No more PORR..so what's the fuss..I thot you were against it...

Politicians...ha, they are all the same. Lim Guan Eng & all DAPers should be rejoicing that PORR is scrapped....when they were in the opposition they were so dead against it. Now they are the Government, they are fuming because PORR had been scrapped.

Maybe, now they see that maybe without PORR and the Monorail, Penang's economy may be headed for a recession....it is a real possibility...with everybody expecting a global recession to hit us because of a perfect storm created by a confluence of events...the US sub-prime meltdown and the skyrocketing oil prices.....

Talking and screaming from the sidelines seems easy enough....now it is different when you have to perform...nice speeches don't bring home the bacon...

Good luck...

New thinking for Pg's age old problem - congested roads

Should we lament the loss of two projects in Pg........ from monorail to nomorerail & porr or porrah to most Penangites....

While abandoning PORR is most welcome.....giving us a nomorerail system in place of the monorail is a big disappointment..... A GOOD PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM IS WHAT PENANG DESPERATELY NEEDS.....

Penang does not have the capacity to contain more cars...(with limited land available and we treasure our green spaces and do no want to turn them into parking lots...where one day we might just have to look for trees in a tree museum....) Public transport is the most environmentally friendly solution to our woes.....

Can our new state Government come up with a Bold, New and Innovative Master Plan to overcome this setback dealt to them by the BN Fed Government?

Is our new PR Government up to it? ..... From what we can see in Tanjong Bungah Zoning issue.....probably not???

If they can, they will probably stay in Government for a long time....

New thinking..... from quotas for cars...peak hours...non-peak hours.... buses....cycle lanes.....water taxis...from batu kawan to bayan baru.....

Benefits of higher fuel prices

Obviously the main benefits of the higher fuel prices is "health". We all should be getting healthier... from the forced physical exertions we have to take...ie. we walk more because prices of fuel has make it more prudent for us to reduce the usage of cars especially for short distances....

More physical exertions means we get to exercise our hearts by walking more....Secondly the combined effects of the reduction in the usage of of our cars means less air pollution and smog...surely this could only bring better air, less asthmatic attacks, coughs and colds and sore throats...the reduction in the contaminants in the air...less cancer????

Besides better health....we would have less CO2...this translates to less global warming..every little bit helps...

Hooray for costlier fuels...

Penang - Walks

One of the joys of living in Penang is the numerous walking trails that we have here. We can walk to Penang Hill or rather hike there via the different trails available. One thing for sure, no matter what trails one takes one is sure to have pleasant views and most important of all, lots of work outs and buckets of sweat.

For the more adventurous the National Park that starts at Telok Bahang beckons. Here, one enters into a world, "millions" of years away from the hustle and bustle of the "normal" Penang we are so accustomed to. Situated at the North-western corner of the island, isolated from the rest of the island, this Park is a haven for those who seek the tranquility that emanates from Nature. Listening to rustle of leaves high up above the tree-tops and the bristling streams, where crystal clear water flows down and through stones...takes you to a zen like trance.....at peace with the world....

Yes, walks are not only good for your physical being but also nourishes the spirit...as you let nature, its sights and sounds lead you and take you to the essence of life, of being connected....as one with nature....

You get all that in your morning walks...

Laos - land of the gar fish

I met this fish in a floating restaurant in Laos. Just north of Vienchang, there are floating restaurants on one of the tributaries of the Mekong river.

The fish actually looks like a dwarf crocodile......with an extended mouth. it must be a very ancient fish that did not eveolved into a crocodile????? Does not make sense.....neither do evolution makes sense to me...

Laos......land of a thousand elephants

Sunset over the Mekong River. Picture taken in Vienchang or Vientianne the capital of Laos.

Relatively unspoilt, like Thailand in the fifties....people still cling on to their traditional customs....

People here have a polite and gentle culture.....greet you with "Sabai dee" instead of "Sawadee karp"....

Will be going to this land more often as we contemplate setting up a business there......

Lembu punya susu sapi punya nama.....

Its hilarious, reading about the spat between DAP & Gerakan over who is responsible in bringing the recent investments into Penang....

Of course, Lim Guan Eng tries to "hint" (to be fair he did not claimed he was solely responsible for bring those investments in but his underlings trying to claim all the credit) of the link between him & the investments......that got the Gerakan real upset....

But really the Pg DAP government got better things to do...anybody who knows how foreigners or for that matter even locals make investment decisions...know that it is usually a long drawn out affair...you do not make those decisions in month or two...it takes months and sometimes even years....

Hey, both of you DAP & Gerakan guys stop it. We Penangites are not stupid ok...we know how and who to give credit to.

Get on with the real work....the challenge for DAP is how to get Penang GDP growing in the midst of an impending slowdown in the world economy...how to attract FDI in at lest favourable climate...

It is easier criticize than to take action.....I wonder "how would Jeff Ooi advice the CM" on the Motorola investment that Jeff so savagely attacked Koh Tsu Koon....Would he still call it"bribery"...would he sacrificed the wellbeing of people in Penang so that he can be "politically correct"...

What would his advise be to Lim Guan Eng?

Penang - from the air

Thirty-five thousand feet from the air, one can see Georgetown or Tanjong and Butterworth or Bagan.

The inhabited places on the island is so "small" in size compared to the huge swathes of green behind it.

PKR-DAP Government in Penang

About 17 months ago, back in 30th & 31st January 2007, I was pondering about what the consequences would be if the Opposition was to take over Penang.....would the people in Penang suffer as a consequence.....Now that this has become a reality not only for Pg but Perak, S'gor, FT, Kedah & Kelantan.....collectively these states account for 57% of the country's GDP......

Will the federal BN government be the Government of all Malaysia, or just the government of the states where they are in control...thats the RM500 billion question?

How would the civil servants react? How are they are reacting now? Will they remain "the obedient servants or defiant servants"? Having serve just one party for almost 50 years (Pg during the short time when Gerakan was in the opposition)...can the civil servants learn to serve the new master?

Unlike, the former Unfederated Malay States, the former Straits Settlement and Federated Malay States do not have their own state civil service.....their civil servants come from a pool of governemnt officers who are dependent on the JPA & the KSN for the advancement in their careers.....and not on the respective MBs or CM.....how then, can the CM or MB "ensure" that these "civil servants" remain obedient and not defiant....

Not that easy....having serve as a Forest Officer i.e. a Federal Officer seconded to the state...I know what it is to serve two masters.....a matter which the Lord Jesus Christ had strongly advised his disciples from doing....as Jesus said..."no man can please two masters" ......
Interesting.....