Emporium Blog

This post is not meant to be biased or sexist. It is just an observation. It is about the general Chinese women in Malaysia who went overseas for further studies.

Those who are Chinese educated will normally get married to a foreigner there or when they are back.

Those who are English/National educated who went overseas will normally come back single and then get married to locals or they don’t get married at all.

Why like that? How would I know? Hence the title.

Inconsiderate motorists, who hog the fast lane on highways, hear this!

You may drive slowly, you may even stop if you want, but make bloody sure you are not in other people’s way when you do that.

These road hoggers are selfish and oblivious to the dangers and the inconveniences they are causing other road users. I suspect they are somewhat blind and deaf. They could not care less about the flashing lights or blaring horns from the cars behind. I must add they are also bad tempered and ill mannered. The moment you overtake them, often by using the slow lane, they will give you the “I-own-the-road” glance. Some may even give you the middle finger.

(more…)

Magnum 4D, Sports Toto, Da Ma Cai number for you to punt on. There is this funny habit of Malaysian motorist which is more common than not amongst the Chinese community. They like to punt on any set of four numbers.

Simply called the 4D Game, it is a simple game of chance. It is simple and easy to play. Just place a small bet on any combination of four numbers and if it is drawn by any of the three lottery operators in the country, you strike a prize.

Often if there are any road accidents, most motorists will slow down, take out a pen and jot down the number plates of the car/s involved in the accident. They believe the more severe the accident, the higher the chance the numbers will come up in the lottery draw.

I have heard of many types of reasoning, if the car is rammed from behind, buy the set of numbers backward. If the car overturned, then six (6) becomes nine (9) and vice versa, etc etc.

There you go, good luck!

Disclaimer: No one is hurt or harmed in the above picture. Numbers may or may not come up in the lottery draw. Please bet within your means. Thank you.

Happy 50th Birthday Malaysia.

Malaysia will be celebrating its 50th Anniversary of Independence on this coming 31st August, 2007. Much has happened in this span of fifty years and much is still left to be desired.

In his recent speech at the First Student Leaders Summit, Raja Muda of Perak Raja Nazrin Shah emphasised the rule of law and the inviolability of the Federal Constitution. It is a noble move to remind those who has taken the Constitution for granted. His speech has in a way awaken many to the fact that the citizen of this country has forgotten and forsaken the true motive and meaning of it.

Meanwhile, the following statement from a fellow Malaysian hits it where it matters and deserves special mention.

The Constitution of our country, apart from being a sacred document, is also a road map established to promote justice, insure domestic tranquility, secure liberty for our posterity and us and uphold the general welfare of our people irrespective of race, colour or creed.

It is the supreme law of the Federation and any law passed after the Merdeka Day that is inconsistent with this Constitution shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be void (Article No. 4.1).

Any law that is in any respect repugnant to this Constitution or any provision thereof shall not be enacted.

Without any doubt, non-compliance with this obligations will impede progress and peace.

For parlimentarians especially, this is a heavy responsibility to shoulder.

Knowing the Constitution alone is not enough; upholding it and whatever it stands for must be religiously treasured.

–Noel F. D’Oliveiro

I have seen one and I have seen one too many. Drivers who smoke while driving will often flick the cigarette butt out of the car when done. Maybe it is out of convenience, may be it is just the wind. Having a bad habit like smoking is bad enough, add another simply throw rubbish habit and you have the nasty drivers who smoke. To add to insult, it is not illegal in Malaysia to smoke or eat while driving.

I have seen many types of rubbish being thrown out of a moving car. Tissue papers, unwanted bits of papers and wrappers, packets of drinks, plastic bags and tins, rambutan peels, glass bottle from obviously drunk drivers who throw just to break it and you just name it objects. I would not be surprised if someone were to throw some durian skins out of the car during this durian season.

(more…)

Sambal Belacan is an immensely popular condiment in Malaysia. It is spicy and is often used in many types of dishes. Some people just cannot do without it at meal time. My neighbour one floor down is one of them. So much so that I can hear them making sambal or rather banging the floor every morning without fail. Sometimes I wonder whether they eat the thing for breakfast.

In the preparation, chili is pounded with belacan in a stone mortar or “batu lesung” (picture). The pounding can last from ten minutes to as long as half an hour. It is believed the longer the ingredient is pounded, the tastier it will be, much to my disgust.

(more…)

Everyone wants the best for themselves and their children. I have seen parents going to great lengths to ensure a bright future for their children. Somehow they forgot and do not bother to keep this planet clean, safe and habitable for them.

(more…)

There is a meeting scheduled for tonight that I did not attend. It is a meeting between the resident’s association of my apartment and the maintenance company.

They are to discuss about the implementation of an autogate system with CCTV surveillance camera. Security is bad at the apartment where I am staying. There has been a constant spate of break-ins. Car thefts are rampant too. All the residents are very angry and demanded something to be done in order to prevent further incidents.

The autogate system is something that should have been implemented more than ten years ago. It is in the brochure when the developer launches the property. Somehow the Evil Developer did not deliver what they promised and gets away with it.

(more…)