Ho! Ho! Ho!

Tis the season to be jolly ... wishing all a Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year. It is the time to eat plentifully, drink merrily and love wonderfully.

It is also the time for wishes ... and mine include (for family and friends) :-

* World Peace
* Lots of Love
* Good Health
* More Wealth
* Liverpool winning the Premiership

You have a pleasent festive season ... drive safe!

Single mums on offer!

The Star, Saturday November 1, 2008 ... MARRIED men in Malacca may receive RM1,000 from the state government if they choose to take poor, single mothers as second wives, reported Harian Metro.

Mari! Mari! Pilih-lah ... macam-macam ada! Muda ... tua ... kurus ... gemuk ... tinggi ... pendek! Plus, ada special offer ... 1 anak, 2 anak, 3 anak atau lebih pun ada. Special offer ... I kasi u RM1,000 - you angkat pegi kahwin.

Not seeming to be insensitive to single mothers in Malacca, this is exactly the scenario that the Malacca State Government has proposed. It has literally shot itself in the foot with this mind-boggling and shallow-minded concept of "helping/assisting/aiding" these women.

The big question is ... How many single mums gave their consent for the State Government to begin with the concept of rewarding RM1,000 for men to take them as a second wife? Was a survey or poll done amongst these single mothers and what was the criteria (age, children, income, etc.)? Where are the research findings?

There's more in the report ... In an effort to curb social ills such as illicit sex and Mat Rempit, the state government would consider giving a similar incentive to youths who get married before 30.

This is truly amazing and just imagine this scenario ... enjoy the good life, engage in illicit sex and become a Mat Rempit and then "retire" at about 27/28. After a 1-2 year sabbatical, you will be able to request for RM1,000 as incentive to get married before 30. What a beautiful arrangement!

The Malacca State Government certainly epitomises the "katak di bawah tempurung" adage.

What a load of rubbish! And here we go towards achieving a developed nation status by 2020 ... we'll get there with the brawn but not with the brain.

Bye Bye ... and R.I.P.

The Malaysian Judiciary, the Police and the Government will once again come under tremendous international scrutiny after the release of political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda of the murder abetment charge in the murder case of Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu.

This should start tongues-a-wagging at the local mamaks and pubs as well as various international circles. This is truly a remarkable case with more than meets the eye.

Welcome to Malaysia ... where there's a circus everyday with a ringmaster extraordinaire.

Ommmm ... KANOT!!

Yoga is bad for you ... it may assist you in deviating from the spiritual teachings that you were brought up on. You see, and I paraphrase from The Star newspaper ... the National Fatwa Council will soon come out with a ruling on yoga exercise because lecturer Prof Zakaria Stapa of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Islamic Studies Centre advised Muslims who have taken up yoga to stop practising it as it could deviate from their belief. Check out the report in The Star.

What's yoga ... ? Well, I borrowed this description from Wikipedia. Prof Zakaria probably knows this ... While Yoga evolved as a spiritual practise in Hinduism, in the Modern world, a part of yoga, known as Asana, has grown popular as a form of purely physical exercise. Some Western practice has little or nothing to do with Hinduism or spirituality, but is simply a way of keeping fit and healthy. This is only a part of the broad view of yoga.

A person should have strength in his/her beliefs to choose what's right ... and not have some academician tell them.

Anyway, this is probably a launch for the new school of yoga ... YOGA HALAL (bersenam tanpa was-was). This will then be a Government initiated campaign and launched worldwide with Malaysia being the hub for this new form of exercise.

Oooooommmmmm!

Malaysia ... truly Asia ... truly amazing!

Truly amazing is how the Malacca State Government should be described. It has unbelievably conferred a Datukship to Bollywood film star Shah Rukh Khan.

The was also justification to the conferment of the award ... Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said the decision to confer the title on the actor was based on a suggestion by former Finance Minister Tun Daim Zainuddin to Yang di-Pertua Negri Tun Mohd Khalil Yaakob recently as a means to further promote Malacca owing to the fact that the actor had shot a movie scene here several years ago. BTW, where is our "beloved" former Finance Minister - he seems to have been missing in action of late.

Many Malaysians have also heard of fees attached to the conferment of various titles but we will of course choose not to believe that SRK had even the slightest notion of this so-called prerequisite, and was honoured accordingly - for his contributions!

The conferment of the title has also caused much concern among the other state governments. You see many Malaysians (actors, actresses and wannabes) have treated us to various "home made productions" not shown on regular media ... and they may now want their names added to the Datuk list - for their contributions!

These are local celebrities who have made a name for themselves through "movies" seen via mobile phones, You Tube, the Internet, E-mails and sometimes, hitting the big time with VCD/DVD discs only available at the Pasar Malams.

In "Malaysia ... truly Asia", it has become a standing joke amongst the public that "if you were to throw a stone , you would most likely hit a Datuk" (and not the parental type either).

Soon, this phenomenon will be seen in Bollywood, Hollywood (Datuk Michelle Yeoh - she deserves it-lah), F1 circuits (Datuk Jean Todt) ... and I'm sure many more that I can't remember!

I end by borrowing an article written by TV Smith and featured in the Sunday Star in 2003 ... where he posed, "What if datukships were transferable and could be traded like club memberships? What would the ads look like, he wonders... please click for a good laugh :)

Let's go home!

Malaysia, a nation comprising a wonderful array of people called Malaysians. They come in all shapes and sizes, a fun loving group of different colour, race and religion - people from throughout the world who have made this Peninsular their home ... each with differing principles and philosophies of life. Its a gathering of humanity who's friendship has remained steadfast throughout many generations.

Now let us pray that this Hari Raya Aidilfitri festive season sees a renewal of the strength and love amongst the population. We need to go back to a time when no one was called pendatang - a time when when the words of pukimak, niamah and pundek were freely used amongst groups of adults of different ethnic backgrounds without fear that they would cause embarrassment amongst the group - or a fear of being beaten up.

Incidentally, school children and teenagers (i.e. the growing years) were also not adverse to using these "lovely terms of endearment" amongst their friends.

Today, on the eve of a celebration, let us all hop on board our preferred mode of transportation and head home for the holidays ... for some soul-searching that will help all of us to live together in peace and harmony for the many, many years to come.

Selamat Hari Raya Malaysia ... Have a safe trip home!

Perfect Timing!!

They have gone and done it ... just a day before The Kuala Lumpur High Court was to hear a habeas corpus bid by Raja Petra's lawyers to overturn his detention. The man who dares speak ... right or wrong, the full gospel or half-truths, has been shut-up for at least 2 years.

Yes! RPK has been locked up - silenced!

Well dear RPK ... many Malaysians throughout the country (at least I believe that) appreciate your commitment towards highlighting issues that concern the well-being of our country. Rest assured, millions will be praying for you and continuing your fight for justice ... and may you be out soon.

I wonder who's next!!!!!!!!