tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433252746738690222024-03-13T12:35:00.606+13:00The Madness of C.A. LeeUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger104125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-643325274673869022.post-75928635197271853042008-12-28T00:22:00.002+13:002008-12-28T00:25:55.935+13:00That's All Folks!Truth be told, I'm sick of the sad sap I've become. I started a new blog recently, and after a couple of posts I realize I much prefer the new content. Unfortunately, they turned out to be much TOO personal to share with everyone, so it'll stay as an anonymous blog.<br /><br />And yup, this is the end of this blog. Thank you to all who has been following so far. I'm getting out of here before I'm trapped in this gloom & doom!<br /><br />Oh and Merry Christmas & Happy New Year everyone!<br /><br />It's a brand new start for me!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-643325274673869022.post-81990779536547162932008-11-28T01:49:00.002+13:002008-11-28T01:57:14.972+13:00TadaI pass the year, but I got tagged for surgery and required to do a directed elective for medicine.<br /><br />Yes I'm that bad. Watch out world, there's a dubious doctor in the making.<br /><br />The annoying thing is, I have absolutely no idea how to improve on all these assessments. I just feel so... left out of the loop.<br /><br />Have to survive next year. How?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-643325274673869022.post-38560617583463338352008-11-12T17:34:00.003+13:002008-11-12T17:41:13.355+13:00PASSEDI passed. Barely. But passed.<br /><br />Now I'm torn between just stay as far as I can from Medicine for the holidays, or start preparing for my final year in med school. My results have been going steadily downhill right back since <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">sem</span> 4 in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">IMU</span>, and now that I've reached the point where I've just barely missed the failing line, I can't afford to be complacent anymore.<br /><br />I'll definitely take a break once I get registered as a doctor. Maybe get myself involve in some research. Or perhaps some light teaching back in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">IMU</span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Facilitating</span> PBLs sounds like a fun way to earn some money.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-643325274673869022.post-32710038039217776502008-11-10T01:04:00.001+13:002008-11-10T01:06:10.961+13:00FearBut I fear<br />I have nothing to give<br />And I have so much to lose<br />Here in this lonely place<br />Tangled up in our embrace<br />There's nothing I'd like<br />Better than to fall<br /><br />- lyrics from 'Fear', by Sarah McLachlanUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-643325274673869022.post-6635732862462766572008-10-26T04:37:00.004+13:002008-10-26T04:41:53.688+13:00AchievementI helped a friend getting his first job at a prestigious company. Giving him tips on what to expect in the job interview, how to handle some of the commonly-asked questions, and most significantly, proof-reading & correct all the errors in his all his mail to the company when he was applying for the job. I'm really happy for him for getting that job.<br /><br />That small contribution I've made gives me a sense of achievement. Something I have never felt ever since I've entered med school 5 years ago.<br /><br />...Sometimes I pity myself.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-643325274673869022.post-31637090890973113082008-10-23T04:38:00.002+13:002008-10-23T04:40:19.000+13:00ramblingoh why why do i study medicine no time not enough time to finish study everything omg i need sleep it's 4.38am and exam's on 2.15pm but shit i still haven't cover so much omg i dowanna fail cost too much bloody 120000 ringgit cannot be gone to waste not to mention my loan which i have to return no no no please no i need to pass this badly omg i should sleep no i should study i'm going madUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-643325274673869022.post-19512473640049183052008-10-22T04:34:00.000+13:002008-10-22T04:35:38.415+13:00I'm lost......in a sea of drugs!!!<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KXROnzpsrlg&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KXROnzpsrlg&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />ARGH!!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-643325274673869022.post-41029981903881130612008-10-15T15:20:00.002+13:002008-10-15T15:24:52.986+13:00Memories of Spring @ One Tree Hill<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi7BTwFQ2Aj_MDNkO5NrTAJA5KCZCg2dqhV28f-4CAkl1HmgkMp4O743ebWelE04VIVUIUW7fFYhEBi2I4r7WgcgvuDYsl50C9zg3YtJxhzKyoQjT9nzQ9Ygl7Nxl3dNDVCl_nlhndrbY/s1600-h/CIMG3320.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi7BTwFQ2Aj_MDNkO5NrTAJA5KCZCg2dqhV28f-4CAkl1HmgkMp4O743ebWelE04VIVUIUW7fFYhEBi2I4r7WgcgvuDYsl50C9zg3YtJxhzKyoQjT9nzQ9Ygl7Nxl3dNDVCl_nlhndrbY/s400/CIMG3320.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257200595440040786" border="0" /></a><span><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=38848&l=5095d&id=506321725"><center>http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=38848&l=5095d&id=506321725</center></a></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-643325274673869022.post-37054483378932200572008-10-14T21:46:00.002+13:002008-10-14T21:56:06.563+13:00Motivation from MozartThank God for Mozart. When I just can't go on with my studies anymore, his music is the only thing that still motivates me to soldier onwards.<br /><br />Especially his final completed masterpiece, the 4th movement of his Symphony No.41 in C Major (K. 551). Woody Allen once said that the piece proves the existence of God. While I think that's an overstatement, the piece is nothing short of a glorious testament to the genius that is Mozart.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Fcly8-RGhgw&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Fcly8-RGhgw&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-643325274673869022.post-51223056121361454332008-10-14T16:16:00.003+13:002008-10-14T16:21:04.301+13:00It'll soon be overWhile it may seemed that I have stop blogging bcuz I'm losing interest in it, truth is I just don't want to whine incessantly in my blog, which is what that will happen if I am to write down my thoughts and feelings for the past few months. Yes things have been rough, but thank God it'll all end soon.<br /><br />Finals will start at 18/10 with Paper A, Paper B at 23/10, and OSCE on the 28/10. And hopefully this is the only time I have to take these tests, as I certainly don't have the will to repeat 5th year again. I have enough of struggling through med school. About time to learn by being part of the workforce.<br /><br />I need a break. A very long break.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-643325274673869022.post-43222615902016565212008-10-08T00:36:00.000+13:002008-10-08T00:37:05.631+13:00Toy Story 2... or The Dark Knight??<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7QFWBFIEuig&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7QFWBFIEuig&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-643325274673869022.post-27336315743252970452008-10-06T04:12:00.001+13:002008-10-06T04:12:24.578+13:00I WANT MY LIFE BACKUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-643325274673869022.post-1833773415608685632008-10-02T21:07:00.000+13:002008-10-02T21:08:45.367+13:00Proud AmericanGuys, this is SOOOOOO funny, I have to share it with everyone!!!<br /><br />Here's a trailer of an IMAX film, Proud American.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/T1GO-Jlfa58&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/T1GO-Jlfa58&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />In case you're wondering, no this is <span style="font-weight: bold;">not</span> a joke, it's a real movie!<br /><br />Guess how did it perform in the box office?<br /><br />Open in 750 cinemas, its total gross is $96,076, or $128 per venue — one of the worst for any wide release in the US!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-643325274673869022.post-70960491781496703832008-09-19T01:19:00.001+12:002008-09-19T01:22:39.502+12:00Mother & Daughter<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGHMUqxqflray0u0ZUI0e4DCbRNYdbg2lhJrIU2P0nkYLGPrYkZUkxcYPwzYmmhd_P_5P44RF3s9B6UFRa2anVldLPo8Qbb-SX-FBDxx-BxQz65fS0DYo9T-3VJAAuikAGdK__opZXpFc/s1600-h/gwyneth_paltrow_and_mother_blythe_danner-320x425.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGHMUqxqflray0u0ZUI0e4DCbRNYdbg2lhJrIU2P0nkYLGPrYkZUkxcYPwzYmmhd_P_5P44RF3s9B6UFRa2anVldLPo8Qbb-SX-FBDxx-BxQz65fS0DYo9T-3VJAAuikAGdK__opZXpFc/s400/gwyneth_paltrow_and_mother_blythe_danner-320x425.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247350798039482850" border="0" /></a>Gwyneth Paltrow and Blythe Danner. Mother & daughter.<br /><br />Beautiful picture. Beautiful women.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-643325274673869022.post-18200459587733844032008-09-12T08:41:00.001+12:002008-09-12T08:42:56.458+12:00My Watch StoppedMy watch stopped. At Sept 11, 2008. The hands point to 6:05:21 (pm presumably). For the first time since I bought it years ago.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-643325274673869022.post-26850929999964368962008-09-09T06:29:00.002+12:002008-09-09T06:38:47.707+12:00The Point of No ReturnThe latest turn of events in Malaysian politics is disturbing, to say the least.<br /><br />Source: Malaysiakini<br /><br /><blockquote><p><a href="http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/89318" target="_blank"><strong>Don’t be like American Jews, Chinese told</strong></a></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Penang Umno leader Ahmad Ismail, the man at the centre of the ‘racial slur’ controversy, warned Chinese Malaysians not to mimic American Jews who not only seek to control the country’s economy but also its political power.</p> <div style="margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; left: 0pt; top: 0pt; position: absolute; visibility: hidden; text-align: justify;">MCPX<img style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" src="http://media1.malaysiakini.com/track/?id=c3lhaGpq" alt="" width="1" align="left" height="1" /></div> <p style="text-align: justify;">In an explosive 50-minute press conference, Ahmad who claimed time and again that he was not a racist, vowed that he would not apologise for his remarks which sparked the controversy.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">“While it is not difficult to say sorry - for the sake of my Malay dignity, I resolve not to apologise no matter what others may say. I am willing to take the risk (for not doing so),” he said in a 14-page statement.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><img title="ahmad ismail umno bukit bendera penang pc take down koh tsu koon photo stunt 080908 sequence" src="http://media1.malaysiakini.com/141/a189d1b6fff0fc200955c9f0eae202d5.jpg" alt="ahmad ismail umno bukit bendera penang pc take down koh tsu koon photo stunt 080908 sequence" width="300" align="right" height="576" />The press conference, which was held at the Penang Umno headquarters this afternoon, ended with shouts of ‘Hidup Melayu’ from about 50 local party leaders who were there.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Soon after the event, former Penang Umno committee member Zainol Abidin Hashim, with the help from his colleagues pulled down the photo of Gerakan acting president Dr Koh Tsu Koon which adorned one of the walls in the party headquarters.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Koh’s picture frame, which sat next to the photos of the Penang governor and his wife, was subsequently smashed.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">As the glass broke into pieces, Zainol removed Koh’s photo from the frame and tore it into half.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Koh, who is former Penang chief minister, has been trading barbs with Ahmad, the Bukit Bendera Umno division chief, over the issue.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">In a hastily-organised press conference at 10.30pm, Koh announced that Penang Gerakan had decided to cut all ties with its counterpart effective immediately.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">He said that he was disappointed in the “rude behaviour” of Umno leaders at their press conference.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Earlier, Ahmad told the minority Chinese not to go overboard in hurting the feelings of the Malays and Muslims.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">“I want them to know, I want them to take this as a warning from the Malays. Malays and Muslims have been provoked many times. We have been patient because we want to maintain stability in the country,” he said.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">“Remember! The patience of Malays and Muslims has its limits. Do not push us to the wall, where we will be forced to reject the Chinese for the sake of our survival.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">“If what I say sounds too strong for BN, take this as a warning from the Malays and Muslims as this has nothing to do with Umno. Do not pressure Umno leaders until they are caught in a dilemma.”</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">He then sounded a dire warning to Koh and Gerakan.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">“I want Koh Tsu Koon and Gerakan to take responsibility for whatever untoward incidents that could happen in this country of ours.”</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Ahmad also called upon BN leaders to “kick Gerakan out” from the ruling coalition.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">The Bukit Bendera Umno chief said that he was asked by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to hold “another press conference”.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Ahmad previously <a href="http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/89166" target="_blank"><strong>held a press conference</strong></a> last Friday in which he reiterated that he would not apologise for his remarks.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Abdullah (<em>photo, right</em>), who had earlier told the powerful local Umno leader to do so, was <a href="http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/89243" target="_blank"><strong>silent on the issue</strong></a> the next day when he met with Penang Umno leaders, including Ahmad.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Ahmad, who was backed by all 13 Umno divisions in Penang - Abdullah’s home state - thanked the prime minister for his “understanding”.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">The controversy erupted after Ahmad had allegedly said that the “Chinese were immigrants squatting in this country” at a ceramah during the recent Permatang Pauh by-election campaign.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">The speech caused Ahmad to come under heavy fire from Chinese-based political parties, particularly from Umno’s allies MCA and Gerakan over the past two weeks. A spate of police reports were also lodged against the Umno division leader.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Ahmad nevertheless argued that his remark was taken out of context by Chinese-language <em>Sin Chew Daily</em><strong> </strong>as he was referring to historical events.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">At the press conference, Ahmad also urged the different states to hold a gathering of the whole <em>ummah </em>(Muslim community).</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">“Let us not let it go to waste as the flames of anger among Malays and Muslims has reached new heights. Let us take embrace this anger and come together as Malays and Muslims throughout the land so that we can turn the voices of the Malays into one that will unite all Malays and Muslims into one single movement.”</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">In an immediate reaction, both Abdullah and Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak are expected to meet Ahmad tomorrow. It is believed that action could be taken against the Umno leader.</p> </blockquote><br /><br />This is clearly getting out of hand. Ahmad Ismail should not have turn a personal issue into a vendetta across racial lines. It is obvious he is trying to incite racial tension ala May 13 style, and I do hope that Malaysians are wise enough now not to fall for it. Otherwise, there will be no home for me to return to this coming November...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-643325274673869022.post-61230714119003598262008-09-08T19:35:00.003+12:002008-09-08T19:39:36.734+12:00Coming of the Day of ReckoningA dramatic "last article" from Raja Petra, before his imminent detention under the ISA:<br /><a href="http://mt.m2day.org/2008/content/view/12273/84/"><br /><strong>Is Anwar Unstoppable?</strong></a><br /><br />I pretty much agree with him about Anwar's status. Either he'll be victorious, or he'll crash and burn.<br /><br />September 16, 2008 seems like forever...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-643325274673869022.post-1951434124802061672008-09-04T23:44:00.009+12:002008-09-05T00:00:29.308+12:00News from home...<a href="http://www.thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2008/9/4/central/1944192&sec=central"><br /></a><div style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:georgia;" ><a href="http://www.thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2008/9/4/central/1944192&sec=central">Condo residents in a bind</a></span> </span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />(NST September 4, 2008)</span></span><br /></div><p style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">ILLEGAL food peddlers hawking on pedestrian walkways, road kerbs and public parking bays in front of the Vista Komanwel B Condo-minium at Bukit Jalil National Stadium are making life miserable for the residents living there.<br /></span></p> <p style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">The hawkers, who hail from different parts of the city, have chosen the spot because of the lucrative business in the area.<br /></span></p> <p style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">The area in front of the condominium, which is located opposite the International Medical University (IMU), has become a sort of food paradise for students from the university.<br /></span></p> <p style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">According to residents interviewed by the StarMetro, stalls have sprung up like mushrooms along pedestrian walkways and road kerbs and they operate in the mornings and evenings.<br /></span></p><center style="font-family:georgia;"><p><span style="font-size:100%;"><img src="http://www.thestar.com.my/archives/2008/9/4/central/m_pg03bukitjalil.jpg" /></span></p></center><p style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">“All these are happening along a busy four-lane road, which has been reduced to two lanes by illegal hawkers and customers who double park to buy food from them,’’ said Vista Komanwel resident Michelle Tan.<br /></span></p> <p style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">“Pedestrians are forced to walk on the road, thus exposing themselves to danger from incoming traffic. It is also unhygienic and with neither proper toilets nor fresh water facilities,’’ said Tan, adding that waste is just thrown down the drain.<br /></span></p> <p style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Residents are worried that apart from mosquitoes, rats would soon be making an appearance in their once serene neighbourhood.<br /></span></p> <p style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">The Joint Management Committee of the Vista Komanwel B had on numerous occasions written to DBKL to complain about the illegal hawking going on in the area but apart from sending some enforcement staff to check out the situation, nothing was done to solve the problem.<br /></span></p><center style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img src="http://www.thestar.com.my/archives/2008/9/4/central/m_pg03walk.jpg" /></span></center><p style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">“Our quality of life has dropped. The situation has caused us all much distress. Apart from the hygiene and smoke emission from the open cooking, the value of our properties have depreciated,’’ said resident Jason Ong.<br /></span></p> <p style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">When StarMetro visited the area recently, many mobile stalls were visible in the area. One particular stall had placed at least 30 tables and chairs right on top of pedestrian walkways.<br /></span></p> <p style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">The stall operates from noon until midnight every day except Sundays. What’s interesting is the fact that the stall operator has even erected a makeshift toilet built over a metal grille covering of a drain.<br /></span></p> <p style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">At other spots, stall operators have placed their food containers and utensils on planter boxes, damaging the plants.<br /></span></p> <p style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">One stall owner even upgraded his ‘service’ by carpeting a stretch of the pedestrian walkway!<br /></span></p> <p style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">“It is not fair that as ratepayers we are denied the right to live in a clean and tranquil manner,” Ong said, adding that something must be done about the matter.</span></p></blockquote></div><p></p><p></p>It's amusing to see how after so much changes has happened to my old campus, something always remains the same. >=)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-643325274673869022.post-7164343141998584542008-08-12T01:54:00.001+12:002008-08-12T01:57:09.068+12:00Between Envy and FearWritten by Martin Khor<br />Published in the News Straits Time, 11th of August 2008<br /><br /><p><b></b></p><blockquote style="font-family: arial;"><p>The Olympic Games has had a spectacular launch. The thrills and spills of the next fortnight are mixed with complex feelings, especially in the West, about the rise of the host country.</p> <p>FOR the next fortnight, the Olympic Games will dominate not only the news but also the television and Internet attention of hundreds of millions around the world.</p> <p>The “greatest show on earth” was launched in Beijing last Friday, and the spectacular opening ceremony is still being talked about by many.</p> <p>It was shrewd of the Chinese authorities to get the country’s top film director to plan the extravaganza, which became an impressive showcase of the country’s history and present development.</p> <p>While this opening and the new magnificent sports buildings, especially the “Bird’s Nest” stadium, won the acclaim of many, not least the reportedly billions of people who watched the show on TV, the whole Olympics being held in China also attracted sharp criticism, notably from the Western press.</p> <p>The<i> Times</i> (London) said the Olympics was a subtle agenda for a dictatorship to overcome its crisis of legitimacy. It added that the US$40bil (RM132bil) propaganda coup is paid for by the masses the politicians are seeking to keep in check who have no choice but to cough up.</p> <p>“No democratic government at China’s stage of economic development would have had the will or the gall for such extravagance,” said the <i>Times</i>.</p> <p>The claim of the paper is that the Chinese people, if only they could freely voice their feelings, are angry about how their money is being wasted on the Olympics.</p> <p>Yet the paper contradicts itself by stating that the Olympics is used as propaganda by the government to win political legitimacy. In other words, the extravagant show makes it popular with the masses.</p> <p>The reality, as affirmed in many a report, is that the Olympics has been largely welcomed by the people in China, who are filled with pride at another “coming of age” of their country on the world stage.</p> <p>Whether the vast amount of money and human resources that have gone into the Olympics could have been better spent is of course a legitimate subject of debate as it always has been when any large games – be it the Olympics or the World Cup, or the Commonwealth Games or Asian Games – is held, especially in a developing country, where there are competing uses of resources, such as building homes and schools for the poor.</p> <p>However, China currently arouses especially strong feelings among the governments and people in the Western world.</p> <p>This is usually dressed in the garb of caring for the human rights of the poor Chinese people, who are often portrayed as being victimised for the country’s development and the supposed personal glory of the political leaders.</p> <p>But it is hard to deny the other view, that the development in the past 60 years of the highest-populated country has eradicated more poverty than elsewhere.</p> <p>And whatever we think of the social unevenness and the environmental degradation accompanying the prolific economic growth of the past 10 to 20 years, it has also contributed to realising the economic and social rights of many hundreds of millions of ordinary Chinese.</p> <p>And that in itself – transforming the image and reality of China from being populated with starving and malnourished people into a thriving developing country – has also contributed to the realisation of economic and social rights of humanity, given the gigantic size of its population.</p> <p>Much more of course can be done to promote civic and political rights and freedoms, to cater to the legitimate interests and rights of minorities, to resolve the problems in Tibet, and so many other issues.</p> <p>The urgent need to resolve these kinds of problems can be said of many other countries, too, including in the developed world.</p> <p>Awe and mutual cooperation, rather then envy and anger, characterise Asean’s view of China.</p> <p>African countries have recently viewed China as an additional and welcome source of finance and investment.</p> <p>Though there may be some worry about over-dependence on China, there is more goodwill than fear because China is a major and growing market for the continent’s commodity exports, and its finance comes without the onerous (and often erroneous) conditions that accompany Western and International Monetary Fund financing.</p> <p>The criticisms against China come mainly from the West. One can’t help but feel that the real source of this is envy and fear. Envy at the 10% plus growth rates, the huge trade surpluses and the gigantic foreign reserves, a bit of which has been used to buy equity in Western companies.</p> <p>Fear that the balance of world power is shifting to Asia, especially to China, and Western hegemony, including of its culture and civilisation, is significantly slipping.</p> <p>In fact, China has made itself vulnerable by holding so much of its foreign reserves, which are approaching US$2tril (RM6.6tril) in US Treasury bills.</p> <p>If the US dollar depreciates significantly, China stands to lose many billions (even hundreds of billions) of dollars in terms of its capacity to import from (or buy assets) in other countries.</p> <p>The growing dependence of the United States on China, its large trade deficit, and the shifting of US companies’ operations to China, makes this country a source of fear, especially of American workers losing their jobs.</p> <p>Firstly, this is the reason for the growing protectionist sentiments in America, and secondly it may be an underlying factor for the expression of contempt for the political structures in China.</p> <p>We can expect to see more of these complex feelings, mixed up with the thrills and spills of the sporting events, throughout the rest of the Beijing Olympic Games.</p></blockquote><p style="font-family: arial;"></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-643325274673869022.post-68774922808878931472008-08-09T16:03:00.003+12:002008-08-09T16:09:18.119+12:00Protest in MalaysiaIf you held a protest without a permit against the government to demand for a fair election, the police arrests you.<br /><br />If you held a protest without a permit against the Bar Council helding an open forum on 'Conversion to Islam', the police cuts short the forum.<br /><br />...WTF?!?!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-643325274673869022.post-39350606809619583102008-08-03T14:10:00.004+12:002008-08-03T14:18:17.410+12:00My Birthday Gift to All!My birthday gift to any readers out there: <a href="http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-fold-a-t-shirt-in-2-seconds">How to fold a T-shirt in 2 seconds!<br /></a><br /><center><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=7,0,0,0" id="vjplayer02082008" width="400" height="345" align="middle" allowfullscreen="true"><param name="movie" value="http://www.videojug.com/film/player?id=fff10dd2-77ee-04da-ead0-ff0008c88e85"><param value="true" name="allowFullScreen"><param value="always" name="allowScriptAccess"><embed src="http://www.videojug.com/film/player?id=fff10dd2-77ee-04da-ead0-ff0008c88e85" quality="high" width="400" height="345" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-fold-a-t-shirt-in-2-seconds">How To Fold A T-Shirt In 2 Seconds</a></center><br /><br />For those who can't quite catch it, <a href="http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-fold-a-t-shirt-in-2-seconds-explained">here's a proper how to</a>.<br /><br /><center><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=7,0,0,0" id="vjplayer02082008" width="400" height="345" align="middle" allowfullscreen="true"><param name="movie" value="http://www.videojug.com/film/player?id=8e5bf146-3c4b-00b0-6c56-ff0008c8d892"><param value="true" name="allowFullScreen"><param value="always" name="allowScriptAccess"><embed src="http://www.videojug.com/film/player?id=8e5bf146-3c4b-00b0-6c56-ff0008c8d892" quality="high" width="400" height="345" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-fold-a-t-shirt-in-2-seconds-explained">How To Fold A T-Shirt In 2 Seconds - Explained</a></center><br /><br />Hope you find it as useful as I do! ;)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-643325274673869022.post-65965187985356108692008-08-02T23:08:00.001+12:002008-08-02T23:10:08.750+12:00Obsolete TechsIt's hard to come by articles that are both amusing AND educational. But here's one!<br /><a href="http://www.cracked.com/article_16518_tech-zombies-6-technologies-that-dont-know-theyre-dead.html"><br /></a><h1 style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cracked.com/article_16518_tech-zombies-6-technologies-that-dont-know-theyre-dead.html">Tech Zombies: 6 Technologies That Don't Know They're Dead</a></h1>Enjoy! ;)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-643325274673869022.post-53568232727196733062008-07-29T23:33:00.001+12:002008-07-29T23:35:04.566+12:00no no i can't allow this to repeat again in another run i have to move on grow up already thom time and tide waits for no one what done is done take action now get it done final 2 weeks then u'll have a break things can still be salvaged if you act now so act now now now WAKE UPUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-643325274673869022.post-86708255578244112912008-07-10T20:50:00.003+12:002008-07-10T20:51:55.870+12:00FailI didn't make it.<br /><br />Surprisingly it wasn't as devastating as I thought it'll be.<br /><br />I'm given a second chance, and I'm confident I'll do alright then.<br /><br />Time to wake up to reality Thom.<br /><br />The clock is ticking.<br /><br />Earn it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-643325274673869022.post-14456252352874053072008-07-04T13:53:00.003+12:002008-07-04T13:54:19.285+12:00High AnxietyI couldn't bear to hear the truth. My ego will be in shatters if I didn't make it. But neither can I persist in this state of limbo before the truth finally boils out.<br /><br />I've got to make the call. But I dare not.<br /><br />God help me.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1