Ervan’s Weltanschauung

A very early Sunday morning. Two old buddies met up at KLIA for their flight to Bintulu, Sarawak. One is heading home, another for business. Two life long buddies, who, incidently, always encounter interesting things whenever they are around…

They checked in together, and, well, let’s just say that the MAS Ground Staff crew was not really in a good mood. Remember, it was a Sunday morning, and the queue was rather long.

The two buddies greeted the lady with a very enthusiastic good morning, until one of them realised that his other buddy was bringing a huge bag full of pampers to Bintulu. Yes, that guy, let’s call him Buddy A who is heading home, brought some pampers as pampers are cheaper in KL compared to Bintulu.

Buddy B asked an innocent question. "Eh, you sure no one will steal your pampers ah?"

The MAS Ground crew gave a short giggle.

Buddy A then said, "Haa, I never thought of that! Aiyoh, people in Bintulu, probably when they see this unmarked, probably they steal, coz pampers are so expensive there!"

Buddy B then suggested that Buddy A borrow a marker and write a very huge "BUDDY A" on the pampers bag. Buddy B then proceeded to ask the Ground Crew (who is starting to give out a laugh) for a marker.

After getting their boarding pass and all, the two buddies thanked the Ground Crew and proceeded to create havok in Bintulu.

Apparently, after serving them, the Ground Crew continued to do her job with a smile, giving an easier time for the other MAS passengers waiting to be checked in.

Sometimes, making people smile and laugh can be contagious….

Reading the book can be very enlightening. Even Apple Inc used the book as the base to launch it’s Macintosh in 1984. One of the more defining ad of the decade.

Too bad, many people are still stuck in the 1984 mentality.

I do not know what to put the title for this blog entry. I think I should start first, with another reason why I was not happy in Petronas. I have to say, it is not just the people in the organisation. But it might be the people, the Malaysian people, specifically the Malays.

Woah, you might say I am being racist here. But, I would say that’s the undeniable fact. I still remember when us, the PETRONAS people got a very good bonus last year. There was this one lady wearing "tudung", in the lrt who had a very animated discussion with another man and said that the PETRONAS staff do not deserve to get the bonus. Till today I wonder if she was making her views known, especially we know a good majority of the LRT users were PETRONAS staff. Yes, not all of us can afford to drive to work you know.

But that’s the thing. People think it is easy to make money when you work in PETRONAS. But I beg to differ. To find the oil, to produce it, and then to market the products, it takes a lot. But I guess, 30 years of the NEP, and most Malaysians, especially Malays think that money grow on trees. The sacrifice that PETRONAS staff have to do to find the black gold. Some have to spend many weeks away from their families. Some give their all to PETRONAS, and sadly, some passed away even before they reach the age of 45. And the compensation they receive is no where like other companies. And yet, there are many who are willing to be in PETRONAS, and sometimes, feel not appreciated by the people of Malaysia (specifically Malays). Hey, I got loads of Chinese friends, and they do appreciate what I did in PETRONAS. And they know how it is, technologicaly challenging and very human capital intensive. Human Capital which is obviously a big challenge for PETRONAS. But, it is a different perception with some of the Malays. Like how the NEP was given to them on a silver platter, they think working in PETRONAS is a piece of cake. But, after I saw the UPM video, I am not surprised. Yeah, I am ashamed to be a Malay after watching their antics. A good society is measured by how they treat the minority. That’s why I think of Gandhi highly.   

I would say, the UPM incident wont happen if the Tun Razak Government decided not to control the University students with AUKU. And yes, the implementor was our ex PM, who knows what students can do to Governments.  In fact, the racial divide started around that time. And yet today, I read the newspaper talking about national unity. I refused to read the news further. The answer is simple, you just need to look at some of the fomer missionary schools. Or, you don’t have to look at most, just look at one, and that is my former alma mater, Bukit Bintang Boys Secondary School. We get along pretty well without the intervention by UMNO, MCA, DAP and PAS. Thank you very much. We were insulated or refused to be influenced by those people…. and BB is not about excelling academically. Mrs Chan summarised it best to me "Ervan, if you get straight As, I congratulate you, but I do not want to see you becoming a bad person." Academic takes second seat compared to us becoming good persons for society. (And it does not necessary mean Malaysian society). But the boys know their responsibility, so we still excel academically. Even those who did not, they turn out not bad after all. Well, at least they are trying to address it now. But, it will take one generation to undo what the Education Minister in 1971 did.

So when I see people coming to welcome back a certain person from vacation. I wonder why they do so? Don’t they ask, why did he use a certain company private jet? I am sure these people are the ones who are claiming to be living hard because they no longer in favour to get Government contracts.

So, the prices of petrol and everything goes up. A lot of people protested, and most of it were the Malays. Why am I not surprised? Because most Malays are not good in adapting. Like I said in my previous postings, people prefer to blame others but themselves. They do not have the initiative to make the change. Prices go up, then find ways to adapt. That’s survival of the fittest for you. The Chinese adapted, very well in fact. You would have thought that by changing the medium to Bahasa Malaysia, the Chinese would not do well, but, hey they adapted, and they continue to excel. Even the Indians surprise me. Well the ones better off I mean. The ones at the estates are still left behind and frankly, are being forgotten by the powers that be.

That’s the thing. These people like to leech themselves to the people with power. And they like to back people who they think will able to reward them with fat contracts. Even when they are half past six businessmen. And since they are so many of them, all of them get the contracts and people ask why Kuala Lumpur have such a disjointed public transportation

The answer is cronies, and ensuring everyone got a piece. That’s why we have STAR LRT, Monorel and PUTRA LRT, which are obviously not connected. Because when these people get the contracts, they just built it, and did not consider about the interconnectivity between their transportation hubs. Easy money for them, headaches for the regular Joes. Sometimes, monopoly is the answer, but of course you need to ensure that they do know how to do their job.

And oh yeah, if you say Malays cannot survive without the NEP, trust me, there are many of us who are surviving without the NEP. And no, they are not working in Malaysia.

My advice, stop complaining, stop relying on others, and start believing in yourself. Nothing beats hard work any day. And if you want to get easy money, remember, someone else has to suffer for your easy money. It’s a not a Win-Win solution, and it’s definitely not Islamic.

I am glad that I went to UCL. That’s University College London, not University of California LA (without the A). I was taught to be more critical, and try to accept other people’s views. It is kinda hard, but, one thing for sure, I learned to be in the path less travelled when I was in UCL.

After graduating, I have always been lucky in the sense that I meet people who are not in the mainstream. Mainstream meaning those who have a 9 to 5 job. Those who work hard (or sometimes not) for the money. The one who is in the rat race. And it is good I have these kind of friends. Sometimes, they can be the one who can lead you back to the right path.

And I do not mean religiously *doink*

I met up with one such person recently. In fact, he was my junior in Bukit Bintang. He being the avid photographer that he is back then. We kinda lost touch, until we got in touch through the net. And met up when he got back to Malaysia for good. He is doing a job that he is very passionate of, and basically, kinda help me to understand life, and Malaysia better….

Indeed, the politics in Malaysia. I get tired of listening about the feud between Tun and Pak Lah. I know why Tun is out openly, because of the cronyism. The sad facet of Malaysia life. Let them fight for that small piece of economic pie. You can say one is a great man and another is indecisive…

But the undeniable fact is, that great man is trying to get a bigger slice of the already small economic pie while the indecisive man knows it is not worth fighting for. Another undeniable fact is, life is getting harder for ordinary Malaysians. Even tougher for the less fortunate. And sometimes, one’s freedom is curtailed by the authorities, or those with authority.

My friend and I. We can’t do much. We are just a tiny speck in an ocean so huge. But we can document things. He let his pictures do the talking, while I, let my ideas flow in my work, and also my blog…..

Insya-Allah.

I am lucky. Barely 3 months into the new company, and I was whisked away to Phuket. Hold on, you may ask. Company trip to Phuket. Is it business?

Well, it is not. The company trip is when the whole company, supposed to be the whole Asia Pacific, fly to one place, have a short meeting, and then, off to enjoy the place. And so, this year, Phuket became the place, and, even though I am new, I get to join the rest of Arinso to Phuket.

The journey was without its challenges though. My two weeks assignment for this particular project was extended until after the Go-Live. And I already made plans to go to the company trip, knowing that I was not supposed to be in the project come 14 July. And yes, the days leading to the 14th was very hectic indeed.

But even more hectic was the trip to Phuket. We stayed at the Club Med, and that’s where we were pampered to many activities. The beach is right there, I could choose to play basketball, and golf. Or, I could even laze around in the pool. But, I did not forget to visit the heart of Phuket, Patong Beach which was absolutely fab. And yes, that was the scene of the tsunami disaster back in 2004. Tried haggling unsucesffuly, due to the Club Med tag. But I did manage to got myself some tailored made business shirt, more than 50 percent cheaper than in KL.

However, I did manage to pose as a shopkeeper, when one of the Arinso staff walked along the lane. I greeted her with the famous words..

“Come, come, look inside, cheap cheap” said with a Thai tone, obviously. And both she and the shopkeeper laughed at it. Or me and Steve accidently walked in to the wrong area of Bangla Road, and were rather surprised with the extra friendly ladies at the bar. Obviously, Steve who is a Mat Salleh attracted their attention.

So we decided to have a few drinks at an Aussie Bar…..

Phuket trip 2006 was seriously fun. The only thing that I find lacking was my sleep. Now, I look forward for some nice sleep…aaahh.

when you see this…

the sign reads "Ke Laluan Tangga Kecemasan" or in English "To Emergency Staircase".

And now, since I managed to avoid many fire drills during my working life, this is a not so definitive guide to avoid walking down many flights of stairs during the fire drill. And that’s despite the fact that I was once the Floor Safety Manager during my days in PETRONAS. That was a cool time, I get to wear those cool fluourescent yellow safety vests..

1. Notice your surroundings, if you see a sudden increase of notice like I showed just now, prepare yourself for a fire drill.

2. Sudden increase of fire alarm activities. The building management kept on "testing" the alarms but by telling the tenants that they are investigating the source of the supposedly emergency.

3. Be aware when the floor safety managers and assistants kept on attending briefings, and kept on checking on the fire safety equipments on your floor.

4. Always be prepared on Friday mornings. There is a high probability that the fire drill will take place on Friday mornings.

5. This only apply to me, if I have a sudden urge to have breakfast at 9.00 - 9.30 am, that’s when the fire drill will actually take place….

And if all of above fails, please do keep yourself fit. Walking down the stairs can be really tiring. Seriously, even if you do go to the gym often….

Put it this way.

All religion preaches us to be good. All religion tells us of a Divine Power. All religions teach us to be compassionate. But what irks me most, since the start of humanity, man has always (ab)used religion for his own needs. Sometimes religion is used to the advantage of certain group of people.

And those in power, just like to (ab)use religion to hold on to their power. And try to be more superior than others. Even to the point of sacrificing the minority’s rights. Just to show that they are superior. Some even instill hatred towards others. Some coerce its followers to part with a lot of their money and later use the money for personal gains…

Basically, religion it’s good. But men are the ones making a mockery of it all.

Don’t be like a sheep. Don’t just blindly follow your leader. If he’s okay, then, it’s good, but if it is not, then, God will judge you. You cannot be ignorant, as God did give you the brain to think. And ignorance is the worse sin there is.

I was disgusted when I watched the Holland - Portugal game. And I felt the same way during the England - Portugal game. I was glad Portugal lost to France. And the 3-1 defeat of Portugal by Germany, sums up the whole thing. Poetic justice.

Cristiano Ronaldo is said to be the replacement for Figo. But frankly, Figo is way better than him. True, Ronaldo has the talents, perhaps even surpasses Figo, but, honestly, with all his theatrical dives, I think he has a better career in Hollywood. And if he complained (yet again) that the Japanese referee during the Germany-Portugal game was bias against him and Portugal. I have to tell him this that he has to watch and learn from what he did during the game.

His dive just before half time should have earned him a yellow card. It was an obvious dive, and I agreed with the referee it was nothing, but disagreed that Ronaldo got away scot free. By now, Ronaldo and the whole of Portugal team after the Holland farce, have to know that the referees have associated them with diving. So even if there is a genuine foul, the referees will automatically shut one eye and let play continue. My advice to Portugal (especially Ronaldo), stop with the dives, and start playing football man! Then the fouls will come in naturally and the referees will for once, agree with you on the fouls!

You reap what you sow, and I do hope that Portugal learn from this. I was rather surprised that Ronaldo was booed yet again in this game. You can say that you are not bothered, but, Ronaldo is no Maradona. That’s for sure. Even we have caught Maradona cheating a couple of times, I think people are more sympathetic with Maradona than Ronaldo. And it helps if you actually win the world cup. Anyway, English, French and German fans have already showed their discontempt on Ronaldo, so, life won’t be easy for him….even if he do move to Real Madrid. The next four years will be a show of his character, will he recovered like Beckham back in 1998? Unfortunately for Ronaldo, he is taking the easy way out by getting on the first plane out of Manchester.

Anyway, after the shock 2-0 defeat by Italy, the goals from Germany were absolute beauties. And since this is still a young team, expect more to come from them. Would say, of all the World Cup team, Germany has always been the more consistent team. They’ve been featured on almost every World Cup final for almost every decade. 1954, 1966, 1974, 1982, 1986, 1990, and 2002. Impressive record. Klinsman ( a former Spurs player too) did a great job in this team, and the German team is such a delight to watch now.

And now, on to Italy - France…..

I am glad that France beat Portugal. After the disgraceful game against Netherlands, and the questionable role by Ronaldo in the England game, I don’t fancy Portugal to go through. But, quite sad really, to see Cristiano Ronaldo to do what he did. It would have worth it if they win the World Cup, but…. I guess, God is fair.

Now Alex Ferguson will be having a headache. But that’s the sad part of some of England’s supporters. When they make one an enemy, they will definitely make that person unwelcomed. Who can forget the boos and jeers Beckham got after 1998? And now, Ronaldo will be facing this. Unless he gets out of Man Utd, and England.

Another loss to the Premier League. You have to remember one thing, Rooney played a part in his sending off. And even if he stayed, I don’t think England would played well. And I do have to say, they played better without Rooney and Beckham. If only Gerrard converted that open shot.

Let’s face it. England (and even Portugal) lack the killer instinct possesed by Italy. Man, those two goals they scored in the last 2 minutes were a beauty. Especially Del Piero’s. Absolute beauty! And France, as a friend of mine told me, the old horse still got some bags of tricks in them.

On a side note, found some new bags of tricks myself. I just love my Mac OS X. Been using Float’s Mobile Agent on my work PC, and that is one cool application. The Mac is even better, it is built in… woo hoo! And only today I discovered it! Heh

Kinda concerned with some local university students thanking Tun and telling that Tun’s fight is not over yet. The reason being, back in the 70s, Tun Mahathir (Tun Razak etc) were the ones responsible for the control of students in local universities.

Having seen UM from it’s glory days in the 70s and now, things have changed, a lot and it is not for the better. Even now, I suspect Ungku Aziz’s removal from UM was due to political reasons….and not because he was too long in the power, or not doing a good job.

Back then, the students were shut out. Now the students are being encouraged to stand up by the same person who shut them out ages ago. Time for the students to act by thinking rather being influenced by people with dodgy intents.