Breather

Yes. It has finally arrived. The eagerly anticipated, absolutely essential one week Easter break. I was just about to start wondering: will the break actually happen at all? Or was it just an illusion; some cruel trick played by the university? It’s suppose to be a mid semester break after all, but it’s already Week 8 now (there are 12 weeks in a semester).

It felt as if I was holding my breath since the start of the semester. Second year has been extremely to the power of 100 difficult, oops, I mean extremely difficult. You see what I mean? I have been doing a lot of (financial) maths lately, and the present value of the money in your wallet assuming an effective interest rate...gahh! Actuarial subjects have the innate ability to make the material you have studied so rigorously stick to your head and haunt your every thoughts.

With Easter break arriving, I have that awesome feeling, which is synonymous with the moment when you have been holding your breath under water for what felt like the longest time ever, and then you surfaced. Oh yes, that wonderful feeling that numbs your pains, and erases your worries (albeit temporary). It’s high time for a breather.

Let’s talk about what’s on almost every Malaysians’ minds: the already infamous 1Malaysia email address. Apparently, every Malaysian aged 18 and above will receive a special 1Malaysia email address, so that the government can securely send notifications etc to everyone of age. The issue that got many people so worked up is that a certain exclusive group will be paid to create these emails. Now, the sum paid is not of a small value. Suspicious? Indeed.

There is speculation that the government wants to do this because the PM’s wife want to read our emails. Bemused people are even suggesting that this is some kind of April Fool’s joke on the government’s part, but it was delayed because they were so inefficient.

Surely there is a much better way to spend taxpayers’ money rather than building a mega tower and creating 1Malaysia emails for everyone? Wait, I stand corrected. There isn’t a much better way, there are many better ways.

Let’s face it, no country is perfect, no government is spotless. Take Australia for example. In the state of Victoria, the previous government has spent billions of dollars by introducing the ‘myki’ system into their public transport system. It’s pretty much like Touch & Go in Malaysia. Well, the fact is the current state government is thinking of scrapping the myki system because the cost went overboard by millions of dollars, and it is still incurring losses. Well, if there’s one thing I learned, it is that Aussies are notoriously lazy and inefficient. (Note: I’m being cynical here)

For example, they follow their working hours to the very second. Here’s a situation:

Australian receptionist: *looks at clock* Oh looks its 5.15pm already. Happy hour!

Visitor: *walks in* Erm, good evening, I was wondering if...

Receptionist: Sorry mate we are closed. We are open again tomorrow at 9am.

Visitor: But...

Receptionist: Yea (pronounced’ yeeeeeea’), so please do come back tomorrow. Bye.

But it seems that Malaysian government is trying very hard to spend taxpayers’ money on (putting it bluntly) useless pursuits that will not help the nation.

Anyway, thank for reading. It's one of the longest post in a while. Happy Easter!

The clock is ticking

The clock is ticking.

Another goal left unachieved.

Another problem that could have been resolved.

Another mistake that could have been avoided.

Something you could have said earlier.

Something you should have done earlier.

The clock is ticking.

Under Construction

Yes, it’s time for the long overdue blog maintenance. I recognize the need to occasionally freshen things up, and this blog needs an overhaul. The features you see now may or may not be permanent.

On a sidenote, the lack of updates is due to my new role as a ‘bro-rent’. A ‘bro-rent’ is a cross between a brother and a parent. My responsibilities include cooking, washing, marketing and doing other household chores in addition to being my younger siblings’ unofficial guardian. Of course, I share the household chores workload with my siblings. But I am telling you, taking care of two hyperactive, hungry, sarcastic kids in the absence of my parents is no easy task. And studying actuarial science at the same time definitely does not make it any simpler.

Rabbits & Regulations

As we enter into the Year of the Rabbit, I can almost hear Bugs Bunny saying ‘Wassup Doc’ with a huge grin plastered on its face. For some funny reason, I think of Bugs Bunny when I think of rabbits. I guess it must be the old Warner Bros cartoons on Cartoon Network back in the day when my shoes were size 5. But one thing is for sure, I am pretty sure that I can hear adults/parents grinding their teeth in despair when handing out ang paos to the younger, unmarried generation. I certainly can empathize with the ang paos givers. How would you feel if you are required by custom and tradition to hand over your hard-earned money to the grubby hands of small children who don’t appreciate the meaning behind ang pao giving & receiving? It’s like coughing up RM30 (10 Australian dollars) for a bowl of curry noodles in Melbourne. Weird comparison, I know, but that’s beside the point. Moral of the story: Stay single, and you don’t have to give ang paos.

Sticking to the Chinese New Year theme, what makes a great festive celebration? Good food and great company of course. Notice that I that wrote ‘good’ for food, and ‘great’ for company. Yes, being able to spend CNY with the people you are comfortable with is certainly more important than great food. Although it certainly helps that the people I am most comfortable with also provide awesome food.

Friendly reminder: The next few paragraphs may or may not contain political issues. Consider yourself warned.

As I was browsing through Malaysian news website a few days back, I came across an article reporting that the Malaysian government is looking to introduce a new set of regulations to regulate Internet in Malaysia. Flip through any dictionary and you will find that the word ‘regulate’ is closely related to the word ‘control’.

Does that mean that Internet users in Malaysia are going to be watched and controlled by some government regulatory body? Well, if certain websites containing illicit material such as pornography and such are blocked, I can’t say naught to that.

But wait, the relevant ministry (Information, Communication and Culture Ministry) said that it will, among other functions, weed out ‘false information’. What exactly is false information? What if the government tries to cover up an incident detrimental to their standing among the people in order to win the next election, and brands the incident as ‘false’?

Personally, regulating the Internet is like stifling information. That is definitely not the way forward, especially for a developing (possibly stagnant) country like Malaysia. To win the people over, the government needs to be transparent (among other attributes of course). Perhaps the events in Egypt and Tunisia had the current government worried, but I am only a powerless observer. If this is one of the many methods that the government use to ensure they remain in power, I say the country has really gone to the dogs.

On a sidenote, can you imagine a government-friendly website named 1Malaysia.com replacing Facebook? Fortunately I live in Australia most the time now, free and able to use Zuckerberg's creation.

Are the set of regulation guidelines a form of internet censorship? That is the question.

Update

At the start of the new year, I know I promised myself to update this blog more regularly. Evidently, I failed in that sense. (Hint: Look at my blog archives to the right. This is only my second post of the year). So right now, even though I'm devoid of any ideas or motivation to write, I am still going to update this blog. But here lies the problem: what am I going to write about?

While I think about what to write, perhaps you would like to entertain yourself with my previous posts below about new year resolutions and my Time Vortex theory. Maybe even update your Facebook profile. Speaking of the Time Vortex, I am yet to be contacted by the Nobel Prize committee despite already submitting all my data and results to the National Science Committee (or whatever its called).

Okay I give up. It feels as if my brain has been turned to mush. I can't write anything at this moment. I blame the erratic Australian weather. One moment it's chilly, the next moment it's blazing hot. Oh yes, before you ask, I am back in Australia, or more specifically, Mount Waverly, a suburb of Melbourne.

Hopefully, next time I can provide quality reading. Cheers.

New Year update: From appendicitis to new year resolutions

Happy New Year. Thanks to the effect of the Time Vortex (by the way, I am yet to be contacted by the Noble Prize Committee), 2010 sure flew past pretty fast. So hello 2011.

Note: Read my older posts for the details of the Time Vortex theory, which I founded and proven the theory

I have to be brutally honest. When I wish people 'Happy New Year', I do sincerely hope that you (or whoever it is) have an awesome year. But that does not mean I can make you happy, for example, by giving you money etc. Just to be clear.

Most people spend New Year Eve's eating, partying, having fun. I did do that, but not before going to SJMC to check whether I have appendicitis which thankfully (or if you hate me, unfortunately), I didn't. According to the tired-looking doctor, I had some virus in my intestine, thus causing the stomach pain. On a sidenote, I would feel down too if I had to treat bad-tempered, ill patients on New Year Eve's.

New Year, new resolutions? Alright then. Here are my resolutions.

1. Lose more weight. Perhaps be 5kg lighter by the end of the year.

2. Heck, I don't need to change for the better, as I am already an awesome person *ahem*. In fact, the rest of the world is the one that needs to improve.

Ok, alright, who am I kidding. But one thing for sure, I resolve to be a happier person, one that is adaptable to different, even adverse situations. I don't want to be the one that says 'Don't dwell on the past, look to the future'. In fact, I say 'Listen to the past, Think for the future'. History is important. It's crucial not to repeat one's mistakes in the past and more importantly, learn from it. And remember, what is done is done. We can't undo time (maybe not yet), but we can plan for the future. We are in charge of our own destiny.

If you can't read the comic strip above, well, you're getting old mate.

I have an announcement to make. My family and I are migrating to Australia later this month. Yes, we have Australian PR (for some time now actually). Hence, e will be moving out of this my current house, and after days of packing, we still have plenty stuff we don't want. Thus, we will be having a garage sale, in an attempt to get rid of the stuff and earn some cold, hard cash.

Among the items for sale are books (a lot of books), assorted soft toys, old shoes, vases, pots, plants, a variety of bags, cups, key chains, beds etc. Even two dogs up for adoption. It will held this coming weekend, from 8/01/11 to 9/01/11. All who are willing to spend are welcome.

*Insert Title Here*

I am fully aware that the last time I updated this blog was eons ago, well actually it was about a month ago. But the point is, it felt like ages ago right? This brings me right to the heart of the Time Vortex theory. Once again, let me summarize the Time Vortex theory. This groundbreaking, or should I say, time-breaking theory suggests that there exits several 'black holes' all around the globe which not only suck time away from us, but it is able to regurgitate time back to us. In other words, these 'black holes' (or Time Vortex) is responsible for the instances when we felt that time flies, or when time drags on. What I did in my research was to find the location of every Time Vortex and attempted to establish a pattern for which the Time Vortex comes into play. The difficult part of the theory is trying to form a pattern for which when these Time Vortexes suck/regurgitate time. Thanks to my wit & determination (ahem), I'm finally able to answer these questions.

There are billions of Time Vortexes in existence. In fact, every living human being has (at least) one Time Vortex in close proximity. That explains why we can feel the full effects of the vortexes.

There is most certainly a pattern for when the Time Vortexes 'give' or 'receive' time. The vortexes drained precious seconds, minutes, hours away from us when we are enjoying ourselves and when we are rushing for something or meeting a deadline. On the other hand, the vortexes regurgitate time when we despise what we are doing, or when when we are waiting for someone/something.

My comments? Time is precious. Once lost, never recovered. The effects of the Time Vortex cannot be negated. What we mortals can do is to appreciate every day, hour, minute, second we had the privilege to use. In short, use time wisely.

Note: I can be contacted by email, phone and even Skype if the Nobel Prize Committee wishes to award me the Nobel Prize.

Apparently, the picture above is voted the most terrible thing you can see on Earth. Personally, I don't think it's that terrible, but I guess that happens if you don't cut your hair for 5 months.

Ah Malaysia. The land with great & cheap food, and unlimited internet (I am an optimist). No doubt after my university break, I will be fatter due to eating and red-eyed after hours of gaming.