Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Christmas come and Christmas went. Things went on as usual. To me, Christmas is just another day like any other day. In the words of Paul, "...one treats one day as special while another treats it as just another day...". What makes it special is how we treat it unto the Lord. Saying that, I guess we must treat each day as special. Be thankful to God that you can wake up every morning or evening (depending on when you go to bed)and see the sunlight or clouds.

This year Christmas was a busy one. Went to church in the morning and thereafter had lunch with Bro Daniel and family. And at night we had a Christmas party with Eastern types of food together with Asian desserts. The children would have their food and then watch their favorite show on tv. Wished that there is cable tv available. Maybe when we moved to another place we would be able to have direct cable tv. I know if you are in New York you can subscribe to Direct TV in New York . It was a wonderful time. The children enjoyed it very much especially when they received their presents. I don't remember receiving any presents. Well, that's okay as I too did not give any presents personally. My wife did all the giving. I thought of giving her a present but then due to busyness, nothing done.

Anyway, I really enjoyed this year Christmas celebration. With the Singh's family back and mother around, there were an abundance of food. Really enjoyed the delicacies and mouth watering gourmet prepared by the Singh's family. Till next year, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everybody.

ABC for Christmas

Bought one ABC machine through Mudah.my. No, not a machine that makes ABC alphabet. It is a machine that makes Air Batu Campur (Grinded Ice). The moment I saw it on sale in Mudah, I know I have to buy it, knowing that it would be useful during all the celebrations. I'm sure the other family members would enjoy a bowl or many bowls of ABC when we're together.

Well, I was right. The ABC machine was a hit during the Christmas dinner. (Though I had to fix it a few times before getting it really fixed). So for this Christmas we had icy cold bowlful of ice mixed with corns, jelly, and whatever stuffs they can think of.

Wedding invitations abound.

As expected the wedding invitation cards came. The months of November and December are so called "wedding months" because many couples decided to get married on these two months. I'm not so keen on receiving wedding invitations especially from those kampung people. They tend to plan their wedding dinners at Chinese restaurants where the place are crowded and the music is too damn loud. One can hardly talk to each other during the dinner because of blaring sounds/songs.

Okay, okay, I don't want to spoil the moods of those newly wed or going to get married. I'm sure most of the couples are anxious about their weddings. Some even plan to have cancun destination weddings as they want something extra special for their special day. I guess wherever they plan to have their wedding, both parties must be happy about it. Weddings are supposed to be a happy occasion, not a time to fight and quarrel about minor details.

To all those who are gettng married, "Have A Blessed Wedding".

Have time to rest now

Now that I have another part time staff, I can rest a bit. No, I still can't go back home and leave my new part time staff alone in the shop, at least not yet. Maybe in a few weeks time when she is able to manage the shop confidently without me being around, then only will I be able to go home and spend time with my family. Looking forward for that day to come. As for now, whenever there is not much activity/needs in the shop I can take time to rest and maybe update this blog.

Thank you Lord.

Missing wifey online

Wifey is not feeling well today. She vomitted a few times and was feeling dizzy when she walks. So she went to her mom's place to rest. So I didn't see her online today.

I miss seeing her online. Sudah lah I have to be at work the whole day, I'm deprived of communicating with my wife.

Sex with Robot - morally wrong

Why Sex With Robots is Always Wrong: The Impending Demise of the Human Species
by Rich Deen

Introduction

FACA?

This page is going to seem rather far out and unrealistic, given today's moral standards. However, the standards are rapidly changing, and within a few years the human race will be in a position in which sexual immorality could exist on a widespread scale.

Brian was 28 when he bought his first FACA (female anatomically correct android). They had been around since the early 2020's, but had been much too expensive to personally own. Now that the price had dropped to around $80,000, Brian had thought that he would buy a car every 8-10 years, instead of every 4-5 years and new FACA in between. Besides, the new FACAs were much more realistic than the old ones, since the technology had developed to provide cooling to all the internal computers and simultaneously make the robot warm to the touch by providing fluidics through the computers to dissipate heat through a network of "capillaries" located just under the "skin." Yes, the new models were friendly and warm. Brian was introduced to FACAs in college, where the fraternities would rent a FACA during the weekends and go on binges of drinking and sex. The rental prices were rather high at first, since these FACAs were million-dollar machines, but eventually the supply caught up with demand and almost everybody could afford to rent or buy one.

Early FACA design

Early attempts to create human-like robots were forced to reply upon microprocessor technology with large, heavy batteries that required frequent recharging. ASIMO, produced by Honda, was the first robot to display human-like movement, but was capable of only an hour's operation before recharging its 17 pound battery pack. However, the invention of carbon nanotube-based computers increased the computing power, reduced power consumption, and decreased the weight of computing electronics. Coupled with rapid increases in speech recognition, the first human-like robots were soon being manufactured. Instead of magnesium frames covered with thick plastic, the robots were eventually designed using lightweight carbon-fiber composite designed to mimic the structure of human bones moved by pulley systems to generate the full range of human motion. The hard plastic was soon replaced with fabrics that felt like real skin. Thus, the transformation from machine to android was nearly complete.

From good to bad

Not content with merely an online presence, the adult entertainment industry soon realized that androids, properly constructed, could earn them billions of dollars in additional revenue. Top programmers and engineers were hired away from the automakers and computer companies with offers of up to ten times their average salaries, similar to what had been done with their movie businesses in the late 2010's, when they had hired away Hollywood's best CG programmers to turn out realistic-looking virtual pornography movies. Of course, the acceptance of pornography as legitimate entertainment had rapidly escalated in the late 2000's, especially after Generation X had raised their own families.1 Although the newly designed FACA looked good, they were still somewhat clumsy and had trouble with all but the most common colloquialisms. For the average male college student, this was not a major problem, since conversation was not his major intent. However, when companies tried to market MACA, the male counterpart, to the female college crowd, the acceptance was less than stellar, although some women insisted that they weren't any worse at conversation than the average male. However, in the 2020's prices were way too high for all but the wealthy to purchase their own android.

Life in the 2030's

The breakthrough in computing came in the early 2030's when software engineers finally were able to design computers that could learn and interact in the way the human brain works. Coupled with individual nanotube computer-controlled joints, and the androids were nearly indistinguishable from average human beings. Money from the adult entertainment industry, in their push for realistic motion and conversation, had accelerated the technology in what would have taken decades to only a few years. Mass production of FACA's rapidly brought down prices, and competition with mainstream entertainment providers, who didn't want to be left out of the rapidly expanding market, pushed prices further down. However, what had begun as merely weekend binges in college dorms and fraternities was brought to the mainstream. Acceptance among the male population evolved rapidly as men realized they could get an ideal "woman" whose only goal was to serve him. Entertainment companies became more bold as FACA were advertised as being "better than sex." In addition, FACA were adept at gourmet cooking, cleaning, and household chores, so that could always be used as an excuse to get one.

Opposition to FACA

As more and more men were able to purchase their own FACA, marriage rates dropped precipitously and women who were unable to find a real man turned to MACA or homosexuality in order to maintain relationships. The Church was inconsistently opposed to the whole FACA idea. After all, it wasn't like there was a specific commandment against having sex with a machine. An added bonus was that abortion virtually disappeared and out-of-wedlock pregnancies (in addition to any pregnancies at all) became very rare. Sperm banks sprang up all over as women who wanted to have children were forced to pay exorbitant prices, since very few men were interested in donating (even with the enticement of a free FACA rental for the purpose of donating at the sperm bank). Population control groups and environmentalists were thrilled that the human birth rate was now rapidly declining well below replacement levels. Several women's groups formed an alliance in an attempt to outlaw the sale of FACA. Virtually all attempts to legislate against FACA were either blocked by male legislators or in the courts as restricting freedom of speech. Finally, in the much watched case, city of Provo vs. FACA Entertainment, prosecutors attempted to get the practice outlawed on the basis of anti-slavery laws. In attempting to prove that FACA were intelligent beings that deserved protection from oppression under the constitution of the United States, it seemed that the lawyers for the city were going to be able to prove their point, as they cross examined a victim of FACA abuse. However, the defense brought in their own FACA to cross examine. In the middle of the examination, the defense attorney suddenly grabbed the FACA and slammed it to the ground, scattering pieces of the machine all over the floor. Suddenly, the facade of humanity was gone, as the lawyer asked if anyone was going to charge him with a crime. The last challenge against the widespread use of FACA had been crushed.

Acceleration of perversions

Initially, all FACA had been designed as young adult versions of their human counterparts. However, emboldened by their sweeping victories in the courts, FACA were soon designed as young girls and boys, and even animals, to meet every possible sexual perversion of their intended markets. Even those men who bought the adult FACA versions found their attitudes changing, since there were no consequences to anything they did with their FACA. After all, it didn't matter if you swore at your FACA or spoke harshly to it, since it always did exactly what you wanted. Over time, men who owned FACA became more and more rude to their human counterparts as the degradation of society accelerated. Men who owned a FACA disdained the company of real women, with all their incessant demands and mood swings. The sexual revolution was complete and we were all the victims.

Not going to happen?

Yes, the above scenario should bother you, whether you are a Christian or an atheist. Before you say that the scenario above is unlikely, I would like for you to consider some facts that led me to write the story and come to the belief that it is entirely possible that our societies could be headed in that direction. First, there are no legal barriers to the scenario playing out in full. The Supreme Court has ruled that nearly all forms of pornography are first amendment "protected speech." There is no reason to believe that a machine would not fall into that category. So there are no legal barriers.

Moral acceptance

The data underlying the "radical" predictions laid out in this page come from scientific studies that have examined the pervasiveness and effects of pornography upon men and women. In particular, recent data show widespread acceptance of pornography among today's young adults as "an acceptable way to express one's sexuality."1 For males the acceptance rate is 67% compared to 37% for their fathers. Among young adult women the acceptance rate is 49% compared to 20% among their mothers. So, the rate of acceptance of pornography has doubled in just one generation. When those young adults raise their own children, the acceptance rate will probably be greater than 80% for both males and females. The step between watching pornography through technology and engaging in sex acts through an attractive technological object is not that far, especially when the object acts as if it were a real human being.

Degradation of attitudes and morals

The idea that sex with robots will radically effect the attitudes of practitioners also comes from studies of those involved with pornography on a regular basis. Studies have found that viewing of pornography results in:

-increased callousness toward women

-trivialization of rape as a criminal offense

-distorted perceptions about sexuality

-increased appetite for more deviant and bizarre types of pornography (escalation and addiction)

-devaluation of monogamy

-decreased satisfaction with a partner’s sexual performance, affection, and physical appearance

-doubts about the value of marriage

-decreased desire to have children

-viewing non-monogamous relationships as normal and natural behavior.

Pornography portrays an unrealistic view of relationships and persistent viewing enforces those views. An android that always does what it's told, despite bad behavior, enforces that behavior. In real relationships, bad behavior is thwarted through unpleasant consequences related to that behavior. With pornography and android sex, there are no consequences, so bad behavior goes unpunished, reinforcing the behavior.

What can I do?

The age of just accepting pornography as a harmless pastime has ended and people need to get serious about their personal and corporate responsibility toward opposing the spread of this evil and its soon-coming technological replacement. Revenue from pornography in 2006 was $97 billion worldwide. Every time you go online and view or download pornography somebody gets paid. It is time to stop that behavior and work toward the eradication of pornography. The Church must speak out forcefully against casual acceptance of pornography among its members. Get your pastor to speak about it. Have him read the above story in church. Yes, in church!

You atheists can't just sit around and snicker at it. Where are all the atheist organizations against the spread of pornography? You hold the truth in high esteem? Pornography is bad for people! As a seeker of truth and justice you should oppose things that are bad for people. Get it? Read the story to people among your groups. Report inappropriate content on mainstream websites. Get involved!

Conclusion

Sex with robots is coming and it's going to happen soon - probably within 40 years. The only thing holding it back at this point is the technology. Legal barriers do not exist, and moral barriers are eroding rapidly. Its advent will signal the impending end of the human race as "perfect" mates replace the imperfect ones we now have. In order to stop this perversion from destroying the human race, we must act now to change attitudes toward virtual sex of all kinds, including pornography.

It went up

On 15th October 2009, the price of precious metal like gold and silver went up high as the market saw the weakening of US dollar. I was tempted to sell the gold I invested and pay up my business loan. If I sell it at the price at that time, I would have made some profit which is definitely much more than the meager bank interests collected if the same amount were to be deposited in the fixed deposit for less than a year. However, knowing that the price will go down a little the next day due to profit taking (which it did), I decided not to sell it. If you are looking for long term profit, then it is best to invest in gold or silver.

Snobbish girls

Saw a girl who looks snobbish. She is one of my customers. Can't help but to look at her a little longer. Somehow I'm attracted to such girls. I wonder why.

A smile on my face as I remembered the time I met my wife at RP. Now I know. She was snobbish too. No smiles on her face; though she looks attractive to me (tomboyish). *..sigh..*

Death of a vision

From the way things are going on, it seems that there will be a death of a vision. Things have indeed changed. And I doubt (there seems to be much doubts nowadays...) that the vision(s) will resurrect(s) in near future.

Hmm... maybe I should not doubt for he who doubt is like the waves of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. He is a double minded man, unstable in all he does. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord. - James

Paintball game

It is not yet popular in this part of the country but I hope in a few years time there would be a permanent site for paintball game. From the promotionals that I've seen, the game seems exciting. It is not just about shooting other people but also about planning and strategy. Even in Giant Hypermarket I've seen a different version of paintball game set being sold. The only problem with wanting to buy the game set is that you need to have a big space to play it.

Hmm, maybe when my children are much older and can play this game I would definitely bring them to play the game. I might even buy some of the Smart Parts Paintball Guns one at a time until I have the full set. Who knows, I can even operate the place as a paintball game site for the youths to come and play. It would definitely be much better than playing CounterStrike 1.6 computer game.

The students are back

Yes, they are back from the Hari Raya AidilFitri break. Well, not all of them but some of the regulars are seen back in the shop. Well, it's good to have them back. It means more income for the business. Maybe most of them will be back by next week. I wonder whether I need to add in more new computers to cater to them. Hmmm... .

Johny's for lunch

Wifey requested to go for Johny steamboat for lunch tomorrow. Or is it for dinner? Well, since MIL paid the money for the 3 bars of Eumora soap, wifey wants to use the money to have a treat for our family. It's been a while since we ate at Johny's.

Hmm... I remembered that there are something that we should not order in Johny's but can't remember what it is. Of course we will definitely order the red colored water chestnut in coconut milk. That is one of their delicacy which I can't seem to find in other restaurants. I know the Thai restaurants do have that but there's no Thai restaurant in Melaka (or not that I know of lah).

So, after church tomorrow, we will go to Johny's Restaurant.

Family Vacation

Wifey read about my SIL's blog post about them going to Penang and Kedah for holidays. My brother has that habit of spontaneously making decision to go for a holiday and off they go. In a way, I wished that I could do the same. It has been a long time since we had our family vacation. But I guess having your own business makes it difficult to plan for a holiday. Maybe, when the time comes when I would have the time and means to go for a long family vacation, I would go for the sandy beaches at one of the Riviera Maya resorts. Then I can really de-stress and relax, not thinking of the business. As for now, there is time for everything.

Riding Nitro Classic NE 150

At last, I had the opportunity to ride the Nitro bike to work. The ride was exciting and the feel is different too. Riding a classic like Nitro makes you want to just enjoy the ride. If I ride my other bike the Yamaha RXS, I would always want to ride fast, just want to reach my destination as fast possible. But when I ride Nitro, it is more for the pleasure of riding. I hope there would not be any breakdown as it is quite heavy to push. I guess I will be riding more of the Nitro if I do not have anything to bring to work.

Caning - it is effective

Proverbs 20:30, "Blows and wounds cleanse away evil and beatings purge the inmost being."

Barnabas has been loved without much disciplining done by his mother. And it shows in the way he shows his tantrums. He likes to throw away things when he shows his tantrums. And when scolded he will cry. I guess I too did not discipline him much unlike his two sisters.

Last Sunday, he did it again, showing tantrum by throwing down his toothbrush. I took the cane and cane him hard on the buttock, twice. I can't remember when was the last time I caned him that hard. It must have been a long time ago. Of course he cried because of the pain. Asked him to pick up his toothbrush, which he did. And then ordered him to go back to the bathroom to bath.

After a while, I went to the bathroom to check on the children. Amazingly, there he was together with the two sisters, bathing, no more crying. And he can even talk to me, telling me about... something lah... which I forget ade, with a smile on his face. I was really surprised that the caning brought him closer to me. And I has not yet seen him show his tantrums again for the past two days. Indeed the word of God is true, beating cleanse away the evil in my son's heart and purges the inmost being.

Medical marijuana

Woa! Wait a minute. Marijuana, you are talking about marijuana the drug? Are you serious?

Well, yes, I'm talking about marijuana the drug and yes, I'm serious.

I would not be surprised if I received many responses like this when talking about marijuana. The general perception is that marijuana is all about drug abuse and drug addicts. Well, do you know that when cocaine was "discovered" by doctors, it was meant for good to relieve the pain and suffering of patients. However, improper usage and lack of regulatory laws caused it to be misused by the public and thus the problem of drug addicts. Now, doctors and health practitioners are using the so called "drugs" to treat patients in a prescribed way that is beneficial to their health. Medical conditions like cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS positive, cachexia, severe pain, severe nausea and seizures can be treated with marijuana. No, in most cases it would not heal it totally but marijuana helps to alleviate those debilitation medical conditions. If you think that you can benefit from the proper use of marijuana, consult your doctors or check out Medical Marijuana Colorado and see whether your health conditions requires such usage.

Marijuana is not evil but the misused of it leads to many evils.

Missing church service again

Been missing church service for the past 3 weeks. The first two Sundays was due to sending maid & Mother to LCCT and then outstation family members came back. Last Sunday, there's the church camp in PD where I am able to go.

Tomorrow, will not be able to attend the service again. Makkoh Pantai's burial will be tomorrow Sunday 12 Sept 2009. She passed away on 9th September 2009 at 9.05pm at the age of 90. A lots of 9's. She is the dearest Makkoh to most of my family members. I remembered playing at her house when I was young. Her hospitality and financial support to my family members will be remembered always.

Thankful to God

For the lunch and dinner today. Wifey cooked Ayam Masak Merah today. Had it for lunch and dinner. Love it very much. Delicious... better than the normal Chicken Sambal. Thankful to God that today my stomach is full.

Religion and bigotry

I feel sad yet angry. Disgusted yet despair. What is becoming of Malaysia? As much as I hope that the situation would change, it looks like it is worsening. What is it that they (the ulama and so called teachers of the religion) are teaching the young ones? That their race and religion is superior than others? That they should not come in contact with other people of different faith and race? I'm digusted with having such thoughts appearing in my mind.

These are real life events that happened to me.

1. Two girls came in and asked me whether I do repair laptops. I said I do. One of the girls told me that she stays in a certain place but she does not want to repair her laptop at the computer shops there because the owner is Chinese. I do not want to embarrass her by telling them that I'm am Chinese too.

2. On student studying Islamic studies came in to photocopy a few pages of document. He asked me whether I can give discounts if the number of pages is high. Since the number is high and there is a shop nearby that can give better rates (RM0.035 compared to my RM0.05 above 500pcs), I told him to go to that shop. He asked me whether that shop is owned by Malay or Chinese. He said that some of the students does not want to photocopy their books at Chinese owned shop. I almost wanted to ask him whether all Malay hands are always clean and holy all the time.

Tell me and prove me wrong on this. I sincerely believe (though I may be sincerely wrong) that though Islam may have good principles but the interpretation of it by their teachers is do damn sickening.

It's time of the year again

Where the church is organizing its' yearly church camp. This time it will be back at Bayu Beach Resort. The place is a nice place with beautiful front beach. We went there a few times for our holidays and we certainly would recommend it to others. Well, I guess this place is a substitute for romantic cancun vacation for this part of the world. The place is well maintained and of course the rate is reasonable.

I know my family would love to go there this year but unfortunately I has yet to find a full time staff to look after the business. We have to forgo the camp this year. Well, it's time of the year again when we are reminded of going for holidays. Looking forward to be able to take a break from the business.

Routine sets in

It has been 2 months since the last full time worker left (or being forced to leave). Having no full time staff means that I have to be there all the time everyday. The only rest day is on the Sabbath, which is on Sunday. Working from 10am till midnight is very tiring. Mental tiredness. As for now, the routine has sets in. Day in and day out. The only thing to beat mental tiredness is to commune with the Holy Spirit. And sometime, God blessed me with busyness at work, which really helps to "fasten" the time. Things would not change until I get a full time staff.

Nitro

Saw an advertisement online about a big. Nitro NE150 Classic. Wow, it's the kind of bike that I wish/dream of having but couldn't because of the high price. However, this big bike is being sold for a cheap price, which is within my means to buy. I couldn't believe my eyes when I see the price. Immediately tried to contact the seller by phone and couldn't reach him. Then emailed him of my interest on the bike. Well, hoping to be able to close the deal by this week, God-willing.

Better investment

If you ask me what is the best form of investment at this time, I would ask you to invest in gold or precious metals. The price does not fluctuate easily unlike the share market or the Forex. However, if you are those who prefers to take risks, then go for the share market. In share market, it is either you earn big or lose big. The risks are there.

If you want long term investment, then invest in gold, be in in gold coins or through other forms of gold. You may even find banks that offer gold savings account. If you prefer to see the actual gold, go and look for gold coin dealer. Monex is one company that you can check out. It has a long history of dealing with gold and other precious metals. If you are interested in rare coins, then check out Monaco Rare Coin.

How to be a Bachelor again...

It's easy. Send your wife and children to a holiday trip. And then you'll be alone again, all by yourself.

That's what happened to me now. Well at least for 3 days only. They are all in Kuching. As for me, I'm stuck in my shop the whole day.

Do I enjoy being a bachelor again? Well, definitely NO. I prefer to have the presence of my wife and children. It's definitely much better than being alone at home.

Piano Sheet Music for Free

If you ask me whether I would send my girls to music class. My answer would be "Yes". I'm planning to send them for piano lessons in the near future or at least when we have the means to do that. Or maybe Annabelle would go for Online Piano Lessons as she is always in front of the computer. Would have to consider properly as I do not want her to use the computer too long everyday.

Do you know that you can actually get Free Sheet Music online. Then you can play the piano like a pro! These Free Sheet Music is for intermediate & advanced players. I must inform the church pianist about this website because they have sheet music for Christian Hymns too and it can be printed for free.

No more singing

When Michelle was on confinement, I had the privileges of sending the two girls to their kindergarten. Barnabas would at times tagged along. And to make full use of the time on the road which is about 5 minutes drive, I would teach them Christian songs. They enjoyed it and would sing with me throughout the drive. Barnabas would just listen and reluctant to join his sisters. It was fun to hear the two girls sing. Makes the journey brighter and makes me fresh mentally.

Not an easy job - firing an employee

Today is the first time I've did it. Firing my one and only full time staff. As much as I don't want to do the firing, I know I had to do it. The reason for the firing - dishonesty & attempted to cheat.

Told her the reasons (and yet she still have the audacity to say that she has done nothing wrong)and gently advised her not to have the same wrongful attitude in her future jobs. She asked to be given one last chance but I guess the decision is firm. Why would she want to have another chance? So that she can change her attitude? Or so that she can plunder the money in my shop. Well, I do not want to take any risks. And the working relationship has already been strained because of her dishonesty. It would not be a happy working atmosphere if she stays on.

Sigh... Lord send me an honest diligent worker.

Sometimes I wished

Sometimes I wished that life would be so easy here on earth. Sometimes I wished that there would not be any sickness. Sigh... my cough is very irritating. Sometimes I wished that I would have all the money that I want. Then I could settle my houses loans, business loans and replace my old junks. Sometimes I wished that I would stumble upon a bag that is full of millions of dollars. Then I would be able to upgrade my business, invest in gold coins and repair my house. Yes, there are many parts of my house that requires repair work but have to put it on hold due to lack of finances. Being debt free is good but having extra to use is much better.

At the end of the day, it is just my wishes. Hmm... in God I trust... .

Lawyers worst nightmare

Hahaha... this is surely the lawyer's worst nightmare.

All are created equal before God.

It is very upsetting to hear that the government blatantly uses all its agencies to promote disunity and racial polarization. Come on lah, after half a century since Independence, the government is still using the "divide and rule" method to ensure that they are in power. There is no race that is higher or better than other races. All are created equal, special and unique in God's eyes.

I'm really disgusted with what our government is doing. Waiting for next General Election.

The Star Online, 22 May 2009.

BTN course teaches disunity

AS parents we are glad that our grown up children attend the Biro Tata Negara (BTN) course, which is compulsory for government servants. They are all mature professionals.

But what angers me is that, instead of talking integrity, unity and harmony among the various races, participants are taught about disunity and racial hatred. Is this what our Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib wants for 1MALAYSIA?

Throughout the five days of the course, participants are repeatedly told not to question Malay rights and so on. The course coordinators keep talking about social contracts and telling non-Malays not to question Malay rights and so on.

Many participants, including my Malay friends, are upset.

Are we still living in a primitive age? If the BTN course is to be conducted in this manner, it is better to abolish it or let it concentrate on only one ethnic group.

The course is not bringing unity but only arousing anger and hatred.

As it is handled by the Prime Minister’s office, please do not say that they do not know what is going on.

DISAPPOINTED,
Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur.

What to do when you are being arrested by the police?

Written by John Lim, The Edge

Arrested? Don't panic.

There have been an alarming number of arrests over the past week related to the detention of Wong Chin Huat and the Perak State Assembly.

Ordinary citizens, protesters, and even lawyers have been hauled up. However, many are oblivious about their rights upon being arrested, which could lead one to be intimidated or abused by the police.

The Edge Malaysia gives readers a summary from the Bar Council's Red Book, which advises Malaysians what they should do if they are arrested by the police.

Stop!

If stopped by a police officer not in uniform, one should ask the officer to produce his/her Police authority card, which denotes the officer's rank and name:

Types of police authority cards

Red: Suspended police officer, who has no authority to do anything to you.

Blue: Inspector and above

Yellow: Below rank of inspector

White: Reserve police

Always note the name and ID of the police officer.

On being stopped, you are only obliged to give Personal Particulars: full name, age, address, and occupation.

Am I under arrest?

If the officer continues to ask for more, you can ask “Am I being arrested?” before proceeding. You are arrested if the officer says yes, doesn't allow you to leave, wants to take you to the police station, or handcuffs you.

Before arresting you, however, the officer must give a reason for the arrest. Also, the officer cannot arrest you if you are only deemed a potential witness or want to take a statement.

Post-arrest

If you are arrested, you do have several rights that you should exercise. The first thing you should do is make a call to inform a relative or friend, as well as find legal counsel.

The Legal Aid Centre (details below) is an alternative resource should you not have a personal lawyer to contact.
Inform the following details of the time, place, and reason for the arrest, as well as the Police station that you are taken to.

Once a presence of a lawyer is requested, you have a right to consult the lawyer before giving a statement to the police.

Other Rights

- You are allowed to have one set of clothing with you in lock-up

- Personal belongings are to be recorded, placed in safe custody, and returned upon release.

- You are allowed to bathe twice a day, and have access to medical attention, food and water.

Doing time

The police can detain you for up to 24 hours only.

For any period longer than that, the police have to obtain a Remand Order from a Magistrate, to whom the police must give reasons why it is necessary to detain you for more than 24 hours.

Questioning

A person under arrest does have a right to remain silent by answering the questioning officer “I will answer that in court.”

In giving a statement (known as a 112 Statement), it is advised that you have a lawyer present. You also have the right to refuse to answer a question if the answer is likely to incriminate yourself.

The statement given here can/will be used against you in court to prove that you have admitted or confessed to committing the criminal offense charged, or admitted to certain facts that tend to show you are guilty of the offense charged.

During this time, the Bar Council advises you to do the following:

- Bring along a notebook or writing paper, writing down every question asked. If you don't have a notebook and/or pen, request for them.

- After carefully considering each question, write down your answers before reading them to the police officer.

- Before signing to confirm the 112 Statement, compare it against what you have written down in your personal notes. You have to right to correct or change the statement before signing it.

- If you have been threatened, beaten or forced to make a statement, it's within your rights to lodge a police report against the offending officer.

- What you have said in the statement can/will be used against you in court to prove that you have admitted or confessed to committing the criminal offense charged, or admitted to certain facts that tend to show you are guilty of the offense charged.

Body Search

A police officer can perform a body search upon arrest if they suspect you have evidence relating to a suspected offense.

However, it is advised that you request the body search be done while accompanied by a lawyer. The search must be done in a confined place, and it is within your rights to be searched in private. Only a female police officer can conduct a body search on females.

There are four types of body searches:

1. Pat down search, where only the outer clothing is searched.

2. Strip search, which is done to search for concealed evidence, object, contraband or weapon. This can only be conducted with the authorisation of an officer ranked inspector and above ( i.e., those with blue Police Authority Cards).

3. Intimate search, where a search is conducted beyond the mouth, nose, and ears. This can only be conducted with the authorisation of an officer ranked Assistant Superintendent and above.

4. Intrusive search, which is done to find objects in the body. This can only be conducted with the authorisation of the Officer in charge of the Police District and must be carried out by a Government Medical Officer or Medical Officer.

Seeking help: Legal Aid Centres

Kuala Lumpur Tel: 03-2691 3005 / 2693 2072

Selangor 03-5510 7007

Negeri Sembilan 06-6013 844

Melaka 06-2845 519 / 06-2864 514

Johor 07-2235 698

Perak 05-2550 523

Kedah & Perlis 04-7333 467

Kelantan 04-7448 660

Pahang 09-5159 244 / 09-2969 410

Pulau Pinang 04-2617 451 / 04-3316 830

Time changes our perspective

Was reading wifey's blog about the birth story of Annabelle Bong. Wah... it reminded me of what happened on that blessed day. I remember that it was not so funny when I wrote it. But now, it seems funny to read that story especially the shitting part. Well, I guess time does wonder to change one's perspective of events.

I laughed reading the part where David Bong had to clean the shit. Blunt but funny.

Ezra Bong

Ah... very comfortable now

Changed my Nokia 5300 to Nokia 3110 classic. Ah...I'm very comfy with it. Familiar setting, and easier to use. The keypad is not too sensitive, just nice for the power of my finger. Flat and sleek. I'm happy with it.

No baby yet

It seems that this 4th baby is taking his own sweet time to meet his family members. His mommy has been expecting him to come out for more than a week but still no sign at all. Maybe he is afraid to meet his daddy after listening to the daddy from inside the womb. The voices of the sisters and brother screaming, shouting and crying does not help either. But don't worry lah baby. We will all love you very very much. We will all take care of you. Your sisters and brother have promised to look after and care for you. So don't worry and come out and meet your family lah. Daddy hope to be able to be there when you come out. See you soon.

Nokia 5300 XpressMusic problem

Traded in my IMobile handphone with recond Nokia 5300. It looks great and stylish. The loudspeaker is loud and my children enjoyed the songs and music played from the phone. However, I had to key in a lot of my contacts info into the phone, one by one, which is quite a hassle. Not so sure whether I can do that with the synchronize feature but I have yet to go deeper into it. My wife and I find that the sensitivities of the number pad is a bit irritating. Too sensitive. And the "Back" button does not make you go back to the previous page but it brings you back to the Main page. Should use the word "Home" instead of "Back".

Only after 3 days of using it, it started to give a problem. The screen goes haywire. Send it back to the seller and they managed to fix it. It seems that the cable that connects to the screen got dislocated and thus does not display properly. Wah... with that kind of problem I can foresee similar problem occuring in the future. Then while working, one of my customers told me that she traded in her sliding h/phone (similar to Nokia 5300) with a flat phone. She casually mentioned that the sliding h/phone has screen problem. Wah... the same problem that I had just an hour before.

So tomorrow, the Nokia 5300 will go and I will get a flat h/phone. New one lah... tired of wasting time and money sending the h/p for repairs.

Sedentary lifestyle

Some people wants to have a happy merry life. "Eat, drink and be merry", they say. "Let's enjoy while we can". How I wish life could be just that. No worries, no cares in the world. I did tried to do that but after a few hours reality starts to soak into my heart and mind. Then I snapped out of that "illusion". Trying to live as if nothing in the world could bother you is a dangerous deception. Be aware of it and snap out of it.

Another dangerous lifestyle is the sedentary lifestyle. Routine day in day out. Do this and do that every day. Eat, sleep, work a bit, eat, sleep. No exercise at all. Seems like that is my lifestyle now. After a while the signs of sedentary lifestyle manifest themselves. The stomach growing bigger, the body getting weaker, the muscles disappearing, flabby muscles around the hand and legs. In the worst case scenario, the body will deteriorate and you may even have to wear cervical collars to support your weakened neck muscles. No, I do hope that I would not end up like that. I want to be active and fit physically. Must do something about it now.

Should I take the offer?

After giving it a thought, I am considering buying the cc business. I know that there is a certain income limit that one cc business can generate. And in order to get more income, I need to have more shops. I think I will wait until my baby comes out before giving it a more thorough consideration. But where would I get the money?

The offer is back

Last year, one of the cc owner approached me with the intention of selling his business. Well to cut the story short, I managed to find some interested buyers but then the owner rescind the offer. Two days ago, he called me again and said that this time he is really serious in selling his business. But this time the buyers are not in the position to buy it. Wrong timing.

Beauty in the eyes of the beholder

My wife and I have different tastes. In choosing our food, I prefers something more spicy and hot. She can take hot and spicy food too but not too much of it. Notwithstanding, I will eat whatever that is routinely served/cooked at home even though I sometimes gets bored with the same food everyday. I eat to live, not live to eat. My wife prefers different kind of food everyday, if that is possible. Beef steaks is her favorite though she does not get to eat that often.

I noticed that we have different perspective of beauty. Some of the girls that she says look beautiful does not look beautiful to me. Some girls seems normal looking to others but to me they have some kind of attraction. Hmmm... beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. I like tomboyish girls. Well, not really the ugly manly look but sweet mixture of feminine and boyish look. I think if these girls were to study in
michigan cosmetology schools, they would know how to look more feminine. No, my wife did not go there to study even though she was a tomboy in her teens. Hehehe...that's why I got attracted to her.

He is not coming

The Malay boy that is supposed to come to work failed to show up. Zzzzz... he has agreed to come today but when I arrived at work I was told that he does not come. Quite disappointed to know that. Anyway, I thought maybe he forgot about the matter so I gave him a call. No answer. At the second call, he answered and he told me that he is already in Selangor. Haiyaa....call me lah if you not coming. No common sense or courtesy.

EOE - I got My Photos

Within 3 working days, they do keep their words.

I uploaded my photos on Sunday and on Monday I received an email from EOE telling me to pick 2 more photos for 8R. Huh? This time got free 8R too?

I don't remember wifey getting any 8R when she blog about them a few months back. Then I went to check their Blogger's Review Program again.

Fellow bloggers in Malaysia! We know you are always looking out to try something new and sharing stuffs that are beneficial your readers too! Do a review on eoe Online and get 50x4R and 2x8R photo prints for Free!

So I gave the honour to wifey to pick the 8R photos. She is more excited about it than me. =P

We are very satisfied with the quality of the photos and wish we have a better camera to take more pictures of our children then send to EOE for printing.

Gold is more attractive

What do you do if you have a fixed deposit worth $10K and it is earning for you a meager 2% interest? My advice for you is to take the money out and invest in gold. Yes, invest in gold. How? You may ask. It is simple. Either you buy the actual gold in the form of gold jewelery, gold bar, gold wafer, rare coin, or you can check out the gold saving accounts offered by the banks.

Why invest in gold? One thing for sure, the gold price is increasing. Yes, there are fluctuations from time to time but overall trend is that the price keeps on increasing. A year from now, the gold price might be 30% higher. If you look at it from the investment perspective, that is a big whopping 30% for your investment. 30% interest is definitely much better than the mere 2% FD interest. I am doing it and I would recommend it to others who have the extra money to save.

Thinking of farming

I am thinking of diversifying my portfolios...hehehe. Nah... just thinking of doing farming. Since the income from the shop is not enough and unpredictable, I think I need to find other sources of income. Maybe doing farming is the best option for me. But then, in order for me to do that, I have to make sure that my staff can run the shop on his own and can be trusted. Until then, my plan is just a plan.

He has two jobs

My staff is working two jobs at the moment. It seems that from the time he wakes up, he would be working until the time for him to sleep. And this goes on for 5 days a week. This is so that he could earn enough to settle his house and car loans. I think I too would have to resort to such living if the business are not doing well. As for now, I thank God that He provides enough for me and the family. No extras but sufficient.

Family Vacation or Not

Would you like to go for a vacation during this time of economic crisis? Well, I know many would say Yes, but as for me, I would say No. The reason is simply because I do not think that I can really enjoy my vacation. My mind would be thinking about my business, whether there would be enough sales/income for the month to carry me through. I would be thinking whether my staff is giving good service to the customers or giving a bad impression of the business. I would be thinking of the many problems with the computers and whether my staff would be able to solve those problems.

I would rather be spending my time at the shop making sure that everything runs smoothly at the shop and that my customers are happy with the services and would come back again and again. The main problem is that I did not have a staff that is fully knowledgeable to address all the problems and help needed by the customers. Until I am able to find one such knowledgeable staff, I think I would put on hold my next Family Vacation.

What's the salary rate now?

Planning to take a full time staff for my internet shop. As much as I want to avoid simply hiring a staff, I know I had to do so. Main reason is that wifey is going to give birth next month. And with my current working schedule, there is no way I would be able to accompany her when the baby decides to get out of his comfort zone. If I do have a full time staff, then I would have the flexibility to accompany my wifey to the hospital.

Furthermore, the total pay paid for the two part time staff is higher than the salary of a full time staff. With the current 2 part time staff, I still have to work longer hours and my working schedule has to be catered according to their permanent working schedule. Hopefully, by just employing only one full time staff, I can reduce cost and have a little extra money for my insufficient monthly income and extra time for my family.

Talking about minimizing cost especially during the economic downturn, I was surprised to know that I actually promised a higher market rate salary. I spoke to one of the sales promoter in the shopping centre and was informed of her pay. After I did a simple calculation of her salary, I realised that the pay rate is lower than I thought it should be. haizzzz....

My only hope is that the coming staff would be a person who is honest, trustworthy and reliable.

EOE - 30 days left

If you are not aware yet, let me remind you that you have 30 days left to enjoy the promotion offered by EOE Online Photo Printing. That is RM0.30 only for 4R and RM0.50 only for 5R. You can't get this good deal from your local photo shop. And be sure to print more than RM35.00 so that you can enjoy their free delivery. By courier service you know, not the slow mail. ;)

Btw, if you have family all over the world, why not share an online photo album with them? You can only sent a few photos through email but with EOE you can share your photo album with your loved ones; FOC! And they can even print any of the photos in the album. Save you all the trouble of printing the photos for them. ;)

Don't miss this great opportunity and saving ya.

Time to do some uploading now! =)

Solve the problem, not create another one

I know of one clinic that supply methadone to drug addicts. What is methadone? Methadone is synthetic narcotic drug similar to morphine but less habit-forming. Methadone is used in narcotic detoxification and maintenance of heroin addiction. Now, I am not an expert in drugs and its benefits but I wonder why should a drug addict be allowed to get their medical supplies i.e. methadone if the main objective is to help them be clean. Instead of allowing the drug addicts obtain methadone legally which is what the government is doing, the government should focus more on helping them break the addictions. Now, some of them are addicted to methadone instead. Instead of solving the problem, it seems that a new problem is created without really solving the old problem. I do hope the policy makers will have a more holistic approach to solving any problems.

Kuganized - a new English word

Kuganized or Kuganised (depending on which type of English you favors) is a new word in English originated from Malaysia after the famous incident involving the death of one Indian named Kugan while in police custody. Kugan's death in 2008 has been a mystery and the Attorney General has ordered the death to be classiffied as murder. Until now, there is no progress made on the police case.

tr.v. ku-gan·ized, ku-gan·iz·ing, ku-gan·iz·es

1. To abuse, torture and murder as in the police custody.

2. To be abused, tortured or murdered by or as if by the police authority.

3. To represent the brutality of the abuse, torture and murder of the police authority

Verb

[-izing, -ized] or -ising, -ised

1. to murder someone as though he died in police custody

2. to describe the death of someone as though died in police custody

U look haggard

Mr R came to my shop and immediately told me. "Hey David, what happened to you? You look haggard". Told him that I've always looked haggard. He deny that saying that in the previous meetings I looked fresh. Hmmm....

After thinking of what he said, I realised that this could only the sign that my body is getting weaker. Well, its time to boost up my immune system and get enough rest. Need to sleep early tonite.
Do I look haggard like this man? Hope not.

Goodbye

I hate goodbyes. Saying goodbyes to my two sisters ... sadness filled my heart. When will I see them again? But goodbyes must be said. Goodbyes is the ending and also the beginning. The ending of being together and the beginning of separate lives. So goodbye is then a must. Life must go on. But though the goodbyes are said, the love remains in the heart.

May God be with you all always...and may we see you all again soon. So for now...goodbye.

bong family

This is my family, taken on 26th January 2009. Missing in action is another 5 people. The United Nation of Bukit Rambai.

The house is quiet again

Now that CNY is over the house is quiet again. Sigh... too quiet suddenly. No more sounds of the children running, playing, shouting and crying. Quiet. The stillness is like frozen ice. No more hoohahs. Life is back to routine... work work work.

Desperate people desperate options

It is interesting to know that when people are desperate, they would do anything especially in this time of economic uncertainties. I am sure many are thinking about how to survive financially. I too am one of them. The economic slowdown has been affecting my business. I can say that many times I would imagine that I would come across a bundle of cash, thousands or maybe a million dollar cash. How delighted I would be. No, I had not come across that bundle of cash and I guess I better stop imagining about it. I had better trust in a more secured person, God.

In this desperate times, many would opt for Cash 4 Gold. Selling gold jeweleries can be easy and the best option for some. If you are given the choice of selling your house or sell your gold jeweleries so that you can settle your $4000.00 debt, Cash 4 Gold is a better option.

I know many Chinese are into 4D, Toto, and lottery. Even most of my family members are into 4D. This CNY, they all pool together to buy a number but unfortunately the number did not "strike". They have extra money to spend from their "angpau" so they bet on 4D. I would not want to waste my money on 4D as I know that does not reflect what I believe about my God. I do pray that I also does not have to opt for Cash 4 Gold and that my business would be blessed indeed.

What would you do? In this desperate time, would you do desperate things? I do pray that our integrity would stand firm even in desperate times.

I'm Motomoto

My children loves to watch the movie "Madagascar 2". A few nights ago, I was there watching with them and it came to the part where it shows the BIG male hippo Motomoto trying to woo the female hippo. My daughters laughed when they saw that part and immediately look at me.

"That's daddy".

I laughed at the funniness of it. "Why its daddy?" I asked them. They just laugh but didn't give a reply.

Hmmm... I wonder whether it is because of the big size or because of the romantic appealing look of Motomoto that they associated it with me. I do hope so. I definitely do not want to be associated with the "blur blur" side of Motomoto.

Now I got a new nickname... .MOTOMOTO... not Motorola.

Still not done yet

Last year, when things (business) is doing well and we have extra income to spare, we were thinking about doing something with our cars. One of it is changing my car seat cover. It is not in the best condition with signs of wear and tear. Having three children does not help at all in trying to keep the cushion cover clean and spotless. There are many signs of water and food spills until we lost count of it.

Now the new year has passed us by and we still have yet to change the car seat cover. With the coming of the 4th one this April, we would have to put a baby car seat in our car again. I wonder whether we will use the old one or just buy a new infant car seat. I think the old one is still in the garage. It is time to start thinking about what I need to do with my car. Hopefully when the Lord blesses us with extra income, we will be able to do something for the car.

Main computer down

After faithfully serving for 2 years, the main computer that served as the server bids farewell. It has been showing signs of sickness for the past 2 weeks. Now it is being replaced by a newer better computer. This newer computer costs around RM900. As much as I like the operating system installed by the computer shop, I had to reinstall a new operating system into it so that I can download Windows Update. I realized (now more than before) the importance of being able to download security patches updates especially when my customers can plug in their pendrives (which is definitely loaded with viruses)to the computers. Now the new computer is up and running and I do hope that there would not be any major problem with the server for as long possible.

The amazing thing about the old computer is that after a few tinkering here and there, it can still be used without any problem. My guess is that the dust collected inside the computer casing is the main cause of the problem. I will just bring back the computer for my own home usage or sell it.