Prediction Time Again.

It's that time of the year again. Prediction, prediction, prediction. What would 2009 be?

At the end of every year all the "grandmasters" of feng shui will pop their heads out of the shell, just like the tortoises. Predicting this and forecasting that. After that they will retract their heads into the shell hibernating until the end of the year and the pathetic cycle starts all over again when the year comes to an end!

They never do any review monthly or periodically to confirm their predictions. Would they??

My prediction for the coming year is that by the end of next year these tortoises will pop out their heads again.

Another prediction; if it's not going to be a bad year, surely it's going to be a good year. However if neither happens, then it's going to be no change.

Have a nice day, every day.

And A Happy New Year : 2009 !

May you have good health,
peace and contentment!

Madness

A Palestinian family rushing past a burning building after an Israeli missile
strike in the Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, yesterday. — AP pic >
Read More:

Hi,

I've just heard about this emergency campaign urging for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Already 280 people have been killed in this escalating conflict. Now is the time to issue a demand to world leaders that the spiraling violence that has characterized the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must come to an end. In 2009 let's push for real peace to be achieved between Israel and Palestine. To learn more and to take action, read the email below:

---------------------------------------------
Dear friends,

As we watch the Gaza bloodshed with horror, appalled at how the crisis is spiraling further out of control, one thing is clear -- this violence will only lead to further civilian suffering and an escalation of the conflict.

There must be another way. Over 280 are dead and hundreds more injured -- rockets are striking Ashdod deep inside Israel for the very first time, and the sides are mobilising for invasion. A global response has begun, but it'll take more than words -- the immediate violence won't end, nor will wider peace be secured, without firm action from the international community.

Today, we're launching an emergency campaign which will be delivered to the UN Security Council and key world powers, urging them to act to ensure an immediate ceasefire, address the growing humanitarian crisis, and take steps to build real and lasting peace.1 Follow this link now to sign the emergency petition and send it to everyone you know:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/gaza_time_for_peace/98.php?

After eight or more years of ineffective US and global diplomacy -- and now Gaza's bloodiest day in recent memory -- we must issue a global outcry demanding that world leaders do more than make statements if they're to bring peace to this region. The UN, the European Union, the Arab League and the USA should now act together to ensure a ceasefire – which includes an end to rocket attacks into Israel and opening the checkpoints for fuel, food, medicine and other humanitarian aid deliveries.

With a new US President taking office in less than a month, a real opportunity exists to breathe new life into peace efforts. These latest hostilities require not only an immediate ceasefire but a commitment from Obama and other world leaders that resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is at the very top of their agendas. As the whole world is impacted by this ongoing conflict - we should demand nothing less.

In 2006 we mobilised for a ceasefire in Lebanon. For years we've worked to encourage a just and lasting peace, taking out billboards and ads across Israel and Palestine. Now as we head into 2009, we need to come together again to demand a peaceful and lasting resolution, instead of a further escalation of violence. Follow this link to put your name forward for peace:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/gaza_time_for_peace/98.php?

All sides to the conflict will continue to act as they have in the past if they believe that the world will stand by and allow them to do so. 2009 is a year that things can be different. As we face this crisis, and the possibilities of a new year, it's time for us to demand a ceasefire and work together to finally put an end to this cycle of violence.

With hope and determination,

Brett, Ricken, Alice, Ben, Pascal, Paul, Graziela, Paula, Luis, Iain and the whole Avaaz team


(A brief history on Arab-Israel conflict : Wikipedia)

Mao's Birthday

To-day 26 December is Mao Zedong' birthday.

The life story of Mao is the history of modern China.

What China is today was the result of this man. The charisma of Mao fitted his physical stature. He posed an impressive figure, tall and handsome. I shall post one of his most outstanding pictures once I found it. This picture depicts a tall and handsome Mao wearing a long gown strikingly standing against the wind holding a closed Chinese umbrella looking ahead with missionary zeal. This photo was apparently mistaken as depicting a charismatic Chinese Catholic missionary that it was hung at one of the Churches in Vatican City until someone pointed out the true identity of the photo.

(Updated: 26 Dec : Below is the photo )

Of course, even today, it's not very expedient politically in the "free" world to praise Mao.

So I better stop here.

But before I go, Mao's opening sentence in his historic declaration on 1 October 1949 at Tiananmen Square, marked the beginning of a New China:
"Today, the Chinese People have stood up!"
That summed up Mao's struggle to bring dignity and respect back for China.


 

Three books in English I would like to recommend: 

"The Red Star Over China" by Edgar Snow. Snow was in China at that time as a journalist and his was the first authoritative account on the Communist Party Of China. This book pricked the conscience of the Western aggressors and imperialists.
(I have not read this book yet.)

"The Morning Deluge" by Han Suyin
This book is a semi-biography of Mao, and the political developments of modern China after Sun Yat Sen's era.

"The Private Life Of Chairman Mao" by Dr. Li Zhisui
Dr Li was Mao's personal physician up to his death. This book can be regarded as the continuation of Mao's life story after that of Han Suyin's book.

(I think this book is still banned in China.)

Well for those not bothered to know more, the click here: Wikipedia.

You may also like to refer my earlier posts:
The Vision Of A Nation

Today The Chinese People Stand Tall

The GRAND Mother of all Olympics 

Pineapple : Perfect Juice

We are actually very fortunate to be able to savour nutritious tropical fruits without hurting our pockets. Local fruits immediately come to mind are of course the King of fruits, the durian. Then we have mangosteen, rambutan, duku langsat, watermelon, coconut, banana, papaya, mango, guava, and dragon fruit. Have I left out something? Yes, the pineapple.

If you are my regular reader, you would know that I take fresh juices everyday, prepared by myself. Initially, I did not include pineapple because from my past experience, I always had bowel problem after taking it. Then one day I decided to try again by adding a slice of pineapple in my fruit juice concoction. Two things I noticed: it had a lot of juice and it tasted, most delicious!!

And an added bonus!! No problem with my bowel. Don't ask me why or "how come"? I don't know. The only thing I know is that it's great to add pineapple in my juice preparation.

Then one day while typing on the keyboard, I noticed a different appearance in the skin texture of my lower arms. I couldn't believe my eyes! The skin of my lower arms has been blemished with little black spots ; a sign of ageing, for years! They didn't bother me for I knew it was due to the process of ageing. But this time it was a surprise!! The little black spots have disappeared!! Now you can ask me why or "how come"?

I attribute this to the pineapple juice! So I like to share with you some information on the pineapple. I shall not go into detail on the medicinal values of the pineapple, but will "copy and paste" the more relevant info for your easy reference. If you wish to go into detail, just click on the link provided.

Here it goes:

From The World's Healthiest Foods :

Pineapples are a composite of many flowers whose individual fruitlets fuse together around a central core. Each fruitlet can be identified by an "eye," the rough spiny marking on the pineapple's surface. Pineapples have a wide cylindrical shape, a scaly green, brown or yellow skin and a regal crown of spiny, blue-green leaves and fibrous yellow flesh. The area closer to the base of the fruit has more sugar content and therefore a sweeter taste and more tender texture


From Wikipedia :

Pineapple is a good source of manganese (91 %DV in a 1 cup serving), as well as containing significant amounts of Vitamin C (94 %DV in a 1 cup serving) and Vitamin B1 (8 %DV in a 1 cup serving).^[6]

From Ezine Articles :

Pineapple helps you strengthen your bones. The fruit is a rich source of manganese, which is required by your body to strengthen bones and tissues. If you have just one cup of pineapple everyday, you can fulfill 73% of your body's requirement for this mineral.

From Philippine Herbal Medicine :

Pineapple contains micro-nutrients that experts believe protects against cancer and this micro-nutrients also break up blood clots and is beneficial to the heart. The ripe pineapple has diuretic properties. Pineapple juices also kills intestinal worms. It also relieves intestinal disorders and soothes the bile. Pineapple juice contains chemicals that stimulates the kidneys and aids in removing toxic elements in the body.
Pineapple contains a mixture of enzymes called bromelain. Bromelain blocks the production of kinins that form when there is inflammation. Test have shown that this blocking property of Bromelain in pineapple helps reduce swelling brought about by arthritis, gout, sore throat and acute sinusitis. This also helps accelerate the healing of wounds due to injury or surgery. To help reduce inflammation, eat pineapple in between meals. If eaten during or after meals, the enzymes will be utilized for digesting food.

From Oohoi.com :

While many people often take extra vitamin C or drink extra orange juice when they have a cold, few consider eating pineapple. The benefits of pineapple when you have a cold or cough are the same as the benefits of orange juice, but there is an additional benefit of pineapple. Bromelain, which is found in pineapples, has been found to help suppress coughs and loosen mucus.

From OneIndia :


Due to its high vitamin C content, pineapples are good for your oral health as well. Vitamin C can reduce your risk of gingivitis and periodontal disease. Vitamin C also increases the body's ability to fight invading bacteria and other toxins that contribute to gum disease


Pineapple has been thought good for heart conditions and indeed should not be used by people with haemophilia or by those with diseases of the kidneys and liver. This is because it seems to reduce the time taken to coagulate the blood - which is why it can be useful for heart patients.

Pineapple could be useful for women suffering from painful periods. Choose ripe fruits of good colour for pineapples do not become sweeter on storage if they are picked green. This is because the starch in the stem is taken up into the fruit and converted to sugar only at the final stage of ripening.

Pineapple has been shown to be important in maintaining good eye health and helping to protect against age-related eye problems. There are even some beneficial molecules hidden in the stems of pineapples. These molecules have been seen to act as a defense against certain types of cancer.

Pinapples are used to help cure bronquitis and throat infections. It is efficient in the treatment of arterioscleroses and anaemia.

What about this gem to be happy? (also from OneIndia) :

Pineapple is an excellent cerebral toner; it combats loss of memory, sadness and melancholy.

Don't say I didn't tell you; but I am no doctor. So think for yourself!

Have a pineapple day!!

[For my other healthy lifestyle articles, please check on "Healthy Lifestyle" links on the right sidebar of this blog]

Merry Christmas

TO HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS
PLEASE CLICK ON PICTURE

Lucky Sperm Club

Warren Buffet from Wikipedia

The Malaysian Insider features the article by The New Paper about the "granddaughter " of Warren Buffet, the 32-year-old abstract painter Nicole Buffett. Nicole is actually the adopted daughter of Buffett's youngest son, Peter, who married Nicole's mum when Nicole was just four years of age.

Let's read some of the comments:

[Warren Buffet does not believe in rewarding those he calls “members of the lucky sperm club”.

“I want to give my kids just enough so that they would feel that they could do anything, but not so much that they would feel like doing nothing.”

“I have not emotionally or legally adopted you as a grandchild, nor have the rest of my family adopted you as a niece or a cousin.”]

Well, the article is supposed to be about Nicole, but we get to savour the "Thoughts of Warren Buffet".

Say what you like, but he is still the richest man on earth!!

If I am not mistaken Warren Buffet have made pledges to make sizeable donations to worthy causes.

Can he be like Bill Gates for the benefit of the world?

Hope the world's less fortunate people benefit from these pledges.

Anwar : Destination Sarawak

Anwar is eyeing Sarawak, reports The Malaysian Insider:

"Sarawak is truly multi-ethnic in nature. The politically dominant Malay Melanaus comprise 20 per cent, the commercially powerful Chinese comprise 30 per cent and the rest is made up of 26 non-Muslim indigenous communities collectively referred to as Dayaks.

The ethnic barriers are broken down further by the high percentage of mixed marriages registered estimated at 30 per cent of all mixed marriages in Malaysia annually."

So we can see the political scenario is very different from that of Peninsular Malaysia.

The elder statesman,Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud has been the state's Chief Minister for the past 27 years already. I think people are tired of seeing the same old face.

If Sarawak falls into PR hands, can BN still rule the nation???

Instant fame : throw shoes at Bush.

Muntadhar al-Zaidi, the "shoes thrower"achieved instant fame worldwide for the "wrong reason"? There is now an entry for him in Wikipedia, amongst other information, it reports :

"A Saudi businessman has offered US$10 million to buy the shoes. "The shoes should be exhibited in a museum as they resemble a rocket that talks on behalf of all Iraqis," read a posting on website of Arabian Business magazine.

You want to have instant fame and possibly become an instant millionaire? Go throw shoes at Bush, but must be before January 20, 2009.

(This post unashamedly inspired by Magick River, which I hereby acknowledge.)

MP Liew : Talk On Parliament Sittings

(YB Liew Chin Tong)


This is a copy and paste from my blogger friend Romerz from his blog The Middle Ground with his kind permission:

[The MP for Bukit Bendera (my constituency) from DAP YB Liew Chin Tong, will be holding a talk this Saturday to brief anyone interested to know, what happened in parliament during this ongoing sitting (which has been extended) which started in mid-August.

In his own words, the purpose for this briefing is;

"Few in Malaysia know what actually happens in Parliament apart from snippets from the press. MPs sit in Parliament for hours, often frustratingly. But voters, even those who are informed on other matters, may not have a clue of how it works. It is probably "part of the design" of the Barisan Nasional government to neglect the importance of the House in national governance."

"This is an initiative by Liew Chin Tong, DAP MP for Bukit Bendera, to share with participants his take on what had happened in Parliament during its latest sitting which started in mid-August and ending on 18 December 2008."

"Issues like Pak Lah's reform bills on corruption and judicial appointments, education expenditure, extravagant wastage on Prime Minister's residence, parliamentary reforms and the economy will be discussed by the speaker."

2.00pm to 3.30pm, 20 December 2008;

DAP Bukit Bendera Parliamentary Constituency Office;

396A, 1st Floor, Wayton Court, Jalan Burma, 10350 Pulau Pinang;
(next to Jalan Gottlieb and Jalan Burma/Jalan Mt Erskine traffic lights);

Tel no.: 04-2285298

All are welcome and the briefing will be conducted in English/Mandarin]


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Incidentally I knew YB Liew Chin Tong about 20 years ago when he was just a botak boy living in Subang Jaya. It was a very interesting incident when one evening I met this very observant and alert boy. His mannerism and enthusiasm in things etched a permanent slot in my memory. Up to this day, I still remember every detail of that fateful chance meeting.

And what a fateful meeting it was, and we meet again on homeground, Bukit Bendera,.....Rifle Range, Air Itam, to be exact!

By the way YB Liew is a political analyst and is also one of the columnists for The Malaysian Insider.

I wish him well!!

Somali Pirates : UN Counter-Attack

Gulf of Aden



Somalia

The Malaysian Insider carries an AP report that UN has given the go-ahead to conduct counter-attacks on the Somali pirates:

[On the same day Somali gunmen seized two more ships, the UN Security Council voted unanimously to authorize nations to conduct land and air attacks on pirate bases on the coast of the Horn of Africa country.

Somalia Foreign Minister Ali Ahmed Jama, whose government asked for the help, said he was "heartened" by the council action. "These acts of piracy are categorically unacceptable and should be put to an end," he said.

Pirates have hijacked more than 40 vessels off Somalia's 1,880-mile coastline this year. Before the latest seizures, maritime officials said 14 vessels remained in pirate hands - including a Saudi tanker carrying $100 million worth of crude oil and a Ukrainian ship loaded with tanks and other heavy weapons. Also held are more than 250 crew members.

He Yafei, China's vice minister for foreign affairs, told the Security Council that China is considering sending warships to the Gulf of Aden, where they would join ships from the US, Russia, Denmark, Italy and other countries

Antonio Maria Costa, executive director of the Vienna, Austria-based UN Office on Drugs and Crime, said Tuesday that it is important for nations to jointly confront pirates.

"Regional cooperation is essential," Costa said. "A few years ago, piracy was a threat to the Straits of Malacca (in Southeast Asia). By working together, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand managed to cut the number of attacks by more than half since 2004."]

Piracy is supposed to be a thing of the past. It is supposed to be the "misadventure" shown in movies purely for entertainment. Let us hope this curse is eradicated once and for all. Or am I just dreaming?

(For my related post, click : "Pirates : Gulf of Aden")

Thailand's New Prime Minister

Picture from Mysinchew.com

Abhisit Vejjajiva is 44 years old with an Oxford education. On December 15, 2008 he became Thailand's new prime minister, after a bout of civil unrest.

Abhisit is the head of the former opposition Democrat Party.

Below is from Mysinchew.com:

["Abhisit is untested and that is both good and bad. He has a clean record. He is well-educated, eloquent and principled so the public will likely give him a chance," says Panithan Wattanayagorn, a political scientist at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University.]

Abhisit entered politics at a youthful age of 27, which means he has 17 years behind him as a politician. He is from a wealthy family of Thai-Chinese origin, born in England and educated at Eton and Oxford, where he graduated with first class honours in Politics, Philosophy and Economics. His parents are said to be medical professors. His first name means "privilege" in Thai and his friends call him by his foreign nickname, Mark.

Thailand now gets a fresh look in its political landscape. Abhisit is said to be clean, polite and articulate. He certainly looks dashing and can easily pass as a film star!

Let's hope the Thais stop changing Prime Ministers like changing clothes!

Hope all will be well for our northern neighbour.

Don't worry, be happy!!

Bobby McFerrin is best known for his 1988 super hit "Don't Worry, Be Happy".

It's one of my favourites as well.

Did you know that many thought he committed suicide? It would be a real irony if it was true, especially after watching the YouTube video below.

But don't worry, be happy! He is still alive today. To confirm click HERE:

Now that you know he is alive and kicking, please enjoy

"Don't Worry, Be Happy!"

Don't Worry, Be Happy
From the Movie "Cocktails"
Performed by Bobby McFerrin

Here is a little song I wrote
You might want to sing it note for note
Don't worry be happy
In every life we have some trouble
When you worry you make it double
Don't worry, be happy......

Ain't got no place to lay your head
Somebody came and took your bed
Don't worry, be happy
The land lord say your rent is late
He may have to litigate
Don't worry, be happy
Look at me I am happy
Don't worry, be happy
Here I give you my phone number
When you worry call me
I make you happy
Don't worry, be happy
Ain't got no cash, ain't got no style
Ain't got not girl to make you smile
But don't worry be happy
Cause when you worry
Your face will frown
And that will bring everybody down
So don't worry, be happy (now).....

There is this little song I wrote
I hope you learn it note for note
Like good little children
Don't worry, be happy
Listen to what I say
In your life expect some trouble
But when you worry
You make it double
Don't worry, be happy......
Don't worry don't do it, be happy
Put a smile on your face
Don't bring everybody down like this
Don't worry, it will soon past
Whatever it is
Don't worry, be happy

No problem, no problem.

The person who is always smiling doesn't mean that he has no problem.

But the smile shows that he has the ability to overcome all his problems.


(The above message courtesy of my blogger friend @ Serendipity Hopeful)

Golden eggs !!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11844934@N04/2326750500/

Since yesterday, for the first time in my life, I have no eggs in my house!! I am 58 years old.

I was at the supermarket and the eggs (size C medium) was selling for RM9.65 for a tray of 30s.

To add insult to injury, the "C" grade was very suspicious as they were too small for that grade.

Just a few years ago, the price was less than half of what it is today. RM9.65 is the highest price ever for eggs in this country! I just refused to buy. How nice and effective if most are like me. By the third day, the price of eggs would tumble like the New York Stock Exchange!! Just dreaming!

But for now, no egg york, no half-boiled egg...good for health!!

Have an eggless day!!

Where is hell?

A $50 million note introduced earlier in
December has failed to clear long lines for cash.

CNN reports that Zimbabwe has introduced a $500 million bank note!! Another world record for Zimbabwe. I don't think Bolehland can beat this.

You can be a trillionaire in Zimbabwe; click HERE.

The $500 million note is worth about 8 U.S. dollars and enough to buy just eight loaves of bread.

Zimbabwe is now under threat. A cholera outbreak has killed 800 Zimbabweans. Government hospitals are closing; and health personnel demanding salary review. Even soldiers are protesting.

In addition, 5 million people are in need of food aid, the United Nations says, in a nation that once exported food to its neighbours.

People are fleeing the country. But where to??

(The man behind all these: HERE)

"3-1-2" Qigong : Simple & Easy

This post is about Qigong. It is one of the three fundamental pillars to good health. As I have mentioned before, the three pillars to good health are healthy diet, physical excercise and mental stability. Well, this is just my humble opinion.

This is from Wikipedia:

"Qigong (or ch'i kung) refers to a wide variety of traditional cultivation practices that involve methods of accumulating, circulating, and working with Qi or energy within the body. The qi in qigong means breath or air in Chinese, and, by extension, life force, dynamic energy or even cosmic breath. Gong means work applied to a discipline or the resultant level of skill, so qigong is thus breath work or energy work."

There is actually no definite equivalent term in English for "qi", for the simple reason that it is not in the English vocabulary. The existence and power of this qi can even be demonstrated. During my younger days while practising Aikido, we did a simple demonstration by letting an opponent bend our arms. With proper qi concentration, the arm would stay rigid and not yield to the force to bend.

The popular Tai Chi is one form of Qigong. There are many forms of Qigong ranging from a very stationary type to the very graceful dance form. Take a walk around any recreation park early in the morning and you will be awed by the varieties of Qigong being practised. If you are in Penang, the Botanical Gardens in the morning is the place to go.

I have practised a number of Qigong variations, including Tai Chi; from the very taxing stationary form to the exhilarating dance-type Qigong. All in, I have done 6 types of Qigong.

Now I incorporate parts of the different Qigong movements to suit my personal preference.

Here, I would like to share with you good people a very simple and easy Qigong technique. It is quite well-known amongst the Chinese-educated community. It is very popular because it is so simple and easy to practise. It is called the "Three-One-Two Meridian Technique".

Take your time to watch the short YouTube presentation. It is in Mandarin, but not a problem for you can watch the demonstration in detail. The "Three" is about the 3 pressure points. (Remember to do both sides.) The "One" is the abdominal breathing technique; and the "Two" is the 2-step leg exercise.

This is my routine:
While sitting in the toilet, I do the "Three Acupoints".
Twice after the showers (morning and afternoon), I practise the "Two-step leg exercise".
Before sleeping, I do the "One" abdominal breathing exercise.

Enjoy the YouTube videos.

Introduction


First Acupoint


Second Acupoint


Third Acupoint



Abdominal Breathing



Two-step leg exercise

I wish to thank my internet Sifu from whom I "borrowed" the above videos. You should take a look at his original blog HERE:

[For my other healthy lifestyle articles, please check on "Healthy Lifestyle" links on the right sidebar of this blog]


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Crude Oil US$43.89

Crude Oil Price Chart

Right now at 11.25 pm local time, Monday 8 Dec, the price of crude oil is at US$43.89 !!

The hawkers are not making any noise. The shop delivering gas cylinders is still illegally charging me 2o sen extra to cover petrol price increases!!

Please let me know if you come across anyone reducing prices. Yes I know of banks reducing FD interest rates! Did you notice KFC chicken nuggets are also reduced in size? What else?

Have a nice day!!

Pressing the right buttons

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinsphotos/3714937/

The Malaysian Insider reports that Obama has 20 Harvard classmates to help chart his Presidential strategies.

It is reported that the Harvard relationships started two decades back, forged during a popular constitutional law class, at the financial aid counter in Pound Hall, in a buddy's kitchen during a dinner party, through long nights at the Harvard Law Review.

As distance separated them, Obama was the one who tried to keep in touch — penning personal letters in the days before e-mail, picking up the phone to congratulate a friend on the birth of a child.

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Especially in this day and age, no matter how brilliant a person can be, he will not be able to do the job alone with any measure of success. This brings to the fore the hallmark of a great leader. As I wrote before the three most important factors that set a great leader from the average person : Charisma, Intellect, and Integrity.

I remember, it was a long time ago when my lecturer told us a story about Henry Ford. It was during a court hearing that the judge asked Ford how he could be so knowledgeable. Henry Ford told the judge that it was not necessary to use his head all the time; but using his fingers most of the time. As and when he required any information, all he needed to do was just to press the right button to summon his advisers!

I wonder whether our politicians have the courage to admit their limitations and to press the right buttons?

What do you think?

In Bad Times, Prepare For Good Times!

CAPITALAND: Mr Liew Mun Leong

The Malaysian Insider features a report on Liew Mun Leong, The President and CEO of Singapore's CapitaLand Group.

Mr Liew has more than 30 years of experience in construction and real estate in Singapore and overseas. For five years, he was CEO of Singapore Institute of Standards and Industrial Research (SISIR), From 1997 to 1998, he was elected the President of International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO).

Mr Liew graduated from the University of Singapore with a Civil Engineering degree in 1970 and is a registered professional civil engineer. In 2006, he was awarded Outstanding CEO of the Year in the Singapore Business Awards.

He was also conferred the CEO of the Year award at the 2007 Singapore Corporate
Awards.

What has Mr Liew got to say about the current economic downturn? Take a look:

"Retrenchment is 'morally wrong'."

“When someone is retrenched, they lose their livelihood, their ability to support family, send children to school, pay their mortgages. There's lots of suffering,” he says.

Mr Liew knows what he is talking about for he had tasted the bitterness when his father was retrenched back in 1963.

Home was a rented room in a terrace house in Serangoon, where seven of them crammed into a single bedroom. After his father got fired, he remembers how worried they all were. “No work, no money,” he sums up grimly.

“I feel it more because I went through this myself. Maybe that's the difference between a CEO who has suffered through this and someone who hasn't. I'm from the proletariat,” he says.

“I believe in the theory of common happiness and common misery. In good times, give bonuses. In bad times, take a salary cut. If the cost savings of retrenching 100 out of 1,000 employees can be obtained by a wage cut, you achieve the same objective. It's a better way of maintaining viability, even at the expense of more people. It saves some jobs.”

“From our perspective, loyalty between company and staff is a two-way street,” he says. “Unless the company is loyal to its staff, they cannot be loyal to the company."

“You cannot treat people as dispensable items — in good times, we want you; in bad times, we don't want you. Our staff are an asset on our balance sheet and we must treat them as such.”

And what about this gem of a statement?

“In good times, prepare for bad times. In bad times, prepare for good times.”

This separates the mediocre from the excellence!! The wise from the foolish. The successful from the failure!! The visionary from the myopic.

What do you think?

Air Asia, Watch Out!

Kerala Airways......."Now, Go Away!!"



Welcome on board! I am your Chief Steward.
The Captain, as you can see,
is now entering the cockpit!



Prepare for take-off!
Hold on to arm rests!
No shaking legs!




After finishing, wipe your fingers with the table cloth.
Warning : No spitting!! Or you lick it up!!




At your service.
So long as you don't call!

You've landed.
"Now, Go Away!!"

If you still want to fly with us,
don't complain!

"Now, Go Away!!" The Kerala Airways!!

Michael Jackson converts to Islam

The Brunei Times reports that pop singer Michael Jackson has converted to Islam and changed his name to Mikaeel.

According to the report, the 50-year-old pledged his allegiance to the Koran in a ceremony at a friend's mansion in Los Angeles. It was officiated by an Imam, apparently days before he was due to appear at London's High Court where he was sued by an Arab Sheikh.

It was reported that Jackson was infspired by his producer and songwriter friends David Wharnsby and Phillip Bubal

Jacko's new name is Mikaeel, the name of one of Allah's angels.

Strange, I didn't read about this in the main stream media but got the info from the email.

You can read the full report HERE: