Charlie's Angels

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and first lady Michelle Obama present give away Secretary of State's Award for International Women of Courage to Malaysia 's Ambiga Sreenevasan at the State Department in Washington , DC . (AFP)














Way to go, Ambiga Sreenevasan.

Right, now let's have a look at the other Charlie's Angels.





























From the right, Angela Woon is now a big time HR person in Tyco Electronics. (any VSS on?)

The middle one Jeeneze Lee is now a business woman on labels.

Anybody can tell me where Brenda Kua (low chan) is already?

















Don't know what happened to the other 2?

Bumiputra, Ketuanan Melayu - Still Relevant?

From a modern era viewpoint, the concepts of Bumiputra and Ketuanan Melayu are so wrong.

The concept of a "Bumiputra" race in Malaysia was coined by Tunku Abdul Rahman and has its roots in the recognition of the "special position" of the Malays given by the Federal Constitution of Malaysia, in particular Article 153. However, the constitution does not actually use the term "bumiputra", it only contains the definitions of "Malay" and "aborigine", "natives" of Sarawak, and "natives" of Sabah. Thus, there are a number of definitions of "bumiputra" in public use, varying among different institutions, organizations or other government departments and agencies.

According to the book entitled "Buku Panduan Kemasukan ke Institusi Pengajian Tinggi Awam, Program Pengajian Lepasan SPM/Setaraf Sesi Akademik 2007/2008" (Guidebook for entry into public higher learning institutions for SPM/equivalent graduates for academic year 2007/2008), by Student Entry Management under Management Department of Higher Education Institution, Malaysian Higher Education Ministry, Bumiputra are defined as follows depending on the region of origin of the individual applicant student:

Peninsular Malaysia

"If one of the parents is Muslim Malay or Orang Asli as stated in Article 160 (2) Federal Constitution of Malaysia; thus the child is considered as a Bumiputra"

Sabah

"If a father is a Muslim Malay or indigenous native of Sabah as stated in Article 160A (6)(a) Federal Constitution of Malaysia; thus his child is considered as a Bumiputra"

Sarawak

"If both of the parent are indigenous native of Sarawak as stated in Article 160A (6)(b) Federal Constitution of Malaysia; thus their child is considered as a Bumiputra"

A little bit about the Malays and the special position.

Article 160 defines a Malay as being one who "professes the religion of Islam, habitually speaks the Malay language, conforms to Malay customs and is the child of at least one parent who was born within the Federation of Malaysia before independence of Malaya on the 31st of August 1957".

The Reid Commission which drafted the Constitution initially proposed that Article 153 expire after 15 years unless renewed by Parliament. This was later struck from the final draft. After the May 13 Incident in 1969, there was an argument within the government concerning whether the special position of the Bumiputras ought to have a sunset clause.

Ismail Abdul Rahman argued that "the question be left to the Malays themselves because ... as more and more Malays became educated and gained self-confidence, they themselves would do away with this 'special position'." Ismail himself viewed the special position as "a slur on the ability of the Malays".

In 1970, however, one member of the Cabinet pronounced that Malay special rights would remain for "hundreds of years to come". Despite calls from Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his predecessor, Dr.Mahathir bin Mohamad for Malays to depend less on Government handouts and subsidies there is no evidence to show that the special privileges enjoyed by the Bumiputra will be taken away any time soon or at all. On the contrary there has been calls for the privileges to be expanded and extended to cover more areas of their daily lives.

Okay, I think we all can appreciate and understand that all of these came about because of the historical fact that a certain segment of the community started off being somewhat backward. We know that some stuff are written into the Constitution and legalised then so that execution can be implemented openly.

From a modern viewpoint, can we say that it is NOT working out?

Logically, 20 years from 1957, if the restructuring of society has been successful, we would have now being practising meritocracy and perhaps Bangsa Malaysia would have some meaning.

Over 50 years now. C'mon!

Is it not clear that we should change? Except for the 2000 Malays where becoming a millionaire can be possible at the stroke of a pen, the rest of the Malays are not experiencing significant economic changes. Over 50 years? C'mon!

Things are NOT working out!

Today we go out of Malaysia into any countries in the Developed World and we say that we came from Malaysia, a democratic country. We say however 60 percent of our people has special rights to a variety of options like education, economic opportunities, special discount on housing and certain land being reserved among others, in view of them being born of a certain race of the Malaysian people. And they are of a certain religion of which it is nigh impossible to convert out if embraced.

Does it make any sense to anybody? And this is not apartheid?

Apartheid as defined by Answer.com:

An official policy of racial segregation formerly practiced in the Republic of South Africa, involving political, legal, and economic discrimination against nonwhites.

At a stretch, it can be acceptable for affirmative actions to restructure society if need be, if there is a clear plan with a fixed reasonable time frame. A fixed reasonable time frame.

The UMNO elections are just over. Do we see any indications of UMNO and in the broader sense, Barisan Nasional ever going to correct this glaring wrong?

I strongly believe that the government of the day need be changed before the country can be steered sway from this journey of hopelessness. We seriously do not have the luxury of time in this globalized world.

I am not convinced yet that my family and I should not emigrate.

One last thing. If you are not a bumiputra, how do you explain governmental discrimatory policies to your children?

And if you are a bumiputra, do you feel comfortable in explaining governmental discrimatory policies to your children? Do you want to tell them that they are not as good as the other children?

Dan Seals dies

Dan Seals was born in 1948 and he died 4 days ago.

Dan Seals was popularly known as the England Dan in the soft rock duo England Dan and John Ford Coley.

In the late 70's, I remembered I was with my boss, then Larry Poon when we went to see a customer in my car. I had the best of England Dan and John Ford Coley on and I remembered asking Larry what sort of music he likes.

He said "This type".

As a duo, they had a hugely successful hit called "I'd really love to see you tonight".

I was going thru' some of their songs and for a change, I've decided to show you this acoustic cover version of which I think this uncle did very well.



By the way, I shall be taking my Driving License test tomorrow morning. Wish me luck!

Earth Hour with Kids

Tell me if you share the same experience.

Me and my wife are always switching electricals off after the kids.

They leave everything on after switching them on. The lights everywhere, the fans, the computers etc. (some exaggerations here) Possibly not having the pay for the usage would be a reasonable reason.

We came back today after some shopping and a dinner just before Earth Hour was over. At about 9.30pm. I switched on the bathroom lights. My daughter asked "Ay, what are you doing?"

"I need to use the bathroom" I answered.

"No, you have to switch the lights off. This is still Earth Hour, dad."

Let's change the subject.

Yah, somebody mentioned Andy Lau and his cancellation of the wedding plans with Carol Chu after discovering that Carol Chu is not pregnant as suspected earlier.

If true, what a silly man.

Quite a few said that Andy's first kid attended the same primary school as my daughter. However, nobody has ever being able to point out the kid to me nor can anybody point out the house that Carol Chu lives these 20 years or so in Overseas Union Gardens, my turf.

Do they exist!?

Canon supports Earth Hour

Loo Ee Ping from Canon Marketing (M) Sdn Bhd says:

Here's to share with all, an important global warming initiative - Earth Hour - taking place across the world on Saturday, March 28, 2009. (That's tomorrow, guys.)

At 8.30pm on Saturday, March 28, cities around the world will turn off their lights for one hour to show that it's possible to take action on global warming.

Canon, for the first time, officially join this global climate change movement. Hence we are inviting you to join in this initiative to turn/switch off lights for one hour at 8.30pm on March 28, 2009.

Let's join the movement. Your SMALL effort can MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE.

For more information on Earth Hour, you can visit the Earth Hour website at http://www.earthhour.org/.

Loo Ee Ping said some more:

Please find below the letter issued by our Corporate Communication dept on the new premise and location of CMM's New Logistics Division. (Guys, this is the domain of the forevertalkingonthephone Generalissimo Chua Hock Keat.)

MOVING TO NEW PREMISES – 24 MARCH 2008

Please be informed that with effect from 24 March 2009, our Logistics Division will officially operate from its new premises at Bukit Jelutong.

Kindly take note of the new address :

Canon Marketing (Malaysia) Sdn.Bhd.
Logistics Division
No.2, Block A, Jalan Bumbung U8/90
Seksyen U8, Perindustrian Bukit Jelutong
40150 Bandar Shah Alam
Selangor Darul Ehsan.
Tel: 03 - 7842 5869
Fax: 03 - 7842 5767


Thank you for your attention.

Corporate Communications Dept.
CANON MARKETING (MALAYSIA) SDN BHD

Here, have another eye candy.

Holly Valance is much better to look at than Britney Spears, no?

Jrock Tamashii

Yeah, Jeremy Cheong with his band Strawberry Jam performed in this year's festival in Sunway Pyramid, Republic Bar recently.

Jeradyne did a post on this event, with her usual humor cum sarcasm thrown in for good measure. Some topless photos featured as well.

Click http://jeradyne.blogspot.com/2009/03/jrock-tamashii.html

There seemed to be a decent following for Japanese Rock in this country, and they hold a festival every year where several bands rock it out for several hours one evening.

I have attended a few of these gigs and this year's event was last Saturday in Sunway. This time round, they have 7 bands with 2 guest bands.

I know quite a number of you ( me too) may wonder why should there be so many young people going crazy over Japanese rock. Possibly they too wonder why quite a number of us go crazy over fish head meals.

Here they have a promo video for the event as well.



By the way, I was pleasantly surprised to see a band from Malacca comprising of Malay members. I think the name was Gemini. I too saw quite a few Malay fans, some in tudungs, head banging a bit. So good to see a racial mix in a young people event.

Okay, you may know John's Mistress, one of the better local group. This band guested last Saturday and it was my first time watching them.

I was not very impressed. I thought they did not put in enough effort. However over the radio, their hit song Numb was very good, in my opinion. I can't find a good video clip on this song. The following, recorded live in Laundry Bar, The Curve is acoustically terrible. But it is the best I can come up with. Try looking for this song on your own on a file sharing facility like Limewire?



Don't you think their music reminds you of the late Kurt Corbain and Nirvana?

Planet of the Apes

Came back from dinner on Sunday and they have Planet of the Apes 2001 showing on Astro.

I have almost completely forgotten about this movie. I sat down to watch a little. I can't remember Mark Wahlberg in this movie. Hey, he looked very young.

You may remember him as a rap rock singer with a solid body as Marky Mark. You may also remember him as the foul mouth guy in Departed.

But what is more interesting was that I spotted Estella Warren. Estella is not a very active actress. I saw her with Sylvester Stallone in a movie called Driven (2001).

She is good to look at, no?































Some years back, I used to own this Samsung E700 too for a couple of years. I remembered nothing exciting happened. And the phone wasn't even good looking.

Peter Chow has an opinion

This, I received via email from Peter Chow recently.

Guys

Some thoughts to share with you:

With reference to below article

http://thenutgraph.com/najib-not-right-man-for-pm-says-zaid

While we still do not have say in who is going to run our country, the race for the deputy president is very important as whoever wins will for sure be deputy prime minister as well and the future leader of our country. Of the 3 candidates, 1 has already been barred and the other was also tainted before in australia. that leaves Muhyiddin... Frankly I do not know much about him and I think he looks like a thug.

It is very sad to see our country in the hands of these kinds of people. I have a classmate who is married and aged 39 this year, he refused to have children here in Malaysia and is waiting for his migration application to Australia to have kids there... this is really sad.

By the way, I went with Peter Chow for lunch 2 days back in a restaurant called Subak in Bukit Lanjan, you know Elizabeth Wong's constituency. Fusion food. The Balinese setting was natural and peaceful.

The food was excellent. We had special tom yam, spring chicken and cod. A bit pricey though with servings lesser than I expected.

Have him take you there. Then later, bring your girlfriend/boyfriend there. You can score some points here.

Collide

Yeah, another one by Jeradyne.

The dawn is breaking

A light shining through

You're barely waking

And I'm tangled up in you

Yeah

I'm open, you're closed

Where I follow, you'll go

I worry I won't see your face

Light up again

Even the best fall down sometimes

Even the wrong words seem to rhyme

Out of the doubt that fills my mind

I somehow find

You and I collide

I'm quiet you know

You make a first impression

I've found I'm scared to know I'm always on your mind

Even the best fall down sometimes

Even the stars refuse to shine

Out of the back you fall in time

I somehow find

You and I collide

Don't stop here

I lost my place

I'm close behind

Even the best fall down sometimes

Even the wrong words seem to rhyme

Out of the doubt that fills your mind

You finally find

You and I collide

You finally find

You and I collide

You finally find

You and I collide

If truth be told, he can't be PM

You could have read this already.

The speech by former law minister Zaid Ibrahim a few days ago was not reported in the main stream media.

Well, if you have not, here it goes.



If truth be told, he can't be PM
Zaid Ibrahim Mar 18, 09 1:51pm

The following is the hard-hitting speech by former law minister Zaid Ibrahim at the Royal Rotary Club of Kuala Lumpur today. MCPX
comment

This is the second time I have been invited to address a Rotary Club. Thank you for the honour. Given the times we live in, perhaps it might be appropriate for me to speak about the leadership transition that has been foisted upon us Malaysians.












I say ‘foisted’ because neither me nor anyone in this room had any role or say in the choice of the person who will lead Malaysia next. We were mere bystanders in a political chess game. And yet the transition is a subject of great consequence to the nation, one I would say is of great national interest.

Leadership is definitive; the individual who assumes the mantle of leadership of this nation, whomever that may be, is one who for better or worse will leave his mark on us. His will be the hand who guides us to greater success, or possibly gut-wrenching disaster.

Save for the dawn of Merdeka, never in the history of this country has the choice of prime minister been so crucial: Malaysia is in crisis. We are facing tremendous economic challenges with unavoidably harsh socio-political consequences. Our much undermined democracy is once again being assailed by those who would prefer a more autocratic form of governance.

Our public institutions are hollowed out caricatures, unable to distinguish vested party interests from national ones, unable to offer the man in the street refuge from the powerful and connected.

Our social fabric that took us from colony to an independent nation and on through the obstacles of nation building has reached a point where it sometimes feel like we are hanging on by a thread. This is the Malaysia we live in.

PM’s resignation ill-fated

This is the Malaysia which Abdullah Ahmad Badawi leaves behind. Our prime minister will resign later this month - an ill-fated decision. I say ill-fated not because he has been a great prime minister and we would lose irreplaceable leadership, that is regrettably not the case as all things said and done, Abdullah could have done much more for Malaysia.

Rather, I say that his resignation is ill-fated because his departure will expose the country to forces which may take us down the road of perdition faster than ever. Much has been said of Pak Lah being a weak leader. However, what his critics have not adequately addressed are the consequences of replacing him as prime minister with the anticipated incoming president of Umno, Najib (Abdul) Razak.

It is an undeniable truth that the average Malaysian is anxious about the anticipated transition. Many would prefer it did not happen.




There are two reasons why this is so. The first has to do with the reasoning underlying Umno's demand for the transition itself. The second has to do with Najib personally.

We must recall that after the 2008 general election - a great success for the nation but a fiasco for Umno – one of the chief complaints by the powers-that-be within Umno was that Abdullah’s feeble leadership led to the concept of Ketuanan Melayu being challenged and ultimately undermined.

His critics also lashed out at him for the latitude given to civil society, a move which they believed weakened a key aspect of Umno's political leverage. It followed in Umno's mind that in order to regain lost ground, it was necessary to reassert its ideology with greater strength.
There was nostalgia for Mahathir's heavy-handed style of leadership and a return to the times when the party cowed many into subservience and submission.

The conservatives in Umno yearned for a return to Mahathirism, hoping that it would become a cornerstone of the leadership transition plan. There has been much speculation and punditry on whether a return to the Mahathir era would be good for Malaysia.

Difference between then and now

Let me offer some of my own insight to this debate. The major difference between then and now is this: in most instances, Mahathir was harsh and dictatorial if he believed it was good for the country. But an authoritarian style of government under anyone else would be dictated by the need for self preservation and very little about the country’s interest.

The evidence is all around us. After March 8, (2008) when the prime minister ceased being the home minister, the threats of reprisal have escalated and a climate of fear re-cultivated. The detention of Raja Petra Kamarudin, Teresa Kok and Tan Hoong Cheng exemplify this turn for the worse, this appetite to use the sledgehammer.

The shameful power grab in Perak and wanton disregard for public opinion over how BN wrested control of the silver state make many people shudder at the prospect of a return to the dark days. If that was not depressing enough, we have had to bear witness to the police and the newly-minted Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) displaying their allegiance and support to the BN when all we needed and craved for were honest brokers.

It stands to reason that in the mind of the average Malaysian, having suffered a significant loss last March, Umno is on a rampage to regain what it lost by any method available and the man who is expected to lead it to victory is the man who succeeds Abdullah: Najib (Abdul) Razak.

A prime minister must have the confidence of the majority of the rakyat. In order for this to be the case, his integrity must be beyond question; not only must he be such a person character, he must be seen to be such a person. The office of prime minister is one of great trust, he who holds that office cradles the nation in his palms.

For this to be the case, there cannot be anything in the mind of the greater public that, correctly or otherwise, associates him with matters of criminality, wrongful action, improper conduct or abuses of power. In short, he must be beyond reproach in his dealings both official and private.

Without intending any accusation, it is regrettable that in the collective mind of the rakyat, Najib is not such a person. If a referendum were to be conducted on the subject or if the prime minister was to be elected directly by the rakyat, I do not think Najib would succeed. The reason for this is obvious: the rakyat has doubts, fuelled by the unanswered allegations against him and his unwillingness to confront these allegations.

It is not a mere trifle in the minds of the rakyat that despite a direct challenge from a member of parliament in the august House recently, the deputy prime minister remained silent, not even denying the implicit accusation made against him and demanding that it be repeated outside the chamber in the tried and tested method of refutation employed by parliamentarians throughout the world.

It has not assisted the cause of the incoming prime minister that the MP concerned was suspended for a year on a motion tabled by a fellow minister without the member having been afforded an opportunity to defend his position.

Evidence of SMS text-messages

Consider this. Commissions were paid to an agent for the procurement of submarines through the Defence Ministry, Najib (then) being the defence minister. It is unthinkable that he had no knowledge that the agent was his adviser and aide, Abdul Razak Baginda. The commission paid out was exceedingly large, in excess of RM400 million.

The defence minister was dutybound to direct enquiries to see if there had been any impropriety in the way the contracts were awarded when news of the commission surfaced; after all the price of the submarines would be considerably lower without the need for such commissions.

Taxpayers, you and I, have paid for those submarines at a price that in all probability factored in the commission. Taxpayers are yet to be told of an inquiry let alone the result of such an inquiry.

Consider the Altantuya Shaariibuu affair. A young woman was brutally murdered, her corpse destroyed by explosives.

These explosives are not the usual type of explosives, yet no inquiry was held to determine how they were available to these killers. Those accused of her murder are police officers serving in the Unit Tindakan Khas, a highly specialised unit who amongst other things serve as bodyguards to the prime minister and the deputy prime minister.

Amidst evidence that the accused were employed to protect the PM and the DPM, they were directed to (Abdul) Razak Baginda through the aide of the deputy prime minister. Amongst other things, we have heard of the senior investigating officer admitting that the deputy prime minister was an important witness and yet no statement was taken.

It is not unreasonable to think that this is irregular, more so when evidence of SMS text-messages from the deputy prime minister concerning material matters have surfaced. The text-messages cannot be ignored, proverbially swept under the carpet.

Even if they do not establish - or are not capable of establishing - any culpability on the part of Najib, these issues must be addressed.

The air must be cleared, it is thick with accusations and doubts which can only undermine the office of the prime minister if he were to assume it. The deputy prime minister's cause has not been aided by the fact that charges were preferred against (Abdul) Razak Baginda only after public outcry, the manner in which the prosecution was conducted and the decision of the High Court acquitting (Abdul) Razak Baginda not having been appealed.

Power grab an unmitigated disaster

The Perak affair was an unmitigated disaster for the nation. It is no secret that Najib led the charge there and is still overseeing matters.

In the minds of Malaysians, Perak is synonymous with the deputy prime minister. They now equate him with the high-handed tactics that were employed to seize power, tactics that included the disappearances of the three crucial assemblypersons and the blockading of the legislative assembly by the police.

In doing so, they equate the DPM with the hijacking of democracy, the only persons saying otherwise being those persons who have associations with Umno. In their minds, no responsible leader would allow for the undermining of the institutions of state and the constitution of this nation.

They ask, rightly so, whether this is the kind of leadership that Malaysians can expect from Najib when he becomes the prime minister.

With all of this, and more, how are we not to feel anxious? How are we to sleep peacefully at night? I know that I cannot. The situation is desperate and the air is pregnant with tension. We need the state of affairs to be resolved in a way that is in the best interests of the nation and the rakyat.

To an extent, this is a matter for the Barisan Nasional. I urge its members to put politics aside and think things through. We all want a better future, a safer and more prosperous life for our children, all of them, a Malaysia where our children can reach for the stars with the certainty that there is nothing to stop them from being the Malaysians they want to be.

Let the king be kingmaker

I do not believe that the Barisan Nasional will do what is necessary. Politics has a tendency of making those who embrace it cynical. The answer lies elsewhere, with His Majesty the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

In this case, His Majesty plays the role of ‘kingmaker’. The discretion to appoint the prime minister who succeeds Abdullah lies with His Majesty. Though His Majesty is required under the constitution to appoint the person who commands the confidence of the majority of the members of parliament, it is a matter for His Majesty's judgment.

Never before has such a heavy burden being laid on His Majesty to make a brave and correct choice.

For King and country, I urge His Majesty to take into consideration the prerequisites to appointment and the concerns of the rakyat. There is no constitutional obligation on His Majesty to appoint the president of Umno as the prime minister. There are still well qualified members of parliament from Umno who can be appointed PM to bring us back from the brink.
Malaysia needs someone who the rakyat can throw their weight behind without reservation. Someone they can trust and respect. Someone who has no scandal to distract him and thereby gain respect from the international community.

These are difficult times and be prepared for worst times to visit us. Malaysia needs a leader who will unite the country in the face of the adversity. Divided, we are weak. I am loath to say it, but for the reasons I have set out am compelled to say that Najib will most certainly divide us and in doing so, will nudge us closer to the edge.

Some of you may say that all efforts to promote the national interest are at this stage an exercise in futility. If truth be told, I am tempted to slip into cynical hopelessness too. I am fighting the temptation to give up for one simple reason: Malaysia and all that it represents. This is a blessed country, a country too valuable for us to turn our backs on. Share your views

Available Scholarships

Now that the SPM results are out; for quite a number of you, the following list may be useful. As parents as well as students.

The list is from a eloop mail group member Kevin Leong with the last 2 names contributed by Lee Yoke Meng.


MARA Scholarship Programs
http://www.mara.gov.my/english/division/BPP/default.htm

Yayasan Proton Scholarship
http://www.malaysia-scholarship.com/yproton.html

PTPTN Education Loan
http://ptptn.gov.my/

The Star Education Fund
http://thestar.com.my/edufund

Astro Scholarship Award
http://www.astro.com.my/v5/astrolife/scholarship/

PETRONAS Education Scholarship Programs
http://esu-spmtrial.petronas.com.my/

2007 MNRB Scholarship Fund
http://www.mnrb.com.my/

OCBC Bank Scholarship http://www.ocbc.com.my/global/aboutOCBC/Gco_Abt_Community.shtm

Bank Negara Scholarship
http://www.bnm.gov.my/

ABM 50th Merdeka Scholarship
http://www..abm.org.my/

Curtin Sarawak Scholarship
http://www.curtin.edu.my/

The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus High Achievers Scholarships http://www.nottingham.edu.my/students/MISC/High%20Achievers%20Scholarship%202006-July06.pdf

HELP
http://www.help.edu.my/scholarships/index.php

Adelaide Achiever Scholarships International (AASI) > > http://www.international.adelaide..edu.au/future/scholarships/ug/

Curtin
http://www.emaac.org/

Charles
http://www.malaysia-scholarship..com/www.cdu.edu.au/engineering/scholarships_ug_int_eng.htm

Kolej Disted-Stamford Degree Scholarships
http://www.disted.edu.my/

Leeds
http://scholarships.leeds.ac.uk/

LoughboroughHuman Science Scholarships
http://www..lboro.ac.uk/

MAAC Scholarship - La Trobe University 2006 > > http://www.latrobe.edu.au/international/courses/ug.html

NUS / Asean Undergraduate Scholarship> > http://www.nus.edu.sg/admissions/undergrad/scholarship/nus_asean.htm

UCL Pathfinder Scholarships
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/

UniversityScholarship
http://www.shef.ac.uk/malaysia/entry.html

UTAR Scholarships
http://www.utar.edu.my/

Nanyang Technological University Scholarship http://www.ntu.edu.sg/oad/scholarships/nanyang.htm

Tasmanian International Scholarships http://www.international.utas.edu.au/documents/internationalApplication.pdf

UniversityFellowship Scheme
http://ips.um.edu.my/

Universiti Malaysia Sarawak Scholarship
http://www.unimas.my/

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST> > Discovery Scholarship) > > http://apply.embark.com/kaust/discovery/

Universiti Malaysia Sabah Scholarship
http://www.ums.edu.my/pasca

Also you have the Asean Scholarship and the Public Service Department/JPA scholarship



So, I was looking for some information on the current movie Taken by Liam Neeson and I came across information that Australian Holly Valance is also in this movie.

I have wondered before on what happened to her after Kiss Kiss. Well, not that she is particularly talented. But an eye candy, she certainly is.

Penang finally have Francis Kim back

Sometime last year Francis Kim told me that he has 5 jugs of beer waiting for me in Kuantan should I decide to visit him.

I did not go.

He was then transfered to Ipoh, again as the Head of branch.

Does anybody at all know how long has Francis Kim being in Canon? Can you imagine Francis Kim before Canon?

In the very beginning when Eve tempted Adam to indulge, Francis Kim was the Head of branch in Tawau. For those not in the know, when you fly into Tawau, you just need to walk from the plane to just behind the terminal and you will be like in the center of town. Like in Petaling Street already. Cosy little place, this Tawau.

Later he became the Head of Kota Kinabalu.

Leter he became the Head of Kuantan. This was when the beer offer was made to me.

Later he became the Head of Ipoh. This was when he has given up on me ever visiting him in a branch outside Tawau.

Francis Kim was an original native of Penang.

After 6000 years, by next month he will finally be running the show in his hometown.

Congratulations, Francis Kim.

I spoke to Francis on the phone early this week. He still consider me a friend. Lucky me. Thank you Francis, you rock!

There is a mini cabinet reshuffle in Canon, I heard. While Francis becomes the head honcho in Penang, Benedict will once again assume Marketing duties in Kuala Lumpur and Mike Cheong will leave Penang to run Ipoh.

I understand the other little Emperors in the rest of the branches stay status quo. I wonder how is Simon Wong doing in Canon now.













The lovely anorexic Keira Knightley.

Popular movies include Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, Atonement.

As of 2008, Forbes claims Knightley to be the second highest paid actress in Hollywood (behind Cameron Diaz), having reportedly earned $32 million in 2007, making her the only non-American person on the list of highest paid actors or actresses

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948

I was reading an article by Raja Petra on subject matter yesterday in his Malaysia Today website.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

PREAMBLE

Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,

Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a ...

I know, I know ...

Lets just watch this video..


and this one.


Well, this next one is a little longer, slightly over 20 minutes. Interesting and informative though. You may find it entertaining as well.


Among other things, Raja Petra has this to say in his recent post.

Malaysians must pressure the government into ratifying the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Understandably, the government will resist because many of Malaysia’s laws and policies violate this Declaration. Even where the Federal Constitution of Malaysia guarantees us certain rights, other parts of the Constitution take away these rights. Article 10 of the Constitution is only one such example. There are many more.

These are NOT the Academy Awards

To say that these are not exciting news would be an understatement. Nonetheless, I am proud.

My former school Methodist Boys Secondary School, Kuala Lumpur has some pretty good results on the recent release of the 2008 SPM Examinations.

The following is on the school website as written by the current Headmaster, Mr Wong Chee Kheong.

The SPM 2008 results that were released on 12 March 2009 proved to be a very proud and significant moment in the history of MBSSKL. Not only was the overall performance of the school, measured by the school average grade, at the historical best, the school also bagged a record number of awards given by the state education department and had a 100% pass once again. MBSSKL’s name was called up five times at the auditorium at the state education department to receive the following awards:

Best improvement in the average grade

Highest percentage of As in Bahasa Melayu

Highest percentage of As in Physics

Highest percentage of As in Mathematics

Improvement of 0.37 in the average grade

The school has an overall average grade of 3.18, a historical best and a 100% passes.

I first saw this tall 29 year old Canadian actress Lauren Lee Smith, in the very exciting, sick, scary, dark and gross movie Pathology.

The following video clip was from the same movie featuring Lauren Lee Smith and the famous Milo Ventimiglia (Heroes).

Viewers discretion is a must here, as the clip contains some very explicit sex scenes.

Currently, Lauren Lee Smith is a regular on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as Riley Adams.

This next clip is tame and you can watch it with your 8 year old kids or kid brothers/sisters.

"Man in photo with woman ‘not Nazri’

I remembered reading this in The Star newspaper a couple of days back. Here I reproduce from a website. I cannot vouch for it to be exact word for word. Well, I hope I am not inviting trouble here.


KUALA LUMPUR: A photograph, posted on gutteruncensored.com showing a man with a woman in a compromising position, is not that of Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz as claimed by the foreign blog.

One of the other photographs is, however, that of Nazri, who is shown sitting on a couch at Parliament lobby.The owner of the blog claimed that the photographs were sent by a contributor several months ago.

Nazri declined to comment when contacted but people familiar with the politician said it was not him."


This news item seemed to give the impression that there were only a couple of pictures. But boy, pictures are aplenty, I tell you.

Anyway, I don't seemed to be able to tell the people apart. But they all seemed to be having a good time alright!

Again, I am of the opinion that what people do in their personal hours should be of no concern of others. As long as nobody is harmed.

However, if you profess to be of a certain religious faith, and that faith forbids such behaviour, then this will reek of hypocrisy, unless you renounce the said faith. I recommend that you renounce the said faith. Go exercise your freedom to choose.

Do you have the freedom to choose?!

Gillian Chung - A Year Later

We all knew that about a year ago, superstud Edison Chen came into the news shocking the East.
I have here some samplings on Gillian Chung in a interview recently with Stephen Chan on the "Be My Guest" show.

Should you want to watch the show in its entirety, it has 36 episodes and of course, they are easily available on youtube.

Just so you know, I stopped watching at about the 10th episode.

Why? .. The show was extremely boring. It was very very slow moving and it really do test patience. Stephen Chan was not a good interviewer, in my book.

I do empathize with what Gillian (ah Gil) is going through and the negative effects it has on her career currently. However, during the interview, the 28 years old Gillian did talk like a young teenager. I can't help but think that there is a possibility of false pretence here, possibly deliberately seeking sympathy?











In yesterday's Channel News Asia:

HONG KONG: Hong Kong celebrity Gillian Chung has made her first official comeback appearance. Her clean cut image was shattered last year by a sex-photo scandal involving actor Edison Chen.

The 28-year-old appeared as the regional ambassador for a local fashion label, Bauhaus TOUGH Jeansmith. She reportedly received a seven-digit sum for the gig.

Fighting back tears, Chung vowed to team up once again with her "Twins" partner, Charlene Choi.

"For Ah-Sha (Charlene) to handle 'Twins' on her own this past year was not easy. When I saw her on-screen, I could see she was really tired. So I called her to say 'I'm sorry' and she told me I didn't need to say it again. We are very close, so I can't disappoint her again," she said.


Really, she is such a pretty girl.

A Bit of Bad News

I mentioned we did not manage to meet up in Bernice's two days ago as Noraini Ibrahim and Malani Cumurasamy could not make it.

Actually, this meet up was a follow up to our session 5 days ago on Tuesday when we all went to Bernice's on their official opening. We meaning, Noraini, Malani, Jeeneze, Pauline, Danny Lee and myself.

On that day, Noraini brought along a very good friend of hers. I think his name is Shahril. This person was friendly, cool and unassuming.

I received a call from Noraini last evening that Shahril has passed away. Yeah, that was quite a shocker. Noraini was audibly distraught when I spoke to her on the phone. She mentioned she called Shahril many times with no answers. Then the brother called back with the sad news.

I have yet to receive the cause of death.

May you Rest In Peace, brother.

Antibiotics & Alcohol: The truth and myths

I am currently on a antibiotic course.

I think it is a no-brainer that I should abstain from alcohol until I get back to top form. But should I want/have to, can I not abstain?

On http://www.steadyhealth.com/ I found this.

Antibiotics have been one of the greatest success stories of modern medicine - up there with the discovery of vaccination. There are many myths about mixing alcohol and antibiotics and most of them are just myths and nothing more! It's one of the great myths that mixing antibiotics with alcohol can seriously mess you up. While it's unwise to mix medicine with alcohol, only few drugs are affected by the action of it. The truth is that antibiotics have different routes of leaving the body, some broken down in the liver, excreted in the urine or passing straight through in the faeces. To a large extent this determines how long they stay active in the body and how often you need to take them. Alcohol may increase the excretion rate or slow down the rate drugs are broken down.

Just a little bit more information.

The fact is that drug generally must travel through the bloodstream to its site of action, where it produces some change in an organ or tissue. During this travel and targeted effects- the drug's effects then diminish as it is metabolized by enzymes and eliminated from the body. Similarly to antibiotics, alcohol is also traveling through the bloodstream, acting upon the brain to cause intoxication, and finally being metabolized and eliminated, principally by the liver.

Alcohol can influence the effectiveness of a drug by altering its availability.

I was supposed to meet up with some of the gang last evening in Bernice's. Noraini Ibrahim and Malani Cumarasamy couldn't make it. Well, that took care of my having to decide to drink or not.

Actually, there was another place. This place is called Monster Pub in Entrepreneurs' Park. An Opening, I heard. However I didn't go as well.

By the way, I heard there is a Korean actor named Daniel Henney and he is unbelievably hot. Do you know who he is?

Eric Ho

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

I asked Eric Ho for a recent picture and this is what I got.

You see, the story began earlier this month on the 6th when I received a mail from Eric Ho.

Hi Stanley,

Just happen to bump into CanonMalaysians was pleasently surprised :-),.....hope you are well.

All the best and hope to catch up some day ya... Cheers --

ERIC HO

General Manager

Exhibitions and Events

Marketing Division

Pico International (M) Sdn Bhd

Wisma Pico, 19-20 Jalan Tembaga SD5/2

Bandar Sri Damansara52200

Kuala Lumpur

Tel No : +603 6275 5990 Fax No : +603 6274 3297

Mobile No : +6012 2273450

Skype ID : erich02268

Homepage : //www.pico.com/malaysia

Pico International (M) Sdn Bhd is a member of Pico Group.

Employing some 2,000 staff, Pico has sales and production facilities in 30 major cities.

Eric Ho was with us in Canon from 1990-1993.

I am planning to have a lunch/or a drink with this older athlete soon. Anybody out there who wants to join us?

Adam and Allison

These are the 2 guys I was talking about in my last post.

Adam Lambert and Allison Iraheta.

American Idol - Final 13

I had a pretty bad throat and a nasty cough last evening and I thought it would be a good idea to do away with my customary weekday evening couple of drinks and go home early.

I sort of walk into my family watching American Idol Final 13 on Astro. I joined them. The last time I watched American Idol must have been at least a year ago.

What a bunch of smart ass family, I have. (me especially)


"I think Ryan Seacrest much prefer shorter contestants.

Kara knows nothing about music and she tries so hard to prove otherwise. She is always saying this connect connect thing like it means anything.

Randy is always going Yo, yo like he is a young black guy.

Paula talk like she is drunk all the time. You remember Whitney Houston at the Academy?

Paula's face looks so unnatural, like it is all botox'ed up.

It is hard to believe that Paula was a dance choreographer (for Janet Jackson etc). She can't dance shit.

Really, we don't need the other three. Everybody is like just waiting for Simon to say his piece.

I tell you, if Simon leaves his seat and get up to dance, we all know the world must be coming to an end."


Among the contestants last night, 2 of them really stood out, in my opinion.

We have this 16 year old rocker singer Alison something I think. 16 years old and she looked like she has been doing this professionally for the last 42 years. She rawks!

The other one was Adam something. He must be the best contestant I have seen for a long, long time. (not that I watch a lot of American Idols shows). I think there were some scandalous pictures of Adam being in some gay situations on gutteruncensored.com. Last night, He rawks!

By the way, the theme last evening was music by Michael Jackson.


















Singer Actress Mandy Moore secretly got married yesterday to Ryan Adams. She has such a sweet face, don't you think?

Hey, does anybody remember Eric Ho a CanonMalaysian?

Almost Lover

Jeradyne did another cover.

This one is lesser known and is called "Almost Lover" originally done by A Fine Frenzy.

Sad and haunting. I like it. Hope you do too.

Well, I never want to see you unhappy

I thought you'd want the same for me

[Chorus]

Goodbye, my almost lover

Goodbye, my hopeless dream

I'm trying not to think about you

Can't you just let me be?

Prudential - No. 1 Party

It was impossible for me to take any decent pictures on this occasion inside Bar Celona in Sunway Pyramid.

In case you are not aware, Rodney Lin our ex-Regional Manager based in Malacca is now with his wife in Prudential Insurance.

Last week Prudential celebrated their number 1 position in Malaysia by throwing an awesome party for all its agents. The registered people who were supposed to attend numbered 2000 I heard. I estimated that there were about 800 people inside Bar Celona and it was really packed. In the beginning, getting your food and beer seemed to be a problem.

The people were so upbeat and motivated. The band was awesome, getting all sorts to people to dance everywhere. The master of ceremony, I understand a Prudential personnel himself, seemed to have no problem in getting every one's attention. He was so funny and entertaining.

I went on Rodney's invitation as his special guest and I was happy I went.

I can't help but be so happy to see so many people from one company so happy and so enjoying themselves. The free beer and food helped.

I thought of putting Rodney's picture here but what for? Everybody knows how this handsome bloke look like.

Why not a picture of Charlize Theron, the woman who looks good anywhere, anytime. The only time she looked a bit messy was when she was in Hancock with Will Smith.

SM in English

I suppose if you like the SM variance of the sex act, then it would still be enjoyable regardless of the language.

We all know that the teaching of Science and Mathematics in schools should continue in English for very obvious reasons. So why then do we have 5000 people being manipulated to march the streets in Kuala Lumpur in defiance of tear gas and possible arrest to kick out the use of English in school for the teaching of the two subjects?

Fear?

English is a rather difficult language to learn.

I believe if you do not have parents who are good in the English Language nor do you live in areas conducive to the learning and the necessary practice of the language; you and your parents will have the fear of not being able to make it.

If you are poor and/or you live in the rural areas, you may belong to this group. You may very well have this fear that your children would not be able to compete with the urban and richer people. This may in turn make you susceptable to be easily convinced by selfish politicians to retard progress. "If my children can't have what yours have, then screw you, leave us alone in our world where we shall continue to survive on our subsistent ways."

So, what can we do!

I say we bring in one thousand foreign teachers trained to teach. Pay them enough to entice them to go to the rural areas to immediately start lessons beginning in all secondary schools. In fact, I should say all public secondary schools including the urban ones. Such professional teachers shall take on English as a subject as well as using English for the teaching of Mathematics and Science.

I suspect such teachers appearing by the hundreds will give hope to parents that their children will do okay in spite of their own shortcomings.

Let the money come from Petronas, while we still have some oil to extract. We should have increasing, and in time sufficient numbers of young people to help this country to compete internationally. Emigration to other English speaking countries will probably drop, net increasing this pool.

As we are all off springs from the same mother or the few mothers with our fore parents walking out of Africa 70,000 years ago, we can compete with anybody else in the world as we all share the same good and defective genes in us.

I trust 6 years should be enough time to see significant results.

And oh, by the way, can we also have a change in Government and stop this nonsense of Ketuanan Melayu and some vague Social Contract thing that we are being kept reminded that our forefathers went into? Can we see some documents please?

If your great grandfather believe that he can continue to marry if the one he marries can't give him a son; will that also bind you to commit this act? Also, your children 500 years down the road?

And oh, by the way, can we also have a truly independent MACC and the Judiciary?

Liyana is quite famous locally

Went to Delifrance Mid Valley for breakfast this morning.

Somebody told me the waitress attending to us looked like Liyana of Estrella. So I asked her. "Yes, I am a fan of Estrella and people have told me I look like her."

Now that I am back with my computer, I checked. She does look like Liyana although I think Liyana is a bit slimmer.

.

.

.

.

.

.

I did a post on Estrella earlier. You may want to revise by visiting here.

What a pleasant song Stay is.