When everything seems to go against you, remember You'll Never Walk & Fight Alone!

When the going gets tough, the tough get's going. When everything seems to be going against you, it's the perfect time to stand up and show what you're capable of. This is the opportunity to show all the doubters,haters and naysayers the middle finger and say it to their face "Fuck you and your back-stabbing. I am better than YOU."

Don't give up, there are low profile but street-smart people out there who will help and guide you. Be strong and hang on. There is light in front of the dark tunnel. Short-term pain for long term stability - get that into your head and haul ass! You can do it. Toughen up and stop moaning. Action speaks louder than all the negative words and gossips. 

To the doubter, naysayer and hater - YOU know who you are. Remember this, what goes around come around and karma is a bitch! Please let it be known that your dark intensions can be seen through your thin veiled outer shell. You can label others as evil, selfish or any other worst kind of scum imaginable and make it believable to your intended audiences, but please realise the ultimate judge up there will eye your every move, action and lie.

This is not my battle, but i will fight as if my life depends on it. I don't like to fail nor will i like to see a friend getting ganged up on and bullied to the ground. I made a promise to help and i will. Mark my words - failure is not an option and those who has got your back covered, will fight tooth and nail beside you all the way to see you succeed. Don't let this opportunity go, grab it with both your hands no matter how tough it will be in the first couple of months. Things will only get worse before it gets any better.

Plan your point of attack and strategy. Leave no stones unturned, leave no corners unchecked. Your imidiate superiors might not act in support of you, but you can still get things done your way. Do not fear, there's always a new window if those in front of you looked shut. When push comes to shove, those supporting you will help you heck a hole through the wall to get your call for help through.

All is not lost, there is a big chance to win the war even though everything look bleak now. You might have lost the battle at the moment, but the final outcome of the war is still not yet set in stone. All you need to do, is to decide are you willing to fight and get tough? If the answer is yes, you are well on your way and you must hang in there no matter how bad things will get initially. Time to clean house and throw out all the negative forces and install your own team of soldiers who will fight for you!

Get it into your head - all is not lost. Don't give up without a good fight and do exactly what those who look down on your want - you giving up.You are not fighting alone!

-JonC-

Farewell Senator Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy - 1932-2009

The last of the famous Kennedy clan brothers who gave so much for freedom and democracy, not only in the US but also throughout the world has returned to God to be with his 2 brothers who made the ultimate sacrifices on the altar of democracy: John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy.

To Senator Edward Kennedy, you not only give hope to American people but to all citizens of the world. Your selflessness in pursuing justice and equality for all will serve to inspire everyone to continue the fight and dream for a better world. Thank you and rest in peace.

"Integrity is the lifeblood of democracy. Deceit is a poison in its veins." Edward Kennedy.

Time flies.......when you have shit to clean and systems to migrate!

Been a freaking long while since i even got time to sit still to check my personal emails let alone update my forsaken blog. Like the title says, time really flies when you have truck loads of shit to clean up in the office. Just managed to complete 2 con-current projects in my office with a third one still in the process and to be completed by next week pending the final updates.

Imagine having to treat ya house like a hotel, spending just 8 hours at home while the rest of the day is spent in the office slogging it out to migrate over 50 work-stations and notebooks to a new domain sever and email domain. Been a hellish 2 weeks for me in terms of having no social life or what-so-ever. Hardly even managed to watch any tv when i get back home the past couple of days, usually after 12 or 1 am.

Been working like a mad-man and am a walking zombie. 5 hours of sleep ain't cutting it and i am seriously burned out. Well, thats the boring update on me since i went AWOL (again) from blogsphere the past 3 weeks.

That being said, was still happy with the fact that my footie team in red - LFC is doing bloody well to give the hated "you know who" a run for their money. The last 3 results have been absolutely brilliant. 5-0 against Real and 1-4 against "you know who" certainly help me keep a cool head in an already crazy fortnight. Left work last night to arrive home in time to watch another brilliant game against Villa and see us give them a thorough thumping - 5-0. Well, seems like all my frustration and worry about the season has vanish.... well most of it anyway in the space of just 3 games. Football is a crazy business and the ball is round, so ya just dunno whats gonna happen until the season truly ends and the fat lady sings.

Till then, it's back to slogging it out with my notebook again until end of the month when i'll be truly free and relaxed.

-JonC-

Ultimate Betrayal & Insult!!!!

I am so angered and disappointed with all the developments in my home state - Perak. I voted for better governance and more transparency in the PR. Ultimately my vote got betrayed and my intelligence insulted by greed, self-importance and petty differences.

Didn't sleep well at all last night as i was really saddened by all this political circus. Now i can feel how my dad felt when he used to be a campaign worker for another DAP ADUN that jumped in his younger days.

Remember the 4 faces of the "frogs" the could well have effectively killed the democratic creed - a government of the people, by the people and for the people, in Perak. I hope your consciences will come back to haunt you. How can you sleep at night knowing that you have broken the trust of your voters? What the people have given you can also be taken back my the people - your actual boss.

Hee Yit Foong, you've turned your back on the very people that have transformed you from a normal clerk into a Deputy State Speaker all in the name of fame, fortune, power and greed. Have you not read President John F. Kennedy's inaugral speech where he said "ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country." Why are you too blinded by all your greed and petty differences with the senior party members? Why waste your 22 years of sacrifices when change is finally coming? I am trully dumbfolded by news that you complained about not getting an exco position and the new Camry car.

What you do now echoes in eternity. Remember who is boss.

**It's official - no by election, nor a dissolved state assembly. Sultan sides with the corrupt to form new government not mandated by the people of Perak. Democracy is dead as far as i am concerned.

Year of the Ox! Happy Chinese New Year

I'd like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy Chinese New Year! Hope everyone will be blessed with good health, prosperity and wealth this coming year of the Ox. To all those taking the long journey back to their hometowns, please have a safe trip home. Let us all persevere and work harder together to face the tough economic times ahead.

Like most LFC supports, i truly hope we will capture no.19 this year.

Gong Xi Fa Chai! Gong Hei Fatt Choy!

-JonC-

New Year, New Beginning!

Been a while since i updated me blog. Was having the end-year rush madness in the office and was pretty much spent by the time i cleaned up all my last minute rush jobs. By then got hit by the laziness bug and that made me leave my humble little space in blogsphere unattended for 3 weeks. Hehehehe sorry about that. The holiday season always make me lazy.

Spent me Christmas day at home doing nothing but cillin' and sleepin' (as usual). I did attend an early X'mas bbq at me friend's place in USJ a couple of days before that. He just came back from Aussie. Managed to metup with a few of my school mates from Setiawan at the bbq. The funny thing is, me friend actually married my school mate. Hence it became sort of an unofficial gathering for all those from A.C.S Sitiawan.

Give and take a week later, it was New Year's Eve at another party / pot luck at another friend's place in Ampang. Was hoping to catch some of the fireworks live since i was in KL but unfortunately, i couldn't see nuts thanks to some high rise condos blocking the view.

Well, this January will be a pretty special month as we will be celebrating 2 new years, the second being the Chinese one. With the uncertain economic downturn, it'll be a rather quiet one for me. Already got my "13th month" salary and it's already long gone. Used 'em all up to pay off my "hutang" to me banks already.

That's about all that has happened since my "Harry Houdini" act from the blogsphere. Will try my level best to keep me blog update. If ya wanna know what's my new year resolution, it pretty simple - Get A Life! That's a wrap.

-JonC-

Oh Sleep! I Need!

Took virtually an entire week off last week and only came back to work on Monday. Well, if ya wondering why i said "virtually", here's the reason - network service migration. Company decided to cut cost and upgrade the network connectivity performance all at one go by globally signing on to the BT (British Telecom) bandwagon. Had to cancel one day from my leave. Still got about 40% of data cleanup and entry to do that i bitched about from my previous post below.

I dunno about the rest, i find the best way for me to relax is to sleep, eat and sleep summore (beside watching movies and killing some terrorists with my PS3). Literally spend my days at home with only a few outings to my cousin's place in Damansara. Took my mum to visit his family as he has just got his early x'mas present - his 2nd son. Congrat Stan J! Hope the baby and S.L - the 2nd time mum, will be healthy.

Funnily enough, drop by Ikea as me mum wanted to shop for some stuff for the house to prepare for the rapidly approaching Chinese New Year - end of January. Feels weird to prepare for it since Christmast is still a week away. Have to confess, i only had the stupendously good Ikea hotdogs every single time i visited Ikano Power Center. Well, since me mum was with me, decided to have lunch at the restaurant in Ikea. Not bad at all, the food in there. Had the vegetarian pasta and the leg of chicken with 2 bottles of mineral water for about 19 bucks.

Had a game of field footie last Saturday in Kajang against a bunch of great guys from St Katherine's Church. Needless to say the MyRAWK boys was as "muhibah" as usual with a team of Malay, Chinese and Indian boys playing together. We won the exciting match 2-3 with the wining goal scored very near to the end of the game. I played as a left back in the first 25 mins before i gave way to the others to play. Was a good work out as them boys from St. Kath's can really run!

That sums up my entire last week. Gotta get back to work sloggin it out on me keyboard again to finnish up me work. Till then. Enjoy the live performance of Coldplay's Chinese Sleep Chant - a hidden song from the new Viva La Vida album.

End of the year, holiday mood is here, but i'm as busy as ever!

Been a hell of a fortnight for me and it's not gonna go any easier anytime soon. When everyone is happily clearing their leave for this year by going on a holiday, i'm freaking stuck staring at my notebook screen for at least 10 hours a day for at least another 2 weeks. I'm trying to finish up the last minute dash to clean up my office's database to prepare for a migration to a new system scheduled for 2010.

That single paragraph literally summed up my life or lack of it for the past 2 weeks. Hence, i ain't got much to work with in terms of coming up with an interesting topic for me blog. The last thing in me head now is to blog as frankly i'm getting tired of looking at the lcd screen of me notebook day-in, day-out. I need a freaking break before i go bonkers and beserk.

Well, since my supported club - Liverpool ain't doing too good and not exactly giving me much joy, it's been a pretty frustrating time for me. Originally planned to got for a week's worth of rest next week and a few more days after x'mas, my plans are basically wrecked unless by some devine intervention, i can miracalously complete my data entry and cleaning up process for the database.

Until that happends, the only fun i'm gonna have is a few games of futsal and this weekend's trip to watch the Liverpool "Legends" play in the Football Master's Malaysia Cup. Well, that's if you can consider the "Spice Boys" as legends. The only legend i'd say is Ian Rush and Nigel Spackman in the team sheet.

Well, time for me to slog it out with my notebook again to complete my work. Till then, enjoy ya holiday trips and have fun, but pls take good care of yourself especially with the recent spat of violence and protest overseas.

-JonC-

To all those who had lost someone you loved, cherished and held dear to your heart.

This song / video is dedicated to everyone who has lost someone close to your heart and especially to my mother and my late father.

Fix You, Coldplay:
When you try your best but you don't succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse

And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
COULD IT BE WORSE?

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

And high up above or down below
When you're too in love to let it go
But if you never try you'll never know
Just what you're worth

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

Tears stream down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears stream down your face
And I

Tears stream down your face
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down your face
And I

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you.

15 Things You Might Not Know About Me

I got tagged by one of me blogging mates; Kerp after i had a ball of a time reading to his hilarious list. Was rather intrigued by Ms. Senorita's scandalous and naughty list too ;0) So here's my list that might bore you or scare you. Muahahahahahaha! Just to be different, i'm gonna do it backwards.

15 - Was a pretty succesful sprinter when i was in me early teens until a serious knee injury put paid to my running carrier. That was the start of my "sick-note" and injury laden sporting life.

14 - Have never lit a cigarette or "the good stuff" in my entire life but drank me first beer / stout at around 10 - thanks to me god brothers.

13 - Dislike gambling and pretty much most other vices except sex and footie ;0)

12 - Not the only child in the family as i had a younger sister who passed away in an accident when i was about 5 or 6 years old - about 25 years ago.

11 - I look up to John Fitzgerald Kennedy as my hero in life.

10 - Started being anti-establishment by about 9 or 10 thanks to me DAP supporting dad.

9 - I like like watching chick flicks and believe in happy endings. Yes i am hopelessly emo. :0P

8 - Was naive enough to think i would get married and start a family by 28 years old.

7 - Read me first porn mag at about 11 and watch me first porn by 12. Beat that!

6 - I dig chicks with shorter hair. *Hint to any future chicks i might date.

5 - I've only ever dated about 5 women and went steady with about 2 of 'em. Hehehehe, yes i am THAT choosy.

4 - Lost count of how many sexual fantasies i had, unlike you Kerp!

3 - Hate reading except maybe porn or footie mags and war stories or books about military equipments.

2 - Used to wear hand-me-down SCUM t-shirts from a cousin when i was ignorant and younger.

1 - I like boobies too!

*on request of ms. senorita..... maybe i should change no. 1 to.... i like to be teased by scantily clad woman in her lingerie or maybe in a secretary outfit complete with glasses rather than one who is totally naked. Blame the damn Jap AV porn! :0P

4 Bottles Of Johnny Walker: Black Label and 2 Buckets of Carlsberg Later, I Can't Figure Out If I'm 31 or 13.

It was an eventful weekend for me as i celebrated my 31st or was it 13th birthday. All is still a blur to me at the moment, hence the title above. I am still in a daze and having migraine due to lack of sleep and way too much alcohol consumed in the space of 2 days. So much for my intimate dinner and small gathering plans, it's was gonna be a pretty hectic and crazy weekend!

The whole thing started with a 2 hours session of futsal with the MyRAWK and LYN boys in PJ on Saturday evening. But, before that even begun, i had to endure a bad and weird traffic jam on my way towards the futsal place. If getting there was have the "fun," then, am i in for a big surprise! The rest of the boys couldn't make it in time as the traffic was bad enough and the roads were treacherous due to VERY bad visibility because of the heavy down pour. I swear i could see cats and dogs raining from up above! I could hear pipes and metal things getting flung around at the futsal place as there was a construction site next to the parking lot where i parked my car. We started playing at around 4:45 pm instead of the expected time of 3:30 pm - that really fooked up my already hectic schedule that originally gave me only 30 minutes to clean up and head back over to Klang.

Well, if ya wondering what's with the rush - i was supposed to meet up with my colleagues in Neway, Centro Klang at 6pm for karaoke and buffet dinner. I ended up showing up only at about 7:45pm after the footie ended at 6:45 pm. I also had to endure another traffic jam heading back to "Par Sang." Was bloody tired and hungry by then and was in panic mode as i feared i was not going to make it for the buffet only to realise later that the buffet ends only at 11 pm. But anyway, managed to ask one of my colleagues to keep some food for me just in case.

Not long after i arrived, the scary sight of 4 bottles of Black Label suddenly hit me. Shit! I'm in for a torrid night. There we about 15 of us and only about 12 of us that drank. Luckily, i paced myself and did not mix the booze with soft drink but only with plan water. I was not the biggest victim of the night though, as 3 of my other colleagues could hardly walk by the time the havoc was over at around 12:30 am. I was a 'lil light headed up till the near the end, until i was ask to do a chaser with a shot followed by beer. Thank goodness it kicked in only after i reach home - head was spinning but still managed to catch the 1st half of the WC Qualifiers - England vs Kazakhstan before i dozed off on me couch. Woke up next morning only to find out that i've got cake smeared all over me face, hair, shirt and jeans thanks to my colleagues.

The best surprised came when a good friend of mine showed up with a "gift" at my door step around lunch time yesterday - technically i did pay for the darn thing in the first place. It was the Onkyo TX-805 home theater amp that i had traded in my older hi-fi stuff for. I was grinning ear to ear while still in a state of blurness. Hooked up the bad-boy and had a bit of trouble setting it up before i put on Celine Dion's A New Day blu-ray ( yes i know it pretty lame, but you gotta admit her Las Vegas show was awesome!) Only had time to test out the new toy for a bit before i had to rush over to USJ for a friend's open house that was supposed to start at 5 pm.

While i was on my way there, had another big big surprised in the form of a long distance phone call from a dear friend and el-terrorista's wife in NZ (thanks ya! Really appreciate ya call all the way from down under) Met up my Friday night futsal gang there and we chatted and laughed till about 8 pm before 5 of us adjourned to Station1 in Taipan to have a few beers to celebrate my birthday. It was hard trying to down the 2 buckets of beers we ordered as all of us were stuff to the brim with the good food and countless cups of strawberry tea. Well, when guys gather and don't talk about sports, can ya guess whats the main topic was? Hehehehe, it was male bonding time. We finally left around 11:30 pm.

By the time i reached home, i was totally exhausted and extremely tired. Been a hell of a hectic weekend and it's been a while since i did so much running around. The excessive amount of alcohol still intoxicating my head and the tiredness, finally did me in this morning, as i have to call my office for a 1/2 day leave. Still suffering from migraine as i type this entry and so if ya find there's tonnes of typos, ya know the reason why. Irregardless, it was a kick-arse weekend! So thank you and hats off to all of you gals and guys who help made my 31st birthday a blast. I really appreciate all your good wishes and company.

Selamat Hari Raya, Maaf Zahir Dan Batin

I wish all me Muslim friends a "Selamat Hari Raya, Maaf Zahir Dan Batin." Those on the way back to their kampung or on the way home to KL please drive safe. Looking forward to hanging out at all ya open houses! Muahahahaha. ;0)

On a more personal note, its been a pretty boring Raya for me with one one single excursion outta me home for my best mate's open house do in USJ on the 1st day of Raya - his house specialty was an awesome Laksa Johor. Otherwise it has been a quiet holiday and best of the lot, a cost saying one too. Watching Champs League footie and sleeping was basically all i did. Hehehehe.

Still in a holiday mood and am blardee lazy to work. Been doing nothing but stare at me notebook; checking up on news and reading up on blogs the whole morning. Got a couple of reports to do but what the heck, still day dreaming about lemang, rendang, ketupat and kuah kacang. Thingking about 'em goodies just made me hungry again!

Geeeez! It's gonna be a loooooooonnnnnnnnggggg day before office hour finnishes at 5:30 pm!

*Editted - Found my salvation to preserve my sanity till the end of the day - Coldplay! Imagine me nodding me head to their music in front of my colleagues with my headphones on.

I need a long break!

Been feeling tired and pretty run down the past 3 weeks or so. Physically tired is easy to recover from, but mine is more of a case of being mentally tired. Doing too much thinking and brain storming is some how sucking the life of me brains.

Stress from work and more so from the huge undertaking of trying to create the MyRAWK homepage with just another fellow MyRAWKite and IT geek is taxing to the mind and to some extend my body. Continuous sleepless nights for the last 2 months is certainly not helping me physical and mental health. I have only myself to blame as i kept on staying awake till the wee hours of the morning: 2 or 3 am to be more exact, every single day.

The only time i can continously sleep uninterupted is on Sunday (thats if the pesky kids next door don't freaking tear the whole house down next door with their incesive crying, fighting and running). I 've been known to sleep for >12 hours straight and can even skip my breakfast and lunch during that oh-so-good-and-dearly-missed dozing time. A fair number of you have listened to my blur-sounding voice when you called me on Sundays before, hehehehe. Guess any phone call before 2 pm will result in some "ummmmm! ahhhhhhh! yaaaaaaah!" replies.

Well, i've learned that sleeping alone ain't gonna be enuff to sure mental tiredness. You'll need total relaxation to achieve that. Hence, i'm thinking of really taking a long long break away from the hussle and bussle of Klang Valley. Would be good to take a week long vacation to some quiet place like maybe an island to relax - nothing but the sand, sea, blue sky and warm breeze. Would be good though to have a chick in tow. Geeez! Its only 10:30 am in the office and i'm already freaking sleepy, half doozing off and day dreaming. Kekekekeke!

Till the dream holiday trip ( Bora-Bora - if i strike lottery) happens, i shall continue to be a freaking walking zombie in the office and a rather angry looking RED at the MyRAWK footie gatherings!

One World, One Dream - You & Me, We're Family

Let's just take a breather and think about the Olympic Spirit. Look at the deeper meaning to the Beijing 2008 Games motto - One World, One Dream, its universal value is so simple and easy to understand. Unfortunately, understanding it is so much more simple than doing the necessary to achieve it.

In light of the shenanigans thats been happening to Malaysia - the political uncertainty and the seemingly unnecessary racial tension, i'd say this to everyone. Take a back seat, look at these simple words and listen to the beautiful and simple theme song to the games.



Lyrics - You & Me

我和你，心连心，同住地球村
(Pinyin: Wǒ Hé Nǐ, Xīn Lián Xīn, Tóng Zhù Dìqiúcūn)
(English translation: You and me, heart to heart, we live in the same Earth's village)

为梦想，千里行，相会在北京
(Pinyin: Wèi Mèngxiǎng, Qiān Lǐ Xíng, Xiānghuì Zài Běijīng)
(English translation: For dreams, we travel a thousand miles, to meet in Beijing)

来吧！朋友，伸出你的手
(Pinyin:Lái Ba, Péngyou, Shēn Chū Nǐ De Shǒu)
(English translation: Come! Friend, reach out with your hands)

我和你，心连心，永远一家人
(Pinyin:Wǒ Hé Nǐ, Xīn Lián Xīn, Yǒngyuǎn Yījiārén)
(English translation: You and me, heart to heart, forever we are one family)

You and me, from one world, we are family
Travel dream, a thousand miles, meeting in Beijing
朋友，来吧, put your hand in mine
(Pinyin:Péngyou, Lái Ba)
(English translation: Friends, Come!)
You and me, from one world, we are family

You and me, from one world, we are family
We are family
Travel dream, a thousand miles, meeting in Beijing
朋友, Friend 来, Meeting in Beijing
(Pinyin:Péngyou, Friend Lái, Meeting in Beijing)
(English translation: Friends, come Friends, meeting in Beijing)

我和你，心连心，同住地球村
(Pinyin: Wǒ Hé Nǐ, Xīn Lián Xīn, Tóng Zhù Dìqiúcūn)
(You and me, heart to heart, we live in the same Earth's village)
You and me, from one world, we are family

为梦想，千里行，相会在北京
(Pinyin: Wèi Mèngxiǎng, Qiān Lǐ Xíng, Xiānghuì Zài Běijīng)
(English translation: For dreams, we travel a thousand miles, to meet in Beijing)
Gather...in Beijing

来吧！朋友，牵住你的手
(Pinyin:Lái Ba, Péngyou, Qiān Zhū Nǐ De Shǒu)
(English translation: Come! Friend, reach out with your hands)

You and me, from one world, we are family

*Lyrics taken from wikipedia*

The art of being a prick!

I've been the "victim" in 2 of my previous relationship from a couple of years back and hated the after taste from it. Seriously think it did something to my head and made me that little bit colder in my future relations, as most of the people around me will a test too.

Last weekend, i had a reversal of roles and played the part of the victimizer. Had to spill the beans to someone who i do not see myself being attached too. The whole thing last for a couple weeks but as with all matters of the heart - somebody will get hurt. I had hoped that the short period time we were together, will meant less hurt, hence i took the decision to end it before it lead on to a bigger emotional mess and uneasiness. I've made it clear from day 1, i will not lie about it when the going gets tough and pretend that everything is rosy and happy.

I was to blame for allowing things to get out of hand in the first place, this i admitted willingly. Had this uncanny feeling, i won't be able to give my all and give the other party what is needed and deserved. That lingering thought made me feel very uneasy and i was bothered to no end. After some soul searching, i laid it all out.

I had to take charge of my life and be that little bit more selfish to move forward. I do not want to be the "nice" guy anymore all the time and act as if i'm happy when its clearly not working.
Wished it could have ended in a better way, but nothing ever turns out right when it comes to ending relationships. No words or apologies will ever be enough to sooth the pain to the other party, but i do hope time will help heal that.

I am relieved, i don't have to deal with the emotional anguish of being in a relationship thats heading no where. But, that doesn't make the act of being THE prick any better. I will take this as a lesson on life and use it to help me grow into a better person.

PS: Thank you to a good friend for listening to me whine about it, and offering me words of wisdom on how to move on.

-JonC-

My History, My Future: From Middle Kingdom to Malaya to Malaysia

The coming Olympic games in Beijing, China has got me thinking about the "motherland" and my ancestors. I'm a 2nd generation Malaysian of Chinese origin from the Han ethnicity (China consists of man other ethnic groups). My grandma and grandpa came over to Malaya from prefecture of Longyan in the province of Fujian. Technically that makes me a Hokkien "kia" but then again, those from the mentioned prefecture classify themselves slightly differently as our spoken dialects do not sound like Hokkien at all and it's called "Longyan Huà." Please don't ask me how the heck it sounds like as i do not speak a word of it as i grew up on a diet of Hokkien and Cantonese dialects. Funny enough, even my late dad can't speak a word of it but he could understand it. As far as i can remember, only 2 of my cousins can actually speak it. Sound confusing eh? Well, i'm 31 and myself is still pretty much blur so i won't blame ya. In order to simplify things, i just say i'm a Hokkien.

My surname is Cheah (Xie 謝), same chinese character as those with Chia, Seah, Hsieh, Tse, Tze. The chinese character when used as verb, means to express gratitude and when used as noun means thank you. "Xie xie" sounds familiar right? ;0) Apparently, the surname was a that of a prominent aristocratic family from the Jin Dynasty.

Both my grandparents came to Malaya to find a brighter future as it was tough back in China then. There was civil war amongst the Kuomintang and Communists Red Army while the people was suffering from famine. My grandma's brother who was studying in university was killed by the communists, so naturally she hates them. They arrived in Malaya like most early immigrants, through Penang and chose to settle in Lumut, Perak - which is where i am from.

As i understand from the stories told by my uncles, aunts and me late father, my granddad was a well respected member of the community in my "kampung". He owned one of the biggest rice and coconut trading companies back then. He was a self-taught man, he had no formal education and was from a poor family. Apparently he was sort of a medicine man as well. My grandma was your typical "superwoman" housewife from back then. She single handedly took care of more than 10 people (8 of them children) in the household. She was a firm but fair mother, and my dad was always boasting about how he was the youngest in the family and was always her favourite. An interesting but freaky fact everyone told me about the family was that every child that had an official straits birth cert would fall ill and pass away. Needless to say, none of my uncles, aunts and also me dad had one.

Being the typical community came first type of person, my granddad went all out to help new arrivals from back "home" to settle into Malaya. Well, i personally call it naivety as it ultimately got him into financial trouble after being the guarantor to numerous dubious business deals for others. Subsequently, the family business went down hill and finally closed shop when none of my uncles could handle it after the passing of both my grandparents about 40 years ago.

As mentioned before, me dad was the youngest and according to him the most spoiled (that is if you consider having to work long hours helping the family collect coconuts and dry em for sale and help sort out rice as fun). Among all my uncles and aunts, my second last uncle and me dad had the best education. They finished their high-school education - my dad was sent to chinese and later english school while my uncle went to a reputable boarding school in Penang. Dad was a quite the looker hence u know where i got my good look from ;o) and was an active athlete. He was drafted into the army reserves for a good year or two and was based in Port Dickson during the Emergency period with Indonesia after the independence. I am at a lost when it come to when did both my parents met but i do know they have been happily married for close to 40 years before my dad's untimely death in a car accident 3 years back. (Still miss you dad, and not a day goes by that mum and i do not miss you.) They gave life a Red in the form of me after close to 7 years of marriage.

Like most of my generation, i consider myself more Malaysian than just Chinese. However, it's still important to know your own roots. I believe in the concept of "no future without history" so i personally find it important to know where i come from and what my ancestors have to go through to get me to where i am. This helps keep me grounded and appreciate what my ancestors went through to give me what i got now, even though it isn't much. It's also the reason why i strive to help Malaysia grow into the kind of great country all of us hope her to be. We've got everything to be one of the most outstanding country in SEA region. We have so much to gain as a united nation working together for the better.

Why dwell on racial segregation politics and puny issues? Why not work towards the best Malaysia can be? What does religion got to do with politics? Why the disparity in income distribution? When can our apathy mentality be changed? Why help have to be based on your political views, skin color or social status? Where do we see ourselves and our children as a nation in the next 50 years?

If none of us are in anyway concern about the above questions, then we as a nation of 50 years in existence is on the verge of collapse. Personally, I will not give up on my beautiful country i call home. I will not give in to those irresponsible people who try to divide me and my friends. I will not take the non-sense the propaganda machines have been feeding to the "rakyat." I will work with my fellow Malaysian towards better governance and education system that will ultimately lead to a better Malaysia for everyone irregardless of race, political view and social status. This is my vow.

-JonC-

Bolehwood Blockbuster: JonC's guide to making the ultimate thriller / drama / action movie in Bolehland!

Ever wondered how to make the perfect movie to storm the box office in Bolehland? Well, i have the perfect formula:

Get a Mongolian model, an arms broker, a powderful minister and his other half, the military, the police special unit and tie up the whole plot together with a handsome amount of special military only grade of explosives. Get some supporting acts like a blogger to spice up the sub plot. Remember to make the explosion BIG and spectacular like a Merdeka day fireworks display by hiring an overpaid bunch of pyrotechnic experts.

In order to add in a bit of comedy, throw in a drunk lawyer uttering those famous lines - "correct! correct! correct!" and "he looks like me, sounds like me, but is not me!" You can also throw in a senile senior politician that likes to bud into everything under the Bolehland sun into the fray as well for more bumbling comedic relief.

Must also not forget about the sodomy plot to go with it. Nothing spice up a story better than a sex scandal in the political scandal - may it be homo or heterosexual.

Do not forget the customary police interrogation scene with a handful of beatings thrown in for a good measure. Use the most sophisticated special effects methods possible to make the main protagonist look like he got whacked by 300 Spartans.

If any of you budding movie makers out there succeeds in breaking the bank with this, please give me a share of the spoil and credits. ;0) Need more moolah to pump petrol and survive the inflation!

-JonC-

PS - Disclaimer: This is just a fictional take and parody on the political uncertainty / scandal in the country. Any fictionous characters with resemblance to person (s) dead, living or dying is of pure co-incidence.

Anger Management? What? Me?

I am seriously contemplating seeing a shrink to shrink my damn anger. The boredom and frustration at work is really driving me up the wall. Those who know me well would have notice a drastic change in me since 2 or 3 years back - my fuse got a WHOLE lot shorter and my swearing got a WHOLE lot louder and more frequent. I'm a heck lot more serious, sensitive, picky and annoying.

Coincidentally, when my rage and temper went off the chart, i was freaking pissed with my shitty work and pay i got from it. The same monotonous job, the endless cleaning of other people's self inflicted crap, the feeling of getting kicked around like a ball, not getting my idea accepted by the management and dealing with a bunch of stubborn dimwits has well and truly taken its toll and screwed me brain up nicely. To top it all off, and the most ironic thing about it all, is the fact that I'm still working at the same company after 9 years. Half the time i ain't got a clue what the fook made me stay - maybe subconsciously i did not realise i am digging my own grave or i actually enjoy the shitty situation (a scary thought indeed).

(frustration + disappointment + anxiety + worry) x stress [work or non-work related] / lousy social life = pure rage or hatred

The above is my theory on whats happening to my glowing hot brain. AD, before you say anything, i know you'll suggest alcohol to dose of the flames. But science has proven that alcohol burns much faster and hotter when thrown into an inferno!!! ;0P Also, i don't think filling up my drying and hole filled melon with the "happy" juices will save me any bit. I've had my fair share of puking me lungs and brains out during me college years.

Maybe, my love of football will save me but what conspired in Anfield the past season or so did nothing to elevate my inner suffering. Shitty politics and performance all round frustrated me even more. Football is one of my best escape from this angst filled life and when it ain't going according to plan, what else could be worst?

Playing football so far has been my best method to vent my frustrations out and dose off the flame in me head. Pity those who play against me though, cause they don't call me a tank for nothing ;0). Then again, the heavens up above conspired to turn me into a fooking Harry Kewell. I've got an injury list so long, it'll filled up an entire file cabinet.

Albeit all this inner turmoil i found a bunch of unkers, young punks and fellow football and fun loving guys and gals through the net. Really appreciate their company and our crazy method of talking cock and exchanging idea through each others' blog. Hey! What better way to virtually scream all your frustration , crazy thoughts and fears so that it can be heard? It's free and people will respond in the virtual world. What more can you ask for? Thank goodness for the internet and blogging!

Lately, i've found another method to vent my anger, thanks to the pretty huge amount of moolah i paid to Sony for my unit of PlayStation 3. Didn't realise my nearly psychotic mind actually enjoys thrashing the shit out of a game controller using my fingers in some rather violent games. Eureka! What better way to soothe and relax me head than crashing cars and shooting people up in Grand Theft Auto 4? How about playing the role of a trained killer in the form of an SAS operative killing terrorists in Call of Duty 4? And best of the lot, play a footie game and thrash the scums and rent boys with a score of 10-0 with Torres scoring triple hat tricks in PES 2008?

Thanks for reading my pointless rumblings and what nots. Hope you'll have a good laugh about it (on my expense) and help you go through the hazardous monotonous life back in the real world. Maybe you'll see it in a whole new light, and think that hey i'm not alone! There are other weirdos and slightly nuts people out there - case in point being myself. ;0)

AD, so far i am still keeping my promise to talk cock er...... i mean update me blog on a "sustained and timely" basis. Muahahahahahaha!

-JonC-

Anyone got caught in the "Petrol" traffic jam?

Imagine my frustrations when i had to pass through 3 fooking packed petrol stations on my way home from work last night. The fooking queue spilled over to the main road and caused bloody massive jam.

Thank goodness i am staying just about 10 minutes away from me work place, although last night's journey took triple the normal traveling time. Kiasu is a phenomenon not limitted to our southern neighbour anymore, and Malaysian can be just as bad if not worse.

Saving from paying the new price for a day won't make a world of difference! Its as if by pumping petrol last night, you'll never ever have to pump it again. Whathafook!

Okay! Enough of venting my frustration on the jam. Time to plan my strategy to fight for higher pay. New motto in Malaysian life - "barang naik, petrol naik dan elektrik pun naik, tapi gaji tak naik."

-JonC-

What's The Story, Fuel Subsidy?

It's going to be the same ol' shitty process at ALL petrol stations again later tonite when every Tom, Dick & Harry will rush to the nearest petrol station to pump their tanks full before the announcement to increase the fuel price is made tomorrow.

The dreaded price increase will happen AGAIN once the new prices for the 2 new types of petrol: RON95 (normal unleaded - expected price close to MYR 3) and RON99 (super unleaded - expected price around MYR 4) are revealed to the general public. To those who are not inclined with the terminology and meaning of the RON standard for petrol, all you need to know is that the new RON95 rated petrol will be of lower grade and octane, hence less power than the current RON97 at the petrol pumps. The new 99 will be new "super" unleaded to replace the RON97.

Well most will just say, since RON95 will be cheaper, just stick to it and be done with it. As long as the car still runs, there should not be any problems. WRONG!!! Car engines are designed to run on specific octane and RON fuels. It's better to use the recommended fuel specified by the car manufacturer - bare minimum will be RON95.

Most cars on the road with electronic engine management systems will not have much problem running the new fuels. The onboard ECU (computer) will automatically adjust the ignition to compensate for the lower octane fuel to avoid "knocking." Basically to explain this, you need to understand that fuel and air mixture literally explodes in your engine (more precisely in your cylinders) to create power. If the explosion occurs on the wrong time, it will create a lot of heat and wear to damage your engine. So when this mistimed explosions happens, it's called "knocking." Tell tale signs of this happening is when you notice "pinging" sounds and bad fuel consumption.

Those with normal everyday family car will not encounter much hassle using the RON95 petrol since all we want is to just get to point b from point a. Performance seeker with high performing cars however, will have no choice but to fuel their desire and fuel guzzlers with RON99. Anyone with older generation carburator engines might need to take note of this and get more info from your mechanics to avoid expensive repair bills.

So what does all this do to us? Well, higher priced fuel not only means we have to pay more for petrol to pump to our cars. It also means every other thing that we use, eat and buy will be effected as well. Literally every consumer products and services that we use, have to involve fuel burning vehicles (unless u stay in a kampung where "kereta lembu" is still used to cart goods). Higher fuel prices means higher transportation charges hence leading to higher priced goods. It's all a chain reaction. Basic economics dictates that price increase and high demands will lead to the inflation phenomenon. When this happens, you and i will spend more and save less for the same amount of income. Anyone thinks their salary increments is covering their increase expenses? You get my drift? In the long run, those in the lower and middle income group (me and most of you included) will suffer.

Sorry for the lecture on automotive engineering and economics. Hehehehe, both are among my favourite subjects along with politics and history. I just feel that all this shit needs to be informed to the masses to wake them up to reality. Life ain't rosy in bolehland anymore. It's time to speak our minds and work together to solve this issue and not swept it under the carpet.

So what say you Petronas, "Barang Naik" and Pak Lah?

PS: It's now widely reported the prices will be allowed to fluctuate according to market forces by August. So expect petrol prices to hit the roof at MYR 4-5 per liter.

UPDATE: PETROL PRICE INCREASED TO MYR 2.70 AFTER 12AM TONITE. NO ANNOUNCEMENT ON 2 NEW CLASS OF FUEL.

-JonC-