The article below showed the extremely SERIOUS moral decadence in our society:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/teacher-stabbed-to-death-in-sungai-way-robber-escapes/
Are human lives worth so little nowadays that a robber is ever willing to kill someone for only a few hundred ringgit, which the teacher mentioned in the article above was probably carrying in her handbag. How many more lives are to be lost before the authorities start to pull up their socks to step up the safety of public places? And I have yet to forget how the robbers THREATEN TO KILL my Mom (a helpless strokee) earlier this year when our house got robbed. Not forgetting road bullies swarming Malaysian roads like bees out of the nest.
Another serious decadence to be given more attention is the state of mental health of our general population, as illustrated in this article - http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/8/25/nation/6916231&&sec=nation. People with mental illness need continuous support medically, as well as support from their family and society on the whole. These mental patients need to be accepted like any other normal person, and NOT BE DISCRIMINATED by the society. The authorities should also play their role to improve the national mental health support system to the general population, sad to say is very much left to be desired like our KTM Komuter services.
Parents need to play AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT role to help teach our younger generation to be better behaved and well brought-up individuals to lead in the society. Sad to say many parents fail to do so, in view of the endless moral decadence-related issues highlighted by the media of late. However, all is not lost, parents need to realise they are the people in the best position to take lead in teaching the younger generation to be better behaved and well brought-up individuals and NOT pass the responsibility to teachers in schools instead. A teacher's role is to provide formal education to young people, a role to complement that of a parent's role in educating our younger generation.
Something for everyone to ponder, including myself...
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
Living in POVERTY in This Ultra-Advanced and Ultra-Modern Time
Yup, it's a reality all urbanites must face these days, and it's all over the news everywhere. I'm no different and as badly affected as any man on the street. Even worse for me, being a highly qualified graduate is not of much help either, I'm a PAUPER TO THE BOOT! This stark realisation of reality hit me about one year ago as I was at the pharmacy wanting to purchase my regular brand of dental floss. The price of my regular brand of dental floss shot up by RM 2.00 for a 50-metre pack, from RM 6.50 to RM 8.50! And this price hike was totally uncalled for!
Rubbing salt to the already bleeding wound, dental floss DOES NOT go cheap like many other consumables during the sale season. For quite a while, I was facing a difficult situation trying to find quality dental floss that is reasonably priced and at the same time, stretching my buckeroos as far as they could possibly go. A challenge in which can ABSOLUTELY be mind-boggling!
Not helping with the skyrocketing cost of living are the prices of basic necessaties, i.e. food and clothing. And one thing that doesn't skyrocket is my salary, the amount I earn has categorised me as an URBAN POOR. Looks like I'm expected to live on fresh and sunlight by the way things are going. Not that I'm not trying to stretch my buckeroos long enough, but I'm just NOT EARNING NEARLY ENOUGH just to support myself.
It gets very depressing every time when I take a look at my payslip. I can't help but shake my head in sadness at the fact I'm earning peanuts! I'm VERY SURE there are many people around me are facing the same predicament. Yup, we can have all the first class infrastructure and facilities but the mentality is NO WHERE in par with these infrastructure and facilities. Ultra-advanced and ultra-modern time has dawned upon us but NOT necessarily making life any easier for many men on the street. Most people from the working class are finding it EXTREMELY TOUGH to make ends meet.
Even for an unmarried person like myself without many commitments are finding it extremely challenging to manage the finances based on the peanuts of a salary I'm earning. It's so mind-boggling to the extent that I wonder if I'm ever going to make it in life at all. Not that I'm choosy in getting a job but employers just DO NOT understand that the salary they pay to their workers are just NOT ENOUGH to live on. Yeah, I know they also have to balance the finances of the organisations they lead but HELLO, the workers are in need of a decent salary as one of the MAIN motivation to contribute WELL to the organisation they are working for! The decent salary they get would be able to allow the workers to achieve some financial stability in life, and hopefully the goals that they can only dream of.
Most people would be happy to make some sacrifices for the organisation they work for provided when the employers show some appreciation and gratitude to the contributions of their respective employees. I'm QUITE SURE most employers have gone through the rank and file process in order get to where they are as a leader of an organisation today. Unless they are born into a family-run organisation where the silver spoon is already in their mouths.
How many of us working class people are lucky enough to be at the top of the organisational hierarchy? Not many, I suppose. Those that were lucky enough to be at the top of the organisational hierarchy are usually not very empathic with the plight of their workers. I'm saying this from my own experience as a normal office worker as well as a manager, and so far I never had the luck to have a boss helping me to make a break in my career. One very valuable lesson I have learned from all my bosses though..... is to never be like them!
Rubbing salt to the already bleeding wound, dental floss DOES NOT go cheap like many other consumables during the sale season. For quite a while, I was facing a difficult situation trying to find quality dental floss that is reasonably priced and at the same time, stretching my buckeroos as far as they could possibly go. A challenge in which can ABSOLUTELY be mind-boggling!
Not helping with the skyrocketing cost of living are the prices of basic necessaties, i.e. food and clothing. And one thing that doesn't skyrocket is my salary, the amount I earn has categorised me as an URBAN POOR. Looks like I'm expected to live on fresh and sunlight by the way things are going. Not that I'm not trying to stretch my buckeroos long enough, but I'm just NOT EARNING NEARLY ENOUGH just to support myself.
It gets very depressing every time when I take a look at my payslip. I can't help but shake my head in sadness at the fact I'm earning peanuts! I'm VERY SURE there are many people around me are facing the same predicament. Yup, we can have all the first class infrastructure and facilities but the mentality is NO WHERE in par with these infrastructure and facilities. Ultra-advanced and ultra-modern time has dawned upon us but NOT necessarily making life any easier for many men on the street. Most people from the working class are finding it EXTREMELY TOUGH to make ends meet.
Even for an unmarried person like myself without many commitments are finding it extremely challenging to manage the finances based on the peanuts of a salary I'm earning. It's so mind-boggling to the extent that I wonder if I'm ever going to make it in life at all. Not that I'm choosy in getting a job but employers just DO NOT understand that the salary they pay to their workers are just NOT ENOUGH to live on. Yeah, I know they also have to balance the finances of the organisations they lead but HELLO, the workers are in need of a decent salary as one of the MAIN motivation to contribute WELL to the organisation they are working for! The decent salary they get would be able to allow the workers to achieve some financial stability in life, and hopefully the goals that they can only dream of.
Most people would be happy to make some sacrifices for the organisation they work for provided when the employers show some appreciation and gratitude to the contributions of their respective employees. I'm QUITE SURE most employers have gone through the rank and file process in order get to where they are as a leader of an organisation today. Unless they are born into a family-run organisation where the silver spoon is already in their mouths.
How many of us working class people are lucky enough to be at the top of the organisational hierarchy? Not many, I suppose. Those that were lucky enough to be at the top of the organisational hierarchy are usually not very empathic with the plight of their workers. I'm saying this from my own experience as a normal office worker as well as a manager, and so far I never had the luck to have a boss helping me to make a break in my career. One very valuable lesson I have learned from all my bosses though..... is to never be like them!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Driving on Malaysian Roads - Most Malaysian drivers are INCOSIDERATE IDIOTS!
The recent deaths of five individuals from the same family on the Kuantan-Segamat road sometime last June prompted me to write this blog, after a hiatus from blogging for three months. A little bit of background on my driving experience - like most Malaysians, I obtained my driver's licence after completing high school, i.e. after sitting for my Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) in Form Five. I had learned to drive using a manual transmission car and due to coordination issues I'd only managed to obtain my driver's licence after trying FIVE times in the practical driving test.
However, I did not immediately started driving right after I obtained my driver's licence because of coordination issues and also that Mom's car then was a manual transmission car, so my parents, especially Mom forbade me to drive this car as they were afraid I would land myself in trouble. And so my driver's licence was put in the cold storage for eight years. I only managed to muster the courage to REALLY drive in late 2001; but only with the supervision of Mom, after Dad changed Mom's manual transmission car to an automatic transmission one.
Apart from Mom supervising my driving sessions, I had to also undergo four sessions of a refresher course under the supervision of an instructor from a driving school to brush up my driving skills. Finally, I managed to gain enough confidence and courage to drive by 2002, and I have been driving myself often ever since. From early on, I have been instilled with the sense of responsibility and accountability by my parents in doing things like driving a car. Thus, when I get behind the wheel, I would make sure I do the necessary things so that I would have a safe journey when driving, also keeping in mind the safety of other road users I often encounter.
Throughout my almost 10 years of driving on Malaysian roads, I can conclude Malaysians are EXTREMELY RUDE, INCONSIDERATE and BLOODY EGOTISTICAL!!! Not to mention, they don't give any damn to their own and other road users' safety. This explains why Malaysia has an extremely high occurrence of road accidents, especially fatal ones. Driving is an activity that safety should be given the UTMOST PRIORITY because it involves human lives.
If these Malaysian drivers are not able to drive this message home (pun intended), it is sad to say that they are NOT FIT to drive at all. Yeah, as a Malaysian driver myself I DO have my fair share of negative habits when I'm driving. However, I try my best to keep these habits to a minimum level and make SAFETY MY UTMOST PRIORITY because I have this responsibility and accountability to other road users. Human life is valuable and I make an effort to remember other road users DO have family members like I do. Thus, my own safety and that of other road users is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT and should not be taken lightly.
I strive to be a defensive driver at all times but this proved to be very difficult as most Malaysian drivers who are generally nice people would TRANSFORM into a PSYCHOTIC MANIAC when getting behind the wheel. Ultimately when this happens, anyone who comes in contact with these psychotic maniacs would find themselves to be in the risk of danger to the extent lives could be lost when road accidents happen. Not to mention, these psychotic maniacs tend to be road bullies TO THE BOOT!
A few weeks ago, I became a victim of road bullying. Mind you the road bully had the intention to KILL me if he could do it. It was written on the BASTARD'S facial expresssion. I was badly shaken from this incident because there was no way I could ask for help... the road I was travelling was rather lonely early in the morning. And help.... to ask for it was in the opposite direction from where I was travelling, I had no choice but to keep on driving until I reached my destination. Thank God, I was able to reach my destination safely, intact in one piece.
I can say that driving on Malaysian roads requires one to possess tough mental and emotional strengths, acute judgement, as well as excellent driving and manoeuvring skills. All these qualities should be acquired NOT at the expense of the SAFETY of oneself and that of other road users. It is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that safety should always be emphsised when it comes to driving as it involves the lives of all road users.
However, Malaysian drivers are REALLY SLOW and EXTREMELY STUBBORN to learn from their repeated mistakes of behaving like a psychotic maniac when they are behind the wheel. It is because of this attitude that sadly, many lives are lost on the road everyday. The fatalities recorded each year by the relevant government departments illustrates Malaysia has one of the HIGHEST occurence of road accidents akin to that of or worse than countries that are at war or in political conflict where lost of lives is a daily occurence.
I guess this has got to do with the third-world kind of mentality of Malaysian drivers and by this I don't mean I have an excellent first-world kind of driver's mentality, but I DO make A CONSCIOUS EFFORT to practise what I preach. And I DO MEAN WELL for the people that cross path with me daily. Unfortunately, this is not always the case for the other people concerned when it comes to driving. Life is an EXTREMELY PRECIOUS God-given gift and we should make the best out of it for ourselves and when possible, for the people who cross path with us daily.
However, I did not immediately started driving right after I obtained my driver's licence because of coordination issues and also that Mom's car then was a manual transmission car, so my parents, especially Mom forbade me to drive this car as they were afraid I would land myself in trouble. And so my driver's licence was put in the cold storage for eight years. I only managed to muster the courage to REALLY drive in late 2001; but only with the supervision of Mom, after Dad changed Mom's manual transmission car to an automatic transmission one.
Apart from Mom supervising my driving sessions, I had to also undergo four sessions of a refresher course under the supervision of an instructor from a driving school to brush up my driving skills. Finally, I managed to gain enough confidence and courage to drive by 2002, and I have been driving myself often ever since. From early on, I have been instilled with the sense of responsibility and accountability by my parents in doing things like driving a car. Thus, when I get behind the wheel, I would make sure I do the necessary things so that I would have a safe journey when driving, also keeping in mind the safety of other road users I often encounter.
Throughout my almost 10 years of driving on Malaysian roads, I can conclude Malaysians are EXTREMELY RUDE, INCONSIDERATE and BLOODY EGOTISTICAL!!! Not to mention, they don't give any damn to their own and other road users' safety. This explains why Malaysia has an extremely high occurrence of road accidents, especially fatal ones. Driving is an activity that safety should be given the UTMOST PRIORITY because it involves human lives.
If these Malaysian drivers are not able to drive this message home (pun intended), it is sad to say that they are NOT FIT to drive at all. Yeah, as a Malaysian driver myself I DO have my fair share of negative habits when I'm driving. However, I try my best to keep these habits to a minimum level and make SAFETY MY UTMOST PRIORITY because I have this responsibility and accountability to other road users. Human life is valuable and I make an effort to remember other road users DO have family members like I do. Thus, my own safety and that of other road users is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT and should not be taken lightly.
I strive to be a defensive driver at all times but this proved to be very difficult as most Malaysian drivers who are generally nice people would TRANSFORM into a PSYCHOTIC MANIAC when getting behind the wheel. Ultimately when this happens, anyone who comes in contact with these psychotic maniacs would find themselves to be in the risk of danger to the extent lives could be lost when road accidents happen. Not to mention, these psychotic maniacs tend to be road bullies TO THE BOOT!
A few weeks ago, I became a victim of road bullying. Mind you the road bully had the intention to KILL me if he could do it. It was written on the BASTARD'S facial expresssion. I was badly shaken from this incident because there was no way I could ask for help... the road I was travelling was rather lonely early in the morning. And help.... to ask for it was in the opposite direction from where I was travelling, I had no choice but to keep on driving until I reached my destination. Thank God, I was able to reach my destination safely, intact in one piece.
I can say that driving on Malaysian roads requires one to possess tough mental and emotional strengths, acute judgement, as well as excellent driving and manoeuvring skills. All these qualities should be acquired NOT at the expense of the SAFETY of oneself and that of other road users. It is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that safety should always be emphsised when it comes to driving as it involves the lives of all road users.
However, Malaysian drivers are REALLY SLOW and EXTREMELY STUBBORN to learn from their repeated mistakes of behaving like a psychotic maniac when they are behind the wheel. It is because of this attitude that sadly, many lives are lost on the road everyday. The fatalities recorded each year by the relevant government departments illustrates Malaysia has one of the HIGHEST occurence of road accidents akin to that of or worse than countries that are at war or in political conflict where lost of lives is a daily occurence.
I guess this has got to do with the third-world kind of mentality of Malaysian drivers and by this I don't mean I have an excellent first-world kind of driver's mentality, but I DO make A CONSCIOUS EFFORT to practise what I preach. And I DO MEAN WELL for the people that cross path with me daily. Unfortunately, this is not always the case for the other people concerned when it comes to driving. Life is an EXTREMELY PRECIOUS God-given gift and we should make the best out of it for ourselves and when possible, for the people who cross path with us daily.
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