Living with the petrol price hike

Sigh... This is one of the first impacts of the petrol price hike. And I wasn't even on empty at that time.

Porcelain bus

Just a quick note to highlight some quirky Aussie expressions that I read today in this news item on BBC Online:

dodgy dagwood dog = battered sausage
drive the porcelain bus = clutching a toilet bowl with both hands while vomiting
crook = sick

In the meantime, more Aussie expressions from the BBC Online:

jillaroos = female cattle station workers
jackaroos = male cattle station workers
Big Dry = 2007 drought of the century

And this contribution came from the AFP:

mulesing = cutting a slice of flesh from a sheep's rump

Leaving? Let him go!

I say if he wants to go, let him go. No point hanging on to a player who lacks the character, understanding, sense of belonging and loyalty of a great champion. He doesn't deserve to remain a part of Manchester United.

Let's have the trams back in Penang

This is an extract from a news report "Groups: Bring back the tram to Penang" in Sun2Surf yesterday regarding a proposal that the Penang state government bring the trams back to the Penang island. I'm all for the re-introduction of the trams.

GEORGE TOWN (June 4) : Citizens groups in Penang have initiated a lobby to have the billion-ringgit monorail project replaced with a tram system in the state. The movement stems from an increasingly popular notion that the monorail is far too costly and would bring about adverse effects to the heritage streets and green landscape of Penang.

'Penangites for Tram' campaign coordinator Anil Netto explained that investment required for developing a tram network would be much lower than for constructing the monorail. "The tram is a more substantial choice as we can revive the system based on already existing old tram lines that Penang used to have, thereby eliminating excessive additional costs," he said.

Netto said trams would blend in with George Town’s heritage and greenery, while the monorail would obstruct views of buildings and mar the attractiveness of the island.

He said a good tram system would also encourage people not to drive private vehicles within the town area, allowing them to save following the increase in fuel charges. "If we give the people a better alternative in public transport, there will be less traffic congestion and more parking spaces in town," he said. As the roads of Penang are narrow, they suited the concept of the trams, he added. The campaign is currently being supported by 25 bloggers and websites.

Heritage writer Khoo Salma Nasution noted that the Penang Island Municipal Council was the first local government to introduce electric trams in the inner city in the early part of the last century. "People think the tram is a thing of the past, but they are wrong because it is actually the thing of the future," she said. "It is clean, energy saving and user-friendly not to mention fast, efficient and also cheap." She said the tram could provide an iconic identity for Penang and help revitalise the heritage of the inner city.

Aftermath of fuel price increase

With the tightening of the belt, I hope that we are not reduced to this:

Very appropriate: Fatt fatt (88) days after General Elections 2008

Driving on the roads yesterday evening was a nightmare. I'm sure most of you would have suffered the same experience. From the Butterworth ferry terminal to my home in Bukit Mertajam, the roads were jam-packed with cars all making beelines to the petrol stations. I counted seven petrol stations along the way. Maybe I miscounted and there were more. Queues were forming at the stations and spilling into the streets as drivers tried a final attempt to beat the midnight deadline when RM1.92 per litre would be a price of the past.

So much for election promises and assurances .... The new price for petrol is now:

While driving home, I could feel the worries building up inside me. There has to be a change in lifestyle as my family comes to terms with this price increase. Suddenly, our purchasing power is greatly reduced. Our dollar is shrinking. Surely, there will be a spiral effect...again. Prices of foodstuff will be going up and that's going to be a killer effect. Prices of services will also go up as everything will be passed down to consumers. Reduction of the electricity bill is needed. Less air-conditioning. Switching off the computer, and especially the monitor, after use and indeed, less downloading of files. Bringing in lunch to work. No more buying of unnecessary items. Less vacationing and definitely, less driving around.

Leaving?

A news report by The Guardian newspaper says that he is set to leave.

Cristiano Ronaldo appears to have made up his mind to leave Manchester United and fulfil his "dream" of joining Real Madrid. The Portugal international has informed his agent, Jorge Mendes, that he wants to play in Spain and his decision has already been outlined to Madrid, encouraging them to step up their attempts to prise him from Old Trafford. MORE...

The out-going and the in-coming

I caught a significant moment in Malaysian chess on the eve of the changing of the guard: Dato Tan Chin Nam stepping down as the MCF president and Tan Sri Ramli Ngah Talib taking over as the new MCF president. One of my favourite quotes from Dato Tan: "We can all argue about who is the strongest chess player in history. Was it Bobby Fischer or is it Gary Kasparov? The answer is neither. The strongest master is Time, which never loses a game or even a tempo."

Second Penang Bridge: how?

I was driving across the Penang Bridge at about 8.30am this morning at the unlikely speed of 80kph most of the way. A very smooth ride indeed. No congestion at the entry point except for a stupid bugger who briefly held up the Smart Tag lane with a weak battery. It was also a smooth flow on the bridge except to slow down at the mid-span.

But it's hardly like this everyday. Today was a REAL exception because normally, I would have to queue up at the Smart Tag lane (why don't Penang Bridge open up the adjacent line for the Smart Tag when they already have the equipment in place?), patiently squeeeeeze myself into the bottleneck in order to get onto the bridge and then go bumper-to-bumper until the exit points. That's my daily routine going to work and coming home.

While driving across the bridge this morning, I couldn't help reflecting on Anil Netto's blog the night before about the ballooning costs of building the second Penang Bridge. Let me just quote the relevant part of his story here (read Anil Netto here):

In April, we were told it would come to RM4.3 billion! (See 10 reasons why the second Penang bridge is not a great idea.)

Now we learn that that figure of RM4.3 billion does not include quite a few things:

Preliminary estimate of land acquisition - RM110 million (final estimate could be higher, no?)

Compensation to fish and cockle breeders - RM110 million

“Project development costs” (whatever that is) - RM285 million (apparently not yet finalised)

This brings us to a grand total of RM4.8 billion - and rising. There is also a kos variasi harga (Price variation cost? What is that?) - for which no figure was provided.

Now, what I believe is that RM4.8 billion will be a heavy price for Penangites to shoulder eventually. Not only will there be a heavy toll to use the second bridge, I'm sure the toll of the first bridge will be raised as well. And with the petrol subsidies going to be removed or adjusted and petrol prices set to increase by August this year, driving may well become a luxury.

Long time ago, I was thinking - mind you, this is just an ordinary layman thinking without considering any possible engineering or logistics or whatever problems - why do the authorities have to eye Batu Maung/Batu Kawan to build the second bridge?

Why couldn't they consider building the second bridge right next to the existing one? Make it a parallel bridge. Then the crossing will not be so long and we can make traffic flow uni-directional on the two bridges, one going to the island and the other going to the mainland. All the authorities have to do is to expand the infrastructure at both ends of the bridges to accommodate the increasing traffic. This may be a very simplistic suggestion but have they considered it? I'll be very surprised if they haven't but if they have, it'll be interesting to know why they think it will not work!

Breaking down walls

Chicago is half a world away from Bukit Mertajam. I've two good friends there: Chen Ooi and Bill Kelley. I've known Ooi for almost all my life. Our families were very close and we grew up here on Penang island until he left for the United States in the early 1970s. He studied designing and remained behind in Chicago. Meanwhile, Bill has a legal background and is his long-time companion there. Not so long ago, they were interviewed together for an ongoing web project. Here is the interview. There's also another interview here where Ooi talked about his upbringing in Penang. They'll always remain my two good friends although we are worlds apart.

Note: This is only an image. If you want to watch the first interview, click here.

Rape of Pulau Jerejak, as seen from the air

Yesterday afternoon, as the aeroplane circled in to land at the Bayan Lepas International Airport, I had the rare opportunity to see the extent of the hill clearing at Pulau Jerejak. It looks real bad.

As far as I'm concerned, the authorities have turned a blind eye to the destruction. Just what's going on over there? There's no explanation from them whatsoever in the mainstream press. Just ... complete silence. Nobody seems to care at all. And in the meantime, there goes part of our environment.

Will KL's greenery fade away?

I've just returned from another trip to Kuala Lumpur this weekend - only this time, it was a very hurried, last-minute effort - to attend both a dinner and a meeting at the Cititel hotel in MidValley. Every time I stay there, I never get tired of looking out the windows at the wide expanse of space. If you can cut through the slight haze, it is a grand view because of the high-rise buildings, especially the Petronas Twin Towers and the KL Tower in the distance.

Actually, I've never been very impressed with high-rise buildings because they contribute to human and vehicular traffic congestion. But Kuala Lumpur is not just one concrete development after another. Not yet, anyway. I'm glad that there is still a lot of greenery around the city, as can be seen from the picture below. There are still huge trees that line the major roads. They provide a respite from the heat. Of course, I cannot expect trees to be grown on the flyovers but the city can still do with even more trees along the multi-lane highways. I can only hope that the city authorities will not do something stupid in the future by felling these trees. Nevertheless for the moment, I am thankful that I can still see greenery from my hotel room at the Cititel.

Water danger

After that little food adventure at TGIF today, I really had to sweat off the carb, sugar and caffeine in me. Woe, woe, woe. So immediately after knocking off from work, I hurried to the BM Hill for a spot of climbing. Instant therapy which I hope will work.

In any case, there's this particular spot at the foothills which I have been photographing regularly. Today, it looks quite normal with a hint of dampness on the rocks.


But you should compare this shot with another that I took a week ago. It was so different then, when water was gushing down after the rain.


UPDATE: Yesterday (Friday) was not good enough for me. I pulled myself from the bed at 6.15am today to prepare myself for an early morning climb to the BM Hill's tea hut.

House of sin

My colleagues pulled me off to TGIF for lunch today. It wasn't the first time that I ate there but it was certainly the first time that I ordered the three-course set lunch.

Already, by the time I finished the main course of fettucine with grilled chicken, I was feeling quite full. You know how pasta dishes can be like, especially when the cook goes crazy with the cheese and creamy sauces. ES even had to give up on his meal. We had both chosen the same dish.

However, I was quite unprepared for the dessert. In fact, none of us were prepared. The staff at TGIF had recommended their house specialty - mocha mud pie - but we never expected the portion that came. It was a real struggle to finish it. I couldn't. Neither could Ted, although you couldn't tell from the photo, could you? Incredibly, YT managed to do justice to his serving! I really have to acknowledge him as the sifu of the day.

What goes into the mocha mud pie? I was told it's three inches deep of mocha ice cream with a layer of chocolate, deep frozen for two days, then sliced up when a customer orders it. It's then topped librally with mocha powder, sprinkled with almond slices and then .... served with fudge, all gooey and sticky. Now, isn't that really sinful? I don't think I can ever look at fettucine and mocha mud pies again for a long, long time.....

UPDATE: It's way past midnight and I'm still having a caffeine buzz! I'm feeling so wide awake.

Bah Kut Teh

I've just found out that we - my family, of course - had travelled 908.2 kilometres in three days. My cousin took us to Serdang for Bah Kut Teh, not the best in the Klang Valley, but we had to make do with this restaurant as her first-choice lunch spot was closed on Sunday. Funny that a restaurant should close on a day that any other restaurant would gladly open!

Anyway, we drove left, right, right, left, left, left, right, right. left, right. right ...... Ah, well. I really can't remember how we turned. I only remember following the back of her car, turning right when she signalled right and turning left when she signalled left. Of course, I congratulated her for getting me lost (after thanking her for the lunch AND returning us to her house.)

Luckily, I love Bah Kut Teh and I loved the Huge and Chunky version at this restaurant. I really don't mind getting lost again IF I can ever find this place again. But then, I have to go right, left, left, right, left, left, right again which is a BIG hassle for this dish.



There's a tamer version at the Cititel Hotel at MidValley where we had brekkie the following morning. Only difference is that instead of pork, it's pieces of chicken. So the hotel coined a new name for this: Chik Kut Teh.

Okay, lah. It's edible enough. But it's nothing like the real strong, original stuff!

Changing faces of Suvanno

This was the Venerable Suvanno, the man who became a monk and who put Lunas on the world's Buddhism map.

Crab adventure

At long last, I managed to find a restaurant in Province Wellesley that dares to be adventurous enough with their crab dishes. This one serves one of my all-time favourites: crabs stir-fried with salted eggs. Yummy!

This is the Sea Ocean Restaurant and it's located in Permatang Tinggi along the old Federal Road that runs from Butterworth to Ipoh. A table for five persons costus us RM127 only. This particular crab dish was RM42. Reasonable.

Ryan Giggs' milestones at Manchester United

I find it rather fitting that Ryan Giggs should celebrate his 758th club appearance by scoring the club's final goal in their final game of the English Premier League against Wigan. It was also fitting that he celebrated his 759th appearance by scoring the final penalty in the Champions League final against Chelsea.

What appearing in tonight's game proved is that I was right to remain at United throughout my career. When I first came through, Serie A was the place to be and the best players went there. Now all the great players are playing in England. Winning the Champions League is the biggest achievement of my career along with my United debut, my Wales debut and captaining my country. Back in 1999 when I was 26 I just assumed I would be involved in a few more finals again. But at 34, you know deep down that the chance is slipping away. But I want nights like this again. We deserved it, we've been the best team."

Landmarks:

One of just two players to score in every Premier League season;
Six times included in the Professional Footballers Association team of the year;
Played 12 consecutive seasons in the Champions League (record);
Took 15 seconds to score United's fastest Premiership goal against Southampton in Nov 1995;
17 years old when he made his United debut at home to Everton in Mar 1991;
Most decorated player in English football with 20 major honours;
Scored 26 European Cup goals all for United;
759 club appearances, surpassing Bobby Charlton's 35-year record.

Seeing red

Red is the colour of Manchester United. Red is also the colour of the Democratic Action Party. And nobody in the DAP comes closer to being a Red Devil supporter than their secretary-general, Lim Guan Eng, who also happens to be the Penang Chief Minister.

In this story in The Malaysian Insider, Guan Eng was quoted as saying (grammatical error and all):

"Whilst the intervention of a peerless individual may prove divine, the victory by Man United in the Champions League proved that champion teams do not consist of one individuals but all 11 players. No matter how awesome and majestic a player, he can never make a football team champions. Ronaldo proved it that when he blew the penalty, but his team-mates stepped up to win the championship. Teamwork matters now more than ever. A leader's success is now determined by the ability not only to gather the best and brightest but his or her ability to mould them as one and meld them with one heart, one mind and one soul. Only the subordinates' success decides a leader's legacy,"

Affairs and orgies

Now I'm feeling a little deflated after the exhilaration of seeing my chess article appear among the top five Most Viewed stories in thestar online. Among their Most Emailed stories today is one about an orgy.

I think this is a confirmation that when it comes down to the basics, the people in this country are very interested about affairs and orgies. Ha ha ha ha ha .... !!!!