Sir...

Dear Mr Beckham,

I write this in earnest, more as a fan than anything else.

Why Milan sir?

Why during the break in the MLS season?
To keep fit? to still be in the reckoning under Mister Capello?

To get 1 more cap?

I'd like to believe that it's because you're a patriot and would do almost anything to still wear the colours of your country.

But, the cynic in me tells me otherwise.

The 2 games you've played for Milan so far have been a testament to your athleticism and I'm sure you still have a lot to give (to the MLS, Milan and/or England).

I'd like it if you could just put your hands up and admit that LA Galaxy was (and is) a mistake and you'd rather be in Milan.

There's nothing wrong in making the wrong choice.

Coming clean about it and moving on would be the thing to do.

Azmi on Azmi

I met Azmi Sharom about a year ago... I made some snide remarks at a law conference and he said something about how Azmis are always looking for trouble with authority.... hmmm...

A detailed commentary on Azmi Sharom's The buck stops at the state shall be completed within the next 24 hours.

For the time being, please refer to the bold portions of his article which is reproduced below.

Discuss.

The buck stops at the state
BRAVE NEW WORLD By AZMI SHAROM

The Bukit Antarabangsa landslide need not have happened. Laws to safeguard our hills are already in the statute books, only they were not invoked.
IN the midst of yet another landslide tragedy, much has been said. The past Selangor Government vehemently denies any responsibility, while the present one says that scores of hillside developments were given the green light by the former.

Experts chip in about the possible causes and the best ways to prevent such disasters from happening again.

High-ranking politicians make statements about stopping any future projects while they go on walkabouts to show their concern.

None of this talk is going to bring back the departed or lessen the pain of those left behind. But the issue must be dealt with so that it is not repeated. We have had such disasters before, and it would appear that we have learnt nothing from them.

My question is simply this: Why should we have hillside housing anyway?
I have read about some developers saying there is a shortage of flat land upon which to build. I am not sure if this is a good enough reason.
From what I can see, be it on the slopes of Ulu Klang or the hills of Batu Ferringhi, no hillside development project is of the low-cost variety. The poor, the dispossessed, the urban settlers are surely the ones most in need of housing.
Yet there are no low-cost flats looking down at us from above.
It seems to me that when homes are built on high land, they are built for the wealthy. This means the houses and apartments cost more and the developers reap higher profits.
The reason to build in the hills therefore appears to be based on economic gain and not some sort of virtuous desire to house the homeless.
The highlands are important to us for many reasons. They provide a water catchment area and thus are vital for our water supply. This ability to absorb rain water also means that they play a role in flood prevention.
Furthermore, it is harder for soil erosion to occur (which can then lead to inland water pollution) if our hills are dense with vegetation.

We ought to remember also that the world’s climate is changing. Our weather patterns are not the same as they used to be. There is strong evidence to suggest that although our average annual rainfall remains constant, the intensity of our rainfall has changed. This means that when it rains, it does so in intense bursts in such volume that it poses a greater risk than ever before.

Uncovered hill land is becoming more and more vulnerable.

So why should we allow our highlands to be destroyed, for whatever reason? And considering the human cost of such development, can we honestly say it is worth it?

I suggest that it is not. Any development on our hills in the future must only be allowed if it is absolutely necessary. We have the laws to control it if the state governments so wish to invoke them.

The Land Conservation Act gives tremendous power to the state governments to declare land as hill land and to control or prevent completely any sort of development on it. The Town and Country Planning Act empowers the local planning authorities to designate certain areas as being off limits to development.

The power is there, it is up to the governments involved to use it.
And if it doesn’t use it, or is negligent in its use of it, then it should be held liable. Ouster clauses which absolve local authorities of any legal responsibility like those found in the Street Drainage and Building Act have to be done away with.

It is simply not good enough to point fingers at the developers. It is true that they are the ones who would like to build wherever they can make a dollar. They are motivated by profit; that is the nature of the beast.

But what ought to be remembered is that we the people did not elect them. We elected our state and federal governments, and one of their jobs is to ensure that any sort of development does not harm us.

The developers can only do what they are allowed to do. They do not dictate the type of development we should have. At least, they should not be dictating it. It is our elected officials and the local authorities who determine this.

Is it too much to ask that they live up to that responsibility so that we don’t have to read any more stories of needless deaths? I certainly don’t think so.

Thank you Boss!

Am i long-winded?

Long-winded: the inability to use an economy of words....

I've been churning out opinions like nobody's business for the past 3 weeks...

but today was the first time for Big K... "Alah bro... long-winded sangat..."

I've always been a believer in descriptive writing... it brings the reader into the realm of the writer... I guess it doesn't work that way in my line of work....

take this for example: "Therefore, your client's claims on the above basis are unfounded"

This is what I wrote: "Therefore, we are of the view that your client’s claims for rentals for the remaining unexpired tenancy period and all other costs and expenses arising from the premature termination including solicitors’ costs on a solicitor and client basis for the recovery of the rental(s) due and /or for seeking a new tenant is unfounded and baseless.
Furthermore, from the circumstances, it is evidently clear that your client is now attempting to renege on its contractual bargain with regards to the early termination of the Agreement."

Hmmm... I guess it was a bit too long.... :)

Well Big K did say it was alright and I should develop my style as the months pass... but I guess if you can put it in print in 3 pages, why would you need 6.

I don't know.... should I cut out on the lyrical gymnastics and keep it short? It's kind of boring isn't it?

Who am I to decide... "don't worry bro... aku punye England taklah bagus sangat... apa kau nak tambah, kau tambah..."

Thanks Boss....

A letter to my father

Hello,

Daddy.

You know, I remember a lifetime ago I was about three and a half feet tall, weighing only 12 kilos, but every inch your son. Those Saturday mornings, going to work with my dad and we'd pile into that big, grey Pajero.

I thought that Pajero was the... was the biggest car in the universe, Daddy. I remember how important the job you did was. How, if it weren't for you, people couldn't fill their cars with petrol. I thought you were the best man in the world.

Remember the times, when Mummy would try to bake cakes? Ice creams, football games, playing badminton.... the day I left for KL only to come home with the UIA chasing after me, that DEAN... When she had to chastise me, you said, "That's where you belong, finish what you started."

That was a good one, Daddy. That was really something. You remember that? And that time you told me that money wasn't real? Well, daddy, I'm 25 years old and I've finally realised what you were trying to tell me years ago.

I finally understand. You're the best, Daddy. I just wish I could've done more for you.

Anyway, may the wind always be at your back, and the sun always upon your face, and the winds of destiny to carry you aloft, to dance with the stars. I love you, Dad.

Love,
Azmi

I'm watching...

Alright, what I do is.. I watch people.

Do you ever watch someone who doesn't know that your..watchin' 'em?

An old lady on a street corner, or some girls hanging out at the mamak, or some guy at the 24-hour convenience store?

Well, they stand there and you look, and all of a sudden this -- flash comes over them, and you know it has nothing to do with anything external, because that hasn't changed.

They just suddenly become realer and more alive. If you look at someone long enough, you can discover their humanity...

when I'm CROSS

My mother says when I am cross
As I am now and then,
It’s better not to talk at all,But count inside, to ten.
‘Cos if you do it slowlyJust like this: one, two, three, four!

By the time you’ve finished,You’re not angry anymore!
It sounds all right, but then somehow,It doesn’t work with me,
And when I’ve counted up to tenI’m cross as I can be.

And so I’ve found another way,I whisper very low,And so that no one else can hear

The rudest words I know:Bother, bloomin’, hang and drat,Female, blazes, beast and cat.

Golly, blinkin’, pig and mug,Spit and stomach, bosh and slug.

When I’ve said all these I findI can feel quite good and kind.Aunt Jane comes to stay with us,She’s awfully tall and thin.

She always makes me very cross,As soon as she comes in.Because she says ‘Now don’t do that’And ‘Don’t make such a noise’She says ‘Be seen and never heard’s The rule for little boys.’

She tells me not to slam the door, And not to tease the cat, And ‘Don’t speak with your mouth full, child’And silly things like that.

I often think I’d like to throwAn ink pot at her head.But then I’d get in such a row,And so I say instead:-Bother, bloomin’, hang and drat,Female, blazes, beast and cat.Golly, blinkin’, pig and mug,Spit and stomach, bosh and slug, Then I say it all again,Out loud I say ‘Yes, aunt Jane.’I know you won’t believe it, But I’ve seen it, - and it’s real!

My mummy’s bought a baby girl

Imagine how I feel.It’s not a nice one, either‘Cos it’s ugly, and it’s bald.It’s not the leastest bit of good,It won’t come when it’s called.If she’d only bought a puppyWell, that wouldn’t be half bad!But to go and waste her pennies on a baby – makes me mad!

When I first heard about itI hid down in the shed
At the bottom of the garden,
And right out loud I said:-Bother, bloomin’, hang and drat,Female, blazes, beast and cat.
Golly, blinkin’, pig and mug, Spit and stomach, bosh and slug.I said another one as well,I’d better spell this H-E-L!

Minyak mentah

What do you think of petrol station owners?

You think they're saints? Hah! They're foxy beasts! They say, "We've got no diesel, we've got no petrol. We've got nothing!"

But they have! They have everything! Dig under the floors! Or search the offices! You'll find plenty! barrels and barrels of oil! Look in the valleys, they've got hidden warehouses! They pose as saints but are full of lies!

If they smell a battle, they hunt the defeated! They're nothing but stingy, greedy, blubbering, foxy, and mean! God damn it all! But then who made them such beasts?

You did! You consumers did it! You burn their oil! Raise the prices! Steal their food! Force them to labour! Take their women! And kill them if they resist! So what should they do?