my new blog

I have a new blog here! Come visit me in my newest site at picatho.blogspot.com.

Pig's year comes with pig's shit!

The "no water notice" disgusts me. Yesterday I received a notice from the JBA of Kedah. Mentioned that "Gangguan akan terganggu selama 12 jams iaitu dari jam 9.00 pagi hingga jam 9.00 malam pada 18hb.Februari 2007(Ahad) ini desebabkan oleh kerja-kerja pembaikan paip air utama 200mm dan 150mm di kawasan perusahaan Kulim." It would affect many areas and estates.

I just can't understand why they particularly chose to give a large number of Chinese community "a no water" present (hardship) on the 1st day of the Chinese New Year. Is that the head of JBA Kulim "no brain" or is that the celebration of CNY "not being respected"?

Haai! What to do when facing such kind of boar-ing thing made by the pig-headed administer. I'm yet to choose between 1) Store water for CNY usage; 2) Flee to my daughter's house for CNY festivity.

Books that I've won

Lydia autographed her book, Life's Like That - "Dear Robert, Congratulations on wining this book in my blog contest. Hope you like the book. Honk!"

Life's Like That is a collection of amusing meditations on Malaysian life written in a humour way. This book is worth reading, for its exciting story and its insight into life in contemporary Malaysia.

I rarely recommend a book, mostly because my tastes differ from those of other people. I must make an exception in the case of this book.

Unless you are fundamentally opposed to facing some of the harsh realities of this bolehland, I highly recommend this book. It will dedicate some smiles as you read through chapter by chapter.

The author, Lydia is aggressively making publicity for her books. Her appearances are not limited only on papers and books stores. She was also having her chitchatting on page 205 of CLEO Feb. 07 and was showing up again her same old personal photo. Perhaps that particular photo is her favorite one, I think so!

Is God the ultimate arbiter?

I was reading intensively these few days about the Vatican enraged by magazine's confessional expose which was reported by Reuters on Jan 31.

Differences between official Roman Catholic doctrines and what priests told Mr Riccardo Bocca, an investigative reporter for L'Espresso, were had been found after a series of fake confessions.

Over the issue of euthanasia, a priest told Bocca not to worry too much because God would be the ultimate arbiter.

In another confessional box he faked being HIV positive and was told by a priest that whether or not he used a
condom in order not to pass the virus to the woman he loved was "a very personal matter of conscience".

On homosexuality, one priest told him: "Well, homosexuality is a tendency which is a valid human expression. There are even homosexual priests and lesbian nuns." Asked if he should openly declare his homosexuality, the priest told him: "Generally the best thing to do is to be yourself. Come clean. Do what the English call ’coming out’."

The Church teaches that homosexuality is not a sin but homosexual acts are.

I've also hopped over to read the related forum regarding to "is masturbation a sin?"

But then, I'm blurred in the din of the sin world over this equation - using of condom = masturbation = prostitution = homosexual act = the sin of wasting seed.

Would god by then be the final arbiter considering sin or sinless of these acts!

Sit back for this CNY

At the like period of the preceding years, I would have started stocking up CNY groceries, changed new notes and gotten red packets, in order to welcome the CNY festival.

For this year under the new economy, I think I have to lean to tighten my belt. Why? Simply because all the while, those extra prices of petrol, cigarette, toll, fuel, those can eat and those can't eat, had have devouring my income. So there is not much left for my reserve and so in my budget.

Some more, the pricing condition of commodities is worsened this year as reported. The prices of seafood have made a double jump. Vegetables have taken the flood's reason to cost more. One thing for sure, a dollar of today would be exchanged for lessor goods as compared to the previous year's dollar.

As I could feel with all the coolness of marketplaces this year. Chinese people are not warring anymore for CNY goods like before. One of my customers was saying that business is like erectile dysfunction and he has used to "hitting housefly at his store" this time.

Looking around, the immaterial (spiritual) moods which are more important than material (fat foods) mood is aggravated.

At first I thought that the toll agreements inked between the government and highway concessionaires would be made transparent by the Cabinet so as the toll's hike be able to be seen through with clarity. Unfortunately the Cabinet had lastly said "No" and these agreements be remained as secret. That means the government's subsidies was/is channeling to whose pocket remains unclear and is under OSA.

No "tong tong chiang" music in supermarkets? That's why MCA Youth is fighting with Recording Industry of Malaysia (RIM) and Public Performance Malaysia (PPM) over the Chinese NY song royalty issue.

It's sad that the Section 16B of the Copyright Act which was amended in 2000 to confer a new right known as performers' right, had produced many blades in a synthetic manner for cash-cow mechanisms to generate income.

Under the new section, performers should be paid royalties if their sound recordings were broadcast, performed or communicated to the public. And PPM, Music Authors Copyrights Protection Bhd (MACP) and Performers and Artistes Rights (M) S/B (PRISM) were being selected as collecting bodies.

Assuming that one has paid an Astro's subscription of which loyalties had been paid by Astro to the so called collecting body, do you think that it's fare for a restaurant to be charged with fees again for showing up the Astro's program at its premises?

Another emotional disturbance is that IRB imposes tax on allowances. Thus making employees' pocket become shrinkage.

With all sorts of these elements, lets see how far one could spend during this CNY and for the rest of 2007. May the mood of this coming CNY be less festive! For me, certainly yes!