SCHOOL MUST TELL

Death due to murder and the story of missing persons have something to do with social illness. Human freedom and Human Right somehow contribute to the increasing problems of runaway kids, teen pregnancy, street racing, drug abuse and fighting against the parents. At one time school took the part of parenting but the NGOs, parents and even the Minister opposed it and said that parents should take the role to check and control their kids.

In real life kids simply oppose and challenge their parents, cheat and bluff them, went out and came home at the wee hours. Parents find it very difficult to communicate with their kids.

The Ministry and the government must not just ignore the rising problem and look deeply at what policy to take to encourage the schools and the teachers to guide and informed the students of causes and effects of their actions. Otherwise teachers wouldn't just leave it to the parent. Whether the kids play truant, fail in the test, sleep in class, slipping away from classes and dress in a topsy-turby manner. I know of teachers who still talk even half of the class went to sleep or when the class was very noisy.

The school must tell what is meant by 'Derhaka' and it's consequence. Unlike USA, in Malaysia education can still mix with religion. It means the school can talk about heaven and hell or making a detail analysis of the action of fighting against the parents. The school must tell about the consequences of free sex, the importance of building a good image, on dress and many other social behavior .

There have been several murder cases involving school children and many cases of run away students.

Parent-teacher confrontation does not pay. As there are many indifferent parents so are the number of indifferent teachers. Once being attacked by the parents, many teachers simply ignore the students. They can sleep, play truant, do not do homework, and dress in anyway they want.

How many percent of the parents want to talk about the danger of street racings to their kids ? And what to say about it ? But a school can analyze it thru several aspects. And we found the students found them amusing when we mentioned 'swimming on the road'.

Most important is to instill responsibility, considerate, not to be greedy, always grateful to God and other human beings, tell them between the good and the bad. It is the school's role to produce a responsible citizen. With the parents and the school working hand in hand many social illness could be controlled. Yet we all remember that statements by the well known people about the right of the kid above a certain age and they can take legal actions even on their parents.

Most of all "Jangan jaga tepi kain orang" by Rais Yatim is one of the most interesting statements.

 17/08/2010 Top

MY LOGBOOK REVISITED

Today I no longer use the above logbook. However I would like to explain something about it. The bottom right shows an image of IC706 Mark2G. Connecting the computer to the radio will print the frequency on the image at Text22. As you change the frequency the reading will also change. Clicking the menu ModeChange I can choose the rig I connect to, commanding the rig to go any mode and adjust the frequency.

You also see the checkbox with 3 title, Ham, Qrz and INA. On entering the call sign in the yellow box and checking the box will display any info of the station on the top portion of the logbook.

I include a map though it is messy and unorganized that will show the location of the country by checking the box below the INA. Example I type VK5 in the yellow box or any VK5 call sign. Beneath it it will print the location namd and on clicking the while box the map will be shown.

Also on the menu is Satelite which will bring to the NASA's satellite page where I can see the location of the satellites concerned.

Those are among the few features I incorporate inside my log book. Therese are several versions of them. A few has the animation cartoons that speak or read the text. I understand the new Windows included the voice system in.

The installations is a little hard. The file size is about 1.4 mgb because it contain  many modules. Though I enjoy using it, I need to change it to the simpler version because I am using the html system to open my logbook kept in the remote server together with the data. For new hams they have many free logging soft wares they can download. Though mine is simple and less sophistication I just like the homebrew staffs.

16/08/2010 Top

SONGS

Now I have passed the 63 mark. The other day I opened up a small organ which I bought more than 10 years ago and start to play with the keys. Since I never learn music I am only able to play a few songs from the memory. These are the oldies I used to like in the 60s.

I don't find the new songs tasty, with full of shoutings without melody. Shout...shout..shout... I think the new generations will not like Besame Mucho or ever heard of it. But I still keep songs like The Queen For Tonight, Limbo Rock, Born Free, Oh Carrol, Rain-Rain Go Away, Seal With A Kiss, the Sound of Silence and many more top pops in those years. I find them very lovely.

I think the present music attract the youth by the beat of the drum. Even without any other instrument the repeated beat would cause the movement of the legs and body to take effect. And the lack of aesthetic sense do not drive them to appreciate the melodious music. May be they would detest an opera too.

Old songs are soothing and words are very clear. It is easy for the non-English speaking people to understand them. In fact kids could learn speaking English thru them. When my English teacher complained about the student's attitudes towards learning English, I asked him to teach them the evergreen English song. Indeed I saw him bringing guitars to school.

There is a Tamil channel on ASTRO which has a program on the traditional Tamil song. Singers as old as 70s were invited to sing and they are good too. To sing a Tamil song you need to have an excellent vocal. I would watch the whole show and enjoy the Tamil songs though I did not understand a single word of it.

The other day when I visit Bandung, two young men came up on our bus and sang Biduri. One was playing a violin and the other a guitar. The combination of both instruments for the song produce a very beautiful music that really touches our hearts. And that one time song I heard did penetrate my soul and mind. And I still could recall it thru my keyboard.

The modern Chinese songs sound almost like English. At time I was thinking it was English when not paying attention to the lyrics. But I don't remember hearing the yelling songs in Chinese.

I believe melodious music, the non-yelling type, plays important part in a person emotional and intellectual development. The 7 bit Baroque music is believed to enhance mental absorptions of facts read. While studying it is good to put on a soft Baroque music. When my student told me that her daughter was learning guitar, I suggested that she should also learn violin.

Siki-Yaki, Chu-Chu San, Gigi dan Lidah Lagi Tergigit, Biduri, and Besame Mucho are deep in my heart. They give me pleasure and happiness. These are the evergreen songs.

16/08/2010 Top

DEALING WITH A HYSTERIA GHOST

Just now one 1988/89 female student reminded me of a night of hysteria in the girl's hostel. She could still remember how I dealt with the hysteria ghost.

People believe hysteria is caused by a certain unhappy ghost which would disturb a group of boys or girls making them cry and shout hysterically. A Bomoh or a Shaman would be called in to chase the ghost away. One of the schools famous for hysteria attacked was SM Kebangsaan Gulau.

Fortunately or not, I just don't believe in ghost. Though some Americans believe in them and there was an attempt by National Geographic to prove of it's existence, I just don't believe in it even a bit. So, one night I was informed of a hysteria in the girl's hostel. My mind start to compute an action to be taken. The teachers suggested a religious teacher or a shaman to come and oust the ghost. I just said nothing.

When reaching the hostel I heard the girls cried and shouted. I shouted aloud "Go and get a long and big cane and boil hot water. I want to chase the ghost by canning those who are hysteric and pour the hot water on their feet.." I took the cane and hit hard on the door and call for the hot water. The cry immediately subsided. The teachers were trying to control their laugh. They knew the psychological approach work. Soon after everybody seemed to be fined. I saw some came out of the dorm and went to the toilets.

That was not all. There was another time when a boy came to my room and told me "Sir I am from SM Gulau." "So what ?" I asked. "Hysteria cikgu,"he said.

"You think you want to be hysteric , well go ahead. If you do I am sure I will call the mental ambulance to put you in the Tanjung Rambutan. Do it now."

You know what happened ? He just walked out of my room. No hysteria. Nothing. For years I did not hear any such happening happen until I left the school.

The student who reminded me of the experience she hardly forget knew what was happening and aware of what I was doing. Thinking about it she laughed and we were laughing together.

Many time after that I read news papers on hysteria and how publicity were given. Those schools would still fall on Bomoh to deal with the phenomena.

You have to have a strong mind and have 100% confidence that your method will work. I happen to believe in the power of a mind, a mental telepathy, the sending of waves to conquer other minds. I believe in the 'mind over matter' stuff. When I shouted and hitting the cane against the door, I was so sure that it would work. There was no if and don't.

When I told the story to my friend, they said "You must be worst than the ghost. The ghost was scared of the ugly person like you. May be you look like the mafia ghost..."If and only if there is a ghost, it won't stay in country like ours where the noises of the plane and cars did not give them the peace of mind. People are taking their places, cut the trees and forest. Probably they might have migrated to some islands like Commodore islands which is populated by big lizards and no human.

Strangely enough Holywood has been making tons of money out of the ghost stories.

15/08/2010 Top

A SIMPLE PRACTICE

I remember telling my students, not all of them, about the importance of letting the parents know where they are. Mothers do not know where the kids are at daylight or night time. Some worries and some would not care at all. "If you are at your friend's house ring up your mother and tell her where you are and what time you will be back." Kids may end up themselves in the padi field after being knocked by vehicles. "If you are a father and you don't know where your kids are and still do not come home after midnight what would you feel ?" I would ask them.

And I got a habit of telling my clerks where I wanted to go and would informed them where I was. I did not want them to say they did not know I went to whenever the parents or my bosses visit the school. The could contact me any time and I would rush back immediately. Even during a school holidays, I would keep my school clerk informed where I was.

Had not Dato' Susilawati informed her staff she she would be going, the puzzled would have been lingered and probably the murderer would have gone scot free. A spouse should tell each other of where each is going and with whom he/she will be with. But some flirting men and ladies prefer to hide. It would be very dangerous and insecure for lady flirters because their behavior would invite jealousy among the men they met. They could even be murdered.

I have a friend whom I know is a great flirters and would hide her where about and with whom she would go out with. It is extremely difficult for me to advise her. I know she would not accept it and would hate me forever. I have to wait for such a case to happen and to tell her of the result. I wonder whether she could remember of a lady who was murdered at an apartment before. But that was at her own apartment.

Cases of bodies found burnt were published in papers. The mysteries were still unsolved.

Telling someone of our where about did not stop other people from murdering us. At least it help the living people to find the murderer. In case we are not dead yet we could still be saved. The practice is simple and it is free. It is for our own good.

 14/08/2010 Top

ANOTHER HECTIC DAY

Hari raya does not end yet. Visitors are still coming. Yet the Kenduri festivities are on and the students are making re-union meeting. There was a re-union of 1993/1994 students which I could not make it due to the visitors. Today the 1992/1993 students were having it at one Bahtera Nelayan restaurant at 4.00 pm. And I had a kenduri invitation between 5.00 - 9.00 pm. Perlis's hams visited me at 3 pm.

At 4.00 pm I moved out and went to Bahtera Nelayan about 10 miles away and met about 40 families including a TV actor and his family. Soon after the great soccer referee Cikgu Subkhiddin arrived and followed by other teachers. I just saw Subkhiddin on Astro channel 303 when he refreed the Korean-Iran friendly match. Subkhiddin was a very popular figure at the re-union party. There were many walk ins. The original number expected were only 10 persons. I was saying that 10 should not be called a re-union.

I chat with Subkhiddin and asked him many things about refereeing, the language he used during the game and how he made a decision. When the time came we have to depart. After the photographic session I went home and arrived at 8 pm. My body was sweaty and I felt very exhausted. My wife was ready for the Kenduri. Quickly we leave our house.

At the Kenduri's house we have to park our car outside the area. My wife had to walk using her walker and that took her more than 20 minutes. People came to usher her to the table and it looked like nobody notice and recognize me.

At 9.30 pm we came back. I was very tired and went horizontal for more than 30 minutes.

Though hectic, it paid off. Another interesting day passed by. I was happy to see my students. Observe carefully which one is the TV actor in the picture above. Our great Malaysian referee is on my left.

14/08/2010 Top

LEARNING THE WRONG THINGS

Many of us think we know better than the others and already decide to be teachers. The danger with teachers is when they teach the wrong things to the students. At time facts are twisted deliberately especially when teaching about our enemy. Looking back at history on the origin of historical figures they were much mixed with myth to give a divine touch to the persons so that they could command obedience.

I have been listening to people talking and were wondering where they learnt about those things. Telling them that those were wrong and lies would encounter with strong resistance and challenges. To say Tungku Abdul Rahman Putera was a ham was a very serious error. To say a 10 watt transmitter can transmit better than 100 watts was even more foolish. To call a microphone a Push To Talk and QRX to temporary sign are equally foolish. To fight and say the foolish stuffs are true and real is inexplicable phenomena.

I am fond of asking an electronic teacher why at night we can hear many oversea broadcast as compared during the day time. The answer that I have heard was "Day time many interference. Night time less interference." If this was told to the students, they would bring that as a fact their whole life.

Facts twisting could be the profession of politicians who want to maintain the status quo at whatever cost. They can manufacture lies with proofs to cheat the voters.

It is a good habit to check anything claimed as facts. Some do only need common sense and logic to confirm the statement. And we can't even follow the belief of the majority. At one time the world was said to be flat and one can walk to the edge of the earth.

There are people who simply ignore fools and there those who laugh at their foolishness.

13/08/2010 Top

THE BURNING OF THE AL-QUARAN

Iam not going to state anything thru the eyes of Islam on the issue above though about 55 years ago my pious neighbor had talked about it. But the analysis is based on the other perspective.

The 4 revealed books belonging to the 4 revealed religions are recognized by Islam. May they be belonged to the Christians and the Jews. Burning one of the four means burning all the reveal religion as well as all other religions. I have written much about the rejection of Christianity and religions by the Americans. Thou shall not commit adultery has vanished from the verse. The state enactments on sexual freedom and the position of the gays and lesbians and several other social activities indicate the death of religion among the younger generations.

The fight over the teaching of Darwinism and religion in schools had pushed religion away in the dark corner. Religion has no place in American schools.

The West is more concerned with things which they call reality and facts. God is said to be in human's mind only. Religion is an opium. Some people may only be searching for God when they felt sick and suffering from deadly cancer. The new generations made fun of the church, pope and sisters depicting them as sex maniac and portray them in phonographic movies. The disrespect towards church, pope and sisters is nothing strange.

The swindling of money of a few religious group created more distrust. People began to see the greed and means to use religion to make money. There had been much story on Moon church of the United State.

So the burning of the Islam holy book does not stop there. It also means the burning of their own religion which has been thrown aside by the younger generation. In fact when I went into a chat room, one 84 year old American talked much about his hated wife and the church she is in. It is an image of the American religious beliefs. The number is growing. Religion is dead in America.

The weakening of religious beliefs is due to the individual liberty, human right and freedom and the secular education system. From the tender age children are taught to use reason and logic, theory followed by proofs, hypothesis followed by proofs. Secondly no sinners were seen punished by God.

People who feared no sin of adultery are people who do not fear or believe in religion. And sex is almost free, spouse exchanges, sex shops and sex movies, same sex marriage and other Christian sinful acts are not a scary stuff anymore.

So the Malaysian Muslims don't jump over it and no need to heed it. It is a symbol that depicts the diminishing religious beliefs in the United States.

12/08/2010 Top

CHINESE SCHOOL

I was one of the luckiest to be banished to a Chinese school by the state education department for being vocal. The department at that period was bias against some schools and only looked high at a few Premier ones like Sultan Abdul Hamid College and Sultanah Asma. Chinese school was a dumping ground for bad Malay teachers then.

SM Kiet Hwa was very much different from many other schools I know. The students were very independent, organized their own clubs and activities, compete with each other for excellence and even running the school band on their own. Each class printed it's own class magazine all on their own effort. There were no such things as spoon fed. Even the running of Persatuan Bahasa Malaysia, teachers were only called in to be judges at debates or oratory contests. The students publish samples of good essays and distributed to their members and collected the Malay proverbs and distribute them. They also organize their own trip.

I remember when I became the Principal, the first school magazine was started and organized 100% by the students, then the weekly school bulletin were composed, published and distributed by the students. I only guide them how to start. Unfortunately today the weekly bulletin were not heard anymore when the teachers took over.

I was of the habit of discussing essay topics briefly on one day and on the next day they will have to write essay in the class. I guarantee you the quality of the essays and the standard of the Bahasa was very high indeed. No wonder Chinese parents would want to send their kids to SM Kiet Hwa.

At the end of each month the Principal would go round with a cane entering every class with the monthly result to cane those who fail Mathematics, Science, Bahasa and  other subjects too. The canning were not soft. It really inflicted pain. And that went to the law breakers and the indiscipline students.

The students respect their teachers. They respect me. Even years after I leave the schools they still invited me for the Chinese new year celebration and they came to my house during the Hari Raya.

It is true that when taking the good seed and cast them into the sea they become islands. Take some guys and cast them anywhere they become beggars.

I wonder who among the educationist do learn what's going on in the well known Chinese schools like the Kiet Hwa, Han Chiang and Chun Ling. Rather being bias and having the egoistic character, they should take some time to look at themselves and be humble once.

Unfortunately the highly bureacrtic system is still in practice which I believe will not create creative mind. They suppressed the freedom of thinking and pushed their policy to be swallowed fully. And we tell them of their failures they will brand you crazy and would continue to destroy their kids future. After 30 or 40 years later, they would start to blame the other ethnic group for their failures.

If I run a school with full autonomy certainly I would not continue many of the current practices. I would add and subtracts the subjects, the teaching of technology, chose my own teachers. I can assure you the school will be the parent's first choice. I remember at one time someone in the Ministry of Education said "we should learn from private school..." Yet the private schools had to bow to the set curriculum and the education policy.

One basic rule which should be in every educationist is not to work for promotion and to please the people above but to work for the welfare of the students. The students must come first. I told my teacher "When I ask someone to call you and you are teaching, please do not come. If I call you for the second time that mean there is something important like your mother is sick or dead". Rather than discussing how to attain Super Scale and higher grade salaries, it is better to discuss how to make weak students able to learn.

We don't go to China to learn the running of the school. We go to the local Chinese schools to learn things. One of my students who came to vocational said "Cikgu, in my school canning is a normal thing....I got canning too.." He was from a Chinese school from standard one to form 3. 

Chinese characters do not compose of alphabets. You have to remember each one of them, and tenth thousands of them. Try to figure out the type of brain and mind the learners finally possess.

The Malays shamelessly were shouting "Stop talking English...speak Malay....." trying to impose the stupid thinking to the rest. Instead of sharpening their minds by working and studying hard, they want the easiest ways. Yet some people like to spoon feed them.

12/08/2010 Top

A DAY HAS PASSED

The fist Hari Raya has passed. It was like the previous years. After the morning prayer a group of us moved from house to house, took a small amount of goodies while chatting and later moved to the next house. This year the food was a bit heavy; the laksa, the mee, the meehun, the Nasi Arab and mee rebus. By the time we arrived at the last house it was 12.00 noon. We had to make preparation for the Friday prayer.

My wife had her own program, merely visiting the next door neighbors. When I reached home at 2 pm she was not home yet. My kids were at home telling that many boys and girls came for the one ringgit goody. When I was a kid I did the same thing, visiting houses and collecting money. Really Raya would be a very happy day for children.

When my wife returned we went to my sister's house about 4 kilometers away living everybody else at home to entertain any visitor. My sister's dish was the Nasi Tomato with the rendang . After one hour we came home.

Waves of our neighbors made a visit until 7.30 pm. I thought it was over. But a little later my brother in-law came. Then my aunty with the other 28 persons joined in. My aunty would gather all her kids and the grand children altogether, We chat and chat. The younger generations would stay among themselves telling stories. My aunty was telling me about her regular umrah's trip. At 10.30 pm they departed.

I went out to Kentucky Fried Chicken after everyone leave. There was a big crowd and the queue was long. I ordered 8 sets of shrimps, 2 to eat and 6 to take away. I took my time enjoying the 10 pieces shrimps while watching the flat screen on the wall. I saw everyone was gluing the eyes on the TV3 story.

I was very tired when I came home. I switched on my radio and TV thinking after a rest I could do some hamming. The noise woke me up. I still felt sleepy and switched off everything and went to sleep. I slept on the bare floor and had a good night sleep.

I don't know what to do today because I don't know who would be coming to visit. My aunty asked me to go to her place at one of her son's house at Padang Besar. The sane big group will be at Padang Besar today. May be we will be going there at 5 or 6 pm today. Tomorrow I will be going to Yan at 1 pm to joing the 93/94 student's re-union. The day after tomorrow there will be another one at Kuala Kedah.

A day passed so quickly. Many people like me are counting days because our days are numbered. Today I am exactly 63. At 63 I still blogged. When I asked a fitrah from one of my former teachers she said "No fitrah and no money for you...You travel everywhere, you blog....You are not qualified for any donation or fitrah..." At the student's reunion most students would say "Cikgu, you are still strong ?" I have been wondering how do they expect me to be.

A day come and go. It can be a fulfilling day or passed with an emptiness. I remember one of my former bosses said that he would fill his day by reading books. I was thinking whether he could do that for the remaining of his retired life. In fact it is good to die fast. NO problem to solve.

 11/08/2010 Top

WHERE ARE THE PHONES ?

This morning I woke up a bit late, later then usual 2 or 3 am, but at 5 am. Tomorrow will be the festive day. My two kids came back from Kuala Lumpur at 5 am exactly. I did not eat much for the last day of the Ramadzan. Before going to bed again I switched on my radio on 7 mhz and scanned around. On the CW portions I heard YB4IR coming strong working DX stations. Most DX signals heard were about 549. On 7008 GM station heard was the strongest. Look like a pile up on this one. UT station was calling on 7.014 with several others at the background. 7.016 was LZ 8 sending something I could not comprehend because there was no pause in between characters. 7.028 was heard till 6.17 am.

Above that frequency until 7.1999 I heard nothing until 6.30 am local. Where are the phone stations ? I know SSB stations would appear about an hour or two later. The Indonesians would slowly come to occupy the usual 7.050 and the other common frequencies.

It would be highly possible the band at that time did not open yet and it could be hard for the SSB signals to pass thru to Asia. Even the pirates were not heard on the CW part. But to me it is a signal that the International Ham Radio is not dead yet. I did hear ham radio after all. Hearing the phone conversation can mean anything. Pirates talk like the full pledge operators. They also could be CBers.

This is not a sarcastic remark aimed at anybody but a statement of facts. Thanks to those who are pushing ham radio to live. In Malaysia it is not the 9M who are keen on Morse. Even several 9Ws are training for the high speed listening and sending. I am sorry if I have had made sweeping statements on 9Ws. I know that by the time these people get the 9M2, they are going to beat me flat and will echo Malaysia in the world of CW with the other expatriates and a few 9M6 new stations who have been active on the DX CW.

Phones occupy all the band too at most of the time. They are never dead. But at the time I simply heard nothing on 40.

One other thing you should be thinking about is how long do you think you are going to be on the band ? From the observation many has gone and not heard for a long time till now. Working a few hundred stations and exchanges signal reports would arrive at the point of boredom. One may find rag chewing as the alternative venue. But it could be limited by the command of English. Even falling back to the local chat on 40 would not be all the time interesting because most of the time the conversation would around the repeated signal report over and over again. Coming on the band just to say hello and then bid good bye won't last long.

I think 9M2GJ, 9M2RS, 9M2WT, 9M2PV and myself are among those hams who have been hanging on the band for a long time. Many had gone silent keys. I am the longest living Malaysian ham who is still hanging on my brass pounder crossing the seas on CW. I hope the young hams would be able to sustain and willing to test their endurance by participating in the CW contest, not to win any award but merely to support the activity.

Again I would like to say to the 9Ws that "You have the ability to learn. Never  brand or downgrade your own ability. Young people can learn fast. Go and get a teacher to help you. Don't heed to any call to stop you from enhancing yourself. They don't contribute to your growth and your education or give you job or feed your family..."

09/08/2010 Top

WHY DO PEOPLE WRITE ?

9M2YAS asked me why people write. I said I don't know. We need to study the content and the topics before we can make any conclusion. A writer has a flair and usually has a good command of the language he is using. But that does not stop people without flair to write. There was a prophesy about the sign of the end of the world "....that everybody wants to be a writer...."Many write for the wanting to entertain people like the professional writers who write stories for movies. Some science fictions are trying to forecast and imagine what the future will be.

Many have passions at writing. They can write about nature, describing the sunset and the wind giving life to the natural happenings.

Journalism is something very wide without boundary. It could be a political tools to propagate ideas, idealism, or to attack and weaken an enemy. It could be an educational tool to disseminate  knowledge.

To know why people write is to look at what he writes about. My writing consist of multiple topics which depended much on my mood. The reason why I write is to struggle continuously against my deficiency in language. I want to express as much as I can to overcome thing I could not do before. My deficiency in English as well as Bahasa drove me to fight against it. I just write for fun to pass time. Some would be based on the current issues and some are not.

Basically the aim and purpose of writing is different. May it be for fun, profession or to throw a slur the world of internet provides every one of us the chance and opportunity to write.

Articles and what you write tell people who you are and your level of thinking, your academic ability and even your mental as well as emotional state. Readers will judge us. Writing non-factual things as factual on technical and scientific stuffs could make fools of ourselves.

At time we may translate the direct anger of our heart and mind into written words, abusive language may be used. I am of the habit of using such nasty words when out of control. People could see my mental state and denounced me as unprofessional. But I am not the only mad writer in the internet. There are numerous other crazy and mad bloggers.

The best is to write an un-bias essays. One has to be a real journalist to do it. Because I am a bad writer, I always remind readers that they should not believe everything I say. If you disagree with me, you are not my enemy. If you agree with me that does mean you are my friend. Most of my political topics are bias. I write what I think is right though they may not suit everybody's taste.

A few articles are to guide the new comers in ham radio. I just want them to do well on the band. If they don't want to accept it then There is nothing I can do.

There is no single fix answer to why people write.

 08/08/2010 Top

A FEW HARD CALL SIGNS

At about 3 am this morning I scan the CW portion of the 40 meter band. I was surprise to hear a station which I thought was Zainal, 9M2ZA. Zainal has been away from the band for years and as far as I know he is not HF or 2 meter anymore. Could it be a pirate ? A pirate with CW ? Cannot be. So I listened carefully several time. The call began again.

                  CQ CQ CQ DE 9M2ZA K 

Later I heard CQ CQ CQ DE 9M2ZAK K 9M2ZAK K 9M2ZAK K

Then I knew it was not the 9M2ZA but 9M2ZAK. In Morse K is inviting the other to response. Calling CQ and end with K is like saying stand by for a call. In the course of a QSO it means something like 'OVER'. So stations with a call sign ending with K can cause confusion when calling CQ on Morse code.

Usually calling CQ is ended up with AR K. Please refer to SOP on CW. CQ CQ CQ DE 9M2ZAK 9M2ZAK 9M2ZAK  AR K. Of course without the AR  do suffice. With call sign ending in K like VU2AK, 9M2KKK, 9M2TK could be confusing to new hams overseas. As for Zaki, I got gim because of the repeated K and a little pause in between.

Call sign like JA1PQC is not as easy as 9V1VV. So people with the K at the end is advised to refer to the CW SOP in the internet. It is nothing to do with our proficiency or skill but that last character could make inexperienced ham confused unless they listen to it several time. But the expert won't find it difficult at all.

Zaki is braved enough to go CW DXing. I really salute him. Not all new 9M dared to punch their keys. I would like to call upon the other new comers to dare themselves. Several DX stations are new comers too and were heard to call CQ at about 8 -10 wpm. Zaki worked at about 12 - 15 wpm.

Those who are about to apply for the 9M2 call signs try to avoid the call ended with K or GOD or even CQ.

Working CW on 7 Mhz is a little difficult because there are suspected Indonesian pirates using high power transmission on all over the CW band. They even sit on their fellow countrymen and on the Indonesian CW net. The sophisticated Indonesians or Malaysians are even using the ESSB plus the linear. Empty frequencies might have been used up. The only chance is when the band condition does not open to the nearby stations. European and other distant DX stations would be filling in the band. This is a good time to work CW on 40.

Good luck to Zaki and all the other new comers,. I really take my hat off and salute all of you who dare yourselves to go CW Dxing.

07/08/2010 Top

MY SHIRTS

The shirt I bought more than 15 years ago has now shown another torn part. This time it is more serious. After ironing it just now I still decide to wear it for this Hari Raya. After the Raya I will bring it to repair. I just love the color and the design. In my QSL card I wore it.

Recently my student bought me a three hundred ringgit shirt. It is without pocket. I told her shirt without a pocket is a Playboy dress. "Did you put in in a washing machine ?" she asked. Certainly I did. And just now I hard a hard time ironing it and the crimple just simply refused to go away. It would unlikely I would wear it for the Hari Raya because I do not feel comfortable if I don't hang my cell-phone in the pocket.

Picking up all the old shirts I manage to have 10 for the celebration days. I have yet to look for a cotton squared red colored one which is nice to my taste.

Other days I would wear the Radio T-shirts, either black or white with my call sign at the rear end. I have at least 20 pieces and I don't have to iron them. Wash and wear. My washing machine cannot do dry spin. I have to dry all my washing outside.

Among all my most favorite dress is a NASA jacket which was purchased at Cape Canaveral in 2002. I paid USD250. I went to Kennedy Space Center for at least 4 times but merely looking and admiring the jacket because I considered it too expensive. Finally I bought it after my kid's commencement in 2002. At one time when an immigration officer at the Los Angeles airport asked me whether I flew a plane. Jokingly I said I flew a rocket.

In Malaysia dress is expensive. Most brand sell it for more than a hundred ringgit for a single shirt. That's the reason why I am very reluctant to go and look for a new one. Yet I saw young people paying a few hundred ringgit at the counter for the brnded ones.

Nevertheless though old and no new shirt, I would put on a Sun Glass during the day time, purchased in Padang Besar for twelve ringgit but it doesn't look cheap. My wife would not suspect anything because I had had an eye operation recently. The teachers in my former school could not anything too. I can look at beautiful women without them knowing it. And I knew whether they were looking at me or not.

No matter what I wear women would called me Pakcik ( uncle ). Even older women called me Pakcik. I did not pass as Abang. Only in Hatyai women called me Abang.

People say old men do not need to dress themselves any more. A sarong and a Baju Melayu will do for the Malays. A head gear like songkok or kopiah lebai would be ample. I would wear this dress once a week when I go to Friday prayer and go shopping with it. I remember my late uncle from Kuala Kedah who would always put on black baju Melayu and a sarong and came to town without wearing shoes or sleepers.

While dress can identify a person's profession or status, it could be a tool to cheat and con people. A con man may dressed himself as a certain government officer, a jobless guy may wear a smart suit to attract a woman. Criminals are fond of using various dress to run their operations.

People tend to show respect to persons with proper attire and look down upon those who look shabby. But basically a person need to be seen as presentable.

Tonight I am going to look for the red color cotton shirt to iron it. So far I did not find any sign of it.

07/08/2010 Top

SYSTEM THINKING

Thanks to the modern media technology which enabled us to learn from TVs and the Internet. The Learning channels of ASTRO give us the chance to learn about the world, the people, the history, the inventions and how people think. Animal Planets not only entertained us with the world of animals but also about the endurance of the people investigating the social life and the history of the living wilds. The History channel showed us much on the great people and the rise and fall of the nation, and the history of social and scientific development.

But the one interesting movies is about the investigation of the plane crash. Following closely the investigating procedures we will learn on how the method and the system thinking should be. Some took years to complete to discover the details. They looked at the design of the plane, the material used and traced back the makers of the materials, the design of each components, the pilots, the engines and much more. They would stare at a portion of the plane body and able to see something evolve.

There is no such things as taking things for granted. Even a very minute detail is addressed and tested.

Sadly enough I heard rumour  which I hope it is not true about the contractor of an airport who cheated on several items but got the work passed. As far as human lives is concerned we should not have condoned any corruption. And in the history of constructions in Malaysia all corrupted practiced just escaped human eyes, and many involved political people in the choice of the contractors from government buildings to the food supply.

In other words we do not care about thinking for the people or the nation.

Investigation is to seek the truth and it is not to save or to accuse any person. I remember when I was posted in a school. Some time later the new Principal of that school accused and reported the previous principal for cheating the government in purchasing of materials. I saw in my workshop there were excessive materials in stock and equipments were more than completed. It means the teacher had ordered things probably without the knowledge of the accused Headmaster.

When the police came into my workshop with the new Principal he wrote something in the notebook and then went out. I asked the school why was I not quizzed about the workshop. The answer was because I was not there during the happenings.

What happenings ? Why the police did not go around and looked at the stocks, stock books, bills and other materials ?

The poor Headmaster was jailed. Just because they said nothing were bought but false claimed were made on those real purchased.

If only we can restructure our way of thinking and investigating, we could grow well as a civilize nation. Instead Malaysia is the country where big and well known people always bluff and lies. The oppositions accused the ruling parties as liars and the ruling people accused the opposition as liars. At least one of them is a liar. The one is a group. The group composes of many people, many enough to fill the nation.

How many of us care to watch the TV programs mentioned. Make a point to find time to watch the plane crash investigation because it made us looking at ourselves as well, on how we look at things and accidence, how we deal with events as compared to those investigators. There is no such thing as 'tidak apa' and 'lebih kurang'. If they have to scrap the whole parking, radar and tower system, they would do it. It may cost billion of dollars for the restructuring.

System thinking is not only applied to the plane crash and investigation but in all other matters too. Let me give you another example. Malaysia and Singapore airline were once one and the same. Later came a split. Malaysia air under Aziz flourished and Singapore did very well too. Today Malaysia air do not fly to New York but Singapore Air's trip to USA still include New York and Los Angeles. They brought in Idris Jala, nothing happened too.

Or is it not possible some people simply don't want us to have a deep thinking in systematic ways ? They would prefer the populace to be stupid so that it would be easy to pull their nose and cheat them in anyway possible ?

06/08/2010 Top

COMMON SENSE OF QSO

When things are not stated in the rules or regulations, it would be very good to consult our common sense. Let me give an example. When I hear two Malaysian stations having a conversation should I join in ? Normally I would join in just mentioning my call sign. But I would not budge in if they are having deep discussions on say the construction of  linear, unless I can contribute some. If I were to break in to talk something else than I would have interrupted the flow of their discussions. Some new comers from Indonesia would mention their suffixes using a single letter or two when some personal or interesting discussions went on. There rule did not say that you can't break in. But we need you appeal to common sense before protruding in.

Many a time we hear very strong DX stations having discussions. I would not break in until they have completed. If we don't use any common sense we would just call and call while they were talking. Actually we do not only irritate them but also many other stations who are listening .

Another common error is we cannot get the call sign of the calling station, may be because of the slang and the pronunciation. We do not simply ignore him after we still cannot understand what he said. Remember that person has been working thousand other stations and those people can comprehend him. Surely it has to be something wrong with us. You can always ask him to give his call sign in CW verbally or using a CW tone. More often than not the stations I worked with use verbal CW. And likewise, if he could not understand you after several repetitions, you use the verbal or tone CW to give your call sign. Ignoring him and also the next stations could make us look like fools in the eyes of the SWLs who monitor us.

A group of three persons is not a big group. So mentioning it as a big group is quite weird. We usually call it a big group when it is about 6 or 7 persons.

It is good to ask the experience hams on things that we don't know. Old hams and experienced hams are not the same. There are many old hams who have no experience in working DX or even local. They may only have just 4 or 5 QSOs over 40 years of ham life. IARU guidelines do not tell us everything.

05/08/2010 Top

WHY DO YOU SIT FOR CW TEST ?

This person had work on 10 and 6 meters and had gained much experience in DXing. I asked him why did he sit for the CW test ? He gave me a very simple answer. "It is an honor to pass Morse test". It means more than that. It is an achievement. You buy an IC-756 Pro-3 it is not an achievement because you buy it. You developed a software which solve some major problem, it is an achievement. To know that you have skill in CW made you feel you are a competitive person with another additional value. It makes you wiser.

Take a teacher and give him any class to teach mathematics, he/she will get 100% pass. Take another teacher who gets below a 40% pass but all the time blaming the students. In my mind the first teacher is of a greater value, wiser and better. He never get any Datukship or extra cash for his achievement but he feels proud of himself. He walks with his head high. He feels satisfied.

An HONOUR is a big word, occupies a big space. It cannot be bought with money.

The CIA, FBI and Malaysian police learn CW because they are scared that they don't know but the others know. It could have a bad implication if they don't know. The nature of these body and the ship work is different. They won't be using CW for communication but need to know when intercepting one. They would be able to comprehend it even when off duty. To these professionals there is nothing to do with an honor.

I said honour is a big thing. That's why your hear the story of Kamikaze and a Suicide bomber. It is an honour to die a hero rather than to live as a coward. 

I have yet to ask others why they sit for CW even after hearing the romours.

Not wanting to learn is a freedom of an individual. I have the right to be clever or stupid as another person to be himself. Then disturb not on those who want to learn. But if you want to criticize or belittle me, it is alright because I give you all the permission you want. I don't bother about it. Call it I don't have any honour or shame or moron or moral, it won't bother me.

To be frank, I am proud to be a ham because I know CW not because I have a radio that I can talk or passing RAE. CBers, parking attendants, the police and many other professionals and non-professional have radio and talk. CBers talk throughout the world too. They send and receive QSL too. If by any chance the CBers know and work CW, I am sure they will feel proud too. However those without CW are not stupid or unskilled hams. They just don't have time, busy in making bread for the family, occupied with their work like doctors or lawyers or even small businessmen. They don't even have time to say the the phrase "I hate CW". If they have the time they come to talk on any frequency available to them just to relax their mind.

I have never thought of the honorable concept before. It is not a strange answer but a unique one. That's the reason why in my mind I said the CWers are special people. I talked a lot to 9M6YBG who sent me plenty of pictures and discovered that Go is also a unique person, and he is an engineer too. Go like a few others got the ham ticket from USA with CW test, yet had to resit for his RAE and CW here. These people did not complaint neither made any loud noise. No campaign against the MCMC or anybody. I really respect people like this. They are honorable guys.

The story about these people are not 'rekaan'. It is real. Many new 9M2s I encountered with have something special in them. Many climbed up from the bottom, struggling against all odds and successfully crossing several barb wires. They did that in their lives not in ham radio. There is a Malay saying "Benih yang baik,dicampak ke laut menjadi Pulau.."( A good seed will become an island when thrown into the sea).

Funny just looking at the word CW, we can know people.

05/08/2010 Top

STATE OF THE ART

Do you want the state of the art communication technology without the archaic Morse and RAE ? Go to the I-Phone or your PC. The palm size mobile phone has almost everything we want. While talking we can , not only see the person whom we are talking too, but also the physical environment of his location. You want digital communication ? They are there.

When ham radio decides to chase the new development it is imperative that it has to shake itself off and away from the traditional system. In my opinion it is not a necessary option to copy the new hitech stuffs. because those other communication machines like the I-Phone4 are available in the store. Let the hobby remains with it's characters.

Computer can do what the ham radio can do. But ham radio cannot do all what the computer can. Why compete ? Surely the cell phone is superior and you do not need to struggle to put up antenna, buying a tuner, a power supply, building a balun and have a tall tower. The distinct different is in the cost we have to pay for talking. If the international authority decide to charge the ham operators by the hours, then everybody would throw their rigs down the drain and will do a complete shift to the state of the art technology by investing in the I-Phone4.

What is coming soon is the 3D and 4E TV. Many of us have the ecstasic experience in watching the 3 D movie. Now it is coming to our home. The cost will be about 10K. Though it is not a communication equipment, it is depicting the fantastic progress of the modern technology.

The archaic ham radio is not without fun beside it's free air time. It is unique and different from the other communication procedure which the general public won't and cannot do is the Morse communication method. All the others are  found in the I-Phone. The simplest digital messages even used by a 10 year old is the SMS.

You may ask, "Why Morse when we can do the simplest way ? " True, that it is not the state of the art communication method. The question is similar to why people climb the hill when they have the easy way to be there. So the thrill seekers go for sky diving, bungee jumping, mountain climbing and playing Morse codes. Morse sharpens our mind.

The future shift to computer radio is an effort to the fast growing technology, making a ham radio like a computer radio. It takes away the character of a radio and to house it in the other technology. It is taking out a ham radio out of it's home, and dressing it in a different outfit until it's appearance change absolutely and yet it is called ham radio. Many traditions do not change to suit the changing world especially some religious practices. The Muslims do not change the prayer method or it's absolution procedures using a single bath for praying.

Blaming CW for the decline in numbers is a fallacy. Since the beginning of the hobby the number has been on the increase until the coming of the cheap computer with tremendous fabulous communication programs.

There are many people who just don't to follow tradition by jumping out of it. They don't want to follow the religious teachings which tell them of sins of adultery, cheatings, free sex etc. They became free thinkers or just ignore religion. Take the viewing of pornography in the public TV, the religion barred it. Yet the state law allows it and people running the internet provide free stuffs for everyone, adults and children.

The state of the art technology enables new dangerous drugs to be manufactured and sold, the hard to trace counterfeits, strengthened Israel's position over the Palestinians, and American conquest of Iraq.

Many hams don't realize that they were doing the right thing when they would use Yahoo Messenger or Skype when they want to go for digital and Morse codes when wanting to have mental exercise. While holding the tradition they also keep in phase with the magic of modern technology.

Get an I-Phone4 for the fun of live video chat with the friends all over the world. You enjoy it.

03/08/2010 Top

CW

When I was a kid my pious neighbor told me that a person must look for a teacher to learn reading Holly Book and to learn the fundamental of of Islamic practices. Without a teacher we could sway from the truth and the right path. We can learn by ourselves but we need to find someone to check us to ensure we go the right path.

I am of a belief that everybody can learn. Human being has been training other animals to learn. That was why they sent monkeys to the outer space before a fellow human.

Many said that they had put much effort still could not do it. Then I would like who the teacher was and how the training went. Local hams did not want to approach me either because of their superiority complex and masters of all or because they have the misconception on what they think I am. I just wish they can grow up and think well like an adult, and don't do follow stupid advice from irresponsible people.

Do you have to believe and submit to what I say about you ? You should prove that I am wrong. Just now when I went out with my student and her daughter I narrated a story for her daughter to hear and learn something from it. I was never a bright student. If I were I would have been a doctor or a lawyer. I was just lucky to have a circle of Chinese classmates who happen to like discussing educational matters. We went out every night, sat and chat in a place called 'Padang Court' in front of the Balai Besar. One day they were discussing and quizzing on sciences. When I could not answer any question they laughed at me. I felt ashame. The next day I went to buy a Revision Course and read it the whole day. I went looking for a bright boy name Syed Aswad, who became pilot later on, to teach me Sciences. He taught me about acid and alkali, about elements, how the acid and alkali was form, on atom and molecule. Syed Aswad opened my eyes.

Then the day of avenge came. In the next discussion I surprised my group. But from Form 1 to Form 4 I did not study, and was really stupid.

So if I were to say you are stupid because you can't learn, are you going to believe me and submit to yourself that you are ? If graduates can learn it does not mean we the non-graduate cannot learn. To be a graduate one has to starts from the bottom. And I talked so much on attitudes and attitudes building. I talked so much on learning and using English and other languages. I talked so much regarding obeying rules and discipline. Now that you have ASTRO at home, try to watch some documentaries especially on the plane crash investigation. Observe how serious a small fault could be and how they considered a very small detail which we would have thrown out.

What is nice when a group is having an eyeball ? The best and the most kick topic is talking bad about someone, and exploit all our emotions to cast the bitterest slur to satisfy our heart. But a great number would talk on propagation, the new SOP procedure and the type of radio. The CWers would talk merely on CW for the whole evening on end. A very would discuss of projects, new inventions, CAD and other technical stuffs.

If they just throw aside on slandering and emotional outburst but instead discuss something fruitful so that everybody would gain.

Those who have their own stand and still want to learn CW no matter what need to find a teacher for advice or practice. You need to know and follow several steps. And listen to the experience people. I met a boy and tried to assist him on how he should start. Instead he lectured me on  how to study Morse and what he would do. What could I say ?

Among the 30 recent candidates one teacher contacted me a week before the test. I asked him to send me characters and numbers. I said ,"Your sending is OK but need to brush up on a few. Do it fast and quick without delay." I wanted to hear how his trainer sounded. He played it for me and I thought the speed was ample for the test. Later I discovered he rang up 9M2GET and had a long session to built himself confidence. Today I heard he passed.

Planning, structuring and organizing, and knowing how to teach oneself to encounter difficulties is a process of character building. Nations began to recognize the character and attitude building by sending youth and young people to outbound and summer camps. People of endurance and fearless of challenges are special specie.

There are hams who almost reached there but halt when listening to friends who can't not to proceed. They seek friends who want to be like them. School boys tend to follow their drug friends rather than those book worms. When they failed and scored no As some political guys were saying exams are not important and did not show a real person. Funny it looks like that some government officers seems to wage war on the straight As scores by some discouraging remarks. I even heard such remarks from a university lecturer who did not perform well while in school.

Be smart and go for excellence. Is going for CW called excellence ? YES. You know what many other people don't know. There are a few hundred thousand hams who know CW. And when you visit their shacks and they work CW, you can join them. You are not a handicapped when amongst them. The skill is in you not in a note or a pen. It has no schematic diagram. It cannot be drawn using CAD CAM method. Are you not ?

Now many of you have done a lot of listening. But have you ever tested how many percent you really can hear ? You need to test it and don't be shy or scared to find someone to test it for you. If you copy 0% it is OK. If you copy 20% it is good. Next time you will increase from 0% to 20% and 20 to 30 %. The longer you go the more you are building your endurance.

While typing this I got another person who is very excited after passing his Morse. He skyped me expressing his happiness. Even after working plenty of DX stations on 10 and 6 meters they are extremely happy about it. It is not about being able to work DX but being able to achieve success. As I have said about a ham radio that it is not about talking but about what you are talking especially to the DX stations.

CW is special because it needs mental concentration and attention to decipher messages. It is not like any other digital data or voice communication. Having a soar throat does not hinder you from communication. You can do it with your eyes close. If you are dumb and deft you can use the straight key. If you are blind you can either use paddle or brass-pounder. Even SWLing CW chats required full concentration.

Happiness is when you can crossed the hostile barb wire. You feel great. You experience another success.

That's about CW.

On the eve of  Merdeka day it was lucky that someone brought about the call sign 9M2TR. I never knew someone had publish it in his blog about it, saying Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra was a ham. That was a great error. One of the big errors among other mistakes. Tunku was never a ham. He was a full politician. It is true that 9M2TR is his Highness Tunku Abdul Rahman but not the first Prime Minister of Malaya. 9M2TR was from Johor. I have been to 9M2TR's house, had a lunch with him and got to know this humble Prince. Any blog that carries that false story could face a grave legal implication.

Hams are adviced not to follow what every blogger says. They may tell you to do the wrong thing and when you do it and later realize your mistake you can't blame him.

Though I have asked you not to believe my articles, pse do believe this one.

Please do erase the misconception from the blog immediately.

02/08/2010 Top

HAM RADIO OR HAMPUTER ?

I think Echo Link communication is not a Ham Radio but a Hamputer. To qualify as a ham radio all communications should be thru radio gears. If one person uses a radio and another uses no radio the term hamputer is appropriate. If two radio amateur stations do not use any radio for communication but have to have ham license to qualify for computer to computer communication we can also called them hamputer.

The modern technology and the shift towards computer hardware emulating or cloning the radio-to radio communication is making the term amateur radio fuzzy and need to be addressed by the world amateur radio community. Otherwise we all would be using the wrong term for the wrong things. An internet server can broadcast music and song and we hear it by the radio has been called internet radio which I think is a misnomer.

Someone asked me to work CW on Skype. I felt very awkward because I did not feel it is a ham radio. And I don't feel comfortable to be called a Hamputer too. I prefer communications via the airwave using equipments with knobs, band switch, RF and AF stuffs and magnetic waves going out thru the antenna. In the age of jet planes there are many enthusiasts who refurbished the pre-world war 2 planes to fly them. The airplane and the jet plane are two different things though they look similar in function, like a ham radio and communication of hams using computer.

Using microchips to replace the radio is not the same thing as using a computer to assist and facilitate radio communication activity like using it to rotate the antenna to the country as shown by the call sign automatically or using an electronic logbook. But using a keyboard and computer to send and receive Morse code codes are not hamming.

Hamputers are more advance than the the Ham Radio operators. Ham Radio guys would still want to stick to the old tradition of ham radio in technology and practices. It is true these population are fading worldwide like the fading of some religions of the world, which in the West only empty holly houses are left. Younger generations prefer to go to parties and bars and drive in movies for sex fun. The newer generations prefer gadgets with hitech chips like the I-Phone, MP3, lap-tops and other communication equipments using the state of the art technology.

With the growth of Hamputers the concept of amateur radio has to be re-structured. That's the reason given for the sending off of CW as a mandatory requirement because ham radio is shifting towards Ham[puters. But the re-structuring is incomplete because the radio test is still there when communication equipments and components have gone almost a 100% changed.

A Flext 500 is not a Ham Radio gear but it is a Hamputer object. It cuts and paste the Ham concept to the structure and the system. I am sure there are people who agree with my contention.

Think, when a Black marries a White what do you call their offspring ? Then the kid marries a Black again. Or marries a Chinese. What do you call the kid ?

31/08/2010 Top

SAMAN EKOR

saman Ekor is another object of a easy job mentality. It is another object added top the series of the kind. It is up to you to take care of Aedes mosquito. If your kid is missing or being kidnapped you are responsible. If you carry a hand bag and it is snatched you are responsible because you carry the bag. Fighting crimes is your responsibility.

Easy Job Mentality will make work easier without much hassle. Just convince the Law Maker and they would come up with a law to make jobs easy. These were different from the British period prior to the independent. One instant was the Sanitary Board would go to the kampong and clear the waterways, spraying insecticide to make sure no dangerous mosquito would bring havoc. Today the Health prefer to stay in the comfortable air condition room and made rule so that people take care of their own mosquito.

Why am I against Saman Ekor ? With the increase number of criminals and greedy business men, the cloning of plate numbers were raising. I have seen 2 identical cars with the same plate number in one house. Lorries are fond of having several identical numbers. A teacher in Alor Setar got a summon with a camera showing her car brand with the same plate number for breaking traffic rule in East Malaysia. And there were several of these cases.

Most people would not mind if getting tickets and go to court immediately for any settlement or argument. An old man looking after a sick wife found it troublesome when his driving license could not be renewed while he was not called to the court to defend himself. A few prefer to pay for the offence not committed just because to avoid delay and driving problem.

On the spot summon on the driver who committed the offence would be the most fair. Those who create the offence pay, not someone else.

To call the Saman Ekor a Draconian rule and run only by tyrant is of course too much and unfair. But tyrants always inflict pain on the others and feel happy with it. It would be argued that it is another way of doing a job, an easy way without much hassle.

The big question is do the office exercise their jobs for the public or for the political people ? The next question is which department like to do job for the individual politician just to get a pat on the back ?

31/08/2010 Top

WHAT YOU DO NOT KNOW

I am sure many of you have read all of my political articles which were very vocal and sharp. From the tone I would be branded as a number ONE anti BN government. My attacks had been very sharp on UMNO members and leaderships. Those were not without reasons. I did criticized even the top leadership on matters which I think are wrong. But as people used to ask "Isn't there nothing good at all about Najib ?"

Here is a story which I think you should know.

I was a lucky one to be chosen as a Principal of Alor Setar Vocational Secondary School in 1980. Many of us are not engineers but we were trained in Technical Teachers Training College. As time passed by many changes took place in the country. At one time we had had plenty of jobless graduates. The country could accommodate those graduate engineers. Facing that critical situations the country decided to absorb the engineers in teaching line. Many engineers became lecturers in Polytechnics. And later a few were transfered to the Ministry to assist in the technical curriculum development.

What transpired was the engineers contented that all vocational school principals were not qualified because of the lack of technical expertise. So they worked out a policy to replace all the non-engineers with the engineers. It started with 7 schools called Excellent Schools lead by engineers. The second phase was to change the schools name to Technical Schools to suit the engineers.

The current principals then were given two choices, either go to an academic school and became a Principal in B grade institution or remain in the same school as Senior Assistant. And I had to go to SM Tandop, Alor Setar. Principals get together and negotiated with the Ministry. First they fought for the old Principals to be retained and later only a few who deemed to retire soon. I gathered my teachers and gave them the last speech. "As you are fighting against all odd to polish the poor students to make them successful and achieve well in the SPM, I will do the same now...I will continue to fly without any wing...."

I wrote to Dato' Najib then the Minister of Education narrating of the successes of the non-engineers as compared to the 7 Excellent schools which fared very badly, and at the same time getting ready to move out. Shortly after the letter came back from the Minister confirming me in the same school. The only Mohican running the school. Since other Principals had moved out their places were replaced with other non-engineers.

I knew then Najib was a brave politician. And I did not disappoint him because we prove the vocational students were doing well in Korea and Japan, obtaining good results in SPMV and many became highly successful people today. Najib visited my school and visited our restroom, hostels and the whole school. He made our school great. Indeed Najib had given a magic touch to my school.

Had not because of Najib's interference I would have gone to academic school. And my teachers never failed me and brought our school to the peak height. We became the bench mark. Our teachers went all over the country to give talk on landscaping and the maintenance of toilets.

The government should always be aware of bad name the officers and UMNO members could bring to the leaderships. Many of them don't help the government at all. Short sightedness, corruptions, arrogance and pomposity of the officers would create the bad image of the government.

So Najib did not do any harm to me. In fact had taken my argument why I should remain there and non-engineers should be Principals in Vocational schools. Of course with all the existing proofs. I just hope he will be fair to Anwar. That's all.

Left - Najib shook hands with teaching staffs . Right - Najib was asking some questions. There was no holiday while Najib visited the school. While Najib went on to other areas learning and teaching went on.

Our photographer did not expect Najib wanted to inspect the toilet

Visitors from Japan. The girls played hockey with our boys.

The Thais were from Education Ministry

Dato' Wan Noor Azmi and Kedah State Education Officer Made A visit Too

An event during one of the school open day

26/08/2010 Top

FEAR OF GROWING OLD

Ladies, especially, want to stay young forever. The possibility of our future that we stay young forever has shown a promise when scientists have found cells which don't grow old and yet to be implanted into mankind. With plastic surgery and supplements people are rushing to delay their growing old.

Growing old means we are moving away to the graveyard. But most of us don't want to die.

The classical economist like Adam Smith believed that mankind must die to balance the world population. Scientists believed mankind can still survive with the ever increasing population with the new kind of food, taking less or no land. People can live with food as small as tablets.

With no death, eternal youth and sexual veracity human tend to multiply. There are societies that prefer to have and own off springs though there are people who do not find producing kids are important. In the yesteryears children are to continue with the culture and civilization when the older people leaved the earth. With the perpetual youth kids may not be important anymore.

If people don't grow old and population remain stagnant, the world would still change. The future may control pollution, the ozone layer would remain intact and the global warming may be halted the earth surface will changed due to weathering. We cant't say whether the world is going to continue rotating and the sun is going to remain as it is now. If any of it misbehave like the earth stop moving or the sun goes dormant or cool down, then the young population of the earth will have several choices to do; take away ones lives , or continue to struggle with the new environment.

On the other hand if population continues to grow there will be a time when the food resource will be scarce. And people would be looking for more land for lodging and farming. Survival of the fittest will restart.

Death is a good choice. Growing old is a good choice too. The idea if perpetual youth was not new. The tale of Dracula though fictitious, it is telling us how older people of the yester years thought. Then there were many legends of queens who never grew old with the tales of love.

One old man who had lived and long enough to see the many Presidents of the United States. Castro had seem and understand much of the Americans and it's Presidents and the policies. Kenedy nearly bombed Cuba and later was assassinated. Reagan called a bad Communist but later died. Castro live long enough and earned much respect from even the non-communists.

Today you can make good business and good money to keep people look young. Women are scared of falling hairs. They would panic if their hair turn gray. They  want to hear people say they 10 years younger and would be ecstatic when praised at their beauty. Tell a 60 year old lady that she is 40, tell a 40 year old lady that she is 25, and tell the 25 year old lady that she is 18 and you can also share her feeling. Tell a 60 year old man that he looks 40 and he would feel that guy is up to something and he had to beware of that person.

Plastic surgery is a lucrative trade because people want to be looked attractive. And sell a potion that would make the skin smooth and shine, kill facial scrubs and pimples and you will be rich. Once I was told that there were many women who believed that swallowing the male sperm would make then strong and remain young. They asked us to go for free sex in return for our sperm for swallowing. Dirty ? No, it was a true story.

Most people choose to do daily exercise, going jogging or doing Tai Chi in the evening for an hour or two. Exercise , they would insist, is not to delay ageing but to feel fit and healthy. Nonetheless it helps in delaying biological ageing.

Longevity is not without disadvantages. I live long enough to see a fantastic technological changes. I can see the I-phone, flying motorcars and motorcycles, and the chance of chatting with my friends and students with video on.0

Assuming things remain the same for the next 50 or 200 years, we all are growing old no matter how hard e fight against it. As people see me changing rapidly, I too see celebrities are not like before. I was surprise to see a few actresses with wrinkles and the change face. I could not recognize the formerly beautiful lady.

But love remains when the age change. You can't marry a girl when she was 18, you still want to marry her now when she passed 50. That is in most of our hearts. I had a sweet heart when we were 15 but somehow she married someone else, and I was thinking of marrying her if she becomes widow even at the age of 60. But she had passed away.

If we have to grow old let's grow old and live with it. Those who despise old people will be despised too when their time come.

26/08/2010 Top

A CHAT WITH MY STUDENT

I was browsing thru a facebook when I had a chat call from one of my students. I don't know and remember him. He invited  me for a re-union after the Hari Raya. He is now a lecturer in one of the universities and his wife also from the same school went to Australia and specialize in IT. He told me one of his friends is working in Korea right now. He expressed his regret for playing truant in English class.

I was one of the bad Head Masters because I did not blame the students for their playing truant or sleeping in the classroom. I blamed the teachers for not making his class attractive to the students. I remember when schooling, I wanted to go school very badly because I got the class of Mr Sin Yong. Every student talked about that teacher. He made the learning and teaching so very interesting. Non-graduate teachers always blamed the students. When the graduate teachers took over the total attitude change. Situations changed. This particular student did not have the experience of having graduate teachers then.

Vocational school in those days were the 'pariah' school. Academic school teachers would say 'You are belonged to Vocational school...."In the later years I have big problems when PMR students with 5 - 7 As applied. I had to discourage the 7A students and hard a hard time influencing their parents. I have a lawyer friend who sent his son with 5As to take a capentary course. "Why do you send your kid here ? " " I want him to be an architect..." I told him my school could mould a student to be an architect. He insisted. Many of these students were placed in electronic and electric classes.

Yet a big majority were the low achievers.

I needed to have teachers with positive thinking, who would not blamed the students for being stupid and naughty, and who believed that there was no stupid children in our school. I had to make the students believe that they could learn and were not stupid. It would be easy for the students but could not be easy with the teachers. I asked the teachers to find why the students were weak in sciences and mathematics. We forced the students to learn the multiplication table by heart. They need to recite table in the and speak English during every assembly.

We built up discipline by making the environment beautiful and conducive. I believed that beauty instills aesthetic sense, which in turn control emotions of aggressiveness. We built in a 5 star-toilet and make sure the compound was extremely clean. We created a moto 'We Got To Be Number One', a school battle cry. We award the winners and punished the failures. And we stressed on the school image.

During the re-unions I heard happy stories. "Cikgu, during the time I went to Korea there were 10 out of 15 from our school." And that was with the 'pariah' school with many IPT lecturers and highly successful entrepreneurs and EO in private organizations.

The story of successful students made me very proud. But not everyone I met was a wealthy corporate figure and lecturers. One day while I was eating a mamak mee in a stall, a small lorry stopped. The driver came in and went to the mamak. After talking to the mamak, he came to mee and shook his hand with me. "I was your student cikgu." He went away. He paid for my mee. He stopped his lorry when seeing me. I almost shed my tears.

I lost many good and responsible teachers because they moved to some other schools, retired or died. Aziz Selaiman and Puteh were the first to push the sciences passes to above 90% and later 100% for many years. Wong Kok Yin, Mazlifah and Saad brought up the Mathematic to over 85%. Students who fared badly in their Sciences and Mathematics were doing well in SPMV. Productive non-graduate like Lim May Chong is still there.

Many teachers would go to the students house when finding some problem with the kids.

The other night a lady student called me for the facebook chat too. She is now doing a Master program in one of the universities. We chat on many things. As a teacher I kept on motivating them for further success. "Beat me up...you must be above me and make sure you get a better CGPA..." I remember in school telling the students that the male students perform better then the female in SPMV. "Why ?" I would ask.

Today when I met teachers who complaint that their students can't read, I would encourage them to teach the basic reading and writing again. Forget about the Ministry and the school's regulation. But teach them the basic and organize a graduation day when the time come. Let the graduates read something on the day in front of the parents.

Chatting with the male students is better than the female. We can get emotional when friendly talk with the female one, though it is a rare case. I know successful students will call me for that chat again. I am looking to it and looking for any other re-union. But I really want to see the 1995 - 2000 students. I left the school in 2000 on protest of it being changed to Technical School. 1995 onwards the school experienced a peak period. The school, not me. I did not run the school following what the Jabatan Pendidikan Negeri wanted. I run my own way. They did not like me, but my school shone, winning awards after awards. We had thousand of visitors from all over because we were the bench marking school.

That explains the reason why I am very proud of my former students and would attend their re-union when invited.

24/08/2010 Top

THE JOKE OF THE YEAR

Please, this is not politics. You will say I am bias and would simply side the soul of Teoh Beng Hock. If I talk politics please don't believe me. It may well be full of lies and imaginations. If I side Beng Hock, I may be mislead by the anti-MACC people. BUT please read on the MACC lawyer of Abdul Razak.

I usually laughed my head off when hearing sex jokes. But I did the same when reading about what he said in the court and how he attacked Dr Porntip. Last time many of us found a story as a hilarious joke when one USM Professor said in a PTA meeting "You all are not qualified to argue with me because I got a PHD and you are not...." He was dead serious after the normal PTA's arguments.

Someone recalled what Razak said to Karpal who was on the wheel chair, "I can sit and you can't stand."

To me that was the mother of all jokes and certainly the joke of the year. It is lucky that majority found it entertaining and Razak was a joker, Otherwise people would  brand every Malay a "Jonah" or a 'Don Quixote' .

If you have not read it find it somewhere. I won't publish it here.

The most entertaining when he asked Porntip whether she had any experienced jumping down from a high building. If I were Portip, I would have asked him to jump first. And mind you later every lawyer thought it would be a good experience to jumped down from a 14-story building. The very high class people may not laugh but merely shook their heads.

Entertaining yes.

Try to avoid public debates or arguments. It is not whether you can talk or not but whether you can make fools of yourselves. Public will judge us and able to see the depth of our brain, and want to know the college or university you are from.

The lesser jokes that have passed were 5 watts of transmission power is better then a 100 watts, the way a group of hams handled DX communications ( very hilarious ) , Guan Eng's name mentioned in the sermon, and a few other local happenings.

24/08/2010 Top

MORSE TEST - NO LUCK

It took me a solid ONE year to learn Morse. Because there was no computer nor class, I started to learn sending instead of hearing. That was not the proper procedure. Those were the days of tape and cassette coders. I savaged a small transistor radio to turn it into an oscillator. Using merely two wires touching each other, I recorded the signals into the small tape and carried it with me everywhere. I listened to it, my own recording and my own sending.

The ship-to-shore frequency had helped me. I listened to it everyday, trying to copy the group of characters and all what I heard. I didn't know whether they were correct or wrong, until one day the copied codes began to shown senses 'ALL SHIPS AND VESSEL MUST AVOID  ( latitude and longitude ) AS THERE WILL BE A MILITARY EXERCISE...' Then I knew my reading was almost perfect. When there were no announcement, group of words and characters were sent.

Before RAE I already mastered about 12 wpm.

It is possible for a person to pass RAE even without understanding the components and the theory. A one month test drilling could pass him. The element of luck is very great and bright. There is no such thing as luck in mastering CW. You either know it or not. You can't guess. No luck. The only luck you have is that the guy still pass you even though you can't copy and send. It is a very remote chance.

If someone claimed that he only studied it in a month or two, I would really take my hat off. He has to be an extra ordinary person. Special people are rare. A big majority will flop. A three month of intensive and internal drive to success can help. But you have to put your mind to it and the positive attitude may be a pushing factor. For the 2nd September candidates, by now you must be able to send 100% without error and copy above 92%. You have to find a way to know your progress.

I believe a person has to put an effort, a lot of it. Acquiring a skill is much more difficult than talking or buying or reading. You have to organize yourself, set a system, set up your mind and tell yourself to be patient.

I do not recommend you to listen to ham CW QSO for several reasons. Firstly you need to have a radio to be able to go to HF where people work CW. 7 MHZ is full of QRM from pirates. You need to go to 14 MHZ. Secondly the sending is too fast. I don't understand why people seldom send 12 wpm nowadays. The minimum speed is 25 wpm. Mostly between 30 - 45.

Sorry right now I can't tell you who are really good in Morse in your area. In Kuala Lumpur there are CWers like 9M2YP and 9M2ZA. These people had worked a few thousand stations on Morse. In Penang 9M2FK. In Perlis 9M2PZ and 9M2GET. The rest I can't say because either they stopped working CW with me or either they worked less than 5 times with me. I can't assess them.

Get a group and discuss the plan and program is another method. I think this is a good method. But the 2nd September test is too soon. You can start thinking about it now.

 22/08/2010 Top

A QUESTION OF ISLAM

Between Ahmad bin Awang and David Donaldson, who is Islam and who is not ? Between Mohd Gamim Ali who always had free sexual intercourse and running a prostitution and Johnson Mavrick who is a devoted family man and respect every human being, who should be a better friend ? Today the Malaysians could not determine how many Ahmad bin Ali are not Muslim and how many Tong Ai Han are devoted Muslim.

I am sure you do not feel secure living in area where the Malay youths are drug users and bag snatchers. You would not want a Malay neighbor who never want to know or say hello to you.

However in Islam there is a concept of Kalifatullah which means a ruler is a shadow that run Islamic law. The word Imam means a ruler leading the people. The Prophet was a ruler and an Imam. Nik Aziz is also a Khalifatullah. Sultan Brunei had been an Imam before. Khalifatuulah runs Islamic law or tries his best to run the law.

The question is do we really have the Khalifatullah today in Malaysia ? Khalifatullah looks up at God and the teaching of the Holly Book Al-Quaran. He does not look up at another human being and obey his teachings especially if that man cant recite even a simple surah.

I am not saying the David Donaldson is an Islam and Ahmad bin Awang is a Christian. We cannot absolutely be sure. Some churches in USA branded Osma as Islam and as a Satan. Many believe that Idares jalai is a Muslim.

Always scrutinize the sermon in mosque. An Imam prays to God for the protection of a leader because they feel safe with that leader. They can pray and practice Islamic religion, fasting and feeling not being cheated. But there is no such thing as 'Oh God put him  in Heaven .....' In Imam's heart, he may asked God to show that leader a Right Path. There are so many stories about the Prophet and his Great Uncle who was not a Muslim.

In USA many churches welcome the Muslim students to the church and prepare a prayer room to them and showed respect towards the students and their practiced. Hence Muslims should invite the non-Muslim to join the Berbuka Puasa and enjoyed the free Kanji on the fasting months.

If an Imam misinterpret the concept of Khalifatullah then is there in the Islamic teaching that he must be reported to the police and thrown into the burning fire ? The Ulama all over the world is studying the issue.

In my mind adultery, prostituting, pimping students, and working with Jews to destroy Muslims are more sinful.

A question whether a person is a Muslim or not need detail scrutiny and we don't go around and shoot every Donald and Teoh as non-Muslim and awarded Idares bin Jalai because thinking he is a Muslim.

What would have I done on the issue of Khalifatullah ? I would go and ask the person concern about the subject matter rather than making a big noise. People don't forget when the TV1 disgraced the Malays everyday to the world. Just because a person is a Mamak, that did not give him a license to disgrace a Malay.

 We are easily shocked at something different and unexpected. Animals would jumped and run or attack us when we shocked them. But we are animals with brain and thinking, of education and values, of culture and reasons.

21/08/2010 Top

START CLEANING MY SHACK

A ham friend of mine asked me to clean my mind of political thought and clear them off my website. He is truly a concerned ham. I would like to and stay quiet and let other people take care of politics. But I was not able to do so how hard I tried. Funny news came from the main stream media. I wanted to know more and dig out from the opponent's media. Then I weighed it out. If my my reasoning shows any irregularity, then I cannot keep my mouth shut. Of course I don't expect people to believe me.

It is easier to clean my shack rather than to clean my mind. In fact it is not so simple to command myself to start work. My shack is really worse than a dustbin. Used papers were just thrown out every where. Rambutan seeds mixed up with the dusts. My wife could not do the cleaning. Getting a maid probably drive her to jealousy. So I have to do it by myself.

Today I started to clear, not amounting to clean, my left table and 1/10 of the floor. While I am typing now I feel the top left corner floor is fairly clean. The broom is on the floor beneath my chair. My big clock could not stand up because I threw away the stand forgetting it belong to this radio clock. The table top is still messy, with 3 removable hard disk, a GPS, watch, pen, tapes and two CW keys on it's right. This current lap top is above another one. Both are Acer. The bottom one was strike by a lightning but could still work without a modem.

My estimation is , I will take 5 - 7 days to flush my shack and clear it with the unused waste papers. The last day I will mop it with some chemical.

After the work and the Hari Raya my shack will look abnormal. I would say there is something with it and would say something wrong with me too.

My former boss once came to my house and passed a remark "You can look after your school so well, but you don't look after your own home." Actually a home is for myself. A school is for public. I chose to make public more comfortable.

I told myself that I am going to clean the whole house. First I got to find a new home to the newly born kittens, 6 of them. I got to bring them to the fish market to join the other stray cats. In spite of that I will be having 6 more. Cats multiply fast and they urinate everywhere in and outside our home.

I figure it will take 2 days to clean the whole floor.

I don't have furniture, only simple chairs for the visitors. I discourage people from coming to my house on the non-raya days because it would not make visitors feel comfortable. If my wife allows me to take another woman, I would marry a house maid who can cook and crop my hair. Then the whole house will be lighted up like in fairyland.

20/08/2010 Top

WE DON'T WANT YOUR MONEY

I rushed to Court Mamoth after reading the advertisement sheet sent to my home thinking of purchasing a RM4599 Philip HD Flat TV. It has an offer of a 32" LCD free with the purchase. On arriving the salesman ushered me to the location of the TV. I was amazed at the quality of the picture and decided to buy it.

When I took out my Debit Card the salesman said they don't sell cash. I must take loan with 1.9 percent with the payment for about RM100 a month for 5 years. "Can't I buy cash ? " I asked. He said if I buy cash there will be no free gift. He said if I were to buy on loan basis I have to produce my pay slip. "I am retired," I said. He asked me for my pension card and went away. He came back and said "Sorry, uncle. You are above 60. You are not qualified."

I told him that it was OK for me. I did not go to beg but to buy. If the company did not want my money it was OK for me. I went out. This is the second time I encountered with business organization that rejects customer's money. Last time I did write about a Proton staff who refused to allow me to test whether I could shove in a wheel chair in the bonnet. May be by co-incidences these were the Malay staffs or the company owned by the Malays.

The hidden implication for the rejections were two; first, they are saying that their are doing very well and they are not hard up of customers. Secondly they are saying that people of 60 plus is going to die in less that 3 to 4years time.

In fact I observe the number of workers and did a quick computation of the monthly overhead cost the company is going to bear each month. Even banks which merely survive on public loans are struggling to survive and finding ways to build up their cash with all sort of scheme and charges. But this company merely depends on the interest. That particular TV sets would give them RM2000 after 5 years. That amount is almost a salary of 3 workers a month. I just think that company could have been facing some financial problem and is struggling very hard to survive.

Once upon a time there was one company which did not allow non member to go purchasing. So people just went somewhere else to buy. Today the company is already closed.

Many companies could go bankrupt and suffer heavy loses with their policy. That include even Proton. Without government support and intervention it would have closed shop long ago. Even that people still go for the more expensive cars like Toyota and Hyundai.

How many percent of our customers do think like me ? If above 50% the company which rejected people's money and have the 'sombong' staffs would go bankrupt soon. The thinking is simple "If you don't want my money well good luck. I will it somewhere else".

Now I am watching a fourteen inch RM150 TV. I watched the World Cup with that one. Because Hari Raya is coming, I just to make my wife happy with the HD TV. She has always rejected it and asked me to buy a leather recliner. And I seldom watch it too because in my mind TV always lie. My wife would tune to the Islamic channel and would tell me the stories she watched.

Who are interested in our money ? The insurance company, especially the Takaful. They still sell to people of any age, even to those they is going to die tomorrow. I have been receiving the insurance brochures from the same bank that rejected my credit card application. Do you know what insurance ? CAR ACCIDENT INSURANCE. If I die they promised a paid up of a few thousands. What to buy in the grave with the Malaysian ringgit from Takaful insurance ? You can't even pay the worms that is eating your flesh.

So now I am not yet made poor by RM4599. How many a RM150 14" TV set can I buy with that amount ? 30 sets. If one set last for one year I can buy one set each year. And I won't live even 5 more years.

19/08/2010 Top

F-CAR - GOVERNMENT MUST THINK NOW

Terrafugia flying car which will take off by the end of 2011 already has a competition from the Wingless Flying Car. While Terrafugia had to use wing and need enough space for take off, the later can do a vertical take off and can accommodate 4 passengers. Terrafugia can only fill in 2 persons.

Terrafugia (left) looks like a small plane. A few other models do not look like the normal car but one. Look at the picture in the previous article. For about RM300000, even the Malaysians can afford to own them. The flying motorcycle is better, very easy to take off and landing.

I hope our government would not not post any tax for the first 1000 or 2000 flying cars and motorcycles. If I can't buy a car at least I want to own a motor cycle. The motorbike is about RM75000. I don't have that much but some how I am going to buy one.

Malaysian government must start thinking about it on FAA and licensing procedures for both the flying car and the motorbike. If someone is thinking only of making money again then it would very unfortunate to the Malaysians.

2011 is fast coming. The flying motorcycle is easier to build and can be in production any time. Thousand of people all over the world would be purchasing them and use the vehicles by 2011.

18/08/2010 Top

WHAT FREQUENCY ALLOCATION FOR NON-LICENSEES TO BE ON HF ?

Rather than fighting the pirates and upholding laws it was easier to legalize them and provide them with a special frequency. It was good for the authority to find the simplest solution in solving the problem. It has been done on VHF and I am keen to know on what frequency allocation is to be given for pirates to come on HF.

After all radio is merely a hobby. The band does not belong to our grand father, does it ? Or would it be simpler for any owner of HF rig just to come on using any club call sign as practiced by a few 9W2s who operate from their home using club call sign. May be it is practicable this way. One gateway HF frequency specially use by any non-license ? Or 9M0 or 9M9 prefixes given before a person pass RAE ? The authority can get more income, and people are happier. So 9M0ASB indicates he is a non-ham who is on training. These people have to pay just a little more than the normal ham.

After all the world has changed. The policy has changed. And the way to fight crimes can change too. Wouldn't it makes things easier for the authority and everybody.

Please let us know the frequency allocation for non-licensees on HF. Call it by any name, may be PRASAD1 or TRAINING1. We just want to know. And in this way the million ringgit tracing equipment can stay idle or can be sold away. Hence there will be no problem of piracy and illegal stations. I can save money using transceivers rather than the hand-phone to talk to many of friends and my old schools.

If this is not done the number of illegal stations will certainly increased following the trend as what had been happenings on 2 meter band. The nature will shift to HF as well. Similar format will occur. Because the MCMC will have no way to trace and control the multiplier effect will take place. As what happened in Indonesia, identical things will happen here. If you follow closely you will find hams talking to their fellow friends minus the call signs around the CW portion.

MCMC has the choice of either abolish RAE or provide openings to non-licensees . As has been pointed out and argued before that RAE is not relevant nowadays and more than 50% would not understand electronic components and the principles working of the radio. And people do not homebrew equipments. Even the QRP rigs are purchased.

There is nothing new in my suggestion. MCMC has applied it on VHF. It only need to expand to HF. The reasons applied to VHF should be applied to HF too.

I hope by now those hams who were pushing for the rapid increase of hams are happy with the current outcome. May be 7000 is not enough. They may be pushing the MCMC for a few million target. Get the criminals and big time smugglers in. Radio is free and everyone has the right to be a ham. Train them using special call signs or provide a special frequency so that they do not go anywhere. Be their leaders so that they will be well known and praised and appreciated.

18/08/2010 Top

MALAYSIAN HAMS BY RACE

In my previous article I narrated a story about one Chinese ham asking me a question, "Cikgu we have about 95% Malays, 5% , Chinese....where are the Indians ?" The figure was just estimated. This person has not been an ardent SWL. There are a few Indians on the band including on the 2 meters. These are highly educated and respectable people and a few had been working as a signal men in ships. There are walking radio dictionaries; 9M2PV and 9M2DY. 9M2PV is the most resourceful ham in Malaysia I know off. He is always available and is not stingy to share his knowledge.

Chinese hams are more keen in listening and eavesdropping. Almost all are good in CW and I usually work them on CW. There are about 10 - 15 active guys monitoring the band.

So the most heard are the Malays.

A topic which I don't want to write but feel it won't be completed if I have not expressed my total feeling. Why a Chinese ham is picked up when more than 15 rule breakers who go on the band illegally were ignored. These people are Malays talking to Indonesia on 40 and DX station using club call signs. The Chinese hams were known NOT to report people since the beginning of Malaysian ham radio unless their call signs are being used. But they do monitor and noted what goes on the band.

It is not a matter of reporting a case but why report a Chinese ? Human being will feel it that way. The sensitivity of a minority must not be ignored. True that a past is past. What will the future be ? It had not been mentioned about the language used and the criticism for using it. English speaking ham already felt bad. Though Chinese is not spoken among local hams, the criticism for using English has conveyed a deep meaning. That can hurt.

No matter how much twists and turns the victim will say that he was reported by someone. It did not come by accident.

This is what I call the political behavior which was non-existence in the yester years minus the 9Ws. I was shocked when racial card was used to call for the increase of the Malays in Ham Radio. That was way back in the 80's. Ham radio had been a factor of passing the RAE and CW before. If therefore at that time there were only a few Malays, it was just because they did not want to learn. Then I was told about the 'Lesen Ampun Kurnia' base on the argument that it is just a hobby.

This is a hobby. Truly a hobby. Nevertheless racial sensitivity can occur.

Another point which I have raised before about the senility of a ham. A 9M2 said that ham is senile 'nyanyuk' , this ham is  'nyanyuk'. But when he comes on he did not realize that he too is 'nyanyuk'. When there is a beliefs even a criminal can be a ham, I could not say more but felt so very sorry.

News came to me about these and those guys cheating, not trustworthy etc otherwise I would not know about thefts , cheat and lies. I can only know MARTS directly without being told. I know MARTS before and MARTS today.

A few years ago I said I hope Malaysian amateur radio would be better in the future. It does not. It is good to observe our neighbor today that the license hams would go down the CW area and talked to their non-license friends without the use of call sign. So much so the Indonesian CWers have to move away to the other band. Don't you think it won't happen here ?

A few old hams put a total blame of 9M2... and 9M2... for what is happening today and now. Believe me they said it, not me. When thinking profoundly I can see some truth in it.

18/08/2010 Top

USA CAR RENTAL

Car rental is cheap in USA. If you walk in you will have to pay much more. You may be charge a week's price for a day. Make sure you do all your homework before making a trip or else you will be wasting your money unnecessarily. Those who are planning the trip to Dayton for the Hamvention should start to look at the internet now and plan well.

In the USA and else where prices are subjected to change especially the hotel price. The greater the demand, the higher will be the price. Hotels near a certain attractions and festivals would be extremely high. My experience in family traveling was that we took time to look for low priced hotel starting from the theme park and move further out of it. As we moved farther and farther the hotel became cheaper and cheaper.

You might find the cheap hotels about 30 - 40 miles away. Our family would stay there and traveled to the theme part everyday. We would reached the destination about 30 to 60 minutes later. Hotels in Dayton already know when is the peak season with a high demand.

The O'Hara stadium is out of town in the kampong. The traffics is not heavy.

I usually took Avis. The car is just like a brand new one. It might be a bit expensive then the others. But don't simply take a car without a question. There are 2 types of rental namely the limited mileage and the non-limited mileage. The first allows you to ride free but above a certain miles you will have to pay a few cents for each mile plus the rental. The unlimited mileage should be your choice. Rent it by the weekly rate. Below is the rate I copy on 18/08/2010 for your perusal.

Avis $363.97

	11 total: 1 - 8 | 9 - 11 | >>
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
	Shuttle	Shuttle	Shuttle	Details Shuttle	Shuttle	Details Shuttle	Details Shuttle	Shuttle
Economy Sort by price	$100 / Wk TotalPrice $137.56	$118 / Wk TotalPrice $160.39	$118 / Wk TotalPrice $160.39	$121 / Wk TotalPrice $163.87	$132 / Wk TotalPrice $176.13	$209 / Wk TotalPrice $234.61	$271 / Wk TotalPrice $351.48	$273 / Wk TotalPrice $353.97
Compact Sort by price	$102 / Wk TotalPrice $140.77	$126 / Wk TotalPrice $169.44	$126 / Wk TotalPrice $169.44	$128 / Wk TotalPrice $173.51	$139 / Wk TotalPrice $185.33	$215 / Wk TotalPrice $240.77	$282 / Wk TotalPrice $364.82	$284 / Wk TotalPrice $367.76
Intermediate Sort by price	$114 / Wk TotalPrice $155.43	$140 / Wk TotalPrice $187.84	$140 / Wk TotalPrice $187.84	$138 / Wk TotalPrice $185.17	$149 / Wk TotalPrice $197.49	$226 / Wk TotalPrice $253.13	$292 / Wk TotalPrice $376.81	$294 / Wk TotalPrice $379.47
Standard Sort by price	$120 / Wk TotalPrice $163.12	$147 / Wk TotalPrice $194.96	$147 / Wk TotalPrice $194.96	$137 / Wk TotalPrice $187.07	$147 / Wk TotalPrice $195.91	$237 / Wk TotalPrice $265.47	$301 / Wk TotalPrice $388.73	$310 / Wk TotalPrice $399.80
Full Size Sort by price	$127 / Wk TotalPrice $171.06	$155 / Wk TotalPrice $207.34	$155 / Wk TotalPrice $207.34	$146 / Wk TotalPrice $197.20	$157 / Wk TotalPrice $208.32	$270 / Wk TotalPrice $302.52	$302 / Wk TotalPrice $389.74	$311 / Wk TotalPrice $400.80
Premium Sort by price	$227 / Wk TotalPrice $296.49	$523 / Wk TotalPrice $669.19	$523 / Wk TotalPrice $669.19	Not available	$523 / Wk TotalPrice $667.13	Not available	$523 / Wk TotalPrice $667.16	$657 / Wk TotalPrice $835.23

Traveling with a group need prior considerations. It is mandatory to get friends of the same wavelength. My friend's group would select one among them to arrange all the transportation and the lodging, and all agree to accept her decision.

There was a group that went to Australia and one of them was interested in goat, and when they found someone who run the goat farm there, went to see the farm. Hours were wasted and the rest were very unhappy.

Decide from here how long you are going to go. Hamvention is 3 days. So the minimum would be 5 days. Do you just want to go to the Hamfest and then come back ? Again you have to get groups who are willing to share the same length of periods with you. For a wealthy person running a business, 5 days may be enough. For a normal person who think he may not go gain because of the long distant may want to take the minimum of two weeks. As for me, if I were to go with my wife, I may take 3 weeks.

Recently one fellow ham went to Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Grand Canyon with his brother. The total expenditure for both was only RM3000 in USA for 7 days. Most things in USA are cheaper then here after the conversion to ringgit.

The 2011 trip in May should start with the visa application now. You may not get the visa even though you paid RM400 for the fee. I am sure non of you have any connection to any terrorist organization. And I don't think so you want to go to USA to work. If you are a civil servant get a letter from the head to prove that you are a government servant. If they sniff you are going there with the intent of selling Roti Canai or Roti Arab, you are gone.

You have been to USA 10 years ago but during that time you did not return the I-94 card or the immigration card, please do go to the embassy and explain to them because in the mind of the US immigration you are hiding somewhere in USA, selling Ais Kacang.

Remember the 2011 trip must start now and today.

18/08/2010 Top

THE CHANGE

\The quantum leap began with the micro-technology and today what mind had never thought could become real had materialize. What we are aware are the palm size kit which allow us to talk and see distance people, abd the flying tortoise ( the wingless flying car ) . One of the coming ones is Quantum Teleportation . Putting in a crude way, you don't have to fly to Dayton. You need to enter a box. You disappear in the box in Kuala Lumpur and appear in another box in Dayton. And the coming one is the Fountain of Youth as the scientists already found cells which do not grow old. For more information you can go to this page.

The progress and the change would also alter human life and culture. We use machines to replace animals in work and transportation. We utilize technology in mosques. Kids are playing with the new computer games and don't know any of the old kids games and sports.

With the great changes in technology and the earth surface, human emotions do not change. The emotions of anger, happiness, fear, jealousy, greedy, hatred and love are still there. External interventions like the administration of drugs had brought disastrous effect on mankind.

Ways of some crimes change. Today we know of robberies by bag snatching, daylight murder in public, and hitech house breaking procedures.

Because of the un-changed human emotions we hear of the continuous killings, the unending Palestinian issues, Islam under attack, political clashes, corruptions, robbing land by law and much more. The cheat, the bluffs, the lies and wild accusations dominate the daily headlines.

The age of reason should follow in phase with the big progress in technology. It does not happen that way. Human emotions rule.

One new development which most of us may not aware off is the collection of human data of the Muslim world to group who are the terrorists or supporters, the danger an individual can post to the world, and to ensure the world is safe. Those with the potential danger would not be allowed into countries like the United States or England. This internet technology is the data gathering machines.

It is a wonder our mind and mentality could be recorded thru the blog like this.

The awareness of the co-existing technological change and the un-change human emotion by some countries made them more alert to filter out bad elements.

17/08/2010 Top

MY ARCH ENEMY

Who is my arch enemy ? I don't know. Here is where it all started.

During the era of thefts, piracies and cheaters I came back to Amateur Radio after a long rest. People began to tell me stories from the stealing of rigs, piracies and cheaters. Being new and I did not know much about class B and other activities, I just stayed mum and dumb. ASTRA was the most active then. Slowly I began to hear a call sign being used by several persons on the National link. I was told of person giving away for the non-licensee to use the call for years. He himself would used it. And during that time ASTRA net invited SWL to check in.

When I asked about it the net runner said 'Majlis Tertinggi ASTRA allows it...' Then I began to intervene when a pirate check in the net using another person's call sign. Those created anger and uneasiness . But nothing happened yet. Then there was a case of money collection and one friends told me about the cheating in the service of a hardware, I was suspected of spreading the cheating news.

Things started to happen. One guy called me 'BABI' on the ASTRA link. He kept on following me on HF and sending CW with a few characters he learned 'B A B I'. When a new station talked to me, afterwards there would be a phone call and the station disappeared. I knew it was a call to boycott me.

Certainly I hit back at the BABI stuffs because only the son of the BABI would call people by the name. Then I became so sure that ham radio will not be like the old hamming again. It will never be because these pirates and the BABI guy would become a ham and bad habit usually hard to go by. Some pirates can change and be law abiding but some others will not, and will continue with the habit.

Certainly the one who like to use the word BABI has become a ham by  now. Following my deduction he has to be a guy in Kedah and will continue taking me as his arch enemy. Letters were sent to my home. But I don't read letters from an unknown. I am very much aware of the smear campaign thru web sites and any other means.

Does it matter to me ? NO. NOT ONE BIT. Then why I write about it now ? Just to let the new hams know what kind of people they can expect around them and to show the lowering of standard of once a respected hobby. People do respect hams long ago. It is very difficult to enhance the image of ham as the king of the hobby.

It's political behavior began to take effects. People are hunting for popularity, a show off of their smartness, making money strategy out of the hobby. lobbying and smear campaign. The number of sects and groups grow bigger.

Once they say that ham is for friendship. NAY now. With those sick guys it creates enemy. Now they want to know who report the 9W guy to the authority. SMS went around saying I did. I laughed but with regret and feeling sorry. Surely my arch enemy would exploit the situation. If no one reported, it means the MCMC is working hard without their knowledge and possibly aware of the person or persons who went on illegal transmission local or otherwise.

Hams should wake up. Clean the image of ham radio and let it be a dignified and respectable hobby. Go and sit for CW test for whatever reason. Ask not the wisdom behind it. But I assure you it has some wisdom. A few has already realize the wisdom. And to tell you the truth, I don't want to know who my enemy is. I prefer to find enjoyment by writings and talked to a few friends. 9W2TZ always tell me 'Bang Rahman, life is too short...'

I am glad people read my blog to find out how stupid and bad I am.

16/08/2010 Top

SELF DISCIPLINE

Though I scorn the new Western culture and value in area of freedom of sexual intercourse, I would still respect them in the high quality of discipline. A great number do good things, not of fearing God or authority but their conscience tell them so. Parents respect the privacy of their own children, not opening or read their mails. They would picked up cigarette buts found on the street. They stopped their cars for pedestrian and animals crossing the road.

I told my students why they should pick up thrown out chocolate wrappers and put them in proper places, returning properties found and do other goods, not to show to people or fear of law and authority but to get satisfaction, fulfillment and filling good. They would feel proud of themselves. 

I wrote a software for my old school which recorded the fiscal standing. I told the school to guard it well for fear of leakage of information. No one else other than the financial clerk and the school administrators should know the financial standing. At any time I can sneak thru the daily standing. But I do not do it and put my interest off at that. For all the discipline we have, we grade ourselves not for others but for ourselves. We feel good.

We did read articles on workers in USA who found tenth thousands of dollars and return the money to the owner. When interviewed the answer was "I teach my sons and grandsons to be honest..."

It is not an easy thing to control oneself. We can administer ourselves on one but in another. Before I did not throw waste while driving, now I start to throw 'kulit langsat' while on the road. Whenever I see a custom, I always wish he does not taxed me. Once in a blue moon I bluffed my wife.

I think the Westerners especially the Americans are the most disciplined people today. Compared to the British, the British still cheat people today. If they can cheat the Americans, they will do so. They are very tricky people, very much different from the Americans.

16/08/2010 Top

SORRY I DON'T WANT TO SKYPE WITH EVERY DICK, TOM AND HARRY

I have closed my facebook yet there are still requests of friendships. Similarly I decided to erase Skype guys whom I don't know their back ground . In my previous articles I repeatedly warned hams not to trust any ham friends because base on several experiences and observations some people could not be trusted. There are hams who lost thousands of ringgit to unpaid loan, did not pay for the purchase products, borrow expensive equipments without returning, cheat people in purchasing of equipments and would even claim properties of the dead ham as theirs.

Despite the warning I forget the advice because I accepted people who want to join my Skype contacts. It is not to say those Skype contacts are untrustworthy but because I don't know their backgrounds. All contacts formerly signed were deleted and the new coming ones will not be accepted. After all I am nothing to them and they aren't anything to me. I do keep old hams like Chow , Weng, Lim and Rashid Ghani. Amry is still new but his way of skyping shows great maturity and a person of wide knowledge. The non hams are my students.

Imagine one day if you have a visitor from a Special Branch telling you that you are one of the Al-Qeda members, which would surprise you very much. You will be having a very tough time explaining that you don't know your  friend is the brother of Osama. Furher more today there are too much of bad influence around.

There are many hams I have not met and not known them who request to be friends, Sorry I have decided to reject them just because I don't know who they are. Yahoo chat is more dangerous then Skype because there are many conman running around using other people's identity, showing pictures of beautiful woman or young kids, and finally hit you by their misfortune stories. Beg you to help them.

Even in the Celcom Broadband modem I received  mail telling me I won RM10000.

You are bound to tumble on a Skype guy who will want to damage or cheat you. Be warned, choose friends carefully.

You yourselves would warn your kids to choose friends. You want to know who they are. You fear they might fall into traps.

As I am of no value then there is no point to get into my skype friend. I just wish you all the luck and success in what you are doing. My only request is leave me alone on the band and do not deliberately cause QRM when we are working on phone or CW.

God put education and religion into mankind and many refuse to obey the rules of the Almighty and the rule of the world. So heaven and hell were created. The brain don't and won't see the unknown and beyond.

16/08/2010 Top

Great God ! I saw a video of a flying car without a wing. People were shouting. It will come soon, flying over our heads. 50 years later younger generations will be owning one. The price will come down.

The Flying Motorcycle is smaller and looked more interesting. There are several models for sale at a cost of USD 25,000 each.

If you key in Flying Car in the search engine, you will be able to see various flying machines invented and readily sold in the market.

In USA the use of air space by flying vehicles had been agreed and set by the aviation and relevant authority. Probably a special test license would be required to drive any flying object.

Today I spent much time on looking at inventions of flying objects from the simplest ultralight to the wingless flying car. Contemplating on the smallest helicopter and the skydiving type of object, the latest was the easiest and the cost would be extremely low which is affordable. Three types of people are required or enough if a single person with the 3 fields of knowledge namely the person who has the theory of aerodynamic ( what makes an airplane flies and how ), a person who can draw and a person who is good in handy work.

Technical, vocational and polytechnic students can do it. Science and Technology club can do it. Radio Societies and Clubs can do it. Or a group of interested people can do it. The group must either study from the internet, read books or learn from those who know. A few hams are known to be very well verse with the theory of flying and many hams are very skilful in bending and cutting metals. As for drawings the parts that joined or interfacing stuffs need be shown in detail.

Electric motors are very powerful and are known to consume ample current. They can be bought thru the internet or direct from China. The E-Bike are using these kinds of motor. Or else experiment with any other kind of motor.

It is better for the Radio Club members to spend their time building the flying objects. There is a research funds. Before applying for the funds, try to prove that the club has already produce one flying vehicle.

Built first then look for a pilot. You don't have to fly for miles. A short 2 minutes take off will do. And when you do it the rest will follow. Don't you think you can do it ?

 15/08/2010 Top

THINGS YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND

There are very numerous things that we don't understand. Some are mysterious and others are not. When you go to Waikiki Beach in Hawaii or  Russia you will see rest area with tables and Chess sets. There are many people playing Chess. When you come to amateur radio you would hear many stations coming on Morse codes. Then you see people paid highly for bungee jumping . Why you may ask.

A simple conjecture I would say they might find those activities provide fulfilling. I find chess and CW sharpen my mind. And if were to learn Mandarin, I would want to hear people speaking the language and would want to converse using the lingo. All is just to sharpen my Mandarin. Have you learn other languages beside Malay and English ?

In fact knowledge and several skills like able to play musical instruments, play badminton and other games will make you a better person. I feel good just deciphering codes and feel satisfied when I hear my own sending rhythm. As I speed it up without errors I got more kick. Call it a drug but not a dangerous one.

But people who go for adventure like sailing the world in a yacht, sky diving, straits swimming and many other challenging stuffs are special people. It takes special people to learn CW or mountain climbing. Even a person who go to learn Mandarin, Japanese and France during the free time too are special. When mankind tried to fly to the moon it was said to be impossible, yet people sacrifice their lives to do the impossible.

So was the Voyages of Discovery where people sailed into the unknown, fighting the fierce seas and endure hardships. Men of quality were being created by all those hardships and challenges.

One of the easiest things to do without challenges is talking. If you can't talk well then get drunk. Drunks even talk to trees. Or get mad. We would hear mad people talking like the great politicians. Many a time we can belief only one out of 100 things a person said. Didn't I wrote about Chat and Harun Gila before ? Harus has passed away. Chat may be still alive. Chat is a real patriotic guy.

You can't make people who don't want to understand accept anything he does not like. I can't answer why people play chess at Waikiki or in Russia except for the simple conjecture. But for CW , I can only explain base on my own experience. The degree of comfort I got when going CW is much greater than on Phone. I push my chair backward, putting one leg on the other on the chair in front, close my eyes and keying away. I don't talk.

Movies may be fictions. The fiction showed us how special persons were chosen for a certain operation. They just don't choose any Dick, Tom and Harry. I have always thought that people are mature enough to see or comprehend the message we are trying to convey. I did mention about attitudes they take things lightly and scornfully rejected it not realizing that the attitudes and thinking could bring major problem to the country. Much has political tones in it. It influence successes and failures, efficiency and inefficiency.

Poor attitude people can always cause havoc, and act irrationally. I wrote a comment on a group of people who accused Karpal Singh for 'hasutan' when he mentioned about 'taking the Sultan to court...' They ran havoc, making police report and news published it as if Karpal was a hated criminal. In court Karpal read a clause to the court and asked whether it was in the constitution. Was it wrong if Karpal quote what was in the constitution ? I was not at all surprise when we lost Pulau Batu Puteh to Singapre.

We need to understand things, our friends and foes, why people go for CW and play the game of Chess. Wake up and be matured.

15/08/2010 Top

HEY GOOD GUYS !!! DID I REPORT 9W2 ??? ON 20

The case has closed. But luka sudah parut masih ada. Bill rang me up asking me whether I reported the 9W2??? to MCMC because of the SMS going around said so. If I did I would admit that I did. I am not the scary type of a person 'Baling batu sembunyi tangan...' Assume my close friend 9W2TZ were to transmit on 20 meter, I might report him and won't deny that I did. I wrote what I think has been happenings.

How did I report this guy out of 7000 + people and he is not even my neighbor. Giving warning and advice to the others do not mean I report this guy. But let me tell you something about transmitting illegally; since there are many people around your area are in possession of HF rigs probably a few stations would hear you. When they do so the SMS will run wild calling the others to monitor you as well. And when I tell you about the capability of the police 'semboyan' believe me I am not joking.

I have only wished the person concern asked for apology IF he did wrong, and no need to bit about the bush. That would make people angry. And that did not mean I reported to the authority. Seldom I went to 20 m. When I went there I worked CW. How about 10 meter ? Once, with Hanafi a long time ago because he wanted to test his antenna. Is there skip on 20 ? 98% of the time there will be skip.

Of course when I was informed of such a case, I immediately wanted to know the truth. If I have known Bill's or the 9W's phone number, I would have rang them up to ask more or probably would 'interrogate' for his own good.

This morning I was informed that the case was close. And the others should be aware of the consequences that can befell them. But when Bill put forward the question whether I did report, I was very surprise. Then I began to see red at those boys in the area, the type who 'lempar batu sembunyi tangan' behaving like school boys. They called it snake. Be more careful when you meet people and mix with people. Sweet talk and smiling faces do mean white and fresh.

But do know though 20 and 15 are skipped people around your area can monitor you. And do know SMS run wild during your QSOs and there are already 7000+ hams around and majority own HF sets. Using non-existing call signs could be under probe too. The best is to work a little harder for your CW.

If Bill is hunting for the person who reported I think he could finally found the culprit. As for me, I would not care. I did not go and hunt for the news or read blog. When I became a ham there weren't 7000 operators. We talked among a few of us with fun and pleasure. Even the 7000 do not like me it does not matter. Bad guys who try to run my image down local or international will not be revenged.

This kind of thing was non-existing in the era before 9Ws.

14/08/2010 Top

THE CHANGE IN VALUE SYSTEM

Value is the principles of right and wrong that are accepted by an individual or a social group. Religious people follow the system set by the religion and people did not ask the questions why we must follow them. As time goes by and the age of reasons came by, people just do not accept things as they are and began to question between good and bad. As I mentioned earlier about the different between man and animal is that man has civilization and social values.

For many centuries when mankind embraced religions killing, stealing, adultery, lying and a few others were considered bad and undesirable. Laws were enacted to ensure bad things were not done. Other values and practices on social interactions between men and women, sex and marriages and other neighborly relationships. When someone went outside the norm he would be called a deviant.

Society would outcast birth out of wedlock. Sex before marriage was not only a sin but would suffer a heavy penalty.

In the modern world we have new things which we never have thought before. Drugs, child pornography, experimental marriage, exchange of spouses and a few hundred of others.

Killing is not considered as murder if it is done by government agent on the enemy, and the word enemy is widely defined. It is defined by a race regardless of children, women or men not at war. The more you kill the greater is you are a hero, the more medal you will get.

A law breaker can be a hero. Robin Hood was said to be a hero because he robbed the rich and gave to the poor. Drug pushers have the support of many. The most interesting is the bad guy is considered good and the good guy is considered bad and a nuisance.

The change in the value system begins with the reason of the right of mankind. A chattel can be owned and controlled but a man is born free and can have his own choice and do whatever he likes. It is human liberty and human right. Lesbianism and same sex marriage has become a norm. Nudity has become a norm in some community.

I remember when I was working; a new teacher came from another school did not attend any of the Science teachers monthly meetings because he said the used methodology and procedure was wrong. I could not support him because Science SPM result had been 98% - 100% all the way. The funny thing was there were teachers who support him and came to see me as a middle man. To make a hero out of a man who thought he was a very great man was very unacceptable.

The change in the value system, in my mind, brought the world back to uncivilized atmosphere. We can kill people at will either just because he is Islam or Christian, we can do whatever we want just because he is a DAP or UMNO, we can make enemy out of a man just because he criticize and point out at our errors, we support our kids who pushed drugs, we asked the government not to interfere in our affair how bad they were.

When the Sisters of Islam called the people not to 'jaga di tepi kain orang' and Rais Yatim show support of non-interference, public just refused to know other people's business. Then the Minister asked people to 'jaga tepi kain orang' ( Sharizat used those words) exactly. There were people who witness pick pocket and hand bag grabbing but just pretend not knowing it.

Are we not confused today ? Most of us just feel sorry and just don't care. Just see. Each person care of his own business. No point to comment on the moral decay. Yes to those with the old value they see kids out of wedlock as moral decay, the support of lawlessness as one too. Notice the program which gave Mat Rempit a special attention. It means the good guys get nothing and it is rewarded to be bad.

"Hey..you think you got 11 As you are smart ? Wait until we scrap of the PMR..." Is it not funny ?

A long time ago when a teacher canned a student, the student dared not tell the parent. The parent would further canned him for being bad or lazy. Today if a teacher cane a student he would be confronted by parent, lawyer , education officer and probably a Minister.

So what ? It is better just to teach. If a student were to sleep, not doing home work, smoke and flout with the school rules just leave it. Now students bring cigarette and marijuana to schools and smoke them immediately after stepping out of school compound. Many teachers just don't want to get involve in the affairs of the students. Today it is called Kementerian Pelajaran not Kementerian Pendidikan. Pendidikan is the role taken by the parents.

If people are happy with the new and changing value then be it.

14/08/2010 Top

WATCHING AMERICAN IDOL AUDITION ?

Though American Idol is for younger generations, it is one of my most favorite programs. I like the audition most, where each person would show his/her skill in singing. The good ones are really good. I was correct most of the time that they would be sent to Hollywood. What interest me most was the part when the bad ones were sent home. These unsuccessful guys would attack the judges with all sort of angry words. One of the common was '...you won't choose me, you will regret...the country lose a talented person...'

Judges at time can't help laughing. And they would throw harsh words at the judges for laughing at them. How to make the judges praise them when their performance were horrible ?

There are so much things that we can learn from the show. I would not want to miss the audition because I enjoyed seeing the multiplicity of characters. The old termed given to these people were JONAH. Jonah was a comic character in the 60s, which never did things correctly. It was a laughing stock. Don Quixote was another character of different nature.

You want to know what I mean, you have to watch the program. Be on the look out for it.

I looked at myself when watching the Idol, asking whether I made thing right. I could not scold anyone who would think I was a Jonah. A Jonah might think he is perfect like those unsuccessful idols. I was sure even after the audition they would continue to curse the judges.

We can learn and see the mentality of the American youths too by their reactions and behavior. We can compare with our Malaysian youths. A few took the defeat well and calm, only with tears of disappointment. At time we still want to try even though we know we do not have skill. They should take the judges advice like a gentlemen.

I would also tried to figure their educational level. Like Malaysians there are also school dropouts. Believe me that there are school dropout who were in American university start to learn the basic reading again. These are sportsmen like the basketballers. In many aspects the mentality and knowledge of the American and the Malaysian youths are identical.

The smart ones are really smart. They learn fast and are more creative. The way they think are different from our ways, all due to the way they are brought up. I studied the algorithms of the BASIC programs when I was trying to help them at the computer lab, I found the flow differ from our thinking.

There seems to be a wide gap between the smart American and the lowly social group.

Watching the normal TV shows won't tell us the truth. Live show might tell us something. Oprah and Nightline do paint a little image of the society. News and articles in the web sites are from the higher educational group.

It is fun to watch the Jonahs from the American Idol. Many do see Malaysian Jonahs but chose to keep quiet.

13/08/2010 Top

NOSTALGIA - I first work in Alor Setar vocational school in 1980 and left the school in 2000. I have forgotten much about it. I think 1995 - 2000 were the peak years. But my students can confirm when the image rose up.

We won several national as well as the state awards for several categories. Whenever I met some of the students they would talk about the landscaping and the cleanliness of the compound and proud of the toilet.

My intent here is to narrate how the toilets were kept clean and beautiful.

We told the students the importance and history of toiletry. We plead so that the students took care of the plants and not to dirty them of any form. The plead followed by a harsh warning, that we would close and seal it in case of vandalism or effort to make them dirty. The students understood and took care of them well.

Somehow like many other human being there would be someone who wanted to test us. Students originated from the nearby school were the most notorious. One day they brought fire crackers and were happily causing explosions in a toilet. So we immediately took our action as promised. We sealed all the toilet including those in the hostels.

We were stern about it. And I feared no response from anyone, even it comes from politicians or my upper bosses. I had made up my mind that they need to kick me off. Students came and begging, and we allowed them to go out anywhere to ease themselves. Cruel yes. Jewish style...yes. Nazi style..yes. But we were not happy either. I pitied the students but stayed mum and stern. Before the school ended we went to look for volunteers to repair the toilet, and fun collection to replace the damage parts.

We got the volunteers and the money. Work were to be done after school.

After that very day the monkey business stopped. I did not know what happen to the trouble mischievous students. Probably they must have got stern warning from their friends.

Similarly the class glass window panes were all intact whereas you may see in many schools probably 50% will be missing. The school will start with 100%. If anyone broke it, then he must replace it. If nobody knows who broke it then the whole class had to share buying and fix it. Everybody must be aware of what's happening in the class. Then every student was very careful to ensure nothing broken.

On the other hand classes which were well kept would take turn to go to picnic. Our school buss would take our students out to Lata Bayu or Lata Mengkuang to enjoy the water fall. One class was taken to Bukit Merah for winning the cleanest competition three times consecutively. And the hostelites would enjoy Kentucky Fried Chicken for well kept dormitory.

So whenever I saw schools with dirty and smelly toilets and broken glasses, I always wonder what the school Principal did. What was in his mind ?

I did not work for popularity or aim for promotion. I dared to take any risk for the good of the school and the students.

I firmly believe in the strict re-enforcement of rules and regulation. There is no pity after several pleas. You want to stop the mischief slapped them with very severe fine. In Thailand there is no problem of illegal immigrants. So is Singapore. I do not need to relate what they do for law breakers in those countries. Today you send the illegal home, the next day they will come back.

13/08/2010 Top