Rowie's Scribbles

Effective 18 June 2017, the GrabHitch service has been discontinued. You may opt for carpooling service with GrabShare .  ---------- These days, Malaysians can opt for civilian driver service thanks to apps like Uber and GrabCar. The service is basically a relatively cheaper taxi service with civilian drivers behind the wheel, made convenient by the app provided. Simply key in your pickup and drop-off location, and the app will provide a driver + fare. I've used GrabCar (not Uber) and so far I'm satisfied with the service. Some friends have opted to drive for both/either apps as a part time occupation or in between jobs (considering the current economic slump); I find iMoney's article comparing the two apps in terms of commission a good read.  I've signed up as a GrabHitch driver -- what is GrabHitch? As per GrabHitch's site , it's a carpooling service. Drivers key in their route (either once-off or a routine one) and the app will match riders within t...

I was introduced to loom bands by the bf's cousin; the cousin and her sis were selling loom bands for charity. I got a few then I quickly introduced it to other people; friends, colleagues, relatives etc. The loom band was invented by a Malaysian (Malaysia Boleh!), read the Wiki entry here . The craze boomed after Kate Middleton was spotted wearing a loom band (available from her family business Party Pieces)!  The engineer behind the idea The Duchess and the loom bracelet It is an intricate piece of art - I like the symmetry and you can mix and match your favorite colors! You can also add key rings to hook a pendrive or even your car keys. There are so many types to choose from: jelly, glow-in-the-dark, neon, metallic etc. There are various designs to pick from: classic, dragon scale, spider etc. Charms like hearts and mini doggies are also available.  Mini engineering Use it as a keychain Dragon scale design Spotted bands The girls have a FB pag...

Everyday we hear about road accidents. Many lives are lost & forever changed by these incidents: according to the Malaysian Road Safety Dept's official site , there were a total of 397,194 accidents in 2009 alone. From these cases, 6, 218 were fatal. The fact that people seem to ignore is that these accidents CAN BE AVOIDED. It all boils down to Malaysian drivers practicing safe conduct while on the road. Irresponsible drivers who fail to use the basic tools incorporated in their vehicles & practicing civic consciousness not only pose a risk to themselves but on others, not to mention the trouble they cause for their own family members. So, just how safe are you on the road? Answer the questions below to find out: 1. Do you make/accept phone calls while driving? YES NO 2. Do you send/read text messages (SMS) while driving? YES NO 3. Do you beat the red light? YES NO 4. Do you speed? YES NO 5. Does your car overshoot the pedestrian crossing? YES NO 6. Do you wear seatbelts ...

This 2009 documentary highlights the dolphin slaughter at Taiji, Japan. Headed by Ric O'Barry, the film covers the following issues: 1. Dolphin captivity 2. Dolphins as intelligent beings 3. Mercury poisoning 4. Lack of awareness 5. Empowerment of activists I'll do this piece in a slightly different format from my previous movie reviews, seeing as this film is WAY different from the rest. Story Ric O'Barry was the man who helped capture & train 5 dolphins for the phenomenal film Flipper. The film started the storm that was dolphin parks. However one of the dolphins committed suicide in his arms, sparking his transformation into one of the most prolific dolphin activists on the planet. The film then covers the history of whaling & the actions of the international community for & against this activity. It also discussed the effects of mercury poisoning as a result of dolphin meat consumption. The film followed the cast as they set up secret cameras to eventually r...

The 1st baby hatch was set up in Petaling Jaya for mothers to leave their unwanted babies for adoption ( TheStar ). I applaud the move by OrphanCARE to save the lives of these abandoned babies & provide hope that they would be cared for in a loving home. I'm shocked, however, by comments by some Malaysians that this step would encourage youths to have unprotected sex & it doesn't solve the problem of the rising number of teens having premarital sex. What do you guys want, actually? Problem isn't really the number of teens fooling around; the hatch was set up to save abandoned babies from a certain death. I wish more Malaysians would be supportive of caring & positive acts to aid our society. Had YOU been willing to talk to your children about sex; Had YOU been willing to teach them about protection; Had YOU been willing to offer support when they needed it most; Had YOU been willing to put aside old-fashioned values to solve a modern problem; We wouldn't ha...

I attended that Subsidy Rationalization Lab Open Day held at Kuala Lumpur Convention Center with Becca. I expected an exhibition but I didn't expect to see the following individuals discussing the subsidy reform plan for Malaysia: Datuk Seri Idris Jala (CEO, PEMANDU), MP Tony Pua, & Mr. Azman Mokhtar (MD, Khazanah Nasional) among others (I confess, I can't recall their names :p). I entered late but I got the gist of the forum: 1. We need to remove subsidies 2. How to remove subsidies? How long will it take? Which ones should go 1st? 3. Despite the subsidy removal, we must ensure that the welfare of the poor is protected. Food I don't have all the statistics but RM3.1billion for food (flour, sugar, cooking oil) is WAY too significant for us to ignore. Our prices for sugar is RIDICULOUSLY low (the lowest in ASEAN, in fact), the subsidies are effectively beneficial to the industry & smuggling of OUR sugar across borders to OTHER countries is rampant. Time to order te...

It was heart-wrenching to read this news article today. It's hard to believe that humans can be capable of such cruelty & can commit such a humiliating act to another person. Then there were students posting memos reminding the rest of us "less-than-holy" peers not to get caught up in romance & our hormones to avoid descending into the "darkness" & "path of sin". I laughed out loud & sighed with frustration reading the immature statements of so-called university students. It just shows how ignorant young adults can be; recap Indonesian students condemning condom use as legalizing casual sex. I've a few things to say: Prohibiting doesn't work We've been advising people not to "couple up" so as to avoid the risk of having sex but unwanted pregnancies still happen. No matter how the authorities may TRY to stop guys & gals from mingling & going out dating, humans will be humans ie. rebellious & curious. T...

According to this article, students can take maximum 12 subjects for SPM but only the grades from the 10 "core" subjects will be taken into consideration for scholarships.  Redundant, much? Today's article clearly shows the lack of choice in the student's hands: there's no flexibility, they have to drop subjects they may want to take (especially vernacular subjects) for their future. Some people voiced that this new move is biased against vernacular subjects. I have to agree that this move is unfair & perhaps racist.  I am puzzled with the government's decision in this matter. Why can't they just calculate the best 10 subjects rather than SELECTING which subjects to be considered from? I'm fine if they maintain the main 6 subjects (Bahasa Melayu, English, Maths, Sejarah, Pendidikan Moral/Islam, EST) as compulsory subjects to contribute to the overall grade, but the rest should be optional.  PS. I feel EST is a silly subject but that's for ano...

I was browsing through the Star online when I came across this article.  Malaysian transsexual Mohammad Fazdil/Fatine married Ian Young in a civil partnership in UK. Due to immigration problems, she may face deportation back to Malaysia. The article mentions how she's facing hostility towards her union with Young.  I saw a Facebook comment directing people to the FB page of the couple & encouraging people to make comments. Fatine said her family has disowned her, yet they're facing scrutiny back home. My opinion?  GROW UP! I get it that homosexuality/sex change are unacceptable in Islam but give them a break!  1. They aren't asking everyone to change their sex 2. They weren't insulting the religion 3. They are together for love 4. They aren't harming anyone Are these reasons to act like a freaking baboon?  It IRRITATES me to see comments like "I want to Clorox my eyes after seeing their wedding photos". What's your effing problem? Why can't pe...

Malaysians may see cigarette prices rising by 11% next yr. The issue about social health vs personal choice has been around for quite a while & it's something that we need to address seriously as the number of Malaysian smokers aren't decreasing.  About 50% of men & 30% adolescent boys smoke in Malaysia, which is appalling: lung cancer cases is on the rise. The government has placed gory images of the effects from smoking on cigarette packs but this practice has little effect as people are unaffacted by the images/buy personal cigarrette holders minus the images.  What can we do to stop the rising number smokers? We know it's bad for our health; it doesn't only affect the smoker but the people around him/her. The various associated health risks still doesn't nick the shell of a smoker...The best way to solve this issue is to prevent an individual from taking his/her 1st puff. We have to stop the youths from picking up the habit for we know nicotine is terrib...

I've had it with PAS Youth. One would think that they'd be the image of the modern young Muslim but they're just a bunch of young extremists in the making. Now they want to ban MLTR from having a concert in Malaysia. Seems to me they keep banning concerts by foreign artistes. What the hell is their problem? Did they forget that Malaysia comprises of non-Muslims too? Did they think that music is REALLY such a bad thing? I'm fed up with a bunch of megalomaniacs TRYING to dictate what kind of concert is appropriate for Malaysians. Well here's what I think: Malaysians are individuals who have proven, time to time, that we're capable of SOLID REASON & we have a right to PERSONAL CHOICE. Since when was MLTR "raunchy" for crying out loud? The credibility of PAS Youth in this matter is obsolete. There has to be guidelines on what kind of concert is appropriate. Simply slamming at foreign music shows shallowness & certainly this isn't the trait of ...

An article in the Star newspaper Education pullout section ( Let's face the music ) by Johami Abdullah perked my interest on a warm Sunday afternoon. This article touches on what I wasn' t aware of but it's certainly something we should be concerned about.  Major issues highlighted in the article: The Education Ministry announced plans to REDUCE the time allocated for Music Education in the primary school curriculum. Certain schools drop or replace the Music Education subject: contradicting a Parliamentary Act which states that the subject is compulsory in the primary school curriculum. Memorandums sent to the ministry have been ignored. Lack of representation at higher divisions. I see 1 major problem with the ministry: they fail to RECOGNIZE the importance of implementing Music Education for our children. They are IGNORANT to that importance. Nowadays parents need to have their own initiative (not to mention $ in their pocket) to develop their children's musical skill...

I didn't know I'd had to write about the PPSMI issue again so soon (the last time I wrote about it  was here ). The result is out: the Education Ministry will revert back into Malay (mother tongue for vernacular schools) by 2012.  Damn it.  I laughed out in mostly horror after reading the following statements by our PM, Datuk Seri Najib (taken from TheStar ): 1.  The aim remains the same. There is no change. Only the method in reaching the objective is now different Gimme a break. No change? Now our teachers are gonna take the lazy way out, our youths are gonna take the lazy way out.  Yet we still wonder why the quality of our education remains 2nd-class. 2. He said increasing the time allocated to teaching English, introducing English literature and language laboratories, among others, would be a better method in boosting proficiency in the language than using it to teach Mathematics and Science. Well it sure would help if English was used for Science & Maths in addition t...

I just read this news article ( You go, girl: Plan for women to get 30 pc of top posts ) on the Star's website a couple of minutes ago: Important deets from the article: 1. An action plan is being drawn up by the Women, Family & Community Ministry to ensure that at least 30% of decision-making positions will be held by women in the country. 2. The plan is in the final stages & will be submitted to the Cabinet for approval. It is a gender equality program. 3. The plan covers 6 main sectors: the public sector, judiciary, legislative bodies comprising the Parliament, state executive councils & local councils, Federal ministries & agencies, statutory bodies, & universities. 4. The ministry's sec-gen Tan Sri Faizah Md Tahir said that in the corporate sectors, the number of women holding top posts is still low, but in the public sector, 22% of decision-making posts are held by women. The ministry will not impose any form of penalty should they fail to meet the 30%...

A week ago, the Lite FM deejays had a discussion & people called in to talk about tuition: 1. Why do people go for tuition? 2. Is it necessary? I think I can safely claim that tuition started to become a norm when I was in my teens. Kids would rush from school to tuition centers & come home in the evening. The tuition phenomenon mushroomed during the 1980's, so much so that the Malay translation for the word "tuition" was pioneered, like "tiusyen" & "tusyen". Now the formal term is "tuisyen". It was initially introduced as support classes for weaker students. However it is now a mere money-making machine: Background Malaysia's education system is exam-orientated. The focus of many is on the national examinations, namely UPSR (Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah, taken at Standard 6), PMR (Peperiksaan Menengah Rendah, taken at Form 3), SPM (Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia, taken at Form 5) & STPM (Sijil Tinggi Pendidikan Malaysia, take...

Frankly I can't be the only one annoyed with all this talk about using English vs mother tongue for Science & Maths, right? I did an article about that previously.  All this talk is starting to piss me off. Why? Apparently many Malaysians are freaking ignorant & plain DUMB. I sent a letter to the Star explaining my stand on this issue, so I'll put it here (I don't know if it'll be published but frankly, enough is enough): "Hi I'm writing in response to the letter by CONCERNED CITIZEN on 18 June in the Star "What about English in Accountancy". My sister studied in form 6 arts stream, now she's studying accounting at a private university; although her major subjects were taught in Malay at form 6, she had no problem switching to English at the university level. This brings me to my point that the root of the problem is many young Malaysians these days aren't speaking enough English, hence the worry that they can't cope with the chan...