Roaring Forties

I have never been a long distance runner. In school, I was a sprinter and my personal best for the 100 meters was 12.3 seconds, believe it or not. But that was when I was some 100 lbs lighter. I also used to run the 2.4 km below 12 ½ minutes but these days I struggle to run one km under 7 minutes. While I reminisced the days when I actually did 10 km runs in Singapore, I have not been able to run half that distance non stop ever since I outgrew my 29 inches pants.

My workout routine nowadays are confined one lap of a 1.5 km walk around Chatin lake near my office, followed by a 1.5 km run and finished with two laps walk around the lake totaling 3 km. May would do much better than me by running 3 laps and walk 1 lap.

Apr 18 – I started my usual 1.5 km walk to warm up before switching to a run. After the first lap, I told myself that I could do another and I pushed myself to do it. At the end of that lap, I continued running. In my heart, I wanted to complete a 3rd lap non stop. My mind kept psyching myself. I started counting my steps to distract my mind. Halfway round the lake, my back started to ache. My running slowed down to a slow trot but I kept on. Somehow the ache in my back seemed to be magnified with every step that I took. But 400 meters before the end, I caught my second wind. I started to pick up speed again and completed the 3 laps around the Chatin lake totaling 4.5 km.

It was the only the second time in a year that I managed to complete a 4.5 km run and believe me, it was milestone for me. Next milestone has to be a 6 km run.

I was tired and soaking wet but it felt good. My wish would be that by April 18, 2009, I would complete a 10 km run. Must “Jia You”.

Mar 8 – It was the 12th Malaysian General Election Day when we made our way up to Cameron Highlands for a retreat at the Hilltop Bungalow. This escapade was the second visit to this old Cameron Highlands establishment for May and I but it was the first time for VM, YP, ML & JS.

We agreed to allow the morning for voting obligation and to proceed for a rendezvous in Bidor at the well known Pun Chun Restaurant for brunch. From Bidor, we proceeded to Lata Iskandar where we took a short break to absorb some negative ions from the falls. We then stopped at the Bharath Tea Plantation for a pit stop and a photo break.

We finally arrived at Tanah Rata at 3 pm and proceeded to the bungalow where we had to navigate through a narrow and steep climb up a private hill. The sight of the bungalow as you emerged at the top of the hill, never failed to bring out a whispered “wow” from my heart.

The Hilltop Bungalow was not majestic in comparison to some of the old colonial bungalows but it portrayed a picture of real serenity for me. It was a quaint little bungalow on top of its own knoll without any neighbouring structures in sight. The curved driveway and the green lawn provided a picturesque welcome.

Mrs. Chong’s famous scones with English tea were waiting for us and we had the honour to be the last weekend guests for Mrs. Chong as she was due to retire on Mar 15.

After tea, we took the opportunity play badminton in the drizzle with the kids in the beautiful green lawn. When the drizzle turned to rain, we seek shelter. It was then time for beer and chilling out in the living room while absorbing the cool mountain air.

Mrs. Chong then announced that dinner was ready and we were treated to a sumptuous steamboat; the real stuff over hot coal fire. There is no better place to enjoy a steamboat dinner than in the cold of Cameron Highlands.

We also took the opportunity to celebrate EW’s birthday. Due to non communication, we ended up with two jelly cakes, both little doggies jelly cakes.

After a splendid dinner and having our tummies stuffed to the brim with jelly, we adjourned to the living room to watch the Election Results.

ML introduced a puzzle where you have get 10 nails and a piece of wood. The objective of the game was to balance nine nails on one nail. I was distracted with the incoming election results. May and Renee managed to solve the puzzle after about 30 minutes. It was quite remarkable.

We drank beer and kept vigil as the 12th Election Results kept coming in. By 10.30 p.m., text messages came in the Selangor has gone to the opposition. But there was nothing on TV. Only at about 11.00 p.m., RTM announced that PAS has taken Kelantan. At midnight, Kedah was officially an opposition state and at 1.00 a.m. Penang joined suit. By 3.00 a.m., there were still no announcement for Selangor despite SMSes confirming the results as early as 10.30 p.m. We then decided to call it a night.

That was how we spent 8th March 2008, a truly historic day in Malaysian politics. 

11 Apr – May and I were having dinner with Ah Tat, Ah Ting & Siew Mei when we were discussing about VHS and Siew Mei excitedly mentioned that her dad still watches VHS back in her home town. She added that her family can still rent the latest Hong Kong serials in VHS format. While expressing wonder that VHS serials are still available, I mentioned about Betamax tapes were the original tapes for the video technology. Ah Tat, Ah Ting & Siew Mei looked at me blankly.

“You know Betamax tapes, smaller that VHS tapes?”, I exclaimed.

All three faces were totally blank.

In my mind, it was not possible not to know about Betamax. After all, they were born in the seventies. Then it dawned upon me that the difference was that I was born in the sixties. While feeling a bit older but I felt a bit wiser and experienced.  I then tried to explaining about Betamax to three equally unimpressed DVD users. It was like trying to explain the Morse Code to internet users.

Thinking back, those of us who were born in the sixties had actually seen it all from Betamax through the VHS era to VCD, DVD and Blu Ray.

It all started in 1975 when Sony released the first Betamax tape for home video. Sony tried to monopolise the market with the Betamax technology but JVC refused to accept Sony’s dominance and introduced their own video format in 1976 called the VHS (Video Home System) while Philips released their Video2000 in 1980. By the early 1980s there an intense video war between Betamax and VHS.  

As consumers, we will always remember Betamax (above picture top) as the more compact tape as compared with VHS (above picture bottom) and the first users of Betamax would claim rightly that pictures from Betamax was clearer which was true as Betamax ran on a higher definition as compared with VHS.

What caused Betamax to lose the market was Sony’s marketing strategy where they tried to corner the video market with a technological superior product without considering the consumers’ behaviour. When their rivals refused to accept Sony’s dominance and joined forces to market JVC’s VHS, it was literally Sony versus the rest of the world.

Finally, what killed the Betamax was the limited recording time where the producers of VHS produced a 2 hours recording tape to suit the length of standard feature movies and was an immediate hit.

By the time, Sony realised their shortcomings, VHS has taken over 75% of the market. Sony tried to match the 2 hours recording by slowdown the running speed but in doing so, compromised on the superior quality which Betamax had. That move was the final straw that broke the back. By then, VHS upped the standard further by introducing 3 hours and 4 hours tape.

By 2002, Betamax died a natural death. VHS had won the battle but not the war with the introduction of VCD and DVD. In 2007, all major manufacturers has stopped production of dedicated VHS players and concentrated their efforts in DVD players and DVD Recorders.

It is only a matter of time, Siew Mei’s family will have no choice but to switch to DVDs or perhaps some other new media as the world of technology has never been more fluid.

13 Apr – Arsenal saw their dreams ripped apart in the Theater of Dreams as the Red Devils took a giant step towards retaining the English Premier League Championship.

In an equally matched game, Arsenal looked the sharper side with Emmanuel Adebayor, Francesc Fabregas and Robin Van Persie giving the Manchester United defense a torrid time. The Manchester United backline collapsed in the 48th minute where Van Persie delivered a cross into the goal mouth area where Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick and Edwin Van Der Sar who were all glued to the ground watching the ball. Emmanuel Adebayor was the only one who reacted and he managed to touch the ball to direct it passed Van Der Sar for Arsenal’s goal.

At the other end in the 54th minute, the Arsenal Captain, William Gallas gifted Manchester United the golden opportunity when he handled the ball with his arm.

Cristiano Ronaldo cemented his claim for the top scorer for the season by hitting his 27th goal for the league and his 38th goal for all competitions. The crown is as good as Ronaldo’s as second placed Fernando Torres needs to get 7 goals in the next 4 games to better Ronaldo’s record and that’s provided Ronaldo does not score any more.

In the 72nd minute, Cristiano Ronaldo lined up for a free kick and the entire Arsenal defense wall and goalkeeper, Jens Lehmann watched him closely. Owen Hargreaves then step forward and everyone expected a dummy. Hargreaves took the kick and lobbed it over the wall into the top left hand corner. The entire Arsenal defense wall and Jens Lehmann just watched the ball. It was an absolutely magnificient kick.

From then on, Manchester United hung on for their victory over the Gunners. Arsenal tried but as the minutes ticked away, they knew that they will end the season with nothing.

With four more matches to go, away against Blackburn on 19 April and Chelsea on 26 April, home game against West Ham on May 3 and finally away against Wigan on 11 May, the Red Devils already have their hands on the Cup. The game at Stamford Bridge on 26 April will most likely be the decider for the season.

If Manchester United could beat Chelsea in their home fortress, then they would be the undisputed Champions for 2007/2008 season.

10 Apr - A month after the General Election, the Malaysian public would imagine that the results would have been a real wake up call and we would see some real concerted effort in addressing the illness of the nation. Sadly there has been no concrete changes, no sincere analysis on where we went wrong, no clear directions for the future, not even efforts to reach out to the rakyat. Instead, the Election Results is being treated like a bad dream and there is now a hush about the it. Our Prime Minister, Dato Seri Abdullah Badawi is talking about trying to get the country to grow enough food for the future? Do we have a food crisis here? Don’t we have more urgent matters to attend to now?   

Instead, what is the hottest political news at the moment? There appear to be a concerted effort to stir up problems for the new Selangor Government for their plans to go ahead with the pig farming project.

Looking at it objectively, pig farming in Malaysia sucks. The conditions in existing pig farms are just like what it has been 40 years ago. The only difference is the numbers has grown which made the problem of pollution much worse.

There is only two things we can do about it. It is either to get rid of the farms totally or to upgrade the farms and ensure that they are ‘world’ standard. We have done that with our poultry farms so there is no reason why the same standards cannot be applied on the pig farms.

Let’s examine the first option of getting rid of the farms totally. This is not a feasible option under the current political climate. After years of racial division, these pig farms can only be viewed as a symbolic right for the Chinese to consume a meat of their choice. In 30 years time and if by then we are able to achieve a really united country without any racial barriers, we can get rid of the farms totally. Why? By then it could be more economically viable to relocate the farms out of Selangor or even out of the country. 

Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim really had no choice but to go ahead with the project for the good of the people. It is high time to shut down the old badly run farms and consolidate it all in one modern well managed farm. It is a positive way forward, it is the only way and truly reflect a progressive country.

What the Selangor Government did wrong was making a premature announcement without publicising the problems of the existing method of pig farming. The problem has to be emphasised. Then you offer a solution which is to modernise the farms and eradicate the pollution once and for all. Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim should not used the excuse that the previous administration approved it. He should have announced that the current administration has reviewed the previous adminstration’s approved projects and has unanimously approved to this project to proceed for the good of the people.

Politicians being politicians tried to politicise the issue with Dato Mohd Khir Toyofirst accusing Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim being forced by DAP, then he claimed that even though his administration approved the project, they have not made the final decision. Then he went on to claim that he did not intend for the project to be 100 million Ringgit  when the land approved by his administration was 135 ha.I wonder how much would 135 ha cost? With land and modern equipment, would 100 million Ringgit be excessive?  Dato Mohd Khir Toyo also tried playing up the racial card by calling it a sensitive issue.

What I hope that MCA or UMNO would do for the case of the pig farming is to ensure : -

1) That the money spent is done correctly and prudently.

2) That the Selangor Government stick by their pledge of relocating all the existing farmers.

3) That the new facilities is properly managed and the environment is protected.

We, the Rakyat want clean air and a clean environment.  We do not want the old way of farming to continue. So let’s not politicise the issue and move forward. There are more urgent problems of national interest to address than to fight over pigs.

Dato Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek has started his own blog on the 28th March and provided his views on some of the inside stories within the MCA. An interesting read but he remains a true politician as some of his comments were carefully worded. An even more interesting read would be the comments from fellow bloggers.

On his main objective in trying to do his part in rebuilding and rebranding MCA, I think it would be another step towards a death end. While the world has grown smaller in this age of technology, we, Malaysians, are more divided today than we were 40 years ago. This has been the result of the divide and rule policy of the BN which MCA played a major role.  What’s worst is that the Chinese educated Chinese would discriminate against the Sekolah Kebangsaan Chinese. Again, all this were part of the results of the policies practised by MCA.

Rebranding? Now that’s a tall order.

Nevertheless, it is a good blog, another avenue for alternative stories and I must congratulation Dr Chua for joining the blogging band wagon at the age of 61.

Check it out. Dr. Chua Soi Lek’s Blog –  http://drchua9.blogspot.com/

P/S – There is even a video in his blog of a pretty Chinese lady. 

Apr 10 – The Star carried an interesting news article about a 3.5 million Ringgit grab in KLIA. The complete news article is as follows;

SEPANG: Armed robbers shot six people in a three-minute heist at KL International Airport and escaped with S$1.5mil (RM3.5mil) on Wednesday.

In the 7.30pm incident, two moneychangers were walking to Gate 8 with the money and two security guards when six robbers alighted from a BMW car and confronted them outside the gate.

The robbers, believed to be armed with two automatic pistols, shot at the legs of the four men, who collapsed. An off-duty lance corporal and a Nepalese worker who happened to be in the area were also shot in the legs.

One of the robbers then grabbed a bag containing the money, which was to be deposited at an outlet on the fifth floor of the airport complex, and they fled. The guards opened fire at the getaway car, but did not manage to stop the robbers, which included a woman.

Police later found 40 bullet slugs on the floor.

During the shooting, an off-duty lance corporal and a Nepalese worker were also shot in the legs. Five glass windows at the entrance were also shattered. Sepang OCPD Asst Comm Zahedi Ayob said the moneychangers and guards were seriously injured in the legs.

“The robbers grabbed the bag containing the cash and fled in a vehicle believed to be a four-wheel drive. As the armed robbers were making their getaway, the two security guards fired at them but missed,” he said.

The six victims were taken to a clinic in the airport and later rushed to the Serdang Hospital.

It is learnt that one of the security guards is a policeman from the city police headquarters.

Police believed the robbers were involved in robbing a man later in Putrajaya.

What interesting questions which arised from the article or rather the reporting would be:-

1. Why did the 6 robbers alight from a BMW car, carried out a 3 minute robbery and left in a four wheel drive? 

2. Why was a policeman from the city headquarters moonlighting as a security guard?

3. Does it make sense that the same robbers who managed to grab 3.5 million Ringgit, would be involved in robbing a man later in the day in Putra Jaya?

Reading our papers leaves us with more questions than answers.

Mar 29 – It is normal to find the public complaining and putting up posters for the effect but I was caught by surprise by a poster which was put up by the Taman Hijau residents in Ulu Kelang who actually thank the Wakil Rakyat for listening.

Does this signify a change to the overall scenario towards public goverance?

Any change is welcomed especially if the reaction is positive and proactive like that from the Taman Hijau residents.

Apr 2 – After leaving the car with the mechanic , we rushed down to Shah Alam Medical Center. The visiting hours was until 9.00 pm. We arrived at 9.00 pm. Fortunately for us, Malaysians are so used to rubber time that we were allowed into the hospital without any fuss.

Our visit was to witness my very first Grand Niece. My niece Stephanie gave birth to her first baby and the first for her generation making me a Grand Uncle.

As the realisation sink in, I am really getting old. It was really another milestone event, not only in the past 30 days but in my life.