Billingsgate Market

I finally got to Billingsgate market after months of talking but no action. The reason is due to its early closing hours, which I thought no public transport is available. But I was wrong. The 24-hour bus 108 brought us (Johanna and my parents) there last Saturday morning. My parents have just arrived from Malaysia the evening before.

Since this market is quite new, I expected something like Sydney Fish Market where all items are neatly displayed in glass display units and the floor is kept dry. To my disappointment, the whole place felt just like any other wet markets in Malaysia where the floor is wet and all the stocks are strewn on cement tabletops or placed in styrofoam containers.

Some of the shots I've taken of the market.

I've also managed a few shots of Canary Wharf. This time in near perfect weather instead of the overcast last September. I found out that clear sky may be good for colour photography but not for black and white as the sky colour is too dark to provide good contrast.





More photos at http://flickr.com/photos/jihying/sets/72157600238369068/

TDM in ICU

Rocky has reported that Tun Dr. Mahathir has been warded due to breathing difficulties.

Let's hope he'll recover soon.

The Hardi Jaafar Goal

I saw this text contribution to thelondonpaper from LEDIL in response to the most stunning goal. LEDIL's best goal is a goal by Malaysian Hardi Jaafar. I youtubed Hardi Jaafar and watched the video of the goal. While it is debatable whether he was intending to cross or shoot, the way the ball travelled into the goal is incredible!

Watch it for yourself if you haven't seen this before.

Happy Mothers' Day

Happy Mothers' Day to all mums out there especially to my mum.

Thank you for all the hardship and sacrifices in bringing us up.

The following is the last thing any Terengganu mums will want to find out.

The Star

State Religious Department commissioner Datuk Shaikh Harun Ismail said that in Terengganu, polygamous man could solemnise the marriage without informing his wife or wives.

State Islam Hadhari and Welfare committee chairman Abdullah Che Muda said the men were subjected to certain rulings of the Religious Department, such as being mentally and financially stable, has in-depth knowledge of the religion and able to render fair treatment to all wives.

Now, how do we judge whether one is able to render fair treatment to all wives, especially when the wives need not be informed about the decisions?

This new ruling must have excited many gatal men in Terengganu.

Update:

This post is meant to highlight the plight of some Muslim women, in support of some Muslim women's movement to prevent the abuse of Islam in conjunction with Mothers' Day. You can find similar opinions raised by some Muslim women bloggers out there.

Rules on having four wives.

Men are prohibited from cheating on their wives, meaning a man can't marry another woman without the knowledge of his wife. He should tell her, for she might refuse such situation, and in this case it's totally her right if she asked for divorce.

Polygamy is not a rule or an order but an exception. Many people are under the misconception that it is compulsory for a Muslim man to have more than one wife.

Now Even the Professionals Need Crutches!

The Star

UTUSAN Malaysia reported that Malay economists, lawyers and politicians had urged the Government to uphold Maybank's introduction of ownership criteria on legal firms that wanted to serve on the bank's panel to have 50% bumiputra equity.

They said that it was in line with the government's policy for fair distribution of wealth, particularly for the bumiputra who still lagged behind economically.

They added that the Government should appreciate Maybank's initiative as it would open doors to bumiputra law firms to participate directly in the country's economic development.

Last week, Maybank's requirement for legal firms on its panel to have a bumiputra partner with at least a 50% stake sparked controversy and drew much criticism for being discriminatory and led to the Cabinet directing the bank on Wednesday to withdraw its condition.

Economist Haim Hilman Abdullah described Maybank's action as fulfilling its corporate social responsibility and said that everyone should support the voluntary move.

“In my view, firms that do not fulfil this requirement still have many opportunities to deal with other banks that do not impose such conditions,” the economist said.

Universiti Utara Malaysia economic lecturer Assoc Prof Asan Ali Gulam said the Government should encourage other banks to follow Maybank's example and not view it as being discriminatory towards other races.

Barisan Nasional Backbencher's Club acting chairman Datuk Raja Ahmad Zainuddin Raja Omar said that Maybank's policy was not meant to make Malays control the economy but to create a balance and give every race an equal opportunity.

Berita Harian also reported that the Malaysian Muslim Lawyers Association and several bumiputra legal firms supported Maybank.

For one to become a professional, one must have certain capabilities in order to qualify as one. Professionals are usually much better off than the general population. Why must they be given handouts? Isn't it embarrassing for a professional to request for handouts? Those who argue that handouts are needed must be insulting all the capable bumiputera lawyers out there.

What's next? 50% bumiputera equity for actuarial consultancies, audit firms, doctors? Or maybe bumiputera pay 50% less taxes?

What kind of signal are we sending to the globalised world? I'm truly worried about Malaysia's competitive position in light of many similar issues.

I was surprised to know that there is even such thing as Muslim Lawyers Association. Imagine having a Muslim or Christian Actuaries Society of Malaysia too.

From my minimal knowledge of Islam, the foundation of Islam is justice. Furthermore I wonder whether such way of obtaining wealth is halal?

All these are fuelled by greed. "Lagged behind" means not rich enough.

MP Batu Gajah leaks every month

"Mana ada bocor, Batu Gajah pun tiap-tiap bulan pun bocor juga."

This was how vulgar our MPs were at the Parliament yesterday.

The remark that “MP Batu Gajah leaks every month” was uttered by the two MPs yesterday afternoon when MP of Batu Gajah (Fong Poh Kuan) drew the House’s attention to the leakages near the media room after a heavy downpour. Not surprisingly, they are the MPs of Jasin and Kinabatangan.

Instead of allowing the parties involved to respond to the recent problems in Government buildings, these MPs are hitting below the belt.

I'm sure all women will feel deeply offended by such sexist remarks, especially with Mothers' Day just around the corner.

Yet another sad and embarrassing day for Malaysian politics.

Once again, advancement of technology ensures that all the action is captured and archived on the internet.

Letter from Mr. Shaariibuu to the Malaysian Government and Media

To: The Government and Media in Malaysia

Date: 2 May 2007

I would like to refer to the news report by Bernama on 24 April 2007: http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/4/24/nation/17528667&sec=nation in which the obvious was confirmed - that my four year old grandson Altanshagai’s father was a Mongolian (son of Altantuya’s ex-husband) and not a Malaysian - Abdul Razak Baginda.

The newspaper mentioned that the person who revealed the result was a police source and I would like to thank him or her for this interesting piece of news.

However, I would like to ask: how did the police come to know the result when no DNA samples were taken from my grandson? The forensic experts from Malaysia visited my home in Ulaanbataar on 14 March 2007, they saw my grandson but did not take his blood samples. Instead they took blood samples from my wife.

Anyway, I have already made clear in a press conference here that Altantuya met Baginda in 2004, but my grandson was born in 2003, so it is impossible for the boy to be Baginda’s son.

Another matter which I would like to say is that I take note that Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Ministe Najib Tun Razak has denied (although the C4 explosive used to kill her can only come from his ministry of defense) that he was in any manner related to my murdered daughter Altantuya.

But I would like to remind the dear Mr.Najib and also Prime Minister of Malaysia Abdullah Ahamad Badawi that the crime was committed by your security officers (who are now in custody of the police and awaiting trial in June).

Baginda has also stated in his affidavit that this security officer of yours had killed about 5-6 people before, and it seems in the case of my daughter Altantuya, your political adviser Razak Baginda abetted the crime.

Also according to Baginda’s affidavit, your colleague Mr.Musa Safri played an important role into the murder but he has not been charged with any crime or even questioned as to what role they have played in the murder.

The whole world is watching when the trial is held in June. That’s why Malaysian government should to handle the crime with high responsibility.

I would like to request that it would be a charitable response for the evil that your officers have done, if the government can make some civic conscious compensation for Altantuya’s orphans, including the youngest one who is very sick.

We have lost Altantuya for almost seven months and we are still grieving her lost. I do not think Altantuya will rest in peace until all these questions are answered.

Thank you very much for taking the time to respond to me.

Shaariibuu.S, citizen of Mongolia, the deceased’s father

Glory Glory Man United!

Finally we've clinched it! After so many years of waiting.

Whatever happened in Milan has been erased instantly as we've won the most important prize of all.

Now I'll be concentrating on the survival of my 'home' team, since I am staying only one mile away from Upton Park and West Ham. Ironically they'll be meeting United in their penultimate game of the season. Hmm... tough decision.

Dutch getaway

Johanna & I departed for Amsterdam immediately after my last exam on Wednesday. It's payback time for me for neglecting her for the past few weeks.

It was Johanna's first visit and my third.

The obvious place to visit was Keukenhof in Lisse. We went there after checking in to our hotel on the morning of our arrival. It was a field day for the camera, but not our other camera - the S2 IS as it had gone blind! We just couldn't get it to work. I hope we can get it fixed in London next week.

We got back to Amsterdam later in the evening and managed to take the canal cruise. We visited the notorious red light district after dinner before calling it a day. The next day we visited Gassan Diamond, famous for its Gassan 121 - the unique brilliant cut with 121 facets. Johanna had the opportunity to place a few lovely diamonds on her fingers. I'm sure she felt very happy with that, next to me buying one for her of course. Hmm... Might need to visit Amsterdam again in the future.

We visited few other places - Rembrandt Square, floating flower market, Begijnhof, Leidseplein, the Joordan area, including walking past Ann Frank House. We had the opportunity to sample some traditional Dutch food such as the pancake. Johanna also bought some traditional cookies - kwekeboom, for her colleagues. We ended our trip with a ride on the tram to the suburbs before heading to Amstel Station to board the coach.

Overall, it has been a great trip, especially being at Keukenhof. It was also Johanna's first time in continental Europe. She had gone through two other countries in the process - France and Belgium. We were both amazed with the port of Dover, where we board the ferry to Calais. Johanna didn't quite like Amsterdam as it was disorganised, with so many bikes lying around like "trash" according to her, and the poor design of the buildings in the old town. Amsterdam was also very dirty, as she thought London is dirty enough. But she did enjoy Keukenhof a lot and the views on and off the canals too.

I've posted some photos from Keukenhof at http://jihying.com/photos/?a=55 and of Amsterdam at http://jihying.com/photos/?a=53.

To view more photos, please click Keukenhof and Amsterdam.

Embarrassing behaviour of our leaders

The following was what happened during Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation Datuk Seri Dr. Jamaludin Jarjis when he met up with some students in California on 30th April. The following was reported by the victim.

Incident 1 - Each student had to briefly introduce themselves. When it came to her turn, while speaking he interrupted her and asked if she knew Samy Vellu, because he knows him. She did not see any relevance in that and he mentioned it a few times for no apparent reason.

Incident 2 – He gave a speech regarding how agriculture started in Malaysia. He mentioned how the British invested in Malaysia and made farmers work. Due to the lack of work force, “buruh India” was brought in. While mentioning this, he looked at her saying “that’s how we get Indians in Malaysia”.

Incident 3 – After saying he is going to get MARA to help the Bumiputra students, he looked at her and asked “How many Indians are here?” Sheena did not keep track of number of Indian students so she mentioned that in the room there were two (pointing to another Malaysian Indian friend, who is fair skinned) and Jamaludin looked at him and asked “Oh. You are an Indian? Which means you are an upper class Indian and she is the lower class one” (pointing at her). Jamaludin went on to say that, “Oh, I am not going to help upper class Indians, I only help the lower class ones. They are the ones that need it’.

Please judge for yourself the character of one of our ministers and reflect on how our country is run and our policies are formulated. 50 years of independence, but our leaders have yet to grow out of narrow, bigotary views. Reading quotations from our leaders, PM included, from the mainstream media (their main voice piece) saddens me. The Ijok by-election was a real joke - money politics, gangster politics, Zam's protest to BBC and his ignorance on blogging, etc. There is enough technology to capture everything today and these people still think they can get away with murder.

José beaten by José

The Portugese José was beaten by the Spanish José when Pepe Reina (his real name José Manuel Reina Páez) saved two penalties to send Liverpool into Champions League final. Johanna was extremely delighted as she dislike the Blues - namely Drogba (not very sporting, like many other Chelsea players who loves to cheat) and José (his arrogance).

Tomorrow is the big game for United. We have our nose in front against Milan. According to the press, Vidic and Ferdinand travelled with the team. I hope they will be able to start, at least one of them. Too bad Neville will not recover on time for any action until the end of the season. Ronaldo, Heinze and Scholes will have to be very careful not to be yellow-carded, or else will miss the final. Scholesy had already done that in 1999.

Too bad, I'll miss this great match as I'll be on my way to Amsterdam tomorrow evening. Hope to get some good news (SMS) on the match.

The Devils will tear Prada apart like how we did it to the Old Lady in 1999.

Next up, Scousers in Athens.