Here Comes the Supermoon

According to calculations by an astrologer, Richard Nolle, the moon would be at its closest to the earth tonight. He calls this phenomenon as the Supermoon. According to Nolle, the moon would be the closest to earth at about 356,577 km away. This means that we will see a very bright moon in the sky tonight.

Image Source : Wikipedia

Nolle also believes that the Supermoon will be responsible for many disasters on earth. He quoted the example of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami as an example of the result of the moon moving too close to earth.

However, scientists like Mila Mitra who is Scientific Officer at SPACE doesn't agree with Nolle's conjectures. In fact, the moon was closer to its furthest point at 390,000 km away from earth on the day that the tragedy struck Japan.

Regardless of the arguments over the powers of the Supermoon, my daughter is so looking forward to look at the full moon tonight in its full glory. So prepare your telescope and let's just enjoy the full moon tonight.

Mahathir Lied in His Memoir

Mahathir now had to explain himself when he claimed that he'd visited with the late Dr Benjamin Sheares in 1981. He had nothing good to say about the visit. No surprise there.

He said that he wasn't greeted properly and wasn't even given a state dinner. While visiting the late Dr Sheares, he claimed that his visit was cut short because the President of Singapore had another appointment. He said that he felt "sorely used". Don't know what that means.

The visit took place in December 1981 and it was later pointed out that Dr Bejamin Sheares died in May 1981. So with whom did Mahathir visit? Sheares' ghost.

Mahathir later admitted that there were lapses in his memory. He might have forgotten the exact dates. Wonder what else he forgets?

Given the fact that he'd forgotten an important state visit, could he also have forgotten other facts that he claimed took place in his life? I don't know. After all, he's not a young man.

Date of SPM 2010 Results

The Ministry of Education announced that the date of release of results of the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination is on the 23rd of March 2011, Wednesday. Students sitting for the examination last year, a total of 467,970 candidates will be able to obtain their results at their respective schools.

My daughter sat for the SPM examination last year. I'm truly anxious as she probably is to see the results. I have high hopes but as long as she passes her SPM, I would be very glad. She'll probably score well in English Language as she always does but she's very weak in Mathematics. She loves Science though. I hope for the best.

They Hear but They Don't Listen

It's finally resolved. The Bibles that had been impounded at the ports are now available to all the Christians in  Sarawak. And many people are relieved especially those whose been waiting to get their hands on the Bahasa Melayu version of the Bible and starts to worship Allah.

I don't understand these people; either they hear but they don't listen or they're just dumb and stupid. It seems that these Christians are not on the same wavelength as the Muslims who are opposing to the translated Bible.

These Malaysian Muslims are not imposing their beliefs onto the Christians. They are just opposed to the fact that these Bible use Allah to refer to their God.

Can someone clarify to me one thing? Does the Christians worship Allah? Is Allah their God as it is the God of the Muslim people? If the answer to both these questions are yes then the Christians are actually Muslims? No?

What is impossible to accept by Muslims is that in the Bible, it is stated that Jesus Christ (pbuh) is the son of God when it is specifically stated in the Quran and stated by the prophet Isa (pbuh) that he is not the son of God.

Can't they see that this will create a confusion? In one religious book, Allah has a son and in another religious book, Allah doesn't bear children. How confusing can that be? And which version can one believe?

As far as I know, there are verses in the Bible that gives the name of the Christian God as Jehovah so why not use this name? Why use Allah?

I am reminded of an evangelist named Ahmad Deedat who'd been trying to convince the churches that Allah is the name of God in the Bible. His claims had been repudiated by all the pastors and priests in the Western world. And here we have Christians who accept Allah as the name of God in their Bible. I'm totally confused.

Allah is the Muslim God

There's much talk in the media now about the translation of the word God in the Christian Bible that are said to be for the Christians in  Sarawak.

The 35,000 bibles that were imported from Indonesia were impounded pending a court case regarding the use of the word Allah in the Bible.

In a majority Muslim country like Malaysia, using the word Allah in a Bible can be quite confusing. Personally I thought that Allah is the name of the Muslim God. It's not a generic word like "Tuhan".

Why did the translator use the word Allah when a more generic and less controversial term is available? Allah is a specific name to refer to the Muslim God.

The Christians also has a name for their God so why use Allah? Why not just use the generic term for God and that is "Tuhan".

I really don't understand all the fuss when it can all be settled just by changing the name for the Christian God. The Christians don't worship Allah so why do they accept such a translation? Or are they secretly Muslims hiding behind their Bibles?

The Christians are accusing the government of refusing their rights to worship when what the government is doing is just to get a more accurate translation of the word God.

Berita Harian Insensitivity

Image Source : Wikipedia

In the recent wake of the Japanese tsunami that saw over 2000 bodies being washed ashore, the Berita Harian through stupidity or insensitivity had published a cartoon to depict this sad tragedy.

I don't want to publish the picture here but if you want to view the offensive cartoon, you can go here.

The Information Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim had told reporters that the popular Malaysian Malay language newspaper had been given "stern warning" and had been warned from repeating the offense.

The newspaper had since issued an apology for the offensive cartoon. The cartoon which depicted Ultraman running away from a large wave labeled tsunami was created by Zoy.

Is it enough just to apologise without any formal repercussions? Perhaps the newspaper can explain that to the thousands of orphans and family members who had lost their loved ones in the tragedy.

450 Malaysian Students in Yemen Are Starving

Image Source : Wikipedia

Parents who have children studying in Yemen must be very anxious to find out the situation in Yemen.

Almost 450 Malaysian students in Yemen are finding it hard to withdraw money to buy daily necessities.

The clash between the army and the opposition party in Yemen had made it difficult for these students to use the automatic teller machine (ATM) to obtain the cash to buy food and other necessary items.

Malaysian students were advised to move out of their houses and move to a safer haven at a compound that is nearer to the offices of the Persatuan Pelajar Islam Malaysia (PERMAYA) which is near to the Iman University.

Officials are waiting for the Yemen government to approve the transportation of Malaysian students out of the war-torn country. The Malaysian Royal Army (TUDM) has been ordered to be on standby to transport the Malaysian students out of the country.

After Egypt, Yemen is the next middle east country to face unrest from its general populace. Such unrest not only disrupts living conditions but also affects those who want to study in the country. Hopefully, the Malaysian students are safe and are not at the point of starvation.

Akademi Fantasia Last Showdown

Since the beginning of the musical reality show Akademi Fantasia started in 2002, the show has launched the careers of many Malaysian singers including Mawi, Vince, Stacy, Shahir; among others. This year will mark the last season of this popular reality show.

The reason given by Astro Channel Manager, Azlin Azmi is that there have been too many reality shows already and it's time that Akademi Fantasia to end. Sounds like quite a flimsy excuse to axe a successful reality show.

No television station would axe a show unless it is not attracting anymore viewers. That is a strange way of saying that the station is having financial problems. Or aren't they?

Whatever the reasons for axing a popular television show, the ninth and last season of Akademi Fantasia would be hosted by Aznil Nawawi and would be aired on television between April 2nd to June 11.

So for Malaysians who have always dreamed of being a star, this is your last chance.

Mahathir Still Being Himself

The former prime minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohd had just launched his latest memoirs. I haven't read the book yet. I doubt I will upon knowing what the book might contain.

It seems that Mahathir is still just being himself. He only knows how to put others down. I expected that a memoir would be filled with things that one had done and not things that others had done.

It seems that he's spent much of his time writing about the evils that his former deputy prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim had done.

It's such a shame that a great leader like Tun Dr Mahathir Mohd would indulge in mud-slinging in a book that would live through posterity; like a Malay saying "Membuka pekong di dada" or translated literally it means washing your dirty laundry in public.

Please lah, Tun Mahathir, stop washing your dirty laundry in public. No matter what Anwar had done, he's still a Malaysian and a fellow Muslim. What is the purpose of exposing what he'd done? To embarrass him? That would mean a malicious intent on Mahathir's part in exposing such matters.

As humans, we're not infallible. We make mistakes but to expose others' mistakes and errors is equivalent to exposing your own dirty laundry.

I guess it's true what Singapore's Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said about Tun Mahathir. He only knows how to criticize his successors.

Who Do These School Bus Drivers Think They Are?

I'm so fed up with the attitude of some of the shool bus drivers at my children's school. I send my children to school myself. I don't trust the school buses to safely see my children to and from school. I'd rather take the responsibility of seeing my children safely to and from school.

I always make sure to send my children to the front gate of the school every time I send them to school. But one of the school bus drivers always seem to think that I have no right to be dropping off my child at the front gate. She seems to think that only school buses are allowed to drop their passengers in front of the school front gate.

I'm really annoyed with her attitude. I don't take more than two minutes to stop and drop off my child at the front gate. How long does it take for a school bus to stop and drop all of its passengers? More than I do, I'm sure. So why is this school bus driver picking on me?

She's so irritating and annoying; threatening to complain to the school. I dare her to do just that. I think the school should allocate a safe place inside the school compound specially for school buses to park. This way they don't crowd the road outside the school where other parents are waiting to pick up their children.

Parents don't take long to pick up their children but school buses take forever to wait for all their passengers to board their buses so they should be given a safe place within the school compound instead of causing a traffic jam outside the school.

Public transport in Malaysia is appalling; to say the least. Without public transport to and from school, school children have to rely on school buses to ferry them to and from school. Therefore, it's just wise that schools should have a special parking space for these school buses to wait for their passengers within the school. This way the road outside the school compound won't be jammed with both school buses and parents' vehicles.

Hosni Mubarak's Mistakes and a Lesson to Other Dictators

It seemed that after Mubarak's flight from Egypt, many other totalitarian states in the Middle East are facing the same uprising. Gaddhafi should now be just counting the days before he too would be ousted by the people.

Source : Wikipedia

The problem with these dictators is that they're just so greedy. They only care about enriching themselves. While they're basking in their wealth, their people are living a life of poverty.

How long can their people live in poverty before they would rebel? These dictators are not just greedy but they are also stupid. If they had shared their wealth with their people and made a show of trying to improve the lives of their people, I don't think the people would come to a point of being restless and rebellious.

The time of ruling with an iron fist is over. People are now more well-educated and they are able to get connected with one another without even leaving their homes.

This should be a lesson to any leaders who ever think about becoming like Hosni Mubarak. People aren't sheep and won't be put down. Power to the people!

Husband Rescued From Tiger By a Soup Spoon?

An orang asli man in Malaysia was saved from being devoured by a tiger by his wife who used a wooden ladle. I think the ladle that is referred to by the local newspaper The Star is not the usual soup spoon Westerners use to sip their soup but rather the one pictured below.

Image Source : Etabika Kemas

The man was so thankful that his wife was there to save him. What a brave woman!

Sixty-year old Tambun Gediu was out hunting squirrels when a tiger started to stalk him.

I've heard of stories about people who wear masks on the back of their head to scare off tigers. Tigers won't attack people upfront. They like to pounce from behind. I guess Tambun must have left his mask at home. Or perhaps instances of tiger attacks are not common in his part of the village.

It's strange that when Tambun punched the tiger on its face, the tiger kept coming at him but when his wife came with a wooden ladle and hit the tiger, it fled.

Tambun's wife must be quite an intimidating character to scare off a tiger like that when Tambun couldn't. Sadly, there weren't any pictures of Tambun's wife in the newspapers or the picture of the ladle which she used to hit the animal.

The above picture is just what I think the ladle might have looked like.

Husband Raped Own Daughter In Front of Wife

How can a father ruin his own daughter's life? What goes on inside the mind of a father who can rape his own daughter when he still has a wife?

A man who has nine children has admitted to raping his 15 year old daughter four times for the last two months beginning in November 2010. But by January 2011, the mother had enough of her husband irresponsible action and lodged a police report with the help of a neighbor.

The session judge reprimanded the man saying that as a father he should be the protector but instead he ruined his own daughter's life. His actions would leave an indelible mark on his daughter's life.

The man was sentenced to 80 years in prison with 40 canings. I hope he will never get out of prison. He tried to have his sentence reduced claiming that he has illnesses but his despicable actions shouldn't be pitied. He didn't think about his illnesses when he was raping his daughter, so why should the court consider reducing his sentence on that ground.

Hope he rots in jail!

Read the newspaper report here.

"Cure" for Cervical Cancer Found

The Universiti Putra of Malaysia (UPM) claimed that they've found the "cure" for cervical cancer. A local herbal plant "lempoyang" (zingziber zerumbet) is said to be able to "cure" the second most common cancer to inflict women in Malaysia.

However, the Ministry of Health had expressed its displeasure at the announcement made by the university because the discovery hadn't gone through the proper clinical tests.

In their excitement at the discovery of the potent properties of the herbal plant, the UPM made the announcement without approval from the proper authorities namely the Ministry of Health.

UPM vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Radin Umar supported the researchers' move to publicize the discovery because he felt that this would help many who suffer from the disease.

But the Ministry didn't want to give false hopes to those who may or may not benefit from the discovery since it hasn't been fully tested clinically.

It is quite presumptuous of the university to publicize the discovery when they've only just tested the plant on lab rats and have not yet done a clinical study on humans.

What if the plant only react to animals and not humans? That would dash the hopes of many who thought that the "cure" to cervical cancer has been found.

It would be encouraging to those suffering from cervical cancer to know that a "cure" for their disease has been found but if the promise doesn't materialize then, the dashed hopes would be more devastating not only to the sufferers but also to the families affected.

Ariel Peter Pan Jailed for 42 Months

Nazril Irham or better known to his many fans as Ariel who is the vocalist of the Indonesian pop rock band Peter Pan has been found guilty of producing and distributing pornographic clips of him having sex with two Indonesian female artistes, Luna Maya and Cut Tari who is married to John Joseph Subrata.

At first Luna Maya and Ariel denied producing the clips but Cut Tari confessed and apologized to the Indonesian public. Ariel was then arrested under the Indonesian anti-pornography law.


Ariel was sentenced to a 42 months' jail term and fined Rp250mil (about RM84,000.

Female fans of Ariel cried after hearing the sentence and were saddened that they won't be able to see Ariel perform for a long time.

On the other hand, Muslim radical groups were disappointed with the verdict that they view as being too lenient. They wanted Ariel to be stoned as the Islamic law would have dictated.

Why So Sensitive?

A Malaysian restaurant owner, Tharumraj Sivaperumal, director of Jothys Sdn Bhd is suing a blogger, Poh Huai Bin for writing on his blog sixthseal.com, according to the director defamatory remarks about his signature dish, the fish head curry.

Click here to read the review.

He claimed that after the posting on the blog in May 2010, his business has suffered severe loss. He's suing for RM6 million. And here's the thing, he's even suing Google for listing the blog in their search engine!

Of course, Google is not going to entertain such a suit. They're just a search engine that index all content in cyber space. They've got nothing to do with the content that webmasters choose to feature on their websites.

I'm really amazed that such a "well-known" restaurant (the owner did claim that his restaurant is featured on The Lonely Planet, so it must be well-known), has to resort to blaming a blogger's posting when business is not doing so well.

I wonder how famous is the blogger that he can affect the business of a "well-known" restaurant. For myself, this is the first time I've heard of this blog and the defamatory remark that the blogger is being accused of.

What's to become of blogging when bloggers have to be extra careful of what they say on their blog? In fact, I think by making negative comments, a blogger would attract more attention.

I think the defamatory remark that Jothy's is suing Poh for has in fact make the restaurant more popular since most people would actually be curious as to how the fish head curry taste like to warrant such a negative comment.

Indian Fish Head Curry

As for me the price tag of the fish head curry is enough to discourage me from trying the fish head curry no matter how curious I am about the taste of the dish.

Anyway, I think everyone has a right to their opinions and if I don't like something, I won't say it outright that I don't like it. I would probably sugar-coat it a bit. But I guess in the online community, sugar-coating won't get you the attention and therefore Poh used words that would really shock people. It's just for the shock effect. Don't be too sensitive, Jothy's.

Are Chinese Mothers The Best Kind of Mothers?

Amy Chua is a Chinese professor at the Harvard Law School. She penned a book aptly titled Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. She is a mother that is a tiger that roars. According to Chua, she has successfully raised two brilliant daughters who excel both in academic subjects and music.

Amy Chua the Tiger Mother

Her method may be alien to the Western world but to Asians, it's quite normal especially among the Chinese.

She forces her children to study, study and study. They were not allowed to have sleepovers, no television, no extra-curricular activities without her permission. They must get grades no lower than an A in all their subjects except of course for gym and drama. They must always be first in class.

Westerners may see Chua's method bordering on child abuse but to her it's necessary to raise prodigies.

China can boast students who do well in examinations excelling to the top of their classes but China admits that they lack students who are creative and imaginative. Seldom do we hear China producing the likes of Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg who both incidentally never finished college.

Perhaps if one wants to raise robotic children who can regurgitate facts without connecting the dots then Chua's methods is effective. But we want to raise children who are able to adapt to the ever-changing world.

Chua may raise prodigies and scholars but at what expense? At the expense of a happy childhood?

A lot of Chinese mothers in Malaysia and Singapore are like Chua. They would plan their children's day. They would send their children to every possible academic and music courses regardless of whether their children like music or not.

It's this attitude that gives rise to the term "kia-su" which means "wanting everything so as not to be left behind". It's quite a derogatory term but what do these Chinese mothers care? They raise intelligent children.

I wonder if the reason that these Chinese mothers raise their children to be intelligent is because they want their children to be able to survive in the world or is it to bask in the reflected glory when their children are recognized as child prodigies?

Perhaps it's both. Having come from a background where hard work is necessary to get ahead, they would want their children to learn about hard work and the value of a good education. And when they succeed in raising such children, they would undeniably be crowned Mother of the Year.

How to Become a Famous Malaysian Blogger

Recently, I read an article about how to become a famous Malaysian blogger or rather perhaps a successful blogger in Malaysia where the writer pointed out that in order to be a famous and successful Malaysian blogger, the blogger must criticize the government.

It doesn't matter if what the government does is for the good of the people. A Malaysian blogger must always criticize the government.

I guess by being critical of the government, the blogger would get the much needed attention to his blog and any exposure is good exposure.

Just look at Raja Petra of the famed Malaysia Today website who has to go into hiding from the police for being too outspoken in criticizing the government.

The more he appeared in the news about what he's said on his blog, the more blog readers he gets and the more exposure his blog receives.

Perhaps, the authorities should just let him be and he probably won't be as famous as he is now. He's like a folk hero for the ordinary people who see the government as oppressive.

It's inevitable. No matter what the government does, there will always be those who don't like it. It doesn't matter if it will benefit the people. That is why the Singapore government rules like a parent who knows everything and will only give an indulging ear to her people.

I happened to sit in on a lecture that was given by the former Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr Goh Chok Tong when I was at the University. He said that the government would first persuade the people to accept the policies that are to be implemented but if the people refuse to accept the policies, they will just be forced upon them. Because why? The government knows what's best for the people.

I must admit, Mr Goh isn't the most charismatic of leaders and I guess that is why he didn't stay very long as Prime Minister before Mr Lee Hsien Loong who is by the way related to Singapore's Minister Mentor who is also the first Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, took over from him. So much for a meritocratic society, eh?

Well, I'm not criticizing the Singapore government and I don't think I have enough knowledge to criticize the Malaysian government. But I do have opinions about the way the two countries are run. But today is not the day to be critical yet.

Perhaps, I will never become a famous Malaysian blogger.

Good News From Malaysian Immigration : No more Certification of Status

The Certification of Status or better known in Malay as the Perakuan Taraf Warganegara is now not necessary.

The National Registration Department (NRD) or Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (JPN) is now solely given full responsibility in matters of citizenship.

This is very good news for me because my third daughter who was born in Singapore has the Certificate of Confirmation of Status of Citizenship or better known as the Sijil Pengesahan Taraf Warganegara (PTW).

I applied for this certificate when she was born because I know that we will be living in Malaysia.

So why did I give birth to her in Singapore? Because my parents are in Singapore and I don't have any relatives in Johore. I don't want to give birth alone.

After getting the PTW, my husband and I tried to apply for a Malaysian passport for her using the PTW, the Immigration Department wanted us to apply for the Certification of  Status.

We went back to NRD and inquired about the citizenship status of my daughter; whether is she a Malaysian citizen or a foreigner. 

The officer there said that she's a Malaysian citizen by virtue that her father is a Malaysian and she has the certificate of Confirmation of Status of Citizenship.

But before she got her myKad, she had to apply for a Students' Pass making her effectively a foreigner.

I was really confused. I don't know if she's a Malaysian citizen or a foreigner.

According to the NRD, she's a full-fledged Malaysian citizen but according to the Immigration Department, she's still a foreigner.

After getting her myKad at the age of 12, the Education Department is no longer obliged to give a letter of recommendation to study in Malaysia because the department asserts that my daughter is a Malaysian and no longer requires a Student Pass.

Now I'm really worried for my daughter because she holds a Singapore passport but a Malaysian Identity Card. Would she be arrested for dual citizenship?

Today I contacted the Immigration Department to settle the matter once and for all and I got the best news I can ever wish for.

There's no need to get a certification of status for my daughter. She can use her myKad to apply for a Malaysian passport.

Apparently, as of the 1st of January 2011, the Immigration Department no longer issues Certification of Status.

So I guess it's confirmed that she's a Malaysian. Hooray!

Dirty Toilets Turn Off Tourists

Malaysia is a beautiful country with much flora and fauna to be enjoyed. Much of Malaysia's natural beauty has not yet been exploited for commercial purposes. So it shouldn't be difficult for Malaysia to attract tourists to come and enjoy the natural beauty of Malaysia.

But sadly, there are some unsanitary aspects of Malaysia that may turn away many tourists namely dirty toilets and dirty food stalls.

I think that not only the dirty food stalls and dirty toilets that would turn away tourists but also the recent tragedy at Cameron Highlands would also make tourists think twice about coming to Malaysia.

The tourism minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen has his hands full to reassure tourists and Malaysians that such a tragedy will not be repeated.

Dirty toilets and dirty food stalls may be just disgusting but the possibility of losing one's life when spending a holiday in Malaysia, I think, is a much pressing problem.

I myself won't be traveling on any tour bus anytime soon. And I would definitely not recommend that means of travel to any of my friends or family.

Dirty toilets and dirty food stalls have to be addressed but the safety of tourists should be of utmost importance.

What's the Best Thing About Being Malaysian

Technically, I'm not a Malaysian. I'm born in Singapore but when I was 24, I married a Malaysian and moved to Malaysia after the birth of my first child.

Now I'm living in Johore with my husband and my four children and I'm now 45 which means that I've been living in Malaysia for over 20 years so I think I can call myself almost Malaysian even though I haven't given up my Singaporean status.

I see Malaysia now as my home. But as I always tell my children, Home is where the heart is. My heart is with my husband and I will be where my husband is and he's in Malaysia so my home is Malaysia.

There are many good things I can say about being Malaysian. I'm always being reminded of the fact that "Malaysia Boleh" which literally means Malaysia Can. Can what? Can do anything.

So if I see a driver runs a red light, I would be screaming at the driver but my children would say "Malaysia Boleh". Yes, I guess so; only in Malaysia.

I love being in Malaysia because I can drive here. I tried to get a driver's license in Singapore but it was next to impossible to pass the stringent driving test.

I didn't get my license in Malaysia the first time I sat for the test but after the third try, I passed. The third time is the charm, right?

When I go back to Singapore to visit my parents, I miss driving but when I got back home, it's quite a drag to be the driver to my children.

I guess the best thing for me about being Malaysian is being close to my family and having the freedom to drive anywhere I wish.

It's far less stressful here than it is in Singapore.