Of Petrol Hikes and Government Payouts

As of midnight today, the Malaysian government had decided to raise the prices both RON95 and diesel by RM0.20. This, according to esteemed enlighten leader Najib Razak, will save the Government RM3.3 billion yearly. More and more Malaysians are getting more and more pissed off with the BN led government. 

Simple reason to be pissed off with the BN government:

1. Public transportation is shit. The Government has pledged RM4.4 billion (I think) to improve public transportation but nothing is seen. PEMANDU (the national drivers association led by inglorious Idris Jala) has published that the Government has met all its NKRAs or whatever the score card is with flying colours and if you look really closely, you can also see unicorns. 

2. Higher BR1M handouts. How will this help the nation? Middle income are now stuck in the trap that glorious, enlightened leader Najib Razak has promised to NOT let happen. BR1M is given to those earning less than RM3,000. How does giving higher BR1M help ease the burden of the fuel hike? 

3. More motorcyclists on the road. By increasing the price of petrol, more and more consumers will switch to riding motorbikes. Why? It uses less fuel and OMG!!!! it is cheaper to maintain. I foresee more motorcyclist deaths this year and next. 

4. Inflation. Already the people are suffering to make ends meet, especially those in the middle income group, earning above RM3,000. I foresee prices of items increasing. Prepared to pay RM2.20 for Milo Ais?

     Lets talk about single people - yes, it is a matter of adjusting their lifestyles. No more eating out very     

     often, cutting down on clubbing, cutting down on shopping. Hmmm...by cutting down, how will it help 

     lower inflation?

     Lets talk married people - education is Malaysia is still kinda shitty. Parents depend on tuition classes to 

     help their kids excel. Also, since mainly both parents work, tuition classes help keep their kids off the 

     streets and mixing with bad hats. Now, in order to provide their children the best, they will cut down on 

     spending on the non-essential items. Again, how will not spending help ease inflation?

5. Deteriorating growth prospects. Did you know that the Ringgit has dropped nearly 10% this year. BNM has cut its full-year growth forecast to 4.5 - 5%. What happens when foreign investors start pulling out?

I foresee that in the coming months, everything will rise. From food to logistics. What is running through your head now? Riots? Unrest? Military rule? 

I think that by next week, there will be some arrests to cover the small fires of unrest. 

Enhancing CBC offerings to the public.

MCMC (Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission) established its 1Malaysia Community Broadband Centres (CBC) to provide collective community Internet access to underserved areas identified under the Universal Service Provision (USP) programme. 

Each CBC is equipped with IT equipment including personal computers connected to the Internet via broadband to allow rural communities to enjoy the benefits of the Internet as enjoyed by those living in urban areas. It is hoped that the CBC will contribute towards achieving success in national initiatives to bridge the digital divide between urban and rural communities.

Under the USP programme, MCMC has established:

1. CBC
2. Mini Community Broadband Centres (Mini CBC)
3. 1Malaysia Community Broadband Libraries (CBL)
4. Kampung Tanpa Wayar 1Malaysia (KTW) - Wireless Villages

These initiatives are great but I see it as a white elephant. At this point in time, many of these CBCs are under-utilised. It is rather unfortunate that MCMC, with all the best brains (apparently), cannot figure out how to attract the crowd into these centres. Do not let the member figures fool you. Walk into any of these CBCs and you will see wasted space. 

Prior to installing a firewall in these CBCs, the centres were thriving with walk-ins, especially the older folks. Never will you see older men so wanting to learn how to use the internet. They all came for PORN. I kid you not. Notice they do not dare put in usage statistics of the CBCs?

How can MCMC enhance the offering so that it would promote uptake from the public? 

1.      Provide educational content for school-going children

·        Most rural folks do not command the money to send their children for tuition.

·        Work with teachers and remunerate them to provide tuition classes in CBCs.  

·        Now, if they can’t afford it because it will eat into their funds of sending people on holidays, I mean, overseas meetings, then work with the Ministry of Education to provide an online education portal. Setting up of an online currency to reward children who score well on the portal. 

2.     Encourage activities

·        Encourage children to “hang-out” at CBCs by providing them a space to do school work or school projects.

·        Hire an expert on children education to come up with programs or activities to entice children to come to the centre.

3.     Talks and workshops

·        Hold talks and workshops with industry experts and not some JAVA, ORACLE workshop.

·        Seminars on the simple things in life.

·        Bring in speakers that work: How to make a million Ringgit? How to be an online entrepreneur? Etc...

·        Bring in a politician to talk

There are so many ways to attract the population into these centres. If you cannot attract the older crowd, target the younger crowd.

I do not see why MCMC cannot afford to send its staff down to the ground and do promotions and education on the centres. Is it because they are all degree holders and they are too high and mighty to step into rural areas? Is it because it is not an overseas trip to some conference in Europe? I am guessing, there is no budget for such things because it is all allocated for trips.

Look at it this way, if you can’t even attract and retain customers to your own CBCs, why talk about it as a success overseas?

I like how the Government, in their advertising, shows fishermen and farmers using laptops and all these advanced gadgets. I love how they have painted this fantasy to everyone.

Let’s look at the reality of things. Urbanites are trying to save money to get a laptop....now think about the farmers and fishermen? Do you think they have enough disposable income to waste on a laptop?

A Game Of Thrones

Dude: Eh, what do you think will happen in the next season of AGOT?

Me:    Robb comes back to life in the form of a wolf.

Dude: Serious???

Me:    Yes. He, as a wolf, can communicate telepathically and control other creatures.

Dude: No shit?!?!?! O.O'

Me:    No shit bro!!!

Dude: And you know this how?

Me:    I read something called BOOKS!

Dude: There's a book based on the series?

Me:    Errrmmm....Technically, yes.

Dude:  But isn't it anti-climatic to release the next season on book? Wouldn't they lose viewership?

Me:    Why would they? It would make people want to watch the series more. The book doesn't have an ending. The ending always says "To know more, watch the series".

Dude:  HBO is brilliant man.

Me:     Yes they are, yes they are. I am waiting to see the Imp getting castrated in the next season and the massive Lannister war between Jamie and Cercei.

Dude:  Yeah, I see that coming as well. Lovers tiff.

Me:     Look at the time, I got to go.

Tahiception

Today I "helped" a friend set up an email account.

After setting it up, I wrote him an email titled "Aku rasa aku gay" from his own email account.  

---

Aku rasa aku gay tapi aku tak tahu. 

Aku tertarik pada perempuan tapi aku suka pandang lelaki. 

Entah lah. Kekadang aku mimpi. Mimpi yang tersangatlah indah. Akan tetapi mimpi-mimpiku semuanya ada lelaki. 

Ada juga hari yang aku ingin memegang tangan. Tak kisah lah tangan lelaki atau perempuan. Janji tangan. 

Mungkin aku gay. Mungkin tidak. 

Aku rasa ini semua inception dari Anwar Ibrahim. 

Mungkin ini inception dari rakan-rakan lelaki sejawatku yang selalu pandang-pandang, jeling-jeling and senyum-senyum padaku.

Adakah ini mimpi? Adakah ini nyata? Adakah aku sebenarnya aku?

Aku bukan gay, aku bukan gay, aku bukan gay. Aku ni LESBIAN!!!!!!!

-----

Terbangunku dari tidur inceptionku. Berpeluh. Basah kuyup. Aku merasa diriku....

OMG!!! I HAVE TITS!!!!! BIG FREAKING TITS!!!!

CALLING IN SICK TO PLAY WITH MYSELF!!!!! 

WOOT!!!!!!

The only shame in this is that I do not have his address book. 

Im sure he is changing the password right now. 

You dont know what you are missing

Am I Indian? Am I Dan Lain-Lain (Others)? Am I Malaysian?

I do not know. 

I was told while in school that I am Indian. Then later I was told that I am Dan Lain-Lain.

At least if you are 

1) Malay, you can say I am Malaysian Malay

2) Chinese, you can say I am Malaysian Chinese. 

3) Indian, you can say I am Malaysian Indian. 

It doesn't sound right to say, I am the other Malaysian. Or to keep it in line with the above, I am Malaysian Others. Just doesn't sound right. It sounds cool but it just doesn't sound right. 

I am proud to be Malaysian. I am proud of my mixed parentage Punjabi Chinese. Yes yes, it becomes a notty word when put together. But still proud nonetheless. 

I am sad to see some narrow minded people now harping on the racism card. To me, racism is for the small. It is a tool used by the weak to incite hatred and create chaos among those who have an IQ somewhat lower than that of a thumbtack. 

While Malaysia is peaceful, we will always have racism. Really. Honestly. Take a look around you. You don't even need to take a good careful look. Realise how many tables have a group of people of mixed ethnicity? 

1? 

2 maybe? 

None? 

More likely.  

How do we promote unity? Or are we already united? Or are we united but divided at the same time? 

I have a group of multi-racial friends that I hang out with. It is a really diversified group. There is a Chinese, an Indian (well, while he is mixed, he is still Indian), a Baba (yes! a Baba! How bloody awesome is that?), a Malay (well, technically he is. I shall not argue with the system and put logic aside) and myself...Dan Lain-Lain. I am sure one of you smart asses will have something to say about this. 

While this jolly group of multi-racial clowns hang out all the time and we are all happy-happy, we are still racist. We are. Really. We call each other names. We call each other a different race. We make racist jokes but its ok. We even gang up on each other. But its okay. We can take it. We are matured enough to laugh at each other and at ourselves. 

Today, the Chinese chap was called a yellow tart. His reply was, "Of course lah yellow! I cant be any other colour can I? And its Sexy Yellow Tart ok!" 

Awesome. 

I am blessed to have this group of friends. Together, we make the League of Really Super Heroes. Actually we are everything but heroic. 

Because of them, I learned about other cultures and religion. The debates we have contain view points from different cultures and heritage. It is fulfilling to have these friends. 

If you have never hanged out with a person of a different culture or race or colour or whatever, try it. You do not know what you are missing. You do not know what it is like to be truly Malaysian. 

I want to say thank you to you guys for always being there for me. Putting me down when I feel like I am King of the Damn Universe and making me feel like a King when I am down in the pits. You people are tarts of the highest order but you are family to me as well.

Thank you. 

You know who you are.

Bad moon rising

It will be very soon that the people will start to rise up against the Government for the notty things that they have been up to. The arrests of people speaking up to them is one. Fanning the flames of racism is another. The people are tired. The people are getting riled up. The Government itself is orchestrating something that could become like the Arab Spring.  

After winning the 13th General Elections, the Prime Minister decided to say that it was a Chinese tsunami. Personally, it is not a fair statement. It was not only the Chinese that voted in GE13. There was a call for change by the people of Malaysia. 

MCA and Gerakan had lost to DAP for a simple reason - the parties no longer appeal to the Chinese. MCA has never stood up against UMNO when they attacked Chinese schools. Gerakan....well, that party is full of hot air and most of their members (especially one youth leader up north), are high on Nitrous Oxide. 

UMNO had lost because it started playing with fire. There are many ministers who do not fit their roles in their ministry. They lack the proper knowledge and skill to run the ministry. 

MIC.....Personally, I would never vote for MIC. Sorry.

BN itself has lost its appeal to these voters because while they say they are united, they are in fact just listening and saying yes to the leader rather than making decisions together. 

Right after winning the elections, the PM has said that he will be a prime minister to all Malaysians. But his actions so far since winning the GE has shown otherwise. If I were him, I would stop Utusan from spewing racial feces everyday. I would instruct all BN controlled bloggers to say thank you to all Malaysians and to promote racial harmony. I would not clamp down and start arresting people who speak up against the Government. 

Ho hum, it is indeed sad that while the PM shouts of moderation, 1Malaysia and unity, he is allowing all his hard work to go down the drain. 

I was against all these calls for rallies and street gatherings. I wanted proof of all the allegations of fraud, cheating, black outs, white ins, etc before joining the merry band of monkeys in the street. 

It WAS simple for me. Allegations....bring SOLID proof to court. Court throws it out, the people will come out demanding for justice. But the ways its going now, it will not be long before I too will be one of those merry monkeys in the streets.