Yeah TotallY Agree!

Even though it began with promise and good intentions, I totally have to agree with this article now. And yes I didn't turn off my lights but instead was in my car returning from dinner.

The Star Online > Lifefocus

Sunday April 1, 2012

Wasteful Earth Hour?

Contradictheory
By DZOF AZMI

Switching off the lights for 60 minutes doesn’t do much for saving power. It’s superficial support, not a solution for a real problem.

IT’S only natural in this day and age of technology to look for easy solutions. Yesterday, you might have been one of those who supported Earth Hour, happily stumbling around in the dark to save the environment. The idea is that you switch your lights off for an hour to raise awareness on the need to take action because of climate change.

Yeah, right.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Thomas Friedman wrote in his book, Hot, Flat And Crowded, that “the amount of time, energy and verbiage being spent on making people ‘aware’ of the energy-climate problem, and asking people to make symbolic gestures to call attention to it, is out of all proportion to the time, energy, and effort going into designing a systemic solution.”

Many others say it’s conservation by taking a step backwards. Saying that we can help save the Earth by switching off the lights is akin to saying we should go back to the days before electricity, instead of moving forward. As somebody pointed out, a satellite photo of North and South Korea at night shows a stark difference between the two countries since “it’s always Earth Hour in North Korea”.

The word is “slacktivism”: a show of superficial support for a cause, without any actual change being made. And it seems especially prevalent among the social network-conscious teenagers of today.

It’s only natural that technology encourages us to look for easy solutions, since it has simplified so many things in our life. (Just the other day, I questioned whether anybody was still being taught how to make pie charts using protractors and rulers.) However, this has led to a line of thinking that solutions to problems are just a click away.

So, we celebrate our desire for change by updating our Facebook status, tweeting on the hour – and switching off the lights. You want to be environmentally conscious, well, you might as well look good doing so.

A recent study by Steve and Allison Sextant from the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Minnesota, concluded that people who lived in “greener” neighbourhoods are more likely to buy a car that is visibly “green” (in this case, the Toyota Prius, which has a distinctive design) instead of a hybrid that is indistinguishable from its conventional counterpart (for this study, the Civic Hybrid and Camry Hybrid). Similarly, the act of switching off your house lights is an extremely visible act, and may attract a lot of attention, but it may not be useful in the long run.

A paper on the subject shows that most people are wrong in thinking that curtailment activities (you do something less often) are more energy efficient than actual efficiency improvements (eg, being less wasteful in your energy use). So, instead of switching off the lights more often, it’s better to replace them with energy-efficient compact-fluorescent lamps (CFLs).

The trick is to realise which is superficial showboating, and which is real change. At the end of the day, it is very much up to the individual to decide for himself. But I believe it’s better to take responsibility than to let others do the real work.

This applies to everything, really. Many KL-ites complain about how the police are not doing enough to ensure security and safety, and they pay for private security firms to erect large visible barriers and guardhouses around their homes.

However, they gripe about initiatives such as the 1Malaysia patrol, which has residents and policemen working together to keep the neighbourhood safe, effectively choosing to pay a monthly cheque to a private company, instead of being an active participant.

The attitude that “the police are paid to keep us safe” persists despite the fact that neighbourhood watch schemes are commonplace in more “advanced” countries which have a superior policing force. According to the 2000 British Crime Survey, 27% of households in Britain are members of such schemes; the 2000 US National Crime Prevention Survey says 41% of communities in the United States are covered by neighbourhood watch.

It’s one thing for teenagers on Facebook having to learn about taking responsibility for their community and environment. It’s another when adults who should know better, don’t do it.

You can guess that I didn’t make a special effort to switch off all electrical items in my house during Earth Hour last night. I think one more dark house along the road won’t really persuade somebody to be more environmentally conscious.

I suppose I could have used the occasion as an excuse to have a romantic evening at one of the many Earth Hour dinner events around the city. But I also took into consideration that burning one candle releases more than 10 times as much carbon dioxide as a lightbulb of equivalent brightness, and instead celebrated one more reason to leave the electric light on.

Logic is the antithesis of emotion but mathematician-turned-scriptwriter Dzof Azmi’s theory is that people need both to make of life’s vagaries and contradictions.

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© 1995-2012 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)

So Are We A Bunch Of Wimps?

This op-ed expresses my sentiments exactly.

Friday March 2, 2012

We CAN complain and gripe

Why Not
By Wong Sai Wan

Making noise or raising a stink is fast becoming a national trait as we Malaysians gripe about everything and anything.

EVER heard the story of the Singaporean who wanted to migrate to Malaysia, causing the republic to order an immediate inquiry to find out why?

Inquiry chairman: “Tell us Mr Michael, you are migrating to Johor Baru because your Malaysian wife is unhappy living in Singapore?”

Michael: “No. She got nothing to complain about.”

Inquiry chairman: “Then, is it because you were overlooked for a double promotion in your job, and you only got a S$1,000 (RM2,400) pay rise?”

Michael: “No. I got nothing to complain about.”

Inquiry chairman: “So, Mr Michael, it must be because your son was refused entry into NUS, and only got a place at Nanyang?”

Michael: “No. He has got nothing to complain about.”

Inquiry chairman: “Then, for heaven’s sake, tell us why are you migrating to JB?”

Michael: “Because there I CAN complain.”

A Singaporean friend told me this joke five years ago, just before our last general election. This friend, who is very knowledgeable about the situation here, used this tale to take a dig at his own country, and ours as well.

His point was that while in his home country his countrymen were rather subservient and did not complain much in public, Malaysians had no such problem. Grumbling and griping seem to have become a national sport.

If we were to consciously listen to anyone standing or sitting next to us, we will see my friend is not far from wrong.

We Malaysians love to complain about anything; be it food, the Government, bosses, colleagues or even our neighbour’s choice of colour for the new coat of paint for his house.

Nothing is above criticism in Malaysia. These criticisms are not the kinds made on the quiet, but rather openly and sometimes rather loudly.

You know, the coffee shop type where you have to raise your voice because you can hardly hear yourself?

But in the case of us Malaysians, we complain at the top of our voice because we are afraid no one will hear, or we want to make sure everyone knows what we are complaining about.

A colleague said the complaining culture had gotten so bad that it had become griping, which dictionaries define as “to complain naggingly”.

“This is a sort of graduation for us Malaysians – from surat layang (poison pen letters) to publicly complaining about something,” this seasoned journalist said.

An example is griping over trivial things like lack of parking space in over-packed malls.

It beats me why a person would queue for over an hour to get into the parking area and then complain about the lack of parking, when it was obvious from the start that it was packed.

Then there are the infamous Malaysian drivers who complain about everyone else’s driving but their own.

They complain about how others drive too fast, and also about how others drive at a snail’s pace.

There are those who complain about everything and anything connected with their boss – from his choice of office furniture to his choice of ties.

When their verbal complaints do not evoke the desired results, Malaysians will turn to social media like Twitter and Facebook to express their angry thoughts to the whole world.

They do not seem to care if what they utter or write is rude, unethical or downright defamatory.

They seem to think that anything they write on the Internet is above the law.

When the gripes reach the notice of their bosses or the authorities, these people will turn around and say they have the right to express their opinion, but the bosses have no right to legal redress.

I feel that many Malaysians think their mistaken newfound political clout after 2008 gives them the right to say anything they want, without regard for the consequences.

Yes, our Federal Constitution guarantees us freedom of speech but it does not give us the right to run down another person or institution by hounding it with trivial complaints just to exact revenge over some perceived past injury.

Of course, our politicians seem to encourage this kind of behaviour because they see political gains in riding on such waves of dissatisfaction.

They do not seem to realise that their action of encouraging such a mentality only creates distrust, and eventually hatred.

I am not saying that the people have no right to voice their complaints, especially on matters affecting their lives or well-being.

We must voice out our views when it’s needed, but we must get our perspectives right.

We must know the difference between a gripe and a grievance; what’s important and what’s trivial.

If we do not, then our genuine complaints will sound exactly like gripes and the important message that we want to make will be lost, drowned out by the moans and groans.

Being a nation of complainers is not a reflection of the freedom that we enjoy but rather a reflection of ourselves as wimps who can do nothing but just gripe.

> Executive editor Wong Sai Wan doesn’t like nagging but enjoys the sound of an intelligent argument.

Making A Treasury

No lah where got money to vault gold that seems de rigeur nowadays for many people. Pity the wife who I think I last bought something two years ago. What I want to write now is more to a vanishing treasury, Malay heritage cooking as I am inspired by my recently bought the Malay Heritage Cooking cookbook below that is published as part of Singapore Heritage Cookbooks series.

As can be expected, it has a Johor or Riau slant on the style of cooking but then with my Indonesian heritage, it does provide a treasure chest of recipes that I may not be able to salvage from my own family. Some rare ones are tahu goreng, nasi jagung, serunding daging(not the typical one you may think of, more like dried dendeng bersambal) in addition to more regular fare that I believe however many will not know how to cook actually. I shudder to think of the many family recipes that will be lost as the matriachs of cooking in my own family disappears when God calls them home.


Other heritage cookbooks that I have bought for the family I will list here with some dishes that should be highlighted if any. Following the southern flavours, we also have the book, Malay Occassions above that features Johor Arabic and Negeri Sembilan flavours.



From the east coast, we have Nik's Kitchen that features Kelantanese dishes whose recipes was also served during state functions. From Terengganu, we have Resepi Bonda in Malay that features an astonishing 88 recipes and from Pahang Nostalgia Bonda that unfortunately is falling apart due to possible poor printing quality.

A book close to my heart is A Taste of Batu Gajah as it features not only Malay dishes from Perak but dishes from my Mandhailing clan. Where else can you find a recipe for Gulai Daun Ubi Tumbuk eh? And as a northener, another recipe book that I love is Favourite Dishes From The Tunku's Kitchen. Our first Prime Minister does eat well and because of that, his heritage in recipes are now well preserved for the common man as the recipes are actually traditional common kitchen dishes that we may have forgotten in this age of nasi bungkus and Padang restaurants.

For a better than average compedium of traditional Malay recipes, Racik Tradisi a bi-lingual cookbook is a good bet while Hidangan Sesuci Lebaran and another bi-lingual Hidangan Raya Istimewa preserves recipes of traditional Malay Feast Dishes.

Have you actually noticed that most of the cookbooks are either bi-lingual or in English and that many are actually self-published or by boutique publishers. Not being an elitist but the average malay cookbooks feature humdrum day to day recipes or so called nouvelle malay dishes that gives a twist to daily recipes that can be extracted from any cooking magazine, newspaper and so on. Only these people has taken the extra effort to preserve their family treasures, and since my family do not have the liberty to do that ourselves, it is only right that we keep these books as our own as some are also short runs that may not be available in the future. So if anymore are in the pipeline, I can't hardly wait.

I only shudder when we pass how they will be divided betweem my two daughters, but I guess the best way is to make them learn how to cook the dishes themselves eh! By the way, I have not purchased local pricey coffee table cook books like the Malaysian Prime Ministers favourite recipe cookbook or Royal Pahang's etc as I fear the price will actually make them just that and not one that will grace my kitchen.

Despite The Silly Season

With signs that the Silly Season is already starting, this article should give pause for thoughts to everybody hopefully.

Sunday February 5, 2012

Be vigilant about competition

ON THE BEAT By WONG CHUN WAI

Politicians must devote more attention to energising the economy in this period of economic uncertainties.

OUR politicians on both sides of the political divide have been so busy criss-crossing the country, meeting voters and delivering speeches, that many Malaysians are wondering whether anything gets done at all.

The political posturing ahead of the general election is beginning to test the patience of many Malaysians who feel that there are many urgent issues that need immediate attention in the midst of economic uncertainties.

Most companies are already looking at lower profits, if not losses, over the next few months and Malaysians certainly want our politicians to address issues that matter to their livelihood.

There may be some comfort from a recent report by global management consultant A.T. Kearney which ranked Malaysia as among the world’s top 10 most attractive destinations for foreign direct investment.

Malaysia also experienced a significant jump up the Index from 21st to 10th. Inflows jumped 537% from 2009 to 2010 to US$9bil (RM27bil).

This number will be further surpassed in 2011 and is likely to continue in this positive direction based on the sentiments reflected in Kearney’s FDI Confidence Index, a regular measure of senior executive sentiment at the world’s largest companies.

The Global Competitiveness Report 2011-2012, meanwhile, ranked Malaysia at 21 from its previous 26th position for overall global competitiveness.

The latest World Bank’s Doing Business Report also saw the country’s “Ease of Doing Business” ranking move up from 23 to 18, out of the 183 economies surveyed.

But while we may be happy with these positive news, we really need to watch how our neighbours are doing. And we are not talking just about the countries in the same range like Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia, but also the less developed ones, including Myanmar.

In Myanmar, the speed of reforms recently carried out by its government has surprised many, including its strongest critics. The generals are now focused on economic matters instead of on their usual political tirades, like condemning the Americans. Capitalism is suddenly a buzzword in Naypyidaw.

Last week, Myanmar Industry Minister U Soe Thein travelled to the annual World Economic Forum in Davos to promote the once pariah nation to the largest gathering of capitalists and leaders of the Western world.

He got the ears of these powerful businessmen by revealing that his government was drafting a tax incentive law, which would be the most attractive in the region, as it prepares to achieve a 6% growth target in 2012.

The law could be passed by the end of the upcoming parliamentary session in February and a plan is under way to boost the international business community’s confidence in the kyat, Myanmar’s currency, in consultation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The package would include an eight-year tax exemption status with possible extension if the ventures prove profitable for the country.

He also revealed plans to upgrade the central bank to a fully independent entity instead of being just a department under the Finance Ministry.

The minister, who seldom meets journalists, said: “We were very busy meeting global policymakers, officials and CEOs.”

The delegation in Davos busied themselves attending sessions on the Eurozone crisis, job creation, sustainable energy and green policy, resources management, population and growth, poverty eradication, refugee and displaced persons, women and children, SMEs, anti-corruption and good governance.

“Yes, we are in a hurry ...” said the minister, citing the country’s preparations for the 2013 Southeast Asian Games, and 400 meetings scheduled before it assumes chairmanship of Asean in 2014, plus the Asean Economic Community in 2015, and to achieve the UN Millennium Goals.

While it is good for our neighbours to prosper, as the region will benefit as a whole, we should also be more vigilant about competition.

A recent report by the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation predicted that the Philippines would be the 16th biggest economy in the world by 2050, surpassing Australia, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia.

For a sense of perspective, we should recall that in the 1950s, the Philippines was the most dynamic economy in Asia and was hailed by the World Bank as a future powerhouse. Half a century later, the country was described as “the sick man of Asia”. And today, its future is shining bright.

No wonder that during the recent Taiwan presidential election, candidates were challenged not only on their position on China but also their views on the implications of the growing economies of the “VIP” countries, an acronym for Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Certainly, if our politicians spend less time politicking and devote more attention to how our neighbours are energising their economies, we will be more prepared to face the future, which is more than just about who will win at the polls.

Enough time has been wasted on mind-boggling political issues that divide the nation. We need to get out priorities right.

I end with a posting from my friend's FB posting.

1 Malaysia jadi Gagasan..
Negara Berkebajikan turut menawan...
Tak kira Pakatan atau Barisan...
Bersainglah dengan semangat setiakawan.

Yes Let's Fight For This

I am a product of Methodist English School and I totally agree with this Sunday Star Editorial and enjoins the fight for our future.

Sunday August 7, 2011

Let’s fight to keep Malaysia moderate

On The Beat
By Wong Chun Wai

We must strive to be progressive enough to appreciate that it is good to learn the religions of fellow Malaysians.

IT is unprecedented. The operation by the Selangor state religious department (Jais) on the Damansara Utama Methodist Church on Wednesday is shameful and a blot on our history.

The church has claimed that they were having a goodwill dinner with a non-governmental organisation while the state exco member in charge of religious affairs, Datuk Hasan Ali, has backed Jais, claiming that they had evidence of proselytisation among Muslims.

His statement came just hours after his boss, Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, had expressed regret and asked for a report from Jais.

Instead of passing the buck and being defensive, Khalid asked for a dialogue and admitted that Jais came under the state government and that they reported to the Selangor Islamic Council headed by PAS’ Hasan.

The operation was conducted by Jais, with police personnel present, after it purportedly received complaints that Muslims were present at the event.

We can expect the church and the Muslims present to maintain that there was no attempt to convert anyone while Jais would stick to its stand to justify its intrusion into the church.

Although the manner of the intrusion is not clear, the fact remains that Jais officials entered the premises without a search warrant. Furthermore, any place of worship is holy ground and such lack of respect and sensitivity does not augur well for the nation. It smacks of over-zealousness.

The Jais officials could have exercised restraint by waiting for the function to be over and then politely informing the church pastor of the complaint and the need for them to interview the Muslim guests present. No one, I believe, was going to run away.

We need to be more open-minded. Many of us attended Catholic missionary schools but never became Christians.

Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud has openly admitted that he studied Bible Knowledge during his school days, his family donated money to churches and, more recently, he even opened a church.

Our Royal Couple attended the church wedding of Prince William and Kate Middle­ton in April, as did many other Muslim heads of states and governments, mostly from the Commonwealth.

Our Prime Ministers have visited churches, sometimes entering the premises but not going inside the sanctuary, and they showed their respect for Malaysia’s pluralism by their presence.

A day after the operation, AIDS activist Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir tweeted that she has given talks about HIV/AIDS in churches and members have had no problem listening to her.

There seems to be this suspicion, whether imagined or otherwise, that there is an attempt by churches to convert Muslims.

Church leaders are fully aware that while the Federal Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, there is also a clause which clearly states that there should be no attempt to propagate to Muslims. If any church refuses to respect this law, then it should be prepared to face the legal consequences.

At the same time, we must strive to be progressive enough to appreciate that it is good to learn the religions of fellow Malaysians. We can argue about the superiority of one’s religion but it is good to be religious and God-fearing regardless of one’s belief.

If Malaysians claim to be so religiously sensitive themselves, upholding and defending their religions so passionately, we wouldn’t have to grapple with corruption, racism, hypocrisy and discrimination because no religion tolerates such immoral practices.

We also need to be more realistic. I have served in a Christian-run soup kitchen in Kuala Lumpur and seen that those in need include Muslims, many of whom are homeless, destitute, drug addicts and HIV-positive or have full-blown AIDS. They are looking for a place to clean themselves so they can maintain their dignity. And they look forward to a plate of hot curry and rice served by volunteers who welcome them. They enjoy having the volunteers listen to them, never mind that sometimes the helpers can’t do much.

The soup kitchen is a weekly event that lasts about an hour. Yes, there is a prayer, which Christians do before any meal, but the needy Muslims do not join in. They just wait for the food to be served and to be in good company where they are treated with respect.

Going by the logic – or illogic – of Hasan the PAS hardliner, will these poor Muslims have to be turned away by the soup kitchen helpers for fear that they would be accused of proselytisation?

Does it mean the St Nicholas Home for the Blind in Penang will have to reject Muslim students because it is Christian-based?

I studied Malay literature and Islamic History in Form Six and went on to enrol in the Malay Letters Department of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia where Islamic Civilisation was a compulsory subject. Some non-Muslim students grumbled about this requirement, citing subtle conversion, but I took it in stride and felt proud as I got to understand and appreciate Islam better. I didn’t convert.

Mosques, temples and churches are an integral part of Malaysia. We proudly promote them in our tourist brochures, so why are some people so fearful of these places of worship?

We know many Malaysian Muslims visit Rome and pop over to the Vatican when they do so, but they don’t become Christians.

Let’s fight to keep Malaysia moderate.

So CanThese Be Displayed In The RMAF Museum?

A Malaysian military modeler forumer is letting go of his RMAF 1/48 scale aircraft collection as a set. These things rarely go to the market in museum quality state. I wonder if some wealthy scion of society can buy up the set and donate it to an appropriate museum as a showcase of our Armed Forces history.

Some sample photos :

So who is the louts now?

For those suddenly who has turned yellow, answer me these same questions that the police asked of the rioters! ''apakah 8 tuntutan yang dikemukakan BERSIH?' and ''Dah habis baca dan faham ke AKTA PILIHAN RAYA 1958 sebelum keluar behimpun tadi?". Ever thought why when the Royal Audience was granted the so-called demands was not handed over by your angelic leaders and why ignoring the Royal Decree not to rally makes you yellows the thugs and degil kepalas of the story? Think about it and then we can talk!

And joining a riot and not expecting to be gassed and sprayed really brings your level of intelligence to your kneecaps to me. Frankly.

This old man of the street displays far more intelligence than all you 'intelligent' people summed up together.

He quotes from JFK but do you know what he is quoting and what it means.

Without Fear Or Favour.

Your Friend who dares tell you the truth of the story.