---

Visit my new home at
www.adriantai.com
for more comprehensive updates.

---

Thursday, May 31, 2007

The Wira experience

My company is playing host to a few foreign visitors. As they would be here for a few weeks, they rented themselves a car - a Proton Wira with automatic transmission.

On the second day, I sat in the car with them as they were still not sure how to get to the office. As our office is on higher ground, we had to drive through roads that was slightly sloped. Then it happened... The car started to jerk and my foreign visitor shifted to L (for Low gear). But we could sense that the Wira was really struggling to climb that road. There were only 4 of us in the car.

Anyway, we managed to get to office but my visitors were clearly not too happy with the car they had rented. They felt it was under-powered and not really that safe. They asked us to help them get the car exchanged.

After a few phone calls and a bit of negotiations, my colleague managed to get them a Toyota Altis. This time, my foreign visitors were already a bit skeptical about rented cars. They said they wanted to take the car for a spin before accepting it. After 1 round, they had a discussion and we found out later that they said the Toyota Altis was at least 10 times better than the Proton Wira.

Then one of them turned to my colleague and asked "Was the first car they had (Proton Wira) made in China?"

Arrgggh...!!! Paiseh, paiseh... Sia-sui only (paiseh means embarrassing in hokkien; siasui means disgraceful in hokkien). My colleague didn't know whether to tell them that the Proton Wira was made in Malaysia or not, so she just smiled at them...

No offense to the Chinese, but many have bad impression of 'Made in China' products -- cheap but does not last. Still, I guess this encounter only shows Malaysia is not that far off.

I know some of you might say that its the car rental company's fault for not maintaining the car...

Labels: misc

Click here to view using the page PermaLink.
Please leave your comments. There are 4 comment(s).

---

Monday, May 21, 2007

Pay raise and election

---

I wonder...

Today's News Straits Times mentioned of Work Minister, Samy Vellu, giving 150 years warranty for the Parliament building. If something happens 80 years from now, I wonder how are we going to claim from him? Or maybe he's also going to break the oldest person record?

---

It was announced today that civil servants will be getting a pay raise of between 7% - 30% effective July 2007. I think this is really great news for the civil servants who at times have to sacrifice so much for so little. COLA will also be increased. And for our underpaid heroes, the raise is even more! What more can we ask for, right?

Over the weekend, the Singaporean movie 'I not Stupid' was shown on the local TV. In one scene, the parents of one of the boys were so delighted after hearing news that the Singaporean government announced some bonus (or some kind of reward, I can't remember). Then both parents looked at each other and said that its probably election time.

Take a look at this post and tell me... Coincidence or its election time again?

Oh ya... The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index (KLCI) hit a record high early this month... ;)

Labels: misc

Click here to view using the page PermaLink.
Please leave your comments. There are 5 comment(s).

---

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Meeting my new neighbours

SP Setia recently started to arrange 'Meet Your Neighbours' session for the house buyers. They took the opportunity to show us (house buyers) what they are planning for Setia Alam, including sharing with us their new 'vision' for the business district, to be called Setia City. Setia Alam is located in Shah Alam and just next to Klang. It is about 15 minutes drive from Damansara Toll on the NKVE. It will my home come 2008.

For my batch, which is also the third one to be organised by SP Setia was held today. My parents joined us for the session which included a progress briefing, tea and a tour of the township and of course... Our houses. The turn out was quite good and I managed to meet up with some of the SARA forum members besides getting to know the neighbours.

So many people but unfortunately, my immediate neighbours did not turn up
Besides taking us to Eco Park which they are very proud of (I believe they won many awards for this development), they also took us to the Setia Badminton Academy.

Entrance to Setia Badminton Academy... Will our next national champion come from Setia Alam?
And guess who I saw there?

That's former world badminton champion - Han Jian
Yup, that's the former world champion - Han Jian. He is currently the chief coach at Setia Badminton Academy! Yes, you can get him to be your coach. I believe there are 16 courts which is available for rental. There are also 2 basketball courts here.

After the session, the four of us decided to sneak into our house (still under construction). We wanted to have a 'feel' of what will become our new home. We were quite impressed by the progress. Although expected to be completed only sometime mid 2008, the way things are looking, we expect to be able to move in early 2008.

We checked out the master bedroom. This is what we will see every morning...

There will be greens in front later on...
We got ourselves a linked Semi-Detached. Unlike the conventional Semi-D which basically means 2 houses joined together, the linked Semi-D, also known as cluster house, is made up of 4 houses. What to do, can't afford an actual Semi-D... Yet. :) But what Mrs Tai and I love about the house is the small garden at the side.

Outside our new home
We are just so excited... It shows on our faces... Just look at Mrs Tai's smile... And mine! We just can't wait to move in... :)

Labels: me

Click here to view using the page PermaLink.
Please leave your comments. There are 7 comment(s).

---

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Male Chauvinist Parliamentarian

I didn't intend to actually blog about this but an article in today's The Star Online just got on my nerves.

Taken from The Star Online
Last week, Mr. Close-One-Eye and Mr. Foul Mouth had made derogatory remarks in the parliament while commenting on a question by an opposition MP. You can read more about this in Malaysia Today or watch the Parliament session here.

Taken from The Star Online. Click here for full report.
Today, the Male Chauvinist Parliamentarian (MCP) is trying to worm his way out... His excuse is that 'bocor' could have meant anything from 'urinate' to the leaks in the Parliament. Unless the newspaper quoted him wrongly, since when did our Parliament building move to Batu Gajah? Or is he implying that we're wasting our money trying to fix and renovate the Parliament since it leaks every month? Or maybe he's just putting it across politely that the Works Minister isn't doing a good job. I doubt people in Batu Gajah urinate only once a month.

But do you know what is really amazing about all this? We elected these jokers. Yes, we are the ones who actually put these so-called leaders there. These are the people who are supposed to represent us and lead our country... But we have to seriously stop and ask - do they represent what Malaysians are and where are they leading us to? I definitely didn't elect them just so they could crack crude jokes and act like clowns in Parliament.

He has the right to refuse to apologise. We have the right not to vote him in. :) I have always believe action speaks louder than words. If we're serious about something, there is no need to talk. Just do it. If Malaysians are really offended, why the need to ask for an apology? Just make him regret it instead. We have the power!

In case you're wondering why I am suddenly so vocal, well, Mr. Gangster said politicians must be able to take criticisms:

Taken from The Star Online
Hmmm... I wonder if they would have gotten slapped had they said that in front of their mothers.

[From Wikipedia: Male Chauvinist is used to describe men who treat women negatively based solely upon their gender.]

Labels: thoughts

Click here to view using the page PermaLink.
Please leave your comments. There are 4 comment(s).

---

Monday, May 14, 2007

Maybank wake-up call

I have to thank Patrick TEOH for this wakeup call... I had been one of those who were indifferent to this. Maybe because I thought it didn't affect me. After all, I'm not a lawyer. And partly because I did not see the big picture until his post on this woke me up. I'm referring to the Maybank fiasco. To quote him:
Okay, for those of you who've been sleeping or been apathetic as usual or been abroad and out of Internet reach in Siberia here's a little background to what took place about a week ago.

Maybank, the country's biggest bank announced that for legal firms to do business with it the firms must have at least 3 Bumiputra partners. One of whom must own no less than 50% equity in the firm. Of course, when the announcement went public the shit hit the fan. As it should.

As he and many may have noted, this Maybank fiasco was on front page last week for 1-2 days. After that, it died down.

Patrick's post pointed out many glaring 'problem' our country faces today - from indifferent public and tactless politicians to short-sighted people who run companies and our country. How can we be 'ready' for globalisation when we're still in stone-age when it comes to 'business' and 'making money'? How can the top bank in our country come up with such ridiculous requirement? Are they trying to say that they do not have plans to do business with people outside of Malaysia? I'll be bl00dy worried if I'm a Maybank shareholder.

Our politicians' reaction is something to take note of as well. "Maybe their approach as not right but the matter should have been between the two parties only. This is not something that should have been brought to the Cabinet," one Minister was quoted as saying.

Taken from The Star Online
Errr... Hello?! Which two parties did he mean? And since when is discrimination a "two party" issue and a waste of Cabinet's time? Cabinet is here to serve the public and if we think it is a serious matter, the Cabinet should be spending more time on it and ensuring this does not happen again!

No company would want to get itself into a scandal and be in the front page for the wrong reasons. In the corporate world, such statements and business policy, like in the case of Maybank, only shows how shallow the people running the business are. I wonder how such policy could have been approved by the board of directors? Or could this have been the decision of a 'overly excited employee' similar to the "Deepavali" issue not too long ago? Either way, it does not give confidence to shareholders. It does not give Maybank a 'professional' image. If we truly want to be 'world class', it is time the board of directors be responsible for all this. They should provide a satisfactory reasons why this was allowed to happen in the company. Otherwise, they should follow the steps of other CEOs like:
Leak scandal costs HP's Dunn her chairman's job
"These leaks had the potential to affect not only the stock price of HP but also that of other publicly traded companies," she said. "Unfortunately, the investigation, which was conducted with third parties, included certain inappropriate techniques. These went beyond what we understood them to be, and I apologize that they were employed."

Bristol-Myers CEO Quits
"The recommendation to fire Dolan and Willard came after Bristol-Myers struck a deal with generic drugmaker Apotex to delay sales of a generic version of Plavix, Bristol-Myers' top-selling drug. The agreement is the subject of a federal criminal investigation."

As customers of Maybank, we should send out a clear message that we're not happy. Close our Maybank account! As shareholders, question the director about this in the next shareholders' meeting! But as Patrick also highlighted, all these are very inconvenient. Close my account and incur administration charges? Better to just "close one eye" to all this. Easier for us... Right?

That's probably why each time we take a step, it is one step backwards...

Labels: thoughts

Click here to view using the page PermaLink.
Please leave your comments. There are 2 comment(s).

---

Monday, May 07, 2007

My green effort

---

I wonder...

If Paris HILTON's jail cell will also be known as the Hilton Suite?

---

I have started to carry this around with me when I go pack my lunch. First reaction I get from my colleagues is "Your wife cooked lunch for you today?"
This is my lunch box
Everytime we tar-pow (pack) our lunch, very likely that it will be in a polystyrene box. After finishing our food, what do we do with the box? We throw it away. It is such a waste and does not really help us keep our planet clean.

Having blogged about our planet, etc... I decided it is time that I 'walk the walk' as well. After all, no point just talking about it but not doing anything. So starting last week, whenever possible, I will use my Tupperware.

Over time, I hope to do even more. Other little things I have started to do includes turning the engine off whenever I have to wait in the car. I sell my old newspaper to the recycling man. Whenever possible, I avoid asking for plastic bag when I shop. I have yet to get my own shopping bag but in time, I will get one as well...

These are no doubt very small steps, but at least I can now say I am doing my bit. What about you?

Labels: green, me

Click here to view using the page PermaLink.
Please leave your comments. There are 11 comment(s).

---

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Spiderman 3

Spiderman 3
A friend gave me two tickets to the charity screening of Spiderman 3 at Tanjong Golden Village (TGV) in KLCC. On the ticket, it was mentioned "Strictly no camera handphones, PDAs, laptops or any recording devices are permitted into the cinema" and also something about security checks. I didn't realise they were serious. This is the first time I actually have to go through a scanner to enter the cinema hall! Yes, they have people with handheld scanners conducting scans like in the airports. Those who had their handphones with them were told to leave them at a special counter.

I felt this was a bit ridiculous. I guess in this case, the movie distributor assumes everyone is guilty of piracy until proven otherwise. Luckily the people at the counter were quite friendly. But I have to admit, not having phones with us was quite good - this is also the first in a long, long time since I watched a movie without a phone going off midway. :)

So, how was Spiderman 3? I think this movie is over-hyped. I expected more action and more fights... After all, we have three villians in this movie - the Green Goblin, Sandman and one of Spidey's main 'enemy' - Venom. But I was disappointed. The fights were quite normal... Nothing really memorable. On character development, there wasn't really much. Yes, we get to see Peter Parker 'sink' and became 'bad' but I think I've seen stronger emotions from movies like Wild Hogs. Everything about Spiderman 3 just seemed half-hearted.

Hmmm... Do I look better in Red or in Black?
There was a scene where Spiderman swings into action to try and save Mary Jane. I think this scene was supposed to make us cheer, but unfortunately, it just didn't do it for me. I remember a similar scene in Superman Returns, when Superman saves the plane and puts it down on a baseball stadium. Everyone in the stadium stood up and cheered... I actually cheered as well (even the hair on my arms stood up - That's how emotional that scene was!). Nothing like that in Spidermana 3.

I thought it was just me, but when I asked Mrs Tai, she agreed as well that Spiderman 3 was a bit disappointing. For me, I think the best Spiderman movie is still Spiderman 1.

That's how you pose for photos...
After the movie, I had wanted to walk straight to the LRT station when Mrs Tai reminded me that we needed to go collect our phones. I was quite annoyed as I had to walk back to the cinema to collect my phone. Can't they just place the phone collection counter in front of the cinema exit instead? As we approached the phone collection counters, we saw confusion. There was definitely lack of planning from the event management company. There were no proper instructions on how to go about collecting our phones. It seems that you need to go to the correct counter, depending on the serial number of the receipt given to us when we handed over our phones. At one point, I got 'yelled' by the 'supervisor' as well... I think he is the supervisor because he was not wearing the t-shirt with the website www.deromp.com. I was not the only one who thought all this was ridiculous as I heard similar complaints and comments from others as well...

So much for charity screening. If this is how other charity screenings is going to be like in future, I doubt people will want to bother giving to charity this way. Or at least, the event management company should do a better job, especially during phone collection time. Put up more signs and information so people will know what to do. It's late, it's been a tiring day... Nobody wants to walk back and forth looking for the correct counter to collect their phone!

And I personally don't think this outing is really worth talking about that much...

Anyway, with Spiderman 3 out... What else is left for the next few weeks? Let's see... Pirates of the Carribean 3, Transformers, Fantastic Four 2, Die Hard 4, Harry Potter... Wow... Hopefully they are much better...

Labels: misc, reviews

Click here to view using the page PermaLink.
Please leave your comments. There are 8 comment(s).