Datuknametoolongitis Syndrome

You have to read this posting which I picked up from an email. The original author should be residing in Sarawak, Malaysia. If you knew who the original author is, please let me know.

For easy understanding in the article below, a Datuk is a title bestowed by the Sultans / State Governments.
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I suffer from an incurable disease. Its called Datuknametoolongitis.

Datuknametoolongitis is typically characterised by the sufferer's inability to remember people's names in full, especially that of the Datuks. At best the sufferer can absorb the first three syllables of the name. Anything after that becomes pure gibberish.

Jalan Datuk what-what-what?

Kuching, my hometown, is a city that discriminates victims of Datuknametoolongitis, like me. I'm saying that because 70% of the roads here are named after famous people, most of whom are Datuks, some of whom have unfortunately very very long names.

Many years ago I remember studying at a Chinese Primary School along Pineapple Road, not too far from Palm Road. I remember a Jalan Keretapi (Train Road) near Wisma Saberkas.

There's even a oddly named Jalan Central Barat (Central West Road) , which is a strange fusion of Malay and English words.

Jalan Rambutan. One of the few old road that retained its name. No, there's no Jalan Coconuts.

I then travelled to Perth Australia where I stayed for eight years growing accustomed to road names like Hay Street where I do my shopping, and James Street where there's good bubble tea, great coffee and fantastic pubs at night. The longest road name I've came across is probably Sir Charles Court Promenade, which is more of a walkway on campus than a road.

And then I return to Kuching. And I experienced reverse culture shock.

There are some changes with Kuching that I can put up with. Then there are some that I cannot. One road, two names. One new, one old. Kinda defeats the purpose of changing its name isn't it?

Gone was Jalan Central Barat, its now Jalan Tan Sri Ong Kee Hui . Gone were Palm Road and Jalan Keretapi, its now Jalan Tun Ahmad Zaidi Adruce.

I have nothing against their names. I don't even know who the heck they are. But I'm sure at one point or another probably they did something so magnificient the city council decided to name a road after them. Then another. And another And one more. Then another...

As if remembering long and complicated names wasn't difficult enough for sufferers of Datuknametoolongitis like me, I was further punished by having to differentiate between two almost similar road names. Two roads, similar names. But the difference is day and night.

Its not that I didn't try remembering the names. Believe me, I tried. Its very difficult to know the names by heart. One trick I find very useful is to associate the road name with food.

Doing so helps me remember long road names, but makes me hungry very easily.

It's too bad some road names are a bit too long for me to use that trick.

Umm... Jalan Murtabak?

Then they start naming the roundabouts after these famous people.

Try reading them double fast without pausing.
How bad can this get? I thought those were the worst, I have no idea.

Until I came face to face... with The Mother of All Long Roundabout Names.

Its not true what they said about Sarawakians living on trees you know. That's not what we're famous for.

We're famous for giving road directions to tourists.

Imagine the following scenario:-
Angmoh tourist: "Excuse me, how do I get to the library?"

Local Sarawakian: "Oh that's easy! From here, go along Jalan Datuk Abang Abdul Rahim , turn right at Jalan Tun Abdul Rahman and drive until you reach Bulatan Datuk Temenggong Abang Kipali Bin Abang Akip . Do a 3 o'clock towards Jalan TunKU Abdul Rahman, make a left at Jalan Tun Ahmad Zaidi Adruce and drive until you reach the roundabout at Bulatan Datuk Amar Abang Haji Suleiman Bin Haji Taha . Exit at Jalan Tun Abang Haji Openg , then turn left at Jalan Laksamana Cheng Ho . Soon you'll reach Bulatan Datuk Menteri Abang Haji Mohammad Zin Bin Haji Salleh , where you should turn into Jalan Tun Datuk Patinggi Abang Haji Muhammad Salahuddin until you arrive Bulatan Datuk Patinggi Abang Haji Abdillah Bin Datuk Bandar Abang Haji Mohammad Kassim .

The library is just on your left. Any questions?"

Angmoh tourist: "Huh?"
Tags: Kuching, Sarawak, Road Names, Datuk, Roundabout

Terrorist List

A Terrorist List has been compiled by the Government Accountablity Office of USA. Go and check it out whether your name has been mentioned.

When we were in Sudan for our work assignment, we did mention that we could be banned from entering USA seeing those Sudan (being sanctioned by USA) immigration stamps in our passport. The USA embassy in Malaysia will require all expired passports and request you to list down places visited for the last 10 years before approving your visa application. And this list could be used to review people applying for their visas.

The Terrorist List's purpose is to assist the relevant authorities on the following:-
* check persons seeking visas
* travellers entering or leaving the country
* domestic airline passengers and persons stopped by state, local or federal law enforcement.

The listing itself grew tremendously i.e. from 158,734 names in June 2004 to 754,960 names by May 2007. It did worry the Homeland Security of USA on the huge increase. How are they to monitor that number of people?

If you found your name listed errorneously, you could write in to get your name off it.

Just make sure that your name won't be listed in the FBI's most wanted terrorists....hehehe
Tags: Government Accountability Office, United States of America, USA, Terrorist, Homeland Security, Federal Bureau Investigation, FBI

Most Expensive Game Boy

World's most expensive Game Boy gadget has been made available now. And this limited edition has loaded the Mario Brothers classic.

The uniqueness of this edition is that it's made of 18k gold with pave diamonds being part of the casing as well. It weighs 27 ounces.

The price - £12,500… you wouldn't want to press hard on those buttons then even though your game character is dying anytime.
Tags: Game Boy, Mario Brothers, Most Expensive Game Boy

Hardest Chinese Characters

I have been made known that I'm a banana man due to me being a chinese but yet do not know how to read / write chinese characters. Though I knew those really simple ones, it wouldn't have helped. Can't blame me as from young, my dad spoke to me in english language and I was sent to a malay language school all the way (in primary and secondary).

When I came across this ranking of the hardest chinese characters, I almost fainted by the number of complicated strokes just for a single character:-

"Exorcism""Noodle"
"Oneness"

Tags: Hardest Chinese Characters, Chinese Words, Hardest, Banana Man

MRSC 2007

Malaysian Revival Songwriting Competition (MRSC) Final 2007 is just around the corner i.e. on 2 December 2007. Prior to that, the organiser is organising a Boot Camp for all the participants to be held on tomorrow (from 10am to 10pm) at Sunway Mentari, Petaling Jaya.

Bloggers who are interested to attend the Boot Camp, please email me at jonash1@yahoo.com and entitle the email as "Star Maker". The organiser, Star Maker, would appreciate if bloggers could blog about the Boot Camp leading to the Final to be held on 2 Dec 2007.

This competition is also held in support of 3 organisations namely, National Kidney Foundation of Malaysia, Real Love Ministry and NIE Asia.

Tags: Malaysian Revival Songwriting Competition, MRSC 2007, Boot Camp, Star Maker Songwriting, Music, National Kidney Foundation of Malaysia, Real Love Ministry, NIE Asia

Lim Goh Tong's Hairdresser

The recent passing away of the Genting Group founder, Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong, revived my mom's faded memories.

During my mom's youthful age of 18 - 19, she worked as a hairdresser in a hairdressing saloon located at Jalan Pudu area known as Lee Ying (opposite of Maybank, Jalan Pudu) which is still in existence today albeit different owner. My mom is 63 today and counting those ages, it was like some 45 years ago, during the 1960s.

She remembered that, Lim Goh Tong then, always had his haircut at my mom's hairdressing saloon and at times she did the haircut for him. She said even then, he was just a simple businessman, not fussy.

His wife then was staying in one of those shoplots near the existing Pudu Plaza which was near Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong's shop (dealing with hardware materials) but not sure whether he owned that business or not.

It was during that time he started to venture into constructing his way up to Genting hill. And the rest was history in which the popular hill resort Genting - City of Entertainment was developed.

This is what I call A Man With A Dream Will Not Be Denied.


Tags: Hairdresser, Lim Goh Tong, Genting, Jalan Pudu, Pudu Plaza, Pudu, History, City of Entertainment

Quattro and Uno

Five Englishmen in an Audi Quattro arrive at the Italian border. The Italian customs agent stops them and tells them: "Itsa illegal to putta fiva people inna Quattro." "What do you mean it's illegal?" asked the Englishmen. "Quattro means four," replies the Italian official. "Quattro is just the name of the automobile," the Englishmen retort disbelievingly.

"Look at the papers: this car is designed to carry five people." "You can'ta pulla thata one ona me," replies the Italian customs agent. "Quattro means four. You hava fiva people ina your car and you are therefore breakin'a the law".

The Englishmen reply angrily, "You idiot! Call your supervisor over - we want to speak to someone with more intelligence!" "Sorry," responds the Italian official, "He can'ta come. He's a busy with two guys in a Fiat Uno." (uno is one in english language)
Tags: Audi Quattro, Fiat Uno, Italian, Quattro, Uno