Character of a Godfather

“If a man tells you that he becomes rich by working hard, ask him: “Whose?”

Don Marquis

  I just finished another chapter of Asian Godfathers. It was quite a complicated one, because of the explanation about the corporate structures, banking systems and all those business mumbo jumbos.

  But what I really can understand is that the Asian tycoons (especially the Chinese ones) succeed on other people sweats and tears. They don’t run their business on a day-to-day basis, but employ armies of corporate professional players from Europe and North America to be their work machines. These people, who are called gweillos, run the company for those tycoons and hold the important figures and become some sort of trusted right-hand man for the godfathers. The reality is that Asian tycoons bluff us most of the times when they say they work a back-breaking 16 to 18 hours a day, when in fact their ‘jobs’ are relatively about socially-related activities such as building and maintaning guanxi (networks), decision making and polical manipulation, which are done at the golf courses, spas (during massaging), business lunches, dinners and after-dinner activities. Their true jobs are done by those well-paid gweillos.

Minta pertolongan mencari waris pesakit

  Pihak Jabatan Psikiatri & Kesihatan Mental Hospital Sultan Abdul Halim, Sg Petani, Kedah ingin meminta bantuan orang ramai yang mengenali pesakit di dalam gambar di atas untuk mencari waris beliau.

  Pesakit tersebut bernama Azmi Aziz yang telah dimasukkan ke wad psikiatri dalam bulan Januari tahun ini kerana dikatakan bertindak agressif. Walaubagaimanapun, pesakit didapati tidak mempunyai sebarang tanda-tanda psikotik semasa berada di dalam wad.

   Waris pesakit ini tidak langsung datang untuk mengambil pesakit ini setelah namanya dikeluarkan (discharged) dari daftar pesakit, malah memberitahu staf bertugas supaya meletakkan pesakit di mana sahaja yang difikirkan sesuai kerana mereka sekeluarga sedang berada di Kuala Lumpur kerana masalah kesihatan. Usaha untuk terus menghubungi nombor telefon yang diberikan sia-sia sahaja kerana bapa pesakit tidak mahu menjawabnya, dan satu lagi nombor telefon yang kononya dimiliki oleh abang pesakit sebenarnya tiada dalam perkhidmatan.

   Alamat pesakit yang terakhir adalah di Kulim, Kedah. Kami meminta sesiapa sahaja yang mengenali keluarga pesakit supaya dapat menghubungi pihak kami di 04-4457333 ext 3829/5001. Pihak kami tidak mampu lagi menyimpan pesakit dengan lebih lama kerana faktor tempat dan kemudahan, dan juga berasa kecewa kerana pesakit seolah-olah dibuang oleh keluarga beliau dan memberikan tanggungjawab kepada pihak hospital menjaga pesakit dengan sewenang-wenangnya

Restoran Sri Pumpong: masakan melayu

Hi there!

Here’s another place for a good lunch time malay-style cooking. But this one is in Alor Star, Kedah. Don’t worry, it’s still located near the town, just 3 minutes drive from the old Hospital Alor Star to the dircction of Jitra, and the shop is located a few metres after Kedah Medical Centre.  The shop is the nearest one to the junction to the shophouses, and don’t be fooled by another shop which use the same name, but doesn’t provided the same taste for its foods.

Kindly beware that the shop is always full of customers during the lunch hours, especially during the weekends. Ample sitting spaces are provided because the owener rented another shop 1 door away as a dining place, completed with aircond facility if you want it.

The prices are reasonable (as there’s nothing ever cheap right now), but it’s a little crowded but slightly warm atmosphere, and hygiene level is fair (the Pokok Sawa place in Kangar is better). The food is marvelous!!!

So, Happy eating!

Masakan kampung di Perlis

Here’s one place I recommend to those seeking good lunchtime meals with preferences to the original ‘kampung’ cooking in Perlis:

Warung Pokok Sawa

Jln Mata Ayer, Perlis

It is located just after the small town of Mata Ayer if you’re coming from Kangar. You can’t miss those cars parked beside the road near the stall. Don’t worry, ample parking spaces are also provided for those who want their Mercs, BMWs or any other luxuries to be safe from any ‘threat’.

BTW, the ‘warung’ is actually a well and properly built eatery with good and commandable level of hygiene, and adequate ventilation and washing basin facilities. However, I’m not sure whether any toilet is provided or not.

You can have the authentic kampung-style dishes, which unfortunately must be choosen and taken by yourself ie self service.

The price depends on what and how much is taken.

Here was what my family took today:

Plain rice

Fried and grilled cat fish

Sayur keladi

Manggo salad

Ulam

Air cincau bandung

Happy dining!!!

this is not what we hope for “kumpulan sokongan keluarga”

      I took yesterday’s session of our inaugural Kumpulan Sokongan Keluarga class. It was the 4th class and it was about problem solving regarding psychiatric patients and myths about psychiatric patients.

      The main problem was regarding the attendance of the participants. Yesterday, only 10 non-staffs who attended it, and from the 10, it was from 3 to 4 families only. The 3rd class, which was also given by me, saw attendance of less than 15. The only people who made up the numbers were those nursing students, and our own psychiatric staffs.

       This is not good to the programme, and certainly we will be having difficulty in achieving the target to encourage more public participation in the overall treatments of psychiatric disorders. The first, and to a lesser extent, second session showed quite a number of participants, until we need to put up additional chairs. Then the number started to drop. Some said it was because of the recently concluded election, and now because of the school holidays.

       It is so difficult to get co-operation from the public in this kind of no-reward-guaranteed event. The Malaysian public, regarding of any race, is very reluctant to come for informative talks, and events that will not give them direct benefits. Though unless, the participants are provided with free transport and also monetary rewards for attending these kind of event. Malaysians prefer their wellbeing taken care of once they leave the comfort of their home, and any matter that need sacrifices will likely be taken with only if it really affects their ‘comfortable’ life.

 

      As a goverment agency, we are trying to educate the public regarding better participation in term of social wellbeing of our patients. We try to give spaces for the caretakers to share their problems and successes in caring the mentally-ill, so that a person’s success could be taken as achance for the other person to try. We want the caregivers to know that we are not lying when we say that they are not alone in handling the mentally-ills, and there are those who have the same problems with them. Then, we want to use those who we had educate and train as mediums to access the local community to spread the right way of care for these unfortunate souls.

 

      I hope that the next classess will be filled-up again. There’s no point talking to the medical staffs alone, because our main aim is the public …… and it will be them who shall gain the utmost benefits of attending our little activity.

 

 

 

BERKIDMAT UNTUK NEGARA

My way… or your way

    There was some uproar the day before yesterday calling for the resignation of current Prime Minister Datuk seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. The loudest came from the previous PM.

    It was mentioned that Tun Dr. Mahathir wanted Paklah to step down as a symbol of responsibility for the big defeat BN suffered in the 12th General Election. He mentioned that Pak Lah should be responsible because Pak Lah claimed he was the sole factor that led to the landslide 2/3 majority win in the 2004 election.

    I really think that Tun has been a real pain in the ass since he resigned from the PM post. He started complaining about the current administration since he stepped down, initially about the continuation of his own 2020 vision. He was afraid that Pak Lah in some way or the other might wash the vision down the drain and replace it with a new ‘mega project’. He complained about the poor discrepansies of the current administration and how Pak Lah was wrong in making important decisions here and there.

    Tun should just shut-up and enjoy his retirement. He had already put down his ideas and decisions when he was the supremo of Malaysia, and now let a new brain lead Malaysia. Tun already had his ups and downs, he also made mistakes, he also shut down those opposing him, and none the less, he had also given priorities to those close to him. S, it’s unfair for him to cricisize the current head honchos of the so-called ‘mismanagements’ just because they don’t run the country your way. Everybody is prone to mistakes, including yourself Tun, but that’s the way people rise up, and we should not criticize if others won’t follow our way.

2008 Malaysia General Election-”a surprise no doubt”

      This year’s general election is the 12th in Malaysia’s proud history of democracy.

      This year’s election is the first election that I voted my choice/s of representatitives.

….. and this year’s election causes the most surprises!!!!

    Today is the first post election day. Yesterday saw several historical landmarks in the history of Malaysia, things that will be talked and discussed for a long time to come. Yes, my brothers and sisters… this 12th edition of the General Election saw the Barisan Nasional (BN) managing to set the federal goverments by a simple majority only unlike the landslide 2/3 victory it won in the 2004 election. Such a massive blow to the current Prime Minister as he has also need to watch his so-called ‘big wigs’ fall one by one, some falling to young political newcomers.

      Things were made worse as the BN loss 4 other states to the opposition and still maintains it losing streak in capturing the I-don’t-know-why-it-is-so-precious Kelantan. The BN lost Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor, which causes a massive blow of ego the the once mighty ‘alliance’. Actually, what has happened?

The PM himself came down not one,, but twice to some occasions in Kedah, to woo the people of Kedah just before the run-up to the election. But as we may say now, things were not going to be easy;- (“are Kedahans smarter in making choices now instead just making complaints about their healthcare providers?”)…. the state of Kedah, the provider of Malaysia’s bulk of rice supply, fall to the opposition which is led by PAS, while the small state further up the north, still holding to the BN fight. Yes my brothers and sisters, my beloved Perlis is still holding on to BN when nothing has been hoped from it due to the so-called squabbled in the state UMNO set-up.

Next, we ask what’s the problem with Penang? Is Gerakan already passed it used-by-date? Yes, yup, perhaps, maybe. Maybe Penangites are fed-up with Gerakan and want a new direction (as the majority are also Chinese… choosing DAP is not such a dificult choice). But about Melayu Pulau Pinang? Are they also fed-up of the BN goverment? Complaints of being left out from the developments were creeping up prior to the election. Now let see if their choices were right. Can Melayu Pulau Pinang change the course of their future when they are under DAP? Or they will be swept out further from the modernization of Penang? Are they going to be pushed in further into the backwaters of Balik Pulau?

Now let ask why Perak fall? My beloved adopted state is now under DAP-PAS-PKR power. What the hell wrong with you Perak people? What else do you want? I love perak too much to let the traces and remembrances of colonialism goes into the bin just because some new hands going to hold the state. Maybe my Yut Loy paus are going to be history? Whatever it will be… let Malay College stay the same. No political party shall touch the sacred land of Malay College ’selagi ada matahari, bulan dan bintang mengelilingi…’

The best question is about Selangor? How can this so-called developed state fall to PKR? The once bastion and unpregnable wall of BN has fallen. The unthinkable has happened …. what else going to occur (Luckily Putrajaya still in BN’s hands). What else Selangor people want? I think the previous BN’s MBs already provided them with a lot of developments. Maybe they want free toll and utilities now, that’s why they vote the opposition. I can’t deny the elements of kickbacks and corruptions, but I just want to know why they rejected ‘tangan yang sudah memberi’? I hope they rejected it on a strong reason.

    There is still a long way to the 13th election. In few days time, the opposition will be busy negotiating among them about their new MBs and CMs of the states they won. If they want to stay there, choose a credible and practical head of states, show differences in managements and not just starting to fill up their own pockets.

Cemerlang  Gemilang Terbilang

A New Dawn For Malaysia …….?

Landmark night for Gunners

<Ahsanaal> 5/3/08 5:37 am: Fabregas scored superb goal 84th minute 25 m shot…arsenal deserve 2 win..adebayor just tapped in another goal in injury time.2-0.rugi hang tk tgk-game best giler

     That was the SMS I got from my ‘die hard gunner friend’ when I woke up today in the oncall room. I was oncall when the game was played around 3 am Malaysian time and need to stay back at the hospital. Thanked God the Gunners managed to pull their self together after 3 winless matches post Man Utd drubbing of the Gunners in the FA Cup. Things were sweeter as Arsenal became the first English team to beat AC Milan at the San Siro, the place where Man Utd faltered last season. Sweeter as the Gunners had beaten the Champions League holder who lined-up their best available striking forces with Inzaghi, Kaka and Pato unleashing the strikes.

    So, today I read good news being written in Soccernet and Football365.com about Arsenal championship capabilities as the Gunners have been poundered with heavy criticisms after their slight dip in performance in the Premier League that saw Man Utd closing up the gap to 1 point. I don’t know until when these ’sweet comments’ will last, but I’m sure praises will be upon the squad for days to come.  Congratulation Gunners!!!!

 The most popular question will be: “Will Arsenal capture the Champion League title this year?”

Everybody will confidently say yes because Arsenal has just beat the holder, and every bit of Ali and Minah will confidently praise the young squad of Arsene Wenger, because Arsenal has just did the IMPOSSIBLE!!

I also want Arsenal to win the Champion League, but I think Arsenal should put priorities into winning the Premier League again. Although Wenger still has got to put his hands around the Champions League trophy, proving his young squad’s capabilities in the Premier League will further boost his super-ego against the ‘mangkuk-ayun’ Ferguson and further shutting-up the mouth of those bloody pundits that egoistically predicted early in the season that the Gunners will surely crash without Henry. I just want them to eat back their sh** and words!!!

However, as always being showed at the Emirates: ”in Arsene we trust“, I wish Arsenal all the best in the coming rounds of the Champions League, I wish they play as well as Ahsanal told me, I wish we avoid Man Utd at least until the final, and I wish Arsenal the 2007/08 Champions League Winner