It is About Sharing

Knowledge is for sharing. Do not keep your knowledge to yourself alone. Let it grows. The more you share, the more you learn and in the end you become a better person.

Al-Fatihah

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Pantun Nasihat

Tutup aurat satu tuntutan
Dalam keluarga wajib ditekankan
Kalau tak ikut gunalah rotan
Demi melaksanakan perintah Tuhan

Aurat ditutup mestilah lengkap
Tudung litup termasuk serkop
Mini telekong pun orang cakap
Elok dipandang tak payah pun 'make up'

Sekurang-kurangnya berbaju kurung
Lebih elok jubah mengurung
Kaki pula mesti bersarung
Ditumit kaki syaitan bertarung

Kalau wanita menutup aurat
Orang jahat tak berani ngorat
Bahkan boleh menjadi ubat
Orang memandang boleh bertaubat

Pakaian modern(?) memanglah hebat
Harganya mahal walaupun ketat
Walaupun cantik tetapi singkat
Orang memakaipun nampak pusat

Berseluar ketat baju pun ketat
Jarangnya pulak boleh dilihat
Orang yang memakai terus dilaknat
Oleh Allah, Rasul dan Malaikat...

Things We Learn From the Movies (Click at the image to enlarge it)

Of Malaysian Football

This is the excerpts of today’s Utusan Malaysia report on statement by the President of FAM: -

Pemain-pemain bola sepak profesional negara ini harus mencontohi sikap pemain-pemain bola sepak Afrika yang amat mementingkan disiplin dan prestasi daripada meletakkan kepentingan diri semata-mata.

Presiden Persatuan Bola Sepak Malaysia (FAM), Sultan Ahmad Shah bertitah, sikap sanggup menerima rasuah atau terlibat dengan gejala tersebut bukan hanya akan memusnahkan masa depan mereka tetapi juga nama baik negara.

"Untuk menjadi pemain profesional, pemikiran juga mesti profesional. Tengok pemain-pemain Afrika, mereka berdisiplin dan bermain bersungguh-sungguh kerana bagi mereka ini mata pencarian."

"Mereka bukan sahaja berusaha mengharumkan nama negara tetapi dapat mewakili kelab-kelab ternama di England," titah Sultan Pahang.


What a joke from the President of FAM…oops! I don’t understand why he was referred to as Sultan of Pahang when he was talking in his capacity as the President of FAM. I sincerely believe that our newspapers need to really differentiate the status of the person who talks. To refer him as the Sultan of Pahang when he talks about our football in his capacity as the President of FAM is not only misleading but also wrong. In fact, it can create fear among the public to criticize the President because they are not sure if they may be charged for insulting the Sultan when in actual fact, they are just condemning the President of FAM. Well, here, I am going to criticize the President of FAM and not the Sultan of Pahang.

First of all, I wonder why in Malaysian sports, it is a must to have either Sultans/royalties or politicians as the President or office bearers? I wonder why? To have these people around does not help us in improving our sports. Not at all. I do not see any good reason or just a simple reason to have these people around. The FAM President said that to become a professional player, you must think like one. Let me tell this FAM President who has been holding the post for such a long time and do no good to our national football team. If you want them to become professional player, having them to think like one is not a priority. It is the utmost important to have the professional management and get the management team think like professional. Professional in this context means you do nothing than football. We need someone who thinks nothing but football. But what we have are all these politicians and the royalties who have to think of so many other important and not so important things than football and perhaps, football is the least thing that comes to their mind. As for the FAM President, what credentials that he has to enable him to sit in that post for such a long time? I wonder.

He (I mean the FAM President) also asked the players to look at those African players in term of their professionalism and discipline and set them as an example. Oh my goodness! Don’t tell me this President of FAM does not have the ability to think like a President. Before asking the players to look at the African players, I think the President and the gang have to look at the African Football Associations first and learn from them on how they build such a strong football teams. Learn from them whether they have any royalties or politicians heading the FAs. If Africa is too far for him (the President), just look at England (well, I believe the President always travel to England). Does Queen Elizabeth hold any post in their FA? Or Prince Charles or any of his two sons? The answer is NO. They leave football to the professionals to manage them and then only they can produce the results…Oooops! In Malaysia, FAM does produce results but in a humiliating way.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Happiness

To be happy with a man, you must understand him a lot and love him a little.
To be happy with a woman, you must love her a lot and not try to understand her at all.

Avram Grant in Malaysia?

Chelsea is coming to Malaysia. As an Islamic country with no diplomatic relationship with Israel, certain quarters objected to the presence of Avram Grant, Chelsea's Manager in Malaysia with the team because he is from Israel. Also Tal Ben Haim, Chelsea's defender, who is also from Israel. It is either Chelsea comes without the duo or they do not come here at all.

I do agree with those who objected, not because I am a fan of Man U, but because of what Israel has done to Palestine so far. Also because of no diplomatic relationship with Israel.

Unfortunately, our government, I mean the Islam Hadhari government which is also the Chairman of OIC allows the duo to be in the country. My goodness. Hamid Albar said that sports should not be politicised.

Let me ask few questions: -

(1) During the last World Cup in Germany, the President of Iran was not allowed to enter Germany to watch the Iranian football team because of the nuclear issue. Anybody makes noise? Did any of Malaysian Ministers as the Chairman of OIC ever condemned such a move as politicising the sports. The answer is NO.

(2) Are we really starving to have Chelsea in Malaysia. Can't we live without Chelsea in Malaysia this year? Or at least until they have no Israelis in their team?

To me, when we have no diplomatic relationship, we should not allow our citizen to be in that country and vice versa for any reason whatsoever. We need to be firm with our stance. Put it this way, the western would not mind to do such thing but the Muslim leaders always have some reservation. No wonder they dare to insult Islam because we as a Muslim, are not certain in our stance.

Bola Sepak dan Rasuah

Berikut adalah petikan laporan akhbar dalam Mingguan Malaysia semalam: -

Presiden FAM

Baginda kesal dan terkejut dengan perkembangan di Sarawak yang dianggap tidak sepatutnya berlaku dalam sukan bola sepak negara.

"BPR (Badan Pencegah rasuah) harus menyiasat dengan terperinci. Persatuan-persatuan bola sepak setiap negeri juga harus membuat siasatan dalaman mengenai perkara ini.

"FAM tidak mahu penyakit (rasuah) ini mencemarkan maruah bola sepak negara," titah baginda.

"FAM akan ambil tindakan sekiranya didapati ada pemain yang dibuktikan terlibat dengan penyakit ini."

"Mereka adalah pemain profesional dan tidak sepatutnya terlibat dalam kegiatan yang mencemarkan maruah bola sepak negara.

"Pemain selalu diingatkan supaya tidak mendekati penyakit ini kerana ia sangat memalukan maruah bola sepak negara di peringkat antarabangsa. FAM akan ambil tindakan jika ada pemain yang terlibat," tegasnya.


Secar jujurnya saya terkejut yang Presiden FAM terkejut dengan isu rasuah ini. Ia bukan sesuatu yang baru. Selepas gejala rasuah teruk melanda arena bolasepak Malaysia (yang tak maju mana pun walau tanpa gejala rasuah) sekitar 1990-an, apa langkah drastik yang diambil oleh FAM bagi memastikan ia tidak berulang?

Bagi saya, yang penting ialah mengenal pasti mengapa pemain bola sepak Malaysia perlu menerima suapan? Suapan sentiasa berhubung kait dengan wang. Wang! Isu yang menarik. Acap kali kita mendengar pemain-pemain bola sepak di negara ini tidak dibayar gaji selama berbulan-bulan lamanya dan setiap kali itu jugalah FAM akan tampil selaku penyelamat. Pemain bola sepak juga adalah manusia biasa. Mereka ini adalah pemain profesional yang bermakna mereka menjadikan bola sepak sebagai sumber pendapatan mereka. Maka, apabila mereka bermain tanpa dibayar gaji, adakah salah mereka sepenuhnya sekiranya mereka terlibat dengan gejala rasuah? Saya tidak menghalalkan rasuah di sini, tetapi sebelum kita menghukum mereka atas tuduhan rasuah, adalah lebih kita menghukum persatuan bola sepak negeri yang gagal membayar gaji pemain. Mencegah lebih baik dari mengubati. Menghukum pemain semata-mata, tidak bermakna kerana ia sekadar mahu mengubati dan memastikan persatuan negeri membayar gaji pemain setiap bulan adalah tindakan pencegahan.

Presiden FAM juga mengatakan yang sebagai pemain profesional, mereka tidak sepatutnya terlibat dalam gejala rasuah. Apa gunanya mempunyai pemain profesional jika pentadbiran persatuan negeri dan FAM sendiri tidak profesional. Bagi saya antara ciri utama profesional ialah mengotakan apa yang dijanjikan iaitu membayar gaji seperti mana yang dinyatakan di dalam kontrak. Jadi jika FAM dan persatuan bola sepak negeri sendiri tidak profesional, janganlah diharapkan mereka ini mampu melahirkan pemain profesional. Ibarat ketam mengajar anaknya berjalan.

Mengapa FAM perlu malu di peringkat antarabangsa dengan gejala rasuah yang melanda. Bagi saya mereka perlu lebih malu dengan kedudukan ranking pasukan bola sepak Malaysia kini. Jika dilihat dari segi infrantruktur, Malaysia seharusnya tidak mempunyai masalah untuk menjadi pasukan yang disegani, jika tidak di Asia, di Asia Tenggara sudah pasti. Yang berlaku adalah sebaliknya. Di Asia Tenggara sendiri pun pasukan Negara masih terkial-kial. Pemain dan jurulatih silih berganti. Namun Presiden dan pucuk pimpinan masih orang yang sama. Jadi siapa punca masalahnya? Jawapan jelas di depan mata, cuma mereka sengaja membutakan mata untuk tidak melihatnya.

Bekas Setiausaha Agung, FAM (Ibrahim Saad)

"Saya merupakan orang pertama yang membuat laporan berhubung masalah rasuah dalam bola sepak yang berlaku pada pertengahan tahun 1990-an."

"Berdasarkan pengalaman daripada skandal tersebut, kalau ada satu atau dua pasukan yang terlibat dalam rasuah, ada banyak lagi pasukan yang terlibat."

"Rasuah dalam sukan ini tidak mungkin hanya melibatkan dua pasukan sahaja."


Bangga betul beliau dapat menjadi hero dalam usaha "menyelamatkan" maruah bola sepak negara. Betul ke beliau orang pertama yang membuat laporan dulu? Kalau betul, baguslah. Tapi, selepas membuat laporan, apa tindakan yang beliau ambil bagi memastikan perkara sama tidak berulang?

Timbalan Perdana Menteri

Tindakan segelintir pemain bola sepak yang mengamalkan rasuah dalam sukan itu dianggap tidak mempunyai semangat patriotisme.

Sambil memandang serius gejala itu, Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak menegaskan, amalan rasuah yang dilakukan oleh pemain terbabit akan menyebabkan usaha kerajaan untuk membangunkan mutu bola sepak negara terjejas.

"Ini sesuatu yang mencemarkan sukan bola sepak negara dan perbuatan ini menjejaskan integriti permainan itu sendiri."

"Hasrat kita untuk memajukan bola sepak tidak akan tercapai jika wujudnya gejala rasuah dalam sukan ini," katanya.


Amat senang bagi seoang TPM untuk melabel seseorang itu sebagai seorang yang tidak membunyai semangat patriorisme. Ingin saya tanyakan di sini dari sudut apakah beliau mengatakan mereka ini tidak bersemangat patriorisme? Adakah kera amereka ini pemain bola sepak ataupun kerana mereka mengamalkan rasuah? Tidak mungkin semata-mata mereka pemain bola sepak, mereka ini tidak bersemangat patrioriseme. Jadi saya percaya kenyataan yang dibuat oleh TPM adalah kerana mereka ini mengamalkan rasuah.

Jika dilebarkan jaringnya, maka boleh saya simpulkan bahawa bagi TPM, semua orang yang mengamalkan rasuah tidak bersemangat patriotrisme.

Persoalannya, tidakkah membayar pengundi untuk balik kampong mengundi dengan mengharapkan mereka ini mengundi BN adalah satu amalan rasuah? Jawapannya juga jelas di depan mata. Oleh itu, bolehlah saya simpulkan di sini yang kebanyakkan ahli politik dalam BN juga tidak mempunyai semangat patriorisme.

Cuma satu yang saya harapkan. Jangan dijadikan isu rasuah sebagai punca kemerosotan mutu bola sepak Negara.

Friday, April 25, 2008

General Equations & Statistics

A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband.
A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.
A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.
A successful woman is one who can find such a man.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Shopping Math

A man will pay $20 for a $10 item he needs.
A woman will pay $10 for a $20 item that she doesn't need.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Office Arithmetic

Smart boss + smart employee = profit
Smart boss + dumb employee = production
Dumb boss + smart employee = promotion
Dumb boss + dumb employee = overtime

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Romance Mathematics

Smart man + smart woman = romance
Smart man + dumb woman = affair
Dumb man + smart woman = marriage
Dumb man + dumb woman = pregnancy

Monday, April 21, 2008

Islam Hadhari Post Pak Lah Era: Is It Still Relevant?

I must say that I do not fancy this Islam Hadhari thing. Whether people call it as "Islam Had Hari" or "Islam Ada Hari". To me Islam is one and that is the teaching brought by the Prophent Muhammad pbuh and being practice by the Muslim all over the world from the Prophet's (pbuh) time until now. Even if it is true that Islam Hadhari is something good, frankly speaking, I do not see any different of the way Islam being practised in Malaysia pre and during Islam Hadhari. After all, most Ministers' wives (I mean those from the Islam Hadhari government) are not wearing tudung. The very basic principle in Islam i.e. cover your aurat.

Whatever it is, since Pak Lah has introduced Islam Hadhari and since now people has asked Pak Lak to step dow, which afetr so much pressure, Pak Lah has indicated that the time will come very soon, the question is what happened to Islam Hadhari? I am sure that Najib or whoever that will take over from Pak Lah will want to introduce something that will make people remember them for what they introduced and over time, the Islam Hadhari concept will just being swept away and forgotten. This is a fact. Well, in UMNO, there are a lot of yes man who will just say yes to what the President said in order to please the President and also to avoid from getting the wrath of the President. Look at what happened to the usage of English in Maths and Science that was proposed by Tun Mahathir when he was the PM. Did any of his Minister or those who were given the platform during UMNO general assembly dare to say no to the proposal? The answer is "no". Everybody said it was a good idea. But when Tun stepped down and started to criticise Pak Lah, we heard a lot of voices especially those within UMNO who wanted Maths and Science to be taught in Malay instead of English. That we talk about the Prime Minister's initiative. Let us look at the Minister level. For example, when Najib was the Education Minister, he introduced the assessment for Standard three pupils who would jump straight to Standard Five without going through Standard Four. What happened to Najib's initiative after he no longer be the Education Minister? Well, that is the trend in UMNO. The leader’s initiative will go with the leader, no matter how good it is or how good it is claimed to be.

So, in this regard, I see the same thing for Islam Hadhari. Islam Hadhari concept, how good it is (I doubt it) or how good it is claimed to be will go together with Pak Lah when he steps down. So, in the end, is Islam Hadhari is really a good concept? Or rather do the UMNO leaders understand and know what to do with Islam Hadhari post Pak Lah era? Let us wait and see. I am not being sceptical here. This is based on UMNO history.

Is Tun Mahathir a Great Leader?

This is one man that I really admire. His thinking is different from others and unique in that sense. His approach to an issue is simply amazing. He is known as the outspoken leader among the world leaders. He dared to condemn the US in front of Bush. He really looks far ahead from the time. His mission and vision is undisputable. He led the country for 22 years and he brought so many successes to the nation. He puts Malaysia in the world map. His speech is very interesting to listen to. I am very sure during his reign as the President of UMNO, people would be waiting for his closing speech at every UMNO general assembly. People had been waiting for that moment because they knew it that Tun was going to deliver something different and something special. So far, I personally do not see any of our leaders can get close to Tun's standard. I mean, if we were to use Tun as the benchmark for Prime Minister, no one is fit to be in that position. Not even Anwar Ibrahim. Pak Lah is very far behind. However, to compare our current leaders with Tun is not a fair thing to do, as everybody has his own uniqueness in one way or another.

Having said all of the above, with due respect to the late Tunku Abdul Rahman, the late Tun Hussein Onn and the late Tun Abdul Razak, I used to believe that Tun was a great leader the Malaysians have ever had. However, such belief has started to erode when Tun started to criticise Pak Lah's administration and Pak Lah's capability as a leader.

To me, a great leader of a nation is not only someone who manages the country in the most appropriate way and brings more prosperous to the nation or someone with the quality I mentioned earlier, but more importantly is someone who has a very good succession planning and a very capable deputy to take over from him and whose credibility is not in dispute. A great leader must ensure that his deputy or whoever that is going to succeed him will continue with the mission and vision that he has set. Unfortunately for Tun, while he has all the qualities mentioned earlier, he has failed to develop his subordinates to become a competent successor for him. In fact, he is the one who very loudly and outspokenly criticised his successor of his own choice. To me, every time Tun condemned and criticised Pak Lah for being a weak leader who is being controlled by his son in law, his criticism is actually reflects his (Tun) credibility as the past leader. 22 years at helm, what has he (Tun) done to ensure that Malaysia will move forward towards achieving the fully develop nation status after he stepped down? During the 22 years of his tenure as the PM of Malaysia, he had had 4 different deputies from Musa Hitam, the late Tun Ghaffar Baba, Anwar Ibrahim and Pak Lah. What has he done to his four deputies? Did he really develop them to become a great leader? To me, 22 years is not a short period of time. A lot of development process (in term of succession planning) can be done. With three deputies (minus the late Tun Ghaffar Baba), Tun should not have any problem in choosing the most suitable candidate to replace him. Unfortunately, Tun lacks one criterion for being a great leader.

To make things worst, Tun claimed that he preferred Najib than Pak Lah to replace him as the PM. If that was the case, why then he chose Pak Lah over Najib in the first place? He also claimed to have a gentleman agreement with Pak Lah for the latter to be the PM for one term only. Well, whether there was such an arrangement or not, only the two of them and Allah knows. But the question is why did Tun need to have such an arrangement? To me, all these factors reflect Tun’s credibility as a leader, which to that extent can be questioned. Was he really a great leader?

To me, Tun is just a good leader.

Bad Chosen Logos (Part II)



Bad Chosen Logos





Sunday, April 20, 2008

The "Yes Man" Minister is Proving his Status as a "Yes Man"

If you read today’s The Star at page N6, you will see the “yes man”, Nazri Aziz is trying to make his presence felt and still relevant. Among it was reported that and I quote verbatimly: -

No one in UMNO has the right to call for Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to step down as Prime Minister, party Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said yesterday.

He said Abdullah, the UMNO President and also Chairman of the Barisan Nasional, which was handed majority in Parliament by Malaysians during the March 8 polls.

What right has anyone in UMNO to deny the wishes of the people? said Nazri, the Minister in the Prime Minster’s Department, after meeting senior National Security Council officials here yesterday.

He said that those who demanded that Abdullah step down were “foolish” and did not understand what democracy was all about.


What a statement from a “sometimes no brain” Minister!!! Yeah, you are right Nazri. Those who demanded Pak Lah to step down are foolish. But does he (Nazri) knows that he is the foolest among the foolish??? He also what right the UMNO members have to ask Pak Lah to step down. Let me ask one question here. Who appointed Pak Lah as the President of UMNO? Do not you think that it is actually the grassroots? So, why does he wants to deny UMNO members from voicing out their unhappiness. He should look at managing the government in a more professional way (this is because he is not professional). Look at those professional football club. For example, what happen to Fabio Capello who was sacked by Real Madrid though he led them to win the Spanish league. Winning is not enough to let you remains on top. Consistency is the most important thing. So, when Pak Lah being inconsistent, is it wrong for the UMNO members to ask their President to step down? The dismal performance by BN is seen by most people as the sigh of downfall of UMNO and BN. Only people like Nazri Aziz do not see it that way. After all, he is a “yes man” Minister. I bet if Pak Lah steps down and Najib takes over and Nazri remains in the cabinet, one day he will also slam Pak Lah for being a weak leader. I bet he will.

Another example that Nazri Aziz is the follest among the foolish is when he handled the Lingam video clip issue. At one hand he was talking about the separation of power and on the other hand he talked about he being the Minister for the judges. What a contradictory statement from the fool who thought he s smart. He said tha when he was commenting on the video clip on behalf of Ahmad Fairuz.

This Nazri Aziz thought that he knows what democracy is. But I can tell you for sure that Nazri Aziz knows nothing about democracy. Reason being after BN suffered major setback during the March 8 polls, he was quoted as saying in local newspaper that among the reason why BN suffered the setback was because of the Malay professional who decided to vote against BN. He even slammed these professional by saying that they (the Malay professional) thought they are where they are now on their own merit. They (the Malay professional) think that they do not need UMNO now. Let us see how far can they go.

Is that democracy? I mean to slam people for not voting BN and UMNO? Come on!!! Yes, I must say that to some extent Malays do owe something to UMNO for what UMNO has done this far for the Malays but Nazri Aziz must remember one thing i.e. by owing something to UMNO, that does not mean we (the Malays) can close our eyes and let the wrong be done continuously and let us be led by arrogant leaders.

So, to Nazri Aziz, it is better for him to shut up than saying something nonsense. It is better for him to remain silent that saying something that will just make his stupidity obvious.

Commission to Deal with the Appointment and Promotion of Judges. To What Extent the Doctrine of Separation of Power is being Practised?

The time for a better mode of appointment and promotion of judges has finally arrived. Thanks for the sensitivity of the current government under Pak Lah to restore public’s confidence in our judiciary and the transparency in the appointment and promotion of judges in Malaysia. Thanks also to the fact that Nazri Aziz, the “asalkan boleh” Minister for not being reappointed to be in charge of legal matters. If you read today’s Mingguan Malaysia, especially on the interview with former Judge, Shaikh Daud, you will agree with me on Nazri Aziz, whom I would describe to be the “yes man” Minister. He was against the proposal of having the Commission to appoint judges. He was also against the setting up of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Lingam’s video clip. Oh my GOD! I really hate this man, Nazri Aziz. But I am not going to discuss on the “sometimes no brains” man here.

If you read carefully my first sentence, I chose the word “better” instead of “the best”. I do believe in the doctrine of separation of power. A lot of people also believe in the doctrine but they do not practice it. It is a very important principle that will ensure the three main bodies in any country i.e. the legislative, the judiciary and the executive mind their own business without interfering in other’s business.

However, in Malaysian context particularly in the appointment and promotion of judges, though the decision is that of the Yang Di Pertuan Agong after consulting the Conference of Rulers, His Majesty is actually acting on the advice from the Prime Minister. In other simple words, whoever that the Prime Minister recommend to be appointed as judges, His Majesty shall agree and act accordingly. This is expressly stipulated in Article 122B of the Federal Constitution which provides as follows:-

(1) The Chief Justice of the Federal Court, the President of the Court of Appeal and the Chief Judges of the High Courts and (subject to Article 122c) the other judges of the Federal Court, of the Court of Appeal and of the High Courts shall be appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, acting on the advice of the Prime Minister, after consulting the Conference of Rulers.

(2) Before tendering his advice as to the appointment under Clause (1) of a judge other than the Chief Justice of the Federal Court, the Prime Minister shall consult the Chief Justice.

(3) Before tendering his advice as to the appointment under Clause (1) of the Chief Judge of a High Court, the Prime Minister shall consult the Chief Judge of each of the High Courts and, if the appointment is to the High Court in Sabah and Sarawak, the Chief Minister of each of the States of Sabah and Sarawak.

(4) Before tendering his advice as to the appointment under Clause (1) of a judge other than the Chief Justice, President or a Chief Judge, the Prime Minister shall consult, if the appointment is to the Federal Court, the Chief Justice of the Federal Court, if the appointment is to the Court of Appeal, the President of the Court of Appeal and, if the appointment is to one of the High Courts, the Chief Judge of that Court.

(5) This Article shall apply to the designation of a person to sit as judge of a High Court under Clause (2) of Article 122AA as it applies to the appointment of a judge of that court other than the Chief Judge.

(6) Notwithstanding the dates of their respective appointments as judges of the Federal Court, of the Court of Appeal or of the High Courts, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, acting on the advice of the Prime Minister given after consulting the Chief Justice, may determine the order of precedence of the judges among themselves.


So, who is in actual fact appoints the judges? Is it really His Majesty or the Prime Minister? I would say that constitutionally, it is the Yang Di Pertuan Agong but in reality, it is the Prime Minister. If anybody who does not agree with me, I would like to ask one simple question here. Why did you think the then Yang Di Pertuan Agong who “appointed” the former Chief Justice i.e. Ahmad Fairuz was not called to testify during VK Lingam’s video clip inquiry? Instead of the Yang Di Pertuan Agong, the former Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir (who had merely gave the advice on the appointment) was called. Why?

So, in the light of Article 122B of the Federal Constitution, there is no separation of power in that sense, as the Prime Minister (the Executive) has the power and control over the Judges (the Judiciary). Under the actual doctrine of separation of power, the three bodies i.e. Judiciary, Executive and the Legislative are equal in power and no one is supposed to be above another.

While it is good that Pak Lah has agreed to accept the long outstanding proposal to set up the commission to look into the appointment of judges (of course by changing his legal advisor from the less competent Nazri Aziz to the more competent Zaid Ibrahim), it is the best if the Commission is given the power to advice the Yang Di Pertuan Agong directly without going through the Executive. From what I understand, with the setting up of the Commission, the Commission will discuss and make a proposal to the Prime Minister, who, if agree with such proposal will advice the Yang Di Pertuan Agong accordingly. Again, the Prime Minister is in the picture. In this case, the Prime Minister may agree and may not agree with the recommendation made by the Commission, which is also means that the Prime Minister can still recommend candidates of his own choice to become the judges. If that is allowed to happen, I would say that the setting up of the Commission is no more than a formality.

So, my suggestion is, first to amend the Federal Constitution especially Article 122B to take away the role of the Prime Minister in the appointment and promotion of judges. Second is to introduce the power and jurisdiction of the Commission into the Federal Constitution. In this context, we can have a more reliable and transparent mode of appointing and promoting the judges and rest assured, the doctrine of separation of power will be in place and Malaysia can be a better place to live in and more importantly, people like Lingam will be handicapped in that sense.

Friday, April 18, 2008

Ten Habits of incompetent managers

Worth sharing. Got it through email. So, as you read the passage, "I" means the authour and not me.

GOOD to read for all managers and going-to-be managers

How do you identify the members of your team that could sink it? Get an expert's tips on the signs you should look for.

Three years ago, I joined the board of a company whose management, I soon recognized, was incompetent. I said so, but I was a new board member and the management had a lot of old friends and allies on the board. I was listened to respectfully but nothing much happened.

Three years on, the board has recognized that the management is incompetent.
The consequences of leaving them alone for three years now threaten to sink the company. We've fired one manager and hope to stay afloat long enough to replace the other. A few generous board members, with good memories, have acknowledged that we would not be in this pickle had I been listened to in the first place. But how did I know these managers were incompetent? I'm not a seer and, trust me, I'm not gloating. But I knew they were incompetent because I've hired and fired so many incompetent people myself. Every experienced manager has; you probably remember yours. So what hallmarks of incompetence have I learned to identify?

Bias against action: There are always plenty of reasons not to take a decision, reasons to wait for more information, more options, more opinions.
But real leaders display a consistent bias for action. People who don't make mistakes generally don't make anything. Legendary ad man David Ogilvy argued that a good decision today is worth far more than a perfect decision next month. Beware prevaricators.

Secrecy: "We can't tell the staff," is something I hear managers say repeatedly. They defend this position with the argument that staff will be distracted, confused or simply unable to comprehend what is happening in the business. If you treat employees like children, they will behave that way - which means trouble. If you treat them like adults, they may just respond likewise. Very few matters in business must remain confidential and good managers can identify those easily. The lover of secrecy has trouble being honest and is afraid of letting peers have the information they need to challenge him. He would rather defend his position than advance the mission.
Secrets make companies political, anxious and full of distrust.

Over-sensitivity : "I know she's always late, but if I raise the subject, she'll be hurt." An inability to be direct and honest with staff is a critical warning sign. Can your manager see a problem, address it headlong and move on? If not, problems won't get resolved, they'll grow. When managers say staff is too sensitive, they are usually describing themselves.
Wilting violets don't make great leaders. Weed them out. Interestingly, secrecy and over-sensitivity almost always travel together. They are a bias against honesty.

Love of procedure: Managers who cleave to the rule book, to points of order and who refer to colleagues by their titles have forgotten that rules and processes exist to expedite business, not ritualize it. Love of procedure often masks a fatal inability to prioritize - a tendency to polish the silver while the house is burning.

Preference for weak candidates: We interviewed three job candidates for a new position. One was clearly too junior, the other rubbed everyone up the wrong way and the third stood head and shoulders above the rest. Who did our manager want to hire? The junior. She felt threatened by the super-competent manager and hadn't the confidence to know that you must always hire people smarter than yourself.

Focus on small tasks: Another senior salesperson I hired always produced the most perfect charts, forecasts and spreadsheets. She was always on time, her data completely up-to-date. She would always volunteer for projects in which she had no core expertise - marketing plans, financial forecasts, meetings with bank managers, the office move. It was all displacement activity to hide the fact that she could not do her real job.

Allergy to deadlines: A deadline is a commitment. The manager who cannot set, and stick to deadlines, cannot honor commitments. A failure to set and meet deadlines also means that no one can ever feel a true sense of achievement. You can't celebrate milestones if there aren't any.

Inability to hire former employees: I hired a head of sales once with
(apparently) a luminous reputation. But, as we staffed up, he never attracted any candidates from his old company. He'd worked in sales for twenty years - hadn't he mentored anyone who'd want to work with him again?
Every good manager has alumni, eager to join the team again; if they don't, smell a rat.

Addiction to consultants: A common - but expensive - way to put off making decisions is to hire consultants who can recommend several alternatives.
While they're figuring these out, managers don't have to do anything. And when the consultant's choices are presented, the ensuing debates can often absorb hours, days, months. Meanwhile, your organization is poorer but it isn't any smarter. When the consultant leaves, he takes your money and his increased expertise out the door with him.

Long hours: In my experience, bad managers work very long hours. They think this is a brand of heroism but it is probably the single biggest hallmark of incompetence. To work effectively, you must prioritize and you must pace yourself. The manager who boasts of late nights, early mornings and no time off cannot manage himself so you'd better not let him manage anyone else.

Any one of these behaviours should sound a warning bell. More than two - sound the alarm!

Identifying symptoms of stroke

I received email on identifying the symptoms of stroke. I am not a neurologist, so I do not know whether this is true or not but I think even if it is not true, it does not cause any harm by sharing this information. Please read and if you find it worth reading, please forward it to others.

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim
within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a
stroke... totally . He said the trick was getting a stroke
recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient
medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Thank God for the sense to remember the
"3" steps, STR . Read and Learn!

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify.
Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The
stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when
people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke .


Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke
by asking three simple questions:

S * Ask the individual to SMILE.
T * Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE
(Coherently) i.e. It is sunny out today)
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS .

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks,
call 999/911 immediately and describe the
symptoms to the dispatcher.

New Sign of a Stroke ------- Stick out Your Tongue

NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person
to 'stick' out his tongue.. If the tongue is 'crooked',
if it goes to one side or the other , that is also an
indication of a stroke.

Road Bully

It was reported in yesterday’s newspaper that a motorist got a shock of his life when another motorist fired a shot at him simply because he honked at the other motorist for driving too slow. This is not the first reported case of road bully in Malaysia.

I just do not know if there is any safe place in this world? We are not safe outside, we are not safe at home and we are not safe when we are driving. What else after this?

I must say that driving in Malaysia can be quite annoying with the attitude of other drivers. Cutting queue is normal. Slow down to look at the accident is normal. Stop in the yellow box is normal. What is then abnormal? Yes, I know the answer. It is to follow the rules that is abnormal.

At one time, I was given the middle finger by another driver for honking at him because he cut the queue in front of my car. Well, some people just thought that other drivers do not pay road tax, that is why they treat the road as if it belongs to them, alone. To me, this is because our people in Malaysia in general and our drivers in particular, are less discipline.

I just do not know what to propose to the authority on what best to be done to tackle this problem. But one thing that I can think off is by educating them. Education at the age of 17 or 18 when they are applying for their driving licence is a bit too late. But better late than never. What is more important is to educate them while they are still small. When they are yet to be exposed to the real world. After all, education starts at home. So, it is actually the responsibility of the parents to educate them to be more discipline, not only on the road but also in their life and it is equally the responsibility of the government to educate the parent to teach their children to be discipline and more importantly for them (the parent) to be discipline. This is a long process and a long term plan. I think, if we can start now, the result might only comes out in 30 to 40 years time, which means we may not be able to see the results. So what???

Monday, April 14, 2008

Down to Two


It is now a two-horse race with only Man United and second place Chelsea left to fight for EPL title. Let us join our hands to bid farewell for Arsenal. See you next season. With nine points clear behind Man United and with just four games left. Mathematically, Arsenal is still on the run but they need to depend too much on miracle. They need to win all their remaining four games (possible), which will entitled them for 12 points and at the same time hoping for Man United to lose all their remaining four matches and for Chelsea to lose at least three of their last remaining matches (impossible). So, logically and realistically, we can write off Arsenal chance for the title.

Well, some teams choose to be the leader throughout the season and some teams choose to emerge as the winner at the end of the day.

Again, no trophy to display in the trophy cabinet. Though early of the season, Arsenal targeted to be the treble winners (just like Man United in 1998/1999 season), which they have dashed their dream, they still have number three with them at the end of the season i.e. third place. So, for Arsenal fans out there, accept the fact. Try again next season. There is always next season for every season. If William Gallas can accept the lost (man! He did not cry last night!!!), I am sure the fans can accept too.

See ya next season…

Glory Glory Man United
Glory Glory Man United
Glory Glory Man United
And the red are marching on on on

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Warkah Untk PM

Do you still remember just few weeks if not few days before PRU12, the caretaker govt (I mean BN) launched a website called "Warkah Untuk PM" (Letter for PM)? The idea was to provide access to the rakyat to their so called beloved PM. One or two days after the launching, the caretaker govt was proud to declare that the website has received more than 1000 emails from the rakyat (Ibet it was not the PM who read those emails).

Try not to be so sceptical, I visited the website with the idea of sending my comment on the election and hoping for a response from the PM. Unfortunately, I could not send my comment, as I need to declare my hp, house address and my employer. My goodness!!! Why on earth do they want to know my employer. What has it got anything to do with my comment when my comment was sent on my personal capacity? Well the only conclusion that I can make was they ar not sincere. They are probably saying like this "you are free to send your comment but bear the consequences if you condemn Pak Lah". Am I wrong to conclude that way?

Finally, I managed to send my comment, not through the form provided in the website but through my personal email, and I did not have to declare my house address and my employer. But it is to no avail, as until now, I still do not receive any response for my comment. Well, it was just a gimmick from the PM I guess, just like any other common gimmick by BN leaders before ny election like giving you new tarred road even though people have been suffering for long time. Everything impossible is possible during election.

How Liberal Can a Muslim Be?

Of late, there have been so many discussions on the proposal to charge a non muslim couple for khalwat. I did comment on the issue in my previous posting and I also did comment on the same issue on other blogs as well. However, here, neither I am going to repeat what I have discussed previously nor am I going discuss on the same issue again. Reading comments made by other people in other blogs made me wonder on one issue i.e. how liberal can we be as a Muslim in expressing our opinion?

The topic attracted me to discuss it here, as I have read comments, which in my personal opinion had crossed the border of what we can say or rather what we are supposed to say asa Muslim. All I am saying here is that we can express our thought, our feeling in any way and in any manner that we like so long as we do not compromise the Islamic value or more omportantly the religion itself.

With the new era of globalisation and borderless world, it is hard to stop or filter the information, belief and practice that are coming in and more so the influence that the information, belief and the practice brings with it. As I see it, the western has taken advantage or make full use of the new era to propagate their belief and practice to the whole world in general and to the muslims in particular. There are a lot of things that they have brought in but what I want to discuss here in particular is the freedom of expression and right to privacy because these three issues existed in the comments made by others on the proposal, as I have mentioned earlier.

As a Malaysian as a whole and muslim in particular, we tend to believe that what is introduced or fought by the western is the best. We take what they say as good. With regards to the issue of freedom of expression and right to privacy, I do agree that they are good value and good things to practice but in doing so, a muslim should not compromise the Islamic value. There is one well known muslim blogger and a public figure in Malaysia who is totally against the proposal. Well, I must say that I do not agree to the proposal but the way the particular blogger commented was unfair to Islam. She had failed to look at the issue from Islam point of view. Among of the things that she commented in her blog was why khalwat is an offence when we should respect one’s privacy? To catch a couple for khalwat is an intrusion of one’s privacy. She went on to say that khalwat should not be made an offence regardless of what religion we are. What she meant was even for muslim, khalwat should not be made an offence. I responded to her comment by among others explaining on the issue of khalwat and why khalwat is an offence from Islam point of view and also advised her not to comment on something that she is not capable of. Unfortunately, there were regular visitors to her blog that supported her view and make fun of my comment. I have no issue with that (making fun of my comment) but I felt sad and sympathy to these people for being too liberal and undermine the Islamic value and the teaching of the Qur’an and Sunnah.

Islam does recognise freedom of expression and right to privacy but there must be a limit to that so long as the practice does not contradict with the Islamic teaching. There must be a limit to everything. Allah said in the Qur’an that “la taqrabuz zina” which means, “do not get close to zina (adultery)”. The sentence, though very short, it contains a very stern warning from Allah. We all know the effect of adultery. I am not going to discuss it here but what I am more interested with the verse is what does it mean by “do not get close to adultery”? No reasonable human being will commit adultery in an open area in the presence of other people. They do it in a place where they think that no one can see them in action (but they forget that Allah is seeing what they do). So, in khalwat case (in English is translated as close proximity), it is a case of a man and a woman of non muhrim (can marry each other) being together in a secluded place without the presence of any third party. Under normal circumstances, why do you think that the couple needs to be in a place where they think others can’t see them? There are a lot of answers for that but to me the highest in the list is to have sex i.e. commit adultery, which is an offence in Islam. So, when being in khalwat position can lead the couple to adultery, why can’t we make khalwat an offence, when Allah made a stern warning of “do not get close to adultery”?

While it is an offence for being in khalwat position, what is the duty of the people who knows that a couple is committing khalwat? Let it be, as it is their privacy to do whatever they want to do? Definitely “NO”. Only those with liberal thinking and those who do not understand Islam will think that way. If one fails to take action to stop the offence, he is considered as compromising with the situation (subahat), which is against the Islamic spirit. So, the right thing to do is to report to the authority so that appropriate action can be taken against the offenders with the objective of giving them a lesson and simultaneously to stop the offence from going on. I do not think that is intrusion to one’s privacy. Justify to me if I am wrong.
Now, for those people who have liberal thinking and do not agree with what I have discussed above, let us take a look at the civil law that we are practicing right now in Malaysia.

First, we talk about privacy. Privacy can be said to be a situation whereby a person should be allowed to do whatever he wants to do with himself in his own space as long as it does not disturb other people surrounding him. It means that a person can also commit suicide, as it is within his privacy to do so. But in Malaysia, attempt to commit suicide is an offence under the Penal Code. Here we go. It is an offence for someone to take his life when the same is within his privacy and the best part is, anybody who knows that someone is attempting to commit suicide will normally make a report and no one in Malaysia ever, have condemned such action i.e. by making attempting suicide an offence punishable under the Penal Code and those people who making the report. See, a very direct analogy of two different situations of the same nature but people tend to give different treatment. Unfair right?

Now, let us talk about freedom of expression. When someone making fun of Islam and the Qur’an, he is said to be exercising his freedom of expression. But when someone is making racial remarks, he is said to be racist and never ever considered as exercising his freedom of expression. That is why I said earlier that there is a limit in everything. Everything. This includes comments that touch on the issue of the concern of Islam such as khalwat.

I just do not understand why a muslim can’t accept Al-Qur’an and always like to question what is stated therein. In Malaysia context, our highest law is the Federal Constitution, which was drafted by the Reid Commissioner, based on the Commonwealth law (which means it is a man made law and not a divine law). The Federal Constitution provides that any law that is inconsistent with the Federal Constitution is, to the extent of such inconsistency, is null and void. People, and in this context, those muslim with liberal thinking have no issue with this provision but Al-Quran and Hadith of the Prophet pbuh, which should be regarded as the highest source of information in Islam are sometimes being questioned on certain issues by them. Funny right. While they can accept man’s creation with no question and obediently obey it, they like to question what is stated in Al-Qur’an, the creation of human being creator.

In conclusion, Islam allows and encourages us to practice what is good (not what we believe is good) but in doing so, we should not cross the line by compromising the Islamic value. We should also not interpreting Islamic teaching to suit our own needs and desire. In practising the freedom of expression and promoting the right to privacy, we should always adhere to the do’s and don’ts in Islam. The end does not justify the means.

Friday, April 11, 2008

WHY???

I received an email on this and I think it is worth to share with you guys.

Why is it a Jew can grow beard to practice his faith and when a Muslim do the same, he is labeled extremist and terrorist?

Why is it a Sister can cover her whole body as a devotion to God but when a Muslim do the same, she is being oppressed?

Why is it when a western woman becomes a housewife, she is respected and is said to have sacrificed for her family but when Muslim woman do the same, they said she must be freed

Why is it any girl can go to the university and dress as they wish because she has the right and freedom but when a Muslim wears a Hijab, she is denied her place in the University?

Why is it when a child inclines towards certain field, he is said to have the talent but when a child inclines to Islam, he is labeled as useless?

Why is it when a Jew kills, his act is not related to his religion but when a Muslim is alleged to have committed a crime, their act is always related to Islam?

Why is it when someone sacrifice himself for others to live, he is respected but when a Palestinian do the same to save himself, family, the mosque and his religion, he is labeled as terrorist?

Why is it when someone drives a luxury car in a dangerous manner, his car is never an issue but when a Muslim makes a mistake, people said that it is because of his religion?

Why do we really believe in what is reported by human being but always questioned what is stated in Al-Qur’an?

The Differences between A Manager and A Leader

I received an email on this and I think it is worth to share with you guys.

1. the manager drives people, the leader coaches them

2. the manager depends on authority, the leader on goodwill

3. the manager inspires fear, the leader inspires enthusiasm

4. the manager says I, the leader says we

5. the manager says get here on time, the leader gets there ahead of time

6. the manager fixes blame for the breakdown, the leader fixes the breakdown

7. the manager knows how it is done, the leader shows how

8. the manager says go, the leader says let's go

9. the manager uses people, the leader develops them

10.the manager sees today, the leader also looks at tomorrow

11.the manager commands, the leader asks

12.the manager never has enough time, the leader makes time for things that count

13.the manager is concerned with things, the leader is concerned with people

14.the manager works hard to produce, the leader works hard to help people to produce

15.the manager takes the credit, the leader gives it

so which one is your boss? or more importantly .. which one is you?

New Regulation for the Convert

It was reported in todays' The Star online that the Government will soon introduce a regulation requiring non-Muslims wishing to convert to Islam to inform their family before doing so. This will be in the form of a letter declaring that their families had been told and understood his or her decision.

I must say that it is high time for this type of regulation to take place, as it will save everybody i.e. the family members and the religious authority from going through the hassle of getting the Court declaration on the deceased's religion status. The hassle is not only on getting the Court declaration but also it involves the constitutional issue such as which Court will have the jurisdiction over the matter. Is it the Syariah Court or the Civil Court. While the Civil Court does not have jurisdiction on Islamic matters (as it falls within the jurisdiction of the Syariah Court), the Syariah Court does not have the jurisdiction over non muslim. So, for the deceased's family, it seems to be the losing end for them.

However, the report does not go into detail on the proposal of such regulation. We must bear in mind that even with such a reguulation in place, it does not nullify the conversion of a non muslim to muslim if he/she fails to duly inform the family. So, I hope, the government, in coming up with such regulation, to really study the issue thoroughly and to identify the efects of the regulation.

One thing I would suggest (not sure whether this has been in place or not), while it is good to have the letter informing the family members of the conversion, it is important to have written declaration in the form of statutory declaration by the convert to indicate the effective date of his/her conversion and if possible to have the declaration sworn in front of a non muslim commissioner for oath.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Syariah law on non muslim?

There was a newspaper report on the proposal allegedly made by IKIM during one of its recent convention to have the non muslim couple caught for khalwat punished under the civil law. I felt called to write on this issue (actually I have commented on this issue in Marina Mahathir’s blog). However, before I could do so, I learned that IKIM had made another statement that there has been no such proposal made by IKIM or passed during their recent convention.

To me, thing will not happen just like that. There must be initiator for it. Like Malay proverb says, “kalau tiada angin, masakan pokok bergoyang”. So, who raised the issue? Well, it remains anonymous when IKIM said that “No such proposal was made, and therefore if what is reported in the Star as being comments allegedly made by Syariah Court of Appeal Judge (Mohd Asri Abdullah), are also in error”.

To me the issue of applying Syariah law in the Malaysian context towards the non muslim should not arise at the first place. As much as non muslim spouse has no legal recourse in the Syariah Court, there should not be any attempt to implicate the non muslim couple caught in khalwat case under any law, be it syariah or civil law. We can’t have double standard in treating the non muslim i.e. they are bound by the Islamic law in certain aspects and are not bound on other aspects.

Syariah law in Malaysian context is personal in nature, which means it is only applicable to muslim. So, it is not a right thing to do to impose khalwat charge to non muslim couple when they do not commit any offence at the first place be it under the syariah law or civil law. In that context, I urge the Islamic authority to leave the non muslim alone and be more sensitive towards other religion. As much as we do not other people to meddle into our own internal religious affairs, we should do the same to others.

Was it really an act of Sabotage???

Was it really an act of sabotage or it was just an attempt by Pak Lah to deviate the attention of Malaysian public on the criticism made on him by various parties? People are asking him to be responsible for the dismal performance of BN during the PRU12, not to find excuse and try to shift the blame to others. In doing so, Pak Lah is adding salt to the wound. He will just make the situation more complicated. I can say that his statement that BN should now work harder to regain the people’s confidence was just a political gimmick and I am very sure he has not learnt his lesson, just like Nazri Aziz (Gosh! I do not know what is so great about Nazri Aziz that makes Pak Lah reappoint him as a Minister!!!).

Why I said so (about Pak Lah, not Nazri Aziz)? Simply because during a press conference after the briefing session to UMNO members at PWTC last week, Pak Lah was quoted as saying that the reason BN suffered such a big losses (bear in mind, Pak Lah has repeatedly, before the press conference, said that BN recorded big win. Only 8 seats deny BN of 2/3 majority) because of act of sabotage by insiders in UMNO. That was what he found to be the reason for the BN’s dismal performance (Gosh!!! Again not his fault). However, when asked further by reporters as to why there was a need for people to sabotage UMNO, he did not offer any explanation, as he said that he will provide the information to the UMNO disciplinary committee. Easy way out after making baseless statement with the hope that people will forget on the issue. That was what Pak Lah said at PWTC in the presence of his Deputy.

Now, let me share with you what is reported in today’s The Sun on Najib’s statement on the same issue. I quoted in verbatim what was reported: -

Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak wants those with information on the act of sabotage by party members, which had caused Barisan Nasional (BN) to lose Perak and Kedah in the general election, to lodge official reports so that the disciplinary committee can investigate them.

He said as of now, the information available is only hearsay.


My goodness!!! What does he mean by “hearsay”? Is he saying the Pak Lah gave information and made press statement based on hearsay? Does not Pak Lah knows better that hearsay information has no credibility in it? That we can’t rely and use the information that is hearsay in nature? Even in Court, hearsay evidence is inadmissible. So, why Pak Lah was so confidence is making the statement of sabotage?

Come on! With sabotage is now only hearsay, what is the main reason of BN’s dismal performance during the PRU12, in Pak Lah's opinion? Have Pak Lah and his team found the new answer? Or they will just let the issue swept under the carpet? I am eagerly waiting what other things that Pak Lah and his team are going to b*lls***t the people?

Monday, April 7, 2008

How I Embarass Myself?

I attended a seminar earlier this week on leadership. The seminar was conducted in such a way that it was divided into two sessions i.e. the seminar itself and few showcases. I just want to share what happened to me during one of the showcases that I attended.

The speaker was talking about “Speak with Authenticity”. I mean, the topic interests me. When the speaker started her presentation, I was shocked. She was damn over excited. Imagine, as she went up to the stage, out of sudden, she sort like screamed, “Hello! How are you?!!! with the extreme gesture of course. The worst part was she conducted her whole session in that very high spirit. Luckily it was only 15 minutes session. I felt like being in a kindergarten during my childhood day. The way she did it, I really hate it and it was all fake. Anybody knows toastmaster? She was from the toastmaster.

So, during the 15 minutes session, we were given a 1 minute exercise whereby we need to communicate with our partner from our heart and that was “speak with authenticity”. When my partner says something from her heart, I need to reply, “Thank you for sharing” and vice versa. So, my partner was a lady, who was on the same spirit as the speaker. So, she told me how grateful she was being in the seminar and she was looking forward for more and in return, I said “thank you for sharing”. Then came my turn to say something from my heart. I told my partner something like this, “I feel boring and I feel like sleeping (of course I said that because of the fake speaker)”. My partner was not amused at all but she did say, “Thank you for sharing”. Little that I know that my partner was actually the sister of the speaker. Then I knew, no wonder she was not amused when I said that. Hei! After all her sister asked me to say something from my heart!!! Don’t blame me. By the was, my partner was also from toastmaster.