This old man...

To quote Sam Beckett of the now-defunct series "Quantum Leap": Ooooh, boy!

This bridge thing is getting more and more interesting. Tun Dr Mahathir has just issued a 16-point rebuttal to Tan Sri Fuzi's statement on this controversial issue. Many websites and blogs carry this reply by Tun, but you can read it here from Bernama's website.

I have great admiration for the Tun. I've met him on several occasions while I was with my former organisation (though I know he only saw me as a face in the crowd). I like the things he says, because he doesn't beat around the bush. I'm quite certain that his intentions in this issue are: (i) to clear the water [pun intended, of course] on what transpired during his tenure as PM vis-a-vis the bridge; and (ii) to ensure that Malaysia does not gamble away its sovereignty. As everyone will surely remember, defending Malaysia's sovereignty from currency rogue traders was what he did during the Asian economic crisis in the late 1990s. It seems that he's doing the same again here, only this time, against a different kind of enemy.

As for Tan Sri Fuzi, although not close, I do know him personally, again in my previous capacity. I have known him since he was Director of IDFR, before being promoted to Deputy Sec-Gen, then Sec-Gen of the Foreign Ministry. The last time I met him was during a wedding several months ago which was a few days before he retired. He is a soft-spoken man, ever-obliging and very committed to his job. Unfortunately, in this case, I'm pretty sure he has become the cannon fodder who has to face the fire from the old man who doesn't mince his words.

Truth be told, this public exchange between the former PM and the current administration - while informative and eye-opening - is giving me the jitters. People will surely be divided on this issue, and I'm quite sure that this is just one of many issues that will crop out of the wormhole. We've already got the Proton - AP saga. Now we have the bridge over Selat Tebrau saga. In both issues, many people I speak to, both within and outwith the political circle, are silently behind the Tun. Those who seem to agree with the current PM are those who seem to have something to lose if they do otherwise.

I hope this issue be resolved quickly. I cannot stand the suspense of this real-life drama. It's not healthy for my heart. Let's just pray that when two elephants collide, us mouse-deer don't get squashed in between.

Wet wet wet

Just finished some work and it's now lunch time. Thought this would be the time to put up a new post in the blog.

Yesterday, the rain was pretty heavy and lightning was striking like crazy. What surprised me was when I read today's paper that apparently the thunderstorm flooded several main roads in KL. The Star has a good photo on its front page of the flooded Jalan Sultan Ismail. To think that I used this road everyday when I was working at the old place. Read "Storm wreaks havoc" in The Star.

Strange to have these kind of things happening in KL. One would think that the authorities would already have some sort of planning to tackle the flash floods that occur after a heavy downpour. [This time I chose the right word, read Dubya Speak below]. There is a saying as we know, "once bitten, twice shy." Apparently, this is not the case when it comes to flash floods.

Maybe Jalan Sultan Ismail should be renamed Sungai Sultan Ismail everytime it gets flooded.

The things I do...

Reading the title of this post, reminds me of that Tom Hanks' movie.

Anyhow, just to share what I'm currently submerging myself into.

1. Editing a book on biodiversity for the Malaysian Biotechnology Information Centre (MABIC) and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE).
2. Writing the profile for Yayasan Ilmuwan.
3. Working on the final draft of my 8-year old novel, now renamed "Stigma" (originally entitled "Ombak Senja").
4. Plotting for my first tv drama script, tentatively entitled "Zuriat".

It seems that the things I do requires a lot of sitting down in front of my trusted laptop. Just hope my eyesight doesn't suffer.

Dubya speak

Ooopppsss...

Made a blunder in my previous post. Wrong choice of word. Feels very much like Dubya...

When I used the word "downfall" in my previous post, what I really meant was "downpour." Silly me. This is what happens when you stopped writing for nearly half a year.

For those who are wondering who Dubya is, click here and the banner above should clearly give you a not-so-subtle hint. Have fun.

Working blues

Pretty unproductive week this has been - in relative terms. I've been quite lazy and not in the mood to do anything much this week. I suppose working people do go through this kind of working blues from time to time.

I'll be driving up north later and will return on Sunday. I hope the journey will be smooth and the weather will be kind. We've been having quite a downfall almost every afternoon. I hope today will be quite dry, otherwise the driving will be slow.

I'm looking forward to next week. I want to get a lot of things done. I'm even thinking of partaking in IKIM's script-writing competition. Never wrote a script before. I'm even contemplating to update and submit my novel which was completed in 1998. It has been 8 years - better get it published rather than leaving the manuscript to collect dust. Also, I want to publish a few academic books which have been long overdue.

Here's to a productive week ahead...

...I hope.

Earthquakes: Are we ready?

Just finished reading the latest National Geographic. Interesting articles on predicting the next big earthquakes. There's even a map detailing a global view of earthquake risk.

Remember when we were in school, when studying Geography, we were taught that Malaysia is fortunate to be outside the Pacific Rim, thus free and safe from earthquakes? Well, not according to the map in National Geographic.

The map divides the risk into two categories: high risk and low risk; and further divides each category into four sections depending on population density. Therefore, in a high risk area, the danger is greater when the population is bigger. Makes sense - common logic after all.

Now, the interesting part for me is when we scrutinise the map. I find it quite disturbing to note that from Penang up north down to Melaka (as such includes Kuala Lumpur), the map states that these parts (west coast of Peninsula Malaysia) as well as half of Sabah (on the eastern coast) are considered vulnerable to earthquakes devastation. In other words, very high risk areas.

Scary, huh? So with this new insight, we can scrap what we learn in school.

But more seriously though, are we prepared to face earthquake risks? Are our buildings strong enough? Are our elevated highways secure enough? (Think MRR2). More importantly, are we ready to face something like an earthquake?

Remember when we were hit by the Tsunami? (Again, we were taught in school that Tsunami only happens in Japan). We were clearly taken off guard. That time, we were fortunate because the devastation was not as big, simply because we were protected by Sumatera.

But just imagine the ramification if an earthquake were to hit at the heart of KLCC.

Nightmarish thought indeed.

Miss writing for the papers

My last article for the newspapers was in November last year. Up till then, I have written close to 100 articles for The Star, The New Straits Times, Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian. Sometimes when looking back at the articles I have written, I wonder how I managed to write what I wrote.

When I joined this new outfit, I longed for a break from writing in the papers. But now, after close to 5 months, I think I'm up for it again.

Oh, well... I suppose now is the right time to resharpen my blunt pencils...

Non-bridge over troubled waters

The big news of today (and yesterday evening) is of course about the cynic, errr... I mean, scenic, bridge project being called off by the Government. You can read all about it almost everywhere in the Malaysian papers.

Personally, I don't care much for the bridge or the jam-packed Tambak Johor. But, I have a funny feeling that the calling-off of the project goes beyond "legal implications" as well as "sand and air space trade-off."

Is there something we're missing here?

Back after a week of frustration

Internet can be a two-edged sword. On the one hand in can be very useful and handy. On the other hand however, it can be frustrating and testing.

I was not able to blog or check my e-mails because I was offline for most of last week. Connection both at the office and home was bad. Got disconnected almost immediately after logging in.

Anyhow, I'm back today and hopefully things get better.

Move along... there's nothing to see here

Just arrived in KL after nearly a 6-hour drive along the PLUS Highway. The drive is normally between 4.5 to 5 hours. But today, it's just like when it is during the festive holidays. Starting from Tapah all the way to Rawang... the volume of traffic was big. The traffic volume was not the real culprit though.

The problem was that along several stretches of the highway, traffic was crawling for no apparent reason. Somewhere after the Sungkai exit, there was no accident. Only a bus with a flat tyre on the other side of the highway. Somewhere after the Lembah Beringin exit, there was no roadblock. Only a car that stopped in the emergency lane, also with a flat tyre. And at several other places, there was nothing there to see anyway, and yet the traffic was painfully slow. And this coming from someone who doesn't exceed the speed limit.

Weird, isn't it? No valid reason for traffic to crawl on the highway. And yet, it crawls. And suddenly, I hear the sound of the X-Files tune ringing in my ears...