Characteristics of Human Nature

1) Greedy: One greed of a person is enough to bring unhappiness of a lifetime.
2) Dignity: With dignity, your respect has been earned.
3) Evil: Be careful of the evils in you, for retributions await you at every striking distance.
4) Kindness: Show you kindness and you will be rewarded with greater kindness.
5) Selfishness: Go it alone if you can and do not come back crying for there is no pity.
6) Bravery: Go seek justice for the people. Go protect the weak and the world will walk with you.
7) Stupidity: A severe case of disorientation of IQ and EQ.
8) Foxy: The twisting of facts and figures will ultimately tangled you in a web of deceits and lies.
9) Clever: Use it in the right context in life and good destiny will follow.
10) Arrogant: Make sure you do not fall. A fall will hurt you so badly that even you mother is not able to recognize you.

Now, list the name of the politicians that best suits any of the above characteristics.

Proton: You are not alone

It has been for many years that Proton has been the punching bag for the many motor critics at home and abroad. However, since the acquisition of Lotus, there has been some improvements both in designs and performance. But then, this is not enough to convince the critics and my first experience with the new Proton Persona is nothing but a total disappointment. Anyway, the car has been checked and fixed now and it has been plain sailing in terms of driving pleasure.

Maybe, just like human beings who are bound to make mistakes, Proton needs to be given a chance to prove itself to win over the hearts of the critics. Even the giant automakers are making costly and dangerous mistakes as reported here and here and here:
Toyota Motor Corp is extending to Europe the recall of millions of its most popular cars due to dangerous accelerator pedals, a further blow to the reputation of the world’s largest car maker.

Honda announced a recall for 646,000 2007 and 2008 Fit, City and Jazz models worldwide, after a fire hazard involving a power window switch resulted in a death in South Africa.

French automaker PSA Peugeot Citroen is recalling 100,000 cars across Europe to change accelerator pedals on two models designed and produced in a joint venture with Toyota.

So Proton, you are not alone in making mistakes. But you must not ride on the mistakes of others to justify your faults. Show the world that you have learned your lessons and convince us that your time has come as an international market player in the motor industry and we will ride with you.

There are idiots and there is a fool

The year 2009 has not been a very good year for us as there is nothing much to celebrate: economically, socially and politically. So, let 2009 be another year in history or rather a year for us all to learn to be politically united to build a solid foundation for a better economy so that the rakyat can live in a harmonious way socially.

Before we can start the year 2010 on solid ground, some idiots have already started the new year on a fiery note by burning some churches in the name of Allah. This sickening act has already being condemned by many, as such I would not like to write about it. In fact the political scene in this country is so polluted that it is not worth anymore for me to write. In short, words just fail me to describe the happenings in this country.

So, let me write something else. Like my experience with my new car:Proton

I have just bought a Proton Persona MT which was delivered to me on the Christmas eve. Being Christmas and a new car, that is a double celebration for me. I cannot believe my luck as on the first day of driving the new car, there are already some troubles with it. Each time I reversed the car, the engine automatically turns off. The room light and the car bonnet lever are not working.

The next day, I took my family for a drive to Morib. To my horror, while I was driving, the tachometer (rpm meter) pointer points to the maximum and the Check engine sign was on. Although fortunately the engine was running normal, I was driving the car with full of anxieties and worries.

After the Christmas holidays, I called the dealer and Proton to lodge my complaints and which both parties duly attended to satisfactorily. To make the story short, after about a week in the workshop, the technician from Proton finally found the source of the problem: it was the wiring which was not fixed properly and therefore, affects the sensor of the car.

The car is all right now and I seem to enjoy driving it. It has power and surprisingly, it is very quiet inside. In fact it is more quiet than my daughter's Toyota Vios which I bought for her in the beginning of 2009. The handling and suspension of the car are up to my expectations and with the price of 50K, standard accessories, 15 inch sport rims and size 195 tyres, one should not ask for more with regards to performance.

And I have booked another Proton( a Saga) for my second daughter!

Some of my friends said I must be foolish to buy another Proton after what I have experienced with my new Proton Persona.

Well, since she truly needs a car for work and the price is within her budget, I hope she has better luck than me.

Greeting to all Malaysians

Your money or your life

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Sometimes life can be very funny. It is just like magic: Now you see it, now you don’t. The untimely deaths of Yasmin Ahmad and Michael Jackosn are just two examples of how fragile life can be. Like sometimes, while browsing your morning paper, you would have come across an obituary of a friend whom you have just met a few days ago.

Our lives are not born-out to be perfect. As we grow up, there are a host of challenges and obstacles for us to clear before we can retire in peace: education, employment, children up-bringing and family. However, there are greater challenges that lie ahead: the social and health challenges.

The social challenge here refers to the social elements that can influence the behavior of our children. As parents, we are certainly very concern about how our children grow-up and to prevent them from mixing with the wrong kind of people and indulging in vices. Such a challenge is within our control. It is the health challenge we are facing that is scary.

Our lives are bombarded and ravaged with so many diseases that when we managed to overcome one, the next one awaits us. Just let me name some of these diseases so that you can realize why good health is so important: cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and a host of other major organ diseases.

Of all the diseases, cancer is the most fearful to the extent it simply spells death to the person it strikes. The treatment cost for cancer which can be in the region of a few hundreds to tens of thousands or more a month and which do not guarantee a cure, is simply way out of the reach of ordinary working people. And for those who might have some savings, it will be a predicament: to spend on treatment or to save for raining days.

I must emphasize that it is not only the cost of treatment in cancer that is expensive as there are many other diseases that are equally beyond the reach of many, like hypertension and diabetes whereby the treatment is for life. With each discovery of a new drug that has numerous claims of better efficacy and cure rate, the price marketed by the multinational drug company is simply way above the reach of many. As if the cost of medication is not enough to ‘kill’ you, then together with the cost of hospitalization and the doctor’s fees, your ‘death’ is guaranteed.

Now, while you are still able to, it is extremely important that you pay a lot of attention to your health and well-being. Let us not wait for disease to strike us and when it does, treatment will be too late.

If we are to talk about fairness, then death is the fairest of all. Regardless of who you are, from being a King to a beggar, both must die.

This article is in memory of my late brother James Liew, who was either too stubborn or just not able to look after himself.

Where people dare

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The property boom in the country during the last few decades has seen a surge in the development of many houses, shops and complexes.

If you were to take a drive to the many housing estates or to the shopping complexes, you will notice a distinctive feature of the many shops: majority is operated by the Chinese. Even during the current economic slowdown, many are still bold enough to venture into various types of businesses. Whenever and wherever there are opportunities, they will set-up their businesses like a swarm of bees that are attracted by honey.

In my housing estate, where there are so many restaurants that if I were to take my family for dinner by choosing one per week, it would take me a year to patronize all of them. I have noticed that not all of these restaurants are doing well, let alone to survive in this competitive market. In fact, it just amazes me that when one closes down, someone will take over, either to continue operate as a restaurant or to convert to other type of business. I have also noticed that there are more and more boutiques emerging which in future will change the area into a fashion street. There is also a posh snooker center whose capital outlay, I presume could be more than half a million. Just like the snooker center, some of the boutiques and restaurants are equally posh looking. I am just wondering how long it will take to earn back their capital outlay, not forgetting the profits.

I am sure such scenario is very similar throughout the country.

Why it is that the Chinese are bold enough to venture into business despite the many handicaps, while others are complaining of lack of opportunities? Even when opportunities are given on a platter, there are still so many failures? And with these failures, come the blame game.

Let us visualize what it will be like if there are no investments by these businessmen: many shops in the housing estates, shopping complexes and in the towns will be emptied and devoid of ‘life’. The whole place will be plunged into a dark and lifeless area like a ghost town without the vibrancy of human activities. And not forgetting the lost in the many jobs opportunities. With no jobs to feed the families, what will they do? To become small time thieves or big time robbers?

Oh yes, and the loss in taxes: income tax, licensing tax, signboard tax, the 5% Govt. Tax and a plethora of other taxes.

There are basically three attributes to be successful in business: be daring, be first and be perseverance. These attributes do not belong to one race. They belong to all. I am not here to glorify one race, for glory like the three attributes belongs to all. It is how one seeks glory through the use of good attributes that makes the difference.

Wake-up, please

I believe many of us must be extremely frustrated and disillusioned with the current happenings in the country. But then no matter what happens, maybe through the interference of God or maybe through the stupidity of the people who seemed still in slumber land that BN has been ruling the country since independence.

If these articles are not able to wake you up, then by all means, suffer at you own perils: read here and here and here.

Like Najib, who has Bugis blood, I have the Chinese blood. And like Najib who is born in Malaysia, so am I. And so are all the Malays, Chinese, Indians, Sikhs, Ibans and the Dayaks. And we call this rich potpourri of races: Malaysians. As Malaysians, I do believe we still love this country and will most probably die here. As long as we want change for the better, I see some hope in this country, despite the fact that thousands have already emigrated.
By now, you must have woke-up.
So, what are you going to do to change this country for the betterment of all?