Karaoke Night

A few days ago, I posted on my blog about how great my neighbourhood was because there was no dreadful karaoke singing around. Well, I spoke too soon.

Our Vietnamese neighbours had a huge party last night and you've guessed it, karaoke singing was part of the programme. Those who know me well know that I have this aversion to karaoke singing.

Don't get me wrong. It's fun to hop into one of those karaoke lounges to make fools of ourselves in the company of good friends. However, if karaoke singing leaves the boundaries of those lounges, it gets really crappy. Especially if the crooner is tone deaf but insists of assaulting the ears of others.

I should know. I lived in a neigbourhood rife with awful karaoke singers who were so inconsiderate of others. Heck! I even lived with one, someone who is closely related to my husband. I had to tolerate that kind of dread on a daily basis. It's little wonder I love living in Australia, far away from the maddening noise.

Anyway, our Vietnamese neighbours and their friends just reminded me of the horror I used to endure. They were terrible singers. It was quite a surprise because we've lived here for 10 months and that was the first karaoke assault we had. Hmm, maybe it won't happen so often.

And mercifully, the neighbours had the decency to stop their howling and croacking at 11.30pm sharp. Guess they were still more considerate than their fellow karaoke enthusiasts in Malaysia. Thank goodness for that!

No Shortage Of Asian Groceries

One of the main concerns of many Malaysians who are about to move to Australia is the possibility of not being able to get their usual supply of groceries. Well, if anything, there are more varieties of Asian groceries here than back in Malaysia – at least this is the case in Melbourne.

Melbourne is truly cosmopolitan. Asians are everywhere and there are suburbs that are predominantly Asian. Box Hill, which is 5 minutes from my house, is a typically Chinese area. Then there are places such as Richmond, Footscray and Springvale occupied mostly by Vietnamese.

Since Box Hill is so near me I usually do my grocery shopping there. You can find virtually everything you need to do your usual Asian cooking here. And there’s more. Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese ingredients that you don’t normally see in KL are aplenty here. Very often, you can find things that are actually imported from Malaysia too!

You want to cook Assam fish or beef rendang? No problem. You can find tamarind, lemon grass, curry leaves, chili, onion, garlic, ginger, shallots and whatnot easily. If you’re lazy, ready-to-cook paste is also available. And you’ll be spoilt for choice.

In addition to spices, other dried ingredients are also easy to find. Herbal soup mix, ikan bilis, dried shrimp, salted fish, salted eggs, instant noodles and all the beans that we use for making desserts are also displayed prominently on the shelves of most Asian grocers.

And the greens – they are much bigger, plumper, juicier and tastier than their Malaysian cousins, courtesy of the temperate climate here, although I heard that the continued drought and water shortage may result in a drop of harvest and an increase in the prices of greens soon.

Well, remember how our parents used to say that we’d have to eat bread everyday if we moved abroad (ie to Western countries)? Those days are certainly gone, especially in Melbourne.

Height Of Footy Fever

I have no interest whatsoever in Aussie Footy but even I can't escape all the talk about the AFL Grand Final tomorrow afternoon at the MCG in Melbourne. It's Geelong vs Port Adelaide. And since Geelong is a Victorian team, you can bet most of the crowd will be rooting for Geelong.

And there was even a traditional Grand Final Parade in the City this evening to mark the event. Wow, a parade, imagine. I knew Footy is serious business here in Australia. I just didn't know how serious it was.

And the news slots were filled with items related to the Grand Final. So much time and attention was devoted to it. People were interviewed on the streets and you could see fans of all ages - from 3 to 93!

There's more. Alex's company actually had a luncheon BBQ in honour of the game. Can you beat that? Not only that, the workers were dismissed early. They started the celebration much earlier and regardless of which team finally takes the trophy, they are going to have a day off on Monday too. Now I'm not sure if this applies to all companies in Victoria but Alex's company sure is practising that.

Good for a non-Footy fan who doesn't even know what teams are in the Grand Final! That's my man - sport-blind.

A Few Things I Like About My House

I have no great love for the house that I lived in for six years in Cheras. It is too big (3 floors), too colourful (shades of rainbow) and come with silly-looking cone-shaped roofs (just like fake castles). Many have dubbed the houses in that area "Disney Houses". It didn't help that my room was on the top floor.

In contrast, the house that I'm living in right now in Doncaster is just perfect. It's kind of old and it's not even our own (we're renting) but it's haven to me. Here's why:

1. It's a single story bungalow. No more running up and down the stairs. You can reach any part of the house within 20 seconds!

2. It's easy to clean. All done in less than half an hour.

3. It's in a quiet neighbourhood. No aweful karaoke singing, no squabbling neighbours, no barking dogs, etc.

4. It's a 1-minute walk to the bus-stop (You never know when you need to take the bus).

4. It's 3 minutes away from the Eastern Freeway, which takes you straight to the city.

5. It's a 10-minute walk to the Westfield Shoppingtown (too bad under heavy renovation now, so a bit messy).

6. It's 8 minutes away from Box Hill - where you can find all sorts of Asian groceries, libraries and hospitals.

7. It's 10 minutes away from my cousin, Pin's house.

And best of all, it's just Alex, Joshua, Joanne and me. Just the way a little family should be. Well, not for long, though. We'll have to make room for some long-time visitors soon ...

The Birthday

I turned 38 today. Well, the day didn't start well. It wasn't the thought of my getting closer to the grave that gave me that sinking feeling. It was the sorethroat that had been bugging me for a couple of days.

It just got worse. I felt as if a small blade had been lodged in my throat. Each time I swallowed, that was a stabbing pain. Darn, how was I to enjoy my birthday dinner? I felt drowsy and tired throughout the whole day as I did my usual house chores and got my kids ready for their little sojourn at my cousin's house for the evening.

Yep, no kids for the evening. Just me and Alex and a nice dinner and err, a seminar.

No mistake there. I did write "seminar". You see, my beloved significant other had signed us both up for a free "First-Time Home Buyer Information Seminar" for the evening. He apparently failed to note the significance of the date when he called up the organiser to book a place. He only realised that after I reminded him that Sept 26 is my birthday.

And he went "Oh, we can have an early dinner and then go to the seminar. Can you ask your cousin if we can leave the kids at her place for the evening?" That was 2 weeks ago.

That's my man. At least he was still buying me dinner. He took me to a crowded and noisy Chinese Restaurant in Richmond. No romantic mood there but the food was awesome. As I tucked into the succulent crab meat (really yummy), he actually said we could ditch the seminar if we were to really enjoy our dinner. So I deliberately took my time eating my crab.

We actually finished our dinner with 20 minutes to go before the seminar started. We could just make it if we hurried. Luckily, Alex suggested we go somewhere else - to Crown, the place to be in Melbourne. We didn't stay very long but it was nice just the two of us.

At least there's still hope for this man that I married.

Big Brothers

I was lazy to cook today. So I took Joanne, Joshua and Andrew (my nephew who came for a visit) to McDonald's instead. There's something very appealing about the McDonald's restaurants here. It's not Ronald and friends. It's the big indoor playground that comes with each restaurant.

We got there early. So we could find a place at the playground area easily. Soon, the area was filled with running and screaming kids, including the trio that I brought along. It was a little overcrowded and quite a lot of shoving around.

Then I saw a woman parking next to my car (I could see it from where I was sitting). She caught my attention because she had 5 kids with her. But that was not the main catching thing. There was a boy aged around 10 and he was helping his mum carry his youngest sibling, a toddler.

I watched the family closely. Well, I seldom saw boys that age so attentive to their younger siblings when I was in KL. I saw a lot of girls doing that but never boys. Very intriguing. So I kept watching them.

The 5 kids were very well behaved. They didn't rush to the playground. They sat inside the main dining area in the restaurant and ate their lunch quietly, with the oldest boy making sure his younger siblings get what they wanted. When they finished, he held the youngest one (the one he carried earlier) and took her to the playground.

He didn't dump her and start running around on his own. No, he held her hand and made sure no one trample on his little sister the entire time they were in the playground! That's right, he took her up the steps and slid down the slide with her. Trust me, no one would dare bully his sister.

Impressive. His mother must have done one fantastic job bringing up her brood. Then I remember meeting a Melbournian couple a few years back. They too had a son who was very caring towards younger kids. And then there is Andrew. My nephew whom my 2 kids adored. He doesn't have any younger siblings but he takes on the role of big brother so easily.

Maybe the way people raise their kids here are little different from the way people do in Malaysia. In Malaysia, girls are typically expected to be caring towards their younger siblings but boys can escape from doing that.

Well, I certainly like the way here better. No wonder Western men tend to take on the role of fatherhood more readily when the time comes.

By Appointment Only

You know how you can easily walk into a clinic in Malaysia anytime you wish? You don’t have to call in and make an appointment first. You only do that if you are seeing a specialist for a very serious ailment.

Well, it’s a different story here in Australia. Here, you have to make appointments for almost everything. If you want to see doctor, a dentist, a veterinarian, get a hair cut or have your car serviced, always call to fix an appointment first. Otherwise, you may be turned away or have to wait for eons before you get to do what you mean to do.

And an appointment doesn’t always mean that you get to see the person you want to see at the time you’ve booked. It only means you are assured that you’ll get to see him/her. In many cases, you still have to wait for a while.

This is something that many Malaysians can’t get used to. We are so used to the first-come-first-serve exercise. Not surprisingly, each time I bring the kids to see a doctor, I would inevitably overhear people, especially older people from Malaysia or Singapore, complaining that they still have to wait despite making an appointment to see the doctor first.

Well, at least the services provided are usually satisfactory. Otherwise, I think people would have revolted a long time ago!

The Reunion

Over the weekend, we met up with some old friends who had come for a visit in Melbourne. Our little get-together was held at another friend’s house in Balwyn North since only his fortress-like abode can fit all 30 of us!

It was so good to see some old familiar faces and to catch up with one another. And since each family had its own little army of little people, the house was filled with screaming and running kids as well.

A few years ago, such a reunion of friends would see us chatting, drinking, smoking, eating, drinking, reminiscing, drinking, playing cards, smoking, drinking – you get my drift. Later, we’d probably go somewhere else only to indulge in the same things. And this could go on till the wee hours of the next day.

But these days, we don’t all get to sit down together. Some of us, usually the mums, will have to attend to the kids first, making sure they eat their dinner and are not fighting among themselves before having the chance to sit down and enjoy the meal and conversation. And when we all finally sit down to play catch up, some of the kids will barge in and demand some attention. Quite a struggle holding up a conversation when you have cranky kids pulling at your clothes and hair!

Naturally, we all become like Cinderella. By midnight, it’s time to hit the road and go back to where we’ve crawled out from earlier. The night is still young but our priorities have shifted to the young ones. So we reluctantly bid each other goodnight.

That’s what happened that evening. There was so much to catch up on but so little time and too many distractions. Still, the “party” was a blast. Wish we could have a few more of that every now and then!

Farewell My Teacher

Yesterday, Joshua completed 3 quarters of his first academic year at Greythorn Primary School. Time really flies.

The last day of his school was also a "Casual Clothes Day" - the kids left their uniforms at home and donned casual clothes to school instead. It was all so informal. And since it was also Miss Ellard's (Joshua's class teacher) last day at school for year 2007, the kids had a special farewell party for their beloved teacher.

I don't know Miss Ellard as well as some of the other teachers but I think she has played a very big part in moulding Joshua's life at school. All the kids love her - she's generous, warm and genuinely affectionate towards the kids. And of course, it helps that she's young and pretty too. Well, actually, she looks more like a model than a school teacher!

As I reached the school compound to pick up Joshua after school, I saw his classmates and Miss Ellard all gathered under the big oak tree for a group photo. Oh, it was a lovely sight. The kids were proudly showing off their special individual cards that Miss Ellard made for them and were all smiles for the camera. I quickly whipped out my camera phone and took some shots too.

Some of the kids lined up to give Miss Ellard a cuddle. Joshua wanted to do that too but was too shy to ask. In the end, I had to take him and present him to his teacher. She was full of praises for all the kids. Some of them cried, reluctant to let her go. It was one those "awww" moments. So touching. I could see her blinking back tears too.

She won't be gone for good, at least not yet. She's on a long sabbatical leave and will be back next year. Hopefully Joanane will be enrolled in her class. She's such a wonderful teacher. Joanne actually asks if she can go to Miss Ellard's class next year! Well, one can always hope.

The Fake Eye Lashes

What is it about fake eye lashes that appeal to women so much these days? I don’t know how men view them but I find them rather off-putting. How can a woman look sexy and alluring with obviously fake, long and thick eye lashes resting on their cheeks? Honestly, I think they look kind of scary.

I was watching The Ghost Whisperer starring Jennifer Love Hewitt last night. That’s one of the rare occasions where I actually managed to finish not one episode but two episodes back to back. Anyway, something kept bugging me as I stayed glued to the idiot box. I couldn’t place it at first but then I realized it was Jennifer Love Hewitt’s fake eye lashes!

I’ve always thought she was a natural beauty. But why on Earth did she have to stick such thick and long fake eye lashes? She is pretty enough. Just a hint of mascara or something shorter and thinner would have worked wonderfully on her. But no, she had to pick the bazookas of eye lashes.

They were a huge distraction. And there were lots of close-ups of her in the show (since she’s supposed to be displaying all kinds of emotions as the psychic who can communicate with the dead). And each time there was a close-up, I lost the conversation!

Her character even slept with the fake stuff on! Of course, she also slept with fresh make-up on. Totally unrealistic!

Is that what fake eye lashes are supposed to do? To distract men until nothing seems coherent anymore? Well if that is so, they certainly are working very well. I know I am distracted!

The Birthday Card That Says It All

The doorbell rang as I was in the midst of preparing lunch. Drat! Not a salesman, please. As I walked to the door, I started conjuring excuses to thwart the advances of a would-be salesman. To my relief, it was the postman, with a special delivery.

The parcel was addressed to me, but I didn't recognise the handwriting. I turned it over and discovered it was from my brother-in-law, Rizal. Grinning, I suspected the parcel was filled with stickers and whatnot for the kids. And true enough, there were stacks of Transformers and Disney Princess stickers as well as a comic and story book for Joshua and Joanne. Lucky kids. They have uncles and aunts from Far Far Awayland who regularly send them stuff.

But there was something esle specially for me - a birthday card from my sister, Hui Yin (Rizal's wife). She used to make her own cards (and at one time even sold them) and therefore could pen anything suitable. But she's been busy lately and has apparently resorted to buying cards instead of making them. This particular commercially available card describes Hui Yin and me so accurately. In fact, it describes all four of us sisters quite accurately.

It says "We're a little bit crazy and a whole lot of fun! We talk about everything under the sun. You make me laugh ... and when you are blue, I'm happy to do the same thing for you. We love being sisters, and that is no lie - Just can't do without you ... won't even try!"

I laughed out loud, and even shed a tear or two reading that. That description sounds just like us. Gosh! I do miss my sisters. The crazy and hilarious antics we used to share and the stupid pranks we played on each other.

I remember we used to write very bad poetry and emailed it to one another while at work. The poems didn't have to be err, poetic but they must rhyme. So we "forced" them to rhyme, most of the time with comical results. I still have the collection of our poetry in one of my folders.

Then we have several "tests" that can quickly verify our status as sisters in the family. One of them was the "Magnificent Seven" test that will prove who we are. And of course, we had the natural talent to make utter fools of ourselves in public every now and then.

Well, it will be a long while before I can see all of them again. Kind of depressing when I think of how far my family is away from me. But Air Asia is coming to Australia. Maybe it won't be so bad.

And thanks No 3 for the birthday card.

Unfinished

Alex has a very strange habit. He loves watching movies. But he can happily stop the movie halfway, or even with only 10 minutes left for that matter, to take a nap, read a magazine in the loo, or worse, swap DVDs!

I don't understand this at all. At one time, quite a few years back in fact, he was watching Meet Joe Black starring Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins. He got sleepy towards the end. Having seen the movie prior, I told him there were only a few minutes left and that he should just finish watching it. But no, Mr Sleepy Head couldn't keep his eyes open anymore and decided to abandon the movie. The next day, a thief broke into his apartment and stole a few items, including the Meet Joe Black VCD! And no, till today Alex never saw the ending of the story.

That incident didn't teach him the joy or importance of watching a movie from the start to the end within one sitting, though. He still "breaks" his movies, all the time. Most annoying. And last night, we rented The Wickerman with Nicholas Cage in the lead role. I no longer have a stomach for horror movies and simply loathe watching a scary show all by myself, especially at night. So I was glad to have a partner watching with me.

I should've known. At 10.30pm, he started yawning and we were only half way through the movie. I wasn't that keen on the movie at first but slowly got hooked and I wanted to know what happened next. But Alex loudly excused himself, leaving me alone with The Wickerman. Truth be told, it wasn't that scary but I was just too chicken to watch it without another person next to me. So I abandoned it as well.

No more horror flicks for me. Waste of time and kills the fun if I have to watch it with the only other adult in the house!

Citizenship Test

The Australian government has decided to make it a little tougher for migrants to become citizens. They have introduced a new citizenship test. While many PRs who wish to become full-fledge citizens are not happy about it, I think it's only fair. After all, there are way too many migrants in Australia. Apparently, 25% of Australians were born elsewhere.

I'm not too worried about the test. I know when the time comes, I'll pass with flying colours. I've been passing tests consistently, except for the darn practical driving test that I had to sit for FIVE times (and Maths test, of course. Still have nightmares about that.)

What I'm trying to say here is that all is fair, despite an additonal obstacle. Sure there are debates that if an existing citizen takes the test and fails, does that mean his or her citizenship is revoked? And the nature of the questions are being questioned too. It appears that some of the questions are a bit "out" - like asking the applicant about certain sport legends. Yes, the debates can go on and on.

But it's the law now. You want the citizenship, you have to sit for and pass the test. Fair enough. This is a lot better than applying for a Malaysian citizenship, which can take up to more than 40 years if you have the wrong skin colour and religion. Indonesians dying to be Malaysians will be glad to know that they are exempted from that rule, though.

No one has sat for the Australian citizenship test yet. But the first batch of applicants will do so on Oct 1, 2007. Until then, we can only guess just how tricky the questions are.

Independence

It's true that Westerners are more independent. I see it everyday here. Kids are encouraged to be their own "men" since young. And they are expected to leave the family home and find a place of their own once they are out of school.

But it's not only young people who are fiercely independent. A lot of senior citizens and the disabled are equally self-reliant. Many elderly people do their own shopping and drive around without being accompanied by their adult children. They also live on their own or in a retirement village. They don't feel the need to cling on to their children even in their golden years. They seem pretty happy with such an arrangement.

And I have nothing but respect for the disabled who bravely move around with the aid of scooters, power chairs and motorised wheelchairs. Most of them are on solo mode and they seem perfectly capable of doing their daily routines.

I suppose it helps that the government pays huge amounts of benefits for the ederly and the disabled. And also, we have a caring community in the real sense. All shopping areas, offices and public transport vehicles are disabled-friendly and nobody but only the disabled park at parking lots meant for them.

It's not just all talk, there's a lot of action involved too. You'll find most people willing to step in to help anyone in need of help anytime, anywhere.

Becoming independent is so much easier when there's help around. Another thing that Malaysians should've learnt a long time ago.

Car Wash

In Malaysia, you'll often see domestic maids washing their employers' cars in the morning or evening, sometimes on a daily basis. So it's not unusal to see many shiny clean cars, especially the luxury types, on the road.

It's a different story here in Melbourne. Very rarely do you see a truly clean car on the road. Most are covered with dust and mud and some look as if they have taken part in a motor rally or had a mud bath.

There's one simple explanatin for this - water shortage. Water restriction is in place across the state and that means you can't wash your car the conventional way - with a garden hose and splashing water here and there. It's an offence here. And your neighbours will report you to the water authority and you'll be labelled a water rat, a pariah within the community. (And there are other water-related crimes to, such as watering plants as you wish but that's another story).

You can wipe your car window clean with a piece of wet cloth but that's about all you can do. So everyone drives their car to the car wash facility to give their car a bath. There are 2 types - hand car wash where some workers will tend to your car washing needs and self-service car wash where you wash your car using what's provided at the facility.

Most people opt for the latter because it's cheaper. You put some money in the coin slot and you'll be given a specific period of time to do your washing. If you haven't finished washing your car and your time is up, just feed the thing more coins. So the faster you wash, the more money you save.

I was totally entralled the first few times I went with Alex to wash his car. You have to queue up, of course. But it usually doesnt' take long because nobody wants to spend more than they need to at the car wash. You'll also see some people washing in very kiasu manner - they are so fast they need only AUD2 to wash the entire car! It takes a lot of speed and skills, though!

I haven't tried using the car wash myself. I suppsoe I'll end up using a lot of coins. That being the case, I might as well just drive to a hand car wash centre to get the job done!

Britney's Defender

Normally, I wouldn't bother wasting my time or blog space to talk about the likes of Britney Spears and those in the same league - Paris Hilton, Nicole Ritchie, Lindsay Lohan, etc. But this time, I thought it might be fun to poke fun at her and one of her most loyal fans.

By now, most of us would have heard or seen Britney's disasterous live performance at the MTV Music Video Awards last Sunday. Though scantily clad, she failed to wow audiences worldwide. Well, naturally, people were dumbstruck by her appearance but unfortunately not the way she had anticipated.

Sporting a little pot belly, she was quite a joke to look at. I don't mean to be cruel but if you're a celebrity and you want to flaunt it in front of thousands of people, you should at least have the decency to make sure you don't repel those very same people. I am sure most people gawked at her during the performance not because she looked like a goddess, but more so because they couldn't believe the once svelte and toned Britney looked like she had just pigged out big time before taking to the stage.

Not surprisingly, harsh criticisms became her constant companions the few days that followed her performance. Some people said she should be put away somewhere safe for others! Seems like the whole world has abandoned her. In the midst of this however, one fan came to her defence.

Meet Chris Crocker, Britney's superfan who posted a video on YouTube pleading people to leave Britney alone! That is so hilarious. He seems genuinely upset and choking while making his infamous plea. I don't know if this kid is vying for some free publicity himself but he's quite well-known now. And his very emotional stunt has apparently generated other spoofs, including one supposedly from his own father!

After what Crocker did, I doubt people would leave Britney alone. Too priceless to be left alone, for the wrong reasons, of course!

Mad About Tan

I have a friend whose surname is Tan and he likes going to the beach. Each time he comes back looking very tanned, he will say that "it comes with thename". Nice pun.

Well, the Aussies certainly love being tanned, not the migrant Aussies butthe Caucasian Aussies. You know how the women in Malaysia do all they can to protect themselves from the sun. Well, here it's the complete opposite. In summer, you find lots of people baring as much flesh as they can under the glaring hot sun. I stay under the shade whenever I can.

And when there is no sun - such as during autumn and winter - those tan lovers will turn to solariums (like those you find in tanning salons) to get the tone they crave. It's mad. It's literally toasting yourself! And though some salons claim that the rays from solariums are safer than UV rays from sunlight, doctors disagree.

Two days ago, a young woman named Clare Oliver died after a long battle with skin cancer. Before she died, she campaigned tirelessly against the use of solariums for she believed that she herself fell prey to skin cancer as a result of excessive usage of solariums. Her campaign drew a lot of attention because she was campaigning as she was dying. It was really sad, she was only 26 and extremely attractive.

Would her campaign and subsequent death due to skin cancer shake some sense into tan lovers? I hope so but I seriously doubt it. Some people just can't get enough of tan. The funny thing is, I don't even find it appealing!

Earthquake!

For years, we Malaysians thought Malaysia was the safest country on the planet, spared from all kinds of scary natural calamities except the occasional floods. We didn't have hurricanes (only tropical thunder storms), tonadoes, volcanoes and earthquakes. Well, once in a blue moon we might feel a slight tremor when a major earthquake struck somewhere in Sumatera.

But things changed after an undersea earthquake hit somewhere near Sumatera on 26 December 2004, triggering tsunamis along coastal areas in South Asia and claiming nearly 230,000 lives. Malaysia was not spared. We lost 50 people in the disaster.

Alex, the kids and I were actually along Gurney Drive in Penang moments after the tsunami struck. The sea was black and choppy and as we drove past the beach, a big wave washed over the barrier and over our car! Well, that was a big shock and people who had been staring into the sea earlier ran helter skelter. We were stunned but unharmed and managed to drive to the hotel we were supposed to stay. At that time, we still didn't know what had actually happened. It was only later in the day that we heard about the earthquake and the subsequent tsunamis.

Tsunami in Malaysia - that was a first. And many people felt the tremors that came after the earthquake too. Since then, Malaysia seems to be experiencing more tremors than ever before. Yesterday was the latest addition. Many people panicked and feared another tsunami, though this time the authorities seemed more prepared for it. I wasn't there but I read about the incident.

But something else bugs me. Does the increasing frequency of tremors felt in West Malaysia mean that the tectonic plates are moving closer towards the peninsular? Does it mean that seismic activities have shifted towards us? If so, will there actually be an earthquake in Malaysia some day?

Scary thought. I get goose bumps just thinking about it. For Malaysia is definitely not prepared for such a catastrophe. We have no experience and our buildings are certainly not going to withstand any violent shaking. And we have some of the tallest buildings in the world!

I suppose the only thing we can do is pray that it never happens.

True Champ

Tennis ace Roger Federer did it again, for the 4th time at the US Open. Yes, he is the undisputed world number one tennis player. And heavens, he's got so much grace and class in his game!

I haven't really been updating myself with the latest bits in professional tennis but I used to be huge fan. My then favourite was Sweden's Stefan Edberg, another classy tennis great. He was a gentleman on and off court. You never read about him shouting obsenities at the umpire or throwing his racquet in a tantrum fit. And off court, you never read about him getting involved in scandals and whatnot. His record was so clean that a renowned sports journalist once said that "the only dirt you could dig out from Edberg was his dirty laundry!".

After Edberg retired from professional tennis, I lost interest in the game. The new generation of players that started to emerge were mostly bad-tempered, egoistic and insolent punks. Not worth my time at all.

Then came Roger Federer, who won his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2003 by defeating Mark Philippoussis (the dude in that stupid reality show Age Of Love), and he's been winning Grand Slam titles quite consistently since. His latest Grand Slam title is his 12th and he's barely 26!

Well, at the rate he's going, he will probably end up being the greatest tennis player in history. Already, some people have tagged him as the best ever tennis player. But what makes him truly remarkable is that like Edberg, Federer is always cool, calm and collected on court. Apparently he threw many tantrums on court when he was a boy. But somehow, he's become mature enough to leave that nasty habit behind.

And he never bad-mouths his rivals, a trait that is so rare these days. You keep hearing one ace bitching about another all the time. It's good to know there are still a handful who subscribe to the belief that if you have nothing good to say, don't say it at all.

I look forward to seeing Federer win more championships. After all, this is one bloke young kids should look up to. God knows we lack good role models for young people these days!

After 9/11

Another big moment in Hari Ini Dalam Sejarah. We all know what happened in New York on September 11, 2001. Nearly 3000 civilians died because of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. And it was the first time that such heinous acts of terrorism were captured on camera and broadcast worldwide. I

I'm not going to dwell on how dreadful terrorism is. It will always be, regardless of who the purportrators are. But what also irks me are those who think terrorism is funny and device ways to plant hoaxes.

The day after the 9/11 incident, the area surrounding the Petronas Twin Towers in KLCC was a scene of chaos and alarm. The security staff was alerted after someone claimed there was a bomb somewhere in one of the towers. I was working at Menara Maxis (situated just next to the Twin Towers) then. As a safety precaution, we were all asked to evacuate the building. People were milling about at the designated emergency areas. No one seemed overly concerned. No one actually believed there was a bomb in the first place.

True enough, it was a hoax. What a complete waste of time, not that I was eager to go back to work. But it irritated me endlessly that some people took pleasure in creating panic among others. And worse, it was very bad taste indeed - poking fun at the expense of the deaths of so many innocent victims.

Naturally, such pranksters abound. Despite much stricter airline rules being in force, there are still morons who joke about planting bombs on planes. These people should be tossed out of the plane while it is airborne! (Of course, that's a security breach and completely out of question.)

I certainly hope I'll be spared the agony of sharing my flights with such irresponsible, immature and insufferable idiots.