Gold Necklace Robbed By Plumber?!

On February 23rd, my roommate filed an order to investigate the lost of her expensive gold necklace that is believed to be stolen by our plumber. She kept it hidden behind some of her toiletries and found it missing once she got back from the Chinese New Year holidays.

The reason why the plumber is believed to be involved is because on Thursday of the CNY holiday, our landlord gave the key to the plumber, after two days of overseeing the whole plumbing fiasco. The plumber was also with two of his co-workers, an Indian male and and an Indonesian male-which are yet to be found.

The only thing valuable inside our room was the necklace as I had taken every piece of jewellery with me when going home. My roommate searched intently for her necklace but did not find it. This ultimately broke her heart because the necklace was worth at an estimation of RM 900 and is a family heirloom, given to her by her late grandmother.

She filed for investigation of our plumber's name (which I dare not state) at the Section 11 Police Department, Shah Alam. I followed her for moral support. Once there, we met with the Sargeant Inspector as he asked my roommate questions.

He soon told us that our plumber has a bad background with the police. He was charged with breaking and entering of a 19-year-old girl's house from PTPL. Our plumber is now imprisoned by the charge of lying directly to a police officer because he lied about the whereabouts of his employee.

The case is further investigated. I will update you soon.

The Dalai Lama Joins Twitter!

I have a major debate on Thursday on whether social networking sites being bad versus good for you and I stumbled on something weird and out-of-the-blue. The Dalai Lama is now on Twitter!

The Tibetan spiritual leader that leads people into the ways of spiritual light and the age old principles of tolerance and peace is now utlising the Internet. His office in India set up a page for him, telling of his current interviews and photos of his current trip to the USA.

He has not written any personal messages yet to further educate people of the world of his wisdom and laughs about the idea of having a social-networking site. More and more of the leaders of the world are now hooked on Twitter, as it is a way to be closer with their followers and therefore solidifying and further creating a special bond. It also is a beneficial mutual relationship, as the personality can read what their followers think about their plans before making any abrupt desicions.

As I have mentioned before about Najib's Online Tea Party with his Twitter followers, it is a good idea because of the mutual benefits. The personality gets to evaluate their decisions based on the public's viewpoint and the people now have a voice that somebody will hear too.

Sticky!

I had always admired the beauty of ideas, visions and wisdom people portray in their art. Art is such an expressionism of oneself and I had always admired that. From the brilliance of individuals such as Andy Warhol's modern art to Edgar Mueller's street paintings, I just thought that I could not be more impressed, but the participants of Scotch Packaging Tape art contest proved me otherwise.

Imagine creating something spectacular only using Scotch tape. Call me crazy but this is what the applicants must do to enter and show the judges what their masterpiece. I was marvelled by the entries! There were sculptures of a dragon, a postman, a child on a swing, a jellyfish, a peacock, an octopus, a fisherman and a pregnant lady. Both the fisherman and the pregnant lady used 4 rolls of tape. Meanwhile sculptures of a drumset and an office desk used 48 and 36 rolls respectively.

The winner will receive 3200 pounds when judging takes place next month. That is a whole lot of money and but the winner will be known worldwide for his/her contribution of art in a new medium.

The see-through sculptures look amazing and real! I am also impressed by the strength and durability of Scotch Tape that is able to produce so many artwork such as this. Let's try to build a sculpture on our own!

Death By Depression.

Depression is not something that should be considered lightly. It is a severe dysfunction that can affect one's view of this entire world that we live in. Depression has no boundaries and affects anybody from all walks of life. Race, religious beliefs and social classes does not matter. Anybody around you could be affected. Severe depression can cause individuals to cut themselves or worse, develop suicidal thoughts.

This is what that Law Seow Ean, a thirty-year-old secretary from Georgetown, Pulau Pinang was going through. At 9.15 am, her mother found her body hanged with a towel from the ceiling fan of their house in Jalan S.P. Chelliah.

The family knew that she suffered from mild depression and has been taking medication. Normally, a patient would be given anti-depressants such as Prozac to help control their persistent dark moods. A few days earlier, Law was said to be complaining about having a fever and having trouble sleeping due to the heat. Insomnia is also one of the symptoms of depression.

The George Town OCPD Asst Comm Gan Kong Meng said police have classified the case as sudden death. The body was sent to the Penang hospital for an autopsy.

This is another death won over by depression. For me, death by depression is a sad loss because it usually involves in individuals such as Law, taking their own lives. In Islam, it is forbidden to perform suicide, but some people just could not stand being in the state that they are in and rather die than live another second. This is you should never be hurtful to the ones around you as this can affect them mentally in harmful ways. Take care of everyone around you and show them that you care. A little TLC (Tender, Love and Care) goes a long way.

Law Seow Ean would have celebrated her birthday on Feb 26th. R.I.P.

The New Malaysian E-Passports At RM 100

Adventurers and travel-seekers are in for a delight! The new Malaysian e-passports was launched by our beloved Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, on February 2nd.

The new passports are equipped with extra security features, such as microchips and higher resolution photographs. Therefore, the new passports cannot be easily forged (yay!) and this new technology will make it easier for the government to keep track of Malaysians who overstayed their 'visits' to a foreign country.

* 32-page passports valid for 2 years = RM 100
* 32-page passports valid for 3 years = RM 300
* 64-page passports valid for 5 years = RM 600

These passports can all be obtained from the nearest immigration department.

Malaysians do not have to change their passports as it will be issued upon renewal.

The passports are indeed cheaper than the usual price of RM 300. This will lessen the burden of pricey family trips because parents can just focus on spending during the holiday itself , not beforehand. It is hoped that airport taxes are reduced too. I am definitely pushing my luck here. Did I mention that these new and improved passports can be used in 74 countries? A trip to Cabo, anybody?

Aceh holds out a transvestite contest!

I was ecstatic when this happened. Aceh is holding out their first transvestite contest! The beauty pageant was held in the central capital, Banda Aceh.

While most might raise an eyebrow to the occasion, but the event was held to increase the friendships between fellow transvestites and to stop the stigma surrounding them.

Dozens of contestants signed up for the event and 19-year-old Zifana Lestisia from the northern district of Lhokseumawe was chosen the region's Social and Culture Envoy 2010. He will also represent Aceh in the international level.

This opportunity will show them that are beautiful and indeed welcomed in the community. This will also bring them self-confidence and a sense of knowing that they are not alone. God is fair in each and every one of His creations. Therefore, as His 'khalifahs', we shall be fair to those who are different than us and show them that they are loved and cared for.

Some might not agree with my sentiment, but I stand tall with my perspective. May I remind you of the passing of the great Yasmin Ahmad, who has contributed so much inspiration to the citizens of Malaysia. She taught me that whether you are Malay, Chinese, Indian, transvestite, bisexual, or even gay, we all stand united as one. And that is what 1Malaysia is truly about. Accepting one another with no boundaries whatsoever.

Four died in car crash

As I have stated before in my previous post, I was fortunate enough not to see any accidental tragedies on the freeway. But not many of us are that privileged. Four members of a family were killed in a car at Km84, Jalan Kuala Lipis-Merapoh, Sunday. The incident happened around 2.15 am, during this joyous ‘balik kampung’ season.

The four of them were heading to Kuala Krai from Kuala Lumpur when their car (a Proton Wira) skidded, crashed into an oil palm tree and landed in a pile of bushes around 50 metres away. They were heading back to Kuala Krai for the holidays.

The family members, consisting of the mother, Zarimah Hussin, 31, her daughter Nur Sabila Sakila Mohamad, 9, Zarimah's brother Alias Hussin, 22, and their cousin, Mohd Shahrul Azwan Abdullah, 15. According to Lipis District Police Officer, Abdul Razak, three of the family members, Zarimah, Nur Sabila and Mohd Shahrul, died at the scene while Alias passed away at the Gua Musang Hospital.

Abdul Razak adds that the three bodies, except Alias’, were sent for post-mortems before it can be claimed by respective relatives for burial. The post-mortems are done at the Lipis Hospital.

It is advised for the people planning to go back for the holidays, to avoid driving at night. Some prefer it as to avoid jams but think of the danger that it can cause to your loved ones. A little traffic can’t compare to the lives of the ones you love.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Gong Xi Fa Cai everybody! And i mean, everybody. This season, everybody is joining in the fiesta by going back to their respective hometowns (hence, the massive traffic jams) and just being with their loved ones. Isn't that what every celebration have in common?

In the spirit of Chinese New Year, I have been running in and out of the toilet because of the amount of mandarin oranges that I ate. Everybody also looked at ease with the amount of Chinese New Year songs that were aired every three alternate songs. My sister and I even sang and danced to some of the songs! Overall, it was a good trip. There were jams here and there but nothing unbearable.

I also did not see any accidents on the roadside but what I did see was clouds of smoke up ahead on this one particular highway and cars were slowing down to a stop. We wondered if there was a car on fire or an explosion of any sort. As it turns out, it was just an open burning caused by a house, near the expressway. Thank goodness.

I would like to take this opportunity to apologize for the delay of my recent posts as I have been in Johor to visit my grandmother for the holidays. Now I'm back and ready to deliver! Watch out e-world, I'm back!

The Uniqueness of Malaysia

I would never forget the day that my father and I went to this particular café in the Klang Valley area. Once there, we were approached by an Italian man sitting right across us.

He smiled and held his drink in is hand. He said to us that we are very lucky to be Malaysians.

“This is God’s country,” he added with a smile.

Malaysia is a glorious country that is richer than any other country, I believe. We have tall skyscrapers like the ones we’ve seen in New York, high-tech gadgetry-almost like the ones we see in Japan, breathtaking travel sights and fantastic beaches on our coastline, and beautiful historical preserves and rainforests, just to name a few. Some other countries might have all of these things too-if not outshine ours, but Malaysia has something else that is far more valuable than any other beaches or buildings. We have a strong sense of racial unity and the uttermost respect for each others’ cultures and principles.

Malaysia has many different races and ethnicities, for such a small country. But there are three main cultures known to our society. That does not mean that we ignore the rest, no. It just means that most of the Malaysians fall into these three categories- the Malays or the Bumiputeras, the Chinese and the Indians. Looking back in history, these cultures are vastly different. This can be seen from their language, their style of dressing, what they eat and their own religious beliefs.

The beautiful thing about Malaysia is that, on the streets itself, you can see all those massively different traditional cultures are now emerging, into one. You can see the Chinese and Indians speaking the Malay language; the Chinese wearing baju kurungs to the office while the Malays wearing the Cheongsam and Saris to functions. But what combines everybody together? The answer is food. Food is a vital importance in culture. Nothing brings us closer together more than national delicacies. Roti Canai, Nasi Lemak, or even Dim Sums. You name it, we got it.

Thaipusam was celebrated not long ago and each year, there will be street performances to serve their God. The Indians will gather together to celebrate this holy and religious event that happens every year. In Kuala Lumpur, Thaipusam has always been celebrated at the Batu Caves. During the ceremony, there will be a colourful presentation of Kavadis and traditional costumes. Everybody would be amazed by the joyous celebration. In order to further flourish the relationship between the races, Prime Minister, Tan Sri Najib Abdul Razak and his wife were also present at that festive event. Utber, 29, is an Australian native and says that she is impressed by our multi-racial country as there are so much to see and do here.

After Thaipusam, we are also enticed by the celebration that is just right around the corner, Chinese New Year. Every year, the Chinese would all come together to celebrate this festive event. Unlike Thaipusam-where the theme is multicolor, Chinese New Year has the concrete theme of the color red. Before and during the celebration, Mandarin oranges are distributed by the Chinese to their multiracial neighbors, colleagues and friends. Shopping complexes and other public places too have quite impressive displays of the Chinese New Year decorations, like they do for every festival. Because in Malaysia, all the culture, whether prominent or not, must be celebrated and enjoyed. Meanwhile, the Hari Raya Celebration for the Malays might be far away, but they too, are busy preparing for the long holiday of this Chinese New Year celebration.

The purpose of this essay is to show that whatever happens in this amazing country of ours, we all will experience it together with dignity and respect towards the other races and religious beliefs. We were educated from the young to have multicultural friends and to not discriminate anybody who is different than ourselves because deep down, all of we know that we are just the same. In Malaysia, we share and care for each other and therefore we will stand united. Sometimes we need somebody from the outside to tell us of what we have and the Italian guy showed me that Malaysia is so unique, so precious and we are all so incredibly lucky to be Malaysians.

1 Malaysia.

Kris Allen does KL!

"Gotta Liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive,
Like we’re dying."

<3

Yes, it is the moment that all of us American Idol junkies have waited for! Hold on to your seats girls, the American Idol season 8 winner, Kris Allen is coming to Malaysia to showcase songs from his self-titled debut album and meet with his adoring fans!

Can you hear those squeals of joy?

On his three-city Asian tour, he will be stopping by Singapore, Malaysia and Manila. During his visit, there will be an autograph signing session for his fans on February 8 at 6pm (Ground Floor, Centre Court).

An artist does not complete his tour without a performance. Therefore, the showcase will be held at The Gardens Ballroom at The Gardens Hotel at 8pm of the same day. A meet and greet session is also scheduled after his performance.

On that note, both the performance and meet and greet are by invitations only. This is depressing to many eager fans, like me. Never mind, because nowadays our country has plenty of celebrities jumping in to do their tours here. I do not know how our government are marketing Malaysia now but they are certainly doing a good job. Kudos!

Minister's wife attacked by acid

What is this world coming to? I get flabbergasted each more every day by the absurdity of crooks that lurk our streets nowadays. One scary fact, many of these are eerily related to politics.

Irene Chang, the wife of Chairman of DAP Sarawak-Wong Ho Leng, was attacked by two men on a motorcycle, and tried to splash a form of corrosive liquid on her face.

It happened on Feb 6 at dawn when the victim, Irene Chang, was sending her children to school. As she was about to step out of her four-wheel drive vehicle, when two men with full face helmets riding a motorcycle attacked her with acid.

Luckily, she was holding her umbrella as it was drizzling and used the tool to shield off her face. Only a few drops of acid landed on her neck. Her children, two girls aged 11 and 12 respectively, were also saved from the attack.

Acid attack is also called vitriolage. The victims of these attacks may suffer burns, damaged skin tissues that might expose or dissolve their skins, and permanent blindness. (if attacked were to the facial area)

Last year, explosive fireworks were thrown into the compounds of their house, twice. Thankfully there were no serious damages on both accounts.

Irene, was shaken by the incident and honestly do not know the purpose of these recurring attacks. In their defence, her husband says he will not stop from doing his work for the good of the country.

Politics are indeed everywhere and it is proven that it affects everyone. But everybody must realize that this is not the way to get what you want. Use the legal system and the democracy that has been laid out for you, my fellow Malaysians. I am glad that Wong Ho Leng does not step down. This shows his immense amount of bravery and dedication to the work that he is doing. Bravo.

It’s an online socio-political tea party!

Social networking sites have always been about connecting with others. Now our beloved Prime Minister, Tan Sri Najib Abdul Razak, is going to host a tea party with a twist! It will be held specifically for his online followers.

The tea is expected to be held at his residence in Putrajaya on March 13th, at 4pm.
Quoted from his blog- http://www.1Malaysia.com.my :

“As I have expressed earlier in my previous blogs and during several interviews, I am delighted with the number of interactions online that I have had with the public via my personal blog on 1malaysia.com.my, as well as Facebook and Twitter. Indeed, I am moved to interact further directly with my online fans and friends. "

As I am a follower of his Twitter page-which he updates very frequently, I was hoping to go at first. But alas, the event will be based on invitations and they are limited. But do not fret, as he promises that this will be the first of the many events and occasions that he will host to further interact with his online fans.

Those who feel that they must voice out their opinions and views to further enhance the current condition of our glorious country to our Prime Minister himself, can register at PM Najib’s blog. The registration will be opened on 15 Feb at 11.59pm.

Good luck!

Car Scratching Maniac On The Loose! BEWARE.

My life has totally turned upside-down in the span of four days. I was given a gorgeous orange Viva Elite past Saturday to help me with my current transportation difficulties. Unfortunately, on this very fateful day, a juvenile delinquent or delinquents, decided to scratch both sides of my car.

I am currently living in the Centre of Commercial area in Section 7. The night before, I had parked my car at a legal parking space, beneath my house. My car was also within all the edges of the rectangular yellow line. This is why I am so baffled and shocked by the destruction of property that had happened.

How bad was it? The scratch starts from both the back doors till the front doors. Parts of the scratch can’t be polished at all. It is believed that the perpetrator(s) used either a coin or the edge of a key to damage my car.

My living area has a history of people scratching cars. But it has never been this serious. I am currently in a dilemma on whether if I should make a report to the authorities or not. I am also thinking of moving someplace safer, and that has a reserved parking space for the residents.

I do not understand the pleasure of the destruction of someone’s property. These people clearly have low mental capacities and a case of moral laxity. Instead of fuming up with rage, I actually feel sorry for these losers. They have no other form of enjoyment except to see others fail and fall to pieces in front of them. I am not going to do anything of such. I am going to drive my scratched car with pride and know that I have something that they will never have. An actual brain.