News flash!!
Today Qantas flight from Singapore suddenly lost altitude and was forced to land in a regional airport in WA. Passengers who were not strapped down at that moment were thrown from their seats. News reported that 20 people were seriously injured. Now this is scary! I could have been me on that plane as I like to fly with Qantas when going home. Hey they do have good fare offer!! I will definitely re-think my airline options in the future. Qantas has been having a series of mishaps this last year and this is certainly the worst!!!
Tuesday, 7 October 2008
This is a little old but still good :-) Read on...
Stress management
A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, 'How heavy is this glass of water? ' Answers called out ranged from 8oz. to 20oz. The lecturer replied, 'The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. 'If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.' 'In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes. '
He continued, 'And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. ' 'As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden. '
'So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work/life down.Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow.' 'Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can. Relax; pick them up later after you've rested. Life is short.Enjoy! ' (I totally agree!)
And then he shared some ways of dealing with the burdens of life:
1 * Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.
2 * Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.
3* Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it. :-)
4 * Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their Maker.
5* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
6 * If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
7 * It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.
8 * Never buy a car you can't push.(never thought about this.. cool... I like this one)
9* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.
10* Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.
11* Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.
12 * The second mouse gets the cheese.
13 * When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
14* Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.
15* You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.
16 * Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once hahahha...so do it more than once :-)
17 * We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names and all are different colors,but they all have to live in the same box.
18* A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.
Stress management
A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, 'How heavy is this glass of water? ' Answers called out ranged from 8oz. to 20oz. The lecturer replied, 'The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. 'If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.' 'In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes. '
He continued, 'And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. ' 'As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden. '
'So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work/life down.Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow.' 'Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can. Relax; pick them up later after you've rested. Life is short.Enjoy! ' (I totally agree!)
And then he shared some ways of dealing with the burdens of life:
1 * Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.
2 * Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.
3* Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it. :-)
4 * Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their Maker.
5* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
6 * If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
7 * It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.
8 * Never buy a car you can't push.(never thought about this.. cool... I like this one)
9* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.
10* Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.
11* Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.
12 * The second mouse gets the cheese.
13 * When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
14* Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.
15* You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.
16 * Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once hahahha...so do it more than once :-)
17 * We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names and all are different colors,but they all have to live in the same box.
18* A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.
Monday, 8 September 2008
Sunday, 29 June 2008
Abba - remember them? Well, since the movie 'Mamma Mia' is about to hit the cinema, there has been major interest in the group that made hits after hits in the 70s. It's a pity the group is not singing anymore, but their songs are still very much alive these days. Something about their songs that are so catchy, just makes you want to sing along. Like the 'dancing queen' or the 'mamma mia'.It's been 30 years now since they last sang together, and they each have moved on.
See if you can recognise this one :-)
See if you can recognise this one :-)
Saturday, 28 June 2008
Tis been a while now since my last posting, so let's see if I could update you on what's been going on :-) Feels a bit like going to confession where you say, it's been a while since my last confession... hehehe...
Anyway, we are in Winter now, the temperature could vary from 2.7C usually in the early mornings to 20C in mid afternoons (or arvos as they call it here... ahh learn a new slang word). We are quite lucky to be getting a bit of rain too, though the weatherman said we are still short of last year's rain fall recorded. Ahh well, better than no rain i suppose. The only thing about the weather is that sometimes we get thunderstorms and strong wind and trust me, you wouldn't want to be caught walking while it is raining and the wind is blowing. Umbrellas will upturn and you will end up soggy and wet!!! A rain jacket is good, put the hood on and you need not an umbrella (if you have a hood that is :-) ) We are now approaching the end of the first winter month, and so far it's not too bad. When it's cold, put on more clothing and a sweater and if that's not enough put on the scarf and a jacket.. hehehe... and you will look like a 'ko chung' (rice dumpling). Ahh but that's better than getting sick eh?? Or you could always put on the heater, but I don't like the heater much, except for central heater. It is very drying and my face looks all flushed like having a blush. Makes the eyes dry too.. yuuks terrible!!! So the alternative??? Be a 'ko chung'!!!! :-)
Now what else??? Oh a few weeks ago the gas plant at Varanus Island where WA gets it's gas from exploded and this has left us with power problems. It affected industries that depend on gas to operate as well as offices and households (in short.. everyone). It is so bad that some workers are forced to take leave as there is no gas to operate the machineries. Hotels are affected too for they could not prepare clean linens for their patrons. People are advised to cut down on gas usage, turn off lights and power points when not in use, set the heater to 20-22C or if possible not to use heaters at all, and cut down hot showers to 5mins. Offices also were asked to minimise the use of power, thus minimise the use of lifts and central heating. Also bad news for pubs patrons for soon they will no longer be able to drink draught beer as gas supplier wont be able to supply the carbon dioxide used pour draft beer. So that's the gas situation. Not sure when it will end and gas supply back to normal, it was predicted that it could go on for some time, probably until the end of the year.
And that, together with the constant hike in the petrol price and interest rates have hit the people here hard. There is still the constant battle for pay rise but so far nothing is happening. In the mean time, people with a house mortgage are working extra hard to meet the interest rate payment. While it is said that economy is booming in WA, a lot of people are actually suffering to make ends meet. What an irony!!!
Anyway, we are in Winter now, the temperature could vary from 2.7C usually in the early mornings to 20C in mid afternoons (or arvos as they call it here... ahh learn a new slang word). We are quite lucky to be getting a bit of rain too, though the weatherman said we are still short of last year's rain fall recorded. Ahh well, better than no rain i suppose. The only thing about the weather is that sometimes we get thunderstorms and strong wind and trust me, you wouldn't want to be caught walking while it is raining and the wind is blowing. Umbrellas will upturn and you will end up soggy and wet!!! A rain jacket is good, put the hood on and you need not an umbrella (if you have a hood that is :-) ) We are now approaching the end of the first winter month, and so far it's not too bad. When it's cold, put on more clothing and a sweater and if that's not enough put on the scarf and a jacket.. hehehe... and you will look like a 'ko chung' (rice dumpling). Ahh but that's better than getting sick eh?? Or you could always put on the heater, but I don't like the heater much, except for central heater. It is very drying and my face looks all flushed like having a blush. Makes the eyes dry too.. yuuks terrible!!! So the alternative??? Be a 'ko chung'!!!! :-)
Now what else??? Oh a few weeks ago the gas plant at Varanus Island where WA gets it's gas from exploded and this has left us with power problems. It affected industries that depend on gas to operate as well as offices and households (in short.. everyone). It is so bad that some workers are forced to take leave as there is no gas to operate the machineries. Hotels are affected too for they could not prepare clean linens for their patrons. People are advised to cut down on gas usage, turn off lights and power points when not in use, set the heater to 20-22C or if possible not to use heaters at all, and cut down hot showers to 5mins. Offices also were asked to minimise the use of power, thus minimise the use of lifts and central heating. Also bad news for pubs patrons for soon they will no longer be able to drink draught beer as gas supplier wont be able to supply the carbon dioxide used pour draft beer. So that's the gas situation. Not sure when it will end and gas supply back to normal, it was predicted that it could go on for some time, probably until the end of the year.
And that, together with the constant hike in the petrol price and interest rates have hit the people here hard. There is still the constant battle for pay rise but so far nothing is happening. In the mean time, people with a house mortgage are working extra hard to meet the interest rate payment. While it is said that economy is booming in WA, a lot of people are actually suffering to make ends meet. What an irony!!!
This is a catcy one... you might just be tempted to sing along :-)
Colbie Caillat - Bubbly
Will you count me in?
I've been awake for a while now
you've got me feelin like a child now
cause every time I see your bubbly face
I get the tinglies in a silly place
It starts in my toes
and I crinkle my nose
where ever it goes I always know
that you make me smile
please stay for a while now
just take your time
where ever you go
The rain is fallin on my window pane
but we are hidin in a safer place
under covers stayin dry (*safe) and warm
you give me feelins that I adore
It starts in my toes
make me crinkle my nose
where ever it goes
i always know
that you make me smile
please stay for a while now
just take your time
where ever you go
What am I gonna say
when you make me feel this way
I just........mmmmmm
It starts in my toes
make me crinkle my nose
where ever it goes
i always know
that you make me smile
please stay for a while now
just take your time
where ever you go
I've been asleep for a while now
You tucked me in just like a child now
Cause every time you hold me in your arms
I'm comfortable enough to feel your warmth
It starts in my soul
And I lose all control
When you kiss my nose
The feelin shows
Cause you make me smile
Baby just take your time now
Holdin me tight
Where ever, where ever, where ever you go
Where ever, where ever, where ever you go
Where ever you go, I'll always know
Cause you make me smile here, just for a while
Colbie Caillat - Bubbly
Will you count me in?
I've been awake for a while now
you've got me feelin like a child now
cause every time I see your bubbly face
I get the tinglies in a silly place
It starts in my toes
and I crinkle my nose
where ever it goes I always know
that you make me smile
please stay for a while now
just take your time
where ever you go
The rain is fallin on my window pane
but we are hidin in a safer place
under covers stayin dry (*safe) and warm
you give me feelins that I adore
It starts in my toes
make me crinkle my nose
where ever it goes
i always know
that you make me smile
please stay for a while now
just take your time
where ever you go
What am I gonna say
when you make me feel this way
I just........mmmmmm
It starts in my toes
make me crinkle my nose
where ever it goes
i always know
that you make me smile
please stay for a while now
just take your time
where ever you go
I've been asleep for a while now
You tucked me in just like a child now
Cause every time you hold me in your arms
I'm comfortable enough to feel your warmth
It starts in my soul
And I lose all control
When you kiss my nose
The feelin shows
Cause you make me smile
Baby just take your time now
Holdin me tight
Where ever, where ever, where ever you go
Where ever, where ever, where ever you go
Where ever you go, I'll always know
Cause you make me smile here, just for a while
Thursday, 15 May 2008
Thoughts worth pondering...
Taken from the Star a couple of weeks ago, this article is, I think, worth pondering. Sabah for Sabahans, a sentiment rang true for those of us born and bred there. Despite all the problems happening in Sabah- socially, economically and politically, Sabahans are always proud to be Sabahan, always proud to be called our own..yay!!! :-) REad on .....
Sabah for Sabahans
COMMENT BY FUI K. SOONG
The disenfranchisement and the resentment in Sabah towards federal politics and policies are very real, realities created by the BN administration. The dynamics that are being witnessed today is just a situation ripe to play mind games with. SABAH for Sabahans” gained its zenith of popularity during the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) rule in the state.
To a puritan federalist it is almost treasonable. But to many proud Sabahans who remember the 1980’s struggles, it was a term that gave rise to a generation of Sabahans whose political consciousness was awoken by a sense of identity that was multi-racial, open and most of all, confident. We stood tall because we had dared challenge the federal regime of the day.
With all the talk of Sabah MPs crossing over to Pakatan Rakyat, and if anyone believes this to be another wave of Sabah defiance, they are dead wrong.
Sabahans still stand in awe when we see the shape of Mount Kinabalu sitting in the blue hues of our state flag. And in reality, the mountain is an awesome sight by itself. “Sabah Maju Jaya” is still sung with great pride by every Sabahan with no exception to any race. We should be so insulted to be painted as a bunch of shenanigans with no virtue, moral standing or principles.
The disenfranchisement and the resentment towards federal politics and policies thus far, are very real. But these are realities created by the BN rule. The dynamics that we witness today is just a situation ripe to play mind games with. Sabahans have to live every day of their lives alongside reportedly, two million illegal immigrants compared to one million locals. Their children litter the streets in the cities begging for scraps and odd jobs, unable to attend school, as they have no official papers.
By the day, Kota Kinabalu is looking more like Manila than Malaysia. By any moral standard, how can we allow poverty and human suffering to come to this level – whether or not we choose to recognise them as full citizens is another matter.
Sabah ranked from being the richest state in 1970’s to being the poorest state. Using UNDP’s numbers, Sabah has a poverty rate of 23.0% compared to Wilayah Persekutuan-KL of 1.5%!
In the district of Nabawan, the poverty rate is as high as 70.8%, as 21,568 households live in hardcore poverty. The dropout rate is 50%, twice the national figure and most schools located in the rural areas are equipped with very poor facilities.
Children are so poor that they do not even have soap to clean themselves with. Children attend classes naked because parents sell their free uniforms to feed their families.
In the Ninth Malaysia Plan, the total allocation for Sabah makes up 7.69% compared with 15.06% for the Federal Territories. These are just hard numbers.
Sabah won 24 out of 25 seats contested. However, it’s still only 25 seats out of the 140 seats garnered by the BN. The lack of representation at ministerial level in truth is limited when both the states combined only represent 1.7 million out of the 10.9 million registered voters.
While Sabah and Sarawak may have held a crucial deciding factor to retain BN’s simple majority in this elections, many of the seats were won due to lack of cohesion among the Opposition parties. The extent of gerrymandering also contributed to no small amount to BN’s wins in the state.
Is this why Sabah representatives often complain that they are not treated with respect in all the political platforms from the Cabinet to grassroots, including those within their parties?
Today, both sides of the political fence paint Anwar Ibrahim in the same breath as how we saw Pairin Kitingan or PBS in the 80’s.
To begin with, Anwar Ibrahim is no Sabahan. In the 90’s, he was Finance Minister and PM-in-waiting “hero-rised” as a leader with international stature but in small-town Sabah, the people saw him as no more than an errand boy for Tun Dr Mahathir. That said, has there been a credible Sabah leader that has been able to articulate our pain and concerns? Is it really about more representation in the Cabinet and more royalties? Younger generations of Sabahans, unlike previous decades, are less likely to be anti-Federal. Many of them have studied in Peninsular Malaysia in both private and public colleges and universities. They know what is like to live in a greater Malaysia beyond their Sabah shores.
Most also know that the 20-point agreement (signed when Sabah joined Malaysia) cannot be practically implemented if we are to finally come to terms with being part of Malaysia.
But what does it mean to be a Sabahan when two-thirds of the population are illegals? If the BN government does not want the situation to be hijacked by the Opposition, this is the first thing it must address – bring back what matters most to Sabah, our land.
The illegal migrant situation has become so bad that we already have a second, if not third generation of Filipinos and Indonesians born in Sabah. In the name of humanity, I am not sure if we can even morally deport them without causing social mayhem and a localised economic collapse. But we need a definite closure because we need to move on.
“Sabah for Sabahans” conjures a lot of idealism as well as realities for many Sabahans even today but it does not mean we are less proud of who we are and what we still stand for. RESPECT and DIGNITY.
Whoever captures that, gets to rule.
Fui K. Soong is CEO of Institute of Strategic Analysis and Policy Research (INSAP), a think tank of MCA, an organisation dedicated to research on the removal of barriers and bias in policies that impede Malaysian unity, racial harmony and economic prosperity. You can e-mail her at fui4545@yahoo.com.
Taken from the Star a couple of weeks ago, this article is, I think, worth pondering. Sabah for Sabahans, a sentiment rang true for those of us born and bred there. Despite all the problems happening in Sabah- socially, economically and politically, Sabahans are always proud to be Sabahan, always proud to be called our own..yay!!! :-) REad on .....
Sabah for Sabahans
COMMENT BY FUI K. SOONG
The disenfranchisement and the resentment in Sabah towards federal politics and policies are very real, realities created by the BN administration. The dynamics that are being witnessed today is just a situation ripe to play mind games with. SABAH for Sabahans” gained its zenith of popularity during the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) rule in the state.
To a puritan federalist it is almost treasonable. But to many proud Sabahans who remember the 1980’s struggles, it was a term that gave rise to a generation of Sabahans whose political consciousness was awoken by a sense of identity that was multi-racial, open and most of all, confident. We stood tall because we had dared challenge the federal regime of the day.
With all the talk of Sabah MPs crossing over to Pakatan Rakyat, and if anyone believes this to be another wave of Sabah defiance, they are dead wrong.
Sabahans still stand in awe when we see the shape of Mount Kinabalu sitting in the blue hues of our state flag. And in reality, the mountain is an awesome sight by itself. “Sabah Maju Jaya” is still sung with great pride by every Sabahan with no exception to any race. We should be so insulted to be painted as a bunch of shenanigans with no virtue, moral standing or principles.
The disenfranchisement and the resentment towards federal politics and policies thus far, are very real. But these are realities created by the BN rule. The dynamics that we witness today is just a situation ripe to play mind games with. Sabahans have to live every day of their lives alongside reportedly, two million illegal immigrants compared to one million locals. Their children litter the streets in the cities begging for scraps and odd jobs, unable to attend school, as they have no official papers.
By the day, Kota Kinabalu is looking more like Manila than Malaysia. By any moral standard, how can we allow poverty and human suffering to come to this level – whether or not we choose to recognise them as full citizens is another matter.
Sabah ranked from being the richest state in 1970’s to being the poorest state. Using UNDP’s numbers, Sabah has a poverty rate of 23.0% compared to Wilayah Persekutuan-KL of 1.5%!
In the district of Nabawan, the poverty rate is as high as 70.8%, as 21,568 households live in hardcore poverty. The dropout rate is 50%, twice the national figure and most schools located in the rural areas are equipped with very poor facilities.
Children are so poor that they do not even have soap to clean themselves with. Children attend classes naked because parents sell their free uniforms to feed their families.
In the Ninth Malaysia Plan, the total allocation for Sabah makes up 7.69% compared with 15.06% for the Federal Territories. These are just hard numbers.
Sabah won 24 out of 25 seats contested. However, it’s still only 25 seats out of the 140 seats garnered by the BN. The lack of representation at ministerial level in truth is limited when both the states combined only represent 1.7 million out of the 10.9 million registered voters.
While Sabah and Sarawak may have held a crucial deciding factor to retain BN’s simple majority in this elections, many of the seats were won due to lack of cohesion among the Opposition parties. The extent of gerrymandering also contributed to no small amount to BN’s wins in the state.
Is this why Sabah representatives often complain that they are not treated with respect in all the political platforms from the Cabinet to grassroots, including those within their parties?
Today, both sides of the political fence paint Anwar Ibrahim in the same breath as how we saw Pairin Kitingan or PBS in the 80’s.
To begin with, Anwar Ibrahim is no Sabahan. In the 90’s, he was Finance Minister and PM-in-waiting “hero-rised” as a leader with international stature but in small-town Sabah, the people saw him as no more than an errand boy for Tun Dr Mahathir. That said, has there been a credible Sabah leader that has been able to articulate our pain and concerns? Is it really about more representation in the Cabinet and more royalties? Younger generations of Sabahans, unlike previous decades, are less likely to be anti-Federal. Many of them have studied in Peninsular Malaysia in both private and public colleges and universities. They know what is like to live in a greater Malaysia beyond their Sabah shores.
Most also know that the 20-point agreement (signed when Sabah joined Malaysia) cannot be practically implemented if we are to finally come to terms with being part of Malaysia.
But what does it mean to be a Sabahan when two-thirds of the population are illegals? If the BN government does not want the situation to be hijacked by the Opposition, this is the first thing it must address – bring back what matters most to Sabah, our land.
The illegal migrant situation has become so bad that we already have a second, if not third generation of Filipinos and Indonesians born in Sabah. In the name of humanity, I am not sure if we can even morally deport them without causing social mayhem and a localised economic collapse. But we need a definite closure because we need to move on.
“Sabah for Sabahans” conjures a lot of idealism as well as realities for many Sabahans even today but it does not mean we are less proud of who we are and what we still stand for. RESPECT and DIGNITY.
Whoever captures that, gets to rule.
Fui K. Soong is CEO of Institute of Strategic Analysis and Policy Research (INSAP), a think tank of MCA, an organisation dedicated to research on the removal of barriers and bias in policies that impede Malaysian unity, racial harmony and economic prosperity. You can e-mail her at fui4545@yahoo.com.
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