HEALTH

Melioidosis Outbreak in Sarawak

Several cases of melioidosis were detected in Bakun area, Belaga District, Sarawak, Malaysia. According to the Sarawak Environment and Public Health Minister Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh, until August 3 this year, 35 cases of melioidosis were recorded so far. Most cases are reported in the districts of Kapit (15) and Belaga (12). Last year, 17 deaths from this disease were reported, compared with five deaths this year. However, none of victims this year are locals from Bakun.
In most of the cases, the predisposing factor was related to working condition, which involved contact with soil. Bakun is classified as an endemic area for melioidosis that first occurred in 2006 when three foreign workers at the Bakun HEP died from this disease. In 2007 and 2008, two foreigners working there have suffered from the disease but fortunately they survived.
Melioidosis outbreak that confined only to Bakun areas may be considered related to the water impoundment of the Bakun HEP dam and probably construction of another dam, the Murum HEP Dam. These projects involved extensive disturbance of the earth surface when vast land surface are stripped of soil and impounding water over large land surface mobilize the bacteria to the downstream areas coupled with some heavy downfalls. Increasing number (and severity) of cases ever since the Bakun HEP Project indicates some association with increased disturbance of the land surface by stripping of soil and water impoundment.
Local people believe that the melioidosis outbreak in Bakun was curse of the angry spirits in the area but Health Department confirmed that the fatalities were caused by melioidosis and leptospirosis. The locals believe the diseases were brought about by angry gods of the area and spirits of their ancestors. Rituals to appease the spirits of their ancestors had not been done and thus incurred their wrath.
Melioidosis is an infectious disease caused by a Gram-negative bacterium, Burkholderia pseudomallei, found in soil and water. It is a recognized disease in animals, including cats, goats, sheep, and horses. Cattle, water buffalo, and crocodiles are considered to be relatively resistant to melioidosis despite their constant exposure to mud. Melioidosis is endemic in parts of southeast Asia (including Thailand, Laos and southern China, Singapore, Malaysia, Burma and Vietnam), Taiwan and northern Australia. There is a clear association with increased rainfall: with the number (and severity) of cases increasing following increased precipitation.
Person-to-person transmission is exceedingly unusual; and patients with melioidosis should not be considered contagious and be quarantined. In endemic areas, people (rice-paddy farmers in particular) are warned to avoid contact with soil, mud and surface water where possible. Case clusters have been described following flooding and cyclones and probably relate to exposure. Other case clusters have related to contamination of drinking water supplies. Populations at risk include patients with diabetes mellitus, chronic renal failure, chronic lung disease or patients with an immune deficiency of any kind. The effectiveness of measures to reduce exposure to the causative organism has not been established. A vaccine is not yet available. There has been interest in melioidosis because it has the potential to be developed as a biological weapon.
B. pseudomallei was thought to be a member of the Pseudomonas genus and was previously known as Pseudomonas pseudomallei. It is phylogenetically related closely to Burkholderia mallei which causes glanders, an infection primarily of horses, donkeys and mules. The name Melioidosis is derived from the Greek melis meaning "a distemper of asses" with the suffixes -oid meaning "similar to" and -osis meaning "a condition", that is, a condition similar to glanders. The disease exists in acute and chronic forms. Symptoms may include pain in chest, bones, or joints; cough; skin infections, lung nodules and pneumonia.
Burkholderia pseudomallei is normally found in soil and surface water; a history of contact with soil or surface water is therefore almost invariable in patients with melioidosis; that said, the majority of people who do have contact with infected soil suffer no ill effects. The single most important risk factor for developing severe melioidosis is diabetes mellitus. Other risk factors include thalassaemia, kidney disease, occupation (rice paddy farmers), and cystic fibrosis. The mode of infection is believed to be either through a break in the skin, or through the inhalation of aerosolized B. pseudomallei. Person-to-person spread has been described but is extremely unusual.
Chronic melioidosis is usually defined by a duration of symptoms greater than 2 months and occurs in approximately 10% of patients. The clinical presentation of chronic melioidosis is protean and includes such presentations as chronic skin infection, skin ulcers and lung nodules or chronic pneumonia, closely mimicking tuberculosis, sometimes being called "Vietnamese tuberculosis".Chronic melioidosis can mimic tuberculous pericarditis
A definitive diagnosis is made by culturing the organism from any clinical sample, because the organism is never part of the normal human flora. A complete screen (blood culture, sputum culture, urine culture, throat swab and culture of any aspirated pus) should be performed on all patients with suspected melioidosis (culture on blood agar as well as Ashdown's medium). A definitive diagnosis is made by growing B. pseudomallei from any site. A throat swab is not sensitive but is 100% specific if positive, and compares favourably with sputum culture. The sensitivity of urine culture is increased if a centrifuged specimen is cultured, and any bacterial growth should be reported (not just growth above 104 organisms/ml which is the usual cut off). Very occasionally, bone marrow culture may be positive in patients who have negative blood cultures for B. pseudomallei, but these are not usually recommended. A common error made by clinicians unfamiliar with melioidosis is to only send a specimen from the affected site (which is the usual procedure for most other infections) instead of sending a full screen.
The treatment of melioidosis is divided into two stages, an intravenous high intensity phase and an eradication phase to prevent recurrence.
In Intravenous intensive phase, intravenous ceftazidime is the current drug of choice for treatment of acute melioidosis. Meropenem, imipenem and cefoperazone-sulbactam (Sulperazone) are also active. Intravenous amoxicillin-clavulanate (co-amoxiclav) may be used if none of the above four drugs are available, but it produces inferior outcomes. Intravenous antibiotics are given for a minimum of 10 to 14 days, and are not usually stopped until the patient's temperature has returned to normal for more than 48 hours. Even with appropriate antibiotic therapy, fevers often persist for weeks or months, and patients may continue to develop new lesions even while on appropriate treatment. The median fever clearance time in melioidosis is 10 days: and failure of the fever to clear is not a reason to alter treatment. It is not uncommon for patients to require parenteral treatment continuously for a month or more.
Following the treatment of the acute disease, it is recommended that eradication (or maintenance) treatment with co-trimoxazole and doxycycline be used for 12 to 20 weeks to reduce the rate of recurrence. Chloramphenicol is no longer routinely recommended for this purpose. Co-amoxiclav is an alternative for those patients who are unable to take co-trimoxazole and doxycycline (e.g., pregnant women and children under the age of 12), but is not as effective. Single agent treatment with a fluoroquinolone (e.g., ciprofloxacin) or doxycycline for the oral maintenance phase is ineffective.



Manage your health wisely

Get your faith right:
One must hold to faith or belief that one is comfortable with.Maintain balance diet foods

Eat balance diet food: Carbohydrates, meats, fish, vegetables, diary products, sugar. Should take some supplements eg multivitamins, B-complex, A, C, E, proteins.

Must drink enough water at least 8 glasses per day. Be careful of what you eat in the restaurant or eateries.

Reduce intake of curry, chillies especially dry chillies, red meats, seafood such prawns, crabs, cuttlefish, shells that are known to have high cholestrol.

Eating 3 large prawns including the heads (brains) once a weak can be bad for your cholestrol level. I have tried it and it took me almost a year for my headache gone.

Lamb chop is just too good in raising our cholestrol level higher. We should reduce the intake of lamb chop; less steak, barbecue, less mutton curry!

Excercise
Jogging 10 - 20 minutes per dayReduce ability in heavy sports that can lead to injuries eg badminton, football

Retreat
Go on holidays with family to a resorts, another town, overseas.


Managing stress my way

Stress is caused by worry and overwork. I used the three steps in managing it and bring it under control. Managing stress can be achieved simply by sincerely and wholeheartedly love ourselves and neighbours with the feeling of God around us.

We experience stress due to worry and working beyond our brain's limit. For any normal human, worry is hard to handle and many time it is beyond our mind control. We worry over the dead ones, broken relationship, misunderstanding with bosses etc., and can be very stressful. Yet, if we have the right ingredients, we would be able to reduce their impact in our life.

Doing some work that engages our brain too much can be damned mentally tired if we are caught unprepared. Worry is good and agitates our mental; however, we may fail to know the limit once it's out of control. Stress caused by overwork can be handled easily by many people. Personally, I have personal way or suggestion of managing stress to share with everyone who happens to visit this site.

First step: We have to be good with ourselves with a total respect and love ourselves wholeheartedly. Being good means, we must take care of our food whereby a balance diet is no compromise. We must set time properly to have regular excercise, and enjoy with family and friends, colleagues. Our food we take must be low in cholestrol for healthy hearts and blood pressures. Food supplements is a must because we are not always sure of having all the vitamins and minerals into our body. Recommended doses of vitamin B complex is a must and consume some glucose or sugar depending on how much one does for the day. Loving ourselves is like giving an extra boost or energy for our body.

Second step: Having God in our life is a must no matter how good we control our mind through meditation without Him. We must accept God into our life sincerely and wholeheartedly. We must be sure of which God is best for our life. He who can comfort us internally in a good one. He must be a very reliable God where we just dump our trust undividedly. We must realize that our God must always be available and near us eventhough He seems not around when we need Him. My God is always besides me no matter how bad the problems I face. He help us in His own way, that's why, many time we find that God has hurt us. In fact, He isn't! Only God can take us out of the stress that are due to worry. We may worry at one time but we must never forget to nourish ourselves with spiritual food from heaven.

Third step: We must love everyone around us. Jesus most important commands: Love God and love thy neighbours undivided, fair and square. Any slightest hatred indicates that an evil is very near to us and that will ruin the rest of our day. Take life easy, be good with everyone around us, and be steadfast in God. A grudge with our neighbours can disharmonize our spiritual condition. So, we must take it to our neighbour sincerely as a sign of perfect heavenly love.


How do I get over my gout?

FIRST ATTACK
When I first got it, I thought that I have a dislocation on my right foot as I always run up and down the stairs in my office rushing to get the jobs done form my superiors. During the first few day, I took no control on my food intake. I ate lamb chops, bamboo shoots, red meats etc etc. The pain became worst day by day until I couldn't walk but I have to walk on my left foot alone. As I thought it's a dislocation, I took some muscle tonic pills and the pills did some reliefs but was only effective a while. My wife said, I could be attacked by a gout but I did not not believe that I could have it, not realizing that my father is a gout sufferer. At last I believe that I have it but still didn't know the best cure or medicine for it.

INTRODUCTION FOR CURE
One day my uncle went to my house and stayed many nights with us. That was the time I was attacked by gout pain. Like myself, my uncle is also also a gout sufferer. That night on the attack, he gave me pain killer tablets, specially for the gout like his. For me, it's worth trying. I took two tablets that night and in the next morning, my foot was numbed and painless. I was able to accompany him to climb the hill that we had planned to conquer earlier.

EXPERIMENTS
Sometimes I never control my food intakes, taking tasty red meat such barbecue mutton, beef, pork and sea food. The second attack was quite bad and I was away from home without bringing any pain-killers. I have to suffer the whole night and day until I came back and took pain-killer. Oh...my God, the pain was terrible. Once again, I took the same pain-killer and it was gone the next day. Of course I have to control my red meat intake. I drank beer and whisky but my gout seemed not affected by alcohols, so I think that it's safe to drink those drinks in my case. Except, I have to reduce the red-meat intake and do some exercises.

WHAT'S THE CURE?
You know what's the pain-killer I took? I took the ones that my uncle gave me by the brand name, RANBAXY DIFNAL-K which contains Diclofenac Potassium BP 50mg. Just take2 tablets and it's numb the next day! The stock finished and I have to buy at the local pharmacy and the brand is different. It's called a VOKAM F.C. Tab 50mg. Yes, it has the same effect as the Ranbaxy pill. After consuming the pills, I reduce my red meat intake and do some exercise. Now, my gout seldom comes with a little disciline on my food intake.In the past, I have stopped taking some supplements. I think my body has been deprived of good supplements and was getting weaker, being vulnerable to gout attack. On top of taking pain killer, I continue to take food supplements such multi-vitamins, B-complex, vitamin C. My body is getting stronger and my gout seldom attack altough I consume some red meat in hotel restaurants. Yeah...it's fine. You may try my way. It's worth trying.


Treating near half-body paralysis

I would like to share my experience dealing with a stroke victim. In 2003, my father had a stroke at my house. It happened at 5 o'clock in the evening. I was arriving from my office at half past five when I saw my mother massaging the left side of my father's body. My father said that his body was numb. I was damned worry and the worst came to my mind that he could be having a stroke in the same way as his late brother. My father invited my mother, my wife and myself to pray for him in the room upstair. I was aware that numbness could be due to dehydration or less water in the body. Before the prayer, I advised him to drink a few glasses (3 to 4 glasses) of warm water. After prayer, I sent him to the hospital. While rushing to the hospital, I also advised him to drink more warm water. Along the way, my father said he was getting less numb and better but I still had to sent him to the hospital. At the hospital, his blood pressure was 180. I was worry because he was supposed to go to Labuan the following day and I didn't want their flight cancelled. The doctor prescribed some medicines and had to wait for hours. After three hours that night, he was discharged from the emergency ward. His blood pressure was back to normal.

So, maybe if anyone ever came across such a similar case, it is advisable to give some warm water to a stroke victim immediately if he can still drink. This will probably dilute his blood and ease the blood flow in the body. A few glasses of water can help to save his life and prevent him from suffering a worst scenario of a stroke.


Treating hemorrhoids my way

Intro
I was diagnosed a first stage hemorrhoids. The sights of bright red blood covering the stool, toilet paper, or in the toilet bowl had worried me. When the sickness seemed stubborn even after visiting several doctors, I decided to cure it my own way by consuming good quality protein and of course by avoiding vinegar and chillies. I believe that protein can help a lot to cure hemorrhoids.

Details
The previous morning, I had blood in my bowel movement - bright red blood covering the stool, on toilet paper, or in the toilet bowl. The following morning, a phobia soon developed in me, feeling of reluctant to pass emotion and scary at the sight of the bloody stools. But I must face the reality and have the guts to release the shit before the anal pressure was unbearable. As soon as the first hard stool dropped from my anus, the red blood gushed out like a jet of water, splashing and smearing the toilet bowl. I stood by the bowl worried, wondering what had happened to my stomach and anus. My stools were soft and black. Could that be I have a stomach cancer or colon cancer? I was totally lost and very worry about it. I knew that one of my colleagues had died of colon cancer, of similar symptom I had. I told my wife and she advised me to see a woman doctor. I described to her what had happened during my bowel movement. She suspected that I could be having haemorrhoid and wanted to check me but I refused. I am too shy to let a woman examining my anus. I only asked her to give me the best medicine for haemorrhoid that she had in her clinic. She gave me some pills and a cream to be inserted into my anus. I finished all the medicine and cream, yet there was no improvement. The problem still persisted. Trying to get the sickness cured, I ate variety of fruits such papaya, banana, grape, etc and some herbal products obtained locally and overseas but seemed helpless. My wife, being distressed at my sickness, coerced me to see the male doctor for a full medical check-up of blood test including submitting my stool sample. The medical check-up confirmed that there was blood in my stool and the doctor suggested checking my anus which I agreed quite reluctantly. He confirmed that I had an early stage of hemorrhoids. The doctor did not give me any medicine.

My worry built up day by day and been trying to look everywhere for cure including surfing the internet looking for the best medical prescriptions or personal experience of the haemorrhoid victims. I never found any good advice. Then, I remembered about my colleague selling some kinds of organic food products and life enzymes. I purchased a set and immediately consumed them that day. The next morning, I discovered that there was no blood in or after my stool. I was so relieved; however, late in that morning, I consumed some noodles which I took together with some chillies soaked in vinegar. To my surprise, the bloody bowel movement appeared immediately. I continued to consume the organic products and the bloody stool disappeared for sometimes but when I consumed the food that contained vinegar and chillies, the bloody stools resurfaced. From then on, I never took any food that contained vinegar and chillies. However, I could still feel the presence of haemorrhoid.Somehow, I have some knowledge of the diets, I decided to change and try different ways of curing the sickness. I thought of improving my diets and started to search around in the health food centres. I also heard from my close friend that he got cured by consuming some health food sold through direct selling or multi-level marketing. In my mind, by consuming good health food in order to repair my damaged anus or rectum could be worth trying. The good health food that came to my mind was protein. Since I consumed a variety of vitamins and multivitamins in order to strengthen my immune system would not help, I looked for the best quality protein in the market and health food centres. I manage to find one called Heal Protein by the brand name. I bought a 450gm packets and consumed it for a week. I realized that bloody stools had gone. So I continued to consume the heal protein for three months and so on. Ever since then, I have not experienced such bloody bowel movement. So, I believe that by consuming some good quality protein can help a lot to cure the first or second stage haemorrhoids.

STOMACH UPSET: SMELLY DARK SOFT STOOLS

 Smelly black soft stools are a sign of stomach upset. Definitely something is wrong in there….that could be indication of cancerous diseases developing in the small or large intestines, etc. After some efforts, I managed to pass out normal emotion.

 Smelly black soft stools is quite disturbing and a worrying, nuisance thing. When I first experienced blood in my stools, toilet bowl was like smearing with red paint. I care less about what had happened to my stomach system but some blood jetted out the moment the last stool ejected out concerned me so much. When it was first spotted, I thought that it was not a serious matter, just a matter of some damages or injuries due to ingestion of some hard food fragments. As time went by, blood continued to jet out after the last stool and that continued to bother me for months. I went for medical check-up but never taken any serious action to cure it apart from asking a doctor to prescribe the best medicine that he has. Day after day, the stools were getting darker , as close to black and has weird smell….didn’t smell like a normal stool. What’s wrong, I thought. I was damned worry what’s the hack had happened to my stomach. And I became very worry when one of my older colleagues had passed away from colon cancer. I kept on thinking of how to cure it or else I would face the same fate as my colleague.

 I was quite particular about balance diets and food supplements. I used to take food supplement. I took expensive food supplements available in the market, but I never continued to take them for life. Instead, I took other brands that I bought at much cheaper price. Thinking that my stomach was lack of fiber, I took some good vegetables, making juices and drank it as an alternative to food supplements, expecting that they were able able to cleanse my intestines. But there was still no improvement. I was getting worrier each day.

 One day, I remembered about organic food sold through direct selling. I decided to give it a try. I bought some organic food that I believe could act like a fiber, and then I took enzyme product for stimulating some repairs. When I first consumed the organic, passing bowel was so easy and convenient. I could feel the cleaning effect. I got long stools but green in color due to the color of the organic. There was no blood after the first stool expulsed out. Well, I felt so good. I continued to eat organic and enzymes for months. However, in addition, I took good protein, for repairing some damages of the intestines or colon. Soon, the experience of blood and dark stools during the emotion were gone. I felt relief and getting healthier day after day.

 With such effort, I got over my problem of blood and dark stool, and at last I got normal stools. I felt cure and healthy. Nothing effort is more valuable than taking good care of one’s health by eating good quality food. Food is something we cannot compromise for other good things. We are what we eat and we are what we think too. So, give our body a good product. Live in harmony with nature too. We cannot be too stingy with our stomach. Saving all we earn for cure at old age while depriving good thing since young may not a good thing to do or plan. Early prevention is better than cure


Prayer

God listen lovingly when we pray to Him for recovery. We cannot blame Him for the sickness.


Healing the Witch Way

When one feel that God had neglected him, one will turn to the witch for instant recovery. The spirit in the witch is just glad that the sick had turned to it rather staying steadfast in God.


Stroke Risk

A research carried in the US found that people living in neighborhoods packed with fast-food restaurants are more likely to suffer strokes (The Borneo Post, Monday, February 23, 2009). They said residents of one Texas county who lived in neighborhoods with the highest number of fast food restaurants had a 13 per cent higher risk of experiencing a stroke than those in the neighborhoods with the fewest such restaurants. I believe the people would eat more of the stuff since it is readily available than cooking their own food which is troublesome to many of them.


Fasting

For the obesity, fasting is the best option to stay healthy. However, one must not overlook taking balance diets. Calorie intake must be restricted although it is not easyto do so. We must not fast foolishly. We must take nutritional supplements and monitor our diets to avoid deficiencies and maintain weigh. Calorie restriction shouldn't result in excessive thinness. It's not appropriate for children or adolescents, who are still growing, or people with serious illnesses.


SMOKING: A bad, bad, bad habit.

As I was having my super in a local eatery, I saw a young woman and her husband sitting next to my table. The woman was cuddling her baby boy, about a year old or less. Her husband was puffing a cigarette and his wife too. At the same time they were also having a boost with some heneiken beer.

Some wives just care less about their baby health, not concern about what they consume. Whatever goes into their bodies would be consumed by the babies who milk on them. Some narcotine and alcohol enter the mother's body and is shared with the baby boy. And bad still, the poor boy inhale the cigarette smoke from its' parents. What's a mess?

Smoking is such a bad bad bad habits. It does not benefit at all. Why have to pass a dull life by puffing a useless smoke?

Every stick of cigarette can shorten a life by a minute or so.

THE FATE OF ENGLISH

Stick with English Language, Ministry told.

The Borneo Post on February 7, 2009, interviewed many parents about the issues. Many of them still want the subjects Maths and Sciences to be taught in English.I agree that the ministry must stick with English as a medium in the teaching of these two subjects. The English of students have improved. The trend of passing in these subjects cannot be used as yardstick to measure the success of English because the syallabus in these subjects are getting demanding and perhaps we are undergoing the transition period. One day, the students of Sarawak will be at par in English as the students before the late 70s. Many people are still unable to write good English in their job. The management faces real problem looking for and identifying subordinates who are well-versed in the language. Those posts that involve foreign affairs are really tough for those who are handicapped in English. They cannot communicate well with the outside world. If the people are weak in English, how can they expect to understand or take advantage of the globalisation. How can they be able to surf the internet that is mostly in English?I believe that the ministry had made the correct decision to use English in these subjects while maintaining BM in the other subjects. As such, the ministry is able to produce students who are good both in English and Bahasa Malaysia.GO AHEAD WITH ENGLISH. NO TURNING BACK.


Give it a chance: Lam Thye

In the Borneo Post, Tuesday, March 10, 2009, Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye felt that there is no need for scrapping the policy of teaching of Science and Mathematics in English. I am 100% agree with him that it should continue on for the good of Malaysia. It would be very good if the citizen can master both languages in facing globalisation. Those who are handicapped in English will have trouble facing and communicating with the whole world. If it is our teachers who are not proficient, then they should take extra English classes. How can we blame the student when the teachers are still struggling with the language. Yes, send them for more English course.


Maths, Sciences in BM or mother tongue: Don

In the Borneo Post, Tuesday, March 10, 2009, Dr Ting Chek Ming felt that it would be better if these subjects are taught in BM or mother tongues at the early stage.I don't agree with the ideas. This will create more havoc in the country. If the Malay or Chinese or Indian wants it to be in their language, the natives of Semenanjung Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak also want these subjects to be in their own languages. They also want a fair portion of such policy. Why should it benefit only a particular or major race. The minority also want their right to learn Maths and Science in their own language. In the end, we will have hundreds of schools that teach in different languages. It's not easy to manage!

To make it only in BM or chinese or indian, is unfair for the other races. Why not make it to use a language that none of if our mother tongue. Somehow, English is a fair choice. You know, many Penan, Kayan, Kelabit, Iban, Bidayuh are not good in BM. To force them using BM may be disadvantages but advantages to the Malays.To be fair, let stick to current policy.Mind your English

I think the current government policy on using English in Mathematics and Science subjects is timely and be maintained. A compulsory pass in English at SPM level is a must to ensure that students are serious in the subject. I think, we have enough subjects to make BM at same par as English. Perhaps, passing BM at SPM level can be made compulsory as well.Many parents love to send their children overseas. If their children are weak in English, they might as well forget about sending them overseas or risk wasting their hard-earn money. Under the current policy, students are catching up with English. In town schools, many young students are not shy communicating in English with their mates. They can also communicate in BM quite well. We must not give up on the current policy for the good of our children.I notice that our DPM has been quite fluent in English lately than when he was a MB before. No wonder he supports the policy as he sees the benefits of it while he's at the helm of his career. He is no longer shy in 'speaking' in public.The career is really bad when one cannot write a good English. It's not easy to express ideas with bad English.

I GO FOR MAINTAINING THE CURRENT POLICY ON ENGLISH!Keep it up!!!!!
CHEERS!


It’s BM from 2012: DPM

Reported in The Star 09 July 2009, the DPM announced that Maths and Sciences will be taught in Bahasa Malaysia in 2012. This idea supports a 1Malaysia policy but all young non-Malay students are struggling to understand Maths and Science in BM which is not their mother tongue. They are no better than they are using English; there is no difference for them using either English or BM; they are still handicapped in these languages because they are not their mother-tongue. Only the Malays benefit the most.

There were mixed reactions from the parents and the students. Main problems in falling grade pass in the examination results and measures to address it have been identified. One of the main issues for reversed decision is, majority of the Malaysian students could not understand English well in solving the problems/questions in the subjects. Since BM is not a stranger language to the Malaysians, it might as well be used totally in teaching these subjects. But they forget the fact that non-Malay still struggle with the language and is not widely spoken among the ethnics sepecially the Dayak, Dusun, Orang Asli etc. The move as a whole benefits the Malay students more but the other ethnics may still struggle with the BM in these subjects. So, the policy may not be friendly to the other races.For students who want to pursue further study overseas would be in troubles expressing their mathematical and scientific thinkings in English. So, students who wish to study in science stream better do it in Malaysia in BM.

Teaching in English is still in the transitional stage before good results are seen. We have to give it another ten years to see if we can be at par with Singapore. During this transition stage, many teachers, especially the West Malaysians, are transitional in English, no doubt they can speak English. In most cases, the students are found to be better than their teachers in English. Many teachers were from BM medium before so how much can we expect them expressing their teaching in English. Now, when thing is getting tough, we are just hangat-hangat tahi ayam implementing the policy and thinking that reversing the decision is a way out of trouble without realizing that the other races are the victims of not learning in their own mother tongues. In this manner, we will never reach the standard of English that our neighbours Singapore had achieved. In many cases, students write or speak better English than the teachers themselves. When this happens, there would be frustration among teachers in delivering the lessons in English. Writing scientific thoughts in English is not easy as telling fairytale in BM. I think, the non-Malays are still status quo in achieving the result that we want if they use BM. Many non-Malays will still struggle using the BM as a medium in Maths and Sciences likewise they use English. In fact, I think they are better off if English is used in these subjects.Many professionals who were taught in BM medium cannot express scientific thoughts in BM as well. So, what can we expect in expressing them in English if they are not good in English!

Reversing the decision is just like fighting for a 1Malay Policy. To be fair to every race in Malaysia, for a 1Malaysia Policy to materialize and fair to everybody, all subjects must be taught in English! Even the instruction in the BM papers must be in English. Going back to BM will simply benefits the Malays only.

NATURE STUDY

Smallest frog in Sarawak

This is the smallest frog I have ever seen, as small as a housefly and smaller than a Malaysian five-cent coin. I guess it is a baby toad. Baby toad does not grow from a tadpole. It can swallow a small ant but a food for the red ants or fire ants.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTS ISSUES

It's a MAS fare galore

The Borneo Post reported Saturday, 28 February, 2009, that the MAS is introducing its' low fare galore valid within 12 days from today. This is a bold move to realize the campaign 'now everyone can fly' with MAS at particular time. I hope, it will continue to give such discounts for the benefit of the travellers. This is a sign that MAS is showing a caring attitude management towards the need of the people where it realize making excessive profit is not really matter as long as it still gains. Its' Managing Director is pledging to continue with cost-saving measures that I think is good at maintaining a good return for the company. I hope that it will not squeeze the people's pocket during this hardtime around, making their life unmanageable. For the 30 airlines that failed, I think they should be prudent with spending and be brave enough to increase the fares to cover the loss.


MAS makes profits despite trying times

The TV3 news at 9 p.m. on February 26, 2009, and The Star on February 27, 2009, reported the MAS Managing Director Datuk Seri Idris Jala was saying that MAS couldn't make much profit as targeted and informed that MAS was making about RM244m in 2008. However, I see that it can still make tens of millions bucks in the last quarter even during the economic downturn. The profit is an achievement that they can be proud of, so I believe the management can do much to ease the burden of the travellers who frequent the MAS flights. Its' rival AIRASIA has been giving far cheaper fares than the MAS and still making some profit. I think the manager should not just look at making so much profit until it forgets the burden that the travellers face in moving around in the air. The managing Director went on to stress his achievement by comparing with other world airlines which are being wiped out from the planet. The survival is simply to raise the fare during hard times for the travellers who have no alternative modes of transport going to another continents. In this surviaval for the fittest, can we just say say, 'if you cannot afford it, why not turn to another one, our rival?' I feel that the best that the failed airlines can do is to raise the fares and let the travellers have loud cries. Yet, they seemed still hold to their old fares and flooped. Why can't they just copy what the MAS had done in its success story here. I think, we need to review the fare. The MAS can give much cheaper fare if the management allows their profit to fall by half. I notice that the domestic flight in Sarawak is far too expensive to afford. For example, a Kuching-Miri route costs RM380 whereby it was only RM180 before the present Managing Director took over. This fare needs to be reviewed seriously! It's simply not enough just to focus on huge profit alone while the passengers are crying loud. Now the fuel falls low and I see no reason for not lowering the fares in the coming years.


Higher taxi fares soon

Reported in The Borneo Post June 5th, 2009, taking a taxi will cost more from next month according to the proposal by CVLB. The taxis are smiling as this would mean some increase in their incomes. This also means the poor passengers will have to help in elevating the income hike of the taxi men. For the regular passengers who use taxis frequently, this is a real extra burden. Just imagine a distance from the KIA to the housing estate which is less than 3km, a passenger has to pay RM22.00. This fare was the result of the last fuel hike. Now the fuel has decreased but the passengers still have to pay the same fare. It's quite difficult for the fare to go down in line with the reduction of petrol price. They are comfortable with it and earn much more now. When another fuel hike comes, the taxis will once again ask for another hike. It seems that there is no sign that the fare will go down. I would reduce using taxi today. I prefer to seek my friend to pick me and cheer him with a good breakfast that cost much less than a taxi fare. If there is another fuel hike, I think the taxi will request for another hike. This has been happening. Taking a taxi is quite scary and one can be charged so much. Increase fare means people become less interested in the taxi no matter how good the service.

The same for the price of food at the eateries. All kolo mee, kampua mee, etc have increased a lot as a result of the last fuel price hike. Now the fuel has reduced but the customers still pay the same price. Most vendors never willing to reduce prices in line with fuel hike although there have not been any hike in the flour. Anyway, customers should reduce going to such eateries and be hardworking enough to eat at home. The price of instant noodles has increased significantly. A 5 pieces noodles cost RM2.50 but now it costs RM4.20, and likewise some crackers. The customers really feel the pinch. I reduce buying these itmes today.


Toll increase: PM asks cabinet to consider

The TV3 news 9 p.m. tonight(26 Feb. 2009) and The Star February 27, 2009, reported that certain toll plazas were closed while maintaining the others. The toll rate was increased after considering the economy downturn that affects the toll concessionaires. The rates were considered as minimal even after the increase and hope that the people would understand that the increases were stipulated in the concession agreements the Government had agreed. Many people interviewed did not agree as they are already being badly affected by the current economic downtown. Why do we have to increase it when the people are experiencing hardship to meet the day end need.People are against it and so the MPs from across the political divide. Some people do not feel the pinch from the increase because they never pay for the toll. But once they are in the position like an ordinary people, they know how bad is the pinch. We cannot allow exploitation of the people while trying to fatten someone and burden the people. The toll increase would increase the financial burden of the people at the time when many of them are facing economic difficulties and job losses.Once someone faces hardship, he will pass the buck to the users mercilessly considering the worst has come their way in facing the threat to their income. It looks so attractive to increase toll when one toll plaza is close while maintaining the other busy ones. If the toll is increased, the heavy users will still be the victims and it will only solves the problem of the concessionaires. That's just 'sambil menyelam meminum air'. It's simply not the right time for any increase during this economic downturn just to compensate the loss which aggravate further the cry of the people. It's good that the Government is caring enough to propose the defer of the new toll rates for the good of the road users.

RELIGION ISSUES

Travelling ahead of God

Most of the time, we take life easy or complacent. We don't bother to take the simplest plan that we'd planned to be blessed by God and leave it in His hands. Fate happens anytime and is a nasty experience that leaves scar for the rest of our life. Some people are simply lucky to miss the bad fate. I wonder why bad fate happens to someone and not to another. For the case of those passengers who boarded the Air France 447, it seemed that they had not put their travel in God's hand. I think, there were many passenger who had tried to communicate with God and yet they perished. We are really blur about our destiny and wondering of what will happen next. I think, we still have to trust God in everything we do and face it with love. Somehow, it feels so wonderful to travel and arrive safely at the destination. Just pray to God that He prepares the journey for us to arrive safely at our destination. He will always ahead of us. Be watchful of circumstances where God is trying to inform us of the journey ahead. He can play a part to delay or speed our journey so that we meet His plan safely. Trust God fully for any sign that we feel disturbing. That's the ways he wants to guide us safely. That's is really a travelling ahead of God.


Conditions for using 'Allah' in christian publications

I read in the Borneo Post on Saturday February 28, 2009 informing that documents and publications relating to Christianity containing the word 'Allah' are prohibited unless the words 'FOR CHRISTIANITY' are written on their front cover. The condition was contained in the government gazette dated February 16, 2009. With this in mind, I see that there is no dispute in the use of such term in our country provided the condition is met. When all the conditions are met, anyone who read the documents and publications will understand which god they are talking or referring to.This is a very democratic and diplomatic move by the government and the Home Ministry in particular, who realizes the term can be applied by anyone who understand or speak the language. There are many christians whose mother tongues are Arab and use the term to refer to their god, i.e. be it is God or 'Allah' in the real muslim context/term. What is important, the type of documents and publications should be identified for their intentions.


Government revokes the gazetted condition for using 'Allah'

The condition for using 'Allah' in the Christian documents and publications gazetted February 16, 2009 was revoked according to the news today, March 3, 2009.In Malaysia, unlike the jews who call their God as Yahweh or I Am, we simply do not have any name for the God whom Jesus was talking about. To me, Jesus' God can be called in any term that refer to divine Deity in Heaven. For example, the Iban refers gods as 'Petara' and these gods are ussually referred to the super humans from Panggau Libau and Gelong. Most of the time, the Iban refer to the God whom Jesus talked about as 'Petara' or 'Tuhan'. The Buddhists, Hinduists may refer to the christian God as 'god' too. I think, the christians in Malaysia should not feel bad/disappointed for not being allowed to use the term 'Allah' to refer to the God whom Jesus had talked about. We should look for other BM terms which is applicable to their God. Maybe I would suggest that they should use the term 'Tuhan', when they talk about their God. Or if that receives objection from the muslim community, they should use 'Petara' which I believe the Iban will not object and are just too happy to use it. It is alright to call the God whom Jesus had talked about as 'Petara' as long as they do not imagine the satanic face of God. To me, Jesus is very liberal to allow all His followers regardless of any race to call His God by any of the mother tongue as long as the mind does not refer such term they use to refer to Jesus' God as a satan.So, to the christians, please accept the objection lovingly for the Jesus' God doesn't mind to be called by any name according the mother tongues. It's much better if they do not call their God as'Allah' in order to avoid confusion. If it is different from the christian God in interpretation, let it be so that Jesus' God is also special in the way as the 'Allah' of Islam. I too feel uncomfortable to call Jesus' God Allah because it sounds so muslim/Islam.

Let refer God according to the mother tongues:
Iban = Petara
Malay = Tuhan
Kedazan = Kinoingan
Chinese = ?India = ?
Muslim = tuhan
English = God
Jews = Yahweh/I Am

Allah is God in Arabic words. It’s universal words for Allah in Arabic but one can define it for his own religion and specific for his own. The muslims use it; the Arabs use it; the Arab Jews use it; the descendants of Lot use it; the Amricans, English, Russians; Africans; Pakistanis, Bangladesh; Indonesians, Bruneians; muslim chinese, Koreans, Japanese, Dusun, Bajau, Kedayan, Malays, Ibans, Bidayuh, Penan, Bahasa Malaysia…all of them use it.

Personally in my opinion, if the Herald is written in Arabic, God can be written as Allah. If it is in BM, it’s a double-standard to write God as Allah. I am sure the BM has a word for Allah. But if it is written in Iban, it should be called in an iban term. Iban must not try to borrow an Arab term to refer to God. That would pollute the iban language. How can be the iban has no term for God in their language.

Anyway, the prayer of the catholics are answered and God listen and knows best and liberal. It’s OK to use Allah and borrow it from the Arab word just as we borrow it from the English or Latin.
Anang takut nganggau ke Petara nya Allah ga diatu.

Puji Petara ke besai kuasa.

Munyi ku kaban kitai kedua, sigi manah agi ga kitai kering megai pengarap lama kitai awakka nyau bekiok aja manok kena miau piring’ kena genselanka piring, kena pulaska rekong. Kapa ka nitihka petara sida Arab, sida Isreal, sida India (Budis) etc. Bansa Dayak sigi mayuh pengarap enti nitihka etnik diri. Sida Iban, Kayan, Kenyah, Kelabit, Ukit, Penan, Baketan, Berawan, Kejaman, Selakau, etc semua nya bisi petara kadiri empu. Bisi nya miring alu bisi meh nya enda. Bisi kedua nya nyau takut ke babas laban ba babas nya nyau antu memagang ba ati sida iya.

Nya aja ga utai ke pedis endar ba pengarap Iban. Enti kitai nurun gawa tauka ke babas ngasu beburu alu ninga jelu kijang rerauh meruap ba atas tinting ngumbai girlfriend/boyfriend tauka nyabak dedui kena sintak panjok minta sah kaban, kitai pen alu nikar ga ke rumah laban rauh kijang nya meh ke tanda bisi penusah ba kitai enti kitai degil ngelangar adat nya. Akai dai, muai jam amat ga nya. Enti nyau tiap ari ninga sida kijang bong ba tinting, nyakap pangan diri ke deka ngerebut girlfriend, kitai sigi enda masuk gawa ba ladang sawit. Ka pen enda, kita mesti munaska sida kijang nya. Tang anang ga enda minta pemendar ari sida Forest laban kijang nya pen jelu sida iya.

Sida Panggau enggau Gelong baka sida Keling, Laja, Kumang, Lulong etc nya pen mensia baka sida Isreal maya Jesus menya ga. Kitai iban kemaya ari tu ke ka pepaloi ngumbai sida nya petara ke nyeruga ruga mensia menya tang diatu semina roh alu deka disembah nyadi Petara. Pelaba aku, tentu mayuh kitai iban bisi nyembah Apai Saloi ke Petara ga. Sida Keling pen bisi meh ngayau ke menua sida Ribai menya deh. Kada enda menua Isreal ke dikayau sida iya deh? Kitai iban sigi baka ke ka memapab ga ka nyembah mensia baka sida Kristin ke ka nyembah Jesus ke Petara sida iya. Aku sigi enggai salah jaku deka baka kita bukai ke eka nuduh sida Keling, Laja, Kumang, Lulong etc nya Sitan. Sida nya meh baka sida niang aki ini kitai, endang mensia ke nyeruga. Tang sigi amai salah ga enti kitai nyau ngumbai sida iya petara. Sida enda kala ngaku diri petara baka Tuhan Jesus. Nya alai, kitai anang ka paloi ngumbai sida Panggau enggau Gelong nya petara.

Adai si uhang bejaku mapab ditu Igat Bjack. Amat meh sida bisi bejaku ke sida Panggau, sida Gelong, tang isu nya bekaul. Kati ku enda meh sida kaban kitai mansut ke penemu diri ka mai perchaya ke sida Panggau nyadi Petara laban sida ke pechaya ke Jesus ke endang mensia nyeruga-ruga 2000 taun ke udah lalu pen baka ke mapab ga dipeda iya alu ka mai kitai anang pechaya ke pengarap datai ari sida Jew. Ukai nya sida Jew aja ke pandai pasal dunya amat meh Einstein kala ngaga formula ngaga bomb atom. Kati nya, nama aja utai datai ari menua tuan din, semuanya kumbai kitai manah memagang. Enti baka nya, kitai nyau muai pengarap kitai ke original ga enti nyau bamak ka nitihka pengarap uhang luar. Nah, berapa uhang agi nemu mihing, nemu bebiau, nimang, bedungai, bepantun diatu deh. Nama hebak bahu diatu landik agi ke lagu hok ari ke bepantun deh

The use of the term Allah referring to God has a direct impact on the unity of Malaysians and towards achieving 1Malaysia objective of our PM. Whoever feels comfortable using or uttering it may go ahead coz the court has made the verdict. If one says it in front of the mosque, one will be confused as a muslim.

It would be a lie for the Gospel of John to say that ‘In the beginning was word and word become flesh/human’; he meant that Jesus is God and Lord; Jesus was involved in the creation of the world.

We don’t have to ‘berebut’ calling God by such name. There are other names that are much better sound and spelling than that. If I want to choose, I would like to call my God….by the name late Mr Micheal Jackson. The name is so handsome but the owner was so ugly that he changed his appearance into a handsome and macho man. When he was his original self, he was never dikerumun indu dara but soon after he metamorphosis, he was adored by many young and old girls including gays and lesbians.

Another good name proposed for God is Mr Tiger Wood. Even a golf stick chased after him and many beauty had admitted openly to have hugged him nights and days. Yeah, he is a star today. He is free to choose any girl he likes without forcing and coercing.

Another name worth mentioning is Mr Evelis Presli or Bon Jovi. I can the London girls were hysteria wanting to shake hands with hin on the street. Many girls also adore the way Mr Evelis danced his own style. Until today, many men love to impersonate as him, even trying to imitate his voice that sounds like a katak dibaroh tachu beras (coconut shell for scooping rice in a jar}.

The choice is yours to choose the name for your God. Let our muslim friends happily call their god as Allah without berebut with us.
Allah Ta’ala is for the muslims to call their god in an arabic language. Islam originated in the Arab country so it is original for them.

YWH, Eloi, Elohim, Jehovah, Ancient of Days, Jesus, I AM, Adonai, Abba is the name of the God used by the Isrealites. They are cute names for our God and the God of Isreal. The iban should call their God by the name that the Jews are using and not using any muslim/Islamic term. The ibans are confused by the ones who translated the term God into Malay term. We are very aware that many iban words are similar to malay’s.

Let call God in the way Jesus had called him “Abba, Abba, lama sabatini”
Nyamai agi ngangau ke petara nya APAI laban Jesus pen ngangauka iya nya APAI ga.
Ku sampi Jesus:
‘Oooi Apai kami ba serega, kudus ke nama nuan…..’
Adai si Jesus nyebut leka sampi agai apai iya munyi tu:
‘Allah ba serega, kudus nama nuan…….’
Semina kitai ke enda nemu asal usul leka jaku Allah nya ke hindu nganggau ke petaha nya Allah Ta’ala.

Everyone should be allowed to call God by any name that he feels good as long as one does not insult God for doing so. One can name his God as Micheal Jackson or Mr Evelis Presley or Bon Jovi or Samaladen or Hussin or Jehovah or Eli or Elohim or Abba or Father or etc etc. The use of one name is really good coz it show that everyone believe in the same God who is an ultimate creator and show the unity of the citizen. We cannot be so selfish with our God. We must share him with everyone and everyone must allow a free access to him coz we are the product of God’s creation through that one man, Adam. To be greedy with the name is really selfish and fanatical effort in trying to own God for oneself only. God does not like a selfish and greedy person. No room for such person in this world; he will cast into the darkness or perhaps in the hot dark room.

Do you realize that God only created Heaven and Earth? That means, God did not create other planets e.g . Venus, Mars, Uranus etc, including billions of stars and planets in the universe. I think, God created the heaven would mean God created the universe and it components (stars, sun, moon, etc). When Jesus resurrected, he simply disappear in the cloud and into the space/sky. If they were to include the creation of everything in this universe, it would definitely take ages for God to create them and not in just six day only. This is a fairytale only. I mean, it’s just to explain it in a simple layman story. You know, the Jews at that time were not well-versed on how this world and the universe were created in details. The Jews also think that night and day were created in a simple layman manner. The fact that day and night were created in such a manner that the spherical world rotates on it axis and then move round the sun. The sunlight is the daytime while the shadow is the darkness/night and the moon only receives reflection from the sun and the moonlight reflects back to the earth, if it is in the right position.
Therefore, according the Bible and Koran, it looks like both God and Allah created Heaven and Earth. So, they are definitely the same God. Yes, there’s nothing wrong calling god as God or calling god as Allah. But now, I remember and have realized that you don’t believe the Bible so God and Allah are entirely different deities in Heaven.

That’s too philosophical to say God in the Genesis did rest and sleep, madi. I think God was too tired after creating an infinite universe and billion of stars and planets including huge creatures such dinosaur, blue whale, huge seqouia trees, etc. When God relaxes, the universe stop operating and the earth stops rotating and moving round the sun. But then, he has created the natural force that allow it to follow principle or law of physics so everything can be under control and in harmony with what God had intended them to be. So, God can have a good rest or a good night sleep or can boost with some that raise his spirit for the next day.

Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad were actually talking and referring to the same God who created Heaven and Earth except that God of the Jews knows how to spend his time well after a hard day work. So, in that sense, he encourages us to do the same. Humans must not stress himself too much until no time for himself, having good rest or good night sleep.

Personally, I don’t think the universe ever continued to expand ever since its’ first creation. God simply created it with infinite size. It’s our thought or mind that think it’s always expanding. But, it that happens, that means the universe has a finite size and God continue to enlarge this universe. I think, according to Mr George Lamairte, the universe that is slowly expanding proves that the universe has a finite size. Meaning to say, this universe is just like another globe/balloon floating in another space.


God's Love

God's love is genuine and sincere, so we must love God wholeheartedly. If we love God, we must show it by undivided feeling of love for people regardless of who they are because God is love. Jesus was willing to face whatever consequence for his love for us. If we still find it hard to love our neighbours/enemies, we are yet to practice the love that Jesus had taught us.How do you call your God?

The Bible refers God who created Adam and Eve as Yahweh or I Am. In general, the christians must call their god as Yahweh or I Am. In general, they can always capitalize the letter 'g' to refer their god. So, the christian god can be written/spelled as 'God'. The christians' God should not be refered in the same term as the muslim god 'Allah'. 'Allah' is the god of Islamic religion while God is the god of the Jesus Christ and His followers. For other races who wish to use their mother tongues to refer to Jesus' God may do so as long as they do not imagine such satanic image when they talk about Jesus' God.CreationI don't look far to search for the proof of the existence of God - a super divine and almighty Deity. Just look at this world, the earth that we live in. It has three main components of matter - the solid, liquid and gaseous form. These matters were the result of the conversion of energy, E = mc2. I believe that this equation is far from being a perfect one but it is enough to prove that there is God although there was an effort to deny God by adding a constant of the speed of light. In a perfect sense of God, E should be equal to m. E = m is a process of creation while E =mc2 is an evolution process.


The way to Heaven

My God is an absolute Creator of the Universe who had come as the Father, as the Son being my brother, and as the Holy Spirit who is my friend, my comforter. He is almighty, superdivine, supercreator creating something or invisible from nothing. He is everywhere; no one can hide from Him. He knows all the thoughts of man. Believing in God is a damned real problem for many people because they claim that they see no proof of his existence. All the visible and invisible things are God creations. He created ‘nothing’ (invisible) or something, for the materials of his creation, the Universe. Humans depend on God’s creation to be alive in His Kingdom. God is real despite being invisible.

Many people simply cannot believe in God because they regard themselves seeing no proof of his existence despite being blessed many things in their life whether they need it or not. Talking about the presence or existence of God is just like telling a person about a hell. If there is a hell, there must be a heaven; so there is God. If there isn’t any heaven or hell, then there is no spiritual life after death. That defeats the purpose of God who would like to bring us to stay in Heaven.

Those who are fortunate, they have been stepping their feet on this world long enough and have many wonderful years enjoying their life without any slightest idea about the existence of God and they still regard having happiness are their personal birthright. No one should question about what one’s belief or ways of life. They feel that they had arrived at the end of their journey to happiness by attaining it without any requirement for God existence. In a straight forwards sense, God isn’t the main ingredient for one to be happy. Many of us are still quite a long way to go to meet God. Most of the time, God keeps on pursuing us but too frequently we keep on running away from Him.Some people feel that they don’t have to believe in any deity but just believe in themselves only and they would be attaining happiness and riches. They can accomplish whatever they yearn in their life without thanking and glorifying the deity or God. In their own choice or will without the consent from God, they have the right to choose. They can choose to believe or not. They have every right not to believe as do the other have the right to believe. Some humans are simply lack of understanding on who had given them the freedom of choice. They think that the freedom of choice is simply natural or by instinct or a free will that comes naturally without any divine purpose. Or they may think that God never created a freedom of choice for them; they are free to make their own decision without any divine influence.

Creation involves an intelligent design whereby we cannot see the designer or creator. Some of us are still reluctant to accept the existence as designed and created by God. Let look at something from an engineer's perspective. Someone happened to drop by at a doctor's office, and looked at the diagrams of the human skeletal system, digestive system, the circulatory system, nervous system, heart, etc. hanging on the walls. These diagrams depict in fact the finest structural engineering designs. It looks like a team of structural engineers worked for some period of time designing the skeleton. The scientists will tell us that it was just created itself under natural circumstances, or just evolved over time according to the famous theory of Mr Charles Darwin. I am not sure if according to Mr Darwin, human will evolve into a strange-looking creature, becoming more complicated but primitive in thinking like they dare to eat one another.

How the skeletal system, digestive system, the circulatory system, the heart, etc. come into design we do not know besides knowing that they are already in our bodies fixed for us and we nourish it into a strong structure with what he eats out of the natures provided by God. Consider the brain, for example. It may take many painstaking days or years for a team of computer engineers to complete design of the circuit. Its’ structure is as complex as the motherboard of a computer but we don’t know the designer. By the time we realized that we have it, it was already in our head and thought it was natural for a brain to grow and evolve in the ‘shell’. We know that a team of computer engineers spent quite some time designing the computer motherboard but we have never witnessed any engineers designing our brain besides crediting it to the God’s work in the human anatomy. There are always some proofs that human had built the late New York World Trade Center but there is no proof of God intervention rather we say that it was a mere engineering expertise in the construction.Intelligent design or creation can be equated to a man-made structure, a building, for example, the late New York World Trade Center and standing there proudly and one said "This structure was simply designed itself, or just evolved over time." And in a few minutes, it was brought down to earth by the impacts of another machines made by men. But we know that men designed and built the building and the aeroplanes that destroyed it. How do we know who created them? Did anyone see anyone doing it? Oh, somebody told someone that he did it! Then, the building collapsed upon the impacts of the flying objects created by man. Did God demolish it or an act of men? Well, we can conclude that it was an act of men because we have seen in the world news in the TV that the planes had crashed into it. That was real! Everyone must be wondering who drove the planes. Was it God or a human or something else? Definitely it was a human, but under what influence he did it? Himself or God?

Some of us may grumble if there has been a God, someone wouldn't be out of a job right now unless one admits that one has done bad things. Sometimes, we fail to realize that whatever we build is the best for us but may not be what God had agreed for ourselves. Maybe, God has a better plan for us although He means to destroy and demolish the present one that we are comfortable. So when any bad thing happens in our live that gives us a reason to completely shut out God and not believe in his existence anymore. That's exactly why some people don't believe; many reasons such as dislikes of consequences, having morals and standards, and having to be basically obedient, with all the things the world has brought us that we consider a luxury, people think they just don't have time for God. Until they're hit hard and all that's taken away, it just all of a sudden becomes God's fault! Yeah! Blame everything nasty on God and take credits for the good ones only.We may either believe in God or not. We can't see air, but we can see its’ effects. We can't see electricity, but we can see light. We can't see God, but we can see his creations and all the natural wonders of the world. The creativity of individuals is also from God. If we believe in a supreme God, we have love, hope, happiness and peace in our life. If we don't, we are just like not having any plan for our future or hope. No one can convince anyone to believe in God. It has to be one’s choice. We all have to turn to God in our life. It might be everyday or it maybe when one of our loved ones is sick or dies. Being aware or not, we need God but he does not need us. Whatever we offer him, he has.We can hardly prove or disprove God's existence. But at the same time, there is definitely a lot of evidence out there. We can find out more by reading the bible, talking to theologians etc as well as reading books related to the god delusion, with an open mind. The fact is that if Jesus is truly the Son of God, and faith in him is the difference between life and death, then everything else sort of fades into nothing in comparison.

One has to consider all the possibilities with an open mind, and be willing to put aside some of their biases and preconceptions. God is not a man that He must abide by dictates given to Him by men. God cannot be measured with a yardstick nor analyzed in a test tube. He is God and does not have to render any proof to anyone of His Existence. He merely is: The First Cause, the Author of all things, The Alpha and the Omega. To the faithful no explanation is necessary. To the faithless no explanation will do. We can believe or not but disbelief does not confirm or prove anything. God is not a man that He must prove His existence to anyone. The faithful require no such proof. Disbelief is in vain when in the end one failed to prove that God does not exist. Faith is maybe seen as intellectually lazy mind because it requires no proof.

We may see no evidence of God due to lack of intimate relationship with God where one can enjoys unlimited blessings from above or everywhere. It may not be a typical blessing like a nice home, but one can experience an incredible joy that can't be found from anyone or anything else. Anyone can just be good and have morals without God, but the ability to live for someone greater than oneself is something that many people have a problem with and are afraid to face because they're selfish. As a Christian, anyone is free and everything but enslaved. And the fact that one thinks that God is a nut, may reflects a nonbelievers of God being selfish.

Some people may feel that there is no reason to have faith because there is no evidence of God existence but He’s a mere imagination. If one thinks in such manner about God, knock yourself out believing it. It makes no difference. Many of us prefer the pleasures of secularist freedom to the miseries of religionist slavery. Some of us are happy god-free secularists who like the freedom to make own decisions in all matters, as long as they don't break the laws of their cities, states and countries. All too often, faith imposes arbitrary and oppressive rules on people, which are harsh and unreasonable. Why should any intelligent person obey those rules just because some church leaders say they should?We look at the Universe. Is it a perfect form that has no creator? Where did the science come from being used to support a creation without a creator? As a believer of God, no way one is being enslaved with such notion that existence or creation has no Creator. Why would we assume that the universe is 'perfect'? According to the Bible, human being was created resembling God's own image. It maybe precisely the mess-up of often ill-fitting and leftover parts and pieces that one would expect to arise as the result of the evolutionary process. Some of us feel that there is still no sane or rational reason to think that the universe had come into existence by a creative Invisible Magic Man.

Those who do not believe in God may think that the believers are fooling themselves. They think that the believers are shackled to the tenets of their chosen belief system that make them the slaves to their religion, i.e., the concept of 'sin'. The Christian concept of 'sin' is a tenet of the Christian belief system and as such, is utterly regarded as meaningless to the non-Christians. Although many Christians like to delude themselves into thinking that their beliefs grant them the sole high moral ground, the nonbeliever think that most of their 'sins' are based upon bigotry and superstition. If one wishes to live out one’s life as a slave to primitive dogma, well, one is certainly right. Some people feel that there is no need for such childish, bigoted nonsense. The most important moral 'directive' predates Christianity by thousands of years: "And it harms none, do what ye will." If truly intelligent life wasn't so scarce on this planet, that one phrase could replace both laws and government. And the dwellers of this world would be Godless but still lovingly and peacefully.

Why do some people blame God for hell is none of our business. If I were an electrician and I was working on a 240 volt circuit and I told someone to stand away at a safe distance and clearly pointed at the exposed wires and told him repeatedly not to touch the wires or it could kill him. And then for reasons unknown he walked over, pushed me aside and then touched the wires and was electrocuted to death. Whose fault was it? Is it the builder's because he designed a building with electricity? Is it the wire manufacturer because he created a conductor designed to let electricity flow? Is it I despite the fact I had warned him repeatedly informing the potential of death? Or is it purposely done because he did not heed the instructions? God is the builder. His word is the conductor, christians are the electricians who provide warning and direction to the safe zone. So the only people that will end up in hell are those who are willing to push God aside and determine to live as they please. We can see the character of God displayed in His creation every day just like the exposed wires. God said He has placed before us both life and death and then encourages us to choose life (Deuteronomy 30:19-20).

Let think of how this universe and it components came in being. It happened coz there was an entity (God) responsible for it. The universe cannot just automatically exist or as if by magic. Even the magic tricks require a magician to perform them. The 'Big Bang' cannot happen automatically without any Entity initiating it. I think the size of the universe is infinite; I mean neither it cannot be measured nor it has any beginning or ending. If it ever happened before, it might be a gigantic size of 'bang' material as big as infinity.All materials of the earth, planets, sun, stars, moon etc are made of atoms. There isn't any materials that are not composed of atoms. The dead wood is also composed of atom; the rock seems dead to us is also wholly atoms; and the air we inhale and exhale, the farts we accidentally smell are also composed of atoms. We know that any single atom cannot be seen and yet under the influence of energy/force, atoms can become a mass to form a visible compound such as soil, sand, crystals, metals, liquid, cells, sperm etc etc..

Are the matter and energy always existence? That sounds like matter and energy are equated to God; always exist! Is it logic to call matter or energy as God? To me, it is just weird for matter and energy to always exist. Why do they exist? How can the energy be converted into the matter and vice versa without being initiated by something? In any creation/invention, there is always someone responsible for it. Someone maybe correct to say that Entropy or thermodynamics was responsible for it. Well, who initiated or created the entropy? It would be weird if the matter and energy were not created in the first place (just always exist) although in our assumption that neither matter nor energy can be destroyed. This does not equate them to be equal to God.

Why does there be any such thing as ‘Big Bang’ or quantum mechanics that we think responsible for the creation of the universe? Yes, time expands to infinity; space also expands into infinity; and matter may expand into bigger objects or shrinking into small ones with some of it converted into energy or other forms? There is always someone who had found the laws of quantum mechanics and He is God. Although the quantum level events can happen randomly without cause, I don't think that this can disqualify the non-existence of Super Deity, God. God would be believed to have compressed and expanded something into a universe-like creation.I am simply living a lazy or crazy life if anything I need simply exist without a creator/inventor. That would mean the world would not need to have many factories or industries to produce all our needs. The fact that we have all these are coz there are humans who are creating/inventing them. Therefore, in similar manner this is how the first atom was created. There was a Super Human called God who had created it into ‘nothing’ (invisible) or something, for the materials of his creation, the Universe. God is real despite being invisible.


JESUS

Can He Change Your Life?
Jesus said 'Whoever has seen ME has seen the Father.' This means He claimed Himself God. He is the ONLY way to Heaven; only God is the way to Heaven. No human can lead another to Heaven unless He is God. Jesus isn't a Mediator between us and God although it seems so. To those who are laden with problems, take them to Lord Jesus and He will lighten the burden. Have faith and trust in Him and He can do it for you.The Holy Spirit transforms our life in harmony with the divine world. It helps to realize how wonderful is life living in the presence of God.

Is Jesus Lord, Saviour and Friend?
Our faith and trust in Jesus must be undivided. He is our God; He is our Lord; He is our Savior; and He is our friend in need in every facets of our life. He is the King of our life; we must surrender ourselves humbly and undivided to Him to control our hearts. He strengthen us when we are weak. On Him we build our faith that is as solid a foundation as a rock.

Jesus is God.
These verses reported by witness claimed that Jesus was claiming Himself God:“I am the resurrection and the life.” (John 11:25)“I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12)“I and my Father are one.” (John 10:30)“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” (Revelation 22:13).“I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6)“I am the only way to the Father [God].” (John 14:6“If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father.” (John 14:9)

Only Jesus can help us to lead.
I have learnt much about leadership that Jesus taught. His kind of leadership is genuine and sincere. Just seek His advice and He will show you how to be a good leader. A good leader lead with compassion and love.


HOLY SPIRIT

The Holy Spirit is a real person who came to reside within Jesus Christ's true followers after Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to heaven (Acts 2). Jesus told His apostles..."I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you, and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." (John 14:16-18)Holy Spirit is not a vague, ethereal shadow, nor an impersonal force. He is a person equal in every way with God the Father and God the Son. He is considered to be the third member of the Godhead. Jesus said to His apostles..."All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matt. 28:18-20)God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And all the divine attributes ascribed to the Father and the Son are equally ascribed to the Holy Spirit. When a person becomes born again by believing and receiving Jesus Christ (John 1:12-13; John 3:3-21), God resides in that person through the Holy Spirit (1Cor. 3:16). The Holy Spirit has intellect (1Cor. 2:11), emotion (Rom. 15:30), and will (1Cor. 12:11).A primary role of the Holy Spirit is that He bears "witness" of Jesus Christ (John 15:26, 16:14). He tells people's hearts about the truth of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit also acts as a Christian's teacher (1Cor. 2:9-14). He reveals God's will and God's truth to a Christian. Jesus told His disciples..."The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you." (John 14:26)"When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come." (John 16:13)

The Holy Spirit was given to live inside those who believe in Jesus, in order to produce God's character in the life of a believer. In a way that we cannot do on our own, the Holy Spirit will build into our lives love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23). Rather than trying to be loving, patient, kind, God asks us to rely on Him to produce these qualities in our lives. Thus Christians are told to walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:25) and be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18). And the Holy Spirit empowers Christians to perform ministerial duties that promote spiritual growth among Christians (Rom. 12; 1Cor. 12; Eph. 4).The Holy Spirit also performs a function for non-Christians as well. He convicts people's hearts of God's truth concerning how sinful we are -- needing God's forgiveness; how righteous Jesus is -- He died in our place, for our sins; and God's eventual judgement of the world and those who do not know Him (John 16:8-11). The Holy Spirit tugs on our hearts and minds, asking us to repent and turn to God for forgiveness and a new life.


Trinity

I don't doubt Him being my Lord at all, being the second person in the Trinity. God had revealed Himself as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; they are ONE in Godhead.

TRAVELLING

Places around Kuching

Four Point By Sheraton, Kuching

Sunset behind Zhenghe Taman Sahabat, Kuching

Entrance Taman Sahabat

Laksamana Zenghe

Jong's fake croc

Astana

DUN under construction Dec 2007

Water Front, Kuching

Water front, Kuching

Gunung Santubong

SCENERIES

Beautiful sunsets in Sarawak
Sunset at Tuaran Beach Resort, Sabah

Sunset from Tabuan Heights, Kuching

Sunset from Tabuan Heights, Kuching

Sunset fron Tabuan Heights, Kuching

Sunset from Royal Bintang Hotel, Kuala Lumpur

Sun set downstream of Rajang River, Sarawak

Sunset from Tabuan Height, Kuching

Sunset from Royal Bintang, Kuala Lumpur

Sunset from upper Rajang River, Sarawak

Sunset Kualau Lumpur

Sunset Tuaran Beach Resort, Sabah

Tuaran Beach Resort Sunset

Sunset Tabuan Heights Kuching