Never Could Imagine This in China!

Would you have imagine this kind of wedding taking place in China just before China adopted the One-Country Two Systems approach?

While the government continued to be run on the tenets of communism, the economy has been allowed to flourish under the new system of capitalism.

Riches came to the Chinese people. Those who worked hard, professionals who knew how to make a quick buck as well as capitalist thinking risk takers raked in the riches. The government accommodated and facilitated. Wealth was accumulated and the new Chinese began a materialistic culture.

So, today China is so different from the sad and poor yester-years. It has transformed.

Look at these wedding photographs of a wedding in Shanxi. Not only is the bride beautiful but look at the opulence of the wedding itself! It's her dream come true. Better than even Malaysia and Singapore!

Living: Law of the Garbage Truck

This is one great philosophy that you must start practising from today onwards.

Let us read the following story.

"One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport.

We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us.

My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us.

My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly.

So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined Your car and sent us to the hospital!'

This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.'

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment.

As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally.

Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day.

Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets,

So ... Love the people who treat you right.

Pray for the ones who don't.

Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it!"

Have a blessed,garbage-free day!

A Decade-Long Tragedy Finally Righted

Yes, justice finally prevailed. Have bad judges and travesty will rule over justice.

Ten years ago, Malaysia’s apex court made a decision that many considered bizarre and introduced much uncertainty into investors’ decisions.

In the case of Adorna Properties vs Boonsom Boonyanit, a buyer who had bought a piece of land without knowing it had been fraudulently transferred was allowed to keep it, thus depriving the person who had been defrauded of his rights. Thus, for 10 years, the registered (and therefore rightful) owner of a property who suddenly discovers that his title has been fraudulently transferred to someone else had no legal recourse to reclaim his property. That decision, which had been made by a three-man panel headed by then Chief Justice Tun Eusoff Chin, had set a binding precedent for disputes over land ownership.

Happily, all that changed yesterday when the current Federal Court, now with different judges, reversed what it called the “blatant and obvious” mistake of the Adorna ruling. This time, a five-man bench led by current Chief Justice Tun Zaki Azmi unanimously ruled that the rightful owner of a property title can set aside the second man’s claim even after the title has been transferred to the latter. It was based on Section 340(2) of the National Land Code 1965, which states unequivocally that a title would not be defensible if it had been subject to fraud in any way. What the Federal Court did yesterday was to right a decade-old wrong. CJ Zaki noted that it is “quite well known that some unscrupulous people had taken advantage (of the mistaken Adorna ruling) to transfer land to themselves”.

The Federal Court’s ruling followed submissions last October for Pahang landowner Tan Yin Hong, who was appealing against a Court of Appeal decision in 2009. Tan’s case dates back to 1976, when the Pahang state government mysteriously issued a land title for a 3.6-hectare piece of land in Kuantan in his name and without his knowledge. Land matters come under the ambit of state governments in Malaysia. In 1985, Tan received a letter from RHB Bank telling him to pay back RM300,000 as an outstanding loan given by the bank to a timber company. Upon investigation, Tan found out that a person named Tan Sian San had in 1977 forged his signature and obtained power of attorney to represent Tan. In 1984, Tan Sian San charged the land to RHB as security for a loan to Cini Timber Industries, and subsequently disappeared. Tan sued the bank. In 2003, the High Court dismissed his application and the Court of Appeal upheld that decision.

But yesterday, the Federal Court decided the bank’s charges against Tan were invalid because of the forgery. And, in doing so, it threw the Adorna decision onto the scrapheap of history. It will go a long way in reassuring both Malaysians and foreigners interested in buying land in the country — either for residential or for industrial purposes — that their rights will be protected

Kudos to Tun Zaki Azmi!

Rolls Royce on a Roll?

Luxury automaker Rolls-Royce is defying the gloomy economic mood, forecasting Asian sales to triple to 450 vehicles this year and opening a new dealership in Malaysia.

But why Malaysia? Who would buy this car? Perhaps some sultans or visiting dignitary such as the Sultan of Brunei.

Anyway, I think it is a good place to showpiece British engineering as an academic exercise.

China: GDP Champion in 2009

Yes, you heard it right.

China's growth accelerated to 10.7 pct in 4Q of 2009.

This added pressure on Beijing to cool inflation pressures while keeping the country's recovery on track.

The quarterly growth announced Thursday exceeded most forecasts and brought 2009's full-year expansion to 8.7 percent. The government had forecast 8.3 percent growth for the year.

China has rebounded strongly from the global downturn but the government worries that heavy stimulus spending and bank lending might fuel inflation. Regulators have ordered banks to control lending and analysts expect them to raise interest rates this year.

"At present, the base of the world economic recovery is relatively weak. There are uncertainties in domestic economic development," Ma Jiantang, commissioner of the National Bureau of Statistics, said at a news conference. "We should ... maintain consistency and stability of macroeconomic policy."

Consumer prices fell through much of the year but the decline turned around in November and prices rose by 1.9 percent in December from a year earlier, Ma said.

China has led the recovery from the global financial and economic crisis, due partly to its 4 trillion yuan ($586 billion) of stimulus spending.

20 January 2010: Genting's Red Letter Day

It was an auspicious day-a fantastically good day for Singapore when thousands of guests flocked to the Lion City on Jan 20.

When the United States issued a travel warning about possible terror threats in Sabah, Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore’s first casino-resort, opened four hotels at 8.18am and the over 5,000 rooms were fully booked on the first night. Its prosperity was conceivable.

After the opening of the casino and the Universal Studios theme park, Singapore is expected to attract 13 million tourists annually. In addition to Resorts World Sentosa, The Marina Bay Sands, built by Las Vegas Sands, will also be opened in April this year. After the opening of the two integrated resorts, Singapore may achieve the goal of attracting 17 million of tourists yearly in 2015.

When they have their own casinos, will Singaporean gamblers still travel along the way to Genting Highlands? Tourists from China are very likely to shift their targets, too. I’m afraid that businesses in Johor Bahru would as well be affected.

What countermeasures will Malaysia take to meet Singapore’s measures to attract tourists? Other than the theme parks, including Legoland Malaysia, in the Iskandar Special Economic Zone, Malaysia does not seem to have other new tourist attractions. Legoland is scheduled to be completed and opened to the public in April 2012 while the indoor theme park will be opened in 2013.

The Tourism Ministry should introduce new tourism packages in this two-year time before the theme parks are opened to the public to attract foreign tourists to come over on their way to Singapore’s casinos and theme parks.

The competition in the tourism industry will become more intense in the future. For example, South Korea recently announced to spend about US$3 billion (RM10.2 billion) to build the largest theme park in Asia, which covers 435 hectares. In addition to a Universal Studios theme park, there will be a water park, golf courses and resorts. It is expected to be opened in 2014 and it targets rich tourists from China. The Malaysia government should wake up from Rip Van Winkle mode now as it can no longer indulge in last year’s statistics, which indicated a 7.6 per cent increase of tourist arrivals.

From Singapore’s tourism strategy, we can see the determination and vision of the Singapore government to actively revive and diversify its economy, as well as to look for new growth areas. We cannot help but worry over the Malaysian economy that has turned into dead waters.

After it separated from Malaysia, Singapore developed into a port and subsequently, it developed its financial and services industries, pharmaceutical industry, casinos and integrated resorts. This has fully reflected its pragmatism and flexibility. Malaysia on the other hand has backpedaled and beset itself with her own socio-political problems, which they can do without in the first place.

Since independence, Malaysia has always been relying on petroleum and palm oil. It does not succeed in developing multimedia information technology while its services industry is not open enough. It loses talents and fails to attract more foreign investors. When would the economy be transformed?

Today, Genting Bhd has transferred its capital and talents to Singapore and at the same time, it aims for investment opportunities in the United States. But Malaysian politicians are still quarreling over the issue of selling sand to Singapore. Why can’t they sit down and study how should they face the challenges from Singapore?

Do you know why Malaysians failed? They do not feel with their heart;they do not think with their head.All they want is more! more and more. This 'beggar thy neighbour' approach must stop now!