A day of water baptism and a 2-movie marathon

December 7, 2010 in Christianity, Outings

Today’s a public holiday, but I was up since 7am.

It’s a special day for my dear brother Jeremy L. Fidelis, who had taken the important step of dedicating his life to the Lord Jesus Christ by deciding to be water baptised today. One of the most wonderful occassions to me, next to a wedding, is a water baptism ceremony. I’m always filled with that sense of holy awe when someone is immersed in water, re-emerging as a spiritually cleansed person – a public declaration and testimony of the person’s devotion to Christ.

You’ve made an awesome decision, Bro. Jeremy! Praise the LORD!

Then, after the water baptism ceremony, which was held at my Tamil pastor’s apartment, I went home to take a good rest and to prepare for 2-movie outing at Sunway Pyramid with two of my church youths – Alex and Joshua, who are both cousins. This would be my first ever outing together with them in the four years since they joined my church so it was pretty awesome. Wanted to watch the new Narnia movie, but alas, the time I wanted was completely sold out. So, we ended up watching a pretty cool (though the script could do with a little polishing) action movie called The Warrior’s Way.

After that movie, I took the boys out for a cool dinner at Italiannies, which happened to be Alex’s first time at Italiannies. And what a first time it was for him! He finished off a huge plate of seafood pasta in 20 mins! Then, it was off to another movie and since both boys seemed to enjoy horror movies, we went to watch the latest Singapore horror flick called Haunted Changi. The film was shot in the same style as The Blair Witch Project but this Asian version is much more cornier and a little comedic. But there were some terrifying parts near the end though.

All in all, I’m just glad that I managed to spend some quality time with the two boys. Alex’s had been wanting to go see a movie with me for ages and I just didn’t have the time but I am thankful that I did take the time to go see a movie with him and his cousin. The boys had fun and that’s all I care about. Hope I’ll be able to commit to more mini outings such as these in the future. Not just with these two youths but with the others as well.

Well next major event to look forward to… the annual ZCF D’Gen Y & Dwelling Place Church Youth Camp from Dec 19 – 22! Can’t wait! Praying for a mighty move of God throughout the camp period!

The face of a thief if there ever was one!

April 28, 2008 in Local Politics, Social Activism & Religious Matter

Ok, look closely at the lady on the left in the picture holding up her statement read out to the press yesterday. Study her features carefully and let it burn into your memory.

Why?

‘Cause when you see her on the streets in Selangor or anywhere else in the country or in the world, make sure you shower her with a generous, well-aimed amount of phlegm and saliva. If you can cover her from head to toe the better!

Who is this woman, you might ask, and what has she done to deserve such humiliating treatment?

To the first question, this woman is the wife of former Chief Minister of Selangor and the Bandit King – Khir Toyo who sometimes go by the name Khir Toyol in the blogs. Her name is Zaharah Kechik and that face of hers is the face of a thief who knows no remorse for the deviousness of her actions and for her greed.

Read this to find out what she has done – and it wasn’t allegedly and it can’t be allegedly because she has admitted to it – “It’s OUR Money, NOT Yours!“. You can red more on this issue here, here and here.

And here’s what the people are saying about her crime, a sample of the many that can be found on the Net – NotaRazi, who seems to have been the most vocal on this issue among the Malaysian blogosphere, comments from readers on Maria Samad’s blog Tok Mommy and Elviza’s blog.

So, coming back to baptising her with generous amounts of icky, sticky, smelly spit, it’s the least she deserved if she escaped punishment. I’m sick and tired of how these corrupt, greedy politicians and their ilk keep getting away with nothing more than a slap on their wrists for their crimes. Let’s not forget the other shamed politician that built a mini palace with 20 bathrooms on state-owned land, who, thankfully is now deceased and will never be heard and talked about again.

If I ever have reality bending powers like the mutant Scarlet Witch, who uttered the reality-defining words “No More Mutants!” in Marvel Comics’ epic House of M series, which resulted in the more than 3/4 of mutants losing their powers forever, I would have uttered “No more corrupted and greedy politicians and their wives and family members and friends!”

One could only wish, eh?

If Pak Lah is so damn serious about weeding out corruption and to reform the ACA, he should throw all the power of the law that he has at this evil couple and rein them in. Shackle them! Enough is enough, Pak Lah! When are you going to walk the talk and let your actions prove that you’re serious about getting rid of these bloodsckers, plunderers of the people’s wealth, leeches and whatnots.

Bah, until that happens, I’m not even gonna pay my taxes to the govt. I’m just gonna make sure that I donate as much of my salary as possible to tax-exempted charities. I don’t want my hard earned wages ending up in a corrupt government official’s pockets. Heck, I’ll do anything to get myself tax-exempted for now.

Oh, how I wish Pakatan Rakyat had formed the government in the last election!

Post-LASIK Op Recollection… and a bit on Local Politics

March 31, 2008 in Health Issues, Local Politics, Social Activism & Religious Matter, Personal Reflections

Hey hey all!

It’s been a while since my last post, more than a month actually! That’s partly because I was trying to keep my computer usage time to the lowest possible as I needed a month or so to expedite the recovery process from the LASIK surgery I had last month.

As most of my pre-LASIK was usually spent in front of the computer, that meant I had to make sacrifices a bit so that I can recover better. Regardless, I still had work to be done so I can only spend most time on the Net to do my research for articles and writing… no playing games, no reading blogs unless it is part of my work… no useless websurfing… Well, as much as I want to gripe about it but in the words of my mom “You can play with your Internet all you want, but don’t come crying to me when your eyesight deteriorate again!” So for the sake of my precious eyes, I had to lay off the computer as much as possible.

Besides laying off the computer, there are other sacrifices to be made too. One month no strenuous exercises and sports, no swimming, no sauna, no smoking, no going to smoky places, stay out of bright sunlight, no rubbing the eyes, no washing hair except at the hair salon where you can sit on a recliner for the washer to do it, no washing face with soap or other facial cleanser and these are just what the doctor advised. Adding to these restrictions are my mom’s own restrictions on my diet… I can only take food that are good for eyes and avoid heaty food as well as food that may cause my eyes to itch. That meant drink lotsa fresh milk, oolong tea, eat lotsa fish, veggie and fruits while avoiding prawns, cuttlefish, beef, pork, peanuts, coffee, eggs and other stuff which my mom thinks I should not eat. Oh, lets not forget dietary supplements too! I had to pop a couple of Eyebright pills as well as cod liver oil too!

Can’t wait to free myself from these activity and dietary restrictions… Just ONE more week to go!

The LASIK procedure itself wasn’t as scary as I had thoughtit would be. Although it did kinda freak me out a little when I saw a bit of smoke rising from my eyes as the laser did its work on my eyes. It only took the doctor 10 to 15 minutes to work on each eye. They first strap me on the bed, numb my eyes with special eye drops, pry open my eyes with a tool that keeps my eye open and then, the procedure starts. Rather than doing an incision on my eyes manually like I thought, the incision to remove the cornea flaps were actually done with a machine. So, I don’t have to worry about seeing the doctor armed with a mini scalpel approaching my eyes. That would be totally SCARY!

There wasn’t any pain at all when the incision was made. I just felt a little pressure as the machine pressed down on my eyes a bit. After the incision was made, the doc would lift the flap and blast my eyes with the laser. I did imagined what happened if the laser was left on a little longer than usual…let’s just say that with the smoke rising from my eyes, the laser would’ve probably burned right through my eyeball! LOL! Thank god that didn’t happen!

Once the laser did its work on one eye, the doc closes back the flap and more special eye drops were administered to me. That’s why I can’t rub my eyes or do tough exercises or swim… I certainly don’t want the flap to come undone an expose my eyeballs to the harsh elements… That’d be a major OUCH event!

The same is repeated on the other eye and after about 25 to 35 mins spent on the operating chair/table/bed whateveryacallit, I was walking out. I can’t see clearly at all instantaneously of course, my vision would be cloudy and my eyes would still be numb. The doc then gave me two types of medicated eyedrops which is to be administered every four hours and two eye shields which I must wear every time I sleep at night. The eye shields… gosh, I so hate wearing them! It’s rather uncomfortable, you know! The shield was to protect my eyes so that I don’t rub it or bumped it when I toss and turn in my sleep.

So far, my eyes have healed great I think, although they tend to get tired quite easily and are still quite dry. No major problems, so it’s been good.

A lot have happened in over a month or so, personal wise and also country wise. I didn’t blog much about politics… there’s so much I wanted to say that I didn’t where to start. All I can say is that I’m happy and quite glad that the elections in my country has turned out well. The people I voted for got in and the old government in my state has been shown the door. It’ll take a while for the new government to settle but am really looking forward to better days to come.

While I’m disappointed with the in-fighting among parties and have no patience for it, I wantto remind ALL appointed MPs and state assemblymen that it is the PEOPLE that should take prcedent first over their political parties. We’re the ones that voted for you, though your respective parties are the ones that let you contest, WE are the ones that let you won! We’re watching your moves VERY closely, and if you foul up in the next four/five years, you can be sure to bid “bye bye” to your posts!

A new dawn has come upon Malaysia. I urge everyone to work together in harmony and in unity to ensure this country is the best in the region! It’s not impossible… we just have to set aside our differences and get rid of old policies that no longer have any place in this time and age. Get working and get cracking, yeah!

Wishes, hopes, dreams…the usual for the year 2008

January 7, 2008 in Citizen of the World, Lists, Local Politics, Social Activism & Religious Matter, Memorable Quotes & Inspirational Stories, Personal Reflections

We’re already one week into the new year already!

So, let’s cut to the chase…

My wishes, hopes, dreams yadda yadda yadda….for the new year are….:-

• Personal – To be more courteous, kind and polite to people and strangers that I meet. There’s so much ill will committed by others in our society today that a little good and charity can go a long ways to elevate suffering, inject hope and make people feel good about the world today.

• Personal – One resolution that I always fail to achieve very year is my lack of sincerity/drive/motivation to keep in touch with friends, old and new, alike, whether is by spending a few minutes to call, SMS or e-mail them. I wish to remedy that this year. While I have a very small number of close friends whom I regard as my inner circle, I wish to expand that circle a little. So, this year, I definitely want to maintain contact and re-acquaint with old friends and hope to meet new ones. This is partly because I was inspired and moved by the Greek philosopher Epicurus, who said, “Of all things that wisdom provides to help live one’s life in happiness, the greatest by far is the possession of FRIENDSHIP. Eating or drinking without a friend is the life of a lion or a wolf.“

• Personal – Lately, I’ve been bombarded by public service announcements and advices from family and friends about eating right and living healthy. I must admit that in the past years, I’m not wont to do so. But this year, I have a change of heart and admit that I have not been eating right and living healthily. My mom chided me a lot for always adding too much salt and sugar in my food and drinks. This year, I would like to cut down on my salt and sugar intake. I also want to allocate at least once a week to go vegetarian. Finally, I must at least get some exercise – jogging, swimming and brisk walking is what I hope to do at least three days in a week.

• Financial – Regarding personal and family finances, I resolve to be more careful with my spending this year, which means I should…errr…must refrain from spending on unnecessary things and material goods. As such, this year, I’m doing away with my 2008 wishlist. Making wishlists will only make me covet the things that I want but do not need. And when I don’t get the things on the wishlist, I tend to feel quite miserable. So, I do not want to spend much on anything this year. I should also look into trusted and reliable ways to invest my money to make it grow.

• Careerwise – Regarding my career, I wish to not just write more and get promoted to something better, but I also intend to pick up new skills such as dabbling in Flash as well as filmmaking/editing/screenwriting. Of course, I can’t achieve all this in one year and be an expert in one year, this is one resolution that will have to take at least two or three years to fulfill. I believe by learning more new skills, I am able to open up more opportunities in the market, as I am quite sure that there are employers/companies who are looking for people with such expertise.

• Personal – Additionally, I also wish to brush up on my Mandarin, speaking and reading. I’ve always felt quite small whenever I tell people that I can’t really speak Mandarin even though I am Chinese. Mandarin is a tough language to to master, but I hope to at least be able to speak at an intermediate level.

• Country – What I hope for my country in this new year is, of course, for its economy to continue to grow steadily. The last thing I want is for my country to be mired in another financial crisis. Another hope is that in the coming general elections, ONLY and only the worthy, the capable, and the BEST are elected into the lead the people and to govern the country. The voting public must exercise our right to vote and KICK OUT sexist, racist, incompetent, insensitive, religious dolts and idiotic politicians. I also hope to see that there will be a steady decline in violent crimes and most of all, I hope there will no longer be more children who die in horrific and tragic circumstances, be it murdered or suicide or accidents.

• The World – Many countries in the world today are experiencing continual violence, poverty, strife and discord. I wish that in 2008, these will all steadily decline and situations improve in those countries. Please keep the people of Myanmar, Pakistan, Kenya, Iraq, Palestine and Afghanistan in your prayers and your thoughts. I also hope to see more young, liberal and visionary leaders to rise up in the world and to steer their countries in a better direction. That said, I sincerely hope that there will be a decrease of terroristic events committed by religious fanatics, psychopaths and other troubled souls. My hope is also for President George W. Bush and his stupid Republican cronies to foul up even more so that his party will never win the 2008 US presidential elections. Finally, I will also resolve to do my part in conserving energy and fuel and to not contribute to pollution and global warming. Save water, save electricity and save fuel. Use only when necessary.

Well, that’s about it, I guess. There isn’t much else that I hope to see in 2008, except that 2008 will be a year of optimistic and positive changes rather than another year where everything goes downhill again. The year 2008 had already started on quite a depressing note – sex scandals, assassinations and political strife…

Let us all work together to make a change for the better and pray for a good 2008 ahead, alright?

First Malaysian off to the bloody fucking space!

October 10, 2007 in Citizen of the World, Emotional Ramblings & Rants, Local Politics, Social Activism & Religious Matter

And I’ll be praying and hoping he bloody stays there and never return!

Hundreds of millions of ringgit spent just so he could hitch a joyride with a couple of Russians to jet off to the International Space Station for a several Earth Days to do god-knows-what research while those precious hundreds of millions could’ve been well-spent improving the lives and welfare of our people.

Fucking unbelievable! God, isn’t my country just great?

While maybe millions of Malaysians are puffing their chests out in pride at the notion of having our first very own Malaysian astronaut, I can assure you I won’t be one of them. I’ve been anti-Program Angkasawan Negara ever since the dumb idea was first mooted a couple years ago. We’re bloody paying other people to use their expertise and know-how so that we could fulfill our nation’s “glorious” ambition of sending one of its sons off to space. For what?? For WHAT???

If I were in charge of governing this country, I would have scrapped the dumb idea and divert all resources into properly training our police force, improving our public infrastructure and other necessities like playgrounds, public restrooms and public parks, and creating a fund that can be used to help the poor, needy and destitute. I would certainly not waste hundreds of millions of ringgit just so one guy has the damn bragging rights to say “Heh, my lovely beautiful incredible country paid for my trip to space!”

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against chasing dreams, thinking out of the box and fulfilling ambitions and all that… but can’t you see some sense here??? At a time when our country is in dire need of funds, they splurge them on nonsensical projects that benefit no one but the country’s ego… how is that good for all people, you tell me! We need billions for all the economic projects that are going on… and here we are, wasting millions to send someone off to space. Arrgghh!!

I’m totally not impressed. Uh, uh, not impressed at all! God… how I wish Tunku Abdul Rahman was immortal… he would’ve made sure none of these idiots do these sort of craziness! This government is rotten to the core… and I definitely fear for our future… sigh!

“I was elected to lead, NOT to read!”

September 13, 2007 in Local Politics, Social Activism & Religious Matter

That line really had me laughing my ass off in the cinemas. For those not in the know, it was a line uttered by President Schwarzenegger in The Simpsons Movie.

On retrospect, that line perfectly, accurately and correctly describe some, if not most, of our leaders in the world who uses these excuses “I only sign the contracts,” “It was approved before two years ago, before I was sworn in as minister,” and “I don’t know” whenever their wrongdoings, shady dealings and other dirty laundry were exposed to the whole wide world.

Well… maybe not so much leaders of the world… it would be much, much, much more accurate to say leaders in Malaysia, be it in the government, civil service or the corporate world.

I’m tired of dungu leaders in the blardy gov’ment. What about you? Let’s pray, for our country’s and our sakes, that each of the government depts and ministries read every little contract detail over and over again as they are carrying out the plans and initiatives in the Budget 2008, 9MP, the Northern Region Economic Corridor and the Iskandar Development Region.

Enough wastage!!!

We rakyat want to see our hard-earned money put to good and proper use, and NOT ending up in some unworthy and unscrupulous contractor’s or ministry underlings’ filthy pockets!

Links

“I’ve nothing to hide”, says Hishammudin.
Go through A-G’s report in detail, ministers told.
Agencies must explain irregularities.
Public will avoid paying taxes if wastage continues.

Happy Ramadhan to all my Muslim friends!

September 13, 2007 in Celebrations & Festivals, Local Politics, Social Activism & Religious Matter

Hope you guys and girls have a great time of fasting and reflection this year! Just make sure that you’re fasting because you really want to and that you believe in it, and not fast just for the sake of fasting or that everyone else you know is doing it.  And, to the girls… don’t force yourself if you can’t take it, alright?

And to the rest of the non-Muslims, please, please be sensitive to our Muslim brethren and sisthren as they observe this holy month. Be courteous and nice! Don’t tempt them by eating in front of them! You don’t have to add fuel to the fire… Muslim and non-Muslim relations are already quite strained as it is (no thanks to a bunch of gobloks in the government!), don’t give them any more reason to hate us.

That is all I ask. For peace and harmony in our country, forever! Happy Ramadhan, everyone!

Doa Selamat Kepada Mangsa-mangsa Runtuhan Jambatan di Minnesota

August 3, 2007 in 50th Merdeka Postings in Malay, Citizen of the World, Local Politics, Social Activism & Religious Matter

Haraplah anda semua mengambil masa untuk berdoa agar mangsa-mangsa yang terlibat dalam runtuhan jambatan yang ngeri di Minnesota itu dalam keadaan yang selamat. Walaupun tragedi ini memang tidak dijangka sama sekali oleh ribuan pengguna jambatan ini, namun, masalah-masalah yang dihadapi oleh jambatan berumur lebih kurang 40 tahun ini telah muncul sejak tahun 1990 dan dalam laporan 2005.

Ini patut menjadi teladan kepada pihak-pihak berkuasa di Malaysia yang sering menghadapi masalah-masalah infrastruktur terhadap bangunan-bangunan yang mereka bina. Tidak boleh dinafikan bahawa mereka yang menjalankan tugas membina apa-apa jua bangunan dan infrastruktur awam haruslah sering menjalankan pemeriksaan yang rapi setiap tahun supaya masalah yang lebih serius tidak timbul. Keselamatan orang-orang awam haruslah dipentingkan!

Saya pasti kita semua tidak mahu tragedi Highland Towers yang berlaku kira-kira lebih 10 tahun dulu tu diulangi, kan? Apatah lagi desas-desus yang saya pernah dengar oleh kawan-kawan saya di Pulau Pinang tentang keselamatan Jambatan Pulau Pinang kita. Harap-harap kerja pemulihan dan pemeriksaan telah dijalankan secara rapi, saya pasti tidak mahu Jambatan Pulau Pinang kita yang nampak begitu teguh dan gagah tiba-tiba runtuh ke dalam laut pada masa depan!

Kita semua memang patut bantu menbangunkan negara Malaysia, tapi janganlah sampai kita mengabaikan kualiti dalam usaha mengejar kejayaan dan kekayaan!