Malaysian Post

Was at Dataran Merdeka this afternoon to witness the lighting of the Olympic Flame for the Malaysian Leg of the Olympic Torch Run.

The weather was kind and warm and the crowd was just overwhelming. People packed the field and I have to jostled my way through.

When the small band comprising of City Hall personnel played the National Anthem at the beginning of the ceremony, I felt a gigantic swell of pride and patriotism coursing through my veins. The last time I sang the National Anthem was decades ago when I was still in school.

I managed to make my way to the front and snapped some shots for posterity.

The full album may be viewed @ www.photographs.my

Click here to view the full album at www.photographs.my

The following email or a variation of this email has been circulating around the net for quite some time.

Make sense to me. See whether you agree with the author of this email.

Can a family man with Salary RM3,000 survive in Malaysia

Let’s do some simple calculations here.

In Malaysia, the average family income is RM3,000 /month (where father works, mother doesn’t).

I understand there are many families whose monthly income does not reach RM3,000, but to make things simple, let’s take RM3,000 as the figure. Ok lah, right?

Okay, let’s start rolling with a family which has Papa, Mama, 1 daughter and 1 son. Ngam-ngam ….

Calculation starts…

Electricity and water bill: RM100 (No air-con, No home theatre, No water heater … ok?)
Phone bill ( Telekom): RM100
Meals for a happy family: RM775 (3 meals on RM25/day, RM25 for 4 persons…?)
Papa makan / teh-tarik during working hrs: RM150 (RM5/day, RM5 … can eat what?)
Car repayment: RM400 (A proton saga aeroback, 7 yrs repayment)
Petrol (living in city, traffic-jam):RM300 (go to work, bring son to school, only can afford one car running)
Insurance: RM650 (kids, wife and self)
House repayment: RM750 (low cost housing repayment for 30 yrs, retired still have to work to pay!)
Tuition: RM80 (got that cheap meh? i don’t think so)
Older children pocket money @ school: RM40 (RM1/day, eat bread?)
School fees: RM30 (enough ah?)
School books and etc: RM100 (always got extra to pay in school)
Younger children milk powder: RM50 (cannot have the DHA, BHA, PHA one, expensive)
Miscellaneous: RM100 (shampoo, rice, sauce, toilet paper)

Oh wait!!! I have to stop here, so…
No Astro,
no movie @ cinema,
no DVD,
no CD,
no online,
cannot KFC,
cannot McDonald,
cannot go Park walk during weekend (petrol expensive),
no chit chat on phone with grandparents, and etc…

Let’s use a calculator to total up… WALAO EH! Shit! >RM3,500 already…

EPF belum potong, income tax lagi……..oledi RM3,610 ….

How to survive lah tuan-tuan dan puan-puan sekalian ???

Our Deputy Prime Minister asked us to change lifestyle?

How to change? Don’t eat? Don’t work? Don’t send children to school and study?

Besides that, I believe in Malaysia population, there are millions of rakyat Malaysia which still don’t earn RM3,000/month!!!

What is this? Inilah Malaysia Boleh… Sorry … it should be Malaysians Boleh because we’re still alive and kicking!!

Our politicians must be mad!!!!

Please forward and comment boleh or tak boleh. No wonder so many Ah Loong around lah….

Readers of this blog can now easily access this blog by using this URL:

http://b.log.my

You will be redirected to this page immediately.

BTW readers can also browse my free photogallery by using the URL:

www.photographs.my

Enjoy……….

Tonight, there will be lots of people at Kampung Bahru, Kuala Lumpur.

The 2 articles below are self-explanatory.

Article # 1 from The Star

Cops issue warning on pro-Anwar gathering

KUALA LUMPUR: Stern action will be taken against those who attend an illegal gathering tonight at Kampung Baru in support of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

City police chief Deputy Comm Muhammad Sabtu Osman said police would not hesitate to exercise whatever measures required, to ensure peace and order.

“Through the Internet, Anwar’s supporters have been urged to go to Padang Sultan Sulaiman near Sultan Sulaiman Club at 8pm to show support.

“We have not issued a permit for the gathering and neither was a permit requested, so I advise all those planning a gathering not to do so as they will be severely dealt with,” DCP Muhammad Sabtu said.

He was speaking after attending a gotong-royong event held at the Darul Falah Orphanage in conjunction with the 201st Police Day celebrations in Bukit Persekutuan here yesterday.

Others who attended the event were new city deputy city police chief Senior Asst Comm (I) Datuk Abu Samah Mat and senior officers from the city police headquarters.

DCP Muhammad Sabtu said police received a letter from the Selangor Mentri Besar’s office informing them that a dinner would be held at the club attended by Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim and PKR vice-president Mohamed Azmin Ali.

“We learnt that the Selangor MB and Mohamed Azmin will be giving speeches at the dinner, which Anwar and his wife Datin Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who is PKR president, will be also attending.

“We have spoken to the organising committee of the dinner and advised them to abide by the law.

“We will cordon off the area and will deploy Federal Reserve Unit personnel there if necessary,” he said.

Anwar, who is PKR advisor, was sentenced to jail by the High Court on April 14, 1999.

Article # 2 from Malaysia Today

Come celebrate our wedding anniversary

Raja Petra Kamarudin 35 years ago today, Marina and I got married after meeting five years before that in 1968 when she was in form two and I form five. We now have five children and four grandchildren. Although we do not plan to have any more children, we do hope and pray that we shall see at least a dozen or more grandchildren before we go to meet our Maker.

Tonight, we shall be celebrating our 35th Wedding Anniversary, plus of course the 40th Anniversary of God ‘throwing’ us both together.

I have decided to celebrate our wedding anniversary at the Kelab Sultan Sulaiman in Kampong Baru, Kuala Lumpur. The reason I have chosen this venue is not only because that club is owned by the Selangor State Government (which means I will not face any hassle in obtaining permission to use the club — although if they do hassle me then I will abuse my ‘privileges’ and get the palace to hassle them back), but also for sentimental reasons.

You see, the Kelab Sultan Sulaiman was where the Malays held their first gathering which resulted in the ‘struggle’ for Merdeka and which finally saw the birth of this nation on 31st August 1957. It was at this club that this nation called Malaysia, which we love so much, was mooted and finally saw life.

Therefore, celebrating our wedding anniversary there will not only be about the 35 years of happiness that Marina and I enjoyed as husband and wife, but also about what may have never happened if Malaya had then taken another route from the one it did whereby our paths would certainly have never crossed.

I invite all Malaysians to join Marina and me in celebrating our wedding anniversary tonight. Please come and share our joy.

Oh, by the way, I heard that the Selangor ruling party (which is temporarily the opposition in Parliament) is holding a ‘Black 14’ celebration there as well. I am not too sure about the status of that gathering and whether it has the necessary approval from the police. Anyway, just in case, please stay away from that gathering but please do come to Marina’s and my 35th Wedding Anniversary.

She’s only a few days old and already a baby girl in Northern India is being worshipped as a reincarnated god.

The newborn is unlike any other child villagers have seen before — she has two faces.

The girl was born on Monday at a hospital in the suburbs of Delhi, according to the Daily Mail.

Since then, people in her rural village have been singing and dancing — offering money and asking for her blessings.

The parents are hoping the government will help with medical treatments needed for their baby girl in the future.

For now though, both mother and child are healthy and doing fine, according to a doctor at the hospital.