Nazri Spin-doctoring the Ban of ‘Allah’ Word

The daily also quoted Nazri to have said that the series of attacks against the houses of worship has proven that the government was right in its decision to restrict the use of the word.

“Banning the use of ‘Allah’ by Christians was a pre-emptive move to stop outbreaks of religious violence in the nation,” he reportedly said.

Nazri also drew a parallel between the “Allah” dispute and the ‘cow head protest’ in Shah Alam last year, against the relocation of a temple in the Selangor capital.

-quoted from The Malaysian Insider-

Nazri oh Nazri. Please don’t give us these kind of bullsh1t. We’re not stupid.

The use of the word of ‘Allah’ in Christian text was never an issue in the first place. But thanks to Syed Hamid Albar, he turned it into a big thing. This is proof of the narrow-mindedness & bigotry BN gahmen had instilled into the minds of so many Malaysian.

If there wasn’t a ban, and an ensuing court case. This would totally be a non-issue. The gahmen could’ve done the right thing and explained to the public that the word ‘allah’ simply means god in Arabic. But all these cheebai politicians decided to add oil to fire.

“Lets stir religious and racial hatred. Then send the UMNO machai’s to create some chaos.”

Seriously, these politicians are stupid. If they create a peaceful environment for business and increase the standard of living… then there are more money in the system for them to get corrupted. People would turn a blind eye as long as our lives are good (well… sort of turn half-a-blind-eye). Is it that difficult to figure out? Mahathir forgot teach you guys all these meh?

Yours Religiously,
theSPinDoctor

Earnings Quality

Here’s an article I read in MyPaper January 11, 2010 in Singapore. It is titled ‘Why all earnings are not equal’—an interview with Robert Olstein (Olstein All-Cap Value Fund) by Gretchen Morgenson for New York Times (I suppose NYT means that =P ).

And I find this a coincidence. I was recently speaking with Jackson, an friend of my sister. And he was talking to me about investments (more like me picking his brain). One of the things he mentioned is earnings quality.

Earnings (and profits) is just a number. It can be manipulated, defined, reviewed, re-defined, rounded off, obscured, obsfucated, etc. The information and the source of this earnings define its quality.

One of the most common example:
You take a look at the earnings of a company, and you see that this year there’s quite a sharp increase in earnings. This would look out of place when compared to previous years. So, you read the annual report/news in more detail and found that the company has just sold an asset (a building, land, factory, its operations, a subsidiary, etc). This means that this year’s earnings does not reflect the true business earnings. This is nothing bad. The analyst just needs to be aware.

Another type of obsfucation is the EBITDA. EBITDA = earnings before interest, tax, depreciation & amortization. Amortization = depreciation of non-tangible assets. I think it is bullcrap. All I know is that it does not reflect the actual earnings (or profit) of the company, and it’s useless except for obsfucation. Apparently, it is used by tech companies because they typically have very high cost of operation. And EBITDA is used to give a positive effect. Pffft…

The 2 scenarios below are sneakier. But can be easily spotted by checking the disparities between its earnings and its excess cash flow.

1. from Vincent (wshiong.blogspot.com)
The articles mentioned that this disparity can show up in the ways companies account for capital expenditures. Certain assets in a company can depreciate over the years. To increase the earnings (& profits), a company can manipulate the amount of depreciation. For example: KNM listed in Bursa Malaysia. Apparently, in order to plump up its earnings, it changed the depreciation of its assets from 99 years to 999 years. This would reduce the annual depreciation, and thus increase the earnings.
I told you these guys are sneaky. The article says: “One way to assess the accuracy of management’s estimates is to compare, over time, how much a company spends on new plant and equipment and how much it deducts in depreciation each year.”

2. from Jackson
A company (lets call it Company A) can also sign an agreement with another company (Company B). The agreement says that Company B agrees to buy 100k of products from Company A. Since this is considered a business done, it is listed in the earnings report as receivables. However, this deal is done near the end of the financial of Company A. And once the financial year is over and annual report done, they will terminate the agreement.
However, this ‘transaction’ will show up in the cash flow as a discrepancy because the amount received does not match the earnings. I mean, seriously, Company B wouldn’t be that crazy to actually give Company A money for a fake show.

For conclusion,
I’m gonna quote the article:
Some of the discrepancies that emerge can be temporary, cased by the lag time between an initial investment and subsequent write-downs for depreciation.

Companies in a growth phase, for instance, will show greater capital expenditures than depreciation as they increase investments in plant and equipment.

Consistent gulfs between capital spending and depreciation should concern investors. “You have to reconcile the differences, or the market will do it for you.”

富士山下

Recently, I started listening to Eason Chan’s songs (influenced by Pop Pop Music’s blog). Some of them are pretty good stuff, especially the Mandarin albums.

Then I came upon the song 富士山下 (fu si shan ha; At the Foot of Mt Fuji).

As I was searching for the lyrics, I stumbled upon this site:
jessemok.mysinablog.com

攔路雨偏似雪花　飲泣的你凍嗎
這風褸我給你磨到有襟花
連調了職也不怕　怎麼始終牽掛
苦心選中今天想車你回家

原諒我不再送花　傷口應要結疤
花瓣鋪滿心裡墳場才害怕
如若你非我不嫁　彼此終必火化
一生一世等一天需要代價

＊誰都只得那雙手　靠擁抱亦難任（為）你擁有
　要擁有必先懂失去怎接受
　曾沿著雪路浪遊　為何為好事淚流
　誰能憑愛意要富士山私有

　何不把悲哀感覺　假設是來自你虛構
　試管裡找不到它染污眼眸
　前塵硬化像石頭　隨緣地拋下便逃走
　我絕不罕有　往街裡繞過一周　我便化烏有＊

情人節不要說穿　只敢撫你髮端
這種姿態可會令你更心酸
留在汽車裡取暖　應該怎麼規勸
怎麼可以將手腕忍痛劃損

人活到幾歲算短　失戀只有更短
歸家需要幾里路誰能預算
忘掉我跟你恩怨　櫻花開了幾轉
東京之旅一早比一世遙遠
Repeat（＊）＊

你還嫌不夠 我把這陳年風褸　送贈你解咒

The curious blogger decided to dig into the meaning of the lyrics.
I’ve always been a little intrigued by the meaning of this song, and I find this song to be quite poetic and deep (well, sort of…). However, I was never curious enough to try to interpret the meaning of the song.

The blogger did a pretty good job deciphering the meaning. I find it amusing that it sparked a long discussion in the comments section with some people putting in their opinions and a few slamming the song for being a complicated burst of fart. LOL!

And one dude even commented that a certain spot at the foot of Mt Fuji is a place where many broken hearts end their misery by taking their own lives. This little info makes the song even more interesting because it gives the song some context to understand it better.

There are songs that are very literal. And there are song that are metaphorical. And there are some that are poetic. Some even weave between between being literal and metaphorical and poetic from line to line… or even more canggih: a combination of all. This make explaining a song very difficult.

Such as Desolation Row by Bob Dylan than a Mainland Chinese friend asked me to help interpret. It was talking about racism and 3 men were lynched in the process. I would have to understand what the context of the song is based on. Why certain well known characters (e.g. Einstein, Robin Hood, Cinderella) are used in the song to represent certain group of people. How the event unfolds in the song. My gawd, you literally have to have a wide range of knowledge to even begin to appreciate how well (or ridiculous) it’s written.
I couldn’t even explain to my friend half of what the song is trying to convey.

BTW, credit to the lyrics writer 林夕. The dude is a mad genius. =D

Who Are The Mules?

You will need to read the previous post “The Arrogant and Stubborn Mules” first.
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From the previous post…
Obviously, ‘Grassdom’ is Malaysia. The ‘mules’ are…

Jeng! Jeng! Jeng…!!
*drum rolls…

The Arrogant and Stubborn Mules

Let me start this post with a story ala Aesop style.

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful kingdom called the Grassdom. Grassdom was a great place. Full of natural resources, free from natural disasters. And many types of animals lived happily in Grassdom. Grassdom is ruled by a coalition of animals. They were the zebras, mules, horses and unicorns.

And because Grassdom was a flat grassland, it favoured the horses and zebras. Knowing their disadvantage as mules, they busted their ass working hard all the time. The worked together and formed groups to help each other.

Due to their hardwork, the mules managed to achieve certain success. They’ve built a reputation for being resourceful & hardworking animals that thrive in Grassdom, despite their disadvantages.

Slowly, the mules became proud. They liked to pat each others’ back and talk amongst themselves that the mules do not need the natural advantages that the horses and zebras possess to achieve success. And behind their backs, the mules called the horses & zebras lazy animals.

The mules also became very very stubborn. You see, the mules eat a lot of carrots. Due to diet limitations, the horses and zebras don’t consume carrots. They take oats & wheats instead. Sometimes, the carrots rot and it affected the oats and wheats. And this became unacceptable for the horses and zebras to eat the oats and wheats. The horses and zebras have no choice but to meet with the mules to discuss about this issue.

They claim that carrots are a very important food for them. And that the horses and zebras must respect the mules rights to grow carrots. And the accuse the horses & zebras as being inconsiderate to their needs for carrots. They make a big fuss over the issue, despite the fact that mules have no problem eating oats & wheats (it’s just that the mule didn’t eat them often).

The horses and zebras became pissed off with the mules’ attitude, and they were sick of the mules talking behind their backs calling them lazy. So they felt that there is only one thing to do: they decided to kick the mules’ arrogant arses and send them back into the hilly forest for being a royal pain in the arse.

The moral of the story is: Don’t be an ASS.

OK I know… the ending of the story is somewhat lame & super kaulat anti climax (the last paragraph) =P. But the story has a point to make. Guess who are the mules?
The explanation of this story is here: Who Are The Mules?

Yours Animatedly,
TheMUle/

I’m Back

Woooo! Work in HZ ended and I’m back to KL.
Home sweet home.

In Arnold’s The Terminator voice:
“I’m baaack!”

Found… dead or un-alive

This morning, while taking my bath a morbid thought flashed through my head.

There’s a electrical socket in my bathroom, where the water heater is plugged into. When the heater is operating, if I turn off the switch… there would be a spark in the switch. It’s pretty scary, considering that the bathroom (and sometimes my fingers too) is damp and wet.

Death from electrocution is a very real risk.

Then *THE FLASH* came. You know, like in some comedies or cartoons when the heavens decide to shower the character with blessings and flood them with the sun’s ray shining through the clouds to create a Jesus light effect. Wooooo!

Yeah, that’s what happened to me, except that it’s not exactly a comforting thought.

In the very sad (or happy, depending on how much you hate me) event that I get electrocuted in my bathroom… I wonder how long would it take for someone to actually finally find out that my dead body has been decaying? Or who would be the first to figure out I’m dead?

My colleagues certainly wouldn’t call to check out on me, because they would assume that I’ve gone to the retail shop to help out. Probably 10 days before they realise I’m missing.

My bosses would certainly not be the first. They wouldn’t even know where am I, much less care.

My parents would find out 1-2 months later, because that’s how often they call me.

My social circles in HZ would find out 3-4 months later, probably in the news… or from gossips. And I’d probably be the first dead HZ Hash House Harrier, and turn into a legend of some sort.

My buddies would only notice something wrong 3-4 weeks later when there’s no Facebook updates or MSN logins.

My neighbour would probably find out 1 week later when I’m decomposing… giving off a foul decaying smell.

I don’t have a girlfriend to speak of, and even if I have one… she might finally figure out that I’m dead probably 3-4 days later.

This is so fxcking sad.

Han Chinese? Chinese Malaysian? Malaysian Chinese?

A little update on the Malaysian Chinese? Chinese Malaysian? post.

A week ago, I went for a jogging session. The last time I ran seriously was 4-5 years ago. So as for whatever is left of my paltry stamina, I hope I don’t faint and fall into the West Lake.

After the run (took me 1 hour to complete a miserable 5k), I sat down with the runners + hashers and tokok. There’s this Chinese (Han) looking dude with an American accent. I eventually found out that his family migrated to USA when he was very young.

Half way talking he was curious that I’m a Malaysian, but with a Chinese (Han) face, and a weird accent (yes, we Malaysians have an accent).

So he asked me what am I. And so I replied him that I’m a Malaysian, but my of Chinese ethnicity.

Then he started off with his rant about how the term Chinese is actually a fairly recent word. It was created by one Chinese leader of the recent past (couldn’t remember: Chiang Kai Shek? Sun Yat Sen? ).

The actual meaning of the word ‘Chinese’ is to define the people under the rule of China. It was brought about to unite the people of China by using a common term/word.

Therefore, he continues, the word Chinese does carry any reference of race or ethnicity. It is supposed to be a identity of the people (emotionally, culturally, nationally) attached to the country China. And for this reason alone, I should not be saying that I’m a Chinese… or that my ethnicity is Chinese.

An example he gave me is that: the people in Xinjiang are Chinese, because Xinjiang is part of China. But their race/ethnicity is Uighur. And the same goes for many other minority race (少数民族) in China and Taiwan.
(If I may add: technically, we should be calling them Uighur Chinese.)

The correct way of indicating my ethnicity is to call myself a ‘Han 汉’ instead. Because the word ‘Han 汉’ is the only word use to identify the ‘Han’ people — 汉族.

And I fully agree with him. In fact, when I tell the gwailos that I’m Malaysian… they later follow up with another question: “You look like the Chinese people.” Then they fumble a little before finally asking in a very subtle + polite + politically-correct manner, “I mean, are you Han? As in does your ancestry trace back to China?”

I was often surprised by this reference of ‘Han’, and I’ll reply, “Yeah, my ancestors came from China.” Now I know where did that curiosity came from.

Perhaps I should add this line when I answer the same question in the future, “I guess you could call me a Han Malaysian if you like. But I would prefer that you just call me a Malaysian.”

Yours Patriotically,
theMAlaysian

iamyuanwu’s routine 1

Yesterday, I did a weird sh!t routine that I composed myself.
Does the exercise routine make any sense at all? No it doesn’t.
So why still do it? Because I love these exercises. And that’s all the motivation I needed for yesterday!

The usual warm up:

15sec of each: skipping on the spot (with high knee), jumping jacks, running on the spot, jumping side to side, pushups, crunches, mountain climber, burpees.
According to a research from West Point (no.1 US military school), this warm up can help trainees run faster and jump higher. And I find it a quick way to get my temperature.

4-5 minutes of simple mobility drills e.g. leg swings, arm circles, loosening up the muscles and joints.

5-10 vertical jumps.
I found out that [max effort] jumping or sprinting spikes up my nervous system. There was once, I was so lethargic I actually napped for 10 minutes in the gym before I started training. And became totally groggy. After a few jumps, I’m hyped up, and ready to go!

Here’s the routine. Most are done with 90-120s rest.

1) (push) Inclined DB press –> 13kg, 2×20, 4min rest
2) (legs) Bulgarian split squat –> 35kg bar, 2×10 [fried my legs too soon]
3) (pull) Chin up + face pull super set –> 2x max chin ups + 2lbs 2×10
4) (legs) Pistols –> 1×10 [I feel that I might puke if I did an extra set]
5) (shoulder) Alternating DB upright row –> 13kg 2×10
6) (a$$) Single arm DB swings –> 13kg 2×10 [for the last few reps, my abs were getting sore & my form was getting sloppy]
7) (pull) Self supported DB rows –> 13kg 2×10
8) (a$$) DB snatch –> 13kg 2×10
9) (abs+shoulder) Turkish get-up –> 13kg 2×2 [my grip was giving up from all those DB power movements]
10) (abs) Plank –> 10kg plate, 40sec

(notice that with the exception of 1 & 3, all exercise involves the abs)

It took me approximately 80 minutes to complete. It was actually pretty tough. My heart rate never dropped even with 90s rest between sets. And I’m continuously panting and sucking air. And the weirdest thing is I had a side stitch for a while (those pain on the side when jogging or running). LOL!

After taking a shower, I noticed that I’m in a surprisingly good mood. And I feel refreshed. Like a runners/cardio high!
I’m putting this routine into my permanent programme! Whoever is crazy enough, do try it out too!

Yours Strongly,
theBOdybuilder.

P.S. while doing the swings, a dude came over and asked me if I practise Sanda (散打chinese kickboxing). Hah hah! Objective tercapai. I’m looking forward to a fighter’s physique.

Currency War

I’m currently reading a book titled Currency Wars 货币战争 by 宋鸿兵 Song Hongbing. A bit of history into how our current financial system came about sent me some chills. It’s a totally messed up system, and normal people like you and me are those that are AFFECTED MOST by this system.
I’ve just finished chapter 1. I can’t read Chinese fast, so can’t blame me for the turtle speed of my progress. LOL!
Will talk about it more as I read the book.