Battleship: American Valour and Brooklyn Decker

Tight fiery action

The Hasbro inspired movie of human bravery against alien hardware and firepower sets the stage for the super hi-tech movie Battleship that features the navy, the USS Missouri brought back from retirement into action and the ultra beautiful distraction, Brooklyn Decker.

Heroics

Quite a riveting movie encapsulating the heroics of a few navy man and a captain trying to woo the daughter of the Admiral.

And there is that charming  cherubic looking Rihanna to add to the movie as candy too.

Sensuous 

Have a look at these photos of Brooklyn and you known what I mean.

Sensational

Beguiling

Enraptures

Captivating

Body Beautiful

Malaysian Housing Shortage in 2013?

SOFOs

A property company is predicting a shortfall in residential properties in 2013?

Do you believe him? What are the premises for his deduction and conclusion?

His rule of thumb-every year an average of 110,000 new units of houses enter the market. This apparently did not occur in 2012 due to some salient factors. Instead, possibly only 65,000-70,000 units came in, leading to a shortfall of 35-40%.

Of the many reasons he ponied up was developers hesitate on their launches. Because they feel investors were taking a longer term view of the market as stricter lending guidelines firstly confused and then started to bite.

Icon City

His concern: "The shortage will be felt next year…when we will run out of properties to sell next year on the secondary market."

The realtor said that the new guidelines imposed by Bank Negara Malaysia had resulted in slow transactions for residential properties in the first half of 2012, which will take at least about six months to recover.

He added, "At the end of the first six months of the current year, bankers started to realise that they were not hitting targets. Also (by then), buyers began to understand the guidelines better," he said, and transactions thereafter began to pick up in the second half.

MIEA president, Nixon Paul said residential property prices are unlikely to fall next year, but may stay at their current level. So, that would be good as the bubble may be prevented from bursting any time.

He said, "There is a misconception in the condominium market where many clients feel it will crash, that they cannot rent out (their units) or there is an oversupply.

"Those highly geared and dependent on rental income to pay their mortgage will definitely be affected but generally, prices are holding," he said. So, watch out o n these weak holders. You may get a bargain on the fly.

Paul added however that many sellers have holding power today and most investors are no longer "flipping properties", but instead taking a longer term view before selling their properties.

"Instead of buying and flipping (to profit in real estate), most investors are holding on to their properties for five years before selling."

Paul also said that most sellers today will not sell unless they get the price they want, therefore property prices are unlikely to fall. So it continues to be a seller's market?

So, that is their take.

Do you agree?

Arrieti-A Love Between Two Different Worlds

Wondrous

A Studio Ghibli production of Japan, the animated movie, The Secret World of Arrieti, is a Japanese rendition of the story of The Borrowers, small people that live off human beings by borrowing items they would not missed from a cube of sugar to some drawing pins.

A Different World

In this story a very sick boy perchanced to see Arrieti, the daughter of the little people that lived in a house in which he is taking a rest before a major heart operation.

The Fat Cat

As usual expect the rustic play of water coloured scenes of rural Japan with its stand alone houses, crafty crows, a curious cats and a gurgling brook.

Not much of a story line but certainly well-paced to deliver the magic of the love between a lonely boy and a little girl from another world. A love that can never be.

Soothing movie while it last.

BN:Bottled Up Issues Looking for An Implosive and Explosive Outlet

D-Day is Approaching

As the general  election day dawns in 2013, possibly on 23rd or 30th March 2013, more issues will be coming out of the woodwork. None of the issues can really find traction in its solutions  in the short term of less than 100 days as they appear structural and fraught with inter-racial sensitivities that will appeal to every side.

Let us list the 'time-bombs' for Malaysia and how it will impact upon voting pattern particularly the younger set of voters, voting for the first time. These are more adventurous in spirit and if urbane, will likely vote against the establishment. For those in the rural areas, they may still vote the BN back into power.

1. Lynas-the biggest of BN's headache as this issue has overstayed its welcome as civil servants and politicians fumbled in trying to repair the PR damages of the conditions of the TOL and the need for export of the processed waste of the rare earth. Damage to Pahang is imminent as the Raub gold mining issue add more to the favour of opposition politics. Negative to Pahang BN and UMNO.

2. The Deepak Revelation: Most untimely as it will expose all the potential 'worms in the can' right up to the Scorpene case in Paris. Negative to BN.

3. The RM 40 million donation to Sabah UMNO-Though gagged by ICAC of Hong-Kong, this will not stop the rumour-monger mill. Ukin can do much damage here and may sway the voting winds among Sabahans. Not good for BN Sabah

4. The Selangor 'land-grab' and the Penang land issues not only in price but in use can be an irritating and barbed problem in both these states. Contentious and not much time for BN to explain itself convincingly to the people why BN political parties took these lands for a song.

5. The so-called interference of politicians  in the police force from the expose of ex-IGP and other senior cops. Not good for BN.

6. Hindraf and the stateless Indian issue and its impact in marginal areas where Indians will become king-makers. Bad vibes for BN and MIC

7. The Dolomite Condominium affecting Batu Caves. This is a downside for MIC

8. Hudud law implementation and the Malaysian Constitution-Bad for PKR and continue to be a gnawing issue between DAP and PAS. Keadilan do not seems to be able to bridge the differences.

9. The PKRZ corruption case that can so no meaningful end and will negatively impact BN.

10. The decline of Maths and Science which will need plenty of realistic explanation from the government.

11. The Genneva Gold trading issue and its fall-out.

12. The use of the word, " All..." that remains unresolved. Not great for BN.

Will add more as they come to mind.

Paranormal Norman-Awful Animated Outing

Disaster Animation Feature

As the latest animated flick to hit the screens, it sure is tame and unfortunately lacks the entertainment factor.

Most of the events are predictable and the dialogue is as corny as it can get.

A yarn built around a young gifted girl who was killed as the village elders feared her unknown powers is an unlikely plot-line that can sustain.

The action of a town in frenzy fear of zombies is more laughable than enjoyable.

As far as animated features are concerned, this one surely touches a new low.

I believe it neither entertains nor put fear into children.

For adults, just give it a miss!

HINDRAF: Fear is The Key

A Repeat of 2008?

Yes, like it or not, they caused the mammoth defeat of BN in the 12th GE in many seats in 2008.

BN's failure to come to terms with the issues championed by the then unknown Hindraf movement was to cause a massive tsunami of losses particularly for the seats that Indians in marginal numbers played king-makers.

The issues raised by Hindraf remains unresolved though cosmetically PM Najib has played to the gallery to woo voters promising all that he could.

Now, that time has come again and with the 13th GE right around the corner possibly to be held in mid-2013, BN is again possibly on the wrong footing.

Can BN and MIC play their hands successfully this time around to soothe the frazzled nerves of the Indian voting populace helmed by Hindraf?

One thing is for sure. The window for action gets tighter and tighter.

The other thing in the works-PR has agreed to endorse the demands of Hindraf comes January 2013.

As usual, PR has nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Even if half of the Indians remain disgruntled especially with the issue of statelessness, MIC will plausibly see the last nail in their coffin being driven in for all times. If that is so, then the end is nigh for Palinivel to be the last President standing as the boat goes down!

Or can he cause an upheaval to bring MIC home to victory?

Would you want to bet your bottom ringgit?

Lynas-Blurred Imperatives and Inadequate Legal Minds?

Big Investment Mistake!

If there is a classic case of miscommunication and disinforamtion, it must be the Lynas controversy.

This issue has been around since the very day a temporary operating licence has been issued to the Australian company to process rare earth remotely from its own native shores.

After the scientific and safety aspects have been "sort" of endorsed by the Malaysian licensing authorities, here comes the slam-dunk from Lynas itself.

It is not exporting the processed wastes.

And so the hullabaloo begins again to take center stage.

Misinformation and disinformation. Who has the final say here?

Are the people going to suffer?

Is it true that Lynas does not have to export the waste out of Malaysia as a crystal clear  licensing condition after all?

The Bamboozled Four?

Or is the full Najib Cabinet and the 4 directly responsible Ministers been hoodwinked by Lynas or by the inefficiency of legal minds in the government  AG Office even in drafting matters?

We have yet to see the end of this long drawn out fangled matter.