Rain

I received an e-mail yesterday from a school friend saying that Rain is coming to Malaysia. My immediate response upon reading the e-mail was, "Hang on, isn't rain here already? In fact, isn't Johor flooded because of excessive rain?" Then I read the e-mail again, and I realised she was talking about Rain a.k.a. Jeong Ji-Hoon, the Korean entertainer. That brought a smile on my face, albeit briefly. These past few weeks, news of heavy rain have literally flooded the news in the country. Truth be told, I never thought that I'd see floods like the ones in Johor, Pahang and Sabah ever happening in Malaysia.

It is indeed depressing to read and watch the news on the floods. While help is coming from all fronts, I find that not much can be done to console the displaced victims. They have lost their homes and some, their livelihood. Sure, we can extend our assistance in the form of monetary aid, but it will take them a while to rebuild their lives.

How I wish, at this point in time, the nation could prioritise. Why not channel part of the budget (emphasis on the word "part") for the as-yet-to-be-built Wilayah Pembangunan Iskandar (WPI) towards rebuilding the lives of those affected by the floods? I don't see the point of having a 221,634.1 hectares of a "new region" when many parts of the state has been flooded - unless of course you want to relocate everybody to this new growth area.

Oh, another bit of depressing news, perhaps on the other end of the spectrum if compared to the flood news. The Klang Valley is expected to experience drought from February till August as a result of El Nino. While those down south are experiencing excess rainfall, we in the Klang Valley will face severe lack of rain. So, for those of us in the Klang Valley, start stocking up on water.

I mentioned to a friend just before I blogged this entry that El Nino is coming to Malaysia. His immediate reply was, "Yes. I know. I bought tickets already."

I was flabbergasted for a while. Then I realised. He was talking about Il Divo.

*Sigh*

And now the news in brief...

Just finished speed-reading the paper. Some interesting bits I found today:

Oil found at inshore areas in Kelantan: If this is true, and if it is financially-sound to drill oil inshore in Kelantan, then logically, it'd be a windfall for the state and its people. Should be a catalyst for development on this part of the country. I just hope politics do not get in the way. And speaking of oil, I was horrified with the news shown on TV3 last night on the leakage at the petrol station in Putrajaya. I think petrol station owners should take extra precaution to avoid disasters like this.

Four new faces in Suhakam: Interesting bit of news this, especially when I know one of them personally. I am pleasantly surprised myself to find the esteemed Ustaz 'Uthman El-Muhammady (left) as one of the new appointees. I wish him all the best in this new position, and I hope that certain people keep their dissatisfaction, or perhaps envy, to themselves. I am also pleased that my former boss, Professor Datuk Dr. Abdul Monir Yaacob is also reappointed.

Yahoo! aid techno-challenged: For those who want to understand the latest gadgets, tools and technology, go to http://tech.yahoo.com for information. Should be handy!

And of course, last but certainly not least, Malaysia are in the Thomas Cup semi-finals after the nail-biting quarter-finals with Korea. Syabas! And let's hope that success awaits in the match against Denmark.