Elephant Savings

I got a cute elephant shaped "piggy bank" from Hong Leong Bank for depositing RM500 into my daughter's saving account. Well, my daughters would not have the money or coins to put into their new piggy bank but I know I do have. Most of the time, I would come back from work with extra coins in my pocket. The coins would then find their rest in the elephant "piggy bank". My daughters observed what I did and soon they too would drop in any coins that they find into the piggy bank. Good habit for them to practice.

Maybe one day when they are old enough they can start the habit of collecting rare coin. Yes, that would be good for them. Not just as a hobby but also as a form of investment. Come to think of it, the bank interest rates are very low. It would be much better to invest in gold bullion or rare coins as the value would go up in the future. Furthermore the value of gold does not fluctuate easily. Now I should convince their mother to invest her extra money in gold.

Skin care for you

Living in a hot country has many disadvantages. When it is too hot, it will definitely affects my skin. Too dry or too oily are common problems that I faced. So I had to resort to skincare products. Yes, I use skincare products too. Not only my wife uses it but I do too. For those of you who stays in hot countries like Malaysia, you know that the weather is hotter compared to 10 years ago. We can really feel the difference.

I have use a few brands of skin care products in the past. Currently I am using Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion and I am very happy with this product. I love sports and being outdoor most of the time definitely have the effect on my skin especially my face. My face skin is dry but Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion helps it to be moisturized. I enjoy using it everyday. It is not oily unlike some other products. The skin really absorbs the lotion like a sponge thirsting for water. And the effect is almost immediate. My face is no longer dry after using the lotion. Side effects? Nothing that I know of.

Would I recommend it this product? Yes, absolutely. Not only for ladies but for men too. Try it out and I am sure you will be satisfied with it. I know I am.

The Footstep of Paul the Apostle

It always marveled me to read the missionary journeys of Paul as written in the Book of Acts. Paul and Barnabas journeyed from Antioch through various cities at that time, preaching and sharing the Good News, first to the Jews then to the Gentiles. The hardship that both of them had to go through during the first missionary journey. Paul later went for a few more missionary journey with Silas, Timothy and Luke.

There are many Holy Land tours being offered. Now there is Christian Cruises offered, in particular the Footsteps of Paul the Apostle tour being offered by livingpassages.org. In this Christian Cruise, you will be sailing away in a luxury yachts from USA on the 19th July to Athens. You will be taken to Mars Hill, Parthenon, Pergamum and also the beautiful beaches at Ephesus. You will have the chance to enter the amphitheater where Paul spoke to the Ephesians. Well, it would not only be about visiting places but you will also be able to hear the Word preached during the tour. Of course I am sure many women would love to go shopping and you will be able to do that during the tour. It would indeed be a memorable experience. So, if you want to know more about Christian Cruises, check out Living Passages.

Good doctors & technology

There are many doctors all around town. Some are well known for their expertise but mostly are just mediocre. Thinking about those doctors that are good in their field, I would recommend Dr Subra from Klinik Kulit Subra in Jalan Ong Kim Wee, Melaka. He is a skin specialist and I am glad that my mother brought me to see him to treat the fungal infection on my toes. Within week the fungal infection was gone. That was about 20 years ago.

Even at that time, Dr Subra has already use the computer to record and search for the latest advances in medicine for skin matters. I think he might have use the drug reference guide when prescribing the medicine and ointment for various skin diseases. I think it is good for every doctors to use drug reference guide. The reason being that most doctors would not be able to remember various names and descriptions of the medicine available in the market. Some may only remember the outdated type of medicines which are not suitable to the current type of diseases.

So how do you know whether a doctor is good or not? Firstly, by words of mouth and recommendations from others. Then, check whether he has the facilities that enables him to be updated regularly about the current advances in medicine.

p/s: “This announcement was paid for by Epocrates.”

How and If?

Most of the time we tend to follow what other people accepts as true. Even simple phrases that we hear and see everyday seems alright at first glance. What is we think about it slightly deeper? Maybe we will laugh at it... enjoy.

How do they get a deer to cross at that yellow road sign?
How do you get the "Keep off the Grass" sign on the grass?
How do you get off a non-stop flight? How do you know when you've run out of invisible ink?
How do you throw away a garbage can?
How does the guy who drives the snowplow get to work in the mornings?
How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
If a jogger runs at the speed of sound, can he still hear his Walkman?
If a pig is sold to the pawn shop,is it considered a ham-hock?
If a turtle lost his shell, is he homeless or naked? If athletes get athlete's foot, do astronauts get mistletoe?
If blind people wear dark glasses, why don't deaf people wear earmuffs?
If corn oil is made from corn, where do we get baby oil from?
If I save time, when do I get it back? If rabbits' feet are so lucky, then what happened to the rabbit?
If Superman is so smart why does he wear his underpants over his trousers?
If swimming is good for your shape, then why do the whales look like the way they do?

Mia and the Bugaboo Bugs

Young children are more computer literate compared to their parents' generation. In my children years, we only know about playing in the orchard or paddy field. We climbed trees and pluck fruits when we are hungry. We got dirty playing on the ground everyday. We got hurt and wounds but that are normal and our parents do not even raise an eyebrow about it. The wounds got healed and we are still fine.

But gone are those days. Even if I want to let my children to experience outdoor activities, I will make sure that they are being monitored by a trusted adults. The neighbourhood is just not safe nowadays. With the increase of children abduction being reported in the media, the fear has sipped in.

There is a limit as to what my children can do in the house. But the good thing is that with the computer, the children can play various games in the security of the home. No, I am not talking about online game like Warcraft or Cabal or Final Fantasy XI. These games are for adults although most children as young as 9 years old are already into these games. What I have in mind is interactive learning games like Mia Reading: The Bugaboo Bugs.

This game is about Mia the mouse and her adventure in solving the problems at hand the Bugaboo Bugs. The Bugaboos has invaded Mia's charming Victorian house and made noisy and uncivilized activities. Should the humans take notice of them, the exterminators will be called and this will be dangerous because all the pests will be in trouble. The player are required to help Mia to get rid of the Bugaboos. With the game, the player will also learn to associate images to words, punctuation, phonics, rhymes, spelling, sentence structure, vocabulary, reading comprehension, word recognition, verb tense, adverbs, following instructions and much more. Yes, your children will be able to learn all these by playing and enjoying the game.

How can you get the educational game like Mia. Well, it is available on a hybrid DVD-ROM for Windows and Macintosh and is available at TOYS 'R US, The Apple Stores, and other fine toys and computer stores with a suggested retail price of $24.99 and is aimed at five to nine year olds.
There are many more games available from http://www.kutoka.com for you to choose from. So what are you waiting for? Get one for your children and enjoy the game TOGETHER with them.

Wining Lottery Number

No, I did not win any lottery number. What I did is to preach about Psalm 1:1-3 today in church. It is about how we Christians can receive God's blessings. I'm sure when I mentioned the word "blessings" many people especially the people of this world would think about winning lottery numbers. It is not a surprise that many would buy lottery numbers because they want to get rich fast. However winning lottery number is not God's way of blessings His people. God's way to receive His blessings is stated in Psalm 1:1-3: -
- Do not walk in the counsel of the wicked
- Do not stand in the way of sinners
- Do not sit in the seat of mockers

- But we must delight in God's Word
- We must meditate on God's Word day and night

The blessed man is liken as a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruits in season and whose leaf does not wither. Everything he does prospers.

So God's way to His blessing is not by way of wining lottery or 4 digits.

Respect Cannot Be Demanded; it must be earned

Paradigm Shift must happen in the minds of the people before changes can happen in society. I must say that I clearly respect Raja Petra for his unbias thinking. If only the majority of people can see and evaluate various issues in his manner, this world would be a better place to stay.

Raja Petra: Respect Cannot Be Demanded; it must be earned
Submitted by Raja Petra Kamarudin on Tue, 2005-05-24 06:24.

Respect cannot be demanded; it must be earned Raja Petra KamarudinAli Al-Ahmed, the director of the Saudi Institute in Washington, wrote the following in his piece, Hypocrisy Most Holy, which appeared in The Wall Street Journal on 20 May 2005:

"With the revelation that a copy of the Quran may have been desecrated by U.S. military personnel at Guantanamo Bay, Muslims and their governments -- including that of Saudi Arabia -- reacted angrily. This anger would have been understandable if the U.S.government's adopted policy was to desecrate our Quran. But even before the Newsweek report was discredited, that was never part of the allegations.

"As a Muslim, I am able to purchase copies of the Quran in any bookstore in any American city, and study its contents in countless American universities. American museums spend millions to exhibit and celebrate Muslim arts and heritage. On the other hand, my Christian and other non-Muslim brothers and sisters in Saudi Arabia -- where I come from we are not even allowed to own a copy of their holy books.Indeed, the Saudi government desecrates and burns Bibles that its security forces confiscate at immigration points into the kingdom or during raids on Christian expatriates worshiping privately.

"Soon after Newsweek published an account, later retracted, of an American soldier flushing a copy of the Quran down the toilet, the Saudi government voiced its strenuous disapproval. More specifically, the Saudi Embassy in Washington expressed "great concern" and urged the U.S. to "conduct a quick investigation.""Although considered as holy in Islam and mentioned in the Quran dozens of times, the Bible is banned in Saudi Arabia. This would seem curious to most people because of the fact that to most Muslims, the Bible is a holy book. But when it comes to Saudi Arabia we are not talking about most Muslims, but a tiny minority of hard-liners who constitute the Wahhabi Sect."The Bible in Saudi Arabia may get a person killed, arrested, or deported. In September 1993, Sadeq Mallallah, 23, was beheaded in Qateef on a charge of apostasy for owning a Bible. The State Department's annual human rights reports detail the arrest and deportation of many Christian worshipers every year. Just days before Crown Prince Abdullah met President Bush last month, two Christian gatherings were stormed in Riyadh. Bibles and crosses were confiscated, and will be incinerated. (The Saudi government does not even spare the Quran from desecration. On Oct. 14, 2004, dozens of Saudi men and women carried copies of the Quran as they protested in support of reformers in the capital, Riyadh. Although they carried the Qurans in part to protect themselves from assault by police, they were charged by hundreds of riot police, who stepped on the books with their shoes, according to one of the protesters.)

"As Muslims, we have not been as generous as our Christian and Jewish counterparts in respecting others' holy books and religious symbols.Saudi Arabia bans the importation or the display of crosses, Stars of David or any other religious symbols not approved by the Wahhabi establishment. TV programs that show Christian clergymen, crosses or Stars of David are censored."The desecration of religious texts and symbols and intolerance of varying religious viewpoints and beliefs have been issues of some controversy inside Saudi Arabia. Ruled by a Wahhabi theocracy, the ruling elite of Saudi Arabia have made it difficult for Christians, Jews, Hindus and others, as well as dissenting sects of Islam, to visibly coexist inside the kingdom."

Another way in which religious and cultural issues are becoming more divisive is the Saudi treatment of Americans who are living in that country: Around 30,000 live and work in various parts of Saudi Arabia. These people are not allowed to celebrate their religious or even secular holidays. These include Christmas and Easter, but also Thanksgiving. All other Gulf states allow non-Islamic holidays to be celebrated."The Saudi Embassy and other Saudi organizations in Washington have distributed hundreds of thousands of Qurans and many more Muslim books, some that have libeled Christians, Jews and others as pigs and monkeys. In Saudi school curricula, Jews and Christians are considered deviants and eternal enemies. By contrast, Muslim communities in the West are the first to admit that Western countries-- especially the U.S. -- provide Muslims the strongest freedoms and protections that allow Islam to thrive in the West. Meanwhile Christianity and Judaism, both indigenous to the Middle East, are maligned through systematic hostility by Middle Eastern governments and their religious apparatuses."The lesson here is simple: If Muslims wish other religions to respect their beliefs and their Holy book, they should lead by example."

Malaysia, of course, is not as bad as Saudi Arabia, if what Ali Al- Ahmed wrote above is correct and not an exaggeration. However, though Malaysia is not as drastic as Saudi Arabia, the attitudes here and in Saudi Arabia are similar. For example, we Muslims condemn non-Muslims as ‘members of hell’ (ahli neraka). We justify this, no doubt, by saying that this is what Islam says, so to dispute this would be unIslamic and tantamount to blasphemy. If I were to say I do not agree to this, I would be condemned by fellow Muslims who would advice me to go find a guru (teacher) so that I can improve my religious knowledge. Some will even say that I am now no longer a Muslim for daring to argue against the concept that all non-Muslims are automatically destined for hell. Sure, the Hindus too feel their religion is the correct religion and all other religions are wrong or false. The Christians, Jews, Buddhists and all others too feel the same way. But do you hear Malaysian Christians, Hindus or Buddhists label Muslims as Members of Hell?

We allow the Quran to be published in all languages and we encourage those of other religions to read the Quran in the hope they may convert to Islam once they have read it. But the Bible cannot be published in Jawi (Arabic alphabet) and, until quite recently, the Bible was forbidden in Bahasa Malaysia. Today, due to political pressure and to ensure the non-Muslims will not desert the ruling party, the Bible may be published in Bahasa Malaysia but it has to be stamped as ‘non-halal’ (forbidden for Muslims). We want the non-Muslims to understand Islam. We want the non-Muslims to understand Islam by reading the Quran in the language they understand best; whether it is English, Chinese or any language of the world; but we refuse to allow the Muslims to understand the other religions -- and they would certainly not understand the other religions if they do not read the holy books of that religion. In fact, we do not even regard the holy books of the other religions as holy books. But we want the others to treat and respect the Quran as a holy book. Our excuse for not allowing Muslims to read the Bible is to prevent them from being influenced by Christianity whereby they may leave Islam and become Christians. Are we admitting that Islam is so bad, and Christianity better, that if Muslims were to read the bible they may discover how better Christianity is and leave Islam? Is our confidence level in Islam so low that we are scared of allowing Muslims to understand Christianity because we feel once they understand Christianity they may convert? We demand that non-Muslims respect Islam. But we do not want to show other religions this same respect. Respect cannot be demanded. It has to be earned. And have we earned this respect of those from the other religions?

Until Muslims can learn how to respect other religions; never mind if you think those religions are wrong; Islam will never be respected by the non-Muslims. And the more Muslims demand that non- Muslims respect Islam, the more you will gain their disrespect. Copyright © 2004 Malaysia Today | www.malaysia-today.net

Building networks

Gone are the days where one builds his network connection by words of mouth. Now, people do it by using the technology of the internet. One way to expand the network connection is to join 3gb community www.3gb.biz. It is not just about social networking but it is also a way to have fun while doing the networking. You can listen to the latest mp3 hits or just chatting away with your friends. The good part is that you don't need to get out from your office to be able to chat or talk to your friends. Start making new acquaintances with people of the same interests and needs. The day will come when you will benefit from your new community.

Thank you Lord

Sometimes in the busyness of managing the business, my mind got lost in other things. Many things requires my attention and very often I failed to rest my mind in you, in your words. Help me O Lord to delight in your word. Let it be the place where my mind wants to rest. Let it be the place the mind wants to return whenever it goes away. For in the busyness, you still wants to commune with me. You are still there waiting. Thank you Lord for waiting and being there always.

"One Hard Question"

There was a student who wanted to be admitted to the University.

He was smart enough to get through the written test, a GED, and was to appear for the personal interview. Later, as the interview progressed, the interviewer found this boy to be bright since he could answer all the questions correctly. The interviewer got impatient and decided to corner the boy.

"Tell me your choice," said he to the boy, "What's your choice: I shall either ask you ten easy questions or ONE real difficult. Think well before you make up your mind."

The boy thought for a while and said, "My choice is ONE real difficult question."

"Well, good luck to you, you have made your own choice!" said the man on the opposite side. Tell me: What comes first, Day or Night?"

The boy was jolted first but he waited for a while and said: "It's the DAY, sir."

"How???????" the interviewer shot back, smiling. ("At last, I got you!" he said to himself.)

"Sorry sir, you promised me that you will not ask me a SECOND difficult question!"

The student was admitted to the University.

Persona, Rent A Car or Change Engine?

We still have not decided to buy the Persona because my car still can move. Another reason is, I am not ready to commit to paying almost RM600 a month for 9 years.

Unfortunately for long journey or to drive up high places, I don't think my car perform. This almost means that we still need to rent a car when I want to bring my family for holiday.

Another option is, I could get a used engine from midwest auto recycling to change with my existing one. That would only be one time spending. But how long can the engine last, that is unknown.

Malay Malaysians May End Up Sleeping in the Street

Posted by Raja Petra Kamaruddin
Sunday, 16, March 2008

Indonesia is one of the world's most richest countries in terms of natural resources. God has blessed Indonesia with gold, uranium, copper, oil, timber, beaches, seas and other wealth. The land is fertile with abundant rain. Stick a twig into the ground and it grows into a tree. Yet Indonesians sleep in the streets. Food is expensive. The average Indonesian eats some rice, tempe,tauhu and may be some vegetables for breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday. An average Nasi Padang meal for four persons in a single star Indonesian restaurant can cost RM60.00 (160,000 Rupiah). This is way beyond the income of the average Joko or Ketut in Indonesia.

Why is this so? The answer is because the ruling elites in Indonesia do not care about the people. They have pillaged the country. They craft policies that only serve to keep the elites in power and the wealthly.The same thing is happening in Malaysia. There are also millions of Indonesians who go to school and university but do not learn skills that can help them survive in the real world. They are very poor in European languages like English or Dutch. All their education is in Indonesian. So they cannot keep up with the latest developments and technologies. They cannot compete. They remain poor.

The children of the elite are sent overseas for their education. An average Indonesian university graduate cannot bring world class skills to his employers. He or she therefore earns a pittance. This is happening in Malaysia. Bumiputra university graduates only strike it rich if they get Government jobs where they do not do much work but earn a good salary with a pension. In the private sector they may not get a job or earn only a pittance. That is why 100,000 graduates remain unemployed in Malaysia.

Bumiputra university graduates are turning up for interviews as taxi drivers and shop assistants. What about those who flunk out after SPM? They become Mat Rempits (Motorcycle Racers ). Last Saturday I saw another Mat Rempit get killed at the road races in Shah Alam (near Section 7).

In Malaysia, just like in Indonesia,food is getting very expensive. But the wages and salaries of the people, especially the Malays, is not keeping up with the increase in prices. Instead of developing the competitive ability of the people,the Government has been using the failed NEP to provide subsidies and dish out money on a plate. Everything is subsidised, even cooking oil,flour, rice, sugar, fuel, etc. The Government has been providing these subsidies so that the people will keep voting for the ruling party. So it has never been to the Government's advantage to make the Malays independent. A Malay who is independent of the Government may not vote for the BN. It is therefore better to keep feeding with subsidies. So, for the past 50 years, everything has been subsidised. But now with 27million people in the country of which more than half are Malays, subsidies are getting more expensive. There is also much much more thievery and wastage by the elites in Malaysia. But there is no bottomless well full of money. Everything has its limits. The money will soon run out. Without the subsidies for cooking oil, sugar,flour and petrol, how are the people, especially the Malays, going to survive? Already university graduates cannot find jobs or compete in the private sector. What happens when the oil money runs out? What happens when (not if, but when) the Government cannot simply spend billions of oil money to sustain its voting base any longer? That is when we may see people sleeping in the streets, just like in Indonesia. If that happens this country will go up in flames. We will all be consumed.

In Indonesia, the Government has not mobilised its hundreds of millions of people (over 250 million Indonesians) with the competitive skills to grow enough food for themselves. Hence food is expensive. They do not even have simple survival skills like coming to work on time, organising themselves to do simple tasks, maintaining good hygiene and cleanliness and so on. They are poorly read and not informed about many things that are going on around the world. Their Government has failed in all these aspects. Hence the average Indonesian remains poor.

The same thing has happened in Malaysia. Our young people, especially the Malays, do not possess basic survival skills. We are not talking about competitive skills but just basic survival skills. The Government is not serious about giving them useful competitive skills either. The Mat Rempits are being glorified by the politicians as saviours of the nation (Mat Cemerlang). Correction. they are drug users, gang rapists, snatch thieves and street fighters.

When an efficient Policewoman called Nooriyah Anvar was appointed Chief of Traffic Police she went after the Mat Rempits with a vengeance. Does anyone remember her? She confiscated their bikes on the spot. But soon the Mat Rempits called their political muscle and Nooriyah Anvar was kicked out. To date she holds the record of being the shortest serving Traffic Police Chief in Malaysia. She has been replaced by Senior Asst Comm (II) Datuk Hamza Taib.

So the Government is not serious about improving the position of the Malays. It serves the Barisan Nasional Government to keep the Malays down and out. Then the Malays can go to the Government for crumbs. This way the ruling elites get to keep the whole loaf to themselves. Go and visit Indonesia. This is what is happening over there. It is happening over here too.

Does Malaysia have a problem? yes the Malays are not happy, the Chinese are not happy and the Indians are not happy. They spoke out at the polls two weeks ago and hope things will change for the better, now they have some oppositions who promised change. The Malays are being duped by their corrupted leaders by using the religion, the Chinese and Indians are being marginalised by the ruling elites. Let us all Malaysians wake up and fight the corrupt system for the benefit of everyone. Let us all unite and stand together and change the system for once and for all. We are not Malays, Chinese or Indians, we are Malaysians.

Istana Zakaria

When the news about the Istana Zakaria was published, I was not sure of the reason why it created a big huhah. Only when I saw these pictures I was hit by the reality of the issue. The "castle" is really impressive and for the owner to build it without the local municipal permission is indeed a slap of unfairness to the public.

A tinge of envy swept over my heart as I look at the pictures. This guy Zakaria (deceased) is very rich indeed. Of course some questioned as to how he can be so wealthy.
Could it be the people's money that he easily received via government tenders and contracts because of his political connections. Hahaha...no wonder the people voted for the Opposition during the last election. Even after the scandal was published in the media, the various government agencies failed to take actions against this Zakaria. What lah!

That all being said, I have to agree that this Zakaria had high class mentality. Maybe he thinks he can be like the Sultan of Brunei.

Having fun the kids way

No, I am not talking about going to Disneyland although my wife could get some Discount Walt Disney World Tickets. Yes, I know it would be nice to go to Disneyland. I am sure my children especially the two girls would jump for joy if they are in Disneyland. Hahaha...I think even my wife would jump for joy if she can go there.

I am talking about enjoying the warm water swimming pool in Genting Highland. We (my wife, my two girls and I) went there and had some fun trying out various games the Outdoor and Indoor Theme Parks have to offer. However, the best time for my two girls is playing the water and going down the slides. Hehehehe...even I too could not resist going into the water and trying out the slide.It was fun and refreshing. Many times we define fun in the adult's definition of fun. However, children are very much simple minded when it comes to having fun. And being in the water pool is much more fun that sitting on the thrill rides.

The castle of my dream

When I was a small boy, I used to read books about castles. My favorite books are "The Secret Seven", "The Hardy Boys", "Famous Five" etc where they solved mysteries. Often the stories took place in castles where there are secret doors to a secret basement where there are many secrets to be found.

Well, I have yet to own my own castle and I don't think I will ever own one in my lifetime. Found this beautiful picture of a castle with beautiful surrounding. Don't know where the castle is located but I wish I could go there one day.

Proposal to punish non-Muslims for khalwat

Proposal to punish non-Muslims for khalwat
By IZATUN SHARI (The Star - 2rd April 2008)

KUALA LUMPUR: Non-Muslims committing khalwat (close proximity) with Muslims should also be held liable for the crime, two Islamic bodies have proposed in a resolution to be sent to the Attorney-General's Chambers.

The Islamic Institute of Understanding Malaysia (Ikim) and Syariah Judiciary Department Malaysia said non-Muslims found committing khalwat with Muslims should also be sentenced, perhaps in the civil courts.

"Muslims are sentenced in Syariah courts ... but we don't have the jurisdiction to sentence non-Muslims," Syariah Court of Appeal Judge Datuk Mohd Asri Abdullah said at a seminar on reviewing Syariah laws organised by Ikim and the department.

"Their non-Muslim partners can probably be sentenced in the civil courts, to be fair to both parties," he told reporters after closing the two-day seminar on Wednesday.

He said the proposal, contained in a draft resolution from the seminar's findings, would be forwarded to the Attorney-General's Chambers (AG's Chambers).

"It is up to the AG's Chambers or the relevant authorities to decide how to create such law," he said, declining to say when the proposal would be made to the Government.

The two bodies have also proposed stiffer penalties for Muslims caught in such offences as khalwat, prostitution, alcohol consumption and gambling.

My response:
- From the moral aspect, it seems to be a good idea. Sin is crouching near the couple who loves to be in secluded places. Desires or lust to be exact finds more opportunities to rear its ugly head in dark quiet places. However, I am against the idea of the giving the responsibility of enforcing moral obligation into the hands of the government. Moral issues should not be govern by the government but it should rest with the parents, and religious institutions. There is a danger of giving the government agencies the power of enforcement as abuses of power will definitely become rampant.
- The suggestion itself indirectly indicate that the two islamic bodies wants to enforce its beliefs upon the non-muslim people. It is a subtle way of doing it. And the gist of it is that it is trying to encroach on the freedom of others. Why should there be punishment for something that is not wrong in a person's religious beliefs? It should not be.
- Punishment should be in the hands of God. Why should human enact laws that punishes people when first and foremost the wrongdoing is unto God, then to others, and to society.
- The two islamic bodies should not focus on this issue but should spend more time thinking about how to educate and instill good religious beliefs among the muslims themselves. Why think about the non-muslims when they can't even take care of the muslims?
- Stiffer penalties does not help much to reduce the wrongdoings. They must find ways to find the root of the problem and deal with it accordingly. Death by hanging for drug traffickers does not help much in eradicating drug problems in Malaysia. In fact the drug problems have become worse.

Left Behind

We were so excited to go up Genting Highland that I forgot to check my handphone. The day before, I left it near the television set at my brother's living hall. I did a mental reminder to look for my handphone but somehow forgot about it during the business of packing our things and putting stuffs inside the car. So we left to Genting without the handphone. I only realised about the missing handphone once we arrived at the Theme Park Hotel. That does not worry me as I too do not want to be disturbed during my holiday break.

There are ample public phones in Genting Highland. I wonder whether the phones line use VoIP Phone Systems as it is much cheaper than the fixed phone line. So, we were free from phone calls during our holiday. We only went back to get our handphone on the way back to Melaka.

Logo is important

Who says brand is not important. In certain countries, your status in society is determined by what kind of branded stuffs you have. Like this branded car.

Hahaha...I think the owner of the car wants to make sure that everybody knows that he is rich and able to afford a Mercedes Benz.

Smallest Countries - No 1

Vatican City -
0.2 square miles -
The world's smallest state, the Vatican has a population of 770, none of whom are permanent residents. The tiny country which surrounds St. Peter's Basilica is the spiritual center for the world's Roman Catholics (over 1 billion strong).

Also known as the Holy See, Vatican City is surrounded by Rome, Italy.

Holiday break

We finally made it to the top. Yes! Yes! We made it to the top of Genting Highland. After months of planning by my wife, we finally drove to Rawang on Sunday and stayed overnight at my brother's place. On Monday morning, we drove to Genting and finally made it to the top of Genting Highland. My wife has booked a room at Theme Park Hotel via online. She managed to get a good deal with cheap hotel rates for the night.

The room is quite spacious compared to the First World Hotel room that we stayed during our last trip there. Of course it would not be as spacious compared to some of the rooms in Las Vegas Hotels but it is sufficient for the four of us. We are thinking of going there again during our wedding anniversary. At least I had enough sleep during this holiday break.