Craving for Caramel custard

This is one of those days that for no apparent reason, you get this sudden urge for something, and today is one of those days. I have this sudden urge for caramel custard, don't know why, just wanted to sink my teeth into some soft, silky smooth, rich and sweet caramel custard! Luckily making custard is not too much of a work, it is rather simple actually. I like mine rich so I used full cream milk, rich thickening cream, 5 eggs, brown sugar(instead of white sugar) and some rosemary. You can use anything from vanilla, rosemary to all sort of spices that tickle your fancy.
First thing is to make the caramel by cooking the brown sugar till it's bubbling and when you get a whiff of the caramel scent, you are done. Now is where you have to have quick hands as you need to line the bottom of the bowl with the caramel before it turns hard. Then move on to heating up the milk(full cream) and thickening cream. I added some rosemary to get some fragrant to it. I don't actually boil the milk, cream and rosemary but just on low fire and heating it up. Once those are done, let it cool down a little before mixing it into the eggs, otherwise you will cook the eggs!
Anyway, as the milk are cooling off, whisk the eggs until they are all properly mixed(the yolk). I know some people like to use only yolks and maybe just one whole egg(yolk and egg white) but for me, no difference. I just use 5 whole eggs, whisk it till they are properly mixed and smooth, remember to avoid getting too much air into them. Once the milk is cool enough to mixed into the eggs, slowly pour the milk into the eggs, whisking all the time. The end result is you should get a smooth, thick and rich mixture, this is called the custard. Then fill the custard into the bowls that you had earlier lined the bottom with the caramel.
The last step is baking it in the oven at 150C for 30 minutes, I usually heat up the oven before hand and fill the pan with hot water(just enough but not overfilling until it overflows). Put the bowl of custard on the pan(that is fill with water), this way of baking will make sure that the custard will not be burnt or over cooked as the water helps smooth out the heat.
Once it's in the oven for about 30 minutes, you should see the top of the custard firmed up, otherwise leave it in the oven for a few more minutes. Let the custard cool down before serving, I like mine to go with some mint leaves, yummy. Enjoy everyone!

Hair Cut

Finally my daughter agreed to go for a hair cut(trim actually) as her hair is getting too long and it's in the way when she eats and play. She was not really agreeable and rather reluctant even as we walked into the saloon. She keep giving me this "long" and hesitant face, but I keep consoling her that it will be okay. She is worried that we will cut her hair short as her hair grows very slowly. Even when she was a baby, she does not have much hair, so I can understand the fright. Anyway, after much coaxing and persuading, she decided to go, though still hesitant.
When we were in there, watching her from behind and catching her peeping at us from the front mirror was a dejavu experience for me. It dawn on me that not too long ago, I was sitting there and my mom was behind me watching me have my hair cuts. I suddenly realize that the circle of life is playing it's role now, how we felt when our moms took us to the barber(not saloon those days), how she would sit behind and look at us and every now and then points out to the barber/stylist how she wants the hair cut. How funny life works and revolves between generations.
Anyway, luckily we told the stylist to trim down her hair and when she was done, it did not put my daughter off. Let's hope she will be more willing the next time around.

Race and religion politics

I am disturbed by what is happening with the recent spat going on in PKR. I am referring to the on going spat between Sivarasa and Zulkifli Nordin. I cannot see why this Zulkifli fella is still in PKR as from what I understand, PKR from day one project itself as a non race and religion base political party. It is suppose to be a "Malaysian" setup where all race, religion and color are equal and fights for truth, fairness and above all equal rights! Actually, since the tsunami victory for PR in 2008, this Zulkifli fella has been a torn in PKR flesh. He is shouting for Muslim rights, as if the other Malaysians of other races are robbing of the Malays, come of it! He is also involved in the bar council issue, the cow head incident and the ban of beer sales incident, which I personally think is a act of sabotaging PR and PKR. What is wrong with this fella! He still thinks with mentality from a 3rd world country, shouting for issues that are non issues, claiming to fight for his Muslim brothers but as far as I know, the "rakyat" have no issues amongst themselves, and when old friends meet up, be it with their Chinese, Malay or Indian friends, they are all calling themselves "bro"........which means we are all good friends and are considered brothers of different mothers and fathers.
This is truly very disturbing as we are all trying to work towards a united front and be known as true Malaysians, so that our children's and future generations will have a better future and life, and not worried about being told off as second class citizens like some countries from other part of the world, eg. African countries. And that by working hard and paying one's dues, they will get the fruit of their labour based on their hardwork and not on the color on their face.
I realize this Zulkifli fella does not truly understand what caused the tsunami election in 2008, just like BN, and that is a worrying sign for PR as I wonder how many more MPs in PR are of the same mentality like Zulkifli. I sincerely hope Datuk Seri Anwar Inbrahim walk the talk, bring this Zulkifli fella in and have a heart to heart talk to see what is his real intention is and bring all this to a closure so that PR can concentrate on doing other more important things!

Anime

My kids these days are so caught up with this Japanese anime that it is also starting to rub off on me! Japanese anime are basically cartoon stories from magazines(it's called manga in Japan) originally which made it's way to TV series. The one in particular now that my kids are following feverishly is call Naruto. This anime has 2 parts, the 1st part being the early stage of this character call Naruto, and the 2nd part dwells more on the character's teenage life. It's a story about ninjas and special jutsu's(special powers) and revolves around this certain village where this main character grows up. It also revolves around his friends and sensei's (teachers/master) who plays a major part in this character's life, so basically it's about family and friendship with a twist of ninja action thrown into. This is what entices my children to follow the series so diligently. In the beginning, I was not too bother with the series as I thought cartoons are cartoons, like any other cartoons I have seen during my growing up age. But after watching a couple of series with my children, it is actually pretty good. I was also very surprise to find out that there is a large following of this series among the adults too.
They also made PS3, Xbox and Wii games out of this series and is extremely popular, my kids themselve already have a few version of the games. I only wish my kids could have been so diligent and hardworking when it comes to their studies and school work........... They can memerize each character, what is their power and so on without hesitation, I keep reminding my son that if only he can do that with his school work and studies, he will be the top student in his school! But I am hoping that all this will eventually work to the benefit of my kids, somehow or rather, directly or indirectly.
Another thing I found out about the name Naruto is that it is actually a name of a fish paste that is commonly used in Japanese ramens. It is usually sliced thinly with a swirling pink design in the middle. Which also explains why the main character is called Naruto because ramen is his favorite food. You can also imagine the impact this has on my kids. My daughter especially, now is so fond on going to the Japanese ramen restaurant, and she will order anything that has that Naruto fish paste in it.

Aiyah, another decision without going thru protocols!Dato Hassan Ali

I am still trying to understand why is it so hard for Datuk Dr Hassan Ali to realize that a "one man show" decision reflects very badly amongst his party, namely PAS and PR. Barely a month ago, he took the law to his own hand by ordering the confiscation of

alcohol from a convenient without first going thru the proper protocols and all hell broke loose. The way he is going about now, it seems like he is trying to sabotage PR, I mean PAS is part of PR now, so act like one, be seen like one! Your actions reflects upon the group you are with(PR) and your current action is by far most inconsiderate. I am not saying being inconsiderate towards the people but towards PR leaders. We know where you are going with this, that Muslims are prohibited to touch or be near alcohol or alcohol serving establishments, and I know you are doing the right thing here but there are proper ways and consequences to think about and how to go about it. Have you ever consider all the establishments like hotels, workers in alcohol producing factories, tourist spots, our airlines(MAS and Airasia) and many many more? These establishments serves alcohol beverages to their clients, they may or may not be Muslim clients but the person serving or taking the beverages to the clients might be a muslim, how then? Pls screw tight your light bulb(head) first, talk to your PAS heads and PR colleagues, have dialogues on the repercussions, how to go about it and plan it out properly. Don't "kong song", meaning talk fun! This is getting really toolan okay! Anyway, below is the article about this matter which I pulled out from MI(thank you) :

Hassan Ali has DAP caught between a rock and a harder place

By Neville Spykerman

SHAH ALAM, Aug 26 — Datuk Dr Hassan Ali’s decision to empower mosque officials to arrest Muslims caught drinking or even selling alcohol is putting their Pakatan Rakyat (PR) partners, particularly the secular DAP, in a spot.

The executive councillor in charge of Islamic affairs said two days ago imans and bilals would be allowed to arrest and carry out raids at convenience stores under the Selangor Criminal Syariah Enactment 1995.

The state Pas commissioner’s announcement came as a surprise to his PR partners because the dust has barely settled over his call to ban the sale of beer in Muslim majority areas.

The issue was finally settled only after the mentri besar called on convenience stores in Muslim majority areas to practice self regulation.

However the controversial call was used by Barisan Nasional (BN) to lure non-Muslims during campaigning in the Permatang Pasir by-election.

A DAP MP who chose to remain anonymous said Hassan’s latest decision is going to hurt the party and PR as a whole.

He said DAP was caught between a rock and a very hard place.

“To slam Hassan’s decision would open ourselves to criticisms that we are anti-Islam, which we are not, but to remain silent would attract attacks that we are not fighting for people’s fundamental rights.”

His exco colleague Ean Yong Hian Wah also confirmed yesterday that Hassan’s call was a unilateral decision which he did not discuss at the weekly exco meetings.

“We will discuss the matter during the Exco meeting tomorrow.” Said the state DAP chairman yesterday.

Klang MP Charles Santiago said everybody respected the fact that Muslims should not consume alcohol but he pointed out that Hassan’s move would hurt Malaysia’s image of being a progressive country.

“Page one of the Financial Times today is about Malaysia canning a woman who was caught consuming alcohol and now we have moral policing in Selangor.”

He said the fact that mosques officials can also arrest Muslims selling, serving and displaying alcohol is going to cause economic hardship to the community.

“Muslims in the services, food and beverage industries which serve alcohol are now caught in a dilemma.”

Santiago said Hassan should have studied the move and consulted his PR colleagues before making the decision.

Selangor Speaker Teng Chang Khim said Hassan was digging his own political grave and repeating history.

“His increasing hard line will alarm non-Muslims who will link the move to other fundamental policies that could be implemented in the future.”

In 1999, PAS managed to retain Kelantan and capture the state of Terengganu from Barisan National (BN).

“They became snobbish and arrogant with success and started suggesting to impose many fundamentalist policies, which resulted in the 2004 elections debacle where they lost the state.”

Never assume simple comments are good comments

I always thought if you just speak what's on your mind, with sincerity, no ill feelings and agenda, people will see the point you are trying to push across. But this is not always the case, and I found this out lately via a blog that I frequent often. I am not sure if it was something I commented or did not comment, it seems to have offended the blog owner, since then I can feel the hostility from her. Anyway, now I know to never assume that being "me" and just say what's on my mind, even if it's just a carefree statement, no "punts" intended, none hypocritical(that's definitely not me) and no personal agenda of the statement made, people will be offended. I am not good at phrasing my words carefully, nor am I good at breaking "ices" but I say what I hear, what I know and what I read. I know I get my facts wrong sometimes, but I never fail to admit my mistake if there is one, that's me.
I will still frequent her blog as she writes well and most of the time, it was just funny and humorous, and she too speaks her mind but I will hold my tongue as I know now, sometimes it's better not to comment too much..........I learn that when you comment unnecessary, you will not be welcomed, even if it's just blowing wind type of comments(you get carried away when you read other commentators doing the same).
Hey, life still goes on..........cest la vie!

Selangor Beer Fiasco

I have no issues about the control of alcohol sales as if executed properly, its good! This way we can curb minors and in this case as stressed by PAS's Hassan muslims from purchasing alcohol beverages, namely beer. This is the same idea on cigarette purchase so that minors are prohibited from buying them.
But why must it be done so third world country style! If PAS Selangor insist on going their way, what is the difference between them and BN-UMNO? They are using the religious card to run the country. I know it is against muslim teaching to consume alcohol(beer) but there are ways, proper ways to do this. We cannot just one day say, hey we must stop alcohol sales in areas which have large muslim populations and then instruct officers to go to shops and confiscate the beverages. It is this sort of mentality and work order that give muslim's a bad rep! Why can't PAS Selangor draw up a plan, discussed it over with MB Khalid with the presences of other PR reps and work out a SOP for controlling alcohol sales. This way, we adhere to the rule of law, transparency and most importantly, we show that we are civilized Malaysians and we are capable of working and rationalizing out problems by coming up with proper working rules and regulations that benefit the rakyat and country. Why must PAS Hassan behave like a big bully and all hell break loose because of one person. This is the kind of work from someone who did not think things thru properly and shots his mouth!
I am so glad that MB Khalid held everything together and was calm headed enough to think things thru and finally gave a firm and logical way out to this fiasco. MB Ronnie was just doing the right thing, to make right what was wrong by returning the confiscated beverages but by doing so, he is now the target for racial slurs. He is now called a racist, a person who does respect Muslims and there are request from certain quarters to remove him. PR please get your act together because chances don't come twice, and if you guys continue going on like this, BN will catch up!

Kuli : Why I shall not be accepting Zaid's offer

I would have been a BN man if what Kuli speaks of "exists", it was a good and noble ideology, it would have made the "perfect" Malaysia for all Malaysian.

Article below is from Malaysian Insider on Kuli's "Why I shall not be accepting Zaid's offer" :

Why I shall not be accepting Zaid’s offer

JULY 22 — I am honoured that Datuk Zaid Ibrahim should speak so highly of me, and consider me worthy of national leadership. He invites me to join PKR, and to dissociate myself from a party which he now finds fascist and racist.

I am under no illusions that Umno is bound for destruction on its present course. Neither do I hold unrealistic expectations about the possibility of reform when the rot has gone so deep.

I offered myself for the Umno presidency last year on an agenda of thorough-going reform. I proposed a complete democratisation of Umno by opening all positions to election by every ordinary member and abolishing quotas on candidacy. I said Umno must do this to be consistent with the principle of democratic governance demanded by the Federal Constitution. Every member’s vote must count, and every member must be free to offer himself for leadership. I was stopped by the quota system that I opposed.

I am the last person to entertain illusions about the ease of reforming Umno. The party that I joined half a century ago as an idealistic young man has indeed lost its soul. It has become corrupt, this corruption has weakened it, and as it grows weaker it is tempted more and more to fan racial feeling and abuse public institutions to maintain power. This is a death spiral.

I am aware of Umno’s weaknesses. I have not failed to point them out from a sense of loyalty to the cause for which Umno was formed in 1946, a cause which our present corruption betrays.

I am not in Umno because I “harbour hope of saving Umno” in its present incarnation. I remain because the cause for which Umno was formed, and the principles which guided its promotion, has not gone away just because we have lost our way 60 years later, and they need to be upheld.

The high principle of Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak and Tun Ismail, their devotion to nationbuilding, their incorruptibility, their sense of fair play and their devotion to duty, exemplified for me as a young man the meaning of this cause, and how it could be both Malay and Malaysian, nationalist and cosmopolitan, traditional and contemporary, at one and the same time.

The Malay cause was not premised on an eternal zero sum game between the native and the immigrant. We meant to build a nation united by a prosperous, confident and enlightened Malay community, not a permanent state of divide and rule by political lowlife. We meant to foster Malay leadership worthy of national leadership, and we looked to our common future as Malaysia rather than to our past as people accidentally brought together by colonial history.

So much is ideal. Yet it is important that we hold up ideals in today’s moral chaos. The future of our political system lies in a healthy, competitive democracy. If so, whether or not it looks realistic right now, we shall need a reformed incarnation of this nation’s most important political party. The Umno ideal which I embraced half a century ago has a role to play in the future we hope for.

A second reason I shall not be accepting Zaid’s kind offer is that things have deteriorated to the point that party affiliation is really not the issue anymore. The issue is how we are to save our country.

Our major public institutions and our political system have degenerated to the point that the public no longer trusts them. A democratic system of government cannot function below a certain threshhold of public confidence. The suspicious death of Teoh Beng Hock under the custody of a watchdog body reporting directly to a prime minister who has his own public confidence issues may have pushed us below that threshhold.

What we must do now goes beyond political parties. We need the rakyat to rise up to claim their institutions, and demand that our public institutions are answerable to them. We must wake up to our sovereignty as citizens, reclaim the constitution which constitutes us as a nation and guarantees our rights, and demand a comprehensively reformed government to restore public confidence. We must do this before it is too late.

End of article.

What do you think? It would have made everything so much better right?

Rosemary roast chicken

It's been sometime now since I cooked something for my family, my parents and myself. I used to do it quite often back then, almost every alternate weekends. It can be something simple like pancakes, my special omelets to roast chicken, pork, seafood chowder or even turkey! Due to my schedules lately, I will get too burned out and tired to do any cooking over the weekend.
Anyway, last Saturday, I decided I should do something as I have not cook for them for a while now. It was a last minute thing as well but with enough experience, it was not difficult to get all the "things" ready. My kids love the chicken, so decided to roast their favorite rosemary chicken, plus it was the easiest to do and fast.
I usually buy the chicken thighs(including the drumstick) instead of a whole chicken because then I don't have to carve the chicken, I will only use whole chicken when I have friends or my in-laws are here. But most of the time, I prefer thighs. I need a few spices and herbs, coriander seeds, black pepper and sea salt. For herbs, I need rosemary, I have been trying to grow them but they don't seem to do well, and they all die after a while. I also use Extra Virgin Olive oil moderately during the marinating process. I prefer a mortar to pound coriander and black pepper seeds, to me it works better that using a blender to chop them. Somehow, with the mortar, the seeds release their oil better, especially the coriander seeds, the whole kitchen is suddenly fragrant. Rub the spices(coriander and black pepper) and olive oil into the chicken, and if you have some Dixon mustard, add some(depending how tangy you want it), otherwise 5 spice will do as well but I like the mustard. Lastly, add salt to chicken and make sure you "massage" the salt into the chicken. These "massage" helps break down the fiber of the meat and the chicken will taste better.
Then before you cling wrap the chicken, bruise the rosemary a little to release the oil and just tossed it around with the chicken. Now you can cling wrap or zip lock up the chicken and let the juices marinate for at least 3 hours(the longer the better), in the fridge of course.
Cooking time is about 60 minutes, so plan ahead. Bring out your oven pan, oil the pan first with olive oil and put the thighs in with skin facing top. Pre-heat oven to 180C first and then bring it down to 150C and roast the chicken for 55 minutes, you can check the roasting time as it cooks as some people like the skin a little bit more burned, so it's up to individuals but the meat will be cooked through by 50th minutes. Just play the last couple of minutes on how brown you want the skin to be. After you have taken the pan out from the oven, let it rest for at least 10 minutes, covering the pan with a sheet of aluminum foil. As for the sauce, you can just use the juices from the pan or if you have some white wine, bring the pan over a fire and boil. Add some white wine in, let it boil again and reduce, add salt and pepper to taste before serving.
So, let's dig in........bon appetite!

Farewell Mr.Jackson

It was early this morning that I got a sad and shocked sms from a friend. The sms says "Michael Jackson died this morning".......at first I thought it must be some April Fool's day joke but it's not April now. I turned on the TV(CNN) to check as if someone like Michael Jackson passed away it should be on CNN, and he was.
I never thought he would go like this and so soon, I always have this picture of him growing old and passing on in old age. I always visualized this guy as immortal and that one day I must at least go to his concert once! Too late now....
Well, my condolences to his family and kids and I hope that he will find peace now(after all the hoo hah and controversial issues surrounding him) but I know for sure that his legacy, songs and persona will live on forever.
Goodbye Mr.Jackson.......

Here is something to remember him(one for the road) :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEgGwEUbclo&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4QyZH0EXcQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQyvQWrGE1g&feature=related

Disgusted!

I just found out after reading Malaysian Insider tonight that our country's economy contracted about 7% for the first counter of 2009. It is inevitable that Malaysia will go into recession wrote Malaysia Insider tonight. Bloody hell! If my memory serves me right, I remember hearing 2 top post minister from our government claiming that Malaysia will be protected from the economy downturn. Even our Bank Negara claims that we will not have any problems because Malaysia is "fundamentally sound/strong". During that same time our government keep putting out wrong signals to the people when countries all around the world are telling their people that their country's economy is failing and everyone must be prepared to face the downturn. Even our neighbors Singapore already forecast negative growth since end of last year but our very "capable" PM and DPM keep telling the people not to worry as Malaysia is shielded from this downturn.
Then why now the sudden change of tone! Malaysians that are more aware of the impact already know the government is not being truthful, but I like to think that it is not that they are not being truthful, they bloody do not know what is going on in the first place!
I for one already felt the pinch 3rd quarter of last year when the Raya festive season sales was really damped. I'am in the supply chain industry where every year during the Raya and other festive seasons, we will be running crazy to meet date lines and making sure all goods reach our clients on time but not last year, the hypers, retail stores etc etc were not ordering as sales were very slow. For those who were more daring and started to stock up early, well they got burned because consumers are not buying like they used too and therefore many suppliers who is in the same industry like me got burned because all their money got tied up and the goods are not selling.
Don't the government understand that the more they lie to us, the more disgusted the people will be at them. We are not living in the dark ages anymore and most of us have our ways to find information's and to think for ourselves. Once we know the truth how can the government expect the people to still accept them with open arms? There is not even an apology or statement that they have made a blunder in the forecast and they now have plans drawn up to cushion the downturn. Not even a little sign of admission from the government. I am totally disgusted with their lies, incompetence and "tidak apa" attitude!

Celebration in Perak

UPDATED 12/05/09 : In less than 24 hours, all hopes of ending the Perak crisis came to an end when Zambry got the Court of Appeal for a stay order. What was really the fascinating part about this appeal is the court worked really fast for this particular appeal. Zambry and goons only submitted the appeal in the morning and by 2.30pm, it is heard and approved. How bloody efficient! Anyway, all eyes are on the Sultan of Perak now to undo what was wrong from the beginning. This action by Zambry is good too as I am VERY sure, this will agitate the people of Perak even more.
Finally, there is one brave and good judge that dare to stand up against the might of UMNO to defend what is left of our constitution after last Friday's fiasco at the Perak Assembly Hall. Justice Abdul Aziz Abd Rahim ruled that YB Nizar is the legal MB and Zambry and the 6 BN exco members must vacate their post with immediate effect. Hurraahhhhhh! The judge also ordered for fresh state election to be held so that all this issues can be resolved once and for all.
Hmmm, it makes me wonder how Zambry and his goons feel like now.........to put it bluntly like an ass loh! After making so much hoo haa last Friday, claiming to have uphold democracy, claiming PR exco members to be uncivilized and ya-da-ya-da......even went as far as appointing their own Speaker some more. I guess the biggest ASS now is Ganesan who stupidly went along with the Jelapang "frog".......GOD SPEED!
On a lighter moment, I just read the Jelapang "frog" now have another twist to her pepper spray incident. Yesterday she claims that she was not holding a pepper spray but a key chain. Today she claims that it was not her pepper spray but someone threw the can at her, can you believe her nerve? Anyway, I have this link here if you want to see and decide for yourself if it's a key chain or pepper spray.
Anyway, now that there is at least some light at the end of the tunnel to this entire ordeal, YB Nizar and Speaker S Sivakumar should first start by sacking all those that played a role in this crissis, now that they know who are those that helped UMNO in this coup d'tat. Actually come to think of it, how much money is wasted by PM Najib and UMNO to wrestle this power grab in February. I guess now the Jelapang "frog" and the 2 other PKR "frog" must be shitting bricks now as they are no longer "needed" by UMNO-BN and definitely PR will not take them back anymore, basically end of their political career but hey, if they were really smart , they would have "pocketed" millions for the frog dance and should be enough for them to grow old with.
Today is a good day for all Perakians! A good day for me too! Bad day for PM, Zambry, Hee and the other 2 "frogs" whom I can't remember their names. This picture(right) should stand as testament on how to make an ass of yourself. Let's just see what this group will do next now as I am pretty sure they will not lay low and it might just start to get really ugly unless the Sultan of Perak come clean and make right once and for all. Desolved the State Assembly!

Altantuya : Finale

So it seems the court has officially found the 2 UTK(Special Force) officers guilty for killing and blowing up Altantuya. So it goes down as record that the Altantuya case is solved and the killers will be hang aka death sentence.
I must be getting old but as I recall, even if you did not act in the killing, even if you know or you abet in the process, you are still consider guilty, am I right on this? So, why is the third fella gone scott free and now living in overseas?
According to both police officers, they have no reason to kill Altantuya. They acted on instructions from their bosses to just defuse the "situation" when Altantuya was causing a commotion in front of the third fella's house(who has migrated to overseas with his family now). They claimed they did not kill her. One of the officer's even claimed that he is being made the "sacrificial lamb".
How I personally see this? Well, to a layman's understanding(that's me), these police officers might or might not be the ones who did the final act on Altantuya but one thing is for sure, police officers will not act without specific instructions from "above". I wouldn't know who the "above" is but police officers are grunts or soldiers merely carrying out their duty as instructed. It is all about obey and command, General's gave instructions and soldiers carry out the instructions the best they can. Now, who is the General? Somehow, in this court hearing that seem of no importance, strange?
Another point is, these two convicted police officers are not "koo koo" or psycho's, they have no relation with Altantuya. So what is the motive to kill her and blowing her body up? Are they ex-lovers or did the officers try to harass money from her? I don't think so cause there were no such indications during the hearings. So, why did they kill her so violently. I mean would you go and abduct someone you don't know from the street, kill that someone and then blow that someone to kingdom come? Unlikely right, when you can do something like that, there must be some relation between you and that someone you want to kill so badly. There must be a cause and effect.
Well, again like all "high" profile stories in Malaysia, it will soon be forgotten in due time unless new evidence and better judiciary system are formed. Just like the Lingam case, the free port in Klang etc etc etc......
I sincerely feel for Altantuya's father Shaariibuu Setev, as I am a father also and I too have a baby girl. I would have been devastated if any harm would have come to my baby girl!
God bless us all.

2 Bukits and 1 Batang

In another couple of days, the campaigning for the by elections for the 2 bukits and 1 batang will reach it's climax. I do not know why but these time around, I am not as excited as compare to the earlier 2 by-elections. Maybe sudah bosan after all the hoo haa. I also heard that most likely my area will also have a by-election as YB Eli will likely resign for good, but the people who stay around my area knows that it will still go back to PR, it is just that we have to go for another round of balloting. I personally am hoping the Batang Ai's election will favour PR as it seems that one is supposedly "untouchables" by PR.......or anybody.
Last night, PKR almost wipe out all divisions of PPP in Kedah and from what I read, it is basically closing off all PPP in Kedah. The VP of PPP lead the migration and the first 300 members already "jumped" over. Another 6000 more after the by elections. But my question is, how does this help? Does all this massive cross over really bring about good for the people? Does all this massive cross over help solved the current predicament of people in the 2 bukits? What does all this massive cross over means, bottom line? I really don't know what to think and expect, just have to wait it out to see if it does really make a difference that will benefit the people(of the 2 bukits).
BN seem to be pulling all it's "power house" as the dateline of the by elections draw closer and PM Najib threw a spanner at PR by issuing a directive to release 13 ISA detainees. But unfortunately, many sees this as a political move to garner support for BN and also his ratings. The story was, PM Najib upon appointed as PM, roped in 6 people to do his PR and campaigning for the by elections, apparently these 6 are the best of the best in what they do. Well, let's bring out the popcorn and coke and enjoy the major events unfolding in the next couple of days. On top of that, Tun Mahatir is also out helping BN campaining, what you see during Pak Lah's era. I guess PM Najib is really Tun's blue eye boy!

Penang trip

Well, it's finally the school holidays and my kids been bugging me to go Penang for quite sometime now. So, we all decided to go to Penang last Monday for a 3 days 2 nights stay. I brought my mom along as she too have not visited Penang for more than 15 years! So, off we went.....on to the plane. We will be staying at Parkroyal hotel at Batu Ferringhi as we had some vouchers for the hotel and it worked out good for us all. Upon arriving at the Penang International Airport, we garb a cab(2 actually as each cab only seats 4) and headed for the hotel. It was an easy drive as I was expecting jams and heavy volume of traffic as this was a working day and in the middle of the day. It took us about 30 minutes drive and we finally got to the hotel, checked in and the children all got ready for the pool! Within minutes, my son and daughter were playing in the pool, riding the water slides and jumping between pools(with my supervision of course). I had sometime to catch up with the papers and a glass of cold beer just made my day. For a few hours then, I was relaxed and my mind was not on "issues" back in KL. The kids played around for a few more hours before being "hauled up" by their mother as it was time for makan. That night, we walked out to Batu Ferringhi road and just looked around for hawker centers or similar stalls for local food. They have Eden, The Ship and a few more "commercialize" eatery place but we were more interested in the local stuff like Char Koay Tiau, laksa, Poh Piah etc etc. We found a food court about 200 meters from our hotel, just after The Ship. We sampled a lot of dishes(we order and shared amongst the children and adults). It was good and we had a good time. I am not sure if local Penangites will like it but for us out stationers, it was as good as it gets. Anyway, we still have 2 more days to go around Georgetown and Gurney drive to sample more. The following days my kids got to go for horse riding(my daughter seem to enjoy that a lot) and my son got to try the parachute ride, jet ski(with my supervision of course) and the banana boat ride. We all had a blast and most of the time we find ourselves either eating or having fun at the beach or the pool. As for my wife and mother, they too had a relaxing time, just lazing around the pool area and catching up on naps! Then it was more food and we did just that at Gurney Drive which is always fill with people but I was told that that would not be a good place to go for really good local stuff, well I will need some Penangites guide on this then. But it was good by our standard as we have no comparison to the supposedly good ones. But most important of all, my kids, wife, mother and me, we had a good time together as it's been a while now since we all did something together. It was a good break for us all. On the last day, we dropped by at Ghee Hiang biscuits for some "tau sah piah", which my mother likes alot. So, we bungkus 3 bags full of it back to KL. During the return trip back to KL, I was actually hoping to catch a glimpse of CM Lim as I read he travels by Air Asia and on economy class as well, but that did not materialize. Anyway, all in all, it was a good short break for all of us.

Good week for sports fan

It's been an incredible week for sports fan, locally and foreign. I am not sure if you are a sports fan, but for me, this has been one incredible week! The team(s) that I routed for have been performing really well, and some even above expectations.
If you are a football fan, a Liverpool fan in particular, I am sure you will be one of those people jumping and screaming for excitement as they(Liverpool) took 2 giants down and silence all their critics once and for all. The first win was against Real Madrid, and nobody expected this because Liverpool was really under performing and very inconsistent. But the match against Real Madrid did them justice as they trash the Spanish giants 4-1, yes, I did not type wrongly, they(Liverpool) won 4 to 1. Unfortunately, I did not get to watch the match as it was aired quite late into the night. However, many skeptics still did not think Liverpool have it and that win was one in a blue blue moon, so to speak. Then came the clash of the titans, the match everyone been's waiting to happen, the match between Liverpool and Man.Utd and to make it even more interesting, the game will be played in Man.Utd's home turf. Even the football pundits did not see Liverpool having any chance of winning playing against Man.Utd, let alone in their home ground somemore. The Man.Utd team have not lost a game in their home ground since 2005, they have been very consistent and playing really well. I myself was hoping for a draw, winning was never in the equation. But, hey, when you are smoking hot, you are smoking hot. Liverpool trash Man.Utd 4 to 1, just like Real Madrid. It was sheer joy and excitement seeing the ball hit the net each time Liverpool scores. What makes this win even sweeter is because Man.Utd was so adament thet they will triumph over Liverpool and scores are going to be high. They(Man.Utd) even boast of putting Liverpool out of contention for top spot, putting Liverpool out of their misery(so to speak). So, this win was really spot on and Mr.Rooney, eat your heart out! Sweet, Sweet Sweet victory!
If you are also a badminton fan, you should know by now that our very own Datuk Lee Chong Wei took the Swiss Open by beating his arch-rival Lin Dan. I was really worried as Chong Wei always seem to issues facing Lin Dan and the biggest and worst defeat was during the Olympics final, where Lin Dan literally annihilated Chong Wei. It was 2 weeks ago, this 2 met again during the All England finals and Lin Dan, again prove his superiority over Chong Wei. It is not that Chong Wei is any less competent than Lin Dan, but Chong Wei seem to lack the mental stamina that Lin Dan has. In fact, I personally thinks Chong Wei is in better shape(stamina and skills) that Lin Dan but Lin Dan seem to have the edge when one is pressured. So, back to the Swiss Open final, I was worried that Chong Wei still lack the mental stamina to defeat Lin Dan and the first half of the first set was proving that. Luckily, somehow, Chong Wei managed to muster enough strength and came back from behind and win the first set 21-16. It was really nail bitting as the world top 2 players trash it out, each trying to outbeat, out run and out trick one another. If you have not watch the match, try watching it over re-runs, it has some of the most terrific shots, some are even dumb founding unbelieveable shots and returns! The second set was a outright clear winner for Chong Wei, as he was the dominant one. One can tell that Lin Dan was really frustrated and angry at himself, and he is not playing his usual game anymore. Chong Wei outpaced, out stroke, out trick Lin Dan in this second sets and Chong Wei went on to win 21-16, again, and in straight sets. This is a very sweet revenge for Chong Wei who also lost in straight sets to Lin Dan in the All England and Olympics.
Well done Datuk Lee Chong Wei, you did us proud. I only have one more thing to add, Lin Dan not only lost the match, he also lost his sportmanship. He is one of those sportsman that looses terribly. Lin Dan, you might have win more matches over our Datuk Lee, but you lost more in terms of personality and as a professionals sports person, you are a bad sport!

Toll Increase.......Again!

Updated 28/02/09 : It seems after yesterday's encouraging remark from PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to get cabinet to review the toll hikes, the toll hikes have been postponed till end of 2009 but as informed by Anil, this might not be a good thing as it is just a delayed catastrophe, read more on Anil blog.
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Original posting : One would get all frustrated and grumbling when they hear this news over the radio and TV, I was one of them and I bet many more Malaysians will re-act the same. I would thought, with the current economic downturn and so many people losted their jobs and many more will be losing their jobs, the government will try to avoid anymore hikes in our common people daily lives, but not the Malaysian government aka BN, as explained by Datuk Ir Mohamad Zin Mohamad who is the Works Minister that this is a small increase and people should not complain because we are getting first class roads and conveniences. Here are the price increase as given by Malaysiakini :
"Kadar kenaikan tol terbabit adalah seperti berikut:

Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan (Plus): Kadar kenaikan tol untuk sistem kutipan tol tertutup Plus dinaikkan 0.68 sen sekilometer bagi kereta. Bagaimanapun, kenaikan ini tidak membabitkan tol di Plaza Tol Bukit Kayu Hitam, Tambak Johor dan Bangunan Sultan Iskandar.

Lebuhraya Sistem Penyuraian Trafik KL Barat (Sprint). Plaza tol Pantai: naik 50 sen dari RM1.50 kepada RM2 (naik 33) dan Plaza tol Damansara: naik 30 sen dari RM1 kepada RM1.30 (naik 30%).

Lebuhraya Bertingkat Ampang-Kuala Lumpur (Akleh)(Lebuhraya E12): Kadar tol dinaikkan sebanyak 50 sen bagi kereta - dari RM1.50 hingga RM2 (naik 33%).

Kadar tol Lebuhraya Sungai Besi (Besraya): Kadar tol dinaikkan sebanyak 10 sen bagi kereta - dari RM1.30 kepada RM1.40 (naik 7.7%). Bayaran hanya dibuat di Plaza Tol Mines kerana Tol Salak Selatan Jaya telah ditutup mulai semalam.

Lebuhraya Baru Pantai (NPE): Kadar tol dinaikkan sebanyak 40 sen bagi kereta - dari RM1.60 kepada RM2 (naik 25%). "

The increase range from RM0.10 to RM0.50, with 5% increase for using the North-South Expressway and our Works Minister says it is a small and negligible increase. He seem to forget that all of us does not just pass thru one of these tolls only, most of us will be crossing from one toll to another and if one way to work increases by RM1, we will be paying additional RM2 to go to work. If we use a 25 working day, this translate to another additional RM50/month. If our incomes are able to increase, then I think most of us will not feel the pinch but most companies are cutting back on staff and also salaries, so how to cope Mr.Minister! Think lah! What I cannot tahan is the Minister make it sound as if we getting the long end of the stick, but in truth, the people are getting the short end of the stick. Mr.Minister, if you really want to benefit the rakyat, resolves the jam along these highways during peak hours first! If you can do that, at least the rakyat knows they are paying higher tolls to avoid jams! Instead, we are paying higher tolls to get into jams after jams!

I just found out that apparently, the government is paying Putrajaya Holdings about RM6Mil(there about lah) per year for rental and maintenance of PM's residence in Putrajaya! Don't you think that is a little to excessive and don't you think with the money saved from these rental, it can help the "rakyat" cover these tolls hikes?

Countries all over the world are trying their best to help their citizens, but only in Malaysia, they suck you dry when you are down! Malaysia Boleh!

Walk The Talk

Datuk Dr Zambry wishes that people in Perak would forgive Jelapang assemblywoman Hee Yit Fong and to give her a chance to serve the people. Datuk Dr Zambry further says that it is getting to a life threatening state and it is very undemocratic. Huh?????
First of all, being a layman, the term democratic to me means doing things openly, fairly and voices of the mass chooses the day. If I am not mistaken, assemblywoman Hee was given that during 08/03 GE and she was given the trust by the people of Jelapang area and Perakians. Now, she betrayed that trust that was given by the people to her and she expects people to just forgive her overnight? Lastly, Datuk Dr Zambry, before you start preaching about practicing democracy, go and look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself truthfully, are you and BN democratically elected by the people of Perak(without a reasonable doubt) to be the State government or were you appointed by the Sultans using technicalities.?
Now, if you really practice what you preach, you should walk the talk now and call for a State Elections and trully let the Perakians vote and choose their State government. That is democracy!

First Blood

MACC drew the first blood with MB of Selangor and it started more than a week ago and MACC is still on Selangor's MB back and have been barking and biting with such tenacity just like a mad dog. It seems that the Selangor MB has had enough of this endless threat of being charged and is fighting back. The MB is probing into certain transactions dated back to 2007 by Permodalan Negeri Selangor Bhd(PNSB) which at that time was under ex-MB Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo. The board of directors of PNSB ordered 2 top official in PNSB to go under paid leave for 1 month so that the investigation can proceed without interference. The 2 officials are CEO Datin Khairiyah Abu Hassan and finance manager(who is also Selangor Puteri Umno chief), Nora Azmin Radzuan.
The 1st issue brought to light is the purchase of apartment units in Mecca that cost more than RM17M in 2007 without the approval of board of directors. Then there was also a "gift" worth more than RM150K in the form of a watch that was recorded as gratitude to then MB of Selangor Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo but was returned. The watch was later sold off for the same purchase amount and there is suspision that this is all for accounts manupilations and a probe has been initiated on it. The 3rd issue was apparently there were perks and bonuses given out to top officials but not declared to Inland Revenue Bhd.
It looks like more drama or dirt will be uncovered in the coming weeks and it seems like MACC just opened a can of worms on behalf of BN.

Year of "By-Elections"

It's been a few months now since my last post as I have been rather busy in the home front. Furthermore, not much has been happening that needed ranting other than what has happened in Perak and YB Eli but since so many other blogs have had that issue and I myself have been ranting and giving my 2 cents worth in those blogs, I decided not to write my own.
Well, that is until today. It seems like BN's MP are dying off one after another(so is PR) and we have another by-election on the way in Sarawak, Batang Ai to be exact. It all started from Kedah, then in Perak, next was Selangor where YB Eli became PR first political victim(except for Selangor where it did not concern about dying MP's) and the latest one now is from Sarawak. At the rate things are going, we might as well have a snap election all over again!
I am pretty sure if YB Eli really resigns(at current state, her resignation is not accepted yet) and a by-elections really takes place in Bukit Lanjan(Selangor), people in the Bandar Utama area will still vote for PKR(PR), including me and I am pretty sure too that PR will retain Bukit Lanjan and maybe with even more votes this time around.
Anyway, in a couple more days, our DPM Najib will be PM and I am all eyes and ears to see and listen to what he has to offer.