this is asterix.

Many detractors of Tun Dr Mahathir blamed him for causing the fall of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government in February 2020. They blamed him for quitting his position for no apparent reasons whatsoever. To be honest, none of us (save for a select few) really know what had happened behind the curtains and behind Tun's thick skull. As long as we are not Tun himself or those select few, we are all merely speculating at best. To me, I just want to focus on what Tun had said publicly because those are on record and no one can really dispute them. Tun had repeatedly said that he had resigned because he no longer had the support of the parliament as Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu). Two things here, mathematically, what Tun said about the his support from the parliament is true. Secondly, this was what Tun had said, what really went behind the scene was really up to anyone's guess. For one moment, let us just take Tun's words at their face value. The moment Tun felt that he...

It has been almost a year of living with the COVID-19 pandemic and the end is far away. The pandemic had changed many ways how we live our lives, where working and schooling from home have now become the new normal. I have been working from home since March 2020 and the transition was not too difficult as I had initially anticipated. However, things changed when I decided to join a new organisation in December 2020. I will tell you that joining a new organisation under a 100% working-from-home setting is not easy. I guess it is human nature to have face-to-face connections with another human being. Joining a new organisation with new colleagues behind the computer screen is definitely not the same with the usual physical reporting to duty. And settling down is not easy too because there are a lot of stuff that need to be arranged for example, the staff access card, office laptop, setting up the virtual private network, etc. It is day 40 at the new workplace and I don't think I have...

In just one more day, 2011 will draw its final curtain. And looking back over the last twelve months made me realized how far have I come this year. 2011 has always been a very personal year to me, especially since I have started to plan for my engagement ceremony since July 2010 (Yes, that's how long I've been planning my wedding). I guess the highlight of the year began with significant change in my work. It was in March 2011 where I was finally given the opportunity to cover the Airline sector after lobbying for it since I joined the department in February 2009. I'm not saying the Consumer sector was not fun, but the Airline sector has always been a dear to me since I joined the company. But I guess, the Airline sector proved to be a lot tougher to cover than I expected. I had anticipated cyclical earnings and high risk from jet fuel price volatility but, MAS gave a whole different challenge to my skills as an analyst. The next highlight for the year was my engagement ce...

Went out for dinner with some friends as a very good friend of mine came back from UK on year-end holiday in Malaysia. Last time I saw him was just after Aidil Fitri in September this year. What surprised me was at the end of the dinner, after our gossiping session at Chawan (Chatime was already closed at the time), he told me that he has something for me as a wedding gift. I was not expecting anything from him and if there was ever anything from him, I was hoping that he would be able to turn up for my wedding. Anyway, thanks for making my night Khalid. Thanks for the gift and needless to say that seeing you tonight was more than enough as a wedding gift. I still digesting the fact that you will not be around for my wedding but I hope that you'd be around when I have my first child (whenever that is. Haha). So there you go, 35 days to my wedding, and I have gotten my first gift. Thanks again. Alhamdulillah :)

I recently read a blog of someone who I had just met a w eek ago. This person is just like any ordinary person - or so I thought. It turned out that there's more to this person. When I had a conversation with him, I noticed that he has a very refreshing way of looking at things. It's not that the way he thinks is totally out of the box but, it was just plain refreshing. I'm further impressed by his manners and attitude in life. And then when I read his blog, it inspires me to revive this blog. I guess I've forgotten what blogging was all about. Blogging is all about writing on whatever that ticks you. It does not have to be long, but just enough to highlight what you believe in. So I hope that this will be the new beginning of this blog. And to this person, thank you for inspiring me to do something that I have long left behind.

Goodbye 2009 and Hello 2010. This entry may be 5 days late but I’m going to post it anyway. One year had passed, and what have I accomplished in 2009? If someone were to ask me what 2009 is to me? I would say it is a career year. I know that I started working in 2008 but for six months between August 2008 and February 2009, I was actually under Management Trainee Programme at my company. Therefore, in true meaning of being employed, I started my career as an investment analyst in 2009. It actually feels nice when people ask you what do you do? And you are able to say, “I’m an investment analyst.” In 2009, I had my first vacation using my own hard-earned money. In August, I went to Siem Reap, Cambodia for a 4-day-trip with my friends. It was actually nice to know that you pay for your holiday with your own money. 2009 ended with my 2-week vacation in Mumbai, India. I think the holiday in Mumbai is a perfect way to end 2009 as my Career Year. I had a great time there and seriously, after...

Last night I had a dream. I dreamt that I was singing this song and apparently I love this song so much! The problem is now, I don’t remember what song was that. And I have been spending all morning googling to see if I can get remotely close to that song. Sadly enough I haven’t found that song till now. Sigh. I don’t remember the title, I don’t remember who sings that song. All I have in my head is a blurred memory of that song. I guess I just have to stop and get over it already. Haha. Just like an SMS I sent to a friend of mine, earlier this week, “Sometimes, it is better to let something go, rather than holding on to something that was never really there in the first place”. I might have sung the song in my dream, when for all I know, that could well be a fictitious song in my mind. On another note, Happy Mothers’ Day to all mothers!

“Remember those walls I built?” I am pretty sure that most of us had been in this position. We opened up ourselves to other people all the while thinking that that would make us happy. So, we bring ourselves to this whole new level only to be stabbed, crushed and broken. We then turned into this bitter person and push away everyone and everything that had the guts to come near us. “Baby, they’re tumbling down, they didn’t even put up a fight, they didn’t even make a sound.” Until someone came and somehow or rather, we forgot all the pain in the past and beginning to slowly open up ourselves again. “I swear I’d never le you in,” We keep telling ourselves that if we decide to give in, we will only ended up getting hurt again. “But I never really had a doubt, standing in the light of your halo, I got my angel now.” No matter how hard we tried to resist, this person keeps coming back into our life, proving how much we are worth to them. Until we finally realize that this person is actually...

This is my current favourite song. Unfortunately, I don’t fully the understand what the song is actually about but I do think the melody and lyrics are somewhat beautiful. And I do feel that I can relate to some of the lyrics. My Love by Celine Dion. My love, we have seen it all, The endless confession, the rise and fall, As fragile as a child, But lately I’m sorry I can’t hold a smile, But I stand tall to get by, No matter how hard I try to hide, Did you know I’d take the time for you? Did you know that I would see you through? Did you know that I would play the part? I must’ve made it clear from the start, My love, can you give me strength? Somehow I forgot how to ease my pain, I know I’m right where I belong, Something for nothing never proved me wrong, But I stand tall to get by, No matter how hard I try to hide Did you know I’d take the time for you? Did you know that I would see you through? Did you know that I would play the part? I must’ve made it clear right from the start, I ...

When I left my secondary school, I made a vow not to do something. But then, God knows why, I ended up in the same situation when I was doing my A-Level. Again, I told myself not to repeat my mistakes and I did manage to do just that during the first year of my university days. However, I went on to do the same mistake during my second year and subsequently, my third year. When I started working in August last year, I thought to myself that that kind of mistake will most definitely never happen, given the circumstances. However, towards end of December, I began to see myself heading the same direction. By February, I knew for sure that if I did not do anything to make things right, I will be bound to make the same mistakes again. It is already April and I think I am seriously going to do the same thing again. The only difference this time is the situation has definitely changed. And another thing that is different this time around is that I currently have up till middle of the month to...

I just came back from Ulu Yam when I heard the news from my sister-in-law. And my heart goes to those who were affected. As at this afternoon, four were found dead while some are still trapped under the rubble and some were already relocated to Datuk Keramat. For your information, this is the third time it happen this week. First is in Ulu Yam, then Jalan Semantan in Damansara. I am taken aback by Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s statement on not permitting hillside development because we should already have this policy since the Highland Towers tragedy. Don’t we already have this policy already or someone is not doing their job right? OK, lets put this aside for a moment and focus on rescuing the survivors of the Bukit Antarabangsa landslide tragedy.

Succession plan was never provided for under the party constitution. So, why bother having a so-called plan in the first place? Such succession plan will only work if the duration of the plan does not clash with party election. That is a simple politics 101, of which I am sure seasoned politicians like Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz know at the back of her head. And as one of the people who were vocal in asking Pak Lah not to defend his position as the party President, I think our Kak Dah would know already that her time is up. But then again, if one wants to uphold the party constitution, Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz should defend her position because she has the nominations needed to contest in the Party Election in March 2009. Therefore, asking her not to contest is very wrong indeed. I would say, let Kak Dah defend her post because that is what the party members want. And at the same time, let Datuk Kamilla contest the Deputy Wanita Chief post because again, the members have spoken. The question tha...

After the conclusion of the Permatang Pauh by election last Tuesday, I feel like I have to write something here – not as supporter of anybody but as a responsible Malaysian citizen. Firstly, congratulations to former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim for his victory. This victory is very much personal to Anwar because it is supposed to mark his comeback into Malaysian political scene. However, it is not really a victory when you managed to do something that people have already expected you to do. Say for example, people know that you would get full marks in your additional maths examination, by getting that full mark means nothing more than eating a cake with a fork. Having said that, winning the by election is still a success by any standard. Secondly, the by election results showed us that at least the opposition still have a chance of winning an election. Some of you might not agree with me, but I still believe that if the government can rig election results, why would they let th...

Last Friday would be two weeks since I started working and I have to say that working life is not that bad at all. I mean, it is a hassle having to wake up early in the morning to go to work, but I have been doing that since I was 11 years old anyway. So, that was not really a problem to me. Since I just started working, I am still a Management Trainee and right now I am working in the International Fund Management Department (IFMD). PNB invests money in both Malaysia and abroad, so the main job of IFMD is to invest PNB’s money in overseas capital market. May I add here that the money that PNB uses for international investments are PNB’s money, which means, IFMD does not use the money from the unit trusts managed by ASNB. So what have I been doing for the past two weeks? I am currently working on a standardised economic fact sheet so that our portfolio managers would have all economic data readily available at the tip of their fingers. And yes, preparing fact sheets is tedious and real...

I have not been updating my blog because I am in the middle of getting myself to working life. I will write more on that in other entry. But for now, I just want to express my sadness over the Black 26. I can only hope and pray that things will get better after this. P.S. Working life can be both fun and boring at the same time.

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...

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...

“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...

“And so we talked all night about the rest of our lives, Where we're gonna be when we turn 25, I keep thinking times will never change, Keep on thinking things will always be the same.” It feels as if it was yesterday, I arrived in Wye beginning another chapter of my life. And after three years, this day has finally come. Today, I will be leaving Wye for good. I’ll leave Wye to start another new chapter of my life. It is not like I had never expected that this day would finally come but I just cannot believe how fast time passes by. “But when we leave this year we won't be coming back, No more hanging out cause we're on a different track, And if you got something that you need to say, You better say it right now cause you don't have another day.” I have to admit that, when I first came to Wye, I hated this place. I was alone, I had no friends and everything seems so different and I felt like I was thrown onto another planet – if not another universe. But then, I began t...