Malaysia is a rather rough and tough place to live in. To live in harmony in this country called Malaysia, tolerance is a MUST, not a choice.

Take the taxi stand at Center Point Bandar Utama for example. (too bad I was not armed with a camera, I promise to put pictures the next time I post)

When I arrived, firstly, there was no queue in place.

Secondly, a red Proton Perdana was conveniently parked RIGHT IN FRONT of the taxi stand, with no driver inside. Talk about parking rules!

And thirdly, as if that were not enough to showcase an ugly Malaysia, taxi drivers come asking us where we should go instead of us asking them. Hello, who are the customers now? The taxi drivers driving themselves around? What is the purpose of the taxi then?

Oh and fourthly, a Malaysian Chinese couple came much later than many others at the taxi stand and grabbed the next cab!!! Talk about being audacious!

Surely, Malaysians need to have tolerance. But this post is not intended to tell Malaysians to tolerate these antics. It is the first of a series of posts intended to EXPOSE THE UGLY SIDE OF MALAYSIA. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I hate this country. No country is perfect, and Malaysia has lot’s of room to improve.  And I really want it to improve!! Let’s stand up against such indecency and ugliness in Malaysia!

Please post this on your blog now to help:

Chung Lern and Nian Ning’s families would like all families and friends of the victims, dead or alive, in the Slim River Bus Crash to come forward and join them in taking action against the bus company. Stand up to seek justice for these three innocent individuals, who were all so young and full of life.

If you have a blog, please call out to ANYONE who knows someone who survived or did not survive the crash to come forward to join the Lee family.

Make a huge difference, make a huge fuss.

For now, you may contact Lee Chung Lern at chunglern@gmail.com or preferably on his handphone at 012-6670368.

If you do not know what this is all about, the underlying story can be found here.
Nian Ning’s blog can be found here and here. It’s rather sad. Let’s do what we can to support her family.

I would like to feature two applications which are currently found on ErnSheong.Com.

ShoutMix

The first is ShoutMix, the free chat widget proudly brought to you by a Malaysian named Tan Wei Heng. Tan started out with a passion to provide the best free shoutbox. In his words, “It started from my own enthusiasm on crafting shoutboxes. It was running great until it was at about 11 months old with 20,000 shoutboxes.” With the help of yet another Malaysian web hosting company, Exabytes Network, Tan managed to continue hosting ShoutMix and eventually moved on to create a premium service for ShoutMix so that ShoutMix would be self sustainable. More here.

Nuffnang

The other is Nuffnang, which is Asia’s first and leading blog advertising community. To date, more than 13,000 blogs have signed up with Nuffnang’s platform in Singapore and Malaysia. Nuffnang’s platform allows advertisers to serve graphic or video based advertisements onto the thousands of local blogs that are signed up with them. Nuffnang is proudly brought to you by Timothy Tiah and Cheo Ming Shen, a Malaysian and a Singaporean respectively. Thousands of bloggers have been served ads by numerous bluechip companies, such as Nike, Citibank, Nokia, F&N, Walls, AirAsia, Honda, and many more. Read more here.

And as the About-Us page on Nuffnang.Com says at the end, “The Best Is Yet To Be” for Malaysian entrepreneurs. Rock on!

Yeah I’ll just help spread this around a bit. I’m going! *rushes off to buy tickets*

From Wikipedia:

Switchfoot is a Grammy-nominated alternative rock band from San Diego, California, United States. …

Switchfoot first gained mainstream recognition after the inclusion of four of their songs in the 2002 movie A Walk to Remember . This recognition led to their major label debut, The Beautiful Letdown, which was released in 2003 and sold over 2.6 million copies as well as featuring their best-known singles, “Meant to Live” and “Dare You to Move”.

…Switchfoot is often referred to as a “Christian band”, mostly due to their involvement with the Christian rock scene in their early days. But the band has always shunned this label. “For us, it’s a faith, not a genre”, says Jon Foreman.

More on how to purchase tickets here. Watch the YouTube video of “Dare You To Move” here.

Hope to see you peeps there!

I know I haven’t.

But a close friend of mine has. My former classmate, good friend and fellow prefect Daphne Chua was featured in the Star Metro on Monday 28 January 2008 with her beloved pet Cookie. It was The Malaysia K9 Day 2008 organized by Puppy.com.my.

Daphne Chua, who had attended the dog carnival for two years in a row, finally decided that she and her pretty pooch Cookie were finally ready to take part in the activities. “It’s good that Puppy.com.my organizes such events for dog lovers as it is an opportunity to create and awareness on animal cruelty and responsibility. Such events should be organized more often.”

Perhaps it would be light years before my first ever The Star feature. =)

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God (Phil 4:6)

I received this story from a forwarded e-mail:

A young man had been to Wednesday Night Bible study.

The Pastor had shared about listening to God and obeying the Lord’s voice the young man couldn’t help but wonder, ‘Does God still speak to people?’

After service, he went out with some friends for coffee and pie and they discussed the message. Several different ones talked about how God had led them in different ways.

It was about ten o’clock when the young man started driving home. Sitting in his car, he just began to pray, ‘God…If you still speak to people, speak to me. I will listen. I will do my best to obey.’

As he drove down the main street of his town, he had the strangest thought to stop and buy a gallon of milk. He shook his head and said out loud, ‘God is that you?’ He didn’t get a reply and started on toward home. But again, the thought, buy a gallon of milk.

The young man thought about Samuel and how he didn’t recognize the voice of God, and how little Samuel ran to Eli.

‘Okay, God, in case that is you, I will buy the milk.’ It didn’t seem like too hard a test of obedience. He could always use the milk. He stopped and purchased the gallon of milk and started off toward home.

This is crazy he thought, and drove on past the intersection. Again, he felt that he should turn down Seventh Street. At the next intersection, he turned back and headed down Seventh.

Half jokingly, he said out loud, ‘Okay God, I will.’

He drove several blocks, when suddenly, he felt like he should stop. He pulled over to the curb and looked around. He was in a semi-commercial area of town. It wasn’t the best but it wasn’t the worst of neighbourhoods either. The businesses were closed and most of the houses looked dark like the people were already in bed.

Again, he sensed something, ‘Go and give the milk to the people in the house across the street.’ The young man looked at the house. It was dark and it looked like the people were either gone or they were already asleep. He started to open the door and then sat back in the car seat.

‘Lord, this is insane. Those people are asleep and if I wake them up, they are going to be mad and I will look stupid.’ Again, he felt like he should go and give the milk.

Finally, he opened the door, ‘Okay God, if this is you, I will go to the door and I will give them the milk. If you want me to look like a crazy person, okay. I want to be obedient. I guess that will count for something, but if they don’t answer right away, I am out of here.’

He walked across the street and rang the bell. He could hear some noise inside. A man’s voice yelled out, ‘Who is it? What do you want?’ Then the door opened before the young man could get away.

The man was standing there in his jeans and T-shirt. He looked like he just got out of bed. He had a strange look on his face and he didn’t seem too happy to have some stranger standing on his doorstep. ‘What is it?’

The young man thrust out the gallon of milk, ‘Here, I brought this to you.’ The man took the milk and rushed down a hallway.

Then from down the hall came a woman carrying the milk toward the kitchen. The man was following her holding a baby. The baby was crying. The man had tears streaming down his face.

The man began speaking and half crying, ‘We were just praying. We had some big bills this month and we ran out of money. We didn’t have any milk for our baby. I was just praying and asking God to show me how to get some milk.’

His wife in the kitchen yelled out, ‘I ask him to send an Angel with some. Are you an Angel?’

The young man reached into his wallet and pulled out all the money he had on him and put in the man’s hand. He turned and walked back toward his car and the tears were streaming down his face.

He knew that God still answers prayers.

This is so true. Sometimes it’s the simplest things that God asks us to do that cause us, if we are obedient to what He’s asking, to be able to hear. His voice more clear than ever. Please listen, and obey! It will bless you (and the world). Phil 4:13

Sometimes we are stubborn and refuse to believe that what we pray can indeed come true. Take heart and let your desires be made known to God through prayer!

I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Ome, my fellow Thai friend who studied with me in National Junior College, for his very kind and patient assistance with the installation of a self-hosted Wordpress blog. Ome helped me by giving detailed instructions and helping me troubleshoot despite being busy with other programming work. *applause*

Also I would like to express many thanks to Marcus Chang for being my “tech support” when I needed it, with this blog and with many other countless times since secondary school. And yes, like you said, if I do get rich, I might pay you. Haha

Sorry if you have been visiting expecting posts. Look out for more posts soon!

Hi there I have just settled into this new home and it would take some time for me to get acquainted with the new freedom that I have in doing up my blog. Please be patient as I search for a suitable theme online to suit my tastes and struggle to configure the way the site looks.

Watch this space soon!

Quoted from Chen Chow’s blog:

This year, total applicants (Early Decision + Regular Decision) to top US Universities have been increasing by quite a lot!

Harvard University increases by 19% to 27,278.
University of Chicago increases by 18%. (International applicants grew 23% to 1,826)
Amherst College increases by 17%.
Northwestern University increases by 14% to more than 25,000.
Dartmouth College increases by 10%.
Cornell University increases by 7.5% to 32,655.
Princeton University increases by 6% to 20,118.
University of Virginia increases by 4% to 18,776.

For Early Decision, Cornell University has 3,095 students (up 3%). Cornell has accepted 1,142 of them, representing 37 percent of the Class of 2012. The acceptance rate for Early Decision is 36.8%, matching thwe rate from last year.

For total applicants from Malaysia to Cornell University, as of now, there have been at least 55 people and am expecting this number to increase further, as not all applicants have contacted me. Last year was 45 applicants, so it is up by at least 22%.

———————————————–

Quoted from The Boston Globe

Harvard had the most dramatic spike, which it attributed in part to its announcement last month that it was greatly boosting financial aid for students from middle- and higher-income families in the 2008-09 school year. Harvard said yesterday it received 27,278 applications by Jan. 1, a 19 percent increase over last year. Princeton, with 20,118 applicants, had a 6.2 percent increase, and UVA, with 18,900 applicants, reported an increase of 4.5 percent …

… Yale and MIT, which have early admissions, had higher numbers of early applicants this year. Officials at the schools said it could be because of the changes at the other schools. Yet, Yale expects its overall applicant pool to remain about the same size, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology had a 4 percent increase in overall applicants.

———————————————–

All the best to those who applied to these top US universities! (including myself!) The competition is so tough it kills me just to think about it! But God opens doors which no one can close. =)

I’m so happy for Obama!

Barack Obama ousts Hillary Clinton in South Carolina with 55% of the votes as opposed to Clinton’s 27%, while John Edwards settled for 18% of the votes. Exit polls showed that Obama “won almost every age, ideological and income group” in South Carolina.

This win ties Obama and Clinton at a score of 2-2 in the running to the Super Tuesday elections on 5th February during which many other American states would hold their nominations on the same day. And Obama’s win also halts Hillary Clinton’s winning-streak momentum gained during the earlier two primaries at Nevada and New Hampshire.

GO OBAMA! He has proven that the underdog can catch up with the supposed leader (used to be Clinton indisputably earlier last year). Now the question is not whether he will survive and see daylight, but it is whether he can triumph over rival Clinton!

The world needs an American leader who is trustworthy and honest. I look forward to Obama becoming the 44th President of the United States!

Below is his victory speech after the win which showcases his power as a great orator who rallies people together. Great speech!

“YES, WE CAN!”

Be a volunteer for this large scale event! Featuring industry leaders in ICT, including top CEOs and Heads of State from various regions.

Quoted from http://www.wcit2008.org/About/default.aspx

Held once every two years, the World Congress on Information Technology is a premier global ICT forum that brings together global leaders in business, government and academia. Often billed as the Olympics of ICT, it impacts global economic and social development through the exchange of policies and ideas on technology.

WCIT 2008 will be held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on May 18 – 22, 2008. Themed “The Global Impact of Information and Communications Technology: Enable Businesses, Empower Societies, Enrich Economies”, the five-day event is expected to draw more than 2,500 delegates from over 80 countries. Keynote speakers are expected to include some of the most respected and admired names in Government and industry.

WCIT 2008 incorporates a three-day congress to address global impact issues, a Link Program for business matching that includes a series of structured business-to-business (B2B), business-to-government (B2G) and business-to-industry (B2I) meetings, an ICT exhibition, a debate on current ICT issues and ancillary activities like tours, golf tournament, F1 experience and a spouse program.

It will cost a delegate USD 950 to attend, which translates to RM 3325 per delegate!!! For day-dreamers who want to rub shoulders with the industry’s greats like Michael Dell and Bill Gates, volunteering is your next best option!

So go and volunteer now!

- FAQ for volunteers
- Terms and Conditions
- Volunteer Online Form

This occured during prayer meeting in City Harvest KL last Tuesday. If you are not a Christian, you might think that I am crazy and out of my mind.

Last Tuesday pastor told us to find a partner and pray for the person such that the prayer meets the person’s needs (He wants to train church members to listen to God and speak out, aka prophesying, i.e. speaking truth on other’s lives) He said that we should seek a picture or word and speak to the other person. So I partnered with a guy from Kenya who was currently studying in Sunway College. I never knew him before this, so I could not have known about his situation.

It goes like this, we held hands and prayed before speaking out. He went first. He spoke to me that he saw or visualized an airplane. He related to me that he supposed that I would be flying off from Malaysia in the near future maybe for studies or for other purposes. He told me that God would make me a person of influence and cause me to be successful to shine for Him (I’m not blowing my own trumpet). He said a few other things, but roughly this was it.

I never prophesied to another before. After praying in tongues for a while, I saw no vision, image or word. Nevertheless, I just spoke what came to mind. I told him not to worry and not be afraid of the challenges that is facing him, as Jesus says “Do not worry,” and I prayed that his family might one day be saved. I kinda forgot what else I prayed for him, but it seemed pretty general stuff for me.

After the prayer, I saw tears this Kenyan guy’s eyes. He seemed touched. Pastor asked all of us whether the prayer was really personal and meant for the person being prayed for. He raised up his hand indicating that it was really really accurate, and that he felt that the prayer was meant for him. Really man. I just spoke what came to mind.

As for me, I am actually faced with two options now. US or NUS for my higher education. I use a bus or a car to go to Singapore, but not planes. Perhaps God is telling me that I am US bound now? (I have to get admitted to one of the very competitive universities I applied to first) I raised up my hand too. Caused it concerned me and was about my future.

That aside, my previous cell group leader in Singapore also prophesied for me twice. Hers was different. She spoke in first person the first time. It felt like God was talking to me directly. At first, he told me that He knows that I have been studying very very hard in Singapore staying up for many late nights. (I didn’t tell my cell group leader that!) He told me that He would open doors for me so that I can continue running. And He also told me not to worry and he likened me to a little boy with a large sack to carry. He said that I should give Him the burden so that I can be free of it. I could not stop crying when my cell leader prayed. I felt something lifted from my heart that day in Singapore. A burden disappeared.

My God is a wonderful and mighty God.

Quoted from The Star Online:

RM50 pocket money limit

By SAZUKI EMBONG

KOTA BARU: The state Road Transport Department (JPJ) has ordered some of its personnel not to carry more than RM50 as pocket money while performing official duties.

The requirement is for now confined to enforcement division officers, road examination testers and clerical staffers.

State JPJ director Abdul Ghani Che Kassim said a daily record keeping would be done by a specially formed in-house panel, which would oversee the implementation of the requirement.

The JPJ officers would be subjected to daily spot checks, he said after receiving six new enforcement vehicles at its state headquarters here yesterday.

“We will give leeway if they exceed the RM20 requirement. However, the maximum is RM50. Anything above it, they must explain,” he said.

Abdul Ghani said such a requirement would be implemented at all JPJ offices nationwide, but probably in stages.

He added that the requirement had been implemented in Kelantan since Jan 1.

“We have to maintain the reputation of JPJ. In Kelantan to date, no JPJ officers are under investigation by the Anti-Corruption Agency and we want this to continue,” he said.

Abdul Ghani also advised JPJ officers to report those who attempted to bribe them in order to show the department’s seriousness of maintaining a clean image.

Not a bad move at all… The Royal Malaysian Police should also take similar steps. I can’t stand bribery as it hurts the nation’s credibility and image.

Akhmed the Dead Terrorist

Jeff Dunham, a very talented ventriloquist and funny-man!

If you feel down or dejected today, do watch this video and listen to the spirited acoustic instrumental. Really awesome.

I play the guitar, but his level of playing is seriously very very good.

Introducing Andy Mckee, playing Africa! Enjoy!