The Height of Hypocrisy

This cartoon piece speaks volumes for the politician.

People Who We Meet and how They Shape Us

This is truly deep........deep...........deep.

Ong Lai Yuen-Gone to be with the Lord

Lai Yuen Departs

She was one of the closest to our family from the ex-CG Group of DUMC.

I remembered her fondly especially with her loving husband Eric Wong who brought her to eat the best food in the Klang Valley. They were one happy loving couple!

She was blessed with two children, Raymond and Wayne.

While Raymond was able to move forward and become a successful businessmen, Wayne who had "health problems" all his life  devoted himself to the church.

Confronted with much challenges, Lai Yuen fought cancer for some ten years before finding remission.

Not the best of health, she oftentimes found herself at UH.

On 19th March, she checked into UH as she was unwell.

Slowly, her internal organs started shutting down and she went to the Lord at 6 am on 26 March 2015.

I got the news almost at midnight on 26th March.

On 27 March, along with Jon, I went to the wake. I spoke on the kindness of Lai Yuen in my eulogy.

We contributed RM 50 pakam before leaving for home after the wake service.

Lai Yuen was 72 when she left us. She was cremated today, 28 March 2015.

I know she is now in a better place with the Lord.

A Midnight Gift

What a friend!

My benefactor called me just before midnight. He had something for me.

So he came by the house and gave me a smart-phone-a Lenovo.

I guess I owe him a fat obligation to learn how to use Whats apps and  to be more technology-savvy from now on.

22 for USM Dinner on 19th March 2015

The Group Photo

We initially got 24 persons who replied that they could attend this dinner function.

As the date drew nearer, 4 of our friends could not attend due to commitments or health reasons.

Bala was indisposed as he had a mouth injury while Kooi Ming had to go back to Sitiawan to see his mother. As for Jenny, she had a last minute invitation to a close relative's wedding which she could just not put off. Finally, Ah Kew was advised by the doctor not to travel as his health markers were not too good.

Chia and Heng

What was unique this time around was we had for the first time the attendance of Rani as well as Jimmy Fook.

As usual, there was much sharing and Lay Chooi suggested that we have another bigger do since this is the 40th year since we left USM.

We have decided that a good date would be somewhere in July.

Kee Teck, Saw Aim and Kenneth

Chew Kong Huat sponsored the dinner. We thanked him and his missus.

After dinner, a group of us adjourned for teh-tarik before calling it a night.

The friends who attended  were:

Lee Kee Teck
Ang Saw Aim
Selvarani
Kenneth
Chew Kong Huat
Mrs Chew
Toh Chee Kiang
Tan Lee Kiang
Richard Leow
Chan Yau Kok
Thoong Lay Chooi
Lai Poh Guat
Lee Saik Tat
Bernard Yeo
Yeoh Gim Ooi
Derek Teh
Catherine Yeang
Chin Swee Pin
Chia Kwang Chye
Ooi Say Chuan
Jimmy Fook
Heng

My Old Jalopy

A Bundle of Woe!

If you read literature, you would know the four stages in a play.

There is firstly, the exposition. Setting the stage so it seems with its background,place and time. The main players are introduced particularly the protagonist and antagonist.

Then, there are the events and issues that set the story moving forward-which is the second stage. It moves frenziedly upwards and hots up until a climax is reached-a breaking point-where your heart is in  your mouth-the third stage. Slowly the issues find some form of mitigation or solution and the excitement starts to dissipate-falling action-fourth stage. Finally we plateau off at the end--on the same level ground as the exposition which is the resolution stage. It's the all's well that ends well-so it seems.

But how does this relate to my car-this old jalopy that has started to be cranky-cranking up maintenance bills the likes I have seen in a long,long time.

The exposition is obviously when I bought this little baby from the shop. Then it purred like a cat as it took me on fun rides and to places ever so conveniently. It was economy in fuel and maintenance. That was the rising action. The climax is when it starts bringing mechanical problem and hit the pocket hard. Falling action is when you decide to dispose of it before it becomes an albatross around the neck. Resolution is purchasing a new car with some of the money when you sold the old jalopy. So,it's happy days again. (Even though, you have taken on a new debt!)

But, not for me.....

This old jalopy is estimated to fetch only RM 3,000 if I sell it.

But the bills for maintenance is horrendous. About 8 months ago, I bought 4 new replacement tyres, Four months back, I paid for major repairs amounting to RM 850. Last month the battery kaput!

Today, I serviced the car at RM 168 and was for-warned by my mechanic to get a stand-by cash of RM 1,100 to do major replacement of my-steering parts and its housing as well as both the front suspension-for my safety and convenience. Also its time to change the automatic transmission oil which has gone pretty dirty. This will cost another RM 200.

At the rate, I am repairing this car, it will only eat me out of home and house!

Is there already an albatross around my neck hanging like a millstone?

Biting the Bullet?

Winds of Change?

Perhaps this may be the first time that the denial syndrome of our awful education performance viz-a -viz other nations has been put aside. There is an indication that the winds may be changing.

There is also a vindication of our DPM and Education Minister that our heads cannot forever remain deep in the ground of feign ignorance.

It has come to pass. Muhyiddin at once admitted that he was shocked with the poor performance of Malaysian students in international assessment tests, despite the tons of money we have spent on education.

If, in the past, he has praised the system, today he has courageously called 'a spade a spade'.

Reports of assessment like Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) showed that the performance of Malaysian students were consistently not up to par.

Even though, our students on the surface appeared 'smart' as testified by our education system, sadly when they are asked to perform in international assessments, they failed to show that prowess. In such international assessments, Malaysian students lagged in the bottom one-third.

The Education Minister seems to have accepted the reality that something is not right with our students particularly the system that has cultured them.

In his speech today at a school in Shah Alam, though he believes that our education standards seemed alright, it is certainly not good enough.

The education system of Malaysia have seen more brickbats than accolades in international comparisons.

According to Pisa's 2012 results, Malaysian students scored below average and ranked 52 out of the 65 countries. In contrast, students in Vietnam ranked 17 out of 65.

– March 13, 2015.