CHIMlish! :P

Try reading this aloud, and ask yourself or someone who is good in English whether you are reading it correctly. :P

1. The bandage was wound around the wound.
2. The farm was used to produce produce.
3. The dump was so full it had to refuse more refuse.
4. We must polish the Polish furniture.
5. He could lead if would get the lead out.
6. The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7. Since there was no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
8. A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9. When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10. I did not object the object.
11. The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

Lol. There are another 10 more, but I'm lazy to type the rest out. Maybe another time. lol. :D

Straits Quay, Penang. :)

This is Straits Quay, Penang!
When I first arrived, the first thought that popped into my mind was, "Oh, how quaint! The stores are designed in such a way that you feel as if you are back in the past, where everyone took life easy (compared to the busy life we each led today), basically a place for one to clear one's mind."
There's a housing estate nearby. Guess how much do one of those houses cost?A bombshell! The cheapest house in not even the range of hundred thousands, but over a million dollars! Crazy? I think so. It's reclaimed land fyi!
Oh well, I guess people these days are willing to pay for comfort.

What happened to the olden days, where life wasn't full so activities from day to night? People weren't so money-minded then. These days, people take life far too seriously. The things we invent are making us slaves to it.

Take Two... MRT in M'sia & Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway.

Been reading the papers lately? Our Malaysian MRT project is estimated to cost about RM 50 billion!

"CIMB Research in its report yesterday said that the higher cost for the Sungai Buloh-Kajang line was not a surprise as the earlier number was based on 2009 prices. (Higher construction cost and inflation may contribute to the current cost which is estimated to reach RM 20 bil for the Sg Buloh-Kajang line.)"

True, inflation and the increase of construction cost may be one of the key factors in the hike of price, but does it have to be cost THAT much?
Let's take China's Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway, which is 1318 km long, was completed on the November 15, 2010, cost the China government about USD32 billion, meaning about USD24 mil per km. And mind you, it will be the fastest train on earth once it starts operation on June 20th, 2011.

Malaysia's MRT project on the other hand, will cost the Malaysian government a whooping RM353 mil/km, which is about USD116.14 mil/km! It's a difference of USD92 million! Where and what is the money being spent on?

Is it because there are more stations that are needed to be built? The Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway has only 23 stops, compared to Malaysia's MRT project which has 41 stops. I don't think so. And we know that China's equipment used to build the track is far more superior and expensive.

If you do a comparison like this, it's obvious we should bring in the Chinese to build it, right? We'll save tons of money, and prevent the country from going into further bankruptcy!

Wake up people, it's our money that's being spent!

Take Two... Malaysia Nuke Plants' Plans.

Just not to long ago, Malaysia announced that the government has plans to build 2 nuke power plants.
There were protests against it, but nothing was done against it. Where is the people first spirit? Oh well.

Let's take recents incidents into the picture. Japan, just experienced one of the biggest earthquakes in recorded history. They suffered huge loses and many lives were lost.

But, I'm not writing here today to talk about the damaged they sustained, but focus on their nuke plant.
Japan fears a meltdown at their nuke plants. The chains of reactions in the aftermath of the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami severed the power supply to the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex 170 miles northeast of Tokyo, crippling the reactor's cooling system. To add on to their misery, one of the backup power did not kick in properly in one of the units.

A hydrogen explosion occurred. Without electricity supply, plant pipes and pumps destroyed, they have resorted to drawing seawater with boron in attempt to cool off the overheated uranium fuel rods. You can see that the situation is very grim and they are out of alternatives cool down the rods. Translation: "They are getting DESPERATE!".

What could happen if a nuclear meltdown occurs? More people will die, radiation flying throughout the country. And Japan we know today, will change indefinitely. A nuclear meltdown can make Northern Japan almost inhabitable, due to the radioactive emissions. And many health problems will arise. Net loss would account into billions!

Scary isn't it?

Let's bring it back to Malaysia. They are planning to build not one, but two nuclear plants! Look at Japan, it's a first world country, their technology used and man-skill are much more canggih than us by a few times more. They do not let corruption take over their work ethics, they do not compromise on the safety precautions that ought to be taken, neither do they use cheap materials to build infrastructure, etc. We don't see buildings built over there collapsing over their after just being built for less than 5 years, right? Or bridges cracking, right?

Or let's picture another possibility, if the tectonic plates shifts closer to Malaysia, and an earthquake happens in Malaysia, not only the nuclear plant is at stake, but EVERYTHING will fall as if they are made from cardboard. Malaysian buildings are not made even to withstand minor earthquakes.

Anyway, if Malaysia succeeds in building the 2 nuke plants, and a massive natural disaster hits Malaysia. I wonder what would happen. We aren't even capable of building solid bridges or building, and yet we're moving up another level.
We don't want to see a mushroom cloud over Malaysia, right? And if a meltdown DOES occur in Peninsular Malaysia, I believe almost the whole of Peninsular will be inhabitable.

So, why play with fire when there are OTHER alternatives? Let's develop solar power, for example. After all, Malaysia is such a sunny country. Or maybe, hydropower? There are so many other alternatives, why use the one with the greatest danger?

Snail Mail Dangers!

Danger is lurking at ever corner, even in snail mail!

It has been said that there are cases where lawyers have done the following:
a) Mailing empty/sealed AR registered letters to people on behalf of their clients for some court case matter.
b) AR registered mail, either consisting of brochures promoting sale of new real estate or some car model or just an empty A4 size paper inside.

Normally, we'll regard it as junk, and don't give it another thought about it, right? But, there is a DANGER!

WHAT IF, the letter that you signed for is used against you? The AR registered card that you signed for when you received the letter will be returned to the law firm stating that the letter was delivered and signed, which in other words, it is the proof of delivery that can be used against you.

It applies to the so very convenient "Certificate of Posting" which is used in court. When the grace period for you to respond is over, they quietly go to court and show proof that an AR registered letter was sent to you as a reminder and you did not bother to defend it and thus convince the court officials to get a judgement against you. So, don't be surprised when a police car suddenly appears in front of your house with a warrant to arrest you.

What happens then? You seek for legal advice from the respective ways and people, you hire a lawyer, waste a few thousand here and there, and appeal to the High Court to set aside the matter.

To prevent this, what should you do?
1. You have the RIGHT to REJECT any mail/parcel from unknown sources.
2. You have the RIGHT to ask the postman to OPEN the mail and see what is inside the contents.
3. You have the RIGHT to REJECT the letter and deliver to a law firm you know.
4. If you have SIGNED & COLLECTED and EMPTY AR registered mail, LODGE A POLICE REPORT, and also report to the bar council to protect you if the matter goes to court.

Frightening what humans these day can do to you right? Danger lurks everywhere, even at the places you never did think of. What has become of the world? Where is the justice? Imagine, even snail mail has become the devil's playground. Where or what next? :S

The Mediterranean Journey @ Agua, Penang... :)

Prepare yourself for something REALLY different when you step into this restaurant, located at Straits Quays, E&O Marina, Penang. :)
One thing which stands out from Mediterranean food and local food is the taste, it needs some getting use to. Mediterranean food are cooked in such a way that it's healthy. And of course, the price.This restaurant as I mentioned earlier, can be found at Straits Quays, E&O Marina.And, the service is great! It's probably the first time I've eaten at a restaurant where they change the plates between courses.This is their honey lemonade.

Look at the dish below, it's served with bread. I seriously didn't know how to eat it when I first looked at it. Each piece of meat you see is sliced SUPER thin, and notice that there are lots of veggies on the plate too?
This is how we think it should be eaten. :DMoving on, my dad wanted to try their ribs too. To me, there's nothing better than ribs BBQ'ed' covered with the good old BBQ sauce. :D TGIF's ribs is better any day!

Pork ribs!

But of course, the ribs served here is much MUCH more healty than TGIFs'. But who cares? I'm young! Haha.

The main dish, Paella, which takes 25 minutes to cook.

The rice is sticky, and the rice granules are much much BIGGER than the local rices'. It's their signature dish. This dish orginates from Valencia, served with seafood, chicken and pork.

The remains. LOL.

I guess it's one of their more popular dishes. People who came after us were also seen ordering this. So, give it a try if you have a chance. I don't really fancy it though.
And oh, did I mention the view from the restaurant is great? Shall upload some photos about the view there soon.

Stay tuned! :D

In The Name of Science... [Part 2]

Well, based on my previous post, I received more opinions that animal testing should be done in the name of science.

Here's another point of view of mine.

Animal testing often been debated whether it is the right or wrong thing to do. Scientist will insist that it's necessary! Giving the reason that this steps are taken to ensure the future of mankind against various diseases and cure or respite from the ravages of diseases. But animal-lovers, will give you point-blank "NO!", stating that these testings are just pure acts of evil.

To me, well, I believe that animals should have equal rights to a human. Who are we as humans to tie an animal up and subject it to pins and needles, different strains of bacteria or viruses just for the sake of science? You might argue that if these steps are not taken, you and me wouldn't be here, and the average lifespan of a human would be greatly affected.

But, there's always an alternative. There is almost always two ways in science. Why not use remedies instead of chemically-engineered ones? Plant-based remedies for an instant, are often harmless, and without side-effects, even if it's tested on humans or animals. It has been PROVEN that it produces similar or BETTER results compared to the chemically-engineered remedies! Let's take the example of a commonly found illness, fever. Why use panadol, when we can use natural remedies like chewing on tusci leaves and peppercorn, and taking loads of fluids to cure the disease? Just because we want to have the convenience of just swallowing a pill, more animals have to suffer the fate of being tortured and killed? It's just pure inhumanity! Panadol kills us slowly anyway, it contains mercury that accumulates in our body which can cause death in the long run. So, why use chemically-engineered products? Switch to natural remedies!

If we say human lives should be given higher priority compared to animals because of our family and relatives, how about THEM? Don't they have families TOO? Monkeys, the most used animal in animal testing due to their vast similarities to humans, live in herd. How can we know for sure that the herd it was in, mourns for the lost of their brother or sister? Place yourself in their shoes and imagine the agony you would feel when such a thing happens to you.

So, which is the right thing to do? I'm still unsure.