Critics Are Not To Be Feared - They Are To Be Listened

Critics should not be viewed as negative. They should be looked at as people who are responsible, who love and want the best for their country and its citizens.

Loving and wanting the country to progress and be free from corruption, racialism, segregation etc. are just being patriotic and loyal to their motherland, Malaysia.

The authority should appreciate that they are Malaysians like Mr. Khoo Kay Peng and others who are very concerned about what is happening in this country. Have given their frank opinions as to what should be done to improve the political setting, governance and other related matters.

These are constructive suggestions and are the result of feelings and unhappiness of Malaysians over government policies and practices.

Critics can also be described as barometers for development of events in the country whether good or bad. It would be sound advice therefore, to take note of their readings.

Lastly, the most effective method to lessen criticisms is for the government to right the wrongs which have already occurred and to prevent those yet to be implemented.

By doing this, the government will win the respect of Malaysians and prove that it is truly serious in wanting to make its governance of Malaysia a transparent and people oriented one.

Introduce Better Techniques In Investigation

With the death of Teoh Beng Hock, the authority should introduce better investigation techiques to be used by all investigative bodies including police, MACC and others. One important point to remember is, it does not mean that all investigations should end in prosecution of the person. There are times in the course of investigation, when it is found, there is not enough evidence to do so. In such a situation the case therefore cannot proceed to court.


Witnesses may have been interviewed or interrogated. Still there is a missing link. When this link cannot be established even after making all efforts, then the suspect should be freed. High profile cases in other countries are let go because of similar grounds. But it does not mean that the individual cannot be investigated for the same offence later. What is needed is for the evidence to be corroborated by documents etc. or by witnesses. Once this has been done, meaning jigsaw puzzle is in order, the next step is to prepare for court hearing.


There are instances during investigation when witnesses have been intimidated, threatened, blackmailed, put under duress etc. with a view to implicate the suspected party. This is wrong. Confessions made under such conditions in law are considered invalid or inadmissible ( legal term ) as they are not made voluntarily.


Of course it would be best if government could make it a law that when an individual is being interviewed or interrogated by an investigative body, he can have recourse to the sevice of a lawyer to protect his right or interest if he so wishes. This will ensure that the investigation will not deviate from its original course to the extent that physical intimidation real or otherwise can be made to the person concerned.

Be Careful When You Drive To The Bank

With appreciation to my friend, John P. for this article - what can happen to your vehicle if you drive to the bank. Take extra precaution when you do so.



I drove to Maybank Seapark branch PJ last Friday evening at about 5.30pm, 29 May 09. I was pleased to find a vacant bay just outside the bank. I parked my car and went to do some banking at the machines, then I walked cross to Watson to get some toiletries. I came back to my car and noticed that the front right tyre was almost flat. Immediately I drove to the tyre shop nearby, which is about 100m away. I told the shop keeper I had a flat tyre. His prompt response: "Did you go to the bank?" He told me a few similar cases happened. It was a clean cut on the side of the tyre, about 1 cm long. I guess these evil-doers' tactic was to follow my car (if I had not noticed the flat tyre) until I could not go further with the flat tyre. Then they would either rob me on the spot or force me to go back to the bank to withdraw money for them. This reminded me of another time when I also parked in front of a bank in Uptown, Damansara Utama.. I did not go to the bank that day. I had lunch with a friend near the bank. I sent her back to Taman Tun and came back home. One of the tyres was flat. There was brand new nail stuck to the tyre. I suppose that evil person did not follow us as he noticed we did not go to the bank. Please be extremely careful when you go to the bank. DON'T PARK NEAR THE BANK YOU ARE GOING TO!!! You don't know who is watching you!!!

I thank God for His protection.

Eat Less Rice

With appreciation to my friend, John P. for sharing this article

Though its veracity is not confirmed, it makes sense to take food in moderation including rice for health reason.

Above, left, illustrations of rice plant and right picture of a rice farmer. Bottom, left, picture of rice plants and right, picture of its seeds which are the edible part of the rice plant.

Eat Less Rice! The human body was never meant to consume rice! You see, our genes have hardly changed in more than 30,000 years. However, our food choices and lifestyle have changed dramatically. The caveman would hardly recognise our food or way of life. Caveman food was never cooked as fire was not yet tamed.

Thus, he ate only those foods that you can eat without treatment with or by fire. He ate fruits, vegetables, fish (sushi anyone?), eggs, nuts and meat. Yes, even meat! You can even eat meat raw if you were starving in the forest. You have the necessary enzymes to digest meat. However, rice, like wheat and corn, cannot be eaten raw. It must be cooked. Even if you were starving in the desert, you cannot eat rice in the raw form. This is because we do not have the system of enzymes to break rice down. You were never meant to eat rice. To make matters worse, you not only eat rice, but also make it the bulk of your food. In some parts of Asia , rice forms up to 85% of the plate. Even if you take rice, keep it to a minimum. Remember, it is only for your tongue - not your body. Actually, rice and other grains like wheat and corn are actually worse than sugar. There are many reasons: Rice becomes sugar - lots of it! This is a fact that no nutritionist can deny: rice is chemically no different from sugar. One bowl of cooked rice is the caloric equal of 10 teaspoons of sugar.

This does not matter whether it is white, brown or herbal rice. Brown rice is richer in fibre, some B vitamins and minerals but it is still the caloric equal of 10 teaspoons of sugar. To get the same 10 teaspoons of sugar, you need to consume lots of kangkong-10 bowls of it. Rice is digested to become sugar. Rice cannot be digested before it is thoroughly cooked. However, when thoroughly cooked, it becomes sugar and spikes circulating blood sugar within half an hour-almost as quickly as it would if you took a sugar candy. Rice is very low in the 'rainbow of anti-oxidants. ' This complete anti-oxidant rainbow is necessary for the effective and safe utilisation of sugar. Fruits come with a sugar called fructose. However, they are not empty calories as the fruit is packed with a whole host of other nutrients that help its proper assimilation and digestion. Rice has no fibre. The fibre of the kangkong fills you up long before your blood sugar spikes. This is because the fibre bulks and fills up your stomach. Since white rice has no fibre, you end up eating lots of 'calorie dense' food before you get filled up. Brown rice has more fibre but still the same amount of sugar. Rice is tasteless-sugar is sweet. There is only so much that you can eat at one sitting. How many teaspoons of sugar can you eat before you feel like throwing up? Could you imagine eating 10 teaspoons of sugar in one seating? Rice is always the main part of the meal. While sugar may fill your dessert or sweeten your coffee, it will never be the main part of any meal. You could eat maybe two to three teaspoons of sugar at one meal.

However, you could easily eat the equal value of two to three bowls (20-30 teaspoons) of sugar in one meal. I

am always amused when I see someone eat sometimes five bowls of rice (equals 50 teaspoons of sugar) and then asks for tea tarik kurang manis! There is no real 'built in' mechanism for us to prevent overeating of rice: How much kangkong can you eat? How much fried chicken can you eat? How much steamed fish can you eat? Think about that! In one seating, you cannot take lots of chicken, fish or cucumber, but you can take lots of rice. Eating rice causes you to eat more salt. As rice is tasteless, you tend to consume more salt-another villain when it comes to high blood pressure. You tend to take more curry that has salt to help flavor rice. We also tend to consume more ketchup and soy sauce which are also rich in salt. Eating rice causes you to drink less water. The more rice you eat, the less water you will drink as there is no mechanism to prevent the overeating of rice. Rice, wheat and corn come hidden in our daily food. As rice is tasteless, it tends to end up in other foods that substitute rice like rice flour, noodles and bread. We tend to eat the hidden forms which still get digested into sugar.

Rice, even when cooked, is difficult to digest.Can't eat raw rice? Try eating rice half cooked. Contrary to popular belief, rice is very difficult to digest. It is 'heavy stuff'. If you have problems with digestion, try skipping rice for a few days. You will be amazed at how the problem will just go away. Rice prevents the absorption of several vitamins and minerals.Rice when taken in bulk will reduce the absorption of vital nutrients like zinc, iron and the B vitamins. Are you a rice addict? Going rice-less may not be easy but you can go rice-less. Eating less rice could be lot easier than you think. Here are some strategies that you can pursue in your quest to eat less rice:

Eat less rice-cut your rice by half.Barry Sears, author of the Zone Diet, advises 'eating rice like spice'. Instead, increase your fruits and vegetables. Take more lean meats and fish. You can even take more eggs and nuts. Have 'riceless' meals. Take no rice or wheat at say, breakfast. Go for eggs instead. Go on 'riceless' days. Go 'western' once a week. Take no rice and breads for one day every week. That can't be too difficult. Appreciate the richness of your food. Go for taste, colours and smells. Make eating a culinary delight. Enjoy your food in the original flavours. Avoid the salt shaker or ketchup. You will automatically eat less rice. Eat your fruit dessert before (Yes! No printing error) your meals.The fibre rich fruits will 'bulk up' in your stomach. Thus, you will eat less rice and more fruits. It's your life. Decide what you want to eat! But eat less rice!