Happy New Year

 A new year. 2013. I guess the Mayan's got their calendar predictions wrong. Although for those who were ever so sure that their calendar was right, they might have considered the fact that the Mayan civilisation was doomed many centuries ago - and they didn't manage to predict that!

As a Muslim myself, I don't expect that anyone but the All Mighty Himself knows when the end will be anyway. The lack of any eventful "end of the world" in December simply re-enforces this truth.

Anyway, last year was quite a journey for me, especially with respect to the new job and the characters that seem to pop up unexpectedly shaping the direction of some projects. People are complex - the real nature and intentions of people are never fully transparent, no matter what people claim. I guess this is life.

So with new learnings from 2012, I step into 2013 a changed person. Lets see what it brings.

On leave in Malaysia - May 2010

Had that long awaited break in for about 2 weeks in Malaysia after 4 weeks in Qatar. It was quite an eventful break with my sister-in-law getting married and my little angels turning one on 1st June 2010. The wedding was in Penang and Nibong Tebal, while the kids had birthday parties in Penang and KL.

Here's the happy couple.

Mama Safura with baby Rayhana at the Penang wedding reception.

Baby Rayyan all dressed up and playing "bridegroom".

Qatar

Its been 3 days since I arrived in Qatar. So far its been hectic getting things like passes and medicals done, and there's still more to come. Had my first meeting with the site boss, RG, today. Quite some expectations he has of me....

Anyway, that aside, the accommodation at the Global Village is pretty comfortable. Here's a brief look at where I stay.

Miss you Safura, Rayyan and Rayhana.....lots of love, Pappa

The Grand Hyatt Doha villas...

The beach outside the Hyatt and the landmark zig-zag towers in Doha.

Reclaiming more land for a duty free zone in Port Dickson?

I was struck speechless when I read the article "Multi-million ringgit plan to transform Negri beach resort" in The STAR newspaper on the 14th of April. While I think bringing progress to the tourism industry in PD will be a boon for the various businesses here, I also believe that starting up new project having a string of abandoned projects alredy is a really bad move.

Either the local government is so distant from the reality on the ground that they are unaware or they are turning a blind eye for selfish reasons. The later seems more plausible. Either reason is not a good one and only points to the incompetence of the decision makers.

There is already a massive marina project in Sri Rusa which has ben abandoned half way. The marina is already built, but the various hotels and yatch club that was to have been built on the reclaimed land around the marina has not been done. Another water theme park which was to be built nearlby was also abandoned after reclaiming the land. The former Ming Court Hotel in Teluk Kemang has been abandoned for many years and another tall building next to it is also abandoned. A little further down the road from this a commercial development is also abandoned. Closer to town in PD, just opposite the Masjid Jamek, another block of apartments remains abandoned. Why cant something be done to revive all these abandoned projects?

On the comment that there is no shopping complex, how big a shopping complex would you expect a small town like PD to have? The Store and Billion are there provide for most people, and Seremban, with a number of other shopping malls, is not far away. The authorities could take another look at the layout of the existing facilties rather than jumping in for another big project.

The menteri besar further comments that the decision was taking into consideration the environmental impact. How is reclaiming more land good for the environment? How is leaving countless abandoned contructions, which are also eyesores, good for the environment?

With this quality of decision making by those in power, its no surprise that that voters are begining to swing the other way. I hope some sense comes to relevant people before its too late.

Brunei

I have to admit, based on what I have heard about Brunei, I would not have chosen to go there on a holiday on my own. However, since my wife had an assignment in Brunei, it was as good an excuse as any for me to go there. Any holiday time spent with my wife is always a pleasure. As it turns out, it was quite an interesting trip.

The 2nd largest town in Brunei, Kuala Belait, is only about 45 minutes by car from the Malaysian city of Miri. I actually flew in to Miri by Air Asia and drove into Brunei in a rented car. Its difficult to get lost as there are few main roads to get lost on and the signboards are fairly clear. It was actually my first experience driving in East Malaysia or Brunei, but it was really very simple. There were times when I did have to ask for directions, but people here were more than willing point us in the right direction. The ony thing that surprised me was the RM10 tol we had to pay to use the ASEAN bridge across the Baram river as we enter Brunei. Seems rather excessive to me for a less than 1 km span. Anyway, on the bright side, the toll on the Brunei side is only BND3.

I was a quite pleasureable driving in Brunei, with very little traffic to contend with and rather courteous drivers all around. It seems that the laid back nature of the country contributees a great deal to the seemingly stress free environment. See a video of a drive at dusk below:

I suppose the drive around Seria was most interesting to me. I had never seen a "nodding donkey", so it was quite an eye opener. Coupled with a visit to the Oil & Gas Discovery centre there and you have a good educational visit. The nodding donkeys are dotted all over Seria town, even in seemingly strange location like just outside a moqsue or next to someone's house! They seem to have crude oil pouring out of their ears over here!

Anyway, no visit to another country is complete without a sampling of some local dishes. The two that we were told to try were "mee kolo" and "ambuyat". Both were nice, but the "ambuyat" was not quite what we expected. It was essentially a bowl of clear starch had with a variety of meats dipped in tempoyak or chilli paste ( adds the spicy touch). It tasted pretty good though.

Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei, has some of the most impressive mosques I have ever seen. Among these was the Jame' Asr Hassanal Bolkiah Mosque in the Gadong area. I was not allowed to take pictures within the mosque, but the picture of the exterior gives a good glimpse of what splendour and baeuty one might find within. Marble and gold inlays are found all over the mosque, and every corner is adorned with some wonderful Islamic motif. In general, all the mosques in Brunei are air conditioned for the comfort of the people, and most appear to have e-Islam kiosk to allow one to learn more about Islam via a touch screen computer.

One simply cannot miss a boat ride tour of Kampong Ayer in Bandar Seri Begawan. Some 10000 houses occupy a large area of shallow river area here. Everything is built on stilts and the only way to get around is to go by boat. It consists of all the necessary amenities one might think a established community would require. This includes schools, workshops, grocery shops, fire brigade, police and mosques - all built on stilts. Its really quite an awesome sight. The boat ride can be quite a thrill too as you navigate some of the narrow water ways. See the video below to get a flavour. Our boatman was quite friendly. He explained that each "floating" household had its own boat and typically they had unique names for their boats. In fact people are known better by the name of their boat rather than their own name. His was called "Darahkula" or Dracula.

All in all, I think it was a very enjoyable trip for both me and my wife. Of course, my dear wife had to work a little before taking a break, but I'm glad I tagged along. I don't however think I will be going there for another holiday very soon.

The New Beginning for Malaysia

So the elections yielded somewhat surprising results, at leaset for me. Its good to see the voice of democracy be heard, but on the flip side, its has been a rocky beginnin with the already apparent rifts between some parties (DAP & PAS) that form the opposition alliance. Thank goodness the menteri besar and cabinet positions have been filled. Now the government can get on with business.

I am however rather annoyed by the talk of documents in government offices being destroyed and having vanished. To me this is clearly a sign that the outgoing leaders had something to hide. If their intention was to just make it difficult for the opposition to rule, then frankly, it only reflects on the lack of maturity and professionalism they practiced in their job. More importantly, the documents are official documents related to government transactions, a government that is elected to serve. So destroying the documents, to me, is a breech of pubblic trust. I think those involved should be taken to court.

Either way, the freebies such as summonses waivers that the opposition administrators are dishing out seem tasty, but I wonder if they have really look at its implications overall. It would be a pity if it leaves a bitter after taste for everyone who have put their trust in them. It hardly seems fair to those who have diligently paid the summonses earlier. What justice is that? There are still many tall promises that will need fulfilling. Lets see what happens, especially after April 15th, when Anwar Ibrahim's ban from politics comes to an end.

Election Fever

As the election fever heats up, it seems more and more people are having "kopitiam" discussions that revolve around this subject. Its very interesting to hear the different stories and views that emerge on the ground. Its hard to say how many stories are true, but one cannot easily ignore what is said by a trusted accquaintence.

This has certainly been the case for me. I read an article in the papers of a local politician claiming that he will hang on to his seat since "he has brought so much progress to his constituency". I had to think about that for moment, and I still can't see any progress that he mentions. It then of course came as no surprise when I heard that his car was badly damaged by furios villagers who had voted for this person at the last election. He went to their village to renew his mandate but was driven off because he failed to keep his promises.

Even though the Hindraf case appears to have been swept under the rugs, it appears there is still a lot of tension brewing in the Indian community. I was made to understand that a local politician made a fleeting negative comment about Hindraf. The Indians at the function refused to eat and demanded that he apologise. They said they need not apologise for fighting for their convictions. They even mentioned of Hishamuddin pointing his keris as an invitation to war and not having to apologise for it. Sounds to me like a rather volatile situation. Makes you wonder just how well the government is managing the multi-racial country. Anyway, this is, of course, what I have heard and not witnessed myself, but it does worry me somewhat. In my opinion, some old hats who have been in power too long need to step down and allow for progress.

I even a joke recently: " Samyvellu and Badawi were on a helicopter together. Badawi said if he dropped 2 RM200 notes over KL, he would make 2 people very happy. Samyvellu, not wanting to be outdone, said that if he dropped 200 RM1 notes, he would make 200 people happy. The pilot overheard their little conversation and said if he dropped both of them overboard, he would make 27 million people very happy" ;)

The moral of the joke? Sometimes its important to know when you have reached a final destination. Don't overextend your stay, especially when you are no more welcomed by the host.