Sufiah Yusof: Maths-prodigy-turned-hooker

I first got to know the news when I dropped by rocky bru's. Click here for the post.

An excerpt:
Remember Sufiah Yusof, Malaysia's child prodigy in the UK, the girl who gained entry into Oxford at the age of 12? She is now a HOOKER. The following British newspaper article quotes her as claiming that she is studying for a Masters degree in Economics. Perhaps our Higher Education Minister Khaled Nordin wants to stop whining and help her (see link after this main story).

Read the entire story HERE.
You can access the original story at the News of the World but it contains pictures that may offend some.

I found the original story when I googled for 'Sufiah Yusof Keith Gladdis'. Click here for more.

Don't make me angry...

Dare you test a dog's patience?

www.meadjohnsonasia.com

Out of curiousity, I visited Mead Johnson Asia and registered as an online member so as to enjoy Mead Johnson's online offerings.

What did I get? First off, a sample of Enfagrow A+.

I hope it will come soonest.

4D scan @ UKMSC

For lack of or no communication between the administration of UKMSC (private wing of HUKM) and the Klinik O&G (goverment wing), we had a frustrating time before the 4D scan. By right, we did not need to wait as our appointment had been pre-arranged but we ended up waiting for close to 40 minutes.

Finally, after we were 'cleared' at the counter of Klinik O&G, we were allowed to enter the room for scanning. Throughout the almost-half-an-hour scanning, we could see almost every part of the baby - the heart (in good shape), fingers, feet, backbone, head and face! (see pic).

Nevertherlesss, the scan couldn't detect the private part as baby's legs and feet were closed up.

All in all, we were satisfied with the scan though we didn't know the baby's sex. Moreover, it only cost us RM100, thanks in part to our gynae, Professor Paul. Thus, a further RM20 discount! Yay!

Original

After edit

Tiring Thursday but thank God for everything!

What a day! Spent almost 7 agonizing hours at RHB Collection Center (next to Masjid Jamek LRT Station) today to solve some problems.

Nevertheless, thank God that I had the opportunity to learn. Thank God for granting me patience. Also, thank God for Andy, a 50-something-year-old employee there. Time for lunch and I asked him, 'Any nice place to eat?' He said many and asked me to join him for lunch. I was delighted.

We went to this 'makan' place at an alley that was a stone's throw away. Both of us had 'chap fan' (economy rice). BIG portion but reasonably priced. Only cost me RM3.60 plus 'leong char' RM1. Thank God for a lunch partner and a good brother!

Yes, we were delighted to find out that we were both believers. He exclaimed, 'Praise the Lord!' when I introduced myself as 'Yeh so chai!' (God's son).

Zaid Said...(1)

In what I hope to be an 'audit trail' of what Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, the newly-appointed de facto Law Minister, had said and done or said but not done aka 'on the way!' or perhaps 'gone to the dung!', I am starting a series called 'Zaid Said'.

On Sunday 23 March, 2008 in the Star Online,
Zaid Said: Govt has to apologise to victims of 1988 judicial crisis
Today 27 March, 2008 in nst online,
Cabinet mulls apology proposal *moooooo* I think that's akin to pulling a cow up a tree!
So, that means most likely already 'gone toe the dung!' In this case, cow dung!
Also, today in The Star Online,
Zaid Said: Need to review state constitutions but the matter had to be discussed to get a consensus and ways found to harmonise the expectations of the democratic Government.
So, that means still 'on the way!'

How low can the racists go? Say no to Pizza Hut!

Couple days ago, I chanced upon 'How low can the racists go? Say no to Pizza Hut!' at The People's Parliament.

For those in the know or do-not-know, sometime last year, Pizza Hut Malaysia was rumoured to be practising racial profiling in its billing.

Personally, I received couple of forwarded emails of the rumour and had a friend who got a SMS to boycott Pizza Hut. Somehow, I just dismissed the rumour. Reason being I was and still is a die-hard Domino's Pizza eater! YEAH

Ok. Back to Pizza Hut.

If you want to know the truth, just go read the post or go Pizza Hut, eat and you will know!

www.comedycourt.com.my

Even The Malaysian Bar has gone to Comedy Court! And the song? Goodbye Sam!

Inspired by Psalm 97

I heard Michael W. Smith's 'Let It Rain' past midnight @ Allworship.com and he read from Psalm 97. The psalm really inspired me and sounded different.

I first googled 'mountain melt like wax + psalm' and found one result that gave the exact same version. Then, googled for 'psalm 97 nrsv'.

So, here goes Psalm 97 in New Revised Standard Version aka NRSV.

Psalm 97

¹The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!

²Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

³Fire goes before him, and consumes his adversaries on every side.

⁴His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles.

⁵The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth.

⁶The heavens proclaim his righteousness; and all the peoples behold his glory.

⁷All worshipers of images are put to shame, those who make their boast in worthless idols; all gods bow down before him.

⁸Zion hears and is glad, and the towns of Judah rejoice, because of your judgments, O God.

⁹For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.

¹⁰The Lord loves those who hate evil; he guards the lives of his faithful; he rescues them from the hand of the wicked.

¹¹Light dawns for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.

¹²Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!

(Source: http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=46243857)

Oh My...

Chat over lunch on Sunday, a friend related an incident of his kids talking to each other. He always taught them not to say, 'Oh My God!'

One day, as they were playing, the younger brother suddenly exclaimed, 'Oh My God!'

The eldest sister quickly corrected him, 'No, no. You cannot say that...'

Silence.

Unsure of what to say further, she said matter-of-factly, 'You must say, 'Oh My Devil!'

Signs of the Times: Crisis, cracks, implosion

Today's headline in The Star Online:
Crisis deepens

&

Cracks widen in Negeri MIC

Also, 'Implosion' from Screenshots.

The Resurrected Christ

He was buried. His body securely shut in a tomb.

“Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” they asked among themselves when Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome came to the tomb when the sun had risen. They came to anoint Him with spices that they bought.

When they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large. They entered the tomb and were alarmed when they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side. He said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here.

HALLELUJAH! CHRIST IS RISEN! DEATH COULD HOLD HIM IN THE GRAVE.
HE HAS COME TO EXECUTE JUSTICE AND RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR THE OPPRESSED.

XOXO lion love love

Isn't it awesome to be hugged by a lion?

Altantuya Murder Trial: 'najib altantuya'

Let us rewind to 8 months ago when a claim by a witness in court linking the picture of the deputy prime minister in the on-going murder trial of a Mongolian model, Altantuya Shaariibuu, at the Shah Alam High Court.

A Google search of 'najib altantuya' resulted mostly in blogs and alternative medias talking about it. Nevertheless, I found Bernama (the official mouthpiece of the goverment) on June 30, 2007 19:18 PM reported 'Najib Will Not Issue Statement On Altantuya Murder Case - Aide'.

Why isn't Najib called to witness in court to deny the claim by the witness?

Why, after 8 months, am I bringing this up? Reason being, as Tun Mahathir puts it, 'Melayu mudah lupa.' More than that, I think 'Malaysians mudah lupa.' I have also a clip here from youtube.com/malaysiakini
Explain photo with Altantuya: Anwar to Najib

Google Picasa2: My Lovely Wife & I

This pic was given a 'I'm Feeling Lucky' basic fix and 'Glow' Effect. Done by MJ, my wife...

Jesus, the ever-engaging Saviour

From his birth to his death, Jesus, God's one and only Son, stayed focus on His mission on earth.

From the highest to the lowest rung of society, Jesus met and mingled.

Stories of Jesus, from his youth to his last days on earth, were both compelling and convincing. He was in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions when he was twelve years old. Eighteen years later, when he began his ministry, he turned water to wine, healed a royal official's son and a man who was an invalid for thirty-eight years.

John, the author of the Gospel of John, said in the last verse of the last chapter, 'Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.' WOW! But then again, I wonder if John had a 100 GB hard drive to write on, would he have written everything down?

Why am I posting this? Reason being today is Good Friday, a day to remember Jesus who died for your sins and my sins. He has the power to forgive our sins and heal us.

www.malaysiakini.tv

All good things must come to an end, so they say.

For www.malaysiakini.tv, this seems to be the case.

Most videos are now available for Malaysiakini subscribers only.

Only selected videos are free to view but put on www.youtube.com/malaysiakini

Hmm...now that I can have both the vid and text version of all the stories in www.malaysiakini.tv and www.malaysiakini.com IF I subscribe, I am contemplating to do so.

But then again, is there anyone who would like to share the subscription fee with me? After all, no one subscriber will login Malaysiakini all the time, right?

Forget not

Psalm 103

A Psalm of David.

1 Bless the LORD, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
3 Who forgives all your iniquities, > Benefit 1
Who heals all your diseases, > Benefit 2
4 Who redeems your life from destruction, > Benefit 3
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, > Benefit 4
5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, > Benefit 5
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

HOT! HOT! HOT!

I find 'Susan Loone's Blog' take on the new cabinet line-up invigorating.

Read all about it in 'Malaysia’s new ‘kitchen’ cabinet very hot!'.

Nanny found

God is good all the time.

He provides way before time.

Our search for nanny ended today.

We will only 'hand over' the baby to the nanny in July.

Thanks to my dear who asked her auntie who found for us the nanny.

Nanny stays near MJ's working place. So, she can drop by nanny's house to feed baby during lunch.

Yay!

What day is today?

It is the 'Boycott the newspapers!' day.

Well, all of you informed Malaysians know by now what newspapers that we ought to boycott.

Read all about this cause started by the The People’s Parliament
an advocacy website for civil society aspirations.


Click here for more info.

Blogbuster

I've been thinking of the word 'blogbuster'. Perhaps, like the word 'blockbuster', it will one day find its way into the dictionary.
'Blockbuster' is defined in as 1. Something, such as a film or book, that sustains widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales.
Going by this definition, a 'blogbuster' in Joshua's dictionary (*cough, cough, excuse me*) is a blog that sustains widespread popularity and achieves enormous visitor hits!

In the Malaysian context, we already have at least two 'blogbusters'- www.jeffooi.com and www.kennysia.com. While the former is a serious-blogger-turned-member-of-parliament, the latter is a seriously-funny-blogger-turned-celebrity.

Anwar as alternative PM?

I deserted NST almost two decades ago. Not because I was politically conscious at that time but I simply found its content boring and presentation unappealing.

For the record, I am posting for the first time a story that was published yesterday in its online version - nstonline.

I first read the story in:
http://www.malaysia-today.net/2008/content/view/4491/84/

NST Online » Frontpage:
2008/03/16

DAP wants Anwar as alternative PM

By : Lee Keng Fatt and Melissa Darlyne Chow

Email to friend Print article

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GEORGE TOWN, Sun:

The DAP wants Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to be the alternative prime minister and help transform Malaysia into becoming a healthy functioning democratic country.

Its secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said the party chose Anwar because it believed that he was the most suitable person to complete the transformation.

Asked why Anwar, Lim, who is also Penang Chief Minister, told reporters that the former deputy prime minister was the common choice.

"He is widely accepted by everyone in the Opposition,” he said. "We hope he is allowed to take his rightful place in Parliament the soonest possible," said Lim.

Speaking at the one-day DAP national leadership convention, Lim urged party leaders and members not to rest on their laurels but must starting working as from now.
"Please remember that the national mission to transform Malaysia into a healthy functioning democracy is not yet won,” he said. "Only when there is political equality, equal economic opportunity, social justice, freedom from fear and corruption can this mission succeed. To do that, all members and leaders have to redouble their efforts to be a "friend" of the people to complete the national transformation of Malaysia.”

Lim said the DAP would continue to work with its allies in the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and non-governmental organisations to complete the transformation.

The DAP, in its aim to be dynamic, would double its membership by adding another 100,000 members before the next general election.

"This is challenging but not impossible,” he said. "After all, was it not considered impossible for DAP to win power in Penang together with PKR?"

"But we cannot be complacent. Just as Malaysians voted for DAP in this elections, they can just as easily vote the party out should we fail to deliver," he said, reminding them of how the DAP won by a record number of state seats in Penang in 1990 but was punished in one of their worst electoral defeat within a single term in 1995.

Earlier, party national chairman Karpal Singh said he had confident that the party would be succeed in leading the Penang government.

"It is not easy to run a state government but we have the people who are much better than the Barisan Nasional in doing so," he said.

Spurious SMS

At 1400 today, I received a SMS from my dear who received it from a friend. Its content:
Tolong bagitau sama kawan kawan cina dan india supaya menjauhi perhimpunan serta kawasan tol kerana pemuda umno nak buat dnmo mendesak pak lah turun, takut ia menjadi permulaan rusuhan kaum just like 13 Mei! We don't want chines & indians to be blamed. Plz inform all Please spread out!! Dr Hairud.

The first thought I had was 'Where?'. Then, 'Which toll?'. Lastly, 'Who is Dr Hairud?'. Though I doubted the authenticity of the message, I forwarded it to two people.

Later, I found out that the SMS seemed to have been circulating for quite some time now.

A Google search for 'dr hairud' resulted in 2 links related to a spurious site, Pacmee.com. How gullible of me to believe in the SMS.

Baby: 31 weeks ~ 63 days to go ~

I dreamt baby was a girl.
Prayer:
Father, thank You for Your grace and mercy.
Thank You for the gift of life.
I ask for good health for mommy and baby.
I ask for strength for mommy to carry baby.
I ask for Your blessings on baby.
Your love, wisdom and power to flow!
Protect mommy and baby wherever they are.
All these I ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

Disabled Parking @ Tesco Extra Cheras

So far, I have not come across any disabled parking at public places that is as disabled-friendly as the one at Tesco Extra Cheras.

Why? Reason being there's a security guard that has been assigned to ensure that only cars of disabled drivers get to park at any of the six lots located next to the entrance. I've found the security guard to be dedicated to his job. Each time I go there, I will see him at his 'battle station' or its vicinity.

A few days ago, I parked beside the disabled parking bay. While waiting in my car for my wife to come back from shopping, I snapped some photos for the purpose of this post.

Hey people, if you are in Cheras, shop at Tesco Extra. More so, if you are disabled and able to drive! Yeah! Let's hope we'll see more disabled-friendly amenities in the not-so-distant future.

Google: Picasa

Just downloaded Picasa from Google. I first used Picasa a few years ago, shortly after Google acquired it. I stopped as fast as I started using it.

I have just edited my first photo using the 'Basic Fixes' feature. It couldn't have been easier!

Look at the result. The contrast. Amazing.

Before

After

Malaysiakini: Newsflash

Deal stitched, all systems go in Perak
Mar 14, 08 12:04pm newsflash PKR deputy president Dr Syed Husin Ali confirms that the new composition will be six DAP, three PKR and one PAS to form the 10-person Perak state exco
(link: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/79810)

MIC States: Malay-Indian-Chinese States

PAS' Nizar is new Perak MB
Andrew Ong | Mar 12, 08 5:49pm breaking news updated 7.35pm DAP's Ngeh Khoo Ham has been appointed deputy MB (1) while an Indian assemblyperson will be named deputy MB (2).

• · Lim: DAP rejects Nizar as MB

Penang: Mohd Fairus, Ramasamy deputy CMs

Beh Lih Yi | Mar 12, 08 10:45am updated 3.55pm The decision to appoint a Malay and an Indian as deputy CMs was to have a state leadership which represents all communities.

• · Lim heads multiracial line-up in Penang
  

The above headlines say it all. Now Malaysia has two three-party states.

Even though the new MB of Perak is from PAS, I feel we ought to accept the decision of Sultan of Perak. Whether the MB is a Malay, Indian or Chinese, he has to be fair to all races and religions without fear or favour. Else, come the next general election, the parties concerned will have to face the rakyat again.
Remember, the rakyat is the boss. Hidup rakyat!

Malaysiakini: Samy says no to cabinet post

MIC President S Samy Vellu today said he would not be offering himself for a cabinet post in the new administration to be established by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Samy Vellu was the works minister in the last cabinet. He had held that ministerial post on two occasions - from 1979 to 1989 and then again from 1995 until the parliament was dissolved on Feb 13.

In between, he also served as the minister of energy, telecommunications and posts from 1989 to 1995. He made his entry into the government as a deputy minister of local government and housing in 1978 before his promotion to full ministership the following year.

Speaking to reporters today, Samy Vellu said that he would not be seeking a senatorship as a back way for him to return to the cabinet.

He added that he wanted to concentrate on party matters, trying to strengthen the party and recouping the lost trust among the Indian community.

Samy Vellu has been MIC’s president since 1979. It is widely speculated that this would be his last term as the party president. The next party polls are due in 2009.

MIC suffered a humiliating blow in the recently concluded general election with many of its representative suffering heavy defeats in the midst of a swing among the voters which resulted in unprecedented number of wins for the opposition parties.

MIC contested to regain its nine Parliament seats and 19 state seats, managing to win only three Parliament and six state seats.

Samy Vellu himself suffered an unexpected loss in Sungai Siput, a seat which he has held since 1974.

When asked about MIC’s representatives in the cabinet, Samy Vellu said that he has submitted names to the prime minister.

It is learnt that he has submitted the names of the three MIC parliamentarians - Dr S Subramaniam (party secretary general and Segamat MP), K Devamany (central working committee member and Cameron Highlands MP) and M Saravanan (party information chief and Tapah MP).

New face Saravanan, also the Federal Territory MIC chief, is seen as a favourite to be offered a minister’s post.
(link: http://malaysiakini.com/news/79679)

Arrow Massage

Can you tell me what 'arrow massage' is? (Click image to enlarge)

Taiwanese Steamboat @ Tian Xiang Restaurant

Birthday Girl, MJ

Birthday boy, Andrew

The herbal spiced-up soup

William, the gentle giant

Amanda, the poser. Brenda, the duckie.

Six of us (Amanda, Andrew, Brenda, William, MJ and I) had Taiwanese steamboat dinner last Sunday at Tian Xiang Restaurant at 318, Jalan Pudu.

Andrew, being the 'regular' there, recommended the restaurant. Moreover, he had some vouchers to 'dispose of' though he wanted to 'cash back'. *Joshua shaking his head*

Anyway, the purpose was to fellowship and to celebrate Andrew's and MJ's b-day.

To me, the food was not bad but the service so-so. Reason being there was this lady (perhaps in her 50s) who kept promoting and trying to make us buy vouchers. She came to our table before, during and after dinner for at least 10 times, each time trying to convince us to buy.
Cost per head: RM50. According to Andrew, you need to be ready to pay that amount when dining there. I think RM50 is for a decent meal. Right, Andrew?

Can a nation be born in a day?

Isaiah 66:8 (New International Version)
8 Who has ever heard of such a thing?
Who has ever seen such things?
Can a country be born in a day
or a nation be brought forth in a moment?
Yet no sooner is Zion in labor
than she gives birth to her children.

Can a country be born in a day? The answer is yes when God's people labor in prayer.

We have seen a new parliament of Malaysian and five of her states 'born' in one day.

Thank God for His grace. He has answered the prayers of the Church of Malaysia.

new malaysiakini links

click on any of these. should work. i just tried.

http://122.0.17.30/index.php

malaysiakini.jtwebsystems.com

malaysiakini.silenteve.net

(source from http://jelas.info/2008/03/09/new-malaysiakini-links/)

General Election: Live reports & Latest results

Malaysiakini is inaccessible since 11:08pm. Probably due to the high volume of traffic.

• Joseph Pairin trailing brother, DAP may take KK - 11.08pm

  BN’s Parti Rakyat Sabah (PBS) president and Sabah caretaker deputy chief minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan is trailing behind his brother, state deputy PKR chief Dr Jeffrey Kitingan at the Keningau parliamentary seat.
  
  Unconfirmed reports also say DAP has won the the Kota Kinabalu parliamentary seat through its Kota Kinabalu chief Dr Hiew King Chiew.

• Anwar: BN to lose two-thirds majority - 11.02pm

  PKR advisor Anwar Ibrahim said tonight that early results from the general election indicated the BN would lose its critical two-thirds majority in parliament.
  
  "We have crossed the one-third majority. This is based on information from the candidates from the initial counting," he told AFP. "This is a major victory... and we are moving up very fast towards (winning) 40 percent (of parliament seats)," he said.

• Confirmed: Opposition takes Kedah - 10.50pm

  Both the PAS and PKR have won 22 out of 36 state seats in Kedah. This means that the combined opposition will form the next state government there. Apart from Kedah, the opposition has won two other states - Kelantan and Penang.

• Unofficial: Pak Lah wins with reduced majority - 10.45pm

  The Barisan Nasional chairperson retains his Kepala Batas by a reduced majority of about 11,000. His majority in 2004 was 18,000.

• Unofficial: T Mohan defeated in Batu Caves - 10.44pm

  MIC’s new face T Mohan has been defeated by Amirudin Shari from the PKR.

• Unofficial: MIC’s Wanita chief Komala loses in Kapar - 10.44pm

  The incumbent parliamentarian is defeated by PKR’s S Manikavasagam by a 3,000-vote majority.

• Unofficial: MIC deputy president G Palanivel wins slim - 10.44pm

  The Hulu Selangor incumbent has won by a mere 100-vote majority.

• Wee Choo Keong takes Wangsa Maju - 10.42pm

  Unofficial: Former DAP leader Wee Choo Keong, has won the Wangsa Maju parliament seat in Kuala Lumpur for PKR. He is reported to have won by 500 votes. This will mark the return of the fiery lawyer to Parliament.

• BN wins big in Sarawak, only Kuching falls - 10.40pm

  BN in Sarawak, with only parliamentary seats being contested, is winning big. Results over RTM as at 10.29pm confirmed that DAP only managed to defend its sole Bandar Kuching seat. BN won Serian, Selangau, Julau, Petra Jaya, Betong, Bandar Sibu, Stampin, Miri and Kota Samarahan comfortably. However, BN only managed to scrap through Sarikei by a 51-vote majority.

• Unofficial: Najib wins in Pekan - 10.26pm

  Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak retained Pekan with a majority of about 26,000. He defeated PKR rookie Khairul Anwar Ahmad Zainuddin.

• Tsu Koon promises smooth transition - 10.25pm

  Former Penang chief minister Dr Koh Tsu Koon has promised a smooth transition of power to the combined opposition of DAP-PKR-PAS, which has taken over the state.
  
  State DAP chief Chow Kom Yeow said this was relayed to him by Koh who is also Gerakan acting president. Speaking at a press conference at Hotel Macalister in Georgetown, Chow said Koh told him that the wishes of the people must be respected. DAP has again appealed to its supporters to remain calm.

• Unofficial: Zam loses in Sungai Petani - 10.22pm

  The information minister has apparently lost Kedah’s Sungai Petani parliamentary seat to PKR’s Johari Abdul by 10,000 votes.

• Human rights lawyer Sivarasa wins Subang - 10.16pm

  PKR's R Sivarasa wins the Subang parliamentary seat by a majority of 8,000 votes. The opposition has also picked up the three state seats under Subang - Elizabeth Wong (PKR) in Bukit Lancang, Dr Nasir Mohd Hashim (PKR) in Kota Damansara and Khairudin Othman (PAS) in Paya Jaras.

• Confirmed: ISA detainee wins with big majority - 10.15pm

  Hindraf leader and ISA-detainee M Manoharan, on a DAP ticket, obtained 12,699 votes to win with a 7,184-vote majority the Kota Alam Shah state seat (Selangor).

• Confirmed: Tan Seng Giaw retains Kepong with higher majority - 10.10pm

  The six-term DAP incumbent obtained 35, 552 votes to win with a 23,848-vote.

• Unofficial: Wan Azizah retains Permatang Pauh - 10.05pm

  The PKR president and incumbent has won the seat by a 4,000-vote majority.

• KL's Titiwangsa falls to PAS - 10.05pm

  Unofficial: PAS' Dr Lo' Lo' Ghazali has won the Titiwangsa parliament seat with a majority of 1,972.

• DAP takes Klang - 10.01pm

  Unofficial: DAP candidate Charles Santiago has won the Klang parliament seat with 16,975 votes against MCA's Ch'ng Toh Eng.

• Unofficial: Nurul Izzah beats Shahrizat - 9.53pm

  According to ground reports, PKR's Nurul Izzah Anwar, Anwar Ibrahim's daughter, has knocked out Umno minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil at Kuala Lumpur's Lembah Pantai. Today is also International Women's Day.

• IGP: Don’t spread rumours of riots - 9.53pm

  Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan tonight warned that ISA will be invoked against those found spreading rumours of riots and urged those receiving such SMSes to report them to the police. Meanwhile, the opposition has urged its supporters to remain calm.

• Unconfirmed: Samy is out - 9.43pm

  Unofficial: MIC president S Samy Vellu has suffered a shock defeat at the hands of PSM’s Dr D Jeyakumar for the Sungai Siput parliamentary seat which he has held for nine terms. Jeyakumar polled 16,874 votes to Samy's 14,408. Today is Samy Vellu's 72nd birthday.

• Recount in Rembau - 9.41pm

  A recount is underway in the Rembau parliamentary seat which saw Khairy Jamaluddin taking on PKR’s Badrul Hisham Shaharin.

• Kayveas loses at Taiping - 9.40pm

  Another BN big gun, PPP's M Kayveas, who is a deputy minister, has lost his Taiping parliament seat. Winner DAP's Nga Hon Ming has told his supporters to have 'zero celebration'.

• PAS bags 15 seats in Kedah - 9.29pm

  According to PAS organ Harakah, the opposition party has won 15 of the 36 state seats in Kedah, including seats that were considered Umno strongholds. It needs four more seats to win government.

• Unofficial: Nurul creates upset in Lembah Pantai - 9.29pm

  According to polling agents, Nurul Izzah looks sets to unseat Shahrizat Abdul Jalil in the Lembah Pantai seat.

• PKR candidates leading in KL - 9.25pm

  Unofficial result: PKR’s Zuraida Kamaruddin defeated BN’s Azman Wahid in the Ampang parliamentary constituency.
  
  Meanwhile, Khalid Ibrahim has taken both the Bandar Tun Razak parliamentary seat where he contested against MCA’s Tan Chai Ho and the Ijok state seat against Umno’s Mohd Sayuti Said.
  
  PKR vice-president Azmin Ali is leading Umno’s Said Anuar Syed Ahmad in the Gombak parliamentary seat, while Nurul Izzah Anwar is leading in Lembah Pantai against Umno's Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.

• Unofficial: PAS concedes defeat in Terengganu - 9.20pm

  According to the state’s director of election Mustafa Ali, the party has conceded defeat in Terengganu, paving the way for BN to retain the state.

• Opposition supporters told to stay calm - 9.20pm

  DAP MP for Bukit Mertajam Chong Eng has advised all opposition supporters to remain calm and not provoke others. She also said they should refrain from having victory parades.
  
  “The Barisan Rakyat must learn how to handle victory or loss with maturity,” said her statement which comes as early polls result indicate a major swing towards the opposition.

• Close fight in Terengganu - 9.10pm

  Latest report from Terengganu is that Umno and PAS are neck in neck as counting continues in many of the state seats. PAS is said to be leading with eight state seats against Umno's five. At least 17 seats are needed to win the government as there are a total of 32 seats.

• Teresa Kok wins with whopping 36,600 majority - 9.02pm

  Teresa Kok has won her Seputeh parliamentary seat with an unprecedented 36,564 majority. She also won the Kinrara state seat with a massive 4,901 majority.

• Confirmed: Opposition takes Penang - 8.52pm

  Unofficial result: The opposition will form the next state government in Penang for second time in history. Gerakan, then an opposition party, won Penang almost 40 years ago. The DAP-PKR-PAS combination has collectively won at least 24 seats out of the 40 seats.

• Unofficial: DAP retains Ipoh Barat and three state seats - 8.46pm

  Incumbent M Kulasegaran obtained a majority of 1,056 while the three state seats in the parliamentary constituency - Buntong (majority 4,437), Bercham (3,395) and Kepayan (1,382) were also won by DAP.

• Tengku Adnan wins Putrajaya - 8.45pm

  Controversial minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor retained his Putrajaya parliamentary seat, where most of the voters are civil servants. He bagged 4,038 votes against PAS Mohd Noor Mohamad's 1,304.

• Kit Siang: Political tsunami - 8.39pm

  This is from Lim Kit Siang’s blog: here is a political tsunami in the 12th general election, with the Barisan Nasional suffering probably its biggest setback in history. From available reports, DAP has won victories, in some cases with huge majorities, in the following parliamentary seats:
  
  1. Bagan
  2. Tanjong
  3. Bukit Glugor
  4. Ipoh Timur
  5. Batu Gajah
  6. Petaling Jaya Utara
  7. Seputeh
  8. Kepong
  9. Bukit Bintang
  10. Cheras
  11. Bandar Kuching
  12. Sandakan
  13. Segambut
  14. Kota Melaka
  
  DAP is leading in the following parliamentary seats:
  
  1. Sarikei
  2. Serdang
  3. Klang
  4. Taiping
  5. Beruas
  6. Teluk Intan
  7. Jelutong
  8. Bukit Bendera
  9. Batu Kawan
  
  For state assembly seats, DAP has won
  
  1. Subang Jaya
  2. Teratai
  
  In Penang, the three state seats of Tanjong and Bagan have also been won by DAP. Other Penang state seats won by DAP are Air Puteh, Prai, Batu Lanchang, Pulau Tikus and leading in all the other state seats contested by DAP. DAP has also won new state seats in Perak, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Malacca and Johore.
  
  One of the most noted state assembly win is the Sri Tanjong seat of Tawau, Sabah.

• Samy trails by 1,300 votes - 8.32pm

  PKR’s Dr D Jeyakumar is presently leading by 1,300 votes in Sungai Siput. However there are sill more than 20,000 votes to be counted. Samy Vellu has been the Sungai Siput MP since 1974. Samy Vellu claims today is his 72nd birthday.

• MIC Youth chief behind PAS in Kota Raja - 8.35pm

  MIC Youth chief SA Vigneswaran is trailing behind PAS candidate Dr Siti Maria Mahmud in the state seat of Kota Raja, which is under the Klang parliamentary seat. Vigneswaran is parliamentary secretary to the Youth and Sports Ministry.

• Ramasamy knocks out Koh in Batu Kawan - 8.27pm

  Unofficial - Prof P Ramasamy has defeated outgoing Penang chief minister Koh Tsu Koon by a majority of 3,000 votes. Koh is the most senior BN leader to have lost so far.

• Sothinathan looks shaky in Teluk Kemang - 8.17pm

  As it stands, reports from the ground indicates incumbent K Sothinathan is facing a tough fight against PKR’s Kamarul Baharin Abbas.
  
  Meanwhile Port Dickson’s MIC candidate T Rajagopalu is also facing a tough fight against PKR’s M Ravi and independent Jeeva Kumar Marimuthu.

• DAP reclaims Kota Melaka - 8.15pm

  DAP has won Kota Melaka, a seat which the party lost in 2004.

• Opposition closer to taking Penang - 8.20pm

  Having unofficially won 17 of the 40 state seats in Penang, the opposition is currently leading in six other seats with a wide margin. They need to pick up just another four seats to take over government in the island state.

• Blogger Jeff Ooi has big lead in Jelutong - 8.15pm

  DAP’s Jeff Ooi is leading in the Jelutong parliamentary seat and the party is also leading in all three state seats in Jelutong - Datuk Keramat, Sungai Pinang and Batu Lanchang.

• Teresa Kok retains Seputeh, wins Kinrara - 8.03pm

  Incumbent MP for Seputeh Teresa Kok has retained her seat with a huge majority of 20,000 votes. She has also won Kinrara, a state seat under Puchong in Selangor.

• Unofficial: Opposition on the way to take over Penang - 8.01pm

  The combined DAP-PKR_PAS opposition is running hot in the state by winning 17 state seats and needing only another four to form the state government.

• Voter turnout tops 70 percent - 7.58pm

  At 7.30pm, voter turnout nationwide was reported at 70 percent, but the figure is expected to go up as more information comes in.
  
  Election Commission head Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman.told a press conference in Putrajaya that turnout was highest in Kelantan and Putrajaya (81% each), followed by Terengganu and Perlis (79 percent), Selangor (74 percent) and Pahang (73 percent).
  
  The lowest turnout was for the Federal Territory of Labuan at 59 percent. Generally, about 70-75 percent of voters come out to vote for each general election.

• Unofficial: DAP’s Tan Seng Giaw retains Kepong- 7.54pm

  The incumbent is leading in all 13 polling stations.

• Kit Siang on the way to win Ipoh Timur - 7.51pm

  DAP leader Lim Kit Siang has retained his Ipoh Timur parliamentary seat and his party is also leading in all three state seats - Canning, Tebing Tinggi and Pasir Pinji
  Pasir Puteh Utara

• PAS retains Kelantan: PAS president press sec - 7.50pm

  According to Roslan Shahir Mohd Shahir, who is the press secretary of PAS president Hadi Awang, PAS has unofficially won 31 of the 45 state seats.
  
  He said that PAS' Nasharuddin Mat Isa has beaten Umno's Awang Adek Husin in Bachok. Awang Adek, who is deputy finance minister, also lost in the state seat of Perupok, which is under Bachok.

• Tian Chua leading in Batu - 7.43pm

  PKR’s information chief Tian Chua in on the way to cause an upset in Batu by leading Gerakan’s Lim Si Pin by 7,089 votes

• Unofficial - Tony Pua wins PJ Utara - 7.45pm

  Tony Pua has helped DAP has reclaimed Petaling Jaya Utara.
  
  Meanwhile, Janice Lee has won the state seat of Teratai, which is under the Pandan parliament seat.

• Tony Pua increases lead - 7.40pm

  In Petaling Jaya Utara, Tony Pua is now leading by 4,000 votes.
  
  DAP also retained its Tanjung parliamentary seat in Penang as well as taking a large lead in all three state seats under that parliamentary seat.
  
  Wee Choo Keong, standing under a PKR ticket, is leading in Wangsa Maju.

• Victory parades banned, says police chief - 7.36pm

  Police chief Musa Hassan has announced that all political parties are not allowed to hold victory parades after the results are announced. He said this is to prevent ‘untoward incidents’.

• Nurul Izzah ahead in 3 out of 14 polling stations - 7.27pm

  Nurul Izzah Anwar is leading at three out of 14 polling stations at the Lembah Pantai parliament seat.
  

  Meanwhile, PKR’s Azmin Ali is leading in both the Gombak parliamentary seat and the Bukit Antarabangsa state seat.

• ISA candidate Manoharan wins seat? - 7.20pm
  

  Hindraf leader M Manoharan, who is being held under the Internal Security Act, is reported to have taken the Selangor state seat of Kota Alam Shah (unconfirmed).

• DAP retains Kuching - 7.15pm
  

  DAP’s Chong Chieng Jen has retained Kuching with an increased majority of 10,000 votes according to unofficial results. Chong won the seat in 2004 with a 2,000 majority.

• Latest updates - 7.10pm

  - Opposition parties are leading in all key seats in Penang

  - Teresa Kok leading by 10,000 votes in Seputeh

  - DAP leading both Petaling Jaya Utara state seats

  - Edward Lee from DAP leading in Bukit Gasing

  - In Sarawak, PKR leading in Limbong and DAP in Bandar Kuching.

  - PKR’s Dr Xavier Jayakumar leading in all streams in Kota Raya state seat

  - PKR’s Tian Chua leading in Batu by 3,743 votes.

• PKR in unassailable lead in Bukit Tambun - 7.05pm

  PKR's Law Choo Kiang has taken an unassailable lead of 1,500 votes for the state seat of Bukit Tambun. This may be the first Penang seat to fall to opposition hands.
  
  Early reports indicate DAP candidates are leading in many Penang state seats.

• Poor turnout in opposition’s favour? - 6.55pm

  A very poor turnout in Taiping, especially among the Malay voters, is expected to cause some problems for incumbent M Kayveas. Similarly poor voter turnout in Selangor's Kapar and Klang, again among Malay voters, could benefit PKR and DAP in both seats.

• Opposition takes lead in key hot seats - 6.47pm

  Based on ground reports, DAP candidates are leading in the early stage of the count. Tony Pua is leading by 1,800 votes in Petaling Jaya Utara. Fong Kui Lun is similarly leading by 3,000 votes in Bukit Bintang. Hannah Yeoh is leading the Subang Jaya state seat.
  
  In Klang, DAP's Charles Santiago is also leading at this very early stage. PKR's S Manikavasagam is also in the lead in neighbouring Kapar.

• Malaysiakini live coverage - 6.45pm

  Due to extremely high traffic to the website, Malaysiakini is providing this stripped-down frontpage as the results come in. This page is divided into two sections - live reports on the left and a score chart for selected hot seats/states on the right. Please click refresh/reload on your browser for the latest updates.
  
  The Malaysiakini team is receiving reports from our journalists on the ground while the ballots are being counted and we will give you the unofficial results as we get them.
  

Hot Seats

P3	Arau	Ismail Kassim (Umno) vs Dr Harun Din (PAS)
P5	Jerlun	Mukhriz Mahathir (Umno) vs Idris Ahmad (PAS)	Umno leading
P7	Palang Terap	Ghazali Ibrahim (Umno) vs Mohd Nasir Zakaria (PAS)
P8	Pokok Sena	Mahfuz Omar (PAS) vs Abdul Rahman Ibrahim (Umno)
P11	Pendang	Dr Mohd Hayati Othman vs Md Rozai Shafian (Umno)
P15	Sungai Petani	Zainuddin Maidin (Umno) vs Johari Abdul (PKR)	PKR won
P25	Bachok	Nasharuddin Mat Isa (PAS) vs Dr Awang Adek Hussin (Umno)	PAS wins
P36	K.Terengganu	Razali Ismail (Umno) vs Mohamad Sabu (PAS)
P37	Marang	Abdul Hadi Awang (PAS) vs Dr Ahmad Ramzi Mohamad Zubir (Umno)
P41	Kepala Batas	Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (Umno) vs Subri Mat Arshad (PAS)	Pak Lah by 11,000
P43	Bagan	Lim Guan Eng (DAP) vs Song Choy Leng (MCA)	DAP wins
P44	Permatang Pauh	Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (PKR) vs Pirdaus Ismail (Umno)	PKR won by 4,000
P46	Batu Kawan	Dr Koh Tsu Koon (Gerakan) vs Dr P. Ramasamy (DAP)	DAP wins by 3,000
P48	Bukit Bendera	Chia Kwang Chye (Gerakan) vs Liew Chin Tong (DAP)	DAP wins
P50	Jelutong	Jeff Ooi Chuan Aun (DAP) vs Dr Thor Teong Ghee (Gerakan)	DAP wins
P51	Bukit Gelugor	Karpal Singh (DAP) vs Koay Har Huah (MCA)	karpal wins
P57	Parit Buntar	Abdul Raman Sulaiman (Umno) vs Dr. Mujahid Yusof (PAS)
P60	Taiping	M Kayveas (PPP) vs Nga Kor Ming (DAP)	DAP wins
P62	Sungai Siput	S Samy Vellu (BN_MIC) vs Dr Michael Jeyakumar (PKR)	PKR wins
P64	Ipoh Timur	Lim Kit Siang (DAP) vs Liew Mun Hon (MCA)	Kit Siang wins
P65	Ipoh Barat	M. Kulasegaran (DAP) vs Yik Phooi Hong (MCA)	DAP wins
P66	Batu Gajah	Fong Po Kuan (DAP) vs Cheah Yoke Can (MCA)	Fong leading
P68	Beruas	Chang Ko Youn (Gerakan) vs Ngeh Koo Ham (DAP)	undecided
P71	Gopeng	Ling Hee Leong (MCA) vs Lee Boon Chye (PKR)	PKR won
P76	Telok Intan	Mah Siew Keong (Gerakan) vs M. Manogaran (DAP)	DAP won
P77	Tanjong Malim	Ong Ka Chuan (MCA) vs Mohamad Azman Marjohan (PKR)	MCA leading
P85	Pekan	Mohd Najib Tun Razak vs Khairul Anuar Ahmad Zainudin (PKR)	Umno won by 26,000
P98	Gombak	Said Anuar Said Ahmad (Umno) vs Mohamed Azmin Ali (PKR)	PKR leading
P100	Pandan	Ong Tee Keat (MCA) vs Syed Shahir Syed Mohamad (PKR)	MCA leading by 800
P103	Puchong	Gobind Singh (DAP) vs Lau Yeng Peng (MCA)	DAP
P106	Petaling Jaya Utara	Chew Mei Fun (MCA) vs Tony Pua (DAP)	DAP won by 19,000
P107	Subang	R Sivarasa (PKR) vs S. Murugesan (MIC)	PKR won 8,000
P109	Kapar	P Komala Devi (MIC) vs S Manikavasagam (PKR)	PKR ahead
P110	Klang	Charles Santiago (DAP) vs Ch'ng Toh Eng (MCA)	DAP won 16,975
P115	Batu	Tian Chua (PKR) vs Lim Si Pin (Gerakan)	PKR wins
P120	Bukit Bintang	Fong Kui Lun (DAP) vs Lee Chong Meng (MCA)	DAP up by 3,000
P121	Lembah Pantai	Shahrizat Abdul Jalil (Umno) vs Nurul Izzah Anwar (PKR)	Izzah won
P122	Seputeh	Teresa Kok (DAP) vs Carol Chew (MCA)	DAP wins 36K
P124	Bandar Tun Razak	Tan Chai Ho (MCA) vs Abdul Khalid Ibrahim (PKR)	Khalid leading
P130	Rasah	Dr Yeow Chai Thiam (MCA) vs Loke Siew Fook (DAP)
P131	Rembau	Khairy Jamaluddin (Umno) vs Badrul Hisham Shahrin (PKR)	Umno leading by 800
P138	Kota Melaka	Wong Nai Chee (MCA) vs Sim Tong Him (DAP)	DAP wins

General Election: My First Voting Experience

A sense of satisfaction - that was how I felt when I stepped out of Bilik No. 8 (Room No. 8) of Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Midah (1), Jalan Cheras after casting my vote.

Woah...8! Now I just realised that. Today is the 8th of March, 2008 and Room '8'.

Haha, maybe I should buy the number '8388'.

Thank God I had a safe stroll from my house to the school and back to my house after voting.

I felt peace in my heart.

Prayer: Father, I pray for a continued peaceful polling at every polling place in Malaysia. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

General Election: Ghost Votes

Last night, I chatted with a friend who wouldn't vote for a simple reason. It was as he said, 'lot of ghosts will come out to vote.' Thus, he has never registered to vote.
I don't blame him but he did say that he regretted it now.

We Chinese believe a lot in ghosts, don't we? Some go by the name of 'toh kwai' (gambling ghost), yin kwai (smoke ghost - refers to one who lights the cigarette often) and hamsap kwai (horny ghost).

Whatever ghost, if we come out in full force to vote, I believe we can do our part to beat the ghosts.

Incidentally, www.malaysiakini.com features a 'ghost' story today:
Nine buses stopped by PAS in T'ganu

Malaysiakini: Free for one week

Nothing is free.

Nevertheless, in view that the country is going to the polls on Saturday, Malaysiakini has decided to make its website free beginning March 4, 2008 for the next seven days.
So, if you want more scoops into news and views that you normally don't get in mainstream media, Malaysiakini is the alternative media that gives you the news and views that matter.

I CAN

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Prayer:
Thank You that You are Christ who strengthens me.
Give me mental, physical, emotional and most of all, spiritual strength today to overcome every hurdle along the way.

I can do all things because of You.

My strength comes from You.

Thank You, Lord.

Gmail rulez but boo to Yahoo!

There is no wonder that Gmail is the preferred choice over Yahoo! mail. Besides less spam and a much neater interface, the former is free from ads as opposed to the latter.

Yesterday, I found out from a colleague (that shows I seldom Yahoo!) that even the online media blitz of BN to woo voters had found its way into the home of Yahoo! mail.

What a cash-rich BN is, using the rakyat's money to advertise in Yahoo!

I've captured a screenshot for your reference. The ad says 'ONLY ONE CHOICE'.

ONLY ONE CHOICE?

Is that democracy? If only one choice, why vote?

What Love means to a 4-8 year old

Though I've read these 'love' definitions by kids before, reading them again is indeed refreshing.

Slow down for three minutes to read this. It is so worth it. Touching words from the mouth of babes.

'When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore.
So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.'
Rebecca- age 8

'When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.
You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.'
Billy - age 4

'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.'
Karl - age 5

'Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.'
Chrissy - age 6

'Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.'
Terri - age 4

'Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.'
Danny - age 7

'Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more.
My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss.'
Emily - age 8

'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.'
Bobby - age 7

'If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,'
Nikka - age 6

'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.'
Noelle - age 7

'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.'
Tommy - age 6

'During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling.
He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.'
Cindy - age 8

'My mommy loves me more than anybody
You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.'
Clare - age 6

'Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.'
Elaine-age 5

'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.'
Chris - age 7

'Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.'
Mary Ann - age 4

'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.'
Lauren - age 4

'When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.'
Karen - age 7

'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross.'
Mark - age 6

'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.'
Jessica - age 8

Health: Of Apple and Pear

I am 32 going on 33...

No, I'm not growing vertically in age but horizontally in waist!

So, I have to do away with most, if not all, my size 32 pants.

Ah well, I hope to shed some kilos off my middle kingdom but just too lazy to do sit-ups.

I do walk 3 minutes to work nonetheless and take the stairs to my sixth-floor office on weekdays.

In The Star Online yesterday, its 'Health' talked about 'Targeting abdominal fat'.

A paragraph read:

It was first suggested in 1947 by the French physician, Jean Vague, that cardiovascular and metabolic risk is more closely related to “android” obesity (abdominal obesity or “apple-shaped”) than to “gynoid” obesity (lower body obesity or “pear-shaped”).

Mine is certainly an apple!