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| Najah Hadisah, 36, teacher Najah has been seeing ghosts ever since she was in secondary school. Her first encounter was with a huge creature with red eyes which caused her to scream like a mad person. Her father recited some prayers over her and after that incident, she could see and hear ghosts. Growing up in the government quarters near the Tang Lin Hospital in Kuala Lumpur didn't help. The hospital was used during the Japanese Occupation and said to be haunted. Najah used to see nuns walking around and hear the sounds of people screaming in the night. 'I am used to seeing ghosts around me, there are many types. Some look like normal people, some are tall and black while some are like corpses wrapped in white shrouds. I always ignore them and pretend not to see them, sometimes praying under my breath for them not to disturb me. 'I believe that we are just sharing the same space and if you don't disturb them, they won't disturb you,' says Najah. She remembers one incident in a university art studio in Shah Alam very vividly. 'My first encounter there was of a huge black figure roughly 3m tall looking at us as we went down the stairs. The rest of my friends didn't see it so I just kept quiet and ignored it. 'We went into the art studio which is known to be haunted. One of my friends decided to challenge the ghost to appear. The ghost is called Puteri Hijau, so my friend called out, 'Keluar Puteri, kalau berani (Come out princess if you dare).' Five minutes later, we all saw a lady in a green gown walking towards us. All of us screamed and ran back to the hostel. 'While I was washing my legs at the hostel toilet, I saw a girl two feet away who looked exactly like me with the same hair and clothes. She rolled her eyes and pointed her finger at me. I was so scared that I screamed and immediately ran out of the toilet. 'I couldn't finish saying my prayers because I was still shivering in shock. That were three incidents in one night. I fell ill the next morning and my father came to take me home. My father helped to cure me by reading passages from the Quran,' she recalls. Najah has been seeking traditional help using Muslim methods such as reading from the Quran to reduce the encounters. She says it has helped and the incidences have lessened. 'My father has been helping me. Now after the birth of my first child, I no longer see these beings, but I can still feel their presence as my hair would stand up and I'd get very uneasy. This third eye is not something you would want in your life.' Choong Wai Leong, 46, painter Floating heads, dead people walking around, weird spirit creatures - these were the apparitions that haunted Choong since he was a little boy. 'I believe I could see ghosts since very young. I say 'I believe' because I might have thought the ghosts were real people then. You never question these things when you are a child. I remember seeing my grandfather sitting beside his coffin during his funeral but I didn't say anything because I thought it was normal. I was five years old then,' recalls Choong. Choong has been lucky so far as he has never had any problems with these ghosts. 'I can sense them and sometimes see them but they never bother me because I don't bother them. I believe they are lost souls or trapped spirits who can't cross to the other side and that is why they are wandering around in our world. 'But it can get unnerving sometimes, especially when the ghosts look sinister or died because they met with an accident. I remember once that I was stuck in a traffic jam and was wondering what had happened. Not long after, I saw a pregnant lady covered in blood with her head smashed in walking past my car. 'I knew then that that was the victim. Sure enough, I passed the accident scene and saw the body of a lady covered with a cloth lying on the road. I said a little prayer for her spirit to cross to the other side.' Choong's parents used to take him to several sinseh and temple priests but nothing seemed to help. 'I can still see them. I've given up trying to get rid of my third eye. It gets worse during the Hungry Ghost month when the Gates of Hell are open for the spirits to cross into our world. I'd see all sorts of things then. I'm so used to having them around now that I take it as part of everyday life. I live by the philosophy of 'I don't disturb you, you don't disturb me',' says Choong matter-of-factly. | ||||||
Saturday, October 31, 2009
They see dead people
Lifestyle tips for financial success
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| By Lu Geok Lan MANY years ago, I read the book, Of Human Bondage by W Somerset Maugham. In this book, he portrayed the life of Philip Carey and his struggles with constraints such as money resources and career demands. There was one passage that caught my attention, which reads as follows: 'There is nothing so degrading as the constant anxiety about one's means of livelihood. I have nothing but contempt for people who despise money. They are hypocrites or fools. Money is like a sixth sense without which you cannot make a complete case of the other five. 'Without an adequate income half of the possibilities of life are shut off. The only thing to be careful about is that you do not pay a shilling more than the shilling you earn. Poverty exposes you to endless humiliation, it cuts your wings, it eats your soul like a cancer. It is not wealth one asks for, but just enough to preserve one's dignity, to work unhampered, to be generous, frank and independent ...' What was set out in the novel by Maughm in the early 1900s still rings true today. Several authors have reinforced the need to have a balanced, circumspect view of wealth, or financial success and its pursuits. They contend that financial problems can be managed or curtailed through prudence, good common sense, realistic goal setting and planning. With financial specialists and analysts warning us of tough times ahead, it is good, therefore to brace ourselves, reorganise our priorities, goals and assumptions and inculcate good financial habits, working towards financial security in life. In this respect, here are four useful broad lifestyle tips or habits that you can easily adopt. Take care of yourself first and the intangibles in life that matter Look after yourself well. Whenever possible, maintain your physical, mental and spiritual health so that you are in a good position to look after your family well and be a well adjusted individual, capable of establishing and preserving enduring meaningful relationships. Indulgences are not necessarily wrong, but you should acquire interests or possessions needed to enrich your life meaningfully. You should not go on credit to buy things unless it is for your property. To possess the peace of mind and sense of security - two important components of successful living - do buy all the term, disability and health insurance that you and your family need. You can increase your self worth through diligence, a positive attitude, enthusiasm, continual upgrading of relevant skills and knowledge sets with a view to improving your career or making smart career choices. These efforts have a more significant impact on your financial security or well-being than perhaps trying to save more by denying yourself some forms of luxury. Market relevant skills will also equip you to earn extra income from several sources. Start early, set realistic budgets and short-term goals You can adopt a regular savings plan as early as possible. It is never too late to start allocating a portion of your income to savings, increasing the proportion when you get a pay rise or bonus, or when your income from other sources increases. Remember the power of compounding when interests earned each period are rolled over. Setting a realistic cash budget, keeping track of expenses, and reviewing your budget when your circumstances change are keys to financial well-being. Related to setting a cash budget is the idea of aiming for a series of short-term goals. They pave the way to the achievement of your long-term goals and financial security. Remember, the short-term goals should be attainable, for example saving 10 per cent of your income every month, cutting down on non-essential spending by, say, $200 a month or whatever amount you find appropriate. Saving regularly will also ensure that you will be financially prepared for distant future events such as children's education and retirement. Managing your debt in line with your debt servicing ability is essential. You should strive to maintain a healthy debt servicing ratio (debt/income) which is roughly 35 per cent or less. This means commitment to properties, housing and car loans should not be crippling. Take calculated risks and seize investment opportunities Before you can take any risk, you must determine your own tolerance for risk. Factors such as your cash flow, financial position and age will determine your comfort level with risk. You will also have to look at your savings or investment horizon. Basically, the longer it is (that is, when you are young), the more you are able to capitalise on riskier opportunities that present themselves. Taking calculated risks such as taking a new job with good prospects, venturing into a business, investing in high risk/high return stocks may be necessary to forge ahead financially. Keep in mind the timeless principles of cultivating investments. These include diversifying or spreading your investments and reviewing your portfolio in the midst of changes in the market and your life situation. By investing in regular intervals, you can also reduce the risk of losing a large sum at the wrong time. The same goes for liquidating your investment instruments. Sell a small percentage of your investment at a time. Your investment horizon or your time in the market is what matters and not timing the market, since markets are ever so unpredictable. Maintain your dignity, reputation, sense of social contribution and credit score Ensuring that the cost of your lifestyle lags your income or salary growth will guarantee sufficient recurring cash flows. Paying your bills on time and maintaining a healthy debt servicing ratio will not only steer you out of financial failures, but also reflect your character and preserve your reputation and dignity. All these are essential prerequisites for a high credit score - which will provide you with the means to increase your financial worth. Through all these sound financial habits, you can, in the words of Maughm, 'work unhampered', 'be generous', 'frank and independent'. You can contribute to society of which you are an integral part - in terms of time and monetary resources, thus manifesting compassion and generosity. The writer is a senior lecturer at the Singapore Polytechnic's School of Business This article was first published in The Business Times. | ||||||
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Don't lose that pair of old shoes
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By Tan Chong Yaw
My browser setup is like an old pair of shoes. I am so comfortable with it, any small change will upset me.
A month ago, my HP Compaq nc6230 laptop at work was attacked by a virus, which rendered my USB ports unreliable. So I was stuck with a replacement machine that I was unfamiliar with.
Now, my Firefox browser setup is elaborate: it fires up my four home pages, three of which are Gmail, the OneLook dictionary search page and Wikipedia, at the same time.
The fourth page holds iGoogle, which can be customised with news feeds and widgets.
Mine has more than 50 items.
I would have gone bonkers if I had to build my browser up from scratch.
My sanity was preserved because of a U3 USB flash drive from which I could install and launch apps like Firefox. You can buy one for $20.
I had replicated my laptop's browser setup on it months earlier as an exercise.
First, I installed Firefox on the U3 drive (above). Find it in software.u3.com.
Next, I replicated my four homepages using their URLs and saved them on the drive.
As Gmail and iGoogle are Web-based services, they were set up automatically once I signed in. My username and password were saved in U3 Firefox.
You can set up your Gmail and iGoogle accounts at gmail.com and google.com/ig. You need to register just once with an e-mail address for the Google apps.
My hundreds of bookmarks are backed up on the Net using Xmarks - an app for the online synching of bookmarks.
Download it from xmarks.com. Registration with an e-mail address is needed too.
Next, the setup. Once I stuck the U3 drive into the USB port of my temporary PC, a U3 panel popped up. One click on the Firefox icon there and my four homepages appeared. Bliss.
The beauty of this solution is that my setup is synched automatically.
Now that my old machine has come out of intensive care, I have gone back to using the browser on that laptop.
However, I now have another pair of old shoes - the U3 drive. It is like leaving a trusty spare in the boot of the car.
This story was first published in The Straits Times Digital Life.
Not suitable for your viewing pleasure
Not suitable for your viewing pleasure
For those of you who were waiting to see the next installation of Halloween on screens this week, prepare to be disappointed as the slasher-flick has now been deemed too violent and sexually explicit for gentle Malaysian audiences. Keep reading to find out which other films ended up getting the snip and why.
Halloween 2
Looks like we won’t be seeing Michael Myers cause havoc in Haddonfield this time round. Rob Zombie’s horror sequel to Halloween has been banned by the Lembaga Penapisan Filem Malaysia for being “too violent and containing sex scenes”. For some, this may come as a relief. It's about time someone finished off the dude in the hockey mask. We just never thought it'd be the local Film Censorship Board. Looks like a serial killer was no match for an expurgator. Still, with no blood, gore or violence on offer this Raya season, what are we supposed to do for entertainment? I guess there's always “Momok the Movie”.
Zoolander
Our dear countrymen got touchy when this film’s plot put a pretty male model on a course to assassinate "the prime minister of Malaysia." In Ben Stiller's cult fav, the world’s 2nd best male model, Derek Zoolander, is brainwashed and programmed to assist in a plot to keep the exploitation of child labour going in Malaysia, for the sake of the fashion industry. Zoolander was deemed unsuitable by our film censorship board despite it having minimal sex or violence. The film went on to become one of Stiller’s biggest hits and remains Malaysia's claim to fame amongst thick and uncultured Westerners. We have trouble deciding on whether it was the assassination plot or the child labour that did Zoolander in. Neither helped but we thank Hollywood for the dishonourable mention.
Bruno & Borat
This one doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Not only is Bruno incredibly blithe when it comes to losing his clothes but he is also arguably the campest character on screen. Sacha Baron Cohen's Bruno was banned in the Ukraine on the grounds that the film had ‘unjustified’ showing of genitals and featured homosexual sex. Our film board didn't even bother explaining, sending Bruno the way of Borat. A few years earlier when a certain Kazak reporter took the world by storm through over the top sexual references and an overall disregard of political correctness, his worldwide success stopped short of our shores as the Lembaga Penapisan Filem axed Borat's entire movie. Perhaps Malaysians really aren’t ready to see two nude men wrestle each other but then again, who is? Still, it's a shame to deprive us all of the comedic genius that is Sacha Baron Cohen.
Brokeback Mountain
Homosexuality as subject matter really won't win you any favours with our local censorship board, despite what you might have heard. Ang Lee’s epic film about two gay cowboys was almost instantly given the red flag. It was a huge shame that Malaysians were forced to miss critically acclaimed performances by Jake Gyllenhaal and the late Heath Ledger, as well as the film's award winning cinematography. But its homosexual nuances were seen as unsuitable for our local audiences. Oscar winning or not, we prefer our cowboys dreary!
Babe
If you thought this children’s film about a sheep-herding pig seemed perfect harmless, think again. In 2005 the movie Babe was banned due to controversy over its title and subject matter not being “halal”. The similarity of the word ‘Babe’ to the Malay word for pig, ‘Babi’, was too close for comfort. Pigs (which are considered ‘haram’ animals) being portrayed in a positive light was frowned upon by local censors. Although this prevented the film from being shown on the big screen, the decision to ban the film altogether was overturned a year later, and it was released to video. It has subsequently been shown on TV here as well. That's another win for the lovable...you know...guy.
Fiza
This critically acclaimed film by Bollywood director Khalid Mohamed received a great response from all over the world and won numerous awards in India. However the subject matter strayed too far from the usual rolling-down-a-hill-and-dancing-around-a-tree-plot censors were used to seeing from Bollywood. The movie's backdrop and subject matter were deemed too sensitive for Malaysian viewers. According to local authorities, the portrayal of Muslim terrorists in the film would have offended Malaysians and hinged on the sentiments of the public. There might have been a little truth in that but we think the always delightful Hrithik Roshan would've probably smoothed over any sensitive areas explored in the film's plot. You gotta admit it, the man can dance!
The King & I
The 1956 musical about the lovable Anna and the King of Siam was initially banned in Malaysia. At the time of the film's release, Malaysia went along with Thailand's decision to ban it as the portrayals of the King as well as the Thai people were deemed offensive. Coincidentally, 1999's Anna and The King, was filmed in several parts of Malaysia (as Thailand still thought the subject matter wasn’t suitable for filming in the country) and the film became one of the biggest productions to have been filmed on our shores.
Pineapple Express
Well, despite being the film that probably launched Seth Rogen’s popularity into the stratosphere, this film checked all the boxes on the censorship list. “Pineapple Express” refers to a type of super marijuana that lands two guys into a whole lot of trouble. The rolling of super joints and scenes of unnecessary violence did not go down well with our Film Censorship Board, predictably. In a country where the 18 rating has four different flavours: 18SX (sex), 18SG (violence), 18 PA (politics) and 18PL (variety), Pineapple Express unfortunately pushed the boundary a little too far, in the eyes of local censors, even for an audience of adult Malaysians. Totally denied, dudes!
The Last Communist
This controversial documentary by local filmmaker Amir Muhammad was initially passed for local released but finally banned by the Home Ministry under the Film Censorship Act 1991, before it made it to a theatre near you. It is inspired by the leader of the former Malayan Communist Party, Chin Peng and is a semi-documentary cum musical. It debuted at the Berlin Film Festival and made its way to the Seattle International and London Film Festivals, receiving a good response from audiences throughout. The controversy though, was mostly on local shores where the film was never commercially released, despite it being a completely local production.
When it comes to our national history and heritage, the powers that be demand a great deal of restraint from filmmakers, writers and artists. It can often impede social progress but it has pushed many to be even more creative in camouflaging discourse. There are those too honest to hide beneath layers, who produce our most frank and upfront work. Work only made available to foreign eyes. As far as standards and practices go, that is a shame. Plus, how dangerous could a documentary/musical really be? (JS)
Malaysia in capsules
Malaysia in capsules
A multi-cultural melting pot distilled into a programme of short films dealing with a nation's complexities
- Published: 9/10/2009
From the get-go, the project, produced by a group of independent artists and filmmakers led by Pete Teo, is pre-figured as a socio-political portrait of Malaysia at this precise moment in history.
Many potentially sensitive issues are discussed, even confronted - less with naked activism and more with satirical wit and irreverent humour. These Malaysians - whether of Chinese, Malay or Indian origins - know how to turn frustration into laughter. And to our surprise, many of these five-minute shorts feature starring roles of real Malaysian politicians, including the health minister Liow Tiong Lai, People Justice Party's Zaid Ibrahim, and prominent MP Khairy Jamaluddin.
Ethnic diversity seems to be a Malaysian quality that oils as well as agitates its social dynamics, and the subject is widely discussed here. In the jovial episode by Ho Yu-hang called Potong Saga, a non-Muslim man is tricked by his friends into believing that in order to open an account at an Islamic bank, he first has to be circumcised. In Chocolate, the late Yasmin Ahmad, true to her form, crafted a tale of rich, transient beauty about a Chinese boy and a Muslim girl, with a backdrop of Malaysia's affirmative action. Meanwhile Desmond Ng goes for the sombre tone in his episode, The Son, about a teenage Chinese boy who witnesses a racially-motivated attack on a Malay student.
Most gleefully satirical is the short by Liew Seng Tat. Halal is a mocking, somewhat juvenile take on the Islamic rule of animal slaughtering and halal food - in this case chicken. For example, you can't murder your chicken with a machine gun if you want its meat halal. The short is confrontational in its concept, but the humour slyly cloaks its underlying scorn. I can't imagine a Thai filmmaker doing a short on the same subject; perhaps the more compact social structure of Malaysia - in which every Chinese has a Muslim friend and vice versa - means religious or ethnic sensitivity has loosened the definition of political incorrectness.
In Halal, we could say that Seng Tat simply gives us a friendly mockery of his Muslim friends' ways.
Amir Muhammad's part, The Tree, contains a surprisingly meditative, thoughtful advice on the Islamic way of expanding the economy, as expounded by Malaysia's influential imam Nik Aziz. Meanwhile Tan Chui Mui's short, One Future, offers a chilly, sinister look at the lifelessness of an imagined society where the citizens are pre-programmed and the government sees and hears all - it's a channeling of Chris Marker's sci-fi dystopia La Jetee, stylishly transported to Kuala Lumpur.
15 Malaysia, above all, presents a collective consciousness of Malaysian filmmakers and the belief that short movies can be utilised as a social and political organ at a time when people are clamouring for change. Not that Thai filmmakers have to imitate them, but certainly there's a lesson to be learned.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/entertainment/movie/25331/malaysia-in-capsules
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Should you use your phone at the petrol station?
Oct 06, 2009
AsiaOne
By The AsiaOne Techbot
You've probably seen or heard this before: using your mobile phone at the petrol station or while refueling your vehicle is dangerous because it might cause fires or explosions.
The rumour dates back to as far as the 1990s and is still making its rounds on the Internet via email. An example email posted on the Internet that dates back to 2002 had the headline "SAFETY ALERT - mobile phones and refueling don't mix".
Like other emails of its kind, this one alleges that the information first came from the Shell Oil Company, which had earlier released a warning against using mobile phones at the petrol station.
The email cited three cases in which accidents occurred when a mobile phone was used or activated while in or near a gasoline pump.
In all cases, a person was injured or there was significant damage to property, suggesting that the blaze ignited by the mobile phone was severe.
According to a BBC report, researchers have so far proven the rumour to be untrue.
A BP fire safety officer interviewed by the British news website was also quoted as saying that the rumour is but an "urban legend" and might have seen its origins in the fact that petrol station fires are often cause by discharges of static that ignite petrol fumes.
So, should you still worry about using your mobile phone while topping up gas? It might be safe to say that the rumour is all humbug, but precautions on using phones at petrol stations still exist.
Check the Shell website and you will see that in its Shell Safe page, the petrol company cautions its customers against introducing any ignition sources when at the filling station, and this includes mobile phones.
According to the website, dropping a mobile phone or turning it on and off can cause sparks, which might in turn ignite petrol vapours.
The petrol company also warns against its customers chatting away while refueling their vehicles too, as "using a mobile phone while refueling might cause a lapse in concentration", which might lead to the incorrect refueling of a vehicle, fuel spills and other hazards.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
The Invasion of Malaysia
4 Oct, 2009
You see, who can realistically monitor 1,200km of Jungle Borders? Who can monitor the Indonesian Islands just beyond the shores of Tioman? And who can monitor the entire Straits of Malacca?
Michael Chick
If Indonesia were to really attack Malaysia on the 8th of October as the Jakarta Globe reports (http://thejakartaglobe.com/home/indonesian-vigilantes-prepare-for-battle-in-malaysia/331775 ) it would be an easy walkover. To begin with, Indonesia has a 240million population. That's 10 times the population of Malaysia alone. Not to mention the 4 million Indonesians who have been neutralized, and become members of UMNO. Add to that number the Millions who work in construction sites and as maids in Malaysian homes. If any (Intelligent) Protocols were to be observed, Malaysian National Security would have been breached already. Migratory Indonesians constitute to almost 55% of the entire Malaysian Population to begin with.
Do you actually believe that migrant Indonesians like Khir Toyo would stand up for Malaysia when he has a parang to his throat? Do you actually believe that Najib would not immediately claim his Sulawesi origins while staring down the barrel of a gun? Or how about Mahathir? Would he not scream and shout that he is an Indian, pleading for his life, when he is facing a beheading? After all, that's exactly how he filled out his application form at NUS (National University of Singapore) when he was younger.
Geographically speaking, Malaysia is surrounded by Indonesia. There is free passage between Sarawak, Sabah, and Kalimantan. You see, who can realistically monitor 1,200km of Jungle Borders? Who can monitor the Indonesian Islands just beyond the shores of Tioman? And who can monitor the entire Straits of Malacca? Of course, some may argue that the Indonesians are too busy with rescue work in Padang. However obscure this possible Invasion is, the truth of the matter stands; and that is, if Indonesia does really launch an attack on Malaysia, then she is finished.
Whose "skirt" would UMNO hide under? Would she sell-out to Indonesia? Would she say that "UMNO was safeguarding Malaysia for Indonesia all these years?" What would really happen? Look at how Malaysian Kampong names are given. Kampong Jawa, Kampong Acheh, Kampong Cham, and so on. What this tells us, is that the migrants are still hanging on to their original identity. And all this started ever since The Majapahit Buddhist Renegade Prince called Parameswara crawled into Malaysia via Singapore 600years ago. Buddhist? Most likely! You see, Indonesia now recognizes that Jambi was the center of the Majapahit rule, and not Palembang, as originally thought. There, numerous local and foreign archaeologists have turned up countless Buddhist Temples including a 30ft Statue of Buddha submerged in Kampong Melayu. The same as those found at Johor's Kota Gelanggi (http://allmalaysia.info/news/story.asp?file=/2005/2/3/state/10070103 )
The original "Puak Melayu" (Malay Tribe), numbering circa 1,000, who lived in Malaysia 2,000yrs ago, were Hindu, as Lembah Bujang proves. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bujang_Valley ) A 1,000 population at that time was considered to be extremely huge. So we need to understand what the texts mean when we read of "enormous populations" from old texts. And it makes for better story-telling.
Is the Jakarta Globe spinning a yarn? Are Indonesians flaunting empty threats? Will there be another "Perang Saudara"? If this is indeed a "spin", it must have definitely been started by some Instant Noodle Companies, because that's what all Malaysians will do when there's any wind of a "disturbance".
Poor Malaysia.