Why Malaysia Still Need Good Ol' US of A.

There have been plenty written about the setting up of an Australian rare-earth mineral refinery plant in Gebeng, Kuantan, the economical reasons behind the project, the environmental impact and many reassurances from the Government administration, as well as the rising voice of disapproval from the public.

I've also been told that an online petition have been set up to protest against this plant.

Many of the comments have ranged from those who are well educated in the sciences of geology and the risk posed by radioactive waste, to those who had the tragic fate of living through the Asian Rare Earth, Bukit Merah disaster in 1992.

(I've not seen any reports that termed this incident as a "disaster", but considering that it is linked to cases of leukemia, birth defects and costs $100 million to clean up, I am sticking to my description of it)

As I clearly do not fall into any of these 2 groups of people, commenting on the Gebeng plant from the environmental and human impact would be an exercise in futility, adding no value to point of views already shared by other more qualified people.

What compelled me to write this, though, is the fact that the Gebeng plant is slated for completion by this year.

This puzzled me. A $230 million plant which would be completed by this year would have broken ground at least a few years back, and permit for the construction even further back. However, this issue have only recently surfaced, with even a senior politician from the opposition party claiming that he only knew of the matter after reading the article on the New York Times! With public awareness of this issue increasing, it is no wonder that politicians who were previously blissfully ignorant of the construction of the plant until the publication of the said NYT article, have came out swinging, both for and against the Australian plant.

If not for the well written article by the NYT journalist, Keith Bradsher, the Malaysian public would have been none the wiser, and those who have benefited from this project either legally or illegally would have escaped the harsh spotlight now shone on them.

This have been the second time in mere months where Malaysia have been embarrassed by overseas media and/or regulatory bodies exposing impropriety and corruption.

Just recently, Telekom Malaysia's (and indirectly, the country's) reputation have been dragged through the mud, when officers of the national telecommunication company were implicated in a global investigation of Alcatel-Lucent's alleged practice of bribery to win contracts. Alcatel-Lucent paid $137 million to settle these charges with the US Justice Department and the SEC.

I dread to think what other Malaysian hidden "land mines" may be uncovered by other countries' "metal detectors" before our own authorities have the chance (or courage, and political neutrality, both seemingly lacking at present) to do so themselves.

Hate Post #2

This is another hate post. My only aim of writing this is to cement my reputation as a jerk and a cynical middle aged bitter man. If, however, this post helps make the world a less annoying place to live in, I would like to categorically state that that is not my intention at all.

(Note: If you find similarities between yourself and what you are about to read, chances are I AM refering to you.)

1. Parents of "we-are-not-married-yet" kid

There was an interview done by 89.9 BFM radio station of a young girl. In it, the girl's response to whether she thinks that sex education should be introduced in school was "No, I don't think it should be introduced because we are not married yet". It's as if being taught about sex in school is equivalent to having sex in school, and one needs to tie the knot before one can have any knowledge of the "horizontal tango". I don't blame her though, for she is much too young to have formed such ignorant opinions. The parents should be blamed, for either a lack of education or an overdose of religious hogwash brainwashing.

2. Lighting up in indoor restaurants

I really hate having smoked wantan noodles, smoked nasi lemak, or smoked teow chew porridge, but seeing how there is currently no law against smoking in non-air conditioned indoor restaurants, I know I am figthing a losing battle. What I fail to understand is how some people can smoke even in front of their toddlers.

3. People walking their dogs with empty hands

Picture this. A man, walking his Great Dane along the streets of his neighbours' houses, and while one hand is holding tightly to the leash, the other hand carries some plastic bag and a pair of tongs. This is an example of a responsible dog owner. The rest of you, I hope other people's dogs defecates in front of your car porch as karmaic payback.


4. Traffic reporters wannabes

It seems to be gaining popularity, taking a photo of the immobilised cars in front of you while you are stuck in peak period traffic congestion, and then immediately uploading it to your social media page. This seems like a slap in the face of our respected traffic police force, who would like nothing better than to slap these drivers back with summons for fiddling with their smartphones while on the road.

5. Racist radio advertisements.

I think the Government should haul up the assess of the people responsible for racially offensive radio adverts that stereotypes Malaysian Chinese (notice how I put "Malaysian" first? How PC) as having a substandard grasp of conversing in English. The many Phua Chu Kang poor sounding impersonations bespeaks the lack of originality and creativity in our Malaysian advertising house/radio stations, and makes my sepit eyes tremble and my yellow skin turning purple and red with rage.

Japan: Disaster Through The Lens

A young girl is photographed sitting by one of the many seismic fissures caused by the 9.0 magnitude earthquake. Her expression is one of anguish, despondency, and a seemingly inability to comprehend the reason behind such destruction.

She is barefooted, but beside her stands a pair of dusty heavy-duty boots. There are lines evident on both her calves, proof that just moments ago, she was wearing those boots.

Clothed in typical Japanese teenage fashion, with a faux fur coat, denim shorts and hair dyed red, under different circumstances, she would have been lost in a sea of other teenagers in shopping malls or themed cafes.

But these are not your usual days in Japan.

Behind her, fallen bricks and mortars of what used to be offices and homes serve as a reminder of the wrath and strength that Mother Nature possesses. In a matter of minutes, things that took years to build were reduced to mere rubbles.

To me, this photo symbolizes the loss of hope for a whole generation of young Japanese, many of whom may be too young to remember the Kobe earthquake in 1995. Whether or not this sense of despair is temporary, giving way to unity and optimism amongst the Japanese people which is much needed in the country's rebuilding effort, remains to be seen.

What is certain, is that this photo will prove to be the definitive image of this twin disaster, When the year ends, when it is time for newspapers and magazines to compile the year in pictures, and when Pulitzer prizes for featured photography is awarded, this photo will be in a select company of few others.

Best opening scenes in movies

With minimal dialogue, a captivating sequence of events which chronicled the romance and dreams of one Carl and Ellie, who met when they were kids, and parted only by death, accompanied by a musical score both heart-warming and heart-breaking, the Pixar animated movie "UP" proved that for a story to be successful, a strong opening scene to reel in the audience and set the tone for the rest of the movie is not something that can be compromised.The following are other movies with memorable opening scenes:

1. Star Trek (The Future Begins) (2009)

As the USS Kelvin's first officer, George Kirk had to sacrifice himself by steering the ship towards collision against the Romulan ship, Narada, not only in order to save the members of the ship who were being evacuated, but also his pregnant wife, Winona, who went into labor right about the time USS Kelvin was attacked.

Moments before collision, the background music faded from strong thumping bass to something softer, intentionally to coincide with George's final conversation with his wife via telecon, and him hearing the sound of crying of his baby that he will never meet, a baby that both George and Winona decided before George's heroic death, will be named James T. Kirk.

2. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

An ingeniously comical introduction to the iconic character played by Johny Depp, the pirate Jack Sparrow ("I believe there is a Captain somewhere in there"). His stance on top of the main mast of his ship seemed to convince the audience of the courage and fearlessness of a hard-bitten pirate, only to give way mere seconds later that this is going to be one-hell of a crazy-fun pirate when it is revealed his ship is fast sinking to the bottom of the sea. All this, and not a single word spoken. Genius.

3. The Dark Knight (2008)

When a group of highly trained and sophisticated bank robbers in clown masks starts killing each other during the heist, in an order determined by the Joker, each not aware that after killing one, another member of the robbery have been ordered to kill the one who just pulled the trigger. The revelation of the Joker (Heath Ledger) as the last standing robber, and the way he disposed of the Mafia-linked bank manager warns the audience that this is not going to be a run of the mill superhero movie.

4. Spiderman (2002)

This, I admit is a biased selection, and technically, what caught my attention was not even the opening scenes (which I've got no recollection of). What I remembered most was the level of excitement that built up quickly within me when the introductory credits started rolling, and the Danny Elfman score blasting through the cinema's speakers. I've read countless Spiderman comics as a teenager, and knowing that I'll be seeing a realistic CGI potrayal of my web slinging hero got me clenching my fist and biting my lips, my butt slightly elevated from the seat as I can't even sit still from anticipation.

I am sure there are countless other movies that grab you from the get-go, but for me personally, the above 5 movies (including Up) ranks as some of the best.