Ramble & Rant

Long way to go but it's all in the label

2010-05-25T18:56:00.000+08:00

We have a long way to go. By this I mean in being transparent. Funny how it is, transparency being the catchword here. It is not only bandied about in the political realm but nevertheless also glaringly absent where local products are concerned. Yes, I am griping again about local products. It seems to me that local manufacturers of consumer goods are out to take us for a ride, no – not in their Bentleys or Maybachs but to outright con you out of your hardearned cash. Read on :

1.Have you ever observed that weights of local products are well nigh invisible or so inconspicous that you have to turn the package over a few times before you can see the indicated weight – very often hidden among other text pertaining to the item or printed in non-contrasting colours in tiny fonts that is very difficult to discern without a magnifying glass. It is not some oversight but a devious measure to confuse you and make you unable to compare weights vis-a-vis price among competing brands. Guilty product lines include biscuits, noodles, confectionery, etc. Cunning, isn't it? This phenomenon is not seen in imported products- their weights and volumes being conspicously displayed on the frontal panels of the packages most of the time. Our locally based manufacturers must take us for fools – well, not me. A quick mental calculation will quickly show that the local product is not cheap at all when compared to the imported item – more so especially considering the better quality of the imported product.

2.Labelling sins are aplenty in local products. Take for example - toothpaste. How come the government is unable to compel manufacturers to list the ingredients used in their concoctions? Why do the local manufacturere resist the compulsion to list the ingredients? Is it because you wouldn't dare put toothpaste in your mouth if you know what horrendous chemicals go into that innocuous paste? I believe I have hit the nail on the head. Because of the failure to make the listing of ingredients mandatory, some time ago a big muckety-muck actually went on to advise consumers to use only a small bead of toothpaste each time, not the long swathe you see in the commercials.

3.Another labelling sin is listing ingredients as `approved flavoring'; `spices'; `vegetable oil'. The educated consumer wants to know what kind of flavoring, what types of spices, what type of oil is used in the product that he is consuming. Please don't insult our intelligence by hiding behind such catch-all phrases or citing `trade secrets'. God only knows what else has not been disclosed in such lists! This is why contamination by substances such as the recent melamine scare can occur. Manufactories usually have laboratories, so what the heck are the staff doing? Just mucking around and passing time?

4.At a time when most people are concerned about hypertension or elevated blood pressure, listing the sodium content is vital to enable consumers to make sensible choices. But no, sodium levels are never stated in local products. It is probably so high that you would be scared off buying it in the first place, to say nothing of eating it. Is it so difficult to analyse and list the actual sodium levels in the products? Or is it because our legislation has no provision for such practice? Sometimes, you wonder what our exalted wakil rakyat are doing in parliament.

5.Some manufacturers actually try to obsfucate or outright bluff the uninitiated. Some instant noodle packaging proudly proclaim `no msg' or monosodium glutamate. People may be misled into thinking that it is a better product but look closer at the ingredient listing and you will see disodium inosinate or disodium guanylate being declared as permitted flavor enhancers. For all we know, these substitutes may be actually worse than msg, but the local manufacturers will never tell us. Some overseas government agencies actually classify instant noodles as hazardous food and discourage its consumption.

6.The widespread use of monosodium glutamate in food products is exploited as a
shortcut in making it palatable. Msg is not needed at all if effort has been invested into the recipe or concoction. Look at imported items – how many can you find msg being listed therein as an ingredient? You would be hard put to find even one, yet the products actually tasted better. At the same time, you also wouldn't see the imported item trumpeting that it is `msg free'. There is no such need if your recipe is up to scratch.Msg is actually seen as hazardous to health in developed countries.

7.Cholesterol. A so-called reputable brand of cream crackers (locally made) listed its ingredients followed by the nutrient/mineral breakdown figures - among them were cholesterol = 0, but there was no mention of sodium at all. Listing cholesterol levels as zero is a bad joke, any school kid can tell you there is no cholesterol if you don't use ingredients of animal origin. I also saw a brand of cooking oil (palm oil) proudly declaring 'cholesterol free'. At the same time, saturated fat levels were conveniently ignored. Our intelligence is being severely insulted here. Either that or perhaps they just didn't know better. I wonder.

8.Preservatives. `No preservatives!' - Proudly proclaims a label. Hey, waddaya take us consumers for, eh? Fools, what? The labels goes on to list sugar, salt and oil among its ingredients. Come on – sugar, salt and oil are all preservatives, doesn't the manufacturer know this? If what it is really trying to say is there are no artificial preservatives in the product, then it should be more specific. It actually ends up making a fool of itself.

Shortchanged, as usual

2010-05-07T20:02:00.002+08:00

Tread softly and carry a big calculator. Traders are always out to make you part with your money. The quest to being wise consumers is not easy, not without the gahmen looking after us. It is every man for his own, learn to be wise or perish. Malaysians always seem to get the short end of the stick every which way life goes. Perhaps the old saw that a sucker is born every minute really does ring true.

The following are scams I can see in this country:

1.Eggs- A sized eggs are not really A size in classification. I have seen A sized eggs in Singapore that look substantially bigger than those in Malaysia. Compared to these , our local A eggs are at best called C size. I wonder how this can happen as most of the eggs sold in Singapore comes from farms in Malaysia. Ah, must be the stronger currency from down south.

Are the so-called Omega rich eggs really worth the extra money? At over 50sen each,
they are are terribly expensive. What's more, they are puny in size; more like C-size
eggs. Break one into your frying pan and see what I mean. Two 'genuine' A eggs fill up a 9inch pan whereas 2 Omega eggs barely fill half of it. I understand that the orangish
yolk colour is derived from feeding the layers with carotene rich feedmeal such as
those made from oil palm waste. It is probably this vibrant yolk colour that make
consumers think they are really better than the plain yellow of ordinary eggs. Costing
more than 50sen a pop, these eggs really cost as much as 80sen for a regular A sized
ordinary egg (based on egg volume), that is a whopping 60% more.

Is it worth it? Make your choice wisely. I prefer the ordinary eggs, freshness being the more important factor.

2,Fried chicken. Chicken prices are high now, so fast food restaurants try to balance out by using smaller birds. Any sized chicken will yield 8 parts; so will a sparrow. I noticed that fried chicken parts are much bigger down south than in Malaysia- I thought there was supposed to be a specified minimum size to be used. Profiteering rears its ugly head again. Better to spend a little time and effort to fry your own chicken parts especially if you have a large family, no sense in enriching the fast food chains. By the way, the same company who holds the franchise for both Malaysia and its southern neighbouring country; serves much larger pieces in the latter place, why the discrepancy God only knows. Malaysians are such pathetic suckers that they don't know better?

3.Rice – cooked rice that is. Economy rice stalls usually sell the rice at rm1 per serving. Consider that they usually only the cheapest grade of local rice (with 10-15% broken grains) that costs at most rm2.50 a kilogram which yields at least 10 plates costing 25sen each – cooked rice must be the most profitable item in the whole menu. Just imagine- a 300% profit (on cost) margin! Economy rice is a misnomer, it ain't no longer economical – what used to be a poor man's meal has become unaffordable to a lot of people. Just don't make the mistake of ladling too much food onto your plate or you will end up paying through your nose!
This is probably why most women who tar-pau for their families will only buy cooked vegetables and meat dishes without rice, certainly cheaper to cook the rice at home. But hey, it is even cheaper by far to cook everything at home; lotsa recipes on the internet. So learn to cook, ok Honey?

4.Burgers. 'our burgers are the cheapest in the world' – trumpeted by a burger chain.
Hogwash and balderdash – just plain bullshit. Of course it is the cheapest, why shouldn't it be?. Just look at the paper thin meat patty, the small bun, the miserable slab of “cheese' – I'd be surprised if it wasn't the cheapest. Perhaps they forgot to proclaim that it is also the worst tasting burger around. Even the roadside burger stalls can often serve up a better version than this well known burger chain. Yet, the joints are often full at mealtimes – got kong thau ar? I probably eat there once a year, which I think is one time too many. I wonder how the local franchisee gets away with cutting corners to such an extent, after all the master franchisor has set standards for all its overseas operations. Well, wink & nudge – Malaysia Boleh!

5.Roti canai. Or roti paratha as it is known down south. It sells for 80sen at most mamak shops, no big deal when considering just the price itself. But it is small, mind you. I remember eating roti canai that were as big as the plate it came on, costs just 15sen apiece.. Now it is just a shadow of itself. Recently there was an article about a malay cooperative restaurant in KL selling a roti canai for only 40sen and a teh tarik for 60sen, a veritable breakfast for only rm1. The proprietor claimed he could get a 100% profit on the roti as production cost is only 20sen a piece. Just imagine the mamak shops selling the same thingy at 80sen, a 300% profit margin on cost alone! If this is not excessive profiteering, then I don't know what else to call it. A last gripe at the damnable roti canai – did you notice that they always give the same little miserable platter of kuah (gravy) whether you asked for 1,2 or 3 pcs of roti? You always have to ask for more – just don't get your noggin rapped in the process!

Shortchanged as usual, what else is new, huh?

Mossies, I just hate em

2009-09-14T11:53:00.000+08:00

Are you allergic or sensitive to mosquito bites? I suppose most of us are; I for one gets all itchy when I see a mossie – before it actually bites me.

So what do we do? Despite all the screening we install on windows and doors, these pesky critters seem to have the skills to penetrate almost anything. Short of armor-cladding our bodies in thick denim from top to toe, the only other alternative is to use repellents. A common type of repellent in the market is the plug in type. A small bottle of clear fluid is mated to a modular heater; the whole assembly is then plugged into a wall outlet – the heater draws the fluid up through a black wick and evaporates it. It is the evaporation and dispersion into the air of the active compound containing allethrin thats kills mossies. It certainly seems to work well, the fluid seemingly deadly to the bugs. Wonder if there is any long term harm to us humans. Avoid dengue and malaria; then come down with side effects of the chemical in the repellent. Oh well, you can't win them all.

One thing I noticed is that the repellent gets used up very fast. Whether listed as 60 or 90 day duration, it just doesn't last as long as touted – even when used less than 10 hours per night. You might use a timer to limit its action to say, 6 hours a night. However, the heater seems to pour out prodigious amounts of repellent via the black wick, probably more than necessary. I was mulling about this and finally hit upon an idea to slow it down. You need to work on the black wick that appears to be a wooden material. Just cut off the topmost 5mm of the wick – score along its circumference with a sharp blade cutter and snap it off cleanly. The logic of this is to reduce the heated part of the wick, the topmost part of the wick now reaches only half into the heater. Less heated portion of wick, less repellent is drawn up and evaporated.

Hey, waddaya know? It really works, the bottle of repellent seems to last longer now. The level of repellent remaining doesn't go down as fast as before. The device still keeps the mossies at bay. When I get to the next new bottle, I will be able to accurately gauge how much longer it lasts with this modification. Saves a little money and reduces the repellent residue we absorb – all for less than a minute's work.

Service with a smile or a scowl?

2009-08-05T13:08:00.000+08:00

I recently bought cooked food items at a local hypermarket. The food concerned was quite tasty and reasonably priced.

As with a lot of good concepts, sometimes the potential is very much reduced by the attitudes of the staff who face the customers. I am referring to the staff who manned this food counter, especially the older Malay lady who cooked the food. Her attitude left much to be desired, in fact it bordered on the outright rude. On the first occasion when I enquired if the food were ready at around 11.30am, she brusquely replied 'lepas pukul dua belas!' - (after 12.00 pm!). Okay, so I was early – it wasn't my fault to ask. On the second occasion, I asked her if a particular dish was chicken or fish, she practically shouted “ikan!” (fish!) at me. I had to ask her as the dish was non-descript – I couldn't tell if it was chicken or fish. Was it too much to ask such a question? Was it her attitude that those who purchase such affordably priced food had no right or dignity to enquire?

I have always felt that if a person wasn't happy with the job or felt the work was beneath her, she could always quit and apply her talents elsewhere. I am sure she is not there by force. There are probably lots of people who would gladly fill her shoes and smile in the process too. So I wrote up a complaint note and prepared to email it off to the management of the hypermarket concerned. As fate would have it, my complaint couldn't get through their server – was it possible they purposely set it up to reject complaints? No complaints coming through means that everything was hunky-dory, right?

Anyway, I went there a third time, determined that it would be the last and final time I would go to that counter – the abuse wasn't worth it after all. Surprise, surprise – the same woman was at the counter, instead of glowering at me, she was actually smiling and struck up some small talk with me. I am sure she didn't get a talking to by her management as my complaint didn't get through their computer server. I came away feeling non-plussed with this about turn of attitude, even more confused about the moods of people in this world. At the same time too, I was glad my complaint didn't get through – God only knows how many dependents she has to support from this job. It wouldn't bear well with my conscience if she got sacked because of my complaint. Oh well, live and let live.

X-rated food???

2009-08-05T13:07:00.000+08:00

How can food be x-rated? Do they resemble various parts of the human anatomy?

Ah, I've likened them to be x-rated due to abuses inflicted unto the hapless victims by their human captors. Two of these include the stingray (ikan pari) and the ubiquitious squid or sotong. There are probably more along the line.

An acquaintance of mine was a crew member of a fishing trawler during his teenage days. He swore that he saw his fellow crew members sexually abuse the ikan pari (female only) that they landed. From that day onward, he stopped eating ikan pari – whether as ikan bakar or in asam curry; no matter how delicious they looked.

Another friend of mine said she will not eat sotong or squid outside her own home. She will only buy sotong with their heads intact – ie. attached firmly to the thorax and cook them at home. This is because she heard some horror stories about fishermen tearing off the heads of suitably sized squid, extricate the innards and then performing unmentionable acts on the thorax pod. The said abused squids were then thrown back into the pile to be sold to wholesalers.

Ugghh! What vile acts of debauchery! It is bad enough abusing the poor creatures under the guise of catching them for food; what more passing them to unknowing buyers down the road after the disgusting perversions were done.

Buy local II

2009-06-29T11:10:00.000+08:00

This is an expansion on the preceding post about shunning local products. I wrote this on Campbell Malaysia's online feedback form.:

I recently bought a can of Campbell's Tomato soup, proudly made in Malaysia by Campbell Cheong Chan's factory. It turned out to be a real let-down.

I have been consuming Campbell's condensed soups since childhood. In the good old days, they were all imported. And they were all of good quality, especially the chunky varieties.

When Campbell announced a few years ago that it was acquiring the Malaysian plant of Cheong Chan with the aim of making the canned soups locally. I told my friends - “I think we had better switch to Heinz soups or learn how to make our own blended soups.
I bet the quality sure suffers as is the case with all locally produced foodstuffs.'

Sure enough, I was right. The above can of Tomato soup is testimony of my assertion that locally made products are just not up to the mark. Where the Campbell Tomato soup I was used to was a creamy tomatoey colour and consistency, the locally made one looked like thin tomato ketchup in color and consistency. Please don't try to give me any ballyhoo about catering to local tastes, etc. Eating tomato soup is an acquired taste for Malaysians, nothing local about it - nice try though. The can of soup when made according to directions tasted just like what we can make from a bottle of tomato ketchup, and more cheaply at that.

I'll bet ol' Joe Campbell would turn in bis grave if he knew what you chaps are doing to his brand of soups.

Believe me, I am not ever buying any Campbell canned soups again. The quality and high costs make it an insult to my intelligence. Even my own version of Tomato soup made from fresh tomatoes tasted much better than your canned soup. I hate to be insulted and made to pay for shoddy quality. Campbell soup? Never again.

AND, THIS WAS THEIR REPLY :

Dear J.

Re: Feedback on Campbell's Tomato Soup

Thank you for your feedback regarding Campbell's Tomato Soup. We are sorry that you didn't enjoy our soup as much as you have hoped.

We work hard to make sure we meet our consumer expectations and provide them with the quality and taste they have come to expect of our products. For example, we continuously talk to consumers to seek their feedback on our existing product range, for opportunities to further improve our products and gather concepts for new ideas,. Hence, whilst we are disappointed that you dislike this product we very much appreciate your feedback.

Thank you again for taking the time to get in touch with us. Campbell's Soups values consumer feedback that enable us to continually grow.

Regards,
Campbell's Soup Customer Service

- There you have it.

Alright, where's the recipe book for those good old blended soups?

Buy local, be patriotic, blah, blah

2009-06-22T11:50:00.000+08:00

Buy locally made products? Not likely!

It is all very well to exhort one and all to buy locally made products – ostensibly to save foreign exchange and support the local manufacturers. That may well be true but where does this leave the individual consumer?

Let me say this – he is left holding the short end of the stick; as usual. In short, he's being
conned again.

No need to look far and wide. A few examples are housing where we pay through our noses for mediocre quality houses that are grossly overpriced vis-a vis earnings capacity & potential. The national cars are overpriced which brings a cascading effect of inflating prices of foreign cars to a level where we pay some o9f the highest prices for cars in the world.

Well, we buy a house and a car once in a while but we need to eat everyday, don't we? Food, yes glorious food in all its forms. Local fare is blessed with a plethora of flavours and styles, enough to please all but the most fastidious of palates. It is the manufactured and packaged food that I am driving at here, be it biscuits, confectionery like chocs, noodles, etc.

Some of the sins of local manufacturers are :

1.Concocting names that are nothing but a jack-off of an imported brand. Imitation is not the best form of flattery here, it jusy shows that you are devoid of ideas amd inspiration.

2.Packaging and get-ups that brainlessly and shamelessly simulate that of established brands. I have always felt that the worst offence in this direction is the veritable ketchup and chilli sauce bottle. The guy who originally designed the narrow necked bottle is a heckuva dumbass – it is so difficult to pour from it. How do you expect people to consume more if they can't pour fast enough? A wide necked bottle should be used instead. Case of the blind leading the blind. Haven't they heard of Aji-no-moto's success in ramping up sales simply by making bigger holes in the bottle stopper that allowed more flavor enhancer to be dispensed each time?

3.Weights and volumes are so inconspicious as to be virtually invisible. The print is in such small size and non-contrasting colors that you need a magnifying glass to decipher it. The reason is make a would-be buyer unable to compare weight/volume against prices. Isn't it devious and despicable all at the same time? It is a phenomenon affecting local products only, look around you. Imported products have their weight and grammage conspicously located on the package, not hidden in some little nook as in the local item. The packaging of local stuff will most often than not be flamboyant and wasteful. It is only when you weigh it in your hand that you realise that you are being taken for a ride. Shortchanged, that's what it is. Quick, put it down and look for something else.

4.Quality and pricing that are not commensurate when compared to imported products. Imported products are not really that expensive considering their better quality, such examples as chocolates and noodles; the local versions are practically inedible – their only redeeming feature being 'cheaper' than corresponding foreign items; helped substantially by import tariffs. Look at the ingredient list and see the difference. Instead of modified palm fat and dried milk powder, read real cocoa butter and full cream milk in imported chocs. Similarly, see how what goes into flavouring packs of imported noodles- you see what I mean? Local noodles are just not worth the money, just a con job to make us part with our money. Even house brands of hypermarkets like Tesco (imported from UK) are better than locally made products, very often cheaper too. Which makes me suspect that local manufacturers are making super profits and duping the consumers at the same time. Time to stop being fools, eh?

5.Products that become worse when locally made. Case in point being Campbell's canned soups, now made in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. Just as I predicted, quality deteriorated, I have sworn off Campbell soup forever. Insult to injury, they are actually much more expensive locally made even when you factored in increased costs and exchange rates. What happened? Are we really such pathetic suckers?

I am not being unpatriotic in urging against consuming local products. As consumers, we are only concerned with getting value for our money, with quality to boot. If imported products are worthwhile buying bearing in mind quality and costs, then so be it. Who cares if local manufacturers cannot compete and survive? We are not fools. Time to stop the duping, let's wise up. It is the only way local manufacturers will buck up and give us value for money. Good luck to them. Me? I will always give local products a miss and opt for the imported item. No snobbery involved, just plain common cents (pun intended). Too bad for the local manufacturers, but that's the way it is.

I m baaack!

2009-06-22T11:48:00.001+08:00

I am back, sheesh- it sounds real corny! Laid off writing for quite some time. Now I am back to my old shenanigans. Let's see, what is there to grouse about.......................

Favorite Hobby

2008-02-29T08:13:00.001+08:00

My favorite hobby since childhood days remains scale modelling; making scale models of tanks, cars, and ships. Later on when the purse strings permitted, I branched out into radio control airplanes.

I was never a top notch modeller capable of producing show pieces that win competitions. Neither was I a proficient flyer of model planes; I guess my brain-to-hand coordination was just plain lousy. But these pursuits satisfied an urge inside me of things mechanical. I am always happy to see youngsters indulge in this healthy hobby rather than spend their time hanging around shopping complexes and video gaming centres.

It is a bit sad to see that the modelling hobby does not seem to have permeated a larger portion of youngsters and those young at heart. Part of the reason is probably the existence of other forms of entertainment such as video gaming and of course handphone texting. However I feel that the major reason is one of cost. Model kits and supplies remain among the highest in the region. When I used to reside in JB, I made regular trips to Singapore to get my modelling stuff. Even with present exchange rates, it is still worthwhile to buy them in Singapore. There is wide disparity between prices in Singapore and Malaysia. When I asked a Malaysian dealer why prices are so much higher here, he replied it was because of higher taxes. This is all BS to me! I did some checking and found that plastic scale model kits attract only 5% import duty and 10% sales tax; yet prices can often be 50-60% higher here. Radio control model kits and equipment are not taxed at all but prices are at least 50% higher than in Singapore. It is common practice for modellers in KL to make occasional trips to Singapore for all their supplies. Still worthwhile even after incurring the travel expenses and road tolls. They also get to see the latest kits and equipment there. Some even make online orders from established internet outlets like Tower Hobbies; I did and found their pricing and service second to none.

So what is happening here? It would seem that local dealers are making excessive profits and in the process discouraging new entrants to this absorbing hobby. Perhaps they need to make more to cover operating expenses due to lower sales volume. There are also not many dealers here who compete among themselves. It is certainly not due to higher rentals when compared to Singapore. When modelling supplies are priced high, less people are inclined to take up the hobby. With low volume import orders, local dealers cannot command bulk discounts from oversea distributors so they pass the higher cost to local customers. The vicious circle goes on; both dealers and hobbyists lose out. The government has done its part by levying zero or minimal taxes on the imported supplies.

Perhaps local dealers should try lowering prices to encourage loyal hobbyists to support them. It is indeed short sighted to make high profits per sale and end up with an overall low sales turnover. Far better to make less per item and make far more on higher sales volume.

What sprouts?

2008-02-27T16:32:00.000+08:00

The humble taugeh of course, what else.

I just learnt to grow my own taugeh; into my umpteen batch now. I can now enjoy fresh crunchy taugeh any time I want without having to go to the supermarket or wet market. Taugeh does not keep well in the fridge too.

Why on earth for? Taugeh is cheap enough at around rm2 per kilo at most. Besides the convenience factor, the main consideration is safety. Heaven only knows what growth stimulants the commercial growers saturate the mung beans for them to grow fast and thick as well as last long on the shelf. Too bad I can't raise my own fish, chickens, goats and cows in my apartment

Google 'bean sprouts' and you'd get hundreds of sites teaching you how to grow sprouts. Not just bean sprouts, practically all kinds of sprouts. Maybe I will try those others later.

The process is practically idiot proof, even for those who are all thumbs. All you need are mung beans; a few plastic jars with mesh covers, water and patience. Plastic jars that are about 6 inches in diameter and 8 inches height are ideal for a start. The mesh covers I used were recycled from a plastic mesh bag which held garlic bulbs. The mesh size was just small enough to prevent the beans from falling through. Anything will do, even your wife's stockings – just use a new one, with her permission of course. Use rubber bands to hold the mesh in place.

Cleaniness is of utmost importance here. First sort and discard foreign matter from the beans, then wash each batch thoroughly until the water runs clear. Beans that float are bad, chuck those out. Place enough beans to cover the bottom of the jar. Fill with water – rule of thumb is thrice the height of the beans. Secure jar mouth with mesh & rubber bands. Leave in a fairly dark place for 8 hrs, then pour out the water and rinse the beans; leaving mesh in place. If an unpleasant odour is detected, identify and discard the bad beans, wash again and replace in jar, then seal with mesh and refill water. Do this for 2 days, on the third day, pour out all the water – make sure you drain it well.Then replace jar in dark place; repeat rinsing and draining every 12 hrs. Watch the transformation. The beans will begin to sprout and can be harvested at 2inch lengths about 2-3 days later.

Try to avoid absolutely dark places like closets or cupboards, air circulation is important. You will need at least three batches to ensure continous supply of home grown taugeh.
Adjust bean quantity to cater for your consumption rate.

The sprouts you get won't be as long and fat as those available in the market because commercial growers use chemicals and gases to promote accelerated growth. One difference is the greenish hull of the homegrown sprouts; market bought sprouts are black in colour.

Won't save you much cash, but it is fun and safe to eat too.

Bynote : Ipoh taugeh being well known for their crunchiness and fat stalks are widely attributed to the use of well water in sprouting them. I don't really believe this; probably just a smokescreen propagated by the producers to hide widespread use of chemicals and gases.

Fast to eat, good to cook...... duhh

2008-02-26T09:32:00.001+08:00

The instant noodle noodle business must be horrendously profitable; this is evident in the numerous companies in Malaysia making and marketing them. Aside from the usual stalwarts such as Maggi , Cintan & Mamee, little known names have also emerged from the woodwork. Even firms known for their packaged spices are making them to say nothing of hypermarkets hustling them under their house brands.

Imported brands from Asean nations such as Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam have also made substantial inroads into the local scene. Having tried them, I must say they are better than the local ones – I guess they must be giving the local boys a tough fight. What I find mind boggling are that these imported brands often sell for less than the locally made ones, despite the logistical costs involved in bringing them over. Imported stuff from Asean nations are eligible for preferential import tariffs, such being the benefit of belonging to Asean. Which brings to mind a point - local firms are making obscene profits from this humble product. I wonder how much it costs to set up a production line to make the noodle cakes and a lab/packaging shop to pack the 'chemical soup powder' for the various msg laden flavours.

Many brands proudly trumpet 'no added msg' on the labels thus giving the consumer the false impression that it is better and his hair loss will probably lessen. Look closer into the ingredient list and you will see compounds like sodium inosinate & glutamate instead; these being alternative flavour enhancers. Wonder whether these new replacement chemicals are better or worse for health. Or is it msg has increased in price thereby warranting substitutes. Whatever it is, whether monosodium or disodium we really need to cut down drastically on sodium intake if we want to live longer.

Another caution is the anti-oxidants used to prolong shelf life of the noodles. As most of the noodle cakes are oil fried , anti-oxidants are essential to prevent the product going rancid. One such anti-oxidant is BHA (go look it up on the Net) - a waxy substance derived from the petro-chemical process. Seems we can't digest BHA and the gastro-intestinal tract have problems expelling it out thru our rear ends. Recommended measure is to drain away the hot water after cooking it, then refill with fresh hot water plus whatever flavoring the noodle came with. I read that this gets rid of most of the BHA. It may also be best not to use the plastic cup to cook noodles; use a large porcelain mug. No telling if the plastic cup will not react with the boiling hot water poured into it. For that matter, forget about cup noodles as they are much more costly than the normal soft packs, go figure out the maths to find out how much more you are shelling out for them.

Most brands include a smidgen of freeze dried vegetables such as carrot, spring onion, etc. Really just a smidgen cos they are niggardly in this, are freeze dried veges really that costly to produce? Some Asean brands even include dried fake chicken bits made from flour gluten in the bid to make the final product more appealing. This is all well and good but where are our local brands in this? These are actually available in their premium lines but let's face it, who wants to spend RM2 upwards for a lousy bowl of instant noodles when you can get decent hawker or foodcourt fare for just RM3-5 in Malaysia?

I have observed that the major buyers of instant noodles are students, foreign workers and people with foreign maids; the poor maids must be fretting over their hair loss and wondering how much a hairpiece will cost when their contracts run out and they go home to hubby and kids. Before the Indonesian brands penetrated the market, workers from that nation showed a marked preference for one of the local brands. The firm concerned will worry whenever there was a proposed crackdown on these foreign workers cos sales will plummet in their absence. I suppose such headaches no longer occur as the foreigners are now loyal to their own homegrown brands and no longer buy the local 'premium brand'.

I keep a small stock of instant noodles in my larder for emergencies such as tsunamis; nyuk nyuk. Hey, I live in PJ- just joking there. It is for those times when hunger gnaws at my vitals during the wee hours with sleep being elusive and I am too damn lazy to drive out to the 24hr mamak joint. I'd tell myself to just eat the noodles and avoid drinking the potent soup if I want to keep my head of hair. Which brings me to mention my buddy's young son in nursery school- this kiddo slurps up every drop of soup while leaving the noodles. I really cringe at this.

Do you signal?

2008-02-25T15:33:00.001+08:00

Do vehicle turn signals serves any purpose? You know, the stalk on the left or right of the steering column – you flick it up or down so that the slobs driving behind you can see which way you are turning.

Prescribed uses for the turn signals are when you change lanes on the highway, turn at a junction, exit into a ramp off the highway or when you are stopped by the road side. Yet hardly anyone uses them, as far as I can see.

There are instances where drivers turn at a junction without signalling, making the following vehicle perform an emergency stop to avoid rear-ending the offending one. There are also jokers who flick on their turn indicators just 20ft before turning and expect the vehicle behind to react in time. Might as well signal after the turn, sheesh.

Some of the worst offenders I have seen are those driving high end continental marques; they don't seem to know the turn indicator stalk exist in their cars. Perhaps it's more a matter of arrogance on the drivers' part - after all, they are driving better cars than the riff-raff behind them. Or perhaps they are actually trying to prevent wear and tear to the stalk switches – yes, I have actually heard of this measure. Similar to what some drivers do to prolong life spans of their headlight bulbs; they switch on the lights only when it gets so dark that only a bat can see its way around. Case of being penny wise and pound foolish – what does a stalk switch or bulb cost compared to a read end collision or accident?

I am also sure we have seen motorists turning on the hazard lights when driving in heavy rain. These poor misguided souls have no inkling that hazard lights are meant to be used only when your vehicle has broken down and is stationary on the road. Using them when the vehicle is moving can lead to other drivers misjudging your actions. The consequences can only be imagined only too vividly.

I suppose it takes all kinds to make up this world. It just happens you get to meet the worst examples on the road. It is not the car that kills; it is the nut behind the wheel.Be careful, what more can I say.

Hypocrisy

2008-02-24T11:06:00.000+08:00

Hypocrisy rears it ugly head every which way we turn. More often than not, we see it most often in religion. Yup, religion – a most sensitive subject.

A holier than thou attitude seems to pervade a lot of Christians. I am a Christian myself, so I am not commenting from an outside perspective. I see a lot of so called Christians who are nothing more than charlatans and hypocrites, tragically among my circle of acquaintances. They put on a pious facade when in congregation, reciting and singing lustily. But once the session is over and they have left the premises they fall back to their wayward lifestyles. Lie to friends and business associates, cheat on spouses, etc. These misguided souls invariably belong to small 'churches' or what is commonly known as shophouse churches. These churches are actually run much like any other business, requiring members to pay tithes and donate till it hurts. I have heard some actually require members to submit their tax returns as well. How the money is then utilised is anybody's guess; the 'pastor' often beyond query. To me, these are nothing more than a scam. A good example can be seen in a 'church' in Singapore; holding services in a public auditorium because it has no church building of its own. The pastor drives a top of the range continental car while receiving a 6-figure 'stipend' each month. Another pastor drives a hot Italian sports car. Kind of makes you think that a career change for yourself is in order here.

There are so many mainstream churches here – Roman Catholic, Protestant, Anglican, etc etc. So why do people flock to the smaller churches which are neither here nor there?
I suppose the reason is because people tend to find the mainstream denomination churches boring and un-inspiring. Humans nowadays like to look for novelty and stimuli not to mention some excitement as well. The small churches tender or rather pander to this demand with flowery and moving sermons; when people are moved their purse strings move in tandem. Perhaps it is considered more hip to attend these churches, I don't know. I am not tempted to try them as I remain steadfast to my church which I joined since I was 4 years old. Decades ago.

The teachings of the small churches are disturbing to say the least. They dispute a lot of the teachings in mainstream Christianity. Besides the rejection of the Virgin Mary, they also reject the cross as the symbol of Christianity, saying that thieves were also crucified on the cross. They also take exception to innocous exclamations with 'holy' in them such as holy cow. A friend's face colored when I mentioned charity and social work; this same person has been going around quoting from the bible and pretending to be a good Christian. Small minded and misguided hypocrites, that's what they are. I wonder what nonsense their 'pastors' have brainwashed them with. The bible's teachings has been interpreted and twisted in ways to move people insidiously and to differentiate from mainstream churches. A very dangerous trend has developed. False prophets are in our midst, evil is at work.

I have always believed that religion is a very private matter between God and myself. There is nothing to pretend, either you believe or not. As long as you have faith in God and live out your life with a clear conscience; I believe that God will always look out for you whatever your religion. What is the point in declaring yourself a good Christian to all and sundry but lie, cheat and connive at all opportunities. Might as well be an atheist and lie, cheat and connive to your heart's content. Don't waste any calories in pretending to be what you aren't. At least then, I may admit rather grudgingly that you are a man of your word.

Such hypocrisy is really just a manifestation of evil. Evil is at work when humans take something and twist it to suit their own purposes; religion is no exception nor spared.

False prophets are really in our midst. Tread softly and carry a big cross.

Charity

2007-11-27T20:08:00.000+08:00

Charity begins at home ? Is that really true?

I believe most people are charitable at heart; expressing empathy and reaching for their wallets at the same time. Very commendable indeed, you certainly won't lose faith in the human race. The milk of human kindness, so very heart warming. Yet it is this same kindness that are often exploited by the unscrupulous or the outright crooked.

Whenever disasters occur, relief aid bodies are quick to appeal for public support. The shock of the disaster serves as a wake up call for people to rally behind relief efforts being made. Appeals are made for donations in cash and kind by the aid bodies. But how much of this aid support actually reach those in most of it?

Rumours abound about cash and goods donated that are re-routed into heaven knows where. It never reaches the intended parties who had suffered most from the disaster. These rumours are more often than not probably true. Cash that are readily donated are not properly accounted for and often disappear into thin air. Same for goods like food provisions and other stuff – they are sold by agency insiders for quick cash gains that go straight into their personal pockets. It is of like donating more to a crook after he had robbed you.

If you are serious about doing your bit for the unfortunate, try to go the extra mile. Give your cash directly to the sufferers, never to a middle man be it an agency or otherwise. Better still, help the affected party to purchase whatever he needs to recover his life. You can also buy food provisions from wholesale sources and then send it directly to the disaster areas. This way, the end users will be ensured of getting the help and support they sorely need.

When donating to a person who needs money for medical treatment or surgery, it is better to pay directly to the appointed medical center handling the treatment You can then be assured that your donation will not be mis-appropriated for other purposes by the patient's relations or friends. One never knows.....

It is sad having to take such measures so that your donations will be used as intended but human nature being what it is; it makes sense. Being kind does not mean you have to open yourself to being conned.

Be kind and generous, do give till it hurts but do it wisely.

Local tv

2007-11-16T07:57:00.000+08:00

Does anyone really watch local free-to-air television channels? Is it any wonder why paid satellite tv operator Astro is doing well? Is it any wonder why pirate dvds are selling like hotcakes?

Let's face it; local tv programmes are crap with only a few exceptions. Look at the shows aired by RTM1 & 2 – absolutely crap. There seems to be forums everyday where self professed armchair 'experts' discourse at length on some social issue. Dullsville! No one in their right mind will watch such programmes unless they want to expire from an overdose of boredom. But I can't really blame RTM for producing such crappy shows as it probably operates under a tight budget. After all, forums are the cheapest programmes to produce – just decide on a topic and invite some tom, dick or harry to talk at length. Probably don't even have to pay him, he'd be more than happy to pose his ugly mug in front of the camera. Low cost but it is a doubled edged sword; if fewer people watch the programmes, then advertising revenue will be lower. The vicious circle continues, without any prospect of improving. Even the broadcast quality pales in comparison with the other channels – RTM broadcasts on the VHF band while other stations use UHF which sends out better broadcast signals. The colour and resolution just don't look right; in short it makes you want to channel surf away to another station. Even the newsreaders look boring; obviously RTM doesn't have much of a budget for attire as well. It would have closed shop ages ago were it not a government owned concern. We must also remember that we don't pay for a tv licence nowadays.

The commercial stations worth a bit of watching is Ntv7 and 8tv; especially the serialised crime and action shows from the US. Tv3 is slowly leaning towards more local content; hence you see more and more local dramas.

You must have noticed by now that there seems to be a pact among the different stations to break for commercials at exactly the same time. Of course it is easy to arrange this, after all Ntv7, Tv3, 8Tv and Tv9 are all owned by Media Prima. So much so that even RTM has caught on to the trick, breaking at about the same time. Viewers are forced to watch the irritating commercials; you can't be going off to the loo every 12-15 minutes, can you? Big problem if you do. It must also be said that such programmes would be impossible to watch for free if there weren't any advertising revenue.

The government has been encouraging more widespread usage and literacy of English. Yet even cartoon shows originally in the English language are dubbed in Malay. How are the young, especially Malay kids going to get more exposure in English? Something is not right here. It just doesn't measure up. It is understandable if shows originally in Japanese or other foreign languages are dubbed in Malay but for goodness sake please leave the English programmes alone. At this rate, English language literacy will actually go down instead of improving.

Ah well, the show must go on ............

Best friend.......

2007-11-11T09:09:00.000+08:00

Next to a good human friend, a dog is the best companion. It gives you unconditional love and loyalty in return for just a bit of caring and food. It never questions or judges you much less nag at you.

I live in an apartment now so keeping a dog is out of the question. Have kept at least 5 dogs since childhood - couple of them got stolen, 1 died in accident, the rest died of old age. Chinese believe dogs bring luck; not sure about this but I can recall my life went very smoothly when I kept a dog. My life went doggone when I didn't have a doggy pet. In fact, a dog saved my life on the same day I took her from the animal shelter in Johor but that is a story for another day.

I like playing with friends' dogs. I also make frequent trips to big pet shops to view the puppies there. 'Aiya, tat bugger again! See but never buy, what a deadbeat!' - I bet this is what goes thru pet shop owners' minds whenever I pop around. Besides my love for the furry critters, seeing them is good therapy for my blood pressure. I feel more relaxed whenever I see a tail wagging bundle of fur. This obsession with dogs has gotten so bad that I have a folder named Cute Dogs in my computer, filled with doggy pictures culled from the internet. A stuffed toy puppy given by a friend some time back ranks among my prized mementos.

Next to pet shops, I try to go to animal shelters as much as possible. They need newspapers to line the cages, so I send over as much as I can. Better to give to the animal shelter than sell to the paper-lama-man for a pittance.

So if you have newspapers lying around, send them to an animal shelter such as PAWS near Subang airport. The critters will thank you for your kindness.

Woof, miaow ................

What price fidelity?

2007-11-06T06:12:00.000+08:00

Fidelity. Nope, I am not talking about hi-fi, not being an audiophile. Marital fidelity, that is.

Alright, all of us have roving eyes- whether we are men or women. No harm looking when an excellent specimen of the opposite sex comes our way. See only, no touch, go ahead – indulge in your fantasies, when done; just go about your life as usual. No point rocking the boat when you are married, especially when you are happy with your spouse.

Yeah, real easy to preach all this gospel, right? You must think I am trying to be a monk or worse......

Lack of fidelity or outright unfaithfullness is the problem. Is it any wonder divorce rates are high and still climbing? I wonder. Of course there's always the the old standby whine – my spouse doesn't understand me, etc etc ad nauseam. Or is it just pure lust?

There is actually a medical term for sexual lust, read about it recently but just as conveniently, I forgot about it. There is a perverse addiction for variety, sexual types that is. Let's not kid ourselves that craving for affection drove a person to seek it out of wedlock. Just plain old sexual lust.

Let me tell you a real life story about Larry, an acquaintance of mine. Larry is in his mid- thirties, a permanent resident in Singapore. He is married with a young kid; his wife being a graduate and career woman. Problem is, Larry is a rake. I used to tease him that he has a better deal than Muslim men who are allowed to take up to 4 wives; because he has 5. Yessir, 1 common law wife and 4 mistresses – all in different towns over here; just so they don't bump into each other. Being a cunning guy, he calls all of them 'Dear', never by their names thereby avoiding the calamity of using the wrong name at any time! How's that for being wily, eh. Good measure actually, if ever any of them finds out he has been sowing his oats far and wide, they might just do a bobbit on him. Bobbit is a term coinedfrom a Ms. Bobbit who snipped off her hubby's cherished appendage when she discovered he was double timing her outside. Can't say I sympathise with him in this aspect.

All of Larry's mistresses believe she is the only one apart from his actual wife in Singapore. Talk about naivete. I guess it takes two hands to clap but let's not forget the background of the 4 mistresses; they were karaoke gals or aka ______ (you fill in the blank). I would have expected him to have better taste and judgement. Only money attracts these women, Larry had lots of it. Or at least he did until he started collecting mistresses like I collect Matchbox cars. Now he is way broke. The plot thickens - the women are now getting in the family way, one by one. His mating season. Last count, he already has 2 kids out of wedlock. Six additional mouths to feed, not forgetting another 2 in Singapore. Consolation is, he is contributing to a larger population in this fine land of ours. Properties that he bought in joint ownership with the women remain locked in limbo; he cannot sell them off to free up cash to fund his business; cos the gals are terrified that he will cast them aside with nothing left.

When the chickens come home to roost, that's when our Larry will find himself in deeper shit than now. What if one of the gals decide to slap him up with a paternity suit? Force him to furnish regular financial support to them and the kids. His legal wife may hear of his nefarious wanderings. Oh boy, that would be the day. Sure wouldn't want to be in his shoes then. Then again, he did chose to go and sin some more. The crap will most definitely hit the fan.

You reap what you sow. Problems; monumental ones, that is.

Never trust car mechanics

2007-10-18T20:02:00.000+08:00

Have you ever realised that auto mechanics in this country are not proficiency certified or qualified? Almost any joker can profess to be a mechanic; just wield a suitable wrench under a zinc roofed shack and you are in business. Trusting folks will then come to you with their auto woes and you will work your magic on their beloved vehicles then send them on their way, happier but much poorer for the experience. When your reputation as a fix-all and cure-all mechanic grows, then you can start to charge more and perhaps fleece some suckers in the process too. No wonder the common reference to mechanics all over of having to make large boat instalments – they had to fleece you in order to afford their weekend cruises.

The best story of mechanic fleecing came from the US of A. A young lady sent her car for routine servicing and ended up being charged for 'turn indicator fluid'. What a scam, the mechanic should get an award for inventiveness. No wonder I couldn't locate the turn indicator fluid reservoir on my own engine bay!

All these funny situations aside, mehcanics must realise that their clients' lives are in their hands , should they ever bungle a repair job. I have been twice lucky, coming out unscathed from inept mechanics who almost killed me through their lack of care and skill.

Situation 1 – The fuel tank of my car was removed to facilitate replacement of drive train and suspension parts while the vehicle was still under warranty. When the tank was re-installed, the damned mechanic did not tighten the front 2 bolts sufficiently. Said bolts decided to take a hike of their own one fine evening while I was driving the car. The tank hung down and scraped the road pavement and made the appropriate sounds as well.It so happened that I was driving at a sedate speed along a kampung road then and nothing disastrous happened apart a slightly abraded tank and wasting a few hours to locate the bolts to fasten the tank back onto the the car. I shuddered at what would have happened if I was running at speed down the highways and the bolts elected to depart at that time. I should add that the fuel tank was full too at that time.

Situation 2 - While having my tyres rotated, I asked the mechanic to check and repack the front wheel bearing grease.. When the job was done , I proceeded on my way. After about 50kms, the car suddenly felt very heavy and refused to budge although the engine was turning over nicely. I got out and saw the front right tyre/wheel slanted at an angle, smoke pouring from it as well. Got it towed to a workshop – seems the bearing got loose while in motion. Damage – a warped wheel, ruined tyre, broken knuckle , warped brake rotor, broken calliper & hub, trashed bearing, et al. I was truly shaken and stirred, thanking my lucky stars it didn't happen while I was on the highway. I could have easily flipped over several times and burned, the car having a high center of gravity.

Lest anybody suggest the car was jinxed, let me clarify it was a different vehicle on both occasions. Both mishaps happened because the mechanics concerned were careless. I could have paid for their errors with my life.

The only good thing to emerge from the above episodes was my knowledge and hands on experience of auto mechanical workings. I have learnt to perform detailed checks on my car, especially after routine servicing. Never trust a mechanic to have you best interests at heart, they are only after your cash!

El Cheapo moisturiser, anyone?

2007-10-10T16:14:00.000+08:00

A friend of mine, let's call him Henry; recently told me that good ol' cooking oil ie. palm oil can be a good skin moisturiser. I was quick to discount his claim as Henry is well known as a skinflint, didn't have the heart to call him Mr Scrooge though.

As he spoke on the merits of it, a thought flashed thru my mind that olive oil is widely used to smoothen the skin. So why not palm oil? Seems ol' Henry has learnt that palm oil contains Vitamin E that is supposedly good for the skin. I asked if palm oil isn't rather oily to the touch to which he advised rubbing the oil into the skin.Just a few drops will do, no need to slather yourself until you resemble the proverbial orang minyak (oily man).

I took up his recommendation (not without some misgivings)as I have rather dark forearms as a result of driving around in short sleeves or rolled-up cuffs. Skin on said forearms also seem to be a bit dry, so what the heck. The oil was sitting in my larder not doing a thing. Did it once a day; in the evening. After a week, sure enough the skin didn't seem so dry now. I noticed that the slightly oily touch dissipated after about an hour.

So waddaya know? I did some browsing at a pharmacy and saw that most so called moisturisers use a mineral oil base derived from oil in the ground. Surely a vegetable based oil can do a similar or better job? Well, I am going to continue this little experiment. If it really works, this may be the cheapest moisturiser around. Bottle the oil as a revolutionary organic moisturiser and sell it by the truckload to vain old men (nyuk) if not to little ladies. Wonder if the same palm oil has any sun protection factor (spf) as well; can hawk it as a sun tan lotion too. My bizness instinct has kicked in !

Btw, no ants or roaches snacked on the arms of your friendly neighborhood guinea pig!

Feeling down, depressed .... try this

2007-10-10T16:06:00.000+08:00

Ferget the booze and valium when you are feeling down. Try reading this :

DESIDERATA
Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

(reportedly from old St.Paul's Church, Baltimore)

Works for me every time. Cheaper than going to the shrink too.

Exotic foods?????

2007-10-02T15:54:00.000+08:00

Being a Chinese myself, I am sometimes bewildered by the enthusiasm shown on exotic foods. Dishes such as abalone, shark fin, etc are greedily devoured as if they are the best tasting dishes without understanding what goes into these preparations.

The exotic food mentioned here are over vaunted, in my opinion. Most types of abalone are bland tasting in their natural state; cooked ones derive the flavour from being simmered long in a superior stock- the taste coming from the stock rather than the shellfish itself. Same with shark fins, virtually tasteless without the broth or stock in which it is served. It is just cartilage from a shark; softened by lengthy soaking and simmering. Forget tales about sharks never getting cancerous growths, they do get tumours at times. Heavy metals also tend to accumulate in shark finnage, so be forewarned. Paying thru your nose for bits of flavoured cartilage is certainly not my idea of a great tasting dish. The widespread consumption of shark fins also brings about
ecological imbalance in underwater communities that leads to an irreversible decline. Live sharks often have their fins hacked off and thown back overboard to die. How would you like it if your arms and legs were chopped off for a special dish?

Taste aside, I suspect that most consumers of these exotic foods readily admit to themselves that it is not that great tasting or worthwhile but still consume it from a prestige standpoint; they want people to think they are well off and can afford such dishes. Prestige??? Foolish perhaps, but definitely not prestigious. Coughing up a prince's ransom just so you win others' approval is foolishness of the highest degree. It is so sad.

Perhaps you may be better off spending your cash on bird nests and sea cucumber as these have been shown to be nutritionally superior. Just don't go overboard or the prices of these items will skyrocket till they reach the outer reaches of the universe.

Traditions & Commerce

2007-09-09T07:01:00.000+08:00

Someone once remarked ;' When you are flush with cash, everyday is Christmas'. I would add that when you are in love, everyday is Valentine's Day.

It is not a new opinion that certain festivals are over commercialised. Festivals like Valentine's Day, Moon Cake festival, Fifth lunar month (bak chang) are some of them.

Florists and gift shops make a killing whenever Valentine's Day comes around on February 14. Romantic restaurants serving special twosome menus also rake it in on this day. What you pay for a single rose stalk will easily get a dozen in other periods. What you pay for a lovey-dovey dinner will easily feed a poor family for a month. I am not unromantic but believe that romance should be sustained all year long; not just spiking on this particular day.

When the 8th lunar month rolls around, moon cake makers get a windfall that can easily sustain them for the rest of the year. They start selling these confectionery at the start of the seventh lunar month; so sales actually span about two months. A baker whom I know personally admitted that profit margins are at least 200%. So a moon cake that sells at Rm10 cost only rm3.00 to make at most. Worse spin off effect is that salted egg prices jump during this period due to its overwhelming use by moon cake makers; as the yolk is a popular filling. Same with prices of lotus seeds. No problem if some stocks are unsold, just recycle the fillings for other confectionery.

Same with bak kua (barbecued meat) that is sold during this period. It is very hard to get bak kua that is actually sliced from a chunk of meat. Those sold now are just flat slices of minced meat with lots of oil, salt, sugar, coloring, nitrates and nitrites in them – a veritable concoction of chemicals. Lucky that they are expensive and we don't eat it year round; it is certainly not something the doctor prescribes.

Bak chang or rice dumplings are nice to eat, to me they are also a comfort food that bring back fond memories. I used to help my mom sort the glutinous rice and mung beans, wash the leaves and then, when the process is completed help her to devour the bakchang doubly quick. Somehow, the ones your mom made always seem to taste the best; the bought ones never able to measure up to dear old mom's labour of love. How I wish my mom still had the energy to make them. My fondness for them is never satiated by bought bakchang as the makers stinge on ingredients and never steam them long enough. Terribly expensive too at minimum Rm3.50 each for the simplest ones. Buying them is akin to buying an insult with a slap thrown in for good measure. I have the recipe in my head but never got around to making them myself. Just plain lazy, I guess.

At the risk of being branded a renegade of traditions; I remain steadfast in my conviction that festivals are over commercialised by entrepreneurs out to make a fast buck.

Are you a junkie?

2007-09-02T20:06:00.000+08:00

You may be a junkie without even knowing it. Or a painkiller dependent slob.

How? By eating local delicacies of course. Local fare such as nasi lemak, bak kut teh, nasi kandar. Heaven only knows what other foodstuffs are guilty too.

A friend in JB who used to sell nasi lemak in KL told me that he regularly pops a handful of panadol (paracetamol) into the rice/water mix when boiling it. I jibed that he was trying to pull my leg but he swored that he kid me not. I countered that panadol tablets taste bitter, wouldn't the bitter taste be evident when the rice is done? It seems not; some kinda chemical change occurred during the boiling process, rendering the bitter taste non existent. Why then would someone put paracetamol into nasi lemak? The answer was it makes you feel better, paracetamol being a painkiller. Regular consumption of the doctored rice will lead to a feel good sensation, leaving you with a hankering for the particular nasi lemak joint. You won't feel good unless you have had a good dose of the rice with lauk (side dishes). Over the long term you certainly won't feel good with the liver having to process the drug. Liver failure is a real prospect here!

Horror stories abound in JB's nasi lemak joints. There was a popular shop in Taman Perling that opens only in the evenings, may still be around as I haven't passed it for over 3 years . This being a mamak joint, it is patronised mainly by Chinese diners. One popular story making the rounds then was that the food is charmed; the sambal being the prime suspect - a patron having come across the remnants of a used tampon in the sambal mix! Eeeyuck! Another variation was that someone saw toyol (little spirits) running among the dining patrons. I suspect that these stories were cooked up by envious competitors whose businesses weren't up to scratch. Enough said that I didn't feel up to trying the fare at this joint, but a friend who did told me that the food was no big deal.

Another shop was located along the seafront in Permas Jaya; lots of people can be seen waiting for it open up by 6pm. This I did try, coming away disgusted as the food was so ordinary and bland as not to merit the waiting. Saw people clamouring for the ayam goreng (fried chicken), tried it – it was like trying to swallow bits of dried jute bags. Perhaps the fengshui must be awfully good here; there's certainly lots of wind and water in the vicinity.

Bak kut teh or 'meat bone tea' is of course pork ribs in herbal soup. Some joints selling this dish do a roaring business while others regularly swat flies. Most of the time the herbal mix is a proprietary secret; the exact composition known only to the proprietor. He'd sew up the herbal mix in a cloth bag; boil the soup in the shop, then take the used bag home to dispose of it – thus preventing any would-be spy from learning the blend. Stories I heard include one where ganja is one of the ingredients in the magic bag of tricks. Some joints do not allow takeaways; to preclude you from doing a lab test. Drinking a soup where a narcotic has been simmered probably makes one feel good; you may not function well on days when you don't consume it. I don't know, bkt has never been a favorite with me; especially the JB version that is over infused with pepper and tastes rather bland similar to the Singapore version. Seems the Klang version is the authentic one as it originated here.

On opiates, nasi kandar cooks presumably used to add kas-kas when cooking curries. I heard it is seed from the poppy plant; how they imported it is another matter. People who regularly consume such curries would invariably fail urine drug tests even though they are not knowing drug users. Imagine a situation when a job seeker takes a urine test and is immediately labelled a drug user; I really sympathise with such poor buggers. This ingredient is probably not used anymore. I must admit to a hankering for fiery curries; maybe should get a urine test soon. But of course , I was brought up on a steady diet of curry and rice, must be my jaded taste buds, hmmmm.

There is no need to resort to underhand tricks if the food you serve is delicious and offers value for money. This will be my motto if I ever set up a food joint one fine day !

A hankering for the real thing ....

2007-08-22T16:29:00.000+08:00

Something less serious, on my favorite subject – FOOD, Glorious food.

Good ol' chicken rice, you can't get it easily anymore. By this I mean chicken rice cooked the traditional way. A nice chicken stock is made from the legs, necks, etc and then used to boil the rice with fat you liposuctioned from the chooks; enhanced with ginger, salt, and other ingredients.. Rice cooked this way is nice enough to eat on its own, to borrow a phrase.

The chicken will be steamed not boiled as nowadays; no roast chicky for the true gourmand. Wonder who steams chickens the old fashioned way anymore. Steamed chooks actually taste sweeter as they retain the juices which are otherwise lost when boiled.

I recall when I was a wee kid my mum used to cook chicken rice for the whole gang on alternate Sundays. She reared her own chooks in a hutch I built for her at the back of the house; damn proud of it I was. She'd boil water and select the fattest unfortunate chook, pulled the feathers from the gullet area, then enlist the services of her most blood thirsty son namely yours truly here - the rest of her brood were too squeamish; and I'd blithely slit the poor bugger's throat while she held on to the squirming bird's legs and neck. Norman Bates's rival was on the prowl again! Now I do the squirming as I shudder at the thought of how I could do it then. It was by the grace of Providence I didn't graduate to become a serial killer.

Nostalgic, those were the days. Chicken rice you get now just don't taste as good anymore. The rice is boiled with bottled stock or cubes with margarine, coming out a sickly pale yellow and tasting as bad. Chickens are boiled and then immersed in cool water; ostensibly to improve texture. Old mamas will tell you to avoid such boiled chooks if you are in the midst of a coughing spell; don't really know why.

You ever thought how many plates of chicken rice can be served from just 1 carcass? I did, but never figured it out. Suffice to say, it is many. Vendors employ many tactics to squeeze out as many servings as they can. The breast meat is often cut into 2 layers as it is thick. One layer will have the original skin, then the second layer will be adorned by skin transplanted from another unsaleable part of the chook such as the back. Another trick is to smash the flat of the cleaver on the portion, squashing and loosening out the meat to make it look more substantial. This trick is the favorite of vendors in Johor Bahru as I have observed. I know as I grew up in ol' JB.

A must have condiment with this meal is ground chilli mix - made from chillies, garlic, lime juice, sugar and salt. Dip the chicken slices in this mix, heavenly taste. The mix you get from vendors are made with artificial vinegar or acetic acid, the taste is way off the mark. Sometimes, you just can't cut any corners.

Sometimes, the simplest things are the best.

House brands

2007-08-16T01:07:00.000+08:00

House brands of common food and household items are a boon for the budget conscious.
This is mainly in the realm of hypermarkets such as Tesco, Giant and Carrefour. With their huge bargaining power and marketing channels, they are able to extract good deals from producers. The lower price is then passed on to the consumer.

House brands with lower prices generally do not equate lower quality, though the imported items do tend to be superior. There are probably people who fight shy of house brands; do not want to be caught dead in possession of such items for fear of being labelled cheapskates. Such are pitiful souls who don't know how to stretch their ringgit.

My personal exposure to house brands is mostly limited to that of Tesco's. No, I am not paid by them to plug their house brand. A large proportion of the range is actually imported from the UK, and end up selling for substantially less than the equivalent locally made item. How is this possible? Buying power, economies of scale and efficient logistics; remember Tesco has a worldwide presence. Producers would much rather make less per unit and much more overall thru supplying a huge volume of goods; the bigger cake-small slice rationale.

Which brings to mind; how are our local producers able to survive? Given the choice between imported and local with the former having better quality and a lower price to boot, most people would plumb for the imported - halal status not withstanding. Are local producers just plain inefficient or they just greedy in trying to get a bigger margin? Trying to take local consumers for a ride? Or just not aggressive enough. The mediocre quality of their goods hardly puts them in a position to penetrate oversea markets? What about hushed up 'arrangements' between competitors to fix the market?

Think on.............

Light & Deadly

2007-08-12T15:54:00.000+08:00

Quick! ditch those aluminium pots and pans you have lying around the house. Sell them for scrap, aluminium fetches a good price nowadays.

Has this guy gone bonkers or something? Sorry to disappoint you, still same old rambler. I didn't go into the scrap recycling business either.

Seriously, aluminium has long been suspected as a contributory factor to the onset of Alzheimer's disease; though not conclusively proven. Best to minimise the risks and keep one's fingers crossed, mine are crossed till they turn blue.

My dear mom is now 84 years young; losing her memory – suspected Alzheimer's.
Praise the Lord that her health is very good indeed. Short term or recent memory is very bad but has photographic recall for yesteryears' happenings. To test her during the last CNY balik kampung, I asked her about her life before I was born. She could recall every detail well; I even managed to extract from her some recipes for comfort food that I sorely missed. During the CNY binge of eating and sitting around, my mind got around thinking what brought about her condition. It is not a simple case of her hard disk getting full. I then recalled that she used a lot of aluminium cookware; stainless steel or tempered glass ones were not generally available then. Lord have mercy, I ate a lot of food (albeit delicious) from those pots and pans too. Am I destined to get Alzheimer's too? This is rather worrisome to say the least. I hope I don't get to the stage where I have to jot down my life's details in a little pocket book or make that a PDA in this digital age. Good thing I haven't been quaffing down fizzy drinks in aluminium cans for a long time. Hmmm, must inspect restaurants' kitchens before I eat there, gotta beat a hasty retreat if I see any aluminium cookware lying around.

Not only kiasu but getting kiasi too.

(kiasu= afraid to lose ; kiasi = afraid to die)

Honesty & Tall Tales

2007-07-19T06:46:00.000+08:00

Honesty is such a lonely word.
Everyone is so untrue.
Honesty is hardly ever heard.
And mostly what I need from you.

So goes Billy Joel's Honesty

Is honesty the best policy? Or rather is honesty the better policy?

Lying can take more than one form; be it simple white lies or blatant outright deception.
One can also be addicted to lying – one is then termed a compulsive liar. Jim Carey's Liar Liar movie is a good showcase of this affliction; his character can't go thru a day without uttering some untruth, his attorney job not withstanding.

I cannot help but feel lying is stressful – both to the liar as well as his audience. Let's start with his audience; those people to whom a person tell lies to- may be apt to call them the victims. Very frequently the victims know full well that the liar is spouting lies but are too kind or courteous to tell him off. I know because I have oft been a victim of lies big and small. Stressful as I have to hold myself in check to keep from confronting a friend who is such a compulsive liar. Four out of every ten statements issuing forth from his mouth are untruths. Mind you, he is not trying to swindle me into a get rich quick scheme or somesuch; not that I have anything to be conned out of. Just lies about everyday things. Except he keeps repeating the same lies on different occasions but with dissimilar basis. We'd known each other for over 10 years and while I am not exactly Einstein, I am not a doofus either so he should know I can't be easily deceived. I just didn't have the heart to confront him with his lies. Ever the thinker; I wondered why he keeps doing it. Is there a psychological need for him to keep lying? Does he actually derive a perverse pleasure in diddling his victims?

When one exhibits a penchant for lying; one should be well equipped with a really good memory besides the first prerequisite of verbal creativity. This is because of the problem of lying to many victims; never sticking to the same tall story line. You can forget what lie you told to which person as well as the exact context of the fib. On the other hand, your victims can recall clearly what you lied about earlier and contrast it with what you have just repeated. Worse, they may get together in your absence and compare notes and conclude that you are just a big fraud. Liar Liar becomes your moniker. Yes, it is all too easy to become a liar of Clintonian dimensions.

Some may say such lying is harmless but the problem is such consummate liars may graduate to worse levels such as swindling or cheating as well as marital infidelity. Whatever it is, the harm has been done. I am especially wary of people whom I know are prone to habitual lying that I take everything they say with a double pinch of salt.

Perhaps it is still better to keep one's mouth shut than open it unnecessarily. If you cannot tell the truth, then shut yer trap. Don't lie.Why bother.

Nothing is opened more by mistake than the mouth. A closed mouth gathers no foot too.

Imported Wives, anyone?

2007-04-06T21:06:00.000+08:00

Malaysian men prefer foreign women as wives. I wonder if this is a sign of the times. How many local men have actually married foreign women? Are these men representative of the larger majority of available males?

I certainly would not want a foreign woman for a wife. The cultural clash of two persons from different worlds is not something I want to confront nor grasp with each waking moment.

For the men who took in foreign wives, I wonder what made them plunge into such matrimonial abyss. Is it because they really cannot sucessfully woo a local woman? Is it because the local women available to them are dowdy in appearance and thus deemed undesirable? Is it because the local women are too demanding in their criteria for rating a man as a suitable catch? Or rather, is getting a sweet young lolita as a trophy wife the main attraction here? The local men who took in foreign wives are mostly advanced in age. For the foreign women the decision to 'export' themselves is mainly a marriage of convenience – an escape to a better life. I am sure a matured genteel man is not uppermost in their minds as to how much the dowry her family will get and the monthly remittance thereafter.

For the local women who are left on the shelf (pardon the expression) , perhaps some soul searching may be in order. The saying 'do not judge lest you be judged yourself' certainly rings true here. No doubt, a woman with both a good education and career and/or family fortune will not want to marry below her station But as time passes, one's criteria (whether man or woman) has to be flexible. A woman in her twenties can afford to be choosy, justifiably so I may add. However if she is still single in her late thirties or early forties and still as demanding in her choice of life partner, something is out of whack here. I am not saying she should get hitched to the first man who even glanced her way. Forget the young notions of a rich handsome man to sweep her off her feet. A good man may not be rich nor handsome. At this point in life what both sexes need is a good companion to keep loneliness at bay in later years.

Ditto for the men. Maybe they were too career or business minded in their youth so that marriage was not an option then. Or they were too busy playing the field in younger years to realise that time and tide waited for no man? Or are they just the rejects that no woman in her right mind would want?

Talking to older friends who are single, I noticed a reticence towards matrimony at their age. A common dismissal is – why get married in the face of high and rising divorce rates? To me it is like hoisting a white flag before riding into battle. The game is over before it has had a chance to begin. Do you really wish to be one of the statistics?

I am no sociologist and can offer no researched data to support my views. I have probably opened myself to a lot of brickbats in expounding my views thus. But whatever it is, do not shy away from exploring what opportunity fate or divine providence has planned for you. Tis better to have loved and lost than have never loved at all. Something like that............

Member punya pasal

2007-03-29T11:08:00.000+08:00

or – I have friends in high places. In Malaysia it is not what you know but rather who you know. The MO is to tap into whatever resources you can bring to bear if you have a friend in the right place. Even in mundane things such maintenance and water bills.

Yup, you read right. I live in an apartment whose management (developer) threatens to cut off the water supply to residents who are behind by only 2 months' maintenance charges or Rm70 in water bills. Residents who are behind in payments are listed in a notice board located at the lift lobby for all to see; it also announces a monthly 'operasi kunci air' on recaltritrant residents who fail to pay up. I make it a point to to check out the board and once saw that there was a resident who owed 8 months' maintenance and over RM1000 in water charges – this resident was still enjoying uninterrupted water supply. I made an enquiry when paying my bill and was told ' this person has a special arrangement with someone in the management'. He also runs a dilapidated food court or shack near the apartments and the water is piped to it. The cheek of it all! Using water at residential rates piped to a food selling establishment and not paying the bills at the same time.

The resident committee is well nigh useless in fighting for the apartment dwellers' rights; being more interested in organising table tennis or other games. This is why not many people bother to join the committee or attend meetings.

On the same note, this is why strata titles takes umpteen years to be issued. The developer wants to keep on creaming the maintenance income which would be lost once the titles are issued because the residents can then set up their own independent management firm to handle everything. So they drag their feet as the delay serves their purpose. This situation will never improve, so perish those hopes for a speedy change to this.

Just grin and bear it. Meanwhile, try to cultivate some friends in high places. May do you some good.

My swan bigger than your swan.....

2007-03-19T07:36:00.000+08:00

Malaysians seem to be pre-occupied with setting some record or other. Biggest this, longest that, highest something or other. Why do we indulge in this? Do we really need such shallow achievements to crow about to all? Are such records of international recognition? Are they a waste of resources that could be more meaningfully expended in other avenues? Are we so insecure that we need such feats to gather attention to ourselves?

A record breaking burger was recently made in Pennsylvania that weighs in at 55.79kg. Now that's a real whopper! A humongous beef patty sandwiched between the halves of an equally giant bun and garnished with pounds of tomatoes and lettuce. Let's see Popeye's friend Wimpy wolf that down. A claim is being filed with the Guinness Book of Records.

That was a creditable burger and record. Not like our local attempts. Longest hot dog 'record' which consisted of hot dogs stacked end to end does not a world record make. Anyone can do this. What will impress is a fantastically long bun holding an equally long sausage. Same with the 'longest' satay grill, just lots of satay grills juxtaposed on adjoining tables. The latest was the kebab attempt; another case of just sambung-sambung. This is pathetic! Maybe this is why we have a local book of records; we can't get into the Guinness. Or is it because Guinness is not halal due to its stout. Whatever.

Our local attempts at setting dubious records are a waste of time, resources and effort. It is better that the money spent be chanelled to charitable purposes and the free time of the participants expended on social work.

Another 6 bites the dust!

2007-03-11T09:04:00.000+08:00

Yet another express bus accident, 6 precious lives sacrificed. The bus concerned ploughed into 2 cars that had collided on the highway; then plunged into a ravine and turned turtle. Was the bus running too fast, over the speed limit?

Bad judgement and plain bad luck accounts for most accidents. Buses are getting more powerful with turbocharged engines that enable them to easily overhaul a small car on the straight. Vehicular performance is enhanced each day while driving skills of the average driver do not keep up.

Installation of black boxes for long haul buses remains a bad idea. These data recorders are good only for pinpointing cause and blame in the aftermath of an accident. When innocent victims have gone to the great beyond. They do not prevent mishaps and loss of lives. What should have been done was to adopt the speed limiter similar to that found in high end cars which limits to them to 250kph. In the case of buses, the limit should be 90kph, yet we can frequently see them flashing past at 130kph or more on the expressways.

I wonder if the relevant agencies have the means to download and expertise to analyse the black box's recorded data. Isn't it much better to prevent the disease than having to bother about the cure later? In this case, there is really no cure. People have been needlessly sacrificed and lives wrecked.

Massive re-thinking is needed here. It is much easier to prescribe equipment changes by law than to instill safer driving attitudes. No amount of exhorting of safe driving is going to do any good if recalcitrant drivers are hell bent on proving they are better than Schumacher or Alonso.

Meanwhile, for longevity perhaps a course on defensive driving would be a good investment.

Fries with that??

2007-03-09T08:30:00.000+08:00

Fast food advertisements to be banned ??!! Reason? To promote a healthier lifestyle among Malaysians. This will only hold true if a blanket ban across all media channels such as television, radio, printed media, etc. is imposed. No point if only RTM bans such ads or on children programs. Fast food companies cry foul, saying their food is healthy and balanced while at the same time casting aspersions on other local foods such as nasi lemak, roti canai, et al.

I am not overly perturbed by this scenario; no issue really as I prefer the local stuff. What I cannnot fathom is why nobody has asked whether fast food such as burgers and fried chicken gives one value for money. At about RM9-10 per person for a burger set or 2-piece chicken set ( both with fries & soda); it certainly ain't cheap.

I remember when I first tried a large burger over a score years ago (that pretty much tells you my age) the meat patty used to be thicker. There was more to bit into and the cheese slice tasted more like real cheese. Now the meat patty looks and tastes more like a soggy disc of dark cardboard. I suppose corners had to be cut to keeps costs down and profits up so we can tell everyone our burgers are the cheapest in the world. The cheese, sigh, tastes just like something from the lab - plasticky. I have always considered ready sliced cheese as plastic. Jamie Oliver showed how to make nice beef patties recently on tv, may be a recipe on his website.

I also recall that the fried chicken pieces used to be larger than now. When it first started, the fried chicken chain said that the birds had to be of a minimum weight (this I can't recall, can anybody throw some light on this?) in order to be used. Common cow (or chicken?) sense will tell us that a bird of any size will yield the same 8 parts – 2 drumsticks, 2 wings, 2 breasts and 2 flanks; only the said parts will be smaller or bigger. Using a smaller bird will definitely yield more profit, you don't need to be a rocket scientist to grasp this logic. My observations were confirmed during one of my visits to Singapore when I tried the fried chicken there (from the same named chain) – the chicken parts were definitely larger than what we get here. Mind you, the chooks used there come from our dear beloved country. Jeez, perhaps I shouldn't be using my singdollars just to satisfy this curiosity of mine, but I did. And came away that I was right after all. Now I steer a wide berth from such fried chicken, preferring to rustle up a roast chicky from an old recipe - can gorge to my satisfaction without feeling shortchanged.

A new fish burger was widely advertised, the ad showing a humongous fish patty that was larger than the bun that held it. Supposed to be substantially larger than the competition's fish burger. Damn fool that I was; I tried it and came away feeling diddled. The bloody bun was larger than the fish patty!. Wtf? Talk about deceptive advertising.

Pizzas. Mama mia, how can any self respecting Italiano bring himself to eat our local pizzas?. Do the maths and you'd conclude that it is a grossly overpriced pretender to the real thing. At about RM30 per large pizza, what do you get? A large flour disc with tomato paste, mozarella cheese, vege/fruit and meat toppings. The total meat protein content comes to about 2-fingers worth per pizza. The cheese is probably fake mozarella as the real McCoy is mucho expensive. The profit margin must be mind boggling. Which is why they can give you a one-for-one offer during promotions and still make a good profit. Started you thinking, right? But make your own choice, nothing stops you from blowing away your hard earned moolah if you are addicted to it. Free country.

I personally prefer to pig out at the restaurant run by a large furniture chain store in Mutiara Damansara. Not naming it cos I am not paid to advertise it but I guess you know as much. For under RM20, I can enjoy meat balls or poached salmon, with dessert and unlimited coffee refills (actually limited by only your bladder and your thick skin in making repeated trips to the dispensing machine, blush). If appetite permits, grab a platter of smoked salmon too. Atmosphere is so-so being more of a diner than a real upmarket place. Just the place to bring a buddy for a tete-a- tete. Healthier food too. Kiasu bugger that I am, I do sometimes go for breakfast there. 9 to 11am. If you scramble (right kiasu term to use, nyuk) there by 10am, RM2 (read two) buys you a plate of nasi lemak with sotong or 2 small pieces of chicky or you can opt for the boiled eggs set with toast/buns. Coffee (or rather the cup) is gratis before 10am. They charge RM3 for the coffee after 10am. I shan't disclose how many cuppa coffees I gulp down. You can guess. Talk about the cheapest brekky in town, it doesn't get any better than this. I hope they don't get any bright ideas about raising prices after this. Lotsa people will curse me for my big mouth.

So make your pick. One man's meat is another's poison. Bon appetit!

Run for dem hills!

2007-03-09T08:26:00.000+08:00

Earthquakes and tremors – these are words we hear and read about almost every month lately. Human lives remain the main casualties whenever and wherever such events happen. Malaysia has been rather fortunate thus far, its casualties in the 2004 Asian tsunami were much lower than neighbouring nations such as Indonesia and Thailand.

More than 2 years have passed. Are we prepared to react and cope should worse disasters come knocking on our doors? Are our emergency response for rescue and medical support up to scratch?

Rescuing people from massive floods and then housing them in ad-hoc relief centres is different than coping with a major earthquake or tidal wave. Injury and death will be horrendously higher in the latter scenarios. We have been very lucky that such disasters that befell our neighbours have left us relatively unscathed. This run of good luck may not hold; so let's not get complacent. We should get cracking to prepare well for when such disasters really occur, not if.

Can our fire and rescue services cope with casualties running into the thousands if major highrise buildings in urban centres collapsed in an earthquake? Victims need to be extricated quickly and sent to medical centres for treatment. Road traffic will be choked to a standstill; can enough helicopters be mobilised to shuttle victims swiftly to hospitals? How are personnel from elsewhere in the country to be deployed quickly to affected areas?

In a major earthquake, landline and mobile telephone services will no doubt be disrupted. Will mobile radio communications be adequate in providing efficient information exchange between the disaster agencies involved? Surely we are not going to use semaphore or smoke signals.

Government hospitals will no doubt be inundated with casualties; thereby having to rope in the private medical centres as well. Has any prior arrangements been made with these private centres for requisition of their facilites? Do we have sufficient ambulances? Do we have field hospitals similar to that used by armed forces that can be speedily set up in disaster zones? Have we procured sufficient equipment such as rescue baskets and stretchers? What about medications and dressings?

I really dread when the writing is on the wall - a major disaster strikes our fine land and we can't cope. Then what? Wait for foreign relief agencies or volunteers to come and assist? To do what? Collect dead bodies?

Get cracking, no more pussy footing, wake up!