Raja Petra Kamaruddin- a man in exile.

"Famous Malaysian blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin speaks for the first time since his alleged escape from Malaysia. Now branded as a fugitive, he talks about his experience with the Malaysian police and the Special Branch, solitary confinement in the Kamunting Detention Center, his meeting with murdered Mongolian model Altantuyaa Shaariibuu's father and other topics that are sure to keep Malaysian's talking about this controversial figure." -C4Production House

Jelly Belly Bean Boozled (TM)- "Dare to compare!"

"These are just FANTASTIC! It's like Russian roulette with very poor odds. And like Bertie Bott's Beans in Harry Potter, you're guaranteed to get some weird and wild flavours! Each box of Bean Boozled contains pairs of identical Jelly Beans - In each pair, one is tasty and the other is revolting. No, you can't tell the difference by smelling them, the only way to tell is to actually EAT THEM! And there is something compulsive about just trying one more ...! The perfect stocking filler and bit of fun!

Try your luck to see if you get one of the delicious jelly bean flavours, or if you’re unlucky enough to get earwax, pencil shavings, black pepper, mouldy cheese, baby wipes or bogies flavour to name but a few. They're made by Jelly Belly, so the quality is terrific. And the flavours, we're sorry to say, are perfectly captured!"

-Source: http://www.thepresentfinder.co.uk/tpf/1306/p/d/bean+boozled+delicious+disgusting+flavoured+jelly+beans+jelly+belly/pid/7900866

Centipede!!!! Skunk spray!!!! Toothpaste!!!!! Barf!!!!
Check it out:

TLC Introduces Kate Plus Eight : Jon

TLC Introduces Kate Plus Eight : Jon & Kate Plus 8 : TLC

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Problems in the suburbs.

Not everyone has a garage or a garage large enough to accomodate all their cars on my street here in North Shore suburbia. People love to park their cars on the kerb over here- maybe because there isn't enough car theft to deter them from parking on public property......

So that makes life difficult for those of us who park our cars in our garages. It's so hard to negotiate your way around these gas guzzling monster 4WD's (the vehicle of choice in these neck of the woods) on my street. See diagram below for a hypothetical street plan (Not to scale):

People are usually sensible and park their cars to allow for oncoming traffic, but sometimes you get idiots who like to park their horses right in front of their castle (illustrated in red).

To further illustrate the problem, click here for something similar. Except I'm in favour of these people getting fined.
This is such a granny rant, I'm almost embarrassed.

Men to marry vs. Men to have sex with (Part 1)

Man to marry: Actor Simon Baker from TV's "The Mentalist" and "The Guardian".... bankable husband and father material.


- Australian actor based in the US, down to earth and low-key father of 3, married to the same woman forever.
- Rugged bloke- doesn't take himself too seriously and does not buy any of that hollywood crap.
- Looks like a REAL man, not a pretty boy. Looks like he belongs in a Ralph Lauren ad.

Man to have sex with: Actor Jude Law. Strictly NOT marriage material. Great for an affair, though.

- Not a great track record, really. Cheated on his then-wife Sadie Frost, then cheated on then-girlfriend Sienna Miller with his (3 kids!) children's nanny and now fathering a child with a woman he's not in a relationship with. A bit of a cad.
- Beautiful and artistic- yep, the kind of guy who takes his art seriously and all that.
- Look at how intense and smouldering he looks. He looks like he's be right at home in a D&G ad.

And there we have it- two very similar men, very different er, functions.
Which man would you choose?
Can you suggest another pair of MTM vs MTF?

Frou frou post..... aack.

Got hair extensions on a whim.... will see how I like it as the days progress.

Marriage. Some advice from an old lady (not me).

Rais Yatim is an embarrassment to Malaysians

This guy is your Information Minister?
REMEMBER THIS AND VOTE HIM OUT IN 2011.

Those @#%$#! "Things I Want to Achieve" lists

Saw this on the blog of some [rich ex politician's kid who's pushing 40 yet still lives at home because he/she has fluff for career] self indulgent drama queen's blog:

"Things I Want to Achieve" and then obviously crosses out what's been achieved. Pfffffttt.

HILARIOUS. SO FUNNY. It proudly sits on that person's sidebar like a joke.
If I wanted to look like an achiever of any sort, my list would look like this

1. Wake up in the morning. (DONE)
2. Clip my toenails (DONE)
3. Have a coffee (DONE)
4. Brush my teeth (DONE)
5. Empty dishwasher
6. Pick up drycleaning (DONE)
7. Check my mail
8. Switch on the TV
9. Call my travel agent
10. Spend 10 days in Chiva-Som.

Wah soooo hard lahhh. Such a high mountain to climb lahhhh
And look how faaaar I've climbed!
*pats self on the back*

O Malaysian Politician, will you ever learn?

My absence from blogging has been due to the fact that I needed a break from the renovation drama around me and I wanted to spend some time with my family.
The family time was great- we all enjoyed our time together. Uneventful and happy.

Over a family meal in KL, I spoke to a relative who is currently the long standing MP of a certain seat. I've always been close to this relative (I use that term in the broadest sense- take it anyway you want it.) For the nth time, I asked him when Malaysia was going to come out of the dark ages and change certain things in the constitution such as "Malay rights" and ISA. When will Malaysia become a secular state? You know what his answer was this time?

"Why should we change? Just because countries like America want us to?"
No, I said- because your own rakyat wants change. Your voters change.

"How do you know that? *irritated* Nobody has told me that they want change. People still vote me in."
Noting that he had suffered a cut in majority votes in the last election, frankly I was shocked that he still had the arrogance/defensiveness to say this instead of learning from the experience of losing votes. So I said, "Well, that's only in your constituency and only the x% of voters who bother to vote. How do you know what the remainder thinks?"

"That's their own fault if they don't want to come out and vote then."
I said, that's why there are so many protests going on that create political awareness amongst Malaysians.

"If the opposition want to go ahead and "buat bising" for no reason then let them lah."
OMG. I was exasperated because what was coming out of his mouth at this point, I considered ignorant. So I said, "If the government continues to view these protests by the opposition as nothing more than noisy irritants and not listen to them, then you'll never be able to win votes over from them."
I am still recounting his words. I grew up respecting this man- he received a liberal education in the west as he grew up. He was a success in his own field before his long standing political career. He was a respected man amongst many. Too many years as a politician. God help those Malaysians living in Malaysia now. Too many think like him.

Malaysian politicians have forgotten that their boss is NOT the PM, their boss is not their own political party's power hierarchy... their ultimate boss is the PEOPLE. ALL PEOPLE, WHETHER THEY VOTE YOU IN OR NOT, YOU STILL SERVE THEM.

Down with the dreaded flu

Today, I am very crook.

Going to see the doctor soon. I'm worried about passing this flu onto my baby. She's still so little. Even the nanny looks worried to be in my presence. Worry is the keyword here.

Been too preoccupied to write a blog post of late.
The weather has been sunny and crisp lately so I've been out and about quite a lot. Twittered a lot lately, too though.

Gah. Will twitter kill blogging?

Have you ever lied on your CV?

What's the biggest lie you've ever seen on someone's CV?
Big-ass, hairy, great lies. Lies so big you can't see the forest for the trees.

Scenario: Malaysia, mid 90's


I was lucky (read family connections) as an intern to land myself in the midst of mega project teams (this was during the Mahathir era) in big name firms.

I knew an expatriate (who flocked to Malaysia, just like they're flocking to Dubai these days) A, in one of these firms. His CV is online (email me for his URL), proudly displayed in macromedia flash- some highlights below:

• He says he has worked in those megaproject teams that I was in. WTF? He was in the same building, yes but not on the same team! (Email me for his URL)
  
• In his flashy portfolio of works, A claims to have worked with an American firm known for resorts, a famous international Australian firm- he even got the name wrong. (I later ended up working there and NOBODY has heard of him. Email me for his URL)
• Here's the BEST one: he went to grad school at an IVY LEAGUE college in the States!!!! OMG, totally priceless! RFOL!! I heard he was working for someone I know (NOT IN THE STATES) during the time he supposedly went to grad school in the states. (Email me for his URL)
  
• His one man band "International business network"..... !!! I'm SURE I'm not the only one who finds this absolutely hilarious....(Email me for his URL)

Listen, A: You're in your mid 40's but you can still do with learning a few life lessons. The industry here in Australia is pretty small. People basically already know you and your bosses. You'll know that they know you're lying if your phone isn't ringing. Sit there and digest that in your rented condo with your family in tow.

Now, as a Management Consultant (VERY part time these days). I proudly leave my INSEAD transcript in my CV, but no one's interested in looking at it, really. They're more interested in 3 rounds of interviews and a psychometric test.
All I have I experience with one M&A situation.
I LOVED every second of it it gives me goosebumps, but I can't put that on my CV.

Self-censorship.

Lately, blogging isn't what it used to be.
I used to spew forth all my guts on each post. Let it all hang out. Fun, actually.
That was 5 years ago. I was about to turn 30.

That was a year before I took my MBA hiatus (from blogging and from my life).
When I started blogging again, I was so lost.
BUT during my hiatus from life, I DID change.

I sensor myself a lot more these days. For example, I don't talk about my husband, my marriage or my baby in any sort of depth anymore. I draw a protective boundary around what I hold dearest. Another reason: I deal with issues that come up very efficiently and "file them away" in my mental compactus even before I write a blog post about it.

I've met some people that I have come to respect as fellow bloggers- some who regularly drop by and leave a note and some never comment on the blog but do it via email. Some emails go regrettably unanswered because I wish to remain anonymous.

I talk in abstract most of the time EXCEPT for when other bloggers and events inspire me.
It's sad that blogging (to me, anyway) isn't the creative outlet it used to be.

I think I'm more honest in my Twitter page than I am on the blog because writing a blog post forces you to think about what to write and edit it over and over again. Tweets are just spur-of-the-moment thoughts.

More honest? Twitter vs. Blogs, discuss.

Facebook-induced syndrome.

There should be a name given to all these new social situations that we're put in just because we have Facebook now. A sign of the postmodern world we live in, eh?
Ghosts of the past come out to haunt us. And every one of us has a past we'd rather forget.

Curiousity got the better of me tonight when the wanker-banker husband is working late and I'm working on a few bits and bobs (I've mentioned a start-up on my Twitter, but will blog about it when things become more concrete).

I was the one who went around the internet to dig up what I now realize I wish I didn't know.
Out of a smug feeling, I wanted to feel that I was better off than him, seeing as I have all that I have in my life now. I wanted to find out that he was still unhappily single, old, fat, ugly, poor or better yet, dead. But he looks happy. He's looks like he's got all that he never had when he was a workaholic who spent too much time living it up in Bangsar.

It is now in this moment of weakness that I'll say it's lonely behind this facade.

My life. My choices. Deal with it.

Door to door sales people. Don't even try.

Now that I no longer live in a secure building and I'm in house in the burbs, I have one extra headache to deal with- besides fussy old neighbours and their protests to council against the renovations to our home messing with the "character" of their street, AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH!

At around 4-7pm everyday, there will be a variety of door knockers (from salesmen, charities who want a donation, school raffles, neighbourhood petitions) who usually interrupt either when I'm breastfeeding or making dinner or on the shitter. Usually I'm pretty polite and quickly turn away salesmen- but one particular cocky little shit got my goat one day.

This is how it went, more or less:

Salesman: Hello how are you- I'm ABC from XYZ and wow- what are you cooking for dinner? Smells SPICY!
(So he sees I'm somewhat asian in appearance and so automatically the guesses are that I'm cooking some asian dish, right? This is one of my pet hates about sales pitches- get familiar and try to identify with me, eh? EH?)
Me: I'm making Spaghetti Bolognaise. Not very spicy is it. What is it that you want?

Salesman: XYZ are having a special limited offer for DEF plus JKL for X weeks only. This is only available to the residents of GHI.
Me: No, sorry we already have DEF. That's enough for us.

Salesman: Whaaat? You don't want JKL? Come oooon, you're asians! You can QWERTY your ASDFGs! You guys would love it!!!!!
(I think steam is escaping from my ears at this point. Oh just because we're asian we all have to love ASDFG????)
Me:......*Slams door in his face*

I'm a mix of asian but I am asian in appearance. I hate to be stereotyped.
Just like urban Australians would hate people who thought that they were all like Crocodile Dundee or Steve Irwin. Right? Get it?

Rich Moms are Bad Moms: Vogue Italia’s “Vagaries of Fashion”

Rich Moms are Bad Moms: Vogue Italia’s “Vagaries of Fashion”

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Food: details and Kano's Customer satisfaction model

Been going out for meals quite a fair bit lately. I found myself unable to resist grabbing my camera and taking a picture of a dish that I want to remember.
Sometimes I think asian people in Sydney like certain asian restaraunts here only because they WANT to like it, not because it's actually good.

Presenting the Kano customer satisfaction model:


source: http://www.gembapantarei.com/2007/07/top_10_improvement_tools_named_after_lean_sensei.html

A great tool for quantifying customer needs.
Like a good little consultant, I did a mini survey and used the Kano model to plot out what I thought were order winners that keeps customers like me going back to the same places and ordering the same items.


At a Chinatown eatery that is a Singaporean and Malaysian institution: The trio of sauces that go with hainanese chicken rice.
Detail: These three MUST be together.


At a Thai family dinner: Crab and glass noodle salad.
Detail: Parts of crab flesh are pierced with spring onion leaves. (don't ask how they did this. If you knew you'd spit it out....)


A popular Japanese haunt in the north shore: Sashimi.
Detail: Good, heavy rustic earthen crockery. (So good that it chips off in dishwashers. Ooops)


At a famous Malaysian eatery on the outskirts of Sydney: Nasi Lemak (steamed coconut rice with side dishes of deep fried peanuts and anchovies, boiled egg, sambal and rendang/curry.
Detail: Curry leaves deep fried together with peanuts and ikan bilis (anchovies).

Factory Girl

I recorded Factory Girl on Foxtel IQ and finally watched it.

The synopsis:
"FACTORY GIRL imaginatively unfolds the comet-like rise and fall of 60s “It Girl” Edie Sedgwick, the blazing superstar who came to define both the glamour and the tragedy of our celebrity-obsessed culture. Sedgwick appeared to be the quintessential American princess, with her blue blood, her trust fund and her Harvard education, not to mention her ethereal beauty and vivacious charisma. But she was also a lost and fragile little girl; and when she met up with counter-culture anti-hero Andy Warhol, everything changed. Suddenly, Edie found herself at the center of a Pop Art universe bursting with sex, drugs, style and rock ‘n’ roll -- and a mad rush for fame and fabulousness that was destined to spin out of control."

"Arriving into the chaos of mid-60s New York, Edie (Sienna Miller) is taken under the wing of the famously deadpan artist Andy Warhol (Guy Pearce) who sees in her untamed vulnerability the makings of an irresistible muse. Warhol invites Edie into the wild world of The Factory, a former downtown hat factory he has transformed into a bohemian paradise. Here, a rag-tag mix of musicians, poets, artists, actors and misfits gather to create avant-garde movies during the day and throw glam parties all night long. Edie quickly ascends to become the star of Warhol’s movies, an idol at The Factory and a media darling. She is on top of the world when she falls in love with a larger-than-life rock star (Hayden Christensen). But when Edie becomes caught between Warhol’s world of sexy surfaces and her new love, she winds up rejected by both – and once again, set adrift in the modern world."


It's the ultimate story about a fag hag gone wrong.

An anonymous email

I received yet another anonymous suggestion as to what my identity is.
I have had a few emails like this one in the last few years I've had this bloggie.

But this one suggestion was something I took some offence to.

"Anonymous" suggested I was a daughter of a politician from the "old guard" who fell from glory in a very spectacular way. Now, I actually know the daughters and sons (use the term loosely because there has been an adoption here and there). And this particular daughter that I purportedly am, is exceptionally talented, smart AND she is a great writer. She is also a pretty little thang for her age. She is still single, too.

So why do I take offence?

Maybe it's her useless siblings close to their 40's who still live at home, leech and sponge off whatever's left of their old man's fortune. Maybe it's all the wealth they enjoy in, courtesy of their old man's illegally acquired millions and corrupted ways, so as a result, NONE of them are "exceptional earners" (as Britney Spears put it so well in "Piece of Me", haha).

Well. That's why I take offence: I chose to live here, NOT in Malaysia where I can gain so much from using my Dad's name. I make my own legit money.

And I (ahem) married into money.
*sheepish*
*runs off*

Ladies (and bubs) luncheon

Yummy mummies of the lower north shore (TM).........
hoping to make it into a reality TV show really soon.




We're the ones with bugaboos and Phil n Teds parked next to our table.....
We're dressed in Jigsaw or Veronika Maine.
We're the ones who take turns popping out a boob (or two) to feed our hungry babies.....
We're the ones with a noisy (but well dressed) toddler or two in tow......


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Food blogging corner

Tapas for three:
salsa verde, roasted garlic and bread entree, sofritos, polenta biscuits, lamb, deep fried zucchini flowers, grilled cheese, artichoke hearts, tapenade, quail, zucchini, tuna stuffed pimento.... etc.

Perfect for that mid afternoon pick-me-up.

Delicado Foods
2/134 Blues Point Rd
McMahons Point NSW
2060 - (02) 9955 9399
Open Mon-Sat 7am-7pm; Sun 9am-5pm


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Sunday morning pondering

Husband is away for meetings in London HQ.
Probably to go over the head count during the next round of job-axing here in the colonies.
All the bankers here are shaking in their Florsheim shoes, I tell ya.

So here I am updating the blog again.
Wee hours of Sunday morning. Reading the non-news sections of the weekend paper.
Spotted these little ditties.

The SMH's Domain: "Concrete Castle" about an off-form concrete dream home in Lane Cove...... looks like this was an enjoyable process for all involved: it took a year to design and two years to build.

As an ex-project manager and architect, I say PIG'S ARSE.
What is this, a university student's project?
This is a real world. This concrete castle was probably built before the recession. Who wants their project to run over budget and over time? No joints and lines? Hello. What about using render-on blockwork???? Like I said. Pig's arse.



If I ever moved back to an apartment again, I wouldn't go back to The Rocks, I'd look to North Bondi- where Bondi Icebergs is.
That's out next goal. An uninterrupted view of the water.
We are currently near water but don't see any. WTF. What's the point?
Like a mantra that I tell myself over and over again. Renovate. Add value. Wait for the prices to go up again. Then sell.

Ok- that aside, I'm going to make breakfast now. It's miserable and rainy outside.
I'm gonna try this:

Has anyone out there tried this?
How does one get pancakes that thick?
Hmmm.

I wish I could cook like Karen Martini in the Sun Herald's Sunday Life magazine:
"Filo egg tarts with cured ocean trout, caviar, chives and dill"


Dream on.

Should Jon & Kate Plus 8 Be Taken Off the Air?
This once-endearing show about raising twins and sextuplets has turned into a spectacle highlighting Kate's inability to handle the daily stress caused by her many hang-ups. Meanwhile, Discovery is essentially condoning her abusive tendencies...
http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/506701/should_jon_kate_plus_8_be_taken_off.html

Kate Gosselin could learn parenting lessons herself | detnews.com | The Detroit News

Kate Gosselin could learn parenting lessons herself | detnews.com | The Detroit News

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Just gonna blog. Not sure what this post will be. It's 4am.

I can't believe my insomniac ass is sitting in bed trying to waste time.

That line is soooo early Green Day. Early albums like Dookie and Insomniac.



Wasting Time
Wasting time down a bum fuck road
And I don't know where it'll go

"All The Time"- Green Day

Many of life's biggest regrets resurface from the murky depths at 4am.
Life is short, who'd want to spend it sleeping, right?

Helloooo Google Maps!
The streetscape is fugly (architectural term).

Um, I wish I'd ventured into Shinjuku ni Chome's clubs with my best friend instead of old stick-in-the-mud-wanker-banker. Which ones?

To be specific:

Dragon Men
1/F Stork Nagasaki, 2-11-4 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, 3341-0606

Arty Farty
2/F 33 Kyutei Bldg, 2-11-7 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, 5362-9720


Advocates
7th Tenka Bldg. 1F, 2-18-1 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, 3358-3988
I passed by- great music, great crowd.


Baarn Kirao
2-12-3 Shinjuku-ku, 3352-1070

Yeah. Um that's it. OKthanksbye.

Sexy chairs

I wanna talk chairs. I spent 5 years training as an architect. 6 if you count my year-out.
Then I spend 12 years working as an architect (design, construction, planning... you name it, I did it) and getting my licence. So I think I can talk about design with some authority.


The Corona chair by Poul Volther.

This is a great investment, if it's in leather- and you'd only need one for your study.
BE that evil genius that sits on his throne twirling his moustache going "MWAAA-HAAHAA-HAAA" at every little bit of planning that he does- like designing your own home. Pretty sad, really. Not the chair, though.... the chair's pure sex. Get it!


Egg chair by Arne Jacobsen

If this ain't a mod classic then I dunno what is. The funny thing is, I remember when I was very young, my Dad had one of these. In black leather too, baby. Back then it wasn't a big deal so me and by siblings (3 kids all under 4yrs, whoa) totally destroyed it. Then came our cat..... I can't remember what eventually happened to the chair- must've been taken to some random dump near the 50490 hood.


Marshmallow chair by George Nelson.

YES. Get this for your hallway or for your boudoir (or walk-in-closet as us normal folk like to call it). Not comfortable, but you'll only ever need one piece, so this is a great buy.


La Mama chair by Gaetano Pesce for B&B Italia

Who can resist resting on an ample bosom and thighs? I know I can't. I have spent many a saturday morning drooling over this chair at Space Furniture. I love its organic lines. Love its "embrace". Get this if you've got a few K in your budget, and you'll only need ONE because it's pretty darned big.


The Barcelona chair by Mies van der Rohe- furniture which the architect has designed for his Barcelona Pavillion.

Like Le Corbusier's chaise lounge, chairs and sofas, DO NOT get this unless you have the entire lounge set or you will risk your guests thinking that you bought a cheap imitation from China.

And these have been bought to death by any and every DIY wanna-be interior designer.
My years as an architect tells me NOOO.

The Tulip chair by Eero Saarinen

Eero Saarinen is an architect that epitomized 60's coolness.
His other work of art was Dulles Airport in Virginia, USA. (completed 1962)


In the winter of 1995, there was a snowstorm in January- and I was booked on a very stupid route that stopped in Dulles Airport to LAX instead of O'Hare to LAX. Of course there was a delay (biiig surprise) and I wandered the airport for a few gorgeous hours.
But this chair looks great as a bar stool, so yes you'd need a few of these.


Wassily chair by Marcel Breuer

Composition VIII by Wassily Kandinsky, 1923.

Designed for Wassily Kandinsky the russian constructivist artist by Marcel Breuer of the Bauhaus design school. What prompts a man to design a chair for another man?
My favourite- not necessarily as something to sit on, er, but I admire its architecture.
Just look at the way it's constructed! Need I say more? Get these as your dining table chairs- make sure it's a glass dining table and the retro-retro (double because it's 80's retro on 20's retro) look is complete.

Eames chair by Charles Eames

For tree-hugger-veggie-burger wood, Charles Eames and Alvar Aalto is the BEST. IKEA ain't got nothin' on Alvar Aalto, the godfather of scandinavian design.

Original Aalto chair

You think IKEA's Poang chair was original? Pthtptthhh!!!!!
Gawd, IKEAphiles crack me up. YEAH, YOU.
Have you heard the conversations/arguments/sniping between couples with opposing aesthetic ideas in IKEA? Go there on a Saturday for some comedy- that's when all the trash bring their brood out for a cheap meal and to pick up some plastic twat thingy that will make your life so much like those people inside the IKEA catalogues.


The Heart Chair by Verner Panton for Vitra

Gorgeous kitsch appeal just like the Lips sofa. From experience, this one wobbles waaaay too much after a few months of use. The function outweighs the form when the form is too lightweight.


Cafe Costes chair by Phillippe Starck.

Starckie has done MILLIONS of chairs, and the most well known one is probably the Ghost chair for Kartell. But I like this one best because there is some sense of craftsmanship to the end product. The wood is gorgeous. BUT I still wouldn't get it because the frame looks shit-house (Australian technical term). If it wasn't powdercoated aluminium and stainless steel then that would be better.

Interpret my dream? Please?

Hello. Its been a while since an angsty post.

I woke up this morning from a disturbing ex-boyfriend dream thanks to Facebook.
Facebook is a funny little old social networking phenomenon that we could do without. But we won't for some deep, dark, ugly reason. (Not something I find as practical as Twitter.)

The facebook facts: I know that this ex, a baby faced older man (no, not the divorced one) is now quite a success. His businesses are now set up in a few countries- two in Southeast Asia and one here in Australia. Thanks to curiousity and the internet, I read a few articles written about him. Looks like he moved here in the last few years and set up an office here and has a good project pipeline.

Why does he have to come here? AND WHY did I have to dream that I met up with him again? And where was my husband and baby in that dream?

You can't have Dora

I read a good article in the Sydney Morning Herald's Good Weekend while having my Saturday morning tea. Mia Freedman asks the question what we mothers teach our young daughters when we buy tea sets, fairy outfits, mini kitchens, baby dolls complete with nappies, strollers etc. OR WORSE, Barbie dolls!!! (emphasis mine) How do we teach them to be strong, independent women? Any parent who has a daughter, like myself, finds themselves in this predicament at some point.

The article ends with thank god for Dora the Explorer- "she's short, squat" with "a no-nonsense haircut". Yep, Dora is currently a hero to millions of young girls, mainly pre schoolers. She dresses in a plain t-shirt and shorts, carries a utilitarian backpack with a map in it as she explores with her sidekick monkey friend.

A new Dora The Explorer doll was unveiled a few days ago. Apparently this new doll is supposed to appeal to the "tween" market (often the domain of those slutty Bratz dolls).

If my daughter was a tween, she would of course prefer an age-appropriate doll- and I would rather she had a tween Dora than a Bratz doll any day.
Check out these Bratz dolls!

A US federal judge had the good sense to ban toymaker MGA from making any more of the pouty-lipped, provocatively dressed dolls.
One point for womankind, zero to the marketing fatcats at toy companies.

Real estate hunt. part 2

We are true blue real estate opportunists. Thanks to the economic downturn, the price of real estate has plummeted somewhat and we're on the hunt for property in Mosman again. Buyers are staying away from the AUD$ 1.5-2 million price range and yes, beautifully designed and renovated water-view bargains are to be found in this area. Check out Mosman's listings on domain.com.au

Cue vintage Duran Duran please.
"In touch with the ground,
I'm on the hunt, I'm after you
Scent and a sound, I'm lost and I'm found
And I'm hungry like the wolf"


We won't be able to afford waterfront property where you can park a boat (if we had one, we'd buy a place to park it!) for another 10 years, so we are settling for water views instead.
WHY is Mosman our suburb of choice?

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W-ELLL.... it's near Balmoral beach, Manly beach, it's near Taronga Zoo, it's leafy and quiet.

In the afternoon, we spend some time on Balmoral Beach.


I love cool sand between my toes. I could get used to living here. My little girl loves the beach.

Even later on in the afternoon, we ended up in Haberfield, the Italian suburb that still considers itself authentic, after Leichardt became all commercialised as THE Little Italy of Sydney. We have coffee and sweets at famous Pasticceria Sulfaro on Ramsay Street. It's a family business that has been there for more than 50 years.

I'm no foodie like Helen of GrabYourFork, BUT I had to take a picture because I thought the china was so kitsch and the Southern Italian sweets were too pretty for words. The food was heavenly. Our baby was content to sit on my lap gurgling and playing. Yes. Carry a bag full of little toys that keep little people busy.

At the end of the day we did find a few bargains- we registered our interest in those properties, will view them again, get the finances in order etc. Very excited and anxiously keeping tabs on domain.com.au.

The juidicial system in Malaysia through a theoretical framework. And some free consulting.

Quickie blog:


And now folks, let's look at justice (and its decay) in Malaysia through Kohlberg's (1958) Stages of Moral Reasoning. Laurence Kohlberg was a psychologist who charted stages of the development of moral reasoning from childhood to adulthood. There are six stages in all, each two stages belong in 3 levels.
Aw, why not? It's hella *FUN*FUN*FUN*. Not that I'm hoping to make a difference at all by writing this- I have neither the grandiose ego nor the audacity of hope nor the illusion that real life=cyberspace.

Level 1 (Pre-Conventional behaviours exhibited by children and some adults)
1. Crime and punishment (cause and effect)- Malaysian police sure puts the fear of God in you. When you were a kid, didn't your nanny always threaten you with "Nanti polis tangkap, baru tau!" Every day smart young Malaysian boys and gals in the workforce keep their heads down and try not to do anything that would upset Big Brother. Be naughty and you get spanked.
2. Selfishness (what's in it for me?)- "Eat this spinach and mommy will give you a big ice cream!" Money(bribery) can do anything in Malaysia. Even make independent politicians jump ship to Barisan National. Think of a spectrum: Indonesia on one end and Singapore on the other. Is Malaysia nearer to Indonesia?

Level 2 (Conventional behaviours exhibited by teens and some adults)
3. Interpersonal accord and conformity (Peer pressure)- Keeping up with the Joneses. OH BOY Malaysia Boleh is all about this, no? The INTERNATIONALLY(not. Oh wait I forgot- the international anything is inconsequential, right?) successful Proton Saga, getting the 1st Malaysian in space and blah blah blah ad nauseam.
4. Authority and social-order maintaining (Morality, religion)- When you were a teenager in KL, were you not afraid of those Imams on motorbikes catching you in the act? Who the fuck made them the police? The juidicial system in Malaysia really is split between the good guys and the bad guys (See Lingam tapes), huh? Oh and another thing: I will go to hell, but I say keep the Syariah law out of Malaysia.

Level 3 (Post-Conventional- Adults)
5. Social contract-(Laws are there to serve society and in turn, society is shapes those laws through a democratic process.) When the laws no longer serve the people, they should be changed. IT'S VERY SIMPLE, REALLY. Look. People speak. Government listen (they should, anyway). BUT Malaysia is still fucking married to the ISA and the NEP. Jean Jacques Rosseau himself preferred direct democracy and not representative democracy.
6. Universal ethical principles (Principled conscience)- Lots of Malaysians have this innate sense of right and wrong. Just take a look at blogs, which are basically written thoughts, not actions. BUT it is surpressed by fear of crime and punishment and by rewards, both Level 1 pre-conventional stages of morality that children have.
Conclusion: The government treats the Malaysian people like children. It is a supreme insult to your intelligence. Wanna live a lie? Go on and pretend to be kids, then complain secretly.

Malaysia fixed its own problems during the Asian Financial Crisis in the late 90's when they took control of UEM ( then the parent company of PLUS, now known as the UEM Group) who, in their infinite wisdom, had become buried in debt. So there were no toll hikes to cover their arses. Big Brother played the hero and absorbed the cost, saving the rakyat. Waaaah. My heeerrrooo. Pre-Conventional Morality wins the voters. That was smart voting, eh? Sell your soul for the cost of a few hundred dollars a year.

When an MP is on the campaign trail in their constituencies, we all know that their promises and their values alter themselves to appeal to those whose votes they are after (eg. they may change when addressing religious leaders in a mosque and the chinese chamber of commerce). It's either "dumbed down" OR one that is incites the fires of righteousness (think "Ketuanan Melayu").

This is all very well IF you know who your friends and enemies are. Know the people who vote for you. Malaysia allows voter profiling- eg. how many malay/chinese/ indian/ iban etc. voted for whom and where they come from. Oh bravo good show old chap, how very liberal of you. Well done and all that. pat yourself on the back etc. etc.

Recommendation: Now how about including more socio-economic data such as income level, profession, age group. It is outdated to assume people vote by the categories of race.

Recommendation: In certain constituencies where only 60% of registered voters bother to vote for you, think of the 40% who do not turn up. Who are they? How do you reach them? Think Blue Ocean Strategy and new markets. (merci pour le lavage de cerveau, INSEAD... heh) Visit venues and support causes which you have never supported before, find other marketing channels - "pull" systems such as a web page with a diary or portal for your services as an MP. This is NOT new, but old MPs must restrategize and re-think their rules of engagement.

Recommendation: Anyone who has voted in Malaysia before knows that registering to vote is a pain in the arse. All the red tape is a hassle, too. So how about looking at streamlining the voting process? While we're at it, how about making voting compulsory and slapping those people who don't vote with a big fat fine?

Any consultant worth their salt *AHEM* will hit you (usually a company whose P&L/ balance sheet sucks or employee turnover is high) with a six figure bill after making those recommendations. But here you go it's FREE- the kind Malaysians like.