Sony Malaysia

This is worth documenting and will monitor how far the company honours its official statement.....amidst the worsening recession that is going on globally now. And not forgetting workers losing their jobs everywhere.

From the Star................

Monday March 2, 2009

Sony cuts cost in Japan, Malaysian staff keep their jobs
By PAUL GABRIEL

KUALA LUMPUR: At least 15,000 locals have had their jobs “certified safe” – thanks to a turn of events in Japan.

Sony Corp in Tokyo, hard hit by the global crunch, has decided to downsize and move part of its operations here to save costs.

Japanese Ambassador to Malaysia Masahiko Horie said that with this development, up to 15,000 Sony em- ployees in the company’s four plants in Malaysia could keep their jobs.

The envoy said Sony EMCS (M) Sdn Bhd managing director Satoshi Okawa relayed the good news to him at a recent briefing.

“Besides cutting costs, Sony Japan’s shift here is also in recognition of the excellent infrastructure and facilities available in Malaysia.
“Sony Malaysia is one of Sony Corp’s top branches in the world in terms of human resource development, on-the-job training and also product variety and quality,” Horie told The Star.

The Sony plants here make 1,500 products, including the cutting-edge Bravia LCD TVs and laptop computers, with an annual output of 35 million units.
Malaysia’s affiliation with Sony, a leading manufacturer of electronic goods, started way back in 1973.

Sony Corp has branches all over the world, including in Europe, the Middle East, North America, Latin America and Africa.

Horie said Japan was pleased with the progress and advancement achieved by Sony in Malaysia.
“Malaysian personnel trained at Sony’s plants here have been posted around the world to take up managerial and other key posts, and have been playing a very important role.

“Their skill level is very high and this is another reason why Sony Japan picked Malaysia to move part of its operations.”

He said Sony Japan had favoured Malaysia over China because of rising wages and costs there.

Horie said he had also been briefed by other Japanese firms operating here such as Renesas, Taiyo Yuden, Fuji Electric, Rohm-wako Electronics and Konica Minolta, and was told that Malaysia remained one of the best countries to invest in

PNB schemes

Self notation on investments made:

ASD (launched in April 2001) dividend rate records:
financial year ending 30 June:

2002 8.00%
2003 6.80%
2004 7.00%
2005 7.20%
2006 6.80%
2007 7.00%
2008 7.00%

ASB (launced in January 1990) historical dividend rates and bonus rates for previous years:
financial year ending: 31st December

Year Dividend(%) Bonus(%)
1990 8.0 6.0
1991 8.5 4.0
1992 7.5 5.0
1993 9.0 4.5
1994 9.5 4.5
1995 10.0 3.0
1996 10.25 3.0
1997 10.25 1.25
1998 8.0 2.5
1999 10.50 1.5
2000 9.75 2.0
2001 7.0 3.0
2002 7.0 2.0
2003 7.25 2.0
2004 7.25 2.0
2005 7.25 2.0
2006 7.20 1.5
2007 7.30 1.25
2008 7.00 1.75


ASW 2020 (launched in 1996) dividend rate records:
financial year ending 31st August. Investment every 1st day of the month

1997 10.10%
1998 9.80%
1999 10.2%
2000 8.8%
2001 7.25%
2002 7.25%
2003 6.60%
2004 7.00%
2005 7.10%
2006 6.80%
2007 8.0%
2008 7.0%

SMS Spam

I hate it when you check on incoming sms messages and they turn out to be spam.

Latest spam text:

+60104673184 ...received on Feb. 20 @ 5.09 p.m.

"Hi! Sy Livia Taher supermodel br balik dr USA.Nontonlah video terpanas sy diphone skrg. Pdftrn PERCUMA Taip msj ON LIV htr ke 33887. Ingat!Utk umur 18 keatas shj"

Do these bastards really think I am that desperate to reply to the message?!?!!! Geez.........there must be some laws or authorities that we can report so the owners of these numbers can be traced, trashed and their ass get kicked!! Not merely to report...but they must act too!!

The Best Divorce Letter, everrrr!!!

Dear wife:

I'm writing you this letter to tell you that I'm leaving you forever. I've been a good man to you for 7 years & I have nothing to show for it. These last 2 weeks have been hell. Your boss called to tell me that you quit your job today & that was the last straw.

Last week, you came home & didn't even notice I had a new haircut, had cooked your favorite meal & even wore a brand new pair of silk boxers. You ate in 2 minutes, & went straight to sleep after watching all of your soaps. You don't tell me you love me anymore; you don't want sex or anything that connects us as husband & wife.

Either you're cheating on me or you don't love me anymore; whatever the case, I'm gone.

Your EX-Husband

P.S. don't try to find me. Your SISTER & I are moving away to West Virginia together!

Have a great life!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Dear Ex-Husband

Nothing has made my day more than receiving your letter. It's true you & I have been married for 7 years, although a good man is a far cry from what you've been. I watch my soaps so much because they drown out your constant whining & griping. Too bad that doesn't work.

I DID notice when you got a hair cut last week, but the 1st thing that came to mind was 'You look just like a girl!' Since my mother raised me not to say anything if you can't say something nice, I didn't comment. And when you cooked my favorite meal, you must have gotten me confused with MY SISTER, because I stopped eating pork 7 years ago.

About those new silk boxers: I turned away from you because the $49.99 price tag was still on them, & I prayed it was a coincidence that my sister had just borrowed $50 from me that morning. After all of this, I still loved you & felt we could work it out.

So when I hit the lotto for 10 million dollars, I quit my job & bought us 2 tickets t o Jamaica But when I got home you were gone. Everything happens for a reason, I guess.

I hope you have the fulfilling life you always wanted. My lawyer said that the letter you wrote ensures you won't get a dime from me.So take care.

Signed,

Your Ex-Wife,
Rich As Hell & Free!

P.S. I don't know if I ever told you this, but my sister Carla was born Carl.

I hope that's not a problem.

Unfair and outraged!!

On the 10th February 2009, our company organized a 1/2 day session on "City survival for women". Only female workers can attend this course.

A very fruitful and very informative session for us urbanites ladies....the talk was given by Capt K Balasupramaniam from MVFRA, site here.

It was really an eye-opening and shocking to see gory pictures of women and children who were raped, sodomized and killed. Most of the cases and pictures shown were those we read in the newspapers. Especially so ...children.

We were told of a pending case where the rapist suspect was given a bail (yes, the sickening law in this country allows bail for non-convicted rapist suspects!!) and since he is now out, he has been terrorizing his child victims. Capt Bala was asking from us ladies to sign his petition to get the Attorney General to put this guy back to jail pending his trials to prevent further interferences and disturbing the child victims. Of course, we all did not hesitate to sign up the petition. Hell, even if he had asked us to do a demonstration, I would gladly go!! His target was over 1000 signatures...only women signatures.

How comforting it was to read the news article in the Star that he managed to collect 1,279 signatures. Well, let's hope the AG is serious in honouring his words......

The Star's article dated 17 February 2009:
============================
A-G shocked over claims in memo

PUTRAJAYA: Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail has directed his officers to look into allegations in a memorandum that an investigating officer failed to attend a rape trial and that the accused, who is out on bail, is harassing his underage victims.

“The A-G has expressed shock over the claims in the memorandum, especially those involving the Investigating Officer (IO) and promises to look into the matter as well as ensure that the trial runs smoothly after this,” said Mohamad Amsyari Mohamad Suhaimi, the chambers’ public relations officer.
Mohamad Amsyari, who took the memorandum up to Abdul Gani at 10.40am yesterday, returned 30 minutes later.

He said Abdul Gani had to leave for another engagement but had read the memorandum and told the prosecution division to look into the matter.
The memorandum carried the signatures of 1,279 women. It was submitted by K. Balasupramaniam, a social safety activist who is helping the victims’ parents, Com­munity Care Network representatives Michael Chang and Anita Lim and the parents of the two sisters and a cousin – aged 10, 12 and 13.

Balasupramaniam said the 2006 case had been postponed in January last year because the IO and interpreter were absent; in August because the medical report was not ready and the IO was absent, and in December as the IO was absent.

“The parents lodged a police report after they managed to record a telephone conversation between the suspect and the eldest victim,” he told reporters at the Chambers lobby.

Balasupramaniam said the man had asked the girl to say “I have forgotten” to any question asked of her in court, as well as to coax her sister to do the same for “ rewards".

=========================
On the issue of children as rape victims, Capt Bala told us this true incident. He said alot of parents have this tendency of telling their children to call their genitals as ~ pipi, winie, bird, kuku, etc etc. One child rape victim aged 5 years old gave her testimony in court saying "ular masuk dalam weewee adik". She was relating the penetration incident. She knew the rapist. He was the uncle. The court found this testimony as inadmissible in court. Yes, indeed it was cruel but the court wanted to hear facts, not fairy tale stories.

Fortunately, after going through some innovative ways and not forgetting court time delays, it was later evidenced out in court the detailed descriptions based on the poor child's understanding on what ular and weewee meant to her interpretation.

Morale of this case study: DO NOT teach your children to call their genital parts using fancy names. They have to be taught the exact words...no matter how young they are.

Please spread this little film

Credit goes to Yasmin ~ go to her blog for stories on how this film is made by clicking on above title.

A simple ad for the SPCA org.

A very meaningful story of an austistic Malay child and a dog that caught his attention.

Too bad if this ad is shown on tv, the child and his parents look Chinese.

People will not know the message behind this ad.

It is simple....Islam never says touching and rearing a dog is haram. Search in the Quran and you will never find any verse that says a dog is haram. In fact, in Surah 5:4 and Surah 18:18, neither mentions that dogs are unclean or nasty. The first states that animals captured by hunting dogs are halal to eat. The second describes a group of exemplary young men who happened to have a guard dog.

It has always been the misconception amongst the Malays who were brought up to think a dog is haram. It is najis and cannot be touched.

But if it is najis....handling a cat or any animal is also najis.

A dog is a man's best friend. A dog is the guardian, the protector.

Christine Collins and her missing son

I always love real life stories movies. Most times, after watching them, I go online wanting to read more about these stories. The real people who were portrayed in the movies.

The movie ~ Changeling is portrayed based on the real life story of a single mother whose 9 year old son went missing. The frantic search for her son, her fights against the LA Police Department who goofed up on her case and her lawsuits after. One thing for sure, at 78 Clint Eastwood is still on a roll, still making and directing movies.

Anyway, above 2 pictures are the real Christine Collins and her son, Walter Collins. At the end of the movie, Mrs Collins still had hope to find her missing son. She died at the age of 94 in 1985, never finding him.

By now, if Walter is still alive, he is 90 years old. Imagine the power of the internet and the publicity of this movie, somewhere out there....someone, some family members of his (if he got married and has children of his own or his grandkids), or his friends who can come forward to tell us, the world, yes, Walter survived the gruesome serial killings of children then.....he escaped. what a closure to Mrs Collin's tragic life.

Was also interesting to read articles on the real serial killer of children portrayed in the movie ~ Gordon Stewart Northcott. It was real satisfying watching the hanging scene of this killer.......!!!!

Angelina Joline ~ deservedly nominated for this year's Oscar Best Actress category. Although I think Meryl Streep deserves to win this award as Sister Aloysius Beauvier in "Doubt".

Presenting..............

Ivan........the cutest kid on the block who came with his parents to our house for dinner last night.

The 'Wow' Factor

Chestnut

A farmer named Lakbir Singh was overseeing his herd in a remote pasture in Bolehland when suddenly a brand-new BMW advanced out of a dust cloud towards him.

The driver, a young Malay man in an Armani suit, Gucci shoes, RayBan sunglasses and YSL tie, leans out the window and asks the farmer, "If I tell you exactly how many cows and calves you have in your herd, will you give me a calf?"Lakbir looks at the man, obviously a yuppie, then looks at his peacefully grazing herd and calmly answers, "Sure, why not?"

The yuppie parks his car, whips out his Dell notebook computer, connects it to his Cingular RAZR V3 cell phone, and surfs to a NASA page on the Internet, where he calls up a GPS satellite to get an exact fix on his location which he then feeds to another NASA satellite that scans the area in an ultra-high-resolution photo.The young man then opens the digital photo in Adobe Photoshop and exports it to an image processing facility in Hamburg, Germany.

Within mere seconds, he receives an email on his Palm Pilot that the image has been processed and the data is stored. He then accesses a MS-SQL database through an ODBC connected Excel spreadsheet with email on his Blackberry and, after a few minutes, receives a response. Finally, he prints out a full-colour, 150-page report on his hi-tech, miniaturized HP LaserJet printer and finally turns to the farmer and says, "You have exactly 1,586 cows and calves."

"That's right. Well, I guess you can take one of my calves," says Lakbir.He watches the young man select one of the animals and looks on amused as the young man stuffs it into the trunk of his car.

Then Lakbir says to the young man, "Hey, if I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give me back my calf?"The young man thinks about it for a second and then says, "Okay, why not?""You're a graduate from Oxford and a Member of Parliament for Umno," says Lakbir.

"Wow! That's correct," exclaims the yuppie with the customary Umno's Wow Factor, "But how did you guess that?"

"No guessing required," answered Lakbir. "You showed up here even though nobody called you; you want to get paid for an answer I already knew, and to a question I never asked. You tried to show me how much smarter you are, and you don't know a thing about cows. This is a herd of sheep. Now give me back my dog."

Political Blooper

* picture source: http://www.yes-minister.com/

Remember the 80s comedy shows? I used to watch "Yes Minister", later known as the "Yes Prime Minister" show. I love the sarcasm debates between the PM Jim Hacker and his principal private secretary, Bernard Woolley and Sir Humphrey Appleby, the Permanent Secretary.

I liked this particular scene, dialogues verbatim between the PM and his wife:

PM: being an MP is a vast, subsidized ego trip. It's a job you need no qualifications, no compulsory hours of work, no performance standards. A warm room and subsised meals for a bunch of opinionated wingbags and busybodies who suddenly find people taking them seriously because they've got 'MP' after their names.

wife: You were an 'MP' 5 years ago.

pm: I was the exception. I was the cream. I rose to the top.

wife: so you ordered the clampdown.

pm: I can't do that. I'm only the Prime Minister.

wife: But you're in charge.

pm: A leader can only lead by consent, consensus. That's democracy.

wife: So who is in charge?

pm: Nobody, really.

wife: Is that good?

pm: It must be. That's what democracy is all about.

==============================
Sarcasms at its best on democracy. Reflecting back to what's going on in this country and still going on, and almost in all corners of the world, people are battling with losing jobs and facing recessions, our politicians really forget who put them there in their seats. Before March '08 and after, same old shits are happening.

Welcome back, Jennifer Hudson

You were amazing. You look amazing.



I sincerely hope you are at peace with yourself now.......I know you will. You are a girl of faith.

American Idol Season 8

The auditions in the various cities are over. They even went to Puerto Rico. duh....didn't know that PR is an American colony. whatever.

Starting next week is the Hollywood Rounds.....let the serious singing begins. No more freak shows, funny moments, wannabes singers who have delusions they are going to be the next Idol. hubbah. hubbah.

There are good singers and there are good singers with personalities plastered. Like the judges said ~ the contestants need to project themselves to be remembered.

Lil Rounds ~ the mother who has 3 kids and house was torn down during the hurricane. She sang good but she reminded me of LaToya London. And who can forget Melinda Doolittle. They can sing but personalities eliminated them.

Scott MacIntyre ~ will be watching this almost-blind guy closely. I will be disappointed if he doesn't make it to the top 24. Googling him brought news that he already has 5 albums, done concerts, featured in the news. not forgetting a full scholarship at Cambridge U. Question ~ should he qualify to enter Idol? Why not....who ever hears about Scott before his Idol's audition. Idol gives him the exposure. And everybody loves a contestant with a STORY. Hope he goes far in this season.......fingers crossed.

Anoop Desai ~ the Indian geeky look. Coming from his physical appearance, he has a wonderful voice. Will be interesting to see him in the top 36, even more in the top 24. I want to see him transformed. Remember Sanjaya, the mohawk hair guy with the crying forever teen girl fan.

Stevie Wright ~ the girl whose name was given by her parents after Stevie Nicks? who? She has a lovely voice.

Go to Youtube and check out these potentials sing.

Looking forward to Hollywood weeks.

Bless me

The Senility Prayer

God grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked, the good fortune to run into the people I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference.

=========================
Chestnut

A man comes home from work and finds his wife admiring her breasts in themirror. He asks, "What are you doing?"She replies, "I went to the doctor today, and he told me I have the breastsof a 25 year old."The husband retorts, "Well, what did he say about your 50 year old ass?"She replies, "Frankly dear, your name never came up."

==============================

And I woke up early, saw a nice four figure cheque given to me by darling hubby, switched on my pc....checked my account balance and saw a fat bonus credited. Sweet. What a birthday today. *grins*

Jotting down and Obama again

Been hopping and reading the news all over, particularly on what President Obama has done so far since he sat in the Oval office over a week now.

Chatting with hubby:

me: what is it about the American people. everywhere I am reading, 8 years of
insufferable administration done by Bush? Now, they said need to clean his shit
of 8 years. why reelect him to 2nd term...would had been cleaner to deny him
another 4 years. then, 4 years shit to clean only.

hubby: you guys gave Pak Lah another 5 years? Even longer.......

me: not me!! I did the donkey vote to deny Pak Lah. And I have not seen the female
donkey's face since election and never seen nor read what she has done so far.

Enough said.
======================
In the meantime, this news is worthy to document in this blog and keeping tracks of what follows after.

Sourced from: The New York Times.
=======================
Obama Signals New Tone in Relations With Islamic World
By ALAN COWELL
Published: January 27, 2009

PARIS — In an interview with one of the Middle East’s major broadcasters, President Barack Obama struck a conciliatory tone toward the Islamic world, saying he wanted to persuade Muslims that “the Americans are not your enemy.” He also said “the moment is ripe” for negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.

The interview with Al Arabiya, an Arabic-language news channel based in Dubai, signaled a shift — in style and manner at least — from the Bush administration, offering what he depicted as a new readiness to listen rather than dictate.

It was Mr. Obama’s first televised interview from the White House and the first with any foreign news outlet.

In a transcript published on Al Arabiya’s English language Web site, Mr. Obama said it is his job “to communicate to the Muslim world that the Americans are not your enemy.”

He added that “we sometimes make mistakes,” but said that America was not born as a colonial power and that he hoped for a restoration of “the same respect and partnership that America had with the Muslim world as recently as 20 or 30 years ago.”

Mr. Obama spoke as his special Middle East envoy, George J. Mitchell, arrived in Egypt to begin an eight-day tour that will include stops in Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, France and Britain. In Egypt, Mr. Mitchell planned to meet President Hosni Mubarak.

In discussing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Mr. Obama told Al Arabiya that “the most important thing is for the United States to get engaged right away.” He said that he told Mr. Mitchell to “start by listening, because all too often the United States starts by dictating.”
“Ultimately, we cannot tell either the Israelis or the Palestinians what’s best for them. They’re going to have to make some decisions,” Mr. Obama said. “But I do believe that the moment is ripe for both sides to realize that the path that they are on is not going to result in prosperity and security for their people. And that, instead, it’s time to return to the negotiating table.”

Several hours after he spoke on Monday night, an explosion on the Israel-Gaza border killed an Israeli soldier and threatened new violence. The war in Gaza, which lasted three weeks, had stopped 10 days ago when both sides declared unilateral cease fires. Mr. Obama said Israel “will not stop being a strong ally of the United States and I will continue to believe that Israel’s security is paramount. But I also believe that there are Israelis who recognize that it is important to achieve peace. They will be willing to make sacrifices if the time is appropriate and if there is serious partnership on the other side.”

He also said that although he would not put a time frame on it, he believed it was “possible for us to see a Palestinian state.” He described the state as one “that allows freedom of movement for its people, that allows for trade with other countries, that allows the creation of businesses and commerce so that people have a better life.”

But he also said the Israel-Palestine conflict should not be seen in isolation. “I do think it is impossible for us to think only in terms of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and not think in terms of what’s happening with Syria or Iran or Lebanon or Afghanistan and Pakistan,” Mr. Obama said.
He spoke at length about America’s future relationship with the Muslim world, saying his “job is to communicate to the American people that the Muslim world is filled with extraordinary people who simply want to live their lives and see their children live better lives.”
He drew a distinction between “extremist organizations” committed to violence and “people who may disagree with my administration and certain actions, or may have a particular viewpoint in terms of how their countries should develop.”

“We can have legitimate disagreements but still be respectful. I cannot respect terrorist organizations that would kill innocent civilians and we will hunt them down,” he said. “But to the broader Muslim world what we are going to be offering is a hand of friendship.”

He also said it was “important for us to be willing to talk to Iran, to express very clearly where our differences are, but where there are potential avenues for progress.”

“As I said during my inauguration speech, if countries like Iran are willing to unclench their fist, they will find an extended hand from us,” he said.

He was not asked whether he would continue the policy of former President George Bush in refusing to exclude military action in the dispute over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

================================

Movie Review:Frost/Nixon

Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the USA....embroiled in the scandals of the Watergate and causing his downfall to continue sitting in the Oval office. In history, he was the only American President who ever resigned from his post.

A pretty much predictable movie for those who know history, although I could not understand why this movie got nominated for Best Picture Oscar 2009. Nothing spectacular about the acting, the storyline, the directing. It's just scenes put forward for audiences to be reminded again of Richard Nixon. A matter of personal opinion if I may say. Much has been known that Nixon was paid $1 Million for this interview, took it lightly, thought this interview would launch him into the public life but instead was put in history records as the political pariah.

I like history. I like historical figures who made their impacts and footprints in defining history. Nixon is not new to the political world and the powers that come along with it. As ex-President of the most superpower house on this planet, his off-guard statement in regard to the Watergate scandal to David Frost:

"when the President does it, that means that it is not illegal"

Such profound statement. Such arrogance. Which is actually not surprising at all if we assess the local political scenes in Malaysia's own backyards. Every other day, we will be reading the behaviours, antics by our own politicians who think that just because they hold the powers in their hands, forgetting those who voted and gave them those keys, they are behaving exactly like Nixon. What they do, it seemingly does not appear illegal to their minds. You know who they are. 2 months from now, we are going to have the biggest tainted question-mark credibility man to head this government's administration.

This and that

Bathmat Mat Walks.

Isn't this a neat creative idea?

Would be great if I can buy one of them, but so expensive!! 29,95 € !!!!! That's 140 frigging ringgit!!! You can order from this site: http://www.design-3000.de/index.php?cl=details&ref=226152&affmt=2&affmn=10&anid=60f4978770dcfd743.88442516

It was designed and created as part of the project "Droog Hotel" in 2002. Droog Design asked designers for ideas how to upgrade a One-Star-Hotel. Mat Walk was a design for the hotelrooms' bathrooms. Won't it be nice to use one of these to wipe the floors after you mop them. Slippery wet floors will be a thing in the past!!.

This is good business idea.......I think I will experiment to sew one. have lots of those old towels which I can use. will update once i make them.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

The Oscars 2009 nominates these movies:

Slumdog Millionaire
The Reader
Milk
Frost/Nixon
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Be it as it may, I personally think Milk deserves the oscar. But the little publicity movie, Slumdog Millonaire might win hands down.

And Sean Penn deserves to bring home the Best Actor's trophy. He missed his calling in "I am Sam". Although, it is possible the Oscar might go to Brad Pitt.

=============================================

Chestnut:

Rodney Dangerfield said: "My cousins gay, he went to London only to find out that Big Ben was a clock."

Moooooo...moooo..

It's the Ox year come tomorrow, Monday. the 26th January.



===========================


I am a dog. An earth dog. woof. woof.

"People born in the Year of the Dog possess the best traits of human nature. They have a deep sense of loyalty, are honest, and inspire other people¡¦s confidence because they know how to keep secrets. But Dog People are somewhat selfish, terribly stubborn, and eccentric. They care little for wealth, yet somehow always seem to have money. They can be cold emotionally and sometimes distant at parties. They can find fault with many things and are noted for their sharp tongues. Dog people make good leaders. They are compatible with those born in the Years of the Horse, Tiger, and Rabbit. "


True, true, true and true. I can be the most despicable bitch at times.



so what does the Ox offer me this year........let's keep tracks.

========================================

from The Sun's newspaper cutting:

It's not a good year for the dog.Your emotions may be largely instable. Career and wealth will improve but only after initial bad starts.

It will be best for you to stay put in your current job, as changing jobs this year brings with it its own set of obstacles. This outlook is better if you own your own business.

Pay attention to the domestic front this year. Problems may crop up at home that will require your attention. Try to stay away from arguments with your partner.

You may suffer from stress brought on by gossips. Try to manage your worries and find a good way to relax.

=======================================

Extracted partly from Raymond Lo's site

source: http://www.raymond-lo.com/ver2/aboutmasterlo/articles.asp

"The Ox also forms a three penalty relationship with the Goat and the Dog. Such penalty is hidden danger and may cause disharmony, worries and irritations, or hidden sickness. Therefore people born in the year of the Goat or Dog is also recommended to carry the pendant of the Rat to minimize such penalty influence in the year of the Ox..
The Five basic elements represent different parts of our body, earth in general relates to stomach, pancreas, muscle and cells. As such, the health problems related to earth could be stomach problem, food poisoning, and diarrhea. Disorder of earth elements can mean problems of muscle and cells, this can bring obesity, diabetes, and cancer …these are all sicknesses caused by imbalance of earth elements. Diabetes is a sickness caused by disorder of insulin which is produced by the pancreas which is also symbolized by earth element in Chinese medicine.. So diabetes problem is also caused by imbalance of earth element. As such, these kinds of health problems will also come in focus in the Earth year of 2009. However, the most serious health threat in the year of the Ox could be cancer as the Ox will create serious earth penalty with the Goat and the Dog and this will create hidden disorder of cells and becomes cancer. There are numerous examples of the serious influence of such earth penalty triggers cancer and other degenerative diseases. it is important to take more anti –oxidant as a preventive measure."
"However, the most serious and dangerous aspect of the Ox is it forms Three Earth Penalty with the Goat and the Dog and bring misfortune and worries, even serious sickness such as cancer."

========================================
Others say:

"Positive: Intelligent, loyal, fair, and constant. Dogs are always willing to listen to others’ problems, and to fight for a good cause.Negative: Cynical and tactless. These people don’t always forgive easily, especially those who cross them.Chinese Astrology Horoscope 2009 for the Dog: Expect many changes in 2009. In the year of the Ox, Dogs will succeed best if they keep their expectations realistic and expect only minor improvements. This is not to say that improvements cannot be made. If Dogs work hard and take care of others' feelings, they can overcome obstacles and challenges that they may face."
===========================================
Summary, okay........low profile, take anti-oxidants, don't quit job, don't argue with husband. don't be a bitch. that bloody nephew of his better stay clear from me and stop irritating me and not to bring up my blood pressure. whatever.

Frustrated

Am I supposed to be nice and hospitable to someone who irritates the hell out of me
in this house?
Of his bad habits, hygiene and all. I mean, come on, at 28 years old but still doesnt know how to flush the damn toilet after using it. 5 times I had to flush it and the scenes were not something that can be written here. You have to imagine it. At 28 years old but acting like an 8 year old kid.

Alot of other habits which are just irritating to me. To me!!!!!!!!! This is my house and I want to have peace in this house.

Why do I have to put up with this????

I can understand how nice and kindly the mother is. Sister to MrA, my hubby. But why do I have to put with the son's behaviours. It is the Asian culture thingy.....memendam rasa walaupun hati sakit. Biar diri merana asal tetamu tak kecil hati. The Asian hospitality way.

This is so, so, so contributing to my blood pressure level. I have been checking my blood pressures regularly at the clinic........still high. Yesterday's reading was 150/94.

I can't stand this anymore. I am already not happy at workplace, now at home too.

Please help me, someone.

American citizen of the world

with maternal grandparents

with mom

with siblings from Kenya

with step-father, mom and sister

with father, Mr Barack Obama Sr

with his paternal grandmother, Sarah Hussein Obama

His colourful heritage
His hopes for change, his journeys
His American dreams, even the world 's dreams and hopes
Can he heal, can he rebuild the broken bridges
Can he deliver what he promises
Let us keep tracks on him
We citizens of the world wish him
all the luck in these tough times
I personally envy him
I personally am inspired by him
A dream once a dream can become a reality

For what he stands for
a popular catch phrase sums it up
"Rosa sat so Martin could walk.
Martin walked so Obama can run.
Obama is running so our children can fly."

A new history, new hopes rekindled.

The 20th day in January 2009.
He carries the planet's hopes on his shoulders.

In this little blog space corner, I salute you.
All the best of luck, Mr President
Barack Hussein Obama.

A Lazy Sunday morning

Meet Spoty, the Alpha male in the house...picture taken this morning on a lazy Sunday morning.

................"how ya doing?"

Born on March 18, 2007.

He is 1 year 10 months.

In human years, he is 23 years 4 months.

Lots of antics, lots of funny moments.

He eats anything...biscuits, donuts, nuts, spaghetti.

His favourite is chicken, only the breast parts.

What's age got to do with it.....??

She is Anna Mae Bullock, born on November 26, 1939. She is famously known as Tina Turner.

This year, she will be 70 years old. Appearing in Oprah's show, she said..."you don't mind being 68. Number doesn't mean a thing".

And she is right. The number is all in the head, written down in age column, and more so, how people are led to perceive (based on society's norms) how a particular age should behave. Even more so, when we are in this part of the world.

When you read about Tina's life storybook, she is a survivor. Somebody you want to look up to....a mentor. An inspiration when you are feeling down. Abusive marriage life, unsuccessful music career paths, picking up the pieces and move on. And as age progresses on, things just get better and better. That's what life should be.

If you can, get a copy of one of her concerts, especially her concerts in her prime age years. I picked up "One Last Time Live in Concert in Wembley in 2000". She was at 61 year. The show was electric and her performance was mind blowing. I know I was breathless seeing her throughout the 2 hours plus show. Simply the best.

=================================================

Every now and then
kinda like to do things nice and easy

but somehow we never ever seem to do nothing
completely nice and easy.......

you know why...
because we like to do it nice and.......rock!!!!!!

Diva Queens Tina and Cher in Vegas with Oprah in April 2008.

....Love those legs.

"Proud Mary"

World Peace Day

Dear earthlings,

How appropriate. Today, the 1st day of the year 2009 is World Day of Peace.

I guess the meaning of Peace doesn't bear any significance meaning at all. Humans are still set on destroying themselves.

How depressing. Browsing the news updates, Israel and Palestine are still fighting the never ending war. In Bangkok, the usher of new year brought deaths....dozens of party revelers died when fire broke out at a nightclub. Deaths of military men became statistical figures for USA to compare....the report stated deaths of military men are lower in Iraq while there is an increase of deaths in Aghanistan. What's up with that........what about civilian deaths. Is human life so cheap that they need to do comparisons.

<sigh>....same old shit, just different year. Everyone is hopeful and wanting 2009 to be a better year than the previous years. I seriously doubt it. Humans are still greedy, selfish and stupid. Period.

Two O O Eight

Arggghhh......so fast!! The year has ended. So cruel....

And this post from my last post just proves it all.....I am a lazy, lazy bum. Another milestone of 2009 to live through. I anticipate major changes to my rat race life....we will see.

And as usual, forget resolutions. These are old plans that don't work. Procrastinate should be the WORD, the ACTIONS plan to start the year. That way, if things are not done or achieved by end of 2009, blame the whole world, the planet, the universe, even God, but never blame yourself.

Oh...oh...oh....50 is the new 25. Yep.....I am going to be 50 years old. Exactly how does 50 suppose to feel like? I still feel like I was 20, 30 years ago. Let me ponder on this for awhile. Maybe, just maybe a little, this piece of my ass is too heavy to move. Okay, I lie.....too lazy to move.

But dearest hubby is good. He is goooddd. Bought me a nice gold bracelet, expensive wor! Told him right in front of the sales girl while she was fixing the bracelet on my wrist: "honey, after I die, you will not give this bracelet to your new girlfriend. This will be cashed out and the money donated to charity!" .........wonder what he was thinking then. Didn't listen his response. I was just too happy admiring my new bracelet. Free!! Sweet.