How indeed time has passed. This is still here. Will need to print out and let the kids have a read, and laugh.
Life has thrown many curved balls in my direction. Some have been painful hits. Some have been valuable lessons to be remembered. Being contented alone and comfortable with the choices one makes in life is important. Let others be. Moving away from those who are not worth the time has been quite easy. Doing the right thing and being loyal to the organisation is rarely appreciated. But these are things one do not because one wants to be appreciated, but because that is what needs to be done. It is never about gaining popularity or seeking positions.
So as time passes, one's priorities in life changes further. The next generation needs to be rigorously trained to step up. That itself is a challenge as the need to constantly learn is something many fail to realise.
Friday, November 09, 2018
Tuesday, June 04, 2013
Almost half a year gone...the rat race goes on
Life is a rush, with hardly moments to savour. When the earlier post was done in January, it was one done after 4 years being away. Now its been another 4 months plus since. The rat race goes on, still on a frantic pace.
When at one moment we felt as though 2012 went by just like that, suddenly part of 2013 itself is gone. The market has gone mad, in that it has transformed into a casino. If at one time last year I wrote to an economist that speculation is bad, now I am even more convinced the need to enhance regulation and to save humankind from the excessive greed of uncontrolled capitalism. While the authorities seem to say the property sector is not a key sector in this southern region, it is unfortunately the prime focus of much money.
The rest of the year is expected to be challenging. Very challenging. Demand is still very strong. Interest rates still low.
The kids are older now, in standard 6 and 5. Another phase of life. Another set of challenges as parents. I am very proud of them, of who they have turned out to be and what they are achieving in their lives.
Off to bed, an early drive to KL.
When at one moment we felt as though 2012 went by just like that, suddenly part of 2013 itself is gone. The market has gone mad, in that it has transformed into a casino. If at one time last year I wrote to an economist that speculation is bad, now I am even more convinced the need to enhance regulation and to save humankind from the excessive greed of uncontrolled capitalism. While the authorities seem to say the property sector is not a key sector in this southern region, it is unfortunately the prime focus of much money.
The rest of the year is expected to be challenging. Very challenging. Demand is still very strong. Interest rates still low.
The kids are older now, in standard 6 and 5. Another phase of life. Another set of challenges as parents. I am very proud of them, of who they have turned out to be and what they are achieving in their lives.
Off to bed, an early drive to KL.
Thursday, January 03, 2013
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
From Kit.- DAP and Malay rights
Interesting read. I cant find any fault in his thinking.
As far Malay special rights, I declared the DAP’s stand on Article 153 in my first speech in Parliament on February 23, 1971, where I said:
“The DAP has also been accused of opposing special rights for Malays. We again invite the government to produce a single instance from our speeches and statements to show that we have opposed efforts to raise the economic standards of living of Malays.
“As democratic socialists, we are dedicated to the abolition of poverty and economic backwardness regardless of race. We want to create a classless community of Malaysians based on fellowship, co-operation and service, where there is no exploitation of man by man, class by class or race by race.
“We support any measure which will help better the lot of the Malay poor. But we are strongly opposed to the use of Malay special rights to enrich the new Malay rich to make them richer, while the mass of peasantry and poor are exploited as ever.”
In my first speech in Parliament more than 37 years ago, I stressed that the basic problem in Malaysia was an economic and class one, and not a racial problem.
I warned: “Any attempt to impose racial theories and solutions to basically socio-economic problems of the have-nots is dangerous as it will pit one race against another, which must culminate in a racial holocaust. It will also be founded on the monstrous falsehood that all the haves in Malaysia are non-Malays, while the Malays are the have-nots.”
Those who are interested to know more of what I said in Parliament in that first debate after the lifting of 21-month suspension of Parliament following the May 13 riots should look up my first book, “Time Bombs in Malaysia” published in 1978 or wait for a 30-year Reprint expected by the end of the year.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
I am tired.. physically and mentally
This has not been a great year, notwithstanding the wonderful times I've spent with my two beautiful girls. They have been the saving grace. Without them, I would have lost my sanity. Not that there was much there in the first place. At the beginning of the year, reading some horoscopes, there was doom and gloom painted in relationships. I didnt pay much attention to that. But the past few months has been very very difficult for me. I am not able to control the anger and disappointment within. There has been too many unpleasant issues which never seem to disappear.
Where is life headed towards? I have no idea. I cant bear to foresee worst case scenarios. There is emptiness again and again. Do I go into escapism again, like in the late 90s and pay the price. As much as it would be damn interesting, the spirit within just doesnt seem to have the will to do anything. Each day starts and ends. Almost everyday is about the same. D and K's smiles and laughter, and the occasional mischief, about the only spark. The melodramatic me surfaces more regularly. I look at his photo and say within how I feel I have failed.
I am at a loss at times. I have decided not to take up the shares offered to me. Given a bit more time, I would have been able to, but looking at the present issues at hand, I decided to decline. Time will tell if I made a mistake. It doesnt matter now. I need distractions. More time on work. Longer hours here in the office perhaps. Drinking more could be more fun but it wouldnt change a thing. So, its one day at a time. I need to find peace within.
On another note, K has just finished her K2 and will be going to Standard 1 next Jan. D finished second in school in her finals, way way above our initial expectations. Both have grown into different characters. D being the responsible caring type but still hyper sensitive and emotional. K being the playful and mischievious one who is so very ticklish.
Where is life headed towards? I have no idea. I cant bear to foresee worst case scenarios. There is emptiness again and again. Do I go into escapism again, like in the late 90s and pay the price. As much as it would be damn interesting, the spirit within just doesnt seem to have the will to do anything. Each day starts and ends. Almost everyday is about the same. D and K's smiles and laughter, and the occasional mischief, about the only spark. The melodramatic me surfaces more regularly. I look at his photo and say within how I feel I have failed.
I am at a loss at times. I have decided not to take up the shares offered to me. Given a bit more time, I would have been able to, but looking at the present issues at hand, I decided to decline. Time will tell if I made a mistake. It doesnt matter now. I need distractions. More time on work. Longer hours here in the office perhaps. Drinking more could be more fun but it wouldnt change a thing. So, its one day at a time. I need to find peace within.
On another note, K has just finished her K2 and will be going to Standard 1 next Jan. D finished second in school in her finals, way way above our initial expectations. Both have grown into different characters. D being the responsible caring type but still hyper sensitive and emotional. K being the playful and mischievious one who is so very ticklish.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Of fave songs..
One of fave songs for the past few months..... I keep listening in the car...
And the all time fave would still be:
This comes a close second:
Yup. I can be very mushy mushy beneath the tough shell.
This time, This place
Misused, Mistakes
Too long too late
Who was I to make you wait
Just one chance
Just one breath
Just in case there's just one left
'Cause you know, you know, you know
I love you
I've loved you all along
I miss you
Been far away for far too long
I keep dreaming you'll be with me
And you'll never go
Stop breathing if
I don't see you anymore
On my knees, I'll ask
Last chance for one last dance
'Cause with you, I'd withstand
All of Hell to hold your hand
I'd give it all
I'd give for us
Give anything, but I won't give up
'Cause you know, you know, you know
That I love you
I loved you all along
And I miss you
Been far away for far too long
I keep dreaming you'll be with me
And you'd never go
Stop breathing if
I don't see you anymore
So far away
So far away
Far away for far too long
So far away
So far away
Far away for far too long
But you know, you know, you know
I wanted
I wanted you to stay
'Cause I needed
I need to hear you say
I love you
I loved you all along
And I forgive you
For being away for far too long
So keep breathing
'Cause I'm not leaving you anymore
Believe it
Hold on to me,and never let me go
Keep breathing
'Cause I'm not leaving you anymore
Believe it
Hold on to me never let me go
Keep breathing
Hold on to me, never let me go
Keep breathing
Hold on to me, never let me go
Nickelback, Far Away
And the all time fave would still be:
If a picture paints a thousand words,
then why can't I paint you?
The words will never show,
the you I've come to know.
If a face could launch a thousand ships,
then where am I to go?
There's no one home but you,
You're all that's left me too.
And when, my love, for life is running dry,
You come, and pour, yourself, on me.
If a man could be two places at one time I'd be with you.
Tomorrow and today, beside you all the way.
If the world should stop revolving spinning slowly down to die,
I'd spend the end with you,
and when the world was through,
Then one, by one, the stars would all go out
And you, and I, would simply fly away
David Gates: If
This comes a close second:
Met my old lover in the grocery store
The snow was falling christmas eve
I stole behind her in the frozen foods
And I touched her on the sleeve
She didn’t recognize the face at first
But then her eyes flew open wide
She went to hug me and she spilled her purse
And we laughed until we cried.
We took her groceries to the checkout stand
The food was totalled up and bagged
We stood there lost in our embarrassment
As the conversation dragged.
We went to have ourselves a drink or two
But couldn’t find an open bar
We bought a six-pack at the liquor store
And we drank it in her car.
We drank a toast to innocence
We drank a toast to now
And tried to reach beyond the emptiness
But neither one knew how.
She said she’d married her an architect
Who kept her warm and safe and dry
She would have liked to say she loved the man
But she didn’t like to lie.
I said the years had been a friend to her
And that her eyes were still as blue
But in those eyes I wasn’t sure if I saw
Doubt or gratitude.
She said she saw me in the record stores
And that I must be doing well
I said the audience was heavenly
But the traveling was hell.
We drank a toast to innocence
We drank a toast to now
And tried to reach beyond the emptiness
But neither one knew how.
We drank a toast to innocence
We drank a toast to time
Reliving in our eloquence
Another ’auld lang syne’...
The beer was empty and our tongues were tired
And running out of things to say
She gave a kiss to me as I got out
And I watched her drive away.
Just for a moment I was back at school
And felt that old familiar pain
And as I turned to make my way back home
The snow turned into rain --Dan Fogelberg
Same Old Lang Syne
Yup. I can be very mushy mushy beneath the tough shell.
Some quotes
"I have learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel", Maya Angelou, The Rotarian magazine 9/2008.
"Death at a Funeral" is a gem of a comedy movie. The following was said at the end...
"Death at a Funeral" is a gem of a comedy movie. The following was said at the end...
' My father was an exceptional man. He may not have been the perfect man but he was a good man. And he loved us. All I wanted to do today was to give him a dignified send-off. Maybe he had done things he liked to do. Life isn't simple. Its complicated. We're all thrown in here together in a world full of chaos and confused , a world full of questions and no answers. Death always lingering around the corner. 'Yes, its not a perfect write. A bit corny here and there. It was a send-off by a son horrified to find out during the funeral his dad had an affair with a male midget. Disregard the comedy of it all. The words brought back memories.
'And we do our best. We can only do our best and my dad did his best. He always tried to tell me that you have to go for what you want in life, because you never know how long you've gonna be here. And whether you succeed or fail, the most important thing is to have tried. '
'A parent can only guide you in the right direction. In the end, you have to learn for yourself. You have to grow up yourself. So when you all leave here today, I would like you to remember my father for who he really was.'
'A decent loving man. If only we could be as giving and as generous and as understanding as my father was, then the world would be a far better place.'
Monday, September 22, 2008
I am naive
I am many things. Short tempered, nice, angry, unforgiving, generous, I could go on (stop me..stop me... ). Am not in self-denial (almost all of the time). Failing to get my butt off the chair and do my medical checkup, thinking that I am in perfect health, isnt self-denial. I think I am in good health.
But, I am also naive. Naive to think that the right people will always do all the right things always. That people holding positions of authority will act fearlessly, impartially, as custodians of the trust given.
Two months ago, I shot off an email enquiring why a certain project was undertaken by a professional body ( who shall remain nameless for obvious reasons). This professional body wanted to present awards to top achievers of certain public school exams. However, no mention was made in their literature on the amount, the number of awards nor the criteria for assessing the achievment. Nor whether it was going to be a yearly affair. Perhaps because the financial state of the body was healthy nobody thought about these issues. The awards however was restricted solely on members of the body.
All nominations were supposed to be sent within a few days to a person within the committtee.
The function went on, 3 awards given and now its been 2 months and there has been no reply.
It seems, about RM50 was given to each student. Now, personally, I thought RM50 wasnt a big deal. Small amount for fairly well-to-do members/parents. Perhaps the RM50 would have been a major bonus for a poor high achiever. I was also told the two of the kids had a parent sitting in the committee. One of whom received and compiled the nominations. All these info surfaces, after I had sent my first email.
Now, I regret sending the email. And regret sending a reminder earlier today on why theres been no reply for two months. It is moments like this that I feel the crab in me wanting to go sit quietly under a coconut shell or rock, and watch the world pass by.
On a lighter note, two straight nights at Cabana last weekend! It was fun. To just stand there and feel the vibrations (and secondary smoke). To just not think of anything. To just listen to the music. It was a nice escape from the real world.
But, I am also naive. Naive to think that the right people will always do all the right things always. That people holding positions of authority will act fearlessly, impartially, as custodians of the trust given.
Two months ago, I shot off an email enquiring why a certain project was undertaken by a professional body ( who shall remain nameless for obvious reasons). This professional body wanted to present awards to top achievers of certain public school exams. However, no mention was made in their literature on the amount, the number of awards nor the criteria for assessing the achievment. Nor whether it was going to be a yearly affair. Perhaps because the financial state of the body was healthy nobody thought about these issues. The awards however was restricted solely on members of the body.
All nominations were supposed to be sent within a few days to a person within the committtee.
The function went on, 3 awards given and now its been 2 months and there has been no reply.
It seems, about RM50 was given to each student. Now, personally, I thought RM50 wasnt a big deal. Small amount for fairly well-to-do members/parents. Perhaps the RM50 would have been a major bonus for a poor high achiever. I was also told the two of the kids had a parent sitting in the committee. One of whom received and compiled the nominations. All these info surfaces, after I had sent my first email.
Now, I regret sending the email. And regret sending a reminder earlier today on why theres been no reply for two months. It is moments like this that I feel the crab in me wanting to go sit quietly under a coconut shell or rock, and watch the world pass by.
On a lighter note, two straight nights at Cabana last weekend! It was fun. To just stand there and feel the vibrations (and secondary smoke). To just not think of anything. To just listen to the music. It was a nice escape from the real world.
Old timer sex :)
Old Timer Sex
This is too funny to be dirty - enjoy!
The husband leans over and asks his wife, 'Do you remember the fi
'Yes', she says, 'I remember it well.'
'OK,' he says, 'How about taking a stroll around there again and we can do it for old time's sake?'
'Oh Jim, you old devil, that sounds like a crazy, but good idea!'
A police officer sitting in the next booth heard their conve
The elderly couple walks haltingly along, leaning on each other for support aided by walking sticks. Finally, they get to the back of the tavern and make their way to the fence. The old lady lifts her skirt and the old man drops his trouse
The policeman is amazed. He thinks he has learned something about life and old age that he didn't know.
After about half an hour of lying on the ground recovering, the old couple struggle to their feet and put their clothes back on. The policeman, is still watching and thinks to himself, this is truly amazing, I've got to ask them what their secret is.
So, as the couple passes, he says to them, 'Excuse me, but that was something else. You must've had a fantastic sex life together. Is there some sort of secret to this?'
Shaking, the old man is barely able to reply, 'Fifty yea
Friday, September 12, 2008
Swirling emotions
Is this a new phase in life. There is much more extremes in the emotions that swirl within over the past few months. Much has been happening, as usual. For a while, I am but a bystander. But the juggling act has been going on for far too long. Peace within is a rarity. Is this all about choices in life. I have to work this out myself, I guess.
The company is undergoing a change of name. A major event, after 28 years of existence. So much to do. The notices should be out next week, I guess, once the official approvals are out. Life will go on, and things should be better in the years to come.
On the social front, I joined this particular organisation a couple of years back, and am now having doubts whether this is where I belong. And this is the second time in a space of 2 months these doubts have creeped in.
I keep reminding that perfection is but an ideal that I can only dream of. To let things be and taking a day at a time is something I will have to accept.
On a lighter note, its been 2 weeks since I went to the gym and its showing. Doesnt help that puasa month has started and am entertaining clients at buka puasa spreads!! Resisting temptations has never been one of my strengths.
Time to clear the backlog. Sigh.
The company is undergoing a change of name. A major event, after 28 years of existence. So much to do. The notices should be out next week, I guess, once the official approvals are out. Life will go on, and things should be better in the years to come.
On the social front, I joined this particular organisation a couple of years back, and am now having doubts whether this is where I belong. And this is the second time in a space of 2 months these doubts have creeped in.
I keep reminding that perfection is but an ideal that I can only dream of. To let things be and taking a day at a time is something I will have to accept.
On a lighter note, its been 2 weeks since I went to the gym and its showing. Doesnt help that puasa month has started and am entertaining clients at buka puasa spreads!! Resisting temptations has never been one of my strengths.
Time to clear the backlog. Sigh.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
On petrol, subsidies, orang pulau, Johor, the Tun and the nation.
We have to see the bigger picture here. Our leaders totally lack good business sense.
Being a poorer neighbour with a weaker currency, its natural our richer orang pulau will come here to spend. What we should be doing is to encourage them to spend!!!
BUT, when it comes to petrol and other subsidised stuff, our dungu government should be controlling sales to citizens. We have the MYKad anyway. Why not use it. Why not allow only MYKad users to buy subsidised stuff like fuel, cooking oil, flour etc? Those without Mykads will have to pay the full unsubsidised rates, which will still be cheap for the orang pulau.
We have got to remember that millions are spent here in small poor border towns like JB for example. This money trickles down into the local economy and supports the property market, the retail business and the man in the street, by way of employment.Business do well, they pay taxes (if LHDN is smart enough to collect). And business who do well, provide more employment. Its a win-win situation.
The above is a very simplistic outline of the economics involved. If we can have a proper working relationship with them, it will be a win-win situation for all of us.
As for allegations of late that the government is selling off land to orang asing at the expense of the Malays here, I can only sigh at the hypocricy of it all. It was under the old man's term of office that his supposed cronies acquired about 25,000 acres of land around Gelang Patah for the second link project. A substantial acreage of land nearby was also acquired for the Port of Tg Pelepas project. The former screwed up big time due to lack of proper and good business sense, amongst other reasons. The latter has grown into a reputable entity.
Surely after allowing for such a huge land acquisition, the old man didnt expect the site to be redeveloped into a huge township and sold solely to locals?
All this political mess being spilled in the open is very bad for business. The nation is undergoing changes, and so is the region and the world. Can we have some sanity. Can all those at the top push aside their differences and work for the common good of the nation and its people, for once?
Being a poorer neighbour with a weaker currency, its natural our richer orang pulau will come here to spend. What we should be doing is to encourage them to spend!!!
BUT, when it comes to petrol and other subsidised stuff, our dungu government should be controlling sales to citizens. We have the MYKad anyway. Why not use it. Why not allow only MYKad users to buy subsidised stuff like fuel, cooking oil, flour etc? Those without Mykads will have to pay the full unsubsidised rates, which will still be cheap for the orang pulau.
We have got to remember that millions are spent here in small poor border towns like JB for example. This money trickles down into the local economy and supports the property market, the retail business and the man in the street, by way of employment.Business do well, they pay taxes (if LHDN is smart enough to collect). And business who do well, provide more employment. Its a win-win situation.
The above is a very simplistic outline of the economics involved. If we can have a proper working relationship with them, it will be a win-win situation for all of us.
As for allegations of late that the government is selling off land to orang asing at the expense of the Malays here, I can only sigh at the hypocricy of it all. It was under the old man's term of office that his supposed cronies acquired about 25,000 acres of land around Gelang Patah for the second link project. A substantial acreage of land nearby was also acquired for the Port of Tg Pelepas project. The former screwed up big time due to lack of proper and good business sense, amongst other reasons. The latter has grown into a reputable entity.
Surely after allowing for such a huge land acquisition, the old man didnt expect the site to be redeveloped into a huge township and sold solely to locals?
All this political mess being spilled in the open is very bad for business. The nation is undergoing changes, and so is the region and the world. Can we have some sanity. Can all those at the top push aside their differences and work for the common good of the nation and its people, for once?
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Phew... 1 year has passed
Time flies....indeed it has.
Little D is in standard 1 and Little K is in K2 now. Theyve grown into fine young ones. Am proud and at the same time, considering the times that we live in, in constant state of alertness and worry.
Work-wise much has happened. We finally opened our Klang Valley office mid last year and its up and running fine. The BOD meetings for both entities were completed recently.
Living in the times when there is so much to do, and so little time. Stress has been an issue over the past few months. Been going out too often for drinks too. But then again, friends would reply theres never such a thing as too often or too much.
Got to go. This brief few minutes of a break itself is a bonus. Too many things need my attention. Too many things that I wish to write on, but time doesnt permit me.
Little D is in standard 1 and Little K is in K2 now. Theyve grown into fine young ones. Am proud and at the same time, considering the times that we live in, in constant state of alertness and worry.
Work-wise much has happened. We finally opened our Klang Valley office mid last year and its up and running fine. The BOD meetings for both entities were completed recently.
Living in the times when there is so much to do, and so little time. Stress has been an issue over the past few months. Been going out too often for drinks too. But then again, friends would reply theres never such a thing as too often or too much.
Got to go. This brief few minutes of a break itself is a bonus. Too many things need my attention. Too many things that I wish to write on, but time doesnt permit me.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
birthday....
Another year has passed by ever so quickly. And it was memorable again for how little D and K take the trouble to get colour paper, draw colourful hearts and other stuff and insert the birthday greetings. Yup, that was the highlight.
Last night while watching a tv programme alone, I broke down. It was a death scene. How the father was hospitalised and died unconscious after the operation. At that point of time flashbacks kept coming back. Tears started flowing and within seconds my body was shaking and I was crying silently. Everyone else were asleep. It has been a long time since he left us. It has been a long time since I last cried. I have had to try hard to supress thoughts and avoid thinking of him. Last night, sitting there brought back all the memories and pain in losing him suddenly.
Last night while watching a tv programme alone, I broke down. It was a death scene. How the father was hospitalised and died unconscious after the operation. At that point of time flashbacks kept coming back. Tears started flowing and within seconds my body was shaking and I was crying silently. Everyone else were asleep. It has been a long time since he left us. It has been a long time since I last cried. I have had to try hard to supress thoughts and avoid thinking of him. Last night, sitting there brought back all the memories and pain in losing him suddenly.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Once upon a time, life revolved around a conference
3 months. Thats how long a break it has been. Most of February and March was all about organising a conference here in Johor Bahru. I was the conference secretary. Not entirely something new but nothing had prepared me for the scale and scope of the responsibility that was on my shoulders.
Over the years, I had assisted to organise various half day and full day seminars for the Institution. But this was a major 2 day event with the State government in the picture. After much effort by the Organising Chairperson, we managed to secure confirmation and proceeded to work towards delivering the end product. 5 weeks was all that we had. Finalizing the list of speakers and the topics was the number one headache.
Next on the list of headaches was venue. With such a short time available, ZON wasnt available, and we were forced to accept latest convention centre in town. This was done with much reservations considering the slow response time and exhorbitant cost. Just to get a quotation was taking them 1 to 2 weeks. To amend it took another week or so. The excuse was it took 3 persons to sign the document. And I replied, "So why does it take more than a week???". Cost wise, it was 30 to 40 % higher than ZON or Hyatt. And for participants, RM8 was the parking fee, which was almost double of the rates quoted elsewhere.
The one major thing I was personally proud of doing was ensuring the buffet menu was sensitive to all the major races/religion i.e. meaning, no beef to be served. It didnt make sense for a multi racial group to be served beef when half of the participants abstains from it. What motivated me further to act was seeing the first proposed menu containing only beef soup on the first day. No options. Very insensitive on the part of the convention hall managers. But then again, since school going days, we keep seeing this insensitivity again and again.
There was much paperwork. It was beyond all pre-conceived imagination. The office secretary and 2 other staff were asked to assist. And they delivered. They worked hard and helped ensure we were on schedule and in control of the situation.
We were somewhat lucky in selecting the printers. An old classmate gave a lead which led us to work with a medium sized outfit from Kg Melayu. My gut-feeling was to go with them, and pray all went on well. True enough, they delivered. They were very obliging in delaying deadlines and came up with finished products of reasonable standards.
If I was asked what was the critical factors to ensure success of a conference, I would say there were 2. One was the speakers lined up. Get good ones, and half the battle is won. The second critical factor is marketing. There is no point lining up world class speakers if nobody turns up.
The marketing was a time consuming task. We had no prior experience to tackle an assignment of this size. Getting 80 participants to attend a one-day seminar was a big deal. Getting 300 to 500 participants was different altogether. I pushed for adverts in the local papers and we got that done. Flyers were sent to all members of the Institution. Flyers were hand delivered to post boxes of all major office buildings in the city as well as all the pigeon hole boxes at the Courts. Next came the faxes. Hundreds were sent out to other professional bodies, other professionals, financial institutions, fund managers, property developers, contractors, embassies, etc. Emails were sent out to various individuals, companies and real estate groups. The latter exercise made us realise, there were lots of people out there who dont read their emails regularly, if ever at all.
Coincidently, we were getting very busy at office with our work. Work that we get paid for. Those were trying times. Assistance was requested. Someone had volunteered to send a staff over to our office to assist. We took up on the offer. Later on, we were told the staff was there only to collect cheques and bank them in. Duhhh big time. That incidently practically set my soul ablaze. The anger and disappointment will be there for a long time. At a time when a plea for help went out, none at the top obliged.
Almost everything was heaped on us to handle. Correspondence that was supposed to be done by others, landed on our desk. Various lame excuses given. Yet, we tried hard to deliver. Even the souvenir magazine preparation was very very slow off the block. The printer required 2 weeks to prepare and yet when the deadline to deliver came, the person in charge had hardly done anything, citing a busy work schedule. Again here we had to assist with the editing and compiling. In the end, the printer had only 3 full days to get the books produced, which they did.
At various times during the month, I contemplated resigning out of frustration. And each time I came to the conclusion, to do so was to be irresponsible, regardless of how justified my actions would be. Towards the end, I desensitized myself when hearing comments of me being a superman in handling the tasks.
Short of sleep for days at a time, it was natural tempers were on the rise, on my part. The fuse became shorter. Office work couldnt be neglected either. For me, it was a responsibility to deliver on all fronts. A speaker on the second day, an old friend, when asked the single most important factor that defines success, answered it was "promise". If you make a promise, make sure you deliver. That hit it right on the nail. We promised to deliver a conference and therefore we had to go all out to ensure we delivered. Incidentally, that paper and the panel discussion that followed, were the only sessions I had the time to listen to. The price one paid for being part of the organising committee.
A total of about 510 participants attended, including some invited guests and organisers. We had the most unpleasant task of turning away late-comers. As for the speakers, part of them gave their papers at the very last moment. At least three of them declined permission to distribute their papers to participants. It was naturally their right but I found that very surprising. It was ok to show the slides to 500+ persons in the hall and press that were present, but it wasnt ok it put it onto hard copies for circulation. I will never understand the logic. In the end, I, personally, didnt get to know what was presented. My loss.
Various incidents occured during the two days. To list them down would be emotionally draining I guess. Or, am just too frustrated and lazy now to put it down to words. It may not bring any good to bring such stuff out in the open. Venting frustrations here does have it limits. In the end, the committee did its job. We delivered.
If a conference's success was judged by the number of participants or the number of speakers or the probable high profitability, then this was indeed a very successful event.
Much time had been spent to deliver the promise, at the expense of office work and time with the family. It has been an invaluable experience. And now, we are tying up loose ends. Once that is done, am out. I have done my "national service".
Over the years, I had assisted to organise various half day and full day seminars for the Institution. But this was a major 2 day event with the State government in the picture. After much effort by the Organising Chairperson, we managed to secure confirmation and proceeded to work towards delivering the end product. 5 weeks was all that we had. Finalizing the list of speakers and the topics was the number one headache.
Next on the list of headaches was venue. With such a short time available, ZON wasnt available, and we were forced to accept latest convention centre in town. This was done with much reservations considering the slow response time and exhorbitant cost. Just to get a quotation was taking them 1 to 2 weeks. To amend it took another week or so. The excuse was it took 3 persons to sign the document. And I replied, "So why does it take more than a week???". Cost wise, it was 30 to 40 % higher than ZON or Hyatt. And for participants, RM8 was the parking fee, which was almost double of the rates quoted elsewhere.
The one major thing I was personally proud of doing was ensuring the buffet menu was sensitive to all the major races/religion i.e. meaning, no beef to be served. It didnt make sense for a multi racial group to be served beef when half of the participants abstains from it. What motivated me further to act was seeing the first proposed menu containing only beef soup on the first day. No options. Very insensitive on the part of the convention hall managers. But then again, since school going days, we keep seeing this insensitivity again and again.
There was much paperwork. It was beyond all pre-conceived imagination. The office secretary and 2 other staff were asked to assist. And they delivered. They worked hard and helped ensure we were on schedule and in control of the situation.
We were somewhat lucky in selecting the printers. An old classmate gave a lead which led us to work with a medium sized outfit from Kg Melayu. My gut-feeling was to go with them, and pray all went on well. True enough, they delivered. They were very obliging in delaying deadlines and came up with finished products of reasonable standards.
If I was asked what was the critical factors to ensure success of a conference, I would say there were 2. One was the speakers lined up. Get good ones, and half the battle is won. The second critical factor is marketing. There is no point lining up world class speakers if nobody turns up.
The marketing was a time consuming task. We had no prior experience to tackle an assignment of this size. Getting 80 participants to attend a one-day seminar was a big deal. Getting 300 to 500 participants was different altogether. I pushed for adverts in the local papers and we got that done. Flyers were sent to all members of the Institution. Flyers were hand delivered to post boxes of all major office buildings in the city as well as all the pigeon hole boxes at the Courts. Next came the faxes. Hundreds were sent out to other professional bodies, other professionals, financial institutions, fund managers, property developers, contractors, embassies, etc. Emails were sent out to various individuals, companies and real estate groups. The latter exercise made us realise, there were lots of people out there who dont read their emails regularly, if ever at all.
Coincidently, we were getting very busy at office with our work. Work that we get paid for. Those were trying times. Assistance was requested. Someone had volunteered to send a staff over to our office to assist. We took up on the offer. Later on, we were told the staff was there only to collect cheques and bank them in. Duhhh big time. That incidently practically set my soul ablaze. The anger and disappointment will be there for a long time. At a time when a plea for help went out, none at the top obliged.
Almost everything was heaped on us to handle. Correspondence that was supposed to be done by others, landed on our desk. Various lame excuses given. Yet, we tried hard to deliver. Even the souvenir magazine preparation was very very slow off the block. The printer required 2 weeks to prepare and yet when the deadline to deliver came, the person in charge had hardly done anything, citing a busy work schedule. Again here we had to assist with the editing and compiling. In the end, the printer had only 3 full days to get the books produced, which they did.
At various times during the month, I contemplated resigning out of frustration. And each time I came to the conclusion, to do so was to be irresponsible, regardless of how justified my actions would be. Towards the end, I desensitized myself when hearing comments of me being a superman in handling the tasks.
Short of sleep for days at a time, it was natural tempers were on the rise, on my part. The fuse became shorter. Office work couldnt be neglected either. For me, it was a responsibility to deliver on all fronts. A speaker on the second day, an old friend, when asked the single most important factor that defines success, answered it was "promise". If you make a promise, make sure you deliver. That hit it right on the nail. We promised to deliver a conference and therefore we had to go all out to ensure we delivered. Incidentally, that paper and the panel discussion that followed, were the only sessions I had the time to listen to. The price one paid for being part of the organising committee.
A total of about 510 participants attended, including some invited guests and organisers. We had the most unpleasant task of turning away late-comers. As for the speakers, part of them gave their papers at the very last moment. At least three of them declined permission to distribute their papers to participants. It was naturally their right but I found that very surprising. It was ok to show the slides to 500+ persons in the hall and press that were present, but it wasnt ok it put it onto hard copies for circulation. I will never understand the logic. In the end, I, personally, didnt get to know what was presented. My loss.
Various incidents occured during the two days. To list them down would be emotionally draining I guess. Or, am just too frustrated and lazy now to put it down to words. It may not bring any good to bring such stuff out in the open. Venting frustrations here does have it limits. In the end, the committee did its job. We delivered.
If a conference's success was judged by the number of participants or the number of speakers or the probable high profitability, then this was indeed a very successful event.
Much time had been spent to deliver the promise, at the expense of office work and time with the family. It has been an invaluable experience. And now, we are tying up loose ends. Once that is done, am out. I have done my "national service".
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Follow-up: How rotten is the system - work in progress
This will be a very very long post. Unfortunately or should i be thankfull, I dont have the time to do this in one sitting as workload appears a bit on the heavy side now.
There are numerous federal, state and local authority departments and offices in Malaysia. At federal level, you have the various ministries and agencies. At State government level we have the various committees, district offices, land offices, departments and agencies. The local government level has various local authorities such as the city hall, district councils, municipal councils, and other agencies.
I hope to slowly list down as much as possible each of these units of governance and the way the system of governance has allowed or encouraged or resulted in corruption to root in.
A. Local Government level
B. State Government level
C. Federal Government level
A. Local Government level
Local authorities - city hall, district council, municipal council
These are the people who run the day-to-day management at ground level.
1.Licencing of business
2.Rubbish/waste collection and disposal
3.Advertising and banners, permits
4.Assessment
5.Health checks on businesses
6.Town planning countrol and development control
7.Building plan approval, engineering
8.Parking
9.Enforcement units
10.Landscaping
There are numerous federal, state and local authority departments and offices in Malaysia. At federal level, you have the various ministries and agencies. At State government level we have the various committees, district offices, land offices, departments and agencies. The local government level has various local authorities such as the city hall, district councils, municipal councils, and other agencies.
I hope to slowly list down as much as possible each of these units of governance and the way the system of governance has allowed or encouraged or resulted in corruption to root in.
A. Local Government level
B. State Government level
C. Federal Government level
A. Local Government level
Local authorities - city hall, district council, municipal council
These are the people who run the day-to-day management at ground level.
1.Licencing of business
2.Rubbish/waste collection and disposal
3.Advertising and banners, permits
4.Assessment
5.Health checks on businesses
6.Town planning countrol and development control
7.Building plan approval, engineering
8.Parking
9.Enforcement units
10.Landscaping
Malaysia Boleh? Malaysia Airlines definitely TAK Boleh!
The jury may still be out whether Malaysia Boleh, cos as the days and months pass by, it seems the country's situation is just worsening in terms of governance as well as attractiveness as a place for business and secured comfy living.
This afternoon, I surfed into MAS (thats Malaysia Airlines)'s website to checkout prices of tickets to a particular city in India. I've had plans for a long time to re-visit but circumstances had not permitted.
There I was keying in the dates, sometime in April this year being the planned dates, for a 2 week trip. Being away from KL meant I had to have connecting flights from this small cowboy border town to KL. 3 adults and 2 young ones. The fare amount came up to RM26,005.00 inclusive of taxes!!!!!! Bloody shit, I can fly to europe at cheaper prices. Surely something was wrong.
So I avoided multi-stopover menu, and checked out the direct flights. Here to KL and back. KL to India and back.
Here to KL and back totalled to RM1310 only. (damn expensive in comparison to Air Asia!). Surprise surprise! The return fare KL to India was RM7,080.00 The total fare amounted to RM8390.00. Thats RM17,615 more cheaper!!! In other words, RM17,615 was the cost of getting them to carry my luggage between connecting flights!
As Madnoh would have said.. tiuuuuuuuuu! to MAS.
This afternoon, I surfed into MAS (thats Malaysia Airlines)'s website to checkout prices of tickets to a particular city in India. I've had plans for a long time to re-visit but circumstances had not permitted.
There I was keying in the dates, sometime in April this year being the planned dates, for a 2 week trip. Being away from KL meant I had to have connecting flights from this small cowboy border town to KL. 3 adults and 2 young ones. The fare amount came up to RM26,005.00 inclusive of taxes!!!!!! Bloody shit, I can fly to europe at cheaper prices. Surely something was wrong.
So I avoided multi-stopover menu, and checked out the direct flights. Here to KL and back. KL to India and back.
Here to KL and back totalled to RM1310 only. (damn expensive in comparison to Air Asia!). Surprise surprise! The return fare KL to India was RM7,080.00 The total fare amounted to RM8390.00. Thats RM17,615 more cheaper!!! In other words, RM17,615 was the cost of getting them to carry my luggage between connecting flights!
As Madnoh would have said.. tiuuuuuuuuu! to MAS.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Its a new year, but its the same ol ..same ol.. shit
2006 went by like a breeze. It was by far one of the lousiest years.
Anyway, Happy New Year! May the year be filled with loads of fun, much happiness and good health.
Its visit malaysia year. But nothing much has changed. The country is still in a screwed up state. The top continues to screw the bottom. The uncivil service continues to rake in the percentages at the expense of my tax payment.
Driving along Jalan Wong Ah Fook in JB, just before turning into Jalan Gereja, you will notice a traffic cone and some other stuff put onto the left lane to warn people of the bad condition of the road. Its been like that for 2 weeks or more. Ever since the heavy rains late december. Almost the entire city that looks like a cowboy border town is in a state of mess.
Reading the papers only gets you more depressed.
I've been toying with this thought past few weeks. Someone should start this, to document the extent of the CBT problem. The culture of croynism and subcontracting. Getting contracts and deals, and then immediately selling it to others and making clean profit. The coffee money problem. The kickbacks. The inflated tender prices. The inflated privatisation agreements. The ridiculous Independent Power Producer contracts. Its CBT. Criminal Breach of Trust.
For example, the national service transportation fiasco. The contracts are given to cronies who are not in the transport business. They just sub it to others who sub it to others...it goes on. Tax payers pay a hefty sum, the cronies make easy money, and the poor fella who does the transport business gets peanuts for providing the actual service.
Multiply this with the contracts for uniform, food, etc in the NS. Add further the various ministries that we have, each having numerous departments. And thats only the federal government.
Add further the State Government and its various departments at state, district and mukim levels. At each "profit centre" tax payers monies are paid at inflated rates for services and products.
That is the tip of the iceberg. What about all the close one eye deals. All the coffee money that needs to be paid. At every department, there is bound to be such occurences. This is their shameless way of becoming rich, without working for it.
This is rotten state of affairs we are all in. How i wish the general elections was held now. Let the public show their displeasure.
Yes, visit malaysia. Write all the good stuff. May all the shit rise too for more to see.
Anyway, Happy New Year! May the year be filled with loads of fun, much happiness and good health.
Its visit malaysia year. But nothing much has changed. The country is still in a screwed up state. The top continues to screw the bottom. The uncivil service continues to rake in the percentages at the expense of my tax payment.
Driving along Jalan Wong Ah Fook in JB, just before turning into Jalan Gereja, you will notice a traffic cone and some other stuff put onto the left lane to warn people of the bad condition of the road. Its been like that for 2 weeks or more. Ever since the heavy rains late december. Almost the entire city that looks like a cowboy border town is in a state of mess.
Reading the papers only gets you more depressed.
I've been toying with this thought past few weeks. Someone should start this, to document the extent of the CBT problem. The culture of croynism and subcontracting. Getting contracts and deals, and then immediately selling it to others and making clean profit. The coffee money problem. The kickbacks. The inflated tender prices. The inflated privatisation agreements. The ridiculous Independent Power Producer contracts. Its CBT. Criminal Breach of Trust.
For example, the national service transportation fiasco. The contracts are given to cronies who are not in the transport business. They just sub it to others who sub it to others...it goes on. Tax payers pay a hefty sum, the cronies make easy money, and the poor fella who does the transport business gets peanuts for providing the actual service.
Multiply this with the contracts for uniform, food, etc in the NS. Add further the various ministries that we have, each having numerous departments. And thats only the federal government.
Add further the State Government and its various departments at state, district and mukim levels. At each "profit centre" tax payers monies are paid at inflated rates for services and products.
That is the tip of the iceberg. What about all the close one eye deals. All the coffee money that needs to be paid. At every department, there is bound to be such occurences. This is their shameless way of becoming rich, without working for it.
This is rotten state of affairs we are all in. How i wish the general elections was held now. Let the public show their displeasure.
Yes, visit malaysia. Write all the good stuff. May all the shit rise too for more to see.
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Am no genius
And now I can justify why my table is always in a state of organised mess!
http://web.tickle.com
Your IQ score is 133. This means that you are smarter than 98.0% of all other Super IQ test takers.
This number is the result of a scientifically-tested formula based on how many questions you answered correctly on the Tickle Super IQ Test.
But there's more to intelligence than a single number, a single score, or a single label. Tickle uses 8 distinguishable dimensions of intelligence in the Super IQ Test. By analyzing your individual scores on those 8 scales, we are able to look beyond the raw IQ score into how you process information, and which intellectual strengths you're best at.
Your test results indicate that the way you process information makes you a Visual Linguist.
You are highly intelligent and multi-talented. Particularly strong are your language skills and your ability to interpret visual information. You tend to map things out spatially, so it's immediately clear to you how things work. Understanding abstract concepts is unusually easy for you and it helps that you are able to see things differently, to see multiple angles on one situation or thing.
You have a very realistic interpretation of life, but your mind is capable of complex, conceptual thought. With most things, you just know what you know and don't particularly enjoy having to explain why or how.
Here's an example of your Visual Linguist thinking skills at work in a real-life situation:
You are in the car with a friend on the way to a party. You are both trying to figure out which route to take. You are very late already, and so want to make sure you take the quickest route. Your friend is arguing that the faster route would be the highway for several miles and then side streets. You quickly realize — based on your general knowledge of the direction and distance of roads in the area — that the route she's describing would take you way out of the way. You then convince your friend of a faster route on a road (with a moderate speed limit) that goes almost directly to the party. On the way back from the party you try the other route — just to see how long it would have taken. You find that it would have taken you almost twice as long. Both of you are very glad to have followed your advice.
Your Super IQ Dimensions
Now that you know about how you process information, let's drill down to see what your specific intellectual strengths are. None of the intellectual abilities is more important than any of the others. And it's your unique scores on each of these scales, that makes you an interesting addition to any group, office, or family.
These intellectual strengths color your world and the way you perceive it, and also allow you to contribute your original perspective when solving problems and coming up with ideas. No one intellectual dimension can define you. It's the original combination of your intellectual strengths that makes you special.
As you can see, your top scores are in the areas of Spatial, Mechanical, and Visual. This is a very unusual combination — only 6 in 1,000 people have it. Want more proof? Then pay attention to the percentages of people who scored higher and lower than you on each of the 8 intellectual strengths.
Spatial
You scored 99 out of 100. You use spatial ability to judge the relationship between objects and physical space, like a parked car and the width of the road. It is also what helps you visualize a room when you are decorating or rearranging furniture.
In every-day life, you use this ability when you drive or even when you are walking through a packed crowd (so that you don't run into other people!). Some people actually use this ability to help them with non-physical things. If they are trying to understand a situation, they might think of the words as shapes that they need to negotiate.
Compared with others, your spatial abilities are very high. This means that you have a very strong sense of how things exist in physical space.
Mechanical Ability
You scored 99 out of 100. Mechanical ability is what helps you understand how machines and tools work. Someone with a good amount of mechanical ability probably has an innate understanding of physics. High mechanical skill is also associated with a high degree of precision and practical thinking.
Here's a question that required high mechanical ability to solve:
Which object will fall faster? A 8 x 11 piece of paper or a peanut? Both weigh the same amount.
A. The piece of paper
B. The peanut
C. It is impossible to know
The paper will encounter more resistance than will the peanut, and so it will fall more slowly. The peanut will fall faster and so the correct answer is B.
In every-day life, mechanical ability comes in handy when anything in the house breaks, or when you have to purchase something that requires physical assembly. It is also helpful in finding solutions to physical problems, such as determining how to build a pulley to bring water out of a well.
Compared with others, your mechanical abilities are very high. This means that you have a very strong mechanical ability.
Visual Ability
Your score is 99 out of 100. Visual ability allows you to accurately visualize all aspects of an object for the purposes of recreating it, the way painters do. It's also what you use to imagine a scene from a novel or a story someone tells you — the ability to accurately reproduce reality in the mind's eye.
In every-day life, visual ability is what you use when creating original art. In order to reproduce an object on canvas (as painters do) you have to be able to accurately represent the dimensions of those objects in the picture. Getting the accurate perspective and depth is easiest for someone with a strong visual ability.
Compared with others, your visual ability is very high. This means that you have a very strong visual ability.
Verbal Ability
Your verbal ability score is 96 out of 100. Verbal ability means having an expansive range of vocabulary, being able to use it, and feeling a desire to add to it. It is also what allows you to comprehend the relationships and subtle difference between words.
Here's a question that required verbal ability:
The opposite of acute is:
A. Severe
B. Incisive
C. Dull
D. Flamboyant
The opposite of the word acute, meaning sharp or finely tuned, is dull, so the correct answer is C.
In every-day life, verbal ability is essential to being able to interpret written materials. It's also valuable for communication — the more vocabulary words you know, the more precisely you may be able to convey your point.
Compared with others, your verbal ability is very high. This means that you have a very strong verbal ability.
Numerical Ability
You scored 96 out of 100. You use numerical ability when you spot a numerical pattern or solve a numerical equation. Here's a question that assessed your numerical ability:
Which number completes the series? 1, 3/2, 2, 5/2, ?
Here's the answer: 3
In every-day life, you use the ability to calculate a tip at a restaurant, or estimate taxes on a purchase. Everyone has this ability to a greater or lesser extent.
Compared with others, your numerical ability is very high. This means that you have no problem processing numbers.
Organizational Ability
Your organizational ability score is 88 out of 100. Organizational ability is what allows you to organize and arrange information effectively, be precise, and proofread carefully.
In every-day life, organizational ability is what you use to proofread a paper or organize a messy desk. Coming up with an organizational system for keeping track of things comes easy to those who are high in this ability. It is a highly practical skill.
Compared with others, your organizational ability is high. This means that you have a strong organizational ability.
Abstract Reasoning Ability
Your score is 86 out of 100. With abstract reasoning you can think on multiple levels and see relationships between ideas that are not easily apparent. When you're using your abstract reasoning skills, you draw on both external logical and creative sources of information to come up with your solution.
In every-day life, abstract reasoning ability is used to understand complex, multi-layered situations, sometimes involving the associations and relationships between two seemingly different sets of information. For example, imagine someone who has taken piano lessons and was taught that the skill was more easily obtained when she pointed out her struggles to her teacher. She was able to learn from them and improve. This same woman then takes writing lessons and again makes her mistakes obvious so that the instructor can suggest changes and she can improve.
Compared with others, your abstract ability is This means that you have a strong abstract ability.
Logical Ability
Your scored 82 out of 100. Logical ability is what you use when determining whether or not something makes sense. You rely on logic when analyzing an argument, step-by-step. This ability also contributes to your aptitude for recognizing underlying patterns.
Here's a question that required high logical ability to solve:
Mary loved pink flowers more than she loved red ones. She didn't like orange flowers at all, and while she liked yellow flowers, she couldn't say that she really loved them. Which of these is true?
A. She liked red flowers less than orange flowers
B. She liked yellow flowers more than red flowers
C. She liked pink flowers more than yellow flowers
D. She liked orange flowers more than pink flowers
Here's the answer: She liked yellow flowers but didn't love them; however, she did love pink and red ones - pink more than red. Thus far the order of preference is pink, red, yellow. But she liked orange least of all, which means the new order is pink, red, yellow, orange. This means that she liked red more than orange (which makes option A not true). She liked yellow less than red (which makes option B not true). She liked pink more than yellow, which makes option C true, and she liked orange less than any of the flowers, which makes option D not true. Therefore, the correct answer is C.
In every-day life, you might use this ability to figure out the best route to the store, or to figure out the best deal when choosing between a couple items to buy. Everyone has a certain ability to use logic to solve problems. Some are better at it than others, however.
Compared with others, your logical ability is high. This means that you are a pretty consistently logical person.
http://web.tickle.com
Your IQ score is 133. This means that you are smarter than 98.0% of all other Super IQ test takers.
This number is the result of a scientifically-tested formula based on how many questions you answered correctly on the Tickle Super IQ Test.
But there's more to intelligence than a single number, a single score, or a single label. Tickle uses 8 distinguishable dimensions of intelligence in the Super IQ Test. By analyzing your individual scores on those 8 scales, we are able to look beyond the raw IQ score into how you process information, and which intellectual strengths you're best at.
Your test results indicate that the way you process information makes you a Visual Linguist.
You are highly intelligent and multi-talented. Particularly strong are your language skills and your ability to interpret visual information. You tend to map things out spatially, so it's immediately clear to you how things work. Understanding abstract concepts is unusually easy for you and it helps that you are able to see things differently, to see multiple angles on one situation or thing.
You have a very realistic interpretation of life, but your mind is capable of complex, conceptual thought. With most things, you just know what you know and don't particularly enjoy having to explain why or how.
Here's an example of your Visual Linguist thinking skills at work in a real-life situation:
You are in the car with a friend on the way to a party. You are both trying to figure out which route to take. You are very late already, and so want to make sure you take the quickest route. Your friend is arguing that the faster route would be the highway for several miles and then side streets. You quickly realize — based on your general knowledge of the direction and distance of roads in the area — that the route she's describing would take you way out of the way. You then convince your friend of a faster route on a road (with a moderate speed limit) that goes almost directly to the party. On the way back from the party you try the other route — just to see how long it would have taken. You find that it would have taken you almost twice as long. Both of you are very glad to have followed your advice.
Your Super IQ Dimensions
Now that you know about how you process information, let's drill down to see what your specific intellectual strengths are. None of the intellectual abilities is more important than any of the others. And it's your unique scores on each of these scales, that makes you an interesting addition to any group, office, or family.
These intellectual strengths color your world and the way you perceive it, and also allow you to contribute your original perspective when solving problems and coming up with ideas. No one intellectual dimension can define you. It's the original combination of your intellectual strengths that makes you special.
As you can see, your top scores are in the areas of Spatial, Mechanical, and Visual. This is a very unusual combination — only 6 in 1,000 people have it. Want more proof? Then pay attention to the percentages of people who scored higher and lower than you on each of the 8 intellectual strengths.
Spatial
You scored 99 out of 100. You use spatial ability to judge the relationship between objects and physical space, like a parked car and the width of the road. It is also what helps you visualize a room when you are decorating or rearranging furniture.
In every-day life, you use this ability when you drive or even when you are walking through a packed crowd (so that you don't run into other people!). Some people actually use this ability to help them with non-physical things. If they are trying to understand a situation, they might think of the words as shapes that they need to negotiate.
Compared with others, your spatial abilities are very high. This means that you have a very strong sense of how things exist in physical space.
Mechanical Ability
You scored 99 out of 100. Mechanical ability is what helps you understand how machines and tools work. Someone with a good amount of mechanical ability probably has an innate understanding of physics. High mechanical skill is also associated with a high degree of precision and practical thinking.
Here's a question that required high mechanical ability to solve:
Which object will fall faster? A 8 x 11 piece of paper or a peanut? Both weigh the same amount.
A. The piece of paper
B. The peanut
C. It is impossible to know
The paper will encounter more resistance than will the peanut, and so it will fall more slowly. The peanut will fall faster and so the correct answer is B.
In every-day life, mechanical ability comes in handy when anything in the house breaks, or when you have to purchase something that requires physical assembly. It is also helpful in finding solutions to physical problems, such as determining how to build a pulley to bring water out of a well.
Compared with others, your mechanical abilities are very high. This means that you have a very strong mechanical ability.
Visual Ability
Your score is 99 out of 100. Visual ability allows you to accurately visualize all aspects of an object for the purposes of recreating it, the way painters do. It's also what you use to imagine a scene from a novel or a story someone tells you — the ability to accurately reproduce reality in the mind's eye.
In every-day life, visual ability is what you use when creating original art. In order to reproduce an object on canvas (as painters do) you have to be able to accurately represent the dimensions of those objects in the picture. Getting the accurate perspective and depth is easiest for someone with a strong visual ability.
Compared with others, your visual ability is very high. This means that you have a very strong visual ability.
Verbal Ability
Your verbal ability score is 96 out of 100. Verbal ability means having an expansive range of vocabulary, being able to use it, and feeling a desire to add to it. It is also what allows you to comprehend the relationships and subtle difference between words.
Here's a question that required verbal ability:
The opposite of acute is:
A. Severe
B. Incisive
C. Dull
D. Flamboyant
The opposite of the word acute, meaning sharp or finely tuned, is dull, so the correct answer is C.
In every-day life, verbal ability is essential to being able to interpret written materials. It's also valuable for communication — the more vocabulary words you know, the more precisely you may be able to convey your point.
Compared with others, your verbal ability is very high. This means that you have a very strong verbal ability.
Numerical Ability
You scored 96 out of 100. You use numerical ability when you spot a numerical pattern or solve a numerical equation. Here's a question that assessed your numerical ability:
Which number completes the series? 1, 3/2, 2, 5/2, ?
Here's the answer: 3
In every-day life, you use the ability to calculate a tip at a restaurant, or estimate taxes on a purchase. Everyone has this ability to a greater or lesser extent.
Compared with others, your numerical ability is very high. This means that you have no problem processing numbers.
Organizational Ability
Your organizational ability score is 88 out of 100. Organizational ability is what allows you to organize and arrange information effectively, be precise, and proofread carefully.
In every-day life, organizational ability is what you use to proofread a paper or organize a messy desk. Coming up with an organizational system for keeping track of things comes easy to those who are high in this ability. It is a highly practical skill.
Compared with others, your organizational ability is high. This means that you have a strong organizational ability.
Abstract Reasoning Ability
Your score is 86 out of 100. With abstract reasoning you can think on multiple levels and see relationships between ideas that are not easily apparent. When you're using your abstract reasoning skills, you draw on both external logical and creative sources of information to come up with your solution.
In every-day life, abstract reasoning ability is used to understand complex, multi-layered situations, sometimes involving the associations and relationships between two seemingly different sets of information. For example, imagine someone who has taken piano lessons and was taught that the skill was more easily obtained when she pointed out her struggles to her teacher. She was able to learn from them and improve. This same woman then takes writing lessons and again makes her mistakes obvious so that the instructor can suggest changes and she can improve.
Compared with others, your abstract ability is This means that you have a strong abstract ability.
Logical Ability
Your scored 82 out of 100. Logical ability is what you use when determining whether or not something makes sense. You rely on logic when analyzing an argument, step-by-step. This ability also contributes to your aptitude for recognizing underlying patterns.
Here's a question that required high logical ability to solve:
Mary loved pink flowers more than she loved red ones. She didn't like orange flowers at all, and while she liked yellow flowers, she couldn't say that she really loved them. Which of these is true?
A. She liked red flowers less than orange flowers
B. She liked yellow flowers more than red flowers
C. She liked pink flowers more than yellow flowers
D. She liked orange flowers more than pink flowers
Here's the answer: She liked yellow flowers but didn't love them; however, she did love pink and red ones - pink more than red. Thus far the order of preference is pink, red, yellow. But she liked orange least of all, which means the new order is pink, red, yellow, orange. This means that she liked red more than orange (which makes option A not true). She liked yellow less than red (which makes option B not true). She liked pink more than yellow, which makes option C true, and she liked orange less than any of the flowers, which makes option D not true. Therefore, the correct answer is C.
In every-day life, you might use this ability to figure out the best route to the store, or to figure out the best deal when choosing between a couple items to buy. Everyone has a certain ability to use logic to solve problems. Some are better at it than others, however.
Compared with others, your logical ability is high. This means that you are a pretty consistently logical person.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
A forgotten october post
Updated: hmmm this was a forgotten post in draft form.
Its just past the half month mark. Almost everywhere friends and acquaintances are complaining about things being slow. The market is slow, unsurprisingly.
Our committee managed to meet up with the head honcho of the state a couple of weeks back. We did give feedback that things were very slow on the ground and the people were restless. And it wasnt surprising that the perception was this contributes to a higher crime rate.
Well, he did extend excellent hospitality throughout our 45 minute exchange of views. A couple of things that caught my attention was the proposed redevelopment of the old prison facility to house a 100-plus storey commercial building, and a proposed MRT to link up to our "little dot of a city nation" as well as a LRT system for our urban area.
While the latter proposal was welcome, the tower was a bit over the top.
Everyone seems to be waiting for the November launch and briefing of the South Johor Economic Region by the PM. Everyone waiting in anticipation of a serious sustained and realistic series of actions and ideas to transform this small border town into something that should truly reflect its actual role and importance.
Updated:
Well, the launch came and went. And sad to say we are none the wiser. What exactly will be done, and who the investors are, still remain a mystery. But the one evident benefit would be the billions poured into infrastructure projects in south johor.
However, at a time when we and our neighbouring countries are all chasing FDIs, it doesnt help when a head honcho issues a statement that foreigners arent to be trusted. Or is it mat sallehs. Doesnt matter. The effect is the same. At a time when we are supposed to embrace the world, negative statements continue to be made.
Its just past the half month mark. Almost everywhere friends and acquaintances are complaining about things being slow. The market is slow, unsurprisingly.
Our committee managed to meet up with the head honcho of the state a couple of weeks back. We did give feedback that things were very slow on the ground and the people were restless. And it wasnt surprising that the perception was this contributes to a higher crime rate.
Well, he did extend excellent hospitality throughout our 45 minute exchange of views. A couple of things that caught my attention was the proposed redevelopment of the old prison facility to house a 100-plus storey commercial building, and a proposed MRT to link up to our "little dot of a city nation" as well as a LRT system for our urban area.
While the latter proposal was welcome, the tower was a bit over the top.
Everyone seems to be waiting for the November launch and briefing of the South Johor Economic Region by the PM. Everyone waiting in anticipation of a serious sustained and realistic series of actions and ideas to transform this small border town into something that should truly reflect its actual role and importance.
Updated:
Well, the launch came and went. And sad to say we are none the wiser. What exactly will be done, and who the investors are, still remain a mystery. But the one evident benefit would be the billions poured into infrastructure projects in south johor.
However, at a time when we and our neighbouring countries are all chasing FDIs, it doesnt help when a head honcho issues a statement that foreigners arent to be trusted. Or is it mat sallehs. Doesnt matter. The effect is the same. At a time when we are supposed to embrace the world, negative statements continue to be made.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
While Malaysia fiddles, its opportunities are running dry - Business
The following is an article that appeared in Oz land. Picked the lead at www.jeffooi.com.
While Malaysia fiddles, its opportunities are running dry - Business - Business
Its exactly what lots of forward thinking malays and non-malays have been urging for the past few years. Unfortunately the focus continues to be on the gravy trains that service the select few within the ruling parties.
While Malaysia fiddles, its opportunities are running dry - Business - Business
Its exactly what lots of forward thinking malays and non-malays have been urging for the past few years. Unfortunately the focus continues to be on the gravy trains that service the select few within the ruling parties.
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