You think this is your father's country ah???

The subject of illegal immigrants (PTIs) in Sabah has been a hot topic in the media lately. Everyone had their say so now it is my turn.

I believe if one is in this country illegally, one should either leave or get deported when caught. Logic tells you that it is true. If I enter your house and you do not know me, you will chase me off or even call the cops. If I were to squat on your land without your permission, you will charge me for trespassing. So why is it okay if PTIs come in to Sabah and refuse to leave?

The situation in our state is reaching a very serious situation right now. All that has been done to encourage the influx of PTIs in the 80s and 90s are now chickens coming home to roost. Whatever agenda some people had that resulted in this has been talked to death, but now it is time to decide what we are going to do about it.

Of course the obvious solution is deportation.  Flush them out and deport. But this easier said than done. The political will is simply not there. All the promises are designed to buy time, hoping we will cool down if this is dragged long enough.

The other reason probably is this : The powers that be finally realize that this problem has grown into a Godzila-size monster. How do you catch and deport a million PTIs without any problems? How can they ensure that nothing untoward will happen?

But it has to be done, like it or not. Bite the bullet, as they say.

My wife is a foreigner. Her stay here is sponsored by me on a spouse visa, renewable yearly. When she first arrived, the number of hoops we were made to jump through by the immigration authorities were depressing. This form, that form, wedding photos, more forms, monetary deposits (which I can get back the day I divorce her. Hah!) etc.  Worse, the danger of forgetting to renew her visa yearly. In 2001 when my son was born, I forgot to renew her visa by just 3 days and I was compounded RM3000 (US$900). No appeal allowed. She is in this country for at least 10 years legally and yet she still hasn't got her PR.

Yet, some people from a neighboring country can sneak in, get a job, earn a salary, maybe even buy a fake or given genuine identity card, utilize hospital and educational facilities that my tax money is paying for and now some of the powers that be expect me to pity them?

There were statements from some NGOs that we should not deport those PTIs who are in this state for a long time because it is inhumane. When my wife got compounded RM3000 when I could not afford it just because she missed her visa renewal by 3 days did anyone say it is inhumane? When we were kicked from one corner of the immigration department to another corner did anyone say it is inhumane? When these PTIs came to my house and stole our stuffs did anyone say it is inhumane to us?

Nowadays I often shudder to think when I die and go to that big burrow in the sky, what kind of future my children has in this state? If things do not change I doubt they have much of a future. That's the scary part.

So to all those do-gooders I have this to tell you all :

If you think catching and deporting PTIs is inhumane, perhaps we should send them to live with you in your part of Malaysia. Especially those who are jobless, has no sense of hygiene, commit crimes and yell in your face that they own this country. Then you tell me how it feels.

If you think those stateless children left behind by their deported parents are pitiful and deserved to be made Malaysian citizens, then why don't you adopt a few? Wait until the day they steal everything from your house or they slit your throat in your sleep then you tell me if they are pitiful.

If you think those who have stayed here illegally long enough should be made permanent residents, then perhaps they should move into your neighborhood. You are telling us that as long as they hide long enough and don't get caught, it is okay? In developed countries even if you hide for 30 years and got caught, you still get deported.

One day, one of them, especially those who allegedly given genuine identity cards for whatever reasons best known to the powers that be, will ascend to political circles of this country. They may become town councilors, state assemblymen, member of parliament, ministers, chief minister, maybe even prime minister. Far fetched? What's so far fetched about that? He has a genuine identity card thus a citizen despite being a foreigner. This identity card is his license to go anywhere, do anything legal, buy property, spend your tax money, run for political office and maybe even marry your daughter. Now suddenly that's not so far fetched now is it?

I have news for you. Since genuine identity cards were allegedly given out to these PTIs in the 80s and 90s, I bet many of them are already in West Malaysia, doing perfectly legal things. It is now 2008. Where are they? Who are they? Nobody knows. No one will ever know as long as the powers that be refuse to deal with this problem. You still think it is a Sabah problem, when in fact they are already amongst you all. 

Think about it. Before it is too late.

What a week for Sports

It was a great week for sports, almost.

Spain won Euro 2008, as predicted by me earlier.

Louis Hamilton won the British Grand Prix in the rain with some very good precision driving.

Rafa Nadal won Wimbledon by playing one of the best match Wimbledon has ever seen. He has to win it sooner or later, next year if not this year.

Unfortunately, one of the Williams sisters won the Wimbledon Ladies Final. Urgh.

So, no other significant sporting event in the near future I can see. How to survive until 16th August 2008?

Ouch my eyes!!!!

Today I am going to rant about drivers who use HID car headlights.

Yes, you know who you are. You who think that having white light instead of yellowish light coming out from your car's headlights are cool. I have a bone to pick with you. In fact, I feel like breaking your car headlights with a baseball bat.

Okay, some pre-mumbles. Normal car headlights give out a yellowish light. However, some premium brands such as Mercedes Benz and BMW offers HID (High intensity discharge) or Xenon headlights in certain models. The colour of the light is white instead of yellow.

Then, there are a bunch of wankers who obviously cannot afford a Mercedes or a BMW, who went and replace the halogen bulbs in their headlights with HID light bulbs. This way they also can get a white light and feel real cool.

So what's my problem? 

Well, if I drive at night and meet a Mercedes with original factory fitted HID lights coming towards me, this is what I will see :

However, if an Ah Beng drive towards me with after-market fitted HID lights on his crap Proton, this is what I will see :

Why the difference? Well, original factory fitted HID lights come with properly designed reflectors so that the white light gets projected in a straight line, lighting up only what is important ahead. However, the after-market HID light only involve changing the light bulb, and the reflector is never changed thus resulting in white light being scattered and reflected all over the place, blinding every driver they meet.

Of course these cheapskate drivers do not realize this problem, or couldn't care less as long as they think they look cool and it is just too bad if everyone else runs the risk of getting into accidents just because they cannot see the road in front for 5 seconds.

I really hope that the relevant authorities will ban all these after-market HID lights that's not properly installed. 

So if you have after-market HID light bulbs installed n your car, and wonder why everyone is flashing their headlights at you, it is not because they think your white light is cool looking. They are trying to tell you that you are an inconsiderate twit.

Torres 1 - Germany 0

Euro 2008 Final : Spain 1 - Germany 0.

I kept the faith. Months ago before Euro 2008 started, I said since England is out, I will go for Spain to win it. And they did, with tons of class too.

Who scored the winning goal? Fernando Torres, striker extraordinaire. It wasn't some kind of el-cheapo goal. It was sheer class, power and skill. He literally out-muscled and out-ran Philipp Lahm on his way to goal before putting it in the net. I have seen this type of goals from Torres a lot during the recent EPL season, and it is always a joy to watch. When he starts his run you always have a feeling that it is going to be a goal. It is the kind of feeling you don't get to feel much nowadays in soccer matches.

I simply could not resist this dig : To a certain footballer wearing the No. 7 MU jersey I ask - Who's the greatest footballer in the world now eh?

Highway To Hell

Finally I am going to rant about the miserable condition of Jeroco Road, Lahad Datu.

I have been traveling on this unsurfaced road since 1987 in the course of my work every week. Jeroco Road is a 45 km long road located near Lahad Datu and basically connects an area that has about 10 palm oil mills and countless oil palm estates. The road belongs to the government and maintenance is supposed to be done by the relevant government department which I believe is JKR (Public Works Department.)

As an unsurfaced road, it is natural to expect muddy conditions from time to time especially during the monsoon season at year end. Each time it gets repaired and the most one will suffer bad road conditions is a month or two.

However this year something about the maintenance program has changed. The road is allowed to deteriorate such that it is unusable in many stretches and no maintenance is being done to repair the road structures. Some patches are so bad you can drive a pick-up truck into it and you won't be able to see the truck from the road side. It is that deep.

Tankers, trucks, lorries, pick-ups often are jammed up at a bad patch for days on end. All that's being done is a few JCB back hoes around to pull the vehicles through and if it rains, the situation gets worse. In fact nobody will even think of driving there if they see black clouds in the sky. 

The photo below shows only the mild patch, not the bad:

Yesterday I had to travel on this road to attend to an appointment. It took me 4 hours to travel 40 km. It was so bad that on my way back I took a detour via another road which took me 5 hours to reach Lahad Datu. Well, at least the ferry ride along the detour was refreshing:

It is incomprehensible that such an important access road is not been given the attention it deserves. Numerous complaints have been made to the local authorities, newspapers, even TV3. Numerous promises have been made by blood sucking parasites--- oops I mean politicians that the whole road will be surfaced with asphalt before every general election for the past 21 years and so far only 10 km was surfaced and that's the area that hardly deteriorates.

The best thing is, it's been alleged that the local MP for the area, when asked why the Jeroco Road is not being repaired since it is such an important access road, he allegedly asked "Is that road under the jurisdiction of the government?" 

Clueless. TOTALLY CLUELESS!!!

Of this and that.

David Cook won American Idol Season 7 by 12 million votes. I was sure he will lose because there's simply no defense against 50 million screaming hormones who will vote for David Archuleta. I guess finally American made the right choice after so many seasons of big mistakes. (Anyone remember Taylor Hicks? See?)

So M*n U*d won the Champions League. No hair off my back. At least I have the pleasure of seeing Ronaldo's extremely embarrassed face when he missed his penalty. Likewise the joy of seeing Drogba sent off and John "We are supposed to win" Terry slipped and landed on his ass during his penalty. Proved that Liverpool's win against AC Milan is still the better lottery draw, and they even threw in six minutes of madness as a bonus.

The school holiday starts tomorrow and the missus is dreading having a 17 year old teenager and a 7 year old kid in the house all day long. Luckily I have to work.

Is it just me or Star World on Astro has canned Bionic Woman for the past month and I didn't even realize it?

The football season is now ended. No EPL and ChLg for two months, and Euro 2008 will be telecast live at insane time of the morning. Maybe it is time to root for Nadal to beat Federer again.

American Idol : And then there are two...

So it is down to the last two contestants on American Idol : David Cook and David Archuleta. 

Yes, Syesha was sent home today. I didn't expect her to to be able to make the cut because David Cook simply is better than her and David Archuleta has 30 million moist panties cheering for him.

My vote is for David Cook to win the Finale because I just realized last night during the Top-3 that Archuleta can only sing ballads very well. He's turning into a new version of Air Supply! His choice of songs are no longer a breath of fresh air. They are becoming stale. But the 30 million wet dreams will vote for him anyway. I just hope Syesha's voters will swing to Cook for the Finale.

As for Cook himself, he is almost as good as Bo Bice (Note I say almost as good, not just as good). Give him any song and he will work something out with it. Witness Roberta Flack's "The first time I ever saw your face". I was telling the missus no way Cook can bring that off cos it is such a foofoo song. Cook did and I am still picking up my jaw from the floor.

Likewise Aerosmith's "I don't wanna miss a thing". I think even the asteroid will change course after hearing Cook giving it his own treatment. It was that good.

So, it is David Cook to win American Idol this season.

New Toy

I finally got tired of carrying two cellphones everyday.

Two phones? Yes, one for business calls (an SE-S500i) and one for personal calls/SMSs (SE-K800i). I do a lot of personal SMSs, close to about 1000 a month and I don't think my boss will appreciate that if I do it on company account. Morever, I finally has finished with my phase of playing with the latest cell phones.

So I went and bought a Samsung SGH-D880 DuoS. It is the only cellphone currently available that can hold two SIM cards. Yes I know you can buy such dual SIM phones in China but I just couldn't see myself using a phone with a brand name like "Bird" or "Red Flower".

Basically the D880 can hold two SIM cards thus enabling me to make/receive calls and SMSs on either of the two phone numbers, without having to swap SIM cards manually. Switching SIM cards involves pressing a button on the side of the phone and there is no need to reboot the phone to the sim card you wanted. I discovered this undocumented feature tonight after reading some reviews of the D880 on the 'Net. You only need to reboot if you want to specify which sim card to be the primary line. I am not surprised about this undocumented feature because the Samsung phone manual that came with the phone is hopelessly small and thin. 

The phone is a slider and has a large screen which is very handy for browsing the 'Net. It is not a 3G phone (up to 2.5G) but has most of the features commonly found in phones today except for wifi and infrared.

The menu system is almost the same as Sony-Ericsson's but require a bit of retraining. Sound is okay but will never be able to beat SE's. The only beef I have is that the four preset midi SMS alert tones cannot be replaced at all.

The T9 predictive text input is not as good as SE's but miles better as Motorola's crap T9 system. 

I have been using this phone for the past two weeks and so far I would say I am happy with it. I just need a phone to make calls and do SMSs. I don't need it to play music, make a epic movie, tell me where I am on planet Earth or cook me fish and chips.

I think the D880 will suit me just fine. For now.

Until Apple releases the next new model of the iPhone.

Astro Gold-coloured Stupid Card

Tonight, 7.45pm...

Okay, Astro sent me this new gold-coloured smart card to replace the old one in my living room decoder. Says here in the printed instruction that it is going to be an easy four steps.

Right. Remove old smart card. Insert new smart card. Decoder auto updated itself within a minute. Switch on decoder again. TV shows "Please insert smart card" message. No channels can be viewed. All displayed same message. 

Ok. Repeat above steps again. Same result. The time is now 8.00pm. Liverpool is scheduled to kick-off at Anfield in 25 minutes time. Picks up phone and called Astro hot line.

Me : (Yada yada yada explained problem)

Astro lady : Okay sir, now you try this : Switch off your main plug for the TV and Astro and wait for 3 minutes. Then switch it back on, and press 880 and you will see a screen containing "Please insert your new smart card yada yada yada and then press OK". Do not press OK, just let the screen alone for 10 to 15 minutes. The decoder will then reboot and display the time. You then turn it on and you should be able to view the channels.

Me : Are you absolutely sure? I have a football match kicking off in 20 minutes and no self respecting Liverpool fan will ever miss a match except for funerals. We are not Chelsea fans.

Astro lady : It will be ok.

Me : Fine. (and proceed to wait 20 minutes and still nothing happened).

At 8.25pm...

Me : Stuff this. I am watching the match up stairs on the second decoder and the 14" TV. 

At half time....

TV downstairs still showing the stupid screen and nothing happened. Proceed to call Astro again.

Astro : Good evening sir. How can I assist you?

Me : I want to speak to someone about your Astro gold-coloured STUPID card!

Astro : Err... you mean the new smart card sir?

Me : No. I mean the new STUPID card.

Astro : Ok ok, I get the message. What's the problem?

Me : *sigh* (Explains problem again while vomiting batteries)

Astro : Ok sir, now listen to me please. Follow these instructions.

Me : *sigh* Yes, I know. Off the power to TV and the Astro decoder.

Astro : Yes. Then please hold until I get back to you.

Me : Make it fast. Liverpool is kicking off second half in 10 minutes. I miss a goal and you will die.

Astro : Now switch on the power. On the Astro with your remote. Insert the old smart card back. What do you see?

Me : I see Steve McMahon trying to be a football expert and failing miserably at it.

Astro : *Laughs* Ok. Now remove the old card and insert the new card. Then press 880.

Me : Ok.

Astro : Now press OK. What do you see?

Me : The screen says the new smart card will update my decoder yada yada yada and got another OK button at the bottom.

Astro : Ok. Press OK again. What do you see now?

Me : The TV goes blank and the decoder is showing AUTO UPDATE in its display.

Astro : Yes. That will go on for the next 15 minutes or so and you should be able to view your channels when it is over.

Me : Really? Looks like the lady earlier gave me the wrong instructions totally. You guys did not train them properly meh?

Astro : Well, sometimes we can get it wrong. Anything else I can help you with?

Me : Err... no. Look, you have been a great help. Sorry for being rough just now.

Astro : No problem sir. And I hope Liverpool will beat Blackburn too.

Me : You a Reds fan too?

Astro : Dyed in the wool Anfield Red all the way sir. Good night.

Me : Good night. *click*

What a nice morning at Anfield

Before the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final between Arsenal - Liverpool at Emirates Stadium a week ago...

Pundits : Arsenal will win this one. They have too much talent and playing so well not to win it.

Arsenal 1 - Liverpool 1

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Before last Saturday's EPL match between Arsenal - Liverpool at Emirates Stadium...

Pundits : Arsenal will win this one. They have to win it if they want to have the slimmest hope left to win the EPL tile. Liverpool will obviously field a weakened side in order to rest their main players for the UEFA Champions League quater-final return leg.

Arsenal 1 - Liverpool Reserve Team 1

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Before last night's second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final between Arsenal - Liverpool at Anfield Stadium...

Pundits : Arsenal will win this one for sure. After the disappointing results of the last 2 matches, they will be very motivated and fired up to win this match in order to salvage their season.

Liverpool 4 - Arsenal 2. (Liverpool won on 5-3 aggregate and progress to Semi Final against Chelsea)

Wombie : Okay pundits, who wants the crow with tomato sauce first?