Precisely Malaysian

Hey people! You HAVE to read [this], even more so if you're Malaysian.

I feel that as children, we’re born into a country which is so rich with beautiful things. Your teachers tell you good things about the country in moral or religious classes. You have co-curricular activities with different races. This was my experience, there were no problems.

And then, children grow up, and at university or pre-university, thoughts suddenly creep in about how we’re treated unequally. And then, to be dramatic about it, the torrent of dirt just descends upon them as they become exposed to the realities of Malaysia. They realise that there are things not right with the country. And it is that moment of awakening which is the saddest part of someone’s life. Everything you’ve been taught is challenged.

I want a day where that moment of rude awakening doesn’t happen, whatever race, religion or socioeconomic background you come from. I would like to see a Malaysia where everyone can continue feeling fully accepted as 100% Malaysian based on their citizenship.

I somehow cannot agree more. Well, what about you? What kind of Malaysia would you wish to be living in one day?

World Kidney Day

Greetings, incredible people!

As it happens, World Kidney Day is celebrated every second Thursday of March, which incidentally is March 11.

So, a couple of tips for your kidneys' wellbeing -- because we don't really need a premature death, yes?

7 Golden Rules to keep your kidneys going :

• keeping fit and active ~ take the stairs instead of the elevator! Go swim under the sun! Take a breather from your stressful life and, while you're at it, go for a jog! Be awesome!
• keep regular control of your blood sugar level ~ avoid diabetes, avoid kidney damage, smiles all around!
• monitor your blood pressure ~ high blood pressure = stroke +/ heart attack +/ kidney damage
• eat healthy and keep your weight in check ~ you are what you eat. Take less salt and processed food, and more fresh, raw stuff. Think GREEN.
• do not smoke ~ when you smoke, you're creating a heavier carbon footprint for yourself. You slow down the flow of blood to your kidneys, while increasing the chance of having kidney cancer by 50%. When you finish with your cigg, and you throw the butts on the floor next to you, you're polluting the environment. Simple way out -- STOP SMOKING!
• do not take over the counter pills on a regular basis ~ the key is not overdoing it. Common drugs, when taken excessively, can cause kidney damage.
• check your kidney functions if you have ~ (1) diabetes (2) hypertension (3) a family member with kidney disease (4) obesity

Stay healthy, everyone!

(source)

For our sisters, mothers and friends.

Happy 8th of March, everybody! Today happens to be the International Women's Day. In many countries including Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Nepal, today would be an official holiday.

(why not in Malaysia, too? :P)

So today, i urge you to be extra nice to every lady in your life -- not that you need an occasion to do that, but, you know ;) give her flowers, give her chocolates, give her hugs, give her love. Be it to your mother, your grandmother, your nanny, your sister, your wife, your maid, the auntie next door, i invite you to go up to her and hug her (or at least give a cheery "hello") and express your utmost appreciation to her for being.

To commemorate today, i highly recommend you readers out there take a few moments to read this incredible post. Titled "7 Simple Responses Which Help Support An Anti-Rape Culture", it stresses that the little things you do or say in everyday life can easily lead a man into carrying the mindset that Rape is OK.

3. When someone says, "The only way to prevent sexual violence is to teach girls and women how to avoid danger," respond with, "And I suppose the only way to prevent gun crimes is to teach people how to dodge bullets."

Also, something i would like to highlight, from one of the supportive commenters in this post :

Calling rape "sex" is like hitting someone over the head with a frying pan and calling it "cooking".

Very useful tips that i have memorized already, because the little things you do or say everyday can really amount to something -- and besides, what have you got to lose?

:)

Creative Writing Competition

What uppppppp, awesome people!

For those of you who write to liberate your soul and spirit (or just kick-ass at story telling) :--

Creative Writing Competition 2010

source : click here!

This year, the central theme for this contest is the UN's Millennium Development Goals, borne in 2000 and dreamt to be achieved by 2015 -- five more years to go.

Do what?
Imagine yourself before the United Nations General Assembly in front of 192 Heads of State. The President of the assembly introduces you to loud applause. The hall goes quiet as they await your words…

Basically, chose one of the 8 set goals and create the speech you imagine you would give to the world leaders -- and be creative about it!

For whom?
Junior category (age 12-15) : max. 1000 words
Senior category (age 16-18) : max. 1500 words
Adult category (age 19+) : max. 1500 words

For what?
To each category, the first prize is a netbook; second prize is an e-reader; third prize is an MP3 player.

By when?
The deadline is 21 March 2010, so hurry up and get started! Winners will be announced by May 2010. Entries must be submitted online HERE.

What ARE the MDGs?

:)

Taking action

So, i know i'm two whole months late in posting this, but i thought that the way in which Mr. Matthias Gelber phrased the message that he wanted to send was really apt and inspiring.

You don't have to take part in a flash mob, or stand for hours in a protest, to take action. Because, as he put it, it's all about individual action on the ground.

"We have control over our own lives. We have control over our own carbon footprint. What is your carbon footprint? What are you to doing to compensate it, to make it carbon neutral, and even more important to turn yourself into a massive carbon sink? If we were all to be massive carbon sinks, then we don’t need to worry anymore about the political decisions out there.

Turn yourself into a carbon sink.

Compensate your CO2 emissions.

Plant trees.

Lets all turn ourselves into carbon sinks in 2010 and make action happen that way."

In other words, go hug a tree. It's not cool to turn your head and shrug at the issue at climate change anymore. It is the culprit of so many disasters that has affected and taken so many, many lives -- it has now become a humanitarian issue.

Simple steps to reduce YOUR carbon footprint --

• going at 90 km/h instead of 110 km/h while you're on the highway

• using a coffee mug instead of disposable cups which can barely be recycled

• unplugging electronic devices such as TVs and media players, instead of letting it go into standby

• cut down on your electricity bill. Save money AND cut carbon emission

• decrease your meat consumption. Domestic animals belch methane, which retains 23 times more heat than CO2. That's global warming, my friends.
  

If 3.5 million people turn off their TV for an entire day, that's 3 MILLION pounds of carbon pollution cut.

Do you see now what you can do?

"We don't have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in the process of change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world."

- Howard Zinn

Sedikit demi sedikit, lama menjadi bukit.

How will you go about in taking up the challenge to fight climate change today?

Takin' a step back

"Often times we get caught up in trying to measure worth and analyzing every detail, every tiny piece of a situation that we forget to consider what those pieces can create. Things that look like worthless junk can in fact turn into smaller pieces of a picture that’s leading you to an ultimate happy ending/beginning."

And everything that seems so hopeless and futile and lost right now, is only one tiny part of the big picture. Sometimes we get too up close with certain things that we fail to see how it all contributes to THE bigger story.

But it's quite easy, really. All you have to do is

take a step back

and smile.

Let the Clutterflies free.

(source & inspiration)

Interesting facts (for laughs)

1. If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days, you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee.

(Hardly seems worth it)

2. If you fart consistently for 6 years and 9 months, enough gas is produced to create the energy of an atomic bomb.

(Now that's more like it)

3. A pig's orgasm lasts for 30 minutes.

(In my next life I want to be a pig)

(How'd they figure this out, and why?)

4. Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour.

(Still can't get over that pig thing)

(Don't try this at home...maybe at work?)

5. Humans and dolphins are the only species that have sex for pleasure.

(Is that why Flipper was always smiling?)

(And pigs get 30-minute orgasms? Doesn't seem fair)

6. The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.

(Hmmmmmmmmm........)

7. Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people do.

(If you're ambidextrous do you split the difference?)

8. The ant can lift 50 times its own weight, can pull 30 times its own weight and always falls over on its right side when intoxicated.

(From drinking little bottles of...?)

(Did taxpayers pay for this research??)

9. Polar bears are left handed.

(Who knew....? Who cares? How'd they find out, did they ask them?)

10. The catfish has over 27,000 taste buds.

(What can be so tasty on the bottom of the pond?)

11. The flea can jump 350 times its body length.

It's like a human jumping the length of a football field.

(30 minutes...can you imagine?? And why pigs?)

12. A cockroach will live nine days without it's head, before it starves to death.

(Creepy)

13. The male praying mantis cannot copulate while its head is attached to its body. The female initiates sex by ripping the male's head off.

(Honey, I'm home. What the....)

(Well, at least pigs get a break there...)

14. Some lions mate over 50 times a day.

(In my next life I still want to be a pig ... quality over quantity)

15. Butterflies taste with their feet.

(Oh, Geez) (That's almost as bad as catfish)

16. An ostrich's eye is bigger than it's brain.

(I know some people like that.)

17. Starfish don't have brains.

(I know some people like that too.)


The funny part is not so much from the facts, but the wise cracks.

Have an awesome day!

(source)

Randy Pausch

...is an incredible man.

The Last Lecture : Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams, was delivered by Randy Pausch after he had been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. And this was what made this hour-long lecture so fascinating to me right from the start. Because, despite the fact that this man had already been given a death sentence ["he was told in August 2007 to expect a remaining three to six months of good health"], he still maintained such a remarkably humorous and upbeat personality, the positivity he held clearly emanating off him as he spoke.

Randy Pausch died in July 2008, less than a year after he delivered his "Last Lecture", yet with his video up and his book in the stores, he doesn't cease to inspire.

One thing he spoke of that's stuck with me is this : -- "the brick walls are there for a reason. They let us prove how badly we want things."

He further stressed, "they're there not to stop us, but to stop the people who don't want those things enough."

"They help us show our dedication; to separate us from the people who don't really want to achieve their childhood dreams."

Which requires no elaboration, cause the words he chose really speak for themselves. They provide a sound way to look at the things that are stopping us in life; a refreshing reminder for us to never give up -- a brand new perspective.

You know how to dream, to desire, to want things -- but how far are you prepared to go to get these things that you want? Are you ready to get out of your comfort zone to achieve these things? How much of yourself are you willing to give -- and this is in terms of effort and time and passion? If you get not what you want, then perhaps you are not giving enough. You probably don't want what you think you want enough.

Sometimes when we decide to approach something, we chose a method that we decide is the best, and then we get so deep into it that when it doesn't work out, we think that all is lost. But that isn't it. There are so many ways to get what you want -- whatever it is -- and just because the way that you think is best doesn't work out, doesn't mean all else won't either.

Think about it. When you hit a dead end, it's not the end. If you fail at getting your dream job, or your ideal scholarship, or admission into your chosen university, it is not the end.

Your journey isn't over.

It's only over when you say it's over. And that's the most beautiful part of it all -- it's your call.

It's all up to you.

Entirely.

Stay awesome, all.

(source)

Better buses!

So, if you live in Klang Valley (KL) and you haven't heard, there's been a few new bus systems, the Bus Expressway Transit (BET) and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).

Key points in this (hopefully) wonderful awesomeness :

• shorter routes for people in targeted areas
• shorter traveling time (dedicated bus lanes)
• MORE EFFICIENCY, which is what we all truly want.
  

The other BET routes are as follows :

(1) Penchala Link (Kota Damansara to Pasar Seni), with an estimated whooping 70 minutes reduction in travelling time (from 120 minutes to 50 minutes).

(2) New Pantai Expressway (Subang Mewah to Pasar Seni), with an estimated 15 minutes reduction in travelling time (from 75minutes to 60 minutes).

(3) Grand Saga (Bandar Sungai Long to Pasar Seni), with an estimated 35 minutes reduction in travelling time (from 85 minutes to 50 minutes).

(4) KESAS (Sri Muda to Pasar Seni), with an estimated 15 minutes reduction in travelling time (from 90 minutes to 75 minutes).

So far, (1) and (3) have been launched already :)

I personally experienced one of these awesome new implementations today, BET2 -- from Pasar Seni to Sungai Long -- which is supposed to be 35-minutes quicker than the usual U41 bus. I must say, me likey :)

Now, BET2 doesn't go through the usual route that U41 takes, which means it doesn't go past Jusco Cheras Selatan. It DOES go past Cheras Leisure Mall, which is a great plus for those of you who are sick of Cheras Selatan already. Other than that, everything's great! Definitely felt like we traveled a much shorter distance as compared to the usual bus.

For full post, click here.

No Plastic Bag Day

Goooood morning! Well, the day has actually stretched on into noon already by now, but since i am still pre-breakfast, let's take it as a good morning.

So i woke up this morning to wonderful news : [click here]

No more plastic bags on Saturdays! Awesome! Go, Selangor government! Now, how's 'bout the other states start following suit? Or perhaps implement this move on more days of the week?

Did you ever notice the little symbols embedded into the plastic products you use? The recycling symbols with the numbers in between them -- the resin identification code.

These are meant to make our lives easier when sorting out the types of plastics for recycling -- but did you know that only a small part of only TWO out of these seven types of plastics are recycled? That would be code 1 (PET) and code 2 (HDPE).

Now, the soft drink/mineral water bottles we use account for code 1. On the other hand, code 2 plastic materials consist of grocery bags, shampoo bottles, etc. But what happens to the other 5 types of plastics? And what of plastic bags (code 4) -- the very ones that we see at Tesco, Giant, or pasar malam? The ones that are supposedly not given out on Saturdays in Selangor anymore?

Well, as most of these recycled plastic have little market value, most industries are now starting to resort to incineration. Yeap, i believe we just took a high leap from recycling to incinerating. Naturally, this means extreme air pollution AND waste of energy.

So what do we do if recycling isn't really an effective solution? Well, the obvious thing to do would be to cut down on the usage of plastic materials in your everyday life. Instead of buying bottled water every time you go out, why not bring your own water instead? Instead of getting new plastic bags every time you hit the supermarket, why not buy one of those hip reusable bags and reuse it?

Simple as that! Think about it. Less plastic used, less plastic needed to be recycled, less pollution, greener environment! Awesome!

Have a wonderful day, all. :)