Departed - the film based on HK movie infernal affairs won the Oscar....

I supposed HK movies have come of age....Hollywood copies HK films and they win awards...not bad for the movie industry in HK....its very flattering when Hollywood imitates you...

How come the Hongkies can do it but not we Malaysians....that's the infernal question....we know we are not lacking in creative genius as the Hongkies...we are just as good....

Its the systems & institutions they have in HK that nurtures and encourages these artists...in Malaysia unles it is done by malays or in the malay language...it is not encouraged....sooo sad....

UNCTAD estimates for FDI differs significantly from PM & DPM

Yup....Uncle Kit had come out socking it to the Government with UNCTAD's figures which is much less than the ones announced by the government.....

In its preliminary estimates of FDI inflows in 2006, Unctad figures for Malaysia see a shrinkage of 1.6 per cent to US$3.9 billion from US$4.0 the previous year, while FDIs for the whole region of “South, East and South-east Asia” register an increase of 13.1 per cent from US$165.1 billion in 2005 to US$186.7 billion, with Thailand recording a 114.7 per cent increase from US$3.7 billion in 2005 to US$7.9 billion and Singapore a 58% increase from US$20.1 billion in 2005 to US$31.9 billion.

The Prime Minister should explain the RM6.4 billion difference in MITI’s FDI figure of RM20.2 billion (or US$5.7 billion) for 2006 and UNCTAD’s preliminary estimates of US$3.9 billion (RM13.8 billion) for the same year.

Lets wait for the explanation......

But much sadder is the fact the figures had risen for the whole of S.E. Asia.....Thailand had registered an an increase of 114% while Spore had an increase of 58%......

No wonder our neighbours are getting richer and we are falling behind......long live the the Never Ending Policy of promoting rent seeking.....

It is a sad day when both the Prime Minister & Deputy PM has to say "we did not cook the figures"

Something is funny in Malaysia...despite the very positive news or figures in the economy, the man in the street just cannot believe it.....is it because it is merely spin? or is there such a big crdibility gap between the leaders and the rakyat....that the rakyat just cannot believe the sandiwara played out by their leaders....but surely if the news is so good, how is it that the rakyat had been completely unaware of it......

Maybe the trickle down effect of the economic effects of the positive figures had not filtered down yet....or maybe it is just figures....they are just mere reflections of the intentions of business people and investors....there are still a lot of wait & see.....

What ever it is...the good news of the economy have only scattered impact on the the rakyat as whole...there gasn't been a ripple effect that touched all and sundry...in fact in this flat world.....there will be losers and winners.....

Apparently the winners in this flat world-economy in Malaysia are not widespread.....

Rapid KL...Rapid Penang....Rapid complaints...Rapid profits

Guess who is screaming out loud now.....after the news that Rapid KL/Penang will be taking over the public transportation system....our great Penang bus companies...Milan & KGN Hin Bus....the people that provided you the shitty services...now they scream....because they will soon be deprived of their bus routes....they claim that they (altruistically) had sacrificed so much for the beloved people of Penang...& now they are demanding that they be compensated with rm & rm from the feds.....

Sure Malaysia boleh mah.....first give them shitty services....which threatened the security of tenure for the BN government in the state (hey, if the BN government cannot even guarantee a proper bus service ...don't think they can do alot for Penang in a flat world, might as well vote them out..makes no difference any way!!!)...then when the Feds come in with RM to rescue the unpopular state government & goofy CM... start to claim that you have sacrificed for the people in providing the shit service and ask for compensation....what a way to make money....

I wonder where do the people of Penang stand in all of this muck....very far away the CM hopes.....maintain your rage people of Penang & see the BN out at least for one term...try out the DAP-Keadilan cuisine for a term...& c what they can turn out good, bad..or just plain dumb....

Pigging out during Chinese New Year

Despite my telling myself not to eat too much during this CNY period...I still do it....the food..the invitations all posing themselves so deliciously ...inviting one to sink ones' teeth into them an d just partake of just one morsel...

Rapid KL taking over Penang's transport....

Yes, thats the gift that the Feds are making to the good people of Penang...I'm wondering why just stop at public transport.....take over this little state with no more than RM300 million budget.....less than what the Forest Department in Sabah collects in a very bad year....

Yup....the CM without power and worse still without guts....if the Feds (UMNO) made the whole state a federal territory.....like KL and Labuan and Putrajaya.... then we can do away with charade of Penangites actually voting a CM that can rule them...and be accountable to them....now we can't even get the CVLB to be accountable.....thats why our Public Transportation system had gone down the drain....

Yeah..why stop at public transportation take the whole damned state.....

RM150 million for monrail.....

Yes, we better spend it before the next election.....the feds might just take it back....BN can't even run a proper public transportation system for a population of less than 2 million inhabitants....the public transportation we once had in Penang & Province Wellesly (i use the old name) is much better than the ones we have in the 21st Century...shame on you Tan Sri Koh....the bunch at Komtar is no bloody use....if they cannot even solve the public transportation problem....don't expect them to solve bigger & much more complex problems facing the State...

M'sian Deputy PM says "We did not cook the figures"

Yup, we heard it from the proverbial "horse's mouth" we did not cook the good economic figures.....hey CNY season lah... nowadays many chinese families eat outside or "tah pau" dishes cooked by paid chefs.....so no need to cook ourselves mah!!!

As I said....look at the "street smart indicators"...restaurants...massage parlours...karoake clubs.... how's business there? Number of tower cranes....how fast the number plate of cars change....the faster it changes the better the economy.....hey maybe we can do a study on it.....or maybe something like Freakonomics..... must get Dr. Yeah of RAM to do it as an indicator and test how reliable it is as a quick indicator.....

Spirit of Muhibbah...CNY greetings recieved from Sabah

I recieved this "Malaysian" CNY greeting from my fren Robert in Sandakan

Anjing pergi
Babi mari
Soi pergi
Ong mari
Tahun ini
Mesti lucky
Kena magnum
Kena loteri
Dalam MyBank
Banyak money
Selamat Tahun Baru Cina

Lunar New Year's eve...2007

Seems to be alot of good news of late.................. the KLCI is searing to the top......FDI had increased....it seems things cannot be wrong

Good new year for the country...and so it seems....maybe an election is around the corner....

Penang FDI best year ever since 1980's

The NST and Star came out singing this tune.....that Penang achieved its best FDI in 2006...the best in more than 27 years.

The NST has this to say
Investment in Penang is booming. With more than than RM5 billion invested last year, the state clocked up a high it hasn’t seen in 27 years.


......could it be true?

Really? who is coming...... the NST noted that penang can't even provide decent public transportation to move its labour force around....what a shame.....

Lots of good news for Malaysia or just plain ole' spin

Lots of good newsa been splashed over the local rags lately....one trillion rm in trade....KLCI reaching 1,200 points...more government spending....

The news, and government polies say so...but others have their reservations....what can a man in the street know?.....what indicators can we see....

First look at the restaurants.....are they packed? ...even on so call slow nights.....what about supermarkets and retail outlets ask around and see.....are they more tower cranes.....job advertisements....how many of them on Saturdays or on week days....

Going through these I find that the indications are that the economy is rolling along well this time (I don't know how it would do another 6 months down the track)...in Penang at least...the reastaurants are reasonably packed although not during the weekdays....more twoer cranes...especially along the Jelutong Expressways....and more job advertisements in the Star..even on the weekdays...

So things may not be as bad as the detractors are saying....

This hot dry Penang weather

Penang and the northwestern coast of Peninsular Malaysia, has what geographers call the Indo-Burmese climate.....which simply means that the early part of the year (starts just before Christmas and ends in late March or early April) we have a very dry and hot weather.....the Chinese new Year weather....although last year we had a really mild one.....

But this year it looks like its going to be a scorcher....real hot and dry.... drink lots of air nyior....guarantee to cool down your system....

Pemudah formed to reduce red tape in Malaysia

Good luck.....the committee has only six months to achieve results....what a tall order....what took a life-time to accumulate cannot disappear in such a short-time.....old habits die hard...too much vested interests....too much "territory"....

Unrealistic to expect real significant changes to the Government's delivery system t5o change overnight because it is the same people doing it...just changing their clothes and some posters in office won't change an addictive behavoir that took a life-time to acquire....small-time clerks and even office boys wield tremendous power....watch how the towkay driving big Mercedes Benz talk to u ever so politely because u can either find the file or lose a file....

soo goood luck Pemudah.....hope u make it mudah....and not just NATO which is becoming the trademark of the Badawi government...big talk.....

Tun Dr. Mahathir......for the Nobel peace prize

Well, if it can attract more tourists to come to Malaysia and why not? To see another S.E. Asia's Nobel peace price winners who is not under house arrest....

There is no harm trying......maybe another Malaysian record.....making the biggest roti canai in the world or the longest anything....

Malaysia boleh mah!!!!

Tun Dr. Mahathir......trying to "try" George W. Bush & Tony Blair for war crimes.....

Its interesting how our exPM is trying to get Tony Blair and George W. Bush for war crimes.....and compare this to Sabahan politicians trying to find out how quite suddenly the population of Sabah surged over a short period of time making KadazansDusun Murut community the minority in Sabah...Project IC or Project M (I wonder what does M stand for)

I think the world community or UN would try Tony Blair or George Bush as much as Malaysia would established a Royal Commission to investigate the sudden surge of the Sabahan population.... as they say a Chinaman's chance or a snowflake's chance in hell before both these things can happen

Climate change & Malaysia...

Humans are to blame for the changes in world climate. A few degrees hotter....what the big deal....well more unpredictable weather, more rains during the rainy season (if there is going to be rainy season....or the rains will come anytime of the year without any predictable patterns at all) and droughts during the dry season...again there will be no patterns....so what?

It will affect us in Malaysia and the rest of the world precisely because of it's unpredictableness...old patterns of rain and dry season does not come at predictable times of the year...they just come in and out unpredictably....thats bad for the agriculture and tourism....and the unpredictable weather will also mean very high maximums and very low minimums....i.e if it rains it will beyond what has happened in the past and it dries up...it will go on for longer periods of time...

So this means the assumptions that we have used to build our infrastructure (bridges & culverts; or reservoirs) may not be able to cope.....we may have to rebuild .....so much $$$$$ down the drain (which may not be big enough to carry away the storm water)....

Welcome to disasterville

Is someone monitoring my blog?

I don't know about this...but since I started blogging abit about politics i.e. voting the opposition...I find sometime weird happening to my blogs...I cannot access it.....sometime...hey u out there....there nothing subversive here so don't waste time and money .....

I write what i feel...that is concern for the state of my oikos i.e my home and environment....its for its betterment...I believe in the democratic process.... and in the ballot box.....no matter how the powers may try to twist it within the rules to make it tilt towards them...surely if there is a surge of voter sentiment or popular swing.....it will surely reflect the people's decision...it happened in Kelantan, Sabah, and more recently in Sarawak.....it does not mean that the Opposition will win the Government but the popular votes will surely reflect the will of the people...and the BN government will have to respect that...world opinion and the investing world will see to it.....

So stop pestering my blog...ok....no subversive people here just plain ole me....no incitement....no libel or sedition.....just opinions and sentiments....