Thoughts & Motivation

If I have been of service,
if I have glimpsed more of the nature and essence of ultimate good,
if I am inspired to reach wider horizons of thought and action,
if I am at peace with myself,
it has been a successful day.

-- Alex Noble

*******************************
It was a tough month of July;
There's much that needs to be done and achieved;
There's a lot unfulfilled;
We must just get going!

It is easy to make a man miserable when he feels he is unworthy of himself .

****************************

Manik Urai Malay dilemma

Your choice - vote PAS or new bridge

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin today gave voters in Manek Urai a rather stark choice - choose either PAS or a new bridge for the state constituency.

Muhyiddin told the 12,293 voters that should they back Barisan Nasional they would get a 300-metre bridge connecting Manek Urai Baru and Manek Urai Lama in Kuala Krai.

“We can build it (the bridge), insya'Allah, but there is a condition. It is easy - all you need to do is to 'pangkah' (vote), but you must vote for BN. If not, there would not be any new bridge. If you want the bridge, vote BN,” Muhyiddin said.

The new bridge will replace the existing single-lane bridge, which was built in the 1990s (left).

Muhyiddin said the federal government would also consider building a new mosque in Kampung Temalir, a village which is located in the Manek Urai constituency.

********************************************************
Source: Malaysiakini

*********************************************************

Insya'Allah, we will have a new bridge!

Insya'Allah, we may have a new mosque in Kampung Temalir.

Insya'Allah, we may have a third bridge connecting to Singapore.

***********************************************************

NEP died 18 years ago, says Tengku Razaleigh

NEP 'dead and buried 18 years ago'
by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah

The New Economic Policy (NEP) had ended over 18 years ago, but we still speak confusingly about liberalising it, lamented veteran Umno politician Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.

“The NEP was necessary and even visionary in 1971, but it is a crushing indictment of our lack of imagination, of the mediocrity of our leadership, that two decades after its expiry, we talk as if it is the sacrosanct centre of our socio-political arrangement, and that departures from it are big strides,” he said.

“We were devising a time-limited policy for the day, in pursuit of a set of measurable outcomes. We were not devising a doctrine for an eternal socio-economic arrangement.

“But as I said the NEP is no longer around, why do you feel the need to liberalise something that is no longer around - might as well announce that the NEP is over and gone, why confuse the issues?” he said.

According to Razaleigh, the NEP was set up to “solve finite set of problems” but when it was over, the government did not have the courage to tell people this fact.

“We must break the stranglehold of communal politics and racial policy if we want to be a place where an economy driven by ideas, and skills can flourish.

“We can do much better than cling to the bright ideas of 40 years ago as if they were dogma, and forget our duty to come up with the bright ideas for our own time.”

Instead, he said that policymakers should think of a “new deal” in order for the country to be talent-driven and competitive.

“A fair and equitable political and economic order, founded on equal citizenship as guaranteed in our constitution, is the only possible basis for a united Malaysia and a prerequisite of the competitive, talent-driven economy we must create if we are to make our economic leap,” he said.

The veteran Umno politician also said it was “too early” to evaluate Najib's performance.

“But I think he (Najib) is making effort to improve the situation. He is going all out, that poor fellow... he is working hard to bring in more investment into the country to provide employment and jobs for our people,” he said.

However, he urged Malaysians to trust “less in personalities and more in policies”.

“Look less to politics and more to principle, less to rhetoric and more to tangible outcomes, less to the government of the day and more to enduring institutions - first among which must be the Federal Constitution,” he said.

Razaleigh said Najib's 1Malaysia dictum should be evaluated against issues such as the constitutional crisis in Perak and claims of corruption in the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) project.

“I don't know about you (but) I am embarrassed that after 50 years of independence we are still talking about bringing Malaysians together.

“I would have wished that by now, and here tonight, we could be talking about how we can conquer new challenges together,” he said.

**************************************

Source: Malaysiakini

***************************************

I don't know about you but I am not embarrassed. We are not able to talk about meritocracy and global competitiveness and that is important as I am competitive.

***************************************

Terengganu Aquatic Centre Shut Down

Leaky RM18m aquatic centre shut down

NST Report
10th July 2009

The RM18 million Aquatic Centre in Batu Burok here was ordered by the Works Ministry to close indefinitely yesterday. Works Minister Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor said too many flaws had been detected in the year-old centre, making it unsafe for public use.

"We inspected the lower ground level and found too many leaks.

"We also found rusty structures and faulty electrical connections that were exposed to water. All these have made the centre unsafe for use," Shaziman told reporters.

In an immediate response, Public Works Department director-general Datuk Seri Dr Judin Abdul Karim, who was also present, said action would be taken against the Terengganu PWD officers who were the supervisors of the project if they were found to be negligent.

The state PWD was in charge of the contract, which meant they implemented and managed the project.

The closure of the aquatic centre is the latest blow for the state government after another of its sporting facilities, the roof of the RM228 million Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium in Gong Badak, collapsed on June 2.

Shaziman expressed regret and questioned how two important and costly sporting projects ended up this way.

"We have asked the contractors (Pakatan Nadiwangsa Sdn Bhd) to conduct immediate remedial works as the project is still in its defect period."

Shaziman said, more importantly, the PWD found other weaknesses.

They included its design, the implementation of the project and the supervision of the project when it was being built.

"Maybe they hurried the project to meet the (Sukma) games deadline but this is not an excuse why the project did not meet the required standards. This is supposed to be a safe facility for the people."

Shaziman said PWD must, from now on, look seriously at how it conducts its projects.

He said the department must stop looking only at deadlines and instead ensure specifications and quality standards were met.

"We do not want projects that are unsafe and have short lifespans. This aquatic centre is a good example. It is just one year old and already there are so many problems. This is definitely not healthy."

Shaziman expected a preliminary finding on problems affecting the aquatic centre to be submitted to him by the federal PWD in 10 days.


Source: NST

************

I felt sorry for my buddies in JKR Terengganu. They have now become the scapegoat for someone else.

Gaji sikit, kena tanggung dan jawab!

**************

Malaysian Dictionary

Transport Minister Ong Tee Keat defined "Bail Out" as an act of giving money to failed distressed organization that would not be repaid.

He was commenting on the RM4.382 billion soft loan given to the Port Klang Authority (PKA).

"PKA not only has to repay the loan but also has to repay it with an annual interest of 4%," Ong said in an interview with Dialog@1 on TV1 last night.

This is something new to me. I have studied economics and I have difficulty to digest.

In Wikipedia, "Bail Out" is defined as: "an act of giving capital to a failing company in order to save it from bankruptcy, insolvency, or total liquidation and ruin".

Bailout of a company might be seen as a necessity in order to prevent greater, socioeconomic failures.

Bailout is also seen as an unacceptable passing-of-the-buck to taxpayers.

Government bailouts are criticized as "corporate welfare" which encourages corporate irresponsibility.

Bail Out is definitely about giving good money to rescue the bad situation of an organization in distress and whether interest is charged for the loan is another matter. PKA's soft loan is a bail out, like it or not, my dear minister.

Tsunami again?

Unknown Source!

See the picture below:



There is a prediction that there will be another tsunami or earthquake hitting on 22 July 2009.

Predicted that it is going to be really bad and countries like Malaysia (Sabah & Sarawak), Singapore, Maldives, Australia, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Philippines are going to be badly hit.

It may be wise to stay away from the beaches in this July month.

Better to be safe than sorry.

July 22, 2009 is also when there will be sun eclipse. On 22 July 2009, a total eclipse of the Sun is visible from within a narrow corridor that traverses half of Earth. The path of the Moon's umbral shadow begins in India and crosses through Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and China.

A solar eclipse means that the moon is blocking the sun. The moon has enough gravitational pull to cause the tides other natural phenomena on earth. The sun has enough gravitational pull to keep the earth in orbit.

The theory is that during a solar eclipse, the moon has the Sun's added pull on the earth's tectonic plates. When the Sun and Moon are together on one side of the planet, they pull together and lift up the earth's tectonic plate, just beneath the eclipse. This causes the plate to shift upward, and then an earth quake when the lifted plate gets the little extra push (lift) it needed to move over its neighboring plate. The theory may be hair brained, or it might actually have some pull to it.

The theory that the gravitational pull of the Sun and Moon pulling together will do the following things:

1. Lift the tectonic plates
2. Cause the tide to rise more than usual
3. Cause an underground molten magma tide to dip and raise the plates following the water tide.

I don't know whether it will happen or not. I thought it will be good to share this "rumours" with my readers here.

Please treat this news as rumours!!! However, I am staying away from the beaches. Let's go visit the bitches ............

Another BayiSingh in my life's journey

Sometime ago, last year, there was a young boy sitting at the front row at a seminar I was facilitating. He looks more like a boutique toyboy, a rich man's son. During the seminar his hand phone never stops ringing and each time he has to walk out to take the calls. However, his phone was on silent/vibrating mode and it doesn't disturb the others.

This guy asked a lot of questions at the seminar. He seems eager to learn, far too eager to learn such that, at times, it was quite annoying. Anyway, he was young and I had to respond to all his queries.

After the 2 days seminar he invited me to have dinner with him as he had things to discuss with me. I became his mentor and coach thereafter.

This stylish boy was indeed a son of a rich and successful entrepreneur who owns a listed company, a very successful company. This guy has so much energy and drive; he has great dreams and he pours his heart and soul into his works . He drives the business at extreme speed and power. His passion in his work and his drive and energy would cause great anxieties to his parents and colleagues, in particular, his father who is conservative and a careful businessman.

Less than one year, this boy has set up a number of new businesses models and everything is going his way. Each time when he discussed with me on his desires and intention to venture into new business and wanted my advices I had to pull him back and insisted that he ponder over those new ventures and analyzes the risks and its downsides. I am more of a critic than a motivator. If you overheard me you would have called me a doomsayer, negative most of the time in my advices.

Most people would have been upset with my comments and opinions (I often poured cold water on hot passions). Though he may be upset but I think he accepts my style and negativity. Most of the time he proof himself beyond my apprehension and illustrated his passion and hard works, and most of all, he delivers the result. I must say, he is destined to rise high and become big in the corporate world.

Today, I was invited to attend a board meeting at his office. The board of directors were to deliberate on a new business venture that may require huge sum of investments. I was quite concern over this venture and had been skeptical over his ability to undertake such big investments and of which is not their core competency. However, after the presentations and deliberations, and after meeting up with all his experts and consultants for this project I somehow felt positive and confident that this project would succeed and would contribute positively towards the corporate business structures and drive the company to a higher plateau. I only have this words for him: "Keep it up and keep going."

The company gave me a Certificate of Appreciation and a gift in a tiny box as a token of appreciation. The box is about 100mm x 75mm in size. I had to leave before the board finish their business as I have to attend another meeting which was rescheduled in order that I could attend this board meeting. As I was in my car I opened up the box to see what's inside. To my surprise it was .... it was ... astonishing ... it's a watch!!!

It's an Armani! Emporio Armani watch!

Thank you, Michael! You are another BayiSingh in my life journey. I truly appreciate your gracious gift and it is really nice and sweet of you. I love this piece.

Thank you once again.