Saudi Style Parties

Whisky, women and weapons (extracted from The Age)
LONG after midnight, the party is in full swing, the music loud, the whisky and champagne flowing. In the penthouse suite at a five-star London hotel, six attractive young British women, most in short, tight dresses that leave little to the imagination, sashay between wealthy princes from Saudi Arabia, flirting and laughing slightly more loudly than the Arabs' witticisms merit.

A silver dish of white powder, with matching spoon, is passed around. From time to time a couple slips out of the suite only to reappear half an hour later and seek new friends. Others do not feel impelled to leave to share intimate moments but settle on a sofa or the four-poster in the main bedroom oblivious, perhaps, to their fellow partygoers.

For this is the country where Islamic sharia law reigns, the Koran is the constitution, woman are not allowed to drive and where the religious zealots hold sway over law and order in a delicate pact with the ruling House of Saud, the extended royal family that holds every government post.

The Saudi royals also like to entertain and expect that to be reciprocated. In their home country that will consist of lavish dinners, with the finest food, in elegant surroundings. Abroad they will expect at least the same - and sometimes much more, especially in western Europe.

The "whisky and women" were usually demanded by less senior members of the ruling family, says one former diplomat in Riyadh. "There are about 5000 Saudi princes and a lot of the younger ones especially like to do things that many men of their age do. They are very restricted in their country so it's understandable that some go a bit wild when they are over here."
(Full text...........)
Tags: Saudi Arabia, House of Saud, Saudi Royals, Saudi Princes, Arabs, Whisky

Easy To Become A Malay

Everyday I'm learning something new. This time the lecturer is the Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam.

At a press conference in Kota Kinabalu, he mentioned that it's not hard becoming a Malay. His "How To" is listed as follow:-
* Be a muslim or convert to a muslim
* Converse in Malay language
* Follow Malay tradition

He also said that as long as you meet the above criteria, you are deemed to be a Malay even though you were a born Chinese, Indian or Kadazan. Ain't it simple?

May I know what was his education level? To me, I think he needs to attend a lecture before giving out such statements. The terms Malay, Chinese, Indian & Kadazan only denote different races. Even though if I were to adopt all the 3 items as stated above, it doesn't deny the fact that I'm still a Chinese with the colour of my skin. Can someone please proof read his speech next time.

As mentioned, if I was a Christian, converse in English at home/office, consumes western food (bread/jam for breakfast, salad/sandwiches for my lunch, fish & chips for dinner), celebrates Christmas/Easter - means to say that I'm an Englishman??? Really no sense......
Tags: Malacca Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam, Malay, Chinese, Indian, Kadazan, Racial

From death row to freedom

Freed Australian businessman George Forbes has described his three-month ordeal in a squalid Sudanese prison as a "bloody nightmare". He said the experience of living with the ever-present threat of death had left him "mentally fatigued".

Mr Forbes will fly out of Sudan today a free man, after his murder conviction was annulled by the country's court of appeal. Mr Forbes, 46, a construction engineer with Kenyan firm Trax International, was last month convicted of the murder of Ukrainian flight engineer Mykola Serebrenikov, who was found hanging from a towel rack in the company compound in the southern Sudan city of Rumbek in March.

Mr Forbes and three colleagues were convicted of murder, which is punishable by death in Sudan, despite an autopsy concluding the Ukrainian killed himself. A panel of three judges, including the president of the court of appeal, yesterday annulled the convictions of the men, noting the lack of forensic evidence and the lack of evidence of a motive.

Because there was no dissenting decision, the ruling cannot be appealed. Mr Forbes last night said he was elated that his "bloody nightmare" had come to an end. "Finally, after three months, justice and common sense prevailed," he wrote in an email to family and supporters. "The relief we feel is beyond explanation."

(continued.........)

This is the kind of life I have in Sudan.

Reading: Fraught foreign adventures - The Age

Tags: George Forbes, Australian, Sudan, Prison, Trax International, Ukrainian, Mykola Serebrenikov, Rumbek

Don't Make A Woman Angry

There are some ladies who won't let their men go off easily whether they have 'lost' their men on a fair challenge or not.
Public notice on a bilboard. Can you imagine if this was placed at the neighbourhood where that man was staying in.




oh oh, hide out was exposed....of course this could be done a raging wife....
ouch!!!! what does 5 axes signify?

Tags: Women, Men, Anger

World Refugee Day 2007

Every year World Refugee Day is remembered on 20 June. This year, a carnival will be held on 15 June 2007 organised by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Malaysia (UNHCR Malaysia)where it focuses on refugee children.

This event is held to provide the refugee children a chance where they rarely have to play outside in a safe environment. The refugee children are normally without a proper upbringing in terms of childhood life. What is life like playing at the playground? What is it like to be playing with kids of your age without any worries?

The funds available for the UNHCR Malaysia is generally for the protection of refugees and assistance to them. In order for this carnival to be a success, UNHCR Malaysia seeks the support from private companies/individuals in Malaysia. It will be a modest event, a chance for the refugee children to experience childhood in an open environment, so the carnival's needs is also modest.

This carnival will cater for around 150 - 200 children. Direct item contributions/cash donation are greatly appreciated and you could pass this message to companies and philanthropists. SAVE COST by doing so BUT effective as well if you pass the message also. Volunteers for this event are most welcomed. In interested, please do contact:-

* Yante Ismail (External Relations Officer)
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 570, Jalan Bukit Petaling, 50460 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: (603) 2141 1322 ext 303 / Fax: (603) 2141 1780
Mobile phone: (6) 013 352 6286 / Email: ismaily@unhcr.org

Tags: World Refugee Day 2007, World Refugee Day, UNHCR, Malaysia, Refugee Children, Refugee, UN, United Nations

Christ Followers in KiasuLand

Have you met any "kiasus" (Hokkien dialect word to describe someone who is afraid of losing) recently? It's really easy to spot one. Some characteristics of "kiasus" are:-

* Their favourite words are "Me", "Myself", "Mine" and "I" in big bold capital letters.

* They make choices solely on the basis of what benefits them the most.

* They are resistant to the fact that anyone can be better than them.

* They want to win at all cost, even willing to sacrifice integrity, relationships and health at the altar of success.

If you have problems finding a "kiasu", let me tell you a place where you can likely find one. Look at the mirror! Jab! Jab! Ouch! That's painful, isn't it? But it is so terribly true. Let's admit it. We live in a "me" era. However, many of us are sophisticated enough to mask our "kiasuism" with subtle packaging.

Our pride is called ambition. Our greed is named "hunger for growth". Our seeking for fame and popularity is hidden under the veneer of "marketing our talents and skills".

Don't get me wrong. I am not anti-growth or anti-competition. Godly stewardship of our marketplace position entails a strong focus on productivity, growth and profitability. However, my concern is that we may focus entirely on self interested motivations and on winning at all cost that we end up being another "kiasu" in kiasuland.

Surely, our calling as marketplace Christians should compel us to see beyond salaries, profitability and increasing of market share. Laura Nash in her book "Believers in Business", noted a covenantal approach among some evangelicals to the competitive drive in business.

In a covenantal approach, the first question asked is not, How much money did we make? but how is the customer faring? In other words, the primary purpose of Christians in the marketplace is the creation of value for others.

In Philippians Chap 2 Verse 4, the Bible said, "Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." That seems to be a value creating call to me. And, it is also a warning against "kiasuism".

I'll end with some questions on how we can create value for others:-

* In your workplace, what does it mean to be more of a giver than a taker when it comes to adding value to your organization?

* Is your organization a better place to work because you are on the payroll?

* If Christ were to have your job, how would He create value for your bosses, peers, subordinates, clients and society at large?

As Christ followers, let's focus on creating value for others. It's the antidote to being a self seeking "kiasu". (By Wong Fook Meng, Graduate Christian Fellow i-Commentary)

Tags: Christianity, Christian, Kiasu, Kiasuland

Discovery of New Medicine

World Health Organization, PATH and Serum Institute of India Limited have jointly developed a new vaccine for meningitis A, considered as the deadly virus that could kill a person within hours. This new vaccine is extremely welcomed for meningitis hotspots in India and Africa.

I can vouch for that as I have at least 4 different kinds of jabs for my working trip to Sudan. What do I have? Meningitis (can't remember whether it's for A or Z), Typhoid, Yellow Fever and Hepatitis (was it A or B that I have been vaccined against?).

There is a yellow book which I have to carry around when I'm travelling abroad. It's like a register book showing what type of vaccination that I have in my body and date of vaccination taken. Certain countries, at the gate of entry to their country, may ask for your yellow book if they noticed (in your passport) that you have travelled to Africa before.

If you didn't bring it along, you could be sent back to your country on the first flight out or the worst could happen, they will quarantine you in their medical centre - segregated faraway in a room....... hehehe....don't mind if I got deported back to Malaysia when I arrived at Sudan but sadly they don't worry on that.....
Tags: World Health Organization, PATH, Serum Institute of India, Meningitis A, Meningitis, Typhoid, Yellow Fever, Hepatitis, Vaccination, Health, Sudan