebted. The Americans are living their 'American Dreams' on the borrowed money. Unlike the Euros, the US dollar is not back-up by gold reserves. It is back-up by the words 'In God We Trust'. It is a matter of time the crisis in the US would burst wide open. When thats happen, we will go down the drain with them.

On top of that, the petrol price is keep on rising, as a result of weak US Dollars. Petrol price is quoted in US Dollars in the world market and if you remember Dr. Mahathir had many times suggested for petrol to be traded in the Euros, a suggestion that fell into deaf ears. Now we are paying for the price.

I filled up my car this morning and got shocked that the price today is £1.01 (around RM7.00) per litre. It was £0.69 when I arrived in the UK. A more than 40% increase. So brace yourself for an evitable rise of gasoline price in Malaysia, which is happening very soon or latest right after the anticipated General Election.

A PRICELESS GIFT

My definition of priceless is something that money cannot buy. Eventhough I have the money but if there is no price on the thing I wanted to buy, I still couldn't buy it. And so I have this gift, such a priceless which I keep very close to me.

I lived in Iraq quite sometime ago, during the time when Saddam Hussain was alive. I can say that from a few Arab countries that I had visited, Iraq is the most special of all. Iraqis look rough, just like any other Arabs, but they are the nicest Arabs to me. I travelled to Jordan, Kuwait, Egypt and Morocco (although Egypt and Morocco are in the North Africa, but they are also of Arabs stock) and Iraq and its people are always close to my heart.

Iraq is a land of plenty. No only she hold the second oil reserve in the world, but the land there is so fertile with Tigris and Euphrates river run accross her. For me Iraq should be one of the richest country in the world. But alas, like being cursed for hundred of years, life in Iraq remained difficult as though being damned by the curse of the black gold she owned.

History had shown how the ancient Iraqis had repelled the Roman Empire. I won't be a surprise if they can still repel the Americans and the British in the present time.

While I was there I befriended this old man whom I called Baba Aziz. He was the head of the community where he lived, at the outskirt of Baghdad. I was going out socially with his daughter, well as a friend, but not as a special, although in the beginning I had this idea to have her special. The Iraqis like to bring their friends home and I was introduced to her family, to her father. He introduced himself as Aziz and I called him Baba Aziz since.

I was amazed by his fluency in English, nothing compared to my broken language. A very polish and respected gentleman. He was 63 years old that time. We spend hours talking everytime we met. I didn't have to talk much because there was so much to hear from him, the great civilization of Babylon, the cradle of mankind and many more things about Iraq. All I had to do just lent my ears. I learnt that old folks will love you if you just be a good listener. Thats what I did best. There was so much experience to share from him.

Whenever I go to see him, I will bring a carton of Malboro cigarettes, although I am not smoking. His daughter had warned me not to bring cigarettes to him, but she could not say much as her father was so happy to have my company and nobody will stop him from smoking while I was around. He told me that he just want to smoke as there is not much left for him in his life anyway.

One thing about Baba Aziz, he always hold a tasbih (prayer bits)and this one particular tasbih has never left his hand. It looked like being made from a rough glass.

On one of visit, he held my right hand and put this tasbih into my hand. He asked me to keep it. He told me that this particular tasbih is very special to him and it was made from the windscreen of the Iranian fighter jet that was shot down during the Iran-Iraq war. A piece of the fighter windscreen was given to him by the Iraqi government as an honour because his eldest son, a commander in Iraqi military was captured by the Iranians and he had not heard about him ever since. He sent the piece of the windscreen to the tasbih maker and since then that tasbih has never left his hand.

I told him that I cannot accept that gift as it meant so much to him. He may want to keep it close to him all the time. He insisted and that he had already accepted me as his son and he want me to have it. I was so touched and so honoured to inherit that gift. I finally accepted it.

The new war broke out as a result of Saddam's invasion on Kuwait and I had to leave Iraq. I was in a real rush and I couldn't say goodbye to Baba Aziz. Iraqi telecommunication system was heavily bombarded and I couldn't call Baba Aziz at all after I left Iraq. I had totally lost contact with him.

I do not know his condition now. Is he is still alive in Iraq's present condition. He must have suffered a lot. I pray for him and his family to always be in god's protection.

And I still miss his company so much. I have been keeping the tasbih close to me all the time. A priceless gift that I always treasure.

MALAYSIA'S NEXT TOP MODELS

No, no. They are not America's or Britain's next top models. These girls (except one) are the newest Malaysia's next top models and they had visited me and my family on the second day of Hari Raya.... :)




No lah. Two of these pretty girls are my nieces. They came all the way from Manchester and Liverpool together with their friends during second Hari Raya to London and visited their long lost uncle. I felt so blessed.

Whats more, they posed under my appple tree too. Now the apple tree also felt so blessed.



And a few of their poses (one below) will surely win awards.




Looking at them, I think they really have a quality to model. Except they are now serious students in various disciplines.

I wish them all the best and one day to contribute to the country.

1 AUGUST 1990

1st August 1990, a date not to forget.

Gonzalez and I were travelling from Kuwait City to Baghdad. The total distance was 800km and we were travelling by 4x4 Mitsubishi Pajero. It was scorching hot at 45˚C, but luckily the car's Japanese made air-conditioned worked very well to that kind of heat. There was a 2km no man's land between Kuwait and Iraq borders, which mean if anything happened to the car after crossing Kuwait border, we wouldn't be getting help from either Kuwaiti or Iraqi authorities before reaching Iraqi border post.

After crossing both borders, we drove on the Iraqi Primary Highway to Baghdad. It was a five lanes very wide highway with an extra emergency lane. A total of six lanes going and six lanes coming back. I had never seen this kind of highway before. Our two lanes North-South Highway would look just like a country road to them. The distance between one filling station to another was 300km and we had petrol stored in jerry can in case we ran out of it. Saddam Hussein had used his oil revenue to build a super Iraqi Primary Highways connecting Baghdad to the borders of Kuwait, Turkey, Saudi and Jordan. I had been in the US and I can guarantee that even the best highways in the US couldn't match these highways. According to intelligent reports, Saddam Hussein would use the highways as a landing airstrip for his military aircrafts during the war.

While on our way we saw a lot of military trucks on the opposite side heading to Kuwait border. It was quite normal to see convoys of military trucks in Iraq. But the number this time were higher than normal. This time they also had the mobile hospitals in the convoys.

We reached Baghdad at almost 8.00pm. I was so tired and slumped myself in bed like a log. Woke up next day just to hear the news that Iraq had invaded Kuwait at the early dawn of 2nd August 1990. A different version of the Iraqi TV had announced that Kuwait had return to Iraq and they were celebrating. Had Gonzalez and I delayed our departure to another day, we might had been caught in the invasion.

As for the military convoys that we had witnessed, to the layman like me there was nothing to be alarmed for these quite normal military movements in Iraq. But for the military experts, they probably would detect something amiss when the mobile hospitals were involved that time.

For me, I was just there, in one part of the history.

THOSE DAYS......

Well those days, ha! ha! ha! For some unknown reason I remembered an incident that had happened in a once upon a time when I was studying in ITM.

I was so skinny those days. The side effect of being skinny and unattractive was very obvious, no other than not being able to attract a girl. I got used to it and not having a girlfriend was quite okay to me. I knew my look very well, it was so pathetic and I better stay away from trying to market myself, it won't sell.

But one night, my luck was about to change. I had borrowed my friend's motorbike to go to the library that night. Those days the students do not need to have a license to ride motorbike in ITM. When the library closed, I rode back slowly to my hostel, enjoying the night breeze. Half way I saw a girl waving in front of me. I looked behind me and there was nobody there. The girl was definitely waving for me. I stopped the bike near her and I can see that she was very beautiful. She smiled and asked me if she can have a ride to her hostel. I was very delighted and obliged straight away.

She climbed to the motorbike and I rode slowly towards the girls hostel. I started asking her name, her course, her year and lots of questions. She was so friendly and asked quite a lot of questions about me too. It seemed that she was interested in me and I felt good.

The ride was actually very slow but it seemed so fast to me. Well when you are in a company of a beautiful girl, of course time just fly. When we reached her hostel, she climbed down the motorbike and thanked me. Smiled and she dropped a bombshell. She told me that she was desperate for the ride because she urgently need to go to the toilet. She thanked me again, told me that she already had a boyfriend and ran quickly inside. I paused and was gutted, but I took it easy.

On my way back to my hostel, I couldn't stop thinking on why she hadn't been frank on her misery. Had she been frank, I would have sent her as fast as I could and saved her from all the suffering she had to endure on holding it on my slow ride. I would surely rush probably to save my friend's motorbike in case she couldn't hold it.

And why she had to tell me that she already had a boyfriend? The answer I had probably she want to make it clear to me in case I bumped to her again later. Girls.... I really don't understand them.

BETWEEN LAZINESS AND FASTING

I really do not know, is it laziness or is it fasting. I have been so slow in everything during Ramadhan. The first casualty is my garden. The grass is not mowed and the fallen leaves is not raked. Hari Raya is coming and my guests will peek to the garden and they will wonder on what happen to it. If they ever ask, I will say that the gardener is 'mogok'.

It is a few more days to Hari Raya and I hope I still can do something to it.



Oh ya... by the way I got some apples in the garden. But, still... is it laziness or Ramadhan? I just leave the apples there. Should make a good pie if I have a little effort. Let see after Raya if they would turn to pies.

HARI RAYA ABROAD, ONCE AGAIN ON THE SAME NOTE

This year would be my fifth Raya in London, again on the same note. So sad actually when calling my mother on Raya eve. She will ask again if I can come home for Raya. And again I couldn't come home. I don't have the privilege of having 5 days leave like some people. So I am doomed here for Raya...tsk...tsk... tsk...

The Malaysian Ambassador will hold an open house again this year. A yearly event that is much awaited by the Malaysian community in the UK. A huge tent would be erected in his beautiful garden. Malaysians from all walks of life will come and I am included. I hope he will call a 'bomoh hujan' because I think it will rain this time as the weather is changing.

If Raya falls on the weekend, which it defnitely is, a huge crowd is anticipated. I better go there early, I don't want to miss ketupat, rendang and all....

SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI TO ALL. Next year I will return home for good and I am so much looking to it, especially to Hari Raya.

MISS PLAY SAFE AND MR GAMBLER

I have two remisers. First is Ms. Pretty from CIMB Securities and the second is Mr. Jerawat Gambler from AM Securities. When asked for advise, both of them give me different views on the same subject matter. When asked about certain counters in the top volume league, Ms. Pretty always shy away from counters like Iris or Keladi. She said these are sydicated counters and she won't even look at them. She said these are companies of no value and punters buy and sell just to make short term gain. She prefer counters like Bursa, Maybank, Tenaga, Digi and the likes. Mr Gambler meanwhile always ask me to play margin (he uses term play rather than invest), like buying Iris at 0.235 and sell at 0.24 or 0.245 in the same day and take profit from the lower commission charged.

I think as a woman, Ms. Pretty always follow her maternal instinct which result of her being so protective over my investment. I wanted to buy Bursa in one low time at price of 8.50 and she asked me to wait for the next day afternoon as the price was going down. The price drop was actually stop at 8.50 and started to climb. In the next few days it went up to 11.80. I didn't make profit for that particular time. Again recently I wanted to buy Tebrau at 1.21 and she asked me to reconfirm a few times which made me change my mind. Tebrau went up to 1.33 the next day and another boat missed.

For Mr. Gambler, he always want to risk my investment. If I ever give him the authority over my investment, I either be very rich by now or very poor. I gave him a free hand once to do margin trading and I lost RM8K at margin call after 3 days for DBhd. Probably he didn't sell after Dbhd slided a little bit which made me lost RM1K. Thinking it may go up before the margin call, he didn't sell for 3 days and there my RM8K flew away. I didn't blame him. He probably did that in a good faith got caught in a diffucult situation. It is me to be blamed as I gave him a free hand.

I changed my strategy after that. No more free hand. I seek their advise and I didn't really follow what they say. I make my own market research and decide on the counters that I wanted to track. I study the fair prices of their shares. If their prices go down much below than their fair value without a good reason, then I will buy. It is not a difficult job. This always work and I have recouped all my previous losses. In investing, I am always learning. There will always be a new situation that I have to deal with.

I don't think Ms Pretty and Mr. Gambler have all the time to track a a few counters like what I did. I bet they have so many clients who do not track the same counters that I tracked. They look at hundreds counters everyday and my counters may not even show in their radar.

So the best option for me, just make my own decision regardless what they say. So far it works.

CASH IS KING

Asian Financial Crisis 1997-1998, I was in KL. Our stock market went down to the drain. Good and strong companies suddenly became so cheap to own. I was attracted to Maybank, the price went down to RM2.87 from the peak of RM20++. What a great bargain, couldn't get it in a lifetime. But, alas.... I have no money. I did have a little saving of RM30K and it was for my running budget, I couldn't touch it.

I knew that I need RM200K and I will be on my way to be a multi millionaire. But I don't have RM200K.

Maybank went up to RM15 after the dust of Asian Financial Crisis settled. That RM200K should have been above RM1 million already.

So I miss the biggest boat ever, just because I don't have that 'King'.

FAREWELL SWEET NURIN

I bid you farewell Nurin Jazlin. The previous world had been so cruel to you. In your new world, the angels will look after you and nobody would harm you again.

Rest in peace.

HOW COULD YOU DISPUTE A DNA TEST

So it is Nurin after all.... My anger and sorrow are beyond words.

Although it is difficult to dispute a result of a DNA test, I still go for a second test. Probably another one after that. And another one....

If it happens to me, I will never accept that reality.....

FIND NURIN JAZLIN

I am posting this after reading Akula's post and appeals on Nurin.




I pray for Nurin to be found safe and alive. I feel the suffering of her parents.

We are now living in the different world compared to 15 year ago, in a scarrier world now to grow our children. I hope she will be found.

As for the other girl who had been sexually assulted and murdered, I join the whole nation mourned. I pray for her to be amongst the angels. I damn the animal who did that to her.

Our march to become an industrialised nation has neglected our social responsibility. We are no longer living in the caring society that we used to live. For this I damn the politicians, policy makers and the local government authorities.

DON'T BE GREEDY

Haven't post for quite sometime now. Not to worry, I don't think anybody is missing me because my blog is a low traffic in a slow lane. On top of that life has been very busy from the start of Ramadhan. A lot of projects have to be finalised within 2 months. Hmmm... looks like I have to work until 9.00pm everyday.

Anyway..... a little news on investment. Well I have been ignoring my remiser for quite sometime and I didn't lock my investment to any counter since, just to be safe in the present time rough seas. She texted me the day before yesterday asking me on what is happening.

I straight replied with a question, "Tebrau berapa?".

She responded "1.16".

I instructed "Buy all my holding for Tebrau" and after 10 minutes she responded "K done at 1.144". Hmmm... a better price. I smiled, maybe duit raya is coming.

The next day I texted her "Berapa dah" and she responded "Ok 1.12". I didn't get what that ok actually means. Ok for for my investment not going down that far? Or ok that it will go up later in the day?. On my way to office, when I emerged from the tube station, I received a text from her "Tebrau is now 1.21". I quickly responded "Jual all my holding". After 20 minutes she replied "Done @1.22". Well.... I just made 6.64% return for my one day investment.

When the market closed for the day Tebrau closed at 1.29, which means my return would have been 12.76% if sold at that price, a slash of 6.12% when I sold at 1.22.

Well I have taught myself not to be greedy. No investment Guru will recommend buying at rock bottom and selling at the most peak because nobody knows when is the rock bottom and when is the most peak. The return of 6.64% in one day has translated to my duit raya already.

MONDOK

Since I was 16 I had never been to a barber to cut my hair. I cut my own hair. The fact that I can cut my own hair, my service was sought after in time of emergency by my dorm mates. You see, I was in a boarding school and in every Saturday we had this inspection by our warden, who was also the school disciplinary teacher. We must have our bed tidy with a clean bedsheet, clean and tidy locker, wear national dress with the school theme 'samping' and most of all we must have our hair neatly cut. This was where my skill in cutting my own hair made me busy in Friday afternoons. Cutting my friends' hair got me some extra pocket money that I needed most as my my parents couldn't send me much. I did not come from a well to do family.

I had a few regular customers with different hair styles requirement. The one style I could never forget called 'airport runaway' from this particular customer, who was also my good friend. We called him Mondok in school. I didn't know for sure why he was called Mondok, but all of us got our nickname while we were in school. I won't tell mine, it is secret.

On one particular Friday, I was so tired that I went for a nap in my dorm immediately after the school periods were over. I didn't even go for my lunch. I slept like a log. Mondok woke me up at around 5.00 pm and asked me to cut his hair for tomorrow's inspection. I was still groggy but I couldn't say no because I had promised him early in the morning before school. So I started cutting his hair while yawning myself out. Snip... snip.... snip... I was cutting his hair for an 'airport runaway' look. Snip and...... a big.... OOUUCCHH. Mondok yelled and jumped from the chair. I had snipped his right ear. Some blood dripped down and he ran to the sickbay for help.

I didn't charge Mondok for the service. I gave him a free hair and ear cut that day.

$1 AND A DREAM

I have two collegues who are looking at things in a very different perspective. One is a smoker and the other one is a lottery buyer.

The smoker is not at all into buying lottery. His argument is that the probability for one to strike a winning number is very remote. It is just like a dream and it is a waste of money to buy a lottery. He might as well smoke and make more friends. By smoking he will also fill certain vacuum in his life (to kill boring I suppose). Come to think of it, he is quite right. Smokers will make friends easily. A smoker can easily approached another stranger smoker and asked for a lighter. They have this kind of bond and from there they break the ice and start to have a conversation.

The lottery buyer has a different view. To him smoking is also a waste of money. What he gets just smoke, destroyed lungs and destroying other people lungs. To him by buying a lottery he will get the same satisfaction in smoking. He got this feeling of suspense and excitement while waiting from the time he buys until the time when winning numbers are announced, the same kind of excitement to win a girl's heart. To him he will never get to his dream if he doesn't buy it. Well, come to think of it he is quite right too.

MY FRIEND ISMIT ULAM RAJA.....

kring.... kring....

"Hello"

"Is that east43street?"

"Well good morning to you too. Yes this is he. Whose on the line please"

"Alloooo east43street, this is me, Ismit lah".

Ismit? My old buddy Ismit? What a pleasant surprise. Haven't heard from him for almost 7 years. It's must be something very important. And where he got my number from??

"I will be coming down to New York in a few days time. I will see you then"

"Is that all Ismit? Just you are coming down to visit me? What a priviledge. Tell me more, what you are up to this time?"

"Nothing lah. Will call you before I depart. Salam to your better half". He hanged up without leaving his number. Just typical Ismit. Always leave me in suspense. It is good anyway. Got to see him after all those years and to catch up the good old times.

Ismit is an entrepreneur. He owns a hard chrome factory in Puchong. Hard chrome is a specialise industry and he is among a few players around. His services are bespoked and have to comply with high Japanese standard micron of hard chroming. He told me once that he can chrome my car sports rim for free. He can even chrome my whole car if I wanted to. Phew.... awesome.

Ismit called again after 2 days. Time is the essence he said. He asked me to check if there was a new airport project completed in Abuja, Nigeria. I was confused. At that time Abuja was named as a new capital of Nigeria, but it was still a desert. He hanged up without leaving his number again. Well... well.... he must have thought that I am James Bond. Give me a little assignment and I will try to follow his trail. Ok, I will pay along. I did a little research and it was confirmed that Abuja was still a bare land. Nothing on it and the Nigerian government will start developing it after a few years. No airport, no nothing in Abuja just yet.

Two days later Ismit called again and this time he told me what it was about. He told me that he is finalising a business transaction and the other party has asked him to choose the venue between London and New York. He chose New York because I am in New York. He also told me that if everything goes well he will loaned me some money to start a new business, a new life probably. Wow! This must be big. Ismit is going big and I am so anxious to know what it is.

He told me that he was being contacted by the Nigerian government project manager handling Abuja International Airport project. The airport was completed and there was an excess of US$15 millions from the project. Ismit was offered 30% of that amount if he agreed to use his bank account to transfer the money out of Nigeria. What Ismit has to do is just provide his company bank account number and issue a fake invoice to the tune of US$15 millions. The format of the invoice would be supplied and Ismit just had to copy it to his letter head.

I told Ismit that there was no airport in Abuja and the fact that Abuja was just being declared as a new capital and it will take years to develop. I was surprised that Ismit did not believe me.

I kept on asking Ismit that there must be a catch to it. Nobody will transfer US$15 millions to a stranger. He finally conceded that he had to pay 0.15% bank transfer fee which will come up to US$22,500. So Ismit will have to pay US$22,500 of bank transfer fee to get his US$4.5 millions. How convenient.

I finally managed to get Ismit to his senses. I warned him that if he ever come to New York for that transaction, I will break his leg. Ismit did not make his trip to New York. Not because I was going to break his leg, but I think because he knew that he was being conned.

According to US government reports, US lost about US$3 billions every year to this kind of scam. The victims rarely report to the authorities because what they are doing is against the law anyway.

Ismit is still himself the last time I saw him. At least he got a dream to be rich for a short while.

JALUR GEMILANG IN LONDON

This photo was taken on the eve of Merdeka the 50th. I am not sure what year the car is, but I supposed it must be in the 1980's. A VW van tucked with patriotic note to it, 2 Malaysian flags on it and another big one flying in it.




I went to see the owner and asked him about the flags. He told me the big one inside the van has dual purpose. Other than the national pride, it is also to hide the mess in his van. Hmmm..... sambil menyelam minum air.

The van has the resemblance of the transportation of hippies to the Woodstock Concert in 1969.



Somebody was born in 1969, during the height of hippies world. I wonder who???

SUBPRIME MORTGAGE CRISIS, AN OPPORTUNITY.

Subprime mortgage crisis in the US.... KLCI went down below psychological 1200 pts. The best time to pick. Seized the moment, so I picked Bursa Bhd counter at RM8.10. It went up to RM10.8. I didn't sell, thinking to sell after it crosses RM11.00. Dow Jones dropped 280 points yesterday and KLCI went down..... I got feverish. So.... sold my Bursa counter at RM9.95. Real profit 22.47%. If sold at RM10.80, should have a return of 33.33%. Well, less profit but no loss here.

Now....sakit hati time!!! Dow Jones rockets back 250 points today. I don't think I can buy Bursa counter at same price RM9.95 when its open in 2 hours. Need to learn where I went wrong.

But at least, I got better return (as for now) compared to ASB of anticipated 7.5% at the end of the year. A 22.47% return in a week in KLSE is not bad at all.

Say if I have RM100K (hypothetically). The above should translate to RM22K odd return in a week. But............. I don't have RM100K. My real return?? Heh... heh... bole la bawak kekawan open table teh tarik aje.

20 TIMELESS MONEY RULES

Well.... here's more like it, some pieces from the famous investors.

THE AURA MASTER IN LONDON

The Aura Master is coming to London. At 65 Pounds (RM455) you will have a 3 course dinner, a signed CD and will be entertained by Mawi on September 4. Not that bad value for money. You can get near to him really.

Well.... sorry I am not his fan. For those going... just enjoy.

LITTLE RULES FOR MY SMALL INVESTMENT

1) Cash is king.

2) Buy at bear.

3) Sell at bull.

4) Reward your remiser.

Only 4 rules at the moment. Why? Because the investment is still very tiny. Hope to have the momentum and a little luck. It is a long way to join the big boys.

If you have other rules, glad to hear them.

WHAT'S YOUR AURA.......??

knock... knock....

"Yes...???"

"Inche east43street we have a request to use the conference room today, at 5.15 pm."

"From whom?"

"From a rep of a Malaysian company called Positive Aura" said Johny English. "Shall we allow? It is a for a talk about their product. A health treatment with water."

Water health treatment??? Hmmm.... and they brought water all the way from Malaysia to sell in the UK?? What water has to do with aura. How interesting.

"Just prepare the Conference Romm.... no... no.... arrange in the Dining Hall instead.... and invite everybody by email."

"TQ" Johny English left.

At 5.15 pm all seats were taken at the Dining Hall and in front stood a lecturer-looked person, nicely dressed, assisted by 2 gentlemen and a smart looking lady. On the table in the far corner of the hall I can see a lot of bottled water already arranged. He introduced himself as Dr. Hamid. After a preliminary gestures, he started by a tale how he survived cancer and how water treatment had helped him so much during that process.

So.... he is a cancer survivor.... and he looked so healthy (and merrily down the stream too)... hmmm. I can imagine the expression of my face already. It wouldn't look that good, I knew it. My colleagues had told me a few times already that I am quite transparent. I cannot hide my feeling and it will show clearly on my face. Worst still if I am angry, they wouldn't dare to look at me.

It is so obvious and he sensed my feeling. Then he engaged a defensive mode. "Those who have a negative feeling about this talk don't have to waste your time and mine. You may leave the hall if you want to". WTF!!!! (sorry I borrowed this from En. Akula). I was the one who allowed him to use the hall and now he is trying to kick me out. I can kick him out of the building there and then if I wanted to, but I chose not to let my anger to overcome me and ruined others in the hall good time. I couldn't control my anger once and I lost a very good friend because of that. I looked him in the eyes and imagined how my eyes looked like. He got the signal, he is in other people's house. Better not continue with the attitude or he will be sent out to the street. I think he knew that.

So he continued the talk with a computer projection of an image of a head with blue steam so called positive aura around it. Those who have a positive aura would be able to avoid a lot of sickness, will have a better sex life and for heaven sake he also mentioned of stamina and longer erection in bed. The positive aura can be achieved by drinking regularly the water that he brought. He was betting his water on these. Bye-bye viagra!!!

Rather than having to buy the bottled water lined at the corner, he took out a water filter from a nicely packed box. He explained that this kind of water filter is similar to the natural water filter used by kampung folks those day and produced the right kind of minerals. He even compared to water stored in labu sayong.

So he was not selling water anyway. He was selling water filter actually. A mere salesman. The bottled water being arranged at the corner were just for display or probably to be given away after the talk. And the price of the filter?? A whopping 350 Pound Sterling (closed to RM2450). Similar kind can be found at Subang Parade at price RM500 I think. Wow.... this is what the government wanted.... the business going global. What we have here?? A scammer going global. A scammer terbilang.

He ended his talk with a note that order of the water filter can be made to his assistants. Delivery will take a week. I stood up and about to go when he came and offered me to drink his bottled water. I declined politely and left.

A few weeks later a colleague invited me for a dinner at her home. When I went to clean my hand in her kitchen, I saw a water filter. The same water filter..... My colleague had bought it, at the price of 350 Pound Sterling. From??? ..... who else, Johny English. Johny apparently enrolled to be an agent. I dearly hope my collegue's health will get better from now on. And Johny English.... I will deal with him later.

For me, I regret for not kicking that salesman out of my office building.....

WHERE DID THE BULL AND BEAR GET THEIR NAMES?

Bull and Bear. I'll buy at bear and I'll sell at Bull. But sometimes people get caught buying at bear, only later it become more bearish. Or selling at bull when it is more bullish.

THINKING BIG, LAUNCHING MY VERY OWN BANK

By now I started to think big. I would like to open my own bank. But how to open a bank? How to start? How to get clients. How to manage it? I did follow my mother to Post Office a few times to see her deposit and withdrawal processes. I looked at the transactions in her passbook. Those days Post Office handled savings passbook. I got the idea already.

First step, I must have a record book, a master record. All clients records must be there. So I bought a ledger type book for recording all my clients transaction there. Then I bought a few 555 books. These would be the savings passbook. I am ready now. But where to get clients??

I love saving money. It is satisfying to see how your savings grow. While in school I admired my friends who can save out of their daily allowance. My brothers and sisters also like to save. Yesss... they will be my clients. I myself had a saving tube made of bamboo and another one of a big Brylcreem bottle (I will blog later on the story of this Brylcreem bottle piggy bank).

My first two clients were my younger brother and sister. I talked them to open an account with me. I promised them that all transactions would be recorded in the ledger-look book and they will have their very own passbook, signed by me in every transaction similar with my mother passbook except without the post office stamp. I guaranteed that their saving would be in the safe hand. I showed them my very own 2 piggy banks that I had (the bamboo tube and the Brylcreem bottle). After some persuasions, both of them agreed to open accounts with me. I have succeeded and I am confident that I will grow big.

After a few weeks I managed to have deposits of more than RM10 from both of my clients. Then tragedy struck. I lost my piggy banks. I lost my money and my clients' money. Somebody must have stolen them. Whatever it was, I will have to take responsibility. I broke the news to my brother and my sister. They immediately ran to my father and told him that I stole their money. They had the 555 savings books with my signature on every transaction. My father went mad. I know he just showed that he was mad, but deep in his heart he must be laughing at the whole thing. Probably he was proud that his son had opened and ran a bank. He paid both my brother and my sister. Then he cut my daily allowance to repay him back. I know he didn't have to do that, but he still cut my allowance just to teach me a lesson.

There goes my bank................. I was 12 back then.

Present day.......

The former BBMB lost money, bankrupt and got bailed in the same way, by PETRONAS. Their money were stolen by politically linked businessmen. So does a few other banks.

ASN

It started a long time ago. My passion to invest started when the Amanah Saham Nasional launched. I was in school back then. After reading the benefit of investing in ASN, I persuaded my father to open an account. 20% guaranteed return annually was good. Except my father couldn't start with a big amount as he was only working as a driver. He couldn't afford to invest but he opened the ASN investment account anyway. Probably to stop me from nagging at him. He managed to put RM200 at the beginning. When he returned home he chucked the investment book to me. I was ecstatic. The book was so nice and the paper was so good. The book must be expensive. I couldn't wait for the year to end to see how much my father reaps in the dividend. At the end of the year the scheme announced 20% dividend. My father got RM18 only because the investment was not in full year. I was overjoyed.

That was back there then....

THIS BLOGGING THINGY..

I am new in this... blogging thingy. But I have to start anyway. Learning still. My first post just to say hello..