The 1st of July, 2009

Hey there guys and girls,

I have to say that I am a little bit cranky with the stupid keyboard of my laptop. If this post suddenly stops illogically then it would surely be that the keyboard went bonkers again and I just clicked on submit, instead of attempting to recover the posting again.

The last time I spent 30 minutes trying to recover and retype the post. My thoughts will remain a mystery if it repeats...

Anyway, I have to say that I have been doing cheap publicity stunt for this blog the last few days. I have been telling people about it as well as broadcasting the link on Facebook, Yahoo, MSN and Google. Yup, I am on 4 networks if you don't count LinkedIn, haha. The funny part is that the main people that I connect with are on all the 4 networks. It's a huge overlap. Those that are added in but not really in contact, hmnnn I know I am trying my best to get cracking at the communication part. Still, it's a 2-way process and you can't get far if the other party has mastered the art of "excuse tai-chi" and is always deflecting your communiques. My personal guideline is to try twice then to scrap it, until that person decides to come back into my life.

Still, as we can see nothing good has come out of my publicity stunt. No one seems to be coming in, more so leaving comments. I wonder if there are people coming in but just that they're not commenting on my posts. Sigh, it IS bad feeling unappreciated and trying to wonder what people REALLY think about you. India thought me that it IS important to know what people are thinking about you because, there could always be a rat running around stinking up your reputation among people you know. So yeah, it is good to have a feeler out from time to time just to make sure you're not on the "Top 10 jerks list..."

Anyway, the Transformers 2 is a must watch. If you wanna watch it mindlessly then you would definitely enjoy it to the max. If you're a fan and you want some of the originality of the series to be here on the big screen, then you might be thrilled at some of the action sequences that satisfies our apetite for huge transforming robots. Ok, I'll stop here since mentioning more would make this a spoiler post. My blog isn't about that...

Other than that, I also realised that I have to really gear myself to move up in life. If not the corporate ladder then I'll go climb some mountain, LoL... Yeah, with that I will end this post that is not really too much about any topic. Adios people!~

The End of the World

Hey there guys and gals,

I just finished watching the trailer to the movie "2012". It is going to be released in November this year. This is going to be a planet annihilation type of movie, which is no surprise, considering the producer of the movie also came out with Independence Day as well as The Day After Tomorrow. This is a dude who likes to make money, talking about the tragedy of millions of people losing their lives in the blink of an eye.

This makes me wonder. What is it that drives all men to believe that the world is going to blow up? It starts right from the beginning with that whole talk about someone coming and marking the end of the world. Of course by the time we realise the "HE" is here, in whatever cultural form that HE finally decides to reveal Himself in, it would be too late for us to atone for our sins. We would be doomed. We would be judged and basically all of us except those that happened to chose the correct religion, whatever that is, would be found wanting. It's a great "Wheel of Fortune" game that's going to be played at the end, according to religious views.

Thinking about this the scientific way, assuming that there is no religious day of Reckoning upon us, we have to realise that we've strayed on to the very path of planetary destruction by our damn selves; without the help of a "DEVIL" or any such manifestations of evil. Yup ladies and gentlemen, I believe there is a planetary level self-fulfilling prophecy that is unfolding.

I feel the greatest difference is now felt post World War 2, when U.S. dropped the 2 atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Suddenly it is now possible to annihilate a huge population. All this while, you could make big bombs but nothing that could take out an entire city and render the surrounding area sterile for generations (not to mention the oddities and freak of natures that you create) with the nuclear dust fallout.

It was possible to render nations, even continents uninhabitable with the firepower that existed then. This is where the strange turn of events take place. Instead of decommissioning those lethal pieces of metals, the Americans made more. This was followed by the countries who now have nuclear capabilities as well. The British, the French, the Soviet, the Chinese etc. People usually mention, "boys with big toys are just compensating for a lack in size". Boy, those Generals must have been jealous of the Asians if they needed to compensate with nuclear devices.

Now the world can be annihilated many times over. At its height the US had 65, 000 warheads according to wikipedia and they still might have between 15,000 - 20,000 warheads, left in various stages of completion. The other members of the so-called "Nuclear Club" also have thousands of warheads each. Still, this is a military weapon and the diplomats would try their very best to reason and deal with any situations that arise before the boys start throwing their toys around the globe. So we have some people at least opposing this planetary destruction "efforts".

Somehow though, the human race seems unable to say "stop" when it senses dangers in other forms as well. Fossil fuel usage throughout the world. I agree that there are a LOT of people who are going to be inconvinienced if the oil and gas companies across the world suddenly go out of business. People unfortunately give more importance to that as compared to the consequences of global warming. This is what should be the current focus of scientists worldwide. Fossil fuel is destroying the planet, layer by layer. In raw, Oil spills cause environmental danage; in processed form, unrecyclable hydrocarbon products like plastics are produced daily and USED by housewives; in the form of by-products, greenhouse gases are being emitted everyday by every single oil combustion engine made by man.

We know that the greenhouse effect is making the planet and our co-inhabitants suffer. In fact fellow humans who are lesser educated than us too are not able to grasp the wierd swings in the monsoons and other weather patterns; the increased frequency of "el Nino" and "la Nina" effects etc. But we do not reward anyone who is willing to find an alternative way. We are not drumming into students in the classrooms that the planet NEEDS another way to survive. We are telling them that everything is going to be ok. It is not. Eventually someone's mistakes are going to cost lives of people around the globe, LONG after he/she is dead.

There is also the problem of dumping industrial waste into the planet's water flows. How long do you think the planet is going to be blue from space? There will come a time when the water is going to be brown throughout the oceans. A time when we need protective gear to save us from the outside moisture, which could be poisonous by trapping and reacting with complicated strains of airborne particles from industrial areas, not to mention rain. Could we imagine a world where we run to save our lives from a light April shower?

With all these in motion, we need to ask ourselves. What did the Mayans see that caused them to stop their Long Calender at the date: 21/12/2012 ? Did they see the tipping point that is caused by the barrage of wrong environmental management decisions, starting right from when the cavemen used artificial colours to paint in their cave walls? Could that be the point where so profound a change happens in the way the world has worked all these millenia, that we even stop using calenders as we knew them?

Why do we have to WAIT? Waiting in itself shows that we don't really understand the forces that are at work, causing us uncertainties in our decisions. Let's use our technology the best way possible. Let's come up with a recovery plan. Let's have the political will supporting us to NOT inconvinience our grandchildren. Let's deal with it here and now, not in 2012; or when the oceans have turned brown.

The ebb and flow of creativity

Hi there guys and gals,

I have been thinking about this blogging thing for a bit. I am even now sitting and trying to wonder what do I want to type? I know that I had made a resolution to myself to blog consistently and a little more frequently than what I had been doing in the last few years.

Strangely, I only have the bug to write when I think of something. Something new. Or a new way of looking at something old. Yet after that, it just vanishes. The urge to write that is. It is like I want to show only the best of me to the world. There doesn't seem to be any leeway in the quality and standards that I set for myself.

I had thought that these limiting beliefs were taken away. I had thought that I am now able to do anything my heart desires without thinking too much about it. It is strange how the old habits seem to get reinforced whenever I am back home. The place is safe and so I grow complacent and allow all the old values creep in. Values that are useful I have no complaints, values without use however like this self-censoring is annoying.

I wish I would be able to just type anything and everything that comes to my mind. Other bloggers are doing this always, at least I think so. They also don't seem to run out of good ideas. It's almost as if by the continuity and practice, their writing upgrades to a level where all of their writing seems to be of a higher quality. This could only be my imagination after all since I haven't been religiously following any blogs other than the ones that belong to my friends.

Or maybe again it's my nature of being overly self-critical while not being critical enough of what people around me do. I saw this clearly when the pilot episode of the latest Knight Rider was released before the series started in proper. I had watched it about 4 times repeatedly feeling all hyped up about the coming series, not able to wait for the other episodes to be released. My cousin takes one look at it and bursts my bubble by mentioning how stiff the actors are; how wierd their scripts are, etc. Haha!~ It was all true. I just looked at the plus point of the show. KITT. I never even noticed anything else with a critical eye.

Well, time to get a bit more serious about the world around me. I realise the problems that are happening. I just have to be the guy who takes it further and criticises and confronts. Otherwise, there wouldn't be any resolution to some of the problems that are happening.

A letter to Dato AK Nathan

Good day Dato AK Nathan,

My name is Mathanaseelan Thavasimuthu. I was one of the first few in the Q&A session. I asked your opinion about taking bank loans to expand businesses.

Your session was a definite eye opener. You covered a lot of fundamental values which we are very familiar with in our personal lives. Just that we never figured how, as a successful person, we would use each of those values to build ourselves continuously and drive ourselves to succeed. The crowd definitely felt your energy and passion during your delivery.

I just would like to give you a personal opinion of mine, regarding the influence of Tamil cinema on our Malaysian Indian community here. This you may find interesting or you might not agree with. I spent 1 year studying in Hyderabad (2007-2008) and then worked in New Delhi from (2008 - 2009). I just recently returned to Malaysia in April. This opinion is based on my observation of Media in India in the last 2 years.

I feel that Media in India is being controlled by their politicians to make their huge population "malleable". The life there is very different from Malaysia. Here we can still find empty roads. There every street would have people walking around in groups at all times of the day. It is just mind-boggling thinking how many people actually live there, let alone thinking about leading and governing them. So the way the movies are portrayed, those people in the streets are always waiting for someone "special"; a "hero"; to arrive, to save them and to give them ALL the answers. They do not do anything by themselves. It is the hero's job to face and to overcome everything. I was extremely surprised to see this message portrayed across India in movies of ALL languages. It's not only in Tamil.

The people in India are generally unable to access educational opportunities. They learn a lot of new things from what they see in movies. I mean cybercafes in Tamil Nadu became a hit after "Kadhalar Dhinam" movie. As such it is very, very advantageous for India politicians to portray the "common India man" as always being unable to accomplish anything in movies. Only a hero can. He has to have a "special birth", "a rich father", "super intelligence/strength" BEFORE he even thinks of fighting the established rule of the authorities. This way the politicians control the pace of the country development (at a snail pace) and the uneducated people in ALL states don't take any initiatives to improve their own lives.

I feel pretty sad thinking how that implicit message, meant to curb initiatives and self-improvement in India, has creeped into the Malaysian Indian community here through those movies and worse, the drama serials. It was pretty evident during the Q&A feedback yesterday. One guy asked you the silly question if you wore any "charms" to aid you in business (Do you have super powers?); another guy mentioned how you are like Sivaji in Boss (You are their hero, implying you have to CONTINUOUSLY help the whole Malaysian Indian community, while they continue their "tidak apa" attitude and walk out of seminars that can actually help them); the long-winded guy asked you about astrology and fate (Is a "special birth" the only way to be successful?).

While I liked your direct answers to them, I feel it is going to take a lot more because they continuously watch the repeats of those movies on Astro Vaanavil and that stupid message "You and your initiatives are helpless" is reinforced into their sub-conscious. All it takes to undo the Energy and Drive they got from your motivational speech is to watch a few tamil movies.

Realising this mentality of needing a "hero" and then systematically building ourselves to be the Hero we want to see, instead of waiting for someone else would automatically make more Malaysian Indians take responsibility and accountability for their own lives. I would like to know your thoughts on this.

Thank you again, Dato AK Nathan. I changed my perception of successful Malaysian Indians completely yesterday after listening to you. I deeply appreciate your effort for the presentations and your kindness to share your experiences.

-Mathanaseelan-

It has ended...

Hey there guys and gals,

Yup, as the title states, something has ended. As I left ISB, I was recruited by a German company. They took me in to be a Project Consultant.

The way the whole experience has panned out has been nothing short of astounding. I got to be in Delhi and work for a year. I got to work at the HQ in Wiesbaden, Germany for 2 weeks.

I would have attended no less than 10 weddings in Delhi. All of them were ISB weddings, by the way. I realised the true worth of my ISB experience. If any of you reads this, please understand that Class of 2008 is my Indian family. As cheesy as this statement I make sounds, I love you all; like brothers, sisters and of course the ISB kids are like a whole bunch of nephews and nieces.

Without you guys I would not have been able to carry off this one year, and to those who supported me more than others, I thank you all for being there for me when I needed it the most. Vishal Dashora deserves a special mention here as he was not only my housemate but also the "cool joe" who helped me a LOT in understanding the complexities of Indian culture and how I can save myself from getting into hot soup. Or getting myself killed for that matter, LoL!~

The stint has come to an end; blame the economy, blame my personal circumstances, or blame the shareholders of my company; but however you look at it, to recover, it will take me awhile in Malaysia.

The best part about this is the mental state I am in right now. I've never believed in myself as much as I do now. In fact, I am not worried at all about going back to Malaysia. It's like I know I can almost definitely land any job I try for with my current resume. It's not just a fantasy; I've had a word with a good friend of mine and he might have some stuff lined up for me. Other than that, I am also looking at providing business consultancy services on a free lance basis. I have no complaints about the current economy nor do I have any bleak thoughts about my future.

I was telling a friend of mine recently in fact, going forward I am no longer worried about how people see me anymore. The feeling that, "I am inadequate", or,"I need to be better...", is all gone. I feel I am there, and anything and everything I do now will only result in success. In a way, India has shown me personally what are my limits and has also shown me where to head next.

So, goodbye India. I will definitely come back in future, once things are better on my end.

There is someone light-years ahead of that chimp...

Hi there,
I recently had seen an article about how a chimp used planning skills to attack humans. I copy pasted that link, given here: (http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20090310/tts-us-sweden-animals-research-zoology-972e412.html) on to my Google talk status message saying that the chimps are catching up with the BJP and Congress political parties in India. Of course a similar conclusion can be drawn towards Malaysian politics as well, with the recent spate of 'gutter politics' of spreading photos and other methods used to defame upcoming political leaders.

As usual, the way the Universe works, I was proven wrong by this article which came up on Yahoo! News some days back.

MP who submits himself for examination every year
Tue, Mar 24 09:14 AM
Chennai, March 24 (IANS) Ever heard of an Indian MP submitting an annual self-appraisal report to the people of his constituency?
Meet 59-year-old M. Ramadass of the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), a doctorate in economics and an economics professor-turned politician who is charting a new course in politics.
He is the only member in the outgoing Lok Sabha and perhaps the first Indian MP to submit to the people of Puducherry an annual report of his activities as their representative.
Asked if the concept was borrowed from his academic field, the first generation politician told IANS: 'I felt it is my duty to give an account of my activities to the people. I want to be accountable to my people.'
His annual reports contain the welfare schemes and various projects brought to Puducherry by him, debates in which he participated in the Lok Sabha, his attendance in parliament, the utilisation of the MP Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) and the protests and even social events in which he took part.
By his own admission, Ramadass, who hails from a fishermen community, has taken part in 151 parliament debates, raised 380 questions and has scored 94 percent attendance.
According to a study by PRS Legislative Research, an independent research initiative, nearly 60 MPs including former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda and actor-politicians Dharmendra and Govinda did not ask a single question in the 14th Lok Sabha. Sixty-seven MPs asked 10 or fewer questions.
Admirers of Ramadass say he was instrumental in bringing to Puducherry the Rs.330 million Karaikal port project, improving rail connectivity, and expanding railway reservation counters at Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam.
'Our MP was instrumental in the conduct of local body elections in Puducherry after a four-decade gap. He was also instrumental in devolution of powers to the local bodies,' said one PMK worker.
Ramadass is also credited with elevating Puducherry's classification to that of New Delhi -- so that the house rent allowance (HRA) for government employees goes up.
As to the utilisation of funds under the MPLADS, against his entitlement of Rs.100 million (Rs.10 crore) for five years, Ramadass issued work orders for Rs.125 (Rs.12.5 crore). 'I have effectively used the unspent money of my predecessor. My focus is on improving the basic amenities for the people,' he said.
Way back in 1986 Ramadass was in the limelight for a brief period when he won the National Prize for the best suggestions on the making of the Indian budget.
It was PMK founder S. Ramadoss who convinced him to join politics.
'Our leader wanted educated people to enter politics. My wife was very apprehensive about my entering politics, from being the registrar of Pondicherry University. A lot of cajoling had to be done,' he recalled.
In 2004, Ramadass was elected to the Lok Sabha, securing 241,653 votes (49.95 percent), defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate who got 171,472 votes (35.65 percent).
Today his services are utilised by the PMK, which submits alternative budgets for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, and also for preparing the party's election manifesto.
As an academician he has guided seven Ph.Ds, 40 M.Phils and 15 M.S. theses. He has also authored five books and has 45 research papers to his credit.
At a time when even small-level politicians speed around the cities in big fuel guzzling utility vehicles, Ramadass is satisfied with his old Tata Indica car.
He is confident of not only getting the party's nod to contest again from Puducherry but also of winning. His annual reports, he knows, have won the hearts of his voters.

This is of course something that is definitely needed in India, if the governance of such a huge economy is to be done properly. Yet, I feel that this is something which even Malaysian voters need to demand from their elected representatives as well. An annual report of the constituency, on what was the money flow in and what was the money flow out of the constituency. What were the unemployment levels? What is the development level?

What efforts did the local representattive take to bring in investments? to bring in investors? to bring in residents and increase Cukai Pintu revenues? There can be a more methodical and scientific approach to nominating and voting for correct representatives if a study about the constituency is done and shared among the people of the constituency, increasing their own understanding and pride of the local area.

We do want to serve the 'rakyat' right?

Prophetic? Just commmon sense...

Hey there,

It is pretty interesting. After a long time, I posted in my blog. One, was about the way economy should behave. How an economy of advanced humans would look like? Followed by a rough, "imaginary" guideline to get there. Of the few options, I chose the android servant as the most appropriate morally.

Lo and behold, HRP-4C is now introduced to the world. She's a robot, given the face of an average Japanese woman. The body still looks robotic though. The best part, she is only 43kg. After the unveiling, the Japanese have mentioned that she would be walking the runways in an upcoming fashion show. I have to admit, that is an interesting publicity stunt. To showcase a female robot in an arena where "the best looking" female humans dominate.

Another point I made in that write-up was the way companies are behaving towards employees and just cutting them out. I mentioned that there should be not only a business ramp-up strategy, in times of distress there should be a phase-down strategy as well. One of which is of course to actually recommend their employees to job seek agencies / other employers.

Lo and behold, I just read in the news today how it has been happening in other parts of the world and now it is becoming a serious business opportunity in India as well. "Outplacement" is what they call it. Lucrative business actually. These outplacement specialists in India now charge INR 4 lakhs for Managerial level people; INR 2 lakhs for Executive and experienced people; and INR 1 lakh for junior placements, which is ok as that would be the typical 2-3 months salary of those employees given normal times. At the end of the day, everyone is happy, hopefully.

Anyway, this was just a blog post to wonder do I have prophetic capabilities? I mean one knows that doing meditation helps you see things clearer. Of course, then you superimpose it with current data to come up with intelligent future solutions. But to actually be able to make those conclusions, just before announcements about the same are being done. That's a an interesting thought. Coincidence.

Coincidence is a powerful word, mind you. It has happened often enough at critical junctures of my life, I started believing in the idea of Fate. A recent speech by my Guru highlighted the fact that there is no such thing as Fate, which is written by Someone up above as the way we would live and die. There are however environmental factors which do influence us. Our parents and friends. Our hobbies and the people we meet in that line of sports, activity.

National athletes, if you notice do not seem to be fazed by strong competition. Their highly competitive environment trains their mind, to be stronger than the average person. Children growing up in musical families, tend to take part in musical competitions and hone their musical talents even though they may be born math geniuses.

It is really difficult to be born in a family or surrounding which entrusts and encourages a certain set of values and feel that we don't fit. It really is hard to break the mold. I decided that I had to break the mold for my family. I went overseas to study, post high school. I still have to thank my dad for giving me that opportunity. I went and lived in Australia with a bunch of really successful people. That was what helped me think out of the box. Thinking "HOW?" I can break the mold.

Mr. John George, was a partner at a law firm in Darwin, Australia. Extremely knowledgable man and someone I didn't know how to speak up to. He was a lawyer and I having been brought up in an environment where I was expected to listen, did not utilise the chance I had, did not learn how to argue for my rights, did not learn from him all the stuff that I could have.

Dr. Masoud Mahmood, was an opthalmologist in Darwin, Australia. I only stayed with his family for 2 months but I realised how intellectual this man is. He listened to classical music which was my first introduction into that world. Dr. Masoud was also learning how to do Visual Basic 6 programming on his own. I had my first introduction to serious PC programming flipping through his book as well. Dr. Masoud also had stricter rules, but yeah it was fun being with them.

Last but not least was the stay with Oma. :) This deserves special mention. When I got there, I thought I had finally landed in a "normal" Aussie home. I stayed with Oma. Her daughter Connie and son-in-law James Koch lived like less than 10Km away. They had 3 beautiful children. Jameson Koch, Talia Rose Koch, Tamsin Louise Koch. So, yeah I was more like an Uncle to these kids. Lol!~ Oma was a retired nurse, while Connie was teaching at the community centre at that time. Under Connie's house they had a pool table. They also had a Japanese exchange student, Dais living with them. I've never had any pool game as satisfying as the last game I played with Dais, until I met Elly in MMU I guess. It was good ol' family love that I learnt from them. I learnt how they are much more open in showing it, in taking part in family functions, in joining activities that made the family get closer.

These are the things I learnt, by a simple change in environment for a year. I also went out on my own to do a few things. I wish I still had the contact of all those people who changed my life while I was there. 10 years have gone. Their influence still remains strong. I still see with different eyes. The extent of their influence was only felt by me when dealing with my cousin recently. 10 years I had, to influence him and to show him all the possibilities that I have seen. But, telling him and letting him experience it are polar opposites.

I made an extremely grave error in forgetting to tell my aunt to register him for an AFS Intercultural Exchange experience. It ends up even after repeatedly telling him a lot of things, he still looks at Malaysian solutions. He didn't take effort to search for the list of courses that are being offered in Aeronautical Engineering which is what he is interested in doing. That is a typical malay attitude, not taking effort, which even I had. Which, I still have. Yet, I know its effect on me and try my best to overcome it to be successful, knowledgable and loving like the people I mentioned.

Without the new blueprint of what is possible, there is no attempt to let go of what exists.

Life would be just following the few factors that dictated our lives since birth unless something really "shocks" us into taking our life into our own hands. Believing in coincidences and Fate until something tells us that life need not be so. For me it was a change in environment. I tried telling people about the change in environment that I experienced. To be able to appreciate what else can be done in life now, I realise that they needed the change in environment themselves.

I cannot afford to make anymore mistakes in my life. I have wasted time enough. It is time once again to take the effort needed to break myself from my own mental blocks and processes. Once again to take the effort to break the mold. Once again to live a life of dreams...