Open Burning in Alor Setar!

Can you imagine the pollution open burning does? I was on the way to fetch CT the other day when I passed by two spots of people openly burning their rubbish! Don't these IDIOTS know that they are making our world A HOTTER place? Don't they know that it's already very hot as it is?
But, after some pondering, is it entirely their fault? I don't think so. They wouldn't burn their rubbish if the rubbish people collect the rubbish everyday, right? Many people would think what's PAS doing? Since PAS took over, the rubbish collection was getting from bad to worse. But it's not the current state government's fault. Before PAS took over, the previous government BN, awarded a contract to Environment Idaman Sdn. Bhd. to so call privatize everything. And according to this newsletter, they say they have improved Sungai Petani's rubbish collection, link to this newsletter.

Even at my place, rubbish collection is BAD. Rubbish gets collected a week once? It used to be every 2 or 3 days once. WHAT are the people in charge doing? And please be aware that PAS has NO SAY in this at all.
I stopped my car to get a picture of this, and I could feel the heat even inside my car! It was THAT hot.

*Note: This two pictures were taken at different spots in Alor Setar but located 200m from each other. :)

How Time Flies.

It's April already! And very soon, I shall be sitting for my mid-term exams.

It just seemed like yesterday I entered Form 6. Guess, time flies.

There has been a lot of things going on lately. Exams, quizzes, assignments, PEKA, the lot... to add on to my already busy schedule, I was struck down by sore throat and flu yesterday, and was incapacitated for a few hours. Ha. School life has been a stress. I kinda regret not working hard when I was in secondary school, but I guess it's too late. What has been done, can't be re-done. For now, all I can do is to make sure I do not regret the decision I made... STPM! But seriously, why can't it be much easier to understand? Agh!

And oh, heard the news? STPM is going to be much easier! Instead of just sitting one major exam, they are going to change it to the semester-style system! Translation, it's going to be like Matriculation. In class, we were complaining that it wasn't fair! Why couldn't we born a year later? Hah. But if you look at it from a different point of view, STPM standards are going down! STPM wasn't as hard as it was 15 years ago, and it's not getting any harder now, but much easier. Is Malaysia trying to bring down the only exam left that is of standard? Hmmm...
On another unrelated matter... Been reading the news lately? Sarawak Elections is in 2 days time! Malaysiakini and Sarawak Today was hacked by viruses, sourcing from India and the States. Wanna read about the attack? Click here. Another tactic of the government to bring down the Opposition? I hope not. Why can't the government just play fair? If you have been governing badly, it's time for a change! Be humble and step down! Nobody is going to laugh or mock you. Take this as a lesson and change for the better. :)

Oh well, I guess I better head back to my Chemistry. :)

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

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.

In The Name Of SCIENCE?!?

In the name of Science, how many bugs have to suffer in formalin?
In the name of Science, how many white rats have to be killed alive?In the name of Science, how many plants have to lose their source of energy?
In the name of Science, how many factors than maintain the ecosystem in equilibrium are disturbed?

The answer, A LOT!!!

I went to school today to "cut open" a rhinoceros beetle that I caught yesterday. I have this school project or rather known as PEKA, asking us to catch 25 different species of insects, and preserve them. I was thinking to myself, "The Biology syllabus also teaches us how to take care of the environment, and ways to prevent the animals from going extinct. And by doing this project, isn't this also harming the environment?". Funny, they teach us this and yet do the opposite.

I wasn't feeling too good when I killed the rhinoceros beetle that I caught. It was so cruel. Who are we to kill such animals? Imagine being pierced through your stomach. What would you feel? The pain one would have to bear. AH! Science oh science! Why art thou so cruel?

More about the flood...

As I blog, it's raining now. The recent flood has made me paranoid about rain. Months ago, during the hot season, I was craving for rain. But now, I prefer sunny skies compared to rains. Sigh. I hope if a flood do happen again, the government will warn us 24 hours beforehand.

Continuing with my last blog post, I evacuated from my home to Aunt Chua's. After Biology exam, I had to find my way back through town to Taman Stadium. There were many roads being closed due to floods, and there was a massive traffic jam in Simpang Kuala. It seems that it was one of the few roads left to town.

That evening, when my father and I took a stroll down the taman to check on the monsoon drain, it was already overflowing. I was like "Here going to flood too? Where to next?".And true enough, the following day, at about 5 a.m., water started sipping in like a thief in the night. It was scary, I tell you. In just a mere 30 mins, the whole road was covered with water, and not to mention Aunt Chua's porch.
There was a discussion on where to park the car. Finally, it was agreed that two cars will be parked at City Plaza's top floor, although we thought it might be a little unsafe. On the way up, EVERY floor was PACKED with cars, except for the top-most floor. And, there were ROWS of BRAND-NEW CARS parked there, Suzuki Swift, Toyota cars, you name it. I guess the car-dealers were afraid that their cars might be flooded. It was a good thing too, because that meant that nobody would want to steal my car, as there are so many new cars around. =D
In the afternoon, Taman Stadium had already became like this. Later that night, the electricity was cut, and I had to spend the night in darkness and without a fan. =S I've became a creature of comfort, but thankfully, it was cooling that night.

Town in the afternoon.

More stories soon. :)

Flood in Alor Setar 2010...

03/11/2010 - 07/11/2010

FLOOD.

These are the days that I shall remember for as long as I live. Well, I couldn't remember much about the last flood that happened 5 years ago. All I can remember is being sent to Aunt Chua's place for evacuation for a few days because of the flood with my sister, Teong Huan and his sisters. And we played Metal Slug 3 on Teong Huan's computer. But that was 5 years ago.Now I'm a boy of almost 18, I can help and see for my own eyes, how devastating a flood can be, to an individual, a family, a community, a district, a state, and the country. I believe I have gained more experience, that shall be useful in time to come, although to others, they have lost much.

In a short duration of 5 days, my family and I were literally running away from water. Everywhere we went, flood waters followed us. I evacuated on Wednesday, as the waters started to rise where I stayed, mainly because I had exams on the following day. I was tempted to "ponteng" school like what Chen Tat did, but I thought the better of it. But I probably do quite badly this time, well, I'll know soon.

My parents stayed back at the house. Shortly after I left, the electric supply was cut. I pity my parents. They stayed at home all night without electric and had to move the hall's furniture to a higher level.Look at Taman Golf's field. It looks more like a swimming pool now, right? I had the chance to take some shots here and there before I evacuated. The bicycle always comes in handy. When all electric and motor appliances fail, this is where your skills come in.
The pictures here may explain a thousand words, but by experiencing it youself, it amplifies the effect by a thousand times more. It has been an experience.
More stories to come. :) I hope the worse is over.

Slow Coaches!!!

I sat for my computer test yesterday. AND I PASSED! =) The test was not as hard as I expected. I passed with bare minimum. The passing mark is 42 or 50, and there are a few of my friends failed, because they missed by a question or two.

When I went to register at about 1 something in the afternoon, the place was already jam-packed with people. I took my number, and guess what number it was already...

The number on the screen was only at 57! I had to wait for soooooooo LONG! By the time I took my computer test, it was about 5 in the evening already. Imagine... I was there at 1 plus, I had to wait for almost 4 HOURS for this stupid exam!

The people working there also work FREAKISHLY SLOW!!!! When someone finishes the exam, it takes the people working there at least 5 minutes to get the next person in. And when it comes to getting the result slip, it takes at least 10 to 30 minutes for them to print it out. In other test centers, you get your result slip as soon as you get out. Why is this test center so different? And why let those taken their exams wait???But oh well, it's over already, thank goodness for that! The main thing is "I PASSED AND I SHALL NEVER GO BACK THERE AGAIN!" XD

Hey! FarmVille is bigger than Twitter!

Can you believe it? I was reading from TechRadar just now.

Facebook: FarmVille is bigger than

Twitter

Big numbers revealed, as the site hits 350 million users

What is the world coming to? This statistics are really mind-blowing! Bigger than TWITTER??? Imagine spending an hour a day on FarmVille. In a week, you will have spent 7 hours on it. In a month, a day plus 7 hours (assuming the month has 31 days)! In a year, you would have spent 15 days and 5 hours on it! Imagine the time wasted, just to farm online, which does not bring you anything except pleasure for that few minutes.

Islamic Photostat Centre?

Huh? Now there are photostat centers based on religion? No offense to the Muslims though. But why name it Islamic Photostat Center? What's the difference between the papers photostatted at that center and any other centers? The papers photostatted at that shop will be more holy? It's just pure silliness.

H1N1... BEWARE!

Have you read the news lately? Have you seen the drastic increase of number of people being infected with H1N1? Even the number of deaths related to H1N1 is increasing rapidly in every country in the world!

"Six more deaths from A(H1N1), bringing total number to 32."
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 10 (Bernama) -- Six more deaths from Influenza A(H1N1) were confirmed Monday, bringing the total number of cases to 32 in the country so far...

"H1N1 toll in India rises, hits Bollywood, badminton."
MUMBAI (Reuters) - Schools, malls and cinema halls in some cities in western India have shut and Bollywood shoots cancelled as the toll from the H1N1 pandemic rose to eight....

Isn't this news just scary? Start taking precautions from now on! Better safe than sorry...

Symptoms of A(H1N1) in people include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. A significant number of people who have been infected with this virus also have reported diarrhea and vomiting. Severe illnesses and death has occurred as a result of illness associated with this virus. So, people, beware!

A(H1N1) ALERT!

Malaysia is has a confirmed case of A(H1N1)! The victim of this virus is a student that came back from the United States two days ago.

All, Malaysians, take caution, and prevent this deadly disease from spreading...

Is It Necessary to Impose Curfews on Teenagers below 17?

What actually does the word "curfew" actually mean? It can defined as a child has to be back by a certain time that is set by parents for children. In my opinion, I think it depends on the situation. But in general, I think it's necessary to impose a curfew on teenagers below 17.

Why do I say it's necessary? Here are a few reasons to support my stand. Firstly, a curfew should be set so that teenagers get their beauty sleep. If not, sometimes, teenagers would be out hanging out with friends till the wee hours in the morning. This would also affect their mental alertness the following day. If it's a schooling day the following day, this would affect their concentration and ability to learn.

Another reason to support my stand on why curfew should be implemented is because the likelihood of the teenagers getting involved with bad company is greater. These teenagers will hang out in bistros and pubs, and this will lead them to other bad activities, like gambling and drinking. And also, in the cover of darkness, when the roads are empty, the likelihood of getting involved in an illegal race would be greater.

Setting a curfew for teenagers with friends and family is important to ensure teenagers spend sufficient time with their family to strengthen family bonds. This is also to ensure that the parents know what their child is up to and to make sure their child is not involved with bad company.

In conclusion, curfews should be set for teenagers below 17.

Bullies In School...

These few months, after school has restarted from the end of the year hols, more and more news are coming out about bullying in schools week by week.

In Mentakab, Pahang, a 15 year-old schoolboy was assaulted by 10 schoolmates. In another case, a Form 3 student was burnt with hot iron by his seniors when he refused to buy them cigarettes.

Why are there so many bullying cases happening around Malaysia? What more the world? I can now understand why the discipline teacher is the worse job to have in a school...

How are bullies made? There is a saying that goes, "Beat or be beaten". Some students become bullies, because when they first entered school they were bullied by their seniors. And this built them into a bullies themselves, out of anger. Some students bully, just for pure fun. Some bullies are made because they had no one to talk to at home, because their parents were mostly either out working to put food on the table, or do not care at all for their kids.

So, how do you prevent bullying from happening? Schools should instill strict punishment for bullying cases, and also counseling classes for those who bully. Because maybe after counseling, the bully might change into a new leaf. Schools should also instill zero tolerance policy on bullying to ensure that there is efficient enforcement on the rules.

There is this old saying that goes "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." This all nonsense! Sometimes words hurt people more than physical pain. Some people just don't understand.

What do you think?

Divorce...

I was reading about divorce a few days ago. After reading the article, I feel that when I want to get married, I must find someone that is the same wavelength as me. And when quarrels or misunderstandings happen, we will both try to solve it without involving our children.

When a parent fills in a divorce, who suffers the most? Children. Where do the parents lepas their anger during a fight? Children. Who will be brainwashed by the other half about the other parent to stop communication with the child and parent? Children. Children are the victims of a divorce, innocent victims.

After reading of a few cases of divorce in the net, I have made a promise to myself that I will never be involved in divorce. My wife shall be my partner until I die. I can't bear to see my child being traumatized.

Do you think anyone can be PM in Malaysia?

The prime minister said that anyone can be Prime Minister in Malaysia. Somehow, after hearing this statement, I don't think it will somehow happen. Can you picture a Chinese or Indian Prime Minister? I can't. Not yet. In fact, I can't see that happening in the near future.

Recently, Obama has been voted by the people of the US to become the president of United States of America. He is the first African-American to become the President of the US. That is a change. When shall Malaysia have that change? In the next 100 years?

Malaysia, to me, needs to change still. There are still much to be improved. Even our neighboring country, although small, is more advanced that us. That is Singapore. Singapore, compared to Malaysia, is just a small dot in Malaysia. Yet, Singapore is so much more advanced. Why can't Malaysia be as advanced or more advanced than Singapore? We need a leader like Lee Kuan Yew, the founder of Singapore to lead the country.

Sigh! I will pray and hope hard for a change in Malaysia.

Seat belts...

Starting from next year onwards, all car users, that means passengers AND drivers need to buckle up. To me, it will make some difference, because I only buckle up when I sit in front, and not at the back, because when you sit at the back, wearing the safety belt makes it a little uncomfortable.

Why are safety belts fixed in cars? It is fixed in cars reduce the number of casualties in car accidents. I learn in Physics about the safety features installed in cars to protect the car users, and this is one of them.

So, who will be fined if they don't follow the law? The drivers or the passengers? I think both should be fined. Why do I think that the drivers should be also be fined? Because, in my opinion, I think the drivers should be responsible in telling the passengers to buckle up. The passengers must also be fined because of breaking the law.

Safety belts are called SAFETY belts for a reason. It's for your own safety. I think, without the law, we should also buckle up for our own safety. But, sadly, people don't see the benefits of buckling up.

I must make a habit now to buckle up, when I'm sitting behind.

Poor maintainece of signboards...

Poor maintainece of signboards... Just look: