We are being royally screwed by our dear govt.

So last year they announced that in 2009, we have a choice to reduce employee’s EPF contribution from 11% to 8% so that the people can have more cash to spend.

Fine.

But on the other hand, they quietly went and increased individual income tax rates at the same time!! So now, not only do those who’ve reduced their EPF have less savings, they have less money to spend due to higher income taxes! And the taxable income bracket has been reduced!!

WTF?!! Is that how THEY are helping the rakyat?!

I’ve been wondering…

You know how people tell you things like, “Oh, we decided to migrate to XXX so that our children can have access to better education… even though life is tougher here, we don’t mind the sacrifice… etc. etc.”

You know how people will do anything so that their children can have better lives, right?

So one thing I don’t understand is, how come these same people who claim to want the best for their children, can’t take the same meticulous steps in conserving the environment so that their children will have a better planet to live in? And I don’t mean doing huge things like, being an eco warrior or something like that but more like, taking the small steps such as starting out with using energy-savings lightbulbs, using the a/c only when necessary, recycle as much as they can.

Having the best education is not going to guarantee survival when the day comes where the Earth is on the brink of destruction and all people will be concerned with is their own survival.

I totally understand and agree with Terri Irwin (Steve & Me, 2007, page 15) where she writes about the defining moment that led to her work as a wildlife rehabilitator (a childhood encounter with a stray dog) :

“I felt an unusual responsibility toward the stray. I didn’t feel it was enough just to give it something to eat and say that I’d helped it, then move on. I needed to make sure that dog was in a safe place.”

Thank God for people like Terri and Steve.

I hate it that I have to sneak around to feed the stray cats in my area.
I hate it that other people have the power to make me feel bad for doing something charitable like feeding the stray cats in my area (and spending the money to get them fixed so they don’t produce more unwanted kittens).
I hate it that people cannot find it in their hearts to be kind to other fellow living creatures.
I hate it that humans think that they own the Earth, that the Earth is capable of regenerating its resources as fast as we use them.
I hate it when humans play God with other living creatures, like torture animals just to see them suffer, like using puppies as live bait in dog fights, like making dogs/cats breed till they die in puppy/kitty mills.
I hate it that there are so many animals without homes.
I hate it that I can’t fully utilize my entire affinity towards animals to help them be rid of the nasty humans.
I hate it when people don’t try to understand why I (and other like-minded people) try so hard to be nice to animals and provide them shelter and food.

I was watching Oprah earlier and one of the segments was a story on how this family adopted this puppy, who was at death’s door. Police busted a dog fighting ring and rescued the pup in a crate. The pup was being used as live bait in a dog fight. His face was torn off and his skull was shattered. But he was still alive and the vet managed save him. Then this family saw him and fell in love with him and adopted him.

Oogy is now 6 years old (as of the Oprah show) and living happily with his family. And even though he was so cruelly treated by humans, he found it in his heart to bring joy to his family.

Can we humans ever match up to the big heart that this dog and the countless other animals who have been/are abused every day by our species?

I doubt it.

They can give us so much, if only we let them. But we choose to condemn them, before they can even show us what they can do, due to our ignorance and prejudice.

Saw this on a TV program the other day, can’t remember the exact title. The Duke or something like that.

It was a talk show program and the hosts were talking about the differences between male and female, and the guy hosts were lamenting on the fact that they just cannot understand what women think/want sometimes.

The female guest said something of this effect : Men have got to listen to women in order to understand us. For example, if I’m upset about something and come to you to talk about it, I don’t necessarily want a solution. I just want you to emphatize with me. Men have this tendency to try to solve all problems that come their way. Women sometimes don’t want solutions, we just want you to listen and emphatize with us.

I agree.

Had a chat with a guy friend today. He’s several years younger than me and the stories he’s shared about women in his generation give me the impression that they (the women) are quite materialistic and demanding (this was deduced purely from his stories and stories from other similar-aged guys so I’m not making this conclusion solely on my own).

So he was asking about Valentine’s day and what I had planned. I said it’s just another day for me coz we’re not into V-Day, it’s just a commercialized event, so nothing special.

Then he went on to talk about women’s expectations and coz he went thru a rough break-up, he remarked “I’ve learned to really get annoyed at the saying: that’s what a gentleman should do what….or something like: you’re a guy right….” (Background story : From what he told me, he used to do lots of things for the ex, buy her lots of stuff and all that — at which I exclaimed “Wa lau! U print money ar??!”)

And the following conversation ensued :
Me : haha… well, there ARE certain things that a gentleman should do la but not to those extremes that u went thru.
Friend : unfortunately… that seems to be the norm nowadays…it’s expected…
Me : *somewhat in jest* really???!!!!!!!! how come i’m not getting treatment like that?!
Friend : cuz u didn’t insist on it…remember the old saying: ask and u will receive. hahaha.
Me : but i dun think it’s very fair wat. isn’t a r’ship supposed to be like a partnership? one party shouldn’t be doing all the giving while the other does all the taking.
Friend : *laughs* it’s fair wat… u give and i take…
Me : … before i do something, i’d try to think ‘hmmm, would i like it if someone did that to me?”… if the answer is ‘no’, then i won’t do it.
Friend : wah… ur partner is so fortunate When i brought this up, the response i got is somewhere along the lines of: of course men and women must be equal. but why would i want you unless u treat me special?
Me : *speechless*
(Upon further consideration, this is somewhat true but of course, one must know how and when to give and take)

So I told him I hope he’s learnt his lesson. One of his replies : do not look for younger generation [women]

Me : eh? so ur target market are the older women?
Friend : calendar age is not as important as mental and biological age
Me : sure not?
Friend : isn’t it?
Me : wat if u got a gf, who looks young now (say she’s 3 yrs older), but later after 2 kids, she looks like she can pass of as ur mom
Friend : haha… after 2 kids, i doubt that external appearances will be that important anymore. a face is just a face….it’s the person behind the face that you spend your life with.
Me : waaaaa… u sure not???? are u telling me that u dun care at all abt physical appearances??????
Friend : of course i care. my ego is important to me too….but there are other things that are more important.
Me : *speechless*

ok, I don’t know if he really believes all he says or it’s just talk only…
I hope it’s the former. Then maybe there’s hope for the male species.
But I think this is more likely an exception.
(Have a friend who mentioned that she must slim down after she has kids coz the husband has told her that, yes he knows he’s shallow like that, but his wife must be slim and look good at all times)

o_O

So these morons get to threaten other people with holding demos and the police just use their discretion and give them a warning but others get fired with tear gas and water cannons?

Gee. That is so fair.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/2/11/nation/3235989&sec=nation

This has been bothering me on and off for some years.

Through general observation, I find that many Malaysians do not practice adoption of orphans. Among my many friends, I only know of one who is adopted. And reading thru some forums on a similar subject (i.e. to have or not have kids after marriage), the topic of adoption was never mentioned.

I’m not against people who choose to have their own children nor am I such a big proponent of adoption.

I just find it strange that adoption is almost taboo here, given the fact that we are brought up to always try our best to help others who are in need, those who are less fortunate than ourselves.

Of course, there are other ways of helping orphans. Monetary donations, fostering. But in my opinion, the most important thing that an orphan would need would be a loving family. And if one is capable financially and mentally to take in an orphan and help him/her have a better life, why not adopt? It would be one less orphan that the overcrowded orphanages need to provide for.

I sincerely wish to understand why some people would not accept adopting an orphan, even though they are capable of doing so. I got this comment some years ago “Why would I want to spend my time and money raising someone else’s kid?” I tried to but I do not understand where this person is coming from. Sure, orphans result from someone else’s egg and sperm but these unfortunate children did not choose to be orphans so is it wrong to want to help them have a better life? At this point in time, I cannot reconcile this mindset and the ‘help others the best way you can’ value that’s instilled in us.

Look at it another way. What if YOU were unfortunate enough to end up as a young orphan? Wouldn’t you want a kind couple to take you in, give you a better life, and guide you to be a good person?

I personally am open to adopting because I feel that the rewards would be two-fold. One, I would be helping to reduce the no. of orphans and two, I would be helping shape a better human being who will grow up to contribute positively to society (ideally).

I’m glad to see that the SPCA is making some real changes to the state of animal welfare in this country. Or at the least, within the Klang Valley.

Keep up the good work!

Did anyone watch the TV3 program on how stray dogs and cats are allegedly killed at the the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) animal pound in Setapak?

Read about it here.

I didn’t watch is because I didn’t know about it. But I don’t think I would’ve watched it if I did because I cannot stomach the visuals. Too traumatizing.

I sincerely hope those who are concerned are looking into this matter seriously and not just talking about doing something just to keep people satisfied. No living creatures deserves to be treated in such a heinous manner.