WHO THE HELL AM I? AND WHY DO I BLOG....... (Part 2)

(continue from part 1)

So, what are my interest areas? Talking about various interests, my groups of friends from MRSM Kota Bharu will understand very well, as during our monthly teh tarik session that we have had since around 1990 (we left school in 1984, and got back together after completing our university education etc), that I have recently re-joined. We will talk just about anything under the sun (that interest us, of course), the latest hot topic being the political situation in Malaysia and what lies ahead for the country, ourselves and of course our next generation.

I foresee then, this ‘Café’ will see me ‘babbling’ in topics ranging from business and management especially the area of change management, business improvements, turnarounds etc., to economy, political, and social aspects of the country and the world with a slant towards Islamic and professional governance, automotive industry (now that I’m in the industry having moved from oil & gas, to training and development, to production house to NGOs to financial planning to management consulting to communications to auto retailing and a family background in real estate), to sports (Man Utd fan since 1984 – it’s going to be another great year guys – and still consider myself a golfer though I do not play as often as when I was residing in Kuantan, what a balance life with no traffic jam and long traveling time to take away your precious little hours in a day) and perhaps any others that I do not know how to classify – personal development, financial planning, real estate, books, movies, children, photography, videography, food, eateries, religion, world history etc., etc., etc., Well, perhaps the first 4 should form the main theme – there’s very little to gain from being confused nor confusing people, ain’t it?

Now let’s go back to the first question – who the hell am I? Well guys, it ain’t that fun to be talking to a stranger…., but then again, for those who have cared to read up till here would have quite a good idea already….

It’s about 5 am now, close to time to wake up the children for school and fajr prayer. Hope it has been a good introductory session, and hope to have you again for another sitting in the Café.

Logging out, dudes…..

WHO THE HELL AM I? AND WHY DO I BLOG……. (part 1)

Should have been the first article in this space, but then again life is not perfect anyway…


Here’s what Wikipedia says about a weblog/blog:

“A blog (….web log) is a website, usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. …Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of the many blogs.”

Yes, it is now 2.48am in the morning – so I guess it is either the case of ‘old habits die hard’ or perhaps I am only good (in terms of writing or composing) at this kind of hour. I can clearly remember the younger days (not that I feel old now) I used to prepare my paper works, proposals and the like at this kind of hour in the night – I somehow find it easier – the thoughts flow better during this wee hours of the morning. Anyhow, being back in corporate employment, I have to be honest in term of time spend during ‘working hours’ and not to spend so much of it doing personal things, ain’t it?

Well, not that I’m such a rule abider myself…, in fact I see myself more of a ‘maverick’ (there you go, the first clue of who I am), or in consulting we term it as ‘contrarian thinking’ – in terms of work, I believe that the results delivered is more important than the actual hours spent ‘being at work’ – and that is how I manage my team in office. And thanks to a colleague at work who pointed me to a Brazilian guy by the name of Ricardo Semler, that concept has been further entrenched in me (Ricardo Semler is the author of ‘Maverick’ and ‘Seven Day Weekend’ and owner of Semco company in Brazil, that since at least more than 2 decades ago, has experienced tremendous sustainable and profitable growth – those of you in management positions or especially business owners are highly recommended to read the books, but that will be a separate topic of its own – which I believe I will also be writing on).

Talking about books – man, do I love reading. I can read, and read, and read…, and during the good few years period of my life (twice, mind you) where I found myself out of work (more of out of income, as there was plenty of work to do actually) – I relish the freedom of time that I have, that I spent on reading, researching, and preparing concept papers, proposals, and white papers etc. – not that I have any paying client, but I guess for the love of it. Now that I have ‘money’ – to live relatively comfortably that is, not yet financially free of which I hope to attain one day – I really miss the time, the freedom of being ‘out of work’ (for those who have the thought of trying the same phase of life – I say don’t, having no money is very painful, especially if you have children – it’s a very heart-breaking experience when you find yourself not being able to see your children in the eyes, and having to explain to them the situation you have put your family into – perhaps I’ll share some of those experiences as well in this blog, later).

Well, back to the topic at hand. Why blog? What is my blog about? Another diversion first - my first involvement with blogging (as a reader, observer and a few times as ‘commenter’) was with Jeff Ooi’s blog ‘speaking out, speaking loud’ (hey, the guy is now an MP – guess I should have been a blogger much earlier hehehe) which I stumbled upon through Malaysiakini. My current favourite for a few years now is of course Raja Petra’s Malaysia Today (a spin off of his Free Anwar Campaign Website – what a change from the days of my Virago biking, when I first met him in person, and his cycling column in The Star). Blogging has of course ‘exploded’ since then with the most favourite being political blog (what else, being in Malaysia where free and fair press still a dream, and does not look like changing much soon, until…) to the extend that blogs have been credited as one of the main cause of the recent 080308 tsunami. And in the process, noticing that a friend of mind, a fellow ANSARAian had launched a blog under the name of bigdogdotcom, a guy who used to be one of those behind Kelab Maya UMNO – his blog from my view is more of Mukhriz Mahathir’s fan club website than a real behind the scene political blog (hey, we can always agree to disagree and live happily ever after).

Since then we have seen UMNO politicians taking to the blog with the likes of Khir Toyo (big traffic despite having no real content) and the ex-CM of Melaka, Ali Rustam (I remember, how myself and a group of Usahawan Wanita Melaka were kept waiting for almost an hour in his huge room, so that he can browse his newspaper – and then to have him suggesting the entrepreneur group to create a chain or franchise of assam fish outlets, despite our white paper for a comprehensive entrepreneur development program and day clinic facilities – wow, such creativity?). The most recent pinnacle in the blogging world is perhaps the new ruling by UMNO that says politicians who aspire for any positions in UMNO must have a blog-site – another example of ‘coffee-shop thinking’ – whatever first come to mind must be the solution to the problem at hand? (This term should now go together with another one coined by me earlier – ‘tom-yam syndrom’ – which I said then to be the biggest problem with bumiputra business thinking, which refers to having business with absolutely no differentiation whatsoever but just because other people seem to be successful at it – more about this in other writings).

So, naturally I guess my interest in blogging has always been there (I did have a website with some friends focusing on personal and professional development much earlier in the mid 1990’s but have long since abandoned it due to some problems then). Of course the focus of getting my life back into track superceded my other social activities, coupled with the fact that living in an area officially addressed by the Post Office as ‘Kawasan Perumahan Mewah, Lembah Beringin’ means living in irony as we hardly has any real internet connection, let alone broadband services.

The next issue was then, the theme of the blog. Frankly, I didn’t really know when I launched the blog last week, I just had to do it – one thing I learn is that, ‘any time is a good time’ – so I just went ahead and do it, ….and think later (contrary to my normal behaviour of thinking and planning first). Thus the reason why for those who visited my blog earlier found that I didn’t even fill up the profile section – I guess the earlier visitors are my known friends anyway, so I really hope they can be a bit patient with my shortcomings – it’s already up, guys! That however prompted a web developer friend to suggest a few tips on having a good website/blog, with the suggestion that I should introduce myself as if I’m having teh tarik with a bunch of friends. Great, good suggestion – and since I have such many and diverse interests anyway – I visualize that this blog will be my personal Café where I’ll have my coffee and keropok or nasi kerabu or nasi berlauk or whatever and chat away various issues that interest me, and hope that there will be people out there who will be interested and share some of my interests as well. Ehm, sounds quite alright – plus my better half has always dream of having her own specialty Café one day anyway.

(to be continued, tomorrow....)

Western Banking Crisis: IMF says US crisis is 'largest financial shock since Great Depression'
Thursday, 10 April 2008
The Guardian

Heather Stewart in Washington, Wednesday April 9 2008

America's mortgage crisis has spiralled into "the largest financial shock since the Great Depression" and there is now a one-in-four chance of a full-blown global recession over the next 12 months, the International Monetary Fund warned today.The US is already sliding into what the IMF predicts will be a "mild recession" but there is mounting pessimism about the ability of the rest of the world to escape unscathed, the IMF said in its twice-yearly World Economic Outlook.

Britain is particularly vulnerable, it warned, as it slashed its growth targets for both the US and the UK.The report made it clear that there will be no early resolution to the global financial crisis."The financial shock that erupted in August 2007, as the US sub-prime mortgage market was derailed by the reversal of the housing boom, has spread quickly and unpredictably to inflict extensive damage on markets and institutions at the heart of the financial system," it said.

After warning earlier this week that the world's financial firms could end up shouldering $1 trillion (£500bn) worth of losses from the credit crunch, the IMF said it expects the US to achieve GDP growth of just 0.5% this year, and 0.6% in 2008, with the housing crash getting even worse.

Simon Johnson, the IMF's director of research, said later the key risk to the forecasts was the danger of a vicious circle emerging, as house prices continue to fall, dealing a fresh blow to the banks, and exacerbating the problems in the markets. "Sentiment in financial markets has improved in recent weeks since the Federal Reserve's strong actions with regard to investment banks. But we have seen how strains in markets can quickly become reinforcing, and the possibility of a negative spiral or 'financial decelerator' remains a possibility."President George Bush has already signed off a $150bn tax rebate package to kick-start the economy, and the Federal Reserve has backed an emergency buyout of investment bank Bear Stearns, but the IMF said this may still not be enough: "Room may need to be found for some additional support for housing and financial markets."In the UK, the chancellor has repeatedly insisted that the economy is "better-placed" to weather the storm, because of its flexible labour market and low unemployment, but the IMF calculated that the British housing market is overvalued by up to 30%, and could be destined for a damaging correction.Alistair Darling is due to fly to Washington tomorrow to discuss the turmoil with fellow G7 finance ministers.

Mervyn King, governor of the Bank of England, will also be in Washington this weekend to discuss the ramifications of the credit crunch with central bankers from around the world.

And combine that together with the looming food crisis brought about by the expected lower yield due to climate issues, and the many changes in political landscape in many countries, ours included - is this some divine script at play?

While some 'muslims' are protesting on 'babi' issue in Selangor - shouldn't interest (riba) based economy be of higher concerns to all of us?

Nik Mahmud Named As Sports Commissioner

April 09, 2008 23:38 PM

PUTRAJAYA, April 9 (Bernama)
-- Sports Advisory Panel chairman Datuk Nik Mahmud Nik Yusuf has been nominated
for the post of Sports Commissioner, taking over from Tan Sri Elyas Omar whose
contract expires on Monday.Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaakob
said Nik Mahmud was the sole candidate for the post."However, his appointment
can only be confirmed upon endorsement by the public service authorities and
after he resign form his current post as the SAP chairman," he told reporters
here.Ismail said the ministry also proposed that Nik Mahmud be appointed on
contract basis for a year."His nomination is apt as he has wide experience in
dealing with sports association during his tenure as the parliamentary secretary
to the Youth and Sports Ministry for a year from 2004," he said.On Nik Mahmud's
successor in SAP, Ismail said, several names had been shortlisted and the
successful candidate would be announced later.Met by reporters, Nik Mahmud said,
he was grateful to the minister for the appointment."It's too early for me to
comment on anything," he said.The sports commissioner's post recently attracted
attention following problems among sports associations, which some taking their
disputes to the court.-- BERNAMA

New Era, new people - though the 'ura-ura' has been going on for more than 6 months. Hope he'll be able to lead the change and uplift the current condition and situation of our countries sports environment and achievements.

Anyone out there with good plans or proposals can send them to me. Insyaallah, there'll be a way of onforwarding the same to our new Sports Commissioner.

Btw he was never a Parliamentary Secretary but the KSU of Kementerian Belia dan Sukan since 2004. Spent most of his services in JPA with also stints in JHDN and Kementerian Sains dan Alam Sekitar. Slightly media-shy though.

HIMPUNAN BLACK 14

Kelab Sultan Sulaiman, Kampong Baru, Kuala Lumpur

9.00pm, Monday, 14 April 2008

(Countdown to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's end of five-year ban on contesting the election and holding public-political office).

They Never Learn, Do They......?

Here's what came out yesterday in Bernama. http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v3/news.php?id=325474

April 08, 2008 19:42 PM

Govt Allocates RM5.8
Billion For Staff Quarters In Putrajaya
PUTRAJAYA, April 8 (Bernama) -- The
government has allocated RM5.8 bilion to build more than 23,000 units of staff
quarters for civil servants working in the federal government's administrative
capital here.Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan said
the quarters would be ready by 2010 and placed under the jurisdiction of the
property management division (BPH) of the Prime Minister's Department."So far,
11,213 units, costing about RM3.7 billion, are ready and most have been
occupied. Another 12,073 units are scheduled for completion by 2010," he said at
a meeting with community leaders at the Putrajaya Quarters here Monday.At the
function, he also launched the BPH Strategic Plan for 2008-2010 to improve the
quality of life of residents at its quarters in Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya, the
KL International Airport, Nilai in Negeri Sembilan, Tanjung Kupang in Johor and
Labuan.Mohd Sidek said BPH spent RM4.7 million on maintenance of its quarters
last year.He called on the residents to help reduce the cost.On a circular which
revokes the eligibility of civil servants from occupying government quarters if
they owned houses within 25km radius from their workplace, Mohd Sidek said they
could continue to stay at government quarters if they were willing to pay twice
the fee.The circular took effect on April 1."The higher fee should not be an
issue considering that facilities like schools, community centres, recreation
centres and so on are provided in the area," he added.-- BERNAMA

They never learn, do they......?

Just some quick calculations:

1. RM5.8bil = RM 5,800,000,000 (notice how many zeros there is - kosong manyak mahal lo..),
divided by 23,000 units = RM252,173.91 per unit.

2. The completed ones of 11,213 units at the cost of RM3.7bil = RM329,974.14????????

Reasonable? Well you can see for yourself the kind of accomodation the government provides for our civil servants - take a trip to Putrajaya. Is it reasonable? Judge for yourselves.....

While writing and toggling between sites, I noticed this posting on Malaysia Today by Little Bird:

New Curi Duit Stories: Ong Tee Kiat, RM4.6 Bil PKFZ, RM5.8 Bil Putrajaya
Gomen Staff Quarters

http://www.malaysia-today.net/2008/content/view/5762/1/