BETWEEN AUTOCRATIC AND NOT UP TO THE STANDARD

I had short conversation with a few old friends during tea break today. This one particular friend had been praising the current PM for allowing his ministers to speak out of their mind so freely unlike during the 22 years reign of PM Mahathir. He said PM Mahathir had run his cabinet ministers so autocraticly that nobody were allowed to speak.

Hmmm.... this particular friend must be a true believer of Malaysiakini, a convert of Karpalism or idolising the erected Anwar's giant cutout statue in Batu Caves.

Please bear in mind that during PM Mahathir reign, non of his cabinet ministers ever come close to his standard. During the cabinet meetings, most of them couldn't answer the questions thrown by Mahathir to them. They couldn't speak up because either they were not prepared of they were caught wrong footed.

Those days when Singapore was still in the Federation, there were 8 maverick MPs from Singapore. They were very smart and very sharp, and of course one of them was Lee Kuan Yew. The only MPs that can argue with them were Dr. Mahathir and Dr. Ismail (the late Tun Dr. Ismail).

Ask if any of the present cabinet ministers to be at par with Dr. Mahathir, Dr. Ismail and Lee Kuan Yew. The answer is none.

So, if you could not even come close to the standard of Tun Dr. Mahathir, don't blame him if you could not speak up your mind to him.

LOOSE ENDS

I am already back in KL for good and it is already for more than a week now. What a hectic life. It started with getting the children to school immediately a day after touched down while staying in a hotel for almost a week. Followed by searching for a house to rent in a few different locations. Fighting with traffics. Getting lost on the road (this is the worst part). Setting up phone and utilities accounts. Fasting month. All in all I have lost more than 5 kg. Not bad at all.

Now for the loose ends.

1. September 16 Just Passed By

The famous 'Black-Eyed September' ten years ago is not being remembered at all. September 16, 2008 just passed without being noticed. The so called new government is not happening. His credibility is tarnished. Has he got the froggy MPs? Yes, I believe he got the names. But just the names. Has he got the signed declaration by these MPs? The answer is of course no. Has he got the signed declarations, he would have paraded them and rally in a big way to the parliament and the King. Now he is in a face saving mode. Plan number one, request the PM to convene parliament emergency sitting, to put forward the motion of no confidence to the PM himself. What a joke. Can you imagine the PM is calling the parliament's emergency sitting to remove himself.

Plan number two to go to the King. This is the biggest face saving tactic. Of course we can expect the King to advise him not to go ahead with his plan for sake of national interest. He will play this to his advantage. He will heed to the King's advise and will not to go ahead with his plan in the name of full respect to the King. His face is saved, hoping that nobody would notice.

Just wait and see.

2. The World's Financial Crisis

The new Finance Minister declared that the re-pegging of the Ringgit is not necessary at the moment. He added that the Malaysian economy is resilient and has a little exposure to the US subprime financial crisis. This is quite true due to the fact that Malaysian banks unllike Singapore, do not practice selling and re-selling over and over again the mortgage papers, letters of guarantee, junk bonds and a lot more financial derivatives which became cancerous to the US financial system (imagine selling and re-selling the same papers for so many times, it is just like a 'Pak Man Telo' or 'Labu Peram' get rich schemes) . Although worried of the domino effect to the Malaysian economy, Tun Mahathir must be laughing to the US right now because he had predicted the scenario much earlier, but nobody bother to listen to him.

Successful US technologies like Microsoft, HP and many more are buying back their stock in a big way. Microsoft is spending US$40 billions for this buyback scheme. Good for them as they are buying back their stock at the low price at present. They are actually protecting their interest. Successful Malaysian companies should do the same as their counters are traded so cheap in the KLSE. For those who has cash, I think this is the time to buy these oversold shares in the KLSE. Most good counters are traded more than 50% below their actual value.

THE STORY OF FOUR PEOPLE

It happened in almost every workplace, mine included. This is an old story about four people:

Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody.

There was an important job to be done and Everybody was asked to do it.

Everybody was sure Somebody would do it.

Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.

Somebody got angry about it because it was Everybody's job.

Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that.

Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when actually Nobody asked Anybody.

HOME SWEET HOME

In a couple of weeks I will be home for good. Should be there in the middle of Ramadhan and I will have Aidil Fitri in my hometown. It is not the Aidil Fitri that really matter to me, but seeing my mother is that I am looking forward so much. My mother has been sick for quite some time and I have been away for almost 9 years. Yes I am guilty for being away for so long and I am going to make amend to that. I am looking forward to see my mother in every available weekends that I have.

I also missed the lake just behind my mother's house and I look forward to bring my youngest girl fishing whenever we are there.

Home, here I come.

GOLF, NEVER TOO LATE TO LEARN

I always wanted to play golf, but I have never made an attempt to start. In 2002 when I was on duty trip to Cairo, I met by previous boss who did his best to talk me to start taking up golf. Despite my natural interest for golf, I still couldn't bring myself to the game. Probably I just don't want to leave my two girls in the weekends as golf could take the entire Saturday or Sunday.

But last week for some unknown reason, I bought a second hand golf set. I got a good friend to bring me to the driving range and he taught me and the Mrs to swing. He is good, probably by being a single handicapper and a regular tournaments leader. As for my swings, not too bad for a beginner. It cost £4.00 for 60 balls, not a bad price at all.

For the unknown reason, I think I have to blame it on the Wii console that I bought a few weeks ago. Golf looks so easy in Wii. The girls and I managed to get load of birdies and quite some eagles. But in the real golf, to hit the ball correctly is so difficult. I just learned that at the driving range.

Well let see if I am going to stick for the golf in Wii or golf in the real world.

In the meantime, do enjoy this video, forwarded by a friend, again. Korean trade unions struggle is a weird passion and the character fits that passion well.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

I went for a lunch with an old friend recently. Having a good time and caught-up with some good old days stuff that day. The thing that I am writing here is not about my good old friend or about the good old time stuff, but the manner how we are dealing with the ruthless or arrogant waiters or waitress who served us.

On this particular day, not only the waiter brought the wrong order, but he had refused to admit his mistake and responded to us in a very rude manner. I wanted to have my order changed and I wanted to see the manager. At this point my friend stopped me from getting the new order, but he let me see the manager. He said he will explain later on why he didn't want me to have my food changed.

At our request, the manager saw me and he apologised. He even offered me the new plate with the correct order, but my friend told him that we are okay with the present food. Since I was not changing for a new plate, the manager offered me half price for the food that afternoon. Not bad at all.

At coffee my friend told me that he was once worked as an assistant chef in one of the pubs in KL. He told me that he was in the same situation while working there. Being busy and tired, they, the people at the back kitchen did not like complains from the manager and most of the time the cook would spit in the replacement plate before being delivered to the complaining patron. I was shocked. Now I know why he refused to let me have my replacement order.

A lesson learnt that day. Do not let our food to be prepared at the mercy of other people who we do not come to term with.

Anyway, please enjoy this video, forwarded by a friend. You probably have seen it anyway.

HOW TO BEAT THE FUEL PRICE HIKE? GROW A LOT OF BANANAS AND SELL THE LEAVES

Once upon a time on one lazy Sunday afternoon, I asked the Mrs. to make some 'lepat pisang' and in response she asked me to go to Wing Yip to get some banana leaves. So, off I went to buy the illusive banana leaves, the item that is reserved only for the the rich and famous.

In Wing Yip, the banana leaves were sold in the vegetable section, hidden among the 'kangkungs' and the long beans. Grabbed a packet and straight I went to the cashier. The taste of the freshly steamed 'lepat pisang' to go with the afternoon tea is already in my mind. The cashier scanned the packet and looked at me. 'Sir, the price is £4.82, do you still want it' she asked. I almost jumped. The last time I bought banana leaves there, the price was between £1 to £2. This time the price was more than double. But without the banana leaves I won't have my 'lepat pisang' that afternoon. So I just closed my eyes and paid £4.82 (RM30) for 575 grams of banana leaves.

Back home the Mrs asked, 'how much?'. I replied, 'macam biasa je'. So I got my lepat pisang that day. I felt like eating the 'lepat' together with all the banana leaves when thinking the exorbitant price that I had paid.

But what to do. If you want something, you just have to pay for the price.