Oh, I landed On the Diamond

I did not expect to land myself in a new sports, Baseball. I never played baseball all my life except just a few days of learning how to play softball during teacher specialist training at Institut Perguruan Darul Aman, at Jitra Kedah in 1992. I learn the sport because it is in the curriculum. When the learning hours was completed, I did not pursue the game anymore.

Now 19 years later after I am involved in the sports of baseball not as a player but more as administrator. Ever since I was involved about four months ago, my heart is still not into the sports. I am looking for a new job and and keeping my fingers crossed. I will work for the sport until I land a new job.

Work is work and since I am paid to carry out my job, I have to commit and perform. Baseball in still not a popular sports in Malaysia and losing out to softball where there are more players playing the game. It is also listed as one of medal sports in the recently concluded SUKMA XIV in Kuala Lumpur besides being listed in the MSSM calendar.

I am not sure how long I can stay in the sports but I will or rather say might stay until I get another job.

However last week I made my first success in organising a coaching clinic for local coaches and jointly organised by National Sports Council. The instructor was sent by Baseball Federation of Asia. This job is not much different from what I have been doing when I was still in service at NSC that is organising. Thanks to NSC for being my training ground and now I am rendering my service to the community for the sake of developing sports in Malaysia. Me with coach Kim Jung Soo from South Korea who is responsible to train the local coaches during the one week Coaching Clinic conducted at Bukit Jalil.

After a week of watching the participants throw, catch, pitch and bat the ball, I do learn some skills and regulations of the sports. Ohhh, I learn about the sport a lot too when I was at the Piala Raja Muda Perlis 2011 Tournament in Kangar last month. 

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

I own a Galaxy Tab GPT 1000 and bought it when the price is considered high. But now it has decreased to a much affordable figure. This might be due to the release of the second Galaxy Tab tablet, the 10.1 (P7100)

When I bought the tab and shouted on my facebook, one viewer told me that I will regret because Samsung will come out with a new WiFi version. That was in January 2011. Well, computer technology growth rate is very fast. A new gadget when it arrive on Malaysians shores might be obsolete in their home country. So if I were to wait for a newer version, then I will not buy any gadget. So, that was in January and I was aware that Samsung will be releasing this P7100.

 

Some features include the 10.1 inch

Picture and graphics taken from HERE

Read the review HERE

Read comparison beetween iPAD and P7100 HERE

One question is WHAT’S THE PRICE?

Angry Birds Playground

I am posting this from Low Yatt Plaza. Attending to witness the attempt to put it into the Guiness World Record. This program is organised by Nokia.

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The Kacang Puteh Seller And The GLC CEO

I post here an email from a friend for all Malaysians to open up your eyes and mind and decide the future of our country. How long are we going to defend the rich gets richer the poor gets poorer? 

The kacang puteh seller and the GLC The political blooper of this decade must have been this. The minister of this ministry says- we can't do anything to reveal the details of the IPP agreement.  I think this reaction is shared by many people in Malaysia. We almost fell off our chairs in disbelief. The government has no power to reveal the details of IPP contracts. If the government cannot declassify, who can? I hope this minister will not be selected as a cabinet member the next time around IF the BN retains power.  Two, this absent mindedness is increased further by the equally bizarre statement by the TNB CEO. By the way, he takes home a RM 1.2 million pay packet per year and we paid him to come out with this kind of statement.

Profitability depends on being able to increase a take it or leave it price. You no pay you no electricity. He was thankful; the government has agreed to raise tariffs. TNB made RM 4 billion on revenue of RM 30 billion he's thankful, rising costs will not eat into the profitability. Yet he was practically crying throughout 2010 urging the government to review this and that. 

He ensures profits by raising tariffs but not by tackling the costs centers. Where is the source of much increase in costs? Do they come from increasing wages of its employees or payments to IPPs? Or business misadventures in Indonesia.

The price hike of TNB tariffs is a reprieve for TNB. Pray tell us then, where is the qualitative difference between a TNB CEO and a kacang puteh seller if both depend on a price INCREASE to be profitable? The answer none- because both their profitability is the result of raising prices. Anyone can increase profit by raising prices.

This isn't what we expect from a CEO who earns maybe close to RM 100 k a month. We expect him to be profitable because of efficiency, because of cost cutting measures, because of streamlining operations and because of far sighted procurement policies. So the TNB of now that he helms, hasn't moved qualitatively from the TNB he started to lead. A few years ago, he justified the massive losses in coal purchasing deals that went awry as being not worrying because TNB's earnings are humongous. TNB earns billions each year. 

So, because you earn a lot, its ok to lose a few billions of public money. 

We therefore hope his contract as CEO will not be renewed. Nothing personal, just business. 

As a first start to cost cutting measures, we suggest therefore the top TNB bosses volunteer to have the pay cut and that portion be distributed as wages to lower income staff members. Why? Because TNB staff is some of the lowest paid workers in the country. 

The big chiefs in TNB whose only managerial prowess nowadays seem to pressure the government to raise tariffs are shocking. The CEO earns RM1.8 million a year in total. TNB's second executive director, who was appointed in April 2010, received a total remuneration of RM755, 320.22, including his basic salary of RM457, 440.

What of the TNB 'Indians'? While paying the big chiefs the above amount, in the same year, TNB kept its minimum wage at RM750 a month, only slightly higher than POS Malaysia's RM635.

The wage difference is scandalous. The CEO has been responsible for some heavy losses and he has presided over some bad deals over the purchases of coal fields in Indonesia. He should have his salary reduced or even relieved from his post. But as usual, government linked companies (GLCs) which tended to be top-heavy pay their CEOs huge salaries seemingly to reflect their managerial talent.

It's time for the government to cap salaries for the bosses so that wealth could be spread towards the bottom through better wage schemes.

No More Movie Freebies From Net

MCMC has blocked all the above sites and internet users will not be able to download anymore FREE movies. Well, bad news for many internet users, I suppose, and it is just a temporary one. These are all man made. In time to come there will be new sites set up to do all these nasty jobs. Nothing that human create is invulnerable. Therefore, how far can we fight piracy?

Just like when Astro created its Astro First to screen paid movies to viewers, it's a new avenue for the public to watch new movies without going to the cinema. There are already recorded VCD of movies screened over Astro First circulating around for those who want to skip the cinema or pay the unnecessary subscriptions to .   

First At Hailam Bandar Jalil Jaya

Now this my first time at Hailam Kopitiam at Bandar Jalil Jaya. Place quite crowded which shows popularity. There is also White Coffee Kopitiam nearby but I haven't been there. Got free wifi. Bad thing at least for me is too much cigarette smoke.

Well, read on foursquare about other patrons comment. Agree that waiter service is quite slow. I waited for about 5 minutes before one came. Just ordered a cup of black coffee.

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