A wish list of freedoms

This is an article by Marina Mahatir  that is worth sharing

We still need the fundamental freedoms that every human being desires, especially freedom of speech and expression. Our foreparents understood 54 years ago that we had a fundamental right to freedom and self-determination.

FIRST of all, let me wish everyone Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri. Also, as the days happen to almost coincide this year, Selamat Hari Merdeka. In many ways, this is very significant.

Raya is the day we free ourselves from a month of abstinence and restraint. Ramadan is a time for reflection on what good we have, or have not, done over the past year. It is a time to ask for forgiveness for our past sins and mistakes, and hurt we may have caused others.

Sadly, this Ramadan has hardly been an exemplary one. With insults galore, shouting and screaming, burning and threats, it has hardly been one of restraint and reflection, at least on the part of public figures. Nor was there any sense of shame at these violations of the good and holy month.

Since Raya coincides with Merdeka this year, I thought I would write a list of freedoms we should give ourselves in these coming months, besides the freedom to now eat.

First, let us have Freedom from Imagined Slights. I am sick and tired of the people who have nothing better to do than scour the media for all sorts of insults, while at the same time feeling entitled to slight others.

Some people’s skin is stretched so thinly over their rounded bulks it’s a wonder it hasn’t ripped. Every little imagined offence calls for protests and demos, almost always outside mosques after Friday prayers. One wonders if God feels slighted at this trespassing on His property, which should be oases of calm and tranquility.

As a corollary to that, let us also have Freedom from One-Sided Prosecutions. For example, some people seem to insist on having the monopoly on being sensitive. Everyone else is assumed to have thick skin, so much so that it is now apparently OK to insult people to their faces.

Thus, action is taken only when they have been offended, but never when they offend others. One has to wonder what is so great about displaying such thin skin? Won’t you wither under the sun?

Let us also demand Freedom from the Forgetful Politician, that is, those who forgot who voted them in. First off are those who insist that we should be grateful that they are there to lead us. Talk about a circular argument!

Then there are those who, although usually insisting that Malaysians are a unique species of people, totally different from everyone else in the world, are then quick to equate those same Malaysians with the worst of foreigners, those who riot, loot and destroy property.

Makes you wonder how that gels with our tourism campaigns. Are we supposed to be nice hospitable people or rioters?

One great freedom that I really wish we would give ourselves is Freedom from Snoopers, especially those intent on sticking their noses into our private lives. If one wants to create a moral society, then let’s widen that definition to include ethics instead of just keeping it totally focused on our sex lives.

A moral society is not just one where everyone behaves well sexually, if such a thing even exists, but also where people feel a strong civic duty to uphold the law, not be corrupt, treat the poorest and most vulnerable well, and protect and preserve the environment.

Instead, we have increasing official “busybodiness” coupled with the encouragement of society to be bu­sybodies. Thus our young feel that they are constantly under suspicion of doing something bad, even when they are not. Does this stop all sorts of social ills? Of course not.

Indeed we should also demand Freedom from the Ostrich, the stick-their-heads-in-the-sand attitude that insists that some things just don’t exist in our country. On the one hand there are people who see a conspiracy under every pebble and on the other there are those who just refuse to connect the dots.

For example, young people don’t have to become pregnant outside marriage if we educate them and provide the services they need to make the best choices. Instead, we refuse to educate them and then blame them for having babies out of wedlock. Some even insist that the solution is to marry them off early.

That’s where we need Freedom from the Short-sighted, those who only think in terms of short-term solutions and not the harm that will come many years down the line.

At heart, however, we still need the fundamental freedoms that every human being desires, especially freedom of speech and expression. Without these, the Snoopers, Ostriches, Short-sighted and all these others will continue to thrive and make our lives miserable.

Our foreparents understood that we had a fundamental right to freedom and self-determination 54 years ago. Let’s not forget that the next time we vote.

Merdeka!

original link here

DINNER WITH A BEAUTY NAMED MAGGI

My son had gone back to our hometown without me this time. Due to the Hari Raya holidays and most of the muslim staff are away and the plant has shut down for maintenance work, yours truely have been instructed to keep an eyes on things. It is raining outside, the weather is cold, but the atmosphere is just right for a warm meal. Put on the music .Aah just perfect now to enjoy my meal in the company of a beauty named Maggi. surname Mee.

cepat di masak sedap di makan..


Enjoy your holidays folks while I sulk myself in self pity.

Ladies and Gentlemen meet my friend Maggi.

my dinner.

DOWN BUT NOT OUT.

I was looking forward to the adventurous trip to Gunung Panti. I had previously gone to this mountrain from the forest reserve main entrance. It was an easy hike for me as the path was clear, with lots of rocks and roots forming like steps.Where there was none I could rely on tree trunks and what ever along the way. This will be a tottaly different from the previous hike. My friend,Eric informed me we had to climb some huge boulder and that got me excited immediately and I was looking forward to the climb .Unfortunately on the eve of the event I was told I had to be at the plant. Some last minute work arrangement,which I would not go into details. I quickly got in touch with my friend and after a few short message exchange all parties agreed to delay the trip a couple of hours later. You can read my post on the trip here.

This side of the mountain was practically unknown and not many people had hike from this side. There were hardly any markers and there don't seems to be any visible sign of any kind of track, and the continuous rain for the past few days had make it worst. Only Eric had been here before and we had to rely solely on him to find the correct path. We followed closely to his intructions and used some old newpaper to marked our route as we explore deep into the unknown.Each time it was a deadlock.We seems to goes in circles , and at times we thought we found the correct trail only to find out it was a false trail. After more than two hours we decided to call it quit. Putting up the marker was easy, but trying to locate them on our way back was not easy as we thought. We felt like Hansel and Gretel trying to find their out of the woods. Only difference was we did not use bread crumb like they did.We used old newspaper which the birds could not eat and so we manage to find our markers and make it out of the woods. This is the second time I have been in such a senario.The first time was when I was in Tabur with another group trying out a new route but we manage to find the trail in the end. However this time at Panti no such luck. Our failed mission will not deters us.Yes we were disappointed, but we will not give up .

Perhaps we could go by the forest reserve way and work ourselves down to the other sides. One thing for sure we will be back.

a rock stuck in the roots. the tree was uprooted,  along with it the rock.

one of my friends trying to find the correct path,which was no easy task.

HAPPY MERDEKA RAYA MALAYSIA

An Independence Day is an annual celebration observing the anniversary of a nation's independent statehood, usually after ceasing to be a colony or part of another state. All countries honor their respective independence day, celebrating it as a national holiday. The independence of Malaysia is different from that of the independence of other countries. It was a peaceful independence attained by holding talks with the British. Thus on 31 August 1957, Malaysia got its independence from the United Kingdom.

So we will be 54 come August 31st this year.  We have come a long way, since independence.So we got liberated from the British, but are we really liberated?  After 54 years why are still suspicious of each other? why must everything be about race, or religion?  Unless we can see beyond color or creed, we have not really been liberated. we can have all the merdeka celebration, year in , year out, it is not going to make any  different. I prayed for the day when we can really call ourselves malaysian without looking his color or religion, then celebrating Merdeka will be more meaniful.

Anyway happy merdeka and Selamat Hari Raya.To those travelling, travel safe.

WORDS AND THEIR EFFECT

Got this interesting articles from my friend Mary Ch'ng.  Fact or Fiction. ?  You decide

Can water be affected by our words? Dr. Masaru Emoto, a Japanese scientist,

believes so. And he has proof. Dr. Emoto took water droplets, exposed them to

various words and froze them for three hours. He then examined the crystal

formations under a dark field microscope. And he took photographs. The results were

totally mind-blowing.

Dr. Emoto exposed the water with the various negative words: “You make me sick.

You're such a failure. You're a loser. I hate you.” Below is how the frozen water

droplets looks like under the microscope after being exposed to the negativities. The

molecular structure is in disarray and it evens looks like a cancer cell.

The biggest part of your body made up of water. Yes! 72% of your body is made up

of water. Imagine how your words affect your own body.

People with the crabby habit of mind who constantly searching things to criticize not

only make themselves ugly on the outside and inside, but also expose themselves to

dangerous illnesses such as cancer. Their negativities decrease the metabolism in

their bodies and make them grow old faster.

The photos below is water after the positive words of praise, appreciation and

gratitude being said. It’s simply breathtaking. Utterly beautiful, right?

Dr. Emoto also experimented with cooked rice. He placed one cup of cooked rice in

two airtight jars. On one jar, he wrote, “I love you,” and on the other, “You fool.”

Everyday for 30 days, Dr. Emoto would say these words to each jar of rice. After 30

days, the “I love you” rice was still white. But the “You fool” rice was so rotten, it was

black.

If you were taught as a child to pray before meals, you now realize it wasn’t just a

nice thing to do. When you pray over you meal, you know a material transformation

my thoughts:  We all like praises and when someone says something nice about us it really makes our day and our day will be productive. On the other hand if we receive negative comments or criticism  I don't have to tell you how does that affect us. So start practicing to say good things.

In the book of proverbs 18:21: says The tongue has the power of life and death,

   and those who love it will eat its fruit.

here is the illustration on video

DEAR SANTA

I know christmas is still few months away,but I thought I will give you a head start to get  your presents ready.

Since I have been a very good person can I have the following items for christmas? Pleassseeee

Columbia Mountain shoes

Backpack bag ,must be water proof

columbia hiking pants,which is cooling and comfortable.

sincerely,
your fan

Ps, while you at it, you might as well throw in an ab bench. That will really make my christmas.

WE DIDN'T KISSED BUT WE DID MAKE UP.

Remember my friend who drove like a F1 driver?  She did message me both on my cell as well as  my inbox on facebook. But I totally ignored  them. A few days later she did message me on WhatsApps  , this time I did response to her query, albeit  with some what  lukewarm response . I was trying to avoid any kind of meeting if I could avoid it, however yesterday morning she call up asking if I will be available in the afternoon to join her on a hike at a nearby hill in kulai. I told her I could not as I need to fetch my son back from work. It was a genuine excuse.  She volunteer to fetch me from the factory where my son work once I leave my car there. She had me cornered; there is no escaping now , so I agreed to her proposal.
Then another call from her informing me she was approaching kulai, but it was raining  and she asked if it was the same  in kulai to which I replied  No. She also enquired if we should proceed with our hike should it rain?. I said why not ? Since she had make an effort to come all the way from Johor Baru, it will be unfair to disappoint her. As a seasoned hiker we always had our poncho handy.
Finally she reached the factory , I handed over my car key to my son and I hopped into her car and make our way to  the Hill.  We hike for an hour or so as the sky was getting dark, and it was almost dinner time ,so we made our way downhill.   I suggested we have dinner and invited my son to join us. She wanted to foot the bill, but I would not hear of it, lest it be misconstruted our friendship was renewed over a meal. Further more this was my turf and she was a guest so it was not right for her to pay. Yes, we  finally make up but minus the kissing part.

I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND IT WHEN....

This post is just a reflection of some of the things that happen to me this year. Since it's almost year end , it's time to take stock of my life, self check, attitude check even .Have I offended anyone without even knowing it?

1)People invite you to visit them. And when you arranged your time and give them a date

they came back and said they are not free on those dates.If that happen not once but twice? What gives?

2) GUASHA FaciaL good for you so they say.Just to obliged and support you said ok. and when you make an appointment, they are busy and promised to get back to you and you wait and wait. I think I will have a full grown beard by now if I don't shave

3)People asked me why I never invite them for a certain outdoor event and when I invited them they never show up. Then there are those who always click attending, but never even change their rsvp when they know they cannnot make it . Wonder if it is so difficult to call up to inform they are not coming?

4)You want to invite someone for lunch or dinner they told you ok you set the date and when you do, they seem so elusive? Why is this so? I just don't understand.

HOW TO KEEP A WOMAN HAPPY

Just got this in my mail from my Friend Tony chin. This is just for fun and not meant to insult any one particularly the woman.

It's not difficult to make a woman happy. A man only needs to be:  1. A friend 2. A companion 3. A lover 4. A brother 5. A father 6. A master 7. A chef 8. An electrician 9. A carpenter 10. A plumber 11. A mechanic 12. A decorator 13. A stylist 14. A sexologist 15. A gynaecologist 16. A psychologist 17. A pest exterminator 18. A psychiatrist 19. A healer 20. A good listener 21. An organizer 22. A good father 23. Very clean 24. Sympathetic 25. Athletic 26. Warm 27. Attentive 28. Gallant 29. Intelligent 30. Funny 31. Creative 32. Tender 33. Strong 34. Understanding 35. Tolerant 36. Prudent 37. Ambitious 38. Capable 39. Courageous 40. Determined 41. True 42. Dependable 43. Passionate 44. Compassionate WITHOUT FORGETTING TO:  45. Give her compliments regularly 46. Love shopping 47. Be honest 48. Be very rich49. Not stress her out 50. Not look at other girls AND AT THE SAME TIME, YOU MUST ALSO: 51. Give her lots of attention, but expect little yourself 52. Give her lots of time, especially time for herself53. Give her lots of space, never worrying about where she goes  IT IS VERY IMPORTANT: 54. Never to forget: * birthdays * anniversaries * arrangements she makes on the other hand HOW TO MAKE A MAN HAPPY very easy really.

1. Leave him alone

FRIENDS OR FIENDS?

Saw this on my friend's facebook status

time for list clearing....why having FB when he or she hides everything??? weirdos

so I join in the conversation by saying I delete you can or not? And her response was:

"mr lim...delete me, then u'll see me the nxt day giving u a warm smacking right on ur face....good morning n good day to ya^^"

LOL This is one friend for keeps.

another one ask Johnnie I add you did I not?-oops actually I deleted her sometimes ago. Either she is unaware or have too many friends that she dont even know I exist.

I have been clearing some of my so call friends, but new one keep adding me, cannot bring down the number. Keep adding up. Now I only keep those I have contact with or share a common interest be it, blogging, hiking or photograhy apart from church network.

There are friends I know but I don't add them and they likewise.

What kind of friends do you have and what are they to you? Care to share?

Here is an interesting statement about friendship.

Anaïs Nin 

 puts it beautifully when she said, "Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born." Though some natural loners are happy without them, most of us depend greatly on the company of true friends. As with any relationship, friendships bring support and joy and occasionally strife. Here's how to make friends, understand friendship better, and be a great confidante to others.

WHAT IS PURE RELIGION?

I read with disbelief in today's Sun daily here the three men and nine women in their 20s and 40s were also given counselling by JAIS officers. For crying out loud they need aid not couselling.If someone is dying of hunger you don't counsel them you take care of his hunger first la moron.

The following text explain it clearly.

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

(James 2:14-17)

They are so consumed by the religion but the missed the whole point. Want to know what true and pure religion is?

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world < James 1:27>

I am invoved in an orphange in klang, and part of the programe was to provide aids to some poor families in klang, regardess of their race or religion. The orphange gave out foodstuff items received from goodwill of people and some charity organisation. This is part of their external programe. When ever there was any fuction like movie or party orgarnised by clubs or the mall their children will join the orphange children .There was no issues at all.

Then there was another case, where food stuff was also given to the widow of one of my muslim colleage in my previous company. I saw the need and made the recommendation to the home and the board approved it.There was no hidden agenda. So I just don't understand all the fuss when people help another malaysian and they make all kinds of accusation. If they had provided the necessary help in the first place, they would not have gone to the church for help right?

And when they do, why must they link everything to religion and politic? Something must be done if we want to be truly 1Malaysian.

TEMPER, TEMPER

I was still at the office working today, when I got a chat message on my whatsApp . It was from one of my hiker friend, who was at one of the hill.She asked if I want to do lunch so I said ok, but she have to wait as I will only finish by 11.30am. Everything was confirm. She was to let me know the moment she is down at the foot of the mountain. She asked for  a meeting and I suggested one which is near by my office . Later I got a message asking where I was. I thought she had already reached the meet up point, so I quickly locked up the office and when I reached our meet up point, she was no where to be found. I called her, she was still at the mountain. See people rushing you and they are still not ready?  Any way when she finally arrived, she asked where we want to have lunch so I told her as agreed earlier -ulu tiram where another friend was waiting.  She gave me a rather unhappy reply what? you should have asked me to wait there as I know the way there. So I am at fault now is it? Didn't you asked for a meet up point? That's what people do right especially if they are coming from the same direction. I asked if she was to lead the way since she was familiar with the place, but she said no and asked me to lead. I  had my GSP so no worries. She was following closely until we reached ulu tiram , then she overtook me  and droved like a F1 driver. Very soon I lost her, as I stopped at a traffic light and I had no way of calling her as my phone decided to go on a long sleep. I could not get it to boot up .  Frustrated, I had to

returned home as I was anxious to check on my phone. Google a bit and finally found how to wake it up.

Footnote: she called later to apologized, her excuse was she could not stop by the roadside as motorist has honking at her. oh well I will give her the benefit of a doubt, but I will think twice , maybe trice if she asked for a lunch date next time.

NOW EVERYONE CAN DRIVE

Read this piece of amusing  news in the star-online today.Wonder if they are trying to lower the standard of driving or what. Last time we used to take our test in a normal sedan. Then they allow kancil car for test and now this.  Don't know what they will think of next.?  Maybe stimulation driving?

Automatic cars for driving tests soon

OTHER NEWS & VIEWS
Compiled by LEE YEN MUN, ALLISON LAI and A. RAMAN

THE plan to allow the use of cars with automatic transmission for driving tests will be implemented this year.

Sin Chew Daily quoted Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha as saying that studies on the plan by several relevant agencies had been completed.
Kong said the current provisions under the Road Transport Act 1987 and the Motor Vehicle Regulations (Driving Licence) 1992 needed to be amended to facilitate the implementation.
Under the plan, a new class of driving licence specifically for drivers of cars with automatic transmission would be introduced, and those holding that type of licence will not allowed to drive manual cars.
Those taking the class D test could still drive cars of both types of transmission.
Thus, he said, there was no need to amend the entire Act but just to include the provisions regarding the use of automatic transmission car, he said, adding that the market would determine the fees charged by driving



Link here

Stimulation driving

AIYO DON'T BE SO CHEAP SKATE LA.

Read this story in the star today here.  Don't understand why people can go to this extend, just to saved 20 cents and in the end, got lock up. So malu only.   If really want to save,go to to the  super market They have free toilets there. Takes all kind.

MEMBERS of the public using automatic toilets located at tourist spots around Kuala Lumpur will have to pay or they may get stuck in the cubicle, reported Nanyang Siang Pau.
According to the daily, they have to pay 20 sen for 15 minutes in the toilet but some people tried to sneak into the cubicle if the previous occupant had left before his time was up.
However, the door could not be opened after their turn in the toilet, sounding the alarm.
The daily reported that if the person in charge of the toilets was not around, they might have to end up waiting for a mechanic from City Hall to free them from the cubicle.

BIRTHDAY AT CHILDREN HOME

Had a wonderful celebration at the Berkat home in Johor last evening. The home is run by Pastor Raymond choong and his lovely Filipino wife Nerisa. Their daughter Darissa just turn 7 yesterday. I have known Ps Raymond a long way back when we were both serving in the Royal Rangers ministry, which is a uniform group like the Boys Scout. The home is situated at N0.44A Jalan Dapat Kampong Baru, 80100 Johor Bahru, Johor West

A HOME for the HOMELESS
Children who are orphans-loss of both parents,
Share love for the unloved, children with derelict parents,
Protect and Assist the abused and abandoned.
To EMPOWER THE weak to be strong to help others

Do visit them when you are at Johor.

In the meantime enjoy the photos of the Birthday girl taken at the home 

Birthday girl Darissa

two of the girls staying at the home

Ps Raymond and his parent

some of the children having enjoying their video games

  More Photos here

HAPPY FRIENDSHIP DAY

Didn't released it was Friendship day yesterday,until I read  it in our daily journal here.
I would like to share some of the high light of the story

In honor of Friendship Day (being celebrated today), Winnie the Pooh was named the world’s ambassador. Those familiar with the famous red-shirted teddy bear know that the collection of Pooh stories highlight the friendships Winnie has with a group of good friends: Piglet, Christopher Robin, Tigger, Kanga, Roo, Rabbit, and Eeyore. The group experienced many fun and challenging adventures together. On friendship, Winnie once said: “If there ever comes a day when we can’t be together, keep me in your heart. I’ll stay there forever.”

Solomon put himself in the shoes of a man who lacked companions and wrote on the importance and value of true friendship: “Two people are better off than one” (Ecclesiastes 4:9). His reasons? Friends help you succeed (Ecclesiastes 4:9), care for you when you fall (Ecclesiastes 4:10), keep you company when you’re lonely (Ecclesiastes 4:11), and protect you when you’re in danger (Ecclesiastes 4:12).
A friend is someone who shares the joy of your triumphs and the pain of your troubles (Ecclesiastes 4:9). A friend lifts you up when you stumble on life’s rocky roads (Ecclesiastes 4:10). A friend walks with you through the dark valleys (Ecclesiastes 4:11). A friend stands with you to help you face life’s challenges (Ecclesiastes 4:12). “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity” (Proverbs 17:1

So to all my friends and bloggers friends(both old and new) wishing you a Happy Friendship day

RAINY DAY AND GOOD FOOD

I had planned to hike Gunung Pulai 2 this morning together with two friends. On the way to our meeting point ,I picked up one friend and  stop by at our regular coffee shop.
 I sent a message of whatsApp to find where she was and since she was still a long way to our meeting point,  we order our breakfast .Then suddenly it rained. We waited a while for the rain to stopped.Well it did not stopped completely, it was still dizzing ,we paid up and droved to our meeting place.We were debating whether to carry or to abort our hike. As we were already there might as well we proceed to our destination and who knows the rain might stop once we reached there, but no such luck rather we had worst luck. The place was closed.  Gunung Pulai 1 is just around the corner and that seems to be a logical choice and so off we went. A quick check on the water which was murky does not appeal to us. We had read enough and heard enough whenever that happen it means there is chances of flash flood occurring.Since my friend that came later did not had a breakfast and she was craving for Bak Kut Teh,so we aborted our hike and head to another town nearby.  we had bakut teh ,eel , ginger chicken and a vegetable and the bill came to around rm38.90 which was quite reasonable.  On the way back  we stopped by a durian store and had some by the roadside.  Today we did not burn any calories,but instead put on more. Well blame it on the rain.

,

murky water, which is a bad sign

our meal

who can resist Durian?

ANY TEACHERS OUT THERE?

would appreciate your feedback to a friend of mine,who is  a teacher by profession and will be doing her masters soon.

Dear teachers,

          This is my fourth year in the teaching profession and I’ve noticed that many of my fellow beginning teachers, including myself, are not getting much satisfaction from our profession. In fact, a number of us are showing signs of burnout – Monday blues, depression, extreme fatigue, disillusionment, etc. I’ve been pondering over this for a long time… what has gone wrong? Does the problem lie with us individually? Or the system? Is there anything we can do about it? Is it possible to teach in a public school and find satisfaction in our teaching career?

All of us entered the teaching profession with big dreams and good intentions. We want to make a difference. We desire to be good teachers. Me too. However, the real world out there is not a bed of roses. Honestly speaking, I have seen my ideals shattered and there were days I cried myself to sleep because of work-related issues. Not to mention the nightmares that plagued my sleep!!

          For your information, I’ll be on study LEAVE for two years on the pretext of doing my Masters. I’m doing it full-time to give myself a breather, i.e. to get away from school to regain my bearings. I’m still passionate about teaching and come what may, I think I’ll still be in the education field. After I’ve completed my Masters degree, I’ll be going back to school… for how long I have no idea, but I hope to at least fulfill my bond to the government (or rather the taxpayers).

You may read the rest of the story on her blog here. 

OH I LOVED BANANA LEAF

It's been quite a while I had a banana leaf lunch,more so since I moved to Kulai. So today I was craving for
a banana leaf lunch. Further more I was fed up with the food at the factory's canteen. So I  invited my Indian colleagues at the factory and they were only too happy to join me.
I was introduced to fried bitter gourd, the first time I have tried this. I have eaten indian style cooking of bitter gourd, but never deep friend.  It would be a wonderful lunch had it not been interruppted by a call from the GM saying there was no one at the lab to do the test. Don't he know today is Friday and the Muslim staff need to go for their prayers?  Haiz had to quickly swallowed everything within minutes to rush back to the factory to fix the 'problem' Since it was Friday they prepared payasam for desert, but it was not nice at all, since missing some ingredients like noodle and cashew nuts. Another complaint I had was they serve in a small cup, unlike the ones back home in a larger cup. Anyway since my colleagues did not want their share I walloped their shares too.

my banana leaf lunch

Malaysian to be the first man on the Sun

Something funny I read, and would like to share .

Putrajaya, 4 August. Malaysia is set to join the elite club of space faring nations. We will actually go one step further by becoming the first nation to send a man to the Sun.

The Aeronautical and Space Agency of Malaysia (ASAM), the little-known agency under the Prime Minister’s Department, revealed its ambitious plan at the 4^th International Conference on Astronomy and Astronomical Space Travel held at the Federal Administrative Centre today. According to the Rector of ASAM (RASAM), Tan Sri Dr Farid Chris Merican, the expedition costing some RM 265 billion, codenamed POMJOM 1, will see a Malaysian flag planted on the dark side of the Sun before the end of 2018. Monyet News Network has learnt that ASAM has been planning this venture since 1998.

“We have the vision, we have the technology, we have the brains. All that remain are to build the spacecraft and find 32 of the finest Malaysians to be the crew. We have six years to do that”, Tan Sri Merican informed more than 100 local and foreign media correspondents gathered in Putrajaya for the conference.

When quizzed by journalists, Tan Sri Merican added “Our scientists have developed our own ASAM’s Jet Amplification & Warp Acceleration (JAWA) technology which will enable our spacecraft to travel at over 124,000 km/hr and reduce the travel time to the Sun to just under 14 months. The JAWA technology is foolproof and we have tested it extensively at our jet propulsion laboratory at Ulu Kinta, Perak. There is nothing to worry. I assure you - we will land on the Sun. And we will prove to the rest of the world that Malaysia Boleh”.

In a subsequent technical briefing by ASAM’s senior ASTRO-scientists, Dr Ananda Krishnan and Dr Latifah Samsuddin, the media was shown the design of the spacecraft, booster engines, flight paths, safety measures as well as the various scientific equipment that will be carried on board the craft. Dr Ananda, sensing sceptism amongst the newsmen, quickly explained “We are aware that many people are sceptical of our ability to land a man on the Sun. We are not stupid, you know. We know how bloody hot the Sun is and we have planned for it. And I am sick of the jokes about travelling at night which I don’t think is very funny”.

Dr Latifah explained the plan. “We are targeting November 2018 because there will be an eclipse of the Sun then. As you know during the eclipse of the Sun, the Sun goes dark which means it won’t be that hot. Nevertheless we will be taking precautions. Our spacecraft will be carrying more than 2 million cubic metres of water and 55 tonnes of ice for the purpose of cooling. Before our spacecraft touches down on the surface of the Sun, the water and ice will be sprayed gradually to induce the cooling of the surface. Ourangkasawans will be equipped with the best protective clothing that money can buy. We will also supply them with our traditional remedies such as the bedak sejuk and herbal tea that will keep their bodies cool. Furthermore, our angkasawans will be trained by Jabatan Bomba to handle fires - as we expect some pretty big fires on the Sun. They will be safe”.

MNN has been informed that most of the angkasawans will be on the surface of the Sun for about 3 days to conduct scientific experiments and collecting rock and gas samples. According to inside sources, one of the experiments will be to confirm whether Ultraman really obtained his special powers from the Sun. There have also been unconfirmed reports that ASAM may also set up a permanently manned research station on the Sun, primarily to investigate the effects of extreme heat on human health.

Meanwhile, ASAM has placed advertisements on all major newspapers and on its website, inviting Malaysians to apply for the 32 places on the POMJOM 1 expedition. “Half of the places or 16 are reserved for religious scholars because we need people to pray along the way so that nothing goes wrong. 8 will be cooks because it is a long journey and our angkasawans have to eat well. Another 4 will be bloggers because the rakyat back home will need to know what is happening on the flight to the Sun”, added Dr Latifah. Application forms may be downloaded at www.asam.gov.my

When contacted by MNN, the US National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA) and theJapanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) - all declined to comment. MNN received a text message from the Director of Khazakstani Research Institute for Space (KRIS), Dr Hishem Moodyn, congratulating ASAM on their endeavour.

Other related news

The popular South Indian restaurant, Sri Meenatchi Curry House in Brickfields, has filed for an injunction in the Kuala Lumpur High Court to stop the Rector of ASAM from using the abbreviation RASAM. The restaurant has claimed exclusive rights over the term RASAM which is a spicy Indian soup on its menu.

Monyet News Network

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