My new Proton Saga has hit 1000km and went for its first check-up and service. So far, I’m quite happy with the new Saga (also known as BLM). Noy that many complaints as compared to my old car — the Proton Waja. If you’re a very practical person and thinks a car is nothing more than an invention that helps you to get from one place to another, then this is a value-for-money car!

Will write a ‘review’ of this car in another week or so. I think I have had enough of time with it to be able to write something fair about it.

The second check-up was for myself. It has been more than 6 years since I had a full medical check-up done. The last time I did it, it was a pre-employment check. I also did a basic blood test about 2 years back before I got married — to ensure blood compatibility, etc…

I wanted to do a check of my physical well-being. So I went to this quite famous clinic and told them I wanted to do a medical examination. They looked at me puzzled. They asked what type of examination do I want to do… I explained that its been a while since I had a medical examination done and I just wanted to know that I’m ‘healthy’. They looked at me like I’m asking something that is out of this world… I guess not many people come in to do this. So I just told them its probably something people do when they get a new job. Then it looked like the light-bulb finally lit up. They exclaimed — pre-employment examination and asked which company I plan to join. *sigh* I told them that it’s for myself but somehow, I don’t think they believed me.

I had to go to different floors to have the different tests done. And without fail, each time I would get asked which company I plan to join… Hmmm…

All this got me thinking… These days, so many people are so concerned about their health. We worry about cholesterol. We worry about high-blood pressure. We worry about being diabetic. Besides that, isn’t there anything else that helps measure how healthy we are? I mean what about heartbeat (I mean is it beating too fast, too slow)? Or blood clots? The eyes? Ears? Nose? We keep hearing public service announcements that we should do cancer detection tests, etc… But what kind of tests are these? It seems that all these have to be ’specific’. If you want to test for lung cancer, then you have to request for it. Else it is not done.

I just wish there was some kind of test like what is done with cars — first 1000km, they change the oil, etc… People know what tests and servicing needs to be done. But not with our body. It seems there’s no specific test. We’ve developed so much and perhaps have made things ever more confusing and complicated for ourselves. All I wanted to was for a professional to check my health and tell me I’m ok. But not that easy…

I was also told that a full battery of tests could cost like at least rm500!!!

Today is the day where Malaysians go out and have their voices heard! This is the day where if you are not happy with how things have been, you make a change.

I have cast my vote. The process was relatively fast. Took me less than 10mins from the time I arrived at the polling station to the time I left the place. I was lucky my booth (more like classroom) was empty. I saw some booths that had quite a number of people queuing up outside.

I had wanted to write more about the 2008 General Election sometime earlier this week but I just couldn’t find the time, But here’s what I have to say about the 2008 General Elections.

Candidates
I won’t go into details about candidates all over the country but will just focus on mine - Kelana Jaya for Parliament Seat and Seri Setia for State Seat. Heck, I don’t think I want to even talk about the state seats. I have not really seen those two candidates in action. They don’t come off as impressive at all. As for Kelana Jaya, I was ‘lucky’ to have three candidates - Lee Hwa Beng for Barisan National, Loh Gwo Burne for Keadilan and Billi Lim running as an independant candidate.

Lim Hwa Beng was previously running in Subang Jaya. No introduction or explanation required. He’s been in newspapers, etc quite often. Loh Gwo Burne has also been in the news lately. You don’t know him?!? He’s the guy who taped Lingam la… Oh wait, Lingam said it looks like him, sounds like him, but might not be him (or something like that). Other than this Lingam thingy, I don’t think Gwo Burne’s being doing anything else (politically). He’s been so busy with his business that he’s got no time to even register himself as a voter. If he has no interest in politics, then what they heck is he doing running for Parliament seat? If he gets elected, will he actually be able to serve the people of Kelana Jaya? Or will it be business first, politics/ community second? I have once encountered a doctor who was also a politician (thank goodness he’s not running this year - what I heard is that there is in-fighting among the people in that party) who actually put politics first instead of his medical practice. I wonder if Gwo Burne’s even stayed in Kelana Jaya before.

Billi Lim (don’t you think he looks like Old Master Q? This is interesting (and that’s why he’s getting his own paragraph). I like his haircut. Oh good, he finally got his website updated. Yesterday it was still very crappy. From what I understand, he is a motivational speaker and the author of the book Dare To Fail. I guess Parliament can definitely do with some extra motivation and people like Bung can learn to speak better properly.

News flash: I just got an text message on my phone from +4540590097 saying “UNDILAH BARISAN NASIONAL UNTUK KITA SEMUA. SEMOGA SELAMAT AMAN DAN MAKMUR.” Does it mean if I don’t vote them, the country’s not going to be peaceful?!?

I wonder how many of the candidates have done community service? Or are the expecting a windfall when they become part of the government?

OPPOSITIONS
We do not have real oppositions. DAP? PAS? Keadilan? They only work together during election time. Plus, Khairy did raise an interesting question - If the oppositions win, who is their candidate for Prime Minister? I don’t really see anyone from the three parties that I would like to see as Malaysia’s future leader. If they are serious about being strong, form a new party.

CORRIDORS
I wonder why are all the corridors suddenly announced just before election? There have been many that says its too ambitious to have so many MEGA projects running almost simultaneously. If so, could it be that if Barisan Nasional do not get 2/3 majority, they can then say the projects can’t take off because oppositions are causing problems?

MY WISHES
I would like to see a party that is not based on race. I would like to see a party that fights for everyone - regardless of race or religion. I would like to see a party that is committed to developing our country and at the same time, care for the environment. Poverty does not only affect one race. Every Malaysian should have equal opportunity for health care, education, etc… Improve public transportation and reduce the number of cars on the road. It helps save reduce pollution and more importantly, our reliance on petrol. After all, only the rich can afford petrol guzzling cars, so why is the petrol subsidy used to benefit the rich who can afford such petrol guzzlers? I read somewhere that Malaysia will become a nett importer of petroleum in the next 5-10 years. When that time comes, what will be our country’s source of income? Proton?!? Don’t kid me…

Oh ya, would be nice to see more forward looking politicians. Most of our national plans, including election, seems so last minute. Speaking of last minute, how come the jokers who thought up the use of indelible inks never thought of the legal implications? Isn’t these the same people who should at least know some legal stuffs, especially when it comes to election-related legal issues?

Another hamster died last night… She was nameless (she and two other hamsters, of which one died last month) but like other hamsters, she was cute. This is the thing I realised about hamsters… At pet shops, we see very healthy and very cute hamsters (I wonder what happens to the not-so-cute ones — do they become snake food?). But like all other living creatures, hamsters can also fall sick and die.

When I first got my pair of hamster, it never occured to me that some of the hamsters may fall sick, get injured, etc… After all, I was so in love with them after seeing them at the pet shop all clean, fat chubby and adorable. But when my pair started to have babies (and they really had lots of them), I realised that some of them will die early, some of them will not be chubby, some may have problems with their eyes, etc… The point is, hamsters are not that easy to care for after all.

Previously, when the hamsters died, I would use a hammer, a chisel and a screwdriver to dig up a grave… That’s because we don’t have any gardening tools such as spade or even a cangkul (hoe). Being kinda late already and feeling tired and sleepy (I try to go to bed by 10pm these days), I thought it would be easier to call a few friends and just borrow a hoe from one of them…

Tried the first one. He threw away his hoe a few months back. Actually, I remember my family used to have a hoe, a rake and a few spades… I guess after we cemented the porch, there was no need for the gardening tools anymore and my parents probably threw them away after that.

Called the second friend. She said her parents threw away the hoe as well…

Tried the third friend. He said he don’t have one.

Hmmm… It makes me wonder… How many of us actually still do gardening these days? Does anyone still have trees and plants outside their house? Have we gone so high-tech that we have no place for trees and other greens anymore?

My dad, Mrs Tai and I were on our way to SS2 to have our dinner this evening when we saw this incident. We were turning into the SS2 area from the LDP when we saw a kitten that had been ran over by a car. It was still alive as we could see its leg saw still moving (not just twitching). I don’t know why but lately when I come across such a scene, I feel really upset.

We noticed that the cars were avoiding the kitten but how long more can the poor kitten’s luck last? I decided to stop my car at the nearby residential area and move the kitten to the roadside. As the traffic is very heavy at this area (this is the junction with traffic lights that turns into Chow Yang/ SS2 just after Taman Megah), I had to make a big turn. I finally managed to find a spot to park my car. It was near the petrol station located next to the junction.

My dad and Mrs Tai waited in the car while I walked back to the traffic lights. As I reached the place where the kitten was, my heart sank… The kitten had been run over a few more times and was dead by the time I arrived.

But this got me thinking… Would it have been better this way for the kitten (probably dying immediately after being run over by another vehicle)? After all, if I had moved the kitten to the roadside, it would probably just suffer for a few more hours before dying. I am quite sure there’s no way the kitten would have survived.

After dinner, I called Eu Jin and asked him about this. After all, his sister is a vet and would be in a better position to advise what to do. He could not really give me an answer but he did say that taking it to the vet and getting the vet to put the kitten down will cost me money. And it’s not cheap…

So, I’m now wondering… What is the ‘best’ thing to do in such incident?

Originally posted on 16th Nov 2006 @ http://adriantai.blogspot.com. I think this is a nice post that I should republish here.

Everytime I see a friend eating the chinese herbal jelly called Gui Lin Gao, I always tell them that it is actually made of tortoise shell (the authentic jelly anyway). And the debate never fails to start… They would claim it is not! And since most of the time these jelly sold in pasar malam did not come with any ingredient list, I was not able to convince them otherwise.

Then one day, I happened to chance upon one with the ingredient list.

Guiban. What is that? If you can read the chinese ingredient list, you would realise it literally means ‘tortoise board’. A search on the internet for this ‘herb’ called ‘gui ban’ led me to these two sites: tcmtreatment.com & alternativehealing. Both sites says the guiban is actually the plastron.

And just to be sure what a plastron is, I looked it up in Wikipedia and got this:
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Quoted from Wikipedia on 16th Nov 2006:
The plastron is the nearly flat part of the shell structure of a tortoise, what one would call the belly, similar in composition to the carapace; with an external layer of horny material divided into plates called scutes and an underlying layer of interlocking bones.In certain families there is a hinge between the pectoral and abdominal scutes allowing the turtle to almost completely enclose itself. In certain species the sex of a testudine can be told by whether the plastron is concave, male or convex, female. This is because of the mating position.Turtle plastrons were used by the ancient Chinese in a type of divination called plastromancy. See also oracle bones.
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Yes, the authentic Guilingao uses parts from the tortoise. I don’t think anyone would wait for a tortoise to die of old age before using its platron to make this jelly. I believe tortoise can live for a very, very long time. Does this means they do to tortoise what fishermen do to sharks for shark’s fin?

A better question would be… Do we really need to eat this jelly?

I just have to share this job interview experience I had. It happened a long time ago…

To start off with, I got called for this interview in a very unconventional way. I had just ended a phone conversation during lunch when a guy sitting in front of my started a conversation with me. He was talking about how it was rude for the caller to have called and asked about some computer problems during my lunch time. Then he went on to tell me that his company is looking for people and asked if I knew anyone looking for a job. We exchanged business cards and then told him I will try and ask around.

That afternoon, he called and told me that he actually want me to attend the interview. Heck, why not? He’s seen how I handle users (from the phone conversation during lunch) and if he’s OK with my style, why not? I have a no-nonsense attitude when it comes to dealing with users and I am very practical.

That evening, I popped by his office and was led to the meeting room. He started off by saying he’s very unconventional in his approach, which was evident from how he approached me – during lunch. I have to admit that I also prefer unconventional methods of scouting for people as some people can really be good at pretending (aka acting) during interview.

He asked me to tell him about myself which I did… The usual stuffs… What I do, where I studied, etc…

After that, the guy said he likes to size up candidates and says he’s very good at it. Again, I think this is a good skill to have. Many hiring managers lack this skill and end up hiring morons. Then he said he’s going to ask me a few questions and size me up. I’m game for it. After all, that is what the interview is about – we ask each other questions to find out more and size up one another.

First question. What is your impression of these people – gay, lesbian, homosexual?
From this question, I already knew everything I needed to know about my interviewer (and boss, if I am successful in the interview). Anyway, I told him it is not for me to judge a person’s personal preference. As long as in the office, they are professional in their approach and work, I have no issues. But I also added that biologically, there is a reason why only male and female are ‘compatible’.

Next, he went on to talk about how the company and that the company have a plant (factory plant, not the tree) in East Malaysia. He told me the plant was really big and it would take you like 40 minutes to walk from one end to the other. He said the person would need to occasionally travel and work at the plant. He shared about the last experience he had at the plant… Walked from one end to the other and by the time reached the end of the plants, he said his legs were so tired and wobbly, just like how it feels after a masturbation session (yup, exact words used).

OK, now I know he’s not really professional. I just gave nod.

He told me he’s a very open person. He don’t believe in having office mask and a personal mask. The interviewer says that he likes to keep things casual and just as an example of what he means by ‘open’, he gave this example – “It’s like when we go to the toilet. You look at my thing, I look at your thing, it’s nothing.”

Now I know he’s got nothing there…

He continued to talk about his approach and his management style. He said he don’t really like people who draw a clear line. He says he like to be ‘good friends’ with his team members. He says he’s approachable in every sense and there’s no line between office and personal. He went on the explain the term ‘personal’… “When I say personal, I don’t mean we’re going to have sex.”

Sex. Male. Office. Hmmm… Wait, he didn’t say anything about touching…

Of course during the interview, there were also other things being discussed like what are the plans for the person in that position, responsibilities, etc… We also discussed about the package to which he had this to say, “When I first got this position, I told the MD that I will not discuss about what I expect. After 3 months, I will prove my worth and you pay me how much you think I deserve. After 3 months probation, I got a good re-adjustment. The point is, we should not get into too much detail about expected salary. I always take care of my team. As long as I’m happy, my team will be happy.”

 I don’t know why but when he said that, images of Blue Oyster went through my mind along with a scene from Police Academy where this guy dropped a bar of soap in prison…

After like 30-40 minutes, the interview ended. Shook hands and left the place. The whole thing sounded silly. I shared it with a few friends and my brother. My brother said he was surprised I actually sat through the whole 40 minutes. He would have walked out like 5 minutes later. Well, I just wanted to be ‘professional’ about the whole thing.

A month after the interview, I saw an advertisement in the local papers for that position. I guess it was still not filled yet. I think it would be difficult to get that position filled if the interviews were conducted that way.

3 months later, I saw the same advertisement again…

Speaking of interviews, don’t you just get annoyed with companies that approach you first and tell you how you much they want you to join their company, how much you can contribute, etc and then 1 week later, they ‘disappear’ (probably to look for other options or maybe they went bankrupt overnight?!).