this is asterix.

Was it our fault? Have you ever been kicked in the nut after being punched in your stomach? I think most Malaysians would say yes to that question. Only after not less than two months of announcing the biggest fuel prices hike in history, few days ago the government also agreed to increase fares for express bus services. The government stopped short of saying by how much the fare will be increased. Like I said in my last entry, the people who are badly affected by this difficult time are the low income people who probably have been using the same Kancil 660cc for the past 10 years. They might have 4-5 kids who are still in school. Taking up advice by their beloved Deputy Prime Minister to change their lifestyle, they seek to lower their travelling expenses by taking express bus services to go to their hometown. But now, even than last ray of hope looks bleak. I also read in The Star yesterday how students are struggling especially in buying books. I’m talking about the college and univ...

I think it is quite difficult nowadays to dine at an affordable restaurant with a character. Most cheap restaurants today are just there to do a business – to shove food down your throat. But this morning, I went to a small restaurant at Taman Melati and I think restaurants should be like this. A restaurant should be about service to customers. A restaurant should be about selling dining experience. This restaurant is called Kafe MU Pit Stop. Although the name has the word café in it, I don’t for one second think that that it was in fact a café. It is simply because it is really a restaurant. Why do I say that the restaurant has characters? Once you go inside the restaurant, you will notice that it is just like your typical restaurant but you will also notice the old advertisements of Coca Cola and cigarettes hanging on the wall. On the right side of the restaurant, there are three glass shelves that housed antique cameras and miniature cars. There are also two or three antique radios ...

I think the time has come for everyone – from all walks of life – to express their dissatisfaction at our politicians. This madness has got to stop. I mean, we – the rakyat – struggling to make ends meet and our politicians are more engrossed with their own problems (political and/or private). I suggest that those politicians to take one step back and look at how the people struggle to live their lives in this difficult time. I mean, the rate of inflation is already 7% and soon, the central bank will increase interest rate. Someone made a remark the other day about how Malaysians are still out at the mall on a shopping spree, which means, Malaysians are not that affected by the increase in costs of living. But, what that someone failed to notice is that the ones affected are the low income people who had no other ways to change their lifestyle due to higher costs of living. I mean, the middle income people can change their lifestyle because their lifestyle consists of necessities and e...

On UMNO. I don’t understand why all these Badan Perhubungan UMNO Negeri are already nominating Prime Minister Abdullah and Deputy Prime Minister Najib as the President and Deputy President of UMNO. I mean, according to the party constitution, only UMNO division can nominate anyone for anything. Don’t they know the constitution of their own party? Or are those some kind of hint (read instruction) to the UMNO Divisions to do the same. I don’t care if UMNO already have a transition plan in place, because when it comes to democracy, nothing else matters (and I do not mean street demonstration). So, I guess the UMNO leaders should just let the division to make up their own mind on who to nominate. And what about this so-called 2-year transition plan. How can Prime Minister Abdullah name Deputy Najib as his successor in two years’ time when UMNO election is coming in 5 months’ time? How can he be so sure that Deputy Najib will still be there after the December election? And Deputy Najib was ...

I went to have lunch with a friend of mine who is currently working at Menara Maxis yesterday. He paid for the lunch. As I watched him paying for our meal, I realised that he is paying with the money that he earned. And it hit me that I am soon going to be just like him. I’ll be working in a month’s time and I would do the same. As at 3.21 in the morning today, I am 23 years old. I cannot believe that I am now 23 years old. I have completed my degree with a result that I never thought I could get. I have my first scooter. I have friends who are already working from 9 to 5 every single day. I have friends who are already married, some of them even have kids of their own. I guess, I am slowly but surely becoming an adult. And adult who will be responsible in making my own decision. I always ask my friends what have they accomplished on their birthday and now I am going to ask myself the same question. At least I have accomplished my academic goals – for now. It is now the time to start t...

DEAR STUPID MALAYSIAN POLITICIANS, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, STOP ALL THIS CONSPIRACY THEORIES BULLSH*T. IT IS TIME TO WORK ON OUR NOT-SO-GROWING ECONOMY. THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO CANNOT SLEEP AT NIGHT THINKING ABOUT HOW TO FEED THEIR KIDS TOMORROW. THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO CANNOT SLEEP AT NIGHT THINKING HOW TO PAY THIS MONTH’S BILLS. FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE LET FOCUS OUR ATTENTION TO DEVELOP THIS COUNTRY, TO LOWER OUR RATE OF INFLATION, TO REDUCE UNEMPLOYMENT, TO SET A NATIONAL MINIMUM WAGE AND TO ACTUALLY INCREASE OUR STANDARD OF LIVING. FRUSTRATED CITIZEN. P.S. It is essential that capital letters are used in this post to show how frustrated I am with our self-centered politicians – and that means all Malaysian politicians. P.P.S. I’m finally back in Malaysia. P.P.P.S. Sorry for the language. Except that I am not sorry at all.

“Another summer day, Has come and gone away, In Paris and London, But I want to go home.” This would effectively be my last entry written while I am still in the UK. And by the time you read this, hopefully I would be onboard MH0001 to Kuala Lumpur. For the next thirteen hours, I will be thinking about my new life – life after university. “May be surrounded by a million people, I still feel all alone, I just want to go home, I miss you, you know.” I still in a state of disbelief thinking that I have finally finished my formal education years. I mean, I can still continue to study Masters in the future, but as for now, I’m going to stop here and get a taste of working life. My friends who have started working warned me that working life sucks, so, I guess I’ll get to see how sucks it is in the next few months. “Another aeroplane, Another sunny place, I’m lucky I know, But I want to go home.” But to be honest, I am actually looking forward to work. Probably because it would be a new thin...