Been thinking a lot, as usual. Have decided to keep silent. If am wanted as a friend, then let them come to me. Let them make the attempt. And if they dont, i will just accept that and allow whatever friendships, if one could call it such, that have been in existence all this while, to just die a natural death.

Somehow or rather, there will tend to be a silver lining in the clouds. Have been communicating with an old chat friend recently. Known the lady for 2 years plus now. 2 years is a long time here online, for me. She's married and has a good hubby. Nice couple they are. But somehow or rather have not been able to meet up with them at KL whenever am there. Its been 7 months since last saw them. I guess when all is done and considered, she's been one rare individual from the online world who's been true, without pretensions, without expectations, and wants to keep the friendship going. Theres never a need to worry about "wayangs" i.e. play-acting, or hidden agendas. We keep in touch because we want to be friends. We've met each others' families. Wonderful parents she has.

So, am reminded, its not all dark and gloomy in the online world. Nice people are around. And these are people whom you dont need to worry that one fine day the person you think is wonderful, turns out to be a monster, or a manipulating creature. Will always wish her well in her life, particularly at this period when she's about to sit for a crucial professional exam. Hope she gets through it and goes on to have a succesful career. This lady deserves it.

Its the end of wednesday. Another hectic day at office. There is uncertainty now. Its unjust how some are in this world. How discriminative things are. Youre rarely judged by the work you produce, but by the "foreign-ness" of the name of your organisation. Just have a foreign affiliation or add a "mat salleh" name to your company's name, and youve practically made it in Malaysia. But when you look at the people behind them, its the same locals producing about the same work as you and i. Its sad how a book is judged by its cover.

While on this, its disgusting a particular organisation which is an multinational financial institution which has a tagline that in so-much of words says its our friendly local friend, refuses to accept services of equally qualified firms. Perhaps its the local-ness of these firms' names. Yet they have the cheek to ask we bend the rules and participate in undercutting of professional fees. Such arm-twisting is getting to be too common nawadays. Makes one wonder when the authorities especially the Central Bank will step in and demand that everything is above board to ensure the impartiality of all parties offering professional services.

Digressing, but i must say the ad for peugeot where the guy transforms his volks to the shape of a peugeot was superb. Definitely creative and eye-catching, not to mention witty.

Another thought crossed the mind. Over the years its apparent its not all that rosy over here. There has seemed to be a glaring lack of sensitivity towards the minorities. There is tremendous expectation for the minority to be highly sensitive towards the majority, but sadly its never reciprocated. In almost every facet of life, while most of the minority would be sensitive towards the feelings and culture of the majority, almost always when things are done by the majority hardly a thought is given to the sensitivities of the former. Someone said a very blunt thing to the Education Minister in the papers today. Dont insult the intelligence of the public. A matriculation system of examination can never equal to the nightmarish STPM exams which cover 1.5 years of syllabus in a single 2 to 3 week exam. The former though would have coursework and assignments which contribute to part of their marks. Even after the outcry last year, we are still going through the same problems this year. Its a simple problem with an even simpler solution. Ensure everyone sits for the STPM, since its of high standards. Then, its an even playing field. Why create situations where the best brains in the country are forced to move out of the country and never return. At the end of the day, wouldnt all of us want the best brains of the country staying within and contributing towards the improvement of this country???