Free water - To give or not to give?

I was reading a few very interesting blogs that was having discussions with regard to the Selangor state govt giving the first 20m cube of water free. The % for and against it are almost equal.

I am of the opinion that this shd not be done if the objective of the state govt is to help the poor. 20m cube translates to RM11.40 a month. Let's face it, the majority of the population in the state of Selangor will have no problems paying this amount. The amount of subsidy paid by the state will be RM11 million a month, or rm132 million a year. If the objective really is to help the poor, then I think this amount shd be used in a more effective way where only the poor benefit. Maybe they cld devise a way to actually give cash to the poor etc.

I also feel that this would lead to a wastage of one of our most precious natural resources. I can actually foresee people washing their cars more often etc.

Well this is just one man's opinion!

So, is Anwar lying?

Remember Anwar Ibrahim said that the Pakatan Rakyat will form the next Govt by Sept this year? I read that with a pinch of salt and wondered if it was ever going to happen. Furthermore, the current govt have done their utmost best to appease the Sabah and Sarawak ppl with all sorts of goodies announced recently. I thot, there goes his master plan.

Surprise! I am sure many are aware of the saga concerning SAPP's intent to motion a vote of no-confidence against our PM. Could this be a start of many more to come? The SAPP will almost certainly be expelled from the BN. It has only 2 MPs but it is a start.

So, u think Anwar has a hance of forming the next govt or is it just a lot of hot air? My thot in the beginning was hot air but I am not sure now.....

David Silva? I thot David Villa!

Just read in the Liverpool site today that Rafa Benitez is trying to buy David Silva, not David Villa as rumoured. He is offering 20 mil quid! What??? Wouldn't that amount be sufficient to get David Villa? I think Rafa has got a knock in the head! This is what so infuriates hard-core Liverpool fans like me over the years!

2 down, 2 to go!

As I mentioned in my earlier posting, the teams that play attractive football always seem to get knocked out in the later stages. It has happened again with Croatia this morning. Damn! Looks like Holland and Spain may be heading the same way too as Russia and Italy seem to be peaking just at the right time! Life is so cruel!!!

Thanks Riise!

John Arne Riise was finally sold today to Roma for 4 mil pounds. I have a soft spot for him b'cos he scored all those thunderbolts from distance throughout the years. Thank you Riise and good luck in Roma!

Who's next? Crouchy?

Pool or snooker?

Had a long discussion with a friend of mine yesterday with regard to both pool and snooker. He only plays pool while I am oklah at both. He insists that pool is a much tougher game compared to snooker. His reasoning? According to him, when he plays pool, he is always a "little high"(In his own words) or completely drunk altogether! Good reasoning, I thot!!!!! And then he adds, on top of that, since pool tables are always in bars, he has to use one eye to concentrate on pretty women around the pool table!!! That leaves him with just 50% sight on top of being "High"! I said ok, you win! Can't argue with that!

I happened to catch the Asian pool League that was shown on ESPN recently. It was good but what amazed me was the prize money. The champion walked away with USD15,000 and there are 9 legs covering 5 mths. The one I caught was in Genting and it was the 3rd leg. The same guy had also won the first 2 legs. He won USD45,000 in 5 weeks! Compare that to badminton where the average prize money for the Men's singles champion in the Super Series is just USD12,000! So why sweat and toil and risk injuries playing badminton earning so much less?? Might as well play pool, drink beer, ogle at women and earn more! Amazingly, the women players in pool earn as much as the men, but only in the States. And they look really good, too!

So dads and moms out there, time to consider pool as a career choice for your kids!

For heavy metal fans only!

Go to http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/listoftheday and check out the list 0f 25 best heavy metal bands ever. Have fun!

See AD, even if I don't listen to heavy metal, I still help spread the joy of music!!!

Nothing like watching Live!!!

I was at Ruums KL last nite supporting a friend of mine in the "So You Think You Can Dance" competition. I used to watch it on TV but decided to experience it live. What an experience! It was exciting, fun and really boisterous! During commercials, they had competitions, ad hoc performances and many others to enjoy! To make it even better, my friend Farah breezed into the next round with one of the performances of the night! Keep it up girl!

Now, I need to go to Anfield............

PS : Anyone out there has any live experience to share?

My worse fears starting to come true!

When Euro started everyone was ooh and ahh-ing performances by Spain, Holland, Portugal and Croatia. I told them, as proven in many previous tournaments, gd performances in early rounds normally end with a whimper in later rounds. In later rounds, it is normally the fundamentally sound teams like the Germans or Italians who make it through. And damn! It's happening again as Portugal got soundly beaten this morning by the Germans. And Ronaldo was marked out of the game completely! So Real Madrid, he ain't worth what you intend to pay MU for!

Holland, Spain : Please win!

Hats off to you Mr Woods!

This golf phenomenon that is Tiger Woods continues to amaze and astound everyone. I am not a big golf fan but after reading the circumstances in which he won his latest golf major, my amazement reached a new level.

Tiger had a knee operation 2 months backand he is not even 80% fit. Yet he still managed to win one of the toughest golf tournaments in the world! Imagine if he was 100%!

Congrats Mr Woods!

Return of the Cave People!

Most of you may already be aware of the headlines today with regard to the PAS youth wing who are protesting against our Dangdut and Rock queens, Mas Idayu and Ella, performing at the Sultan of Selangor's football tournament. Gosh! Why do we still have caveman living among our midst??? The Sultan of Selangor has rightly told them to basically ##@@ off! Both these artistes have never before broken any rules with regard to dressing, so wat the fook? I can't remember any PAS-led protest when BAYWATCH was screened on TV some time back. Maybe they were too busy catching the show to protest! Muahahahahaha...........

RM625 rebate - part II

Since i put the RM625 post last nite, I have received about 15 calls with regard to the procedures required to get your $$ back. This is the summary of answers to the questions I received :

1)Yes, there are enuf forms at the PO. There is no shortage.
2)The forms are free. You don have to buy them.
3)You can make claims at all post offices throughout the country.
4)You get cash, not cheques or money orders.
5)RM625 for cars and RM150 for mbikes
6)I am not sure if you can make claims for two cars registered under yr name.
7)You can't make a claim on behalf of someone else.

That's abt it. If you need more info, you will have to ask the PO!

Got me RM625 rebate!

Yes, yes got my rebate today. The whole process took like 30 seconds but the waiting was abt an hour(still fast considering there was 128 ppl ahd of me when I took my number). Kudos to the staff in the Kelana Jaya Post Office. They were very efficient and courteous too.

One note of caution! Please ensure that you have no unpaid summons cos your claim will be rejected if there are unpaid ones. Some encountered this. Poor guys!

Would advice those eligible to go get yours as the govt has announced that they are looking into introducing a rebate card(Yes, another one of their ad hoc plans) to replace this scheme. So go get your cash fast!!!

Bye Bye Torres???

Have been coming across articles over the past few days that Chelsea's new boss "Teddy Bear" Scolari is planning to splash out 40mil pounds to bring Fernando Torres to Stamford Bridge. Hope our idiotic American owners knows what's good for them and not allow the sale to go thru. At least Torres has been saying positively that he wants to stay at Anfield and will not leave. Unlike the SCUMbag from Portugal who wants to leave a certain SCUM Team for Real Madrid!

If in the unlikeliest event that Torres does go, I don see who we can buy for 40mil who is as good as him!

Please stay Torres!

Co-incidence or sign of the times?

I went to a hawker centre near my place for breakfast yesterday. This place is normally packed on both Saturday and Sunday mornings. Surprisingly, only half the place was filled. I passed the same place again this morning and once again it was only half-full. I also went to Tesco today(Sunday) and it was surprisingly quiet for a weekend. Is this a sign that Malaysians are starting to cut down on spending?

As for me, me and wifey have pledged to eat out less and to try to cut out on unnecessary expenses(Beers included, sigh!). We are also staying more at home more instead of going out "Jalan-jalan" on the weekends. Anyone doing anything different?

More roti canais and teh tariks for me!

Enuf lor! I have been winning so many Euro bets (Just roti canai and teh tarik onlylah) that I think I will have high cholesterol and diabetes by the time I am done with them! David Villa scored a last minute goal last nite and Russia edged Greece 1-0 to win me another 4 Rotis and 2 Teh Tariks. Now, if only I had bet with money....... Would probably have covered petrol costs for abt 3 months! Damn!!!

This is what you have been taxed for! Sakit Hati!

I came across this article in one blog which an anonymous writer contributed. Can't get in touch with him/her but would like to say, "Great job in compiling this list!". Do spread it if you wish :

Looking at the list below, it looks like the BN government are more determined to help themselves rather than the citizens.And this list below is not even barely exhaustive as these are the ones uncovered – the tip of the ice-berg, if you might want to put it! What lies beneath could be much larger:-

1. The Bank Bumiputra twin scandals in the early 1980s saw US$1 billion (RM3.2 billion in 2008 ringgit)

2. The Maminco attempt to corner the world tin market in the 1980s is believed to have cost some US$500 million. (RM1.6 billion)

3. Betting in foreign exchange futures cost Bank Negara Malaysia RM30 billion in the 1990s.

4. Perwaja Steel resulted in losses of US$800 million (RM2.56 billion). Eric Chia, was charged with corruption for allegedly steering US$20 million (RM64 million) to a Hong Kong-based company

5. Use of RM10 billion public funds in the Valuecap Sdn. Bhd. operation to shore up the stock market

6. Banking scandal of RM700 million losses in Bank Islam

7. The sale of M.V. Agusta by Proton for one Euro making a loss of €75.99 million (RM 348 million)

8. Wang Ehsan from oil royalty on Terengganu RM7.4 billion from 2004 – 2007

9. For the past 10 years since Philharmonic Orchestra was established, this orchestra has swallowed a total of RM500 million

10. In Advisors Fees, Mahathir was paid RM180,000, Shahrizat Abdul Jalil (women and social development affairs) RM404,726 and Abdul Hamid Othman (religious) RM549,675 per annum

11. The government has spent a total of RM3.2 billion in teaching Maths and Science in English over the past five years. Out of the amount, the government paid a whopping RM2.21 billion for the purchase of information and computer technology (ICT) equipments which it is unable to give a breakdown.

12. The commission paid for purchase of jets and submarines to two private companies Perimeker Sdn Bhd and IMT Defence Sdn Bhd amounted to RM910 million.

13. RM300 million to compensate Gerbang Perdana for the RM1.1 billion “Crooked Scenic Half-Bridge”

14. RM1.3 billion have been wasted building the white elephant Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) facilities on cancellation of the Malaysia-Singapore scenic bridge

15. RM 100 million on renovation of Parliament building and leaks

16. National Astronaut Programme - RM 40 million

17. National Service Training Programme - yearly an estimate of RM 500 million

18. Eye on Malaysia - RM 30 million and another RM5.7 million of free ticket

19. RM 4.63 billion, ’soft-loan’ to PKFZ

20. RM 2.4 million on indelible ink

21. Samy announced in September 2006 that the government paid compensation amounting to RM 38.5 billion to 20 highway companies. RM 380 million windfalls for 9 toll concessionaires earned solely from the toll hike in 2008 alone.

22. RM32 million timber export kickbacks involving companies connected to Sarawak Chief Minister and his familyBailouts –

23. Two bailouts of Malaysia Airline System RM7.9 billion. At a time when MAS incurring losses every year, RM1.55 million used to buy three paintings to decorate its chairman's (Munir) office.

24. Putra transport system bailout which cost RM4.486 billion

25. STAR-LRT bailout costing RM3.256 billion

26. National Sewerage System bailout costing RM192.54 million

27. Seremban-Port Dickson Highway bailout costing RM142 million

28. Kuching Prison bailout costing RM135 million

29. Kajian Makanan dan Gunaan Orang Islam bailout costing RM8.3 million

30. Le Tour de Langkawi bailout costing RM 3.5 Million

31. Wholesale distribution of tens of millions of shares in Bursa Malaysia under guise of NEP to cronies, children and relatives of BN leaders and Ministers worth billions of ringgits.

32. APs scandal had been going on year-after-year going back for more than three decades, involving a total mind-boggling sum of tens of billions of ringgits

33. Alienation of tens of thousands of hectares of commercial lands and forestry concessions to children and relatives of BN leaders and Ministers worth tens of billions of ringgits

34. Travel around Malaysia and see for yourself how many white elephants like majestic arches, roads paved with fanciful bricks, designer lamp posts, clock towers, Municipal Council buildings that looks more like Istanas, extravagant places of worship, refurbishment of residences of VIPs, abandoned or under-utilised government sports complexes and buildings, etc! Combined they could easily amount to the hundreds of billions of ringgits!

35. Since 1997, Petronas has handed out a staggering 30 billion ringgit in natural gas subsidies to IPPs who were making huge profits. In addition, there were much wastages and forward trading of Petronas oil in the 1990s based on the low price of oil then. Since the accounts of Petronas are for the eyes of Prime Minister only, we have absolutely no idea of the amount. Whatever amount, you bet it is COLLOSSAL!

In Time Asia magazine issue on March 15 2004, South East Asian economist at Morgan Stanley in Singapore Daniel Lian, figures “that the country may have lost as much as U$$100 billion (RM320 billion) since the early 1980s to corruption.” Mind you, this is only corruption and it does not include wastages and mismanagements which could be higher! If the above list (which represent moneys saved) is added to the nation’s coffer and together with Petronas profits, palm oil profits and profits from rubber, tin, agriculture produce, aquaculture produce, electronic and hardware exports, etc, for the past 5 decades, we can all agree on one thing - our country could be wealthier than Venezuela who has little resources except for oil. The petrol in Venezuela is RM0.16 per litre!