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Saturday 29 November 2008

What works?

Now that I've complained enough about what doesn't work for a gated community, what works?

Believe it or not, the answer can be found in the book "Freakonomics". They've found crime rate is highly correlated to abortion. I do not advocate abortion, but it does reach a conclusion - good family values reduces crime rate. If there is more loving care, parents are more ready for kids, the kids will grow up better. So, what can we do? My suggestion is do more charity work. It could be the orphanages, or work with problematic (as in discipline) kids. As usual, some kindness will go a long way. Speaking of kindness, I use to randomly pay toll (before I used SmartTag and way before toll rates were increased) for the car behind me. You sure get a lot of puzzled looks, but it is fun.

Another sure way, proven, of lowering crime is police numbers. The more police, the better. Crime prevention, crime deterrent and spend a lot of time solving criminal cases. If the criminals know they have a hard time getting away, they will really think twice. And putting them quickly behind bars will also help. Again, this is explained in Freakonomics.

The other policy is "Zero Broken Windows". The story is from urban areas, like cities. Windows are usually broken due to vandalism. That's how crime start. Today, someone breaks a window. Then, the notice that no one repairs the windows and certainly no one cares to catch them. So, they move on to more serious crime. As a community, we have to start with ourselves - make darn sure we do not flout the law, like parking illegally. If cars are parked illegal in our own housing area, what message does this give the others?

On the same note, even if it is a small crime, like a broken window, we must report it to the police. We must show that we care. And yes, we have to help the police solve the case. Those responsible for minor offences must be given the message "the law will get you". In here, it can be something small like a bunch of teenagers letting of fireworks in the field. It happened. And yes, I did call the police. The kids won't be jailed. They will just be warned. But that's the idea... if you do something silly, someone cares and the police will know.

So, if you really want to reduce crime rate, make sure you lobby for better police presence and please report all crime. If a police station is giving you trouble in Malaysia, the solution is very easy. Just send a fax to Bukit Aman - the headquarters. Bukit Aman is very serious, but they need information from the public. You will find that the police station in question will have new officers very soon.

Verification

Gosh. I am hopelessly sleepy now, despite the fact that it is 9am. Awaiting to go to the post office to try to invest more in Amanah Saham Wawasan 2020. A good deal, but darn hard to get.

Anyway, on the subject of a gated community, let's assume all is well, no protest. There is still one key element - a critical success factor. Verification. It has happened to me countless times. Each time I try to enter a condo, I will just mumble some names to the guards, and a unit number. Mr. Wong, Block C, will do. I mean, Mr. Wong is just as common as Mike or Dave in London. Because there is no way to verify the truth, the guards will just let me in.

The best I've done so far - I told the guards I would be picking up my friend, female naturally, from Unit B-17-5. Honestly, I didn't remember her unit number. I was unable to contact my friend to verify her unit number. Couldn't remember if it was floor 7 or 17. But B-17-5 worked. The guards allowed me in. When I met my friend much later, it was discovered that she was on the 7th floor. The part that boggles my mind - 17th floor does not exist. The highest floor is only 12th. Speaks volumes on the security provided.

So, if someone must set-up a gated community, please, for crying out loud - have a verification system. There must be a way to verify with the occupants if they are expecting visitors. This is indeed very difficult. There are privacy issues - I might not want my 18 year old friend-with-benefit being asked to many questions. On the same note, it is equally difficult to contact residents, and expensive too!

In short, gated communities have little chance to be extremely effective. It is a just a very poor attempt at security. Most of it are nothing more than a dog and pony show. Some will argue - but with guards taking down details, it must work. Yeah right. Think about it. Can the guards tell the difference between a genuine and fake or tempered ID? I am an expert on subject matter and I have difficulties. What makes us think the vehicle registration plates will be genuine? Or could it be a stolen vehicle? Yet again, there is no way to verify.

The mind boggles at the conventional logic, or lack of, people apply. All in all, IMHO, gated communities are nothing but a bloody nuisance - both to the residents and the criminals.

Friday 28 November 2008

Unlawful Behaviour

An update on the latest on our guarded and gated (illegally) community. The shops nearby are up in arms against the gating. I am against it too. Guess what? Among them against the illegal road blockages, is a pub.

Good old Jeff has now threatened the pub owner. If he is against the blockages, Jeff will report to the Jabatan Agama Islam (Islamic Religious Department) that there are Muslims in the pub. What the heck.

Good move by Jeff. You know what? If I were the business owner, I would move out and replace the pub with a undertaker service. All I will do is get a few big ugly coffins and have them displayed prominently in the shops, ala 'open space'. What will these do? It will drive down property prices faster than anything else. Hopeless fengshui. Imagine waking up to a bunch of dead wood, so to speak. Businesses could reply with other solutions equally nasty, including but not limited to a snooker centre, a massage parlour (read illegal prostitution), some lousy gaming centres or just empty shop lots. Either way, it will attract the wrong crowd.

Moral of the story - the shops are part of our community. To be fair, these shops here have been good neighbours. They've never caused trouble. So, why the eff barricade the roads and potentially affect business?

Sunday 23 November 2008

More Apek stories

The other day, I was out for lunch with a bunch of colleagues. As a Mr. Y puts it, if they start speaking in Chinese, you know you are in shit trouble. The conversation was about the new law in Malaysia, requiring back-seat passengers to buckle up. It started when they asked me why I buckled up. Before I could answer, some wild ideas where thrown about.

Fact of the matter is, this is a good habit I picked up from Australia when I was there for four years. But my colleagues started to concur that the new law is just a way for the police to collect more bribes, and started to debate would the passenger or the driver be fined should a violation occur. I went, what the eff. They appear to be hell a lot more worried about the RM 50 bribe when it is their body (supposedly priceless) flying about in the car or hurting the passengers in front.

This is the biggest problem I've noticed about the 'Malaysian' (more like Asian) mentality. People do things for all the wrong reasons. The buckle up because of the police. What the eff. Honestly, the police is more worried about having to deal with the mess of having to pick up someone's brains in a traffic accident. Then again, some of them won't have much brains to start off with.

Coffee Money

Many months ago, a apek (old man of Chinese decent, speaks like a China-man, acts like one, looks like one, but isn't exactly one) complained about the cops. He alleged that the cops are very corrupt. He then related a story that just the other day, he was stopped by the police for no apparent reason while driving in a small town. Then they asked for his licenses, he had to hand them RM 30 (that's about USD 10).

This is the part I go, what the eff, apek? People stop you, you dish out money. Wei. If that's the case, I would also do the same. Just stop someone, and you get RM 30 - all in less than 5 minutes. Really, I would do it too. I doubt it very much if it is even a bribe. Why? Bribe, by nature, is to influence the way someone acts. So, if the police did stop them, maybe it was just a random thing. There could have been no offence, but what the eff - if you offer money, I would take. That didn't influence me in letting someone go (there was no offence to start off with).

So, thanks to the stupid public like this apek, they give the cops a bad name and then, they blame the cops. Frankly, it would be stupid if they didn't collect the money. After all, if someone is dishing out money (say if Donald Trump did that), I really don't see anything wrong in just collecting it. I am against bribery, but hey - it takes two to tango.

For the record, I've never bribe anyone before and will not do it either. Have been stopped by the police on a couple of occasions, but usually it's nothing more than just a glance at my driver's license. Fair enough - they are just doing their jobs.

Designed for Security, Not

There are two houses near my place, just complete their renovation. Every time I drive past, I look at it in awe. The renovation work is not too bad actually, but my mind boggles. The first house, has a new gate installed. The gate design? Square frame with horizontal bars spaced about 20cm a part. What the eff? Hey! It looks like a bloody ladder to me.

How on earth can someone come up with such a design. I mean, sure, you can love Jeff for his ideas of a gated community (refer to previous posts), but this is a new 'high'. The other house, has the same darn design as their fence. Horizontal metal bars, placed like a ladder, looks like a ladder, but it is not a ladder. But it darn well functions as one.

So, people, please ...unless this is a new trend, please think and design properly. No idea if it is the home owner's bright spark or were they taken for a ride. Either way, the mind boggles.

Rule by Example

This morning, I read that a fatwa has been issued to discourage / ban Muslims from doing yoga in Malaysia. No comments from me, as I am not a Muslim. A couple of days ago, a chap called Abdul Razak Baginda, formerly accused of blowing up a lady, walked free and held a press conference. That bothered me.

Putting two and two together, why isn't Abdul Razak Baginda is charged for khalwat or zina? After all, he did admit having an affair, which is haram (at least that's what I thought). I sure hope someone out there can clarify subject matter. Someone admits zina, which is - I think, haram - yet he has not been charged at the Syariah Court? Or is khalwat only charged if they happen to 'kena tangkap basah' by the religious department? I am still trying to figure out how it all works. The mind boggles.

Wally No More

Sadly, I can no longer be a Wally. Darn busy with work nowadays and with a shitty economy, I really have to get my ask moving. Before someone moves it for me. Don't get me wrong - I do work hard, but at any one time, I prefer to work smart. It's a fine line, but hey - why work too hard.

Been dating a pretty gal - let's call her M. Nice gal, very very sexy body and yeah - I hope to have a long term gf. Random fun is fun, but at times, something long term is good. Let's see what happens. It is sure damn hard to get a gf nowadays. Half the gals I know expect their future husbands to provide them with a RM 5000 allowance per month. That's almost my entire paycheck. Damn - some would want the money and it's fine if their hubby strays, as long as there is money in the bank. Sign of times. Other gals are already married to their work.

So hard to find someone who wants to be in a relationship. That goes for both guys and gals. Some guys want to play. Others, married to their work. Some want their dream cars. To me, I rather save some money, build a good home (mind you, not a house), and have enough to retire. Not too much to ask for right?

Monday 17 November 2008

Malaysian Politics

Ah... So sweet to read that the Second Finance Minister for Malaysia Nor Mohamed Yakcop proudly anounced that Malaysians are safe from the financial storm as we have lots of savings. In may ways, that's true. But then again, it is also the government's idea - The First Finance Minister - Najib, who mandated that monthly contributions to EPF, the savings for old age, be reduced beginning January 2009.

This is when I go, What the Eff? Is Najib trying to ruin the country? Or is the Second Finance Minister lying? How does this all work out? Silly isn't it? And to think that Najib will be prime minister... oh lordy lord. Wish we have God Save the Country...

***

MCA on the other hand is busy killing itself. Chua Soi Lek is being sidelined and that's bloody obvious. The Number 1 in MCA says that's not the case. You know what? I say, in the next general elections, the rakyat will sideline the both of them. Whatever it is, Chua has done some good when he was the health minister. Don't recall Ong doing much. Then again, who cares... like diapers, they should be changed often.

Sunday 9 November 2008

The "Secret"

Notice anything odd on some people's Facebook or MySpace sites? See if you observe this - most females do not want to display their age. They will only disclose the day and month of birth. No year. As such, it is difficult to guess someone's true age. Photos may not do justice.

Look carefully. Most of these profiles will also have information such as "SMK Puteri 2000" or "University Malaya 2002". Well well. With this new information, all of a sudden, the age can be calculated immediately. People usually get their degrees, without honours, at about the age of 21 or 22. Completion of high school, or SPM in Malaysia, would be at the age of 17 or 18. Too easy.

The moral of the story - always be careful with what we disclose. Never tell too much. Or worse still, unwillingly let others know too much!

Saturday 8 November 2008

My new toy

Got myself a new toy today. A GPS. It was out of necessity rather than the fun of having one. I was getting lost way to often in the city. Anyway, I got a Nuvi 205 by Garmin for only RM 790. There was a promotion on. Got it from a shop in Sri Petaling's Endah Parade - IM Lifestyle. Friendly staff too, but they preferred cash term. Well, I could understand it well.

Tried it on the way home - it works well, despite its insistence to use tolled roads. Hahaha. I don't suppose it is ploy by Samy Vellu. Will test it out over the next few weeks. Yeah - it is very easy to use. I've only used a Tomtom years ago in Germany, so when it comes to GPS, I am an idiot. But I did find my way home.

Speaking on Endah Parade - gosh, that place is full of massage parlours now. Wonder if they are those that offer extra services.

Friday 7 November 2008

Singapore Gone Mad

This is a clear case that the world is going mad. To be fair, Malaysia and many other countries are included. I've picked on Singapore for the sole reason that the Singaporeans have documented, very well, their moment of madness. I doubt it if Malaysia will ever be good as such documentation.

It has been proven that human beings are most worried about the least likely, lowest risk threats. I worry more about fuses than dying of a heart attack. And for me, the risk of having a heart attack is significantly higher.

I got really pissed off when I read the "Consumer Advisory - an Update on Products Detected to Contain Melamine", by the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA). Report appears to be undated. First, it states that more biscuits were found to be tainted with melamine. In particular, there were those from Julie's and Khong Guan - both Malaysian companies. Report mentions some Chinese product as well.

On the tainted biscuits, AVA requires the importers and retailers to withdraw the affected Malaysian-made biscuits from sale with immediate effect. Products have been duly listed down. Sounds serious. It goes on to say that "All the 17 affected products will be destroyed under AVA's supervision". Sounds very serious indeed.

Later in page 3 of the results, it says that "based on the level of melamine levels detected by AVA, a consumer can safely take in..." Here, I will quote a few examples, of the "tolerable levels for an adult of 60kg weight (amount daily over a lifetime)"
  • Hello Kitty Strawberry Cream Filled Biscuits (20g per pack) - 342 packs!
  • Julie's Golden Kaka Crackers (500g per pack) - about 6 packs
  • Khong Guan Assorted Biscuits (1 kg/tin) - 5 tins.
This is the part that I went....what the fuck??!! For adults, it is safe to take up to 5 tins of 1kg per tin of Khong Guan Assorted Biscuits? That's effing 5 kilos of biscuits a day! Over a life time before it is dangerous! Come on... who would eat 5kg of biscuits for the rest of his or her life? Or 6 packets of Julie's Golden Kaka Crakers. I am sure you will go gaga before the 2nd pack is over. Crackers indeed. or 342 packets of cream filled biscuits?

In short - the biscuits are safe for consumption. No one in the right mind will eat that much to suffer the ill effects of melamine in the biscuits. If somewhere were to eat that much biscuits, that poor chap might be obese or be dead from diabetics way before melamine gets him or her.

So, looks like some governments are just doing hell a lot of fear mongering. If you test any food product, bet my ass some lead will be present. Bet you there is mercury in fish too. But as long as the levels are low, they are safe. In any case, common sense calls for moderation.

Since the Singaporean government is at it, why not ban the following products: Johnny Walker - surely the consumer will be dead with just two bottles (1litre each), if consumed daily for less than a month! Or ciggies... proven to be dangerous. Hell - even drinking 12kg can of Coca Cola a day would cause serious problems. 12kg of water itself could lead to death - will someone please ban tap water? And don't even get me started on McD or Burger King. Those definitely sound more dangerous than the 'tolerable level' of biscuits. It is realistic to eat two Big Macs a day and die of a heart attack in a year or two - assuming a lack of exercise too. Not even a lifetime. Last check, nasi lemak was a killer too.

So, what the fuck? If I were the biscuit manufacturers, I would have sued the Singaporean Government. After all, they are such a small market, but putting up so much bad publicity. To be fair, the idiot of the Malaysian Health Minister was even holding a tin of Khong Guan biscuits during a press conference for added effect. That picture made it to the front page. I feel like sponsoring 6kg of perfectly good, untainted with melamine, Khong Guan assorted biscuits and ask him to finish in a day. I would love to see that!

For the record, I have no vested interest in the biscuit or FMCG industry. It's just sheer stupidity that gets on my nerves.