Hello Anderson!

Happy Birthday Ricky!

Such a nice family..... and Samuel looked so slim :)

Edywina (my cousin) & Kids visited....

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Best Place to Live 2009 - Walnut Rank# 70

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The Damaged Brain System

Thursday, 23 July 2009 10:04

By James Chin (The Malaysian Insider)

The most famous “Malaysian” IT invention — the pen drive — was invented in Taiwan by a Malaysian Chinese who could not even enter a public university here. He had to go to Taiwan, get a degree there (which is not recognised here!) and invented the pen drive there. So today, the world thinks it’s a Taiwan invention! Malaysia Boleh!

JULY 23 — One of the wonderful things about living in Malaysia is that we devote so much of our resources into building brain power. We love smart people in Malaysia. Parents spend an obscene amount on tuition classes.

Let’s look at some of the major initiatives by our wonderful government to increase our brain power:

1) Malaysia will produce more than 100,000 PhDs by 2012

2) Creating “knowledge” workers and “world-class” IT industry via the MSC

3) Almost all grants by MOSTI is geared towards science and technology

4) Building new universities left and right. In the 1980s we had fewer than a dozen universities — now we have more than 20 public universities and an equal number of private universities

5) “Apex” and “research” universities allocated extra millions of ringgit with the aim of getting into the top 200 university rankings

6) All sorts of academic prizes from all sorts of dubious exhibitions

7) Smart schools

8) All sorts of scholarships — JPA alone gives more than 2,000 overseas scholarships. If you include Mara and GLCs and private companies, the number is probably somewhere about 6,000-7,000 overseas scholarships plus thousands of local scholarships

9) “Brain gain” programme where we try to entice successful Malaysian scientists to come back to help our R&D

10) All sorts of government-backed programmes like the invention awards, best ICT Company, PM’s innovation awards, smart partnership, etc.

Yet, somehow we seem to be going the opposite direction. Mind you it’s been there for more than a decade already and, correct me if I am wrong; the MSC has been a dismal failure since the “knowledge” industry has not taken off and no major Malaysian IT inventions since the inception of the MSC. Cyberjaya is still years behind Singapore.

In fact, the most famous “Malaysian” IT invention — the pen drive — was invented in Taiwan by a Malaysian Chinese who could not even enter a public university here. He had to go to Taiwan, get a degree there (which is not recognised here!) and invented the pen drive there. So today, the world thinks it’s a Taiwan invention! Malaysia Boleh!

The brain gain programme is so successful that almost all the scientists who came back to work here have resigned from the public universities or government research centres, and the bulk of them have left for overseas again. Needless to say, their major complaints were racism (almost all were non-Bumiputeras) and red tape. But no one wants to admit to this since it’s not a very smart thing to admit failure.

Meanwhile we are rushing to produce 100,000 PhDs. Since most of these 100,000 PhDs will be awarded by local public universities you really have to wonder about the quality. But who cares? The important thing is to graduate 100,000 “doctors” of dubious quality so that they can train the next generation. After all, the majority of these PhDs will end up as professors in our public universities and they will supervise the next generation of PhDs. Remember the movie “Dumber and Dumber”?

Is it any wonder that our public universities’ ranking is dropping fast?

On top of that, we have decided to stop emphasising English at the high school level. No wonder international schools are celebrating — their student enrolment will go through the roof from next year onwards.

And to ensure that we have the right environment to produce “Towering Malays” and “world-class” Malaysians, the mainstream newspapers here follow the same editorial style as China’s People’s Daily and the old Soviet Union’s Pravda. Truth is not as important as propaganda and the promotion of racism and racist ideology. Malay newspapers are free to preach racism as long as they reinforce “Malay unity” and Malay dominance. News is only news if the government says so.

In the arts, local productions cannot reflect reality. How else can you explain government directives that Mat Rempits and transvestites cannot be shown on Malaysian movies and television. The way it works is like this: if we don’t show Mat Rempits and transvestites, then they do not exist! See how smart we have become because of all the government investment in educating Malaysians? Very soon, there will be no prostitutes or gay people in Malaysia.

Just to be sure, the government has just announced another round of books that are banned in Malaysia. In total more than 2,000 titles are banned in Malaysia. Some authors do not even know that their books are banned. Reading is a dangerous habit for a knowledge nation.

Meanwhile religion, or the official view of religion, is shafted down the throats of young people through television programmes and in the schools.

You really have to wonder how on earth Malaysia produces thinking citizens since all around them the system, from the mass media to the education system to the universities, is designed to damage the brain? The whole system is designed to produce a non-thinking, non-critical person who can easily be manipulated by propaganda.

It is really mind-boggling that somehow young people have managed to escape this system. Of course there are thousands who believe in the system and are basically brain dead, especially after reading the Malay newspapers and watching the local television stations. But there is a significant portion of young people out there who have managed to overcome the attempt to control their mind. I take my hat off to these young people. Without them, Malaysia will have no future.

Happy Birthday Catherine!!!

Random Pictures of Amanda & Anderson taken with my BlackBerry Phone

Tata Motors delivers first Nano

MUMBAI, July 17 — Tata Motors Ltd, India’s largest vehicles maker, delivered the Nano, the world’s cheapest car, to its first three customers today.

Chairman Ratan Tata had showcased the Nano at an auto show in New Delhi in January last year, but consumer bookings began only in April this year after the project was delayed due to land disputes at its planned site in the eastern state of West Bengal.

The plant for producing the Nano was shifted to a new site in Gujarat on the west coast, but the first batch of Nanos would come from its car plant in Pantnagar in northern India.

Tata has assured price protection for the first 100,000 customers, for whom the cars will be available for 100,000 rupees (US$2,058), excluding taxes. – Reuters

2009 Joker of the Year: Nazri Aziz — Khoo Kay Peng

JULY 17 — Each year this blog nominates a few individuals to be crowned the Joker of the Year. It is a bit unique this year. This is only the month of July and nomination is already closed and a winner declared.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz is the grand winner of 2009. He cautioned against pointing the finger at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for Teoh Beng Hock’s death.

I would like to inform Nazri of what I think of the MACC in this incident. The commission is wrong for abusing its investigation and interrogation procedure. Was Teoh a criminal? Would he abscond?

Why must the commission conduct its interrogation after office hours until wee hours in the morning? Why can’t officers of the commission conduct the session during office hours the next day?

I am not suggesting a murder here but clearly the commission has a lot to explain for neglecting the safety of a person under their custody. Worse, this person was not even a suspect.

The commission should be sued for negligence.

Nazri’s insensitivity should be severely criticised. For once I agree with Mahathir that this man is not fit to be in the current cabinet. Recently, he verbally attacked several commissioners of Suhakam who called for a new state election in Perak and called them “crooks”.

It takes one to know one.

Nazri should make real his threats. He is welcome to come after this blogger. I am going to repeat it again; yes, the MACC was responsible for the death of Teoh Beng Hock. It could also be a breach of the commission’s ethics and procedure. — khookaypeng.blogspot.com

May He not die in vain

Friday, 17 July 2009 17:44
Malaysia Today

JUSTICE FOR BENG HOCK (a website dedicated to the memory of Teoh Beng Hock)

Like everyone else in the DAP family and the wider Malaysian society, I am still grieving over the killing of Teoh Beng Hock, aide to Selangor Exco Ean Yong Hian Wah.

What happened on 16th July 2009 at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s Selangor State Headquarters in Shah Alam is the most tragic day in DAP’s forty-three years’ history. Indeed, one of the saddest days for Malaysia as a nation.

Most of us who participate actively in DAP, other opposition parties and NGOs do not expect personal gains and are often somewhat prepared to face some form of oppression by the UMNO/Barisan Nasional government.

Many of our leaders went through hell in the form of detention without trial. Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng spent a year in jail as a prisoner of conscience for helping a young Malay girl.

But this is the first time one of us has been killed. One of our young is fallen victim to the old, corrupt and rotten system, eaten away by it along with so much of our hopes and dreams.

Photographs of him taken at the time when MACC personnel took him away were published clearly in the papers. And, the next thing we knew he was dead.

At once, his death reveals the most sinister elements of the UMNO/Barisan Nasional apparatus. In its attempt to implicate elected members of Pakatan Rakyat in Selangor for corruption, which would later pave way for another staged coup d'état a la Perak, MACC has started killing our young.

The line is drawn. Whether it takes a year, two years, or a lifetime, it is now our obligation to free Malaysia from UMNO/Barisan Nasional’s misrule and to see to it that justice is restored in our beloved nation.

Beng Hock’s unfortunate demise reminds us that the UMNO/Barisan Nasional government has not changed at all since 8th March 2008. It is time for those who want a better Malaysia, especially those in Pakatan Rakyat, to reaffirm our faith in new politics, and to remind ourselves who we are up against.

May Beng Hock not die in vain.

Liew Chin Tong
DAP MP for Bukit Bendera

Charles & Diana's Wedding

Miranda's Cousin Diana's Wedding...

My Birthday...

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Hope you liked your mini surprise cake at work...

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My mom's follow up eye surgery in Dallas...

My mom had her follow up eye surgery this morning in Dallas to remove the silicone oil that was put in her eye during her surgery in late April in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The following are excerpts of emails and notes from my sister Miki in Dallas, TX to the family...
_________________________________________________________
7:42AM: (LA time)

Dear all,

we arrived the Presbyterian hospital in Dallas this morning at 6:05am. Admitted mom, and she was resting in the room, Took some anti nausea medication. Started IV on her and she was resting comfortably in bed. She took a good nap since she didn't sleep well last night. I also had only 4 hours of sleep last night.

It's 9:40am now. They wheeled her into the operation 20 minutes ago to remove the silicone oil that was put in during her previous operation back on 4/28, please keep her in your prayers. Should be done before 10:30pm, and they will take her back into this room for recovery. After resting for another hour, she should be good to go. i will drive her back home and be back to work this afternoon.

She needs to come back tomorrow at 9am for follow up. Ricky will take her tomorrow. The doctor said she should be able to see clearly in 7-10 days.

Will keep you updated later. ........ _________________________________________________________
8:26AM:

She got back to the recovery room a few minutes ago, everything looks fine. She didn't complain any pain at all, nothing like last time, just a bit dizzy. I guess it's the medicine/sedation that she was given.

Doctor just came and said that everything went fine. She should be out of here in an hour or whenever she feels comfortable. Mom was given some food to eat since the last time she had food was 6pm and drinks at 9pm last time. She is eating some cookies and drinking cranberry juice now. kind of happy that everything is over, she even offered me the blueberries muffin since it's too sweet for her. Yeah, it's too sweet for me too.

Alright then, thanks for the prayers, and thank God for His protection.

_________________________________________________________
8:46AM:

Getting her ready to be check out now. Chat later.
_________________________________________________________
2:45PM:

Mom went home, threw out the crackers that she ate. Might be because she swallowed them too quickly in the first place or because of the reaction from the operation which is normal.

She felt some pain around 3pm since the numbness was gone so i asked her to take some advil first before i go and get the pain killer for her after work.

She had lunch at 1:10pm and ate normal...
_________________________________________________________
3:38PM:

She is feeling minor pain on and off, i need to get off work soon so that i can order some pain killer for her to take.

Shalom,
Miki
________________________________________________________

I called her at around 7:00PM tonight and she is doing very well and she is actually very high spirited.... I guess may be it is because most of her kids had called her and even her granddaughter Amanda called her .... :)

Again, Thank you all for you prayers....

Anderson's First Trip to the Supermarket

Pacifiers: The basics

Reviewed by the BabyCenter Medical Advisory Board
Last updated: April 2008

Should I give my baby a pacifier?

As a new parent, comforting your baby is one of your highest priorities, and you may find a pacifier very helpful. While some babies find activities like rocking and cuddling to be perfectly soothing and are content to suck during feedings, others just can't seem to get enough of sucking, even when they're not hungry. If your baby wants to suck even after she's had her fill of formula or breast milk, a pacifier may be just the thing.

A pacifier isn't a substitute for nurturing or feeding, of course, but if you've fed, burped, cuddled, rocked, and played with your baby and she's still fussy, you might want to see if a pacifier will satisfy her.

There's another benefit to using a pacifier, too. Some studies have shown that babies who use pacifiers at bedtime and naptime have a reduced risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). These studies don't show that the pacifier itself prevents SIDS, just that there's a strong association between pacifier use and a reduced incidence of SIDS.

Are there any disadvantages?

Pacifier use may increase the risk of middle ear infections in babies and young children. In one study, the incidence of ear infections was 33 percent lower in babies who didn't use pacifiers.

Since the risk of these infections is generally lower in young babies, you may find that using a pacifier until your baby's half-birthday (when her need to suck is greatest) and weaning her from it soon afterward — especially if she seems prone to ear infections — works just fine.

If you're breastfeeding your baby, you'll want to delay offering a pacifier until she's a proficient nurser. That's because sucking on a pacifier and sucking on a breast are different actions, and babies who are offered a pacifier before they become adept at nursing sometimes experience nipple confusion, which can interfere with successful breastfeeding.

For this reason, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) suggests that you wait until your baby has learned to latch on and suck well and your milk supply is well established. Her 1-month birthday should be about right.

Because sucking on a pacifier can easily become a habit, many parents don't introduce one because they don't want to have to deal with having to take it away down the road, or because they don't like the thought of having their 3-year-old walking around with a binky in her mouth.

Taking care not to overuse the pacifier should help avoid overdependence. And a pacifier habit is easier to break than a thumb-sucking habit. After all, you can dispose of a binky! (For help, here are ten ways to help your child give up the pacifier.)

Pacifier guidelines

If you decide to introduce a pacifier, keep these guidelines in mind:

• Let your baby guide your decision. If she seems to love the binky right off the bat, fine. But if she resists, don't force it. You can try again another time if you like or just respect her preference and let it go.

• Whenever possible, don't use a pacifier to delay your baby's feedings or as a substitute for your attention. Offer the pacifier between feedings, when you know she's not hungry. When she's fussy, try to comfort your baby in other ways first, such as cuddling, rocking, or singing.

That being said, sometimes your baby does have to wait to feed or be comforted by you (in the checkout line at the grocery store, for example, or in her car seat five blocks from home). In these instances, a pacifier can be a godsend.

• Never tie a pacifier around your baby's neck or to her crib. She could strangle in the cord or ribbon. It's safe to attach the pacifier to her clothes with a diaper pin or a clip made especially for the job.

• Take care of the pacifier. Choose a pacifier that's safe and appropriate for your baby and keep it clean. Replace it as soon as it shows any signs of wear.

Are there times when a baby definitely should not be given a pacifier?

A baby who is having problems gaining weight shouldn't be given a pacifier. If your baby is breastfeeding and having any difficulty nursing — or if you're having trouble maintaining your milk supply — you'll want to do without a pacifier, at least for now. You'll also want to consider having your baby go without a pacifier if she's had repeated ear infections.

If you don't want your newborn to have a pacifier at the hospital, alert the staff in advance — particularly if you intend to breastfeed. Although a day or two of pacifier use in the hospital won't hook your baby on binkies, it simply makes sense not to introduce something you aren't going to use at home.

Will a pacifier interfere with the development of my child's teeth?

Sucking on a pacifier well into the childhood years might threaten proper dental development, but it's unlikely that your child will be at it for that long.

During the years when your child is likely to be using a pacifier, she has only her baby teeth. (Permanent teeth generally start appearing by age 4 to 6.) If you ever become concerned about this, ask your baby's doctor or dentist to check that your child's jaw and teeth are doing fine.

Amanda & Anderson

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4th of July Fireworks

The last part of the annual 4th of July Fireworks at Walnut High School as viewed from our backyard. The video taken with my BlackBerry Storm.

A nice place to hang out...

Amanda - Random Old Pictures

These are some pictures "snagged out" of David's Picasa album because he won't let me download them:(.
I think most of these are taken sometime in 2002 when we (Mercy, David, Fernando and our family) took a trip to Lake Tahoe....

Happy 4th of July!

BBQ at Pastor Tom's House

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