Thou shalt not

1. Thou shalt not practice yoga
2. Thou (females) shalt not wear men's clothing
3. Thou (females) shalt not practice lesbianism
4. Thou shalt not exhibit ghosts, ghouls and supernatural beings
5. Thou shalt not convert out of the religion

Spotted in a job ad

Any takers?

1. Financial Services Consultant
   
   

   Melbourne - Inner | Accel | Package + staff benefits

   
   

   An incredible organisation where employees are valued and respected. This will be the last place you'd ever want to work. Work with a bunch of friends

   Consulting & Corp. Strategy > Consulting

   
   

Meh

Feeling apathetic? Bored? Indifferent? Or maybe something's just mediocre. Well I've got the perfect word for you. MEH!

Or, given its meaning, perhaps meh might be a better way to present it.

The Collins English Dictionary is officially recognizing this bit of US slang for it's 30th anniversary edition. Here's an example of how to use it:

I'm feeling so meh about money politics in Malaysia.

Spring cleaning

I was cleaning out my room the other day, finally kicking all my mom's decades old and never-again-should-see-the-light-of-day clothing out of my closet. That's the trouble with leaving home and then moving back in - when I was gone, my room became the forgotten land for everything that my family didn't really want/need but might eventually have a use for one hopeful day down the road. And because I was only ever back for short visits, I didn't care about all the junk piling up in the corners of my room and in my closet. Living out of a suitcase really isn't that bad.

But when it finally sank in that this time I'll be getting a job and living at home for a while, I realized it was time to put down some roots, and stop living out of a suitcase. And yes, it took five months for that to sink in. Did I mention I'm a slow learner?

Anyway, at the end of the process, I ended up with two huge garbage bags worth of clothes, some old spectacles as well as an old CRT monitor and TV to get rid of. So I started researching recycling options.

1. Old spectacles

I was pleasantly surprised to find that Malaysia has a spectacle recycling program. The first thing that popped up when I Googled it was Enviroman's blog article. Apparently the program has been running for some time since the post was dated February 2007. Called Give the Gift of Sight, the program is collaboratively run by the Lion's Club and the MBPJ. For a list of collection centers, please visit Enviroman's blog.

2. The usuals - paper, plastic, glass, aluminium etc.

Alam flora, one of the country's biggest rubbish collection companies, runs a recycling program for all the usual suspects. Check out their website for more information on collection centers. The coolest part is that they actually pay you for all your recyclable waste. They also take old CRT monitors and other electronics, but you won't be paid for those.

3. Old Clothes
I found out the the PJ Community Center in Section 17 takes all sorts of old junk and then gives it away to charity. We loaded all the old clothes in the car and took a drive there but it was closed. Haven't figured out when the opening hours are yet, but hopefully that'll happen soon.

4. Old Furniture
I've also got some old, but serviceable furniture that I want to get rid of so when I saw the Seri Sinar truck driving around, it was a gift from the gods. Pertubuhan Amal Seri Sinar takes recycling very seriously, servicing 100 recycling boxes in the Klang Valley and even sending trucks to pick up your bulky items for free. To schedule a pickup, check out this page.

Formaldehyde woes

If you're in the habit of wearing Victoria's Secret bras, heck if you even own a Victoria's Secret Angel's Secret Embrace bra or a Very Extreme Me Push-Up bra, beware. Roberta Ritter of Ohio, USA, together with dozens of other women have filed a class action lawsuit against the popular lingerie company, claiming that the bras gave her welts that were "very red, hot to the touch, extremely inflamed, blistery, (and) itched profusely." Definitely not a nice condition to have on any part of your body, let alone there.

The thing I can't figure out is, why do they use formaledehyde in the manufacturing of these bras? Are these push up bras supposed to keep your boobs looking perky by... preserving them in emblaming fluid? 0_0

So I did a check on sources of formaldehyde

• Urea-formaldehyde foam insulation - Installed in homes in the US in the 1970s but discontinued.
  
• Durable-press fabrics, draperies and coated paper products
• Cosmetics, paints, coatings and some wet-strength paper products
• Pressed wood products, especially those containing urea-formaldehyde glues. Includes particleboard, shelves, cabinets and furniture, plywood, fiberboard.
• Combustion sources - Burning wood, kerosene, cigarettes, natural gas, and operating internal combustion engines (e.g. cars)

But here's the scary part. The US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) publication on formaldehyde indicates that it is a carcinogen, although the risk is believed to be small at the level that humans are typically exposed to.

According to the article, normal levels are usually at 0.03 parts per million (ppm), both outdoors and indoors, but because of all these products that are emitting formaldehyde indoors, where air circulation is typically lower, the formaldehyde levels may increase indoors.

Eco-USA has a scarier message

You are exposed to small amounts of formaldehyde in the air. It occurs from both natural and man made sources although combustion is the largest source. If you live in an unpopulated area, you may be exposed to about 0.2 parts per billion (ppb) of formaldehyde in the air outdoors. In suburban areas, you may be exposed to about 2-6 ppb of formaldehyde. If you live in a heavily populated area or near some industries, you may be exposed to 10-20 ppb. You may also be exposed to higher levels of formaldehyde during rush hour commutes in highly populated areas because if is formed in automobile and truck exhaust.

So what to do? We can't, obviously, all become agoraphobes because there are a lot of big bad cars out there that emit tons of formaldehyde and other crap. We can't stick our head in the sand and hope the problem will go away. But what we can do is to raise our awareness of the problem and do what we can to reduce our exposure to formaldehyde in our own homes.

The EPA recommends:

Purchasing pressed wood products such as particleboard, MDF, or hardwood plywood for construction or remodeling of homes, or for do-it-yourself projects, that are labeled or stamped to be in conformance with American National Standards Institute (ANSI) criteria. Particleboard should be in conformance with ANSI A208.1-1993. For particleboard flooring, look for ANSI grades "PBU", "D2", or "D3" actually stamped on the panel. MDF should be in conformance with ANSI A208.2-1994; and hardwood plywood with ANSI/HPVA HP-1-1994. These standards all specify lower formaldehyde emission levels.

Purchasing furniture or cabinets that contain a high percentage of panel surface and edges that are laminated or coated. Unlaminated or uncoated (raw) panels of pressed wood products will generally emit more formaldehyde than those that are laminated or coated.

Using alternative products such as wood panel products not made with urea-formaldehyde glues, lumber or metal.

Avoiding the use of foamed-in-place insulation containing formaldehyde, especially urea-formaldehyde foam insulation.

Washing durable-press fabrics before use.

Also, improving ventilation, removing the offending product from your home and sealing the surfaces of formaldehyde-containing products that are not already laminated or coated are some additional steps that you can take.

Seems like everywhere you turn, these days, there is a carcinogen lurking. But I've always believed that "everything in moderation" is a good mantra to live life by, and knowledge is power. As a consumer, I believe that we have the power to shift the production patterns of industry by choosing not to buy cheap but dangerous products. Of course it's easier said than done, but you have to start somewhere, right?

Parliament fun house

Well it's certainly been an interesting few weeks politically. There has been, I am sure, lots of motions tabled and debates held, all in the process of our good politicians leading the country. However, I must confess to not remembering any of the motions passed or decisions reached in parliament, except perhaps the Anti-Corruption Bill that's supposed to replace the Anti-Corruption Act (Plan B after Plan A has failed? Maybe we'll have an Anti-Corruption Charter next).

Instead, I remember Karpal Singh being suspended for two days for insulting Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia. I remember Anwar leading the Pakatan MPs out of the House when Najib refused to take questions in the middle of his speech and I remember them refusing to debate the budget at the committee stage the next day, forcing proceedings to be suspended. I remember Tian Chua being suspended for refusing to sit down during Najib's winding up speech and I remember Fong Po Kuan and Chong Chien Jen being suspended for disobedience, after the former protested Pandikar Amin's decision to wind up the committee stage before she had gotten a chance to speak. Give us a break, Pandikar, the poor girl has been standing for a whole day and you didn't see her?

I also remember thinking that isn't it interesting that all these disciplinary actions are taken against the opposition MPs but when a BN MP used the word "bastard", or as the newspapers put it, "b******", all he was asked to do was to retract the word.

It seems like we are a country led by a bunch of children, and children with highly disrespectful vocabulary at that. At times like these, when we are facing a global economic meltdown, it seems like all our leaders can do, leaders that we have voted for because we believe in their ability to guide us and our country to greater heights, is either decline to speak or refuse to shut up.

And of course, who can forget the hilarious episode of MPs chasing each other to Taiwan and back just before Anwar's threat to overthrow the government, which turned out to be all hot air and no substance?

In my eyes, our MPs, the leaders of our country, should be intelligent, principled, someone we can look up to. Someone with unquestionable morals whose integrity means more to him than something as crass as money. Someone who respects the laws of this country because he and his brethren were responsible for passing those laws in the first place.

Instead, we have MPs who flaunt the laws, blatantly in some cases. Case in point, on Nov 3rd, the newspapers warned us to "snuff out in air-cond areas" as the Health Ministry would be stepping up their enforcement of the ban. A day later, we were told that even our MPs are happily flaunting the law, and in such a (supposedly) august institution as the Parliament, no less. The best part is that even the "No Smoking" signs have disappeared, so it seems that our MPs are vandals and thieves as well.

Since the Health Dept is cracking down on smokers, starting with the 67 summonses issued in one day, perhaps their next target should be the parliament. After all, with all the money politics going on, I'm sure they are sufficiently rolling in it that they can afford to pay for it.

Bye bye, Baby Bush

Now that America has voted and Obama is due to take over the White House next January, it won't be long before we have to (thankfully) say goodbye to George W. Bush. I couldn't believe it when he first won the elections back in 2000, and then was even more flabbergasted when he won it again in 2004. Was America really so dumb as to revote for the guy who started two wars that he couldn't finish and was increasing America's debt to the world at the same rate as he was killing innocent young American soldiers? It's definitely time for a change, but I gotta say, the guy was good for some laughs at least. There are whole websites devoted to this clown of a president but here are ten of my favourite Bushisms from 2007 and 2008:

The misunderestimated me.

"Amigo! Amigo!" - Bush calling out to Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi at the G-8 Summit in Japan

How can you possibly have an international agreement that's effective unless countries like China and India are not full participants?

So long as I'm president, my measure of success is victory - and success.

I don't particularly like it when people put words in my mouth, either, by the way, unless I say it.

All I can tell you is when the governor calls, I answer his phone.

You know, when you give a man more money in his pocket - in this case, a woman more money in her pocket to expand a business, it - they build new buildings. And when somebody builds a new building somebody has got to come and build the building. And when the building expanded it prevented additional opportunities for people to work.

All of us in American want there to be fairness when it comes to justice.

"I'm going to try to see if I can remember as much to make it sound like I'm smart on the subject." - Bush on a possible flu pandemic

"I've heard he's been called Bush's poodle. He's bigger than that." - Bush on former British PM Tony Blair

One of my concerns is that the health care can not be as good as it possibly can be.

Gobama!

Congratulations to Senator Barack Obama soon to be the 44th President of the United States. The 2-year long campaign is finally over and for the first time, a black man who's father hails from Kenya, has the honour and the challenge of leading one of the world's powers. It is a daunting challenge, inheriting "the worst financial turmoil in a century" and two wars from the Bush administration. But the American people believe in him, giving him the job by a landslide. May he bring a greatly-needed wind of change to the White House, to America and to the world.

Alternative remedies

Welcome to Malaysia, home of alternative remedies. If you need help to quit smoking, simply call 1-800-QUIT-SMOKING, where the next available agent will assist you shortly in setting up a session where you will be hit by motorcycle helmets and sticks to beat the addiction out of you. The treatment is guaranteed to work, and feel free to sign over your life insurance policy to the agency while you're at it.

However, if you need help removing tattoos, the outcome cannot be guaranteed. Nevertheless, you should still call 1-800-REMOVE-TATTOOS, where you will be given the option of formic acid, special abrasive soap, an iron, or fire-heated metal. I personally recommend the formic acid, as it is the only one that will permanently remove tattoos. Please be warned that some flesh will be removed in the process, but if the bone shows, you should stop the treatment and consult the nearest doctor. If acid is not your cup of tea, hot metal, heated in a fire or an iron may be just the thing to burn it off, failing which you can try the abrasive soap that will shred your skin to bits. Who said tattoos were permanent?

Honor Code

You must have heard the news about Cambridge by now. "Half of Cambridge students admit cheating," blares the title of the article. An anonymous online poll found that 49% of undergraduates admitted to cheating, while only 5% had been caught. The best soundbite in the article:

“Sometimes, when I am really fed up, I Google the essay title, copy and throw everything on to a blank word document and jiggle the order a bit. They usually end up being the best essays.”

I guess it's true around the world, no matter which top university you go to - getting in is the easy part; after that, it's just, if not plain sailing, then definitely not as insurmountable a challenge as getting past the gates.

Cheating in any form, including plagiarism, is taken very seriously at Princeton. Upon matriculation, each student receives a copy of the Honor Code Constitution, which outlines, in excruciating detail, what constitutes cheating and plagiarizing. One can only be a student of good standing once (s)he signs and returns the honor code statement. Also, we were reminded about the Code at every exam that we took and every paper that we submitted, having had to write the statement 'I pledge my honor that I have not violated the Honor Code during this examination' on each paper. One lives in mortal fear of violating the Honor Code by accidentally neglecting to footnote and attribute everything to its original source. Some take it more seriously than others, but everyone has heard the dark rumours and half-confirmed stories about a friend of a friend of a friend getting thrown out or suspended for a year or more because of an Honor Code violation. Being suspended is, of course, taboo, but being suspended because of an Honor Code violation puts you in among the Untouchables.

Given Princeton's stringent approach to cheating and plagiarism, it's quite a surprise that the students at Cambridge apparently don't seem to understand exactly what plagiarism is. Copying and rearranging Google hits to pass for an essay is the stupidest thing I've ever heard of. What sort of reputation is the university inviting for itself if half the students admit to cheating? Admittedly, it was an online poll and anyone could have said anything on it, making the results questionable at best. However, I've found that there's some truth to the saying that 'There is no smoke without a fire,' thus putting Cambridge's No. 2 ranking on the Times Higher Education World University Rankings this year in serious question. But honestly, how can anyone trust a ranking that places Princeton outside the top 5?