Politicians Are Everywhere

I do not really like politicians, especially if they are from ruling parties back home. I actually hate most of them who are not only hypocrites but also criminals on their own rights. They steal our money, abuse the power and give no damn about the well being of other people except thier own families/cronies/friends. Damned to whatever rhetoric speeches they make for the sake of survival. I hate politicians who are not professional politicians who cari makan on politics. These politicians at the offices are not worse than the politicians with cari makan attitude. Unfortunately, politicans are everywhere and no escape from them.

May Is Here

I was talking to a colleague on how time flew when there were so many tasks, new things to learn and personal matters to attend to.
He said, it was already Thursday and weekend was already here.
I told him, May was already here and next month would be half of the year. Half year about to be gone and life is shorter by the minutes.

He looked at me while trying to absorb the meaning of my remark.

On my table there are tender documents to be reviewed before invitations are called. There are also designs of certain utility infrastructure to be reviewed and commented. Not to mention some other brochures and profiles to be reviewed.
I want to start writing a new cerpen which the storyline has been dwelling and growing in my mind. I want to start writing a series of teenage novels based on my kids' experience for some time now. I want ot read certain books. I want to sit for my PMP exam and become a certified project manaer. I want to write my master thesis. I want to finalise some business deals.
I want to plan for summer holidays in europe and Malaysia.
I may just have to concentrate on work and other businesses for now.
I am already 43.....

Rat Race

"One thing about the rat race; even if you win, you are still a rat." -Anonymous

I was a bit late to the office today and driving with a lot of things spinning on my mind. Traffic was okay throughout the whole stretch of the highways and speedometer reached 150 km/h. Breezing.
Most drivers were rushing to reach their destinations, yes, offices. Kind of a race.
I made a de tour in Barsha and passed through several new buildings which are a part of Dubai new development. I used to driving there in 2002 as my kids were schooling at the area. It was an empty deserted area......now, a brand new township with Ski Dubai dome of Mall of Emirates standing majestically.
Classic Radio FM played some old songs. Reminded me about few passages of life. Time flies. When I reached last stretch from the desert road to Palm Jabel Ali, I could not help but speeding. Flew towards the end of the straight road.

Fast forward to a couple of years ahead, I could see, like Barsha, that area would be another bustling modern city called Madinat Arabia with the tallest tower in the world majestically standing reaching the sky. And it would be another rat race in the desert when there will be lots of skyscrapers trying to outdo each other for attention!

And a hadith does mention about tall buildings in the desert built by Bedouins who are competing with each other to show off, as a sign of the end of the world.

I see it coming before my own eyes!

Into the Sky and Back

I was a part of a broadcasting company for seven odd years. From a single person department into a big department. Love broadcasting world especially the technologies and of course, the glamour which comes along with a TV station like TV3. Later when I was hired by Dubai Internet City in 2000 and in 2001 there was a plan to launch Dubai Media City, I was again assigned to assist the strategy and planning, including to bring the famous Arab brand but based in a foreign land, MBC from its base in London to Dubai. I met with a lot of Arab media personalities along the way while with Dubai Media City. Even involved in several establishments of media companies which incorporated in Media City, one of them was Yusuf Islams' Mountain of Lights. Again, when Dubai Internet City planned for a teleport business to cater the tenants of Media City, I was assigned to do the feasibility study and later incorporated www.samacom.com , whom again I was in the pioneering team of a new satellite business. At that time we had the monopoly giant to contend with. After all these years, only yesterday I slipped into the used-to-be'competitor' home ground on top of the hill. I was back into memory lane. I had left broadcasting world since 2002 but still have fascinations on this exciting industry. The home coming visit was for something else, but I enjoyed being in the broadcasting atmospehere!

May 13 and Me

I have a sketchy memory of May 13. I was still a kid back then. I remember there was army patrolling in my kampung, Kuala Rompin and we were not allowed to play outside. That was all I could recollect all these years.
I had read and listened to many versions of what was transpired during the so-called darkest hours of our history. Mostly of course, the government or umno's versions. Nevertheless, these were human tragedies due to differences between two major races.
Over the years, my curiosity of what really happened grew with my age. However, the same versions kept me coming back for more stories. The stories somehow mixed with myths. Urban legends potraying heroic strunggle againts the other villains. I might have been influenced and biased after being fed with the same version or perception if not the truth of May 13.
One of the great names, Tun Abdul Razak was MP for my constituency (Rompin was a part of Pekan) and he was also the one who putting the house in order during the emergency period.
I still have a great respect to Tun Abdul Razak. Once he was visiting my kampung and I followed his troop with my bicycle to the jetty, where he was then leaving to Tioman by boat. That was the closest moment, face-to-face with the then PM of Malaysia and I cherish that moment till now. He was a cool dude. Or could I have been deceived by his stature and image?
New research and study on May 13 would reveal more details of chronological sequence of the bloody tragedies. What we were fed as history could be no longer the de facto story of May 13. New facts and records would open new doors out of the darkest hours.

Are we ready for the truth?

An article in Malaysiakini does give new perpectives on May 13! These something to ponder and learn from the tragedies, one of them is, history sometimes repeats itself. What we have to do to avoid the history repeats itself? The answers are for our generation to know the history with open mind, learn through the past mistakes with better view on the future. Now, we need to lead the next generation with a better government (transperancy, justice, freedom of speech), proud heritage irrespective of races and protecting religously our natural resources, especially human capital. Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, Orang Asli, Murut, Bidayuh etc are our greatest assets which could make and break our nation. We do need each other in various ways and we just need to communicate with more honesty to understand each other's challenges.

Otherwise, we still have the same old stories to tell, the same corrupted politicians to misrule our days, same continuous predicaments with Malaysia Boleh just another unworthy slogan for rethoric wastes. Look around us and beyond, we need to be united to compete with other nations in global market!