Monday 30 June 2008

Wim blur ton

It was Usop (Diskang) who introduced me to Wimbledon .. waaay back in the 80's. Usop was/may be still is a fantastic badminton player. Really .. his style reminds me so much of Cheah Soon Kit's. This entry is titled so to honour him who pronounced Wimbledon as Wim blur ton. Heh heh .. BTW he also pronounce twelve - trelve. So .. tak leh nak tolong lah bang.

Most of the time I don't follow so much the ladies until the very end. This year so many top names has konked out. As for men, I've been willing Fedex to lose since last year. Tak larat beb year in year out dia je yg menang. Lepas dia, dia. Lepas dia, dia. Tapi kan .. mat ni memang perfect la game dia. Tak pe, tak pe. Watched a bit of Rafa (Nadal) .. Pergh! Mat ni forehand ke, backhand ke .. macam main ping pong siot. Well, Spain are the European Champions. Torres has shown his mettle. Nadal boley kot this year .. whip out Fedex.

On the other hand, I have also been willing Fedex to win the French Open (to no avail). Same reason.

Some stats on Wimbledon:

Olé España - The Best in Europe

It was 1964, when Spain won the European Nations' Cup, 2 - 1 against the USSR. And 44 years later (oh so long) they emerged the Champions of Europe beating Germany 1 - 0. Thanks to (Fernando) Torres .. who was so dedicated & headstrong, managed to past Lahm after a not-so-great first touch and lobbing Lehman. I was imploring Torres to score, who to me is one of the best players in the Premiership (oh how I wish Man U can get hold of this guy). That plus he only managed to score once in the whole tournament before the final and he always gets replaced in the second half. And not to mention, wearing my fav no. 9

Spain was in control the whole time. The Germans were .. I don't know what to say .. lost? I think, should Turkey play them again, they'll get whipped.

Congrats to Spain: the Best in the Group, the Best in the Tournament and the Best in Europe.
Olé España, well done, excellent football, well deserved. Do I dare dream Malaysia to be at the same ranks with these guys?

Friday 27 June 2008

Once Bitten ..

Now, that's twice the Spaniards whipped the Russians asses. Expected, Russians peaked in their quarter finals. No more improvement this time round. 3 -0 the score. Spain, definitely the better team.

And .. girlfriend lama, Masha pun kantoi juga .. kena balun dgn Kudryavtseva (susahnya nak sebut) straight sets, 6-2, 6-4. Ann kata dia kalah sebab dia pakai seluar. Boleh pakai ke reason tu? Papehal, definitely not the Russians day. Tak pe lah, janji Masha pandai posing. I like.

Wednesday 25 June 2008

Silence of the Lahm

Unsangkarable, the Turks maintained their spirit & played really well. Shocked the Germans with the 1st goal (although a bit sloppy). Germany hit back 4 minutes later via Schweinsteiger, then led 2 -1, thanks to Rustu's blunder & a fantastic jumping header by Klose. But, it aint over til the fat lady sing (bola ada fat lady ke?) .. 4 minutes from time Semih Senturk equalized, almost the hero again.

What an unfortunate turn of event for them, their fans were silenced by Philipp Lahm's goal right at the end of 90 minutes. But it was a really brilliant goal.

The way they played, the Turks should have won. Germany? They were just lucky. If they continue playing like this .. jadi lauk la nanti lawan Spain/Russia on Sunday.

On another note, I found a really cool application. If you use Mozilla Firefox as your browser, go to Tools - Add-ons - get extensions (bottom right) - search for "piclens", then download it.
Brilliant!

Tuesday 24 June 2008

Don't Pick Your Nose, Pick Strawberries

Sis, BIL & the troops arrived Friday night. Saturday, they went to Legoland. Weather a bit drizzly & cloudy. Didn't join coz we've been there donno how many times coz last year we had annual pass + its only 15 minutes away. Weekdays are the best times to go. Went to Staines instead for the girls shopping day out. Alas si Kenit tu buat hal .. didn't wanna budge from JD Sports. Had to buy her a pair of shoes that she didn't want and after that still melalak coz she wanted size 11 shoe (sebelah je tau) instead of her size 6. Never mind lah .. return lah within 28 days (thats the best part about UK .. boleh return, boleh exchange .. as long as still in sellable condition). Told Nat "I don't wanna talk to you".

Sunday, terhegeh2 semua nak mandi. Semua ada excuse. Managed to get to Taplow carboot by noon. As usual you get what you see. Never plan to buy anything at carboot - sure tak de punya. Layan Nat while Ann & the clan browsed the junks. Well, a man's junk is another man's treasure kan. Si Kenit tu .. I told her, "Go that way." Tak mau dengar, mesti nak songsang jugak. Should have just to her to go the wrong way siang2. Dah la tu .. Pengepau Professional. Ada je benda yg dia nak .. semua nanti balik rumah jadi sampah .. isk isk budak ni. Going to the car I told Nat "I don't wanna talk to you".
Taplow Carboot
Moved on to Garsons Farm. Had lunch next to the lake just before the farm. Nasi dagang babe, Mar buat.Laa .. pinggan lupa
Madeehah helping Mama Tok with Nasi Dagang
Ada la pulak kutu nak wee wee. Kena la jalan gi farm shop & restaurant. Nat ikut. Being Pengepau as she is, mengarok nak tah apakebenda tah. Had to drag the screaming child back to the field. When she sobered up, told her "I don't wanna talk to you".
Si Kenit Sobering Up
Mar happy with her catch of the day
Yummy Mummy's Shot
Some of the Catch of the Day
House Rules - Nak Makan Bayar laa..


Saturday 21 June 2008

Deserving Russians

After 20 minutes, I was already willing the underdogs to win. True enough, the Dutch sucks if they don't score 1st. And the Russians had such a strong will to win. 3 -1 is just about right.

Well deserved!

Friday 20 June 2008

Eppi Burstday Enjoy €

Something was bugging me today. Something that slipped my mind. It was on the way back from Bicester Village that it dawned upon me. Yesterday was our Amsterdam brother's birthday.

Happy birthday Net! Panjang umur, murah rezeki. Tak de aral kami menyemprel lagi .. he hee.

Now that reminds me of Euro 2008. I've been rooting for the Dutch since day 1. Actually since the 80's lagi. This year so far its been real good. The only problem is, I haven't seem them coming from behind yet i.e. work under pressure. How would they play if they are the ones trailing?

Talk about trailing .. tonight was one of the most superb come back I have ever seen. Its Turkey one more time! Last week they screwed Czech with 2 goals after the 87th minute. Tonight, when it was 99.9% certain they would lose 0 - 1 to the Croats, they did it again, scoring the equalizer with 5 seconds to spare. And went on to book a place in the semi final by whacking the Croats 3 - 1 at penalty shoot out. Pure Turkish Delight.

Semih the Hero!

Next 2 days - don't nobody call me between 1930 and 2200. BTW best giller boleh tengok bola tak payah bangun pukul 3 pagi. Aaaah! Ecstasy...

Thursday 19 June 2008

Kubah Terbang

Seminggu dua ni penuh la inbox masing2 dgn email pasal Flying Dome kat Indonesia (purpotedly at Pulau Malibu - ada juga Malibu kat Indon rupa nya ye). Siap keluar news Indon lagi. Kalau nak tengok, click:

http://zul878.multiply.com/video/item/5/Kailolo_kebesaran_ALLAH_SWT.3gp
(popular giller la site mamat ni nanti)

Anyway, clip ala2 David Copperfield ni siap ada pompuan nangis2 meraung2 lagi. Aku pun tak paham tengok benda terbang pun nak nagis2 . Hari2 aku tengok kapal terbang, sebak pun tidak. Anyway, kubah tu aku nampak macam joy stick ada, macam pin bowling pun ada.

So, lepas ni apa potential 3,000 orang yang hebat ni? My suggestions:

1) Join SMART - pegi tolong angkat runtuhan2 earthquake pulak untuk selamatkan orang yg terperangkap. Ha .. baru la macam Al-Anbiya' ayat 107.

2) AlQaeda musti nak employ punya - kot2 boleh la angkat Washington Monument to humban kat Rumah Putih kan. BTW, kalau nak buat make sure si Bush tu ada.

3) Pergi Canada yg banyak oil sand. Angkat minyak saringkan dari pasir, pas tu terbangkan masuk tangki. Must be so much cheaper. Current technology mahal sangat. At least oil price turun sikit, satu dunia benefit. Orang Islam dapat nama lak tu.

4) Kerja dengan airlines. Fly kan plane2 tu without fuel. Sah Ryanair & Easyjet nangis. Pas tu dorang mesti bankrupt, jadi distress stock, take over at a steal. Then jadi monopoly. Ada juga orang Islam control airlines ye dak?

Cukup la kot. Marah pulak orang2 yg percaya ek.

Wednesday 18 June 2008

Petronas Strikes Back

Helped set up Sheila's presentation at High Comm not to mention helping to convince some of them one on one. . There were about 35+ attending the talk. Had the normal syariah compliant question from one of them. Oh, we have those kind of Qs a lot. Not to mention queries, accusations, surat layangs as well as slanders.

As such, I can symphatise with Petronas, especially these days. Seems like they are also getting tired of being accused. I think its more of public ignorance that is so annoying. So they are now on the offensive, also utilising alternative media. The following write up is enclosed coz I can see the truth in it since I've been studying the oil and gas industry quite a bit for our investment.

17:36. Dan janganlah kamu mengikuti apa yang kamu tidak mempunyai pengetahuan tentangnya. Sesungguhnya pendengaran, penglihatan dan hati, semuanya itu akan diminta pertanggungan jawabnya.

A bit longish, but worth a read.

Dear all,

After reading all the chain mails and blogs, I feel called to reply, because of the relentless attacks and allegations -- most of which are inaccurate or baseless -- against PETRONAS.

PETRONAS' STAFF SALARY & BONUS

1) The salaries paid to PETRONAS' employees are not as high as people think. At best, they are just industry average. And these are not attractive enough for some who left PETRONAS to find work at other companies (mainly from the Middle East) which are willing to pay more. Why do they pay more? The oil and gas industry worldwide has been facing acute shortage of qualified or experienced personnel, so most companies are willing to pay lots of money to entice and pinch staff from their competitors.

Bonus? There has NEVER been a bonus amounting to 6 months or 12 months throughout the 33 years. On average, it is 2 months. But don't ever think we don't deserve it. We more than deserve it. A lot of us work really hard, some in the most extreme of conditions. Those who have been to and worked in northern Sudan, for example, would testify that it's like working in a huge blower oven. Southern Sudan, on the other hand, is almost all swamps and mud. Imagine having to go through that kind of heat, or waddling in muddy swamps, day in and day out.

QUALITY OF CRUDE & REFINED PRODUCTS

2) Malaysia produces about 600,000 barrels of crude oil per day (and about 100,000 barrels condensate). Of this crude volume, 339,000 barrels are refined locally for local consumption. The rest is exported (and yes, because it has lower sulphur content it fetches higher prices).

Malaysia also imports about 230,000 barrels of crude oil per day, mainly from the Middle East, to be refined here. This crude oil contains higher sulphur and is less expensive (so the country gains more by exporting our crudes). In Malaysia, this crude is processed by PETRONAS at its second refinery in Melaka, and also by Shell at its Port Dickson refinery.

Different refineries are built and configurated to refine different types of crude. And each crude type yields different percentage of products (diesel, gasoline, kerosene, cooking gas etc) per barrel.

But most importantly, products that come out at the end of the refining process have the same good quality regardless of the crude types. That's why PETRONAS, Shell and Exxon Mobil share the same pipeline to transport the finished products from their refineries to a distribution centre in the Klang Valley. The three companies collect the products at this centre accordingly to be distributed to their respective distribution networks. What makes PETRONAS' petrol different from Shell's, for example, is the additive that each company adds.

PETRONAS' ROLE, FUNCTION & CONTRIBUTION

3) A lot of people also do not understand the role and function of PETRONAS, which is essentially a company, a business entity, which operates on a commercial manner, to mainly generate income and value for its shareholder. In this case, PETRONAS' shareholder is the Government.

In 1974, when PETRONAS was set up, the Government gave PETRONAS RM10 million (peanuts, right?) as seed capital. From 1974 to 2007, PETRONAS made RM570 billion in accumulated profits, and returned to the Government a total of RM335.7 billion. That is about 65% of the profits. That means for every RM1 that PETRONAS makes, 65 sen goes back to the Government.

Last year, PETRONAS made a pre-tax profit of RM86.8 billion. The amount given back to the Government (in royalty, dividends, corporate income tax, petroleum products income tax and export duty) was RM52.3 billion. The rest of the profit was used to pay off minority interests and taxes in foreign countries (about RM7.8 billion - PETRONAS now operates in more than 30 countries), and the remaining RM26.7 billion was reinvested. The amount reinvested seems a lot, but the oil and gas industry is technology- and capital-intensive. Costs have gone up exponentially in the last couple of years. Previously, to drill a well, it cost about US$3 million; now it costs US$7 million. The use of rigs was US$200,000 a day a couple of years ago; now it costs US$600,000 a day.

A lot of people also do not realise that the amount returned by PETRONAS to the Government makes up 35% of the Government's total annual income, to be used by the Government for expenditures, development, operations, and yes, for the various subsidies. That means for every RM1 the Government makes, 35 sen is contributed by PETRONAS.

So, instead of asking what happens to PETRIONAS' money or profits, people should be questioning how the money paid by PETRONAS to the Government is allocated.

CRUDE EXPORTS & FUEL PRICES

4) A lot of people also ask, why Malaysia exports its crude oil. Shouldn't we just stop exporting and sell at cheaper prices to local refiners? If Malaysia is an oil exporting country, why can't we sell petrol or diesel at cheaper prices like other oil producing countries in the Middle East?

I guess I don't have to answer the first couple of questions. It's simple economics, and crude oil is a global commodity.

Why can't we sell petrol and diesel at lower prices like in the Middle East? Well, comparing Saudi Arabia and other big producers to Malaysia is like comparing kurma to durian, because these Middle Eastern countries have much, much, much bigger oil and gas reserves.

Malaysia has only 5.4 billion barrels of oil reserves, and about 89 trillion cubic feet of gas. Compare that to Saudi Arabia's 260 billion barrels of oil and 240 trillion cubic feet of gas.

Malaysia only produces 600,000 barrels per day of oil. Saudi Arabia produces 9 million barrels per day. At this rate, Saudi Arabia's crude oil sales revenue could amount to US$1.2 billion per day! At this rate, it can practically afford almost everything -- free education, healthcare, etc, and subsidies -- for its people.

But if we look at these countries closely, they have in the past few years started to come up with policies and strategies designed to prolong their reserves and diversify their income bases. In this sense, Malaysia (and PETRONAS) has had a good head start, as we have been doing this a long time.

Fuel prices in Malaysia is controlled by the Government based on a formula under the Automatic Pricing Mechanism introduced more than a couple of decades ago. It is under this mechanism that the complex calculation of prices is made, based on the actual cost of petrol or diesel, the operating costs, margin for dealers, margin for retail oil companies (including PETRONAS Dagangan Bhd) and the balancing number of duty or subsidy. No retail oil companies or dealers actually make money from the hike of the fuel prices. Oil companies pay for the products at market prices, but have to sell low, so the Government reimburses the difference -- thus subsidy.

Subsidy as a concept is OK as long as it benefits the really deserving segment of the population. But there has to be a limit to how much and how long the Government should bear and sustain subsidy. An environment where prices are kept artificially low indefinitely will not do anyone any good. That's why countries like Indonesia are more pro-active in removing subsidies. Even Vietnam (which is a socialist country, by the way) is selling fuel at market prices.

PETRONAS & TRANSPARENCY

5) I feel I also need to say something on the allegation that PETRONAS is not transparent in terms of its accounts, business transactions etc.

PETRONAS is first and foremost a company, operating under the rules and regulations of the authorities including the Registrar of Companies, and the Securities Commission and Bursa Malaysia for its listed four subsidiaries (PETRONAS Dagangan Bhd, PETRONAS Gas Bhd, MISC Bhd and KLCC Property Holdings Bhd.

PETRONAS the holding company produces annual reports which are made to whomever wants them, and are distributed to many parties and places; including to the library at the Parliament House for perusal and reading pleasure of all Yang Berhormat MPs (if they care to read). PETRONAS also makes the annual report available on its website, for those who bother to look. The accounts are duly audited.

The website also contains a lot of useful information, if people really care to find out. Although PETRONAS is not listed on Bursa Malaysia, for all intents and purposes, it could be considered a listed entity as its bonds and financial papers are traded overseas. This requires scrutiny from investors, and from rating agencies such as Standard & Poor and Moody's.

BOYCOTT PETRONAS?

6) The last time I checked, this is still a democratic country, where people are free to spend their money wherever they like.

For those who like to see more of the money that they spend go back to the local economy and benefiting their fellow Malaysians, perhaps they should consider sticking to local products or companies.

For those who like to see that the money they spend go back to foreign shareholders of the foreign companies overseas, they should continue buying foreign products.

FINAL WORD (FOR TODAY)

I'm sorry this is rather long, but I just have to convey it. I hope this would help some of you out there understand something. The oil and gas industry, apart from being very capital intensive, is also very complex and volatile. I'm learning new things almost every single day.


Monday 16 June 2008

Sleepy Dopeys

Birmingham - Manchester - Liverpool - Preston - Birmingham make one a sleepy head. Check this out: nobody wants to wake up!

Nat: tak nak mandi

Aiman: make my bed!

Sarah: down under also can sleep

Anas & Amir: Dawn - When men of reason go to bed.

So what's the best option? Go for shock therapy!

Saturday 14 June 2008

Sgtrane Mnid

This sat in my inbox today.

I'm one of the 55 Are You? Don't even think about using spell check!!!!!!!!

fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too. Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can.
i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghi t pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs forwrad it.

Friday 13 June 2008

Spin One London

Woke up this morning & felt like I was hit by a truck. It was all about yesterday .. brought mom et al around London. Covent Garden, Trafalgar Sq, Whitehall, Downing St, Westminster, Big Ben, London Eye, Green Park, Buckingham Palace (Queen ada .. tidor kot, panas2 ni, kena teh pas tu tidor, sure best). By 1600 a bit hungry. Torn between Mesia Hall or Bonda Cafe. Bonda Cafe won, coz i felt like eating mee mamak today. Nak pegi?

Bonda Cafe
190 Sussex Gardens, Paddington, London, W2 1PU
Fon: 02074025111

Sedap, tak tipu.

But getting there from Victoria was hell. No Circle line for such a long time. Decided to take District line .. long story short 2 x 5, 5 x 2 .. change here, change there .. last2 sampai.

Opened the door to be met by stares from a group of Melayus in suits. Some MARA, some HiComm and 2 Datuks. One of them a minister in a ministry where one of my school senior is the deputy. Waiter siap datang, "Bang, kami tutup sekejap for a private function." Aku dah menggelegak, kalau tau baik aku gi makan kebab ke, Mesia Hall ke, dah la kebulur. "Agak2 berapa lama?". He turned to get some idea .. then said, "dalam setengah jam". Tetiba he came back and said, "Diorang kata tak pe,boleh masuk." Haaa, macam tu laa. Later on I found out satu kakak from MARA yg suruh kitorang masuk, coz diorang dah bukan main lama kat situ. I thought so .. tengok coffee + goreng pisang. Kira end of the meal la kan.

But no mee mamak for me .. goreng2 not allowed, bising .. hek eleh. Habih tu kasi menu buat per. Later one mat salleh came in, then quickly out .. told us, no fried kue tiaw today.

Anyway, one or two were menjeling like we were sampah. Amboi, aku jaga korang punya investment tau, kang aku sengaja2 kasi kantol macam Baring Bank baru tau. I knew what they were talking about. Logically OK la, tapi financially will be a bomb. Cerita kat sini? Naaah. May be I'll sell the story to Pete aka RPK. Or not. Kasi free je for old friends sake.

Anyway, letih la. Tidoq koyt.

Wednesday 11 June 2008

NGV

Mom’s here in Egham. Picked her & bro + sis-in-law ku yg cun macam Hamidah Wahab tu at 1710. No one was waiting at the customs – so macam biasa, lalu buat derk aja. At home, Mom regretted not bringing in more ikan bilis etc. Amboi, mentang2 la tak kena caught. Also thank you Wan for the rempeyek & botok2.

Lagi mau sumbat!

My bro in KL asked me whether he should add NGV tank behind the Honda Accord buruk (which I left to him).

Well, lets do abit of calculation:

TOTAL FUEL COST

Fuel/litre = RM2.70
Milage per month = 2,000 km

Assumption:
  • To & fro work: 60 km x 25 working days (including merewang at Mid Valley Mega Mall, makan sup Sururi, futsal nights at Sportsbarn) = 1,500 km
  • Balik kampung once a month = 500 km (assume KL – Kuantan – KL)
  • Total milage per month = 2,000 km
  • 1 litre can go 12 km
Fuel usage = 2,000 km / 12 km per litre = 166.7 litre per month
Total fuel cost = 166.7 litre x RM2.70 per litre
= RM450 per month

TOTAL NGV COST

NGV/litre = RM0.68
Total NGV cost = 166.7 litre x RM0.68 per litre
= RM113 per month

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PETROL & NGV PER MONTH
RM450 – RM113 = RM337
or 75% savings.

Ooops! Not yet.

NGV conversion kit range from RM3,000 and RM3,500 (so said Buletin TV3)
Assuming higher demand, and kedai ketuk to the max, lets take RM3,500 as the basis for calculation.

Dividing the Conversion kit cost with the savings, we get = RM3,500 / RM337 per month = about 10 months

This means, the breakeven would be reached in 10 months. After that, pure savings of RM337 per month. Of course, if your car is about to die in the 11th month, fogeddaboudit lah.

Now, what can I buy with that RM337?

Monday 9 June 2008

Food for Thought

We never had any problem to eat, have we? The Malays say "Ulat dalam batu pun boleh hidup" as well as "Tiap-tiap orang ada rezeki masing2". But what if the world run out of food?

Possible .. eh? May be so. World population more than double since the 50's. It's now about 6.5 billion. Technology changed and food supply boomed. Crops yield greater. We even have genetic engineering to help us feed ourselves. Population grew and per capita income grew in line. Check out China, India .. the Eastern European countries. Higher income means higher propensity to spend - you eat more and want more protein. Before, the Chinese probably eat chicken rice (the peasants food, probably more rice than chicken). But now they want to eat more beef, more pork. Livestock requires feeding, and to produce say 1 kg of beef, you need 7 kg of cereals to feed the cow.

Arable land is finite.
In 1950 - there was 0.5 ha of land for food production for every person.
Today - 0.3 ha
In 2020 - forecast to be less than 0.2 ha
China already feeds over 20% of the world’s population on 7% of the world’s farmland. And climate change could make this situation worse.

Human catch fish like they are dredging for gold. No regards for the small and young. Even whales and seals are not spared, despite threats of extinction.

The crisis in Haiti force the Haitians to resort to eating cakes made of dirt (and pay for it!).

Man's worst fear: not able to put food on the table.
And when they fear: they'll do anything you ask them to do to allay that fear
So, could it be that someone/a group of people is setting this scene to shackle us all and pull us by our noses?

Sunday 8 June 2008

In the News & On the Tube

In view of the high oil price and for those with mata lebam due to the ongoing Euro 2008, something to cheer all of us up:

1) Commenting on a complaint from a Mr. Arthur Purdey about a large gas bill, a spokesman for North West Gas said, "We agree it was rather high for the time of year. It's possible Mr. Purdey has been charged for the gas used up during the explosion that destroyed his house."
(The Daily Telegraph)

2) Police reveal that a woman arrested for shoplifting had a whole salami in her underwear. When asked why, she said it was because she was missing her Italian boyfriend.
(The Manchester Evening News)

3) Irish police are being handicapped in a search for a stolen van, because they cannot issue a description. It's a Special Branch vehicle and they don't want the public to know what it looks like.
(The Guardian)

4) A young girl who was blown out to sea on a set of inflatable teeth was rescued by a man on an inflatable lobster. A coast guard spokesman commented, "This sort of thing is all too common".
(The Times)

5) At the height of the gale, the harbourmaster radioed a coastguard and asked him to estimate the wind speed. He replied he was sorry, but he didn't have a gauge. However, if it was any help, the wind had just blown his Land Rover off the cliff.
(Aberdeen Evening Express)

6) Mrs. Irene Graham of Thorpe Avenue, Boscombe, delighted the audience with her reminiscence of the German prisoner of war who was sent each week to do her garden. He was repatriated at the end of 1945, she recalled. "He'd always seemed a nice friendly chap, but when the crocuses came up in the middle of our lawn in February 1946, they spelt out 'Heil Hitler.'"
(Bournemouth Evening Echo)

A list of actual announcements that London Tube train drivers have made to their passengers...

1) "Ladies and Gentlemen, I do apologise for the delay to your service. I know you're all dying to get home, unless, of course, you happen to be married to my ex-wife, in which case you'll want to cross over to the Westbound and go in the opposite direction."

2) "Your delay this evening is caused by the line controller suffering from E & B syndrome: not knowing his elbow from his backside. I'll let you know any further information as soon as I'm given any."

3) "Do you want the good news first or the bad news? The good news is that last Friday was my birthday and I hit the town and had a great time. The bad news is that there is a points failure somewhere between Stratford and East Ham, which means we probably won't reach our destination."

4) "Ladies and gentlemen, we apologise for the delay, but there is a security alert at Victoria station and we are therefore stuck here for the foreseeable future, so let's take our minds off it and pass some time together. All together now.... 'Ten green bottles, hanging on a wall.....'."

5) "We are now travelling through Baker Street... As you can see, Baker Street is closed. It would have been nice if they had actually told me, so I could tell you earlier, but no, they don't think about things like that".

6) "Beggars are operating on this train. Please do NOT encourage these professional beggars. If you have any spare change, please give it to a registered charity. Failing that, give it to me."

7) During an extremely hot rush hour on the Central Line, the driver announced in a West Indian drawl: "Step right this way for the sauna, ladies and gentleman... unfortunately, towels are not provided."

8) "Let the passengers off the train FIRST!" (Pause.) "Oh go on then, stuff yourselves in like sardines, see if I care - I'm going home...."

9) "Please allow the doors to close. Try not to confuse this with 'Please hold the doors open.' The two are distinct and separate instructions."

10) "Please note that the beeping noise coming from the doors means that the doors are about to close. It does not mean throw yourself or your bags into the doors."

11) "We can't move off because some idiot has their hand stuck in the door."

12) "To the gentleman wearing the long grey coat trying to get on the second carriage - what part of 'stand clear of the doors' don't you understand?"

13) "Please move all baggage away from the doors." (Pause..) "Please move ALL belongings away from the doors." (Pause...) "This is a personal message to the man in the brown suit wearing glasses at the rear of the train: Put the pie down, Four-eyes, and move your bl**dy golf clubs away from the door before I come down there and shove them up your a**e sideways!"

14) "May I remind all passengers that there is strictly no smoking allowed on any part of the Underground. However, if you are smoking a joint, it's only fair that you pass it round the rest of the carriage."

Friday 6 June 2008

Black Gold

Its the last day of the week but I knew it was gonna be a long day today. All Board papers & related materials need to be completed today. Oil settled up 8.4% at a record-high $138.54 on the New York Mercantile Exchange today.

The United States - the world's biggest oil consumer - stands mostly powerless as national oil companies like Venezuela's PDVSA and Russia's Gazprom block access to key oil reserves and demand a larger share of the profits in exchange for allowing international oil companies to drill.

Suddenly the 41% hike in Mesia (and 10% in India) almost seem justified. Today I read someone wrote about how Malaysians have been paying off their subsidies via the taxation imposed on cars. Quite true - check out the Kastam website .. the duty, excise & sales tax slapped on imported cars are crazy! In other words, the government have it both ways!

And it's not the end .. more to come. Goldman Sachs is forecasting $152/bbl by end of next year. At this rate, looks likely to hit by end of this year. Not to mention the possibility of the black gold spurting to $200/bbl!

Quarterly price forecasts

Teringat kat Mar .. kena tuang minyak every few days, coz kereta buruk tu minum minyak!

So what are we to do?

Some really good suggestions:
1. Changing your driving habits
2. Cheap car maintenance
3. Drive less
4. Use fuel efficient cars

I especially like the slip-string idea. Tried it before - memang frictionless. Rasa macam Schumacher lak.

And oh .. Tan Sri Sarji got his Tun-ship today. Congratz Tun.

Wednesday 4 June 2008

Meal No. 10

Every Friday I try to be a good boy and go Mesia Hall for solat Jumaat. In the earlier days it was either Old Street or Mesia Hall (previous management). Old Street surau is a cuboid hall not unlike a small balai raya. The patrons are mostly Pakistanis, Indians, Melayu & a few caucasians.

The attraction - there's a Chicken Cottage nearby with superb Meal No. 10 & No. 4. Chicken Cottage is a franchise but the taste is so inconsistent between one cottage to another. This particular outlet is simply the best. So franchise guys, learn from McD etc.

The pemotong stim - Wuduk a bit leceh - no proper wuduk area, just sink. Imam is usually the Osama bearded style dude (I think he's a lawyer), Pakistani. Makes it a point to check every row right before starting the prayer so that the safs are all straight - ankle to ankle, shoulder to shoulder (My take: straight saf simply means everybody of the same "level" in the community/group/committee/company should have similar skills and knowledge to make decisions to do the job. Check out 61:4). The most potong stim - khutbah. Despite in English, the topic is so redundant. I mean - haven't you had enough of how tangkals make you syirik (how about explaining what syirik is in 42:13), Isra' Mi'raj stories (how about explaining what exactly is 17:1), all the feqah things which everybody who goes to the masjid has already and is currently practising?

The crunch was when I was alone in the office one Friday, and decided to go to Old Street. Got there & the door was chained & locked. Hampeh!

So nowadays its almost always Mesia Hall. Khutbah cool with Ustaz Erfino speaking intermittent English & Malay. And the topics are so much more contemporary & relevant. Check out:
http://www.erfino.blogspot.com/

Anyway, time letih letih tu tidor gak. He he .. sama je cam masa solat kat Tabung Haji!

So okay, dah melalut lama dah ni. Panjang mukaddimah. Actually the point is: Today I was feeling like having No 10 meal, so thought of roping the boys to get on the bus there. But trust Shahrul, he called and brought us to a new place at Farringdon, just 2 tube stops from Moorgate via Hammersmith or Circle line. Today its: Tinseltown - American Diner & Milkshake Bar

The best thing is its halal, price reasonable & the milkshake kick ass (had Kinder Bueno just now). Worth a try. Its got 4 outlets: Farringdon, Hampstead, Wimbledon & Leichester. Check it out.

http://www.tinseltown.co.uk/

So, Meal No 10. I'll come to you tomorrow.

Axis

Bukan Axis of evil OK. Its Axis at 1 Aldwych kat Strand. Went with RY & Dell to see Div. Babe juga .. ala ala Kavita Sidhu .. pergh!

Eh! Cerita makan lagi..

Had smoked salmon for starters. Main course was so late - coz they had some tables with loads of customers (kata dia la - tak de la pulak aku nampak ramai sangat). As a result coffee was free & they gave 20% discount.

For main course, I had Monkfish cheeks, pot roasted lobster, white beans, shellfish bouillon (£22.50 - mahal kan?) .. balun .. sedap.

http://www.onealdwych.com/aldwych/home/onealdwych_restaurants_bars/axis.html

Went to Goldman Sachs Asset Mgmt. after that. Nice setting, not to mention bonus. Arrgh!!

Tuesday 3 June 2008

C

Hari ni rasa bodoh sangat. Aku gi bayar Congestion Charge without checking the map. Ghope nya Earl's Court route lalu River Thames sampai Vauxhall Bridge tak kena charge, just miss. Siot je.. tak pasal2 aku sedekah £8 kat Queen.

The only consolation is I'm happy coz I bought Taufik, Ani & Adam + aku dan askar2 aku, dinner. We had dinner at the Sea Cow at East Dulwich.
http://www.theseacow.co.uk/

Sedaap .. Calamari dia, pergh! Crab cake dia, masyuuk!

Then, bila nak balik baru aku click. Aku makan kat restoran Dugong rupanya.

Monday 2 June 2008

Booting Books at Taplow

Rina forced me up at 0600. Apparently she had some arrangement with Syamil that we, the dads will take them to Windsor Great Park for them to cycle. And I had no prior knowledge about this (I think neither did Dell). Ok lah, ok lah .. I need the exercise anyway. So squeezed a bike at the back of the Touran and shot to Virginia Water. Headed for Savil Garden entrance (this is where parking is free for the 1st 90 minutes) but the parking machine was still asleep. Apparently the barrier opens/works at 0800, so we parked on London Road in front of the entrance.

Jogged and found a nice man-made waterfall. An OK spot for a picnic. Syamil dapat hadiah - fell while cycling & bruised his knee, quite badly. Don't know whether he can make it to the skating ring tomorrow. The moms are gonna get them to Slough tomorrow.

Continued the day to Taplow car boot. Today the car boot is not that meriah, but not bad.
Rina with her stuff toys, Shasya with her cat figurines. Me - as usual cari buku murah. Got a good hard cover of Wild Swan by Jung Chang for 50 p. Also picked a New Testament at 10 p for easy reading on the train. Mangkuk betul mat salleh ni, kitab sendiri boleh jual sekupang je. Kitab ni version kecik, pocket size. I wish I can find a Quran (with translation) at that size.

Gosh! I don't even know when I can start coz at the moment I'm reading so many at the same time!!
The Afghan - Frederick Forsythe
Shift - Carlos Ghosn
Twilight in the Desert - Matt Simmons

and Egham library books lagi! (Remember kena hantar 17 June)
Simpson Comics: Dollars to Donuts
Trinity Blood
Spiderman: Wild Blue Yonder
Superman: End of the Century
Batman: Gothic
CSI: Dominos
Stonehaven: Milk Carton & Dog Biscuits

Tak pe lah, ilmu tu ibarat air. Biarlah banjir otak aku sampai meleleh keluar telinga. Pasal banyak lagi ni, sampai kena alir ke bawah pulak (tengah train Shaysa baca comic omputeh). Kalau simpan tak mengalir nanti busuk macam air char pulak. Oh ya, kalau nak pandai, "air" ni lah yang kena minum ye, bukan air jampi kay.

18:109 Katakanlah: Sekiranya lautan menjadi tinta untuk (menulis) kalimat-kalimat Tuhanku, sungguh habislah lautan itu sebelum habis (ditulis) kalimat-kalimat Tuhanku, meskipun Kami datangkan tambahan sebanyak itu (pula)."