Car Jack?

Dear friends,

I had a terrifying experience yesterday evening and I want to share with you. At 8pm yesterday, at the Damansara toll plaza, heading towards the city, I was suddenly "intercepted" by an old dark coloured, ill-mantained 3-series BMW. The vehicle stopped almost slant wise in front of me.

A young, thin Malay man possibly in his 20s alighted from the car with a parang in his hand. As soon as I saw him with a weapon, I sped towards Damansara Utama with the intention of going to the nearest police station. He trailed me violently weaving in and out traffic and waving the parang on one hand asking me to stop. There is also another man in the passenger seat, (I can't tell his look). They sped off after I made the turn off towards D'sara Utama.

Upon reaching the police station, I was calmed down by several policemen, who claimed that this is an attempted car jack and it happened almost everyday in and around D'sara Utama because of the accessibility of roads leading to many areas. This is also where Dato' Lee Hwa Beng was carjacked 2 months ago.

The police also claimed that carjackers would go for less luxury cars today and robbers tend to target people who has withdrawn money from ATM machines. I hope to remind all friends to be more alert and careful while you are on the road, coming out from the banks and even at petrol stations...Be safe....

Regards......Seow Kim Seng

Tags: Car Jack, Damansara, Lee Hwa Beng

True Love But Scary

A certain rich businessman had a beautiful daughter, who fell in love with a guy who was a cleaner. When the girl's father came to know about their love, he did not like it at all, and so began to protest about it. Now it happened that the two lovers decided to leave their homes for a happy future. The girl's father started searching for the two lovers but could not find them.

At last, he accepted their love and asked them to comeback home in a local newspaper. Her father said "If you both come back Iwill allow you to marry the guy you love, I accept that you loved each other truly". So in this way, their love won and they returned home.

The couple went to town to shop for the wedding dress. He was dressed in a white shirt that day. While he was crossing the road to the other side to get some drinks for his fiance, a car came and hit him and he died on the spot. The girl lost her senses. It was only after a some time that she recovered from her shock. The funeral and cremation were on the very next day because he had died horribly.

Two nights later, the girl's mother had a dream in which she saw an old lady. The old lady asked her mother to wash the blood stains of the guy from her daughter's dress as soon as possible. But her mother ignored the dream.The next night her father had the same dream, he also ignored it. Then when the girl had the same dream the next night, she woke up in fear and told her mother about the dream.

Her mother asked her to wash the clothes with the blood stains immediately. She washed the stains but some remained. Next night she again had the same dream so she again washed the stains but some still remained.

Next night she again had the same dream and this time the old lady gave her a last warning to wash the blood stain, or else something terrible will happen. This time the girl tried her best to wash the stains, and the clothes nearly tore, but some stains still remained. She was very tired.

In the late evening the same day, while she was all alone at home, someone knocked the door. When she opened she door she saw the same old lady of her dream standing at her door. She got very scared and fainted. The old lady woke her up..., and gave her a blue object, which shocked the girl.

She asked "What is this..?

The old lady replied..."Try Dynamo Liquid Soap... just a dab and it will remove all stubborn stains!!!"

I know how you all are feeling now...I have been through this too, ok? But don't look at me like that........I'm also hunting for the idiot who mailed this to me...!!
Tags: Scary Story, Dynamo Liquid Soap

Beijing 2008 - Unwanted Lists

If you have thought of going for next year's Olympic Games in China, you better make sure you are not part of the unwanted lists.

Doesn't mean if you are one of the International Olympic Committee ("IOC") members, you could be allowed into the Olympic Games. Yeah! it's that absurd. China's Ministry of Public Security are currently investigating various individuals that have to be there by virtue of their positions/occupations but China may not grant them entrance. At the end of each Olympic Games, a flag handover ceremony is usually done during the closing ceremony, right? The representatives from the next city would be represented, in this case London. Well, your representatives could be barred from entering China......hahaha. So, who's to take the flag then? What list am I talking about? Backgrounds of each people would be investigated and a benchmarks for the investigation were set too. Click here to view the list (in Chinese).

The Catholic guys didn't find it amuse and had published an article in their website, Independent Catholic News. It seems that Catholic believers have been singled out. Why? China is quite strict on the religion issue and they do not want religious people coming into the country to spread their influence in a communist state.

Extract of the statement by the China's Ministry of Public Security:-
* The banned groups will include members of religious groups not sanctioned by the state, including the underground Catholic and other Christian churches; "key individuals in ideological fields," "counter-revolutionary" figures, the Dalai Lama and all affiliates, "individuals who instigate discontentment toward the Chinese Communist Party through the Internet," and certain types of "handicapped" persons.

* Members of the indigenous religious group Falun Gong would be barred, as would "family members of deceased persons" killed in "riots" -- a euphemism for events such as the Tiananmen Massacre -- and Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang province, which the regime brands "national separatists."

* Foreign athletes, members of the media, Olympic staff members, referees, sponsors, dignitaries, and the International Olympic Committee itself, will all be investigated, to determine whether they fall into any of the 43 categories.

Reading: China’s Ministry of Public Security Issues Secret Directive to Investigate and Bar Thousands Worldwide from Olympics - Falun Data Information Center
BEWARE! Or is it just a propaganda raised by Falun Gong?

Tags: Beijing 2008, Olympic Games, Catholic, Falun Gong, International Olympic Committee, Ministry of Public Security, China, Investigation, Dalai Lama, Chinese Communist Party, Communist

Space Tourism Business

More and more companies are targetting this area of tourism industry. Ever thought of travelling up to the open space and see earth. Most have to go thought extensive training in order to become an astronaut but technology advancement will make it possible for an ordinary guy like to have a taste of it.

Only issue is $$$$$$$$.

EADS (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company), an aerospace giant, has jumped onto the bandwagon of space tourism under a space division called EADS Astrium. Plans are in store for fare-paying passengers on a sub-orbital ride more than 100km above the planet. Wow!!! The price for this trip will be around 200,000 euros (£135,000). First commercial flight expected to be available in 2012, still long time more and maybe enough time for you to save those money up. You'll get to experience weightlessness while travelling for about 3 to 5 minutes, not bad but too short a time after paying so much for the trip.

EADS Astrium said that such space development could incur as much as 1 billion euros. EADS Astrium is the fourth company that has announced such development apart from The Spaceship Company, Blue Origin and Space Adventures Ltd. Quite a tight competition too especially with such an expensive development cost and there were no examples to follow.

Tags: EADS, EADS Astrium, Space Tourism, Space Travel, Space

Leakage Again?

With all the leakages in goverment buildings and those 'bocor' case during parliament sessions, a leakage in one of the largest shopping centre's basement carpark should not be a shock to many people now.

This leakage happened at Mid Valley's new wing's basement carpark, which is at section of the up and coming The Gardens. This picture was taken 2 weeks back on a rainy day. I wonder how the rain water flowed down to the carpark.

Tags: Mid Valley, The Gardens, Leakage, Bocor, Carpark, Kuala Lumpur

What's Happening to Zimbabwe?

The nation of Zimbabwe seems to be going from bad to worse under the leadership of President Robert Mugabe.

Life in Zimbabwe has taken a 180 degree turn from the yesteryears. Its economy has reduced by 50% as compared to 10 years ago. During those days, the country was a net food exporter. The government has an unsustainable budget deficit of 50 percent of gross domestic product. Inflation rate has shot up to 3,700% now. The worrying part is 4 out of 5 Zimbabweans are unemployed.

Well, if you knows Robert Mugabe, then your life won't be as bad. It's the same old story in Malaysia also. It's the connection! In International Herald Tribune's article - How Mugabe Co. Prosper - it stated that "This system requires political connections and ensures loyalty. It demands economic schizophrenia, operating simultaneously inside and outside the market economy. Few legitimate businesses can turn a profit in Zimbabwe."

Situations as follow have happened in Zimbabwe:-
* University of Zimbabwe's students found it hard to pay their tuition fees or for notebooks. Worse still, sometimes you need to buy it at the black market.
* Official exchange rate for US$1 is 250 Zimbabwean dollars but on the black market US$1 can net you more than 40,000 Zimbabwe dollars.
* Price of cooking oil @ 90,000 Zimbabwean dollars.
* 1 in every 5 of its people has been afflicted with HIV/AIDS. Goodness me, works out to 20% of their population???
* Life expectancy has dropped all the way down to 36 years old only.

According to economists, Zimbabwe's economy could last for another 6 months if the same situation continues. Robert Mugabe still say that the economy could sustain by outside forces were trying to bring it down.

Sadly, even when they celebrates the 27th independence day, the public in general was trying to figure out how to purchase a loaf of bread @ 8,000 Zimbabwean dollars. And if you thought you were early to the petrol station, think again as hundreds were lining to purchase petrol which has ran into shortage.
Tags: Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, Economy, Inflation, Africa

University Entrance & Greetings

The new intake for the year 2007/2008 in Malaysia's university is just right around the corner. Students are now getting information on which degree course are being made available to them. Some found out that their top choices have been disregarded despite having high grades.

This dilemma is a yearly affair where those with good STPM results are denied their degree course of their choice (as made in application). The Higher Education Ministry in various states would be deluged by students/parents making their pleas/appeals.

Sometimes I really wonder how the Higher Education Ministry assess those applications. Is there something else behind those assessment, like unwritten/hidden rules, unknown to the public at large. In the next few days, we'll get to see newspapers' reports highlighting such sad situation hitting top students in the country.

Just when some of those who got their choice of degree course, they may not have prepared themselves for what will happen in the university. It's RAGGING. This ragging word has a nicer name now which is called ORIENTATION but actions behind that word were still the same.

I took up a professional course so I didn't have the chance to experience local university life....want to know why I took up a professional course instead of STPM? Most of you would know even if I don't tell you......not my own doing of course.

I have heard of ragging which was fun and laugther would fill the room or hall. Some seniors took it personally as a revenge. Just passing on what they have experienced when they were freshies. Fights would erupt. Threats would arose. Subsequent torturing life in the campus made worse if you had fought against the raggings. The Higher Education Ministry, as usual, is just waiting for a dead body before they will take any actions. As highlighted in a letter to The Star Editor, the fears created in the freshies' mind were so bad that many suffered in silence.

Why did they suffer in silence? For fear of further humiliation and losing their place in the university if such situation was made known to the press/public. The writer has a name for such seniors - sadistic.

Such ragging is not only found in local universities but also in military schools or army camps. What are such seniors trying to show? That they are macho? A year older? More brains?
Tags: University Entrance, STPM, Higher Education Ministry, Ragging, Orientation, Education, University