Paradise Island Revisited.

Exactly a week ago, tonight, we were on our way to one of the less known east coast island of Tenggol. Yup! You heard me right, even people from Trengganu never heard of it. Hihi.

It is 45 minutes boat ride from Kuala Dungun.

Actually, Tenggol is marketed as diver's paradise hence most non-divers would sunbath in Perhentian or Redang island instead. Aha, that's good news for me! For when the divers off to some wreckage or fighting some underwater current, the whole beach in the lblue agoon belongs to me (and friends).

Anyway, after hiatus of 6 years, i was back to the island on the exact date, 31st august (Independence day of Msia). The highlight this round must be the numerous shooting stars that caught of eyes while we we stargazing on the beach. The night is dark enough to see many glittering stars hovering above us. What an amazing moment it was. :)

50 Years Later...

50 years ago, Malayan Railway (present KTMB - Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad) announced of their new Kuala Lumpur - Singapore express which will cut short travelling time by 38 minutes.

The train leaves KL in the morning 10am and will arrive in Singapore at 5.35pm. (As advertised in NST 26th August 1957). Total journey time : 7 hours & 35 minutes.

Lets fast forward to present time. A quick check at http://www.ktmb.com.my/ revealed that the travelling time from KL to Singapore via Ekspres Sinaran Pagi will take ...ahem..10 minutes faster than 50 years ago. Total journey time : 7 hours & 25 minutes (ETD 8.30am, ETA 3.55pm)

Is that progress or what? 10 minutes saving in travelling time and yet, soon enough, we are sending someone to space!

The Book Cartel of Malaysia!!!

..and the goverment is questioning why the reading habits in this country is so low! Accessibility! If one selling a book with easily 50% margin, do not expect many can easily fork out their doh to purchase a rm100 book in any month.

Thanks to "Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows", we Malaysian, can finally know the truth that there really is a pact (secret) among some bookshop chains to fix the price of a book sold here. No wonder all the paperback book cost about the same (the last time i checked) ie rm35. Bloody expensive is you ask any avid readers. How many can we afford to buy in any month?

So, who is the book cartel of Malaysia? It is MPH, Popular Bookstore, Times & Harris. They have all agreed to sell HP7 at rm109.90, the so-called recommended retail price (RRP). More like the recommended ripoff price to me! Tesco & Carrefour (thank goodness for budget business), selling at only rm69.90 and that's a rm40 difference! (36.39% discount). Can i safely deduce that the margin for these book cartels is easily 50%? And that's a very bloody good business one must admit. (no wonder they can AFFORD not to sell HP7 at the very last minute).

As a serious but poor (no $) reader, one can't blame me if my favourite place to buy books are flea markets that sell second-hand books at dirt-cheap price.

Nevertheless, i do support independent bookstore such as Silverfish & Skoob for their specialization in certain ranges of reading subjects. They are easily better than Arkib Negara and that wasted library along Jln Tun Kazarazak.

http://www.silverfishbooks.com/2007/07/in-malaysia-harry-potter-shit-hits-fan.html

Nostradamus is nothing.

About more than 300 years before Nostradamus was borned (14th december 1503), there was a prophet-king from the eastern world of Kediri Kingdom in the island of Bali and his name is Jayabaya (1135 - 1157). He was predicting what i believe was motor vehicle (verse 1), planes (verse 3), dams (verse 4), internet (verse 5) and even sea-water rising (verse 7).

Serat Jayabaya
Syair Jayabaya
Jayabaya’s Words

Besuk yen wis ana kreta tanpa jaran.
Kelak jika sudah ada kereta tanpa kuda.
One day there will be a cart without a horse.

Tanah Jawa kalungan wesi.
Tanah Jawa berkalung besi.
The island of Java will wear a necklace of iron.

Prahu mlaku ing dhuwur awang-awang.
Perahu berlayar di ruang angkasa.
There will be a boat flying in the sky.

Kali ilang kedhunge.
Sungai kehilangan lubuk.
The river will loose its current.

Pasar ilang kumandhang.
Pasar kehilangan suara.
There will be markets without crowds.

Iku tandha yen tekane jaman Jayabaya wis cedhak.
Itulah pertanda jaman Jayabaya telah mendekat.
These are the signs that the Jayabaya era is coming.

Bumi saya suwe saya mengkeret.
Bumi semakin lama semakin mengerut.
The earth will shrink.

Sekilan bumi dipajeki.
Sejengkal tanah dikenai pajak.
Every inch of land will be taxed.

Jaran doyan mangan sambel.
Kuda suka makan sambal.
Horses will devour chili sauce.

Wong wadon nganggo pakeyan lanang.
Orang perempuan berpakaian lelaki.
Women will dress in men’s clothes.

To read more, check out http://www.xs4all.nl/~badjasur/kreasi/no3/jayabayano3.htm

The origin of the name 'Kuala Lumpur'

There is only one reason why Kuala Lumpur is named as muddy estuarine...and the picture above says it all. I guess Yap Ah Loy saw the same thing some 100 plus years ago. History teach us a lot ehh.

Note : In Bolehland @ Malaysia, there's a BIG difference between flash flood & storm flood. Besides the spelling, i don't see how big is their difference can be. sigh

Traffic Jam in Kuala Lumpur (a hopeless thought)

School holiday in Malaysia, May 26th till June 10th.

In KL, the most noticable event during this period is the much-reduced traffic in the mornings of weekdays. Where have all those vehicles gone too? Taking a holiday too? A usual jam-packed 35 minutes morning journey to work takes less than 20 minutes during this fantastic period (skool holiday!) It is like, more than half the crowds are not there. In fact the 20/80 rules applies. 80 percent of the vehicles that contributes to the morning jam have some connections with the school holiday.

Now, if there's no school, there will be no (very little) jam? Too many kids been chaffeured to schools in Klang Valley...by non-working parents? by private drivers? Does changing school hours to later (or earlier, 5am?) can help to reduce the morning rush?

Hi..Another wishful thinking.

Wan Lan Leh ...discontinued!

In view of too many 'Wan Lan Leh' events that cropped up recently, the blogger is unable to keep up with it and decided enuff is enuff. This is plain hopeless. Stupidity has no limit!

...and the most recent one?..SMART Tunnel is not meant for flash flood, it is designed for storm flood wor...and it doesnt cover the entire KL. It only applies to Sungai Ampang & Sungai Klang's confluence leh. Duh!

Bubbye..no more 'Malaysia Boleh' fantastic ground-breaking story! Too much syok-sendiri, i beh tahan liao.

ps. I still convinced that SMART tunnel is JUST another tolled road, nothing more.

Wat Lan Leh 2

200 million ringgit building! Situated in the most advanced city! Headquarter of the immigration department. All we need is some leaking pipe and the operation of immigration department grind to halt for the day.

The usual suspect(s) : contractor, PWD, the 'hand' in imigration department.

A very good example of 'Syok Sendiri' @ 'Self-Praise'. What vision city?

Moken - The One That Stop The Tsunami

Moken - I never heard of such word until i watched the National Geographic Special. Moken is the sea gypsy people that lives on the coastal water of Myanmar and Thailand. They lives on water, inside Kapang, their traditional boat. (Picture by P. Ivanoff 1957)

After Googling more info on Moken, this is the most startling thing i read about them. Excerpt from the website of Merfui Archipelago Project - Rearch And Integrated Development (MAP-RAID) http://www.mapraid.net/pages/tsunami.htm

"Of course, the Moken village was better protected than the other villages since the nomads know very well which places will give them the best protection. But the message is clear. « Here lives a great shaman and who says great shaman says small tsunami, because he knows how to read the messages from the supernatural world and to give warning in advance ». At the moment of the catastrophy the Moken of the Sisters Islands came out of their houses and their boats to face the waves on the open strand (few kms). Unconsciousness or prescience ? One must understand that the Moken consider that if one shows ones fear one inevitably attracts bad luck. To make fun of the anger of the spirits and danse before any danger, is to affirm their confidence in their traditions and their ancestors. Thus, for them, the wave stopped at the Sisters Islands and the shaman to be was de facto confirmed in his function. It was the spirits who had elected the shaman together with the primeval forces sent by the ancestors. The Burmese respect for the Moken became greater and the Moken spirits are now considered as being respectable since events have proved this"

...very interesting Moken.

Wat Lan Leh : The begining...

......beginning of a very, very ... (continued on 4th paragraph..but don't read it first.)

Lets start recording how many ( Warning : can be unlimited! ) 'brilliant' idea, 'outstanding' action or 'uplifting' statement that showcase the 'real' meaning of 'Malaysia Boleh' aka 'Malaysia Can'.

Lets start with this statement by Klang Municipal Councillor, Alex Thiagarasan when he argued why a proposed 14th storey hospital in Klang will boost...quote "The quality of medical treatment and service proposed by the investors has the potential to put Klang on the world map in terms of medical tourism." Ladies & Gentlemen, this will be my 'Wat Lan Leh' No 1.

Wat Lan Leh! World Map aah! Dun play-play man. ..............................................................pui!.

.....very, very sad story of a '1st-World (very arguable) Country filled people with 3rd-world mentality'. Very sad.

Kelip-Kelip Airlines

Anyone wonder why the new MAS-subdiary budget airlines, Firefly, have a website address as http://www.fireflyz.com.my/ instead of www.firefly .com or http://www.firefly.com/
What in the world is that 'z' for? Well, the answer could be here

or here.

My Second Home!

Here it is, the heaven on earth, the island of gods, my second home, the wonderful island of Bali.

Deforestation in Malaysia - is all about $.

While the enforcement authorities still 'busy' with their finger-pointing, inaction resolution and more meetings to get things moving, the forest are disappearing fast right in front of our eyes, everyday! It makes one wonder what's the use of having such news reported in the headlines. Again, the Malaysia goverment has failed in totality to protect the interest of the people.

1. Lojing Highlands is in Kelantan state - Illegal loggings. (bottom) Headline news on 28-03-2007.

2. Balik Pulau is in Penang island - Uncontrolled hill developments. (center). In this case, land from the hill is taken for reclaimation project - a goverment project! Headline news on 29-03-2007.

3. Pedu Forest is in kedah state - Illegal loggings. (top) Giant tree of Asia, Stulang tree fetching up to rm5600 per tree has been logged illegally and surprise, surprise, no one notice it except the honey collector that has been collecting honey from this 100 years old tree for the past 15 years. 29-03-2007.

S.H.A

24th October 2004. That was the first and only time i met SHA in person. The venue was a flea market. I saw his books going for 10 bucks. So, while flipping through the pages, i heard the seller said "Yes! Written by S.H.A. You can get him to autograph it." Puzzled. I wasn't sure the seller was talking to me or someone else. But when i look at the man standing on my right, i heard him said, "You want me to autograph it?" That was when i realised that while i was holding his book, flipping through the pages and going through the decision-making process of buying it or not, the MAN himself was standing on my right, shoulder-to-shoulder (surprsingly, he was quite tall).

Boy! Immediately, i hand over the book to SHA, he asked for my name, he signed it and i paid the seller. All these happened magically fast. Inside, it was hard for me to believe i actually have the chance to meet him in person and have an autographed book from SHA. A rare intellect.
The book was "Thomas Stamford Raffles : Schemer or Reformer". Good bye, Syed Hussein Alatas (1928 - 2007)

A Reflection On 2006 M'sia

"I used to be proud of M'sia but now, i am only proud of Air Asia" - dilvin

This Is What I Get For A Lousy rm1.20 News! Duh..Star!

Nowadays, whenever i read some report referring Malaysia as one of the WORLD top 10, 12, 100 country with so and so capacity or ranking...my excitement was quickly shadowed by something else that tells otherwise.

Below was reported in DuhStar dated 10.Jan.07 For a moment there, i really believe the new species, 'Rana monjerai' has become instant fame and people is buying it like there's no tomorrow. The best part is the "suppliers" have advised that there will be increase soon of Rana monjerai! The 'sales assistant' (whoever that is) must have a calling from the ONE above.

Again, someone is zzz-ping on the job or could be closing one eye while carrying out his/her duty. For goodness sake! Anyone that can think would instantly know that whatever new species of any living thing discovered, would not be up for sales!

What does the title "New frog species found" got to do with the highlighted (in yellow) words!