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Name: Sam
Country: Malaysia
Birthday: 11/10/1980
Gender: Male
Interests: Watching anime currently, and footie
Expertise: Dodging oncoming work...(but hvt found a way to elimate them yet)
Occupation: Accounting/Finance
Industry: Other
Message: message meEmail: email me
Member Since:
8/18/2003
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| Penang to woo Motorola with RM1 b contract... what's the big deal?!!!As some of you might know, the GE (not general electrics) is just right around the corner. As such, both the government and opposition will try their darndest best to cast the other as the devil incarnate while remaining as the angel of light, unblemished and radiantly shining. It is such a charade to watch every time you know. Sometimes, i feel that politics could not be anything else but machiavellian in nature. Have you seen any politicians praising another party's good deeds or good works?? It's all just whining and moaning and pointing out the speck of dust in your brother's eye while disregarding the block of wood in your own eyes. At least it looks that way to me. Or that's how politics works. Which begs the question, how different will it be, if another party is voted into power. Will it all be the same?? The only thing that infuriates me with the current people in power are the racists policies that they have implemented, and continue to implement, with no end in sight. It feels almost like apartheid, without the blatant discrimination involved, but you can sense the tension simmering on the surface, threatening to boil over. That and the way corruption is being tolerated across the board. It's so sickening that people in power can do whatever they want without being held accountable for their actions. And worst of all, it's all because people like us voted and let them remain in power. The trust that we place in them have all been abused and trampled. It just so infuriates and frustrates me. Damn it!! It is good for the opposition parties to oppose! Cos that is what they do best, i think. Someone needs to keep a check and balance, even though how insignificant it may seem to be. And most of these issues concerns basic human rights, like the abolishment of the ISA, the judges scandal, the right to demonstrate, the right to practice any religion, the rising crime rate and the TO HAVE EQUAL RIGHTS IRRESPECTIVE OF SKIN COLOR!! That is certainly very important and should be the catalyst and rallying call to the masses to exercise their birthright to vote out a very outdated and discriminatory policy.Instead, it is very sad if the opposition continues to harp on issues such as rising prices, oil prices and other issues that are influenced by market forces and which we are quite powerless to resist. For me, these issues are very inflammatory.. yes, they could rally the public as the public are very susceptible issues that affect their daily lives. But isn't this tantamount to misleading the public? By saying that they can negate the effect of the market forces by lowering prices?? True, i believe that much has been wasted by our corrupt officials for their own benefits... that's the reason why we must stop them. But to promise the people that prices will not increase anymore, man, that's a promise made that can't be delivered. Before i continue, let me say that i'm not bashing the opposition, nor am i pro govy. It's just that we must think, and separate the rhetorics from the real issues... People are easily mislead by fiery speeches and manipulative words. A powerful person once said that, "With words, we govern people". Which bring us to the real beef of today's posting. Motorola is about to pull out of Penang. The current and outgoing CM of Penang wants them to stay. So a RM1 b contract to upgrade the police's force radio network is to be awarded to them. In return M will invest RM350 m in Penang and many jobs will be saved. So.. the question is, is this ethical? It may seem that this big carrot being dangled in front of M is a waste of tax payer's money. But is it really?? Governments the world over lure foreign direct investment with subsidies, tax breaks, and other such methods. It is part and parcel of doing business. Business is all about the cost and benefit analysis. If I can make more money elsewhere, i'll just relocated. As simple as that. As we all know, China and India are attractive places for a MNC to base its manufacturing facilities as they provide cheap labor. So, what do other countries have to do to make them to stay. Offer something else which is as attractive. And in this case, a RM1 b contract. It's not as if we're not getting anything in return. Our police force's radio network will be upgraded (I hope they know how to appreciate the upgrades). A few thousand, high tech jobs will be saved. Our country will benefit from the transfer of technology! What's the big deal right?? Well, the 'scandal' is because of a leaked letter from the Penang CM to the Fed Gov, of which three dire consequences are highlighted should M pull out:- * It would cause a total of 10,000 jobs to be lost of
which 4,000 are direct jobs in the Motorola facility in Penang and the
remaining 6,000 jobs among Motorola suppliers and vendors in the
country.
* It would be a "bombshell" on the electrical and electronics
industry in the country and the decision will trigger a highly probable
domino effect with other multinational companies pulling out.
* It will be "politically very detrimental" especially in the run-up to the general elections. Well, the first two issues are dire indeed. And well.. being politicians, of course the third issue would be dire as well. But why just harp on the third issue?? Are you telling me that if you're in the other guy's shoes.. you wouldn't do the same or thought the same?? Why all the hypocrisy?? Sigh... why scandalised something as trivial as that, just so that you could 'prove' that Penang is not attractive anymore. If you're in their shoes.. what would you do? Why just complain about everything under the sun??? So disappointing.
I think we must not be blinded in our own feeling of injustice to simply vote. I think we must vote with our brains and not with our hearts. Vote for the least corrupt politicians. Corruption has really no place in a society. It is the gangrene that must be amputated from the healthy. Cut off from the rest and cast into the burning furnace. But please vote wisely...
Just to illustrate further, in Germany, Nokia is planning to relocate its' manufacturing facilities from Bochum into Romania. The reason was simply that the plant in Bochum manufactures 6% of its total phones worldwide but the labour cost is 23% of the total costs worldwide. A simple analysis of cost and benefits. The issue was that the Government has already subsidised Nokia so that they would continue to stay in Germany. And the people actually think that the Gov has been doing a good job. If Nokia relocates, 2,300 jobs would be lost. And the social consequences are dire. In this case, the people do not blame the gov for wasting the tax payer's money to subsidise the N corporation but instead knows that there is no other way around it. Instead they blame N for wanting to pull out even though they have received the subsidies. The union thought it being socially irresponsible.
Therefore, the opposition should maintain their stand against the human rights violation that plagues our country. They should not scandalise issues just for the sake of it. And turn out as the bad guys that way.
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| German MadnessIt's the eve of the last day in Germany.
These past week, I've been to Cologne (Koln), Bremen, Hamburg and am now in Dusseldorf, spending the night as will be leaving to Dubai from the airport here.
It feels that the good times are going to end soon. Back to the grind in KL.
It feels like I've taken a holiday in the midst of all the craziness back in KL.
I don't want to face the problems back home.. yet there's nowhere else to run to.
I'm coming home soon.... home.
Let me come home.
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| O Little Town Of Lipp~~stadt! It's the fourth cold and windy day in Germany. The miserable rain falling everyday doesn't help either. Mornings in Lippstadt are slow, bordering on mundane. There's not much in terms of the hustle and bustles that I am familiar with in Kuala Lumpur. Which is a welcome change.. i suppose. Everywhere is within walking distance, though I'll definitely miss driving. I'll only be staying close to 3 weeks in Germany, and I'm speaking as if I'm gonna stay here for four years. wtf. The weather is really dampening.
Here's a map of Lippstadt:
The journey here took at least 24 hours.. from airport to hotel. We (my colleague and I) took an Emirates flight leaving at 0030 hours on a Saturday and reached Dubai seven hours later. The local time there was 0300 and we waited at least 5 hours until our next flight out (0840 hours).
The busy-ness of Dubai's airport is staggering and eye-opening. It's quite large, almost the same size as KLIA i suppose, though not in width but at least in length. It was early when we arrived, but the place was filled with people, mostly sleeping on the carpeted floors along the walkway. Whole families slept huddled together, to keep warm and for support, in lieu of pillows. It looks fun sleeping on the floor, but its' too bad i've left my sleeping bag with a friend. If not i would have joined the happy campers. As it is, I slept on one of the benches, which was not as comfy, but they had a 'quiet lounge' where lazyboys are placed. Those were quite comfy... and we slept there for at least an hour. After that, we ate a heavy breakfast at the transit lounge, overlooking the brightening dubai skyline and the muslim call to prayer.
After that, continued on our journey, flying from Dubai to Dusseldorf. We reached Dusseldorf after another 7 hours flight, arriving there at 1330 local time. From there on, we took a train to Lippstadt, transiting from Hamm. The total train ride took around 2 1/2 hours. We passed through an expanse of farm land beautiful sceneries. The winter in Germany this year was less cold, not producing any snow. But the bare trees of the landscape produces a sort of sad backdrop as they grieve for their fallen glories. I can understand why people would flee winter... it's kinda cold and despairing. There are a lot of graffiti that I saw along during the train journey. One a masterful portrayal of the male reproductive anatomy in full glory.. art is universal!
Reached Lippstadt and into the hotel around 1630 hours. It was raining the moment we stepped out of the train station into the chilly street. Luckily a cab was nearby, and off we go to the hotel. It was quite a nice little place. Not so little, but lacking the grandeur that we often take for granted in our nouveau architecture. The building is just a practical square, kept in very good condition, with none of the pretensions that alludes to the monstrosities that dots the Klang Valley.
Will keep on posting of my Deutsche adventure soon.. with pics to follow as well. Let me put on record here that Deutsche land is a carnivorous nation! I Like It!! but not too much...
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| Leaning on His Strength
And if my heart and flesh are weak
To bear an untried pain,
The bruised reed He will not break,
But strengthen and sustain. —Whittier
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| TungShin Char Koay Teow not so Terrific no MoreJust got back from having lunch at Tung Shin Char Koay Teow (for the uninitiated, it's along Jalan Alor, next to the 7-Eleven, the one at the bottom of the hill). A change of surroundings (from the renovations made), a change of cook, and a change of taste. It's not the same anymore. Things are different, although the same ingredients was used. The same cockles, lap cheong and kuay teow, in the hands of another cook became something totally different. A bit too wet and a tad too tasteless (though one man's meat is another's woman's poison). My colleagues said that it's not bad (they haven't tasted the original). No matter what they say, things will never be the same again. I will never be able to feel the same blend of flavors as I was used to anymore. I will have to let it slip away from my memory, lest I be judging future char koay teows with an unachievable benchmark. Maybe my tastebuds will familiarise itself with some new tastes, entirely different but pleasant nonetheless.
That's the beauty of change... things are never mundane. Cause they don't remain the same long enough for you to get bored of it. They will never be a routine, never be jaded, never be contemptuous. Change is good... it has to be good cause it's inevitable. I will have to make it seem good. Changes are tiring... just when you feel that you have reached a comfortable place in your life, it pops it's head in and create a mess of your life. Change is refreshing... it forces you to move ahead, to try new things, to come out of your shell and experience life anew. Change is fearful, yet so appealing... the fear of the unknown, yet the tantalising feeling of anticipation creeps in. Making your heart beat faster, the flush of adrenaline and the amazing feeling of being alive.
I will never understand why certain things can change so fast. In the blink of an eye. Faster than the electric currents running through my brain can process that change has happened. It just happened, no warnings (maybe there is, but its' so subtle). Somehow, you think that you understand something and the next moment, you suddenly realise that the things that you thought you understood are no longer the same things that you understand. It is scary. The speed of change. It is so scary that it constricts my heart... it's hard to breath.
Embrace change... and things will never be the same.
The topic has changed from char koay teow at tung shin to some other things, for those still confused with the title.
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