Sarawak Towards 2020

Welcome Obama, Welcome Peace

2009-01-23T09:36:00.006+08:00

20^th January 2009 is the mark of historical date that fellow Americans shared with the whole world. On this very day, the First black-US President, Barack Obama had sworn in and took the Oath of Office at 12 noon on the steps of the U.S Capitol. We could tell many were pleased and delighted to welcome the new Leader of this leading nation and thus sending goodbyes to former President George W. Bush. Many believed that a new nation will be born under Obama. A nation free from hatred and war. Despite our dispute and banned towards the US on the bombing of Gaza, there is a little relieved and hope that we fellow Malaysians would like to share with Americans for their new Mr. President as we also believe that he could make a change for a better world. A world peace that we all deeply missed in so long….Signing out. TheWonderWoman.

This image provided by Legoland California shows a Lego replica of President-elect Barack Obama's presidential inauguration, on display at Legoland California on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2009 in Carlsbad, Calif.

Jokes to Celebrate the Inauguration Perhaps?

2009-01-20T14:17:00.000+08:00

Hilary Clinton, George Bush, Sarkozy, a boy and a monk were stuck on a plane that is falling fast. They are 5 of them but there are only 4 parachutes. Hilary said "I'm a woman, you cant leave a woman on a plane to die" so she took one and jumped. Bush said "I'm the smartest in the world, every one needs me" he took one and jumped. Sarkozy blabbed something in french that no one understood, he took one and jumped. The monk tells the boy "You take the last parachute, let me die" the boy said "Why? We can both jump." "How is that?" said the monk. the boy replies, "Because the so called smartest man Bush took my school bag and jumped!!!"

A reporter asked Chris Rock who do you think would win the presidency?He said quickly Obama. When asked why, he replied, has anyone ran a race with a Kenyan and won?

A man is out walking in New York when he sees a girl being savaged by a fierce dog. He fights off the dog by beating about the head with a stick and saves the girl's life. The girl's mother rushes over to him: "Thank you, thank you, you are a hero, tomorrow all the newspapers will have headlines about Brave New Yorker Saves the Life of Young Girl". "But I'm not a New Yorker," the man says. "Oh, then it will say in all the newspapers Brave American Saves Life of Young Girl," says the mother. "But I'm not an American," the man says. "What are you then?" asks the mother. "I'm an Iranian," the man says. The next day he sees the newspaper headlines:
Islamic Extremist Kills American Dog.

PR Got Threatened?

2009-01-19T11:43:00.002+08:00

Ok here’s a thought. “Bersatu kita teguh, bercerai kita roboh!” Unfortunately, this is waaay… far from what is being implemented in Pakatan Rakyat. Hardly a year old, this opposition coalition is already in jeopardy of dismantling. PR as we all know is comprises of PAS, PKR and DAP. However, there was a big possibility for the opposition coalition to be left handicapped with only 2 members. DAP has raised its voiced and showed its veto towards PAS’s intention to execute the hudud laws (Islamic penal code) if PR were to rule the country. DAP even threatened to withdraw from the coalition if PAS insist to carry on with the law. As DAP chairman, Karpal Singh has made himself clear that the hudud laws did not make up the DAP principles and were not contained in the PR manifesto in the beginning. It was evidently unfair to DAP as one of PR members to be ruled out from any decision made by the coalition. In fact it is unfair to all Malaysians if such cases to take place in our society. Imagine leaving in a country where your voice is not heard, where leaders act only to their best interest, and decision made solely by an individual without going through an election. And let me point out another thing, if PR is planning to rule the country, they should first show the nation that they are capable to rule and handle their own coalition. What is 3 members to compare with the whole nation right??? And if the whole comparison still didn’t get into your brain, let me put it this way…If you can’t even walk, why bother running!!! Cheers mate. Signing out. TheWonderWoman.

I Need My Vege

2009-01-14T15:27:00.001+08:00

Have you been to the wet market lately? I was shocked to learn that the price for leafy green vegetables in Kuching had gone up to almost double its price, as a result to recent flood and also the non-stop heavy rain for the past few days. Imagine buying only 3 pieces of chili had cost me RM3. That’s RM1 for each? Seriously, that is just ridiculously expensive! Are we facing a serious problem of shortage for vege now? Or maybe we had just been fooled by vege suppliers that are taking advantage to mark up vegetable prices due to the bad weather lately. Well, I can understand if the farmers would like to gain extra income to cover for their losses from the recent flood, but at least take consideration for others. We all have suffered from this vicious Mother Nature blow. What is more frustrating is that, those who are celebrating the Chinese New Year may just have to settle for vege-free-dishes for their guests. And you would never know when a vegan guests might just drop by your house. And if this does happen, what could you serve them other than vege, vege, and more vege! Think about it…And so I am writing this blog with the hope that the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations could take right actions to resolve this crisis. No more pricey green vege for the people of Sarawak despite the bloomy weather. Signing out. TheWonderWoman.

Happy Belated-New Year!!!

2009-01-12T16:39:00.000+08:00

Oh snap! Its already 2 weeks past new year and I haven’t even start my blogging since last year! Well, I have to say, for those who keep visiting my blog to read up new stories, I am deeply sorry to keep u waiting. I was away on vacations for almost 2 weeks. And when I got back, like always there were tons of chores need to be done and settle right away. So that’s the reason why. And now it is soon the time to celebrate the year of ox! Happy Chinese New Year to all who celebrates it! Gong Xi Fa Cai, Hong Pau Na Lai! Huhuhuhu…

So, the New Year is here. Long gone last year’s history and welcome this year’s new resolution. However, this year’s intro was a bit discouraging to fellow Sarawakians as our land was hit by heavy flood. But here’s a little reminder to those who had been affected badly by the flood. Gather yourself up. Be strong and ditch the cry baby behavior that’s in you. Setiap kejadian pasti ada hikmahnya. Trust me. Bukan anda seorang yang kehilangan atau kerosakan banyak harta benda. There were many other s who were also affected by it. Dahla anak-anak baru masuk sekolah. Habis terus rosak pakaian dan buku-buku sekolah. And not forgetting the households’ impact. Banyak peralatan rumah tak dapat diselamatkan daripada banjir.

So I hope we all could look past this tragedy. Let bygones be bygones. Let’s just put all our minds on the future. On the things that could be done to prevent such catastrophe from happening again. Last but definitely not the least shouts out from me, “May the force be with you throughout the journey of the year 2009”!!! Gambatte. Signing out. TheWonderWoman.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

2008-12-25T16:34:00.000+08:00

For many Catholics Dayak in Sarawak, Christmas is the time of the year (besides Gawai -the rice harvest festival), when all family members, the young and the elder generation, working or living abroad make it a point to return home to their respective kampung. The x’mas ambiance and holiday mood could be felt everywhere in these close-knit villages along the Puncak Borneo drive, about an hour's drive from Kuching. And surprisingly but true, everyone is almost related to each other in one way or another. Folk who had migrated to work in other parts of Sarawak, such as the peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and also neighbouring countries are slowly returning home to celebrate this festival. Faces which neighbours, friends and relatives have not seen for a while, are suddenly back home. However, the homecoming this year has been tempered by the global economic downturn. I was told by a friend of mine who celebrate x’mas, the price for turkey has increased from RM150++ previous year to almost RM300 for this year. Yikes!!! That is double the price! The economic downturn also had risen up the need to tighten the belt for many during this festive season and some are also forced not to make the trip back home. However, even if this year’s celebration had to be celebrated modestly, it does not mean that it couldn’t be celebrated in joyful spirit like always. To all Catholics out there, wishing u a very happy and joyous x’mas of all and Happy New Year…Happy Holidays! Cheers. Signing out. TheWonderWoman.

Just Another Funny Story To Share

2008-12-24T08:02:00.000+08:00

Mr. and Mrs. Fenton are retired, and Mrs. Fenton insists her husband go with her to Wal-Mart. He gets so bored with all the shopping trips. He prefers to get in and get out, but Mrs. Fenton loves to browse. One day Mrs. Fenton gets this letter from Wal-Mart:

Dear Mrs. Fenton,

Over the past six months, your husband has been causing quite a commotion in our store. We cannot tolerate this behavior and may ban both of you from our stores. We have documented all incidents on our video surveillance equipment. All complaints against Mr. Fenton are listed below.

Things Mr. Bill Fenton has done while his spouse was shopping in Wal-Mart:

1. June 15: Took 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in people’s carts when they weren’t looking.

2. July 2: Set all the alarm clocks in House wares to go off at 5-minute intervals.

3. July 7: Made a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading to the ladies rest rooms.

4. July 19: Walked up to an employee and told her in an official tone, “Code 3 in house wares”… and watched what happened.

5. August 4: Went to the Service Desk and asked to put a bag of M&M’s on layaway.

6. September 14: Moved a ‘CAUTION - WET FLOOR’ sign to a carpeted area.

7. September 15: Set up a tent in the camping department and told other shoppers he’d invite them in if they’ll bring pillows from the bedding department.

8. September 23: When a clerk asks if they can help him, he begins to cry and asks, “Why can’t you people just leave me alone?”

9. October 4: Looked right into the security camera; used it as a mirror, and picked his nose.

10. November 10: While handling guns in the hunting department, asked the clerk if he knows where the antidepressants are.

11. December 3: Darted around the store suspiciously loudly humming the ‘Mission Impossible’ theme.

12. December 6: In the auto department, he practiced his 'Madonna look’ using different size funnels.

13. December 18: Hid in a clothing rack and when people browse through, yelled “PICK ME! PICK ME!”

14. December 21: When an announcement came over the loud speaker, he assumes the fetal position and screams “NO! NO! It’s those voices again!”

And last, but certainly not least…

15. December 23: Went into a fitting room, shut the door, waited awhile, then yelled very loudly, “There is no toilet paper in here!”

Dirty X'mas Joke

2008-12-23T22:50:00.001+08:00

This is hilarious. Read on and you'll be laughing your tears out heeheehee...

One day a hippie gets a ride on a public bus and sees a hot young nun. He sits down next to her and promptly asks if she would like to have sex, to which she immediately says no and walks off the bus. The bus driver leans over and says “Hey guy, I know how to get that nun to have sex with you…”

Naturally the hippie asks, and the bus driver tells him that every night at midnight the nun goes to an old graveyard to pray for god to forgive her for her past, and that he should dress up like god and tell the nun she will be forgiven if she has sex with you.

The hippie gives his thanks and runs to the nearest costume shop.

Later that evening the hippie gets ready for his big night and drives down to the graveyard and sees the nun praying, on her knees. He says “Behold, I have heard your prayers and you shall be forgiven if you have sex with me!”

The nun agrees but asks if they can have anal sex in order to keep her virginity. The hippie agrees and once they are finished the hippie jumps back and pulls off his mask and says “Surprise, its me the Hippie!”

The nun jumps up and pulls off her mask and says "Surprise, its me the bus driver!"

Con under the Name of Political Party

2008-12-23T10:34:00.003+08:00

“The Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) is currently collaborating with a financial institution on a special welfare scheme for senior citizens. Under the scheme, eligible senior citizens would receive monthly assistance of RM360 from the party through an appointed bank.”

If you have ever been approached by any person claimed to be officers from this party and offering you this sort of scheme, please be warned that it is only a scam. An elderly woman from Miri, Sarawak has lost Rm25,000 of her savings to two men who claimed to be welfare officers of the Sarawak United People’s Party. All you need to qualify for this benefit is an active savings account with a bank. The incident happened when the woman was throwing rubbish into a bin just in front of her house. Interested to the schemed explained by the two men, she immediately invited them to her house. After showing them her savings book, the men took down her particulars and she was told that she is qualified to take part in the scheme. Then, the woman was told to follow the men to the nearest bank where she would withdraw around RM25,000. After that she was driven to another bank at a commercial centre which the men said was collaborating with SUPP on the scheme. Outside the bank, the men instructed her to meet with the bank’s executive officer to make her application and briefed on the scheme. She was also told to leave the money inside the car, and they would bring in the money to join her after they could find a parking spot. Without hesitation, the woman went inside and quickly asked for the executive officer as being mentioned by the two men. To her shocked, there was no such person working in the bank. She then tried to look for the two men, but only to her despair, she found out that they have disappeared and only by then that she realized she was being scammed.

So my advice is, be really careful when being approached by anybody that you are not familiar with. No matter whom they claimed themselves to be, be it the police, the welfare officers, the government agents doing survey and stuff or even a sales person; you need to be extra suspicious towards them. Don’t put your trust easily on them as you might be shocked on what intention they might have towards you. Signing out. TheWonderWoman.

Something To Ponder

2008-12-22T12:06:00.007+08:00

Hello readers...Argghhh...its Monday again! And who wouldn't hate Monday. Especially when the holidays is just around the corner...i'm sure many of you are already in the holiday mood. But to some that are still stuck at work like me, why don't take a break for a minute. Lighten up yourself by reading this very very interesting and meaningful story... Enjoy!

(To Women) please take time to ponder .........
(To Men) enjoy the moral of the story........

Young King Arthur was ambushed and imprisoned by the monarch of a neighboring kingdom. The monarch could have killed him but was moved by Arthur's youth and ideals. So, the monarch offered him his freedom, as long as he could answer a very difficult question. Arthur would have a year to figure out the answer and, If after a year, he still had no answer, he would be put to death.
The question was: What do women really want?

Such a question would perplex even the most knowledgeable man, and to young Arthur, it seemed an impossible query. But, since it was better than death, he accepted the monarch's proposition to have an answer by year's end.

He returned to his kingdom and began to poll everyone: The princess, the priests, the wise men, and even the court jester. He spoke with everyone, but no one could give him a satisfactory answer. Many people advised him to consult the old witch, for only she would have the answer. But the price would be high as the witch was famous through out the kingdom for the exorbitant prices she charged.

The last day of the year arrived and Arthur had no choice but to talk to the witch. She agreed to answer the question, but he would have to agree to her price first.

The old witch wanted to marry Sir Lancelot, the most noble of the Knights of the Round Table, and Arthur's closest friend! Young Arthur was horrified. She was hunch-backed and hideous, had only one tooth, smelled like sewage, made obscene noises, etc.

He had never encountered such a repugnant creature in all his life. He refused to force his friend to marry her and endure such a terrible burden, but Lancelot, having learnt of the proposal, spoke with Arthur. He said nothing was too big of a sacrifice compared to Arthur's life. And the reservation of the Round Table. Hence, a wedding was proclaimed and the witch answered Arthur's question thus: 'What a woman really wants?
She said, 'Is to be in charge of her own life.'

Everyone in the kingdom instantly knew that the witch had uttered a great truth. And that Arthur's life would be spared. And so it was. The neighboring monarch granted Arthur his freedom. And Lancelot and the witch had a wonderful wedding.

The honeymoon hour approached and, Lancelot, steeling himself for a horrific experience, entered the bedroom. But what a sight awaited him. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen lay before him on the bed. The astounded Lancelot asked what had happened. The beauty replied that since he had been so kind to her when she appeared as a witch, she would henceforth be her horrible and deformed self only half the time. And the beautiful maiden the other half.

'Which would you prefer? She asked him. 'Beautiful during the day..... or at night?'

Lancelot pondered the predicament. During the day he could have a beautiful woman to show off to his friends, but at night, in the privacy of his castle, an old witch! Or, would he prefer having a hideous witch during the day! ? But by night a beautiful woman for him to share his thoughts, intimate moments with?

(If you are a man reading this...) What would YOUR choice be?
(If you are a woman reading this) What should YOUR MAN'S choice be?

What Lancelot chose, is given below:
BUT... make YOUR choice before you scroll down below... OKAY?

Noble Lancelot, knowing the answer the witch gave Arthur to his question, he said that he would allow HER to make the choice herself. Upon hearing this, she announced that she would be beautiful all the time. Because, he had respected her enough to let her be in charge of her
own life.

Now... what is the moral to this story?
The moral is...
1) There is WITCH in every woman no matter how beautiful she is!
2) If you don't let a woman have her own way, things are going to get ugly. Hehehe...

So, always remember:
IT'S EITHER 'HER WAY' OR IT'S NO WAY' !!!

The sort of witch to every men's dream...

Signing out. TheWonderWoman

Get Ready For The Anti-Smoking Campaign 2009

2008-12-17T08:42:00.005+08:00

“Effective January 1 next year, smoking along five-foot ways and outside shopping malls will lead to a fine.”- source of The Borneo Post."

There you go folks! Don’t say that we didn’t warn you this time. Believe me this time it is for real! The anti-smoking campaign carried out by the government is getting more strict and forceful now. There will be additional ‘prohibited zones’ to be introduced coming next year which includes ban in places such as bars and clubs. Since the start of the year, the authorities together with the Kuching divisional office team has been conducting anti-smoking rounds which takes them from the airport to shopping complexes, schools, hospitals, public transportations and also air-conditioned eateries. Such places will be defined as any public place under a roof. Some smokers will also find that lighting up outside airport terminals including the parking bay is no longer allowed. The law is so that younger people are aware of the dangers of smoking and there is also a need for them to see less of their peers and elders smoking in public areas. Offenders who caught up smoking at these prohibited areas will be issued a fine amounted to RM500 for each offence. Failure to pay up fines will lead to court where sentencing can be up to RM10,000.00, two-years jail, or both.

A few of these moves were found to be similar to what is being enforced in countries like Australia and Singapore. The one being referred to would be the ban in bars and clubs. This would mean that local clubs, whether operated under the hotels managements or personal owners; would now be free from cigarettes’ smoke. In addition to that, it is also expected to see the introduction of graphical warnings on cigarette packets. Manufactures will be required to print graphics covering 40 to 60 percent of the cigarettes packaging and these graphics were referring to as what you could see on many banners/signage along the roadside from the previous “Tak Nak” campaign conducted by our government.

So, lets give all of our support to this campaign this time around. For fellow smokers, my message to you is “You might want to consider quitting that bad habit of yours soon. In other words, your new year’s resolution perhaps? Good luck. Signing out. TheWonderWoman.

Something To Cheer Us Up

2008-12-09T08:05:00.001+08:00

"Men are like parking spots, the good ones are taken and the free ones are handicapped."

"Girls are like phones. We love to be held, talked too but if you press the wrong button you'll be disconnected!"

I guess human beings are special creation from God after all... =]

Selamat Hari Raya Aidiladha

2008-12-08T07:50:00.002+08:00

Salam muslimin dan muslimah... sempena hari raya korban ini, saya nak tanya...berapa ramai anda diluar sana yang ada buat korban? Haaa...korban ni bukan setakat sembelih lembu, kambing berekor-ekor, tapi korban pun boleh dibuat dengan niat ikhlas dari segi pengorbanan anda sendiri. Maksudnya, pernahkah anda membuat pengorbanan demi seseorang? Mungkin demi agama? Demi bangsa dan negara? Jadi janganlah anda alpa kepada pengorbanan yang boleh kita ambil ikhtibar setiap hari. Seorang ibu mungkin mengorbankan masa tidurnya untuk menyediakan sarapan pagi buat anak-anak dan suami tercinta, seorang pemuda mengorbankan masa remajanya untuk menjadi seorang tentera agar dapat menabur bakti dengan bangsa dan negara dan banyak lagi... Jadi ingatlah...pengorbanan di dalam Islam besar pahalanya dan merupakan perbuatan terpuji disisi Allah...Signing out.TheWonderWoman.

Selamat Menyambut Hari Raya Aidiladha

The Cutting Edge, Kuching

2008-12-07T08:08:00.001+08:00

In less than 2 weeks, we will be celebrating Christmas and followed by the New Year. Good news to Kuchingians, if you’re thinking of getting a new hair do for this x’mas, why don’t make your next trip to The Cutting Edge hair salon for their special offer called “Money Not Enough-Buy One Free Two”. The salon is currently holding this special offer whereby those who go for any chemical hair services will get two other services for free. And the good news is, it is valid until Chinese New Year. For first timers, you can stop worrying about the expertise of its hairstylists. Here’s a little info that would assure you and your crown of glory are in good hands. The Cutting Edge was recently announced the runner-up for Creative Cutting and Best Model awards in the Asian Hair Designers Association’s competition which is being held in Guangzhou, China. Being the only Malaysian team out of 300 contestants who took part in the competition has proved that Malaysian hairdressers are also compatible as the international hairdressers.

Cutting edge has always aims to become a market leader in hairdressing in Malaysia with its vision to deliver high quality and standard hair service to clients at affordable price. They are constantly committed to give their clients maximum glamorous look and to welcome their visit with a comfortable and friendly environment. Among the hair services available are hair cut, hair wash and blow, hair perm, coloring, rebonding, hair relaxer, hair extension, hair setting, treatment, hair digital perm, highlights, lowlights and dreadlocks. Do check out its branches located at Abell Road, 3^rd Mile and The Spring. Signing out. TheWonderWoman.

Civil Servants To Share Training Material

2008-12-06T08:16:00.001+08:00

Do you know that with effect from 25 November 2008, it is a mandatory for employees returning from state-funded training course to share their knowledge with others. This would mean they need to post all relevant information to the State Civil Service knowledge-sharing portal for the benefit of other civil services.

The portal, which enables knowledge resources to be centralized in one unified system, was officially launched by Chief Minister, Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud on the same day in conjunction with the State Public Service Assembly held at the State Indoor Stadium here in Petra Jaya.

The portal was viewed as the one place for civil service to get access to the latest information without much hassle. The knowledge to be contributed by these employees included documentation of their experience and opinions about the course, the seminar and conference materials. In addition, it is also a mandatory now for state employees to contribute teaching and course materials produced in the course of their work.

On the other hand, as a move to promote the use of this portal, an incentive to recognized and reward content contributors would also be implemented. So in conclusion, may I say this… civil servants who were sent to attend a course will now be really attached to the course from the start to the end of the course. No more “escaping” from the course, no more sleeping at the very back of the hall, and definitely no more getting your colleagues to sign for your attendance while you’ll be at home doing stuff that you weren’t suppose to do during office hours. Signing out. TheWonderWoman.

Why Not Many Non-Bumis Interested In Civil Service?

2008-12-03T11:53:00.001+08:00

There is no doubt that government servants have many privileges compared to the private sector. The salary alone is relatively higher than what is being offered in the private sector to start with. Then there are the benefits such as good health care, yearly incentives, housing allowances and many more. However, non-Bumis were seen to be less enthusiastic to apply for jobs in the government sector through the Public Service Commission (PSC). So what may due to such scenario? Some say it is due to the non-Bumis have lower chances to be accepted in the government sectors to compare with the Bumis. And even if they were accepted, they felt that they would not be in a better position compared with Bumiputeras because of the perception that the government favoured Bumiputera workers. Or is it due to many non-Bumis preferred to earn a living by doing business than getting employed?

Well, if you were to ask my personal opinion on this matter, I definitely would say that the non-Bumiputera community had never been discriminated against. We have never seen jobs recruitment ads for civil service mentioning that only Bumiputeras are allowed to apply, or has any of it makes it a mandatory requirements for applicants to have studied in Malay school and what not (not like what we often see in the private sectors recruitment ads where it had stated clearly that applicants with fluent Mandarin is PREFERRED!!!) So there you go, there should be no more excuses for the non-Bumis to even think that they do not have equal opportunities to be in the civil service. If you have applied for a civil service job many times or filled up the online form for more than you can remember, and still not getting any feedback? Believe me, you are not alone! Even many of my friends and myself experienced that too. In fact we’ve been filling up that online form for god knows how many times. And we have waited and waited up until now, and sadly we were only called for the preliminary examination before we could be considered qualified to attend the interview. And to be honest, we didn’t get to go for the interview.

So, this is what I had to say. Never give up! If there’s a will and so there’s a way. Of course a stable job with a high salary and lots of benefits would be a hard catch right? These days, if the benefit is great, the bigger the effort you must give. Trust me, everyone can be in the civil service. All you need is just HARDWORK. If it is any help, I am now making my best contribution in the civil service and I’d still remember the girl sitting next to me on my 1^st day for duty. She is one hell of friendly, intelligent and confident CHINESE lady. Signing out. TheWonderWoman.

They Walk Amongst Us!!!!!!!

2008-12-02T23:54:00.000+08:00

I received this in my e-mail the other day and thought that i should share it with you guys since it is madly hilarious. I laughed so hard till my tears came out =] ENJOY!
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Some guy bought a new fridge for his house. To get rid of his old fridge,
he put it in his front yard and hung a sign on it saying: 'Free to good
home. You want it, you take it.' For three days the fridge sat there without
even one person looking twice at it. He eventually decided that people were
too un-trusting of this deal. It looked to good to be true, so he changed
the sign to read: 'Fridge for sale $50.' The next day someone stole it.*
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One day I was walking down the beach with some friends when someone
shouted....'Look at that dead bird!' Someone looked up at the sky and
said...'where???'*

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While looking at a house, my brother asked the estate agent which direction
was north because, he explained, he didn't want the sun waking him up every
morning. She asked, 'Does the sun rise in the north?' When my brother
explained that the sun rises in the east, and has for sometime, she shook
her head and said, 'Oh, I don't keep up with that stuff.'

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My colleague and I were eating our lunch in our cafeteria, when we overheard
one of the administrative assistants talking about the sunburn she got on
her weekend drive to the beach. She drove down in a convertible, but 'didn't
think she'd get sunburned because the car was moving'.*

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I told the girl at the steakhouse register that I wanted the half kilogram
sirloin. She informed me they only had an 500g sirloin. Not wanting to
make a scene, I told her I would take the 500g steak instead of the
half-kgr.*

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My sister has a lifesaving tool in her car it's designed to cut through a
seat belt if she gets trapped She keeps it in the boot...*

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My friends and I were shopping for beer and noticed that the cases were
discounted 10%. Since it was a big party, we bought 2 cases. The cashier
multiplied 2 times 10% and gave us a 20% discount.... *

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I was hanging out with a friend when we saw a woman with a nose ring
attached to an earring by a chain. My friend said, 'Wouldn't the chain rip
out every time she turned her head?' I had to explain that a person's nose
and ear remain the same distance apart no matter which way the head is
turned...*

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I got off the plane but I couldn't find my luggage at the airport baggage area.
So I went to the lost luggage office and told the woman there that my bags
never showed up. She smiled and told me not to worry because she was a
trained professional and I was in good hands. 'Now,' she asked me, 'Has
our plane arrived yet?'...*

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While working at a pizza parlour I observed a man ordering a small pizza to
go. He appeared to be alone and the cook asked him if he would like it cut
into 4 pieces or 6. He thought about it for some time before responding..
'Just cut it into 4 pieces; I don't think I'm hungry enough to eat 6 pieces.*

Yep, They Walk Amongst Us!!!!!!!!

Kuching Waterfront…an attraction or a disgrace?

2008-11-29T09:38:00.001+08:00

Have you been to the Kuching Waterfront lately? The so called kuching’s popular recreational spot is now a disgrace too many of us since the recent crimes that appeared to involve students, including the murder of a Form 5 student. This once favorite leisure spot for families, joggers, tourist guides and even the newly-weds taking those wedding pictures has now been tainted with loitering students in the area which has make it an eerie place these days.

It would be such a humiliation to have tourists from both the local and international countries seeing students loitering and walking in space (I’m referring to those who were high on drugs or under the influence of alcohol). This is not a place for students to loiter but then again why they are allowed to do so in the open? Where are the authorities? Isn’t there a tourist police being stationed at the Waterfront? Strangely no one is doing anything until someone gets killed! Or maybe the security guards that the authorities sent to patrol the waterfront were not fit or capable of controlling these youngsters who were consuming alcohol and drugs or those who were fighting.

So I hope the local authorities will not only take serious actions when higher authorities come down from Bukit Aman and once these officers left, the local people are back to their leisurely couldn’t care-less attitude. I am also hoping that the authorities will come down hard on traders who sold alcohol and cigarettes to the students. Placing signs to the whole stretch of the Waterfront that reads “Stay Away From Alcohol! Do Not Destroy Your Future” is not enough and wouldn’t help that much if there is no serious actions taken by the authorities. Signing out. TheWonderWoman

New Dish in Sugarbun

2008-11-28T21:30:00.000+08:00

Fish head lovers now can indulge in the new Assam Fish Head Claypot dish at all Sugarbun restaurants here. The dish is a combination of fish and “terung assam”, tomatoes, and lady’s fingers cooked in a special formulated sauce. Told by its Marketing Manager, Clara Chan; their recipe is hot and sour sauce developed by their research and development department. During the promotion period, which lasts until Dec 20, customers can enjoy Assam Fish Head Claypot with a soft drink at RM9.90 only while the ala carte version priced at RM8.50. And the good news is, both packages come with a portion of fragrant rice (which is a must in our society's meal) Singing out. TheWonderWoman

Something to Ponder

2008-11-27T08:33:00.000+08:00

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour a day to drain the fluids from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.

The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. And every afternoon when the man in the bed next to the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed would live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the outside world. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake, the man had said. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Lovers walked arm in arm amid flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man could not hear the band, he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Unexpectedly, an alien thought entered his head: Why should hehave all the pleasure of seeing everything while I never get to see anything? It didn't seem fair. As the thought fermented, the man felt ashamed at first. But as the days passed and he missed seeing more sights, his envy eroded into resentment and soon turned him sour. He began to brood and found himself unable to sleep. He should be by that window - and that thought now controlled his life.

Late one night, as he lay staring at the ceiling, the man by the window began to cough. He was choking on the fluid in his lungs. The other man watched in the dimly lit room as the struggling man by the window groped for the button to call for help. Listening from across the room, he never moved, never pushed his own button which would have brought the nurse running. In less than five minutes, the coughing and choking stopped, along with the sound of breathing. Now, there was only silence--deathly silence.

The following morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths. When she found the lifeless body of the man by the window, she was saddened and called the hospital attendant to take it away--no words, no fuss. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall.

Moral of the story:

The pursuit of happiness is a matter of choice...it is a positive attitude we consciously choose to express. It is not a gift that gets delivered to our doorstep each morning, nor does it come through the window. And I am certain that our circumstances are just a small part of what makes us joyful. If we wait for them to get just right, we will never find lasting joy.

The pursuit of happiness is an inward journey. Our minds are like programs, awaiting the code that will determine behaviors; like bank vaults awaiting our deposits. If we regularly deposit positive, encouraging, and uplifting thoughts, if we continue to bite our lips just before we begin to grumble and complain, if we shoot down that seemingly harmless negative thought as it germinates, we will find that there is much to rejoice about.

My Fav Quotes of the Day

2008-11-26T13:40:00.001+08:00

Everything is okay in the end. If it's not okay, then it's not the end...

This quote is what makes me thick to live my live every single day, to face all the challenging obstacles, and to feel optimist everytime when the hardship comes. With this quote i learn to take things positively, stay cool, be calm, though the dateline of the most major project due tomorrow but don't lose the grip of things in your grasp. If you are certain with your decisions and confident with it, the public will feel confident on you as well. Just remember, if it's not okay, then it's definitely not the end. Signing out. TheWonderWoman

Hero Hindustan In Action

2008-11-26T13:30:00.000+08:00

Salam semua…Untuk blog kali ini (dan mungkin utk yg lain- lain seterusnya), saya ingin menggunakan bahasa Melayu kerana saya rasa lebih bebas untuk menyuarakan pendapat dan pandangan saya yang ikhlas. Sebelum itu, ingin saya mohon maaf terlebih dahulu sekiranya blog saya kali ini ada berbau perkauman sedikit. Bukannya saja-saja tapi memang hati ini dah naik meluat melihat pertelingkahan kaum di negara ini yang semakin serius. Saya pasti ada ramai di kalangan kita yang sempat menonton Berita Terkini di TV3 jam 9 malam tadi. Perihal yang nak diceritakan saya ini adalah tingkah laku sesetengah pihak dalam persidangan parlimen (pihak pembangkang) yang berkelakuan sungguh biadap dan kurang ajar (sehingga di halau keluar dewan). Orang lain pun nak menyuarakan pendapat dan ketidakpuasan hati tetapi takdelah sampai jerit-jerit, maki-maki yang dipertua parlimen dan sebagainya. Bila dilihat, rupa-rupanya ahli dari kaum minoriti. Kaum minoriti di Sarawak saja la, kalau consider Semenanjung diorang ni ramai jugakla… (pandai-pandai la korang teka yerr…)

Adaka patut mamat yang rasa hero Hindustan ni, boleh dia melawan yang di pertua dalam perbentangan dewan tu. Dahla tu, bila yang dipertua dah maklum kan dia digantung dan disuruh keluar dewan, boleh lagi dia nak tanya berapa lama kena gantung? Pastu dengan bijik mata dia yang besar (ala…yang macam korang salu tengok dalam drama diorang ni bila scene nak gaduh & tumbuk ramai-ramai tu la) dia jerit “DON’T TOUCH ME! I DON’T WANT TO LEAVE!” kat pengawal dewan bila pengawal nak iring dia keluar. Alamak…tolong la weyyy…tak tau malu ker. Ni bukannya perjumpaan biasa-biasa. Ni pembentangan parlimen, dalam dewan Parlimen dan dihadapan ahli-ahli parlimen. Masuk tv lagi tu, LIVE! Hmmh…saya rasa memang dah dalam darah daging kaum ni panas baran kot. Tengok saja apa yang mereka dah buat di rumah terbuka PM kita Hari Raya yang lalu. Macam-macam la diorang ni. Nanti diorang jugak yang bawak lawyer-lawyer diorang bertekak pasal tak puas hati dengan hak keistimewaan orang Melayu. Sedarlah sikit, negara kita ni negara Malaysia. Bangsa kebangsaan adalah bangsa Melayu, bahasa rasmi kita pun bahasa Melayu. Jadi adalah tidak wajar sekiranya ada pihak yang mahu mempersoalkan hak keistimewaan orang Melayu. Last advice dari saya la, kalau rasa tak puas hati, belah jerrrr.. angkat beg, angkat kaki pergi main jauh-jauh. Negara kita tak perlukan makhluk perosak begini. Saya bukan nya mahu menuding jari atau pun bersikap perkauman, tetapi manusia ni ada tahap kesabarannya sendiri. Jika bangsanya dicaci, dihina buat pertama kali mungkin dia masih boleh bersabar, tapi kalau dah banyak kali, habis satu, satu…siapa yang tak sakit hati kan? Signing out. TheWonderWoman

Year-End Epic Bargains

2008-11-25T23:27:00.000+08:00

The Malaysia Savings Sale is almost here. From 29 November 2008-4 January 2009 Malaysians will enjoy huge discounts as the most awaited sale of the year is back. From food to fashion, accessories to appliances and etc, they all beckon with really hard-to-resist prices nationwide! To fellow Sarawakian, why bother spending your hard-earn salary for the air flights to KL, and not forgetting your accommodation just so you can shop at the famous Bukit Bintang or Suria KLCC or the new Pavillion Mall? Have you forgetting something? We have The Spring people! And it is simply the shopping heaven you should not miss. Signing out. TheWonderWoman

Yoga Banned!

2008-11-25T16:34:00.001+08:00

Recently we were informed by the fatwa issued by the National Fatwa Council's on the practice of yoga by Muslims as haram. Many comments, judgments and other perceptions bring thrown at the Muslim community. Some views even say that it could create racial tension. (Even Samy Vellu wants to meet up with our PM over this yoga ban!)

To me, I have never tried yoga but have always wanted to try it out some time. But I guess I just have to forget about that now don’t I? Though I personally feel that the absurd ban is not right, however who am I to say that as I am not an ulama in this matter right? I am not trying to be smart here, but I just thought that isn’t it the sincereness and truthfulness of our intentions is what matter most in any Muslims actions and doing? Its called NAWAITU! I am well aware that it is the responsibility of the Fatwa Council to alert all Muslims on something that is not right or can lead to something wrong. But I am just writing to express my honest thought. I'm sure the National Fatwa Council won't simply issue a fatwa without first discussing the matter among all the ulama either within or outside the council. Signing out. The Wonder Woman

They Were Just A Couple of Noisy Frogs

2008-11-24T14:03:00.002+08:00

A farmer came into town and asked the owner of a restaurant if he could use a million frog legs. The restaurant owner was shocked and asked the man where he could get so many frog legs!

The farmer replied,"There is a pond near my house that is full of frogs ---millions of them. They all croak all night long and they are about to make me crazy!" So the restaurant owner and the farmer made an agreement that the farmer would deliver frogs to the restaurant, five hundred at a time for the next several weeks.

The first week, the farmer returned to the restaurant looking rather sheepish,with two scrawny little frogs. The restaurant owner said, "Well... where are all the frogs?" The farmer said, "I was mistaken. There were only these two frogs in the pond. But they sure were making a lot of noise!"

So....

Next time you hear somebody criticizing or making fun of you, remember, it's probably just a couple of noisy frogs. Also remember that problems always seem bigger in the dark. Have you ever laid in your bed at night worrying about things which seem almost overwhelming like a million frogs croaking? Chances are pretty good that when the morning comes, and you take a closer look, you'll wonder what all the fuss was about.

SCORE towards 2020

2008-11-17T00:53:00.006+08:00

Article From:

http://www.mysarawak.org/2008/10/26/score-to-push-sarawak-towards.html

THE development of SCORE (Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy), both intensive and intrusive, will represent the last phase of a major development for Sarawak to push the state to a much higher level of development beyond the year 2020.

It will exploit the most important economic potentials, available in the central region, to push the state to the era of massive industrialisation to enable it to become an industrialised society on par with those in developed countries towards the year 2030.

Nevertheless, the development dictates a kind of politics where the government and the opposition should agree to speak on the same wavelength, at least on major issues, with the primary objective to involve the people in the process of the massive development of the region.
Hence, it is important for all elected representatives of the people to be bold enough to understand what will evolve in the next 20 years of economic planning toward 2020 and beyond. The state government, with the support of the federal government, has a perspective of the things that will be carried out during the period.

All the planning, the fundamental ones in particular, will move towards realising the objectives of Vision 2020.

However, the state cannot become part of a developed nation unless the people have the capacity to participate in the big transformation of economic management which entails transfer of technology in carrying out the task from the most difficult one, which is the development of Mukah as a Smart City, to that of providing better amenities to the people.

The following are excerpts from a keynote speech of Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud at a parliamentary discourse in Kuching on Oct 13:

I have been watching the political development in the country for the last one year, after the March general elections in particular, and seeing populist ideas surfacing very strongly.
In fact, they are becoming the most important features of the challenge being mounted by the opposition to score political points against the government. Before this, during the last 20 or 30 years, populist politics had never played a role in Malaysian politics for the simple reason that the people had been focusing on the development of the country.

Obviously, the populist politicians have been trying to exploit some of the social problems which have been overlooked or have not been tackled by the government in the common efforts to bring into proper perspective the socio-economic development in the state and country.

Immediately after Merdeka, the spirit of independence was sufficient to get the people to be more patient in waiting to enjoy the fruits of development.

However, because of rising expectations and exposures to things happening around the world, the people have become increasingly impatient with things being done for them, the state and the country.

In fact, the second Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Abdul Razak, took the opportunity to frame a political consensus whereby even the opposition should share with the government a certain political attitude — that is to minimise politics and give greater attention to the efforts of national development.

Of course, I share his view because what is the use of freedom and independence if the people are still struggling in poverty; they will not have enough dignity to enjoy their political freedom.

The Wonder Woman:

So what is SCORE? The Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy or simply known as SCORE, is one of the five regional development corridors being developed throughout the country. SCORE is a major initiative undertaken to develop the Central Region and transform Sarawak into a developed State by the year 2020. It aims to achieve the goals of accelerating the State's economic growth and development, as well as improving the quality of life for the people of Sarawak.

SCORE is what the people of Sarawak is waiting for. It will speed up our growth in economic sectors and creates a lot of job oppurtunity. This will eventually lead to the development of infrastructure and utilities. Simply said if the cards are right SCORE will definitely be our gold mine in the near future. In order to achive its goal we need to work and move as a team. Without unity in Sarawak we will find it will be hard to achive anything. With SCORE we will achive the goal of balanced development, and a general improvement in income levels and quality of life in the State.

Hopefully the people of Sarawak will realize what our leaders are planning now for our better future. If we do not realize it soon, SCORE would be just a dream and a waste of a lot of money.

Signing Out. TheWonderWomen

PBB's Bully Issue

2008-11-04T00:20:00.001+08:00

Do you still remember the statement made by our Second Minister of Planning and Resource Management Dato Sri Awang Tengah Ali Hassan- quoting “Sarawak does not need an act on race relations to prevent racial conflicts as there is no racial problem in the state” It was not long ago that I had blog on the racial issues being an exception to the Land of the Hornbills, different from what has been experienced by the West Malaysians (read up Act On Race Relations In Sarawak? in my September 29, 2008 post)

But now, I believe my nightmare is just about to turn into reality. PBB was suddenly being accused of bullying other component parties in Sarawak? The Former Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) information chief, Baginda Minda recently said that PRS had been bullied by PBB in the past election, and as many would feel that this act is an echoing act to as what the Malaysia Chinese Association (MCA) had said about the United Malay National Organisation (UMNO).

To me personally, PBB might be the biggest political party in Sarawak (of course laaa…since all the Bumiputras name it the Malays, Melanaus, Bidayuhs, Ibans, Kelabit, Kenyah, Kayans, Orang Ulu and many others were united under one group in this party) but this does not mean that PBB is bullying anybody from others parties.

Here I quote an article by Dato’ Peter Minos :
“Everyone in Sarawak can see that PBB has stretched all out to accommodate its political partners in the State BN. This can be seen by the sharing powers, of the giving of ministerial positions among the BN partners and of making decisions that do not hurt anyone”

In his article, he also urged people of Sarawak not to compare PBB with UMNO as he explained that the population pattern in Peninsular is completely different from that in Sarawak, which makes applying the Peninsular political policy wouldn’t work in Sarawak.

So I leave this to all bloggers out there to think wisely before any assumption is made. Lastly, again a profoundly witty quote from Dato’ Peter Minos :

“ People must not compare apples with durians. There are to types of fruits. It does not make sense to compare”

Signing out. TheWonderWoman

Story Of The Day

2008-10-29T18:05:00.000+08:00

"Back in the days of sailing ships a young sailor went to sea for the first time. The ship encontered a heavy storm in the North Atlantic. The young sailor was commanded to go aloft and trim the sails. As he started to climb, he made a mistake and looked down. He started to lose his balance. At that moment, an older sailor underneath him shouted, "Look up, son, look up!" The young sailor looked up and regained his balance. When things seem bad, look to see if you're not facing the wrong direction. When you're looking at the sun, you see no shadows. When the outlook isn't good, try the uplook - it's always good!"

"When you turn to God you discover He has been

facing you all the time."

Zig Ziglar

How it all started?

2008-10-27T01:31:00.003+08:00

How it all started...Today I am going to write on the event of How Abdul Taib Mahmud a 27 years old laywer got involved in politics and from there had brilliantly lead and shape the growth of Sarawak as what you could see now?

Abdul Taib Mahmud is Sarawak current Chief Minister and had been involve in Sarawak politics since 40 nearly 50 years back. When you look at Sarawak now, you can see the progress and the development that we had achived throughout those years. Honestly I would say, if it was someone else beside our Pehin, Sarawak wouldn't come this far. To be a politician, to have just money and power is never enough, you need to get the approval from the citizens, the people's trust, have a heart that is as tough as stone, never know the meaning of giving up on your people, and finally of course to have a great vision and dreams to share with your people. This I believe is what our Pehin is made of. Without it Sarawak wouldn't come this far and he himself wouldn't still be our Chief Minister untill today.

This is the historical event:

It was May 1963, Abdul Taib Mahmud, already a qualified lawyer, found himself in the Attorney General's office in Kuching. The young Melanau lawyer had been assigned to draft a law pertaining to the salary scheme for a historic occasion - the formation of the Federation of Malaysian states, Sarawak included.

As Taib was drafting the proposed salary scheme of the State's cabinet ministers, a strange premonition overcome him as he mused: "Could I be drafting my own future salary scheme?"

Taib dismissed it as wishful thinking. Only 27, he was prepared for anything but knew that the chances of him being elected into the new cabinet were remote.

"I didn't stand a chance because the elections had just been completed and it was too soon for me. And anyway, I was too young for politics. But somehow at that moment, I had a strange feeling that something big was about to happen in my life."

This intuition would soon become reality, when on July 22, Taib found himself at the Astana, across the Sarawak River, standing before the Governor, Tun Abang Haji Openg, and about to be sworn in as a nominated assemblyman. At that moment, he felt the same feeling he had two months earlier. Destiny, somehow, had led him by the hand into politics.

Unlike some politicians, Taib had his ideals. If he entered politics, he wanted to serve as humble and obedient servant of the people. As an Honourable member of the August house, Taib noted that some people were in politics for their own personal gain and ambition. He expressed his disappointment and warned:

"People who entered politics just to ascend into higher and higher office will not have a happy political career. Nothing less than being Number One would give them satisfaction. On the other hand, if we are moved by desire to serve, satisfaction comes every time we help people."

Signing Out. TheWonderWomen

Story Of The Day

2008-10-24T23:30:00.003+08:00

What makes us so afraid of failure? It’s worry about what people think. “What will they say?” we ask. We assume that because we’ve made mistake, we’re failures and therefore forever disgraced. What a ridiculous assumption! How many people are completely successful in every department of life? Not one.

A failure means you’ve put forth some effort. That’s good. Failure gives you an opportunity to learn a better way to do it. That’s positive. A failure teaches you something and adds to your experience. That’s very helpful. Failure is an event, never a person; an attitude, not an outcome; a temporary inconvenience; a stepping-stone. Our response to it determines just how helpful it can be.

So guys:

“Make failure your teacher, not your undertaker.”

Signing Out. TheWonderWomen

New TEXT Alert!!!

2008-10-23T23:05:00.004+08:00

A couple of days ago, i have received an email from a friend telling me all about this new scam of random texting done by handbag’s snatcher. So please let me share this appalling scam to many others…

“Be careful on how you list names on your cell phone! This lady has changed her habit of how she lists her contacts list on her mobile phone after her handbag was stolen.

Her handbag which contained her mobile phone, credit card, purse etc was stolen one day. 20 minutes later when she called her Hubby, from a pay phone telling him what had happened. Hubby says 'I've just received your sms text asking about our Pin number. I replied a little while ago.

They rushed down to the bank, the bank staff told them all the money was already withdrawn. The pickpocket had actually used the stolen hand phone to text 'hubby' in the contact list and got hold of the pin number. Within 20 minutes he had withdrawn all the money from the bank account”

So the lesson here is:
Do not disclose the relationship between you and the people in your contact list. Avoid using names like Home, Honey, Hubby, Sweetheart, Sayang, Dad, Mum etc... And very importantly, when sensitive info is being asked through texts, CONFIRM by calling back. Also, when you're being texted by friends or family to meet them somewhere, be sure to call back to confirm that the message came from them. If you don't reach them, be very careful about going places to meet 'family and friends' who text you. Signing out. TheWonderWoman

CUPCAKES for all...

2008-10-21T16:20:00.005+08:00

Year end is approaching. And to me year end means holidays as well as to celebrate various occasions with your friends! As cliché as it may sounds, but I personally think that people often favor to have their special day on this time around. Be it their birthday parties to wedding receptions, barbeques, oh and not forgetting Christmas and of course the new years. I myself had more than 10 occasions to attend to (and still counting) for the next couple of weeks. So this is where the problem occurs. What’s the best gift to get for my beloved friends??? And of course it would have to be a different one for each different occasion’s right? This is always been my misery prior to attending any occasions/receptions that I was invited to. But now, thanks to this SWEET little blog that I found on the web.- http://edacupcakes.blogspot.com/ Who would have thought that CUPCAKES would make the finest, unique, sweet and one of its kind gift that anyone would love to have. No matter what the occasions is, be it a birthday party, a wedding receptions, a farewell dinner, the New Year’s Eve or even Christmas day…cupcakes would still be suitable to be given as a gift.

So for those of you who have always been clueless on what to get your friends on their special day, why don’t you give these cupcakes a try? If it is any help, my friends and I have tried them and ~WE SIMPLY LOVED THEM!!! Signing out. TheWonderWoman

Gangsterism Among Our Youths

2008-10-20T23:48:00.002+08:00

An article in a local paper today had caught my eye with the headline “Youth in ICU after he was stabbed during gang fight” What is happening to our society? Day by day we were shocked by the frightening news of gangsterism among our youths. It is indeed a very sad thing to witness our youths to have change from being courteous, considerate, obedient and well-mannered person to someone that likes to hurt, bully, shout, ill mannered, aggressive, rude and could not care less about others. We can’t imagine this taking place.

The case was the youth was stabbed in the chest without mercy during a gang fight at the Kuching Waterfront last Saturday. The teenager was believed to be stabbed by a knife by a group of about 10-15 youths. Kuching Waterfront was originally built as a tourist attraction and for publics usage for recreational purposes has now turned into the “black alley”. Is that so?

In my opinion, the government together with the local authority should look into this matter seriously and try to come up with effective solutions to prevent gangsterism among our society. One of many suggestions would be to create or organize more programs focusing on youths. Perhaps Rakan Muda could refresh our memories on the said programs for the sake of our future generations. Signing out. TheWonderWoman.

Halloween @ Green Hights Mall, Kuching

2008-10-18T12:20:00.004+08:00

Would you like to be something other than yourselves for a day? If your answer is yesss…than hear this out. Green Heights Mall, Kuching is holding a Halloween Costume Contest with RM300 cash prizes to give away and other interesting goodies for the contestants on this coming October 25, 2008. So start looking for those great costumes now. Here are some ideas that might be helpful. You can choose from being your favorite superhero characters (it would definitely be Wonder Woman if I were to join this contest =p), a creepy monsters, a wicked witch, an adorable angel or even an evil devil. The contest forms are obtainable at the mall and registration and submission of the forms must be done by October 22 at The Concierge on the ground floor of Green Heights Mall. There will also be trick or treat on the eve of the contest, followed by photo-taking sessions and lots of other fun games, goodies to be given away and surprises. If any of you do not seems familiar with the name-Green Heights Mall, well this is because the mall was only recently open this year. It is a neighbourhood mall located at Jalan Lapangan Terbang 2 and is open daily from 9am to 10pm. What does it has offer? The answer is a fully air-conditioned cold storage with variety kinds of groceries of both local and imported items. Hope you will enjoy it there and have fun!!! Signing out. TheWonderWoman.

The Top 5 Must-Have Shoes

2008-10-14T12:31:00.011+08:00

Now is the time to make a dramatic statement with footwear choices, so put your best foot forward wearing my top five must-have trends.

Shoe Trend #1: Statement Shoes
No longer just supporting and complementing an outfit, these type of shoes are making a statement of their own. Shoe designers have had enough of their limelight being sapped by the "It-Bags" and are now fighting back with eye catching creations that exude confidence and command attention.

Shoe Trend #2: Gladiator Sandals
Gladiator sandals are the ultimate shoe trend for this season. Once relatively neutral, these sandals are receiving additional flair with extra straps and sky high heels.

Shoe Trend #3: Colorful Shoes
Stabilizing neutrals combined with pops of brighter colors to create unique, distinctive looks are the basis for a great simple wardrobe. Look for an emphasis this season on citrus colors such as orange, yellow and lime, especially if they are bordering neon. Hot pink and turquoise are also favourites.

Shoe Trend #4: Platform Shoes
There’s something about platforms that makes us crave hot temperatures and a stylish outfit. Team them with a flowy maxi dress for added height, or a shift mini dress for endless legs and a look that will turn heads your way.
Peep toes show off your perfect manicure, they are less confining than regular pumps, easy to wear and very stylish.

Shoe Trend #5: Wedges
Wedges are the ideal choice for adding height without having to sacrifice comfort. Discover sky-high options, gladiator styles and updated versions of last year’s trends.

HINDRAF...the new joke in town?

2008-10-13T07:42:00.002+08:00

Have you seen what’s new in You Tube lately? There were lots of videos making fun of the HINDRAF in Malaysia. Suddenly it’s the new JOKE in town. Come to think about it, I certainly think that they deserve this! After what had happened to Pak Lah’s open house at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur on the first day of Hari Raya festival! The incident whereby HINDRAF members who turned up at the open house have no intention at all to convey Hari Raya wishes to our prime minister. Instead, they were trying to deliver political message and saying things like Hapuskan ISA, Lepaskan Hindraf detainees etc. To me such action was plain rude!!! Even after the prime minister himself has given clearance for the group to enter the hall in the spirit of Aidilfitri. This organization claimed to be fighting for the rights of the Indian community. So can anyone please tell me how would the other communities in Malaysia such as the Malays, Chinese, Dayaks etc would return the favor to respect them when they had actually trampled on our rights. Rudely barging into Hari Raya open house like that??? There is no doubt that it would anger the Muslims all over the country including us the Sarawakians who are not directly associated with the Hindu Rights Action Force (HINDRAF). We were also affected and unhappy with the incident. I hope in future, no matter how critical our political situation is, please let us just enjoy celebrating our festive seasons and occasions all year round and to leave the politics aside…please! Signing out. TheWonderWoman.

Sarawak Club Golf Resort

2008-10-10T07:50:00.000+08:00

Here’s some good news for Kuching golfers. Golfers in Kuching can now enjoy a brand new 18-hole golf course complete with a 25 bay driving range and supporting facilities that may certainly provide its golfers with an entirely new and different golfing experience. The grand opening of Sarawak Club Golf Resort was launched two days ago (8 October 2008) in Kota Samarahan, which makes it the fifth golf course available here in Kuching. Currently Kuching has already established four significant golf courses namely the Sarawak Golf Club, Damai Golf and Country Club, Borneo Highlands Resorts and Prisons Golf Club. This RM24-million project was built from a parcel of land next to the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS). The new golf resort had a 35,000 square feet club house which houses a banquet hall, cafeteria and bar, library, changing rooms, gymnasium, sports shop, play-grounds for children, an outdoor spa, and a wading pool for children and also a full-sized swimming pool. So for golf die hard fans out there, why don’t give it a try. I am certain that visitors coming to the club house will definitely be fascinated by the unique location and its serene environment. Families with children also may find it worth while to spend their weekend here at the club to relax, working out, socialize with other members of the club, and etc etc. So that’s it. I’ve done my part that is to discover the club house, now it’s your turn! What are you waiting for, make that visit already will you??? Signing out. TheWonderWoman.

The Bag Hanger

2008-10-02T16:09:00.001+08:00

Every year when Hari Raya comes, I’m sure many of you would do a massive shopping spree. From new shoes, new handbags, new perfumes, and even a new hairdo. But careful not to shop til you drop okay. Jadilah pengguna berhemat…(Yikes! look who’s talking hehehe)

So sempena Hari Raya hari yang mulia ini, let me share with all of you out there a very useful hands-on experience for you to ponder. It’s about my latest darling and madly crave thing off all time-THE BAG HANGER!!!

The bag hanger is a very tiny little thing but brings big offer to its users especially the ladies. The person responsible in inventing this gadget is superbly brilliant and simply genius!!! And should be awarded with the inventer of the year award I supposed.

Ok so this is how it works. I’m sure all of you beautiful ladies out there are aware that the bigger your handbag is, the better it be nowadays right. Correct me if I’m wrong, but how many of you would agree with me that these over-sized handbag not just give you the edge of being fashionably sexy and elegant, it also give you the extra satisfaction to be able to stuffed your bag with as many items as possible, from your mobile phones or PDAs, your iPod, your big sunnies, your bottle water, your lip balm, your facial blotters, your tissues, your pressed powder and many other things that women do carry in their bags. The only drawback of these over-sized handbags is the problem you will faced when you need to eat!!! Imagine this, you’re sitting at your table getting ready to enjoy your meal…and there it is your over-sized handbag place uncomfortably on top of your lap. So where should you put it? You can’t just put it on the table as it would be rude. Nor put it on the empty chair next to you because it may be snatch by people walking by. So where should you put it?

The answer is none other than the Bag Hanger. The bag hanger is a gadget you use to hang your handbags. It has a strong magnetic strip underneath it that holds the gadget to the table. And even if the table is not made of metal, you can still use it as the shape it was made somehow able to cling the hanger towards the table.

Here’s my fav bag hanger that I got free from Charles & Keith @ The Spring, Kuching. Spend RM260 and be a member, and it all yours… Signing Out. TheWonderWoman

Act on race relations in Sarawak???

2008-09-29T14:22:00.005+08:00

“Sarawak does not need an act on race relations to prevent racial conflicts as there is no racial problem in the state” – A meaningful statement made by our Second Minister of Planning and Resource Management Dato Sri Awang Tengah Ali Hassan.

That is a statement I quote from the Borneo Post dated 24 September 2008. It started to occur to me that perhaps politicians do make honest comments at times and not just the bunga-bunga comment in order to win hati rakyat! I myself believe that no matter who you are, comes the end of the day human will act as human; which is to speak out their honest views and feelings.

I am really glad to learn that Sarawakians, despite having diverse ethnic groups name it the Malays, Chinese, Melanaus, Ibans, Bidayuhs, Orang Ulu, and many other native tribes each with its own distinct dialect, beliefs and traditions, there is yet never been an issue to the people of Sarawak to enjoy living their life harmoniously with each other. But it’s a different case in the West Malaysia. This issue comes in the wake of the detention of a Sin Chew Daily reporter under the Internal Security Act (ISA) last week, when she had wrote a news report of former Bukit Bendera Umno division chief Datuk Ahmad Ismail’s alleged disparaging remarks about the Chinese community during campaigning for the Permatang Pauh by-election.

Lately racial issues have been used to trigger out the angriness among various groups in the society. Logically, this shouldn’t be the case at all for the West Malaysians. Sabah & Sarawak have more risks on being exposed to this issue since we have more ethnics groups with different way of lives, language, culture, believes and so on. So why do you think we the Sarawakians & Sabahans managed to stop this dilemma from happening? Some say because we have a good understanding of each other, or was it because we were used for things being that way since we have inherited it way back from our ancestors? Well, god knows why but I am just simply glad and thankful for that.

Dato Sri Awang Tengah added that in Sarawak, it’s okay if there is no act on race relations because the unity and the good relations among the people of various races exist naturally. And believe it or not, we even have Muslims and Christians living in one house and there’s no problem on that. NO JOKE!!! I tell you what, I myself have experienced renting an apartment with non-muslim girls and it was one of my best and sweetest memories ever to have stayed with them. They were really kind and were much fun too. I remember one time during Ramadhan and I had to fast, the whole house is food-free. You can’t even sense the smell of food around the house because the girls refuse to eat in font of me and what not. Not that I ever mind if they do, but I guess that’s just the way of them showing respect to my believes and religion. Well I can say that I respect them more for that.

I personally believe that inter-cultural understanding should not be forced upon people but rather cultivated with time. Signing Out. TheWonderWoman.

Lesson I Learn Today

2008-09-27T09:06:00.000+08:00

Today i learnt that blogging should be treated as a hobby not a job and also not a place to make money. When we blog we should love what we are blogging, understand it as a reflection of ourselves and try to share it with the world.

Talking about the world, today I read about liveearth day. I learnt that our planet is dying and it is dying really fast if we do not do anything to help save it. By doing little things such as reducing CO2 usage, using energy savers light bulb and planting small trees, we could make a huge different in taking our part in saving our planet. So lets answer this call and make the difference, because if we don't save this planet we're living in, we don't have any spare one where we could live in.

Dad's Blessing ~ So sad that i almost drop a tear...

2008-09-26T17:38:00.001+08:00

A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted.As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautifully wrapped gift box. Curious, but somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold. Angry, he raised his voice to his father and said "With all your money, you give me a Bible?" and stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible.Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things.When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. And as he did, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words PAID IN FULL.

How many times do we miss Spirit's blessings and answers to our prayers because they do not arrive exactly as we have expected?

TODAY'S's affirmation: "Today I look beyond the obvious and allow miracles to be created in my life."

Cat City - Malaysia’s newest “Gangsterwood”

2008-09-24T17:28:00.000+08:00

I was really depressed and also shocked to learn that Kuching City is about to turn into the first “gangsterhood” city of Malaysia. One particular news on the papers today (The Borneo Post) really caught my eyes with the headline “Two friends attacked twice on the same night by same mob”

It was mentioned that the incident happened at RPR batu Kawa around 10pm when a 23-year-old man and his friend was forced to pull over to the side of the road by a group of about 10 men, believed to be intoxicated, before they were attacked brutally with dangerous weapons which resulted the 23-year-old sustaining a deep gash wound at the top of his head and his friend was injured near the mouth after his left check was pierced by a metal skewer. Even the arrival of the police did not seem to stop the mob as they continued to smash the victim’s car and ripped out the vehicle’s sound system and speakers before finally escaping into the dark alleys nearby.

Now you tell me. Are we leaving in Malaysia or the Bronx, where the society can easily get hold of weapons and guns? Where we often heard countless of vicious cases of assaults occurred every single day. Where do these thugs, mob come from? Are they our local Kuchingians or outsiders? We can only pray for our safety and such news would definitely be a nightmare that wakes us up from our deep sleep for all this time...Signing Out. TheWonderWoman

Sarawak's Layer Cake (Kek Lapis Sarawak)

2008-09-22T09:30:00.005+08:00

Salam everyone… First of all I’m sorry for the long silence. I know I haven’t posted anything for quite sometime. I was sick for the whole week and therefore didn’t turn up for work. And my wireless connection at home? It only made me realize then, that I had stopped paying for my broadband bills since I can’t remember when. So I was left unconnected to the world. So you can pretty much assume that the past weeks weren’t so interesting for me since I had to stay home and do nothing other than to sleep and rest as being advised by the doctor.

But comes weekend, and when I was feeling much better; my mom had drag me along to a local pastry shop or maybe I shouldn’t say it a pastry shop since it only operated in a residential house in a nearby village not far from my house. It is a small business of making and selling Sarawak’s famous layer cakes also known as the Kek Lapis operated by a local lady named Puan Dayang Salhah. The “Kedei” (shop) was situated at Kampung Gersik, the village across the waterfront sidewalk. Puan Dayang Salhah started her business about several years ago right from her house. In the early days, her house was small and crowded.

But nowadays, when her business is doing very well she had managed to renovate the old kampung house to a bigger and better place. She even had installed her place with air cond. I was really surprise to learn that despite all the improvement and the upgrade of its “kedei”, she still managed to sell her Kek Lapis at the same old CHEAP price!!! For a quarter Kek Lapis the selling price is as low as RM10 onwards and for a full tray (9”X9”) the selling price is RM35 onwards. Where else can you find Kek Lapis that is cheaper than that? Puan Dayang Salhah’s business is doing really well that she had to prepare hundreds or maybe even thousands of printed boxes for her Kek Lapis to be shipped away to her customers both in the Peninsular and the West Malaysia. Even Malaysian celebrities would make it a must to stop down here to get their hands on this famous Kek Lapis whenever they were here in Kuching, Sarawak. If you don’t believe me you could just come and see it yourself here. There are countless celebrities photos being framed and proudly hang on the wall of this shop. To name a few, I saw the photos of Norman Hakim and Abby Abadi, Erra Fazira, Fasha Sandha, Umie Aida and many more. Infact, here’s a little confession to make…that night when my mom and I were there at that shop, guess who we met? The host of Jalan-jalan Cari Makan Show-Tengku Maria Sabri and Azlee of Senario. See? I told u celebrities do come to this place often.

Well that’s it for now. Just thought of sharing my experienced with all of you ladies out there. You might wana checked out the place since Hari Raya is just around the corner. And you know what, though buying cakes are not as special as making one yourself, but it definitely would save up your time and energy. Signing out. TheWonderWoman

Something to Ponder : The 4 Wives

2008-09-16T10:42:00.000+08:00

There was a rich merchant who had 4 wives. He loved the 4th wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to delicacies. He took great care of her and gave her nothing but the best.

He also loved the 3rd wife very much. He's very proud of her and always wanted to show off her to his friends. However, the merchant is always in great fear that she might run away with some other men.

He too, loved his 2nd wife. She is a very considerate person, always patient and in fact is the merchant's confidante. Whenever the merchant faced some problems, he always turned to his 2nd wife and she would always help him out and tide him through difficult times.

Now, the merchant's 1st wife is a very loyal partner and has made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and business as well as taking care of the household. However, the merchant did not love the first wife and although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her.

One day, the merchant fell ill. Before long, he knew that he was going to die soon. He thought of his luxurious life and told himself, "Now I have 4 wives with me. But when I die, I'll be alone. How lonely I'll be!"

Thus, he asked the 4th wife, "I loved you most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No way!" replied the 4th wife and she walked away without another word. The answer cut like a sharp knife right into the merchant's heart.

The sad merchant then asked the 3rd wife, "I have loved you so much for all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No!" replied the 3rd wife. "Life is so good over here! I'm going to remarry when you die!" The merchant's heart sank and turned cold.

He then asked the 2nd wife, "I always turned to you for help and you've always helped me out. Now I need your help again. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?" "I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!" replied the 2nd wife. "At the very most, I can only send you to your grave." The answer came like a bolt of thunder and the merchant was devastated.

Then a voice called out : "I'll leave with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go." The merchant looked up and there was his first wife. She was so skinny, almost like she suffered from malnutrition. Greatly grieved, the merchant said, "I should have taken much better care of you while I could have !"

Actually, we all have 4 wives in our lives

a. The 4th wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it'll leave us when we die.

b. Our 3rd wife ? Our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, they all go to others.

c. The 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how close they had been there for us when we're alive, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.

d. The 1st wife is in fact our SOUL, often neglected in our pursuit of material, wealth and sensual pleasure.

Guess what? It is actually the only thing that follows us wherever we go. Perhaps it's a good idea to cultivate and strengthen it now rather than to wait until we're on our deathbed to lament

The Food Gallery, Tun Jugah Mall

2008-09-11T10:36:00.004+08:00

I just love dining in at The Food Gallery at Tun Jugah Shopping Mall, Kuching. The main reason would have to be its Butter Chicken Rice dish and Laksa Sarawak offered by one of its many stalls which you may find impossible to get from anywhere that is better than here (at least that’s what I honestly think) Not just that, do you know that The Food Gallery is also one of the very few pork-free food courts available in Kuching? This was mentioned by its manager Mr. Justin Anderson when he was interviewed earlier this year regarding their promotions for the Merdeka month and the current Ramadan. He also added that with effect from the month of August, they will be providing delivery service for the convenience of all occupants of Tun Jugah Mall. As we all know, the Tun Jugah building was also occupied by a number of private sector organizations on its 4th Floor onwards. Therefore, by coming up with such service, I personally think The Food Gallery has successfully boost their marketing strategy and the whole management team definitely should be proud for having the guts to take up such challenges in order to reach their burning goals.

The Food Gallery currently has 13 food stalls operating at its premises, selling delicacies ranging from Japanese, Vietnamese, Chinese, Western, Malay and local favorites including the peninsular famous delicacies. The newly installed ventilation and exhaust system also provide patrons with better surroundings and improved ambience so that they can enjoy their food and drinks in comfort. However, as mush as I love this place, there are yet one thing that I would love to HATE!!! The OVERPRICED food!!! First, let me set it out clearly that in this case I don’t mean for all of the food stalls. It is actually just for one particular stall. I wish I can mention the name of the stall here but I guess not.

Let just say it’s the only stall selling “nasi campur”. For a plate of rice with a piece of chicken, a piece of friend egg and a scoop of sambal, you will be charge RM9.50. So now, do you think it was priced reasonably? If you say yes, than you must be Paris Hilton or just plain “the rich and the famous”. I mean, even in KL you wont get that highly priced for a plate of nasi campur rite. I once dined at the very exclusive-like food court in Midvalley, Megamall in KL. I had a rice with chicken, beef, and vege and that only cost me RM7.80 (I even had 2 meat in my meal here)

And to make matters worse, this particular stalls didn’t display any price lists in its menu when the rest of the stalls did. This what makes me believe that the owner can simply mark up his/her price whenever he/her feel like to; especially now in the month of Ramadan where people are willing to pay for any cost in order to get their stomach filled. But doesn’t the owner know that he/she could be fine for this if the matter were to be brought up to the Persatuan Pengguna here in Sarawak??

So, here I would like to remind my fellow users/customers/patrons/diners (or whatever you want to name it), do stand up for your rights. Take actions. The government has given us our right as users so make sure you use it. Do not let the government’s hard work becoming to a waste.

When You Think You Deserve Some Gratitude, Think Again...

2008-09-07T22:25:00.006+08:00

A woman was waiting at an airport one night

With several long hours before her flight

She hunted for a book in the airport shop

Bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop

She was engrossed in her book but happened to see

That the man beside her as bold as could be

Grabbed a cookie or two from the bag between

Which she tried to ignore to avoid a scene

She munched cookies and watched the clock

As this gutsy cookie thief diminished her stock

She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by

Thinking "If I wasn't so nice I'd blacken his eye"

With each cookie she took he took one too

And when only one was left she wondered what he'd do

With a smile on his face and a nervous laugh

He took the last cookie and broke it in half

He offered her half as he ate the other

She snatched it from him and thought "Oh brother

This guy has some nerve and he's also rude

Why he didn't even show any gratitude"

She had never known when she had been so galled

And sighed with relief when her flight was called

She gathered her belongings and headed for the gate

Refusing to look back at the thieving ingrate

She boarded the plane and sank in her seat

Then sought her book which was almost complete

As she reached in her baggage she gasped with surprise

There was her bag of cookies in front of her eyes

"If mine are here" she moaned with despair

"Then the others were his and he tried to share"

Too late to apologize she realized with grief

That she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief

The Cookie Thief - by Valerie Cox

A Big Round of Applause to ZECON

2008-09-05T14:25:00.001+08:00

Remember my blog on Zecon Toll-Incompetent? Well here’s one hell of a good news I’m dying to share with all of you. Zecon is back on the game people!!! They really take the criticism very positively. Guess what happened to me this morning. As I was driving to work this morning, I saw something very very delighting at the toll. A woman in her car in front of me was able to reload her toll card on the spot!!! And if you are wondering, yesss…it happened during the peak hours! (7am onwards) So I thought to myself, that’s new! I remember how I was madly pissed for not being able to reload my toll card on the spot or buy a new one last few weeks ago. They made me to come back at some other time where they feel it wasn’t too busy. And for that reason, it made me called Zecon’s Customer Service Line, which number was displayed on their toll card. I must admit that I was acting bit emotionally as I was at rage. I remember yelling at the innocence operator telling her that their service was the worst and I blame the management for introducing the new reloadable card system, which to me only creates hassle to road users. So what exactly happened this morning was that they (Zecon) had gathered enough attendants to get ready at the booth to receive payments made from the card sales. They also come up with the new practice whereby road users who wanted to reload their card were instructed to drive forward past the toll and to wait at the waiting bay (the middle space between each booth if you notice) for their card to be reloaded. In this case, it is to avoid long lines of cars waiting to go past the toll whenever there is a car in need to do some reloading. So there you go! Zecon has proved to us that criticism and disapproval from the public won’t stop them from achieving their goals to succeed from their new marketing strategy. In fact the criticism was their reason to improve their services. All they need to do is just to accept things positively and at the same time to polish their problem solving skills and they are ready to fight back against any complaints and censures. Well done Zecon!!! A big round of applause to Zecon Toll Concessionaire Sdn. Bhd. Signing out. TheWonderWoman

Couldn’t They Just Be Glad?

2008-09-03T15:06:00.000+08:00

Ok here’s the thing. The Budget 2009 has been declared and I personally have no objection whatsoever concerning it. To me whatever being offered by the government is good enough. Better something than nothing right? But to my despair, there are still minority groups of people who did not appreciate what the government has done. Being granted the 1 month bonus, they now demand for 2 months bonus; plus an increase in housing allowances. Well this scenario is just too sad for me to admit...couldn’t they just be glad for what they’ve been given? Considering that our country is at its critical stage of inflation and the unfavorable economy condition, what the government has to offer showed their effort in making sure the citizens wouldn’t have to suffer any further. It’s like parents trying their very best to provide their children with their wants, though it has exceed the requirement of the children’s basics necessities. So my fellow Malaysians, please take sometime to think as regards to this matter. Try putting your feet in others shoes, say the people in India, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam etc. They too work hard, paid their taxes, and had to struggle damn hard to survive the brutal economy. And what do they get in return? Nothing! Not a single support from their government! Now, would you still care to tell me how unsatisfied you are with the Budget 2009? Signing out. TheWonderWoman

Bazaar Ramadhan

2008-09-02T17:33:00.000+08:00

Hey everyone…ok let me just say that I’m sorry for being so silent for the past few days. Well you know it’s a long weekend this week and so I’ve decided to take my holidays that I’ve always wanted. The Budget 2009 is over (and yess I am very please with it. BONUS people,BONUS!!! That’s all that matters) , and then it’s our Merdeka celebration (go Pak Lah! though he had a bad sore throat yet he still managed to let out the MERDEKA shout for 7 memorable times) and now it’s the month of patience some say which is Ramadhan. So what should I be writing down in my blog today? Hurmmm… I guess the “Bazaar Ramadhan” would be interesting. Well ok then I’ll start with what is Bazaar Ramadhan.

Well basically the Bazaar Ramadhan only happens once a year if you must know, which is in the month of Ramadhan (the fasting month for Muslims all over the world) It is a place where you can find hundreds of food stalls selling variety kinds of mouth watering delicacies. During the month of Ramadhan, Muslims are being tested on their patience whereby they are forbidden from certain acts of doing such as eating, drinking, and behaving badly towards people around them etc etc. And as you can tell, the most challenging part would be to abide on no eating and drinking from the crack of dawn till sunset for most Muslims. However, these tests would be paid off comes the end of the day. This is where the Bazaar Ramadhan plays it role. This giant food fair offers variety kinds of food from bubur pedas, ayam percik, laksa penang, kuih bongkol, ais kacang etc.(erkk...writing this all down had made me drool very grossly!! =P)

BUBUR PEDAS

AYAM PERCIK

So people of Sarawak-Kuchingians, why don’t you give it a try. If you never been to any of these bazaars you are missing a lot in life (at least to me that is) Where you can find it? Try the famous Bazaar Ramadhan at Jalan Satok. Then there are also bazaars at Semarak, Plaza Astana, and Jalan Sukma to name a few. Enjoy…and Happy Breaking Fast; Selamat Berbuka Puasa!!! Signing out. TheWonderWoman

Ramadhan the Holy Month of Islam

2008-09-01T21:12:00.002+08:00

What is Ramadan?
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Islam uses a lunar calendar - that is, each month begins with the sighting of the new moon. Because the lunar calendar is about 11 days shorter than the solar calendar used elsewhere, Islamic holidays "move" each year. In 2003 Ramadan begins on Oct. 27; in 2004 it will begin on Oct. 15.

For more than a billion Muslims around the world-including some 8 million in North America-Ramadan is a "month of blessing" marked by prayer, fasting, and charity. This year Ramadan precedes Christmas and overlaps Hanukkah.

But while in many places these holidays have become widely commercialized, Ramadan retains its focus on self-sacrifice and devotion to God (Allah in Arabic).

Why this month?
Muslims believe that during the month of Ramadan, Allah revealed the first verses of the Quran, the holy book of Islam. Around 610 A.D., the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, used to go out to the desert near Mecca (in today's Saudi Arabia) to think about faith, society and God.

One night a voice called to him from the night sky. It was the angel Gabriel, who told Muhammad he had been chosen to receive the word of Allah. In the days that followed, Muhammad found himself speaking the verses that would be transcribed as the Quran.

At many mosques during Ramadan, about one thirtieth of the Quran is recited each night in prayers known as Tarawih. In this way, by the end of the month the complete scripture will have been recited.

Why do Muslims fast?
Muslims practice Sawm, or fasting, for the entire month of Ramadan. This means that they may eat or drink nothing, including water, while the sun is up as well as making a special effort to avoid sins. Fasting is one of the Five Pillars (duties) of Islam. As with other Islamic duties, all able Muslims take part in Sawm from about age twelve.

Fasting serves many purposes. While they are hungry and thirsty, Muslims are reminded of the suffering of the poor. Fasting is also an opportunity to practice self-control and to cleanse the body and mind. And in this most sacred month, fasting helps Muslims feel the peace that comes from spiritual devotion as well as kinship with fellow believers.

During Ramadan in the Muslim world, most restaurants are closed during the daylight hours. Families get up early for suhoor, a meal eaten before the sun rises. After the sun sets, the fast is broken with a meal known as Iftar. Iftar usually begins with dates and sweet drinks that provide a quick energy boost.

How does Ramadan end?
Ramadan ends with the festival of Eid al-Fitr, which in 2003 occurs on November 26. Literally the "Festival of Breaking the Fast," Eid al-Fitr is one of the two most important Islamic celebrations (the other occurs after the Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca). At Eid al-Fitr people dress in their finest clothes, adorn their homes with lights and decorations, give treats to children, and enjoy visits with friends and family.

A sense of generosity and gratitude colors these festivities. Although charity and good deeds are always important in Islam, they have special significance at the end of Ramadan. As the month draws to a close, Muslims are obligated to share their blessings by feeding the poor and making contributions to Mosques

Learn more: http://www.jannah.org/ramadan/intro.html

Harmful Tampons

2008-08-26T23:26:00.000+08:00

If you are a woman and use pads, but especially if you use tampons, read this and pass it to your friends. Men, you could also help and pass it around to your significant others, sisters, aunts, mothers or daughters and etc.

Check the labels of the sanitary pads or tampons that you are going to buy the next time and see whether you spot any of these familiar signs stated in this blog. No wonder so many women in the world suffer from cervical cancer and womb tumors.

Have you heard that tampon makers include asbestos in tampons? And why would they do this you ask? Read on…
Because asbestos makes you bleed more, if you bleed more, you're going to need to use it more. Why isn't this against the law since asbestos is so dangerous? Because the powers that be, in all their wisdom (not), did not consider tampons as being ingested, and, therefore, didn't consider them illegal or dangerous. This month's Essence magazine has small article about this and they mention two manufacturers of a cotton tampon alternative. The companies are: Organic Essentials and Terra Femme. A woman getting her Ph.D. at University of Colorado at Boulder sent the following:
“I am writing this because women are not being informed about the dangers of something most of us use- tampons. I am taking a class this month and I have been learning a lot about biology and women, including much about feminine hygiene. Recently we have learned that tampons are actually dangerous (for other reasons than TSS). I'll tell you this after learning about this in our class, most of the females wound up feeling angry and upset with the tampon industry, and I for one, am going to do something about it. To start, I want to inform everyone I can, and let them know the truth”

HERE IS THE SCOOP:
Tampons contain two things that are potentially harmful: Rayon (for absorbency), and dioxin (a chemical used in bleaching the products). The tampon industry is convinced that we, as women, need bleached white products in order to view the product as pure and clean. The problem here is that the dioxin, which is produced in this bleaching process, can lead to very harmful problems for a woman. Dioxin is potentially carcinogenic cancer-associated) and is toxic to the immune and reproductive systems. It has also been linked to endometriosis and lower sperm counts for men. For both sexes, it breaks down the immune system. Last September, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that there really is no set 'acceptable' level of exposure to dioxin given that it is cumulative and slow to disintegrate. The real danger comes from repeated contact.

Karen Couppert ‘Pulling the Plug on the Tampon Industry’ : I'd say using about 4-5 tampons a day, five days a month, for 38 menstruating years is 'repeated contact', wouldn't you? Rayon contributes to the danger of tampons and dioxin because it is a highly absorbent substance. Therefore, when fibers from the tampons are left behind in the vagina (as usually occurs), it creates a breeding ground for the dioxin. It also stays in a lot longer than it would with just cotton tampons. This is also the reason why TSS (toxic shock syndrome) occurs.

WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVES?
Using feminine hygiene products that aren't bleached and that are all cotton. Other feminine hygiene products (pads/napkins) contain dioxin as well, but they are not nearly as dangerous since they are not in direct contact with the vagina. The pads/napkins need to stop being bleached, but, obviously, tampons are the most dangerous. So, what can you do if you can't give up using tampons? Use tampons that are made from 100% cotton, and that are UNBLEACHED. Unfortunately, there are very few companies that make these safe tampons. They are usually only found in health food stores. Countries all over the world (Sweden , Germany , British Columbia , etc.) have demanded a switch to this safer tampon, while the U.S. has decided to keep us in the dark about it. In 1989, activists in England mounted a campaign against chlorine bleaching. Six weeks and 50,000 letters later, the makers of sanitary products switched to oxygen bleaching (one of the green methods available) - MS magazine, May/June 1995
Signing out. TheWonderWoman

Optimistic

2008-08-25T20:39:00.000+08:00

"I love the way Robert Schuller differentiates between the optimist and the pessimist. An optimist calls a half glass of water "half full", a pessimist "half empty". The reason is simple. The optimist is putting water in the glass. The pessimist is taking water out of the glass. It's almost a universal truth. Anyone taking from society with no real effort to contribute to society is pessimistic because he fears there won't be enough for him. The person who is doing his best and making a contribution is optimistic and confident because he is personally working on the solution."

"Optimists are people who, when they wear out their shoes, just figure they are back on their feet"

Zig Ziglar

Zecon Toll-Incompetent?

2008-08-24T23:47:00.002+08:00

I would like to take this opportunity to express my disappointment on Sarawak’s very own toll company, Zecon Toll Concessionaire Sdn Bhd. I am aware that the company has come up with a new initiative to provide beloved Sarawakian with a better facility that will alleviate them. And by this, they (Zecon) had introduced reloadable toll card which takes up reload amount from as little as RM10 up to RM500. This definitely attracts the public as it shows unfussiness and simplicity since you wouldn’t need to buy the card for the minimum price of RM30 like before.

So then there I was on my way to work one particular morning, and I had purposely use the route passing the toll so that I can reload my toll card which has RM0 in balance. So there were about 3 or 4 lanes opened in front of me. I am familiar of the last lane was only being use for card holder (something like touch and go). So without any doubt, I went straight to the 2nd lane where there was an attendant standing by. When I reached the lane I told the attendant that I wanted to reload my card. And at my disappointment, I’ve been told that I need to go to the last lane (which is for card holder only and so there was nobody attending to the lane) to reload my card. If you were in my shoes, im sure you would also choose to go to the lane that has an attendant instead of the one with just a screen and a machine right? And how am I supposed to reverse my car when there were already more than 5 other cars queuing up behind my me??? And for god’s sake, couldn’t they put up a signboard or anything like that to inform the drivers which lane to go to if they want to reload their card? And let me tell you this, that was the 3rd time I went there to get my card reloaded. The first time they told me to come back when it is not at peak hours since it was right after the office hours ended at that time. So I came back at night the second time. And now they told me that the counter has closed and it is only open during daytime. Ok fine…and so I came back that very early morning and again I wasn’t able to get my card reloaded because I was at the wrong lane?! So could anybody please tell me whose fault this is? And is this how ZECON wants their promotional work on the so-called convenience to toll users being carried out? Let me say one thing straight here~to the management: if you can’t provide a good customer service, then don’t bother to come up with the idea to provide convenience for your customers!!! Period! Signing out. TheWonderWoman.

New System in Recruiting Public Sectors Workforce

2008-08-21T00:04:00.002+08:00

My…my…reading the paper this morning has definitely made me realized that I should be glad to be in my current job as an employee in the public sector, and at the same time I swear that I would stop complaining on how my job sucks for most of the time! The government has announced that a new system in recruiting public sectors workforce will be implement starting end of this year. The chairman of SPA (Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam), Tan Sri Jamaluddin Ahmad Damanhuri said that the new system (which is known as the Profiling Recruitment Model) will comprise of three stages. The first stage will be in the form of examination, then followed by self evaluation and finally is the interview. All these three stages will focus on the candidate’s academic background and the overall values and attitude that he/she has. This is said to ensure that all the successful candidates under SPA will be the best among the best! So guys, this would mean a tougher challenge for you to get a place in the public sectors. I guess stability and security doesn’t come easy these days huh? But if you look at the bright side, by implementing tough recruiting policy like this, the public will no longer look down at the government employees like they normally do. A person who works in the public sectors will finally be able to give the impression of a highly educated, skillful and unique personnel in the public eyes. So I would like to wish the best of luck to all you out there in searching for a secure job. Life is journey, not a destination…GAMBATTE!!! Signing out. TheWonderWoman

Suicide Attempt

2008-08-20T10:30:00.004+08:00

Late yesterday evening around 4.55pm, a male of his 30’s stunned onlookers in the Wisma Seberkas building when he tried to attempt suicide from the ledge of its sixth floor. The police, the Fire and Rescue Department and the Emergency squad from Sarawak General Hospital had rushed to the scene as soon as they received the SOS from the guards on duty. The drama caused a long traffic jammed along the immediate road to Wisma Saberkas and even worse it was right on time when the office hours has ended and people were all leaving at the same time. After almost two hours of negotiation, the man was finally convinced by the authority to give up his intention and was later brought to Simpang Tiga police station to be investigated. It was said that the man had decided to commit suicide due to marital problems.

Incident like this is definitely a NO laughing matter. All this while, we often heard cases like these happened only in the big and busy/hectic cities such as Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, New York or New Delhi. But what about now? This is a proved of even Sarawakians can be exposed to this problem nowadays. And yet, Sarawak is known for its serene and peaceful ambiance which is NOT likely to lead in suicide attempt among its society. Even tourists from all over the world would spend thousands of dollars and fly hundreds miles away from their homeland just to be in Sarawak to enjoy its tranquility setting.

Thus, this gets me thinking…have we thought of the solutions for this matter? The right ways to handle it? Or even just to get ourselves prepared to face this situation when dealing with it in the future? Sound scary? Believe me it is scary! Especially when your mind is a total clueless in this matter. You wouldn’t even know how to start the negotiation right? Just imagine if this thing happens to your family members or your friends. Wouldn’t it be frustrating to not being able to help them get out from this deadly mess? For that reason, I’ve managed to do some research on this issue and would like to share it with the world, with the hope that it will be useful to all of you.

Myths and Facts on Suicide

Myth: That talking to someone about their suicidal feelings will cause them to commit suicide.
Fact: Asking someone about their suicidal feelings may make the person feel relieved that someone finally recognized their emotional pain.

Myth: That all suicidal people want to die and there is nothing that can be done about it.
Fact: Most suicidal people are ambivalent; that is, part of them is saying, "I want to die" but part of them is saying, "I want to live."

Myth: That people. who talk about committing suicide never actually do it.
Fact: When someone talks about committing suicide, he/she may be giving a warning that should not be ignored by others who hear such comments.

Myth: That there is a "typical" type of person who commits suicide.
Fact: The potential for suicide exists in all of us. There is no "typical" type of suicidal person.

Myth: That suicide occurs without warning.
Fact: Many people, including adolescents, give warnings of their suicidal intent.

When you suspect that a friend or a family member may be suicidal, you may become nervous and anxious. This is a normal feeling. It may help if you remember the following:

+ Do not allow yourself to be sworn to secrecy by the suicidal person. You may lose a friendship, but you may save a life.
+ Believe or trust your suspicions that the person may be self-destructive.
+ Do not leave the person alone if you believe the risk for suicide is immediate.
+ Communicate your concern for the well-being of the person. Be an active listener and show your support.
+ Do not act shocked at what the person tells you.
+ Be direct. Talk openly and freely and ask direct questions about the person’s intentions. Try to determine if the person has a plan for suicide (how, where, when). The more detailed the plan, the greater the risk.
+ Do not counsel the person yourself.
+ Get professional help. Encourage the person to seek help from a school counselor, minister, or someone who can help solve the problems. If the person resists, You may have to get the necessary help for them.
+ Do not debate whether suicides is right or wrong. This may make the person feel more guilty.
+ Do not give false assurance.

(Articles from Dare To Live)

Signing out. TheWonderWoman

What's for lunch?

2008-08-18T02:12:00.005+08:00

Apollo + Chicken = Apollo Chicken

Today my boyfriend and I went to Apollo Chicken for lunch, which situated somewhere in Samarahan. We were a bit shocked to discover that it was actually a restaurant all this while. For weeks we have passed the outlet and thought it was only a cold storage because it doesn’t look like a place to dine. The windows were only covered with a sticker of a chicken. And there weren’t many sets of tables too. Only today when we passed by we saw a banner displaying combo sets that they are offering which made us to stop and check out the place.
So we went in and ask the cashier at the counter whether the food they serve were halal. Although all the workers were Muslims, we couldn’t just take things for granted. Well you can say that we are just trying to be clear out about it because it didn't show any halal sign anywhere. So, when the cashier said its halal we started to choose which sets that we would like to order. I ordered a chicken burger set and my boyfriend ordered the 2 pieces chickens with rice set.

We sat at the table and it wasn't a long wait when the 2 sets of chicken with rice were sent to our table instead of the chicken burger set that I have ordered. It seemed that they have misheard our order. We ordered 1 set of chicken and rice and another set of chicken burger but what we got was 2 sets of the chicken and rice. I was a bit furious (due to the empty stomach I must say) when it happened but luckily the waiter showed us a really good attitude and went back directly into the kitchen to change the order and gave us back our money. I’m really glad with the way they handle the situation but it would be much better if the cashier had repeated our order before they start punching it in the cash register. Last week I had the same bad experience at McDonald's too. The cashier did not repeat my order and guess what happened then. A wrong order was given to me!!! It is really frustrating and not forgetting time wasting when these kind of things happen to you when you’re out to grab your meal. If I were to open a restaurant someday, this would be the most important thing I would remind my workers over and over again - REPEAT YOUR ORDERS.Anyways, did I mentioned that it (Apollo chicken outlet) has a free wifi broadband connection. And for that I would recommend it to students mainly, to go there and have it a try. Well the chicken and rice was quite nice (and it comes in a big portions too). This is my rating summary for Apollo Chicken where 10 stars is the best rate.

APOLLO CHICKEN

FOOD : ***

DRINKS : ***

SERVICES : ****

ENVIRONMENT : *****

Signing out.TheWonderWomen

Marina Mahathir-The Secret Weapon to the Ladies Dresscode

2008-08-17T22:56:00.010+08:00

I was totally relieved, glad, pleased, delighted and overjoyed (okayla…I was simply happy tahap dewa! Enough said!!!) when I read up on our former prime minister ‘s daughter- Marina Mahathir’s blog at http://rantingsbymm.blogspot.com/ this morning. Finally, the rights to dress up for the women in Malaysia especially the muslims women has been seek to justice. In her blog she had brilliantly questioned why on earth would such absurd matter concerning ladies dress code being an issue at the parliament. And yesss…, I mean the actual Parliament where all the politicians were suppose to gather and discuss about more important things that evolve around our country’s growth and development. Well, she is damn right I must say!!! It is about time that we should be treated fairly and reasonably. The article written by Ng Cheng Yee with the headline “Skirt length become an issue in Parliament” really raise few eyebrows. It was mentioned that some visitors and female reporters were denied by security from entering the media entrance for being indecently dressed.

Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abd Aziz said that a person’s attire/ dress code shouldn’t be used to determine his or her values. Also few quotes from him~

"MPs can write in their complaint to me in black and white if they see someone they think is indecently dressed and we will take action"

However, sometimes even MPs wear skirts which were not knee length.

"But if they (security guards) cannot control (MPs), then don't practice double standards. I don't allow double standards in the House"

I was once being accused of indecently dressed to work which I believe, was soooo…NOT true!!! A senior A Class officer (which I am too; the different just that she’s a SENIOR staff-which to me is more like an old grumpy lady that couldn’t accept the fact that her glory times has passed and it is the time for us the younger generation to lead the department) boldly told me to my face that I need to consider changing my attire to work as to her, I am wearing a shirt that is too short and too tight! Who the hell did she think she is to set out the do’s and don’ts on work dress code when it is clearly stated in our office policy that shirts, pants and skirts are allowed (and no lengths whatsoever is mentioned in it) Well maybe now I should start thinking of a way to bring this case to the parliament and make her realize how the time has passes her all this while and for god's sake...no one wears baggy clothes that go down right to your knee anymore lady!!! Signing out. TheWonderWoman

Setting Up your Goals

2008-08-16T19:57:00.002+08:00

Today I went to a motivational seminar. One of the many things that I learnt today was setting up goals. Even before I went to the seminar I knew that goals were important. A goal is the target or the destination where we are heading. Without a goal or a destination, we would not know where we are going or we don't even know if we are going anywhere at all. We might just go in circle or we did not even move an inch from where we started. So with a few readings, anyone can know the important of making goals. But tonight it was something different, to actually write down my goals so clearly and so specifically, really shocked me. To have such impact gives me energy beyond what I imagined it would be like. Suddenly everything was as clear as crystal, I feel like I can achieve anything if I put my mind into it.

We could be shocked by the power of our god given mind. It's something extra god gave us to differentiate us from animals which also have brains but they do not have minds like humans. I had studied mind and body problem before when i was doing my bachelor degree, it's actually a question whether a mind can live without a body? And whether a body can live without the mind? So, from my personal opinion, I think a body can live without a mind but it just won't be human. Maybe it would look like a human but it will be just like an empty canister with nothing inside. Maybe it will act on instinct and reflex just like animals do but human body is not human without a mind.

A mind is what drives human to do everything in this world and its what moves human from point A to point B. So, it is very powerful and to master how to use it is the key to success. It’s the key everyone is looking for, we search high and low for it but in the end it's just within ourselves. This is the only one tool we need in this whole life. No wonder why housewives, school dropouts and even illegal immigrants can be millionaires. It’s not just because they worked like hell but because they have mastered the used of their mind. How to use it? How to control it? What moves it? And How to move it?

There are so many more new things that I learnt today like positive thinking and the important of good vocabulary in life but I need my rest and I will continue it in my future post. Anyway, I am glad I went to that seminar today. Although I know tomorrow will be full of new challenges but whenever it knocks me down, I will surely pick myself up and one day I will look back at this time and saw it as a wonderful unique journey of mine. So, challenges here I come! Signing out. TheWonderWoman

Story Of The Day

2008-08-13T13:32:00.001+08:00

" A man was given a tour of both Heaven and Hell. At first glance, the scene was identical in both places. The inhabitants were seated at a sumptious banquet table, with forks and knives strapped to their hands. Nonetheless, the inhabitants of hell looked dull and listless and were literally skin and bones. Then the man noticed that the forks and knives had four foot handles which made it impossible to eat.

However with the same forks and knives, the inhabitants of Heaven were well fed and in excellent health. How could such similar circumtances produce such different results? Each person in Heaven was feeding the one across the table from him! By helping one another they helped themselves."

"You can get everything you want in life,

if you help enough other people get what

they want"

Zig Ziglar

How To Remain An Employee And Still Become A Millionaire?

2008-08-12T08:11:00.004+08:00

Some people may think that only business owners can make millions and become millionaire. At one point I was one of those people. At that time i seriously believe that if you have a daily job from 8 to 5 you say, then you can definitely stop dreaming of becoming RICH!!! Period! But later i found out that the truth is, an employee can become a millionaire if they are willing to pay the price for it. The first thing they should have is just the desire to do so. It is as simple as that! Although, may i say...with that desire comes a price. A price in the form of effort, self discipline, or it may be time or even money. But if they are willing to pay the price in full they are in for a big surprise because all that will surely be paid off by the end of the day...

When the burning desire is already in you, the second thing to be done is to track down our expenses, liability and know how much is our income. By doing so, it will enable to measure how good or bad our financial health is. Most of the times we failed to notice that our expenses are way above our income. Without even bother to assume every possible consequences that could appear and the fact that it may lead to a disaster, we tend to spend more and more by day. At this point a job with a good monthly salary would mean Just Over Broke and we will be stagnant over a phase where money transits us every month. Money will go as fast as it comes. According to Azizi Ali the four steps to financial independence are:

1. Make Enough Money

2. Save Part of that money

3. Invest that saving wisely

4. Avoid major financial mistakes

These four steps though seems so easy when writing it down or to talk about it, but I assure you that to walk the talk it will need self discipline, sacrifice and a journey of ups and downs. Many would think they can do it; it's easy; or this is nothing, but in the end many would just give up and only few will prevail. So keep those desire burning. Burn it red or even better burn it all the way to black. It is our fuel to success and as we all know, fuel doesn't come cheap these days =) But we need it for our journey to success. So, Success here we come! Good luck!!! Signing out.TheWonderWoman.

Lesson I Learn Today

2008-08-10T21:17:00.003+08:00

Today is sunday ain't much lesson that i learn except for sleep, sleep and sleep. It's such a beautiful day and I thanked god for giving me such a wonderful place to stay and excellent health that comes with it. Later today a friend of mine made me thought about how would my life be without my health. Although to me, it's always about money, money and money, but money without health just ain't happiness. Happiness is enjoyed and embraced only when a person have his health. Having a lot of money or financial freedom comes 2nd when compared to your health. When you don't have health, it's not only you that's not happy, it's your whole family and everyone that love and care for you. So, for those people out there please take care of your health. Eat a balanced diet, have enough sleep and do excercise regularly. No one lives forever, but there is no reason to die early. Take care. Signing out. TheWonderWoman.

How To Use The Basic Secret For Influencing Others?

2008-08-07T16:51:00.006+08:00

Ever since my first day at work, i have always thought that i was cursed with a very very low self esteem, which is the main reason that failed me to influence my peers and colleagues or just anyone around me. Until one day, when i read a book by a tremendously brilliant author, Les Giblin; i feel that i am back in the game. Not only was i managed to gain the priceless knowledge in dealing with people more confidently, i am now also able to master the art of influencing others without having to be the Hitler in my workplace.

This is what Mr. Giblin has to say and hope you too can benefit from it...

"All of us including you and me are egotists. We are all more interested in ourselves than in anything else in the world. Every person you meet wants to feel important, and to “amount to something”. To feel that they have some value or meaning in this world. There is a craving in every human for the approval of others, so that he can approve of himself. You can injure a man physically, you can steal his goods, and you can damage him in all sorts of ways, and get by with it. But the one unforgivable sin, as far as human relations are concerned, is to trample on another person’s ego. The minute you detract it from another’s dignity as a human being, you are in trouble. Low self esteem means friction and trouble. But when self esteem is at a high level, people are easy to get along with. They are cheerful, generous, tolerant, willing to listen to others ideas. At this point they have taken care of their own primary needs and are able to think about the needs of others. Their own personalities are so strong and secure that they can afford to take a few risks, they can afford to be wrong and they can admit that they have made a mistake.

So, the basic secret is to help the other fellow like himself better. You need to give the other fellow a personal reason to help you and feed the fellow’s ego. A hungry ego is a mean ego because basically people act, or fail to act, largely to enhance their own egos"

Les Giblin

Words Of Wisdom

2008-08-03T01:52:00.001+08:00

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence…

The quality of an individual

is reflected in the standards they set for themselves.”

Ray Kroc

Former Chairman McDonald’s

Kroc built his organization with an emphasis on automation and standardization of operations. Today, McDonald’s is the international icon of the fast food industry.

Why Some People Consistently Unable To Manage Debt?

2008-07-30T02:09:00.014+08:00

Nowadays we can see that more and more people get bankrupt everyday and we keep asking ourselves why? Some of them were not even among the poor and unfortunate groups of people and still they've been declared BANKRUPT!!! It is mainly because they don't know how to handle debt and to save part of their money efficiently. Thus we can assume that this is mainly due to their lack in financial knowledge. As someone with a basic knowledge (or quite competent I believe myself is) in the finance sector, I’ve read a few books on how you can handle and get out of debt. So to all readers out there, I hope with this blog that I’m about to write it can help you to manage your money more efficiently and finally have that saving you had always wanted.

There are four types of debtors or borrowers which are Wishers, Wasters, Wanters and Winners. To be able to manage your debt, you need to know what type of borrower you are and what type you should become.

Wishers

Wishers are credit optimists. They have the sunny perception that they deserve the good things, that they had always wanted, that they are meant to spend it all and can easily afford it. In their happy dreamworld of credit optimism they focus on the monthly payments, not on the overall debt. Wishers, as optimists, see a brighter next year for themselves, a better job, with more income, a future whereby all money issue will be resolved. Unfortunately, not all wishes come true. Little that they know they are just going up the hill with their debts.

Wasters

Wasters spend money as an escape. With low self-esteem issues, they use money to purchase things in order to feel better, relieve stress, and to escape from their problems. They like the feel and sense of something new and by spending, they feel that they can end the emptiness that they feel. But soon after the empty feeling returns there are still bills to pay. Wanters
The Wanters are those who want it now and never and won’t even think on the consequences. With low self discipline Wanters couldn’t put off immediate gratification to reach long term goals. The issue of paying for all of it later inevitably becomes a problem. Soon they will realize that they are heading for a big debt trap.

Winners
Credit Winners use good debt to their advantage. By understanding more on the credit system they are making far more money than the banks will ever hope to make. They only make debt if the debt can give them some return or profit. Winners also can put aside their immediate gratification for a bigger and greater goal.

So, to be able to manage your debt you need to identify which type of borrower you are. And you should know which type you should be, be the Winners of course!! Know your debt and make more Good Debt because Good Debt Makes You Rich and Bad Debt Makes You Poor. Signing out. TheWonderWomen.

Job = Life – Dreams

2008-07-29T00:36:00.011+08:00

I saw this equation in a television series eureka and I thought to myself how true the equation was. Now I have a really fine job, maybe a dream job to some but I still feel that I am missing something and I cant understand why am I not happy with it. Before I saw the equation I didn’t knew what it was. When I knew I am missing my dreams it got me thinking again. How could life be so cruel? How could I let go of my dreams? No wonder I am not happy and no wonder I don’t really enjoy my job.

I realize this is not what I want, I realize this is not what I had dreamed of, I don’t want to be here and I want to quit. Most part of me really do want to quit, find another job, find other people who I work with and find another place to work, but some part of me still thinks that I should stay because I want to be a winner and not a quitter. So I looked at the equation again,

Job = Life - Dreams

well maybe not i thought to myself...so,

Job + Dreams = Life (Yess! that's more like it)

From this point of view it doesn’t look all that bad; I can still pursue my dreams and have my job at the same time. I realize it is just the way you look at things, if you spend enough time to think everything through and from different kind of perspective, you would eventually find something good in everything. Life is a game we don’t know when it will end and it is a game that we must play. So we might as well play it smart and don’t rush to conclusion without thinking it thoroughly.

A job might be stressful, boring and depressing, but the only job where you start at the top, is digging a hole and we know where that leads to. We need to start hard, with sweat and tears. It is always the journey that is memorable. So enjoy every moment of it and my conclusion is to keep your job but make plans to pursue what you really want in life. If your job is so damn stressful, then don’t go and find a better job, go find a better perspective about your job, it is way much easier. Signing out. TheWonderWoman.

Malay Wedding (Part II)

2008-07-13T22:30:00.000+08:00

Next is the engagement. Malay’s engagement is more or less the same with others. It involves the exchange of rings by the bride and groom. The only extra in it is the part where the love birds will have to exchange gifts as well. These gifts are usually put on a tray and be decorated nicely with flowers and so on.

Now we will look at the most important stage of Malay’s wedding which is the Akad. Akad basically refers to the declaration of marriage vows that will certain the validity and genuineness of one’s marriage. It may not be considered much as a tradition but more like an obligation to our religion, which is Islam. This process will be lead by Tok Kadi or Imam (the head of mosque) and witnessed by other members of the mosque. The father to the bride will act as the Wali, which is as the person who will lead the groom on declaring his vows.

That is all what I have to share with all of you out there based on my personal understanding of the wedding preparation from the Malay’s views. Hope you’ll enjoy this one from me. Signing out. TheWonderWoman.

Malay Wedding (Part I)

2008-07-12T21:00:00.014+08:00

Coming from a Malay background, I am proud to say that we seriously know how to turn the wedding preparations and celebrations to a memorable and meaningful day in a lifetime of the newly-weds and also the people close to them. There are few stages to be considered in Malay’s wedding preparations, which are Merisik (to query), Meminang (to propose), Bertunang (engagement), Akad (declaration of marriage vows), and finally the wedding day itself.

Let starts of with Merisik. Merisik or also known as the process to query is done by the closest relatives of the man’s side, for example his aunt or uncle. The propose of this query is to make confirmation with the girl or the bride to be that she is not in any way attached to any guy or involved in any relationship whatsoever at the very moment. However, nowadays this stage of preparation seldom takes place anymore since couples already get to know each other and some even dated for years before deciding to get married.

After query, the groom’s relatives that act as his rep will once more come to the bride’s house but this time for a different reason, which is to Propose (Meminang). At this stage, both the groom and the bride’s side will discuss on the right date and time for the engagement. There will also be a discussion on the Hantaran (engagement gifts). Both sides will then confirm how many trays should be given by the groom and how many trays should the bride give in return.

A Picture of Hantaran

To be continue... Signing Out. TheWonderWoman

Something to Share

2008-07-11T12:00:00.008+08:00

Last weekend I was invited to attend my cousin’s wedding reception held in a local hotel in town. My first thought was…, she is one lucky girl!!! Okay let us all admit that not every girl can afford to have their dreamed wedding in a hotel right? It would be like a fairy tale comes true for any girl to celebrate her big day in a hotel, with everything seems so perfectly planned; the well planned garden-like theme, the nicely arranged guests table, the delightful menus and etc. etc. But then, sometime during the reception I felt like there was something missing. Something was just not right on that night. I tried really hard to know what it was considering the reception was no where near to a mess or in ad hoc. Like I said before, everything was so PERFECTLY done! And soon, I finally comprehend the whole picture. That’s right! The only thing missing that night was the practice of traditional wedding customs and ceremony. Please don’t get me wrong on this. I do realize that we are now living in the twentieth century and so some might call it old fashioned and a conservative way to celebrate one’s wedding in this very manner. Nevertheless, without all these detail of traditions the wedding itself may lose its holy and sacred meaning. It won’t be very much remember able and meaningful for the bride and groom, their family members and also the guests. That is why in my next blog you will find me writing on wedding preparations based on my traditions and beliefs. So read on… =) Signing out. TheWonderWoman

Blog It With Brain...

2008-07-10T00:00:00.000+08:00

Nowadays, bloggers can play their part in shaping the mind and perspective of their readers. Thus, if you know you have that kind of power, why would you slam your own country? "Tanah Tumpahnya Darahku" the lyrics are so significant and momentous, but no one is realizing the real meaning of it until it's too late or gone. Why not use your blog to express the beautiful things you experience in your country. They are countless lists of interesting topics on our country you could blog about such as the festivals or events happening in our country, the amazing historical places, our mouth-watering delicacies, beautiful retreats, our unique culture, tradition and what not. If the tourists can appreciate it, why can't you? If you think our country and the government is bad, then why don't you just move to other countries and leave this one at PEACE!!!

Just because you were born in Malaysia and been living your whole life here does not mean you own it. In fact, do you think you deserve to carry that Malaysian name on your shoulder? A big NO!!! This country is for those who appreciate the true meaning of independence that Malaysia earned. So my beloved Malaysians, rise up from your unconsciousness. Do realize that we are so lucky for not having to be fearful every time we need to come out from our home, to be glad that our children are still able to get proper education and to say our prayers on the dining table for all the food that we get to enjoy.

To wrap it up, if you do not struggle & fight for the independence of Malaysia, then you will not have the right to ruin this precious motherland of ours. We as the younger generation may not have any idea at all how hard it was for our ancestors to lead our country before until it reached this current stage that we are living in now. And for this reason, I would like to remind all of Malaysians bloggers out there to bear in mind that our country is our responsibility. Thus, please love and protect your country from the no mercy invaders. Signing out, TheWonderWoman.

Bloggers Spreading Rumors

2008-07-09T12:00:00.008+08:00

I read The Borneo Post the other day and was really disappointed with the headline "Bloggers To Be Blame For Rumors - PM". It is very frustrating to learn that these “bloggers” mentioned in the headline were referring to our very own society. I wouldn’t mind if they were from other countries but please… i just couldn’t bear the thought of our own countrymen who could do such an appalling and dim-witted acts like that.

Though you can express just about anything and everything in your blog, but when you do, please look before you leap. Or maybe I should just put it this way~ “does it ever occur to you to think of the consequences before you write on something especially when it involves your own country?!!” It can have a chain reaction on things and could affect the stability of our economy. And if this thing happens, there is no doubt that the rest of us who would just want to live our lives peacefully in Malaysia, would suffer the most.

These bloggers think that they can make astounding impressions on people and really certain that they know politics and economy very well. Well, maybe some of them have good intentions in doing so and they do know little bit here and there on politics and economy, but they are not thinking far ahead of the implications and the end result of their doings. If the world knows that our country is unstable politically and financially, would there be investors from other countries investing? If you see an unstable country, would you take that opportunity to take advantage of it? If a country such as the United State starts to get involve with our political and economical issues, things would really go downhill from there.

Don't these bloggers ever think of those possibilities? If that really happens, what can YOU as a blogger do? Are you just going to throw them with your harsh words against their nuclear arms? Or maybe you would do a blog expressing your hatred on them? This is not the 40's or the 50's where u can fight war with your pen, they would just laugh and blow your brains out or just drop a little bomb and wipe our little country out from the world map. Signing out - TheWonderWoman. END.

Sarawak…A Place Like No Other

2008-07-08T18:00:00.002+08:00

Sarawak (also known as the Land of the Hornbills) together with Sabah are the two states that form East Malaysia. Located on the island of Borneo, East Malaysia is separated from West Malaysia by the South China Sea about 600 km away. Being the biggest state in Malaysia (makes up to 37.5% of its land) has definitely help Sarawak to establish its very own exclusivity from the public eyes. Apart from that, it is also known as the home of diverse ethnic groups name it the Malays, Chinese, Melanaus, Ibans, Bidayuhs, Orang Ulu, and many other native tribes; each with its own distinct dialect, beliefs and traditions. Although Sarawakians practice a mixture of religions, culture, beliefs and way of life, there is never been an issue to the people of Sarawak to enjoy living their life harmoniously with each other.

So, what can you expect from the beloved motherland of mine you ask?

The answer is none other than the unique, colorful and captivating festivals to celebrate all year round, right here in Sarawak!

There are countless and unique festive occasions being celebrated by the Sarawakians such as the Gawai Dayak (harvest festival) celebrated by the Ibans, Kaul Festival by the Melanaus, Hungry Ghost Festival by the Chinese and not forgetting the most notably Hari Raya Aidilfitri and the Fasting Month celebrated by the Malays. Such extraordinary and never-been-seen by many, ways of celebrating festivals is what often attracts tourists to visit Sarawak. Take for an example, the Ibans celebrate Gawai Dayak (harvest festival) and Gawai Antu (festival of the dead) with dances and music, followed by serving their guests with their very own sweet rice wine called “tuak”.

So that is why Sarawak is the place to be. But hold on, this is not yet the end of my post. This is just the beginning of it =) Wait for my next post and you’ll love what I have to offer. I promise! Hope to see you again in my next post… Signing out, TheWonderWoman. END.

My Blog Inspiration

2008-07-07T12:00:00.002+08:00

Hey there people. Welcome and thanks for checking out my blog. Well first and foremost, I’m sure many would wonder why on earth would I want to write a blog on something very undefined, extensive or even too challenging for the public minds, (just so u know, I am not at all involved in the politics world myself) considering there are thousands and millions of other exciting topics to be written on. To tell you the truth, the pride and gratitude of being born a Sarawakian is the key factor that has inspired me to write out this blog. So my fellow Sarawakians, here’s a little shout out for you…"wake up and open up your minds…look around you and soon you will realize how blessed you are to be born and raised the Sarawakian way!!!” Don’t believe me? Read on and you’ll understand it yourself…