http://ayusli.com

Yes, I now have a blog under my own domain name. While I still maintain this blog, my ramblings will now be posted on my new site. Thank you for visiting. I really appreciate your support.

http://ayusli.com

No motorcycles on highways

The Star, Tuesday, 02 October 2007: "The Works Ministry is considering banning motorcyclists from expressways if they continue to be a nuisance on the road."

That came from the minister, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, when he witnessed superbikes zooming along the highway at 170 kph.

If the reason for banning is only because of being a nuisance, then Datuk Seri, you might as well ban all vehicle from using the highways. While you're at it, you might as well ban ALL vehicle from using ALL roads. You'd be surprised at how much of a nuisance these vehicle really are. But then, you never get to drive your own car, do you? Being a minister, I'm sure you have your own driver to take you around. Maybe with police traffic escorts as well.

If motorcycles are banned from the highways, the only option left to them is the normal roads. Believe me Datuk Seri, those roads are even more dangerous than the highways. Small roads.. big vehicle.. low quality roads.. you get the drift. Banning them definitely won't save them.

The thing is.. I don't think driving fast is the root of the problems. It's a matter of whether you're driving smart or not. You can drive fast and still be safe. It's those people who drive foolishly and recklessly that's causing all the problems. If people drive smart, I'm sure a lot of catastrophes can be avoided.

It's hari raya soon

It's on everybody's mind. You can feel it in the air. You can practically see the excitement on everybody's face. Although on some, it's more to panic. People are rushing to get themselves ready for THE day.. or month. It seems that a lot of people have this silly idea that fasting for a month means celebrating 'hari raya' for a month. Where did they get the idea from, only God knows.

Here are some things that always happen before hari raya (aside from the list I drew up earlier on the fasting month - It's Ramadhan Again). Feel free to give ideas. I'm missing quite a lot here :)

1. Bus tickets, flight tickets, train tickets, you name it.. all sold out, even as early as one month before 'puasa'.


2. Sales sales sales everywhere..


3. Tailors are no longer taking orders to make new clothes. Some even closed shops a month before 'puasa' and went under quarantine to finish all the orders. If you're unlucky, you'll get your clothes after raya.


4. Vehicle owners all queueing up at the service centres to get their vehicle spruced up for the long 'balik kampung' drive.


5. People took long holidays (including myself).


6. Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and Jalan Masjid India in Kuala Lumpur become the areas to avoid especially if you're driving. You're better off going there using public transport. Or if you're prepared to park some distance away.


7. Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and Jalan Masjid India are also the area to go if you wanna go shopping. There are clothes, imitations, accessories, raya cookies, home decor, flower arrangements (some of them are actually quite ugly), never seen before stuffs like.. errr... I dunno. I have to see them first. Hehehehe.. It's actually quite hazardous for pedestrians. Just too many people. Really.


8. A week before raya, driving in Kuala Lumpur feels like heaven. This is one of the few times KL has no traffic jam during peak hours. The jams are now on the highways as the KLites are rushing to go 'balik kampung'.


9. Ops Sikap. It'd be number 13 this time. No matter how hard the authorities try to prevent it, accidents still happen. (There will be another topic about this later.)

During hari raya:

1. On the first day of raya, the mosques are filled to overflowing with people attending the hari raya prayers. I personally think the adults should just leave the kids at home rather than taking them to the mosques because they really are a nuisance.


2. People wear their new clothes while eyeing other people's new clothes. To praise them, of course. Hehehehe...


3. The only time people are in festive moods when visiting the graveyards.


4. All of a sudden you have relatives you didn't even know existed before.


5. There are kids everywhere. They will suddenly be nice to you, shake your hand and expect you to give them 'duit raya'. And nothing less than RM5. The more the better. Pirates!


6. Food food food and more food. Those who have lost weight during 'puasa' will regain their weight and more.

After hari raya:

1. A lot of broke people. A good thing this year's 'hari raya' falls in the middle of the month. So these guys don't have to wait a long time for pay day :)


2. Plenty of open houses. This is where the idea of celebrating 'hari raya' for a month seems a really good one. One can really save money every weekend by going to open houses day and night. Hahahaha...


3. Traffic jams on the highway again. This time inbound to Kuala Lumpur.


4. Ops Sikap again. I wonder what the toll is like this year.

What else have I missed?

No visa for World Cyber Games 2007

I read with interest the article written by Chong Jinn Xiung in The Star, Saturday 30 September 2007.

To say that they were disappointed would be a gross understatement. They qualified for the grand final of the World Cyber Games 2007 competition in Seattle this October 3rd and the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur denied them visas. That was what happened to these 4 Malaysian cybergamers, despite all the official documents by the local WCG organisers and the fact that they were invited to participate in the competition.

The reasons? Well, one of them was a student and he was denied a visa because he studies medicine in Indonesia. Another one was because his income is too low to be granted a visa and that he does not hold sufficient property here in Malaysia. God knows what the other two were told when their applications were rejected.

I agree that the decision whether to grant visas or not to the applicants rests solely with the US embassy, but looking at the reasons given to these guys.. I mean, really.. can't you be more realistic? Besides, these guys were going there for a competition. Not for sightseeing or studying or whatever. Surely some considerations could be made. Give them short-term visas, for example, valid only during the duration of the competition.

I'm sure that this competition meant a lot to these guys. It's the grand final and to be able to qualify.. it's any gamer's dream come true. To be denied at the last minute though, it's really a nightmare.

I'm extremely sorry for these guys.