How Fast a Stolen Car Could be Changed

A stolen Porsche was brought into a workshop for transformation within hours of being stolen.

Ta daaaaaaa! A blue Porsche that could be transported out of the country easily or even driven in the public without being recognised.

Tags: Stolen Car, Car Transformation, Porsche

Beijing Opens World's Largest Airport

Beijing, China has opened up its latest airport wing, Terminal 3, at its existing airport to the world aviation today.

The Terminal 3 received its first commercial flight from a local destination.

The size of this Terminal 3 alone is bigger than London's Heathrow Airport's 5 terminals being put together. Its length is 3 kilometres. With the operation of this new terminal, it's supposed to serve 85 million passengers.

Graphic image of the Terminal 3. Designed by a renowned architect, Norman Foster.

This new terminal accommodates 64 restaurants and 90 shops.

Internal view of the check-in counters.
The airport management, Beijing Capital International Co. Ltd., will require lots of cleaners just to maintain cleanliness.

Reading: Beijing terminal breaks size barrier - Telegraph UK

Tags: China, Beijing, Beijing Airport, World's Largest Airport, Beijing Capital International Co. Ltd., Heathrow Airport, Aviation, Norman Foster, Foster and Partners

Most Oldest People on Earth

When I tried to trace the country where it has the most oldest people, I did a search on Japan first and they were known for having the oldest living person at any one time. There would surely be one or two Japanese that is above 100 years old now. It's very rare indeed to locate such old citizens.

Human life span has shortened so much compared to those humans living during the Old Testament time as mentioned in the Bible. Methuselah was the oldest guy that lived for 969 years.

But then a particular country has surprised the world with their citizens' ages. Which one? Who else but my country, Malaysia.

In trying to get foreigners to adopt Malaysia as their second home destination under the Malaysia My Second Home Programme, part of the marketing strategy was to promote the long life span. Malaysia's lifestyle / environment has cultivated a group of senior citizens living beyond the average human life span.

If there were only a few then it could be pure luck but when you have more than 50 of them in one country then it's totally something to look at. Not only that, this group of Malaysian senior citizens won't be just sitting at home and hoping that they would be able to live one more day.

This group of Malaysian senior citizens of more than a century old and were born before 1900 would also be making their way to the polling centres around Malaysia on 8 March 2008 for the 12th General Election. Wow!!!!!

Don't believe ah????

Wikipedia has compiled a list of Oldest living people and Oldest people ever (115+). Comparing the Wikipedia's records and Malaysia's oldest man who is still alive and kicking at 127 years old, living in Taman Dato' Harun area and would be voting as well, the Malaysian has broken all World Guinness of Records.

Not only that, the next challenger who could break his record would come from Malaysia too. How do you verify that? Just key in the Identity Card numbers into Election Commission's website. Click here to see another 30 identity card numbers submitted in my blog's comment section by an anonymous person.

Found more of such senior citizens as mentioned in a political party's website. There are so many of such senior citizens. Malaysia must have good social welfare planning in anticipation of more senior citizens from now onwards. This is totally out of the world.

Reading: Dead or alive, Malaysia voters among world's oldest - Reuters
Tags: Most Oldest People, Oldest Person, Oldest, Malaysia, SPR, Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya, Election Commission, Wikipedia, Methuselah, Identity Card, 12th General Election, Malaysia My Second Home

Nicholas Tse Confronted Edison Chen??

Rumours flew all over the place that Nicholas Tse confronted Edison Chen (who had a sexual fling with Nicholas' wife, Cecilia Cheung, before she was married to Nicholas) in Hong Kong.

Paparazzis captured this picture.

The incident happened in a luxury hotel.

Related post:-
* Police Protection at the Public's Expense
Tags: Nicholas Tse, Edison Chen, Cecilia Cheung, Paparazzi, Hong Kong

Re-Designed Face Mask

During the bird flu scare period few years back, people throughout the world do wear face mask to protect them from catching the bird flu virus in the open air.

Seeing that summer period will be around the corner, bird flu virus may be in the news again. The fashion gurus are quite concious with such issues and thus, they came out with such designs for health concious people.

Totally protected round their face.

The eyes could still view where you are heading to and avoid banging yourself into free standing poles.

How considerate are the fashion gurus / designers.
Tags: Mouth Mask, Face Mask, Fashion, Fashion Guru, Fashion Designer, Bird Flu

Police Protection at the Public's Expense

When I blogged about the Special Police Protection for the Rich Hongkies, one thing struck my mind. What if it was a common citizen that was caught in the sex rendezvous with all those beauties instead. Would he get such special police treatment?

As for Edison Chen, he got it. Upon completion of the press conference, his departure from the Hong Kong International Trade & Exhibition Centre (HITEC) took quiet some time as reporters jammed up the whole exit.

I'm sure the special police treatment accorded by the Hong Kong police was at the expense of public fund. So, you Hongkies (or Hong Kongers???) living in Hong Kong - part of your tax money went towards the provision of security for Edison Chen, a person who doesn't stay in Hong Kong most of the time.

Can you believe that this guy even received a police motorcycles escort from HITEC back to his residence.

Treatments reserved for superstar differs from common citizens like you and me?
Tags: Edison Chen, Hong Kong Entertainment, , Hong Kong International Trade & Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong Police, Hongkies, Hong Kong

What Might Have Been If Malaysia Boleh

What might have been if Malaysia Boleh
By Eric Loo February 22, 2008 1:31PM Malaysiakini

The Qu'ran says God is not three in one, that Jesus Christ is just a messenger of Allah. Muhammad is the last messenger. The Bible says God is three in one, that Christ is the living son of God. He's the first and the last.

Buddhism denies the concept of a God; that there are no moral absolutes in life, only guidelines. And, the Bahais say Muhammad, Jesus, Siddharta are all manifestations of God on earth to spread peace and love.

Indeed, different doctrines create different communities distanced by distrust. What if no one group has any exclusive claim to absolute religious truth? Imagine what might have been if every religious group came together with one vision for world peace. Imagine every Malaysian responding to the melodic Azan call to prayer from suhur to isyak - all faced to Mecca and Jerusalem, giving thanks for another day to make a difference given our limited lease on life (presently about 70 years for a Malaysian male, 75 for a female).

Inconceivable? But indulge me for a moment on what's possible, and certainly desirable, in a plural society. That a vegetarian dhoti-clad Christian/Catholic may pray five times a day, appreciates the life story of Muhammad, enjoys the epic of Mahabharata, reflects on the aphorisms of past Buddhist sages, and ponders over the ecumenic teachings of Baha'ullah.

Religious diversity
Imagine every Malaysian living in racially mixed suburbs - no Kampung Baru Cina, no Kampung Melayu - with a common resolve to do what's right, good and noble by their neighbours. Visualise an Indian in baju Melayu lunching at the same kopi tiam with a Malay in cheongsam, and a Chinese in saree, chatting in our peculiar Manglish. Imagine if there was more inter-racial marriage minus the dilemma of mandatory religious conversion?

Imagine if every Muslim goes to the mosque, Buddhists and Hindus to the temples each Sunday morning when their Christian friends go to church - all to worship their god and pray for what's intelligent, right and good to prevail in the coming election. Imagine if every Malaysian takes time to understand their neighbour's faith with no conviction of being called to convert or fear of being converted. But, just believing in religious diversity and the common good with no zealous claim to any jealous god.

I witnessed this common good in humanity, free of religious exclusivity, at the Thaipusam festival in Penang. It was 6.30 on a Tuesday morning. The Malay and Indian police were already up directing traffic and the pre-dawn crowd spilling in to see the chariot of Lord Murugan leave the temple from Penang Street. Following the golden chariot, Chinese and Malay council workers were haphazardly sweeping broken coconuts off the streets. Up front, Indian and non-Indian penitents, skewered and stubbed, were shouldering kavadis followed by Chinese devotees offering sweets and fruits, some handing out packets of food to the crowd. The scene was kaleidoscopically Malaysian, yet 'cacophonically' Indian.

That's the intercultural spirit politicians forget when they talk of imminent racial discord if Barisan loses its majority hold in Parliament. As long as I can remember, since I cast my first vote for the opposition in 1974, each election has been driven by the coalition's caution on Malaysians to vote carefully, rather than intelligently, to avoid another May 13.

Four years on, I wrote in The National Echo (June 28, 1978): "The National Front must understand and realise the aspirations and role of the Opposition's inter-communal compromise should be the basis of government policies. The future has no place for religious and communal based party." That future came and went with no qualitative change in the substance of party campaigns. Apart from today's relatively more strident political discourse by bloggers, it's "same old, same old lah," says an old friend, despondently, of the current electioneering.

Imagine what might have been if our politicians could rise above race and religion in their spiels. What if Mahathir had downplayed religion and race from the equation and denounced in 1984 the political pressure to Islamicise his government machinery? What if Anwar Ibrahim as the anointed leader of UMNO Youth in 1984 had then talked the way he thinks today as the de facto leader of PKR? What if Abdullah Badawi had explicitly reiterated in November 2003 that East and West Malaysia combined is a plural secular nation governed by common secular laws? Would today's character and conduct of Malaysian realpolitik be any different? Maybe.

Rise above bangsa and ugama (race and religion)
Imagine an election that focuses on critical policy reforms to restore the country's depleting human capital, reverse the brain drain, and open its doors to the world's best talent regardless of race or religion. Imagine if UMNO had stood for "Uniting Malaysia Now". And, an MCA-MIC alliance that broke free from their racial religious identikit. What if MCA had stood for a 'Malaysian Collective Advocate' for fair opportunities to all rakyat. And, an MIC reborn as a 'Movement for Integrity and Conscience' in government, and acting as the people's whip over the 'many incompetent cohorts' in parliament.

Malaysia Boleh embodies these many possibilities of what might have been if for the last 35 years or so we had focused on advocating for fundamental reforms in the country's racialised politics, and ridding parliament of politicians who take their constituents for fools. Indeed, we deserve the government we get.

Growing up in Penang with schoolmates from Indian and Malay families, and having worked with colleagues from diverse ethnicities, I know this for a fact. Mydin is not any more likely to be a fundamental kris-wielding Muslim UMNO member than Ah Chong is likely to be a Buddhist, Christian, or atheist MCA loyalist. Or Ayappan is necessarily a Hindu vegetarian MIC follower, or a DAP supporter a frustrated left-leaning non-Malay NGO worker.

The day may come when our politicians, civil activists, and the rakyat are able to rise above bangsa and ugama in their discourse and advocacy for improvements to living conditions and equal access to opportunities to realise one's full potential. While talks and chats in the Malaysian public space are bolder than what they were in the pre-Internet days, the arguments are as racialised as ever. Same-old, same-old.

Imagine if the government, after winning the next election (I can't imagine any other outcome), would lead by setting up an alternative 'cabinet' where it invites Opposition and civil society leaders to sit and talk as equals, over a cuppa, to deliberate over programs for the benefit of all Malaysians. No politics. No inter-racial bidding. Behind the 'complexities' of race politics lie a common sense solution - talk, listen and act for the common good.
Tags: Quran, Jesus Christ, Allah, Buddhism, Bible, Bahai, Muhammad, Siddharta, Mecca, Jerusalem, Malay, Cheongsam, Chinese, Saree, Indian, Baju Melayu, UMNO, MCA, MIC, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Malaysian