I can't believe it!

I talk to my friends and it’s always about the depressing politics, declining economy and deteriorating crime scene.

To make things worse, my car develops a strange electrical problem which my trusted mechanic can't fix. I call the EON service centre and they tell me to leave my car there overnight. Oh no, I can’t do that. I would be crippled without my car.

Sometimes, unpleasant situations are a blessing in disguise. Thinking hard to solve my problem, my brain goes into memory retrieval mode and downloads an old file – the archived information of a man who helped me when my car broke down over ten years ago.

In that incident, I was in Kuala Lumpur and my car wouldn't start. A friend gave me a number to call. I got through to a man who said he would send his men over. I did not have to wait long. Two men turned up, jump-started my car and I followed them to a shop near the busy and bustling Jalan Pasar. The shop belongs to a Mr Wong who repairs automobile electrical system.

I was advised to replace the alternator. It was dusk when the job was done. When it was time to pay the bill, I found I did not have enough cash. Mr Wong said without hesitation, “Don’t worry. Take the car now. You can pay me tomorrow.” My jaws dropped. How could he trust me, a total stranger? He said that was how he conducted his business – trust. I did not betray his trust. I went back to the shop the next day and paid him.

One day, a friend from Seremban came to Kuala Lumpur. His car stalled on a street. I told him to call Mr Wong who promptly sent his men. Later, my friend called me, “Mr Wong charged me for the new battery only. He didn't charge me anything for sending his men over to jump-start my car. I can’t believe it!”

Suddenly, I know why my car is misbehaving now – so that I can see Mr Wong again. This incredible businessman is now in his seventies. He is still the same affable man I know. When I tell him the problem, he gives his trademark response, “No problem. We’ll look at it right away.”

While waiting for the car to be diagnosed and treated, I chat with Mr Wong. I ask him, “Last time you didn’t charge for house service. Do you charge now?” He replies with a laugh, “No! I still don’t charge. No need. You pay the repair bill, that’s enough.”

A worker approaches and says, “It’s done.” I ask Mr Wong for the bill and he says, “RM15 only.” RM15 only? For a problem that my mechanic can't fix and EON Service has to keep my car overnight? I can’t believe it!

If your car needs an electrical doctor in Kuala Lumpur, you may want to give Mr Wong a call.

Mr Wong Yoon Sui

Yoon Sui Electric Service Sdn Bhd

5 Jalan Beruang

Off Jalan Pasar

55100 Kuala Lumpur

03-9221 8368

Sincere Cops

I wish to thank and salute these two exemplary members of the Royal Malaysia Police who went out of the way to help me:

• Lance Corporal 114116 RAHATAN BIN TAHRIN
• Constable 142296 ASRI BIN DARI

One night, I drove home past midnight. When I reached the house, I pressed the auto-gate remote control. The gate refused to open. I pressed the control again and again. Nothing happened.

My family was away for a few days so I couldn't call them for help. I sat quietly in my car and gathered my thoughts. My brain went into problem-solving mode. All of a sudden I thought of the police.

Why shouldn't I run to them for help?
Why shouldn't I trust them with my problem?

I drove over to the police station. I told the police officer on duty of my predicament. He was very helpful. He made a call and soon two policemen turned up at the station - one was a lance corporal and the other a constable.

Both policemen followed my car on a motorbike. When we arrived at the house, it was past 1am. They told me their plan. One of them would climb over the gate, go up to the house, open the main door with the door keys, go inside and locate the auto-gate manual switch.

As the policeman was clambering up the gate, he chuckled, “This looks like housebreaking.” The other policeman was amused. I had my moment of anxiety.

Oh dear, are the neighbours watching this “housebreaking”? Would they call the police?

Finally, the drama was over – the gate opened and I could get into the house. I was so grateful to the two policemen. I offered them some money as a token of my appreciation. Both declined without hesitation. I was taken aback. If I had to hire a skilled person to do the job, I might have to pay a handsome price.

The two policemen were adamant despite my persuasion. They touched their chests with their hands and said, “Kami ikhlas.” (We are sincere)

I will always remember them as admirable members of the Royal Malaysia Police who serve our country with integrity.

A World of Paranoia

The recent robbery has turned me into a paranoid nut.

It was dusk and I was driving along a lonely street in a residential area. I looked into the rear mirror and saw a motorcyclist behind me. He picked up speed and began to overtake me. My brain sent out a red alert and steered my body into fight or flight position.

As the motorcyclist passed me, he glanced at me. Then, he stopped at the side of the road. I hit the panic button. I stepped on the accelerator and swerved my car to the middle of the road. As I passed him, our eyes met. He had a strange look in his face. Then, he turned and walked into the house.

Goodness gracious, he lives there??!! If he does, my bizarre behaviour must have shocked him as much as he had scared the daylights out of me.

I remember a very different time when paranoia was not in my vocabulary. I was in secondary school. After every volleyball practice, I would ride the bus home. When I got off the bus, it would be past 8pm. I had to walk past a dark sawmill with logs piled up high on both sides of the road. Wearing my T-shirt and shorts, I had always reached home safely.

Sadly, today, children do not have the freedom to do what I had done without facing danger or even death. They can’t even walk to the crowded and brightly-lit night market without the fear of being abducted, abused, tortured and murdered.

Yes, the world has changed. But, has it changed for the better? In today’s world of scientific magic and technological wizardry, are we better off?

If I could live my life again, I don’t want to go into space or walk on the moon. What I want to do is to ride the bus, walk past a dark sawmill and reach home in one piece.

A friend in need is a friend indeed

It takes two bloody robbers to make me feel how blessed I am.

When I reached Menara Great Eastern in Jalan Ampang, the complex security senior officer offered his help instantly. He was kind and sympathetic. He assigned his men to keep an eye on my car and instructed a lady officer to accompany me to the 6th floor.

Thank you, sir! I will post his name later. In my confused state of mind, I forgot to get his name. (He is security supervisor MR M ELANGOVAN). I also wish to thank the lady officer who comforted me all the way in the lift. Terima kasih, puan! (She is security officer PUAN SHAKDAH OTHMAN).

When I reached the 6th floor, I'm grateful to my friends in Toastmasters International for helping me to clean my wounds and getting me plasters. Where did the plasters come from? They appeared like magic!

In particular I wish to thank Division Governor Mr Azmi Shahrin, Area Governor Mr Paul Tan, my Club President Ms Sandy Tan and the lovely lady Ms Jane who got me the plasters.

I thank God for blessing me with kind people in my hour of need.

I almost have a heart attack when the robbers attack

Yesterday, Saturday 15 March, I was robbed along Jalan Ampang, Selangor, while driving in my LOCKED car.

I took the slip road from MRR2 Expressway to Jalan Ampang heading towards Great Eastern Mall. Traffic on the slip road is usually slow because vehicles queue up to get into the main road of Jalan Ampang.

All of a sudden, I noticed a guy racing towards the passenger side of my car. The next instant, there was one big EXPLOSION.

The glass window on the front passenger side was smashed and splinters flew all over my car. The criminal grabbed my handbag which was on the passenger seat, then ran towards a waiting motorcycle. In a flash, they were gone.

The explosion left me in a state of shock. When I came to my senses, I found I was bleeding from my left hand and left leg. My heart pounded so violently I thought I might collapse.

Robbers in the Klang Valley must be really desperate to resort to such violent measures.

Please alert your families and friends, especially the ladies.

Damn it, I can't seem to get the explosion out of my head!

Timeless Barbarians

During the Chinese New Year, I visited a busy shopping complex. The car park was full, forcing me to circle it a couple of times. Finally, a car came out of a parking space right in front of me. Unfortunately, I did not have enough room to manoeuvre my car into the space.

There was a solitary car behind me, so I opened the door of my car and gestured to the other driver to reverse his car a little. Astonishingly, he did not budge an inch. I gestured again but my effort was in vain. What an unkind driver! Anger began to surge through me. When people are angry, they do stupid things. I guess I was no different. I had this urge to punish the driver by refusing to move my car so that he was stuck behind me for good. If he refuses to budge, so can I.

Fuming, I looked into my rear mirror and saw a woman sitting next to the male driver and a few children in the back seat.

Suddenly, I was jolted by a knock on my window. A Chinese man was standing by my car and he asked if I was looking for a place to park. I nodded. He said, “There’s an available space over there. Go quickly.” I was so grateful to him, “Thanks! I’m so angry with the driver behind me.”

His next words shocked me out of my rage. “What do you expect from people of that race? They behave like that!”

What made him say that? Where's the logic? A stubborn, stupid and unkind driver can be found in any race, including my own. Making racial remarks and blindly condemning others seems to be a barbaric instinct in humankind.

There's a story of a particular village occupied by two rival clans. Though of the same ethnic origin, each clan regarded the other clan with disdain. The differences ran so deep that the members of each clan refused to let their offspring marry the other clan. So, you see, this barbaric instinct is the cause of not only racial problems but also tribal conflicts.

It looks like humans can run amok anytime if they do not know how to rein themselves back.

Back to the incident in the car park. I was as stubborn and stupid as the other driver so that made two 21st century barbarians, one from each race.

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Malaysian Currency, Indian Family

I looked at Maniam with awe and admiration. He is a travelling gardener and all-purpose guy for menial tasks. My friend moved house and got Maniam to help to move the furniture, household appliances, audio video equipment and even the garden plants. Some of the things were as heavy as lead. But, to Maniam nothing is impossible.

My friend gave away an old TV to Maniam. I saw him tying the 5okg TV to the pillion seat of his motorbike. I asked him what he was trying to do. He said he was going back to his house and the TV would be riding pillion. But, his house is not down the street. It is 20km away! And, he has to travel through a stretch of highway. Can you imagine the 50kg TV wobbling on the pillion seat? What if it topples off?

I firmly told Maniam I would help him to transport the TV in my car. On the way, I began to interview him.

"How many children do you have?"

"Two. A boy and a girl."

"They are lucky to have you as their father. You work very hard."

"My children live in India."

"India? Are you Malaysian?"

"Yes, I'm Malaysian. But, my wife is from India, so my children live in India."

"How often do you see your children?"

"Twice a year"

"So, you see your wife only twice a year?"

"No, she comes here every three months."
"Why do you choose to live like this?"

"My children will have a better future in India. I send all my money to them."

"How do you spend your time here without your family?"

"With friends. I share a rented house with a group of friends. I share my room with two other people."


I'm still trying to understand Maniam. Why is he willing to make such sacrifices? Has he been misled, brainwashed or has my country failed to convince him that it can offer his children a good future?

Quick to say sorry

It was Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

After visiting an open house, I happily got into my car and began to drive home. As I was approaching a small junction, I noticed a small car being driven on a road on my left. Naturally, I expected it to stop at the junction and wait for me to pass first before it moved out. But, unbelievably, the motorist continued to drive out of the junction and straight on a collision course with my car.

I swerved violently to the right. Fortunately, there were no other vehicles behind. The near collision scared me out of my wit. After regaining my composure, I saw red. I gave chase and wanted to honk the driver dead.

Then, I noticed the rogue driver stuck his right hand out of the window and gestured “I’m sorry”. He slowed down and allowed me to overtake him. I gave him my most menacing glare. He was a young Malay guy and with him was another young Malay lad. Both of them made eye contact with me and the driver gestured again: “I’m sorry”.

His readiness to say sorry neutralized my anger. He did the right thing. He knew he was wrong and he was quick to say sorry. That is honourable.

Blogging and Fear Factor

Photo credit: www.flowjournal.org

On 03 Oct 2007, I was invited to a talk on Blogosphere & Digital Democracy by David Sasaki, Outreach Director for Global Voices Online, a non-profit media project founded at Harvard Law School’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society.

During the Q&A session, my light bulb lit up when David said that the blogosphere is just another medium of communication. Which means I should not view it with doubt, anxiety or contempt.

I roll into blogosphere not because I happily jump into a bus and get relocated to new neighbourhood (like the ad on Astro). Rather, I'm pushed into blogosphere by the terrifying thought that if I don't do so, I might be considered unfashionable, outdated, ancient, or even a dinosaur.

David Sasaki talked of Fear Factor versus Tipping Point.

This is my view on the fear factor: In the past many years, there has been a great deal of negative coverage on bloggers, their blogs and their commenters. So much so that fear is driven into me that people will use my blog to bash me up or whack somebody else. And, if they can’t bash me up in my blog, they will whack me in their blogs. So, I better not announce myself as a netizen, then nobody knows that I exist.

After listening to David Sasaki, I thought of my bunch of friends who together with me are victims of the fear factor. I guess it’s the fear of receiving negative feedback. Well, what I know is that my buddies and I receive our share of negative feedback - sometimes on a daily basis - but we learn not to freak out. So, why should we freak out in blogosphere?

I visited Tom Peter’s blog and was amazed and amused. Tom Peter is the renowned management guru who sort of revolutionized management thinking more than 20 years ago. He is also the guy who promoted the concept of “Personal Branding” and was voted Second Most Influential Leadership Professional by Leadership Gurus.

After visiting a potpourri of blogs of different taste and aroma, it dawned on me that blogging can be fun. Like what David Sasaki says, “Blogosphere is just another medium of communication”. If I regard myself as a communicator, I cannot but embrace it.

I wish to thank the people at ALL-BLOGS for the invitation. Besides the fascinating talk, I also tucked into the sumptuous buka puasa buffet, and talked to interesting people from local NGOs, British High Commission and American Embassy.

Something from Indonesia brings me tears

I told the agent, “Don’t treat this Indonesian girl like garbage. She’s a human being and she’s somebody’s daughter. She has parents who are worried about her, and are praying that she does not come to any harm.”

That happened a year ago. Ira came from Indonesia to work in Malaysia. Her parents became frantically worried when they did not hear from her for one whole year – not a single phone call or letter. They started to look for her. I was asked to help in this case.

I managed to trace the agent who brought Ira into the country but the agent refused to meet me. Neither did the agent allow me to speak to Ira. Soon after this, Ira’s parents received a letter from her. After my friendly harassment, I was hoping that the agent would treat Ira in a more humane way.

Another year passed. In August this year, Ira called her parents to say that she was all set to go home because her work permit was expiring. The parents waited. August came and went. In September, the worried parents rang the agent who said that all flights to Jakarta were fully booked since August. What? They said they would try to put Ira on the plane in September. September passed. Then, the agent promised to send Ira back on a certain date in October. They did not honour their word.

I was asked to help again. I called the agent and negotiated for Ira’s safe release. My priority was to ensure that she returns home in one piece. Sadly, Ira had to lose half of her hard earned money.

Sometimes, I get depressed asking questions on humanity. Asking why there are people who treat others with cruelty. Asking why they were born without kindness and compassion.

After Ira had reached home, her mother called my mobile phone, “Alhamdulillah, Ira sudah selamat pulang.” She thanked me over and over again.

After the phone call came this sms:
“Trima kasih bantuannya keluarganya dsini, mngucapkan bnyak bnyak trimakasih. Kami brsyukur KEPADA ALLAH, dengan melalui anda ira pulang dengan selamat”

It brought tears to my eyes. I never expected the phone call nor the sms. The family is from a small village in rural Indonesia, and I never imagined that they would go to such lengths to reach me. They do not even have a telephone at home.

The response from Indonesia has put my faith back in humanity.

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