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Please post your comments.

The Art & Ethics Of Double Parking Your Car

A lot of people would agree that whilst illegal parking (double parking) is perhaps one of the biggest contributing factor to chaotic traffic congestion at popular commercial areas in the Klang Valley, it is nevertheless a necessary evil.

Even Mat Salleh (Caucasian) expats living in Malaysia have resigned to the idea that "when in Rome, do as the Romans do..." - thus in Malaysia, they have also learned to double park their cars just like Malaysians.

As the art of double parking has become a necessary survival skill when living in cities like Kuala Lumpur, the ethics involved should be considered as well. Why ethics ? well, to be considerate to other motorist, you'd have to double park your car in such a way so as not to block the traffic flow on the street. There are lots of inconsiderate "double parkers" (a new Malaysian term) in the Klang Valley - they double park their cars and leave very little space for other vehicles to maneuver, thus clogging the street. Some even double park their cars and just disappear from the vicinity. This cause the drivers wishing to remove their cars from the proper parking lots pressing on their horns (sometimes for 15 minutes or more) in attempt to get the attention from these inconsiderate double parkers, who are no where in sight. This is totally inconsiderate and irresponsible double parking ethics.

Allow me to be politically incorrect: the major culprits unfortunately are women, Ah Bengs and Machas. Women, because they normally can't drive or park very well to begin with - a skill flaw. Ah Bengs and Machas, because they are generally socially inconsiderate - an education problem. I might be wrong, as I do not have statistics to back this up, but this is my personal opinion based on my observation.

According to a recent news report, there are apparently plenty of commercial parking facilities made available, but motorist just refuse to pay the exorbitant parking fees. Of course, no one is willing to pay RM3.00 per hour if they're only wanting to park their cars for less than half an hour. What's worse is that these commercial parking facilities are usually half empty and the car park management would rather leave it that way instead of restructuring the fee system.

So folks, if you have to double park your car - be considerate.

Please post your comments. And be considerate also. ;)

Can Anyone Really Stop Software Piracy In Malaysia ?

It is reported in the local media that the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs has launched Sikap Tulen IT Mall campaign to curb software piracy in IT retail outlets in the Malaysia's shopping malls.The campaign is in collaboration with antipiracy watchdog, the Business Software Alliance (BSA), Low Yat Plaza, famous as an IT and consumer electronic and ­software giant in Kuala Lumpur, and Microsoft Malaysia.

The campaign is looking at Lot Yat Plaza as being the benchmark for other shopping malls to emulate.

I doubt it would be easy to curb software piracy in Malaysia as this issue is complicated due to cultural, economics and logistical reasons.

Firstly, from a cultural point of view, Malaysians do not think its wrong to purchase and use pirated software. For any law and its enforcement to succeed, the public must feel its wrong to do such an act - in this case, purchasing and using pirated software. When people don't think its wrong; there is no social coercion - there is no shame involved, thus, who cares ?. A good case in point would be the Prohibition era in the United States - the period from 1920 to 1933, during which the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol for consumption were banned in the US by law to discourage Americans from consuming alcoholic beverages. The US government found it very difficult to enforce this law as Americans in general didn't feel its wrong to drink alcohol -they didn't feel ashamed buying and drinking alcohol just because the law says its prohibited. American suppliers and consumers thus ignored the law. As demand for alcoholic drinks remained, a black market emerged to feed this demand. Even the enforcement agencies eg. the police, didn't think alcohol trading and consumption was wrong, so they "closed an eye" and took bribes from the black market alcohol manufacturers and traders, instead enforcing the law. Finally the US government gave up, amended the law and lifted the ban.

Secondly, from an economic point of view, there is a high demand for pirated software in Malaysia as the originals are considered expensive to the average Malaysian. When there is a demand, supply will always find its way to the market - this is basic economics.

Thirdly, from the logistics point of view, pirated software are easily available. Even if shopping malls were to prohibit its retailers from selling pirated software, the pirates will find alternatives - they will just move on to commercial shoplots near housing estates, just like what the movie DVD pirates do. Even now, some pirated movie DVD retailers in shoplots or at the pasar malam are already offering pirated software in addition to pirated movies and music. Further, consumers are also downloading pirated software from the internet - with a little initiative, anyone can find 'free' software online, ready for download.

Recently (on August 27), when Microsoft Malaysia decided to cause a "black out" on computers running the pirated version of Windows XP pro, a kid (apparently only 12 years old) posted a script in one of the Malaysian online forums "teaching" people how to overcome this predicament.

Thus far, the government, BSA, Microsoft etc have only been addressing this issue by attacking the logistical aspects of the trade - controlling the traders and retailers. This is not generally an effective and long lasting strategy. Even BSA Malaysia was reported saying that the Sikap Tulen campaign has only assisted in reducing the software ­piracy rate in the country by 1%, from 60% to 59% last year, but software piracy losses still amounted to US$311mil (RM1.02bil).

In light of this, a better and more effective strategy in combating software piracy in Malaysia would be to address the cultural and economic aspects as well - first, make Malaysians feel that software piracy is wrong and using pirated software is something to be embarrassed about, and second, make original software more affordable. While this will not completely eradicate the demand for pirated software, a significant decrease can be practically expected - definitely more than 1%.

What do you think, guys ? Please post your comments.

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Please post your comments.

Lim Kok Wing University Students Scandal Pics

It has been reported in the press recently that two Malaysian women from Lim Kok Wing University in Cyberjaya had their intimate pics with their boyfriend posted on a blog. The pictures and videos were taken between 2004 and 2005.


Apart from posting the photos of the threesome in various sexual positions, the blog also provided links to download two videos featuring these women having sex with their boyfriend.

The two girls are local Chinese and the guy is a foreign student from Pakistan. It appears that the two girls are sharing the same guy and they are all friends. Each girl took turns to film the other girl having sex with the Pakistani guy.
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A reader sent me the link to the blog with the pics and videos - here and here. Enjoy.

Please post your comments.

P/s: As I think people's privacy should be respected, I have removed the links. Sorry Folks. But you can find them yourself from a blog called thegutterpost

What Were You Doing In Jalan Alor ?

What's in a name ?

Jalan Alor a street running parallel to Jalan Bukit Bintang in the heart of Kuala Lumpur's Golden Triangle becomes alive at night with sights and smells of Chinese hawker food. The entire street is lined with Chinese coffee shops and restaurants selling anything from local seafood to satay. The stalls are also all arbitrarily queued up along the street together with plastic dining tables and chairs crammed between double parked cars. For first timers visiting Jalan Alor, it can be quite an intimidating experience.

Jalan Alor, formerly a major red light district of Kuala Lumpur, has since undergone a few face lifts over the years, and the street is now a haunt for local gluttons and tourists. The Jalan Alor experience brings to life the Malaysian phrase "jalan jalan, cari makan", although today the phase takes on a more literal meaning.

Today, the Star has reported that Jalan Alor is soon to be called Jalan Kejora, to give it a "new image". Read this:

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By YIP YOKE TENG

KUALA LUMPUR: Jalan Alor on Yahoo! returns more than 900,000 results. It is that famous.

[I think this reporter has made a conceptual error about the search results on Yahoo. While there is some co relation between search engine results and popularity of a particular term or phrase, this however, cannot be relied upon to determine its popularity. Search results for a particular term or phrase from search engines (in this case, Yahoo) does not indicate its popularity ie. it does not indicate the number of people searching for the term or phrase eg. "Jalan Alor". It just indicates how many references (ie. websites, articles etc) are found on Yahoo for the term "Jalan Alor". To determine how many people are actually searching for a particular term or phrase, you will have to use certain tools like Yahoo Search Marketing (formerly called Overture). From my independent research, there are only about 1,600 searches for the term "Jalan Alor" per month. As there is normally a huge disparity between search engine results and the actual number of people searching for a term or phrase, making an assertion based on such search engine results alone, can be highly misleading]

Yet, Kuala Lumpur City Hall is adamant that changing the name to Jalan Kejora - a move that has sparked a public outcry - is the right thing to do.

Datuk Bandar Datuk Ab Hakim Borhan said the move, which was planned three years ago, would give the tourist destination of Bukit Bintang a new image.

[How does renaming a street Jalan Kejora improve its image ? - As far as I know "Bintang Kejora" simply means "Morning Star", but so what ? How does this change anything ?]

Popular spot: Azmi (left) serving customers at his ‘Nasi Lemak Alor Corner’ stall along Jalan Alor recently.

“Other roads in the area will soon have new names, and they will all be named after the stars to create the new image,” he said yesterday during a visit to a landslide site in Cheras.

The name change came to light when city hall replaced the road sign about a week ago. The Jalan Alor name has been in existence for 35 years.

[A street with its own "brand name" which took 35 years to nurture is about to be "re-branded" to something else, which represents, basically nothing !. Would Coca-Cola Corporation change the famous name of "Coke" to "Choke" or something else, just because they don't like the taste of the original Coke ? - change its name rather than its taste ? So, if you don't like your Proton car, just change its logo to that of a Mercedes ! or whatever that suits your fancy - why not a fighter jet (eg. a F-16 Fighting Falcon) ? I've seen modified (disfigured) Protons which propose to look like fighter jets. Malaysian creativity knows no limit, and shame - take a look at this, this and this]

City Hall explained that the name was changed at the request of the National Economic Action Council to meet requirements under the road naming guidelines and to go with other roads in the vicinity.

The MP for Bukit Bintang, Fong Kui Lun, who has brought the matter up with the Federal Territories Minister, said: “How can you change the name just like that?”

Name confusion?: Tourists (from left) O’Connor, Jack Coppock and Caitlin Coppock feel that the popular street should retain its name for the convenience of tourists looking for the place the next time they return here.

He said a search of Jalan Alor on the Yahoo! search engine returned more than 900,000 results.

[Even the Bukit Bintang MP, makes the same conceptual mistake about Yahoo search results as the reporter]

“You can imagine how famous this food haven is internationally,” he said.

Fong said that the area had taken years to establish its reputation and changing its name overnight was unfair to the locals.

“We want the name maintained,” he said, adding that he would bring up the matter up to the Tourism Minister.

Traders in the area could not fathom the rationale behind the move.

“Why must they change the name when it is already popularly known among the locals and tourists?” said Loke Yew, who has been selling fruits there for the past 35 years.

Trader Azmi Aznal said: “Even my stall is called Nasi Lemak Alor Corner and now City Hall has changed the road name for no apparent reason.

“Does that also mean I should change my stall’s name too?”

[Ahhh...now we see the real reason for the name change]

Several tourists have frowned at the move.

“The new name will definitely confuse some of us when trying to find the place in the future,” Australian tourists Jenny O’Connor and Caitlin Coppock said.

It is learnt that traders and residents have embarked on a signature campaign to stop the change in name.

Datuk Dr Lee Chong Meng, the Bukit Bintang MCA division chief and a former MP there, said the change was not justified, and that City Hall should focus on more meaningful issues.

Latest news (25/10/2008): Jalan Alor will keep its name

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Please post your comments.

Top Food Courts In The Klang Valley

If you live in Kuala Lumpur or Petaling Jaya you'll be familiar with the many food courts around. But some Malaysians and foreigners would disagree to this limited classification, as they see Malaysia being a food paradise and thus feel that the whole Malaysia is like one big food court - you can find food of multifarious varieties at any corner of the country. Anyway, here are the top ten food courts in the Klang Valley (all in KL and PJ), decided by a local newspaper.

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By Renita Che Wan

Klang Valley houses several top food courts in the country and we have selected some outlets for you to check out and savour the taste.

1. KLCC Signature

If you're ever in KLCC, you definitely must check out Cafe Milano at the Signature's food court . It serves taste pasta at an affordable price [prices about RM8 per portion]. A must try would be the Meatball Alfredo and Meatball Bologna. The food court opens from 9am to 10pm.

[Level 2, Suria KLCC]

2. 1 Utama

Owned by Jusco, this food court has a wide selection of dishes. From local picks to Japanese cuisines, it has everything that you crave for. The hot plate dishes seem to be all the rage now at the food court.

[lower ground floor - Promenade]

3. Mid Valley Oasis

Mid Valley Megamall has two food courts. Oasis is located on the 2nd floor and the Food Junction on the 3rd floor. Oasis is famed for its pan mee while Food Junction is a favourite among the youngsters for its wide selection of Western-Italian-Chinese-Japanese-Malay food.

[2nd floor of Mid Valley]

4. SS2 Selera Malam

In SS2, there are several food courts for you to choose from. There's the al-fresco Medan Selera [Malay / Mamak / Chinese roadside food stalls] and Selera Malam [Chinese food court] but are on opposite sides. At the Medan Selera, they serve delicious mee goreng and there are a number of Thai stalls that serve fried seafood like lala and O Chien (oyster omelette).

5. Lot 10

Lot 10 Shopping Centre is one of the oldest shopping malls in the city. Because of its strategic location (right smack in the heart of Bintang Walk), it is a favourite amongst the city folk as it offers a well-balanced shopping and dining experience. Try either the Thai stall or the chicken rice stall.

[lower ground floor]

6. Sungei Wang

On the top floor of Sungei Wang Plaza is a popular food court known for its reasonably priced food and variety of mixed rice. There are also several good Indian food outlets there if you crave for something spicy.

7. Hartamas Square

Hartamas Square established in March 2003 has since become one of the most popular hangout places amongst the younger crowd and expatriates. It has a good selection of eating outlets. Hartamas Square operates everyday of the week from 4pm to 3am on weekdays and on weekends they stretch it to 5am.

8. Uptown

It may take you some wait to get a parking lot here, but it is worth the wait. The hawker centre is over loaded with so many different stalls serving local as well as western dishes. You are spoilt for choice even when it comes to different types of drinks. The centre opens during lunch and stretches to 3am.

[Damansara Utama Commercial Centre]

9. Asia Cafe

This food court is a favourite among the college students as it is located opposite Taylor's and Inti Colleges in Subang Jaya. A must try is the wide range of sushi at Sushi Heng, on the left side of the food court from the entrance. Overall, the stalls there are worth checking out. [You can watch football and order beer here - its a college students' hangout]

10. Bangsar

Bangsar food court is famed for its Nasi Lemak Ayam although the price could be on the high side. There are two food courts in Bangsar Telawi - open air and indoor. Best time to visit is at night, either for dinner or supper as there are more stalls by then.

Source: The Star

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I think Ming Tien Food Court at Taman Megah deserves an honorable mention. In fact, it should be included in the top 10 in place of ss2 Selera Malam.

Okey. If you guys know of any other interesting food courts, please post your recommendations. Cheers.