Tuesday, September 16, 2008

MAKING LIKE A BANANA

THESE ARE FUNNY TIMES. Both sides of the same coin flipping constantly; enough to cause a pleasant breeze, ruffling our hair. The thing is, I don't like the new confident throne taker, but at the same time, I don't quite like the current power that be. So where does that leave us? Or me? Its like being given the choice of having to eat a pair of used shorts, or a pair of used shoes. You just don't want to. But you know you must eat, because if you don't you can die from starvation. These are funny (funny strange) days. You can never tell whats going to happen. What appears to be openly and blatantly stupid moves is being described officially as being something which must be done. You can't help but get the impression that the asylum is not only being run by the inmates, but by monkeys who have dropped by. There is no consistency, there is pattern. Its a creepy randomness which is causing everyone unease and a feeling of displacement. And at the door we have one very persistent person banging away shouting out his threats again and again; his crew members a motley group of untested and untried stirring and twisting away behind him. The one on the inside is sitting on his chair spinning around putting both index fingers to both ears and singing 'lalalalalalalalala...'

I don't know man ... these can be disastrous times for us all, or it could be a very comical one. Seriously. What the hell is actually happened? Why are we here like this? Why are we losing our focus on making this country the best that it can be? Why are we focusing instead on a power struggle that never should have happened? Wheres our business deals with other nations? Wheres our developing industries? Wheres our bright children overseas?

Methinks its a case of the tail wagging the dog. We are given the old switcheroo. We are being made to look this way when the real shit is going down somewhere else. We are being distracted from something else. Something else like ... the economy? The budget? The price of living? Whatever it is it sucks. These people suck. Useless buncha no gooders. Idiots.

Monday, July 7, 2008

MALU LA .... WEH!

THE STRANGENESS OF SOME PEOPLE. The deputy mayor of London resigned from his post due to the media coverage and investigation of the allegations against him. The New York Times, 4th of July report, has this to say:

"Ray Lewis resigned tonight as deputy mayor of London amid allegations of inappropriate behaviour and financial irregularities.

Mr Lewis, who was put in charge of leading the capital's policy of youth crime, said he had stepped down in the face of an "avalanche" of allegations against him..."

Interesting isnt it? How politicians from other countries take their own political life by performing the political sepukku aka harakiri when theres even a hint of irregularities by firstly, apologizing to their public, secondly stand by their missus with a sorry look on their faces and thirdly, stepping down within the same 24 hours of the surfacing of the allegations citing the need to protect party / government image and reputation. Mind you its not even a direct charge, or anything more serious than a mere allegation and off they go.

The positive outcome of this are:

a. a proper investigation can now be carried out;
b. maintenance of the party / body / organization's dignity and integrity;
c. if they are innocent, they will endear to the general public; and
d. the understanding that life goes on. With or without you.

But not so with our own breed of politicos. If you notice, they'd do everything (except maybe balance themselves on a unicycle on top of a wire over a 10 feet high raging fire) to maintain their seat and position. Its almost as if they're very own flesh and soul are entwined, burned and symbiotically joined with their political career; that the moment they step down from their position their bodies will slump to the ground and their spirits go wafting up to the clouds lost forever amidst commercial planes and the odd seagull.

They'd come up with a million and one excuses, officially known as "reasons" as to why they should remain where they are; they'd fight tooth and nail to stay on the seat to maintain at the top, to maintain the giddy height of power.

And its embarrassing. Not just for us, but for everyone else especially themselves. Do they really believe that if they step down all allegations are justified? Have they not heard the legal axiom that all are innocent until proven guilty? Or have they no faith in due process (regardless of which era they belong to)?

My question of the day is:
Have they no self respect? No dignity? No conscience? No sense of malu-ness?

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

THE BUTT, THE WHOLE BUTT AND NOTHING BUT THE BUTT

NOW LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE. The whole country is talking about it. The papers are having a field with it and what? Even the broadcasters are giving it priority in terms of news. People on the streets, in offices, at bus stops, at shopping malls, at cafes, kopitiams and kedai mamak are giving opinions and counter opinions on what actually transpired. Did he or didn't he? Was he or wasnt he? Now look, even the fiance is in there with her blog telling the entire planet that she stands by her man. There are assurances made that he will be made safe, an assurance given by the highest office, and not just by him, but by his security people and their ilk. Presscons after presscons are given, and whoa! Even an entire stadium was filled to the brim with people wanting to know the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

But hang on.

I dont give a pharck. About all this. I really dont.

All this fandango about conspiracies, about innocence, about pride, about getting to the truth, about not repeating the same trick made 10 years ago blah blah blah yadayadayadayda ...

Its all crap.

Its all a distraction; a diversion from the real pain in the arse (note the pun) which is the painful truth: INCREASE IN COST OF LIVING. Which, to sum it up consists of:

a. increase in cost of RICE, the very basic food staple of ASIANS;
b. increase in cost of PETROL, the very blood of businesses;
c. increase in ELECTRICITY rates, the very soul of industry.

A major english language paper spent 12 PAGES from page ONE TO TWELVE on covering the GREAT BACKSIDE SAGA. And much later, on page 16, a semi-small column on a suggestion from the Member of Parliament from Jerlun on how to deal with the increase in oil prices, by having governments of countries deal directly with each other to overcome the real impact of artificial pricing of oil by futures speculators.

Am I alone or has everyone else gone mad? I'd rather not know the outcome of someone's backside, as I'd rather know that the government is doing something REALISTIC and SOON in IMPLEMENTING STEPS TO REDUCE THE RISING COSTS OF LIVING, INSTEAD OF FOCUSING ON THE PUCKERED EXIT HOLE OF SOME DEFACTO SOMETHING OR OTHER.

My question for the day is: has everyone gone mad? Or is everyone suddenly gone soft in the head?

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

THIS SHIT AINT GOOD

HOLY MOLEY! Is it really true? Are petrol station owners refusing to accept credit cards from customers? How the bloody hell am I going to get petrol from day 1 to day 30? My petrol consuming ways have been benefitted by the cranky, leaky but still effective way of the credit card system. Now I need CASH all the time! This shit aint good man ... this shit aint good. And I know that I'm not the only one. I know that because everybody and their uncle uses credit cards to get by these days and now the very basic necessity for us salary people are going to be taken away. First they increased the cots of petrol, now they're making it even harder for us to even pay for the petrol. This morning I filled up my Waja 1.6 with RM140.00 worth of petrol, which is the complete full tank. And since I travel 70km back and forth, the full tank aint gonna last. And now I cant use my credit card to pay to the high costs? Bloody hell...

My question for the day is: why the bloody hell is the govt. keeping quiet on this? If it really is going to come to pass that we can no longer use credit cards, then why are they not making some kind of reassuring remarks? Are they really leaving us to the wolves? Or at least to the creditors ... are we, the rakyat, really so detestable that we are treated this way? What the hell is really going on here?

Thursday, June 19, 2008

COME ON EVERYBODY LETS GET STUPID!

HO-BOY ... looks like the situation is getting from bad to worse to horribly bad AND horribly worse. The recent petrol price increase together with the recent rice price increase and the upcoming electricity rates increase has made all over us more scared of stepping outside our homes. The streets are clear and theres a sense of deja vu with the movie 'i am legend' ... the emptiness of vast empty parking lots, the windblown briar bush... So what do we do? We listen to the powers that be and the words of wisdom which is ... (wait for it) SAVE! START CUTTING COSTS! DONT SPEND! STAY INDOORS! Woo-hoo! Its like a celebration of idiots the way we're told to not spend and to cut costs. Whats even worse is that the GOVERNMENT is going to cut costs and not spend as much. Now this is very worrying. The government cutting costs? The government as in "a huge complex of activities and duties which covers the entire country" government? THAT government? I'm not an economist but if the government decides to cut costs on their spending, wont it have the following effect on the:

a. hospitality industry: if away meetings in hotels and resorts are cancelled, wont it mean that the hotels and resorts will be losing a hefty chunk of their income? Which will have the effect of last revenue and over-staffing?

b. food industry: having lost their hotel and resort customers they wont be ordering that much food from their suppliers who in turn will reduce the production capacity.

c. transport industry: since all travels within and outside the country will reduced that means this industry too will be losing a chunk of their revenue which for all these years have been coming in like clockwork.

What would be good instead is to just not cut costs thereby creating a devastating ripple effect for everybody in this country from bus drivers to tofu cake makers, is for everyone to have a pay increase of between 30 - 50%. That way all of us (or those of us who are getting a monthly income) can afford to buy things, drive around and maintain the economic machinery. Now is not the time for collective cost cutting, now is the time for collective spending of goods and services. We need to churn the goods and services industry, we should be able to buy houses, go on holidays, watch movies, eat at restaurants and dance at discos! Our income and our lifestyle must be increased to the same level of the burgeoning costs.

My question of the day is: is there a plan?

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

A KICK IN THE HEAD

AHHH ... our southern neighbour. Love them or hate, but you have to admit, they do provide the occassional interesting news postings. Like the notorious armpit sniffer who received a 'prevention detention' judgement effectively slamming him in jail for 16 years. All for the love of the pit. I honestly do not know what to say. Or add. Just that the authorities are not taking it lightly, claiming that he has a 62% chance of committing the offence upon release if he was to be sentenced for 2 years. To be fair to them, he did do more than just tickle his nose-bud; he molested them and at some point, restrained them whilst molesting them. The armpit sniffing part was one of the components of the attack. His victims? Ranging from 9 all the way up until 53. I know, its just so wrong on so many levels. You feel wrong just suppressing the giggles. But I wonder, does he grab the wrist of his victims, lift it up and shoves his nose in their pits? Or does he just go for it, from any angle? Good thing he's not a crotch sniffer. That would have been clumsy.

My question of the day is: are people getting crazier? Or is this a new form of evil? Or is the world too stifling for the normal person to just carry on with the simple business of living? But trust me, we will be reading more and more of weird crimes being committed. Only because the stress of everyday life is getting to us. Not to mention the stress of coping with rising costs, making ends meet and to just get a bowl of rice going on. This is just the beginning...

Sunday, June 15, 2008

BABY BOOMERS AND THE RECEDING HEIR LINE

HMM INTERESTING. Now the Star Online has this to report:

"The Government is looking at adopting a system whereby motorists can buy a fixed amount of subsidised fuel each month and pay for the rest at market rate. Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop said the system includes providing Malaysian motorists with a special card for buying subsidised fuel. “We are still looking into this system as certain infrastructure would be required for the subsidised fuel cards to be used,” he said, adding that the RM625 cash rebate for motorists was the best and fastest approach the Government could take to cushion the recent 41% hike in fuel prices."

Note the key words here:
a. "Government is looking at ..."
b. "We are still looking into ..."

This is really a good idea actually as it will contribute towards easing the burden of the rising costs of living and breathing in this land. However, I do have an issue. As the key words will show, my issue is the lack of PLANNING. Thats right.

Wouldnt it have been more prudent, less scary, more insightful and busload more intelligent if they, the powers that be, had PLANNED all these fandangled new ideas BEFORE dropping the bad news on our heads? It would have acted like the proverbial ky jelly before the plunge. Bad news is bad news, thats life, but it would have made a world of difference if there were established and well thought of plans made to the public before a major step such as the petrol price increase was implemented.

Now its just all damage control isnt it? Controlling the damage its doing to the image of the powers that be. Trying to win our hearts? Try PLANNING in advance a bit.

My question of the day then is: with the rising costs of living, it would be obvious that not only will the current populace be digging deep into their savings but will also be digging deeper into debt; what will the future be for the people now when they retire in 15 years time? Is there a plan for the people in the 50s to prepare for their retirement age? Its not enough to go around telling us that we must change our lifestyle AND keep something aside for our old age, because telling IS NOT helping and IS NOT doing. Telling is just reminding. Or nagging. Are there plans to deal with this issue? As this unanswered debts will be a burden for our children's generation. Or will the plan come AFTER the FACT?

But we're not big with planning are we? Look at all the housing estates in this country; they build it big and proud, but they forget to include practical-sized roads, exits, parking spaces etc. So we end up in a perpetual state of repairs and roadwords and piling traffic situations. What is it about us and planning? Honestly.

I guess we're all free spirits prancing about being creative at the last minute ... hoho ...